30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 14
Ready for Day 14's representive? Let's dive into an investigation in Thriller/Suspense novel Those Who Stay by Alex Wolfe! This cover was designed by the amazing returning designer, Joe Schwartz!
Those Who Stay
Harmless fiction becomes a gruesome reality when mystery author Jacob Fox finds himself at the center of a police investigation. A serial killer is on the loose in Seattle, replicating the murders in Jacob's novels. The detectives recruit him as a consultant to keep them a step ahead of the killer. Jacob is happy to help, especially if that means leading them away from his own secrets.
About the Author
Alex Wolfe has played many different roles in the world of writing, ranging from a technical writer, a managing editor of an arts journal, and a communications consultant specializing in social media. Their first foray into fiction was through fanfiction which eventually expanded into collections of short stories and novels. Those Who Stay is their second novel. Outside of writing, they enjoy art history, true crime, and going on road trips. Alex currently lives in Olympia, Washington.
About the Designer
Joe Schwartz is a New Jersey-based visual designer and educator. This is his sixth cover for NaNoWriMo and he couldn't be more honored to have been asked to participate again. A designer and art director in New Jersey and New York for over 30 years, Joe currently teaches History of Visual Communications at Kean University's Michael Graves College and classes in visual design and photography at Spotswood High School.
Cover Design Process:
This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here's Joe's:
The concept for this cover is based on peeling back layers of a mystery. As the story is centered around the landscapes in and around the Seattle area, it was important to create a sense of the vast geography of the area despite the small footprint that a book cover allows. It was also important to maintain a hint that the reader will be invited into the story of the serial killer with a motive to be discovered.










