Melissa C. Walker's Blog, page 5

Cover Stories: Scorched by Mari Mancusi

Mari Mancusi has shared Cover Stories here before, including one of the most popular Cover Stories ever for Gamer Girl! She’s back with a new cover, revealing this week for the first time, and a great story. Here’s Mari:

“With seventeen books under my belt, the Scorched cover consultation wasn’t exactly my first rodeo. But for some reason I was more nervous than ever about what they’d decide for the cover. I just felt a book like this really needed the right cover. But what would that right cover entail? For once I didn’t have a clear picture in mind.

“I knew I wanted a strong looking heroine. It was important to me that Trinity didn’t look like a damsel in distress in a pretty gown. I also knew I wanted the cover to appeal to both genders—as the book has points of view from both Trinity and the two boys—Connor and Caleb—sent from the future to stop the dragon apocalypse. And I liked the idea of an orange and red color palette—to really pop on bookstore shelves. I wanted it to be vivid. To be violent. To be on fire.

“And, you know, it couldn’t hurt to have an actual dragon on the cover…

“I was delighted when I found out they were hiring an artist to create the cover. Which, in hindsight, makes sense. I mean, casting call for dragons on Craigslist, anyone? I was even more delighted when I found out they chose Tony Sahara who did the beautiful Eon and Eona covers. This was an artist who knew his dragons.

“You can see some of the rough cover comps he sent as we tried to settle on an overall concept (below). The one with the dragon rampaging over the city feels very Godzilla-like to me. Which is kind of awesome, but perhaps not exactly right for this particular book. I also really liked the covers that showed the close-ups of Trinity and the dragon—with the title in the middle. They look a little softer—almost romancey.

“But nothing could come close to the design that was finally chosen. A cover literally on fire. A girl standing with her dragon—eyes defiant, challenging—as if to say, ‘You really want to mess with this?’ And the dragon—though fierce and awesome—looks down at her with affection in its eyes. You look at this cover and wonder—what is their connection? Why is she so protective of this monster? Is there something about this dragon that we don’t know about? Something worth saving?

“I love this cover with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Now that I’ve seen it, I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect for the book. And I cannot wait to see it on bookstore shelves in September.”

Thanks, Mari! Love this story. The cover screams DRAGON, and readers will know just what they’re in for!

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Bridget Zinn‘s first novel, Poison, was released in March, more than a year after she lost her battle with cancer at age 33. I’ve read a lot about her. I started here. Her last tweet was “Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect.” And with that, I wish I’d known her.

I have learned so many wonderful things about Bridget, and about her much-loved debut. (Want John Green’s thoughts? They’re here.)

I wanted to do a Cover Story, about the fantastical image, about the peeking pig. I asked Bridget’s husband if she ever saw her cover, and he told me she didn’t. But he offered a link to Novel Novice, who has an interview with her cover model (right), and he said, “I think we were extremely lucky to have such a fantastic cover.”

Turns out the costume involved stitching 12 pieces together. The dagger is real. And there’s more fun stuff from behind the scenes at the shoot.

I’ll leave you with some words from Kirkus about the book. As for me and the cover? I’m enchanted.

“A frothy confection of a fairy tale featuring poisoners, princesses, perfumers and pigs, none of whom are exactly what they appear.” -Kirkus

PS-While lots the word-spreading was done in March, here’s how you can help Bridget’s novel reach more people. Go read her story–and then read her book.

 

Photo Friday: Teen Author Festival

There’s a photo essay in Publishers Weekly by David Levithan that covers some highlights of the festival (which will happen again next year in March, so you should come!). Here’s a shot I love from the panel about how putting your characters in a new setting can reveal things about them.

(L to R: Jennifer E. Smith, me, Bennett Madison, Gayle Forman and Kristen-Paige Madonia — really fun company.)

Happy Friday!

Cover Stories: A Girl Called Problem

Katie Quirk is here to share the story behind the cover of her Kirkus-starred novel, A Girl Called Problem. The notoriously tough Kirkus called the book “A mesmerizing read that expands young readers’ worldview even as the pages turn.” (Also? The cover is lovely.) Yes! Here’s Katie:

“I should start by saying I love the cover for A Girl Called Problem. It’s better than anything I imagined, and yet I did suffer from a few moments of panic along the way.

