1. What was the first book you remember reading? Can you describe the cover of the book and did you like the cover?

Never Tease a Weasel by Jean Conder Soule published by MacMillan Pub Co. The cover has a little girl in a white dress on her tip toes. She's trying to poke a weasel with a branch. The weasel is up in the trees. I liked the cover.

2. Have you ever purchased a book because of the cover alone? If yes, which one and why?

No. Although, I did pick up an advance reading copy of Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer at Book Expo one year based on the cover art.

3. When did you first know you were destined to be a writer?

After my son was born, I had only an hour to myself a day. The fact that I wrote during that hour tipped me off :-)

4. Who gave you your first break in publishing?

Helen French, an editor with Harlequin's LUNA books.

5. What was your first published book and what did the cover look like? Did you love it or hate it and why?

Poison Study is my first. The orginial cover art was styled similar to Vameer's painting, The Girl with the Pearl Earring. The model was facing a window, but her head was turned forward so you could see her beautiful green eyes. I loved the rich old world style of the cover. My only concern was the cover model's face. She was gorgeous, but her face was too round for Yelena -- I imagined Yelena with a thinner-oval shaped face. Yelena had spent a year living in a dungeon -- so I imagined her more gaunt. Many, many readers have commented to me that they loved the cover.

6. Do you believe a cover can increase or decrease the sales of a book? Have any covers affected the sales of your books?

I believe the cover is very important. Its job is to entice the reader to pick up that book from the many others on the shelves. Once the book is in the reader's hands, its job is done. I believe the cover copy and perhaps even the first page of story is what will compell the reader to purchase the book.

I don't know how to accurately match sales of a book to its cover. Book sales are one of those nebulous things--they can be affected by cover art, publicity, word of mouth, and reviews.

7. What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

I love the UK -- YA covers for my books. The model fits my imagination. On Poison Study, she's holding a bo staff (weapon) and there is an open book and bottles in the foreground and a castle in the background. It pulled in all the right elements from the story. Henry Steadman did the covers and he did a fantastic job.

8. What has been your least favorite cover from all of your releases and why?

The German edition of Poison Study. She's wearing a green gown and holding a glass ball in her hands. Neither has any relevance to the story and the cover doesn't match the mood of the story.

9. What trends do you see in book covers currently and in the future?

I'm not good at reading trends, but I do notice a copy cat effect -- when one book becomes very popular, others will be released with similarly styled covers. An example would be Twilight's simple yet elegant cover -- I've seen many YA books since Twilight's release with a matching style.

10. Do you have a current or upcoming release to share with Cover Cafe? Please give us the details and a peek at the cover, too!

My next book is Storm Glass from Mira in May, 2009. The book is set in the Study world -- the main protagonist, Opal played a part in Fire Study. This book is about Opal and is set five years after the events in Fire Study. Many characters from the Study books make an appearance.

Here's the cover copy for Storm Glass:

"As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers--particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade--require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance--including her own--Opal must control powers she never knew she possessed...powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known."

Update: Maria has also released from Mira, Sea Glass - September, 2009 and Spy Glass - September, 2010.

Maria V. Snyder's website

Linnae Crady ()

Back to the Take Ten With feature page.

Author image, and covers are displayed with permission from author.