I am over-the-moon excited to show you the cover for my next book, NIGHTINGALE’S NEST, today!

Honestly, I had no idea I’d be posting about this so soon. But the lovely folks at Razorbill gave the go-ahead, and I can’t wait to share. This is, after all, the book of my heart, and I think the cover they came up with is stunningly gorgeous.

So… just to delay a bit, let me tell you about the book.  Here’s the back cover copy from Amazon:

A powerful novel about friendship and family that calls to mind Bridge to Terabithia

Twelve-year-old John Fischer Jr., or “Little John” as he’s always been known, is spending his summer helping his father with his tree removal business, clearing brush for Mr. King, the wealthy owner of a chain of Texas dollar stores, when he hears a beautiful song that transfixes him. He follows the melody and finds, not a bird, but a young girl sitting in the branches of a tall sycamore tree.

There’s something magical about this girl, Gayle, especially her soaring singing voice, and Little John’s friendship with Gayle quickly becomes the one bright spot in his life, for his home is dominated by sorrow over his sister’s death and his parents’ ever-tightening financial difficulties.

But then Mr. King draws Little John into an impossible choice—forced to choose between his family’s survival and a betrayal of Gayle that puts her future in jeopardy.

Inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen story, Nightingale’s Nest is an unforgettable novel about a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders and a girl with the gift of healing in her voice.

Intrigued? I hope so! Because right after that, right there on the Amazon page, are the BLURBS! I have to admit, when my agent, editor, and I started asking our favorite authors if they would blurb my upcoming book, I’m pretty sure we didn’t expect them all to come back with amazing quotes (any one of which would make an awesome tattoo, if I went in for optional pain).

But they did all write loveliness. Words I read and re-read, feeling as overwhelmed with gratitude as I can ever remember.

Here are some snippets from most of the authors:

I declare, I may swoon, just seeing them all together like that. All those talented friends and author folk! And they all loved my book! And the longer blurbs (yes, these amazingly talented authors sent LOTS of words) will be in the opening pages of the final book.

Which you can (cough, cough) pre-order on Amazon already, if you do that sort of thing. 🙂

Of course, it’s not going to arrive until February 20, so you may have to stare at the picture of the cover, and re-read those blurbs obsessively until that day. Or maybe that’s just me. (And yes, you too, Mom.)

Oh, the cover? Is it time to show you the COVER? It was created by Japanese genius Tsuji Megumi, if you’d like to know, who may or may not be a magical creature from the land of Perfect Art. So, so talented.

Drum roll please…

I love it all. The girl, the leaf letters, the colors, the mood… Definitely time to swoon.

So, what do YOU think? 🙂