Cover for SKY JUMPERS 2: THE FORBIDDEN FLATS!

Hi, everyone! Guess what happened over the weekend? My cover for book 2 was revealed at The Book Monsters! (Psst. There's a giveaway going on there, if you want to head on over.) I'm so very thrilled to have my second baby visually represented now, and that I can share it with you! A few advanced reader copies landed on my doorstep the same day the cover was revealed, for an extra awesome bonus. I put the book 2 ARC right next to the book 1 ARC, and I can't stop staring and staring. They're just so pretty together! Okay, enough talking. If you haven't seen the new cover yet, here it is!

I'm in love with the orange--- it's the color I had pictured book 2 to be from the start. And I love that the cover shows the crack in the earth! It was one of the funnest scenes to write EVER. Guys, I am so excited for this book. It was insanely difficult to get just right, and took so many months and months of cutting and rewriting and reworking and polishing, and I am so very proud of what it became. I cannot wait until it's released! Want to know what it's about? Here's the official blurb:

Twelve-year-old Hope has always felt a little different from everyone else who lives in White Rock. She tries hard, but she doesn’t always think before she acts. She takes big risks. Sometimes her risks pay off, but sometimes they fail. Sometimes she fails.

Hope knows that the most dangerous thing about living in White Rock is that it’s so close to the deadly Bomb’s Breath—the invisible, fifteen-foot-thick band of compressed air that’s hovered over the earth since the Green Bombs of World War III. The citizens of White Rock live in fear of the Bomb’s Breath. Only Hope has figured out a way to go through it—and lived to tell the tale.

But when a massive tremor rips across the earth, the Bomb’s Breath begins to lower over White Rock. It’s up to Hope and her friends Brock and Aaren to make the dangerous journey far from home across the bandit-ridden Forbidden Flats to the wilds of the Rocky Mountains and obtain the one thing that may be able to stop it—before the Bomb’s Breath sinks too far and destroys them all. This time, Hope can’t fail.

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I hope you all have a fantastic week!

3 Months Until Release: News, Full Jacket Reveal, and FIRST ARC GIVEAWAY!

I interrupt the regularly scheduled MG post (which will be back next Monday, I swear) to bring you 3 MONTHS UNTIL RELEASE DATE HAPPENINGS!

Holy frijoles, guys. I got my book deal almost exactly 19 months ago. Hitting the three month countdown is sort of.... unreal. And exciting. And slightly terrifying. And fun.

First, a little update.

• I'm nearing the end of second round edits for book 2. I had heard that book 2s were a beast that would try to kill you in both your waking and your sleeping hours. I knew that. Still, though, I kind of just figured that my beast was going to be a cute little meerkat, poking his head up out of his hole to greet me every morning, and we'd get along swimmingly. Turns out, it's a Balrog and we've been battling for an eternity, and it's still unclear who's going to win. (Although I'm telling you right now, it's going to be me.)

• If we are friends on facebook, then you might've seen this a few weeks ago when I posted it, but it still gives me a thrill every single time I think of it, so I'm going to share it here, too. The American Booksellers Association chose 22 titles spread across all categories to be promoted in independent bookstores all across the country as part of their Celebrate Debut Authors with Indies program. They chose a total of four middle grade titles to push, and mine is one of them. Guys-- I can't even. I am still blown away and cry happy tears whenever I think about it. You can read the article from the ABA here.

• I am going to ComicCon International in San Diego in a few weeks! In one of those miracle all-the-puzzle-pieces-come-together moments, I also get to go with my hubby and our three kids. It's a geek family's dream come true. (Except for my middle child who isn't a geek, and who is a little weirded out by the fact that we're going. We're hoping to convert him to geekism on this trip.)

Enough news. Let's get to the full jacket reveal! Have I mentioned how much I love my art director (Nicole De Las Heras) and my cover artist (Owen Richarson)? They rock my world. Go ahead and click on this baby and make it huge. These guys made every square inch of it awesome. It's even more amazing in person, because it's embossed-- Sky Jumpers is raised the most, and then Hope, Aaren, and then the mountains. And the title has a special treatment on it that makes it shine in the light. When my editor sent me a jacket, I petted it for like 30 minutes straight.

