From Promising to Polished

I wrote a piece for the January 2018 issue of The Writer magazine (out now!) about how to revise a picture-book manuscript. In it, I share my best tips, tricks, questions, and approaches to keep in mind as you play and experiment with your draft. To read a PDF of the article, click here.

Speaking of picture books, this week I got to see early sketches for Watch Out for Wolf!, my 2019 picture book with Charles Santoso, and I squealed louder than Pigbert—or Piggle, Piggleton, Piggit, or Piggums, for that matter. I can't wait for you to meet all five little piggies (and Wolf, of course) when the book comes out next April. As soon as I'm allowed to share a peek of the cover and interiors, I will. (If you'd like to add the book on Goodreads, you'll find it here.)

In the meantime, I'm finishing up revisions on Anna, Banana, and the Sleepover Secret (book seven in the series, coming in October), drafting what I hope will be my next YA novel, and trying to contain my nerves and excitement as advance reader copies of Always Forever Maybe make their way into the hands of booksellers and reviewers. Some fun news: In addition to the hardcover and ebook editions coming in June, HarperCollins will also publish Always Forever Maybe as an audiobook! (Available for pre-order now, wherever you like to purchase books.) Huge thanks to the B&N Teen blog for including Always Forever Maybe on their list 21 of Our Most Anticipated Debuts of 2018. They said: "This is a story about first love, sweet until it turns bitter....Rissi has a deft touch on a heavy topic, addressing abuse while still managing to infuse this meaty debut with romance, real #BFF goals, and dashes of humor."

And here are some photos of my dog with her new teddy bear.

Ahhhhhhhhh, I'm so excited to show you the cover of my YA debut, Always Forever Maybe, a novel about obsessive teenage love, which will be published by HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins) on June 5, 2018. Here it is:

Isn't it gorgeous? The cover is the work of artist Sean Freeman and designer Erin Fitzsimmons. The B&N Teen Blog hosted the official cover reveal today, and you can follow this link to read the post I wrote for them about the cover creation process.

To learn more about the book, please visit the official Always Forever Maybe page on my website. If you would like to pre-order a copy of the hardcover or ebook, please ask for it at your local bookstore or follow one of these links: Indiebound | B&N | Amazon | Kindle | iTunes | BAM | Indigo | HarperCollins (Pre-orders can make a huge difference in a book's success, so thank you for your support!) You can also add it to your Goodreads shelf here.

And now, excuse me, but I must return to dancing around the room in celebration. (My book has a cover! This seems almost real!)