AWAKENING MACBETH: Design a book cover for romantic thriller with paranormal twist

Carmen Amato

author of romantic thrillers and police procedural mysteries

Hello, I am seeking the cover for a new book:
Title: Awakening Macbeth by Carmen Amato
Genre: Romantic thriller with a paranormal twist
Audience: Educated adult women ages 18 + who also read literary fiction.
Description: "Does the soul wander when you sleep? How much danger could you be in?

When University of Virginia professor Brodie Macbeth’s father takes his own life, she is left with a fortune she can only claim if she agrees to use the license plates from his car. When Brodie begins to have terrifying nightmares in which someone always demands to know her father’s secret, she blames her father’s strange will.

A trip to Scotland to see her aunt reveals a possible reason for her father’s death. There Brodie meets Joe Birnam, an Iraq War veteran dealing with his own demons. He’s very different from the pampered academics she’s dated in the past, yet the Macbeth family habit of emotional distance is hard to break.

As Brodie and Joe’s relationship deepens, she’ll also develop a friendship with Dr. Donald Pedder, the new head of the history department at the university. Pedder says he was working on a book with Brodie’s father and wants the research. But what Brodie finds instead will change her life forever.

Her father’s secrets, the increasingly disturbing nightmares, and her growing attraction to Joe will all converge into a deadly game of cat and mouse in which Joe’s immortal soul is the prize. But Brodie has no idea how to play, let alone win.

She’s a university professor with a secret she doesn’t know. He’s an Iraq War vet with too many memories. Whose soul will survive?"

Although the book has a paranormal twist, there are no vampires or strange creatures. Instead, Pedder is revealed as the devil, stealing souls through the ages. He wants Joe's soul because the soul of a warrior is the most valuable. The theft of souls corrodes the eyes ("The eyes are the windows of the soul") and each person who presses Brodie in dreams to reveal her father's secrets has the same corroded eyes. It is described in book like white rust.

Brodie finds out the secret, which saves both her life and that of Joe, because of clues her father provided before being killed by Pedder. The license plate gives a clue to a book page, which in turn gives Brodie the vital information.

Chapters begin with quotes from Shakespeare's Macbeth and contain a hint of what comes next.

Looking for an edgy, contemporary vibe. Concept photo preferred over illustration. If image of a woman is used, she should have short blonde hair. The man should also have blonde hair. #cc0033 is signature color on website http://carmenamato.net and some covers of other books by same author; would like a touch of it somewhere in design.

Open to concepts. Please note, not a historic romance. No standard romance/Fabio/shirtless man sort of covers. Covers of other books (art by Matt Chase) by same author simply included to give any idea of author's other works.

In keeping with other book covers by the same author, please use author name in TitlingGothicFB Skyline Bold, all caps.
Including covers of several other books (by Matt Chase) to show mood/tone/colors. While Matt's covers are very singular and specific to my mystery series, I want there to be some connection so that when my books are viewed as a set, it is early to see they are all of the same high quality. FYI--Matt's covers are for the Detective Emilia Cruz series which has been optioned for a television series. If Awakening Macbeth is sold as well, your design will get a great deal of visibiity.

This order is for front cover and full front/spine/back paperback cover. Please use the text in quotes above for the back cover text for paperback version.