Cover Candy #17 - Recent Swoonworthy Cover Reveals.

Today I have another installment of delicious Cover Candy for you to feast your eyes on. So much yum that you just might fall into a sugar coma!

Let me know what you think of the featured covers in comments. Will you be adding any of these to your wish list? 

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I LOVE this cover! It's one of my favourite recent covers for sure! Fated, the first book in Immortals author Alyson Noel's new Soul Seekers series will be released in both the US and UK in May 2012. I haven't seen the UK cover yet, but I'll post it up here when it's available. I'm excited for this new series!

Fated (Soul Seekers #1) by Alyson Noel.

Publisher: St. Martins Griffin.

Release date: May 2012.

Ages: YA.

*official synopsis is not available. This is from an interview where I asked Alyson about the new series.*

A Young Adult paranormal, about a sixteen-year-old girl who, as the daughter of an on-location makeup artist is used to a vagabond, movie-set existence until she begins having terrifying visions her grandmother recognizes as the call to her ancestral legacy, and summons her to New Mexico where she teaches her to walk among the Upperworld and the Underworld and trains her in the magick she’ll need to battle the malevolent forces that have lain dormant for years but are now rising again…Oh, and of course there’s a high school, friends, and a guy so hot my fingers get scorched just typing him!

*The next two books featured are next in a series books, so if you don't want spoilers, don't read the synopsis. Just look at the pretty covers! 

I've always loved the covers of the books in Katie Alender's Bad Girls Don't Die series. They are super creepy,  and this cover for Book #3 As Dead is no exception. SHAME ON ME though - I haven't read any of the books yet, although I do own a copy of the first book in the series, which I must get to soon. So many books, so little time and all that...

 

As Bad As It Gets (Bad Girls Don't Die #3) by Katie Alender.

Publisher: Hyperion.

Release date: May 2012.

Ages: YA.

It's been three months since Alexis helplessly witnessed Lydia Small's violent death, and all she wants is for her life to return to normal.But normal people don’t see decaying bodies haunting photographs. Normal people don’t have to deal with regular intrusions from Lydia’s angry ghost, sometimes escalating to terrifying attacks.
At first, it seems that Lydia wants revenge on Alexis alone. But a girl from school disappears one night, and Alexis spots one of Lydia’s signature yellow roses lying on the girl’s dresser the next day. Soon, it becomes clear that several of Alexis’s friends are in danger, and that she's the only person who can save them. But as she tries to intervene, Alexis realizes that her enemy is a much more powerful ghost than she's ever faced before... and that its fate is tied to hers in ways she couldn't possibly imagine.

Not even in her worst nightmares.

Eeek! Another series that I haven't started even though I've had the first book since it released. I'll get to that one soon too. Promise, promise! Diva, the third book in Jillian Larkin's Flappers series releases in July 2012. Diva, the first book in the Flappers series has its UK release in March 2012. You can see the cover for that one here.

You might also like to read my interview with Jillian who was one of my very first Delightful Debutantes when I started the feature last year!

Diva (Flappers #3) by Jillian Larkin.

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Release date: July 2012.

Ages: YA.

Parties, bad boys, speakeasies—life in Manhattan has become a woozy blur for Clara Knowles. If Marcus Eastman truly loved her, how could he have fallen for another girl so quickly? Their romance mustn't have been as magical as Clara thought. And if she has to be unhappy, she's going to drag everyone else down to the depths of despair right along with her.

Being a Barnard girl is the stuff of Lorraine Dyer's dreams. Finding out that Marcus is marrying a gold digger who may or may not be named Anastasia? A nightmare. The old Lorraine would have sat by and let the chips fall where they may, but she's grown up a lot these past few months. She can't bear to see Marcus lose a chance for true love. But will anyone listen to her?

Now that the charges against her have been dropped, Gloria Carmody is spending the last dizzying days of summer on Long Island, yachting on the sound and palling around with socialites at Forrest Hamilton's swanky villa. Beneath her smile, though, Gloria's keeping a secret. One that could have deadly consequences . .

 Here's the paperback cover for Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma, and, guess what? You got it right first time. I haven't read this one either...YET! I can't decide whether I prefer this new cover or the original hardback cover. What do you think? I can't really decide. I think I love them both! Have you read Imaginary Girls? Is it one you'd recommend to me?

