Cover Reveal: FROM SUNSET TILL SUNRISE by Jonathan Rosen

March 24, 2018March 23, 2018 ~ bookvillageadmin ~ 1 Comment

COVER_REVEAL

When Jonathan Rosen told me he was interested in hosting the cover reveal for his next book, From Sunset Till Sunrise, here at the #MGBookVillage, I was psyched. His debut, Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies, was one of my favorite novels of last year. The book did something that I find exceptional, not to mention a whole lot of fun — it both creeped me out AND cracked me up.

If you haven’t read Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies yet, do yourself a favor and read it before From Sunset Till Sunrise hits shelves. In the interim, check out my brief interview with Jonathan below — and, of course, stick around to see the new book’s cover!

~ Jarrett

. . .

Before we get to the cover, can you tell us a little about the new book?

Absolutely! From Sunset Till Sunrise is a sequel to Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies. This time, Devin and his cousin Tommy suspect the new girl in the neighborhood is a vampire. When they go to a dance at her performing arts school, the Nosfer Academy of Talented Understudies, Devin and Tommy try to make sure this isn’t one party that lasts forever.

While the first book played off of zombie movies and films such as Gremlins and Fright Night, I tried to give this one a feel of From Dusk Till Dawn, but for middle graders.

Your first book managed to do something I find quite incredible: it blended the humorous and the horrifying — often in the space of a single scene, and sometimes even in the space of a single sentence! How do you accomplish that?

Thank you! I find that horror naturally lends itself to comedy. You always want to yell at the people on the screen about the stupid decisions they’re making. Don’t go in the house! Why are you opening that closet instead of running away? No, the man with the hook isn’t a good person to ask for directions!

I do try to make the characters slightly self-aware about horror movie staples and comment on them, to give a wink to the reader.

Are there favorite books of yours that combine the funny and the frightening?

Of course, I’ll start with Goosebumps. There have been other scary/funny books, but that was one of the books that made the genre really successful.

I also like Adam Gidwitz’s Grimm series, and David Lubar’s Weenies series. Both fun/scary books.

Now, on to the cover. . . Did you have the same illustrator as you had for the first book’s cover?

Yes, both illustrations were done by Xavier Bonet, with design by Kate Gardner. I think both covers capture the scariness and humor.

What was your reaction when you first saw the new cover?

I absolutely loved it. Yes, I know I have to say that, since it’s my cover, but I promise I do! What’s funny is, on Night of the Loving Cuddle Bunnies, they asked me for ideas and didn’t use any of them, and I still loved it. This one, they mostly took what I asked for. So, I’m happy!

Okay, now for the big reveal!

Whoa! It’s GREAT! And I love how it riffs off the first book’s cover. On that one, Devin is all alone (well, unless you count the horde of cuddle bunnies leering at him…) and looks rather nervous. Here, he’s got a crew, and he’s looking a LOT more ready for whatever is about to come his way.

Yes! I love how they’re on stage, with the vampires coming!

So, when can readers get their hands on the new book?

From Sunset Till Sunrise comes out August 21 of this year, but is available for pre-order now.

Thanks a lot for having me and sharing the cover!

Jonathan Rosen is a transplanted New Yorker, who now lives with his family in sunny, South Florida. He spends his “free” time chauffeuring around his three kids. Some of Jonathan’s fondest childhood memories are of discovering a really good book to dive into, in particular the Choose Your Own Adventure Series and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He currently writes middle-grade because he finds that he shares the same sense of humor as that audience. Jonathan is proud to be of Mexican-American descent, although neither country has been really willing to accept responsibility. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, FromtheMixedUpFiles.Com, The Tuesday Writers and his own website, www.HouseofRosen.com.

Cover Reveal: THE HOTEL BETWEEN by Sean Easley

February 25, 2018February 22, 2018 ~ bookvillageadmin ~ Leave a comment

COVER_REVEAL

Hi everyone!

#MGBookVillage is excited to bring you the cover reveal for Sean Easley’s The Hotel Between! This debut novel is also the November pick for the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club, so you are definitely going to want to read along with us!

A big thank you to Sean for letting us host the reveal and for taking the time to answer a few questions about The Hotel Between. You’ll hear more from Sean this fall since he’s scheduled to be a guest on the Books Between podcast.

Read my brief interview with Sean and check out the book’s magical cover below!

~ Corrina

…

Hi Sean! Before we reveal the cover, can you tell us a bit about The Hotel Between?

Of course! But first, thanks so much for hosting; I love what you’re doing, and I’m really excited to be sharing my book here!

