12 Gauge: Songs from a Street Sweeper Cover Reveal
We are very excited at Sinister Grin Press to unveil the cover for Dustin LaValley’s next book with us, 12 Gauge: Songs from a Street Sweeper, which is a collection of his novellas. The set includes Spinner, H/armed, and The Deceived. The Deceived, a psychological thriller, has already been optioned for film. The collection will publish in July 2018, but digital pre-order will be available very soon.
We won’t keep you in suspense, but present you with the cover, then be sure to follow after to the rest of the article below to hear thoughts from the author and the artist.
“One of the best things about my experiences working with Sinister Grin so far has been all the creative freedom they give me in executing covers for them,” Davis said. “It says a lot about how they trust my decision-making process, and that allows me to go into every project uninhibited as far as the kinds of ideas I think I want to try.
With the cover for 12 Gauge, I wanted to try something at least thematically similar to the previous cover I’d done for a Dustin LaValley book: A Soundless Dawn. I wanted to do something that evoked the same kind of reaction, so I went with something abstract and minimalist. Both of the pieces play with themes of sound and song, so the imagery reflects that. Texture is important, too. I always try to pile on layers of subtle textures to push the eye around.”
LaValley agreed that the art reflects the content and is very happy with the work. At Sinister Grin Press, our hope is that readers are drawn in as well to the entire package.
“Matt Davis has done a fantastic job with 12 Gauge: Songs from A Street Sweeper, LaValley said. “Displaying the frayed characteristics of those found within while at the same time, keep the cool and calm, stoic simplicity of the work in full view. I couldn’t be happier with the cover art.”
12 Gauge : Songs from a Street Sweeper, Synopsis –
12 Gauge : Songs from A Street Sweeper includes three white-knuckled novellas.
Spinner
A prison escapee leads law enforcement on a chase through the Adirondack Mountains, where
they encounter a reclusive elderly man with a dark secret.
H/armed
An ultra-violent satirical commentary on societal norms, cliques, and obedience.
The Deceived
A criminal pair invade the home of the wrong man on the wrong day.
Praise
“Spinner is a thriller, a horror story, and an adventure narrative. It’s also a lot of fast, bloody,
violent fun.” - Gabino Iglesias, Horror Talk
“LaValley creates a non-stop, adrenaline ride of violence and mayhem, in a setting Americans
know all so well. H/armed is a bloody, relentless and visceral assault on the senses. Wickedly
entertaining.” - Paul Hough, writer/director of The Human Race
“The Deceived is equal parts thrilling, creepy, and downright brutal. A wonderful tale.”
- Ronald Malfi, author of Bone White
Dustin LaValley, Biography - 
Dustin LaValley was unable to attend the black-tie gala to receive the SUNY Parnassus Award for Creative Writing, as he had a fight in New Hampshire the same night, where he brought home gold. He’s had several books published, and as a screenwriter several scripts produced. His psychological thriller novella The Deceived, which is included in (12 Gauge) Songs from a Street Sweeper, has been optioned for film. He lives in the Adirondacks of New York, where he’s a practicing Sensei of Seito Shito Ryu karate and Okinawan jujutsu.
Media/Reviewers
Digital ARCS will be available within the next week for those interested in reviewing. Scheduling is also underway for interviews or features with LaValley. Please contact Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi at [email protected] or find her on Twitter at @erinalmehairi, if interested.
