We are thrilled to be revealing the cover for T. L. Simpson’s new novel, Cope Field, which follows a teen baseball star who “has it all”—looks, wealth, and a pro-MLB father—grappling with an impossible choice: reveal his abuse at the hands of his father and risk being separated from his younger brother in the foster care system, or remain silent and risk his brother experiencing that same abuse.
Releasing on April 22nd 2025 from Flux Books, read on to discover the cover (illustrated by T.L. Simpson himself with designer Andrew Selbitschka), the synopsis, and T.L. talks about the cover too!
Cope Field is available to pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and North Star Editions.
Crawford “Craw” Cope has anger issues. Or so they say.
When Craw is sentenced to community service for hitting his father in the head with a baseball bat, he accepts his punishment without objection, knowing he’s actually lucky. If he weren’t the son of a famous former baseball player, he’d probably have gotten it a lot worse. So, Craw keeps his mouth shut and takes what life gives him. Like always.
But when he arrives at community service, which frustratingly turns out to be repairing a dilapidated ball field to be named after his father, he meets Hannah Flores, a punk rock enthusiast trapped in the Ozarks with zero filter. As Craw navigates his own explosive home life, he learns more about hers. And as their friendship blossoms into something more, he begins to understand the importance of speaking his truth, even when doing so might destroy the only life he’s ever known.
Here’s what T. L. thought about the cover: “Cope Field combines America’s pastime, baseball, with the high-octane music and ideologies of punk music, so I knew I wanted something edgy on the cover. The original concept was to make it look like a photocopied band flier or an old zine. One of the main characters likes to draw, so I did some illustrations for the interior, which inspired my editor to ask if I’d like to illustrate the cover as well.
I grew up wanting to write and draw comic books. In a lot of ways, drawing was my first creative endeavor and love, so getting to illustrate this book cover was a real treat.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T. L. Simpson is an award-winning journalist and novelist living in Arkansas. He is currently the editor of his hometown paper, The Courier. His fiction draws from his experiences growing up in the Ozarks, covering both sports and crime. Simpson lives in the Arkansas River Valley, between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, with his wife and four children. His debut contemporary YA novel, Strong Like You, released in 2024.
