Cover Stories: Enthralled

Jeri Smith-Ready stopped by for her GCC tour! She's shared her Cover Story for Shade, and now she has a story in a new anthology edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong. While it's not exactly her cover, she does have some thoughts on it: "I LOVE the cover for ENTHRALLED. It’s mysterious and evocative. The stories are all about journeys and road trips, and the cover brings out those elements well. The girl looks like she’s on an uncertain road but has the confidence she needs to get where she’s going.

"I also love the spine, where the road-vanishing-in-the-distance segment is mirrored top to bottom, i.e., it’s upside down at the top of the spine and right-side up at the bottom. Lovely touch. I adore all the art elements of this book inside and out."

Thanks, Jeri! I love the mist around the girl in this image. I haven't been able to find a picture of the spine--anyone seen one?

Cover Stories: Putting Makeup on Dead People

Hi, look at that cover. The title alone intrigued me enough to want to red Jen Violi's debut, but that cover? I love it! Jen's here to share the Cover Story:

"I did indeed have my own cover idea, and revealing that will also reveal why I’m a writer and not a designer.

"So, when I was little, my parents had quite a record collection, and I loved listening to so many of them, from The King and I soundtrack to Vicki Carr or Frank Sinatra or, my absolute favorite: Aunt Carmela’s Italian Favorites. So many gems on there, my favorites from Lou Monte. And the cover, priceless. Which of course I have to show you here. Please note the fabulousness of Aunt Carmela, right.

"Believe it or not, as I was writing Putting Makeup on Dead People, I had a distinct vision for the cover to feature Aunt Carmela. As an enlivened corpse. Basically, my vision involved Aunt Carmela, sitting much like she is on the chaise lounge on the album cover, but instead, on a coroner’s metal slab, with a white sheet draped over her body, sitting up and grinning out at us. Why, one might wonder, would I think that was a good idea?

"Well, I have a great love for old Italian music, so there’s that. Also, I thought it would be hilarious. For me, Putting Makeup on Dead People is as much about the joy as the pain, about finding humor in unexpected or perhaps inappropriate places. And last, but not least, that album always makes me smile and calls up fun childhood memories of singing with my dad, to whom the book is dedicated.

"All of that, of course, is really personal to me, but I think that what great book covers do is welcome others into the story.  So although Aunt Carmela amuses me, I think she might perplex or even perhaps alarm a potential reader, which falls into the not so welcoming category.

"When I saw the real cover, I thought it was gorgeous. I'm pretty sure I cried. I thought it looked like springtime—so, so pretty. I tend to be more of a red and turquoise kind of girl and probably never would have picked pink as a focal color, but I’m so glad Tanya Ross-Hughes did and so grateful for her work. This is Donna’s (the main character in PMODP) cover, truly, and it has been the same since the beginning. I think Tanya knocked it out of the park right away, and since the book came out, many readers have told me how much they love that cover.

"I feel like it’s a breath of spring, that first breath you can get after a long winter, when the air is just a little warmer, but still cold enough that it’s a little bracing. There’s something cool about those lips, the icy pink, but also something promising warmth with the unfurling lilies. Putting Makeup on Dead People is all about finding new life after a long time of darkness and cold and quiet. It’s also about a young woman blossoming into herself, the beauty that can be present in death, and life and death as intricately linked, and I think the cover reflects all of that exquisitely."

YES! That last paragraph puts my own thoughts into words more eloquent than I could muster. What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: Tantalize, Kieren's Story

Cynthia Leitich Smith is a huge supporter of the YA writing community who truly rocks. I recently wrote a guest post for her awesome blog, Cynsations, about writing "true" vs. "likeable" characters. She also happens to be the New York Times and Publishers Weekly best-selling author of the Tantalize series: ETERNAL, TANTALIZE, and BLESSED, Gothic fantasies from Candlewick. TANTALIZE: KIEREN’S STORY, illustrated by Ming Doyle, is a graphic edition in which Cynthia re-envisions her dark fantasy through Wolfish eyes. How cool is that? Here's Cynthia with the Cover Story for  TANTALIZE: KIEREN’S STORY:

"I anticipated that the cover would nod overtly to Kieren’s identity as a human werewolf-hybrid. We often see this with books that involve a shape-shifter protagonist. I tend to prefer those in which it’s more subtle, like Vivian’s wolf shadow on the original cover of Annette Curtis Klause’s Blood and Chocolate (right).

