Yesterday the news dropped about Something Like Stories, a compilation of short tales that bring back many of the characters from the Something Like… series. Ben, Tim, Jace, Victor, Eric, Allison… They’re all there! You can still win a pre-release paperback over at Boy Meets Boy Reviews, so be sure to head over there now and enter. If contests aren’t your thing, preorders are also live. You can reserve your copy of Something Like Stories from Amazon Kindle, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play. It’s also available as a good old fashioned paperback.

Now then, let’s follow tradition and take a closer look at that cover. Doing so requires us to travel back in time to a previous book, and one of my favorite pieces of art that Andreas has whipped up. Something Like Autumn!

I absolutely loved Andreas’s take on Victor, enough that I totally overlooked that Jace should have featured prominently on this cover instead. We have a bit of reality bending here because Victor is in his clearing and yet somehow he has a clear view of the lake. I’m always happy to grant Andreas artistic license though. If I made him stick to the book, it would suffocate him creatively. I think we’re all pretty chill about such things, right? The cover doesn’t have to match the interior content exactly. So yeah, I love this one, especially little touches like the tin can with a spoon in it. That is in the story, since Jace brings Victor food on more than one occasion.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that the can had made a return on the newest cover. I totally laughed out loud. Then I thought about it, and got really freaking sad. The scene on this new cover doesn’t represent those careless days from long ago when two boys discovered each other in the woods. A lot of time has passed since then. The shelter Victor had Jace had once cuddled beneath is in ruins and a solitary figure crouches in the middle of the clearing, one hand touching the ground. Who and why? If you already know, please don’t spoil it for others. Needless to say, my first reaction to this cover was a happy chuckle. Then a deep sorrow overtook me. Well done, Andreas. Looks like we both have a talent for dishing out tears.

Something Like Stories: Volume One gets released on November 11th. I’ll be back to talk about it more then. I can scarcely wait, because this book was a pleasure for me to write. I hope you guys like it too!