Creating a Crystal Book Etching of my Cover by Cheryl Hollon

I’m so excited when I receive the cover art for a new book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries. The covers in the series have been breathtaking, Cracked to Death is no exception. The cover illustrates my vision of Savannah’s Webb’s storefront perfectly. Even the dog under the table looks appropriately sorry to have caused an accident.

My husband, George and I have a glass studio in a free-standing cottage behind the house and we love the challenge of creating a new Glass Book for each mystery in the series. He found a vendor that would provide an optical quality blank glass book.

The next challenge was to create an etching mask from the artwork. It was a long tedious series of trials that finally resulted in the high-resolution effect we required in order to exactly replicate the cover on the glass book. Below on the left is the artwork and on the right is the etching mask.

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With the process finally perfected, we sand etched the cover, outside in the humid heat of Florida, of course, and couldn’t be more delighted with the quality of the image and the joy of holding this work of art. That’s not all however. I added an extra touch by hand painting the three bottles in the center of the cover. It really makes this cover pop.

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“A fresh and original new series!” –Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling authorWhen a treasure hunt leads to deadly plunder, it’s up to glass shop owner Savannah Webb and her trusty investigative posse to map out the true motives of a killer . . .

It’s the dog days of summer in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Webb’s Glass Shop proprietor Savannah Webb has an eco-friendly plan to help locals escape the heat–a recyclable bottle-crafting workshop taught by reticent store manager Amanda Blake. Turns out, the class is a bigger smash than expected, thanks in part to a pair of staggeringly old bottles brought in by snorkeler Martin Lane . . .

Linked to a storied pirate shipwreck, the relics definitely pique Savannah’s interest. But intrigue turns to shock when Martin’s lifeless body washes ashore the next morning, another glass artifact tucked in his dive bag. With cell phone records connecting Amanda to the drowning, Savannah must voyage through unchartered territory to exonerate her colleague and capture the twisted criminal behind Martin’s death . . .

“Cheryl Hollon clearly knows her glass craft, but better still, she also knows how to craft a good mystery.” –Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author