Chicago-based writer Sophie Lefens has published her writing in Third Coast Magazine, Passengers Journal, The Christian Century, and Scary Sugar. A graduate of the Yale Divinity School, she is set to release her debut novel, Her Kind, on October 13, 2026, on Mariner Books. It is available for pre-order now.
Described as a novel about friendship and motherhood, it follows Ada, who is raising her son alone. When she is plagued by visions of being pulled away from Earth, Ada invites her three closest friends for a weekend to an old family cabin to see who might care for her son if she dies. What follows at the cabin is a series of events that opens deep wounds and reveals long-forgotten secrets.
Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover of Her Kind, which was designed by Mark Robinson, along with a Q&A with Lefens about its creation.
While writing the book, did you have any ideas for what you wanted the cover to look like?
Yeah, I actually had a really clear image in my head and I’m kind of shocked how much this cover aligns with it. Right around the time Mariner bought my book I’d been doing lots of cyanotype sun prints with my daughter. I knew I wanted that sort of elemental blue wash on the cover. And I had several photographs of deer that had guided my process while writing the book, and including something like that was always a dream of mine.
Can you explain what the design process was like once you started working with your publishing team?
Early on I sent in a mood board, which I had actually put together when I first started writing this book. That was a hugely useful exercise for me as I wrote, so it was nice to be able to simply hand that over. From there it was a bit of back and forth about ideas and inspiration. I think there were only two rounds of mock-ups. There were several lovely illustrated options but I was really attached to the photographic renderings. Afterwards, it was a bit of fine tuning. I was anxious about offering my feedback, but I had really high hopes for the cover and when they sent me the final design I was floored. I’m really fortunate to be able to work with such a great editor and designers who really honored and ultimately elevated my vision for the cover.
What was it like seeing your finalized cover for the first time?
Tears and more tears. Mostly I felt so grateful to be in such good hands. I mean, it’s really so wild to have a team of people caring about your book, giving it their time and attention and skills. It’s humbling. It also solidified the reality of this whole thing- of my book being in the world and in the hands of others. It was a big moment for me. I made it the background of my phone for a minute but then I was like “ok that’s too far.” But I love it so much.
How does the cover work to convey what the book is all about?
The cover image is a strange image and it makes you look closer. It inverts the world a bit and makes you wonder if you’re seeing things correctly. I hope my book has a similar effect. And the blue is just so, so good. There’s a lot of water in the book, so I suppose it’s a nod to that. This cover is a little frightening, it’s a little funny. It’s also beautiful. I’d be really happy if anyone described my book that way. Also, deer are a big part of the story.