The cover tells a subtle story that is at once both tangentially and explicitly related to the subject matter of the events in The Well. Obviously, the cover is an image of a well, as viewed through a television camera. More precisely, it shows an electronically transmitted image of a well, as seen on an older television set, hence the reception lines. It's a way of showing the West's (I suppose I should say North Americans') attitude about social problems that occur halfway around the world. Problems such as the decades-long drought in the Sudan, for example. Imagine, not having any potable water... for over ten years! I don't know about you, but I can't do it.
We are mostly made aware of these very real and troubling social issues through the media, and in particular, through the medium of television (or the internet). TV does an amazing job of relating all these diverse issues. Unfortunately, we quickly become accustomed to the exposure, from our comfortable seat on the couch. As the networks report from around the world night after night, one disaster segues into the next one. Add to that the creation of unnecessarily hyped news items, such as, "The Dow Jones closed 100 points lower today!!!!! and viewers are not solely to blame for developing jaded and cynical views about what is really (read ethically) significant in reported news.
The cover of The Well is an attempt to point towards a more enlightened awareness of this mass media coverage of world events and our blasé attitude towards it.
If you haven`t downloaded your free copy yet, I hope you'll have a chance to read The Well. It is available in a variety of e-reader formats at Goodreads, Smashwords, and also on my website.
You can also purchase a Kindle version from Amazon.
~JT~
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