THIS ONE IS ABOUT YOU

Yes, you, as in you the person sitting at their computer or tablet or even phone, reading this right now. What matters to you, as a reader of YA dystopian novels? As a new author, just learning about the exciting roller coaster we call publishing, I’m interested in what you think.

Take covers, for instance. Are there trends you’re weary of? What catches your eye? Have you ever bought a book because of the cover?

How much does it matter to you that the cover of later books in the series matches or goes along with the first cover? And blurbs, otherwise known as quotes, when you see them on the cover or the back cover, do they influence you? Have you ever chosen a book because of a quote from an author you admire?

Do you care if there is a short story set in the same world as the novel or would you just rather wait for the next novel? And, speaking of that, how long will you wait for a sequel to the first book in a series?

I want to know because I’d like to learn how readers feel. But I also want to discover what you’re interested in hearing about. How many of you are also writers, for example? Do you want to see more posts about the business of publishing or about the craft of writing? Or would you rather see more about YA science fiction books and films? Or be surprised? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’m all…

International dystopian Covers

A couple of weeks ago, Lenore mentioned colors of dystopian books in her post. That got me thinking. Do countries approach dystopian covers differently? I live in Germany so I'm familiar with German covers and very few of them are the US covers.

I spent the morning searching the internet for covers and it was fascinating to see how different countries interpret the same book.

Lets start with my own book The Other Life for example:

German/UK/US

Next covers: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Swedish/French/German/US

Next covers: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Serbian/German/US/UK

And last but not least: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

German/Arabic/US

Italian/Dutch/Danish

Thai/Russian/Romanian

Maybe I'm wrong but it seems that foreign covers are often much darker than the US original. Except for the German covers.

I really like the Swedish SHATTER ME cover. It's dark and forlorn. I'm not so sure about the Romanian HUNGER GAMES cover though. It's a bit strange...

Do you have a favorite foreign cover? A cover you hate? Do you always prefer the US cover?

Level 2 cover coming very soon!

One of the most exciting days in a new author's life is the day she sees her cover for the first time. I can tell you I pretty much fell in love with mine instantly. It will also be an exciting day when I finally get to reveal the cover for LEVEL 2 on this Friday June 1, 2012 on my blog.

What I can do today already is tease you a bit, and share the summary:

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow prisoners, Felicia passes the endless hours downloading memories and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and the boy she loved, Neil. 

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber disappears, and nobody but Felicia seems to recall she existed in the first place. Something is obviously very wrong. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, she learns the truth: a rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Morati, the guardians of Level 2. 

Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, but then he promises what she wants the most—to be with Neil again—if only she’ll join the rebels. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself in the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind. 

LEVEL 2 is the first book in The Memory Chronicles and will be released by Simon & Schuster BFYR on January 15, 2013.

Head over to my Level 2 Cover Reveal Week to see part of the back cover of LEVEL 2 and to find out what fun I have in store for the rest of the week ...

Get MODIFIED

Pardon the short post today.  I'm nursing a cold, prepping for BEA, and working on edits for book two, but I wanted to share some awesomeness with you.  But first - is anyone interested in seeing pics from BEA on this blog?  I'd be happy to do a recap in coming weeks.

ANYWAY my lovely publisher has put together a free kindle edition of the opening chapters of
Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate (Feiwel and Friends)
Crewel by Gennifer Albin (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel and Friends)
All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers) Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Feiwel and Friends)
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
in 
MODIFIED: Cyborgs, Mutants, and Dystopia, which you can pre-order and have delivered directly to your kindle for free.


So far I've read Cinder and Shadow and Bone this year, and I have to say they are amazing.  You definitely want to grab this and check them out!

What’s YA Got To Do With It?

An author friend tweeted this the other day from a conversation with YA writers: “It’s a good book, even though it’s adult.”

The humor comes from the fact that for years readers and some authors who write adult fiction have looked down on YA writing. Most of us know how the big hitters -- Harry Potter (post book 1)/ Twilight,/Hunger Games -- paved the way for YA dominance. It’s the fastest-growing category and often takes up more floor and shelf space than any other fiction group.

And it can be argued that’s partly because YA is a category and not a genre. But let’s not get lost in semantics. If you follow Publisher’s Marketplace (and you should if you’re looking for an agent or hope to work as an editor or agent), you’ll see an abundance of YA sales amidst the non-fiction.

So the question I’m most often getting asked on panels and in interviews is why do you think YA fantasy and dystopian has become so popular for so many adult readers? Lenore blogged here about how YA dystopian novels differ from the adult versions (hint, think happier endings on the YA versions), but that answers a different question.

What are your thoughts as to why adults are reading more YA than ever before?

Book recommendation: Masque of the Red Death

I was lucky to snatch up an ARC of this book a few months ago, and after one look at the cover I knew I'd love it.

Isn't it gorgeous? And what's more important, it gets across the mood of the book. After all, it's a re-imagining of Edgar Allen Poe's work!
Here's the description from goodreads:
Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Why do I love it?
- it's a dark, atmospheric steampunk-y dystopian
- there are two swoon-worthy boys, Will and Elliott. Some of you might groan and say: a love triangle? But it works well and it didn't make me roll my eyes or want to bite into the book once.
- a shocking twist (*evil laughter*)
- the Debauchery Club where the heroine Araby tries to forget her brother's death.
- the world is creepy and dark and fascinating and unique.
- gorgeous writing
- crocodiles

Do I have to say more?

What Color Is Dystopia?

I've been thinking a lot about covers because I finally get to reveal the cover of LEVEL 2 in one short week (cue breathless anticipation)! I can give you a little hint though today - the main color on my cover is white. Why? Well, LEVEL 2 is set in a starkly white afterlife that is almost more sinister in its brightness than a shadowy, dark place would be. White, to me, also denotes order (where black represents chaos) which goes along well with dystopias that rule with an iron fist (where black goes along well with post-apocalyptic stories).

Kate Hart has an interesting recent post on covers that goes a long way towards refuting the idea that YA is too dark (at least visually).  And you might think, well dystopians and post-apocalyptic books are dark, ergo dark covers.  But you only have to look in the sidebar of this blog to see that's not (always) the case. So, what do we think? Could the color of dystopia actually be white?