Melissa C. Walker's Blog, page 44

Cover Stories: ReVamped by Lucienne Diver

Lucienne Diver is here to share the story behind the second gorgeous cover in her Vamped series (remember the tale behind Vamped?). Here she is:"Flux did such a fantastic job with the cover for my first novel, Vamped, that I wasn't at all worried about what they'd do with ReVamped. When my editor wrote to say they'd come up with the concept of my heroine, Gina, filing her nails to sharp points, I think the only comment I had was to suggest the color of polish. I was sure I couldn't love any c...

Win-It Wednesday: Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Last week's winners of The Aristobrats include... RivkaBelle, Amanda and Cass! Send me you addresses, ladies! This week I'm giving away my copy of the awesome Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian. This book manages to cover school politics, feminism, self doubt, love and lust all in one page-turning package. You will love it!To enter to win a copy, you can either leave a comment about the cover on the Cover Story or tell me right here what your favorite part of starting a new school year i...

Cover Stories: Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Siobhan Vivian's Not That Kind of Girl is full of heart and hurt and love and kissing and feminism and awesome relationships. It's the perfect, perfect fall read. You will cheer and swoon. I can't say enough good stuff. Now, here's Siobhan with the story behind that hot cover: "I started out pitching my editor, David Levithan, the idea of two girls standing next to each other, each wearing a private school uniform. One girl would be very buttoned-up and proper, while the other would trick out...

Photo Friday: Delaware County Fair!

A couple of weeks ago, I got to go to the Delaware County Fair. Here, a photo essay (which may as well be called a food essay, but whatever). Dreamy!Me + plate of sweet potato chips with meat toppings = big smile. [image error] Funnel Cake! [image error] Fried Oreos are as delicious as they sound. [image error] What? Have you never seen a sheep carved out of butter before? [image error] Chicken Zingys are fried chicken rolled up in pizza dough with bbq and ranch dressing. YUM. [image error] Dave washes it all down with a milkshake. [image error] And later I relax with my favorite ...

Cover Stories: My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer

Kristina Springer's My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours is out this week, and she's touring with the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit. (Also, she has a hi-larious cover.)Here's Kristina, sharing her short and sweet Cover Story:"I didn't have any cover ideas at all! I couldn't even begin to think of what would fit my book so I pretty much think the FSG art department is full of geniuses because my cover turned out way cute."When I first saw my cover, I loved, loved, loved it! They asked for comme...

Win-It Wednesday + Cover Stories: The Aristobrats by Jennifer Solow

First, last week's winners: Kasey won Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey, and Latisha won Delacroix Academy by Inara Scott! Send me addresses, K and L... [image error] This week, Jennifer Solow is here with her new novel, The Aristobrats, out next week. It's got a perfectly preppy cover with gorgeous blues, greens and a grosgrain ribbon! A lot of thought went into this cover, so here's Jennifer to share the story (comment for a chance to win the book -- three winners will be chosen next week!):"It starts so...

Cover Stories: The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

[image error] The hilarious Josh Berk is here to share his Cover Story for The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, which is a cartoon right now but will soon be a real boy... Take it away, Josh!"I'm not at all good at what you would call the visual arts. I can't draw or paint and I don't have a good eye for color. For example, one time my wife asked me to name the color of the walls in our apartment (we were not in the apartment at the time, but we were living there) and I simply could not do it. I had no idea!...

Photo Friday: An Interview + Blog Star

This month I got to interview someone I'd always wanted to meet: [image error] He was witty and smart and we even got to laugh together in between the serious stuff! And here's the resulting piece. You guys should absolutely watch his new Gulf Coast/New Orleans documentary if you can. I was tearing up before the title screen even came on.That same day, I got to meet another superstar: Adele of Persnickety Snark (who was also funny and smart and made me laugh). We had an awesome time hearing Charlotte...

Win-It Wednesday: Delacroix Academy by Inara Scott

The winner of last week's April, May & June Robin Benway contest is... Toreyy! Send me your address, T! [image error] This week, I have a Cover Story + Contest combo (must like yesterday's -- enter Janet Lee Carey's contest too!) Today, Inara Scott is here to tell us about the cover of her new book, Delacroix Academy (and she's giving away a copy of the book!). Here's Inara:"I dreamed, as all authors do, of having the perfect cover. But I really didn't know what that might be. I knew it had to have gates on...

Cover Stories: Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey (+ Giveaway!)

[image error] Janet Lee Carey's Stealing Death is newly out in paperback! In a starred review, School Library Journal called the book "fantasy at its best--original, beautiful, amazing, and deeply moving."Here's Janet to talk about the two different covers:"I had some ideas for the STEALING DEATH hardback (left); Kipp standing in front of his burning house with his arms out to prevent the Death Catcher from taking his family, or just a hand stealing a black sack (the Death Catcher's soul sack). I'm glad no...