Melissa C. Walker's Blog, page 15

Today I’m in PA!

Come see me and these awesome ladies if you’re nearby!

 

Photo Friday: Unbreak My Manicure

Um, how cool is this?

The Princess of Storyland matched her nails to Unbreak My Heart (the anchor is my fave). Thank you!

Happy Friday!

Win-It Wednesday: YOUR Giveaways

Last week’s winner of the Unbreak My Heart ARC is… Susan Light! Send me your address, SL.

This week, I want to showcase other people’s giveaways. So here’s the deal: In the comments, leave a link to your own giveaway, or one that you know about… let’s get a lot of link love going and go enter all the giveaways we can find!

Then I’ll pick one commenter at random to win a finished Hard Copy of Unbreak My Heart… they’re here! Remember that lovely full jacket? It can be yours (wrapped around the book!).

Cool? Go.

Cover Stories: See You at Harry’s

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Final cover

Today, Jo Knowles is here to talk about her latest novel, See You at Harry’s. (Read a rave review on Stacked, and note that it just got a star from Kirkus!)

“I think I imagined [the cover as] an image of the restaurant described in the book [as I was writing]. Or the family posing for their annual Christmas card. But… nothing really concrete. I was just hoping whatever it was, I would love it.

“My publisher didn’t ask for input. But I gave a few suggestions when I was arguing to keep the title, which is another whole story. 

“When I first saw the cover, I felt… Relief! I thought the image was perfect. I liked that the background was blue, not pink. I liked that it wasn’t an image of a sad or lonely girl. I loved that the empty dish had two spoons, not one. I felt that the image captured the mood of the book just right, without giving too much away.

“I had some tiny comments about the font and size of the title, and they worked on those.

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Original cover

“But a big bookseller chain that shall remain nameless wasn’t wild about the original cover (right). My publisher tried a few other mock-ups in reaction to the feedback, but kept coming back to the original concept. So, they embellished the original and came up with what I think is even more perfect. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

“It is partly from a stock photo, and I still love it. I see a lot of hidden meanings, but if I shared them, I would spoil the story.“

Thanks, Jo! I cannot wait to read this one, and the cover is really excellent. I like the final better than the original–it feels more finished, somehow. But the overall concept is fantastic and I’m glad they stuck with it!

What do you guys think?

Photo Friday: Texas Library Association Conference

I had such a good time at TLA last month! Here’s a pic taken by HipMamaJenn, and a lovely wrap-up from Jen Bigheart at I Read Banned Books.

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At the signing booth!

Happy Friday!

Win-It Wednesday: Unbreak My Heart ARC

Last week’s winner of a brand spanking new So Much Closer paperback is… Bridget! Send me your address, B.

This week I’ve got one final ARC of Unbreak My Heart up for grabs (it’s out 5/22). To enter to win it, I want to know what your favorite office supply is. For me, I think it’s rainbow sharpies (with post-it notes coming in a close second). This question has nothing to do with anything besides the fact that I was just in a stationery store and I spent way too long pouring over lovely supplies.

And just to get you excited for May 22nd, may I please point you to a few blogger reviews?

♥ “ I can’t stress enough how firmly this book has wedged itself in my heart.” -The Hiding Spot

♥ ”This book earns an infinity amount of stars!” -Novel Nerd Bailey

♥ ”Unbreak My Heart challenged me as a reader…and I loved every bit of it.” -Anna Reads

♥ ”There are tinges of Julie Taylor and Matt Saracen in this one. For real, y’all.” -Clear Eyes, Full Shelves

Okay, I’ll stop. But know this: These reviews make my heart sing (thank you guys!). Just leave a comment below about your favorite office product and you’re entered to win the ARC!

Happy Thursday!

PS-Read the first chapter of Unbreak My Heart here.

Cover Stories: Keep Holding On

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Susane Colasanti has shared many Cover Stories here, including Waiting For You, Something Like Fate and So Much Closer (on that post you can enter to win a copy of the paperback until Wednesday–go!). She’s back now with a new book that fits right in with her signature cover style.

Here’s Susane:

“Keep Holding On focuses on the consequences of bullying. A lot of the story takes place at school. So I love that this cover features a school setting. The photo shoot took place at a high school in New Jersey. The male model, Ryan Haagen, contacted me after I posted the cover on my blog. How awesome is that? He’s even going to share about the photo shoot for an upcoming feature I’ll be posting before the book comes out on May 31.

“There were two visions I had in mind for the cover of Keep Holding On. I imagined the two main characters, Noelle and Julian, sitting on a bench outside the coffeehouse they went to on their first date. I pictured Noelle leaning against Julian in a way where you couldn’t really see their faces. I also pictured pink lights in the trees on either side of the bench and the coffeehouse window behind them. The second vision was Noelle and Julian in front of her locker. I saw them sitting on the floor leaning back against the lockers. Julian was turned to Noelle, hugging her, and she was looking down. So again, you couldn’t see their faces.

[image error]“When I saw the initial cover design, I was happy to see that they went with the school setting. And that there were lockers! It’s always fun to visualize your ideal cover and then have part of it come true. You can’t see the models’ faces on my book covers, so I was a bit concerned by how much of the girl model’s face you can see on this cover. But I think it’s just enough to give readers an idea of what she looks like while allowing for some imagination. I love my readers to be able to imagine the characters in their own way.