And now, time for a giveaway! ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of Sky Jumpers have been rare, and for a while, I wasn't sure I'd be able to give one away. I was so excited when I found out I'd get a few more copies, because I've been dying to share it with you guys. You've made this journey so incredible! I love hanging out with you all, even if we may never actually see each other in person. :'o) Sad, I know, but this one is a U.S. only giveaway. I will do everything I can to do an international giveaway soon.

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Have an awesome week, everyone!

Cover reveal for SKY JUMPERS!!!

Ohmygosh, guys. A big part of my sub-conscious never thought this day would come, and that my book would always be a name without a face. My conscious brain knew that my cover team was working on it tirelessly, and not willing to stop until everything came out perfect. Both are happy dancing right now.

Because the day has come. The day where my book gets a face.

And gosh it's a beautiful face.

Are you ready for it?

Here it is!!!

Isn't it amazing?! I love it to pieces! I love the creative direction they took it in, the scenery, and ohmygosh-- the way the light shines on everything! It shows the action, the adventure, the danger, the excitement, and that Hope (the main character) has a daredevil gene set to extra high, all in one image! It was the green bombs that made this story post-apocalyptic; I'm thrilled that the cover pays homage to that with its color. And the fact that they're going through the Bomb's Breath on the cover... :'o)

Want to know more about SKY JUMPERS? Here's what my incredible editor (seriously, guys-- she's so very incredible) has to say about it:

As soon as I read the opening paragraphs to Sky Jumpers, I was hooked! What would it be like to jump into the sky . . . and not fall? I couldn’t get the image out of my head. Sky Jumpers is the story of 12-year-old Hope. Hope lives in a town of inventors struggling to recover from World War III. But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to dive into the Bomb’s Breath—the deadly band of compressed air left by the bombs—than fail at another invention. When bandits invade, the only way to get help is to go through the Bomb’s Breath, and Hope and her friends may be the only ones who can do it.

Sky Jumpers has everything--action, adventure, bad guys, really cool inventions, family and friendships worth risking everything for, death defying cliff dives, relatable characters, and an unlikely hero named Hope. It also has great themes for discussion-- working with our strengths, the difference individuals can make, whether our history determines our future or if we can change it. And it asks the question what happens when you can't do (or feel like you can’t do) the one thing that matters most?

Shana Corey
Executive Editor
Random House Children's Books

Want to enter a giveaway to possibly win a hardcover of SKY JUMPERS? Here's your chance! There are even extra options to get you extra entries.

(This one is for the US only. I will do an international swag giveaway soon, though!)
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But this is not the only chance you have to win a copy-- my blog is one part of a three-blog reveal, and you can enter to win A HARDBACK OF SKY JUMPERS AT EACH OF THE OTHER BLOGS. That's right! And not only is there a second and a third giveaway, but there is exclusive content at each. Check them out!

On Literary Rambles, my agent, Sara Crowe, talks about why she fell for SKY JUMPERS, with another giveaway. Click here!

And on Icey Books, my cover artist, Owen Richardson, talks about what it was like to illustrate the cover, with another giveaway. Click here!

Thanks for coming to share the excitement with me today!

Title change, cover news, and The League

Hi, everyone! I have tons of news that I'm all kinds of happy that I can share!

First off, let's talk title. Mine has officially changed. Remember this post where I announced that the series title is SKY JUMPERS? Well, we've decided that it's such a great name, that we are going to give the first book the same as the series title. So my book is now officially called...

SKY JUMPERS!

The change came at the eleventh hour, just as the finishing touches are being made to my cover. I am thrilled with having the single name on the cover! I think it's making it look and feel and sound exactly the way it's supposed to be. Exactly right. Not to mention how awesome it looks.

