BLIND SPOT Releases in paperback and giveaway!

Today the paperback edition of Blind Spot released!

It has a cool new cover. And I have to say, I was a bit surprised by that when first told it would be reprinting in paperback. I was in love with my original hardcover art. In a world where readers often do judge a book by its cover, I felt the original cover helped Blind Spot jump off the shelf. It was ‘eye-catching’ – pun intended! 

Original hardcover art

Despite loving the original though, I did fall in love with the paperback art too. The icy blue color scheme and the way the eye looks like it is peering through ice, fits the plot well. I was excited to share it with friends, family, and readers. But as I began preparing for its release, I found myself in a marketing dilemma – do I now totally ditch the original artwork for this new cover art? I had been so attached to my first cover, it seemed wrong somehow.

Well I got over that as soon as I saw the cool new bookmarks Amber at Me, My Shelf and I designed for me :) but it did get me thinking about what other authors have done when new editions were printed with new covers -- so many classic novels have had numerous cover changes over the years. So....for fun I thought I would post some of my favorite books and the different covers they have sported.

Nancy Drew mysteries have spanned decades and have needed updating from time to time. Here are two popular covers for The Clue in the Diary. I believe the one on the left is the original.

 One of my all-time favorite books is Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan. It has seen several covers over the years. Here are three. The one on the left is my copy from 1989.

 And how about The Giver by Lois Lowry? This left cover is the one I will forever identify with the book:

But the cover on the right I have seen often in classrooms and bookstores. It looks like a totally different book, doesn't it?

What are some of your favorite cover changes? Share them in the comments! :) 




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Book Nerd Tours is giving away a BLIND SPOT prize pack which includes signed copies of BLIND SPOT and DEAR TEEN ME as well as BLIND SPOT swag. Click here for details and to enter.

What's Your Favorite Debut Novel?

We have a lot of exciting news here at Sleuths, Spies and Alibis this month. Did you hear about Laura Ellen's BLIND SPOT that launched this week? You can win a signed copy--pretty awesome, huh?

Since I have a debut novel out myself this month, I've been thinking a lot about first novels. The commitment it takes to get to that launch date, and how exciting it all is. Added benefit to being a debut? I get to make friends with fellow debuts, and discover their great novels. Like my fellow detectives' books right here.

I've also visited my library to take a look at now-famous authors' debuts. Like A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. Patterson's early novels. Agatha Christie's, Michael Connelly's. They often have a freshness, sometimes a little wobbly like a toddler, but exciting and new.

How about you, fellow Sleuths? Any favorite debuts, new or old?

Interrogation Room #22: Laura Ellen, author of BLIND SPOT

Internal Affairs here at Sleuths Spies & Alibis has been in overdrive! We've had a great run of book launches this fall -- first W.H. Beck, then F.T. Bradley, and now it's Laura Ellen's turn. Her mystery/psychological thriller BLIND SPOT (Harcourt Children's Books) hit shelves yesterday! Since one of the tag lines on her website says "Nothing is at it Seems," we thought we'd better look into that and get to know our fellow sleuth a bit better.

Laura Ellen is a full-time writer and mother of three who began her career as a teacher in both Language Arts and special education. Diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration as a teen, she drew upon her own experiences with vision loss to write her first YA novel, BLIND SPOT. She was born and raised in Alaska, where her novel is set. She's lived in many states since then, and most recently moved to Scottsdale, Arizona.



So what's BLIND SPOT about? Here's a glimpse!

Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together—to clear her name . . . to find a murderer.

This unflinchingly emotional novel is written in the powerful first-person voice of a legally blind teen who just wants to be like everyone else. Roz is obsessed with proving she's "normal" despite her visual impairment. But her obsession makes her lose sight of everything else, including clues to her classmate's death.

Here's Diana Renn's interview with Laura Ellen!
(And be sure to enter our giveaway at the end of this interview!)

