Pirates of the Crimson Sand, by Justin R Macumber
“A short story written by Justin R. Macumber, this is the tale of Shana, a young woman who had to become the leader of a band of sand pirates far too young. She tries her best to do right by them while also taking care of her sick younger brother. Can she walk the fine line between duty and family responsibility? Is captaining a ship of hardened pirates too much for a girl halfway between adolescence and adulthood? Download this exciting short story and find out for yourself.” (via the story’s page on Amazon.com)
A new cover, a new style! This one was inspired by the sci-fi pulp novels of old. It needed a hand-drawn look to reflect the style of that time, and I think I was able to capture that appropriately. The challenge came in finding the right person to look the part of the main character. She needed to look determined, yet vulnerable at the same time, as this girl has more responsibility to shoulder than adults twice her age. This cover was especially heavy on the use of filters to convert the photographs to the look of illustrations. I’m pretty pleased with the overall effect it has, and I hope readers will enjoy it too.
This image was compiled in Adobe Photoshop CS4.
Justin Macumber says
You did a great job, Starla, and I appreciate all the hard work you put into it. I know who to come to the next time I need a great cover to grace my stories.
Starla Huchton says
I’m so glad you’re pleased with my design! I hope the cover serves to draw more readers to your work!