"Usually in shifter books, the transformation is a powerful moment in the story, and as a reader I prefer to experience that in my imagination rather than to be offered a visual up front. However, in my story, because Kieren is a hybrid (and has some issues with that), he doesn’t shapeshift as easily or completely as, say, his mother who has no known homo sapiens heritage.

"I was wary of the idea that the cover might suggest that Kieren would go full Wolf and managing that more delineated duality would be the book’s focus. The story is more of a murder mystery with strong romantic elements than a straight-up creature feature, though certainly creatures abound.

"My first thought when I saw the cover was, He’s a boy. Definitely a boy.

"The cover illustration of Kieren is very masculine at a time when depictions of boys in YA cover art tend to skew pretty. This feels authentic to Kieren, who’s determined not to be a danger to others but is still willing to go dominant when interacting with other shifters.

"He has a full head of hair and generous nose, both befitting a Wolf, but he’s still firmly human, too. This is important because it’s Kieren’s intelligence-- rather than his instincts—that he relies on most.

"I was somewhat surprised by the sensuality with which Quincie is depicted, especially since the story (while it definitely has a strong romantic subplot) is more driven by the mystery/suspense aspect. I think you can see the tip of her tongue there.

"At the same time, the juxtaposition is a strong image, and it certainly evokes her sensual nature. After that initial moment of surprise, I fell quickly in love with it, and reactions from YA readers have been overwhelming positive.

"We get that Kieren is a shifter from his transformed hands and forearms, and in my mythology, that’s where the change starts. It’s also the most significant area because—when startled by an oncoming train—his shift kicks in and his claws accidentally skewer the hand of his best friend and true love, Quincie. Though Kieren manages to pull himself together enough to save Quincie’s life, his guilt over that accident haunts him throughout the book and causes him, in part, to withdraw somewhat from that precious relationship.

"When this Candlewick graphic novel cover was presented to my U.K. publisher, Walker, the team liked it so much that they adopted the concept in repackaging the first three prose novels in the series (below)."

Thanks, Cynthia! It's definitely interesting that the cover combines the pretty of feminine lips iwth the masculinity of Kieran's form. I am also just so excited that your novel went graphic--such a fantastic shape shift in itself.

What do you guys think?

PS-Read the original Cover Stories for Eternal and Blessed.

Cover Stories: Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Nancy Werlin has some decidedly gorgeous covers. Her hardcover for Extraordinary enchanted me at first glance, and the paperback is striking, too. Nancy's here to tell the tale of these two covers:

"Previously, on the hardcover of Extraordinary . . .

"The cover story for the paperback U.S. edition of Extraordinary begins with a quick look back at the book’s hardback cover story.

"The final cover (left) depicted a scene from the book: a red-haired girl – my main character, Phoebe – running in high heels into a lushly green wood. There were many exclamations about how pretty it was. It also matched the cover for my previous novel, Impossible. I liked it!

"But I concluded that cover story by saying, “No matter how beautiful and loved a cover may be, the jury on it remains uncommitted until the book has been in the world for a while … the author hopes that the cover will be magical, attracting all the right readers, and as few as possible of the wrong ones, to what really matters: what’s inside the cover.

"Suddenly, totally different paperback cover(s)!

"Months later, my publisher, Penguin/Puffin, sent me an email with their new concept for the paperback covers. Yes, covers, plural. When you open the front cover, you see a two-page spread called the 'step-back cover.” Look at the right side of the front cover and you’ll see the hint of a second set of lips, and another nose.

"I was surprised. The folks at Puffin hadn’t told me they were rethinking things for the paperback. The email said: 'We all think that these images really capture the two girls (and the dynamic between them) perfectly.'

"I opened the attachments in terror.

“'There is no beauty without strangeness.'

"Let me be the first to say this: in designing the paperback Extraordinary cover, Puffin made two seemingly strange decisions. It makes me think of something the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld said: “There is no beauty without strangeness.”

