Readergirlz in January: E. Lockhart!

There is an amazing month at Readergirlz. We're focusing on The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, one of my very favorite books, and talking to author E. Lockhart all month about her inspirations, interpretations and things like music, book party ideas and what goes on in her writerly world. Join in on the blog discussions and definitely read this book! Also note the LIVE chat with E. Lockhart will happen on January 20th at 9pm EST/6pm PST. Fun, fun. Oh, and, Elizabeth Scott is the new readergirlz writer-in-residence! She follows the amazing Beth Kephart, and I can't wait to see the new writing challenges. Happy Sunday!

Photo Friday: Holiday Food!

When I'm home in Chapel Hill, I get cheese fries at Linda's (yes, these made a cameo in Violet in Private too): And I get breakfast at Breadman's, with cheese grits, of course: And this year I was reminded of Betty Elliot's amazing Haystack cookies (have you guys had these?!). They involve butterscotch chips, Chinese chow mein noodles and peanuts, all melted together. Heaven! And now I'm back in NY snow, bundling up to get my New Year's coffee. Happy 2010! Eat well this year! PS-One more shot of Crazy Swayze (okay, four more):

Win-It Wednesday: How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman

I'm giving away an ARC of this book by National Book Award winner Pete Hautman. It's about Kelleigh, a girl who--when bored, sick of her family and wishing she had a different kind of life--starts stealing cars. So, you know, the title's pretty accurate.Just tell me in the comments what your favorite gift--given or received--was this holiday season. Then you're entered to win. I think my favorite was the copy of A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban that I gave to my niece. I read it right before I wrapped it--I had to! It was really good. Happy New Year!

Cover Stories: Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

When I saw the cover for Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves, I knew I'd have to ask her about the back story. That motion, those colors, that tagline: "Crazy never looked so beautiful." Divine. Here's Dia:"Before I ever got a book contract for BLEEDING VIOLET, I knew that writers had little or no say in what their covers look like... and my experience pretty much proves that to be the norm. But even though I knew I wouldn't be consulted, I thought that I should be prepared just in case. Better to have ideas and not need them, than to need ideas and not have them. I had a list of artists in mind whose work I thought was really dark and cool, like Jonathan Barkat and Saara Salmi, and I had a million cover ideas for BLEEDING VIOLET. "My ideas for the cover were all creepy, in keeping with the tone of the novel. I imagined stuff like a girl in a violet dress that was dripping blood or even a literal violet in a bloody vase. I also thought of different covers that might illustrate the main character, Hanna's, bipolar state. For instance, a girl with a pretty smile hiding an ax behind her back. I also considered that the cover might focus more on the town itself because it's a major character in the novel. Something atmospheric with lots of dark trees and monsters peering through the leaves or a dark road leading into town full of floating doorways. "But it was a wasted effort. My editor told me there would be a photo shoot (which was exciting, because most books have to make do with stock photography), and then a week or two weeks later he sent me the results. My initial reaction to the BV cover was embarrassment. I thought it was really sexy. Maybe too sexy. My first thought was that it was a girl writhing around naked in bed. But upon further study, I realized she was neither naked nor in bed--she was wearing a dress and only writhing around on a bunch of purple fabric (Hanna makes her own clothes and only wears purple, which explains all the fabric on the cover, in case you were wondering). It still looks pretty sexy though. I remember Suzanne Young who wrote THE NAUGHTY LIST (and has a pretty sexy cover herself, right) joking that she and I were gonna bring sexy back to YA. Plus Becca's HUSH, HUSH cover, below, came out around the same time, so that made me feel less alone in my sexiness. "So even though I had no say in the process, I really like my cover a lot and so did everyone at Simon Pulse, so there wasn't any hassle of going back to the drawing board and changing anything. I also LOVE that they used a black model on the cover. When I was a kid, I'd have killed to see a black girl on a fantasy/horror book, so the idea that the next generation gets to have what I didn't makes me almost insanely happy." I'm happy about that too, and that the cover's true to the story. Also, check out the full wrap, above. The movement and fabric look are fantastic here--it makes me want to dive into a pile of tulle and silk and velvet. What do you guys think?

Photo Friday: Pug Rescue!

