Sincerely, Harriet (changed from working title Thimble) is a quiet middle grade graphic novel about the power of storytelling slated for release by Lerner Publishing’s Graphic Universe imprint on January 1st, 2019 (or May 7th for paperback).
Harriet Flores, a thirteen-year-old only child, finds herself alone, bored, and stuck at her family’s new apartment after a move from rural Indiana to Chicago. While learning how to manage the change of scenery, a one-sided pen-pal situation, and a health issue she’s trying not to think about, Harriet uses her imagination to deal—for better and for worse. She creates a more vivid world inside the apartment by deciding that the place is haunted, the mailman is up to something, and her elderly landlady has stored a dark secret on the unoccupied top floor. Only after Harriet forms a bond with the landlady, a retired librarian named Pearl, does she begin to truly understand the power of storytelling. But maybe she wasn’t wrong about something being trapped upstairs…
SINCERELY, HARRIET follows Harriet across a restless late summer in 1996, exploring her first crush (which just happens to be on a girl), chronic illness, and different ways to be a storyteller. Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing, will publish the book in spring of 2019.
See the official announcement on the A.V. Club, cover reveal on Women Write About Comics, and Paste Magazine interview for more information! Preorders now open through local booksellers such as Boffins in Perth.
Early visual development and sample artwork:
