Blog Tour & Cover Reveal: The Reece Malcolm List

I am so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for the cover reveal of  Amy Spalding's upcoming YA novel, THE REECE MALCOLM LIST.  This book sounds deliciously adorable & something that I would definitely read.  I am honored to be a part of the cover reveal for such a fab book!  Amy has stopped by the blog today to give us the dish on how this photo shoot got started.  It's an entertaining story, but one you'll have to follow as the tour continues with each blog.  The final cover reveal will be back here on Wednesday, June 13th -- so be sure to check it out then!

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Welcome to the blog tour for the exclusive cover reveal of The Reece Malcolm List, coming February 2013 from Entangled Teen! Check out yesterday’s post at Young Adult Anonymous to find out how my unique cover story started. Thanks so much to GReads! for having me today!

So here I was: almost perfect cover photo in hand. Of course I thought about waiting and leaving it up to the hands of fate, but—let’s be real—I’m not good with fate or with waiting.

I got in touch with my friend Jessie Weinberg, who’s not only an incredibly talented writer, but has her MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Her photographs are amazing. For example, she took my headshots and managed to make me look unlike the weirdo I see in the mirror every day.

“Jessie,” I asked, “can you duplicate this almost-perfect stock photo?”

This question was asked via email, so Jessie couldn’t see the crazed look in my eyes. But, oh, how it was there. The good news was, yes! Jessie could duplicate it!

So then I did something really scary. I got my editor on the phone, and I told her my crazy idea. I actually spoke the words aloud that I wanted to hire a photographer to shoot my own cover.

Luckily my editor did not strike me down with a figurative whip. She did not call out my power-hungry and control freak ways. She said Entangled had such a great mantra about letting authors have a say that they would at least consider it, and I should put together a proposal.

So I did, explaining this entire situation. Amazingly enough? After a (fairly short but torturous) wait I got approval to shoot.

Photo by Jessie Weinberg

Jessie and I headed out location-scouting immediately. I live near one of L.A.’s best parks, Griffith Park. We both thought we knew exactly the perfect place, but getting there near sunset, we realized the tall trees surrounding it meant the sun might as well already be down, and we’d never get the light we needed. (Actually, Jessie—being a photographer—realized this, and I understood it once she pointed it out.)

She still took some test shots to see if the lens would work to get the right angle and focus. Since we didn’t have our model (yet), I stepped in.

We tried again at the tiny park down the hill from my apartment, still technically—I think?—part of Griffith Park. It has a beautiful fountain, and people use the spot for wedding pictures all the time.

But there’s been loads of road construction nearby, and the park hadn’t been kept up. Plus there were vagrants and people trying to, er, do it lurking nearby. Not exactly the best photoshoot scenario.

Amazingly, though, just across the street, we found more park area, but with beautiful lush green grass, and a good—if not perfect—angle with regard to the sun. We had almost everything we needed!

Oh, wait. Except, you know. A model and wardrobe and props.

Find out all about The Reece Malcolm List’s wardrobe and styling tomorrow on Novel Novice, and come back to GReads! on Wednesday, June 13, for an exclusive reveal of The Reece Malcolm List’s cover!

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About the Author: Amy Spalding grew up in St. Louis, but now lives in the better weather of Los Angeles. She received a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University, and currently works as the Digital Media Planner for an independent film advertising agency. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and can be seen performing around L.A. Her debut novel, The Reece Malcolm List, will be published by Entangled Teen in 2013, and combines many of her favorite things in life, including Stephen Sondheim and boys with great hair.

Official site: www.theamyspalding.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/theames
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmySpaldingWrites
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/facebook/book/author/5768552.Amy_Spalding