Cover Stories: My Life Undecided

Jessica Brody, who's on tour with the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit this week, is here to talk about the cover for her new release My Life Undecided! The book is about 15-year-old Brooklyn, who starts a blog to enlist readers to make all her decisions for her: Should she join the debate team? Try out for rugby? She lets readers decide. But soon she finds out that some things in life you just can't choose -- like who you fall in love with.

How fun does this book sound? Here's Jessica:

"I’m pretty bad at visualizing things. I know what I like when I see it but coming up with it myself is often hard for me. However, I did have an idea of doing some kind of cover that represented choice, since that’s the theme of the book. And I envisioned some kind of split cover with two different images to represent the main character’s battle with choices. But I think the current cover does a good job of representing the theme. She’s clearly indecisive!

"The cover for this book was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. We had a very early original cover that was similar to this one (that I loved!) but it quickly came to our attention that it was VERY much like another book that was already on the market. So it had to be changed.

"Then we had a second cover that I didn’t really like much. I told my editor that and she was thankfully able to get it changed. But it was complicated because at the same time, they were redesigning the cover for the paperback of The Karma Club [read the story behind the hardcover] so that it would match the look and feel of My Life Undecided. It was getting a little crazy with all the back and forth and we were running out of time. Finally, they came up with this one and the current paperback for The Karma Club (right) and I loved it. It was exactly what I was hoping for. Simple and clean yet at the same time fun and colorful. Phew!

"The girl on the cover is a stock photo. But I really think they did a good job choosing one that captures the feeling of the book. This girl looks fun, cute and a bit quirky, which is exactly how I’d describe Brooklyn Pierce."

Thanks, Jessica! I think the final cover has great colors. It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Scott's Something, Maybe (which has a fabulous Cover Story), I think because of the hat and the soft lighting.

What do you guys think?

PS-Watch the amazing trailer for the book:

Hey, Wall Street Journal: YA Saves

This Wall Street Journal article on the “ever-more-appalling offerings for adolescent readers” gets it so wrong it almost feels like a parody. If you're on twitter, rebut this idea with the hashtag #yasaves and @wsj. I can't say it any better than you guys can, so here's a screen grab of some of your stories:

Photo Friday: Small Town Sinners Trailer!

The fantastic Andie of Air Productions made this trailer for Small Town Sinners! Below, a few early reviews. July 19th... it's coming!

(Forgive me for this moment of shameless my-own-book promotion. I really, really hope you guys like this one!)

"A non-judgmental, nuanced, fascinating look at the teenage religious right... Walker writes an outstanding contemporary novel with a cast of characters who, far from being portrayed as hateful zealots, are relatable for readers of all faiths. The extremism of Hell House is tempered by the perfectly understandable attitudes and intentions of Lacey Anne, who struggles with what it means to grow up, to question and to think for herself." --Romantic Times

"Both tender and provocative... Walker creates an astutely balanced portrait of a conservative congregation's in-your-face response to perennial issues of domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicide, as well as of those who struggle to fit the prescribed Christian mold." --Publishers Weekly

"This secular story about religious people could easily devolve into camp mockery, but because Walker takes her character’s crisis of faith seriously and sensitively, readers will, too." --Kirkus Reviews

Cover Stories: Leanna Renee Hieber

Leanna Renee Hieber has a set of haunting covers, and the third book in her Strangely Beautiful series came out in May. She's here to share the story behind the cover of The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess:

"It’s uncanny how much of what I envisioned translated onto this cover.

"Since I’ve been very active in the marketing process, I was asked early on what I was hoping for / interested in and had an in-person conversation with the art director (whom I love) and was delighted that we were all on the same page, my editor included. Once the 'look' of the series was already established with book one, and it worked really well for the series, I knew the parameters and style we were working with, so it was honestly just a matter of deciding background image and colours. My publisher has done a great job of creating a distinct STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL series look, my three covers are gorgeous all together (see below). What I love about my books is that the covers are unlike anything else out there today, which is quite a feat.

"When I first saw the cover, I thought that it was pretty much spot-on perfect! I made cooing noises. The only tiny thing I may have tweaked was giving the goddess more luminous, shimmering looking hair, something truly other-worldly.

