covermaker, covermaker, make me a cover

It's hard to believe it's been nearly three weeks since IT FALLS APART made its debut in the e-book/paperback world. Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased, read, reviewed, recommended, or gifted my book. Your support means so much to me. 

Today, I have another fun little look at what went into publishing IT FALLS APART, specifically with regards to the cover art. I don't know about you, but I love a good book cover, and I'm also a big fan of deleted scenes, alternate endings, and seeing things that almost were. Some people will tell you that once you land on a cover image, you shouldn't bother sharing what might have been for fear that people might like that version better, but I think people are going to have different tastes no matter what you do, so you might as well have some fun along the way, and I found the process of designing cover options for the novel to be a lot of fun. 

When I set out to find a cover image for the Radish pre-release, I wanted something that would stand out without text (Radish doesn't allow covers with text), so I went with the heavily iconic image of two hands barely hanging on because to me, that was really representative of not only Harper and Luke's story (wanting to be together despite the forces keeping them apart) as well as Harper and Chloe's story (two best friends trying to hang on to their friendship despite some major obstacles). It was fitting, and I still like the drama of that image, but when it came time to create the cover for the e-book, I knew I wanted something new, something fresh, and something that very clearly said, "THIS IS A FUN, SEXY, FLIRTY YA ROMANCE". I think I accomplished that with the final cover (which you can see below), but as I said above, I did have some fun along the way; click through the below gallery to see some of the cover options I explored (some are watermarked as these are only mock-ups) on my journey to that final cover, including titled versions of both covers that made it to Radish:

Original Radish Cover - stark, angsty, iconic. A little too dark for the e-book and paperback.

Radish Promo Cover - when Radish selected IT FALLS APART for one of their promotions, they asked for something a little more romantic.

Playing around with the same font as the Radish Promo Cover, but with iconic graphics.

A different take on the original Radish cover. Still a little too dark for the e-book and paperback release.

Another take on the black and white cover. The font feels right, but nothing about this says YA.

On-trend mix of photographic art and cartoon-ish graphics. This one was mostly an experiment that never quite felt right.

This one was the runner-up. An iconic cover with a nice pop of pink. But I don’t think it quite captures the fun side to the book.

An alternate take on the final cover. The image is the same, but the font isn’t as playful. Ultimately, I wanted something fun and flirty that clearly conveyed YA romance.

When all was said and done, the photograph I chose to use was one by Thai photographer, Tirachard Kumtanom, whose work is fun, fresh, and just lovely. Here is the full image I used for the final cover of IT FALLS APART. I love the flirty, youthful vibe conveyed by the white bedsheets, sunlit background, and playful pose of the model. To me, it perfectly captures the way Luke makes Harper feel--carefree and in love despite the world falling apart around her. 

And here, of course, is the final cover:

IT FALLS APART is available now! Click here to order your copy today!

the not-so-lost prologue

IT FALLS APART has been out in the world in e-book and print formats for just over a week now. Thank you so much--SO MUCH--to everyone who has ordered a copy and/or left a review. You have literally helped to make my dream of having a book out in the world come true. I can't tell you how much that means to me. If you haven't had a chance to leave a review you, Amazon.com specifically could really use some love. If you've reviewed somewhere else, it's easy to just copy and paste your same review to other sites, including Goodreads. THANK YOU!

I have a few things I want to share with you on the blog in the coming weeks--some fun little bonus items. Maybe even a deleted scene or two? Actually, today's offering is something of a deleted scene, only it's not exactly a scene. Rather, it's the original prologue, and if it sounds familiar, it's because after I decided to scrap it, I then used it as the basis for my book trailer (and here you all thought I just write really compelling book trailer scripts!).

In its final form, the novel starts with an e-mail from Harper to Chloe, written right after they've said goodbye. That's something that came to feel like the right place to start the story after a few rounds of revisions, but before that, there was this:

IT FALLS APART - ORIGINAL PROLOGUE

We’re moving.

Two words no one wants to hear halfway through their senior year of high school. Moving is social reincarnation. A life-altering shove out of the nest, and into the unknown.

New town. New school. New peers. The grief of leaving everything you know and love behind. The broken fence post that gave you that scar. The treehouse in the backyard, once a castle. There’s a reason relocating is the start of so many stories. Having to fumble your way through a new reality when your life’s unwittingly been turned upside-down? It hits you right in the gut. Like the first time you see your parents as helpless and realize the world isn’t some safe, unyielding bubble. The bubble moves.

Sometimes it pops.

I know because it happened to me—only I wasn’t the one who left. Halfway through senior year, my best friend moved away, leaving me to collect the shattered pieces in her wake.

And in case you missed it, or feel compelled to view it again in all its staggering beauty, here is the book trailer for IT FALLS APART, featuring an edited version of the above: