I Designed A Book Cover!

As an artist, I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of unique people in my career, be it collectors, designers, galleries or retreat companies, to name a few. I usually work in my studio alone every day, so it’s always great to break up my routine with projects that allow me to meet new people and take me out of my comfort zone.

Recently, a new opportunity presented itself that I’m delighted to share: my work is going to be on a book cover! Working with a publishing company to design a book cover was something I always wanted to do, so I am honored that HarperCollins reached out earlier this year to ask if I could create a painting to go along with a new book by Monica Heisey called Really Good, Actually. Of course, I jumped at the chance.

When I found out that the author was a writer on Schitt’s Creek, which is hilarious, I knew that her novel was going to be right up my alley. It’s about a young woman navigating a divorce and the sadness and hilarity that comes with such a dramatic life change, and Heisey strikes a perfect balance of comedy/heartbreak/millennial dread that I could relate to. 

The author has gone through similar circumstances as the narrator in her real life, and I really enjoyed her stylistic choices— like including a laundry list of meandering Google searches, lol— that I found refreshing. Adulting in the Internet age has a particular trickiness, and Heisey’s Maggie, the narrator, experiences a comedy of errors (and triumphs!) in the book that were super inspiring as I went to make a piece that fit the essence of the book.

The publishers wanted the character and her bright red hair to appear on the cover, which was tricky since I only had the book’s description of her from which to create the painting. Fortunately, I was able to find a model to sit for me who met a loose description of Maggie’s appearance, and the project was off and running. Once HarperCollins, the author and I aligned on the desired specifics, I was able to create a mascara-stained character with unruly red hair that everyone was happy with. It was so much fun!

The book is set to be released on January 17, 2023, and I highly encourage you to check out this hilarious and genuine novel. Read more details on the release here.