Interview with a cover model...
So, I got such a fun email over the weekend! It came from Cole Hitchings, the main character in RIPPLE. Erm, I mean it came from a guy named Matt, who is on the cover of RIPPLE. I asked him to answer a few questions, and he was kind enough to indulge me. So... here goes!
Hi Mathew! Can I call you Matt? I feel like we should be on a nickname basis. I have, after all, 20 pictures of you in my house. Technically they are all the same, and they are on a book jacket and we’ve never met, but still.
You can call me Matt...or Cole, whatever. Ha ha
Anyway, thanks for humoring me with an interview and giving everyone a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the image on the cover of RIPPLE. To refresh your memory, this is what it looks like:
Yep, that’s you, right there on the left, looking all hot and smoldery. So without further ado, here are my questions:
1) First off, tell the readers about how you discovered your face graced the cover of a literary masterpiece.
Well, it was about 11 pm and my friend Rea from Los Angeles texted me and said "Saw this at Barnes and Noble! Good job! Pretty cool!" along with a picture of the book. I thought it was some sort of joke or something you could do on the internet where you put your friend's face on a billboard type thing. So I googled (is that a verb yet? googled?) your book and went to your website, and there I was! I immediately called Brittany (the girl in the picture) and told her about it. She was just as excited as I was.
2) Where did you guys find such a gigantic tree? The redwood forest, perhaps?
I don't exactly remember where that was actually. It was at some park around Hollywood. There was probably a homeless guy on the other side of the tree passed out. ha ha. The original setting wasn't nearly as glamorous, but I think the final products turned out great!
3) Readers have commented that the “models” look older than 18, a common occurence in the YA publishing world. How old were you two when this shot was taken?
Yeah, nobody looks like that in high school ha ha. I think I was actually 20 years old at the time, and Brittany is a year older than me so she was 21.
4) Do you always dress that spiffy? Also, pretend I didn’t say “spiffy.”
Ha ha!!!! No I don't usually dress that "spiffy". At the time Brittany and I had been dating for a while, and she liked to dress me. I'm more of a casual kind of guy. Jeans, flip flops, a baseball cap and a t-shirt is my day-to-day wardrobe.
5) In the stock photo on shutterstock, it looks like there’s a castle in the background. Did that really exist?
I have no idea where the castle came from! I guess it was a vision the photographer had. There definitely was not a castle. I think there was actually a highway there. Much less romantic.
6) I understand you’ve been reading RIPPLE over the last few days. Is it totally weird every time I describe how hot and irresistible Cole is? I am basically describing you. That must be kinda surreal.
Yes I have been reading it! Can I just say how AWESOME the book is?! I love to read, but only awesome books. If it's not good after the first 10 pages, I put it down, throw it away, burn it, etc. I'm way past page 10 in Ripple. It is a little weird to read that honestly. Mostly just because I picture myself in high school. Cole and "high school me" are complete opposites. But I still think it's pretty cool and VERY surreal. I wish I could show this to the "high school me" and tell him to keep his chin up!
[Mandy Says: I didn't even pay him to say it's Awesome! I knew I liked this guy.]
7) Are you going to run around reading it in public just to see if people notice? I would totally do that. You should dress up in the same outfit, though, just to really complete the picture. Actually, I think you should do that and send me a picture of you holding my book which has a picture of you. Yeah. I went there.
I will definitely go out in public wearing that EXACT outfit holding the book up at eye level for people to see. If people don't notice then I'll just have to stop them and tell them! I have been shamelessly blasting the book cover all over my facebook and calling/texting/tweeting everyone to go buy the book.
8) Do you know how Brittany feels about being described as a virtual Helen-of-Troy, so hot that guys drown themselves for her? Is she cool with the fact that I gave her scales? Because, you know, see above? She’s still hot. Scales and all.
From what I understand, Brittany is VERY excited about it. I haven't gotten to talk to her that much lately. She's been busy with her Miss California Intl. duties. With Brittany, her and Lexi are very much the same. From the constantly looking pretty and she tends to have guys throwing themselves out her all day everyday. It's kind of funny because when I told my grandma about the book and the cover she said, "You know, Brittany is like a real life siren. She does do that to boys." But, yes she is still hot with the scales and all.
Okay, enough with the silliness. Thanks so much for humoring me, Cole! I mean, Matt!