“My favorite part of this cover is her purple Converse. Those sneakers were plain at first. I asked for them to be written on because that’s what Noelle does with her sneakers (and what I did with mine in high school). I also asked for locks to be put on some of the lockers. The photo shoot took place right before school started, so the lockers didn’t have locks yet. Which didn’t look realistic. The orange star patch on Julian’s bag is another detail I asked for. His bag has that star on it in the book. I thought including it would make the cover even more authentic. And Julian’s glasses were white at first, so I reminded my editor that they are actually black. I know that’s a tiny detail, but I’m all about the details.

“In the end, this cover totally captured the tone of the book. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!”

Thanks, Susane! Gorgeous enough to kiss, naturally.

I am HUGELY into details as well, and I’m the kind of person who flips back to the cover as I read, so I appreciate that attention when the cover gets it right. I’m also into the cool blues and greens here. It reminds me of a retro cover somehow, as lots of Susane’s covers do, and I like that.

What do you guys think?

Photo Friday: Books and Baby Clothes

Just two photos from the week:

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Housing Works Cafe on Crosby Street (a great place to write).

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Baby June's closet is what I want mine to be -- colorful and airy. I can dream!

Happy Friday!

Cover Stories + Win: So Much Closer

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Last week’s winner of Unbreak My Heart is… Aly! Send me your address, A, and thanks to everyone for sharing library love.

This week, just comment on the Cover Story here to enter to win a copy of Susane Colasanti’s new paperback release of So Much Closer! Susane was here last year to talk about the original hardcover (pictured below) and now she’s back to discuss the brand spanking new paperback version (left):

“Can I just say how much I adore the shiny new paperback cover of So Much Closer?

“This is the first time one of my book covers changed from the hardcover to paperback edition. I loved that the photo shoot for the So Much Closer hardcover was done on the High Line. The High Line is my favorite place here in New York. It plays a big role in the book and has a really unique energy. [image error]But my publisher received feedback that the original cover (right) was too street.

“The photo shoot for the paperback cover took place in Hudson River Park, another setting from the book. Ironically, Hudson River Park is right near the High Line. The cover designer toned down the urban vibe by blurring all the buildings in the background. Those buildings are actually in New Jersey – from this vantage point, we’re looking across the Hudson River.

“Aside from the setting, what I love most about this cover is how the designer creatively hid the models’ faces. That umbrella idea was totally brill. I hope you love it, too!”

Thanks, Susane! I think these covers both have a very similar feel that’s true to the book, but I am a SUCKER for umbrellas (not to mention cute rain boots) so the paperback has a slight edge for me.

What do you guys think? Comment below for a chance to win the paperback!

Cover Stories: Belles

[image error] Jen Calonita shared a fun Cover Story here a while ago, for Reality Chick, and she’s back with a new series, yay! The first book in the Belles series is, well, Belles . Here’s Jen to talk about the cover:

“Designer Tracy Shaw has worked on all my Secrets of My Hollywood Life covers and did Sleepaway Girls as well so to be honest, I wasn’t really worried about the design–I knew she’d come up with something beautiful.

“The team is always nice enough to tell me what they’re thinking, and I figure they know best so go with it! The only concern I had when they were doing this cover was who the cover model was going to be. I had hoped she’d resemble one of the two protagonists–Mira or Izzie. This cover definitely feels like Mira to me–a true Southern belle. There will be four books in the Belles series and each cover will feature a different girl from the series. Hopefully Izzie will get her turn at some point! The Winter White cover (Belles 2, out this October) features a girl who looks like Savannah, Mira’s best friend (well, best friend when we start out in book one!).

“The girl on the cover is a real model! I know that because she actually friended me on Facebook and told me this was her first photo shoot. I actually have to drop her a line because I want to make sure she got a copy of the finalized book. She is the perfect image of Mira so I couldn’t be happier with her or the cover.

[image error]“When I first saw it, I thought it was the prettiest cover I had ever seen. Just so girly and soft and I loved the font they used for the title. I feel so honored that it’s my book. Really! I will tell you a funny story though–at the NYC Teen Author Festival Book of Wonder event a few weeks ago I was seated next to Barry Lyga whose new book is I Hunt Killers (right). His cover is covered with blood stains. Next to Belles it looked hysterical. He actually took a picture of the covers next to each other it was so funny.

[image error] “I love the soft pastel colors and the design of the wrap-around cover–it reminds me a little bit of the Secrets covers–and I love that they photographed a real girl. I think the coolest thing about this cover is the air of mystery to it–you can only see part of the girl’s face, but when you take the wrap off the cover you see her full appearance and those beautiful flowers. The ARC that went out looks just like the finalized version. I just feel bad for any reviewer who received the ARC because the final version is so much prettier with the actual wrap around. Plus, they can see the full-length photo under the wrap, which you couldn’t do with the ARC. I almost wished the ARCs had disclaimers on it that said: FINAL VERSION IS EVEN PRETTIER THAN THIS ONE! YOU GET TO SEE THE WHOLE GIRL! (left)

“I love knowing that all four covers in the series will relate to this first cover. Both Mira and Izzie will have a chance to be ‘cover girls’ and other important characters, like Savannah, will get their day too. The Winter White cover is just as pretty as this one. It has a lovely lilac hue to it. What I try to do in each book is write in the flower used on the cover. It’s sort of my little nod to the Secrets series because with that one I always wrote in a handbag for Kaitlin to carry that looked like the cover. In this series, the flower the girl holds on the cover will be written into a party scene. For ‘Winter White’ the flower is a hydrangea and that flower figures promptly at cotillion (hint, hint–plot for book two!).”

Thanks, Jen! I love that you write details from the covers into your books — I do that too, mainly because I’m a little obsessive about the details and the image on the front. This series sounds right up my alley! I miss North Carolina and my belles!

What do you guys think?