I’ve been fortunate enough to host a great number of cover reveals on Pop! Goes The Reader this month. Every single one holds a special place in my heart, but I would be lying if I said that this one wasn’t a little extra special for me, personally. Today I’m overjoyed to welcome my dear friend and author, Hayley Chewins, as we prepare to reveal the cover of Hayley’s debut novel, The Turnaway Girls. Hayley was one of the first people I met when I joined the book blogging community back in late 2013 and remains one of the kindest, most generous, sincere and empathetic individuals I know. I feel so lucky to be able to call her a friend and to be able to help her with such an important moment in her journey to publication is a dream come true. From our earliest Twitter conversations in 2015 to present-day, I’ve been able to watch Hayley’s dreams of being published become a reality and to be asked to share in even a small part of that absolutely means the world to me. Coming to a bookstore and library near you October 9th 2018 from Candlewick Press, The Turnaway Girls is an upper middle grade novel that tells the story of the isolated, wind-whipped island of Blightsend where girls transform music into gold but are not allowed to make any music themselves and the one girl who must male a difficult choice between her safety and her voice. The cover of The Turnaway Girls was illustrated by Sarah J. Coleman. Please read on to learn more about The Turnaway Girls, including an exclusive cover reveal, a special note from the author and a chance to win an advance reader copy of the novel from Candlewick Press!
About Hayley Chewins
Hayley Chewins grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, in a house so full of books that she learnt to read by accident. Hayley studied classical voice for a year before switching to a degree in English Literature and Italian and holds an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a house full of art and music and colour, with her husband and a very small poodle. She believes in two things above all else: the magic of love, and the heroism of sisters. Her debut novel, The Turnaway Girls, will release from Candlewick and Walker Books in October 2018.
When I first started writing novels — or trying to write them — I used to spend a lot of time daydreaming about what my future books might look like.
And yet, everything I ever imagined pales in comparison to this: the cover that the brilliant, wise and wonderful Sarah J. Coleman created for The Turnaway Girls.
I nearly fell off my chair when I first saw it. It has everything I ever wanted in a cover: profound symbolism, a hidden hint at what lies at the heart of the story, and a dark, moody palette. Oh, and ink. Lots of ink.
I’m so grateful to everyone at Candlewick for making my cover dreams come true, and so thrilled to be able to share this little piece of magic with you today.
Title The Turnaway Girls
Author Hayley Chewins
Pages 272 Pages
Intended Target Audience Upper Middle Grade
Genre Fantasy
To Be Published October 9th 2018 by Candlewick Press (US) and Walker Books (UK)
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository
Twelve-year-old Delphernia Undersea has spent her whole life in the cloister, hidden from sea and sky by a dome of stone and the laws of Blightsend. Outside, the Masters — all boys and men — play music. Inside, the turnaway girls silently, silently make that music into gold. Making shimmer, Mother Nine calls it.
But Delphernia can’t make shimmer.
She would rather sing than stay silent.
When a Master who doesn’t act like a Master comes to the skydoor, it’s a chance for Delphernia to leave the cloister. Outside the stone dome, the sea breathes like a wild beast, the sky blinks with stars like eyes, and even the gardens have claws. Outside, Delphernia is caught between the island’s silent Custodian and its ominous Childer-Queen. Outside, there is a poem-speaking prince and a girl who makes Delphernia think of freedom.
Delphernia doesn’t know how to be free in Blightsend. Blightsend can’t be free without her.
As an extra, exciting bonus, Candlewick Press has been kind enough to offer one lucky reader the opportunity to win an advance reader copy of The Turnaway Girls! This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and the prize will be distributed by Candlewick at the conclusion of the giveaway. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!
