Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa was one of my favorite reads this year, so I decided to create an alternate cover illustration for it!
Reading FHMFTS was a pleasure. Julián and Mat are such likable characters, and their journey toward each other and their life goals felt so real and exciting that when I picked the book up, I couldn't stop reading it. Julián's friend group was also one of the best parts of the book. I loved every scene of them together and how supportive they were towards each other (Jordan, Itzel, and Lou are my personal favorites!).
In addition to the lovely romance and friendships, the book also addresses more serious topics and effectively portrays the emotions, expectations, and fears that come with coming out, ending high school, and going through the university application process. All of that makes a story that is beautiful and funny but also emotional and painful. A must-read, in my opinion.
As the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship are also a significant part of this story, for this illustration, I tried to represent how Julián and Mat were capable of creating their own universe (despite being fifteen hundred miles apart) and how this private universe can feel warm and wonderful but also lonely and cold sometimes.
