Synopsis:  It isn’t working. The doctor said it would, but it isn’t, even though I keep taking the pills, and I keep seeing Dad sneak into the bathroom and count how many are left. As if I would stop taking them. As if I would let myself become a beast.

Brock Koeman lost his brother to werewolves. Now he’s in danger of losing himself. Bitten by a werewolf at sixteen, he fights the transformation, taking the excruciating pain as a punishment for his mistakes. With the help of a risky drug called Lycanthrox, he’s managed to stay human for two full moons. But he knows he can’t last much longer.

Hungry for revenge, Brock vows to kill the silver wolf who bit him. But Brock’s ex, the fiery Cynthia Lopez, still cares about him enough not to let him do anything suicidally dangerous—never mind that Cyn gets her thrills from danger herself. Together again, the heat between them rekindles, but Brock feels like a beast beside her beauty. He can’t stay with her; he can’t ignore the werewolves howling outside his window. When he hunts down the pack, Cyn doesn’t sit on the sidelines. She’s right beside him as they get taken hostage and start running with the werewolves, the police hot on their tails. Brock has to get a grip on who he truly is—before the wolf within kills him, or someone else does.


Karen welcome to Poisoned Rationality! As a big fan of Other I'm excited to have you by to discuss the covers of your books :)

The very first thing a consumer sees is the cover of a book, whether its browsing at a bookstore or (obsessively) checking out Goodreads. What do you think makes the covers for Other and Bloodborn stand out?

Because they’re gorgeous. (Not biased at all. Nope.) In all seriousness, I love what my cover designer, Lisa Novak (lisanovakdesign.com), did for both  Other and Bloodborn.   They have a kind of evocative subtlety about them that makes you wonder what they’re about, rather than the cover screaming, “I’m paranormal! Read me!” With Other, you see a girl shapeshifting into an owl and want to know who and what she is. The cover for Bloodborn promises a story about werewolves, and that there is a guy who is protective of a girl, maybe who he loves. It has a cool, moonlit color scheme. It looks edgy. Sexy.

Did you have any say in the development of the cover? Did you visualize something different?

Yes, my publisher did ask me if I had any favorite covers, ideas, or suggestions for Bloodborn. I wanted something mysterious and paranormal with a hint of romance. I remember visualizing a wolf on the cover, before, but when I saw the final cover, with the moon in the background and Brock’s eyes glowing golden, it was so much more sophisticated and delicious than my imagination. And you can tell I’m being very careful to describe my covers in a totally objective manner.

Foxfire (due out in 2012) is set to feature the Japanese mythological creature known as a kitsune, do you have an idea about how they plan to incorporate this aspect into the cover as they did for Other (the feathers on her shoulder) and Bloodborn (the yellow eyes)?

Actually, I’m not sure about Foxfire! I hope the cover will have the same glowing golden eyes as Bloodborn—Gwen does, too, on the cover for Other. Kitsune have a tendency to reveal their foxy nature through their shadows, or a glimpse of their tail, or the flash of amber eyes. Since Foxfire takes place primarily in Tokyo, I imagine there may be a glittering city in the background. At least, that’s what I have in my head right now. We will see how awesome the cover actually turns out—and I’m sure it will be.

Is there a particular kind of cover you prefer? (Illustrated, digital, abstract etc?)

Digital. Since I write paranormal YA, I like covers that make shapeshifting and magic look real. Something I can believe might exist, since in the world of my books, Others are real and walk openly among us. I have to say I don’t really go for abstract covers much, though I do like illustrated covers—depending on the illustrator.

Can you think of a cover you've seen where its caused you to laugh because its so over the top?

Now, I wouldn’t want to be mean by pointing out a YA cover that I thought was silly…but there are some older books in other genres that have made me laugh really hard. Exhibit A: goodshowsir.co.uk. I like the one with the giant alien crab holding a sword, though the one for Jesus On Mars just scares me.

As a young adult were there any covers that really grabbed your attention?

Oh, as a teen I adored this cover for Dragon’s Bait by Vivian Vande Velde. Also this cover for Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. Both were done by Cliff Nielsen, I believe. They have a nocturnal, sexy feel to them, and I love how the girls look tough and pretty at the same time instead of being a random model in a dress.

Wanna know more?  Check out Karen's website and follow along on her Teen Book Scene Tour!






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