Cover Stories: Something Happened by Greg Logsted

Greg Logsted is here to tell a Cover Story this week (that's his final cover at left), and I think he's the first guy I've hosted in this way. Yay, Greg!His novel, Something Happened, is about Billy, an 8th grader struggling with the death of his dad. His mom is very distant, and his friends just don't get what he's going through. His new English teacher, though, the young and beautiful Miss Gate, offers friendship... and maybe more. I'm really interested to read this book, which was originally going to be a Middle Grade book but then was bumped up to the older age group--Young Adult. I like that it's from the point of view of a 13-year-old boy, too--that feels new to me. Plus: Scandal! Without further ado, here's Greg: "My first idea for the cover of Something Happened was the cover image from a movie "Romance & Cigarettes" that had a woman lying on her back, holding a cigarette, wearing red heels and, um, suggestive clothing. Because the original title for Something Happened was "Sock Puppets in Love" - which I scrapped because, great as it was, it didn't fit the serious tone of the book - I thought she could have a sock puppet in her hand instead of the cigarette. Well, of course a cover with a cigarette and a woman in suggestive clothing wasn't appropriate for a YA book - even I recognized that! I did share my "Romance & Cigarette" idea when asked my thoughts - for some odd reason, no one went for it. Btw, I do not smoke. "The original cover design (left, full jacket) was cartoon-like with a yellow background and a car driving on a zig-zaggy street - a far cry from the beautiful colors and tight sweater we wound up with for the final cover. Truthfully, the original cover was a lot of fun...for a completely different kind of book (just like the original title). "Because they eventually decided to publish it as a YA rather then a MG, the cover changed. The woman used as a model for the final cover actually works at Simon & Schuster. But she's headless in the picture and no one has ever told me her name, unfortunately. Still, she does look like the kind of woman a teenage boy would find, um, hot. "As for the final cover, I honestly was pleased with it. I love it." I think it's pretty enticing too, and it sounds perfect for the mood of the book. What are your thoughts on the covers? PS-Another blog to visit today: Author Helm Matthews is giving away a copy of Violet on the Runway on his myspace blog. Good luck!