Cat Winters's Blog, page 28

Pre-ordering Available at Indie Bookstores

I'm a huge supporter of independent bookstores, so I'm thrilled to announce that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is now available to pre-order through IndieBound , the site that connects readers to their favorite local indies. Click the graphic below to head to the Blackbirds pre-ordering page: 

In other exciting September news, I do believe the Amulet Books Spring 2013 catalog debuts this month. And once the catalog is published, I can share my cover and synopsis!

Also, I'm launching a new si...

A Preview of the Dystopian/Apocalyptic Side of My Historical Novel

Level Two author Lenore Appelhans interviewed me at her website, Presenting Lenore , as part of her Dystopian August feature.

I'm sure you might be wondering why an author of a historical ghost tale was interviewed for a dystopian celebration. Instead of answering here, I'll send you over to the interview, where you'll learn about the dark, strange year of 1918, the setting for In the Shadow of Blackbirds :

http://presentinglenore.blogspot.de/2012/08/author-interview-cat-winters-previews.html
...

A Tentative Release Date

I now have a tentative release date for In the Shadow of Blackbirds: April 1, 2013. The date won't be official until the Amulet Books Spring 2013 catalog debuts in another month or so, but it sounds like there's a strong possibility that will be the date. Definitely check back here for updates by October.

Furthermore, In the Shadow of Blackbirds is now available for pre-ordering over at Amazon . We haven't yet revealed the cover or the official synopsis, so the Amazon page for the book is a lit...

Fall Passionately in Love with Your Book

Yesterday, dozens of us 2013 debut kid-lit authors offered writing and marketing advice at WriteOnCon. I feel like I need to expand upon the advice I gave over there, so I'm going to continue my thoughts here.

This is what I said:

Make sure you’ve fallen passionately in love with your book before you try selling it. If you don’t love it, readers won’t either. It’s also perfectly fine to call the book a practice run and move on to a completely new project.

If you're an aspiring writer and you're...

Line Edits, Cover News, & Other Updates

I just wrapped up the latest revision stage for In the Shadow of Blackbirds, a process called line edits. My editor, Maggie Lehrman at Amulet Books/Abrams , went through the entire manuscript and commented about any actions or dialogue that didn't seem quite right, cleaned up awkward words and phrases, and addressed plot issues that still needed some work. Her notes were brilliant. I'm so thankful to be working with Maggie.

It was an intense process, especially with the colorful array of tracki...

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Mentioned in Publishers Weekly

I found out In the Shadow of Blackbirds was mentioned in the Publishers Weekly Spring 2013 Sneak Previews article. Look for a blurb about the novel in the ABRAMS/AMULET section. Thanks so much to Abrams for including my book in the preview!

Several of my fellow members of The Lucky 13s also had their books spotlighted, and I know of many, many more exciting debuts that will be making their way to shelves next year. Thankfully, 2013 is now less than six months away so we can all start reading t...

Contest Winner...and an Introduction to My Protagonist's Name

Congratulations to Diane! She was the first person to guess the name of my protagonist after I gave the following two clues about my central female character:

Hint #1:
Her mother named her after a 
famous author from the 1800s.

Hint #2:
Her mother named her after the author of a 
famous HORROR novel from the 1800s.
And the full name of my In the Shadow of Blackbirds protagonist is...
MARY SHELLEY BLACK
Yes, my main character was named after the author of Frankenstein . Her mother loved Mar...

A Giveaway: Guess My Protagonist's Name (Major Hint Included)

Unless you've read an early draft of In the Shadow of Blackbirds , you don't yet know my main character's name. In fact, up to this point I've been secretive about all of my characters' names to build suspense before Amulet Books reveals the official cover blurb.

However...seeing as though it's Friday the 13th, I've decided to celebrate my upcoming YA ghost tale by running a contest. It involves you answering a question:

Can you guess my protagonist's name?
A major hint:Her mother named her afte...

Back from the Land of Tornadoes and Ralphie Parker

I'm back from my vacation to Ohio, where I visited with family, hid out in the Smucker's basement during a tornado warning (which was terrifying for a person who isn't from tornado country!), toured the house where they filmed A Christmas Story, and had dinner with fellow 2013 debut YA novelist Jennifer McGowan .

I'm making this post short but sweet due to jet lag, but I wanted to make sure my Lucky 13s giveaway announcement wasn't the top story on the site. That contest ended Sunday, and the w...

The Massive Six-Months-Until-2013 Book Giveaway!

The year 2013 is now only six months away, so we debut 2013 authors at The Lucky 13s are celebrating with a major giveaway. Each of us will be mailing the winner a copy of a novel that influenced our writing, as well as swag for own books.

I'll be contributing The Book Thief   by Markus Zusak, two handcrafted crow bookmarks, and a signed bookplate featuring AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK at an In the Shadow of Blackbirds quote, spoken by a spirit photographer character in the novel. Here's a preview of...