Cover Stories: Positively by Courtney Sheinmel

The awesome Courtney Sheinmiel is here to share the Cover Story behind the recently released Positively. The book is about Emerson Price, who was four-years-old when she and her mom were diagnosed as HIV-positive. Now she is thirteen and her mother is dead. Emmy moves in with her father and stepmother, but she feels completely alone. When they send her to a camp for HIV-positive girls, Emmy is certain she's going to hate it. But soon she realizes that she's not so alone after all -- and that sometimes letting other people in can make all the difference in the world.

Here's Courtney:

"While I was writing my second book, POSITIVELY, I kept thinking of the cover of Jenny Downham's wonderful book, BEFORE I DIE (below). The image is so haunting and powerful - a black and white photo of a teenage girl. The expression on her face just seemed to me to be a lot like Emerson, the thirteen-year-old narrator of POSITIVELY. A writer friend suggested that

I send my editor the BEFORE I DIE cover, which I did. He emailed back not to worry; they would come up with something perfect for POSITIVELY.

"A couple months later, my editor emailed me the POSITIVELY cover. It looks nothing like BEFORE I DIE. For one thing, it is full of color. It is so hopeful and it captures the book better than anything I ever imagined. There is a pivotal scene in the book when Emerson and her family release balloons, which is depicted on the cover. I love the way the balloon in Emerson's hand has a red ribbon. As far as I know, the picture was

a stock photo and not a model shoot - hard to believe because it's just so perfect. The one thing I was surprised about was the girl's blond hair; I always pictured Emerson with darker hair. But I am absolutely thrilled with the cover, and now I think of her as a blonde."

I'm so glad the cover got that bright treatment (though I love Jenny Downham's cover too). I just think the feel of it, like a photograph taken in the sun, is so warm and hopeful. What do you guys think?

PS-Courtney will share the Cover Story for her first book, My So-Called Family, tomorrow!

PPS-Courtney is donating a portion of her proceeds from this book to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Very cool.

Little Willow's Book Bag

This Week's Picks
The Beautiful Between by Alyssa Sheinmel
The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor

This Month's Spotlighted Title
Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

May: Helping Someone in a Bad Situation

Lisa says, "On the streets and homeless, Maybe hits rock bottom. Where could she have turned for help? If you knew someone who was in an abusive situation, what would you do?"

Guest Blog: Melina Marchetta

Like our May book pick, Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee, the novel Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta explores the relationship between a long-absent father and his teenaged daughter. For this and many other reasons, the postergirlz named Looking for Alibrandi a recommended read for the month of May. After I informed Melina of this, we discussed this month's theme, hope. Here's what she had to say:

A couple of years ago a blogger wrote a one sentence review of my novel, On the Jellicoe Road. It was bleak indeed. Death, suicide, teen pregnancy, abandonment, depression and the list went on and on. It was pretty awful to see your work reduced to a list of bleakness. What I wanted her to mention was the hope. That it was a story about redemption, love, community, identity, humour and friendship.

Hope is what I try to offer in all my work. In Alibrandi, despite the losses Josie faces in the end, she refuses to be a pessimist because she believes in the goodness of the individual person. In Francesca, on the last page Frankie Spinelli goes to school with hope in her heart regardless of the uncertainty in her life. In Jellicoe, Taylor Markham ends up in a house by the river that was built to bring solace. In Finnikin the two main protagonists may have a different view of homeland, but they both journey thousands of miles to bring a sense of place to a dispirited people. In The Piper's Son, I used a simple gesture between three generations of men to convey that perhaps Tom Mackee and his family and friends are going to be okay.

Ending a story with hope isn’t easy. Not because there's not enough around, but because it can come across clichéd or super sweet or as if you're saying that life has a simple solution. But I try anyway because I would never leave the reader without a safe place to go. That's not to say that I believe it has to be the prerequisite for all storytelling, but I've made it the number one rule in mine.

~ Melina Marchetta

More About Author in Residence Lisa Ann Sandell!

