THE NEAR WITCH HAS A COVER AND IS AN ARC AND ZOMG *DIES*.

Um, yeah. So that title pretty much sums it up.

I am SO SO SO SO SO excited to reveal the cover of THE NEAR WITCH!! And not just as a PICTURE, but as an ARC!!!!!

I died a little. And then I ate a cupcake. And then I danced. And then I filmed this vlog.

And it has an official jacket copy!!

“The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

There are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.”

EDITED TO ADD: And if today hasn’t been cool enough, I *JUST* learned that THE NEAR WITCH is up on Amazon!!!

Wow. Just. Wow. Thank you everyone.

80 thoughts on “THE NEAR WITCH HAS A COVER AND IS AN ARC AND ZOMG *DIES*.

  1. So pretty! I can’t wait to read it!

  2. Linda G. says:

    So, so gorgeous! And it’s REAL!!!!!! 😀

  3. HOMG SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINYYYYYYYYYY! *want want want*

  4. Jodi Meadows says:

    Yay!! It’s so beautiful, dude! I think you should carry the ARCs with you everywhere you go. Show random people.

    I guess I’m okay that you didn’t make out with the book in your vlog, though I really thought that’s what you were going to do there for a while. GET A ROOM! 😉

    • veschwab says:

      Thank you SO much, Jodi, and you better believe I’m keeping one in my purse at all times!! And I ALMOST kissed the ARC. For you.

  5. Aw, that was so cute. And I like the front, but I love the back

    • veschwab says:

      I think the front will be even better in the final cover (I know they plan to do the title in blue foil, etc), but I am mildly obsessed with the back.

  6. Beautiful!!! Congrats!

  7. Alea says:

    Congratulations 🙂

  8. Vincent Kale says:

    Very very cool! Your excitement is contagious so I’m going to have to share this vlog 🙂
    Maybe the Old Spice guy can be your spokesmodel?

    • veschwab says:

      Aww, thank you so much!! Feel free to repost. And I would LOVE the Old Spice guy in my life, in any capacity, but he would make a PERFECT life narrator.

  9. Cicely says:

    It’s soooo pretty! I want. Why can’t they release books sooner… but yay! Pretty pretty cover 🙂

    • veschwab says:

      Haha I have asked D*H several times, but alas, they want it when they want it! BUT I will make sure ARCs are getting around, especially closer to release, and will go giveaways 🙂 SO glad you like the cover!

  10. Love it! Love the book, love your house (nice stairs!), love YOU!

    So excited for Near Witch. 😀

    • veschwab says:

      Aww, thank you so much, Heidi!! And much as I love the house it is SO hard to find a place with good enough lighting to vlog! Which is why I end up shooting at random places like my dining room table, or kitchen counter :p

  11. bree despain says:

    So lovely! Congrats on a great cover. When I got my ARCs I carried one around with me all day long.

  12. Awesome! Will there be contests for ARCs. I’d love to review it for me blog. 😉

  13. Your vlog was cute. Congrats on the cover and ARCs! The pub date just keeps nearing closer, huh?

    *adds to wishlist*

    That last blurb is KILLER.

  14. Laurie Lamb says:

    It’s absolutely lovely!! Did you or your mum cry? I know I would have.

  15. Maurissa Guibord says:

    Beautiful!!! And that is awesome flap copy- Who could resist?
    Congratulations 🙂

  16. LOVE!!!!!!!!! Congratulations! Very exciting stuff and it’s soooo pretty! May have to pre-order 😉

    • veschwab says:

      DUDE.

      I OWE YOU SO MUCH. I saws the note about pre-order, and thought to check Amazon (I’ve been checking obsessively, of course) and there it was!!!! I can’t believe it’s up!

  17. Nadine says:

    Congratulations, that is so exciting! Love the cover and the jacket copy!!

  18. Rachel says:

    Wow, that’s not what I imagined at all, but the font and the photo are both beautiful! I’m so glad they went light instead of dark, as is the current trend. This is much more true to the feel of your writing.

  19. Lori says:

    It sooooo beautiful!!! Congrats! I bet you feel amazing!

    I can’t wait to read it!! 🙂

  20. Jess says:

    Congrats, Victoria! It’s beautiful! I especially like the back cover with the enchanted moors. Really, you had me all over again at “enchanted moors.”

    • veschwab says:

      Aw, yay Jess. I’m SO glad you like it 🙂 And the back it my favorite part, too. They did an AMAZING job of finding a landscape shot that REALLY captured the notion of the enchanted moors.

