LARKSTORM Cover Reveal

You are now one of the first people on the planet to see the cover of Dawn Rae Miller’s debut young-adult novel “Larkstorm.” When the characters and epic love stories of this book are famous, you’ll be able to say you saw this glimpse of the cover first – yeah, that’s right, you saw it even before this hauntingly beautiful image hit the presses. Pretty rad, eh?

I don’t know about you, but I get so engrossed in novels and their worlds that I feel as though a loved one has just died the moment I reach the last page. I’ve found that if I don’t keep a new book lined up on my nightstand to take its place the moment a novel or (worse!) a whole series ends, I get consumed by a sea of mourning for the dear friends I’ve just left behind. This intangible gloominess brought on by the phantom limbs of book characters can last weeks or even months if I neglect to lose myself in a new world of fiction, but I’m pleased to say I’ll be getting lost in “Larkstorm” when it hits bookstores on December 27, 2011 (if you have a digital reader, you can score the e-book even earlier on December 6). What’s better, “Larkstorm” is a trilogy, so there will be two more novels for us to lose ourselves in come spring and fall of 2012. Here’s a little snippet of what to expect from the first book of the series…

“In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born with extra abilities. As one of the last descendants of the State’s Founders, seventeen-year-old Lark Greene knows her place: study hard and be a model citizen so she can follow in her family’s footsteps. Her life’s been set since birth, and she’s looking forward to graduating and settling down with Beck, the boy she’s loved longer than she can remember. However, after Beck is accused of being Sensitive and organizing an attack against Lark, he disappears. Heartbroken and convinced the State made a mistake, Lark sets out to find him and clear his name. But what she discovers is more dangerous and frightening than Sensitives: She must kill the boy she loves, unless he kills her first.”

Are you as excited as I am to read this series? What do you think of the cover? When reading a new novel, do you picture characters the way they look on their book covers, do you paint your own images of them in your mind, or do you envision the actors who will eventually play them in movies? Do you also feel an emotional attachment to the people and places of novels the way I do, and do you feel a sense of mourning when a good book ends? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment.

Psst: You can learn more about “Larkstorm” on GoodReads, Dawn Rae Miller’s blog, or by following dawnraemiller on Twitter. You can also explore the artwork of Sarah Marino on her illustration-packed website. Don’t forget to spread the love and follow Coté Writes on Facebook and Twitter, my darlings!