"I didn’t share the tidbit about the hair because in this business you pick your battles and that was such a tiny thing not worth battling over (I save up concerns for bigger picture issues), plus the colours often print differently than they register on screen. I’ve been so impressed with how utterly unique my covers are, and how spot-on to the feel of my books they are, there’s really nothing to complain about. I feel very lucky! [See the full jacket below.]

"I believe the cover shows a mixture of stock and altering images, and including that iconic script font that I love so much. (It dominates the covers and is an integral part of the branding of the look of the books).

"The more I see it the more I love it, which is such a gift in this industry!"

Thanks, Leanna! I think all of these covers seem like they have a veil of mist or smoke over them, a bleary-eyed feeling, and that certainly sets an emotional tone before readers look at page one.

What do you guys think?

Win-It Wednesday: Contemporary YA!

Over at The Contemps, we've declared June Contemporary YA month (it also happens to be the birthday month of Sarah Dessen and Gayle Forman and yours truly--yay!), and other bloggers are joining in to create a whole summer of real-life reading. I'm so into it. So to make up for this blog's long absence, and to celebrate June Contemps, I'm giving away these four books:

That's Sarah Dessen's What Happened to Goodbye (advanced reader copy), Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why (new paperback!), Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls (hardcover) and Libba Bray's Beauty Queens (advanced reader copy).

I have read them, I heart them, and you will too. (And okay, I know a couple of these skirt contemp lines, but all are rooted in contemp spirit, which basically means that they're realistic fiction--as opposed to otherworldly stuff.)

To win this set of awesome, answer this question in the comments: What's the best Contemporary YA novel you've read in the past year? If you're a strictly paranormal/dystopian/fantasy reader, name a Contemp you'd like to read soon (and then go get it!). You can get some ideas from The Contemps list of members' books.

I'll post a randomly chosen winner next Wednesday. Happy June!

PS-Every Thursday this month, Claire June is giving away a Contemp novel too, so check her out.

PPS-I forgot to announce a winner for the last Win-It Wednesday, pre-blog outage! The randomly chosen winner of Morgan Matson's fabulous Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is... Jessica! Send me your address, J.

Follow @melissacwalker

Cover Stories: The FUG Girls

I talked to Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, aka the bright lights behind the hilarious Go Fug Yourself, about the cover of their Young Adult debut, Spoiled! "I like to imagine [the designer] Liz going shopping for a ton of makeup and then just dumping it all out on her desk and playing around, smearing it everywhere, having a day of feeling like a toddler in mommy's bathroom..."

Read the rest on bn.com.

PS-And YAY for the blog being back! Some image links are broken still, but I'm working on fixing that.

Photo Friday: Cute Shoes!

Enjoy the photo, above, of author Hannah Moskowitz's shoes from Teen Author Carnival '11. They rocked.

In less happy-colorful news, this site has been down for two weeks due to a dreamhost issue. Very sad. It's being rebuilt as I type on this temporary blog.

When it returns, I will have a MOTHER of Win-It Wednesdays to make up for my absence. This will include all manner of excellent books, perhaps a little Sarah Dessen, a dash of Libba Bray and a few other fantastic authors thrown in.

More soon. Happy Friday!

Cover Stories: Between Here and Forever

Elizabeth Scott has been here before to share Cover Stories (which I'll link to when my blog is fully functional again--soon, soon!). Now, she's on a Girlfriend Cyber Circuit tour, and she's back with a beautiful tale of Between Here and Forever: "I had no idea about the cover at all--when I'm writing, I never think what I'm writing will be published, so I don't think about it. I wasn't asked for input on the cover, but let me tell you, this cover was everything I had no idea I wanted--and MORE!

"When I first saw my cover, my exact thought, as written to my editor, was, 'OMG I LOVE it! It's so perfect and holy crap, the way it ties into Bloom [below left] is BRILLIANT!!!' (I tend to be very caps happy when I'm happy :-)

"Everyone at Simon Pulse is amazing about taking feedback--at some houses, you just get your cover and that's that, but Pulse really listens to its authors.

"The cover on the book is the exact image I first saw, which is rare, as usually there's at least some tweaking. It's a stock photo, and I adore it. I love how perfectly it fits the book, and I love that it's a nice shout-out to  Bloom as well."

