So I finally got a few copies of the soon-to-be-released Seraphina paperback, which is very exciting. Here it is sitting demurely on my windowsill:

With the sun right on it, it was too shiny from some angles. SHINY…

Notice that little yellow stripe along the right-hand edge of the cover? That’s what’s called a “step-back” (oh these fancy publishing terms!). You’ve seen such things before, even if you didn’t know it had a name. It means, essentially, that the book has a double cover, which is super fancy from a production standpoint. Here’s what you get when you flip the first cover back:

Why yes, that is my real hand. You think I should be a hand model? Well, only if this writing gig doesn’t work out.

YIPPEE IT’S A MAP. I know, right? Maptastic.

Other exciting features of the paperback include:

• A Sneak Peak at Shadow Scale (NOT the same material from the preview I linked to before)
• Discussion Questions (for you scholarly types)
• A Q&A with Rachel Hartman
• Rachel Hartman’s Favorite Authors (SOME of them)
• A Playlist for Seraphina
• “The Audition,” a Prequel Short Story (I believe this was also in later editions of the hardcover)

So there you go. It will be in fine bookstores across the US and Canada on December 23rd, and is available for pre-order now.

*whew* Shillin’ so hard here, friends. Unaccustomed to this sort of exertion. I probably need a nap now.