"1) That’s Mallory, the antagonist, on the front cover. Phoebe, the main character, is on the secondary, step-back cover (below).

"2) Mallory is shown with dark hair, though she’s blond.

"Decisions were made here. Decisions, not mistakes. The proof of this is that I literally didn’t notice them for weeks.

"Indeed, as I stare into Mallory’s challenging eyes, and look at the darkness around her, I am convinced that if anyone made a mistake with her hair color, it was me. As to Phoebe, she herself would say, 'Oh, no, please, don’t put me on the front!' That is, in fact, the very core of her issues.

"Authenticity

"In the hardback cover story, I said there were three things that the Extraordinary cover had to achieve. The third was: 'Represent the book’s contents authentically enough.'

"The Extraordinary hardback cover was 'authentic enough.' But the paperback cover is just plain authentic. It does not let the reader assume that the novel is a romance like Impossible, which it is not. Instead, it sets the reader’s expectations accurately.

"Extraordinary is the story of a complicated, passionate female friendship filled with love and hate, misunderstanding and betrayal, estrangement and reconciliation, set against the backdrop of Faerie.

"From the use of two strong faces (carefully chosen to reflect their personalities, from Mallory’s dangerous outward gaze to the frustration of Phoebe’s gently closed eyes), to the tag line on the cover ('Can their friendship survive the ultimate betrayal?'), to the strong, sinister curl of green vine across both girls’ faces, everything about this cover describes the book I wrote.

"I have had book covers that I liked, and book covers that I loved. The paperback cover of Extraordinary is the only one about which I can conduct a lengthy literary analysis. In the end, though, that analysis boils down to two words:

"Strangely perfect."

Thank you, Nancy! I agree, and I loved the book, as you can see from this review (third one down).

I'd love to hear what you guys think of these covers (and that step-back cover)!

Cover Stories: Wintering Well

When I went up to the Albany Children's Book Festival in the spring, I sat next to Lea Wait (yay for alphabetical order!) and we got to talking about one of the books she had on her table, Wintering Well. Of course, we got into Cover talk, and I heard the amazing story behind this book's two covers. And now Lea's here to share it:

"I’ve usually had a good relationship with my editors at McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster) regarding covers. Discussion for the cover of Wintering Well started innocently enough, when I asked whether the artist who had done the artwork for my previous two historical for McElderry would also be doing the cover of Wintering Well. I was told that, no, a digital photograph would be used this time instead of original art. When I pressed the issue (I really liked the artist’s work, and thought all my covers should have the same look) I was told Barnes & Noble wanted all middle reader books to have digital photo covers, so if I wanted my book to be in B&N, that’s the way it would be.

"O – KAY! My editor then asked what the main character in my book, Will, looked like. I described him as I did in the book. It was 1819; he worked on a Maine farm; he wore a smock over long trousers, had sun-bleached hair and blue eyes. She hired a young model, clothed him appropriately, and I thought the result was a great cover (above left), even if it was a photo and not a painting.

"Shortly after the book was published I got an email from the mother of the model. She wanted to tell me that her son, Sasha, was modeling to save for college. She also thought I’d like to know he’d been adopted from Russia as an older child, since she’d read in my bio that I’d adopted four older children. I was delighted to know, and added Sasha’s story when I was asked about the boy on the cover – as I frequently was.

"Eighteen months later, Wintering Well was published again, this time in paperback. My other books had made this journey before, and their covers had traveled with them: the same cover appeared on the paperback as on hardcover.

"So I took a very deep breath when I opened an envelope with an advance copy of the paperback edition of Wintering Well and came face-to-face, not with Sasha, but with a boy I’d never seen before (right).

"Not only had I never seen him, but no one in 1819 Maine would ever have seen anyone like him. This boy’s hair was cut short, in a way no boy or man in 1819 would have worn it. He was standing in front of a mid-western cornfield. And he was wearing a pair of overalls with metal machine-made strap clips – clothing not manufactured until well after the Civil War.

"Where did he come from?

