On this #MyrtleMonday, I’ll be doing a virtual school visit for Liberty Middle School’s Writers Festival, chatting with the kids about writing, Making, and Myrtle!
But for everyone else, I’m so excited to share the amazing (stupendous, glorious, gorgeous, breathtaking, and absolutely magnificent) cover for Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Book 2: How to Get Away with Myrtle!
(Did you scream?! I might have screamed. There might have been Kermit arms.)
I could chatter away for weeks about this, but I’m inches away from my deadline for Book 3, so instead, as Myrtle would say: res ipsa loquitur. It speaks for itself.
Today’s #MyrtleMondays post is a happy surprise! I had Something Else planned, but you’ll just have to wait (oooh, suspense!), because…
I got my AUTHOR COPIES!!! The shipment almost languished after the abrupt exodus of everyone from my publisher’s physical offices, but an industrious elf (or, most likely, a hardworking team of #Essential Elves) managed the impossible, and got me a box! I’m excited to bring you some glimpses of the beautiful (BEE-YOO-TI-FUL!!) hardcovers of Premeditated Myrtle. My editor was exactly right when she said that the digital images we’d seen heretofore do not do justice to just how amazing these books look in person.*
You can watch the Unboxing Video here:
I wrote the words, and had Thoughts on the cover, but want to call out the incredible design work by the team at Algonquin Young Readers. Jacket design by Laura Williams, cover art by Brett Helquist, title delightfully hand-lettered by Leah Palmer Preiss(go see her wonderful artwork–you will get lost there for hours!). I am enchanted by the whole package of the orangey-yellow (perhaps goldenrod?) cover contrasted with the deep inky purple jacket–it all looks so inviting! I hope you think so, too.
But I think this might be (one of) my favorite part(s):
The series number on the spine!! When I’m pulling mysteries off library shelves, I like to know which one to grab next. Some books make you hunt all over to find out what order they were published in! The Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries can be read in any order you like, but I know some readers prefer to read sequentially. They’ve made it beautifully easy!
The inside of the book is spectacular too, with stunning page layouts, Very Fancy Fonts, and some extra surprises, all designed by Carla Weise. You can tell everyone who worked on these books had a lot of fun.
And we can’t wait for you guys to get Premeditated Myrtle into your hands, too!
*e-book readers, do not despair: The electronic copies are just as gorgeous! I promise. You just can’t stack them up quite as well.
Every great mystery story has a surprise twist. Here’s mine:
It seems the world and the news are changing daily right now, doesn’t it? There’s been a bit of a shakeup in Myrtle’s universe, as well–but it’s a Very Exciting One, Indeed! As shipping companies, warehouses, and other businesses are adjusting their schedules to prioritize food and medical supplies, the fantastic folks at Algonquin Young Readers have decided that what will serve the Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries series and our fans and readers best, is a Spectacular, Once-in-a-Lifetime,
TWO-BOOK LAUNCH EXTRAVAGANZA!
Yes, that’s right. You heard it here first, folks: on October 6, 2020, BOTH Premeditated MyrtleAND Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Book 2 will be coming out AT THE SAME TIME!! Yes, I’m shouting–and I’d love for you to shout it from the rooftops, too!
I will have lots more exciting Book 1 *and* Book 2 news (including a fabulous cover reveal for Book 2) in the coming weeks, so make sure to subscribe here for updates, and follow #MyrtleMondays and #DoubleMyrtle on Facebook and Instagram. I’m getting ready to turn in Book 3 in a couple of weeks, and I’m stocking up on research materials and fun things to share for Book 4, which will be here before we know it!
More soon,
Subscribe
Sign up to receive news and updates from Elizabeth
