Totally buying this necklace. A pen and a gorgeous piece of retro Mad Men Joan Holloway action? Dreamy.Also: Last day to enter to win the DVD of American Teen, here. Good luck!
And: Lisa McMann's Fund Your Dream Essay Contest. So cool. Enter!
Happy Tuesday!
This cover is a real departure for me, obviously. It's a summer romance in the HarperTeen "Beach Reads" category, which includes fun titles like these:
So, you see the theme here? Colors, cartoons and general candy-coated-ness. I'm fully embracing my hot-pink-and-blue cover. Here's the back story:
Lovestruck Summer is the story of 18-year-old Quinn, an indie-rock girl spending the summer in Austin on a coveted music internship. While she hopes to find the perfect hipster boyfriend, she unexpectedly falls in love with a college cowboy who makes her challenge her own stereotypes, expand her musical tastes, and ultimately open up her world.
So, you'll notice that the cover isn't really "indie rock." At all. Haha. When my editor asked me for some cover ideas, and warned me that "music covers" are a harder sell (I have no idea why). She asked me to tell her about some scenes in the book (it wasn't quite done yet) and here's what I emailed her:
"Here are images that come to my mind: * guitar (can't help it, but feel free to ignore the music stuff... I'm just brainstorming) * little dog in a tiara (her cousin penny has this dog) * Tri-Pi greek letters (her cousin's sorority, although she hates it) * Barton Springs blanket-on-the-grass-under-trees moments (photo attached--she and Russ go here) * Bats over a bridge (flying in a heart formation?) (photo attached--i know it sounds crazy but they fly out from under bridges in the summer) * outdoor music festival scene (something sxsw-esque?) * the iconic shape of texas with a heart and music note? * something in the style of these old post cards (TEXAS postcard attached)"
And I sent these inspiration pictures (bats flying out from under a bridge are shown in the middle--how crazy is that?!):
Obviously, that first image made an impression. I think it's fun and beachy, which is just what its meant to be! And now I'm going to change my profile pics and twitter page and all that, so you'll see lots of this cover through May.
I'd love to know what you think!
PS-Remember this post where I asked for band names? I used a TON of them in the book--seriously, they were a HUGE help! THANK YOU!
PPS-Yes, preorder totally available here, sans cover so far. Amazon, why you so slow?!
And here are those promised links: Taren's blog and Steph's blog So, are you in? Happy Sunday!
I love, love, love this book. You guys? Must read.
Join in the January conversation on the readergirlz blog with E. Lockhart, and don't forget the LIVE chat later this month!
I'm so excited for this movie, because the book is astoundingly good! I'm chatting about it and sharing a clip over at Teen Fiction Cafe (come say hi?), but I'll post the original vintage book cover, and a trailer for the film, here. Seriously, so great (the book); I have high hopes for the movie too.
Carrie Jones is also on the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit tour, so I get to host two cover stories this week! (And this one includes glitter, which is perfect because it's celebratory! Happy New Year, everyone!)
NEED, Carrie's latest release, is about a girl named Zara who's had a rough life and who collects phobias. She thinks her grandmother's instinct to keep her safe in their sleepy Maine town is just silly--but she's wrong. Turns out that guy Zara sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a pixie--and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He's the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he's trailing Zara.
While she calls herself "cover clueless," I think Carrie's got a pretty good story. Here she is:
"I am a total dork when it comes to imagining covers. Honestly, I don't even think about the cover of any of my books when I'm writing them. It's like I would jinx the whole story if I actually imagined a real-live cover. I don't even think about it as a book really when I'm writing and revising. I just think of it as a story.
"My publisher didn't ask for any input on the cover design before the art department started working. The first time I saw my cover I basically gasped and collapsed back in my chair. It was sooooooooo cool and sooooooooo creepy. I pretty much started hyperventilating and I grabbed my dog Tala and showed her the computer screen, but of course, you know, she's a dog and she can't actually see the computer screen supposedly. Plus, the computer screen didn't smell like bacon so she didn't really care. Instead she started licking my cheek and sniffing my ear. She's cuddly like that. She didn't even mind me shrieking, 'Tala! Tala! It's so beautiful! Oh my gosh! It's so freaking beautiful! And creepy! And there is glitter gold lipstick!'