“You see, A Girl Called Problem is lucky to be housed at a small press–Eerdmans Book for Young Readers. They actually had two mentions in the most recent ALA awards, so they do their job well, but they’re certainly not wading in money. As a result, I tried to set my expectations low in terms of cover art.

“Last fall, I got an email from my editor saying they had a sketch for the cover. I knew enough to realize that authors have very little say in cover art, so I was grateful that she was including me in the conversation at all, but when I scrolled down to the image, I must admit I was disappointed.

“The figure looked awkward and older than the book’s main character, Shida, whom she was supposed to depict; and the whole thing  looked low budget. I gave my editor some general feedback–zebras weren’t authentic to this setting and perhaps we could make Shida look younger–but I decided to keep my mouth shut and to avoid saying what I really felt, which was discouraged.

“What I didn’t realize was that this was truly just a sketch. The very talented artist, Richard Tuschman, who had also designed the beautiful cover for Moon Over Manifest, would hire a model, take some photos, and do some of his magical digital photo artistry, blending in a flamboyant tree and a vivid sky.

“A few weeks later, this is what they sent me (right). I was blown away. I loved it. The dirt road and vegetation and flamboyant tree looked like they were right out of East Africa. The colors were rich and vivid, just like I remembered Tanzania. The model was perfect–everything from her face, to her hair, to her dress, which looked worn, but stylish enough to appeal to modern readers. I was so pleased that it took me a couple of weeks to realize that something critical was missing: Shida wasn’t wearing her medicine pouch! My heart sunk–Shida always wore her medicine pouch, but how could I point this out now? I hadn’t thought to correct Richard or my editor when I should have–at the sketch stage. And though Richard is clearly a master of image manipulation, he would never be able to paint the pouch in over all those folds and wrinkles around Shida’s waist. Nevertheless, a week later this was the image they sent me (below left):

“Unbelievable. There was her pouch and it looked perfect.

“I really could not be happier with the cover. I’ve spoken with other authors who were only peripherally consulted about their book covers. In one case, the author was given the choice between two covers she wasn’t thrilled about, but she strongly recommended they choose the one with the girl with dark (rather than blond) hair, because she described that character’s dark hair in great detail. Not too much later, she learned that the publisher had decided on the model with blond hair! I’ve found that one benefit of working with a small press is that they have generously involved me in every step of the process–right up to the book’s stunning cover.”

Thanks, Katie! I love a happy ending like this and the cover is just beautiful. Read the story behind this book on Sara Crowe’s blog, and I dare you not to rush out and get it. So inspiring!

Photo Friday: Teen Author Festival

Yesterday, Holly Black, Gayle Forman, Rainbow Rowell and I road-tripped it to Staten Island for a reading/talk at IS2. The audience was awesome and had great questions. Obviously my co-readers were THE BEST.

The NYC Teen Author Festival is STILL GOING ON through the weekend. You should go. Here’s what’s coming up:

Friday March 22, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Berger Forum, 2nd floor, 2-6)

2:00 – Introduction

2:10-3:00: He Said, She Said

Description: Not to be too mysterious, but I will email these authors separately about what I’m thinking for this.

He:

Ted Goeglein

Gordon Korman

Lucas Klauss

Michael Northrop

She:

Susane Colasanti

E. Lockhart

Carolyn Mackler

Sarah Mlynowski

Leila Sales

moderator: David Levithan

3:00-4:00: Taking a Turn: YA Characters Dealing with Bad and Unexpected Choices

Description: In each of these authors’ novels, the main character’s life takes an unexpected twist. Sometimes this is because of a bad choice. Sometimes this is because of a secret revealed. And sometimes it doesn’t feel like a choice at all, but rather a reaction. We’ll talk about following these characters as they make these choices – both good and bad. Will include brief readings illuminating these choices.

