Polar Bears
A funny thing about the polar bear on the cover of Ice Tomb: it shouldn’t be there! I’ll tell you the story and see if you agree.
I was waiting, and waiting for the cover of Ice Tomb to be completed by the artist. Finally the editor of ICP sent it to me via e-mail. My husband was the first to see it. He called me and said, “Guess what. I just saw your cover.”
“That’s great,” I said. “What does it look like?”
“It looks fantastic. There’s this great big polar bear on the front.”
“What! A polar bear! You’ve got to be kidding.”
That was my reaction—dawning horror and disbelief. You see, there are no polar bears in Antarctica, the main setting of the story. The artist just didn’t get it.
But after a while, I sat and looked at the thing, and he was menacing. He conveyed the chilling suspense of the tale. He has become my own personal joke and my signature.
If you see me at a book signing, you shouldn’t fail to recognize me. I’ll be the one with the polar bear earrings and necklace, the polar bear shirt and toys. Instead of defining my book, I’m letting the polar bear define me.