Interview - Astred Hicks

Astred Hicks is the artist behind one of my fave new Aussie novels, Posse. She generously allowed me to interview her about what designing a cover really entails.

How did you begin cover design as part of your repertoire?
My dream as a young tenacious designer was to do everything, try all the disciplines and ultimately take over the world. A few years into this plan I joined a design studio that had a long history of book design and the idea of trying everything went out the window: I was hooked. Book design was what I wanted to do forever. I've been doing it for about five years now and I still can't think of anything else I want to do more. I am fascinated by the psychology of colour, image and type placement. I love problem solving – finding ways to grab a browser’s attention and entice them to pick up the book and read the blurb.

How much information are you provided with at the beginning of the assignment, specifically Posse?
I was given quite a lot of information for Posse. As well as the brief with the size specs and so on, I was given an extract from the book to get a feel for the protagonist's tone. I also had a written overview from the publisher telling me how they wanted people to feel when they looked at the book and as well as sample images for inspiration

Could you briefly talk about the steps involved in creating Posse's cover?
One thing the publisher stressed to me was "HEAT" -- the story is set in scorching hot summer holidays. So I started to search for images that made me feel the way I did on my summer holidays as a teenager... squinting in bright light, lethargic from the oppressive heat, but with the promise of romance and the expectation of new experiences. Originally we tried versions of a cover that showed the 'posse' but they lacked ‘edge’ By the second round of concepts we pretty much had the final cover.

The image we went with was so perfect – the girl has such strength, even though you only see one of her eyes as it looks through the keyhole ‘O’. It's symbolic of both discovery and existing knowledge.

How much of a say does an author have in determining the look of their book?
It really depends on the project. Often the author does get shown concepts and in these cases their opinion is always taken on board. But usually the look of the book relies on the vision of the publisher, the input of the marketing team and the inspiration of the creative.

Which other projects have you used your artistic genius?
Which ones am I most proud of? I loved doing 'Girl Secrets' by Kerrie Hess, not just because it was my first cover with holographic foil (which in itself is very exciting), but because I also did the internal page design. Working with those illustrations and content was a dream (it was commended in last years APA book design awards). I am also still excited about 'That's why I wrote this song' by Susanne Gervay and 'Game as Ned' by Tim Pegler. They are two of my favourite young adult books because I was able to delve deeply into the psychology of the content and create very edgy covers.

I’m also proud of 'Planet Earth', a Western Australian secondary education text book, because I commissioned a satellite photograph specially for the cover. The idea was to take an unusual view of the Earth and create an abstract piece of art from it. That one was a finalist in this year’s APA book design awards!

Thank you so much to Astred for taking the time to talk about her process. As you can see, her work is amazing and I will definitely be looking out for more books featuring her cover art.

Review: Keeper / Mal Peet

Summary - When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.

Review - I am not, and will not ever be, a soccer buff - but this book gave me an appreciation for the game that I definitely did not possess beforehand. Peet has written a novel that weaves mysticism and football into one package that takes surprising turns.

Alternating between current day and El Gato's childhood, the reader is taken on a journey from his knobbly kneed, talentless beginnings to his World Cup winning present. It's a vivid journey, one where every event is written in action packed detail that allows you to be in the moment. The characters are expertly depicted. El Gato is a character that evolves beautifully, like a caterpillar into a butterfly, under the tutelage of the mysterious Keeper. In the end soccer/football is a metaphor for life; embrace your vulnerability and fear, work your butt off and stay open to opportunities and good things will come.

If there was anything to quibble, it would be the scenes in present day. Some of the dialogue felt a little flat for me, almost like it was an untruth. At time it was easy to resent Faustino and his interference into the unravelling past of El Gato. Perhaps this was the goal of Peet, for the journalist to add a splash of reality to the magical tale of the boy and the shadow? As the readers we want to return to the jungle, to the Keeper, to El Gato's journey as soon as possible. It's a fantastic way to build tension within the story and within the reader.

It's a lovely read. Full of joy for soccer, the technicalities of the game and of life, the need for belief in yourself and the impossible and the joy in success. It's quite a surprising read that runs the gamut of emotions and turns - highly recommended.

Published: 2003
Format: Paperback, 220 pages
Publisher: Walker Books
Origin: USA

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

In closing out Aussie Month it seemed pretty appropriate to mention Tim Winton. If you don't know who he is, you need to find a copy of one of his titles asap.

Title: Breath
Author: Tim Winton (Penguin)

When paramedic Bruce Pike is called out to deal with another teenage adventure gone wrong, he knows better than his partner - better than the parents - what happened and how. Thirty years before, that dead boy could have been him.

Interview Assistance

As of Thursday I will be in Melbourne, Australia for the Reading Matters conference. My first day in town will see me interviewing two international YA authors face-to-face, MT Anderson and Mal Peet. Needless to say...I am VERY nervous.

MAL PEET (UK)
Keeper (2003)
Tamar (2005)
The Penalty (2006)
Exposure (2008)

MT ANDERSON (USA)
Thirsty(1997)
Burger Wuss (1999)
Feed (2002)
The Game of Sunken Places (2004)
Whales on Stilts (2005)
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (2006)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party(2006)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (2008)

If you have any questions that you would love me to ask, please leave them in the comments section. I will even say the question is from you. I am hoping to record the interviews and upload them, so you could hear them say your name - is that inducement enough?

Teaser Tuesday (15)

The concept? - To pick a random page, find a quote and tempt others with it's tastiness.

Title: Vulture's Gate
Author: Kirsty Murray

"Callum ran one finger over the line of notches in the corner of his cage. Three months. Every single day that he had worked for Floss and Dental was marked by a tiny notch made with his front teeth. Now there were ninety-three toothy identations."

p. 15

Snarktress' Bit Lit Scorecard

Since I got sick over the weekend and wasn’t able to read all that much, I have decided to compile my thoughts on Bit Lit. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term, check this interview. For those of you who are lazy – it’s a term for Vampire Literature.)

The Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead
+ Dmitri and Rose – holy moly hotness
+ Really intelligent take on the class structure within the vampire society
+ Dmitri – Rose is completely unworthy of the guy.
- Two dimensional characters - inconsistent actions

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side – Beth Fantaskey
+ Interesting take on vampire royal succession, arranged marriages and adoption.
+ Jessica is an awesome, consistent, hilarious, strong protagonist with a wicked shin kick.
+ Humorous – look out for some tummy tickling letters home to the old country
- Not enough people have read it :(
- Sequel is not guaranteed (because of above point).

Evernight – Claudia Grey
+ An awesome twist for the canniest of readers
+ Interesting and unique take on vampire society apart for the “real” world.
+ Balthazar
- Romance is clichéd
- Shy heroin that’s in no way shy

Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
+ Compelling story
+ Romantic epic
+ Superior love triangle
- Vampire rules are even more distant from those established by Bram Stoker than most YA.
- Renesmee
- Protagonist is boring

Marked – The Casts
- I was bored by this novel, didn’t finish it.
- Try hard teen speak

The Vampire Diaries – LJ Smith
+ Yet to read but description and wikpedia search have all made me more intrigued.
- CW series trailer looks lame
+ Despite lame CW trailer, I still want to read them

This scorecard is purely subjective and a result of boredom.

In My Mailbox - 24 May

Blessed are the spoils that come into the Snarktress' awaiting arms.
This meme was brought to you by a Junkie and a Siren!

Review Copies
The Last Thing I Remember
Andrew Klavan - Hachette (June 1 2009)
The first book in an exciting new series reminiscent of The Bourne Identity and 24 Charlie West studies hard, stays focused and has just gotten the phone number of the prettiest girl in his class. He is thinking about joining the air force after graduation. He is a third degree black belt. He never gets in trouble. Until now. Charlie has woken up in a nightmare. He's strapped to a steel chair, and someone outside the door just ordered his death...Even worse - he can't remember a thing about how he got here. By calling on his deepest reserves of strength and focus, Charlie manages a desperate escape...but his nightmare isn't ending. There's a whole year of his life that he can't remember. A year in which he was convicted of murdering his best friend and working with terrorists. Charlie knows that can't be true. But what is? Staying alive long enough to figure out the answers may be the least of his worries...

