Do we have a treat for you! Today we have Melanie Crowder, author of Parched, visiting! And more than that, we ‘re beyond excited to be sharing the cover of Parched with you for the very first time!
Can we go even further than that? YES WE CAN! Today we’re also featuring the very first giveaway of a PARCHED ARC!
What’s that? Permission to run in circles and squeal?
Permission granted, people. Permission granted.
Here we go!
Isn’t it outrageously beautiful? I mean, where do you start? The cover artist is the amazing Stephanie Dalton Cowan—just click her name to see more of her work. Don’t you want to frame her stuff and put it up on your walls? We do!
Here’s a little about Parched:
A mesmerizing debut about a girl, a boy, and a dog struggling to survive in a parched and barren land.
Sarel is a girl with secrets. She knows which tree roots reach down deep to pools of precious water. But now she must learn how to keep herself and her dogs alive. Nandi is the leader of those dogs. She knows they can’t last long without water—and she knows, too, that a boy is coming; a boy with the water song inside him.
Musa is that boy. His talent for finding water got him kidnapped by brutal men, yet he’s escaped, running away across the thirsty land that nearly claims his life. And so Sarel, Musa, and the dogs come together in what might be their last hope of survival.
And here’s what people are saying about it!
A thrilling, imaginative soul quencher. Crowder’s stunning debut is sure to become a modern classic.
—Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor winner
Spare, unflinching, and beautifully written, this novel walks the line between magic and reality.
—Franny Billingsley, National Book Award finalist
Brutally beautiful, this is a story of courage and heart.
—Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor winner
The story behind Parched is a fascinating one—the book was originally a part of Melanie’s MFA, and today she’s going to tell us about how it made the hop from college to published novel! At the bottom of this post, we’re giving away an ARC of Parched to one lucky reader! Here’s Melanie!
A few years ago, I made the decision to take my writing seriously. So I applied to the best MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and got to work. The experience was humbling and TOUGH and incredibly rewarding.
I emerged two years later with a degree, a draft of a middle grade novel and an award that put the first few chapters of Parched into the hands of the editorial department at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I received a request for the full manuscript and gleefully sent it in.
Please don’t laugh. It was 92 pages long (in Courier). In Times, the full novel was only 76 pages.
We all have our stylistic differences, but 76 pages? Really?
Fortunately for me, within that HMH team was an editor who believed in this story and wanted to see it grow.
You see, there was an excellent reason for Parched to be so short. The story is set in the near future, during a time of severe drought. It’s told by characters who are absolutely devastated by the brutality that surrounds them. The prose mirrors the setting: sparse, uncomplicated, raw. The cadence and tone of each sentence says more about the characters’ emotions than any amount of description could.
It made for a wonderful creative thesis—it worked in all I had learned about restraint and rhythm, symbolism, metaphor and story arcs. But it wasn’t incredibly…accessible. I had a choice to make. I could keep it the way it was—an artistic novel that few child readers would ever see. Or, I could allow the story to breathe, and trust that it could become even better.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate that I found an editor with the vision and experience to embrace the sparse quality of Parched, while at the same time patiently working with me to draw out the emotional depth and expository breadth that readers would need. She helped me find the middle ground where sparse could also be rich, where raw could also resonate. She helped this story become whole.
Like so many things in life, turning this academic project into the beautiful novel it is today was all about balance, and trusting that if you assemble the right players, a team can produce so much more than any individual. The result, happily, is a novel ready to be drawn into readers’ hearts.
A novel that I could not be more proud of.
Want to win your very own ARC of Parched? We know, we know! We do too! The ARC will be available in September, and this giveaway is US only.
MELANIE CROWDER graduated in 2011 with an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. A West Coast girl at heart, Melanie now lives and writes in the beautiful (if dry) state of Colorado. She can be found on facebook, twitter, Goodreads and at melaniecrowder.net.
VERY excited to read this one! Congrats on a great premise and a great cover.
Thanks, Irene! I hope you love it!
Melanie, what a BEAUTIFUL cover, and what glorious blurbs! You must be so proud! I can’t wait to read PARCHED. A
Thanks, Claire! Seriously, I still pinch myself when I read those blurbs. I’m a lucky girl!
LOVE the cover! It has a watercolor-esque vibe to it that is stunning. And thanks for sharing how the story went from thesis to novel, Mel. So interesting! Can’t wait to read the final version 🙂
Isn’t the artist fantastic? She also did the cover for JEFFERSON’S SONS. Really stunning work!
It’s just so, so beautiful. It reminds me of the Australian Outback! I can’t wait to read Parched — and I’m only giggling a little bit at your 76 page novel. I just wish mine could be that short sometimes!
Amie, I just may have to come visit this outback of yours…
This book sounds SO INCREDIBLE! I can’t wait for it!
Thanks, Peggy! It’s a great year for debuts….
This book sounds really interested. And I’m fascinated by the story of its origins. I think its wildly creative to have crafted the story in that way to reflect the setting. I look forward to seeing how it developed into the story it is now.
Thanks Marilyn! I hope you love it!
What a breathtaking cover! Was it done in watercolor, I wonder? So excited for you, Melanie, and for everyone who will get to read this book.
I agree Erin! It’s a digital collage–I love the layering effect!
Wow! Parched looks absolutely stunning – both from the cover & the content. Would absolutely love to read & share with students!
That makes me so happy to hear, Rachel! I hope you and your students love it!
What a gorgeous cover, Melanie. I’m so looking forward to reading this. I also liked reading about your writing journey and choices. Kudos to you!
Thanks Karen! I think the cover is gorgeous too!