DR: I love the unusual structure of this mystery, as a missing person case morphs into a murder mystery case. (In so many mysteries, we get the murder in the first few chapters or pages). The result is we get to spend some real quality time with the victim, Tricia, before she becomes a victim. What drew you to this approach, and did you begin the novel with this structure in mind?

LE: Awesome question, and the answer is no, I didn't start out with this structure. Blind Spot walks a very fine line between thriller/mystery and contemporary “issue” book. The premise I wanted to create was a character so wrapped up in her struggles to prove herself, she misses everything around her, i.e. a muder of a classmate. To do this, I had to show her struggle first to make the reader see how she'd been “blinded” by her personal issues. However, I found that starting that way, sent the wrong “promise” of an emotional issue type book to readers. I had so many agents/editors be disappointed when it spun into a murder mystery. So, I started with the promise of the murder and went from there.

DR: Did you know who the villain was from the outset? Or did anything surprise you as you wrote? And do you think mystery writers should always know who the perp is, and all the details of the crime, before they begin writing?

LE: My perp changed three times! When I write, I have a vision in mind and as long as I achieve that vision, I don't care how much the plot changes. Every writer is different, but for me I like painting several into the role of villain and then seeing who steps up to the plate -- that to me is the fun of writing. I'm 'reading' the story for the first time, so I want to be as surprised as my readers are by the outcome.

DR: What was the most challenging aspect of writing a mystery/thriller for young adults?

LE: I think the most challenging part of writing a thriller, or really any novel, is making sure that the choices the characters make are the only choices that character could have made. When you have plot points that have to occur in order to unfold the story, it is tempting to give your character the easy way there. "'I'm trapped in this hole with no way out. Good thing I found this rope ladder on my way to school today."  As hard as it is, you have to find creative and realistic ways to get your characters where they need to be.

DR: Some of the aspects of Roz’s school were more horrifying to me than the crime itself! The way in which Roz got thrown into a Life Skills for no clear reason – and had no voice – disturbed me. Her teacher Mr. Dellian’s controlling behavior and dismissive attitude – not to mention his suspicious activities outside of school – also alarmed me. Don’t get me wrong – these elements contribute greatly to the suspense of the book! But I’d love to know what motivated your decision to make school so nightmarish for Roz and others, and to make some adult characters so difficult to approach or to trust.

LE: I’ve had a lot of people find Mr. Dellian unbelievable as a teacher; I’ve also had many tell me his character brought back painful memories of their own school/childhood experience. I made Roz's experience so nightmarish because I wanted her (and readers) to see that despite everything they can rely on their own strengths, their own voices to get them through tough spots in life. I based this story on my own experiences growing up with a visual impairment (I had three Dellians!) and it took me a long time to find my voice. I wanted readers who are experiencing similar things with teachers or classmates or adults in their life to find their voices sooner than I did – I wanted them to say, “Hey that's me” and then "wait, I'm not taking this anymore."

DR: I love how Roz’s macular degeneration is a part of her character but not the focus of the novel. In fact it’s her failure of memory that she’s wrestling with, piecing together events of one strange night, and not the vision failure per se. What motivated your decision to include yet downplay her visual impairment?

LE: Too often books that have characters with disabilities make it about the disability -- or they go the opposite route and have characters who just 'happen' to have a disability without addressing what it really means to deal with that in your everyday life. I wanted my character to be real, which means being imperfect, not the fake perfect characters so often portrayed in these books. I wanted her to be angry and self-conscious and to make stupid mistakes; I wanted that to be her tragic flaw -- not her visual impairment.

DR: You handle the role of law enforcement and investigative procedures in a way that felt very plausible to me. How did you go about researching this?

LE: I watch a lot of Law & Order :) but I also have a good writer friend who is also a police officer, so I asked her many questions and ran those key scenes by her to make sure they were realistic.

DR: When I think of BLIND SPOT, one word comes to mind. SUSPENSE. Can you spill any of your secrets to good suspense writing?

