In her debut novel Maya & Natasha, Elyse Durham follows the titular characters as they navigate the politics of Soviet era ballet while balancing their complicated relationship. The twins compete to make each other better while also wanting to outshine the other throughout their lives. When their Soviet ballet company goes on tour in America during the Cold War, their relationship is tested more than ever before as they must grapple with loyalty to their country, dreams of freedom, and their bond with each other.
An alum of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, Durham has published work in Cimarron Review, Image Journal, and the Cincinnati Review. Durhan has also held residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, the Glen Arbor Arts Center, and The Mount. Her debut novel is available for pre-order and will be published on February 18, 2025, from Mariner Books.
Debutiful is proud to give readers a first look at Maya & Natasha‘s beautiful cover, designed by the brilliant Mumtaz Mustafa. See the cover below and get a behind-the-scenes look at how the cover came to be with a short Q&A with author Elysa Durham.
While writing the book, did you have any ideas for what you wanted the cover to look like?
Weirdly, I had our cover’s exact color scheme in mind as I worked—at least, on a subconscious level. For six years, I thought of a deep, rich color somewhere between turquoise and robins’ egg blue—not only because it’s my favorite color (which I never told my team!), but because it was the color of two objects that I kept nearby as I worked: a print of my favorite painting by Matisse and a copy of Pevear and Volkhonksy’s translation of War and Peace. Both of these art objects deeply influenced me as I worked; I’m absolutely delighted that I now have a book cover to match!
Can you explain what the design process was like once you started working with your publishing team?
My team was so supportive and collaborative every step of the way. When we first started working together, they asked me to send them some covers I loved (and, just as importantly, covers I hated), and when I did so, I explained what drew me to or repelled me from each. I was so grateful for this step—I felt very included, and choosing covers that I loved helped it sink in just a little bit more that someday soon, my own book would be out in the world.
We had a couple different iterations before deciding on the final image, and each time it was exhilarating to see my story come to life—how amazing to see your work translated from one artistic medium to another! We went back and forth about what elements of the story to focus on, how bright to make the colors, how to make the cover stand out without losing sight of the story’s core. One of my favorite parts of the whole process was getting introduced to the work of amazing painters. Our final cover incorporates art by the brilliant British painter Peter Hawkins. I’m in love with the texture of his work.
What was it like seeing your finalized cover for the first time?
Instant tears. I remember I got the email and immediately ran to show my husband, who took one look and said, “That’s it. That’s the one.” And he was right! I had a funny feeling of recognition, like I was meeting my characters for the first time. It was uncanny to see an image in an email and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was the thing I’d been working toward for six years.
How does the cover work to convey what the contents of the book are?
One of the challenges of choosing a cover was deciding what elements of the story to focus on. Yes, the novel’s about twin sisters and ballet—but it also spans two decades and three continents, and features several dozen characters. Ultimately, we landed on a cover that depicts Maya and Natasha not only as dancers, but as human beings. They’re wearing beautiful tutus and leotards, but they’re not dancing—they’re fidgeting with their hair and standing in unzipped costumes. To me, that’s what the book is about: the tension between the beauty of the girls’ lives and what it costs them, both personally and physically. The texture of Peter Hawkins’ painting adds another fascinating layer: there’s something a little haunting and surreal about it, which fits the story perfectly.