Win-It Wednesday: Sophomore Switch

Thanks for all your insightful comments about the cover of Leigh Brescia's One Wish! The randomly chosen winner of the book is... Ann. Ann said, "I really appreciate the use of symbolism." (And this cover was chock full of symbolism--totally interesting!) Send me your address, A.This week, I'm giving a way a book that I hearted for I Heart Daily, so you can read my thoughts about it here. Abby McDonald has an awesome debut. I asked her which character--partying Tasha or studious Emily--is more like her, and she said, "I USED to be more like Emily. Back when I was a teenager, I was a straight-A student, super-focused, but then I came to realize how much pressure I was putting on myself - for no reason! It's one thing to want to get good grades and get into college, but there's so much fun stuff about being a teenager that can fly by if you're caught up in planning for the future, like Emily does. At Oxford, I was surrounded by high-achievers like her, and I actually found it hard to write her to begin with, because I just wanted to shake her and say, 'Calm down!'. But if it came to picking one of the characters to hang out with? I think Tasha would make an awesome friend!" You guys will love these girls. Abby's site has a ton of fun extras: social networking profiles for the characters, playlists, and a download of the first couple of chapters. To enter to win, tell me below: Do you consider yourself a feminist? Guy or girl, just weigh in on what feminism means to you. My own answer is: Yes! I think of feminism as being really pro-woman, and not anti anything (well, besides discrimination against women). So yay for the F word! Oh, and here's a trailer for Sophomore Switch that YA Book Nerd made!

The Great Cat Rescue of 2009

If you follow me on twitter, you probably got to see this update in real time, but here's the full story:So on Sunday night around 12:30am, I heard a loud crash outside my bedroom window. We're on the garden floor of a brownstone in Brooklyn, and I immediately woke up Dave and told him to look outside. What he saw was this: Okay, we put the ladder there later as a rescue attempt, but basically the cat was hanging from our cable wires, and its foot--one toe in particular--was caught in the support brackets of an air conditioning unit. It was insane! So then our landlord, who lives upstairs, came down. He's such a softie for animals that he got up on the ladder and held the cat so it could have a rest from its struggle while we called for help. Then a vet across the garden, in a building on the next street over, heard the ruckus. She came over at the same time that the police arrived. They were nervous--they didn't want to touch the cat. But the vet took over the situation and held the cat while the police figured out how to free its toe by prying open the air conditioner bracket with a hammer (Dave's idea, so he gets credit). My photo of that leaves a lot to be desired, I know. It all took about two hours, it was funny to hear the police getting so squeamish. One told a story about his last cat rescue--there was a kitten caught in a fan belt. All these tough New York City cops, and it turns out the vet is the real badass. And after 15 minutes of discussing what to do with the cat and where to take him, he leapt out of the basket we were holding him in and ran to the garden, jumping onto the backyard fence and making his way across the tops of all the fences that are connected on my block's backyard, heading home. Happy ending. Have you guys ever had to rescue an animal? It's intense. PS-If you live in Park Slope and your cat wears a red collar with bells (but no ID), and his back right leg is a little gimpy... this could be him. He's a trooper!

Cover Stories: Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

Susane Colasanti's upcoming May release, Waiting For You, has lots of love, angst and the perfect pop culture references. It's plain awesome. That's why I had to ask her for a Cover Story. Here she is:"My vision for the cover of Waiting for You was actually a lot like the final product! I have an excellent cover designer who is able to reflect the tone of my story with amazing accuracy. "As with the When It Happens and Take Me There covers, a stock photo was used. I'm psyched it was out there. When I first saw the cover, I was so excited! I was on the phone with my editor at the time and could not shut up about it. I love everything about the cover - the characters, the water, the fonts, the colors. The hues are so peaceful. It was a very Zen experience. "My contract states that I get to be consulted about the cover once a mock-up is complete. I actually had no suggestions to improve this cover at all because I am in love with it so much. "With When It Happens, there were three cover mock-ups. I liked the tree version the best. It was great that I was able to provide feedback, most of which the art department incorporated. Originally, Tobey was wearing white sneakers. I explained that Tobey would never, ever wear white sneakers and suggested that he wear black Converse. I was really happy that the change was made. "The Take Me There cover was designed by Sam Kim, who designed the Waiting for You cover. I think this cover rocks. I love the natural light coming through that huge window, and how the characters are talking behind stacks of books. The original version of the cover had a square around the title instead of a rectangle. Barnes & Noble wanted the font sizes on the cover to be a bit larger, so the rectangle change was made after their input. The only change I suggested was that the box around the title be removed. This was not implemented for the hardcover edition, but I'm stoked that the paperback edition will just have the title against the windows without the box. "As for my newest cover, I think the it captures the feeling of my book perfectly. We see a boy and a girl on a dock. The story takes place in a small boating community and these two characters have a history of playing together on their dock. As they grow up, the nature and significance of their interactions on the dock change. When I look at this cover, I can sense their waiting, wanting, and longing. "Please let everyone know how they can connect with me. I love hearing from readers!" You heard Susane! You can find her on her website, blog, facebook, myspace or twitter. Personally, I love the cover of Waiting For You, and I think it's very Dawson's, which rules in my book. I also like the paperback version of Take Me There, without the rectangle. Maybe they were trying to make the square look like the circle on the cover of When It Happens, like a Susane signature, but I think all of these covers' signature is their light, airy feel (with a blue sky or natural light behind them). Anyway, the paperback version just looks more simple to me. I'm into simplicity. (I also love hearing how B&N again affected a cover... the stories multiply! Interesting.) Now, I seem to be giving away my entire bookshelf these days, but what the heck?! I have a review copy of Waiting For You for one lucky commenter who weighs in on this Cover Story. I'll pick a winner next Monday! PS-Last week's winner of Elizabeth Scott's Perfect You is... Sena! Send me your address, S.

The No-Makeup Issue of ELLE + Body Image Challenge

No makeup and no photoshopping in the April issue of French ELLE. How cool is this?! Full story here. I just wanted to say: Yay! AND, there's lots of Body Image talk going on at My Favorite Author, and I wanted to help spread the word! To sign up for the challenge (and you should!), head to My Favorite Author and join bloggers like The Story Siren, Presenting Lenore, and In Bed With Books, plus authors Deborah Lytton, Sarah Darer Littman, Sara Zarr, Megan Frazer, Laurie Halse Anderson, Sydney Salter and Erin Dionne. And there's a big giveaway too. I also had to share a link to these amazing "Vanitas" images by Fernando Vincente, which are really like portraits of beauty from the inside out. Check out the full series here. Happy Sunday!

Photo Friday: New Haircut!

I showed my hairdresser a photo of 1920s movie star Marion Davies: And I ended up with a classic, swingy bob, which I'm starting to love after the initial couple days of where-did-my-hair-go anxiety. (Also loving playing with the "effects" button on my computer camera, obviously.) What do you think? Maybe one day I'll even get up the energy to curl it! PS-In my fancy imaginary life I'm going to start dressing like Marion Davies too:

An Interview: Kay Cassidy, Scavenger Hunter!

You know I'm into Kay Cassidy's Great Scavenger Hunt Contest, and now I get to host Kay herself for an interview about the whole thing (read on if you're still not sure what it is. Major prizes involved! Here goes...Q: What made you decide to create The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest? A: As a YA author and proud owner of a well-worn library card, I wanted to give something back to all the librarians. With the economy in turmoil, I set out to create a totally free program that teen and youth librarians could use to keep kids excited about reading. Plus, I'm a huge fan of trivia, scavenger hunts, mysteries... so The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest was a natural fit. I would've been all over this when I was younger. Trivia fans... unite! Q: What exactly is The Hunt? A: The Hunt is a brand-new, super easy, totally FREE library outreach program for teen and youth librarians. The program is open to librarians in the U.S. and Canada, in public libraries and school libraries alike. Over 120 YA and middle grades authors have created a 10-question scavenger hunt (i.e. super fun trivia quiz) for one or more of their books. Scavenger hunts include questions like "What was the color of Moe's hideous car?" or "What is Gemma's favorite comfort food?" Every scavenger hunt also has a special note from the author to give it a personal touch. Q: How does The Hunt work? A: Once librarians register their library, their readers (called hunters) are eligible to participate. Hunters can check out the list of more than 200 titles in The Hunt, read the book of their choice, complete the scavenger hunt, and turn it in to their librarian. The librarian checks the answers against the quick answer key. If the hunter gets at least 8 out of 10 answers correct, the librarian can enter the hunter in the monthly contest. (NOTE: All scavenger hunts must be submitted to a participating librarian in order to be eligible for the contest. Participating librarians may enter hunters via the official contest entry form.) Q: And thus, the prizes! What kinds of prizes do you have and how can people win? A: Every month, I'll choose one lucky hunter as the winner. The winning hunter will receive a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card to use for whatever their heart desires. Even better? When a hunter wins, the host library wins too... a library prize tote filled with more terrific scavenger hunt books for the library's collection. It's a win-win! Q: I love win-wins! So, tell me more about your upcoming YA debut. When will hunters see a scavenger hunt for it in The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest? A: My debut novel, The Cinderella Society, is the first in a new YA series. The series takes readers behind the veil of a secret society of extraordinary girls where ultimate life makeovers are the main attraction. Lifelong outsider Jess Parker thinks life on the inside is her ultimate fantasy until she discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It's a battle of good vs. evil played out on the high school battlefield, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood... and herself. The Cinderella Society will be an April 2010 release from Egmont USA with book two in the series to follow in Spring 2011. I'm very excited about sharing a scavenger hunt of my own in The Hunt. Come on, next April! Now, let me turn the tables on you for a minute. :-) First of all, thank you so much for participating in The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. [Here's the part where Kay interviews me! That's her on the left. Cute, no? --MW] Q: What made you take time out of your busy schedule to participate in The Hunt? Uh, I'm not that busy. I guess I could be, but I like to do things I enjoy, like creating scavenger hunts for the Violet books. So it's just a choice! Q: How did you decide which book(s) to create a scavenger hunt for? I've only made one for Violet on the Runway so far, but I plan to add the other Violet books and Lovestruck Summer very soon! Q: Do you think you would've wanted to be a hunter when you were younger? Um, I kind of want to play RIGHT NOW. Is that allowed?

Win-It Wednesday + Cover Stories: One Wish by Leigh Brescia

The winner of an early copy of Lovestruck Summer from last week's contest is... Ellie! Send me your address, E. (Also, I totally agree with you about Sarah Dessen's The Truth About Forever--amazing book!) This week, I'm doing a combination Win-It Wednesday and Cover Story! Leigh Brescia's first novel, One Wish, is being released tomorrow! And it has such an arresting cover that I had to ask her about its tale. Luckily, she's into sharing. "When I pictured the cover during writing, I saw a dandelion being blown across the page. In fact, what I imagined is scarily similar to Janette Rallison's new novel: Just One Wish (MW note: Janette's cover story is here). I suppose it's a good thing they didn't hire me to design the cover: it would be like showing up at the Oscars wearing the same dress as Angelina Jolie, and she gets to walk the red carpet first! Yikes! "WestSide hired an incredible designer, Michael Morgenstern, to do the image. His work has been featured in almost every major magazine and newspaper in America. He also did the illustration for Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. I talked to him about what he used to create the image, and he said that he created it in Photoshop and used textures, photographs, and digital airbrush technique. He did an excellent job! I had to use Photoshop in a graphic design class in college, and I wasn't nearly as successful. "When I first saw the image it took me a moment to really focus and take it all in. The design is so bold and fresh: it was like nothing I'd ever seen--especially not for a YA novel. Of course, I immediately decided that I loved it and made it my desktop background. "It's different, and it makes you look twice. You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the image is so intriguing. As a reader, I would want to pick it up to see what the story is about. I think it will make a lot of people curious. "More than anything, though, I love how the image is metaphorical and mirrors the story. My editor sent the synopsis of One Wish to Michael, and he designed the cover from that information." "Michael told me: 'I had given Wrenn a streak of reddish hair to symbolize the makeover her theatre friends had given her. It's the brightest color on the cover, calling attention to the change which brought with it new confidence, temptations and troubles. The roses with the steely thorns represent the allure of romance on its surface: dreamy and sweet in appearance but with its thorns that can be damaging as well. In the superficial world of surface appearances, it's easy to get lost. But Wrenn's clear blue eyes will steer her through all this and eventually find truth.'" "Isn't he absolutely brilliant? He's such an incredible artist, and I'm excited that WestSide chose him to design the cover of One Wish." I love that we got to hear from both author and cover designer in this one! And I agree that the image is unique--that red hair streak always catches my eye. I'm behind on my pile, but I can't wait to read One Wish. To enter win a copy of this book, just share your thoughts on the cover below. I'll pick a victorious commenter at random next week! Happy release week, Leigh!

Cover Stories: Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

You guys know that Elizabeth Scott is one of my favorite people. Lots of you are mentioning her books in the Win-It Wednesday contest this week, which is only natural since she is a master of teen romance! Something, Maybe does not disappoint--you will love the chemistry in this book. Here's Elizabeth with her Cover Story:

"I really didn't have an idea for the cover--the original title for the book was LIVE! NUDE! MOM. [Elizabeth explains the title change here]--and I just knew I wanted something that played on the surprise and energy of the title. What it would be, I had no idea!

"My editor and I did talk about it, and we agreed that we wanted to go for something that had a similar feel to BLOOM and PERFECT YOU since both of those are romances as well. And since both of those covers have a very specific look, we needed something like that.

"So my editor sent me a bunch of pictures--and we picked one--and luckily, it still worked when the title was changed to SOMETHING, MAYBE.

"The image was a stock photo that Lisa Fyfe, who is a fabulous designer, played around with to capture the feel of the book (and to make sure Hannah's hair was blond on the cover since it is in the story!)

"The moment I saw it in the packet of photos I was sent, I knew it was the right one. And it stayed the right one even with the title change, which means it really captured the book!

"My editor is fabulous about cover design, and she always asks for my thoughts. In the end, the big change that was made was taking the cover from white to blue, which really made it more eye-catching. And as I said, Lisa changed Hannah's hair color so it matched her hair color in the book, and played around with the bracelets on her wrist so they were more noticeable. It's strange, but subtle changes can really make a cover pop! And, of course, the cover itself went from being white to blue--which maybe doesn't seem that big, but it really made a difference!

"I love the cover! I think it captures the spirit of the book really well. And here are all the pictures I was sent back when we were first looking for covers--and you'll see this was back before the title was changed!"

How fun is it to see all of those covers!? Thanks to Elizabeth and Simon Pulse for sharing them. I think they made the right choice. How about you guys?

Photo Friday: The Drop

Yesterday was an amazingly warm and sunny day in NYC, and it was Teen Lit Day! So, for Rock the Drop, I left books around town: RED The Book (Amazing! Must read! Have I said this enough times?) got a spot in the dappled sun right in front of my apartment. It was gone in five minutes. One of my two copies of Lovestruck Summer got left in a daffodil pot at 43rd and Lexington. And Violet in Private has a lovely spot on a bench at the Bleecker Street Subway station. Violet on the Subway! If any of you guys rocked the drop and took photos, email them to readergirlz. (Sorry about the quality--I forgot my camera and used my phone!) Happy Friday!

Rock the Drop + Bonus Cover Story: Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume

*I'm rocking the drop today in several places (photos tomorrow for Photo Friday). If you are too, email photos of where you dropped donated books to readergirlz to share the love!*Now, on to the Cover Story. Jennifer O'Connell is back to share the story behind her anthology about lessons from the YA master, Judy Blume: "The first time I saw the cover for EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING A GIRL I LEARNED FROM JUDY BLUME I loved it. I was relieved. That hasn't always been the case. "I've had a book where I just about cried the first time I saw my cover (it was changed, thank God), a cover that completely offended me (it was changed) and a cover that had me scratching my head and thinking, 'Are they serious--how can they not think this is completely inappropriate?' (it was also changed). Then again, I had a book whose cover I despised, they kept it, and I still hate it with every fiber of my being. "I've also had books where I loved the covers the first time around. But with this anthology I was wondering how they'd capture so many different things in a single cover: there are essays from writers for adults and writers for young adults; there are writers who chose to write about very serious topics and those who were more lighthearted; essays are about growing up and being a grown up; they're about the impact of Judy Blume's writing, but they're not as much about her impact on the contributors as writers as they are about her impact on them as people. The essays could be enjoyed by women who grew up reading Judy Blume as well as their daughters. "When I received the email with the cover I instantly thought they got it right. A girl on her bed reading. It was me. It sounded like the authors who contributed. It could be the readers of the collection. And the wallpaper in the background was perfect--I had big flowers on my wall growing up, even if I've graduated to plain, tasteful earth colored paint as a 'grown-up.' "I loved the pink on the hardcover, but when the paperback version came I wasn't really expecting the change to blue. It threw me. I emailed all of the contributors with the picture to get their feedback. They loved the bright blue. I thought they were just being nice. I wasn't convinced. "Now the blue has grown on me. I even like it. Where the first pink cover was quiet and soft and girly, the blue cover is bolder and not afraid to ask for attention. It's the same cover but different. It's a lot like the writers in the collection--we're the same girls who loved reading Judy's books growing up, but different. I hope that readers of the essays find that they see themselves in the cover, and in the essays." Ooh, I love how Jennifer got all deep on how the hardcover and paperback reflect the authors and the readership. Woo! I really like both of these covers--the colors work for me either way. And I love the detail of the girl's ring! What do you guys think? PS-If you like looking at hardcover vs. paperback covers, check out Alea's series on this very thing! It's awesome.