For those who don't know me, I'm an author-illustrator of historical fiction with Knopf (Penguin Random House.)
Well all, tomorrow I hand in my manuscript of Berliners to the copy editors at Knopf to do their magic. They are my fact-checkers; they make sure I'm consistent; oh, and they also proofread. This will begin a back-and-forth process that will last the rest of the year, as I simultaneously work on about 40 full-page illustrations. I just got approval to begin the final art for the book cover, and we should release that this fall. Come January, it will all be in the can, and I can give my heart a rest and trust this novel to its fate. We're looking at a Fall '22 release, with pre-orders beginning in the Spring.

Rubin Report Community, I'm going to need your help. When I announce pre-orders after the new year, I need you all to buy the hell out of this book. Give a copy to everyone you know. It's written for young adults, yes, but if you've read my previous books (if you haven't, welcome) you know that I do not dumb anything down. This is a sequel to What the Night Sings. It is nothing less than a retelling of the story of Cain and Abel, set against the backdrop of 1961 Berlin as the Wall goes up. Please, help me to get this past the censors, past the ghosting, past the reviewers and shoot it up the charts. PRE-ORDERS ARE EVERYTHING. And ANY connections you have for interviews, pass them on to the contact page on my website, vesperillustration.com.

This has been the hardest novel I've written yet. It's taken a real toll on me, because I'm literally watching history repeat itself as I write. It's weird—it's like, I read something in my research, and then I see it happen in the news. It's been like this the whole year I've been working on it.

If you think you've seen this all before, the historical record says you're right. I promise you that everything that's happening in our world has a precedent, down to the very vocabulary, the power grabs, the methods of intimidation and gaslighting, and the pitting us against each other—brother against brother. I am convinced that the only thing we can do is refuse to play their game, and to intentionally practice radical love of neighbor. Stories like Berliners have the potential to be paradigm-changing for many people. Plan now to get on board with this book—sign up for my newsletter on my website and follow my Locals (quiet for the moment while I'm novelling) and Instagram @vesperillustration. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Feel free to notify any Locals community you think should have me on to talk about this book and have them contact me. I'll have my publicist send them a review copy when those are available. The bigger the better, y'all. Let's shoot for the moon, because the times demand it.