Cover Love

Behold, the cover of my first stand-alone middle-grade novel, publishing with Scholastic in October 2026!

I mean…I am stunned. It’s BEYOND my wildest dreams. And, this doesn’t even reflect the special printing effects. Among other things, I hear there may be some some cleverly-placed spot UV.

I am eternally grateful to illustrator Kelly Murphy for BRINGING IT (“it” being her genius) every step of this project. Ditto to Elizabeth Parisi, designer extraordinaire. And of course, my editor, Sam Palazzi, who got this story (and me) from the get-go.

I’ve been blessed with some amazing book covers in my 20+ years of publishing, and the feeling of everyone on the team working together with the same passion and vision is what I live for.

A plot description:

In her cage at the Mount Charles Animal Shelter, the young and frightened Kitty has no other choice but to be the captive audience of the opinionated Bunny Van Hopper. But it’s better than the woods. Kitty can still remember the rain that came and swept everything… everyone… away. Here, at least she has food and company, even if Bunny’s words scare her.

And then a boy named Max appears at the shelter. Max has adopted all sorts of pets over the years. Rumor has it that he treats all of his pets with care and kindness. And of all the animals at the shelter, he actually chooses her—a scrawny and scared kitten. Kitty is going to be home at last. But she can’t seem to get Bunny Van Hopper’s words out of her head as Max takes her away in her carrier…

“You’re going to regret this! I just know it!” the rabbit cries. And perhaps she’s right…

Because in Max’s house on 5 Manderley Lane, a scent lingers. It rises from every chair leg, every carpet fiber, every throw pillow, even inside the bathtub. Everything smells like Licorice. It’s the strongest upstairs in Max’s room, almost overpowering. If the smell isn’t enough, Duchess, the family’s old parrot, won’t let Kitty forget that she is a replacement. And soon, Kitty finds herself trapped in the long shadow of the cat that came before her. But is it just a shadow? Or is there something really there on the other side of it…haunting her…

I hope you love it, too. And I hope you love what’s behind this gorgeous cover just as much.