We’re thrilled to be revealing the cover for Heather Clark’s debut middle grade novel Lemon Drop Falls! Releasing on January 25th 2022 from Jolly Fish Press, Morgan is devastated by her mother’s death and will do whatever it takes to salvage what’s left of her family—even risk her own life.
Read on to discover the cover, synopsis, and what Heather had to say about seeing her cover for the first time! Be sure to add this one to your Goodreads!
SYNOPSIS
Brave the sour to taste the sweet.
Morgan is devastated by her mother’s sudden death. Before, Mom’s amazing organizational skills kept the family on track, and her bowl of lemon drops was always on hand to make difficult conversations easy, turning life’s sour into sweet. After, there’s no one to help Morgan navigate her new role caring for her younger siblings, her worries about starting junior high, and her increasingly confusing friendships. All she can do is try to fulfill her mother’s final request: Keep them safe, Morgan. Be brave for them. Help them be happy.
When Dad insists on taking the family on their regular summer camping trip, and Morgan’s efforts to keep her promise to Mom seem doomed to fail, Morgan’s anxiety spirals into a panic attack, and Dad treats her like she’s impossibly broken. Unable to share her fears and needs with Dad, and desperate to prove she’s got the strength to hold the family together, Morgan sets off alone to hike a flooding canyon trail.
But somewhere on that lonely and dangerous journey, Morgan will encounter the truth about the final words her mother left her, the power in finding her own voice, and the possibility of new beginnings.
Author Heather Clark on her book cover:
“Waiting to see your first book’s cover is HARD. At the risk of being melodramatic, it’s like seeing your baby’s face for the first time. Thrilling, and terrifying. This will be my book’s face to every potential reader! Imagine my joy meeting this gorgeous cover for Lemon Drop Falls. Much of the book is set in the majestic, red rock canyons of Capitol Reef, and I knew we’d chosen the right illustrator when I saw the movement and beauty, light and shadow of those canyon walls brought to life. The moment represented on the cover is one of the most pivotal turning points for Morgan. The look of hope on her face, and her determined posture as she stands at the top of her personal waterfall, surveying the path ahead tells me she’ll find her way to a new beginning, despite the storm clouds overhead.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Clark grew up near the Rocky Mountains of Canada, then followed the mountain range south, to her current home in Utah, where she lives with her husband and three children who inspire the books she writes. Heather’s work as a writer, photographer, and teacher helps her see the beauty and unique value in every person. After dealing with her own childhood anxiety and OCD, Heather is passionate about representing neurodiverse children powerfully in fiction. When she’s not working, you can find Heather camping, hiking, boardgaming, or reading and celebrating books at MGBookParty.com. You can learn more about Heather and her books at HeatherClarkBooks.com. Lemon Drop Falls is her debut novel.
It’s gorgeous! I can’t wait to hold a copy in my own hands!!!
Thank you SO much for being a part of this amazing day!!! This cover is a joy to me, and the care the @jollyfish team took with my words was perfect! They gave me every chance to help make this cover everything I wanted to represent this book and Morgan’s story to the world. 🙂