Need to have a photo brightened and contrasted (and photoshopped) to perfection for book cover!!

I need to have a photograph retouched (specifically, brightened and contrasted as close to perfectly as possible) and then even further enhanced using Photoshop elements in order to use for a book cover. Right now, my publisher says the current book cover is a wee bit too dark.

Looking for someone who is a professional photographer who has tons of experience in photo retouching, as well as also an expert in every facet of Adobe Photoshop enhancements for this particular job.