What an evocative cover. My mouth goes dry just looking at it. And Rita’s “soul quenching” promise is a perfect complement to it. I’ve been waiting to read this book since I heard you read from it a year ago! Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks, Ellen! That Rita has a way with words, doesn’t she! I am so incredibly honored by those blurbs!
What a beautiful cover! I was really dreading a close-up photo of a girl with severely chapped lips. I’m so glad it wasn’t that! And PARCHED sounds great, I love stories that play with the language as much as they tell the story.
So true, Gina! The HMH team did a fabulous job–somehow they got the cover to look foreboding AND appealing!
The cover is gorgeous and the theme is so timely! Congratulations, can’t wait to read it!
Thanks, Tara!
Hey Melanie, can’t wait to read your book! Congratulations, it sounds fantastic!
Thanks Jen!
Oh wow. This seems like a really deep book! And the cover is so beautiful!
Thank you, Ellie!
Despite the old adage, I would have bought your book based on the cover (I always loved stories with dogs as a kid). I am so impressed by the literary approach you have taken, and cannot wait to read it!
Wendy, I am totally a cover person, too! So glad you like it!
Hooray for this gorgeous, gorgeous cover being out in the world! And what an incredible collection of blurbs. Even if it was still only 76 pages long, it sounds like this novel would be required reading. =)
And it’s always great to get a glimpse behind the curtain at an author’s process. Congratulations on finding the perfect partners at HMH to turn your story into a beautiful book. I can’t wait to read it.
Thanks Tara, and I can’t wait to read YOUR book!
This cover is GORgeous, Melanie! And the blurbs are equally enticing. Can’t wait to read this!
Thanks, Natalie!
Melanie…I’m so proud of you! And I really want to read your book. Not to mention visit you one of these days. Way to go, friend!
Thanks, Tamie! I have a feeling we’ll be signing each other’s books soon!
I am so thrilled for you, Mel! How incredibly exciting! I can’t wait to read it.
AMANDA! Thank you!
This book sounds so interesting. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Jenna
Thanks, Jenna!
Wow, what a gorgeous cover!! PARCHED sounds so good, I can’t wait to read it. Congrats, Melanie, and thanks for sharing it with us!
Thanks, Emma!
So excited for you, Melanie! I remember thinking it was amazing when I heard your reading at VCFA my first semester, and I can’t wait to read the whole thing. Great job!
Thanks, Megan!
Wow! This sounds like an instant classic – can’t wait to read it! Good luck with your book, Melanie, and thanks for sharing an ARC with us!
Thanks, Maryanne!
I love this story, and for those of you wondering, the cover is mixed media, some hand drawn pieces, some watercolor washes and painted backgrounds all scanned into the computer. Then with the help of Photoshop, compiled into an multi layered image that embraces a wonderful first YA Novel by Melanie ~ I must get a few signed copies from the author for my nieces and nephews! Warm Congratulation Melanie, ( the typo on your name at the rapp blog is being fixed as we speak!)
Warmly, Stephanie
PS. Thanks to all who complimented the book jacket cover, to see the full spread of Melanie’s cover, link here: http://www.geraldandcullenrapp.blogspot.com
Gorgeous and evocative! I’m so looking forward to reading this–as will many others, undoubtedly! Congrats, Melanie!
Thanks, Jeanne!
I love the cover, and I can’t wait for the book to come out! I heard you read from it at your VCFA graduate reading, and I’m interested in what you said about how the book changed from your creative thesis to the published version.
Thanks, Lyn! I definitely felt the VCFA love that night–so proud of all of us!
That is RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous. So haunting and lovely; it seems to capture the feeling of the book perfectly.
Oh, thank you, Lexie!
The cover is gorgeous! I love, love, love the colors and the imagery, the big, bright sun behind them and the way the dog’s tongue sticks out like it’s thirsting for a drink. They even have shadows!
The description sounds wonderful, and I am so, so excited to read Parched in the future!
Thanks Sarah–I love love love the colors too!
I really do love the cover. It’s so unique and has such an artsy flair to it. Looking forward to reading this one.
Thanks, Vivien! I hope you love it!
Oh my God, Melanie!!! I love the cover and I can’t wait to get my signed copy. I am so happy for you. I’m sure it’s just the first of many. Congratulations!!!
Oh, you’re so sweet, Laurie! Thank you!
First semester VCFA’er here–Can’t wait for this!
Hi Linda! Enjoy every minute–you are going to learn so much!
I agree the cover is beautiful.
Thank you, Laurisa!
A gorgeous cover for what sounds like a gorgeous book! I love the unique premise behind it. This is definitely going on my TBR list!
So glad to hear it. Thanks for stopping by, Alyssa!
What a brilliant story line!! The summary already had me hooked, but the process and artistic nature of the writing has made this into a gotta-have-it category book 😀 It helps that the author lives in the very same place I’m moving to in two weeks!
I’m so glad you found the perfect editor! Long live agent/editor/publisher soul-book mates! 😀
Thanks Andrea! I hope you love Colorado!
Even your explanation of the book and your work is eloquent and uplifting. Many congratulations and joy to you, Dear Friend.
Thanks, Anna! What a fabulous friend (and beta reader) you are!
Oh my God, this book sounds SO UP MY ALLEY. (Sorry for the over-the-top effusions to come!) A pack of dogs? A girl-meets-boy in a middle-grade story, not a YA? And a desert setting on top of that. Oh my good gracious, why is this being released almost a year away? *cry*
Anyway. *ahem* Many congrats on the beautiful cover, Ms. Crowder! 🙂
Thank you ever so much for the over-the-top-effusions!
Let’s see whether this “brutally beautiful story” can travel to Hungary 😉