If you’ve been waiting for word on the sequel to Witch You Would, the wait is over! Witch Is Mine preorder links are now up, and so is the extremely adorable cover by artist Jess Miller.

The benefit of writing a sequel, in terms of cover art, is that you’ve already set a precedent. It’s good to maintain the format of what you’ve already got in some way, and change up the details to fit the new book. Cohesion! Continuity! You love to see it.

The challenge, then, is to figure out what to keep and what to change. What exactly do you want to add in terms of different elements? What are the symbols you can pull from the text and plop into the art so readers can judge your book by its cover?

For Witch You Would, I knew I wanted butterflies and a slate, and the rest was up to the artist. For Witch Is Mine, I asked for books and peacock feathers. I also requested a dragon plushie, providing some sample photos of how I’d love it to look. Why these things specifically? You’ll find out when you read it!

Without further ado, check out these two nerds! I can’t wait for you to meet them.

You may remember Emelia, Penelope’s sister, from the first book. Here she is, in all her professional yet resting-murder-faced glory! Sebastian is a new character, a stoic cinnamon roll librarian who loves his bow ties. Bow ties are cool, as everyone knows.

Right now, the book is set to release on October 9th, but discussions are in progress about potentially pushing that back to the beginning of next year. I’ll be teaching at Viable Paradise again in October, and for those of us in the US, that time is probably going to be… stressful, to say the least.

We shall see what unfolds! I’ll keep you updated. Meanwhile, join me in gazing raptly at this cover and emitting the occasional excited squeal and kicky legs. And hey, drop a preorder if you’re so inclined!