Caela Carter

Eireann Corrigan

Alissa Grosso

Terra Elan McVoy

Jacquelyn Mitchard

Elizabeth Scott

K. M. Walton

moderator: Aaron Hartzler

4:00-4:10: Break

4:10-4:40: That’s So Nineteenth Century

Description: A Conversation About Playing with 19th Century Archetypes in the 21st Century

Sharon Cameron

Leanna Renee Hieber

Stephanie Strohm

Suzanne Weyn

Moderator: Sarah Beth Durst

4:40-5:30: Alternate World vs. Imaginary World

Description: Of these authors, some have written stories involving alternate or parallel versions of our world, some have made up imaginary worlds for their characters, and still others have written books that do each. We’ll discuss the decision to either connect the world of a book to our world, or to take it out of the historical context of our world. How do each strategies help in telling story and developing character? Is one easier than the other? Is the stepping off point always reality, or can it sometimes be another fictional world?

Sarah Beth Durst

Jeff Hirsch

Emmy Laybourne

Lauren Miller

E. C. Myers

Diana Peterfreund

Mary Thompson

Moderator: Chris Shoemaker

Friday March 22, Barnes & Noble Reader’s Theater/Signing (Union Square B&N, 33 E 17th St, 7-8:30)

Eireann Corrigan

Elizabeth Eulberg

Jeff Hirsch

David Levithan

Rainbow Rowell

Nova Ren Suma

Saturday March 23, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Bergen Forum, 2nd Floor, 1-5)

1:00 – Introduction

1:10-2:10 – Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA

Description: As YA literature evolves, there is more of an acknowledgment of the many facets that go into a teenager’s identity, and even categories that once seemed absolute now have more nuance. Focusing particularly, but not exclusively, on LGBTQ characters and their depiction, we’ll discuss the complexities about writing about such a complex experience.

Marissa Calin

Emily Danforth

Aaron Hartzler

A.S. King

Jacqueline Woodson

moderator: David Levithan

2:10-2:40 — New Voices Spotlight

Description: Each debut author will share a five-minute reading from her or his work

J. J. Howard

Kimberly Sabatini

Tiffany Schmidt

Greg Takoudes

2:40-3:30 – Under Many Influences: Shaping Identity When You’re a Teen Girl

Description: Being a teen girl is to be under many influences – friends, parents, siblings, teachers, favorite bands, favorite boys, favorite web sites. These authors will talk about the influences that each of their main characters tap into – and then talk about what influences them as writers when they shape these characters.

Jen Calonita

Deborah Heiligman

Hilary Weisman Graham

Kody Keplinger

Amy Spalding

Katie Sise

Kathryn Williams

moderator: Terra Elan McVoy

3:30-3:40 – Break

3:40-4:20 – Born This Way: Nature, Nurture, and Paranormalcy

Description: Paranormal and supernatural fiction for teens constantly wrestles with issues of identity and the origin of identity. Whether their characters are born “different” or come into their powers over time, each of these authors uses the supernatural as a way to explore the nature of self.

Jessica Brody

Gina Damico

Maya Gold

Alexandra Monir

Lindsay Ribar

Jeri Smith-Ready

Jessica Spotswood

moderator: Adrienne Maria Vrettos

4:20-5:00 – The Next Big Thing

Description: Again, not to be too mysterious, but I will email these authors separately about what I’m thinking for this.

Jocelyn Davies

Leanna Renee Hieber

Barry Lyga

Maryrose Wood

Saturday March 23: Mutual Admiration Society reading at McNally Jackson (McNally Jackson, Prince Street, 7-8:30):

Sharon Cameron

A.S. King

Michael Northrop

Diana Peterfreund

Victoria Schwab

Nova Ren Suma

hosted by David Levithan

Sunday March 24: Our No-Foolin’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder, 1-4): 

1-1:45:

Jessica Brody (Unremembered, Macmillan)

Marisa Calin (Between You and Me, Bloomsbury)

Jen Calonita (The Grass is Always Greener, LB)

Sharon Cameron (The Dark Unwinding, Scholastic)

Caela Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It, Bloomsbury)

Crissa Chappell (Narc, Flux)

