a heart-fluttering COVER REVEAL!!!

in which Emily hyperventilates from illustrated joy

A thing I’ve said to some friends in the past few weeks: “I’m not sure I know how to metabolize good news??” After so many years of writing and seriously pursuing traditional publishing, there were a few things on my bucket list that I simply couldn’t envision being a part of my reality. One of them being:

A cover.

“A cover-shaped thing!”

In my inbox. And now in yours.

Y’all, I have no chill about this, so WITHOUT FURTHER ADO. Coming November 18th to a bookstore near you…. 🥁🥁🥁

I know. It’s okay if you need to take a minute to scroll back up. Me too.

You better? No? Yeah, me either. Take your time. (Did you see the heart in the “a”? The hockey stick check?? Go ahead. It’s okay if you need to take another minute.)

Wait, before you’re all the way recovered, I should probably tell you (as a special preview for being here in newsletter land with me!!): the paperback will have SPRAYED EDGES.

SORRY IF THAT SET YOU BACK JUST WHEN YOU WERE GETTING YOUR FEET UNDER YOU. DEEP BREATHS.

Okay, now that you’re with me again: how lucky are we?

I simply cannot get over the JAW-DROPPING art created by Victoria Cavalieri and Karyn Lee’s design. There are so many tiny details that feel ripped from my imagination: Harper, in all her jewelry, with her cool, assessing stare (but girl we know you can’t take your eyes off him)! Dawson, with his golden-boy-hockey-star lean, and the way he can’t stop smiling at Harper even when she’s driving him crazy.

And some easter eggs that I will let you discover in the months to come. 👀

Working on this book has been a complete and total joy so far, and I really cannot begin to list all the gratitude I’m feeling. I’m gonna need a whole separate newsletter to talk about that cover blurb from Rachel Lynn Solomon. (I tried to end that sentence with a modifier, but a few words turned into several sentences, and yeah… that really is gonna need a whole separate newsletter!!! Suffice it to say: I’m extremely grateful for the generosity of authors I’ve long idolized and have had to lie down a lot lately.)

For now, here’s what this child of my heart is about:

A star hockey player and his biggest critic must reexamine their assumptions about each other when forced to work together at an after-school job in this feel-good young adult rom-com debut about breaking the ice.

Luke Dawson and Harper Braedon could have been friends. They trade shifts at the same diner, share classes at school, and are driven by their greatest passions: hockey for Dawson and jewelry-making for Harper. But some things aren't meant to be. Dawson thinks Harper is stuck-up, too good for anything resembling school spirit. Harper thinks Dawson is a self-centered jock, a perfect fit for a hockey team that seems to divert all the budget away from the arts departments.

When his beloved hockey coach gets fired for misallocation of funds, Dawson is terrified that all his plans for impressing scouts are vanishing before his eyes. A rumor goes around that Harper was the one who got him fired, and suddenly she’s public enemy number one.

But even with their mutual dislike at an all-time high, Harper and Dawson can’t escape splitting shifts forever. Can forced proximity help them find some common ground, or will long-held grudges finally succeed in bringing them both down?

This book is for you if you love:

💕 hockey romance, obviously—in a sports-obsessed town where those not a part of the GO TEAM culture may carry some grudges…

💕 small town, Gilmore Girls vibes, complete with a diner where aaaall the drama goes down

💕 enemies to lovers, slow burn romance (where they’ve been down bad for each other for years but have repressed their feelings and only let their longing show through constant bickering, as one does)

💕 found family bonded by endless ice time, featuring the most chaotically supportive group chat you’ve ever seen

💕 a walk-in freezer scene 🥶 😉

💕 ambitious girls with a chip on their shoulders, and the ambitious boys who would give it all up for them

💕 secrets told under the cover of darkness where one must grudgingly admit their rival is NOT THAT BAD??

💕 oh you need help learning to skate??

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I’m overwhelmed and (did I mention?) so deeply grateful. If you’re so inclined, you can:

• Add on Goodreads!

• Preorder from anywhere you buy your books! May I recommend The Ripped Bodice (my local indie, my home away from home, heartbeat of the LA romance community)? More links here!

• Request from your local library!! (I am at mine weekly and my librarians know not just my name but also far too much about my niche interests and you know what, they deserve a lot more credit for all the secrets they keep.)

I cannot lie, I am deeply obsessed with my own characters and planning some fun preorder incentives because they simply run riot in my mind at all times. Do I have bonus scenes? Perhaps. Fan art in the wings? You betcha. A very thematic gift you can almost certainly guess if you read the book?? Hoo boy you know it!! So hang on to those receipts!

I feel like this year is going to only get wilder over the next few months, but writing this newsletter has (as always) given me a minute to metabolize some joy. Thank you so much for being here—I really do not take it for granted, and am so grateful for each and every one of you. Cannot wait for this book to be in your hands and to welcome you to Hamilton Lakes.

Until next time, so much love—

🤍 Emily