Cover Reveal! “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” UK Paperback
On 16th August Hodder Books will publish the paperback edition of Laini Taylor's brilliant YA fantasy novel "Daughter of Smoke and Bone".
The book itself is wonderful, and you can find my review and the hard back cover over here. I have a bias towards the original cover, because it's the cover I own and love -- and I adore designs that use feathers. but there's plenty of interesting aspects in this new cover. It seems to be aiming at an older audience (crossover?), reminding me a lot of some women's fiction covers while still keeping the story elements obvious, and I like that the font is almost identical to the original.
Top 10 Covers of 2012
After seeing this idea up on Jaime's blog from The Broke and Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday, I had to join in.
"Throne of the Crescent Moon" by Saladin Ahmed
Just look at that cover by one of my favorite artists, Jason Chan. It's beautiful. Such a variety of awesome looking characters.
Loved the Blackbird cover, and love this one as well. Both remind me pleasantly of Death from The Sandman. I still need to read these.
"Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo
Beautiful, Russian-inspired cover art.
'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green
Deceptively simple, but instantly recognisable. Click the link above to read a review.
"Article 5" by Kristen Simmons
An all-round wonderful sci-fi YA cover.
There's something wonderfully tense and dramatic about this scene. I adore the colour of the sky as well, and the slight "Hush, Hush" style to the poses.
'The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight" by Jennifer E. Smith
Super-cute, love the restricted colour scheme and how neatly they worked in such a long title.
This is the story of a boy with an abnormal face. What a tricky book to think up a cover for, but this simple image really blows the concept out of the water.
This is a brilliantly illustration - it captures the title perfectly.
"Thief's Covenant" by Ari Marmell
To finish things off, another Jason Chan - and this time it's the story of Widdershins, a young thief. This is another cover which uses a restricted set of colours to beautiful effect, as well as negative space. I really like how confident and intelligent the young thief looks.
A few runner-ups that didn't make the cut:
"Cinder" by Marissa Meyer. The cover sums up the story perfectly: Cinderella, with cyborgs.
"The Way We Fall" by Megan Crewe. The bright, bold yellow really grabs me here -- and I'm a sucker for image-inside-text covers like the original Delirium cover.
"A Million Suns" by Beth Revis. "Across the Universe" had a fantastic cover, and it's sequel is just as artistically well-off. This spells out the sci-fi and romance clearly, and the covers fit well with the previous book's cover.
February Book of the Month
Today, for their Road Trip Wednesday question for bloggers, YA Highway asked: What was the best book you read in February?
This is, without a doubt, Veronica Roth's "Divergent".
I've actually been completely conflicted about this book--I got so immersed in the world that I over thinking elements, which meant I started over thinking my review, so I froze up and stalled and avoided hitting 'publish' on the review because I was blowing up everything out of proportion.
And that's how I know I loved it. I got ridiculously, unconsciously invested in the world.
I'll pop the review up tomorrow. 
Sh*t Book Reviews Say
It seems like it's 'link a video' weekend here on the blog! And now, a satirical look into common phrases used by book reviewers:
I'm guilty of one or two of these, heh.
If you enjoyed that, you'll probably also like The Inevitable Sh*t Agents and Editors Say starring the lovely Folio Lit agent Michelle Brower, Foundry Literary agent Brandi Bowles and editor Katie McHugh.
Oh, and if you're one of the lovely crazy people who read this blog but don't have a huge interesting it writing/publishing, have the jellybean music video. Because it's still adorable.
My 5 Favourite Literary Sidekicks
Today's Paper Hangover 'Friday Fives' question: Who are your FIVE favorite literary sidekicks?
There's a lot of awesome sidekicks out there, so I just dove into my brain and pulled out a few of my most memorable favourites.
Hermione (Harry Potter) - Hermione is just the best. Smart and brave while still being awkward and irritating others around her. She's realistic, and I completely related to her as a kid (and I still do now).
Tiny Cooper (Will Grayson, Will Grayson) - The larger-than-life gay theatre star, Tiny is an essential part of the WG, WG story, helping bring the two Wills together. I really want to read a spin-off book about this guy.
Mogget (Sabriel) - A morally dubious, dangerous cat-creature, Mogget's been enslaved and forced to serve a family of necromancers. But Sabriel's trials involve more than just putting up with the snarky animal - she'll have to trust him.
John H. Watson (Sherlock Holmes) -
I'm on a huge Sherlock kick thanks to the fantastic BBC series, and I debated putting him on this list... but Doctor Watson is a classic, brilliant sidekick, and a trope-creator.
Where would we be, without Watson to explain the crazy workings of Sherlock's mind? You could try to tell the story in first-person from Sherlock's point of view (and I would love that, actually), but Watson's there for more than just explanations - he shows that Sherlock does have a protective, human side. If Watson wasn't there, Sherlock would risk becoming dangerous apathetic and distanced from people around him.
Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings) - Just like Watson and Hermione, Samwise is a brilliant sidekick because you know the hero would be utterly screwed without them. They're essential in stopping the protagonist being ruined by their own flaws - without Sam, Frodo would never be able to make it to Mount Doom.
And in a similar way to Watson, Sam keeps Frodo's humanity in check by forcing him to stay down-to-earth and to care about Sam's safety.
