How frustrating is that? Well, as it turns out, it’s just as frustrating for the author! Halli’s had both some new book cover secrets as well as some award secrets. As soon as she was allowed to talk, we got the scoop!
Here’s a look into the secrets authors have to keep.
A New Cover for the List of Ten Paperback Edition!
Halli: I love the new cover so much! I love the color, teal, because it’s the color of the Tourette’s Syndrome awareness logo! The new art is by Carolina Rodríguez Fuenmayor, who you can check out on Instagram. Her work is beautiful and full of emotion . . . I think it will resonate with teens.
Rebecca: I love it too! The new cover combines Troy, LoT’s main character, the setting, and Troy’s love interest in an intriguing way.
Halli: It’s gotten a great response from everyone I’ve shown it to. The design also makes the book’s tag line is more prominent:
One word. Ten letters.
A life-or-death choice to make.
Rebecca: I’ve read LoT so many times but I still get icy chills.
The paperback edition of List of Ten is out today, February 1st! If you didn’t pick up the hardcover edition, now’s your chance. If you did get the hardcover, complete your set!
An Award for List of Ten + Nomination for Another
Halli has been modest about the selection of List of Ten for the Young People’s Literature Award for North Carolina Authors by the North Carolina Literature and History Association. But I want to set off confetti cannons to celebrate, so here we go.
Here is Halli’s speech, accepting the award:
Rebecca: Next time you win an award, Halli, the pandemic better be over so we can be in the audience clapping and shouting!
Halli: Yes! It was tough because I needed to record a two-minute speech accepting the award but I had to record it about thirty times to get it right. On one recording, I forgot my name. It took me all afternoon!
Rebecca: I’m laughing and sending so many hugs. Because wouldn’t we all love to be in this situation where we couldn’t remember our own name because we were so nervous about accepting a book award?! Where were you when you found out you’d won the award?
Halli: I was getting dressed for work. [Halli works at Park Roads Books.] I had to sit down. I couldn’t believe it. Then I called my husband and I had to tell him he couldn’t say anything. It was a secret until the announcement was made.
Rebecca: LOL! I have awesome news and you can’t tell anyone. That’s so hard!
Halli: Yes. So he said, “I won’t tell you congratulations because I can’t say anything.”
Rebecca: LOL! And how long was it before you could say something?
Halli: I got the call around Thanksgiving and the announcement came out January 5th. It was delayed because of Covid. I was sitting on that news for five weeks.
Rebecca: Five weeks! Wow! And I was thinking, you’re going to work at a book store so everyone will get exactly how cool this news is . . . except you can’t tell them!
Halli: Right! Well, I told my mother, my husband, and my son. But it was so hard to not talk about it!
List of Ten‘s also been nominated for the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Awards. The winner of this award won’t be selected until this fall, but we’ve got our fingers crossed!
Check out the paperback edition of List of Ten on Goodreads, Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. You won’t be disappointed!
Nee more details on LoT? Here’s our review.
And if you’re an author who’s had to keep secrets, tell us what they were (if you’re allowed to now) and why they were hard to keep in the comments below!