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Publisher: Speak.

Release date: June 2012.

Ages: YA

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about

And...Last but not least, here is the cover for Dreamless the second book in Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed series. I can't wait to read this one. I've been told that it's so hot it sizzles!! Dreamless will be released in the US and the UK in May 2012. This is the US cover - love the colours that they've used for this one. I'll post up the UK cover as soon as it's available! 

* Please note: These covers may not be  final and may be subject to change.  
** All Cover Images have been taken from Goodreads/Amazon/Authors/Publishers websites.

VIXEN Blog Tour: Jillian Larkin discusses her favourite books from the 1920's.

I'm happy to have Jillian back on the blog today as part of the blog tour for her Jazz-Age book, Vixen.  Here, she discusses some of her favourite books from the 1920's. Check out the first part of her list at Bloggers [[Heart]] Books.

Over to Jillian....

Hi, everyone.  I’m excited to let you know about another stack of fantastic 1920s favorites today! 

6) Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

This book was a runaway bestseller in 1920s, and it’s not tough to see why.  It’s another satire—I must have a thing for it, I guess.  Either that or the 1920s did.  I’m from the Midwest originally and no matter what time period, Sinclair seriously nailed the feel of a Midwestern city with his fictional Zenith.  Like many of the great books of the Jazz Age, it focuses on the way overt materialism can lead to tragedy. 

7) The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

William Faulkner is one of my favorite authors.  “A Rose for Emily” is the creepiest story I’ve ever read and The Sound and the Fury is a beautiful novel.  Like Mrs. Dalloway, which I mentioned yesterday, it employs a stream-of-consciousness form of storytelling.  I swear the first time I read this book I could feel my mind bending into a new shape.  A full fourth of the book is highly disjointed and tough to read, but if you can get through it, it’s so worth it. 

8) A Passage to India by E.M. Forrester
While I love thinking about the fantastic cities of Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles during the Roaring Twenties, it’s fascinating to get a glimpse of what was going on in other parts of the world during this time period.  This book takes place in India while the country was still under British rule, though striving for independence.  It gives a great portrait of the racial tensions felt between the Indians and British at that time.

9) The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
What is there not to love about this book?  Expatriates!  Paris!  Bullfighting in Pamplona!  When I think of the dangerous, beautiful lives people were living in Europe during the 1920’s, I think of this novel.  And Brett Ashley is the epitome of a flapper: a bobbed beauty with charisma who isn’t afraid to be independent.

10) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I know I’m being predictable and am giving Fitzgerald an unfair two spots on this list, but I don’t care.  Gatsby is my absolute favorite book of the 1920s.  It’s probably my favorite book, period.  Nick Carraway sits back and watches a story unfold between Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby—a story which by turns is bitingly satirical, hauntingly beautiful, and achingly tragic.  The reader’s left wondering if Nick is the most innocent of them all, or perhaps the guiltiest for being a spineless observer.  Also, who couldn’t adore a book with a line as unexplainably perfect as “Her voice was full of money?” 

And that’s all of them, though I possibly could have gone up to my Top 20, or at least Top 15.  I am so glad I have a career in which my love for old books that few of my friends have read turns out to be a positive   Thanks for reading!   

Thanks to Jillian for the fab post!

You can also check out lots of extras for Vixen on the dedicated website at: http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/flappers/ where you can watch the book trailer for Vixen, and create your own Flapper, amongst other fun things! Enjoy! 

Don't forget to check out the rest of this blog tour.  Here are the rest of the stops on the tour!

Jan. 26-- http://moonlightbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Jan. 27 – http://www.teenreads.com/

Delightful Debutantes #2: Jillian Larkin & win one of three copies of VIXEN!

With it's  enticing tag line of 'Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination', Jillian Larkin's Vixen, the first book in the Flappers trilogy,  is one I've had my eye on for a while, and I can't wait until the book releases.  I couldn't find too much information about Jillian online, so I went to investigate and find out more.  That's what Delightful Debutantes is all about, right! Read on to find out more about Jillian and enter to win a copy of Vixen.

Congratulations on being a soon to be published author! I can't wait to read Vixen. The Flappers series sounds like all kinds of wonderful! Can you tell me about your road to publication, and also let me know how long it took you to write Vixen from start to finish?

