Today, I give you my favorite element on the cover. It’s one that I asked for when my editor and I first began talking about what should be on it, the star of the entire show, the T4-Angel tomato, savor of the third world, genetically engineered to withstand drought, cracking, pesticides, and grow tall without staking. It’s truly a scientific marvel of the sixties, and I think it’s a wish fulfillment of me not being able to grow tomatoes well.
Until . . . a governmental virus escapes and spontaneously attaches to it and kills a quarter of the world’s population.
This we know. The truth . . . is a little different, and Trent’s parents are involved up to their little pointy, docked ears.
So I asked for a tomato on the cover, and I got it, but someone had the idea that it was a magical tomato, and had put magical radiating lines coming out from it. It looked great, but the feeling of a magical tomato wasn’t doing it for me. This was the destruction of the third world and the beginning of the Turn in her hands, and it wasn’t magical, it was horrifying. So I doubled down and asked for the “magic lines” to be removed and for the tomato to be black and decaying, putrefying in Trent’s mom’s hands. I wanted to make a ugly, horrifying image to contrast with the flowing beauty of Trisk herself. I think I got it.
I’ll give you the entire cover tomorrow with an explanation of my idea of what makes a good fairytale, but if you want it tonight at midnight eastern time, sign up for my newsletter. They’re getting it first.
Kim Harrison 
Hey Kim, huge fan of all your books, love all the Peri books…anxiously waiting for The Turn & The Agent…..BUT, this is a Hollows question.. Just got ‘Holidays are Hell’ – so true! So I looked up the reading order, and am a bit confused. So to the actual question: In “Holidays Are hell”, looked up reading order of Hollows books, & @ the end there is chapter 2 of The Undead Pool. I didn’t see it in reading order, so is it a book, & where does it go in reading order ? Thank you so much for this long text, but very interested !!! love you ! Annette @ netwithoutashadow@gmail.com. Have a great holiday season, & thanx again! ❤
Looks alright, but her squeezing it to crack it and force some black oozing pulp out would have explained the blood dripping down her hands. As it is there is a bit of a visual weirdness there that a completely whole fruit is somehow dripping blood. It doesn’t read horrifying and ugly to me.
I like it, it looks like a killer and it is!
YOU TOTALLY GOT IT!
wow she has man hands!
I love the tomato. It makes a perfect statement. Can’t wait for The Turn.
I’m really digging this cover. It’s practically biblical with the woman holding the “Forbidden Fuit,” that would encompass such drastic and terrible change in the world. I think both covers work great depending on perspective, human or inderlander. One is the glowing magical dawn of a new age, the other is a holocaust. I friggin love it!
I love it. My sister still laughs that a tomato ruined the world. She’s been telling us for YEARS that they are evil, vile things. You just proved her point for her. 🙂
What is it all the young people say? You nailed it. Spectacular image.
I think the black tomato is perfect.