Cover Reveal for Echo of the Cliffs & a giveaway from the #KickAssGirlsofYA

Here it is! The cover for the third (and final) installment of the Juniper Sawfeather Novels.

Actually, the whole series got a facelift. Why? Well, it's hard to believe it, but it's been three years since Cry of the Sea was released and a year and a half since Whisper of the Woods came out. Caroline Andrus, who designs my book covers for Fire and Ice YA Books, and I discussed the fact that the series needed a new, fresh look. Apparently, faces on covers are no longer the trend. More artistic covers with symbolic images are popular, and we want to be with the times.

Also, frankly, we weren't totally sure how to do the same kind of Juniper profile with a cliff in the background and make that look good. I've always loved the previous covers, especially the blue of Cry of the Sea. Blue is my favorite color. However, they never totally spoke "fantasy" to me, and I think these new covers have a more magical flair to them.

I realize that some people who have bought print copies of books 1 and 2 in the past might be irritated that the third book won't match. I am genuinely sorry about that. Feel free to donate them to a library and get new copies (wink wink). The majority of sales for these books are ebook, though, so I don't think the change affects a lot of people. We're hoping that having all three books out in this new look will attract new readers who like to purchase complete series.

Click on the book covers to learn more about these books and where to find them.

Why is there a killer whale on the cover of Echo of the Cliffs?

Cry of the Sea is about discovering mermaids, so there is a mermaid on the cover. Whisper of the Woods is about a girl trapped in a tree with an ancient spirit, so the cover has a girl with leaves in her hair. Okay. Why doesn't the cover of Echo of the Cliffs feature a cliff? I can hear you thinking that question.

Cliffs are kind of hard to represent in a small symbolic image. Also, killer whales feature prominently in the story, both in the environmental mission the Sawfeathers are dealing with and in the magical mission Juniper is on. As with the previous books, Echo of the Cliffs features environmental activism mixed with American Indian mythology.

What is Echo of the Cliffs about? Here is the blurb:

Three warriors asked the sun to grant them wishes of immortality to protect their people forever. One was turned into a merman, another was turned into a tree, and the final warrior was turned into a stone.
 
Juniper Sawfeather has learned there is truth to this American Indian legend. She knows how it connects the mermaids she saved from an oil spill and the ancient spirit that trapped her in the branches of an Old Growth tree. Now she wants to find out if the final part of this legend is true, that some kind of magical stone exists. A lone mermaid finds her and shares a vision of a cliff along the ocean shore. This must be the place, and June knows she needs to find it.
 
Tragedy strikes when her parents take Carter and her on a mission to collect evidence of construction run-off pollution, and they are attacked by a killer whale. June is convinced that the killer whale was led by mermaids, and she is desperate to find out why they attacked, where they are hiding, and what it has to do with the cliff from the mermaid’s vision. Once again, Juniper is on a heroic mission, the most frightening adventure yet. A thrilling ending to this award-winning trilogy!

This image is so perfect, and when you read the book, you'll see why. No spoilers here.

I don't have an exact date, but Echo of the Cliffs will be released in May.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter for announcements.

In the meantime, catch up by reading books one and two (for the first time or again) and please leave a review.

And now for more exciting news!

A bunch of the authors that work with my publisher
Fire and Ice Young Adult Books are banding together in April for a big promotion: The Kick Ass Girls of YA!
We are celebrating what makes a strong female protagonist. Is it brains, courage, fortitude? What do you think? We'd love for you to chime in at our Facebook party or Twitter chats. Just use the hashtag #kickassgirlsofya

There will also be a big sale of all of our first titles
(which includes Cry of the Sea),
an Instafreebie collection of stories based on our characters (including a prequel to the Juniper Sawfeather series!), 
and fun stuff happening on Instagram, too.

The whole thing is kicking off with a Rafflecopter giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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As always, I'd love to read your comments. Let me know what you think of the new covers. Please feel free to spread the news about the new covers and the #KickAssGirlsofYA events and giveaway. Any help getting the news out about these books is greatly appreciated.