The Empty Jar
by
M. Leighton
***FROM M. Leighton***
First of all, a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you amazing women who are helping me reveal this cover today. I appreciate everything you do for me, for authors in general and for this community. As a reader, I love you, too:)
Secondly...
OMG OMG OMG! IT'S FINALLY TIME TO REVEAL!
I feel like I've been waiting AGES to share this with you!
This cover... GAH! Y'all, it took me forEVER to get it just right. There was a certain "feel" that I wanted to achieve with it and I wasn't happy until I felt that "feel" jumped right out when I looked at it. I wanted the cover to speak of the book. I wanted it to show the highs and lows, the sweet and the poignant, the depth of it, if you will. And finally...finally, I feel like it does:) You might not realize just how much NOW, but once you read this story, you'll be like, "Yeah. That cover is perfect for this book!"
When I got the paperback proof in the other day, I held it in my hands and I just stared at it. Not only is this story extremely special to me, but this is probably my favorite cover of all my books. Ever. When I look at it, I see so much more than just a picture. I see all the things that I find in life, as well as what I put into the story that is The Empty Jar. It's a blend of happy pinks and brooding blues. It's light and it's dark. There are highs and there are lows. There is morning and there is night. But if you notice the sky on this cover, there are little flickers of brightness in the bodies of the lightning bugs. Life is that way, too. Even in the darkest part of the night, there is a spark of hope. There is beauty. There is the romantic glow of a full moon, the silvery face of your mate, the delicate twinkle of fireflies. It's all there if we look closely enough—that balance of beauty and tragedy.
And love.
Always love.
Below is a little more about the book. It's hard to tell you much without spoiling anything, but I think you can get a feel for it. It's such a special story. So raw, so real. I honestly can't wait for y'all to read it! I hope you love IT and the cover as much as I do:)
If you want to know more about how it came about, you can read M. Leighton's blog post about it here.
But before I get to that...THE COVER!