Hi, there! It's me, Stephanie Kuehn, YA Highwayer and debut author of CHARM & STRANGE, which is a young adult novel forthcoming from St. Martin's Griffin on 6.11.13. It's a novel about quarks, wolves, family, friendships, and sorrow. It's about other things, too.
When I first found out that the cover of the CHARM & STRANGE would be changing, I'll be honest: I felt a lot of apprehension. Would I like the new one? Would it fit the story? Luckily, not only do I love it, but it reflects the story inside so well. The silhouetted figures remind me of the posters of some of my favorite old suspense films* and I love the way the trees look like cage bars, which matches the quote that's used in the jacket copy.
When I first found out that the cover of the CHARM & STRANGE would be changing, I'll be honest: I felt a lot of apprehension. Would I like the new one? Would it fit the story? Luckily, not only do I love it, but it reflects the story inside so well. The silhouetted figures remind me of the posters of some of my favorite old suspense films* and I love the way the trees look like cage bars, which matches the quote that's used in the jacket copy.
the cover
And the full jacket design.
The copy:
When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .
Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.
He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.
He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.
Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.
Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.
I hope that you love it as much as I do! I think Kerri Resnick at St. Martin's is just amazing. To celebrate the new design, I'm excited to share a few other things with you. The first is a sneak peek at the novel:
Read an excerpt of CHARM & STRANGE.
And the second is a chance to win a signed copy of CHARM & STRANGE (US and Canada only). Enter below and good luck! The giveaway runs through April 8th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a*Here are a few of the spooky old film posters the cover reminds me of. If you happen to know what all three of these films have in common, then you just might know something about CHARM & STRANGE.
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learn more about charm & strange: macmillan/st. martin's, goodreads, indiebound, amazon, barnes and noble
Thanks, all!
-sk
This is such a gorgeous new cover! It fits the mood of the summary really well. I can't wait to read the book, too. I've heard great things about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Meagan! I really appreciate it.
DeleteBeautiful cover and incredible book. Yay!!
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks, you!
DeleteVery nice!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteI adore the new cover! It looks gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Emy!
DeleteSuch a lovely new cover and I can't WAIT for your book, Steph!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brandy!
DeleteThe cover is just stunning! It's very different and I think it matches the blurb very well. <3 The silhouettes are a bit creepy but I guess that adds some points to the cool factor. :P I'm glad that the cover ends up so gorgeous, Stephanie! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Hilda. It is definitely a bit creepy!
DeleteDefinitely cool! Any reason why they changed the cover?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yahong! And I think it's just a better overall fit.
DeleteWhat a cool cover! I think you're right about how the new look reflects some of the things mentioned in the book's description, especially the jacket quote. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Jaime! :)
DeleteCAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT. I loved the old cover. I am awestruck by the new one. :)
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks, Kaye! I really love it too!
DeleteOoh, I like it! And it looks like a really good match for the book. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caroline!
DeleteWow, do I love the excerpt from this book! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Merrie. That means a lot!
DeleteBeautiful! I love it! And such a great color scheme.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liz!
DeleteSo pretty! I've been wanting to read Charm and Strange (and now that you mention it, Complicit...) for a while now, so fingers crossed for this contest! Thank you so much for the excerpt. So far, it's done the impossible and beautiful thing of combining simple sentence structure and complex language to create what appears to be a troubled and angry character. I love it!
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you so much, Jenny. That's so kind of you to say. I very much appreciate it!
DeleteThis cover takes my breath away. I already was very interested in it, but this draws me in all the more! Glad you're pleased with it.
ReplyDelete(Side note: I sent my editor some Saul Bass/Hitchcock posters for my THE WIG IN THE WINDOW, and the art dept. ended up being inspired by those -- pretty different feel/age group, but I feel the covers both do have that Hitchcock vibe!)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristen, and yes, I know exactly what you mean about the Hitchcock vibe. I love your cover and I can totally see that!
DeleteOooh, I like the new one. Definitely something that would make me pause and check it out in a bookstore!
ReplyDeleteThank you! That's really nice to hear.
DeleteThe cover is gorgeous and I really love that every object is sort of flat yet when it all comes together it becomes a very deep image! Very eye catching. Also it must be so exciting for you to debut as an author!
ReplyDeleteI would love to win the book but even if I don't I wouldn't mind buying it.
Thank you! I really love it, too. And yes, it's exciting and kind of scary at the same time.
DeleteI entered the giveaway because i thought it was International. :(
ReplyDeleteI want to read this book SO BAD. I checked out that snippet and...boy. I'm hooked. And international, unfortunately. :(
ReplyDeleteRabiya and Cait, I am so sorry! There will be other giveaways in the future, but this one is domestic. Thank you so much for your interest.
ReplyDeletewow ~ i love this new cover so much. and i thought the last one was good. this is one of the best covers i have seen so far for a 2013 release. congrats!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLOVE THIS COVER.
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteOMG i just saw something on Veronica Roth twitter and came here.. and am in AWEE of this cover and story!! Now i cant waiiit to get my hands on it :))
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Cinthia!
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