To be completely honest, this genre doesn't tend to interest me unless it's Sydney Bristow tied to the chair. But I am willing to give it a go...check back for my thoughts.

Ribblestrop
Andy Mulligan - Simon & Schuster
Roofless dormitories, distracted teachers and a lethally dangerous underground labyrinth - Ribblestrop's visionary headmaster is out of his depth even before the pupils arrive! And when they do - what a bunch! There's Sanchez, a Colombian gangster's son hiding from kidnappers; Millie, an excluded arsonist and self-confessed wild child; Caspar, the landlady's spoiled grandson; the helpful but hapless Sam and his best friend Ruskin, plus a handful of orphans from overseas, who are just happy to have beds - even if they are located in a roofless part of the building...Anything could happen - and anything does!

Sounds like it's trying a little too hard to please a certain demographic but again, I will see...

Competition Spoils
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters
Sydney Salter - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
It's the end of junior year, and summer is about to begin. The Summer of Passion, to be exact, when Jory Michaels plans to explore all the possibilities of the future--and, with any luck, score a boyfriend in the process. But Jory has a problem. A big problem. A curvy, honking, bumpy, problem in the form of her Super Schnozz, the one thing standing between Jory and happiness. And now, with the Summer of Passion stretched before her like an open road, she's determined for Super Schnozz to disappear. Jory takes a job delivering wedding cakes to save up for a nose job at the end of the summer; she even keeps a book filled with magazine cutouts of perfect noses to show the doctor. But nothing is ever easy for accident-prone Jory--and before she knows it, her Summer of Passion falls apart faster than the delivery van she crashes. In her hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel, Sydney Salter delivers a story about broadening your horizons, accepting yourself, and finding love right under your nose.

I have a hate/hate relationship with my nose, I sometimes think the reason I have hayfever is my nose's spiteful way of saying 'stop complaining about how I look'. Looking forward to reading this one. Never so glad to have won an Elizabeth Scott comp.

Love You Hate You Miss You
Elizabeth Scott - Harper Teen
You know, I always thought I told you everything, but there are some things I should have said but never did. I should have told you about the time I lost your new sunglasses. I know you really liked them. I should have apologized the time I ruined your brand-new skirt, the one with the beading. I should have apologized for a lot of stuff. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.


I knew I had won a book but Elizabeth surprised me by adding this one to the package as well. Needless to say, there were squeals, some cover strokage and considerable self-discipline - it's Aussie month here on PSnark, I can only read Aussie books until June. I am resolved but looking at it sees me a-quiver with self-doubt.

Bought
Hunting Elephants
James Roy - Woolshed Press
Harry reads books, he asks questions; he's a naturally curious young man. So when he and his parents head out to the country for Great-uncle Frank's fourth wedding, he prepares himself. He learns what he can before they leave. After all, he doesn't want to look stupid when Frank's time in the Vietnam War comes up in conversation. If it comes up.But perhaps Harry has more to worry about than an old man's war stories. Is there a crazed gunman in the bush? And what's being kept hidden in the old caravan behind Frank's house? Besides, Harry has scars and memories and guilt of his own to deal with, which won't be easy while ever he's surrounded by truths that sound like lies, and lies that might just be true.

I read Town this week and LOVED it. Based on Will Kostakis' comments, I decided to go and buy this little, beautiful treasure. Can't wait.

If I Stay
Gayle Forman - Random House (I own two copies already, it's a present for a friend)
17-year-old Mia narrates the story of one crucial day in her life, when a perfect morning with her family turns to tragedy, leaving her on the edge of death. As she lies in a coma, she contemplates her relationship with her family, her boyfriend Adam and all the complexities of life, love, and loss. Clinging to life, and contemplating the devastation of everything she held dear, she must decide if she should die, or if she should stay.

I love giving presents that are books. I have been raving about this one so much that my friend Z asked if she could borrow it. Alas one of my copies is interstate and the other is with another friend - solution, belated birthday present (four month late). Do you think she'll forgive me?