Thank you so much! I was very, very blessed on my road to publication since I got to skip those horror stories every writer hears about searching for an agent. During my senior year at NYU, I started interning at a children's literary agency. I have always loved the 1920's, and worked to develop The Flappers series with two agents there. The series sold quickly, and I have been writing in a white-hot fever ever since. I just completed the second novel, Ingenue, and will begin work soon on the third entry in the series.

 

I'm a big fan of historical fiction, and I love to read about the 1920's.  For me, it's a time of decadence and danger, and I love the fashions of the time too.  What do you love most about this era, and why did you decide to concentrate on the 1920's for this series?

I'm in love with Jazz Age fashions as well: the amount of work and craftsmanship that went into the intricate beading and lace embroidery on women's clothing back then just astounds me. My other big love of that era is the music: Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, Marion Harris, Pal Whiteman … the list goes on and on.

I also just find the time period so interesting. I think the tagline of the HBO show, Boardwalk Empire, says it well: "Atlantic City, 1920. When alcohol was outlawed, outlaws became kings." Since something illegal was being done by so many--drinking alcohol--I think it helped to shake up a lot preconceived notions about how American Society should be. Suddenly women felt the freedom to hike up their skirts and set their own terms.

My love affair with the 1920s has spanned my entire life, since I was a little girl forcing my family to watch the Julie Andrews film Thoroughly Modern Millie with me repeatedly. Since then I've been drawn to flapper-influenced clothing and listening to music from that period. I actually resisted writing about the 20s for a long time since the research seemed so daunting. But reading Zelda by Nancy Milford during my senior year at NYU and hearing about the new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby helped convince me to give it a try.

As Vixen takes place during the Jazz age, could you name three songs that you would have on a playlist for the book?

Ha, I actually do have a Flappers Playlist that I always listen to while working on the books. Trying to pick three Vixen favorites is a little Sophie's Choice-esque but I'll attempt it:

“Down-Hearted Blues” by Bessie Smith
“Black and Tan Fantasy” by Duke Ellington
“Charleston” by James P. Johnson

Can you recommend a great book that you think everybody should read and also let me know what you are reading at the moment?

This may be a little predictable but I'm going to do it anyway: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I've read it twelve times and I'm not exaggerating at all. It really is one of those books in which you find something new to marvel at with each reading. I used to be convinced at least one character had to be likable for a book to work: Gatsby proved me wrong. Characters don't have to be likable--they have to be interesting, compelling, and most importantly: real. Fitzgerald is able to paint the glitz and glamour of Gatsby's fabulous parties overtop the gritty truth of Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom's lives in a way that is so beautiful, sad, and inspiring.

Right now I'm halfway through Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton. I usually try to read mostly Jazz Age literature while working on the Flappers series to put myself in the right frame of mind. I've always loved The Age of Innocence and was thrilled to find Wharton attempted her own satirical twist on the smart set of the 1920s. Her writing is so gorgeous and biting--I'll be sad to finish it.  

The Flappers series is set to continue with the second book, Ingénue, releasing in 2011. Can you tell me how many books are planned for the series overall?

The current plan is for three books. The third is entitled Diva and will publish in 2012.

I certainly wouldn't mind spending a dozen books' worth of time in a sea of gorgeous dresses, jazz, and men though.

 You might also like to: Watch the book trailer for Vixen by Jillian Larkin. 
                                   Join The Flappers on Facebook.
                                   

Many thanks to Jillian for answering my questions (isn't she delightful?), and special thanks to Meg and Emily for all their help in arranging the interview.

Thanks to Delacorte Books for Young Readers I have THREE copies of VIXEN up for grabs!

• This competition is US ONLY (publishers request) and closes December 9th 2010.
•  One entry per person.

• Just fill in the following form to enter. Please use your full  name and mailing address as winners details will be sent direct to publisher.

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!

Book Trailer: VIXEN by Jillian Larkin.

 I love the cover of this book, and trailer looks great too. I love the 1920's trend that's beginning to emerge in YA fiction at the moment, with this one, and Anna Godbersen's Bright Young Things series.  The historical and fashion elements really appeal to me.

Vixen (Flappers #1) by Jillian Larkin.
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
Release date: December 14th 2010.
Age group:12+

Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .

From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.