And because I had trouble narrowing this list down, have some Runners Up - these two were ruled out because they didn't quite fit the 'sidekick' definition:
Marla Singer (Fight Club): Does she count as a sidekick? Marla's a disturbed lady thrown into some absolutely insane circumstances, but she still carries this assured self-confidence with her that masks her issues. I'd kind of love to see a Fight Club sequel if it was from her point of view.
Angua (Discworld series): The first werewolf cop in Ankh-Morpork, Angua is every kind of kick-ass.
The Books I Wish I’d Written
I skipped Road Trip Wednesday this week because my answer to their question (What was the best book you read in January?) felt a little boring, and the same as at least half the other writers out there in the blogosphere – it was “The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green, reviewed here.
Today’s Paper Hangover Friday Five’s question: What are the FIVE novels you wish you had written?
This was a really tough one, but I’ll give it a shot.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – The obvious choice. JK Rowling is amazingly talented, amazingly rich, and amazing beautiful. She has the best of every world, and she deserves it for bringing us the brilliant HP universe.
The Hunger Games – This dystopian YA book by Suzanne Collins gleams with writing talent. It’s unputdownable.
The Catcher in the Rye – THE VOICE. What I would give to be able to write a story with this good a voice. Holden Caulfield is just addictive.
American Gods – I just wish I had a fragment of Neil Gaiman’s knowledge. He knows so much about mythology, and you can tell when reading this book.
The Wee Free Men – Terry Pratchett is a writer like no other, with the sharpest comedic voice out there and one of the greatest fantasy worlds you can find. And this book has a wonderful combination of his humor, his imagination, and bonus Scottishness.
A few others I’d love to have written: Garth Nix’s “Sabriel”, Phillip Pullman’s “The Subtle Knife”, Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange”. I had a lot of trouble narrowing this challenge down.
Reading Positions
Reading positions by Kate Beaton
It misses my personal favourite out (cup of tea in one hand, book in the other, legs curled up) but I still love this image.
As a quick reminder, I'm still posting on my Tumblr regularly.
Emma Maree Reviews: Write a Great Synopsis
Book: Write a Great Synopsis by Nicola Morgan
Genre: Non-Fiction/Writing Advice
Most writers hate writing synopses. They need dread them no more. In Write a Great Synopsis – An Expert Guide, Nicola Morgan takes the stress out of the subject and applies calm, systematic guidance, with her renowned no-nonsense approach and laconic style.
Write a Great Synopsis covers: the function of a synopsis, the differences between outlines and synopses, dealing with requirements for different agents and publishers, finding the heart of your book, how to tackle non-linear plots, multiples themes, sub-plots and long novels, and it answers all the questions and confusions that writers have. Nicola also introduces readers to her patent Crappy Memory Tool, explains the art of crafting a 25-word pitch, and demonstrates with real examples. Gold-dust for writers at all stages.
I've been waiting on tip-toes for this book to be released - synopses are tricky stuff to write, and it's always nice to get an expert's tips on them. While the UK publishing industry is a little more friendly than the US industry there's a lot less information available online about it. We've got The Writer & Artist's Yearbook, Carole Blake's From Pitch to Publication, and now there's Nicola Morgan with Write A Great Synopsis and her more general industry advice book Write to be Published. The best part about it - WAGS is only £1 in January! You can buy in here from Amazon UK.
Nicola's book is a short and snappy read that covers all the bases - the only thing I would have liked is a more formulaic method, which tends to work best for me (Susan Dennard's method worked a charm for me recently). Nicola's recommendations don't rely on a formula or a section break down, but this this allows her methods to work for a much wider range of stories. Her tips work brilliantly for both your run-of-the-mill 3 Act stories and for non-fiction and fiction that doesn't follow a standard structure. She even includes some particularly useful advise for books that jump around, include flashbacks, or have multiple endings.
This is a succinct and brilliant book, and I recommend it for any writers (UK, US or otherwise) who're tearing their hair out getting that synopsis written.
5 Books to Read in 2012
A very late entry to Paper Hangover's Friday Fives today. They asked: What are the FIVE books you're looking forward to in 2012?
The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking).
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.Or are there?
I bought this as an e-book without ever hearing anything about it, because of it's brilliant title and intriguing storyline. Now a lot of people are talking about it, and after hearing one writer describe it as better than the Hunger Games I'm eager to try it out.
Shatter Me #2 by Tahereh Mafi.
I need more Warner. There is never enough Warner. And as mentioned in my review, I'm very curious about where Tahereh is going to take this series.
Divergent (and Insurgent) by Veronica Roth.
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
"Divergent" has been on my to-read list for ages. This year will be the year I read it. Eventually.
Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick.
The final book in the paranormal romance series about a girl and a snarky fallen angel named Patch. I'm a fangirl for the "Hush, Hush" series, and I'll be waiting patiently for the final volume to hit the shelves this Fall.
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.
It's 1996 and very few high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented until several years in the future. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD. She and her best friend Josh power it up and log on - and discover themselves on Facebook in 2011. Everybody wonders what they'll be like fifteen years in the future. Josh and Emma are about to find out.
I am reading this entirely because the two main characters are called Emma and Josh.
Poetry! “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
I seem to post a lot of Robert Frost, but that's not a bad thing. I try to live by the last lines of this poem.
Interestingly, the last lines were also used on the opening pages of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me.
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Hailing from the wet and windy Scottish Highlands, Emma is an avid reader and writer of YA novels. She works in IT and drinks too much tea.
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