The last few months have been a whirl of preparing Esme’s Wish for the publisher’s final edits. This last stage has been an exhausting one, but at the same time, Esme’s Wish has been on the boil for so many years, and edited so many times, that letting go of it has been a huge relief.
I am so looking forward to people reading the story for pure enjoyment, without feeling obliged to give me feedback on character, plot, pacing, and the other myriad things a writer needs to learn in order to become a published author. It still fascinates me how each reader perceives a book so differently from another. I told my son many years ago that some books make me feel like I am sitting by the fireplace with a hot chocolate in hand, and I wrote Esme’s Wish with that sentiment in mind. Hopefully, it can inspire that same sense of immersion in my readers.
I’m very pleased to announce that, after a thorough search, a promising illustrator, Furea, has been chosen to design the cover. Furea is a writer and artist from Melbourne who specialises in stylised fantasy illustrations. Her dreamy, evocative style is perfectly suited to the tone of Esme’s Wish. Furea’s portfolio can be found here.
Look out for the next post about Esme’s Wish, which will be in mid-June, when the cover reveal takes place. The official launch will be in September!