Photo Friday: Her Name is Rio

I believe I've mentioned that I was in Rio for a week. Sigh. I'm back now, but the memories live on. And you know how I like to share...So there was definitely lots of fun stuff on the runway, like blue-flame hair at Coven: Erin--who's blogging Rio Fashion for glamour.com (check out her gallery of male models)--and I got front row, and even in front of the photographers' pit, at most shows (which was unexpected and awesome!): The audience was lovely also--these girls were dressed to the nines every day: And there was fun style too--like this Lady Gaga tee that I specifically snapped for my friend Julia: Also at the shows: fried cashews! Heaven. And one lounge had Coco Chanel chairs! A runway favorite of mine: liquid legs at Juliana Jabour. Oh, it all made me want to write another Violet book! I'll post a video or two later if I can get my uploads together, and I'll share some more casual pics (it wasn't ALL fashion all the time there) next week! Meanwhile, I covered the shows for NYLON.com, so check it out if you want to hear more. Happy Friday!

Win-It Wednesday: Enter Last Week's

The giveaway for Hold Still by Nina LaCour is going for another week... enter to win.I'm in Rio! Wheee! (Did I mention that?) Happy Wednesday!

Washing My Heart

I drank straight from this coconut today, and my new friend Basil from Fashion TV Canada told me that Jamaicans say that drinking from a coconut is washing your heart because it's so purifying. How sweet is that? I'm considering this my Rio health routine.

Cover Stories: Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Lauren Mechling (she of the enviably glossy hair) shared her Cover Story for Dream Girl here last year. Now, she's back to dish on the sequel, Dream Life, which is all butterflies, all the time. Whee!"Dream Life is a sequel to Dream Girl, so I knew it would likely feature a cover in keeping with the visuals of the first book, which always reminds me of Japanese candy. Shortly after I'd started writing it I was given an even more specific idea to store in the back of my mind: my very cool editor Krista Marino showed me a photograph she was hoping to use on the new cover. If memory serves correctly, it showed the same model as the one who plats Claire on the cover of Dream Girl. But instead of sitting and looking lady-like, she was flung across a couch, her head tilted back and her arm falling down to the floor. It was very dramatic and much less lady-like than the first image. It was intense. I liked it. "So a year or so later, when it came time to see the cover image Random House's design genius Angela Carlino had whipped up, I saw the damsel-in-distress image had been given the boot. Instead there was a picture of the model seated and reading an antique book, surrounded by a blur of butterflies. It hardly screamed 'danger!' which was a surprise. I was also surprised by how much I liked it. Even though Claire isn't much of a reader and butterflies don't really figure into the book, it captured the quirky, mysterious spirit of the book. "The bubblegum pink of the first book's original cover (now it's blood red for paperback, see the contrast at right) had been a problem for book shoppers, as they mistook the book for chick lit instead of a weird dark mystery. Conveying Dream Life's sinister side was definitely a problem the designers had to deal with, and I was impressed with their solution. It would have been easy to make some black-and-red Twilight knockoff. Somehow the story's edgy element comes through, even if the model is striking a demure pose and surrounded by butterflies (not exactly werewolves!). "And so the only feedback they heard from my end was: 'I LOVE it.' Which I totally meant." Thanks, Lauren! I really like the whimsy of these covers, all. The contrast of her paleness with the lovely green wall color is great. What do you guys think--will readers get the edginess of the books?

I'm in Rio de Janeiro!

Did I mention that? And yes, this is an actual guy who stood in front of me on the beach in Ipanema yesterday. WOW. It's the necklace that really makes the look, no?

Photo Friday: Garth and Julia's Wedding!

Weddings are like adult proms. But, you know, without all the angst and chaperones. Delightful!On 12.12, I went to the wedding of my college friends Julia and Garth. Their first dance song? "Never Tear us Apart" by INXS. Give 'er a listen while you view the photos. It really sets a mood. G & J are gorgeous: And I am a photo hog, obviously (sorry, Megan!), but aren't my college friends cute? They are my Prom King and Queen for sure: Happy Friday! PS-Photos by (the obviously very talented) Michael Simon.

Bonus Cover Stories: Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood

The lovely Eileen Cook is here to share the story of her new release, Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood. "There is a scene in the book where the main character dresses up a Barbie doll in a cheerleader outfit and then chucks it into a wood chipper. I thought it would be fun to show someone holding a Barbie doll by it's hair and sticking a pin into it- voodoo style.

"I shared my idea, but the art department warned me that Barbie is trademarked so they frown on people sticking pins in her on book covers. The designer did like the concept so she ordered a custom made doll from China and created the cover we ended up with (left).

"I believe I may have actually squealed out loud when I saw the final cover (above). I was THRILLED. I think it's super eye catching and captures the book perfectly.

