Cat Winters's Blog, page 26

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Now on NetGalley!

If you're a book blogger, bookseller, librarian, book reviewer, teacher, or anyone else who normally receives galleys, I'm pleased to announce that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is now available on NetGalley !

REQUEST THE NOVEL HERE
Thanks so much to all the lovely, enthusiastic people who have already expressed an interest in receiving an advance copy of this book. For more In the Shadow of Blackbirds info, visit my About the Novel page.

 

The Opening Line Revealed

I stepped inside the railroad car, and three dozen pairs of eyes peered my way. —In the Shadow of Blackbirds, opening line
Courtesy Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
If you'd like to sample the opening lines of sixty-seven other debut YA, middle-grade, and children's books that will be coming your way in 2013, visit The Lucky 13s . I gathered all of our first sentences together in one major list I think you'll enjoy perusing.

A Sneak Peek of Chapter 1!

I discovered something in the ABRAMS UK Spring 2013 catalog that made me beam with pride: the In the Shadow of Blackbirds cover art has been used to introduce the Amulet Books titles...

Open publication - Free publishing - More abrams books
...and you can read an excerpt from Chapter 1! Click "Expand" below, and you'll be able to adjust the size of the page by sliding the little circle in the toolbar at the top of your screen.

Open publication - Free publishing - More abrams books
Thank you t...

December News (Including Launch Party Info)

I just realized it's been a couple weeks since I've posted anything new, but during that time I've compiled exciting In the Shadow of Blackbirds info to share. I'm dividing this post into items I can publicly announce, and teaser items I can't yet completely reveal.

What I can reveal:

I've scheduled my In the Shadow of Blackbirds launch party! I'll be discussing the novel, reading from the book, and giving away prizes and other goodies at the following location and time:


Powell's Books at Cedar...

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Advance Reading Copies!

On Tuesday afternoon, the UPS truck pulled up to my house with a delivery I'd been anticipating with bated breath: advance reading copies (ARCs) of In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Here's a view of the front cover and the spine: 


The back cover is lovely, but I had just seen a sample of the full hardcover book jacket just hours before receiving the ARCs, and the final version is so much more jaw-droppingly stunning that I'm not going to even share a photo of the ARC's back cover. Even the sp...

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Advance Reading Copies

On Tuesday afternoon, the UPS truck pulled up to my house with a delivery I'd been anticipating with bated breath: advance reading copies (ARCs) of In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Here's a view of the front cover and the spine: 


The back cover is lovely, but I had just seen a sample of the full hardcover book jacket just hours before receiving the ARCs, and I have to say the final version is so much more jaw-droppingly stunning that I'm not going to even share a photo of the ARC's back cove...

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Giveaway at The Mod Podge Bookshelf

Advance reading copies of In the Shadow of Blackbirds have arrived at my publisher's offices (check out the sneak peek of the book's beautiful spine here ), and I should be receiving my copies before Thanksgiving.

To celebrate, I'm over at The Mod Podge Bookshelf with an ARC and swag giveaway, as well as a guest post called "Five Reasons Why Historical Fiction Rocks!"

If you're the winner of one of my Halloween giveaways and still waiting for your ARC, thank you for your patience. I'll put your...

The Abrams Kids Spring 2013 Catalog!

The Abrams Kids Spring 2013 catalog is now available, and I'm happy to report that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is featured on page 41, right next to Bruised , a novel by one of my fellow debut author friends, Sarah Skilton. And sharing my April 2013 release date is pub-day buddy Elisabeth Dahl, author of the middle-grade novel Genie Wishes (p. 32).


Open publication - Free publishing - More amulet books
The catalog also features novels by two authors who have been showing us newbies the ropes, A....

So...Is Mary Shelley Black Related to THE Mary Shelley?

I haven't yet received enough frequently asked questions to create a FAQ page, but one question that keeps coming up is whether or not my In the Shadow of Blackbirds protagonist, Mary Shelley Black, is related to THE Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

No, she's not. My fictional Mary Shelley's mother gave her that name because Frankenstein was her favorite novel.

Like her mother, and like Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley Black is scientific minded and madly in love with modern technolog...

The Name of My Book's Ghost, My Poster Contest Winner, & Trailer News

On Halloween, I sent readers on a scavenger hunt through my various guest posts to find the name of my In the Shadow of Blackbirds protagonist's first love—aka, the book's ghost. I slipped his name into my Halloween spirit photography post at Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks , but if you missed it last week, let me cordially introduce you to him right here:


I'm not going to say too much about Stephen at this point—you'll have plenty of time to get to know him when you read the novel. If...