Mindi Scott's second novel, Live Through This, received a starred review from Kirkus that says, "What makes this more than another ‘problem’ novel is the author’s steadfast refusal to deal in stereotypes and easy answers." Also, you should absolutely read Mindi's brave and compassionate "Why I Wrote This Book" post.
She's touring with the GCC, so she's here to talk about her brand new cover (check out her Cover Story for Freefall too):
"The first time I saw the cover art it was accompanied by this note from my editor, Liesa Abrams:
I had no clue, to be perfectly honest, how this cover should look. I wanted it to convey the depth to the story but not feel so serious as to not also show that it's accessible, something you want to pick up.
Luckily even when we editors are like "uh . . . I dunno . . ." there are these people called "designers" at publishing houses who translate story and tone into visuals, ha.
So Jess Handelman had this stock photo that felt right to her of a girl curled up on this background. Only, originally the girl was a brunette and I was like nope, Coley HAS to be blonde. It's key for her to be blonde! :) So she shot another model and layered it on this background and today shared this final version with everyone.
"It was very gratifying for me that my editor was insistent that the girl on the cover look the same as the one I described in the book. I know that it doesn’t always happen that way.
"The thing I love most about this cover is that there are three (maybe even four!) scenes within the story that this image could represent.
"Now, the book takes place in the winter, and there is never a situation where she’s lying around outside barefoot, but I tend to think of the background, confetti, and clothing all as metaphor. (By the way, Coley would never wear that skirt. Not ever. In dressing the model this way, the photographer covered Coley’s legs much more than she ever would have done on her own.)
"The parts of this image that are literal are the girl’s appearance and her body’s positioning. To me, she looks totally overwhelmed. And that’s what this story is about: A girl who pretends that she has it all together, but who is keeping a secret that is breaking her down."
Thanks, Mindi! I like the idea of the cover as a metaphor. While I'm a stickler for details, like the blonde hair, I'm also fully into the feeling of a book's cover, and this one conveys an emotion that seems to fit the story's tone.
Also, I love the sound of this book! In addition to the Kirkus star (!), there's this incredible blurb: “Harrowing, sad, funny, and romantic. I couldn’t put it down.” –Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss
Yay! What do you guys think?
Check out the trailer too: