Cover Interview: Taken by Erin Bowman

Every Friday, I bring you a new cover interview and hope to introduce you to books you want to read, or the very least make you more excited for the book. This week's pick is...

  Taken by Erin Bowman

April 16, 2013

Goodreads

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends...and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

About Erin Bowman:

 Erin is a twenty-seven year girl who likes to write. She grew up in rural Connecticut, where she spent most of her childhood telling stories. It is rumored that her first words were not “Mama” or “Dada,” but “Once upon a time.” In middle school, when kids were going off to sleep-away camp for the summer, Erin was attending writing camp and penning short stories.

At the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, Erin studied web design (and minored in Creative Writing because she couldn’t stay away from stories). After several years working in advertising and designing websites for various brands, she has moved on to writing full-time. When not writing, she can often be found hiking, geeking out over good typography, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter. She drinks a lot of coffee, buys far too many books and is not terribly skilled at writing about herself in the third person.

Erin is represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger. Her debut novel, TAKEN will be published by HarperTeen on April 16, 2013. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.

And now, the interview:

I absolutely love your cover and everything about it, especially the raised K. What is one cover that you absolutely freaking love (besides your own)?

 

Picking just one is almost painful, but I'm going to go with THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly. Not only is it one of my favorite books of all time, but the cover is just stunning. The illustrations, the type, the way the silhouettes feel magical while the thorns hint at something foreboding. (And if you haven't read this, you must! It's a coming of age story, featuring classic fairy tales with dark twists). Love!

I love that cover, and since you say so, I'll definitely have to read it soon! ;) If you had to pick, what is your favorite part about your cover? Like I said up there, I love everything about it: the raised K, the tree, the reflection, etc. It’s so GORGEOUS and rings “READ ME.”  

 

Thank you! This is hard because I love everything about this cover--everything!--but a small element that makes me incredibly happy is the birds. They are so subtle, just like the role they play in the story, but I'm thrilled they made it into the design!

Did you have any say in your cover?

A little, yes. Before the design team started concepting, my editor asked me if I had a particular vision for the cover art. I didn't. I only knew how I wanted the cover to feel--ominous, eerie, mysterious! I think mood is so important on covers, and Harper really nailed TAKEN! The final artwork definitely speaks to the moods I mentioned, and seeing Gray front and center (plus the lifted K, the tree, the reflections, the colors) was icing on the cake!

 

I think mood is really important, too. When you saw your cover, what did you do?

I got teary-eyed, I have to admit. And that was after I had a mini flailing session from all the excitement. On a train. (I was still working my day job at the time and was traveling home from a meeting in NYC when my editor emailed me the cover.) I'm pretty sure everyone on the train thought I was crazy.

Hahaha. Describe your cover in three words.

Striking. Intriguing. Unique.

Describe Taken in three words.

TAKEN is a thrilling, unputdownable mystery.

 

Oh man, I can't wait to read it! I love teasing because it’s always fun to watch people squirm—can you say anything teasing about Taken? 

The story is full of twists and turns, so if I'm not careful, I'll give something away! How about I share the first sentence of the novel, instead?

"Today is the last day I will see my brother."

Sufficiently teased? ;)

Haha, yes, I am! What do you think of this cover, guys? I absolutely adore it, and hope to get to read Taken soon!