Thierry Lafontaine's cover art reveal for The Peculiar

Eighteen-year-old classical musician Stefan Bachmann says that he wrote The Peculiar “in slobby house clothes while sometimes lying upside down.” The end product — a “gothic-steampunk-faery-fantasy” officially intended for youth, that unofficially appeals to adults — sparked a bidding war between large publishing houses that was triumphed by Greenwillow-HarperCollins. HarperCollins is one of the world’s top English-language publishers.

Cover art for The Peculiar was created by Thierry Lafontaine, a senior artist at Imaginism Studios. Lafontaine is also the instructor of the Imaginism In-House Workshop. 

Lafontaine's cover art reveal:  

Author Stefan Bachmann recently posted his own cover reveal, and is holding an international giveaway for an advanced reader’s copy of The Peculiar, along with two bundles of Swiss Lindt chocolate, in a contest that lasts until Tuesday May 1, 2012. 

Bachmann says to simply leave a comment on his giveaway post, and preferably a link, so that he can contact you if you win. He also says that "re-tweets count double, so DO THAT and post that link, twah." 

The embossed hardcover book is gaining excitement around the world as one of 2012's biggest releases. A recent display for The Peculiar was captured on camera at Italy’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair.   

The Peculiar will be released in hardcover format on Sept. 18, 2012.