I do it. You do it. Everyone does it. Judging a book by its cover is real.

Do you know that my dumb ass only recently discovered what a #bookstagram was? And they’re right up my alley too… Guess I’ve been living under a rock. I still use Pinterest. Do people still use Pinterest?

As a relatively OCD person, the hoarder in me rarely wins the fight when it comes to buying crap I don’t need. (Do I really need that anime body pillow?! No. No, I don’t.) Pinterest is the place where my inner hoarder can frolic around freely, collecting to her heart’s content. My favorite thing to collect on Pinterest? Fan art!

Kiss & Cry by Aivelin (from Yuri!!! On Ice)

I found some fan art that I loved so much, I immediately wrote to the artist asking if she sold her work online. (She did! I bought.) Anyway, when it came time to think about a cover for Lucid Dreaming, I thought of her immediately.

She took on the commission and the challenge of creating characters that had never been represented visually before (except of course in my brain where they are alive and well). Now the race is on. With the book release happening on August 3rd, will she be able to deliver a finished product by then? I DON’T KNOW! BUT I HOPE SO! YOU CAN’T RUSH ART.

So far I’ve seen the composite sketch and the first detailed sketch. With edits sent, I eagerly await the second draft. I had no idea what an emotional, nerve-wracking experience this would be! I’ve never seen my characters drawn out before. There’s something so incredibly personal about it!

If I find success with these books, and I will work hard to make that happen, I hope people draw their own fan art of my characters. That would FILL me with joy! I think fan art is the ultimate compliment to a work of fiction. Someone creative couldn’t get your character out of their head and HAD to draw them! How cool is that!?

So, here’s hoping Lucid Dreaming‘s cover art is ready for the release, and if not, it will be worth the wait, I’m sure! YEEEP SO EXCITED!

P.S.
If you would like to see more of Aivelin’s art you can check out her Tumblr here, but I warn you… most of it is very NSFW. 😏😜