In December we set a challenge for our Voyager readers: unleash your inner artist and send us your cover designs for Earth Girl, the debut sci-fi novel from Janet Edwards.
What’s Earth Girl, you ask? Well, here’s the story so far:
Jarra is stuck on Earth while the rest of humanity portals around the universe. But can she prove to the norms that she’s more than just an Earth Girl?
2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.
Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.
A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on collision course with their shelter.
Let’s take a look at the submissions!
First up, this is a very professional book cover by Ephrielle – I love the ‘cracked’ Earth Girl font. If you look close, you can see green and blue reflected in Jarra’s eyes. We really like the treatment to the sky.
The next two submissions are courtesy of ‘A Nightingale’. I’m guessing this is Jarra just after she has led the rescue expedition to save a research team trapped under a fallen skyscraper. Now the media wants a piece of her, and Jarra’s fabricated cover story is coming under serious pressure! I love the flying saucers circling overhead – and the boom mic. That’s attention to detail!
At first I was going to gently mention that A Nightgale has missed a letter here – and then realised that Jarra has just finished digging up the L herself. Cool! The grass growing around the title is a great touch too. This Jarra looks more unhappy than the last one though. But because she’s looking so tough with that spade, perhaps the strapline: ‘She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’……. but this is one ape girl who won’t give in’, will work well!
This last submission is from Kathy. I love the doubled font for the title – very cool and futuristic. This Jarra looks a little more cheeky and chipper. Probably because she has the whole world in her hands. It must be a little like watching James Bond jet around the globe to exotic beaches and rainforests on your telly, while you’re stuck at home and its raining outside. Forever. That’s pretty rough.
Earth Girl is YA science fiction with a smart, feisty heroine, incredible world-building and plenty of wit from debut author Janet Edwards – be sure to grab your copy this June!
Janet Edwards
Website: http://janetedwards.com/
Twitter: @JanetEdwardsSF
(Here are our answers, pictures will follow when our more photogenic staff are working:)