LE: Wow, thank you. I'm glad you think so! I always try to keep my characters in jeopardy - either directly or indirectly. I also make a point of ending a chapter with something that keeps the reader from putting it down.

DR: Did you grow up reading mysteries? What mysteries did you read as a teen, and which authors do you enjoy today?

LE: Not only did I grow up reading them, I grew up listening to them on an evening radio show called Mystery Theater. They'd act out stories by authors like Alfred Hitchcock and Agatha Christie over the radio. I lived for that show! Growing up I read all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, Edgar Allen Poe, Lois Duncan, Joan Lowery Nixon, Mary Higgins Clark, Phyllis Whitney, and Stephen King. Nowadays I read anyone who can spin a good mystery!

DR: Can we expect more mysteries from you in the future? Do you plan to stay with this genre?

LE: Definitely! I don't think I could write anything without having at least a little mystery in it. Right now I am working on two new thrillers, both set in Alaska, but like Blind Spot, they will be stand-alones with all new characters.

Thanks, Laura! 

Looking for Laura Ellen online? Here's where she lurks!
Her website and blog
Facebook
Twitter: @lauraellenbooks

Ready for a giveaway? Click on the Rafflecopter thingie to enter to win a signed hardcover of Laura Ellen's BLIND SPOT, plus swag! (Note: This contest is U.S. / Canada only! Sorry!)
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How CSI Are YOU? Take the Quiz and Find Out!

Photo by Peter Hostermann

Shows like CSI and Criminal Minds have made forensic investigation techniques popular -- in fact universities around the world are adding new programs in Forensic Science, Forensic Psychology, and Criminal Profiling to keep up with the increase in interested students. All those chemicals and equations are pretty cool, but did you know forensic investigation hasn't been around that long?

Next week will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary (September 19, 1987) of the first arrest and conviction based on DNA evidence. Twenty-five years may SEEM long, but in science it isn't. It has taken that long to perfect and test techniques and now this breakthrough has not only made it possible to find criminals that before had escaped conviction, but it also has saved many people from wrongful persecution -- an exciting new tool for both law enforcement and defense attorneys everywhere.

The use of forensics is exciting for authors too -- presenting many ways to catch a suspect -- but it can also be daunting and intimidating, especially if one isn't a scientist or CSI investigator! How do authors learn this stuff in order to write about it? Education. In a few weeks I am going to be heading to the Writer's Police Academy, a hands-on conference that instructs authors in some of these investigative techniques in hopes of educating myself.  

I am super psyched and am having a hard time deciding between the classes I want to take because there are so many! Here's a sample of the schedule of events. I promise, whatever I decide to attend, I'll come back with details!

In the meantime, I thought I’d do something fun -- test your forensic aptitude. Just how forensically-conscious are you? Take the quiz and find out!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

 

 

 

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Laura Ellen is CSI-savvy, but wishes she was CSI-Supreme and roaming the country-side solving crimes. Instead she spends her time doing the next best thing -- making up crimes for her characters to solve! Her YA thriller Blind Spot debuts October 23, 2012.  Check her website for more information!

Upcoming Fall Mysteries for Kids and Teens

We're kicking off a little change in our blogging here at Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis! We're going to loosen things up a bit and instead of blogging to a theme or feature, we're simply going to take turns blogging about what makes our little mystery-loving hearts sing. (Don't worry, we'll still hauling plenty of authors in to our interrogation room, too.)

So, I'm up first in this new schedule and what's on my mind is back to school--I headed back to work at my elementary school library last week. All summer, I've been building a book order, but now I get to focus all the books coming out this fall (not to mention my OWN book coming out this fall--eep!). As I build my order, here are some of the mysteries I can't wait to read!

My 13-year-old and I love the Hunchback Assignments series from Arthur Slade. So excited to read Modo's final adventure.

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None is one of my all-time favorite mysteries. This sounds like it's a retelling of it--with teens in a modern day setting.

Secrets? Shakespeare? Graves? Kids driving a car on the cover? I'm in.

