Cover help needed

Journeys Through Life Book 3 is A True Story called Deep Inside: Forgiving the Unforgivable. Loving the Unlovable by Tammy Horvath. The back cover shows an acacia tree in the Serengeti.

The title Deep Inside refers to a visit deep inside a state prison with my son’s killer AND ALSO to searching deep inside myself as I try to find healing after my son’s death.

Back cover text:

 A chilling behind-bars encounter with a killer unfolds.

Step into the heart-wrenching world of his victim’s grieving mother.

Can the unforgivable be forgiven?

As Tammy Horvath grapples with the weight of depression following her profound loss, she discovers that no amount of exercise or travel can completely mend her shattered soul. The quest for genuine healing takes a courageous turn as she confronts the murderer, unraveling the haunting mysteries behind Luke’s tragic death.

Are Tammy’s friends right in warning her against facing a cold-blooded killer? Dive into this emotional journey where forgiveness meets the unforgivable, and love challenges the unlovable.

Chapter 1. A Mother’s Life Forever Changed (1st paragraph)

The day my son died, my life changed forever. Life, or possibly the devil, looked me in the face and said, “I dare you to get out of bed and face the day! You aren’t strong enough. Your pain will be the death of you. You aren’t capable of being loved or giving love.” But like the Acacia tree in the Serengeti in Africa, I had deep roots in my faith. The tree can survive droughts because it has long roots deep in the ground where there is water. Even fire doesn’t destroy the tree. It will grow again because of its strong roots. If I stayed rooted in Jesus, I knew he would give me strength to persevere. And then I’d resprout too, like the tree.

Feedback from one person asked IF Africa is in the book, which it is not since it’s not a travel book. I used this cover because of the first paragraph of the book, but PEOPLE won’t buy the book IF the cover doesn’t fit the genre.

My designer is 100 Covers, and they are supposed to “research” what they think will sell a book based on the info provided. Twice, I asked, “Does this cover fit a memoir genre? If not, maybe it’s possible to use the tree differently based on what my book is about, OR perhaps it doesn’t match what will sell books. YOU are the experts. Please change it based on your research.” They sent me two new covers with tree branches peeking through to the sky and asked if that’s what I meant. It was NOT. But I didn’t want them to just do what I wanted; I wanted them to do what they say they do: research. I thought maybe adding tree roots.

I use 100 Covers for all my books because their website says they do the research and track their covers. But this will be the first cover RESDESIGN that I didn’t tell them exactly what to do, and I feel they don’t know what they are doing. Nor do I. Thomas helped with Gone in an Instant (Book 1), and Life Begins with Travel (Book 2) was easy because it’s a travel book.

I recently got a picture at a cell-block escape room. Might that picture work, or perhaps it’s too staged? See below.

Any advice is appreciated.