  21. Krispy says:

    Congrats! That’s so cool, and I am so taken with your jacket copy – as in, I really want to read the book! 😀

  22. Ruta Sepetys says:

    Oh my gosh, SO gorgeous! You must be thrilled. I absolutely cannot wait to read your book. And just think, soon you’ll see that amazing cover on the shelf in stores! Yay!

    • veschwab says:

      Ah, thank you so much, Ruta. I AM thrilled. I’m still in shock (I went out tonight and friends got me to sign them, I never would have thought of that!) but very happy. And thank you! We shall have to trade!

  23. Emily Hainsworth says:

    Congrats, V!! The NW cover is ~*SPARKLY*~!!!!!!!!!!!! I can SEE why you’re excited!!! 😀 😀 😀 Beautiful.

    • veschwab says:

      Thank you so, so much, Em. It means the world. And I hope it’s SPARKLAY but not in the vampire way :p I shudder to think of it with tiny chest hairs and an emo face :p

  24. Shannon says:

    Gorgeous cover! Congratulations!

  25. Can I just say Wow! That cover is gorgeous and the story sounds amazing! Congrats! Can’t wait to read it!

  26. I just came over from Elana’s blog. Congratulations! It’s a beautiful cover.

  27. Mary Lindsey says:

    Gorgeous. Chills. Congrats.

  28. Lisa and Laura says:

    Oh, V! CONGRATULATIONS! I can’t imagine how surreal it must feel to hold YOUR BOOK! Gorgeous!

    • veschwab says:

      Awww, thank you!!!! And it is SO surreal. I was braced for them to arrive, and I knew what the cover looked like, but opening them up and seeing words I wrote inside. Trippy.

  29. Paul Greci says:

    Great cover. And the story sounds incredible, Victoria!! Can’t wait to read, see and experience what happens in the town of Near!

  30. I LOVED watching your video. You are too cute for words, and your excitement is contagious. I want to get up and dance around your ARC’s now. Can’t wait to read it!!!!

    • veschwab says:

      Haha so glad you liked the vlog, Terry. And you should dance, if you feel so moved. It really is fun 🙂 I recommend cupcakes, too.

  31. Jen Chandler says:

    I just heard your fantastic news over at Elana’s. Congratulations! The cover is awesome and the story sounds FABULOUS!!!

    Very nice to “meet” you and I look forward to reading your book 🙂
    Jen

  32. […] breath away when it comes out in August 2011. Check out Victoria’s qt vlog below and then go to her blog for further deets! And Amy Reed, the insanely talented author of Beautiful (check out my interview with her […]

  33. Mia says:

    Congratulations! Awesome book cover. 😀

  34. Josh says:

    congrats I’m so excited for you (:

  35. Jen says:

    YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!! I can’t imagine how it feels to see it on paper, bound together, with a due date in sight, available for PRE-ORDER! I mean how awesome!!!

  36. Bonnie says:

    I found out about your upcoming book because Alexandra Bracken posted your vlog on her blog. Congratulations! The book sounds fabulous. I already want to read it! Hopefully, I’ll still be working at BN when it comes out and can recommend it to all the teens who come into my department (at least, I’m guessing it’s for teens since I saw on here that it was bought by Disney Hyperion). I just saw the release date on Amazon–what a long wait! Hopefully my store will get ARCs next year so I don’t have to wait so long to read it!…I just snagged the latest ARCs by Jennifer Donnelly and Jodi Picoult to R&R.

    Anyway, now that I’ve found you, I’m going to start following your blog to see what you write about next. Good luck to you!

    • veschwab says:

      Thank you!! Yes, it is indeed for teens, though I sincerely hope it will appeal to adults as well. And I hope we can get you an ARC! It is a little while yet until it comes out in shiny, finished form.

      • Bonnie says:

        Hi again! Sorry, I didn’t have comments set to reply.

        Oh, no, I wasn’t begging for an ARC! I was just saying that I’m already hoping that I’ll be lucky. I work at B&N and sometimes, we get some awesome ARCS!

        You would be surprised at just how many adults are reading teen books these days, especially now. This is something we can thank “Twilight” and the vampire fad for. There are so many adults that browse the teen section these days–and many of them say they never thought they would! Teens is awesome 🙂

  37. Hannah says:

    OOH! I am SO excited for this!
    And that 13-digit ISBN number looks so fabulous; one of the best I’ve ever seen, surely! 😉
    Love, Hannah

  38. Tye says:

    And its STUNNING!!!!

  39. […] look good? Victoria received her first ARCs of this book last week and was showing them off on her blog and I want oneee! I can’t believe it doesn’t come out until NEXT FREAKING AUGUST, ugh! […]

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