The cover of Meredith Zeitlin’s Freshman Year and Other Natural Disasters reminds me of my doodles, and it sounds good. For one, the main character lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn (and I do too). For two, it’s Meredith’s debut and I have a soft spot for first novels. For three, the main character auditions for Fiddler on the Roof, which I also did in high school (and did not make it–our high school was filled with drama kids and super competitive! I swear! Plus, I can’t dance). So I guess I’m confessing that I often am drawn to books that seem like they could be about me…

Anyway, all this is to say that I’m giving away a copy of this book this week, and you should want it for all of the reasons listed above and more. More being that I found these photos of Meredith Z. (right) and isn’t she cool? Yay, Manic Panic. And also, the trailer is great.

So, to enter to win this lovely book, tell me this: How many cups of coffee do you drink per day? I was sticking to one, but with a baby, it’s up to two. Or three. I’m tired, people. I want to hear what your habit is like. Tea drinkers: I wish I could be as virtuous as you.

“I had a very vague idea for the cover: a girl on the other side of the ice, looking out. But I am also, admittedly, not gifted in the art department. We discussed the idea I had, and they gave another idea as well: a girl, in a red coat, standing on the ice—with maybe a crack running through the surface. I loved that one, as well. I believe they toyed with both these ideas, but found that such a literal interpretation, while accurate to the scene and very relevant to the plot, didn’t quite represent the feel of the story inside. So they went in a different direction to capture the mood. And did they ever.

“Honest truth? When I first saw my cover, I jumped out of my chair. Then I unplugged my laptop and ran down the street to my friend’s house to show her. I adored it. It’s a concept I never would’ve come up with—but I can’t imagine a cover more perfect for the book.

“My editor asked for my thoughts, and I sent back a rather incoherent email, basically saying HOLY CRAP, YES, or, you know, something along those lines. I feel very, very fortunate. Even though they were trying to capture a mood, there are many things that are literal on the cover: the tag-line is taken directly from the book; the girl on the front looks shockingly like I pictured Delaney; and she’s wearing that red coat, which essentially saves her life. I had zero suggestions.

“I didn’t see any of the earlier concepts, and I’m glad. I’m not the most visual person (other than being able to say yes, I like it, or no, I don’t). There were some tweaks to the cover after I saw the concept, and there were a few final tweaks after the cover reveal as well (removing some of the ice from the lake).

“In the end: I love it. I find it haunting and beautiful at the same time, and I think it’s a little different than a lot of covers in the genre out there. I love the way they set up Delaney and her reflection. There’s something off about it, and I think that really captures the feel of the book: that she is back, but something is a little off. There was the Delaney that used to be, and the Delaney that remains. Which Delaney do her friends and family want to see? Which one does she want to be? What happened to the old one?

“Falcon Lake plays such a key role in the story, not only in the initial scenes when she’s trapped under the ice for 11 minutes, but in many scenes that follow. I always thought the girl on the cover was being pensive, which feels right. But some people thought she was dead, which was interesting to me since I didn’t pick up on that. But….that’s very relevant to the book as well: what makes someone alive?

“I’m really thrilled with how everything turned out.”

Thanks, Megan! I love the detail in the cover–each time I look I notice something more. It reminds me a little bit of the If I Stay paperback (I guess that’s the girl-at-bottom thing) but also feels wholly unique and lovely.

What do you guys think?

Dave made our traditional lobster salad for Valentine’s Day. (I love this meal, even though it’s very 80s, I think.)

For dessert: blueberries + ricotta + maple syrup. Delish.

And my other favorite dessert this week: The Nutella Calzone from Toby’s. This one is insane.

Madeleine George, The Difference Between You and Me

Nina LaCour, The Disenchantments

Lisa McMann, Dead to You

Sarah Ockler, Bittersweet

Matthew Quick, Boy21

Robin Wasserman, The Book of Blood and Shadow

Alecia Whitaker, The Queen of Kentucky

Michelle Zink, A Temptation of Angels

Figment has set up all of these playlists on Spotify (follow each link to find those), so if you’re reading these books, it’s time to crank up the stereo too.

Read the official rules and get full details here (you have to create a playlist for your favorite book). I mean, this is a fun contest. Wouldn’t it be the most amazing thing ever to be the Music Coordinator for a great show? Choosing the songs that go with each moment? Thrills. And yes, I did create a playlist for Unbreak My Heart (and there’s no Toni Braxton on it!).

Get cracking on your novel-inspired playlist!

Happy, uh, Thursday.

The lovely Laura Resau has a new book out! The Jade Notebook is the third in her beautiful series about Zeeta (read her Cover Story for The Indigo Notebook). Kirkus Reviews says, ”In this third in a series of novels focusing on Zeeta and her wanderlust-stricken mother, readers are immersed in the details of a lovingly described coastal town in Mexico and an action-filled mystery surrounding the poaching of ancient sea turtles that make their home there…  a graceful conclusion to Zeeta’s story.”