Here's a little more about our newest Author in Residence, Lisa Ann Sandell. See her first vlog, about inspirations and writing habits, here.

Story Secrets: ETERNAL by Cynthia Leitich Smith + Giveaway!

I'm very excited to welcome author Cynthia Leitich Smith to the blog today to chat about ETERNAL, now available in paperback and which debuted on the NYT bestseller list! Congrats, Cynthia!

Cynthia is not only a popular and beloved YA author, but she is a champion of literature. She runs a fabulous industry blog for Children's and YA at Cynsations - definitely worth a few hours of fascination!

Welcome, Cynthia!

*****

ETERNAL (Candlewick 2009, 2010) is the story of shy, quiet Miranda, who dreams of being an actress but withers on stage, and Zachary, the guardian angel whose job it is to watch over her. When Miranda’s life is in danger, Zachary breaks the rules and shows himself, unintentionally triggering events that result in a far worse fate for “his girl,” becoming “adopted” by the vampire king.

This Gothic fantasy novel is two parts love story and one part political thriller. It takes place in a multi-creature verse that includes not only angels and vampires, but also various kinds of shape-shifters.


I love to hear the stories behind the story – from where did the idea for ETERNAL come?

ETERNAL is part of a larger series, which debuted with TANTALIZE (Candlewick, 2007, 2008), and the two casts will crossover in BLESSED, which picks up where TANTALIZE leaves off...


Read the rest and enter to win ETERNAL here!

rgz LIVE! with Lisa Yee!

Welcome to rgz LIVE! with Lisa Yee! We're super excited to have her visit, and the chat will start at the top of the hour--make sure you're here and ready to talk about hope, rgz!

rgz LIVE! chat tonight with Lisa Yee!

Join us tonight at the readergirlz blog for a live chat with Lisa Yee, author of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE! It's sure to be hilarious, maybe even with a guest appearance from Peepy:



It all starts at 6pm PST/9pm EST. See you there!

Author in Residence Lisa Ann Sandell!

Our third awesome Author in Residence, Lisa Ann Sandell, is a deeply insightful writer who will be on the rgz team through August! Check out her mini-issue at the rgz website.

Throughout her visit, she will be cross-posting at the readergirlz blog. We are honored to have Lisa among us (look at those gorgeous books!).

Here is the first of Lisa's vlog entries about writing, in which she takes us on a walk and shows us some of her inspirations and writing spots in her hometown of NYC!

She also reads a gorgeous passage from Song of the Sparrow.

Thanks, Lisa! It's so much fun to get a peek into writers' worlds. Anyone else care to share their own creative processes? Tell us!

Learn more about Lisa Ann Sandell and our author-in-residence position.

May: The Soundtrack to Absolutely Maybe

Featured Author Lisa Yee hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies Absolutely Maybe this month (and how cool is that peek at the mix, left?). Listen to the full soundtrack with the player in the right-hand sidebar or in the May issue!

Nerdfighters: Get ready for John Green in June!

I am so a Nerdfighter. Are you? Subscribe to the Vlogbrothers if you haven't and get ready to talk to John all next month! I mean, listen in here. How can you not love John? (and Hank :~)



And if you need an overview of Nerdfighters, watch this:



Click here for the playlist to get you started! DFTBA!

May: Where is Your Quiet Place?

Lisa says, "At one point, Maybe retreats to the library for solace. Where to you go or what do you do when you want to be alone?"

Rgz Miami HOST: Christina Diaz Gonzalez!

Liz here to present a video straight to you readergirlz from your Miami HOST, Crissa!

It's a video of Christina Diaz Gonzalez talking about her new book, The Red Umbrella.

Here's a little intro to the book: The Red Umbrella is the moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan—an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution.

And here's Crissa's video!

