“Girls, this is important,” Ewan said, talking fast. “The quickest way to reach Mister Nathan is if I carry both of you.”

“Two is too heavy,” Tamaqua said.

“Not if I Change.”

—excerpted from Byways Book #5: Inside the Tree

A Ewan Johns Adventure. I’ve been busy behind the scenes getting the next batch of Byways books ready for their May release. The fun part is definitely working with Hannah Christenson on cover illustrations. Today, I’ll share a sneak peek of an early sketch for the cover of Inside the Tree.

While staying in the city of Charter, Ewan Johns runs into some trouble and is forced to reveal his magical talent to Tamaqua and Juniata. Readers may know he’s a Changer who can shapeshift into an animal, but this is news to the girls. His transformation scene gave Hannah and I the perfect excuse to put Ewan on the cover in elk form!

[a snippet of Book #5’s cover sketch]

I’ll be sharing more sketches and snippets from Byways Books #5, #6, and #7 in the next several weeks. In the meantime, please read, review, and recommend the first four books in the series. That’s the best way to cheer on the brothers as they race across Liberty! More series details >>