Speaking of the look of my cover, I got to peek at it! Oh my gosh, you guys. It's so awesome, you're going to die. I am in love with it! I canNOT wait to show you. I'll give you a hint: green. An homage to the green bombs of WWIII that wiped out nearly all the earth's population.

But more than giving you a hint, I can finally share with you who this amazing cover illustrator is!

Owen Richardson

He is the third illustrator that Random House hired to create my cover, and as soon as I got word it was him (and then spent forever ogling his portfolio), I knew he was the one. The one who was going to make the perfect cover. When my editor sent his color sketch, I nearly died of happiness. Yep! Definitely the one.

Because, come on. Feast your eyes upon some of the art he's created for book covers.

Isn't he just beyond incredible? You can check out more of his portfolio here: Shannon Associates-- Owen Richardson (And of course, all these images are copyrighted, and shown by permission from the artist.)

Go ahead and just stare for a while. I don't blame you one bit.

Done? Okay, my last bit of news. The League of Extraordinary Writers has asked me to join their ranks! And in case you were wondering, I totally fan-girled when I got the invitation accepted the invitation in a very professional manner. My first post at The League will be my intro post next week.

And since it's Friday--- a day when I normally do a Quotes and Cookies post, I'll leave you with this: a cookie recipe that Owen Richardson sent after seeing my blog. (How thoughtful is that?! It made me tear up. :'o)) This recipe is an original from his famous chef wife, Amy. Enjoy!

Peppered Ginger Cookies

Recipe by Amy Richardson

3/4 cup Sugar, plus additional for coating

3/4 cup Butter, softened

1 large Egg

1/4 cup Molasses

2 cups Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Powdered Ginger

1/2 tsp. Allspice

1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1/3 cup Crystallized Ginger, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and then add molasses. Combine flour and other dry ingredients, then add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture and mix.

Form into 2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

Let's update each other, shall we?

Hi hi hi! Long time no see! How was your New Years? What did you do? We did with our kids the same thing my parents did with us growing up--- we ate homemade pizza, played board games for many, many hours, and toasted the new year with sparkling cider at midnight. I love it every bit as much as I did when I was a kid.

Since it's been so long, how about we update each other? I'll start. (Or you can skip down to the comments, and you start.)

SKY JUMPERS Book 2

Last week I turned book 2 into my editor. There are a lot of factors that make book 2s difficult--- someday I might post about that. Needless to say, there are times that I thought it might kill me, and there's an incredible weight lifted to have it turned in. It makes me want to tackle everything I've been putting off all at once. :)

Goal: To never finish a book so close to deadline again. Especially if that deadline is January 1.

Cover

Just in case you're wondering how everything is going with my cover... it's coming along nicely. :) My editor and my cover team rock beyond the telling of it, and have been working so hard for the past ten months to get it just right. Cover illustrator #3 (yes, number THREE) is working on it now, and I'm telling you, this is going to be the one. I've seen his first color sketch, and it's incredible. I can't wait for it to be finished! And don't worry that you might miss the reveal. Trust me-- I'll be shouting about it from the rooftops.

Goal: Patience. I've had my book deal for 14 months so far... what's a couple more?

Blog

My poor, poor neglected blog. Sometimes I'll go into my stats and see that people click through all the page tabs at the top, and I cringe. Those puppies haven't been updated in a year and a half! It's a little embarrassing.

Goal: To get back to posting regularly, reading blogs, and revamping all those things on my blog that are in good need of a revamping. Or, in some cases, an initial vamping.

Website

Getting an actual website is my current focus, and I'm so excited to jump into it! I have no idea what I'm going to do just yet, but I'm voting for something awesome. Anyone have any tips? Suggestions on what to include or who to use? Author websites you've seen that you love? I'll take it all.

Goal: To make peggyeddleman.com rock. And have it do something other than just lead you back to here. ;)

What's new with you? Did you set any goals / resolutions? (Or are you anti-New Years resolutions? I totally understand that, too.) And are you as in the mood to do all those things on your to-do list that you've been ignoring as I am?




photo credit: Leo Reynolds via photopin cc