Blog Tour: Solstice by P.J. Hoover (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Today we have author P.J. Hoover on the blog talking about the many cover changes of her new book, Solstice! After reading her post, be sure to check out the massive giveaway hosted by the author, as well as the tour giveaway below.

SOLSTICE: THE STORY OF A COVER

Hi! P. J. Hoover here, author of the upcoming dystopian/mythology YA novel, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 18, 2013), and today I’m talking about book covers. As an author, I have very little say about the cover that ends up on my book. That said I feel like with Solstice I won the book cover lottery for real.

For those who don’t know, Solstice was originally independently published with the help of my agency, Andrea Brown Lit, back in 2011. (Just a side note that yes, there have been changed to Solstice on the inside, too. But that’s a story for another day). Anyway, back then, Andrea Brown Lit hired a cover designer, and this is what the cover designer came up with.

Pass 0.5:

The designer did a really great job, and I think that, although the cracked earth to hint at the dystopian world is shown at the bottom, the cover speaks romance. It’s all about a mysterious girl who is searching for answers and searching for her true love.

When Tor bought Solstice, I got all excited when they started talking about covers. Very exciting was when they sent me links to two different cover models and asked me which one I thought looked more like my main character. And then they did a photo shoot. So cool. Anyway, they sent me an initial pass at the cover which was this.

Pass 1.0:

Pretty awesome, right from the start, right? So Cerberus in the sky had to go (way too busy), and the phallic building under Piper was also not a win, but otherwise, I was in love. I had very little to contribute. I did request that the city skyline be changed to Austin since that was where the story took place. Also, I wondered how Piper would look in a skirt.

Pass 2.0:

Yay, Austin! Yay, my picture on the back. The skirt? Not so much. The consensus was that she looked like Supergirl. The request had been made to add some plants near her feet to hint at the hope that plants could grow in the dying world once again.

Pass 3.0:

Done. Wrap it up and ship it because I am totally in love with this cover. The girl looks like she could kick some butt. The colors pop off the shelf. And—can I just say it—cities under domes. I adore cities under domes.

The end J

About Solstice:

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

About the author...

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 18, 2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade novel, Tut (Tor Children's, 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a one-eyed cat. For more information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit her website www.pjhoover.com.

*Check out the massive giveaway (42 books, awesome swag, and some sweet treats) P.J. is hosting over at her blog! Click on the Red Zone image below to enter.*

Tour Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the tour! Each day features two stops with guest posts, spotlights, interviews, and more!

Team Myth:

18th Character Spotlight: Shayne @ JessaBella Reads

19th Solstice Depicted @ In Bed With Books

20th Solstice: The Publishing Journey Guest Blog @ Water Color Moods

21st Setting Spotlight: Elysian Fields @ Books Beside My Bed

22nd Solstice Excerpt @ Through the Looking Glass

23rd Character Spotlight: Melina @ Evie Bookish

24th Author Interview @ Cuts of Paper

25th Author Writing Process Guest Blog @ Best Books Ever

26th 5 Inspirations @ Ruby Reads

27th Setting Spotlight: Asphodel Meadows @ A Dream Within A Dream

28th 5 Favorite Myths @ Book Swoon

29th Character Spotlight: Tanni @ Leanna

30th Playlist @ Unofficial Book Addiction

Go Team Dystopia!!! Woooo!

Team Dystopia:

18th Character Spotlight: Piper @ Swoony Boys Podcast

19th Solstice Depicted @ Girls in the Stacks

20th Cover Changes Guest Blog @ Gobs & Gobs of Books

21st Setting Spotlight: Botanical Haven @ Books, Bones & Buffy

22nd Excerpt @ ReadingTeen

23rd Character Spotlight: Chloe @ Paperback Princess

24th Author T-Shirt Addiction Guest Blog @ Addicted Reader

25th The Character of Names @ The Mod Podge Bookshelf

26th 5 Inspirations @ Readergirls

27th Setting Spotlight: The Drag @ The Bookish Daydreamer

28th 5 Favorite Dystopians @ Frellathon

29th Character Spotlight: Reese @ YA Midnight Reads

30th Playlist @ Reviewing Shelf