This week we spent some time with award winning author Jen Marie Hawkins to talk about the big cover reveal for her new book, The Language of Cherries. Get an early look at the cover, then keep reading for some great insight from Hawkins, as well as an excerpt from the novel!
First, tell us about your book!
Thanks so much for having me today to reveal my cover for The Language of Cherries! Here’s a quick synopsis of the story:
Sixteen-year-old artist Evie Perez is cut off from everything—her Abuela, her friends, and the comfort of the Miami heat—when her father’s job transfer drops her into Iceland for the summer. Angry with him for upending her life, and desperate for a connection to home, she takes her canvas and paintbrushes into the picturesque cherry orchard behind her guesthouse. As she stains her lips with stolen cherries in the midnight sun, her muse takes over, and she paints a boy she’s never met.
Oskar Eriksson is startled to discover Evie in his family’s orchard, and even more surprised to see himself on her canvas. Too ashamed to reveal his stutter, he allows her to believe he doesn’t speak English. When Evie returns day after day to paint, spilling confessions about her family she wouldn’t tell her priest, Oskar remains silent. At first, he’s content to be near the charming girl who looks at him without pity. But what began as an innocent escape from loneliness becomes a mutual passion when he realizes her paintings are messages from the orchard itself, evoking images of the family he lost—to an accident he believes was his fault.
As Evie’s life back home unravels and she struggles to forgive the people who’ve let her down, she leans on Oskar, grateful he listens, regardless of his understanding. Oskar wants to comfort her with words, but he knows he’s waited too long, so he uses music to communicate with her instead. When Evie finds his journal full of poetry written in English–evidence he understood her all summer–Oskar must confess the truth, even though he risks losing her trust and the last connection to his family. If Evie can’t forgive him for lying, he may never forgive himself for surviving.
Somehow I still manage to be an awkward turtle when asked about my work, so here’s what other authors had to say about it:
“THE LANGUAGE OF CHERRIES is unlike anything I’ve ever read. I immediately fell in love with the premise, the characters, and the world. Richly textured with a mixture of crisp prose and poignant verse, it’s the kind of book you read in one sitting, and then you read it again to savor. A brilliant gem of a book about how the heart needs no translator. I adore this book!”
—Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga (Little, Brown)
THE LANGUAGE OF CHERRIES is a lush, heady, magical book, much like first love itself. Evie and Oskar are unforgettable characters with passions and desires who, despite their initial language barrier, deeply understand and support each other. The vibrant writing and unique Icelandic setting, combined with an inventive structure, make this book a YA standout reminiscent of Anna-Marie McLemore and Sarah Addison Allen.
—Rachel Lynn Solomon, author Our Year of Maybe (Simon & Schuster) & the upcoming Today, Tonight, Tomorrow (S&S, 2020)
Come to THE LANGUAGE OF CHERRIES for the irresistible premise of a girl believing the boy she’s falling for doesn’t speak her language, and stay for the lyrical, magical tale of two people daring to reach for their dreams. Hawkins’ memorable coming-of-age romance is infused with the same wit, charm, and originality as Joanne Harris’ Chocolat, and likewise will leave readers deliciously satisfied.”
—Kes Trester, author of A Dangerous Year (Curiosity Quills, 2017)
What is your connection to The Writing Barn?
In the fall of 2015, when The Language of Cherries was a very rough, incomplete first draft, I workshopped it at an Advanced Writer’s Weekend Retreat at The Writing Barn. The notes I received at that workshop propelled me to complete the manuscript and clean up a lot of its issues. I made great friends and new critique partners there who have been incredibly supportive since.
When and how did you see the cover? Did you see initial sketches or designs, or just the final version?
When my publisher sent me the final cover a few weeks ago, I clicked on the image and got a little teary-eyed. It was exactly what I’d always envisioned—an Icelandic sky-blue with cherries.
Time for props to the team behind the cover!
My cover was designed by the in-house team at Owl Hollow. They were perfectionists about the art, fonts and colors. After several different mock-ups and concepts, they arrived at this beautiful rendering! They worked tirelessly to give my book a great cover and wouldn’t settle for less.
Where can readers pre-order your book?
You can pre-order The Language of of Cherries from Amazon!
Where can we follow you online?
Website: https://jenmariehawkins.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhawksnest/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennymarieh
Click here to read an excerpt from The Language of Cherries!
More About Jen:
Jen Marie Hawkins writes books for young adults and the young at heart, and she is a Book Coach for Author Accelerator. She has been a Pitch Wars mentor since 2015. Her short works can be found in literary magazines, and her manuscripts have been finalists in the YARWA Rosemary Contest and the RWA Maggie Contest.
In 2018, she won the Joyce Henderson Award for her unpublished YA novel, Before and After August. Her debut YA novel, The Language of Cherries, releases February 11th, 2020 from Owl Hollow Press. She is represented by Kate Testerman and Hilary Harwell of KT Literary Agency.
Jen lives in the Houston area with her husband and sons, a couple of rambunctious rescue dogs, and a stray cat that refuses to leave. When she isn’t reading or writing stories sprinkled with magic, you can probably find her cuddling her boys, sipping sweet tea, and daydreaming about Clemson football season.