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My author photo by Steven Pottenger. I love this photo so much, and am so grateful to my friend Steven for taking it. We went to a small cemetery outside of Eagle Lake, Minnesota, in late fall.

My author photo by Steven Pottenger. I love this photo so much, and am so grateful to my friend Steven for taking it. We went to a small cemetery outside of Eagle Lake, Minnesota, in late fall.

My memoir takes place in a cemetery, so naturally I wanted an author photo that had a cemetery background.

I was curious to see if I could find other author photos taken in a cemetery. It’s not as uncommon as you might think.

I didn’t count photos that were taken in a cemetery in the course of journalism. You will find many authors, if they have written about cemeteries, are posed in cemeteries by photographers for newspapers or magazines.

I’m talking about the actual author photo that the author uses for publicity purposes. It might be housed on the author’s website or appear on a book jacket. Here are some I found:

I think that's a cemetery in the background!

I think that’s a cemetery in the background! 

Jacqueline E. Smith is the author of the Cemetery Tours series of books. Books 1 and 2 are available now. In these books, the living and the dead occupy the same space.

John Cobb

John R. Cobb is the author of Judith: A Quoddy Tale and Tales of the Cemetery Trees.

William Kent Krueger is a Minnesota writer who often makes the New York Times bestseller list.

William Kent Krueger is a Minnesota writer who often makes the New York Times bestseller list.

I was a little surprised by this one. Krueger is best known for his Cork O’Connor mystery series. Since mysteries are naturally filled with death and darkness, I can see how cemeteries evoke that mood.

Mankato-area author Nicole Helget.

Mankato-area author Nicole Helget.

I love this photo of Nicole, the author of Summer of Ordinary Ways, The Turtle Catcher and Stillwater, among others. I’m not sure if she’s used it on a book jacket but if not, she should. She’s another author, like Krueger, who isn’t overtly writing about cemeteries but her worked is suffused with darkness (i.e., reality). The pose in the cemetery makes sense.

Any others you would add? Again, I’m looking for publicity photos with a cemetery backdrop, not photos that happen to be taken in a cemetery for a news article.