LDS Publisher – Page 24

Funeral Potatoes by Joni Hilton

Sydney hates funerals, overlong programs, creepy corpses, warbly singing. But she loves gooey, cheesy funeral potatoes. And these days, between her ward and neighborhood and extended family, it seems like there’s always a funeral for the Relief Society president to attend. Not fun occasions, of course, but not terribly traumatic either which is good, considering how crazy life is already with taking care of four little kids and one inactive brother.

Ted is the lone black sheep amongst the blond-haired, blue-eyed OllerVanKeefers (rhymes with overachievers) and his lack of a testimony coupled with his lack of overall ambition has Syd concerned perhaps a bit too concerned, given how she sometimes prays for a not-too-serious car crash to shake him up a bit. But when a real crisis hits the family and Syd sees the shadowy side of picture-perfect happiness, she realizes that she’s been praying for the wrong things, and that nobody needs to run faster than she has strength even if (especially if) you’re a former all-state track star. You’ll laugh out loud with this enchanting tale that will help you find the joy in your own less-than-perfect family and in life’s little comforts, like funeral potatoes.

Read excerpt

Title: Funeral Potatoes

Author: Joni Hilton

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: February 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60861-920-7

Size: 194 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: General, Humor

A Sermon and A $50 Amazon Gift Card Contest

Today is the last day to vote for your favorite 2011 book cover. It ends at MIDNIGHT, Mountain Time, tonight.

I’m seeing a lot of posts and tweets that say things like, “Yay, I made the finalists! Go vote for my book.” And a lot of replies that say things like, “I hope you win! I voted for you like you asked.”

While I’m grateful for the help in spreading the word, just a reminder, this should NOT be a popularity contest, as in “Because I’m your friend, I’m voting for you…”

Please, please, please…

As you spread the word, tell your friends to vote for the cover they like best. It may very well be your cover. But then again, it may not be.

I realize I can’t control this and you may not be able to control it either. I mean, your mother is going to vote for your cover even if she thinks it’s the most hideous thing she’s ever seen. Just saying, please, encourage people to vote for the cover they find the most visually appealing.

End of sermon.

Now for the Whitney Reading Contest…

LDS Women’s Book Review is sponsoring their 2nd Annual “Read ‘Em All” Challenge and I’m signing up! I didn’t get all of them read last year, but this year, I’m on schedule!

(See my sidebar? I’m more than halfway done.)

Here’s the post with the details:
How to Read 35 Books in 81 Days and a Challenge

Let me know in the comments if you’ve joined too. I want to know how steep my competition is.

Olivia by Julie Wright

The Robbins household looks perfect from the outside: no dust, no stains, no wrinkles. Yet a glimpse into its heart reveals no laughter, no closeness, no joy. Olivia thinks that if she keeps everything tidy and serves delicious meals on time, family life is bound to get better. But when her husband, Nick, misses their anniversary, she realizes no amount of domestic success will compensate for failure in their marriage, or for her own failure to develop her identity, always busy as a mother, wife, and neighbor, she has forgotten how to be a unique and vibrant individual.

Determined to make a change, Olivia joins a local book club, where she nurtures new friendships and explores new ideas. But her growing confidence falters when Nick declares his independence, and while her new friends lovingly encircle her with support, only Olivia can reach into the depths of her fledgling self to find the faith, hope, and love her troubled family needs.

Read excerpt The Newport Ladies Bookclub Blog

Title: Olivia (The Newport Ladies Book Club, book 1)

Author: Julie Wright

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: February, 2012

ISBN: 978-1608618439

Size: 224 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: General/Women

Death Cheater by Danielle Thorne

From the shadow of a tangled thorn bush, and soft, padding footsteps shuffled in the late afternoon gloom. My breathing went ragged with fear. Maybe it was a raccoon or an angry squirrel.

Athena.

Whipping around, I stared hard into the murk. A voice. It sounded gentle, but at the same time it sent chills down my arms. I glanced up through the hooded canopy of tree branches and tried to see heaven.

God?

There was a growl, and the terror I’d been holding at bay zipped up my spine into my skull. I was sure my long hair stood on end, like when kids touched the electrostatic generator at the science museum.

Something was coming for me, and it wasn’t something from the woods. It’d been following me all day. Maybe even my entire life.

