A little while ago I asked Joe Poyer if he would do an "email interview" for the page. He kindly agreed and you can read his answers to my questions on the interview page. Many thanks to Mr Poyer for taking the time to do this.
Thanks to Graham for sending in the 1973 cover of North Cape which has been added to the novels page.
Thanks to Joe Poyer for his email and his kind words about the page!
I've added some more Sphere UK covers for The Balkan Assignment, The Chinese Agenda, The Contract, Operation Malacca and North Cape. Thanks to David for sending me some of the cover images. I've also redone the logo and I've put the novels and stories on a new dedicated page.
Cover artist Chris Moore kindly agreed to do an email "interview" on his covers for the UK editions of the novels.
Jack: First of all the covers have a unique triangular design with a plane or other vehicle sort of bursting out of the triangular "frame". Then there's a bit of background visible inside the "frame". Did you paint the images with this in mind? Were you told "do us some triangles", or did you paint some conventional images that were taken and cropped? How much of the original images are hidden away?
Chris: The triangular motif was my idea as a way of linking them all together so they were easily recognised by potential bookbuyers and it made them a series.... It made things easier for me too in that there was less of the page to cover with an illustration. It was a device that I used quite a few times in my career ( Clifford D Simak covers for ABP, Collin Forbes books for Pan, Arthur Hailey for Pan, to name but a few, I am now producing a whole series of Michael Jecks covers for Headline which all have the same theme and look.) Therefore none of the image was cropped. I suppose the idea was that the 'bursting out' appearance would make the covers jump off the shelf in the book shops.
Jack: My second question is about the choice of subject matter. For example "The Day of Reckoning" has a helicopter with a big explosion of water behind it. The previous edition of the book had cover art by another illustrator with a helicopter with a big explosion of water behind it. Were you told to replicate the content of the previous covers which were usually action-packed scenes? Did you read the books? I'm guessing you were way too busy to read every books you painted!
Chris: In view of the time limit, I wouldn't have read the books but would have discussed with the art director, Liz Laczynska, what to do on each one so would have had a bit of lead up time to do the roughs and get the reference and ideas together and I may have had a synopsis on each story.
Jack: One of my favourites is the A-17 jet on the cover of "North Cape". Did you have any particular inspiration for that one? It's always reminded me of something and I think I've finally worked it out. The fuselage reminds me a little of the B-58 Hustler bomber. Am I way off the mark?!
Chris: The A-17 you refer to was completely made-up, so I'm afraid you are a bit off the mark on that one!
Jack: Do you still have the originals? What size were they? (I'm completely ignorant and have no idea if they are A4 size or a lot bigger!)
Chris: Yes I do still have the originals although I'm not sure what condition they are in, they've been up in the loft in a suitcase since 1991 when we moved here and the mice might have got to them! though realistically they should be ok as the light wouldn't have affected them (they were done in inks which are fugitive when exposed to light for any length of time and fade) The paintings were done twice up so if your book cover is 111 x181 mm then the art was 222 x 362 + bleed.
Many thanks to Chris for taking the time to answer my questions.
Added some earlier Sphere UK covers for The Balkan Assignment, The Chinese Agenda, Hell Shot and The Day of Reckoning.
I've also added a message board! It surprises me but every so often I get emails from people with questions about Joe Poyer's books. Not bad for books that have been out of print since the 1980s! I thought a message board might be a good idea to let us discuss the books or arrange swaps of old paperbacks. Well, it's worth a try.
Gave the page a much needed new look.