Hello friends!

I am SO excited to finally share something I’ve been working on all year: my fourth and newest poem book! It’s called Through the Back Door and it’s the longest and (I think) the best yet. 🙂 

Today I’m sharing a bit about the book, giving you a peek inside, and ending with a fun giveaway for you to enter. Enjoy!

My fourth book, Through the Back Door: a little book of poems, is now available for sale right here! Here’s a selfie of me and my book, hehe. 

And here’s the cover in all its glory. I wanted to convey the soft yet lively feel of the poems inside, so I illustrated a secret-garden-esque door with peaceful green tones. The cover material is this velvety matte stock which feels so luxurious and aesthetic.

The title represents the overall theme of the poems. I want opening this book to feel like coming home through the back door: warm and welcoming and filled with memories and beauty and life.

Through the Back Door is the longest collection of poems I’ve ever published at 170 pages and over 100 poems. So much goodness inside. 🙂

The author’s note conveys the feel of the book, so I’ll let you read it straight from the picture below.

I’ve filled this book with poems inspired by my family and friends, nature and Creation, childhood memories, and my faith.

Since my last book, I’ve gotten married and grown up a whole lot, which I think is reflected in the poems. There are still plenty of poems full of whimsy and wonder and childhood memories, but I also went pretty deep in a few of them, sharing parts of my story that I’ve never written about before. Every time I write a new book, I write it as a slightly different person, and I think that’s beautiful.

I also had a lot of fun with the pen and watercolor illustrations this time. This is Sully’s favorite one, hehe. He also approves of the fact that I included a few rhyming poems and more capitalization than formerly. 😛 As I’ve grown up, so has my style, I suppose. (By the way, thanks to my husband Sully and friend Aria for being such great editors!)

If you want to read a sampling of the poems inside this book, check out my post here. But there are a lot of favorites I haven’t shared on the blog that you’ll just have to get the book to read. 😉

I’ll end with a paragraph I’ve added to almost every book launch now:

No book can change the world. But the person reading it can. So if this book reminds you that there’s still a reason to smile; if it shows you that it’s okay to be sad; if it helps you finally feel understood and not alone; if it opens your eyes a little wider to our boundlessly great Creator; and if it stirs you to go into the world and love people, freely and fiercely; my mission is accomplished. 

To celebrate the release of Through the Back Door, I’m hosting a giveaway! It features a pretty collection of some of my artwork + my sister’s gorgeous art magazine. 

• a signed copy of Through the Back Door
• a copy of CutPaste Magazine, “Quiet” (one of my favorites!)
• a postcard art print
• a selection of 6 different nature-inspired decorated envelopes
• a handpainted bookmark

Enter the giveaway and see all the details here on my Instagram account @thecolorboxstudio. (***Edited to add: giveaway is now closed.***)

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into my newest book. I’ve had a wonderful time writing it and I’m really proud of how it turned out. I pray the result is a blessing to you guys. ❤

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***