Here’s Laura to tell the tale of the cover:

“I’m happy and honored to be back on your blog, Melissa–I could spend all day reading these fascinating cover stories!

“The Jade Notebook is the third and final book in the travel-adventure-themed Notebooks series, each of which is set in a different country. The series went through a few different cover looks over the past few years.  If you’re curious, you can read the story behind the hardcover look of the first in the series, The Indigo Notebook, here. For that cover, my publisher, Delacorte, did a photo shoot of an open, vintage-style suitcase containing items that evoked each different setting, below. (The Indigo Notebook is set in the Andes of Ecuador, The Ruby Notebook in southern France, and The Jade Notebook in a small Mexican beach town.)

“After the publication of The Indigo Notebook with the suitcase cover (above), Delacorte decided to change the look of the paperback and subsequent books in the series. My understanding is that the influential bookstores pushed for this, believing that a photo of a pretty girl on the cover would increase sales. With the new cover look—back views of a girl with a gorgeous background, right–Delacorte wanted to project a sense of romance and fun in a seductive setting.

“I do think that the new cover look achieves this, but I have to admit, I did appreciate that the suitcase-themed covers clearly evoked the idea of travel, which is central to the series. Still, the backgrounds in the new look do suggest exotic locales. For me, the final cover of The Jade Notebook – a girl swimming in crystal, blue-green waters – evokes an almost visceral reaction of ‘I want to go there!’ It’s so sensual–I can almost feel the tropical water, taste the salt.  he color of the sunlit water feels delicious to me… especially now, in mid-February, when I’m longing for the beach! And I was really happy that they photo-shopped sea turtles in the image, since they’re  essential to the plot. I also think the font is lovely–eye-catching and whimsical—and suits the story well.

“The only aspects of the final Jade cover that I wasn’t happy about were: 1) I wish the girl’s skin and hair were darker to more accurately reflect Zeeta’s appearance. (In response, Delacorte said they did the best they could using stock photos.)  2) It would’ve been nice to somehow suggest more mystery, danger, and adventure since there’s actually a lot more to the story than sweet romance in a beautiful natural setting.

“Overall, though, I’m happy with the cover, and appreciate the work that the designers went through to come up with appealing images.  You can read more about the book here. You can see photos of the setting for the book on my blog, here and here.  I’m doing a book give-away this week, so feel free to swing by my blog and enter. Thanks for reading!”

Thanks, Laura! I do think the suitcase covers are charming, but I understand the appeal of the new ones too (see all three, above). They’re almost more arresting at first glance, which is really important. (Though I do love the idea of pouring over the original covers and seeing all the little items in the suitcase.)

What do you guys think?

PS-Remember to visit Laura’s blog for the giveaway this week.

Last week’s winner of Andrea Cremer’s Bloodrose is… donnas! Send me your address, D.

This week, I’m helping Holly Cupala celebrate the release of Don’t Breathe a Word! Watch the trailer and then check out Holly’s contest info below…

PRIZES:

Five Grand Prizes:

Signed copies of Don’t Breathe a Word, Tell Me a Secret, the TMAS special edition audiobook, bookmarks, stickers, and other swag

Ten Runner-Up Prizes:

Don’t Breathe a Word flyers, bookmarks, stickers, and a TMAS button

Plus the first forty people who buy the book at this link between now and Valentine’s Day get DBAW bookmarks, stickers, and undying book love from Holly!

HOW TO ENTER: Visit Holly’s blog for all the info. I’ll be back with a giveaway next week!

Publisher’s Weekly named Jenny Hubbard‘s debut a Flying Start last spring, and summarized the novel thusly:

“Set in the early 1980s, Paper Covers Rock is structured as the journal of 16-year-old Alex No Middle Name Stromm, who is holding onto some secrets about the recent drowning death of one of his classmates.”

The title and cover caught my attention, and here’s Jenny to explain that gazing boy from Paper Covers Rock:

“I didn’t envision a cover while I was writing, but after I found out it was going to be published, I envisioned a black-and-white photograph of three boys in silhouette on a rock, their backs to the viewer.

“All I said [to my publisher] was, ‘Please don’t put a face on my narrator.’

“The cover that is currently on the book is not the first one that was designed for the book. The first one caused me to burst into tears–truly. It was entirely wrong, both in mood and character depiction. What the reader would have seen was a free-spirited, smiling, skater-dude boy in mid-jump over water.