Athena Gray lives vicariously through her sister because people in general avoid her. Whether it’s strange things like dead butterflies fluttering to life, or the time she saved her dying grandpapa just by willing him to live, Athena knows that she is different. The only person who doesn’t seem to think so is Dan, the most popular boy on Omega High School’s baseball team. But even Dan can’t understand the reason she acts haunted, until a spirit roaming the local historic burial mounds takes an interest in people Athena cares about.

Read excerpt

Title: Death Cheater

Author: Danielle Thorne

Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing

Release Date: February 13, 2012

ISBN: NA

Size: 178 pages, eBook

Genre: YA Paranormal

Prank Wars by Stephanie Fowers

All war. No love. Madeleine’s been hurt too many times in the dating scene to let Byron beat her in some huge prank war. They’ve had their deserters, their POWS, their casualties, but no one can risk losing the battle of the sexes.

Except now something strange is happening at the college…and it’s not just the students. Buried deep beneath the pranks is real danger, and the only other person who suspects is Byron. Should Mad join sides with him or does that mean forfeiting her heart to the enemy?

Read excerpt View trailer

Title: Prank Wars

Author: Stephanie Fowers

Publisher: Triad Media and Entertainment

Release Date: February 14, 2012

ISBN: 978-0615587097

Size: 354 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: Romantic Comedy

2011 Best Cover Finalists

The Readers’ Choice in each of the genre categories are now going head-to-head for the 2011 Best Cover of the Year Award! They are listed below in alphabetical order. Use the poll at the bottom of the post to cast your vote.

Remember, you’re voting for your favorite COVER,
not the story you liked best or the author who is your best friend.

Voting deadline: Wednesday, February 15, 2012; midnight, Mountain Time.

Voting guidelines & details here.

The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Danie Romrell

Bloodborne by Gregg Luke

Publisher: Covenant

Cover Design: ??

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers

Cover Design: Barry Moser

Embers of Atlantis by Tracy Hickman
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
Cover Design: Mathias Kollros

Gifts and Consequences by Daniel Coleman

Publisher:? (Temporarily unavailable;
will be back on market end of February.)
Cover Design: Jodie Coleman

Hope’s Journey by Stephanie Worlton

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Book Cover: Brandon Dorman

The Kissing Tree by Prudence Bice

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

Not My Type by Melanie Jacobson

Publisher: Covenant

Cover Design: Christina Marcano

NYC: Murder Brooklyn Style by Loraine Scott
Publisher: American Fork Arts Council Press
Cover Design: Daniel Silva

Variant by Robison Wells
Publisher: HarperTeen
Cover Design: ??

Wings of Light by Laura Bingham
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Megan Whittier

IMPORTANT—Additional voting guidelines:

The free polls will only let me list 10 answers per poll, and there are 12 finalists. (Ooops! Didn’t realize that earlier.) Although there are TWO polls posted below, I’m trusting in your integrity when I ask you to please only vote in ONE of the polls—either A or B, but not both.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Each of these books have won the Readers’ Choice Award for their category. I will post the LDS Publisher Choice Awards for genre and overall cover winners after the voting is completed.

Time Gangsters by Berin Stephens

Billy Fairbanks shot up out of bed when he heard the glass window shatter. A man, dressed like a 1920s gangster, landed in his bedroom and looked around.

“Wha—?” Billy started to say.

Bright light from outside illuminated the intruder, who pointed his tommy gun at Billy and whispered, “Is that you, Marlow?”

“Uh…no.” Billy pulled his blanket up higher, even though he knew it wouldn’t protect him from bullets.

When Billy discovers a hidden cache of ancient coins in his bedroom wall, it isn’t long before a ruthless gang of thugs from the 1920s breaks in and swipes them right from under him. Plotting to use the magical properties of the coins to seize control of the past, these power-hungry gangster, led by a ruthless mob boss, will do anything to anyone to reach their goal. Trying to hide the coins simply sparks a magic-powered showdown that lands Billy and his cousin, Danny, in danger of losing much more than ancient gold.

With their futures at stake, Billy and Danny must race through time to steal back the coins—before history is changed forever!