Okay, so the short version: The Hotel Between is a middle grade adventure about a boy who uses the enchanted doors in a magical hotel to search the world for his father. It’s a globe-spanning journey of learning what makes a family–both the family you’re born with and the family you choose–and discovering that what you think you know isn’t always true. And, more than anything, it’s about the connections between us all, and how the whole of humanity is bound together in this amazing, magical world family.

But now I’m getting all abstract, so instead of me rambling on here’s the publisher description:

“Twins Cam and Cass have never known their parents. They’ve been told their mother died, and Cass is certain their father abandoned them. Cam isn’t so sure. He wants to prove her wrong; he must.

Cam’s wish is soon granted in the form of a glistening, golden sign with elaborate flourishes that reads: The Hotel Between. With doors that open to countries all over the world, magical trollies, charmed corridors that can be altered on a whim, stone elephants that turn to life, sweets made from rocks; everything is possible in The Hotel. Cam has a hunch his father is somehow connected to this magical place, and may even be lost within its hidden halls.

Every journey has its risks, and The Hotel Between is full of dangerous secrets. If Cam’s not careful, his stay may be over before his vacation has even started.”

So, this being a book about traveling the world, what are some of the places the characters end up going?

Oh, the places you’ll go! We hop magical doors constantly throughout the book, starting out in Dallas but eventually making our way to Moscow, Budapest, Northern China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, a cruise ship in the Antarctic, Honduras and Sydney and Bermuda and India and… well, those are just the start. And to top it off, the Hotel Between itself is a magical place full of its own hidden mysteries to be explored.

Who is the artist that designed your cover? And what did you think when you saw the final version?

I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I saw the unbelievable illustration from Petur Antonsson (you can find his stuff here: http://www.shannonassociates.com/peturantonsson). Never in my wildest dreams could I have expected anything this breathtaking. The colors! The doors showing the world! The elephant! The kids being awesome! It’s just incredible, and I’m so thankful to Petur for his illustration and the cover designer Chloe Foglia for her direction in putting it all together.

Let’s take a look!

HOTELBETWEEN_FINALCOMP

I love that when you look at the cover from different angles, it shifts your perspective as a reader and you notice different details. Can you discuss how shifts in perspective might be included in the story?

Me too! The perspective-defying layout is one of the things I love most about Petur’s illustration. In the book, there’s a tangible reason for the layout of the hotel to not make complete sense spatially, but also this is a book about the world as a whole, and how people–and kids–fit into it. So that dynamic fits the book in so many ways.

One of the biggest examples of changing perspectives is how the main character reacts to his sister throughout. Cam goes into the story feeling like he has to protect Cass–who was born with a serious and complicated health condition–from her own sense of adventure. It’s that assumed responsibility that drives him on his own adventure out into the wide world looking for help. But as Cam encounters new people and discovers that he doesn’t know all the things he assumes he knows, his understanding of his sister can finally begin to change, and he can start believing in her they way she believes in herself. The same is true for who Cam chooses to trust, what relationships he builds, etc.

Sean – thanks so much for letting us take a peek at the cover of The Hotel Between! When can readers get it, and where is a good place to preorder?

The Hotel Between is coming September 4, 2018 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. It’s up for preorder at the following places: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound. Also, feel free to add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Thank you, Sean!

No, thank YOU for having me!

Sean Easley started writing in third grade because he was looking for adventure. He’s worked with kids and teens for well over a decade, listening to their stories, and somehow ended up with a Master’s degree in education along the way. Now he’s a full-time writer living with his wife and son in Texas, where he stubbornly refuses to wear cowboy boots. Visit him at SeanEasley.com and on Twitter and Instagram @AuthorEasley.

Cover Reveal: THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC by Amanda Rawson Hill

February 24, 2018February 24, 2018 ~ bookvillageadmin ~ 1 Comment

Happy Saturday!

Today we’ve got yet ANOTHER cover reveal for you, this one for Amanda Rawson Hill’s highly anticipated debut, THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC! Check out my brief interview with Amanda below, in which we discuss her book, Everyday Magic, music, and more, and then stick around to take a look at the wonderful cover!

~ Jarrett

. . .

First off, Amanda, thank you so very much for letting us host your cover reveal here at the Village — we’re thrilled about it. But before we get to the cover, could you tell us a little bit about your book?

THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC is a middle-grade contemporary coming of age novel about a girl trying to hold on to all the people in her life who seem to be leaving in different ways. Kate’s dad disappeared a few months before the story starts, her Grammy moves in with her because she has early stage dementia, and Kate’s best friend Sofia seems to be moving on to a new best friend. Kate has to navigate these changing relationships, learning, in her words, “What’s just the right amount of love and the right amount of letting go.”

Everyday Magic — there’s something so exciting and enticing about the idea of it. Is it an entirely fictional creation? Or did someone teach it — or something similar to it — to you at some point in your life?

Everyday Magic is something that I swear my fingers typed out by themselves. I was doing a rewrite, because this book started out being about guardian angel grandmas, and I needed something to tie everything together. I was right at the first turning point and still wasn’t sure what that story “glue” was going to be. But whatever it was, I knew it needed to show up THAT night.

All of a sudden, Grammy said, “There are three rules to Everyday Magic. The first is to believe.” Then she went on to tell a story about fixing an old friendship after a fight. And Kate responded with, “That doesn’t sound like magic. That sounds like making up.”

Then Grammy replied, “Maybe. But I like to think that forgiveness is a special kind of magic.”

Well I had to stop typing right then and write down the three rules because they were coming to me faster than I could take it all in. They were still kind of fuzzy. I didn’t have them as succinctly as believe, give, trust yet. But in a few days, I had boiled them down to that point. I mention this because it was my first experience feeling like this idea came to me and it honestly didn’t feel like it came FROM me. You know?

Anyways, as I’ve continued to hone this book, I have had to come back to this idea of Everyday Magic and the rules around it and had to ask myself over and over again if I really believe that. Because if I’m going to pass it along to kids, I want it to be as true as I can make it. Where does it fall short? What are the weaknesses? And so on. Toward the end of the book, Kate has these light bulb moments about Everyday Magic and what it really is and all the different ways we make it in our lives, and that was kind of me really processing all of it as well. Now it feels like a part of me and I see it all the time.

For example, I live in an HOA with a couple of crank pots who would prefer that the common area in our neighborhood just be decoration instead of something children play on. But for the last few months, I’ve been really focused on the GIVE part of the Everyday Magic equation and I can personally attest to magical things happening because of it. Friendships blooming, hearts healing, attitudes changing. So no, not fictional at all. At least, not to me.

Now, onto the cover. Were you involved in the creative process at all?

A little bit. I was sent a cover back in early October that just didn’t feel right to me or my agent. We sent some feedback and my publisher came back with it tweaked but it still just wasn’t right. So we asked if they’d be willing to completely re-imagine it. Which…is a HUGE ask and I felt sick to my stomach for a couple of days over it. But my editor, Rebecca Davis, and the art director, Tim Gilner, were just absolutely amazing. They took my suggestions of what I thought would be fitting and said, “Yes.” You hear so many stories from debut authors especially about cover woes and the fact is that publishers don’t have to listen to what the author wants. They don’t. But mine did. They really, really listened and never made me feel like I was impertinent or going beyond my station. I love that so much. Boyds Mills Press really is a dream to work with.

What was your first response when seeing the cover art?

I had to wait two months after requesting the redesign to see the new cover. And it was completely and totally worth it. When I got the email, I was soooo nervous. But when I opened the attachment, I gasped and started crying. Truly.

Okay. I can’t wait any longer. Let’s do the big reveal!

Wow! Where’s the heart-eyed emoji when you need it? It’s stunning!One more question for you, after seeing the cover art:

Music isn’t mentioned at all in the jacket copy for the book, but it’s clear from the cover that music is an important part of Kate’s story. Can you discuss the role of music in your life, and how it’s incorporated into the story?

Yes! So music has been a part of my life from the very beginning. My parents both love to sing and my mom was always playing music in our home. When I was 5, I watched someone play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the piano and then proceeded to go home and play it myself. Neither of my parents played, so they were super impressed! They enrolled me in piano lessons and I continued to take those until I graduated from high school as a very advanced pianist. I also played the French horn all through junior high and high school, making it into the All-State orchestra, where I played Dvorjak’s “New World” Symphony, which was a life-changing experience for me. That’s something you never forget. My husband and I fell in love singing and playing the guitar together. Especially “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

In THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC music acts as both a source of sadness and of healing for Kate. It’s used to give us insight into her father’s slide into depression and Kate’s inability to move on from his departure from the family. It’s also used to help trigger Grammy’s memory and connect with her despite the dementia, which I lifted straight from my own Grandma’s experiences with my Grandpa who died of Alzheimer’s when I was fifteen. There is also a special scene near the end of the book where Kate’s mom tells her a story about playing Beethoven’s “Pathetique.” It’s this really lovely moment of healing. And the story is word for word exactly something that happened to me at a recital.

