Other Stuff
I'm so excited for this movie, because the book is astoundingly good! I'm chatting about it and sharing a clip over at Teen Fiction Cafe (come say hi?), but I'll post the original vintage book cover, and a trailer for the film, here. Seriously, so great (the book); I have high hopes for the movie too.
Carrie Jones is also on the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit tour, so I get to host two cover stories this week! (And this one includes glitter, which is perfect because it's celebratory! Happy New Year, everyone!)
NEED, Carrie's latest release, is about a girl named Zara who's had a rough life and who collects phobias. She thinks her grandmother's instinct to keep her safe in their sleepy Maine town is just silly--but she's wrong. Turns out that guy Zara sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a pixie--and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He's the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he's trailing Zara.
While she calls herself "cover clueless," I think Carrie's got a pretty good story. Here she is:
"I am a total dork when it comes to imagining covers. Honestly, I don't even think about the cover of any of my books when I'm writing them. It's like I would jinx the whole story if I actually imagined a real-live cover. I don't even think about it as a book really when I'm writing and revising. I just think of it as a story.
"My publisher didn't ask for any input on the cover design before the art department started working. The first time I saw my cover I basically gasped and collapsed back in my chair. It was sooooooooo cool and sooooooooo creepy. I pretty much started hyperventilating and I grabbed my dog Tala and showed her the computer screen, but of course, you know, she's a dog and she can't actually see the computer screen supposedly. Plus, the computer screen didn't smell like bacon so she didn't really care. Instead she started licking my cheek and sniffing my ear. She's cuddly like that. She didn't even mind me shrieking, 'Tala! Tala! It's so beautiful! Oh my gosh! It's so freaking beautiful! And creepy! And there is glitter gold lipstick!'
"The good thing about big dogs is that they don't mind when you faint on them.
"When I talked to my editor, Michelle Nagler, about the cover, she said: Do you think it's creepy enough?
"And I said:
"And Michelle said: I think the branches should extend, don't you?
"And I said:
"And Michelle said: Carrie? Carrie? Are you there? Do I need to call 9-1-1? Do they have 9-1-1 in Maine?
"And I struggled back up into the chair and said: It's so beautiful....
"From the original version, the cover became a little more creepy. Michelle had them extend the naked tree branches up a little bit. It was even more beautiful/cool/creepy in real life than it was on the jpeg image.
"If I could marry my cover, I would totally marry my cover, which probably means I'm a sucker for beautiful, tantalizing creepy things."
And I am a sucker for glittery gold lipstick. What do you guys think?
The winner of the beauty swag bag is... I'd Rather Laugh With the Sinners..., and the winner of WAKE by Lisa McMann is... bunny! Send me your addresses and your prizes will magically appear in your mailboxes, Sinners and bunny!This week, I have 3 copies of American Teen, which was just released on DVD, to give away. I really enjoyed this movie, and I think you guys will too--here's a review I did for Harmony back when I first saw it. You will especially adore Hannah, who lives in Brooklyn now, so I plan to befriend her. Somehow. Hopefully not in a stalk-y way. Plus, Jake, in the brown hoodie, might become your new anti-hero.
Here's awesome author Sara Zarr's take on the film, which explains some too.
To enter to win one of the DVDs, let me know what your New Year's resolutions are, if you have any. Mine are: 1) revamp my closet (I want fewer clothes and more quality), and 2) read at least a book a week (or maybe two).
Happy New Year's Eve!
Eartha Kitt's kitty-cat purr of a voice always enchanted me. Another screen siren gone, but she had a long life, performing all the way. RIP, dahling.I have a feeling Miss Kitt would have loved this book, Secrets of Charm, that I'm talking about over at readergirlz.
And something else she might have slipped into? Thakoon for Target. (The dress I hearted sold out, but there's still more great stuff, like this awesome shibori-print cardigan.)
Oh, and there's still one more day to enter to win a copy of Lisa McMann's WAKE, or some beauty SWAG, right here.
Enjoy your Tuesdays!
Laurie Stolarz is part of the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit, and she's on tour this week! So I asked her to stop by and tell the Cover Story behind her latest release Deadly Little Secret, which Kirkus Reviews says has "CW-worthy dialogue." It's the first in her Touch Series.
Here's a little bit about the book: Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary. Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.
Oooh... and the cover reflects that eerie feeling too. Here's Laurie, who says she didn't even know they were working on the cover yet, until she got a jpeg in her inbox:
"My editor e-mailed me a picture of the jpeg. As soon as I saw it, I loved it. It's probably my favorite cover yet. I love the color scheme. And I love how the girl's hand is sort of translucent, lending itself to the topic of psychometry (the ability to sense things through touch). One of the main characters in Deadly Little Secret has this ability, and this mystical touch really works well, I think, without being too fantastical or overdone.
I asked my editor how the cover came to be and she said the art person was really inspired and the cover came together really quickly. Everyone was pleased with it, including me."
Sometimes a Cover Story is just that short and sweet! I love this cover, because I think the flowing dress is just perfect, the grassy/mossy ground with her bare feet in it looks somehow both soothing and scary, and the treatment of the title--with the illustrated lace frame--is just gorgeous.