"Of course, I asked. And was told that the paperback editor felt Will’s long hair made him look 'too girlish,' and that this 'more macho' boy would sell more copies. She didn’t think anyone would notice that the cover wasn’t 'exactly' historically correct.

"Wintering Well is my best-selling book for young people to date. Today the hard cover edition is out of print; readers now have to buy it in the paperback version (or in an e-book.)

"When I speak to schools, students often ask me why there are two covers, and I tell them. And then I ask them which cover they like best.

"No class has ever preferred the paperback version.

"And no class has ever thought the hardcover version, the picture of Sasha, makes Will look 'girlish.' (Girls do think he’s cute though.)

"Has the second boy sold more copies than Sasha would have? There’s no way of knowing.

"But I do know he has raised a lot of questions, and given me the opportunity to talk about the author’s role in creating cover art."

Thanks, Lea! I find this story simply fascinating. I love the back story about Sasha, the justification for the change, and Lea's feelings about the covers (thanks for being so honest). I actually like both covers quite a bit, and I think the second one looks more "polished" somehow, but it's not because of the model. I think they could have kept Sasha with that new background and font and had a win-win. The historical inaccuracy isn't something I noticed, though I do think it would bug me as the author!

What do you guys think of this one?

Cover Stories: The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin (Paperback)

I noticed that Josh Berk's novel, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, got a completely revised paperback cover this summer, so I asked Josh to come back and share the new Cover Story. Because his original one? Highly entertaining. Here's Josh:

"As mentioned in my previous Cover Story, Will Halpin (the star of THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN) was once a cartoon and is now a real boy! On the cover of the hardcover, Will (along with his co-stars Ebony and Devon) was rendered cartoon-style by French artist Philippe Petit-Roulet. It was a very cool cover (right), but for the paperback I was informed that my publisher was going to 'go in a different direction.' (I'm not sure why I put that in quotes because it may not be a direct quote.)

"Various other directions were suggested. For example, one had as its central image an old diagram of the lobes of the human brain. It looked a lot like this:

"The title was zooming out of the guy's ear. It looked really awesome to me, but it was decided that it didn't exactly say 'teen friendly.' There was also a version of the cover pitched which had a bunch of crows spelling the title in yarn. I thought this was great too! (I'm not hard to please I guess...) It's hard to explain, but it looked awesome. Alas, it was deemed as not exactly the 'teen vibe.' (Note: Teens don't love crows? They should. Crows are awesome. Maybe teens hate yarn.)

"So the next cover pitched was this black and white image of a dude walking in the woods. I loved how dark and moody it was and the dude was a teen so huzzah! This was the chosen image. My only issue was that the guy was a bit too lanky and thus not a perfect depiction of Will who is 'big-boned' or, in his words, 'a fat kid.' I asked if they could make the dude less lanky and through the magic of Photoshop, Will put on a few pounds. 'Gee, thanks, Berk,' says Will, who continues to speak to me because I am insane.

"Now I'm not 100% sure if the cover artists were thinking of the following passage when they chose this image, but the photo makes me immediately think of the scene in the book where Will plays hooky and walks home through the woods behind school. Can I quote myself? Yes? Thanks. Ahem:

The walk home is bleak and strange. Most of our city is as bland and modern as anywhere else in America, filled with Taco Bells and chemical plants (note: co-incidence?), but the walking route I take from school to home shows slices of the past. Half-falling-down buildings -- relics of the coal mining era -- are still visible. They hang incongruously in the shadows above the shining new construction, receding into the background. Like ghosts. I walk past a rusty bridge that retreats into the woods for a few hundred yards, then gets swallowed up by trees and the side of the mountain. A bridge to nowhere is probably symbolic of something in this town, of my life maybe.

"So to me this new cover totally is Will, wandering through the woods, thinking about life. Perfect! Then they added a really great font (man, I love fonts!) and it was done! The black and white motif continues on the back cover, which also has some red text that looks pretty bad-assed. Can I also mention that the red text quotes some of the book's starred reviews? No? Yeah, that would be a bit much. Anyway, thanks for having me (and Will) back!"

