We are delighted to be revealing the cover for Where the Light Shines In by Jenny Mattern, which follows 13-year-old Gloria who seeks out the truth of her birth mother and she embarks on a path of lying, deceiving, and hurting those she holds most dear, only to learn that family is complicated, forgiveness is healing, and what has been broken can be made whole.
Releasing on September 29th 2026 from Jolly Fish Press, read on to discover the cover (illustrated by Dikshaa Pawaskar with designer Karli Hughes), and the synopsis.
Accelerant is available to pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and North Star Editions, but first, here’s what T.L. had to say about his cover!
“As a kid, I always loved it when a book’s cover portrayed a specific scene from the story. So when my editor, Meg Gaertner, asked for input on the cover for Where the Light Shines In, I knew exactly which snapshot I wanted: a scene where Gloria, the 13-year-old main character, stands on a beach in the San Juan Islands with Rudy the dog at her feet and a tangle of big feelings in her heart. My brilliant cover artist, Dikshaa Pawaskar, brought that scene to life with stunning accuracy and a wistful, dreamy vibe I absolutely love!”
“If there’s one thing my thirteen years of life have taught me, it’s that having parents who love you doesn’t erase the somebody else who brought you into the world.”
Despite being adopted into a loving family, thirteen-year-old Gloria feels as if her life is a bit too much like the crossword puzzles she and her dad enjoy solving together: too many empty spaces and not enough clues.
For as long as she can remember, Gloria has studied the faces of random women in the hopes of finding her birth mother. But when she finally lands on the perfect candidate, it’s in a place she never could have expected—an obituary photo. Determined to learn more about this dead woman who looks just like her, Gloria embarks on a secret mission to fill in the gaps of her origin story.
At first, finding answers about her past feels exactly right. But as the lies Gloria tells keep piling up, and as each step toward her biological family takes her farther from the parents who have loved her forever, she starts to wonder if she’ll ever be able to fill her empty spaces. Because how can you feel truly whole when you’re shattering from the inside out?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenny Mattern is a former elementary school teacher and a mother to five, including one who joined her family through adoption. A lover of middle-grade literature ever since those late nights reading Misty of Chincoteague under the covers with a flashlight, Jenny will happily talk about children’s books with anyone who will listen. Born and raised in the Seattle area, she now lives in Montana with her family. Where the Light Shines In is her debut novel.