What do you guys think?
Laurie's also running a great contest on her blog--think of a soundtrack for the book and you can be entered to have a minor character in Deadly Little Lies, the second book in the Touch Series, named after you. That would be cool.
PS-Last week's winner of an Elizabeth Scott book of her choice is... bookworm! Send me your address, bw, and let me know which of Elizabeth's books you'd like!
I still like going to Rockefeller Center!
Hanging out with my Mom so I may be gone for a few days, and last week's contest is extended through next Wednesday. Have a fantastic holiday season, and celebrate everything that's good in your life!
XO,
Melissa
Elizabeth Scott is an awesome author who writes heartfelt stories about first love and friendships and parental relationships (I've adored Bloom and the upcoming Something, Maybe, and can't wait to read the rest of her canon, which includes Stealing Heaven, Perfect You, and the upcoming Love You, Hate You, Miss You). Living Dead Girl is unlike most of her other work in that it's the story of a girl who was kidnapped at a young age and faces horrific abuse. It's not a G-rated tale, and the cover represents the novel's ominous feeling very well.So I had to ask Elizabeth: How did the cover come about? Here she is:
"My editor at Simon Pulse always talks to me about the cover--the kind of look they're going for--and usually I see samples that they're thinking about using, which come from stock photos, or pictures that have already been taken. For LIVING DEAD GIRL, though, Simon Pulse had a photographer, Russell Gordon, take the pictures.
"The very first cover was just a dress, and I liked it, but worried that it wasn't going to be eye-catching enough. With so many books out there, it's really important to have a cover that pops visually and that will grab a potential readers' attention.
"The final cover was shot in Central Park, I believe (I know it was a park in Manhattan!) and Russell very patiently took about a million shots of different dresses on fall leaves. Oddly enough, the picture that ended up being chosen was one where Russell's leg had accidentally gotten into the shot, but as soon as I saw it, I *knew* it was the right one--it conveyed a sense of menace that the shots of just a dress didn't, and really did a great job of showing what the book is about--and all without words!"
MW interruption: I told Elizabeth that we love to see photos of previous covers, and she didn't have any, but she did say...
"I'm really sorry I don't have other images to share, so to make it up to your readers, how about you pick one commenter, and they can have a signed copy of any of my current books?"
Thanks, Elizabeth! You heard the generous lady. Comment below, sharing what you think about this cover, and you'll be entered to win a signed copy of any of Elizabeth's already released books. Sweet. (I'll announce a winner next Monday, 12/29.)
PS-I'm not going to be around much this week, so entertain yourself with this amazing post from Jocelyn of Teen Book Review fame. She waxes poetic about body image (and includes the Violet books--thanks, J!).
There's one of me, the obligatory self-take, plus one of butterflies in Asheville. So how did I make them look all cool and Polaroidy? Find out on iheartdaily.com!
Have great weekends!
First, I have to thank Reviewer X for some awesome Girl Week posts: She reviewed the Violet series (and liked it--yay!); she asked me some really great questions about the Fashion Industry; and she's helping me give away five winter shimmer lip glosses (go enter to win one!). Girl Week rules and there are tons of great authors over there (a highlight is Stephanie Kuehnert's essay about being called "slut" and how that relates to her character Emily as well).
And second, join the readergirlz forum tonight at 9pm EST/6pm PST as we chat LIVE with Meg Cabot! That's Meg, left, being cute as usual. I mean, can you resist that invitation? I can't wait. I may even wear a tiara. It is Girl Week, after all.
First, last week's winner of John Green's Looking for Alaska is.... Tara, who had two entries (one for commenting, one for blogging)! Send me your address, T.This week, I'm giving away a hardcover copy of Lisa McMann's WAKE in anticipation of the February release of FADE, which will also be on Win-It Wednesday later in 2009. If you haven't started this trilogy, now is the time!
Also, because I have a lot of cosmetics prizes in the house, I'll be giving away a goodie bag filled with fun beauty products, including Jelly Pong Pong's cheek stain in Peach 
Bourbon (shown here). This gift bag is very un-Janie (she's the main character in WAKE, and I don't picture her as a made-up type), but there it is.
Because it's close to Christmas, and I'll be gone a lot of next week, I'm going to let this contest run for two weeks, until December 31st, hence the double set of prizes. I'll choose one winner for WAKE and one winner of beauty booty.
To enter--and you knew this was coming--I need your help talking up my friend Anne's and my new site, iheartdaily.com. You may have read about it by now, and I'd love everyone to sign up for the daily newsletter (I promise you'll like it! Well, I promise I hope you'll like it!) and then tell friends about it. That means: tweeting it, putting a note on facebook, sending a myspace bulletin, blogging it, talking about it at lunch--whatever you can think of. Each of your efforts counts as one entry below (as does signing up for the newsletter); just comment below to tell me what you did to help spread the word. And get your friends to sign up too! We're going to be covering a lot of fun things, including great YA books.
Today's feature: An interview with an amazing up and coming fashion designer, Alison Lewis.
Oh, and you can follow us on twitter too: twitter.com/iheartdaily.
Happy Holidays!