Cover Reveal and Conversation: Veeda Bybee and The Invincible List of Lani Li

Sometimes when I’m asked to do a cover reveal of a children’s book, the request will come from someone in a publicity department. Sometimes it’s from an agent. Sometimes an editor. And sometimes it comes from one of the creators of the book itself. I take all these requests with a grain of salt. Today, I said yes. You want to know why? Because I don’t want to give anything away but the cover of this book? Mighty impressive, folks. Mighty impressive.

The book? The Invincible List of Lani Li by Veeda Bybee. It’s not due out until October, but I thought you might like to know a thing or two about it. Here’s the plot description:

“Thirteen-year-old Lani Li has nearly forgotten her family’s Chinese fable of the Eight Invincible Brothers. When her little brother, Gavin, fighting a serious heart condition, challenges her to embody the courage of the Eight Brothers during Lani’s elite band trip to London, she reluctantly agrees. As Lani tackles fears, she creates her own “Invincible List” —including running in the Cooper’s Hill cheese race—and discovers strength she never knew she had.”

I know you have questions after hearing about that cheese race. So did I. And Veeda? She had answers:

---

Betsy Bird: Veeda! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions today. Okay, this book? It looks fun. It also looks interesting. I mean, you described it to me as a, “take on The Five Chinese Brothers, by weaving my version of the Eight Invincible Brothers throughout the novel.” I think we’re going to need to know how you thought to do that in the first place. Where did this book come from? What’s its origin story?

Veeda Bybee: Hi Betsy! Thank you for these thoughtful questions. I’m honored to host the cover reveal with you for The Invincible List of Lani Li.

For years, I’ve been working on a manuscript about a girl who enters a race to run down a hill after a wheel of cheese. The Gloucester Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Race takes place in England every May, and draws thousands from around the world. I’ve actually gone as a spectator!

While I didn’t enter the cheese rolling race myself, the journey to Cooper’s Hill was a milestone. At the time, I was a young mom with a two-year-old and five-month old. My husband had a summer externship in London, and our little family was lucky enough to come along. It was an amazing experience. However, I also felt a lost in a new country, diapers (or nappies as they call it across the pond), naptime, and schedules that did not revolve around mine.

Planning a trip to watch this quirky British race that dates back hundreds of years was really empowering. I figured out how to ride the train to the English countryside, find the bus that would take us to the village of Brockworth, and mapped out the two mile uphill hike to Cooper’s Hill. We conquered it all with two children sharing a stroller and I found my footing again. Years later, this experience came back to me. I thought: what if a kid where to do this race, as a way to be brave, like I did?

As we get older, I think the stories we grew up with can be building blocks for our own beliefs. If Lani, the protagonist in this book, can find courage to face her fears because she remembered the sibling strength of The Eight Invincible Brothers (my retelling of The Five Chinese Brothers) what else can she do? Enter a quirky international cheese rolling competition to give hope to her brother, and purpose for herself? I think that is the power of story. It can help us remember what we are made of.

BB: The Five Chinese Brothers has had a fraught history, to say the least. In writing this book you appear to be going back to the original source material. What is your own personal relationship to this story and why does it continue to live on over the years. 

Veeda: I don’t mean to gush, but your work and research into children’s literature has truly shaped my own. For example, the Fuse 8 n’ Kate episode on The Five Chinese Brothers has been smoldering in the back of my mind for years. Growing up in the 1980’s, The Five Chinese Brothers was one of the few picture books I knew featuring Asians. As an Asian American kid, their fantastical superpowers were exciting to me. I appreciated the strength and sibling bond of the brothers. Overtime though, the cartoonish style and troubled text became a broken mirror I could not see myself in.

I wanted to remember the elements of this Chinese folklore that were meaningful, and write this story over. As authors, words are our superpower. Calling the brothers “Invincible” was just one way to reclaim this story.

BB: Geez! That’s incredibly kind of you to mention my podcast! So how did the book change from your earliest draft to the final product? Were there any changes that surprised you? 

Veeda: After what seems like a lifetime of working on this manuscript, remarkably, the opening scene is still the same. The protagonist is daydreaming about England right before something propels her to step up. I didn’t keep track of how many drafts of this book there have been. If I did, it might have sent me into a deep depression along the way. Let’s just say so much has changed. For the better!

It surprised me how difficult it would be to intertwine the story of The Eight Invincible Brothers. It took a lot of refining and learning to become the kind of writer who could do this. I hope I was able to pull it off, and give the brothers and honorable retake. I’ve appreciated the chance to work with the team at Shadow Mountain/Deseret Book. From the early zoom calls with Heidi Taylor Gordon, to the encouragement from my editor Samantha Millburn, they have truly supported my vision for this project. I feel the need to shout my agent, Ann Leslie Tuttle as well. She didn’t give up on this story and me.

BB: Can we talk about your cover artist for a moment? Superb work, and really fun and enticing. Who did it and what do you think of the final product? 

Veeda: Hoan Phan is the cover artist, and also created interior images throughout the book. There’s a spot illustration each time The Eight Invincible Brothers storyline pops up. His style is dynamic and bold. I’m grateful for how he was able to bring to life the Eight Invincible Brothers with a modern spin. They look so cool and appealing. I’ll share a sneak peak of an image that really moved me. This illustration shows the brothers working together using their superpowers.

BB: That’s fantastic. I love spot art. Finally, what else do you have coming out these days? What’s next for you?

Veeda: I’m co-writing a middle grade series called Team Awkward (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster) with Joy McCullough. The first book, Jojo vs. Middle School recently came out. Book two, Leah vs. Art is slated for June 2025. I’m also part of Beast Beneath the Winds, an anthology showcasing the mythical creatures of Southeast Asia, with Abrams, out in October 2025. This is turning into a busy and wonderful publishing year.

---

Many thanks indeed to Veeda for answering my many questions today (and for shouting out my podcast!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The cover!!

As we mentioned before, the spot illustrations and cover are by Hoan Phan. Thanks once again to Veeda for answering all my questions today! Expect this book to hit shelves everywhere in October. I know we’ll all be waiting for it.

Filed under: Cover Reveal, Interviews