Susane Colasanti (Keep Holding On, Penguin)

Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep, Sourcebooks)

Gina Damico (Scorch, HMH)

Jocelyn Davies (A Fractured Light, HC)

Sarah Beth Durst (Vessel, S&S)

Gayle Forman (Just One Day, Penguin)

Elizabeth Scott (Miracle, S&S)

1:45-2:30

T. M. Goeglein (Cold Fury, Penguin)

Hilary Weisman Graham (Reunited, S&S)

Alissa Grosso (Ferocity Summer, Flux)

Aaron Hartzler (Rapture Practice, LB)

Deborah Heiligman (Intentions, RH)

Leanna Renee Hieber (The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart, Sourcebooks)

Jeff Hirsch (Magisterium, Scholastic)

J. J. Howard (That Time I Joined the Circus, Scholastic)

Alaya Johnson (The Summer Prince, Scholastic)

Beth Kephart (Small Damages, Penguin)

Kody Keplinger (A Midsummer’s Nightmare, LB)

2:30-3:15

A.S. King (Ask the Passengers, LB)

Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14, Macmillan)

David Levithan (Every Day, RH)

Barry Lyga (Yesterday Again, Scholastic)

Brian Meehl (Suck it Up and Die, RH)

Alexandra Monir (Timekeeper, RH)

Michael Northrop (Rotten, Scholastic)

Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars, HC)

Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing, Penguin)

Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park, St. Martin’s)

Kimberly Sabatini (Touching the Surface, S&S)

Tiffany Schmidt (Send Me a Sign, Bloomsbury)

3:15-4:00

Victoria Schwab (The Archived, Hyperion)

Jeri Smith-Ready (Shine, S&S)

Amy Spalding (The Reece Malcolm List, Entangled)

Stephanie Strohm (Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink, HMH)

Nova Ren Suma (17 & Gone, Penguin)

Greg Takoudes (When We Wuz Famous, Macmillan)

Mary Thompson (Wuftoom, HMH)

Jess Verdi (My Life After Now, Sourcebooks)

K.M. Walton (Empty, S&S)

Suzanne Weyn (Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters, Scholastic)

Kathryn Williams (Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous, Macmillan)

 

 

Cover Stories: This is What Happy Looks Like

Jennifer E. Smith’s covers have a distinctive look that I love! (Remember her Cover Story for The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight?). She’s here to talk about her new cover for This is What Happy Looks Like — the book’s out April 1st!

“I loved the cover for my last book, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, so I was hoping they might do something along the same lines, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that might be.  My cover designer is a complete genius, though, and I’m so pleased she came up with something so brilliant!

“I loved this cover right from the start.  It’s sweet and summery and romantic, and the fact that it goes well with the cover for Statistical Probability is a nice bonus.

“We went back and forth on the colors a bit, wondering if we should try pink instead of yellow, and there were a few minor tweaks to the general positioning of the boat and the shading of the water, but that was about it.  They pretty much nailed it right away. I absolutely love everything about it – from the hand-lettered title to the rowboat to the bright yellow sun – and I think it perfectly captures the feel of the book.  It seems to radiate happiness, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Yay! So there’s a positive story for your Monday. I love shadow and light and water-based covers, so you know how I feel about this one. (Also yay for yellow v. pink — I like that choice.)

PS-You can hear Jennifer read from this book tonight at 6pm, when she and I and Gayle Forman, Bennett Madison and Kristen-Page Madonia will be chatting with David Levithan to kick off the 2013 NYC Teen Author Festival (full schedule here)! Come!

Photo Friday: Soho Teen Party

Guys, you know that Soho Press has a YA line now, right? Soho Teen has six titles out this spring (enter to win them all here!). Exciting!

One title is Who Done It? an anthology that includes dozens of awesome authors giving alibis in a murder case. So. Much. Fun. There was a party last night to benefit 826 NYC, and I was there (as were a ton of your favorite authors–check out the mugshot wall!).

I had partners in crime, though, including David Ostow, Michael Northrop and Micol Ostow, below. (Note that the “hide your beer” move that I learned for photos is not quite working here–but almost.)