“When I explained why the first cover wasn’t right, they scrapped it immediately, and the designer went back to the drawing board. My editor asked me what I would like to see, and I gave her some ideas, none of which included a face on my narrator. One idea suggested by my agent I liked very much: a graphic design that hinted toward the journal aspect of the book. I liked that because it was, I guess, less literal.

“What the designer definitely got right the second time around was the mood of the book. The boy on the cover looks troubled. There’s a mystery in his face. And I like how the green (his innocence) is behind him. That’s fitting.

“They hired a model, as is often the case for the novels published by Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House). I do not know this young man’s name, but he lives in or near NYC. He’s certainly more attractive than the Alex I’ve imagined. Of course, the boy on the cover isn’t even necessarily Alex, but I would imagine that most readers connect him to the protagonist on the inside pages.

“I didn’t notice, until later, that the boy’s tie is undone, as if he’s trying to get free of something that is strangling him. I really like that.

“I think the cover works. When I asked why they went with ‘the face on the narrator,’ my editor explained that they needed a cover to appeal to teenaged girls, as teenaged girls are the primary audience for young-adult fiction. Random House knows much more about how to sell a book than I do. I deferred to their experience and judgment. And, come to find out, the cover does indeed appeal to girls! It would be interesting to see, when the novel appears in paperback, a different cover–maybe something along the lines of what my agent suggested–to see what kind of reader might be drawn to it. I’ve had people, adults and teens alike, tell me that the current cover is off-putting because it seems to advertise a romance novel.”

Thanks, Jenny! I actually like the cover a lot. It made me think of A Separate Peace by John Knowles, which is a good thing in my book.

What do you guys think?

This week, I have a copy of Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer. Andrea’s been here to share her Cover Stories, and this series is really smart and exciting. Now, Book 3 can be yours!

Just leave a comment telling me where your favorite reading spot is, and you’re entered. I’ll choose a random winner next week.

My reading spot is in bed, with like 4 pillows surrounding me. I like to feel completely propped up and encircled by poofs. (Though I will say that I dream of a sun porch, because those are my all-time favorite reading spots, whenever they’re available to me!).

Happy Wednesday!

Janet Lee Carey has been here before to talk about her cover for Stealing Death. Now she’s back with a stunning new novel, Dragonswood. Here’s her Cover Story:

“My cover ideas changed as I was writing Dragonswood. I often have a movie going in my head as I’m writing, so every once in a while I’d stop the movie to a still shot and think, ‘Hey that would make a great cover.’ Some images had to do with Tess’s fire-sight. I envisioned Tess staring into the fire entranced by the vision of a man swinging his sword, or of a fairy woman riding dragonback in the golden flames.

“I tossed a few ideas around with my editor, Kathy Dawson, at Dial Books for Young Readers. Along with the fire-sight images, we discussed a cover related to the early action scenes showing Tess and her friends’ escape from the witch hunter disguised as lepers. I pictured a bedraggled and muddy Tess dressed in a dark-hooded leper’s robe. Much later Kathy Dawson and I discussed the kind of medieval gown Tess would wear — the colors, the fabric — by then I realized we weren’t going with the fire-sight or the leper’s robe idea. I didn’t mind Tess wearing a gown since she does later in the book; still I remember asking, ‘Will Tess have a knife in her hand?’ Kathy paused a moment, then said, ‘I think you will be surprised by the direction this cover is going in, Janet.’

“When I saw the cover, I was stunned by its beauty. I remember my hands began to tingle. It was so completely different from anything I’d had in mind, and at the same time, so surreal and gorgeous. I loved the contrast of light and dark, the iridescent title, the bright water and gown against the dark forest, looming clouds, and the surrounding dragon scales. The designers took a complete U turn from where I was going with the cover. They formed a fresh idea evoking the heart of the story that takes Tess from bondage to liberty. The leap on the cover expresses her triumph.

“We talked a bit about changing the gown color, but ended up going with the original white. Really I was so happy with what I saw; I didn’t want to mess with it.

“Have you ever had a flying dream? The Dragonswood cover reminds me of my favorite kind of flying dream where I’m dancing in the sky; doing pirouettes, leaps, and flips, moving fluidly using the pressure of the thermals around me. It’s a truly magical dream and I always wake up from it feeling joyful.

“The cover also helped me discover a concise description of the novel – something I often find frustratingly hard to do. After staring at the book in my hands a long while I thought. One Girl. Bound By Fate. Breaks Free. Those words show up in a number of places now and became integral to designing our Dragonswood Book Trailer. (By the way that’s my voice in the background and my husband strumming the Turkish saz.)”

Thanks, Janet! There has been a lot of talk about there being many Girls in Gowns on covers this year, but I think Dragonswood stands out with movement and a sense of purpose. Plus, the sweetness of the gown makes it seem lie more than pure show. Also, the scales on the edge of the book add a nice texture and evocation. Thoughts?

Happy Friday!