Creating a Crystal Book Etching by Cheryl Hollon

Perfect is the word that describes my reaction when I received the cover art for my debut mystery, Pane and Suffering (Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery #1). The cover illustrates my vision of Savannah’s Webb’s storefront perfectly. Even the dog on the front is a perfect image of Suzy the service beagle.

I wanted to show that cover to everyone in a way that would combine my love of glass with my delight in writing a mystery grounded in the glass arts. My husband, George and I have a glass studio in a free-standing cottage behind the house, but all our brainstorming didn’t inspire us until we hit upon the idea of etching the cover on glass. He found a vendor that would provide an optical quality glass book.

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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 replicate the cover.

 

 

 

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With the process finally perfected, we etched the cover and couldn’t be more delighted with the quality of the image and the joy of holding this work of art.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

9781617737602“Will keep you guessing to the end!” —Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling author

To solve her father’s murder and save the family-owned glass shop, Savannah Webb must shatter a killer’s carefully constructed façade…

After Savannah’s father dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, she drops everything to return home to St. Petersburg, Florida, to settle his affairs—including the fate of the beloved, family-owned glass shop. Savannah intends to hand over ownership to her father’s trusted assistant and fellow glass expert, Hugh Trevor, but soon discovers the master craftsman also dead of an apparent heart attack.

As if the coincidence isn’t suspicious enough, Savannah discovers a note her father left for her, warning her that she’s in danger. With the local police unconvinced, it’s up to Savannah to piece together the encoded clues. And when her father’s apprentice is accused of the murders, Savannah is more desperate than ever to crack the case before the killer seizes a window of opportunity to cut her out of the picture…

“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

“A kaleidoscope of perfection, with a feisty heroine, exquisite plot and master storytelling.” —Liz Mugavero, author of the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

CherylHollonCheryl Hollon now writes full-time after she left an engineering career of designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind her house in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cheryl and her husband design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass, and painted glass artworks. Visit her online at cherylhollon.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @CherylHollon.