Cover for THE MANIC PIXIE DREAM BOY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT!

The cover of my forthcoming novel was revealed last week, and I neglected to put it on this neglected blog, so I shall remedy that now!

Isn't it magnificent? The cover designer, Emily Harris, really captures the fun energy of the book. I love how she included the glass-shard hearts as they actually appear in a few scenes.

Here's a short summary:

Riley lives in TropeTown, where everyone plays stock roles in novels. Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, is sent to group therapy after going off-script. Riley knows that breaking the rules again could get him terminated, yet he feels there must be more to life than recycling the same cliches for readers' entertainment. Then he meets Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Geek Chic subtype), and falls head over heels in love. Zelda's in therapy too, along with several other Manic Pixies. But TropeTown has a dark secret, and if Riley and his fellow Manic Pixies don't get to the bottom of it, they may all be terminated.


Sound good? It comes out on March 5, 2019 from Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner but you can already:

Add to your goodreads
Preorder from indiebound
Preorder from B&N
Preorder from amazon

Let me know what you think! 

Cover Reveal: Endsinger by Jay Kristoff + Giveaway

Time to reveal the cover for ENDSINGER, the last book in the Lotus War trilogy that began with STORMDANCER. 

Breathtaking, isn't it?!

Jay just informed me which chapter contains animal death in KINSLAYER (commence ripping out of chapter 52 ...), so now I can finally get caught up on this series in time for the ENDSLINGER release date of Sept. 23rd!

THE JACKET COPY:

A TREMBLING EARTH
The flames of civil war sweep across the Shima Imperium. With their plans to renew the Kazumitsu dynasty foiled, the Lotus Guild unleash their deadliest creation—a mechanical goliath known as the Earthcrusher, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. With the Tiger Clan and their puppet Daimyo Hiro in tow, the Guild marches toward a battle for absolute dominion over the Isles.

A BROKEN REBELLION
Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the Kagé rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends in an effort to unite the country against the chi-mongers. But the ghosts of Buruu’s past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin’s betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war tearing the Imperium apart, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win.

A FINAL BATTLE
The traitor Kin walks the halls of Guild power, his destiny only a bloody knife-stroke away. Hana and Yoshi struggle to find their place in a world now looking to them as heroes. Secret cabals within the Lotus Guild claw and struggle; one toward darkness, the other toward light. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth.

There is nothing a mother won't do to keep her children by her side.

Nothing.

GIVEAWAY: 

For a chance to win some kick-ass prizes including the signed trilogy (all three books in hardcover + extras!!) and a hug from Jay, head over to Jay's website and answer the following question:

4. Name the guildsman who betrayed the rebellion at the end of Kinslayer.

Cover Reveal: Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland

Have you read VENGEANCE BOUND yet?  I have, and it rocks.  So I was super excited to learn that Justina Ireland has a new book coming out next year (March 11, 2014 to be exact) and that is about a Harpy, one of my favorite mythological creatures. 

Check out this premise:

Zephyr Mourning has never been very good at being a Harpy. She'd rather watch reality TV than learn forty-seven ways to kill a man, and she pretty much sucks at wielding magic. Zephyr was ready for a future pretending to be a normal human instead of a half-god assassin. But all that changes when her sister is murdered--and she uses a forbidden dark power to save herself from the same fate. 

Zephyr is on the run from a punishment worse than death when an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend (a surprisingly HOT friend) changes everything. Because it seems like Zephyr might just be the Nyx, a dark goddess made flesh that is prophesied to change the power balance. For hundreds of years the half-gods have lived in fear, and Zephyr is supposed to change that. 

But how is she supposed to save everyone when she can’t even save herself?

And now, check out the stunning cover:

Here's what Justina has to say about the cover:

My editor asked me what I wanted for the cover and I said "A really cool one."

Not helpful.

So I told her I really liked font-driven covers. She gave that to the designer, Lucy Ruth Cummins, and they came up with this lovely thing.

Awesome! Go ahead, put PROMISE OF SHADOWS on your Goodreads shelf, and visit Justina's website for more info on her books.

What do you think about the cover?

Cover Reveal: Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff + giveaway

You may remember how much I enjoyed STORMDANCER - so obvs I'm pumped for KINSLAYER and this cover reveal.

The following summary of KINSLAYER has spoilers for STORMDANCER so read at your own risk:

A SHATTERED EMPIRE  

The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously - by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead. 

A DARK LEGACY 

Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM 

Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat. The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

The US cover:

The UK cover:

Jay is also doing a quiz! So if you answer my question over at his blog, you just might win something incredibly fabulous. 

3. What kind of animal is Buruu?

Want a chance to read KINSLAYER early? Enter via this form by May 29, 2013 at 11:59 pm CST. US only.

Cover Reveal! The Memory of After by Lenore Appelhans

Today I have something very special …  I get to announce the new title and paperback cover of LEVEL 2.

Going forward, LEVEL 2 will now be known as THE MEMORY OF AFTER, and the sequel, LEVEL 3, will know be known as CHASING BEFORE.

So, introducing THE MEMORY OF AFTER ….

I love it! Don’t you? I'm especially in love with the type and the sleek, almost high-fashion design. Fun fact: This photo is from the same photo shoot as the LEVEL 2 cover.

Now I know you’re probably asking yourself – why the title change?

Sometimes, you just don’t get the title right the first time. I still love the title LEVEL 2, but once it was on the shelves, we started getting a lot of the same feedback - customers thought it was a sequel because of the numeral 2 in the title.

I get it. If I only glanced at a book in the store and saw a 2, I might think “Oh, I haven’t read the first one … what else is there?”