Thanks, Elizabeth! I love soft greens and girls with flowers. It just gets me every time. What do you guys think?

PS-I should also note that Elizabeth's 2010 novel, The Unwritten Rule, is out in paperback with a new cover. Compare the hardcover and pb below. I like both, but I have to say, that orange-red dress on the gray background (and that fanning, glossy hair)? Divine.

Cover Stories: Girl Wonder

When I saw the cover for Alexa Martin's Girl Wonder, I whispered to myself, "Superhero hair." I always wanted superhero hair, always envied girls who had the courage to have it. Instant enchantment. Here's Alexa with how the cover came to be:

"When my book was first acquired by Disney Hyperion it was called Ski Season. Back then, I definitely had a strong notion of what I wanted the cover to look like. For my birthday that year a friend had given me a card by the artist Nikki Mclure. The image on front was of an old-timey looking ski scene.

"'That’s my book,' I thought. 'Yup.'

"Though I have misplaced the card and can’t find the image anywhere online, here is a link to Nikki Mclure’s portfolio.

"I know, right? She’s an amazing artist and illustrator and also lives in the Pacific Northwest, like my main character, Charlotte—and also like me!

"But after I edited out all of the skiing from my book (which is another story all together... kind of a scary story but thankfully one with a happy ending) Ski Season was re-titled Girl Wonder.

"My editor and I brainstormed some possible cover ideas, and I sent her a list of twenty of my all time favorite YA covers, including How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff, The Dead Tossed Waves, by Carrie Ryan, and Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (see all below). I’m a huge believer in the power of a great cover. In spite of knowing better, I too am guilty of judging a book by it’s cover (at least before I read it).

"So yeah, I cared. I cared a lot.

"It had to be fabulous. Eye catching. And it had to do the story justice.

"I was at a complete loss.

"In Girl Wonder, my main character Charlotte moves to a new town and is befriended by Amanda Munger. Amanda is glamorous, sexy, bold, and carefree. She is also brilliant, rich, and has a long history with Neal Fitzpatrick, Charlotte’s secret crush. Amanda has everything Charlotte thinks she wants. And she also has hot pink hair.

"'It was like her hair was a reflection of some inner radiance,' Charlotte tells us the first time she sees Amanda sashaying down the schools halls like she owns the place.

"Four days before I was to have neck surgery related to a rock climbing fall (another story for another time) Hyperion sent me four possible images of what they were thinking for the cover. They were all amazing but by far and away I loved the first one best. It was perfect. It was my cover. I had to have it!

"Here’s what I wrote to my editor about that image:

“'It's so sophisticated and wild and fun and jazzy and makes you want the pizazz that the girl with the hair possesses... just as Charlotte wants to BE Amanda. My favorite for sure! From an artistic standpoint, I think the image is the one that you'd remember years and years down the road... or want to frame in a swanky apartment.'”

"I forwarded the image to my agent (who was as instantly smitten with it as I was) and told her that I loved my cover so much I wanted to sleep with it under my pillow!

"Thoughts of my cover helped distract me in the hours before my surgery. Imagining how my cover would look on the shelves at bookstores helped me to forget about the pain after surgery. It gave me an endorphin rush… or something like that!

"As my May 3rd publication date drew closer and closer I grew jittery. I want people to love my book and my character. There’s so much about the publication process that’s beyond the author's control.

"There’s one thing I’m not worried about, however. My cover. It kicks ass!

"Thank you Kevin Madsen and Marci Senders and the rest of the Disney Hyperion design team. You’re way high up on my gratitude list!"

Thanks, Alexa! I believe I've gushed quite a bit already, but I just have to say it again: I love this cover. And the reviews? They're pretty great too. What do you guys think?

Photo Friday: Brooklyn Spring!

It's sunny and bright in Brooklyn, so I have to share a few of the delights I've stumbled upon this past couple of weeks:

Dandelions in the park! (Weeds schmeeds--they're great!)

Greenwood Cemetery in bloom (the best place EVER to find book character names--is that creepy?).

I would like all of my paths from now on to be lined with pink petals. Thank you.

And that is my spring so far. It's enchanting. Hope yours is too.

Happy Friday!