It's Christmas and I'm home in Chapel Hill, so here's a quick one, via facebook update yesterday (all true!):"Rescued a lost pug in the road, put up signs and craigslist post, reunited it with its owners (family with elated little girl). I'm like my own Hallmark special today!" Merry, merry!

Win-It Wednesday: Holiday Hiatus

Last week's winners of the fabulous Tamora Pierce's books are: babygirlG (Trickster's Choice) and Raelena (Trickster's Queen)! Send me your addresses for the books!Now, go forth and hit a bookstore for those last-minute gifts. Need I remind you of indiebound's lovely reason why? They're wittier than I am, but here's mine: Giving someone a book gives them a whole world of adventures and people to meet and places to go and emotions to work through. I dare you to think of a more fulfilling way to spend a few bucks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be gone for a few days. I have some major Chapel Hilling to do--Linda's cheese fries, flying burrito salsa, Allen & Son BBQ, the Carolina Inn Christmas displays (why is most of my nostalgia food-related?), and high school friends. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Cover Stories: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater had one of my favorite covers this year with Shiver, and Linger--her upcoming summer release--is already a 2010 favorite. I had to hear the story behind these simple, subtle designs. Here's Maggie: "I was a professional artist before I went full-time with my writing, so I'm possibly even more opinionated about book covers than most authors. I had mocked up a few covers for SHIVER, but nothing that I was really happy with -- I was way too close to the project. They were all before the title change (which I think is crucial to the final cover design) and so they were all less wintery and more autumnal. "My publisher didn't ask for input, but they did give me the right to go 'OMG KILL ME NOW INSTEAD OF USING THAT COVER.'

"When I first saw the cover, I loved it. Seriously. No holds barred. It was nothing I would've come up with on my own (though I do have a painting I did when I was 15 that is eerily similar) but it was artsy, unique, and fit the book absolutely. They said, 'we want you to know you can say you hate it and we'll stop here and come up with something else.' But it was amazing. They asked again with the cover for my sequel and again, it was lovely, so I didn't have to say anything.

"The cover changed slightly, and they let me know about each change. The wolf's head turned a little, and they closed up some of the white space at the bottom.

"The design was done in-house by the cover designer, who had actually read the book, too, which made a huge difference for both SHIVER and the sequel, LINGER (right). It let him build in a lot of nuance that I think otherwise would be missing. I'm also thrilled that it's not a stock photo. I think it looks totally different from anything else out there, and yet not so far out there that you're like 'that's some weird woo woo there.'

"I love the subtle wolf in the corner of SHIVER's cover. It's like the novel itself -- mostly about people and winter, and then the wolves are almost incidental. The werewolf addition is really subtle, and the almost invisible wolf hints at that."

I just adore this cover. What do you guys think? I also found the UK cover, which is pretty too, but doesn't have the wolf! I'm all for the US wintry version.

Snowy Sunday

The view out my front window. Anyone else in snow? (And yes, we have bars on the street-level windows in Brooklyn. But aren't they artistic?)

Photo Friday: The New Kitten!

So we did end up getting two kittens (thanks for everyone's advice!). The second one's name is Winona (Winnie for short, and when she's in a cheerful mood). Here she is, sitting pretty, with attitude: And here's Swayze, eyeing the baby Christmas tree: The two of them get along... sometimes. Dave captured a still moment: I'm so glad we have two! You guys were right--Swayze is much happier with someone to bully, and she swats him right back. Happy Friday! PS-Aspiring authors: Have you heard about how the awesome authors from The Longstockings are offering writing workshopping/critiquing to 12 lucky readers (one each month in 2010)? Very cool. Go see!

Win-It Wednesday: Trickster's Choice + Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce

Okay, so these two books are epically awesome, and tonight on readergirlz, we'll be chatting LIVE! with Tamora Pierce from 9pm-10pm EST (that's 6pm Pacific). You can learn all about the books and the legendary TP on readergirlz, too. Here's how you can win: 1. To enter for Trickster's Choice, just leave a comment below and tell me what book you most want for the holidays. (Post your wishlist on Raschel's contest too--still going on!). 2. To enter for Trickster's Queen, you've got to show up at the chat tonight. Even if you lurk (I'll believe you if you say so). Just tell me in the comments that you were there. I'll pick one winner for each book next Wednesday, at random from the qualifiers. To enter both contests, just post your wish list and attend the chat. Easy! Happy Wednesday.