That was proved to me once again in a most dramatic way. It involved cover design of my new book, a provocative biblical novel, titled, “Abraham, The Dreamer / An Erotic and Sacred Love Story.”

I had submitted my thoughts for cover design to publisher (iUniverse.com). I explained that story is about a love triangle, involving Abraham, his wife Sarah, and her handmaid, Hagar, “the other woman.” I suggested that cover capture that relationship.

Of course, there’s much more to story, and I filled in details at some length. After all, this is not a contemporary novel in a contemporary setting. We are talking about life 4000 years ago, with its many gods and goddesses, its child sacrifices and erotic Sacred Marriage Rites. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, could very well have been, what I portray her to be, a high priestess serving Inanna, great goddess of Love and War. We have Abraham, who turned against his society to follow a new and different God. What made him do that, I wondered, as I tried to recreate his life and tell his story. Furthermore, what made him transfer his love from Sarah to Hagar?

I tried to give designer a sense of individuals and of story that lay hidden in laconic biblical account.

When cover design came back to me I knew I was in trouble. The artwork suggested a knightly romance set in England during Middle Ages. But story is about Sumer, Canaan and Egypt, and nomadic, biblical characters who lived some three thousand years before Middle Ages. How could designers have been so far off mark? I learned, what I had not known before, that design department was not set up to provide original artwork. The designers could only work with existing stock art and clip art. Though plentiful, this art could not produce “look” that I was looking for.

I was now faced with two problems. First, a deadline. I had about two weeks to come up with an idea that could be made to work. Otherwise, book would be canceled and I would have to start with it all over again as a “new” project.

Second, I didn’t know if I could come up with a satisfactory, workable cover idea. I considered hiring an outside graphic artist. A quick check indicated that there would not be enough time for this and that it would be costly, if not prohibitive.

So I did what was only proper under such circumstances: I freaked out! Or, to be perfectly honest, I freaked out — some more! I was desperate. I knew I had to stop thinking about original cover concept. I had to stop my circular thinking, or, to put it another way, I had to start thinking outside box. In short, I had to think creatively.