It was a really fun night and you have a bunch of great books to check out, so go!

Happy Friday!

 

 

 

Cover Stories: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Jessica Brody has been here before to talk about the covers for her previous novels (The Karma Club, My Life Undecided and 52 Reasons to Hate My Father — click to read). This time, she made a video to discuss her latest book, Unremembered. Take a gander (you get to see the UK cover and some font adjustments!) and then download the first five chapters of the book for free!

Win-It Wednesday: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

AHHH! Why did it take me so long to read this book? I have no idea. But that was so silly of me. Because this book is GREAT. You want to read it. So enter below in various ways and I’ll pick a winner next week. On Weds, or Thurs (if I’m running behind like this week). xxM

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS-Last W-I-W MJ books winner was Jen P! And I’ll totally mail them very, very soon!

Cover Stories: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Nova Ren Suma was here last week talking about her cover and title changes for Dani Noir/Fade Out. This week she’s back to discuss the cover that made her cry: Imaginary Girls.

“Discovering what the cover of a book will be is always a magical moment—and one that, every single time, has revealed itself to be something I didn’t expect. Maybe it’s because I don’t let myself think too much in detail about what the cover should be when I’m writing. I don’t like to picture the cover—I leave that for the people at my publishing house. I like to keep an open space in my mind for where the cover will be, once my editor sends it to me. I like to be surprised.

“I thought that the covers for Dani Noir and Fade Out both captured different feelings the story was trying to portray, and I count myself as lucky to have had both editions published. But there’s only one cover in my short history as an author that felt like someone had slipped into my secret fantasies and awarded me the thing I didn’t even know to ask for.

“Here it is, the cover that made me burst into breathless, happy tears (left).

“Imaginary Girls was my second published book, but my debut YA novel. It’s the story of two sisters, their strong bond, and the dead body that threatens to break it—and the story begins at the local reservoir, when the younger sister, Chloe, is dared to swim across the water by her older sister, Ruby, in the middle of the night, and something shocking stops Chloe before she makes it across.

“The image that graced the hardcover edition of the book is a photograph by Elana Kalis, whose underwater photography is the stuff of legend. Truly—the images are so beautiful, I don’t even know how to contain myself. Here is the original image before it became my cover (right). And here is the exhilarated blog post I wrote when I first revealed this cover to the world.

“I really did cry when I first saw the cover. It was more beautiful than I’d ever imagined a cover for anything I wrote could be, and I felt like the image spoke to the voice of the novel, to the feeling I wanted to portray, even if it wasn’t a literal interpretation of Chloe swimming the murky reservoir in the deep night.

“Sometimes an author’s wildest cover dreams come true.

“…And dreams that come true don’t always last forever.

The New Face of Imaginary Girls

“Because when it came time to publish Imaginary Girls in paperback, I was told that this would involve a cover change.

“The paperback version of the Imaginary Girls cover is quite literal. The water is dark, as the reservoir at night would be. The girl’s eyes are green, as they would be. And there’s even the rowboat with the hand reaching out of it, just as Chloe found when she was trying to swim across. I also really like how pointed the back copy is:

“Ruby said I’d never drown. I didn’t. But someone else did.”

[Full jacket below.]

“Privately, behind closed doors, people have asked me how I could let this happen. Why change the perfect cover? But I’m sure many of you reading this post know that most authors don’t make these decisions. I have no idea what makes a book sell and what cover would draw in the right kind of reader. I do know that since the paperback of Imaginary Girls has come out in the summer of 2012, it seems that more readers have found the book, and this is what any author would hope for. Maybe the new cover tells a reader more of what to expect from this story. Either way, I feel like two sides of the book have been revealed by these covers, like it’s a story with two faces.

“And as I tell any passionate fan of the original version of Imaginary Girls, if you love the first cover as much as I do, you can still order the hardcover.”

Thanks, Nova! I actually think you have hit the cover jackpot again and again. While the hardcover of Imaginary Girls remains top in my heart (who can get over such beauty?), your other covers are all lovely and evocative.

What do you guys think? Favorites?