Okay, last question — I mean it this time! When can readers get their hands on THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC?

September 25th!

Amanda Rawson Hill grew up in Wyoming with a library right out her back gate. She attended Brigham Young University where she earned her BA in Chemistry. She now resides in central California with her husband, three children, a bulldog named after Moaning Myrtle, and a cat (Luna Lovegood) who is still mad about the acquisition of the dog. Her debut novel, THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC, releases from Boyds Mills Press in the fall of 2018.

Cover Reveal: SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY by Rob Vlock

February 17, 2018February 16, 2018 ~ bookvillageadmin ~ Leave a comment

For the second Saturday in a row here at the #MGBookVillage, we’re hosting a cover reveal! This week, it’s for SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY, the sequel to Rob Vlock’s SVEN CARTER & THE TRASHMOUTH EFFECT!

Rob’s debut was one of my favorite reads of all last year. It had me laughing out loud, gnawing at my fingernails, and canceling plans just so I could keep on reading. Sven’s first adventure is a total blast, and I can’t wait to see what he gets up to in the second installment of his story.

Read my brief interview with Rob below, and then check out the cover of SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY!

~ Jarrett

. . .

First of all, Rob, thanks so much for hosting your big reveal at the Village — we’re all super excited about it. As we are about SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY! Now, the first SVEN novel was one of the wildest, craziest, most action-packed books I’ve ever read. How do you follow THAT up?

Thanks, Jarrett! You’re making me blush! To be honest, it was kind of tough to follow up the first book. I had already thrown clown snakes and murderous roast chickens and a kid who has a face where his butt should be into Sven’s first adventure, so I definitely had to get creative to keep up the craziness. But it was worth the all the effort, because there are plenty of new freakish Ticks to keep readers shaking their heads!

Before we get to the new cover, can you tell us a bit about the new book?

SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY picks up right where the first book left off. Sven, Alicia, Will and Junkman Sam discover that Dr. Shallix’s evil plan to wipe out humanity goes way beyond Sven. There are six other Ticks out there just as deadly as Sven himself and they could extinguish the human race at any time. So Sven and his friends need to track them down and stop them before they carry out their missions.

Did you have the same illustrator who did the first cover do the second? What were your thoughts and feelings when you first saw the sketches and/or final product?

Yes! Steven Scott is the fantastically talented London-based illustrator who did both covers. He also did the art for the Sven Carter trading cards that I’ve been giving out at events. Steve totally captured both books with his cover art. I was really lucky in that I had the opportunity to come up with the idea for the second cover. And what Steve ended up drawing matches what I had in my head perfectly!

When you talk to kids about SVEN CARTER, what do you tend to hear from them?

It’s funny, when I describe the first book to kids, I see a ton of jaws drop every time! Especially when I get to the part where Sven’s arm falls off and then reattaches itself. I think they’re just surprised to hear that a grownup is writing the kind of silly absurdity that can only come from channeling one’s inner 10-year-old. Which is great for me, because that’s pretty much my maturity level (much to the embarrassment of my kids!).

Finally, I have to ask: you seem to know an awful lot about sophisticated androids masquerading as human beings. Are you, yourself, a sophisticated android masquerading as a human being?

What? No, that’s absurd. I’m just a regular human.

But wouldn’t an android posing as a human say that same thing?

Well, yeah. I guess. But I’m not an android.

Which is exactly what an android would say! By saying you’re not an android, you’re proving that you actually are one!

Wait! I… I’m… uh… you see… Illogical! Illogical! Does not compute! Does not compute! System overload! Shutting down in 5…4…3…2…1…………….

I guess that’s it for my interview with author Rob Vlock. So we’ll go ahead and share the cover now!

If you haven’t read SVEN CARTER & THE TRASHMOUTH EFFECT, hurry up and do so. And be sure to pick up a copy of Rob’s new book, SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY, coming out October 18 from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin and available for pre-order now!

Rob is the author of SVEN CARTER & THE TRASHMOUTH EFFECT (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin) and SVEN CARTER & THE ANDROID ARMY (October 16, 2018, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin). He writes fun, funny, fast-paced kids’ books that are perfect for reluctant readers. And when he’s not writing, you can usually find him somewhere in the greater Boston area trying to make his trumpet sound like something other than a dying goose. It’s a work in progress.

Cover Reveal: THE RIGHT HOOK OF DEVIN VELMA by Jake Burt

February 10, 2018 ~ bookvillageadmin ~ 3 Comments

Happy Saturday!

For us here at the #MGBookVillage, it’s a very happy Saturday indeed. That’s because we’re lucky enough to be hosting a cover reveal for The Right Hook of Devin Velma, the second novel by Jake Burt, author of last year’s all-around exceptional Greetings from Witness Protection!

Before we get to the big reveal, I’d just like to thank Jake for thinking of the Village as the place to host it, and also for taking the time to answer a few of my questions about The Right Hook of Devin Velma and its cover. Read my brief interview with Jake — and see the new book’s cover! — below.

~ Jarrett

. . .

Jake! You’ve been busy, my friend. Greetings from Witness Protection! released last October, and since then, you’ve been touring, Skyping, guest posting all over the place, AND teaching your 5th graders in Connecticut. Somehow, amidst all of this, you’ve found time to get your second novel ready for the presses. I’m impressed!

But before we reveal the cover of your latest masterpiece, can you tell us a little bit about it?

Absolutely . . . right after I thank MG Book Village for hosting me, and you for the interview. My upcoming novel is entitled The Right Hook of Devin Velma. Like Greetings, it’s a MG contemporary. We’ve been hard at work on the cover copy (that’s the little summary that will go on the back of the ARC), and here’s a shortened version of it, to give you a taste of what the novel is about:

When Addison Gerhardt’s best friend, Devin Velma, begs for his help, Addi knows he’s in trouble. After all, Devin wants to hit it big on the internet by pulling a stunt at an NBA game – one the entire nation will be watching. Addison can’t turn Devin down, but he can barely manage talking to his teachers without freezing up. How’s he supposed to handle the possibility of being a viral sensation?

Addi’s not sure why Devin is bent on pulling off this almost-impossible feat. Maybe it has something to do with Devin’s dad’s hospital bills. Maybe it all goes back to the Double Barreled Monkey Bar Backflip of Doom. Or maybe its something else entirely. No matter what, though, it’s risky for both of them, and when the big day finally comes, Devin’s plan threatens more than just their friendship.

That sounds fantastic! I can’t wait to find out what the Backflip of Doom entails.

You won’t have to wait long . . . it’s the title of the second chapter.

Now that we know what the book is about, let’s get to the cover art. Can you tell us a bit about it?

It’s ORANGE — which, by the way, I think was a great choice by the art department at Macmillan. We wanted something modern and poppy, and since we felt that the title was a strong draw, we wanted to highlight it as well. The colors they chose do a great job of that in my opinion.

We also decided to go in a cartoonish direction. The cover of my first novel was very concept-y, with the characters’ faces pixelated and barred (save my main character, who looks like she’s taped into the family). There was a lot to “read” on that cover. I adore covers like that, but for this one, we wanted something simpler, something both inviting and spare. That’s why we went for the portraits of the two main characters, represented in a sort of caricature style.

I can’t wait to see it!

Well then, without further ado:

The Right Hook_cover.JPG

Whoa! Congratulations, man! I know it’s always a rush to see what your baby is going to look like on the shelves. Can I ask you what your initial thoughts were when you first saw this one?

I love the way the artist, Tom Booth (www.tom-booth.com/), captured Addison — the narrator of the story. He’s the tall guy on the right who looks like he’s just had a rendezvous with the business end of someone’s fist. Devin, his titular best friend, has a goofy sort of confidence that’s spot on. Yes, both boys are highly stylized, but I think that’ll draw kids in. Another aspect of cartooned cover characters I like is that they’re representative enough without instantly petrifying how the reader imagines the character. Even though I read every single Harry Potter book before seeing one of the movies, Daniel Radcliffe leaps into my head every time I imagine Harry. It was never that way with the Harry from the cover illustrations, and I liked that freedom. Not that Radcliffe makes a bad Potter (quite the opposite!), but I enjoyed it when the Harry in my brain was unique to me. I hope Addison and Devin afford the same opportunity to readers . . .

. . . not that I’d mind seeing Addi and Devin in a movie (Spielberg — CALL ME).

Jake — thanks so much for giving us this first glimpse at the cover of The Right Hook of Devin Velma. When can we expect to see Addison and Devin on shelves?

October 2nd, 2018 (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan). Only eight months to go!

Jake Burt is the award-winning author of Greetings from Witness Protection! The Right Hook of Devin Velma is his second novel. He lives in Connecticut, where he also teaches fifth grade, plays the banjo, and runs around on the ultimate frisbee field. Check him out at www.jburtbooks.com and on Twitter @jburtbooks.