And in case you want more Cole, here are some outtakes from the shoot:
Do they not have the most perfect teeth you've ever seen?
Swooon!
Hi Mathew! Can I call you Matt? I feel like we should be on a nickname basis. I have, after all, 20 pictures of you in my house. Technically they are all the same, and they are on a book jacket and we’ve never met, but still.
You can call me Matt...or Cole, whatever. Ha ha
Anyway, thanks for humoring me with an interview and giving everyone a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the image on the cover of RIPPLE. To refresh your memory, this is what it looks like:
Yep, that’s you, right there on the left, looking all hot and smoldery. So without further ado, here are my questions:
1) First off, tell the readers about how you discovered your face graced the cover of a literary masterpiece.
Well, it was about 11 pm and my friend Rea from Los Angeles texted me and said "Saw this at Barnes and Noble! Good job! Pretty cool!" along with a picture of the book. I thought it was some sort of joke or something you could do on the internet where you put your friend's face on a billboard type thing. So I googled (is that a verb yet? googled?) your book and went to your website, and there I was! I immediately called Brittany (the girl in the picture) and told her about it. She was just as excited as I was.
2) Where did you guys find such a gigantic tree? The redwood forest, perhaps?
I don't exactly remember where that was actually. It was at some park around Hollywood. There was probably a homeless guy on the other side of the tree passed out. ha ha. The original setting wasn't nearly as glamorous, but I think the final products turned out great!
3) Readers have commented that the “models” look older than 18, a common occurence in the YA publishing world. How old were you two when this shot was taken?
Yeah, nobody looks like that in high school ha ha. I think I was actually 20 years old at the time, and Brittany is a year older than me so she was 21.
4) Do you always dress that spiffy? Also, pretend I didn’t say “spiffy.”
Ha ha!!!! No I don't usually dress that "spiffy". At the time Brittany and I had been dating for a while, and she liked to dress me. I'm more of a casual kind of guy. Jeans, flip flops, a baseball cap and a t-shirt is my day-to-day wardrobe.
5) In the stock photo on shutterstock, it looks like there’s a castle in the background. Did that really exist?
I have no idea where the castle came from! I guess it was a vision the photographer had. There definitely was not a castle. I think there was actually a highway there. Much less romantic.
6) I understand you’ve been reading RIPPLE over the last few days. Is it totally weird every time I describe how hot and irresistible Cole is? I am basically describing you. That must be kinda surreal.
Yes I have been reading it! Can I just say how AWESOME the book is?! I love to read, but only awesome books. If it's not good after the first 10 pages, I put it down, throw it away, burn it, etc. I'm way past page 10 in Ripple. It is a little weird to read that honestly. Mostly just because I picture myself in high school. Cole and "high school me" are complete opposites. But I still think it's pretty cool and VERY surreal. I wish I could show this to the "high school me" and tell him to keep his chin up!
[Mandy Says: I didn't even pay him to say it's Awesome! I knew I liked this guy.]
7) Are you going to run around reading it in public just to see if people notice? I would totally do that. You should dress up in the same outfit, though, just to really complete the picture. Actually, I think you should do that and send me a picture of you holding my book which has a picture of you. Yeah. I went there.
I will definitely go out in public wearing that EXACT outfit holding the book up at eye level for people to see. If people don't notice then I'll just have to stop them and tell them! I have been shamelessly blasting the book cover all over my facebook and calling/texting/tweeting everyone to go buy the book.
8) Do you know how Brittany feels about being described as a virtual Helen-of-Troy, so hot that guys drown themselves for her? Is she cool with the fact that I gave her scales? Because, you know, see above? She’s still hot. Scales and all.
From what I understand, Brittany is VERY excited about it. I haven't gotten to talk to her that much lately. She's been busy with her Miss California Intl. duties. With Brittany, her and Lexi are very much the same. From the constantly looking pretty and she tends to have guys throwing themselves out her all day everyday. It's kind of funny because when I told my grandma about the book and the cover she said, "You know, Brittany is like a real life siren. She does do that to boys." But, yes she is still hot with the scales and all.
Okay, enough with the silliness. Thanks so much for humoring me, Cole! I mean, Matt!
And in case you want more Cole, here are some outtakes from the shoot:
Do they not have the most perfect teeth you've ever seen?
Swooon!
