ANOTHER Big Announcement

Since we haven’t ~ covered ~ all our bases yet…

Ladies and gentlemen and enbies, behold: the cover of D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T.

[deep breath] AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

It would be an understatement to say I’m thrilled. I’m over the moon. Kvelling. Verklempt. I opened the first version of this cover in a coffee shop and burst into tears. Since then—somehow—it’s only gotten better.

Is this not the most beautiful illustration you’ve ever seen?! It’s top of the list for me. I keep staring at it. Every time, I notice more perfect details. The chai. The papers. The Star of David as an asterisk. The running. The hair. The goat shadow.

Goat shadow!!!!!

I cannot stress enough how little I contributed to this cover. If anything, it turned out gorgeous despite me. (I may or may not have gone overboard with notes… Shocking to those who know me, I’m sure.) I want to thank Irene Vázquez, my wonderful editor, for having stellar artistic tastes and inviting my input. I want to thank Maya Tatsukawa, divine designer, for her beautiful and sensitive layout. (On this cover, and in the rest of the book—just wait.) I want to thank my agent, Caryn Wiseman, for calling me in when I, erm, really needed to be.

Most of all, I want to thank the extraordinary artist who has shown D.J. Rosenblum so much care: Angie Kang. Irene first sent me Angie’s work to review in October. I quickly fell in love with her soft brushstrokes, saturated color palettes, and keen evocation of human feeling. She took the time to read D.J. Rosenblum in full before she began working on the cover. I think her dedication shows in the dimensions of this illustration: It so perfectly captures D.J.’s friend group, her sense of motion, and the challenges she’s running toward and (very far) away from.

By the way: As if she wasn’t already talented enough, Angie is also a writer. Her debut picture book, Our Lake, is coming out from Penguin Random House on March 4. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly called it “a deeply felt story about siblings returning to a cherished place . . . in loosely painted, expressive gouache, crayon, and colored pencil. Foregrounding the hard work of moving forward, this story about loss offers a vision of a place where ‘we are all together.’” You can pre-order a copy here.

I am grateful beyond words to Angie, Maya, Irene, and Caryn for their patience, talents, and insights. Soon, this beautiful cover will be all over the interwebs. D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. will come out from Levine Querido on August 5. And you can pre-order your own copy right now from every major book retailer, including Barnes and Noble and Bookshop.

Ready for another deep breath? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Thank you all for your support.