"The good thing about big dogs is that they don't mind when you faint on them.
"When I talked to my editor, Michelle Nagler, about the cover, she said: Do you think it's creepy enough?
"And I said:
"And Michelle said: I think the branches should extend, don't you?
"And I said:
"And Michelle said: Carrie? Carrie? Are you there? Do I need to call 9-1-1? Do they have 9-1-1 in Maine?
"And I struggled back up into the chair and said: It's so beautiful....
"From the original version, the cover became a little more creepy. Michelle had them extend the naked tree branches up a little bit. It was even more beautiful/cool/creepy in real life than it was on the jpeg image.
"If I could marry my cover, I would totally marry my cover, which probably means I'm a sucker for beautiful, tantalizing creepy things."
And I am a sucker for glittery gold lipstick. What do you guys think?
The winner of the beauty swag bag is... I'd Rather Laugh With the Sinners..., and the winner of WAKE by Lisa McMann is... bunny! Send me your addresses and your prizes will magically appear in your mailboxes, Sinners and bunny!This week, I have 3 copies of American Teen, which was just released on DVD, to give away. I really enjoyed this movie, and I think you guys will too--here's a review I did for Harmony back when I first saw it. You will especially adore Hannah, who lives in Brooklyn now, so I plan to befriend her. Somehow. Hopefully not in a stalk-y way. Plus, Jake, in the brown hoodie, might become your new anti-hero.
Here's awesome author Sara Zarr's take on the film, which explains some too.
To enter to win one of the DVDs, let me know what your New Year's resolutions are, if you have any. Mine are: 1) revamp my closet (I want fewer clothes and more quality), and 2) read at least a book a week (or maybe two).
Happy New Year's Eve!
Eartha Kitt's kitty-cat purr of a voice always enchanted me. Another screen siren gone, but she had a long life, performing all the way. RIP, dahling.I have a feeling Miss Kitt would have loved this book, Secrets of Charm, that I'm talking about over at readergirlz.
And something else she might have slipped into? Thakoon for Target. (The dress I hearted sold out, but there's still more great stuff, like this awesome shibori-print cardigan.)
Oh, and there's still one more day to enter to win a copy of Lisa McMann's WAKE, or some beauty SWAG, right here.
Enjoy your Tuesdays!
Laurie Stolarz is part of the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit, and she's on tour this week! So I asked her to stop by and tell the Cover Story behind her latest release Deadly Little Secret, which Kirkus Reviews says has "CW-worthy dialogue." It's the first in her Touch Series.
Here's a little bit about the book: Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary. Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.
Oooh... and the cover reflects that eerie feeling too. Here's Laurie, who says she didn't even know they were working on the cover yet, until she got a jpeg in her inbox:
"My editor e-mailed me a picture of the jpeg. As soon as I saw it, I loved it. It's probably my favorite cover yet. I love the color scheme. And I love how the girl's hand is sort of translucent, lending itself to the topic of psychometry (the ability to sense things through touch). One of the main characters in Deadly Little Secret has this ability, and this mystical touch really works well, I think, without being too fantastical or overdone.
I asked my editor how the cover came to be and she said the art person was really inspired and the cover came together really quickly. Everyone was pleased with it, including me."
Sometimes a Cover Story is just that short and sweet! I love this cover, because I think the flowing dress is just perfect, the grassy/mossy ground with her bare feet in it looks somehow both soothing and scary, and the treatment of the title--with the illustrated lace frame--is just gorgeous.
What do you guys think?
Laurie's also running a great contest on her blog--think of a soundtrack for the book and you can be entered to have a minor character in Deadly Little Lies, the second book in the Touch Series, named after you. That would be cool.
PS-Last week's winner of an Elizabeth Scott book of her choice is... bookworm! Send me your address, bw, and let me know which of Elizabeth's books you'd like!
I still like going to Rockefeller Center!
Hanging out with my Mom so I may be gone for a few days, and last week's contest is extended through next Wednesday. Have a fantastic holiday season, and celebrate everything that's good in your life!
XO,
Melissa