Gail Cross

Back in the early eighties--maybe 1981--Carol asked me if I'd look at the sample advertising of a young woman she'd met. I then had a tiny agency of my own. I had no idea what to expect. But when I sat down with Gail Cross to look at her book I couldn't believe that the only job any local art director had offered her was paste-up (a now-forgotten term thanks to computers). She had the best book I'd ever seen.

Very quickly Gail's work became our primary asset. She not only created fantastic ads, she worked on Mystery Scene and helped organize the place. I never came close to paying her what she was worth.

I think it was through Mystery Scene that she made her first contacts with the small press. When she and her husband Phil and son Michael moved away we kept in touch but even so I was surprised at how often I began to see her name on extraordinary covers and book designs. Suddenly people were asking me if I really knew Gail Cross. I was happy to say I did because in addition to her considerable talent Gail is one of the finest people I've ever known--bright, sweet and funny.

This is the artwork for Gail's new Ellery Queen cover. She'll be doing more for EQ in the future. I wanted to acknowledge her here and to wish she and Phil and Michael all the best.