Battle of the Book Covers: STAINED vs STAINED by Cheryl Rainfield

New Cover

I'm a big fan of Cheryl Rainfield. We met on Twitter and she's always been dear to my heart after  reading her book SCARS. It's based on her true life story of sexual abuse and terrible mistreatment and abuse during her early years. SCARS was published by a small publisher. Cheryl didn't anticipate the book making it into big bookstores. I was so excited to let her know when I spotted it in Barnes & Noble! Now Cheryl is moving up in the publishing world. Her newest book, STAINED  is being published by a major publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers! Yay! B&N has already signed on---and herein lies the rub: B&N didn't like the original book cover. They requested that it be changed.


Original cover

You may not realize it, dear reader, but a major book store has a lot of influence on a book's cover. If they don't like it, they can refuse to carry the book. That's a huge motivator to get a cover they're more comfortable with.

In this case, I think they're wrong. That's just my humble opinion of course. I'm looking at it from the simple position as a reader. STAINED is greatly influenced by Cheryl's personal experience with abuse. (Search for Cheryl's interview on this blog.) It's about a teen's experience when she is kidnapped and abused by her captor--both sexually and emotionally. Although Cheryl wrote her novel before recent events in the news, it's a ripped from the headlines echo of the crazy story of the man who kidnapped those four girls and held them captive for a decade.

B&N felt the original cover was too graphic. Really? The girl is shown being held captive. You totally know what this tale is about immediately. With the recent kidnapping revelations, it's an immediate draw. It's not like the cover model is showing her nude body. I think they're playing it too safe. Like I said, I know it would definitely catch my attention on the shelf, but I'm not a publishing professional, just a humble reader.

In any case, add it to your reading list. It releases October 1,  2013.

What do you think? Which cover do you like best?

Toodles, ya'll!

My selection for Waiting on Wednesday...

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's a great way to learn about new books coming out.

I learned of this book from a feature in the newspaper. As a cat lover, I was immediately fascinated! A Street Cat Named Bob is about an awesome cat that lives with his owner, James, in London. James was a down-on-his-luck, hopeless drug addict until he met Bob. James was homeless and played his guitar for money. At the time, Bob was a mess too. He was terribly flea infested and ill. James used what little money he had to get Bob treated and brought him along as he played his guitar on the streets of London. Life began to change---for both of them!

People were very interested in Bob. Look at that face! Wouldn't you be?! They began to give James more money and he was encouraged to better his life---for himself and for Bob. A publishing professional passed by and the rest is history! James and Bob got a book deal and A Street Cat Named Bob was published in the UK. It's now in the US and I can't wait to read it!

I LOVE CATS!! Did I say that before?!? Lol...

A Street Cat Named Bob released July 30, 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books

Get your cat on, ya'll!!

Toodles!

A Bargain! I Couldn't resist!!

Who doesn't love a bargain, especially for something you love? Well I certainly do. I simply adore the romance trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. It's the most exquisite love story and so deliciously written. It's full of angst and emotions, all jumbled and rolled around like a sticky, sweet french pastry with lots of sugar! Lol...I'm waxing poetic, no? Hee hee hee...I can't help it. This series is soooo good! I love it so much, I had to see the author when she did a signing at Books of Wonder in Manhattan. The placed was packed, so I wasn't the only one feeling the love!

I have all three books in the trilogy as keepers---cause they're definitely keepers. I'm going to read all three of them again---as soon as I get time! Lol...I also bought another set of the trilogy, had Han sign them and held a giveaway at that time, too. I love the series so much, I had to place them in a reader's hands.

Jenny Han signing my books!

Imagine my surprise the other day when I was in Walmart and spotted the trilogy---all together in one volume! Awesome. Genius!! It's an exclusive edition only available in Walmart. I had to buy it. I almost wanted to buy two, but I had to control myself. It was only a little over $10.00 for all three stories! What a freakin' crazy bargain. I think I'm going to give this to one of my friends who has really gotten into reading YA because of me. Her twin daughters will probably fight to read it first. They usually do. They call me the "book lady". Lol...

Don't cha just love a bargain?

Toodles, ya'll!

Mailbox Monday

I was really surprised to find these books in my mailbox this week! Many thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for their generosity. I received two books by Amanda Hocking: SWITCHED and TIDAL. SWITCHED even has a never-before-published short story included which is cool. Two stories in one!



FATED is the first book in the Soul Seekers series by Alyson Noel.



The fourth and final book is kind of unusual. The name fits: CHARM & STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn. I've never heard of it. Just looking at the cover makes me super curious to find out what's going on!



Until the next time, ya'll.

Toodles!


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