This was for a cover contest by elfy001. But since the requirements required no subtitle, and I wanted to add this subtitle, I am posting my version here. (The entry has been submitted without subtitle. Rest is all same.)

Requirements:

My cover:

Sophia

The contest was about gemstones. So when I searched my source, Pexels.com for gemstone pictures, I found this photo of a woman wearing the necklace backwards. The stone she is wearing is Turquoise.

Turquoise is perhaps the oldest stone in man's history, the talisman of kings, shamans, and warriors. It is a stone of protection, strong and opaque, yet soothing to the touch, healing to the eye, as if carved from an azure heaven and slipped to earth. Its unique shade of blue, often blue-green, lends it name, Turquoise, to all things of this tranquil hue. The delicate veining or mottled webbing in cream or brown is inherent to the stone and serves to enhance its character. (Source: Crystal Vaults)

It is mainly associated with wisdom and protection. In Greek, Sophia means wisdom. Hence the title.

When I saw the picture, it felt of someone feeling down and depressed. Wearing a turquoise gemstone is believed to counter the effects of depression. From there, I thought of what could be the connection between the picture, the stone and the cover. I wanted it to be a story that we want to read.

Recently, Nyna commented on my passion post that stories of success are told extensively while the failure stories have more lessons to learn. Quitters are seen as weak characters who readily accept failure. However, I also remember this dialogue from a Taiwanese drama - "Quitting doesn't mean I lost. Quitting means I am ready for a new beginning." Every time, we quit, we take home a lesson of failure. That lesson can be significant and can contribute to your potential success in a huge way. Every quitter has a story of failure to tell. There's wisdom in every failure. Shouldn't we listen and ensure we don't make the same mistakes?

~~~
Photo credit: Woman Wears Gold-colored Blue Gemstone Pendant Necklace by Anastasiya Lobanovskaya (Source: Pexels)