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    Happy Birthday! Cracking the Cover turns 10

    0
    By Jessica on March 8, 2021 news
    Jessica Harrison
    Jessica Harrison (Photo by Elise Curtis)

    3,650 days.
    1,414 posts.
    More than 1,000 reviews.
    202 author/illustrator interviews.

    It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Cracking the Cover came into being.

    Just a few months before, I was working as the in-house book critic for a newspaper. Then came layoffs. Then came the announcement that “talented housewives” would take over my job for free.

    It was demoralizing, but it wasn’t the end. Instead, it was the start of something new. I was invited to host a panel of Penguin YA authors, and I discovered a different path.

    Concept sketch for Cracking the Cover art by Jenny Duff.

    Within hours of the Breathless Reads panel, I had my own website. I began reworking interviews, using quotes and thoughts that hadn’t been previously published. I pulled from my to-be-read pile and started reviewing the books I had.

    Emails to my existing contacts came back overwhelmingly positive, and new books started arriving.

    Cracking the Cover has become part of my identity. It has expanded my world view and formed connections with people around the world. It has helped me through some of the most trying times in my life and has given me a purpose.

    None of it would have been possible without you. So, thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting. Thank you for loving books. Here’s to 10 more years!

    Concept sketch for Cracking the Cover by Jenny Duff.

     

    Cracking the Cover
    Final art for Cracking the Cover by Jenny Duff.

     

     

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    Jessica
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    Jessica Harrison is the main reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. Prior to creating Cracking the Cover, Jessica worked as the in-house book critic for the Deseret News, a daily newspaper in Salt Lake City. Jessica also worked as a copy editor and general features writer for the paper. Following that, Jessica spent two years with an international company as a social media specialist. Jessica is currently a freelance writer/editor. In 2023, she was selected to be one of the first-round judges for the Cybils Awards — middle-grade fiction. She is passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices.

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