And finally, the post I’ve been dying to write for months now.

MONTHS, I tell you.

That’s how long I’ve been sitting on the fabulous cover for my middle grade fantasy, THE VENGEKEEP PROPHECIES. Yes, I’ve had the picture in my possession for quite some time but only just now got permission to share with the world. And sharing it now feels slightly evil as the book itself won’t be on sale until Oct. 23. But I’m okay with being slightly evil. Et voila!

If the artwork looks familiar, it’s because the cover is by the inimitable Brett Helquist, whose work you’ve no doubt seen on Blue Balliett’s books, and L.M. Boston’s books, and, of course, Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events books. (Or maybe you recognize Brett from his own brilliant picture books.) It’s a mite overwhelming to have an artist of this caliber and recognition on the cover of my book. And I super love how it turned out. If you’re out there, Brett, thanks so much! (And thanks to my awesome editor for hooking my book up with Brett.)

I’ve also been dying to share the fabulous blurbs I’ve received from very generous  authors. Such as:

“Humorous and inventive. I’m eager to read the second book in the trilogy!”

–Joseph Delaney, bestselling author of the Last Apprentice series

“Enticing, lively, and wholly engrossing, this book takes us on a journey as twisty and treacherous as an old castle staircase.”

–Anne Ursu, award-winning author of BREADCRUMBS

Thanks so much to Joseph and Anne for their kind words.

The ability to show off the cover perfectly coincides with the arrival of an ARC, many of which are soon to be disseminated into the world. Panic mode in three… two… one…

Alas, ARCs were not made to be hoarded but shared and read. As such, I’ll be having a contest soon to give a couple away. Stay tuned to the Twitter account for more information. Until then, go forth and share the news about the very pretty cover happening on this blog. There’s a cookie in it for you.