Cover Stories: Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel

This week, the talented Alyson Noel is sharing the Cover Story behind her much-lauded book Cruel Summer (see book trailer below for all the dish on it). Take it away, Alyson!"This may seem surprising, but while I'm writing a book I never really think about what its cover might look like. Which is weird, since I'm a really visual person, seeing my stories unfolding before me so clearly I often feel like I'm not so much writing as transcribing the movie I see in my head. And still, I'm always so surprised and (usually) thrilled when I see how the art department has interpreted my words. "So last year, while I was vacationing in Maui and received an e-mail with the subject line 'CRUEL SUMMER cover,' I opened it immediately and peered at the tiny picture on my Blackberry, which looked like this: "And I went, Oh, look at that, it's so different from my others--I can't wait to see it full size! And then I pretty much went on with the rest of my vacation, occasionally peeking at it between snorkeling and pool time. "Not long after I returned home, I got another e-mail stating that there'd been a general consensus that the male model was "too wimpy and not Greek enough" (Yannis, the love interest in the book, is described as a fine-bodied Greek). And so they went back to work and came up with this: "And, I have to say, it was love at first sight!" I'm with Alyson--the blue just pops more, and the guy is more, um, well defined. Plus, I love the open sky on both covers--it's rare that you see such a "clean" book cover, and I think it stands out. What about you guys? Also, here's the trailer for Cruel Summer, so check out the book. Yes, it's in my ever-growing pile and I can't wait to read it!