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Neil Comments: May Day May Day, we have a situation up here. At least I think Im in an aeroplane, maybe its some tech suit. Either way I think we should concentrate on a wolf coming out of the clouds.
Published 1990

Many thanks to Neil!

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Don Comments: OK, we’ve seen tons of perms and oodles of mullets on these covers – but I do believe this is the first permed mullet.  (Pullet?) Assuming that’s the eponymous Bard whose Tale this is, he’s apparently not the brightest light in the harbor, since he a) agreed to accompany his hairdresser on a thieving expedition from an albino lizard-man (do such things EVER end well?) and b) misunderstood her when she said she wanted him along to carry the loot.
Published 1993

Many thanks to the Don!

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Liz’s Art Direction: Draw some buxom witch types in tight revealing outfits having a tea party.  Throw in a weird muscle bound werewolf creature for good measure and have them all sit / stand around drinking tea out of some china cups. That should do it. Everyone reads these for the stories anyway.
Published 2009

Thanks to Liz and Simon who both sent this in!

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Don Comments: May the blessings of Saint Rubik be upon you.
John Melo for Baen Books, 1988

Heinlein Mondays? Might have to be.
Many thanks to Don!

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Richard’s Art Direction: Ok, I want the devil playing chess on a life-size board with warriors from different periods of history.  Don’t forget to throw in a few other random characters, at least one man must clad in leather and a scarf and find a spot for a woman in a bathing suit with a parasol.  Then make it from the perspective of an opposing chess piece.  Yeah, those should all come together nicely.

Excellent! Thanks to Richard!

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Larry Comments: OK, this doesn’t follow The Rules, but it’s me, the actual artst, giving you a sneak peek at my upcoming disaster.  The art direction for this book was LITERALLY: A Black Helicopter versus a Black Locomotive, at night.  It’s for the upcoming Baen (No really try to look surprised) book WRITTEN IN TIME.

You might remember Larry’s work from this cover!

To which he has thankfully commented: I agree with when I was gigged here at GSS for the Sceptere’d Isle cover. Yes that WAS a gamer pal with a costume.  Sometimes I look back at stuff I have done and wonder, holy crap, what was I thinking?

He also says something we whole heartily agree with here, “Misty (Mercedes Lackey) and I have a life philosophy that embraces the humor in all things.  As we put it in an interview not long ago, to fully respect something you must acknowledge that all things have an element of the absurd.  If you treat something as wholly serious, you’re not respecting its entirety, since you are trimming off and discarding the silly side of it—in other words, to fully love something you must also make fun of it.”

Thanks to Larry for sending this all in and might I add, is a jolly nice bloke, as we would say here. Check out his website: www.gryphonking.com

Good Show Sir, Good Show!

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Jen’s Art Direction: A book about telepaths, you say?  You’re blowing my mind.  In fact, that’s just what we need on the cover!  A man with his head exploding!  And if that doesn’t just scream sci-fi, we’ll put him in coveralls and put after-images of him all over the place.  Oh, and emboss it.  All of it.  I want everything to stand out.

Thanks so much to Jen!

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Jen comments: I was going to talk about his lack of spacesuit, or his overabundance of cleavage, or the protruding rock in space.  Then I noticed that one of the strange ghost-images was smoking a cigar, and all words failed me.

Thanks to Jen! Good Find!

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I love the realism, so we’ll defiantly have to get that on there. In fact I think we should tone it down a little. We’ll keep it simple so it’s not too bad (and almost like it’s creeping up on its prey) then WHAM! We’ll hit them with a gold black red title banner!

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So I just read from the list on this sheet? Alright then, terrible fonts, realistic guys doing manly stuff and pulling awkward faces, and a futuristic city. Might I add something of my own? Why don’t we credit only the editors and none of the authors? …You’re promoting me to management?! OHHH yeaaah!