We’re always excited when anyone in our Cybils community has a new project forthcoming. But, when it’s our Executive Director, the instigator of the Cybils, the boss lady, the tsar (and however many other titles she’s been known by over the years), then it’s something special.
Anne’s publisher, Sky Pony Press (an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing), has allowed us, here at the Cybils, an exclusive first reveal the cover of Anne’s new YA speculative fiction book.
*drum roll while you look to the left*
Isn’t it pretty?
Here’s the publisher blurb:
Set on a unique and magical planet called Kuldor, The Temple of Doubt tells the story of a young girl who pits her doubts against her faith.
It’s been two six-days since a falling star crashed into the marshes beyond Port Sapphire, putting the wilds off-limits to fifteen-year-old Hadara, a loss she feels deeply. She’s eager to join her mother beyond the city limits to gather illegal herbs and throw off the yoke of her tedious religious schooling. Medicines of any sort are heresy to the people of Port Sapphire, who must rely on magic provided by the god, Nihil, for aid. And if people die from that magic, their own lack of faith is surely to blame. At least, that’s what Hadara’s been taught—and has so far refused to believe.
Hadara and her mother have ignored the priests’ many warnings about their herb gathering, secure in knowing their tropical island is far from Nihil’s critical gaze. Then two powerful high priests arrive from Nihil’s home city to investigate the fallen star, insisting it harbors an unseen demon. This sets off speculation that an evil force is already at work in Port Sapphire and brings one of the holy men to Hadara’s doorstep. When he chooses Hadara as a guide into the wilds, she sets off a chain of events that will upend everything she’s been taught about the sacred and the profane.
The Temple of Doubt is the first installment in a series that follows a teenager who is given a greater destiny and purpose than she could’ve ever imagined.
A quick word on the cover: Anne’s main character isn’t white. And she’s convinced that, in any other year, the publisher would not have as readily agreed to keep the cover model’s skin tone true to the book. So, thanks #WeNeedDiverseBooks!
So, there you have it. The Temple of Doubt is due out in Spring 2015, with the sequel to follow in the Fall. We’re all quite excited and very proud of Anne!