Untraceable by Shelli Johannes-Wells: Cover Reveal Part 1

The teen wilderness thriller Untraceable by Shelli Johannes-Wells comes out November 29th, and this week we are thrilled to help Shelli unveil her cover — which was shot by our good friend, Vania Stoyanova. Vania is the creative force behind some of our favorite book trailers — and we are so excited to see her working on book covers.

Each day this week, Shelli and Vania will be revealing shots here at Novel Novice from their cover photo shoot — before unveiling the final cover on Friday.

First, we’ll tell you more about the book, so you know why they shot the pictures they did!

“Grace is a spunky, independent, nature girl who doesn’t need a boy to save her. With wilderness survival, a juicy love triangle, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster, this fast-paced novel had me holding my breath until the very last page—and still begging for more!”

-Kimberly Derting, author of the The Body Finder series (Harper Teen) and The Pledge series (S&S)

 16 year old Grace was reared in the wilderness. Her first pet was a bear named Simon. Her first potty, an oak tree. And, her first swing, a forest vine. Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her everything he knew about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival.

When Grace’s dad goes missing on a routine patrol, unlike everyone in her sleepy mountain town, she refuses to believe he’s dead. After finding a Cheetos bag and stolen government file, Grace is convinced she’s one step closer to proving all the non-believers wrong.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from imminent danger by Mo, a hot guy who has an intoxicating accent and a secret. Grace has never felt a connection like this before, certainly not with her ex-boyfriend, the adoring, but decidedly unrugged, Wyn.

After a few run-ins with the town’s police chief, her father’s partner, and some new evidence, Grace travels deeper into the wilderness that has always been her refuge only to learn that her father’s disappearance is not a mere coincidence.

Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to emerge from an epidemic that’s spreading like wild fire, threatening everything and everyone she’s ever loved.

Plus, here’s an exclusive excerpt from Untraceable:

I know the exact moment I went wrong.

Three weeks, two days, twenty-two hours, and thirty-three minutes ago.

I had no clue a few small decisions could puncture the perfect bubble of my existence.

I zigzag through the forest’s brown pillars like I’m barrel riding in a local rodeo. The internal rhythm keeps me running at a steady speed along the broken path. Left, right, left, right.My muffled breath echoes in my ears, making me feel as if I’m underwater. Sinking. Drowning.

Don’t stop, Grace, or you will die.

Tune in every day this week for more mock covers of Untraceable — and the REAL cover reveal on Friday, plus other goodies from Vania and Shelli!