Guest Blog: Julia DeVillers

For this month's issue of readergirlz, the postergirlz selected the non-fiction book Girlwise: How to be Confident, Capable, Cool and in Control by Julia DeVillers as a recommended read. Here's a little special something written by Julia for the rgz blog:

There was something tricky about writing a book subtitled: How to Be Confident, Capable, Cool, and in Control.

I needed to figure how to actually give advice on that. Gee, you mean I'm not always confident, capable, cool and in control? (Um, nope.)

So I turned to the experts. I talked with more than 100 amazing women on topics teens told me they wanted to know more about. They share how to deal with rejection and how to deal with a clogged toilet. How to have fun with fashion, run for class office, write a poem, start a band, volunteer, eat without shame...

My fellow authors weighed in! Meg Cabot (THE PRINCESS DIARIES and etc. etc.) shared how to act like a princess, including this gem: "Can princesses have messy rooms? Yes, but for god's sake, there is a difference between messy and unhygienic. There is nothing princess-like about vermin."

Carolyn Mackler (TANGLED) told how to bond with her car (she drove cross-country in a car named Egg)

Jennifer Roy (YELLOW STAR) (and my twin) told how to change a diaper (yeah, I gave her a 'stinky' topic, I know).

And Jane Yolen shared this advice she told her daughter growing up: "I hope that you will leave the world a better place than you found it. We humans are all litterbugs - both in the literal sense (throwing out paper trash is the least of it) and the moral sense."

Interviewing these amazing women for GIRLWISE was a truly inspiring experience, and I’m so glad the book has inspired readers. I love what one teen told me: "Girlwise made me realize that these embarrassing, frustrating and weird things don't only happen to me! And now I'm more confident dealing with them—and having more fun.”

Readergirlz is so definitely Girlwise: confident, capable, cool and in control. I mean, look at readergirlz themes: compassion, risk-taking, self-respect, tolerance, creativity, hope...serious fun! (And there's a killer line in the manifesto I wish I had thought myself: Surround myself with friends who embody traits of good book characters. Maybe I can use that in the next edition of Girlwise, someday?! :)

I'm proud that GIRLWISE is a postergirlz pick.

~ Julia DeVillers

Little Willow's Book Bag

This Week's Picks
For Keeps by Natasha Friend

This Month's Spotlighted Title
Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

Cover Stories: Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The prolific Lauren Baratz Logsted's novel Crazy Beautiful got major buzz. Just check out these reviews from Angieville, The Compulsive Reader and GreenBeanTeenQueen. Raves!

And the cover is dark and compelling, so of course, I had to ask for a Cover Story. So here's Lauren:

"When I thought about the cover, I knew I wanted there to be a hook on it, since Lucius Wolfe has prosthetic hooks in place of hands.

"It came up during a visit my family paid to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Boston to discuss The Sisters 8 series for young readers [read that Cover Story here!]. I said I wanted a hook and my editor agreed there should be one.

"When I first saw the cover, I was overwhelmed. I'd envisioned a realistic hook, not the wispy, smoky hook that you can barely see for what it is, but I absolutely

loved it. HMH does great covers.

"My editor is wonderful. With each cover, she says something like, 'Sales loves this, but the most important thing to me is: What do you think?' Who knows? She may just be the world's greatest politician, but she always makes me feel like my point of view matters.

"However, no further comments or suggestions were needed from me, other than: 'I love it - you people rock!'

"The photo of the couple is by Harry Vorsteher, the photo of the hook is by Sean McHugh, and the jacket design is by HMH's own Carol Chu.

"I just think they did an amazing job and the reaction to the cover by the YA blogosphere has been phenomenal, nothing like anything I've ever experienced before. One thing I hadn't noticed before I started answering these questions for you: At the bottom of the inside back jacket flap there's a much more pronounced hook. Neat. I'm so unobservant. Oh, and I like how when you remove the mostly black jacket the book underneath is hot pink with silver lettering."

Ooh, cool! I have an ARC that doesn't have that hot pink interior, so I'll have to find that in a bookstore. What do you guys think of this cover? (I also love the hint of pink in the title font... gorgeous.)

May: Will Mean Girls Regret Their Behavior?

Lisa says, "Maybe is picked on at school by the stuck-up, popular girls. Do you think any of them will ever regret being so mean in high school?"

Still Rocking the Drop: Pima County Public Library

Operation Teen Book Drop keeps rolling on, rgz! Shout out to Maureen Kearney with the Pima County Public Library in Tucson who just finished a month-long Teen Book Drop drive. Over 250 books were donated from 9 branches! Woohoo! Here's Maureen loading boxes:


The books are being sent to the Dr. Fernando Escalante Community Library and Resource Center on the Pascua Yaqui reservation, and the Venito Garcia Library, which serves the Tohono O’odham nation in Sells, AZ.

They so rocked the drop! Thank you, Pima County!

Story Secrets: FAITHFUL by Janet Fox + Giveaway!

A warm welcome to my faraway friend and fellow 2K10 debut author, Janet Fox!

Even though Janet and I have not met in person (not yet - but there's BEA right around the corner!), we have become fast friends. And I am very excited to introduce you to FAITHFUL, which releases today! And we have a copy to give away!

Welcome, Janet!

*****

FAITHFUL is my debut novel. It’s YA historical fiction set in 1904, with romance and mystery and a unique setting – Yellowstone National Park. I’m most excited about the way that the setting, with its deadly yet spectacular hot springs, geysers, and animals, acts as a metaphor for the novel and the experiences of my protagonist, Maggie Bennet.

FAITHFUL is such a romantic story, and also a family story. Did it come from life?

My husband and I met and fell in love in the mountains of Montana not far from Yellowstone. Years later, when I began writing and shortly after my mom died, I began to think about what Yellowstone meant to me, and Maggie and her story were born.

Jeff and I were on a hike, and I stopped as said, “What if I wrote….?” And that he let me talk through the first ideas for the story. What a guy. No wonder it’s a romance...

Read the rest and enter the FAITHFUL giveaway!

Cover Stories: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Jeri Smith-Ready's latest book, SHADE, is the first in a young adult urban fantasy series about a world of ghosts only the young can see. When Aura's boyfriend meets a most untimely end, she is forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead.

Ooh! Here's the deal with that dark and stormy cover:

"I imagined your typical young adult urban fantasy cover for SHADE--girl's face, maybe half cut off. I've always loved Simon Pulse's covers. They're so sophisticated and evocative, so my expectations were pretty high. Since violet and red are important elements in the story, I assumed they would be used on the cover.

"My editor sent me their ideas for the cover concept, but it was more of a, 'Here's what we're thinking' rather than a 'What would you like to see?' e-mail. Which is fine, because I'm so not a visual person. I would've been like, 'Um, how about a girl's face, half cut off? Maybe some swirlies? Oh, and definitely use black.' So helpful.

"The first time I saw my cover, I was Blown. Away. Seriously. I've been super lucky with all my covers, but when I saw the SHADE cover and jacket wrap-around, I cried. I felt like I was in the presence of genius--the designer was Cara Petrus, who designed the House of Night cover series (see book 1, Marked, right) when she was at St. Martin's. She's a goddess.

"My only comments were a series of incoherent noises of glee, so my agent was the one to respond with, 'We unequivocally LOVE THIS SO MUCH. We love EVERYTHING. Really. Home run...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!'

"Oh, and when I met Cara in November, I had a doughnut in my mouth, so all I could do was bow to her, Wayne's World 'We're Not Worthy' style. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a dork, and I'm also pretty sure she's right.

"There were no changes, other than to add a tagline and cover quote, plus a short scene on the back cover. They also changed the font on my name (see the full jacket wrap photo with the original font on melissacwalker.com). It probably changed before I saw it, though.

"It was shot with a model one night on a Brooklyn rooftop. I need to find out which building so I can visit it and take a picture...."

Read the rest of the story, and see the full jacket wrap, on melissacwalker.com.