Just look at the beauty dripping from that cover! I had to ask Lorie Ann Grover about the design for her latest YA novel, Hit, which is out this month.
"Thanks for hosting me, Melissa! I so love the cover of my latest contemporary novel Hit. I was awed by Firstborn’s imagery and wondered if my new publishing house, Blink YA Books, a division of HarperCollins, would hit it again. And they did!
"Hit is inspired by a true story. In 2004, my daughter’s best friend, Sarah, was walking to school, pre-dawn, when she was struck in a crosswalk. Urgent brain surgery was needed. My daughter and I sat with the family through the dark trial. First, waiting through the operation, and then, waiting to see in what measure Sarah would recover. My fiction sprang out of those characters, emotions, and moments.
"When it came time to talk book cover with Blink, I provided pics, not knowing if they’d be helpful.
"Here are Sarah and my daughter, Emily.
"I also shared two of Sarah’s hospital scans which show her brain bleeding following the accident. The top image is prior to surgery, the white area being blood pooling against her brain. The second image is following the operation:
"The final cover looks nothing like either image! Although it does remind me of Sarah with her long blonde hair. It could be the moment right before Sarah was hit, or the horrifying moment just afterward. Either way it is striking and compelling.
"I was very surprised to learn my own editor, Jacque Alberta, had quite the hand in the design. Although, she points to her amazing team, and they point right back at her. J
"So that’s the story behind the cover of Hit, a book and a cover inspired by true life events. Just a quick note before I go. In my research for the novel, I came across #redthumbreminder. Steve Babcock’s simple, yet innovative solution to text safety is awesome. Embraced across the country, men and women are painting one thumbnail red to remind themselves not to text while driving. It worked for Steve, and he was able to break the habit. It can certainly work for you and me. Raise your red thumb with me and set your phone aside while driving. We might avoid one more… hit."
