HAVOC by Ann Aguirre cover reveal!

I’m so excited to be able to host the cover reveal for one of my favorite authors and series: 

 Ann Aguirre’s The Dred Chronicles.

If you haven’t started The Dred Chronicles yet, head over to my giveaway for book #1 Perdition. You need to be reading this high octane, adrenaline rush series!

On to the cover reveal for HAVOC (Dred Chronicles #2) by Ann Aguirre…..

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HELL IS EMPTY AND ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE.

The Conglomerate’s most dangerous convicts have made the prison ship Perdition their home. And they will defend it…

Perdition is under siege. Mercenaries have boarded the station with orders to take control of the facility—and execute the prisoners. Their commander is offering full pardons to the first five inmates willing to help the mercs complete their mission.

Dresdemona “Dred” Devos hasn’t survived hard time just to surrender to the Conglomerate’s armored thugs. Leading a ragtag army of inmates, Dred and her champion Jael wage a bloody guerilla war of chaos and carnage against impossible odds. But no matter how dire the outlook, the dread queen never backs down …

Release date: September 2014

Happy squee!! Dred is one complex, badass heroine and I’m so happy that this cover shows her how exactly how Ann describes her in the books. For a few words about that topic I’m going to turn it over to Ann:

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First, thanks to Karen for the reveal. I love the Havoc cover so much!

When I look at the art, it makes me happy in so many ways, but most of all, when I look at it, I finally see gender parity. There are so many strong heroines being written, but in order to move copies, the consensus is that the woman must be sexualized. She'll be wearing a halter top when her male counterpart would be in full armor. Instead of battle-ready pose, she's depicted with breasts outthrust and her hips cocked.  Instead of ass-kicking boots, she wears stiletto heels. It feels like I've been fighting this battle for a long time, asking for covers that reflect a tough woman in appropriate garb for the story and drawn so she seems like a credible threat to her enemies. That day has arrived. I can't stress enough how important this is. When we send the message that male characters can look however on a cover but female ones must be sexually appealing, it's incredibly damaging in more ways than I can readily list. Feel free to name the problems that arise from the sexualized depiction of women on covers in comments! Or give an example of a cover that gets it right.

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Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes books, emo music, and action movies. She writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens. Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter