#15 Son of Hydra Cover Reveal

Shelley Dark
Nov 1
3 min read

Updated: Nov 4

The Cover That Took An Insta-village (and a pirate)

Remember these?

When I put up sixteen possible covers for Son of Hydra and asked you to vote, I had no idea what I’d started. Hundreds of you took the trouble to send really thoughtful responses—and the results were—well, enlightening.

There was no outright winner. Just a list of ones that had more votes than the others. The top choice was Number 6, the beautiful orange and blue woodcut. Unfortunately, when I showed it to an award-winning Australian book designer, she said, ‘Lovely Shelley—but completely wrong for a historical novel. It looks more like a memoir.‘ So that one walked the plank.

The runner-up was Number 9, with Hydra’s pastel houses against a perfect lavender sky. Also vetoed. ‘Too Provence,‘ said the designer. ‘More Peter Mayle than 1820s piracy.‘ Fair point.

Third and fourth place were both men’s heads:

– Number 2, a little too bodice-rippery.

– Number 13, a little too literary.

But if you combined the votes for both, the message was clear: a majority of you didn‘t mind a man on the cover.

Beyond that, there was no consensus. Some of you liked the plain one with the wax seal, others the lavender and yellow. So—back to the drawing board.

I made a list of what Son of Hydra truly needed to say before anyone even read a word:

– It had to belong visually with Hydra in Winter.

– It had to show Hydra itself, but not in a glossy-travel way.

– It had to include the sea and a ship — because this is a story of piracy, exile, and voyage.

– It needed a whisper of New South Wales, without turning into a tourist brochure.

– And something faintly feminine, to hint at the love story.

That was the brief.

The result?

A two-masted schooner leaving Hydra harbour in rough seas, the island of Dokos (not quite the right shape, but it was the best we could do) behind it, and a single waratah—a symbol of both New South Wales and the love story that runs through the book.

And yes — after all that design discipline, I still thought it would look better with a hunk. And I'm the author.

No seriously, it was more than that. Without him, I thought it looked like an adventurous ship's voyage about colonial or maritime history—about exploration, with the colony itself, or the sea, or the ship, as the main character. And less emphasis on psychological depth. It didn't immediately signal a character-driven story to me.

With the man, I think it has a more intimate, character-driven focus. His presence suggests this is his personal story—an individual caught in historical forces—rather than the setting or the adventure being the main drawcard. And that's what Son of Hydra is. A story about character.

As for the man himself, the fact that it's only his profile—and he’s not engaging with the reader, but staring at something we can't see, with a serious expression, the partial view, the faded representation—for me, that keeps it from tipping toward commercial romance. I hope you agree.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know I have really valued all your inputs all along, even if I've landed in a different place. Thank you friends!