Maybe it's appropriate that this was the book that taught me to draw with my left hand – my 'wrong' hand. It’s said that you either use one side of your brain or the other when it comes to drawing, and I'm pretty sure this cover proved that point to me. For a designer it's really important not to close off too many creative avenues at the start of a project, and while I try my best to use traditional techniques in most of my covers, there's no denying the life-saving advantages of the final digital stages. In this case, it came to an actual reversal...
Read MoreBlessed Assurance is a coming-of-age novel - set against the backdrop of a small close-knit religious community in the fictional Scottish village of Kilhaugh one fogbound December in the late sixties. The story takes place over six soul-searching days in the life of God-fearing dog-thief and pyromaniac, eleven-year-old Joseph Kirkland – and his godless, devil-may-care best friend Archie Truman – as the perpetually guilt-ridden Joseph attempts to put right what he believes to be the most terrible of lies. The book explores ideas of family, friendship, faith and grief, and the compromises that have to be made to remain part of a community.
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