Thursday, September 27, 2012

The IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Cover Reveal & Giveaway!!!!

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Coming April 2013 from Amulet Books/Abrams.
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I'm trembling with excitement as I type up this post to reveal the hauntingly beautiful cover for In the Shadow of Blackbirds and to finally share an official synopsis for the novel. The cover was designed by the talented Maria T. Middleton, and the photography is by Symon Chow.  The lovely cover model is portraying a scene in which my protagonist, Mary Shelley Black, begrudgingly poses for a photographer who claims to capture the spirits of lost loved ones with his camera.

In celebration of the cover reveal, I'm giving away an In the Shadow of Blackbirds prize package. I don't have advance copies of the book available yet—those will wait for a future giveaway. But I do have some pre-Halloween treats involving creepy dark birds, which play a major role in my novel:

If you enter my giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below, you'll have a chance to win a copy of Kristen Lawrence's Poe-inspired CD, The Raven, four vintage-style crow bookmarks, and a signed bookplate featuring a line spoken by my In the Shadow of Blackbirds spirit photographer character during the scene pictured on the book cover. I'll run the giveaway until Thursday, October 4. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, September 17, 2012

Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks Site Launch & Giveaway!

I'm thrilled to announce the debut of a new blog I'm launching with eight other authors of young-adult and middle-grade historical fiction: Corsets, Cutlasses, and Candlesticks. We're kicking off the site with a major international giveaway that will include signed books, a CD, swag, and other entertaining goodies.

Here's a list of the participating authors:

J. Anderson Coats (The Wicked and the Just)
Sharon Biggs Waller (A Mad, Wicked Folly)
Claire M. Caterer (The Key & the Flame)  
Laura Golden (Every Day After)
Katherine Longshore (Gilt)  
Elizabeth May (The Falconer)  
Jennifer McGowan (Maid of Secrets)
Jessica Spotswood (Born Wicked)  
Cat Winters (In the Shadow of Blackbirds)

Sharon Biggs-Waller pointed out that three of our titles contain the word "wicked" in them, which I thought was an interesting observation. Our novels range from straight historical fiction to sub-genres like historical fantasy and alternate history, and we cover eras from the Middle Ages to the Great Depression.

The blog is located at http://corsetsandcutlasses.wordpress.com, and you can find us at Twitter under the handle @corsetscutlass. We would love for you to stop by, enter our giveaway, leave a comment, and if you can, help us spread the word through places like Twitter and Facebook. Thanks so much!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

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: 
Shop Indie Bookstores

In other exciting September news, I do believe the Amulet Books Spring 2013 catalog debuts either this month or October. And once the catalog is published and my cover is finalized, I can share the official synopsis and the novel's beautiful cover artwork!

Also, I'm launching a new site with eight other YA and middle-grade authors on Monday, September 17. We'll be offering piles of giveaways to celebrate, so definitely save the date.