The Edge of Anything
Author: Nora Shalaway Carpenter
Publisher: Running Press Teen
Release Date: 24th March, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Mental Health
———————–
Len is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that’s stagnated her work and left her terrified she’s losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons.
But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives.
Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.
story behind the cover
Thanks so much for hosting me today! I love THE EDGE OF ANYTHING’s cover so much, and I’m incredibly grateful for the talents of artist Fabio Consoli and designer Frances J. Soo Ping Chow. Sometimes authors have absolutely no say about their covers (which I find horrifying!) but Running Press was really great about mine. Before cover design got started, my editor Julie Matysik reached out and asked me to a create a Pinterest board of covers that I loved, which I did. It was heavy on artist-drawn covers, so the design team decided to go that route. Shortly after that, the design team sent me examples of Fabio Consoli’s work. It was heavily nature-focused (the natural setting plays a crucial part in THE EDGE OF ANYTHING) and leaned towards the abstract while still being easily recognizable. I loved it. Running Press reached out to him and luckily Fabio signed onto the project.
Next we went through a few rounds of possible cover ideas and again, I’m so grateful that Running Press asked both my agent and me our opinions. A few details were added based on the plot, such as Len’s camera and the blue jay on the back cover. We all agreed we liked Sage and Len standing on the fallen tree rather than sitting, and Fabio tweaked the girls’ height to reflect the height difference between the two. The colors were always wonderful, but Fabio brightened them a bit after our conversations.
I also got to approve the color and style of the title font. Julie said she wanted me to love everything, and I can’t express how much I appreciated that. I truly do love the cover, and I hope that readers do, too!
about the author
Nora Shalaway Carpenter holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Before she wrote books, she served as associate editor of Wonderful West Virginia magazine and has been a Certified Yoga Teacher since 2012. Originally from rural West Virginia, she currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband, three young children, and one not-so-young dog. Learn more at www.noracarpenterwrites.com or follow her on Instagram @noracarpenterwrites and Twitter @norawritesbooks.