Hi everyone! Today is an extra special day here on Pop! Goes The Reader as I have the unique pleasure of doing something I can honestly say I’ve never done in five years of blogging before – a cover re-reveal! As regular readers of the blog might remember, back in February 2018 I was fortunate enough to have collaborated with author Laura E. Weymouth on the cover reveal for her October 2018 debut novel, The Light Between Worlds. You might therefore be able to imagine my surprise – and absolute delight – when I opened my inbox this week to discover an email asking me to do it all over again! As lovely as the original cover design was, HarperTeen has outdone themselves with the the latest look of The Light Between Worlds cover, thanks in large part to cover designer, Jessie Gang and cover artist, Colin Anderson. In addition to today’s stunning cover reveal, I’ve also been given permission to share lots of other exciting exclusives with you, including an author’s note, except from the novel, and an opportunity for one lucky reader to win an advance reader copy of The Light Between Worlds! Please read on to learn more!
About Laura E. Weymouth
Laura Weymouth is a Canadian writer currently exiled to the strange and foreign wilds of Western New York. When not reading or writing, you can find her tending things that grow – kids, cats, poultry, plants, and ideas. The Light Between Worlds is her debut novel and will be followed by a second, untitled project in 2019.
I’m so pleased to be back on Pop! Goes the Reader to share the new, updated cover for The Light Between Worlds with everyone. Light is, at its heart, a portal fantasy. It’s an attempt on my part to grapple with the question of how children would readjust to living in our world after having spent a significant amount of time in another. It’s about how we can never really go back to the people we were before watershed moments, and yes, it is about a magic forest full of wondrous creatures. The design team at Harper did a beautiful job of capturing all those elements in this new cover, and I hope you love it as much as I do!
It’s strange, being out-of-doors so late at night. Shadows loom long and make our postage-stamp lawn and frost-covered shrubs seem eerily unfamiliar. Jamie helps Philippa and me down into the shelter and stands at the entrance, staring back at the house with hunched shoulders and one foot tapping. Philippa wraps a damp blanket around me and we sit side by side, shivering in the cold.
The siren wails on. Somewhere in the distance, bombs begin to fall.
“Do you see them?” Philippa asks anxiously. Jamie shakes his head.
“No, I — wait.” His voice cracks with relief. “There’s Dad.”
Our father looks in at the entrance, and everything’s suddenly a little less dreadful than it was before. Until he frowns and looks at Jamie. “Didn’t your mum come out?”
Before Jamie can answer, Dad sprints back across the lawn. The dull blast of explosions is growing louder, closer. I gnaw on my lower lip and Jamie joins Philippa and me. We put our arms around each other and wait, and I would give anything to be away from here — to leave the dark and danger and fear behind.
“Where are — ?” Philippa asks, choking with worry. But a bomb falls so close that it drowns out her last word and shakes the walls of our small shelter.
“Anywhere but here,” I whisper. Philippa pulls me close, as if her very presence can shield me from harm. Squeezing my eyes shut, I will away the present, picturing somewhere calm, somewhere peaceful — a haven of silence and golden light. “Anywhere but here. Anywhere but here.”
And then, silence. The dark in the shelter grows, till I can make out nothing but my brother’s and sister’s pale faces.
After a moment a sound begins. It’s neither air raid siren nor bombshell. Ringing through the air, it’s low and insistent, halfway between the bellow of a bull and the bugle of an elk. It pulls at my blood and bones until I want to crawl out of my own skin to answer it. Jamie, Philippa, and I stare at each other, wide-eyed.
“Hold on to me,” Jamie orders, panic lacing his words. We join hands and I can barely breathe, I’m so afraid. Under that fear, though, there’s something new and unexpected — anticipation.
The call grows louder and louder until at last light explodes around us. I blink and squint, eyes watering, sure I’ll see only rubble and devastation when my vision clears. But the light stays constant, unlike the flash and sizzle of shelling. It resolves into afternoon sunshine and my heart leaps to find that, impossibly, we’re standing in a wood.
Title The Light Between Worlds
Author Laura E. Weymouth
Pages 351 Pages
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Genre Historical Fantasy
To Be Published October 23rd 2018 by HarperTeen
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound ● The Book Depository
Six years ago, sisters Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell were swept away to a strange and beautiful kingdom called the Woodlands, where they lived for years. But ever since they returned to their lives in post-WWII England, they have struggled to adjust.
Ev desperately wants to return to the Woodlands, and Philippa just wants to move on. When Ev goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.
As an extra, exciting bonus, Laura has been kind enough to offer one lucky reader the opportunity to win an advance reader copy of The Light Between Worlds! One winner will be chosen at random at the conclusion of the giveaway and the prize will be distributed by Laura when ARCs become available. This contest is open internationally. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!
