"This book is based on a true story and it took 13 years to publish so I actually had an overexposed picture of me and my sister-in-law that I
always envisioned as my cover.
"They hated my idea but then sent me one with two dresses that I loved immediately. The only problem was it was orange (below). I begged for red and they said okay.
"I loved the double dresses! I especially went crazy over the black spiky dress that is made out of film. I thought it perfectly illustrated who Rachel, the character based on me was—an edgy black-sheep photographer. I was so thrilled and relieved.
"I think my editor needs tranquilizers from the cover insanity I've put her through. My shrink always says, 'Everything is too important to you.'
"When they made it red, I loved, loved, loved it. But then right before we went to press—crisis! Somebody decided the beloved spiky black film dress I'd xeroxed and shown everybody in the world was suddenly too edgy and creepy. They changed it to a typical little black dress I didn't like and added a cutesy wootsy pink sash on the white dress which made it look less like a wedding dress. I hated it!
"Now I'm madly in love with the red version. My first book that did the best was also red, my memoir Five Men Who Broke My Heart, so here's hoping..."
Thanks, Susan! I love the red cover, and I agree that the edgier black dress is much more compelling than the short, silly one.
What do you guys think of the cover?
Melissa Walker is the author of four Young Adult novels, including the Violet trilogy and Lovestruck Summer. She is co-creator of the popular teen newsletter I Heart Daily and the new awkward-stage blog Before You Were Hot. Her author blog, where Cover Stories originated, is melissacwalker.com.
