7 Things You Don't Know About Melissa Walker

Happy anniversary, readergirlz!
In honor of our seven-year anniversary, we're catching up with rgz divas and featured authors. Kicking off our anniversary series (or shall we say, anniver-series?) of posts is none other than our own Melissa Walker.

7 Things You Don't Know About Me:
1. I have kept a diary every year since third grade.
2. I have been known to sip pickle juice straight from the jar.
3. My dad passed away 10 years ago, but I can still hear his voice when I need advice.
4. I love the idea of collecting sea glass, but I'm lazy about actually doing it when I'm at the beach.
5. I find it delightful when cocktails are served in their proper glasses.
6. I sing show tunes to my two-year-old in hopes that one day she'll be my Broadway companion (my husband isn't into musicals).
7. I still think the world looks magic if someone is blowing bubbles nearby.

We'll be posting updates and tidbits from familiar faces all month long here at the readergirlz blog. Stay tuned and celebrate with us!

Watch for it: Devine Intervention, Unbreak My Heart, and Dragonswood

You know the volunteer divas are all award-winning YA writers as well, right? Be sure to catch these books up and devour them. Each novel is just like her author, of course.



Fast, fun, and rings with Martha Brockenbrough's awesome wit.
Devine Intervention



Honest, dear, and heart-warming with hope from Melissa Walker.
Unbreak My Heart



Exciting raw imagery and intrigue from a master of high fantasy, Janet Lee Carey.
Dragonswood

Find these, rgz, as soon as they are all released. There is talent among us, and you will fall in love with the works of our staff. Ready, set, go!

Cover Stories: Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker

Writing my own Cover Story is always odd. But here goes.

I sent Caroline, my editor at Bloomsbury, a bunch of inspiration images for this cover (one is below). You know, girl, sailboat, sun, water... okay, so I was kind of vague.


When they came back to me, it was with this first draft (right). And it DID capture the girl, sailboat, big sky stuff. But the boat? It wasn't right. So here's how I responded:

Thanks so much for sending along this design! I do like the echoing heart from SINNERS and the general feeling of being out on the water, glimmering sun, and mood of the girl. I have a couple of things I'd like to mention though:

1. That boat is a Catamaran, totally different from what Clem's family is on. I think because the boat is such a big part of the story, it matters. 

2. The pink feels a little like it veers over the cheese line. Maybe it's the pink with the heart, maybe it's the pink and purple of my name... it just feels a bit like it's trying too hard somehow to shout "Love Story!" Maybe there's a way to get a similar tone in there with a natural element, like a sunset?

And Bloomsbury was great, really took my concerns to heart. Everyone really loved the girl (myself included) so at first they tried to adjust the boat so it would look more like Clem's... but that just made it look less like a real boat. So they went in a totally different direction...

Read the rest of my Cover Story at melissacwalker.com!