"I really lucked out in that my editor and the art department have always been open to my making comments and feedback. There was a very early version of the cover that showed a girl staring out looking snarky and while I didn't hate it- I thought the picture could have been on a thousand different books. It didn't feel unique. The art director also wasn't thrilled with her first version so it was back to the drawing board. "We went through about three versions. The first was the most different as it was a photo of a girl, then the cover we have now but with a plain white background and then the cover as it currently exists.

"The cover is a photo shoot of the doll they ordered. The doll came wearing a pair of lacy panties. Makes you sort of wonder about who typically orders these dolls. Her panties didn't make the shoot.

"This is my favorite cover. I love pretty much everything about it from the picture to the color and the font."

I'm always kind of mesmerized by doll covers, and this one is especially intriguing with the knife (and also the back story of how she arrived in just panties--yikes). I also think they got the colors/fonts right. What do you guys think?

Win-It Wednesday: Hold Still by Nina LaCour

The winner of How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman is... Esther! Send me your address, E. Thanks to everyone for telling me about all the gifts--I love hearing about other people's hauls and present ideas.This Win-It Wednesday is going to stretch out over two weeks, because I'm going to Brazil next week (Rio Fashion Week!! Eeee!) and I won't be around to blog much. But trust me, this book is worth waiting for two weeks. Nina LaCour's Hold Still is one of the most realistic books about dealing with a friend's suicide that's ever been written. Okay, that I've read at least. I just adore, adore, adore her writing and her characterizations -- they ring so true! Here are some reviews from out there in the blogosphere: S. Krishna's Books, Reading Rants! and Frenetic Reader. To enter, comment below and make up a crazy writing prompt for me. I just found out that Aimee Bender's website has an awesome writing exercise each month (so cool! This month's is: "One page that contains a broken gadget of some sort and a dancer."). I'm starting a new book soon, so I need to be playing around a bit! Thanks! I'll pick a winner at random on Weds, 1/20. PS-Don't forget the readergirlz chat TONIGHT at 6pm PST/9pm EST with Beth Kephart! And the next author in residence will be Elizabeth Scott, who's asking for vlog suggestions now (go give her ideas and you'll be entered to win books!).

Beth Kephart Chats!

Join readergirlz tomorrow (Weds) night for a LIVE! chat with Beth Kephart, the first readergirlz Author-in-Residence! Here's the thing about Beth: She blogs like a dream (seriously, check it out), she dances, she takes amazing photographs, and she writes incredible, lyrical books. Yes, I'm jealous (but in the admiring sense, not in the evil way). So if you've ever wanted insight into a fantastic writer's tips and methods and wise words, you should be at this chat. Her books? They rule. (See some reviews by My Friend Amy, Em's Bookshelf and a vlog by me!) The Beth chat is Wednesday, 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST, right at the readergirlz blog. Don't miss it!

Cover Stories: Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Lisa Schroeder's Far From You comes out in paperback this week, and it's got a new cover. I asked her for the back story:"I'm not a very visual person, so I really don't think about cover images when I'm writing the book. I also think it's important to be open to whatever the art department comes up with. I would never want to have my mind set on something specific and then be disappointed because it's so different from what I envisioned it to be. "My publisher hasn't ever really asked for my input, and I'm okay with that. I've had many people tell me all my covers have been fantastic, and I agree. They know what they're doing, and I trust them to know what is going to represent the book well and sell it! "The first time I saw the new cover for the paperback version of FAR FROM YOU, I thought it was probably one of the most beautiful covers I'd ever seen. But I also freaked out a little bit because it's more of a symbolic cover than a literal one. If you look at the cover, you'll see it's a young girl lying in the snow, and she has angel wings. If people think they are going to be reading a book about a girl who turns into an angel, they will be wrong. There are angel references in it, and I love the tag line - do you believe in angels. But I do worry a little bit about what people might think if they read it expecting something it's not. "The cover was a done deal. The sales and marketing team were very excited about it and so, the decision was made that it would be the final cover. I'm guessing it's a stock photo that they manipulated to get the look and feel they wanted. "It's much more of a commercial look than the original hardback cover (above right), and I think more similar in looks to the cover of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME (left), which is probably a good thing for a paperback release. "I love the cover. I really do. I just hope people remember that covers don't always depict images that show exactly what the book is about. I think people are fairly used to that idea when it comes to images of objects that are put on the front of books, so hopefully they'll realize that can be the case with images of people as well." I hear what Lisa's saying, and I really like the white softness of the new cover at the same time. Overall, I think it's a win. I think the paperback is more compelling than the hardcover visually. What do you guys think? UPDATE: Alea of Pop Culture Junkie just did one of her awesome Harcover vs. Paperback posts about this cover, so go weigh in there too!