I love the Red Blazer Girls. Now, they are investigating a secret message in an antique fountain pen!

This is the sequel to The Emerald Atlas, which I'm reading right now. If EA holds up, I'll definitely be looking for this one this fall.

Two sixth graders solve an eighty-year-old mystery at their school--told through notes and lists? Yes, please.

Another sequel, another school setting. This is the follow up to The Big Splash, a middle-school riff on the noir genre, which I loved.

And of course, I can't wait to read fellow detectives' books:

 (October 16!)

(October 23!)

My list has a little bit of a middle grade focus because that's what I write and teach, but if you want to see a more complete list of upcoming mysteries for kids and teens, check out this Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/whbeck/fall-2012-mysteries-for-kids-and-teens/.

How about you? What mysteries are you looking forward to reading this fall?

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W.H. Beck is school librarian and author of the forthcoming middle grade mystery, Malcolm at Midnight. (She is also way excited about its fall debut, but it seemed self-serving to list it as one of her top books for this post. Plus, she's already read it.)

Laura Ellen's Ideal Young Sleuth -- Taking Risks

Sleuths in children's literature come in all shapes and sizes. Some characters, like Bruce Hale's Chet Gecko and  Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes seem to find mystery wherever they go, while others trip into mystery quite by accident. Whether seeking it out or falling into it, my favorite mysteries are those in which the sleuth takes on the case even though they do so at great risk to themselves.

Now by 'risk', I don't mean danger -- all detectives at some point in their sleuthing will find themselves in some degree of danger. I mean risk to self -- identity, self-preservation, something that, if the sleuth continues seeking, could threaten the very core of who she is -- and yet, she trudges forward because truth is more important to her than outcome.

 The perfect example of this, and one of my all-time favorite books, is The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. If you haven't read this -- what? Read it! -- I won't spoil it for you here. But basically it is about Janie Johnson, a girl who thinks her life is pretty normal and boring until she discovers a face of a missing child on the back of a milk carton. . . a face that all-too-eerily resembles Janie herself.

Now Janie doesn't just drop this -- though she could easily chalk it up as coincidence and continue on in blissful ignorance. Instead, she follows this mystery to the very end, searching for the truth, even though that truth can devestate her family and her identity. That's what gives this novel more than just mystery and intrigue -- it gives the story heart and weight; it keeps it grounded in reality which lends validity and immediacy to the story.

It is that notion of risk to self; that mixing of extraordinary mystery with ordinary life and very real consequences that I strive for in my own writing. In my novel Blind Spot, my main character, Roswell Hart, fights with a classmate, Tricia Farni, at a homecoming party. Roswell doesn't remember much after the fight -- but what she does remember she wants to forget because Tricia betrayed her and it hurt pretty darn bad. Then Tricia is found dead, and Roswell has to figure out what happened that night -- even if it means discovering she had something to do with Tricia's death. The truth could be devestating, but she still pushes on.

For me, then, the most intriguing sleuth is the sleuth that takes on the challenge regardless of the risk. The sleuth that struggles with the decision to push forward and yet still does. It's what makes the mystery real for me and it adds a complexity to the story that keeps you intrigued and engaged to the very end.

News Flash!

Our own Laura Ellen now has a cover for her forthcoming debut novel Blind Spot. Beginning at 10:00 AM EST today, you can check it out at her website!

The Edgar Nominees were announced yesterday. The Edgar award, given by the Mystery Writers of America, is the most prestigious award you can receive as a mystery author. Check out the list here -- have you read these ten spine-tingling YA and MG mysteries/thrillers? We were thrilled to see former Interrogation Room interviewee Sheela Chari on the shortlist, for her MG novel Vanished. (You can read our October 2011 interview with Sheela here). Also shortlisted was MG author Shawn Thomas Odyssey, who will be coming to our Interrogation Room very soon!

Finally, our Peter Abrahams giveaway continues through Monday, 1/23. Entered yet to win Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street? Click on the "read more" link below to get to the Rafflecopter entry form.


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