Cover Reveal and Contest: Vala: Heritage by J. F. Jenkins

April 18, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS 4 comments

What an exciting day! What is it like for an author when they finally sees the cover for their newest title? Each book is a labor of love, you pour your heart and soul into the words on a page and then you must trust an artist to come up with a cover that will help sell your vision to the world at large. We all do, judge a book by its cover. The cover can help determine whether or not someone takes that book, picks it up and thumbs through its pages. The cover is the moment that helps us all decide – should I? Today J. F. Jenkins shares the cover of her newest book, Vala: Heritage. Today she joins us to talk about her Vala series and share what it’s like to receive the cover art of a new title.

Finally seeing my cover for the first time, with any book I put out, is always a treat. Even if I don’t get the final version of it the first try, there’s something special about opening up my email and seeing a proof from my talented cover artist Elaina Lee. Sometimes it’s instant love and cover lust, and other times it takes some back and forth to get the perfect cover image.

For my latest release, “Vala: Heritage”, we went through about three or four different versions, cycling through different models and backgrounds. I don’t settle when it comes to anything with my book, especially the cover. One lesson I’ve learned from publishing is to not be afraid of being honest about if something is working for you or not. When you, the author, is happy, then the book is the best it can be.

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In the end, I’m pleased with the results and I am happy to share them with you now. Along with that, I want to offer a chance to win the first book in the series: “Vala: Agendas”. Presenting, Vala: Heritage by J. F. Jenkins.

Jewl Dite has always struggled with her heritage. Being the daughter of the goddess of love, she questions everything about the emotion. Which is a bummer because she’s head over heels for Anj Willam, and thinks the feelings are mutual. It’s hard to be sure though when she has magic that has been known to bewitch men into devoting themselves to her. Somehow they’re able to strike a balance in their dysfunctional on-again, off-again relationship however.

This balance is disrupted however when a strange boy named Teague enters her life and brings along with him a group of demons. Demons who want to make a deal with her in exchange for the safety of everyone she loves.

Now to protect those she holds most dear, Jewl must rely on the magic she’s been trying so desperately to avoid. But at what cost? Will the boy she loves accept this dark secret, or will she lose him forever?

Start the Vala series from the beginning! Leave a comment for your chance to win a free copy of Vala:Agendas and start the series from the very beginning. Check back here on April 25th when we announce a winner.

“Cheyenne Loveless was just a boring sixteen-year-old girl. Then Denver Collins bit her and everything changed. Her plants start talking to her, she finds out she’s a Nymph, and a witch and the angel of death show up at her doorstep to take her away to the prestigious Vala School and Seminary. Oh, and she has no choice in the matter.

All she wants to do is blend in and return to being invisible, but the more time that passes, the harder that becomes. Plus she’s a daughter of the Divine, an exclusive secret society which rules the world of myth, and discovers she is a key ingredient to an ancient covenant created before she was born. A covenant that will reshape the order of the world.

Adjusting to a new school is difficult enough, but adding on everyone else’s hidden agendas is the icing on the cake. Cheyenne must learn to see through the lies in order to find her place — and possibly even love — in this new world.” Amazon.com

J. F. Jenkins is also the author of the Dragon Saga and writes for Astraea Press. She spans a variety of genres including YA, science fiction and romance. You can read her blog and follow her on Twitter (@jfjenkinstweets).

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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