So - the amazing team at Simon & Schuster went back to the drawing board and put together this exciting redesign. I can’t stress enough how supportive everyone has been there and I’m thrilled that they believe so much in this book.

THE MEMORY OF AFTER will be available in paperback on September 3, 2013 and will include an excerpt of the sequel, CHASING BEFORE as well as the cross section illustration of a Level Two hive.

And yes, this means that LEVEL 2 hardcovers and swag are going to be collectors items :D  You can get both on my April US tour (coming to Atlanta, Houston, NYC, Beloit, Wisconsin, St Louis, Kansas City and Chicago) - all tour details here.

Also, starting next week (April 15th) THE MEMORY OF AFTER is a complimentary full read for Pulseit members, so if you haven’t joined yet, and want to read the novel for free, get on over there and sign up for the site!

Tell me what you think! And thanks for spreading the word.

If you have any questions, I'll be answering them in the comments all day.

Add THE MEMORY OF AFTER to Goodreads

Cover Reveal! Chick-o-Saurus Rex

Remember how I told you I also wrote a picture book in collaboration with my husband, Illustrator Daniel Jennewein?

Well that picture book, CHICK-O-SAURUS REX, now has a cover!

Check it out:

And here's the summary:

It's coming out on July 23, 2013. You can already add it to Goodreads and even pre-order it.

I've also gotten word that F&Gs are in (the picture book version of an ARC) so I'll give one away to someone who comments on this post (and leaves an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win) by midnight CST of Thanksgiving day. US and Canada only for this one.

I'll leave you with this picture of Daniel and me in front of a T-Rex skull.

Are you mighty enough?!

Cover Reveal + Cover Story: The End Games by T. Michael Martin

Hey everyone! Back in August, I introduced you to T. Michael Martin and his book THE END GAMES (check out his preview interview). The cover for THE END GAMES has snuck out there and has been making its way around the blogs, and Mike wanted to share it with everyone himself, too. 

Here's Mike with a quick glance at the look at the creation of the cover.

********************

The process of working with my editor (Donna Bray) and the team at HarperCollins was a dream, all the way through.

Last January, when Donna and I first met, we talked about our hopes for what the cover for THE END GAMES might be. I remember Donna saying that she wanted a dynamic, iconic design, with a powerful use of text. I remembering suggesting that we might look at the incredible work of Saul Bass and Olly Moss for inspiration.

And when we eventually came up with a prototype of the cover I'm sharing today, I nearly cried. Because it was better than I could have wished.

Inside this book is a journey, the cover seems to say. Here are two brothers, who care for each other with their whole hearts. And at this very moment, while you and I watch, they are traveling into country more dangerous than they could ever imagine.

Thank you so much for celebrating it with me!

THE END GAMES will be released by Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins) on May 7th, 2013.

AND here's the cover:

Plot summary: 

"Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia—armed with only their rifles and their love for each other—the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of 'Bellows'—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules. 

And the brothers will never be the same. 

T. Michael Martin’s debut novel is a transcendent thriller filled with electrifying action, searing emotional insight, and unexpected romance."

Praise for THE END GAMES


“It’s full of both jaw-dropping action and heart-twisting beauty. It’s a thrill ride that makes you think and feel: terrifying and joyful, funny and moving. In so many ways THE END GAMES is the book I was waiting for and didn’t know it until I had it in my hands.”


—Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist


Links:
Preorder on Amazon
Preorder on BN.com
Add to Goodreads
Visit Mike's website
Follow Mike on Twitter: @tmikemartin

What do you think? Looks crazy thrilling doesn't it? Can't wait!

Level 2 Cover Reveal: This Is It!

Thank you so much for celebrating LEVEL 2 cover reveal week with me! In case you missed any content here are some links:

Level 2 Flap Copy
First Page of Level 2 + ARC Giveaway
Interview with cover designer Lizzy Bromley

And now for the main event! (Warning: if you are at work, you might want to lower your volume first)


So what did you think? AMAZING right?

And here's the cover in its full glory:

If you want to see the full jacket, that's over on STACKED.  Kelly also talks about what it was like to be a beta reader for LEVEL 2.

Also, Posh of Forever Young Adult asked me to do an interview! Find out all about the process of going from book blogger to published author + find out what I think about my ARCs being out in the world!

Oh here's a picture of those too (on my editor's desk now, in my hands on Sunday!):

ETA: A post from the photographer of LEVEL 2, Ali Smith.


Also, easy link to add LEVEL 2 to GoodReads.

Cover Reveal for Hilary Graham's Reunited

I have the great pleasure of premiering the cover for Hilary Graham's upcoming novel REUNITED.  Not only is Hilary a fellow Apocaylpsie, she and I share the same editor at Simon & Schuster and we've gotten to hang out at Book Blogger Con and in Boston just recently.  But I am seriously excited for this novel for other reasons too: A) there's a road trip!  B) to see a rock band! C) the rock band is called Level3 (how cool is THAT?!) D) I am so into contemporary YA right now E) it just sounds awesome.

Here's the synopsis:

Coming from Simon & Schuster - June 12, 2012

1 Concert
 2,000 Miles
 3 Ex-Best Friends

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.

Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.

But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.

Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van know as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there.

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?

And here's the cover!

Add REUNITED to your GoodReads wishlist

A bit about Hilary Graham:

Hilary Weisman Graham is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and novelist.She lives in rural New Hampshire with her husband and son, roughly thirty minutes away from the nearest grocery store.

Website: http://www.hilarygraham.com
Blog: http://hilarywgraham.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HilaryWeismanGraham
Twitter: @HilaryGraham