Exclusive cover reveal: 'Flawed' by Cecelia Ahern

Cecelia Ahern shares the cover of and details about her upcoming YA, Flawed, which arrives in March 2016. (To see a larger version of the cover, click on the blue arrow in the lower right corner of the image.)

Cecelia: I'm excited to present my new novel and first Young Adult novel, Flawed, a story that flowed so quickly I could barely keep up with my pen. It's a unique story for me, yet it maintains my voice, with a big message and a big heart.

Flawed is about a judgmental society where imperfection is simply not tolerated. If anybody makes a moral or ethical mistake, they instantly face The Guild in a public trial, and if accused, find themselves branded and forced to live as a member of the Flawed community. The Flawed live in the same community as the decent society do but under different rules. They must wear armbands with the red F symbol as an identifier, and an area of their body is branded to reveal their imperfection to the public. They are constantly answerable to their Whistleblower who monitors their comings and goings and they are not allowed to gather with more than two Flawed at a time. They are labeled, they are held up as examples, they are second-class citizens.

There are six areas of the body the Flawed can receive the brand: for a lie, their tongue; for theft from society, their right hand; for stepping out of line with society, the sole of their foot; for their disloyalty, their chest over their heart; and for a bad decision, their temple. This searing of the skin is carried out in the Branding Chamber of Highland Castle.

Flawed centers around 17-year-old Celestine, a pretty, intelligent straight-A student, whose goal in life is to be perfect. She does not want to stand out, she doesn't want to be any more special than anybody else, she just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to make a mistake, she wants to be and be perceived as perfect. Society celebrates perfection, society rewards perfection, society mocks and fears imperfection.

But one action changes Celestine's life forever. After making the punishable error of assisting a Flawed, she is taken by the Whistleblowers to face The Guild. She is found guilty of being Flawed, is branded, and must live her life in society with her peers, family and friends under different rules, following a curfew, living life without luxury or possibility of travel or great advancement. What makes this so much more difficult for Celestine is that the man to seal her fate, the head of The Guild, is her boyfriend's father, a man she respects and considers family.

The cover truly captures the heart and essence of this story. The pristine, sterile background represents the idea of a perfect society, only to be violated by the title and the branded F over Celestine's beautiful image. The transparent cover is important as it mirrors the transparency of this country's society. Big Brother is always watching, people blow the whistle on each other, and when Celestine is first taken by the Whistleblowers and held in Highland Castle before her trial, she is placed in holding cells, all of which are separated by glass. This represents that there is nothing The Guild can't see, or don't know. There can be no secrets, no privacy, their judgmental eyes are always upon her.

In these holding cells, Celestine meets a young man, Carrick. They know each other only through these glass walls. It is the glass walls that separate them, but it is the glass walls that bond them. The Branding Chamber where the Flawed receive the F brand also has a wall of glass for those in the viewing room to view the harrowing moment.

Celestine becomes a poster girl for many walks of life. She represents that The Guild will stop at no one in their quest to eliminate imperfection from society, but as she adjusts to her new life and finds her feet, she also finds her voice, and she emerges as a leading voice for the Flawed, someone to be admired. The thinking is that the Flawed are feared because they've made a mistake. If you've made a mistake, you are a risk to leading the country astray. Celestine realizes that if you've never made a mistake, then how can you learn?

Celestine is about to teach society that the Flawed are the most learned, the most evolved, are not second-class citizens, and can be the leaders of the future.

Find out more about Cecelia and her books at www.ceceliaahern.ie.