Thanks, Josh! These two covers are so different that I had to find out more about them. I like both, but for completely different reasons. First, I'm into a cartoon cover, and I think this hardcover is fun without being "too young" or cheesy. The paperback cover I like for its mystery, and the font is playful, so that kind of keeps the fun element of the first cover.

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: Playing Hurt & A Blue So Dark

Holly Schindler is here to talk about two of her novels, A Blue So Dark and Playing Hurt. They have really different feels (Playing Hurt makes me want August to last forever--so summery!--and A Blue So Dark has a much eerier feel--I love underwater covers lately). Here's Holly to talk about each cover:

"While the covers of my YA novels—A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT—are both stock images, the end result is pretty night-and-day different, as is the content of the books (A BLUE SO DARK explores the possible link between mental illness and creativity, and PLAYING HURT features a romance between two former athletes.)

"The covers have two completely different functions. A BLUE SO DARK is a metaphorical cover; it speaks to the emotional content of the book. It’s a poetic representation of what happens in the book. PLAYING HURT is a literal interpretation.

"I love both covers—but of the two, PLAYING HURT’s my favorite, because I think it better steers the book toward the right readership.

"When A BLUE SO DARK was released, it was frequently purchased on Amazon by readers who also purchased paranormal titles. I think some of those readers were a little off-put, in the beginning. After a while, though, my incredible bloggers started shouting from the rooftops about BLUE—and the book found its way into the right hands.

"PLAYING HURT seems to be getting into the right hands from the get-go—early purchasers anticipated a romantic read, and that’s exactly what they’re getting: a steamy summer romance meant for the older teen readership!

"…One of my favorite aspects of both novels, though, is the finish of the covers. Both books feature a finish that feels a bit like raw silk—I swear, you really want to pet these novels!"

Thanks, Holly! I've been known to pet a book in my day. I also love the distinction Holly makes between a literal interpretation of a scene in the book and a metaphorical exploration of the book's content--this is a great juxtaposition of these two approaches.

What do you guys think? Do you prefer literal or metaphorical covers?

Cover Stories: Like Mandarin

Kirsten Hubbard's Like Mandarin came out in the spring to great buzz. Read bibliophile brouhaha's review for taste of that. The cover always intrigued me for its use of white space and pastels. I think it's lovely. Here's Kirsten to talk about how it came to be:

"I've always felt like the most iconic images in Like Mandarin are wild girl Mandarin Ramey's long black hair, and the Wyoming badlands where the book takes place. My publisher did offer me input, and I made note of a few covers I really liked, and described the sort of black hair, badlands scene I'd always imagined on the cover of Like Mandarin.

"There's a part in Like Mandarin where Grace's thoughts blank out, then come back as a series of exclamation points instead of words. That's pretty much what happened when I saw my cover. It was taped to the bookshelf in my editor's office the first time I met her. I didn't expect to see it -- nor what I saw! It contained none of the elements I'd suggested, but it was so strong, and simple, and beautiful.

"Interestingly, my editor pulled out the image of another cover they'd been working on: a dark-haired girl from behind, against a backdrop of badlands. If I remember correctly, it was in black and white, and the font (a different one) was some bright color, like pink. It looked like an album cover, while the cover we went with looks almost like a movie poster -- just stronger overall.

"Although my first reaction was surprise, I adored my cover -- the white space, the moodiness, offset by the quirkiness of the title font and colors. However, I had one problem with it: who was the cover girl supposed to be? You'd assume she was Mandarin, right? But like I mentioned above, the most iconic part of Mandarin, to me, has always been her long black hair. And the cover girl's hair isn't black. It's more the color of Grace's hair -- but then, she looks a little old to be 14-year-old Grace.

"When I voiced my concerns, the designer tried to darken the girl's hair, but it took away the beautiful brightness of the photo. We all agreed it looked better the way it was before.

"I came to terms with the cover girl by thinking her of Grace, trying to be like Mandarin -- which is what the story is about. Grace, the way she wants to be seen. And you know what? Nobody has ever asked me who the girl is supposed to be. It goes to show the beauty of a cover is more important than the tiny details.

"Bonus story: there wasn't a photo shoot for my cover image, but it's not stock either. Random House found the image on an art-sharing site, and bought the rights to it. A few months ago, the girl who photographed the cover found me on Facebook, and informed me the girl in the picture is her twin sister. As a twin myself, I just loved every part of that."

Thanks, Kirsten! I love that too. And I do think the cover suggests a strongly character-driven book, which I adore.

What do you guys think of this one?

Cover Stories: Wolfsbane

Andrea Cremer shared the Cover Story for the hardcover of Nightshade last year, and since then I have eaten pizza with her and can confirm that she's as awesome as the books she writes. Seriously. And now she has a newly redesigned paperback! Plus, the second novel in the Nightshade trilogy, Wolfsbane, was just released. Here's Andrea to talk covers:

"I didn't have a specific idea for the cover, but it always involved wolves and blood.

"When I first saw the new covers, I was thrilled. To me the new covers depict Calla perfectly. The new Nightshade cover (right) drew on the poem that inspired Calla's character. The poem is one of Margaret Atwood's and its first stanza is 'Not you I fear but that other/she who walks through flesh/queen of the two dimensions.'

"The Wolfsbane cover: First of all it's green! My favorite color! I think it continues the theme of depicting Calla's strength. The concept is that she is crouched under the moon about to shift into wolf form. I love it!

"There were some small tweaks - usually about getting the color of Calla's eyes just right.

"The covers (both the originals, shown below, and the new designs) all feature the same model. Her name is Amber and she is the perfect Calla. Penguin had photo shoots for both designs.

 

"I love all the covers and I feel so lucky to have such a talented design department handling my books. Calla anchors the Nightshade trilogy so getting her right is essential - that has always happened and I couldn't be more thrilled!!!"

Thanks, Andrea! These books have been international bestsellers, and I think the cover change is really interesting. I actually adore the original covers, but maybe the new ones are more appealing to guys, too? Less girl-face-on-cover with bright colors?

In any case, this series is really great--smart, full of action and with lovely literary and historical nods.

What do you guys think of these covers?

Cover Stories: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

I have gushed about Morgan Matson's fantastic road trip book in the past, and requests for the Cover Story kept coming in, so here she is! Morgan... "I really didn’t have a specific image of the cover as I was writing the book. It’s funny, but I was so focused on getting the story down I didn’t think about the other aspects of the book – like what form the cover might take – until I’d finished the first draft.

"My editor asked me what I was thinking, cover-wise, and I brought her a few images, including a Jack Johnson album (right) – I was thinking in a much more graphic format, and less of a photographic direction. Some early cover versions took this approach – I think a very early cover idea was a map of the country, looking like a postcard. But as soon as I saw the picture of the two people, holding hands, on the highway, I knew that we’d gotten it. I was SO thrilled with the cover, especially the blurry mountains in the background.

"It’s funny, but the Swedish cover used the same picture, but didn’t crop it. But I prefer not seeing the faces on the models (it’s a stock image). I just think the cover works so well, and captures the feeling of the book so perfectly. A lot of similar aspects – the road, the dotted line – cropped up in the Italian version (left), which was nice to see.

"I was actually in London last winter, so was able to stop by S&S UK and see the early version of the British cover in person. I also love the British cover (right) – and it’s funny, because this was what I’d had first had in mind for the US cover! I like how different the two covers are, but how they both work SO well for the story. The artist, Mary-Anne Hampton, read the book, and you can tell because of all the tiny details in the drawing that come directly from the book. What’s fun to me about the British cover is that since Roger draws in the book, it almost seems like he could have done the cover, as the style matches some of his drawings. Also, there are tiny hearts ALL over the cover, and I’m still finding some. :)

"It’s been fun to see UK readers debating the merits of the two covers. I’m thrilled with both of them, and feel so lucky to have such talented designers and artists working on them!"

Thanks, Morgan! I am so into everything about this book (mainly the story, which is always a good thing), but also all of these various covers. I'm impressed that each one has a feel that seems right for the book! I love the original cover, but I also adore the illustrated UK version--it reminds me of this awesome illustration for my own Lovestruck Summer cover. I have to admit that the Italian design is my least favorite (maybe the combo of photo and illo don't quite work for me), but the other two ROCK.

What do you guys think?