Read excerpt Book website

Title: Time Gangsters

Author: Berin Stephens

Publisher: Sweetwater/Cedar Fort

Release Date: February 14, 2012

ISBN: 978-1599559667

Size: 296 pages, 5.5×8, paperback

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Final Day to Vote for 2011 Covers

Today is the final day to vote for your favorite 2011 Book Covers. There are 12 genre categories. If you haven’t voted, please scroll back through the past several posts and vote in each of the categories using the polls at the bottom of the posts.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER,
not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

Passage on the Titanic by Anita Stansfield

Ella Brown grew up in one of London’s privileged homes, with all the comforts and luxuries that money can buy. But when tragedy strikes her family, Ella is forced from a life of safety and abundance to one of scarcity and fear.

Clinging to survival on the filthy streets of the city, she’s betrayed by her only friend and left desperate and alone. When Ella arrives at the hospital in a life-threatening state, she needs an angel of mercy, and one soon arrives: Irene Corbett, an American midwife who has come to London for advanced medical training at the great sacrifice of her family.

Irene soothes Ella’s physical and emotional pains, helps her back on her feet, and joins her on a voyage to America aboard the ship Titanic—where epic disaster awaits the two friends. Deeply shaken by the catastrophe, Ella finds comfort and healing in the care of rescue crewman Jonathan Moreau and his loving family. But will the dark weight of Ella’s past destroy her delicate hopes for the future?

Bestselling author Anita Stansfield delivers a powerful story of compassion, hope, and survival set against a backdrop of the greatest tragedy of the early twentieth century.

Read excerpt

Title: Passage on the Titanic

Author: Anita Stansfield

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: February, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60861-856-9

Size: 128 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: Historical Romance

Forever by Cheri Schmidt

Danielle and Ethan may have solved their problem with vampires, but other magical beings have taken interest in the ones who discovered the cure.

On the run trying to escape a gaggle of evil pixies, a clan of creepy werewolves, a coven or two of wicked witches, and a school of lovely but malicious mermaids, they fight to have a normal life. But that isn’t so easy when the only aid they have is from slightly dishonest fairies and flirtatious vampire bodyguards.

This is Danielle and Ethan’s happily forever after….

Read excerpt

Title: Forever

Author: Cheri Schmidt

Publisher: Self

Release Date: February 4, 2012

ISBN: 978-1469969367

Size: 300 pages, 5.5 x 8.5, softcover

Genre: YA Paranormal

Fateful Series: Fateful (bk 1), Fractured (bk 2)

Royal Secrets by Traci Hunter Abramson

It’s been three years since the tragic Christmas Eve when CIA agent Alora DeSanto returned from a doctor’s appointment to find her husband dead and her Paris home destroyed by a terrorist firebomb. Still mourning her heavy loss, she seeks a new life for herself and her two young sons by accepting a job offer from her friend and fellow agent, Janessa Rogers, who is engaged to Prince Garrett of Meridia.

As Janessa’s personal assistant, Alora takes up residence in the royal chateau in Bellamo, where Prince Stefano is recovering from a possible assassination attempt and reeling from some life-shattering news of his own. As their paths repeatedly cross, Alora and Stefano are surprised by a budding attraction that draws them together in friendship. But as their hesitant affection evolves into romance, royal secrets plunge them into plots of espionage and blackmail that threaten all they hold dear, including each other. And as enemies arise to crush the Meridia monarchy, Alora must confront the fears that destroyed her past before they destroy her future.

Read excerpt

Title: Royal Secrets

Author: Traci Hunter Abramson

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: February 2012

ISBN: 978-1608618682

Size: 304 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale by Rebecca Jamison

When Anne broke off her engagement seven years ago, she thought she’d never see Neil Wentworth again. But when Neil’s brother buys the house she grew up in, it seems fate has other plans in store. Anne is unprepared for the roller coaster of emotions that come when Neil returns and starts dating her younger friend.

Convinced that Neil could no longer have strong feelings for her, Anne pushes away all thoughts of the past. But when the handsome man she’s been dating decides he can’t live without her, Anne must come to terms with her past.

Read excerpt View trailer Book site

Title: Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale

Author: Rebecca Jamison

Publisher: Bonneville/Cedar Fort

Release Date: February 7, 2012

ISBN: 978-1599559476

Size: 240 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: Romance

2011 Children/Middle Grade Realistic Book Covers

Realistic, as in more realistic than straight fantasy, although a
few of these have some fantastical elements to them.

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers

Cover Design: Barry Moser

What I liked about this one is the traditional illustrative look and feel of it. I love the nose-to-nose of the cat and mouse which brings the focus right there. I also like the curved type of the title and subtitle. And the illustrations on the inside are darling! (Click the link on the title to go to Amazon, then click the “Look Inside!” option.)

Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure by B.K. Bostick

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Brian Halley

I love that creepy guy behind the children. That grabbed my attention right away. The cloudy eyeball totally freaks me out—in a deliciously hideous sort of way. This would be a book that I would have stored face down when I was in elementary school. The one downside to this cover, in my opinion, is it feels a little busy. There’s too much going on for me to have chosen it as the best in this category. But still, it gives me the creepy shivers every single time I look at it, so it HAD to be a finalist.

The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn by Donna Peterson

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Rachel Sharp/Megan Whittier

This cover would really have appealed to son when he was younger. I think the cartoony look to it grabs the attention of readers who want something fun, but not too deep. I like the illustration of the boy on the front. And I love those paint splats. Fun!

The Trouble with Squids by Julie Gardner Berry

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Cover Design: Sally Gardner

I have really enjoyed all the covers in the Splurch Academy series. I think Sally Gardner does a great job illustrating these books. This one, however, has something special to it. I love the yellow that brings your eye right to the boy. I also love all those tentacles coming out of the pool. I think this cover hits the target reader perfectly.

Wasatch Summer by Anola Pickett

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Jen Boss

I haven’t read this book so I don’t know if the cover matches what is inside but the title and the cover design match perfectly! Everything about it evokes long and lazy summer days, walking barefoot, maybe splashing around a swimming hole or picking strawberries. I love the girl’s face and that big floppy hat. I love the font choices for the title, the mountains in the background, the farm, the swirly stuff. Often when you have this many items on a cover to look it, it can feel crowded and busy but this one just worked for me. I love everything about it and that’s why it’s my pick for this genre.

Online Surveys & Market Research

2011 Children/Middle Grade Fantasy Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

Hazzardous Universe by Julie Wright
Publisher: Covenant
Book Art: Kevin Wasden

This is a fun cover. I like the font choice. I love the connecting lines that look sort of like alien circuitry. (Not that I really know what alien circuitry would look like, but it gives me that feeling.) I love the placement of the two kids in the center, and the stylized illustrations. I also love the two aliens. They’re fun and add to the cover without taking away from the human children. The internal illustrations are great too.

The Horn of Moran by M.L. Forman
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Book Cover: ??

I love the colors on this one. I like the blue and purple together. I love the font choice for the title. I like the illustration and the way that face is sort of hidden in the black swoosh. (How many of you missed that? I did the first several times I looked at it.) I think this would definitely appeal to 9 to 12 year old fantasy readers. The series title, Adventurers Wanted, gets a little lost there at the top, but otherwise, this is really cool.

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Book Cover: Brandon Dorman

Now this is one awesome cover! I think it’s the best one by Brandon Dorman that I’ve seen. Great colors. Great illustration. It feels very 3D to me—those muscles just bulge off the page and the steam from the mop pot seems to flow right out at me. I love the title font and the way the “T” was done, but the author’s name gets a little lost in the image. Otherwise, Totally Cool! This was almost a tie. I went back and forth for a long time between this cover and the one I finally chose, so I’m very glad it won the Readers’ Choice award for the genre.

Return to Exile by E.J. Patten
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Book Cover: John Rocco

This is my choice for the genre winner. Why did I pick it over Janitors? Because it gives me a little more information. The boy is running, as if he’s being chased. That creepy tree and those creepy birds are pretty awesome. But the think that got it for me? The steampunk/clockworks imagery. I don’t know if the story is steampunk at all (it’s still on my To Read list) but the cover is fascinating and creates all sorts of questions in my mind: What’s he running from? Is he the hunter or the hunted? What do those clockworks have to do with the story? And Return to Exile? Really? Why? The cover alone put it on my reading list—and that’s what a cover is for. Great job.

Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth by Andy Hueller
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Book Cover: Angela D. Olsen

I love this cover. It, too, has a 3D feel to it. I like the dark red clouds (I’m assuming magma) at the top and the way the building gradually appears out of them and draws your eye down to the center of the image of the boy skipping rocks. I like how the rocks and the water are bigger, giving the image the feeling of depth. The only issue I have is that it’s got an awfully long title that sort of takes over the cover. But given that, the the designer did a great job curving that top line of text down, then using the word Earth to almost point our eye down to the central image. Very well done.

Online Surveys & Market Research

A Bride for the Island Prince by Rebecca Winters

Prince Alexius of Hellenica will do anything to help his four-year-old daughter learn to speak—which is why the intensely reserved and private royal finds himself opening up to bubbly children’s speech therapist Dottie Richards. Dottie is a breath of fresh air in the palace, and motherless Zoe blossoms in her care—as does the reluctant attraction Alex feels toward his new employee!

Behind her cheerful smiles Dottie guards her own heart fiercely, but it’s never been in so much danger as from this cool prince with his dark, molten eyes.…

Read excerpt

Title: A Bride for the Island Prince

Author: Rebecca Winters

Publisher: Harlequin

Release Date: February 7, 2012

ISBN: 978-0373177875

Size: 192 pages, 4×6, mass market paperback

Genre: Romance

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After a Vyken killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

Read excerpt View trailer Book website

Title: Fractured Light

Author: Rachel McClellan

Publisher: Sweetwater/Cedar Fort

Release Date: February 7, 2012

ISBN: 978-1599559421

Size: 312 pages, 5.5×8, hardcover

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

2011 YA Speculative Book Covers (Girls)

And by “girl” I mean these covers totally appeal to girls.
Boys probably would not be caught dead carrying them around.

& just a note…this was the hardest category for me to narrow down
because I loved so many of the covers in this genre.

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

As I said earlier, this was the hardest category for me to pick a winner. YA fantasy is the genre I read for pure pleasure, so I am the target reader here. It was hard to pick only five covers and of these five, it was really hard to pick only one winner. Every single one of these covers caused me to look again—which is what you want a cover to do. Every single one of them are on my To Read list because the covers were so intriguing that I had to read the promo/sample chapters. I’d already purchased four of them before this contest, and I plan to get the fifth one too. That is the power of a good cover.

Become by Ali Cross
Publisher: Ninjas Write Publishing
Cover Design: Ali Cross/Fanye L.O.

I enjoy YA paranormal stories and this cover captures the feel of that genre. I love the central character image—beautiful, intriguing. The author’s name stands out clearly but doesn’t detract from the image. I love the purple of the title and the way it provides a bright contrast to the darker blue-green-gray image. The short, one-word title dominates the bottom of the cover but, again, doesn’t distract from the central image. I’m not sure I would have chosen the title font. I like the swirlyness of the B, but the rest of it is pretty basic script. And the bevel or outline blurs it a bit. I do like the script of the subtitle. Adds to the intrigue of the book and balances the entire image as a whole.

Crossed by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Cover Design: ??

I loved the cover for Matched but I like this one even better. My eye goes right to that image of the girl breaking from the blue globe. So intriguing. It has movement and power. I like the way the fractured glass goes flying off the edges. The blue is a great color choice against the gray background, and the gradient adds interest. I like the simplicity of the title font, and that backwards R adds intrigue. Reminds me a little of some of the USSR imagery…(wonder if that was intentional). I like the Y and the I in the author’s name. Her name is so small compared to the rest of the cover but the space around it makes it stand out. This is a book that I’d buy for the cover alone. So of course, it gets my pick for this genre.

The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Design: ??

This cover excels at fontage. First, there’s the title. AWESOME! I love the way the letters are different sizes and how the K fits into the C. That entire word is fantastic. I like the way the author’s name is handled too. It has the feel of the time travel of the story. (Oops. Spoiler. Sorry.) I love the locket itself. Beautiful. I’m not sure why we have to have the designation that this is a novel on the front of the book (LDS publishers do that a lot. Anyone know why?), but since it is there, it’s done well, filling up the space in a font that you can choose to ignore if you want. I personally don’t love the colors, but they fit the feel of the story.

Wings of Light by Laura Bingham
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Megan Whittier

This cover tells me everything I need to know about this story. There’s the castle in the background, giving us the time period, as well as the fantasy feeling. The bird is stylistic with a magical feel, and looks like it is both burning and rising at the same time. Cool. The colors of the title and author’s name seem to be filled with light that pull them off the page. I love the title font and the way the letters seem to move and fly, like the bird. To a fan of YA medieval fantasy, this cover rocks! I loved it.

Witch Song by Amber Argyle
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Cover Design: Eve Ventrue

This is another cover that speaks directly to the targeted reader. That face! Oh my gosh! Haunting, sad, beautiful. The locket/necklace she’s wearing draws your eye straight to it. The thorns that seem to pull at her, trap her, add intrigue. I like the title placement and font choice—spectacular. But I’d have made it a little lighter so that it stood out a bit more. Not sure I like the placement of the author’s name. It gets lost in her hair. Maybe I’d have put it on the other side. But still. This is a great cover that put the book on my To Read list.

Online Surveys & Market Research

2011 YA Speculative Book Covers (Boys)

And by “boy” I mean these covers are more masculine and straightforward,
without a lot of the fluff you’ll see on books targeted to girls.

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

The Anointed by C.C. James
Publisher: Red Rover Books
Cover Design: ??
*This is the original cover, I think. If you click the link,
it goes to a different cover which I do not like as well.

Look at those arms. Every guy wants to have arms like those, and every girl wants a boyfriend with arms like those. Okay, my shallowness is showing, but still. Great cover image. I really like how the top of his head is cut off so I can imagine my own face. (That sounds sarcastic, but I’m serious.) I like the blue swirly smoke behind him. I love the font choice and the way the title pops in that dark black. Great cover. (And really, if you are the one making the decisions, please go back to this cover instead of the other one. Please.)

The Death Cure by James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte
Cover Design: Philip Straub

At the risk of re-appalling some readers, this is totally a boy cover. My grandson thinks it’s awesome! My granddaughter says, “meh.” I tested it with some neighbor kids and got the same reaction every time. Which is really too bad because I think girls who actually read it will love the story too. What I like about this cover (even though I’m a girl) is the feeling that I’m about to be crushed. Those towers are so high, and the mountain so steep. And then the title and author’s name are so solid and heavy. The fonts are solid too. I personally love it and think it’s the best cover of the series.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
Publisher: Mercury Ink
Cover Design: ??

I like the clean and isolated feeling of this cover. It matches the subtitle. I like the I in Michael that mirrors the electricity coming off the figure. I like that the young man is in shadow. I like the blues and grays together. It feels sterile and electrical. Very good choices.

Slayers by C.J. Hill
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Cover Design: ??

I thought this cover was totally cool when I first saw it, even if I had no clue what the illustration actually was. I thought it was a spaceship at first. But when I picked up the book and studied it (yes, it was cool enough to get me to pick it up) I realized that’s a dragon in there. Awesome! I like the font work for Slayers. I like the tag line at the top that you almost miss, but not quite. Sort of a whisper of a warning. Cool. Love it.

Variant by Robison Wells
Publisher: HarperTeen
Cover Design: ??

I’m not even sure I can verbalize what I love about this cover. When I first saw it, I thought, “What? Huh?” Normally, I don’t go for the blurry stuff. And it’s all blue-ish and sort of almost creepy. But. The red in the girls sweater caught my eye. That was kind of awesome. Then I noticed that the boy seems to be running, but the girl is looking behind, like she’s afraid someone or something is after her. Intriguing. And where are they headed in that blurry forest? What’s with that? And “Variant”? What does that mean? And the title is shadowy. You can see through it. It sort of blends, but not quite. That’s cool. Is that a hint for the story? And then. And then. “TRUST NO ONE.” That got me. Hook. Line. Sinker. The tag line pulled all the other items together for me in a way that I had to go get this book. I had to know what was going on in this story. Great, great job of reeling me in!

Online Surveys & Market Research

Delivering Hope by Jennifer Ann Holt

Life’s most unexpected turns can sometimes produce the greatest joys.

Olivia Spencer wants to be a mother more than anything else, but years of infertility have left her soul wounded and her marriage strained.

Allison Campbell is a young, single woman who discovers that a moment of excitement has led to an unplanned pregnancy and an overwhelming heartache.

As the lives of these two women touch, you’ll see that deep love can pave the way for sacrifice.

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Title: Delivering Hope

Author: Jennifer Ann Holt

Publisher: Bonneville Books/Cedar Fort

Release Date: February 7, 2012

ISBN: 978-1599559025

Size: 224 pages, 6×9, paperback

Genre: Women’s, General

2011 YA General Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Cover Design: Abby Kuperstock

I love everything about this cover! I love the colors—the hot pink and blue and green. I love the way the books are subdued and faded, while the illustration of the girl and boy legs pop. And the pink! I love the way the girl is up on her toe, with that one leg lifting behind her just a bit. I love those pink tennies. (I want a pair.) I love the little cloud in the middle with the title in a font that looks like a girls handwriting. I love the way the author’s name is on the stool. Everything about this cover just speaks to me. Very appealing to the target reader. And pink! Did I mention the cute pink?!

Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

This cover is just all sorts of awesome. It was a very close call for me between this one and the one above. I love the red and black together. It’s strong and powerful. The girl’s face is strong and powerful. I love the skull in the heart. And I love the way the title is done. The author’s name is in the right spot to balance the rest of the cover. Very, very good. I bought it based on the cover. Yes, I did.

Hope’s Journey by Stephanie Worlton

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

The best thing about this cover is how it goes from very soft and romantic at the top to darker and more intense at the bottom. I love that. It’s sort of like moving from the fantasy of being in love into the sometimes difficult consequences of real life. Good flow bringing your eye down to the central image at the bottom, without rushing past the title. I like the variation in the font for the title. It’s pretty and it feels right. I like the image of the cover and the way the sun creates a halo around them. Good job.

Independence Rock by Debra Terry Hulet

Publisher: Cedar For

Cover Design: Danie Romrell

I like the main image of the girl being full color and solid. There she is, rooted in the present. I love the girl. I love the expression in her eyes, that deep in thought look. I like that whispery wagon wheel at the top, a faded reality that’s already in the past. I like the torn journal page that frames the title and author name, and an image from the past is echoed at the bottom. I like the two font choices for the title, especially the “rock”—that is visually cool.

Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Cover Design: ??

This cover prompts questions in my mind. Her face is hidden, both by her hair and the cropping of the image, but her mouth is open that makes me think she’s confused or in shock. I want to know why. She looks like a regular girl—not drop-dead gorgeous. Just plain and ordinary. But the title is Miles from Ordinary. Hmmm. Intriguing. I like that a relatively ordinary font was chosen for the title, but it’s just a little different…a little rounder on the edges, a little taller. Not quite ordinary. All of that pulls me in and makes me want to know her story. (In this image, the author’s name gets lost on the cover, but it pops just enough on the real cover.)

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2011 Speculative Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

Voting guidelines & details here.

Embers of Atlantis by Tracy Hickman
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
Cover Design: Mathias Kollros

What I like most about this cover are the colors. The top is a little busy for my tastes and the title feels like an afterthought. But the colors? They are really breathtaking. I could do without the super short outfit on the woman (personal taste) but that dragon behind her is really spectacular. Love it.

The Last Archangel by Michael D. Young
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Angela Olsen

I really like the colors in this cover too. Again, the top feels busy to me, and there are so many images shoved in there that my eye doesn’t really know what to look at. But the swords pop out to me. I like that they almost seem to be the hands on the clock. I like that there’s a the hint of dark wings. And I really like the way the title was handled. Intriguing.

Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia
Publisher: Baen
Cover Design: ??

I love, love, love this cover. First, the title pops. Great color against the gray blue tone of the illustration. While I don’t like to see those bursts on the front telling me how cool the author is, if you have to have one, this one is tolerable. I like the placement and type of the authors name. But the thing that really grabs me is that illustration. I love it! There’s the wolf and the monster girl. And what the heck is that thing in the middle with the metal claws? COOL! I am so tired of sparkly, sexy vampires and hot, hot werewolves. I am thrilled to see the implied violence and animal rage depicted in these monsters. But even without the comparison to wimpy monsters, this cover still totally rocks. Awesome! Love it! Love it!

Perdition’s Gateway by Terrance Drake
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

I love this cover. It is just awesome. I have no idea what the book is about but it looks so cool that, yes, it’s on my To Read list. Okay, where to start? I like that light at the top that reflects into the dark. Don’t know what it is supposed to be but visually? Cool. I like that it repeats just above the center mark of the cover, but it overshadowed by the title. I love the change in fonts for the title. The red for Perdition. Awesome. And the white of Gateway. Cool. And then there’s the figure there at the gateway. But are they coming or going? Good job.

Wolfhound by Kindal Debenham
Publisher: Wandering Leaf Publishing
Cover Design: Paul Hamblin

This reminds me of some of the classic sci-fi covers from a few years back—but not in a bad, outdated way. I like it. You’ve got the planets and the star ship. Then the characters. I like the colors. Not sure I would use yellow for title and author, and I’d make the title a little more distinct and bold. I really, really like that the woman looks strong, like she can totally kick butt without even breaking a sweat. (Girl power!) Good placement of elements, nice balance, great colors.

Online Surveys & Market Research