Cover Reveal: Nick and June Were Here by Shalanda Stanley

The cover reveals continue on Pop! Goes The Reader today as I’m thrilled to welcome author Shalanda Stanley to the blog as we reveal the cover of her sophomore release, Nick and June Were Here! Coming to a bookstore and library near you February 12 2019 from Knopf BFYR, Nick and June Were Here is a young adult contemporary novel that follows the story of teenagers Nick and June, who run away together after their deep but tenuous romantic connection is threatened by forces outside their control. The cover of Nick and June Were Here was designed by Casey Moses and Regina Flath. Please read on to learn more about Nick and June Were Here, including a note from the author, an exclusive excerpt from the novel, and an opportunity for one lucky reader to win an advance reader copy!


About Shalanda Stanley

Shalanda Stanley grew up in Louisiana and earned her BA in Creative Writing at Florida State University. She has an M.Ed in Special Education from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a PhD from Louisiana State University in Curriculum & Instruction, with a focus in Literacy & Reading Education. She’s an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in the School of Education. Her debut novel, Drowning Is Inevitable, published in September 2015, from Knopf Books For Young Readers. Nick and June Were Here is her second novel, also from Knopf BFYR and will be available February 12, 2019.

Author Links: WebsiteTwitterInstagramGoodreads

This is the book I was scared to write. I’ve always wanted to write a love story, but I didn’t expect it to become so personal. There are pieces of my life and my family’s life that have been woven into the fabric of Nick and June’s characters, that makes me equally excited and terrified to share it with readers. I understand Nick and his motivations. I understand his family and their poverty, how poverty defines his choices, the fear that you will not overcome it, that even if you do, that it will somehow find you again. I understand June’s spirit and her fear of all things she cannot control. I love her with my whole heart. It was my goal with June to present her as someone whose diagnosis is a part of her life, but show that her life is not defined by it. I hope that I achieved that.

Working on this book was my greatest writing challenge to date, as it slowly became the book of my heart. I took a lot of time, like years, to make this book the best I could make it and I’m so grateful for my publishers for giving me the chance to start over and start over and start over again. I hope readers love Nick and June as much as I do.

A year ago, things had changed between us. One day, every time I looked up, he was looking back at me, and then I caught him drawing my face in the margins of his history notebook. He drew all the time, but he’d never drawn me before. When I asked him about it, he said, “I just feel better when I’m looking at you.”

His dad had gone to prison two years earlier and Nick had been sad ever since, so I was glad something was making him feel better. We started spending more and more time together, just the two of us. He’d come over and we’d sit on my porch swing. My parents didn’t know what to think of it, so I’d bring a textbook outside with me. We could all pretend it was just homework. Nick would even ask me a question or two. At first we sat on opposite ends of the swing, but every day he’d sit a little closer, until we sat so close that our legs touched. Once he pulled a sucker from his pocket. It was root-beer-flavored, our favorite, but there was only one. We shared it, back and forth from his mouth to mine. That was how things changed between us. It was a few gained inches on a front-porch swing and that sucker. He told me things he’d never told anyone, the kinds of things you’d confess only in the dark. It was a powerful feeling, and I was addicted.



Title Nick and June Were Here
Author Shalanda Stanley
Pages N/A
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Genre Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
To Be Published February 12 2019 by Knopf BFYR
Find It On GoodreadsAmazon.comChapters

Nick and June are in love.

In a small town by the Ozarks, Nick and June hang out in an abandoned barn, dreaming of the future while Nick finger-paints blackbirds all over June’s body. If only things could stay so perfect forever. Outside of the barn, they have to face their problems head on.

June has schizophrenia and is coping with the recent diagnosis while managing her symptoms, her medications, and her parents. Nick is a reluctant car thief, supporting his aunt with the money and focusing on his art whenever he can. But when June lands in the hospital and Nick might go to prison, the two decide to leave it all behind and run away together. Out on the road, trying to stay hidden while managing June’s new medication, how far can they get on love alone?

This emotionally driven story will make you think twice about what you would give up for love, even if it’s a piece of yourself.

As an extra, exciting bonus, Shalanda has been kind enough to offer one lucky reader the opportunity to win an advance reader copy of Nick and June Were Here! One winner will be chosen at random at the conclusion of the giveaway and the prize will be distributed by Shalanda when ARCs become available. This contest is open to residents of the US and Canada. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Response

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi! I’m Jen! I’m a thirty-something introvert who loves nothing more than the cozy comfort of home and snuggling my two rescue cats, Pepper and Pancakes. I also enjoy running, jigsaw puzzles, baking and everything Disney. Few things bring me more joy than helping a reader find the right book for them!

Search
Categories