Melissa C. Walker's Blog, page 57

Cover Stories: We Were Here by Matt de la Pena

[image error] I really loved Matt de la Peña's We Were Here, and I had to ask him about its unique and somewhat dreamy cover. Here's Matt:"I never really had a vision for my We Were Here cover. I just remember thinking, Man, I hope my cover looks cool. That was my only thought. I kind of wanted it to be gritty. But covers and titles are the same for me - I don't think I deserve to think about them until I've done the heavy lifting and finished the book."This is my third book, and it's the first time I got ...

Photo Friday: California!

I got to head to California last week, where I hit Morro Bay on the central coast with some high school friends: [image error] And then I got to pretend to be cool with college friends in LA: [image error] We also ate some amazing food at The Bazaar at SLS (molecular gastronomy, which I only know about because of Top Chef). I ate a man-made olive -- and I liked it! [image error] [image error] [image error] (Cotton Candy Foie Gras, Philly Cheese Steaks and Egg Salad, if you're interested.)Looking back on this post, I feel a little douche-y. But, you know, sometim...

Double Win-It Wednesday: Copper Sun and Incarceron

There's still time to enter last week's contest over at Tera Lynn Childs's blog (it ends 2/28). And this week, because I missed a week, I'm giving away two books. [image error] The first is Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper. We've been discussing it all month long at readergirlz (see the discussion questions in the top right corner to get a taste of the themes you'll encounter in this amazing, award-winning historical novel).The second is an ARC of Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. It's a fantasy about a prison...

Cover Stories: The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Over on Barnes and Noble's Unabashedly Bookish blog, Matthew Quick told me the story of his debut novel, The Silver Linings Playbook . It has two very different covers, and he has quite a tale to tell.

Here are the covers:

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Check out the full story here. Which cover do you like best?

Cover Stories: Fallen by Lauren Kate

I want the dress on the cover of Lauren Kate's Fallen. Okay, I know I'm not original, but it's the truth. How gorgeous is that?! I had to ask how it all came about. Here's Lauren: [image error] "Before I was writing full-time, I worked as an Associate Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, so I got to spend a lot of time with the art department there and I realized a) how bad I was at visualizing cover concepts that represented and helped promote books, and b) how absolutely excellent the art department...

Photo Friday: Valentine's Day + Olympic Cats

Look at the lobster I got on Valentine's Day (Dave and I always do this old-school lobster, champagne and roses V-Day. It's how we roll):

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Good bread, too:

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And finally, for your viewing enjoyment, Swayze and Winnie watch the Olympics (they never watch any regular shows--this is their thing!)

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Happy Friday!

Fashion Week Skinny. Ugh.

[image error] Just a quick little ugh from me on the constant plight of keep-it-a-size-0 models who I see all around during Fashion Week. You know how the Violet books deal with this issue? Yeah, it's still a thing for me.I applaud Crystal Renn, who, with the lovely Marjorie Ingall, wrote HUNGRY, the story of Crystal's time as a model and the pressures she faced to stay skinny. [image error] I feel sad for Coco Rocha, right, who just told the Daily News that she's been deemed "too big" for many designers this year (she'...

Win-It Wednesday: Tera Lynn Childs' Olympic-Sized Contest

The winner of last week's Year of the Horse contest is... Ah Yuan! Thanks, everyone, for the really great discussion about that cover (go back and read the comments if you haven't -- good stuff!). Send me your address, AY! [image error] This week, I'm over at Tera Lynn Childs' blog, celebrating the winter Olympics and her Oh. My. Gods. series! Enter to win over there (this is my Win-It Wednesday -- it counts because I say so, even if it is a little bit of a lazy move on my part). PRIZES(1) copy of Oh. My...

Win-It Wednesday: Tera Lynn Child's Olympic-Sized Contest

The winner of last week's Year of the Horse contest is... Ah Yuan! Thanks, everyone, for the really great discussion about that cover (go back and read the comments if you haven't -- good stuff!). Send me your address, AY! [image error] This week, I'm over at Tera Lynn Child's blog, celebrating the winter Olympics and her Oh. My. Gods. series! Enter to win over there (this is my Win-It Wednesday -- it counts because I say so, even if it is a little bit of a lazy move on my part). PRIZES(1) copy of Oh. My...

Cover Stories: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

[image error] Courtney Summers is awesome, as many of you guys know. She agreed to do a double Cover Story with me, so here's part one. It's about her debut, Cracked Up to Be. I loved it. Here's Courtney:"When I found out St. Martin's was going to publish Cracked Up to Be , I was really eager to see what they'd make of the cover. I secretly wished that:1) there would be a girl on it and her face would be obscured, because I like covers that leave character's faces to the imagination and2) it would be awesom...