Coming October 2026: Mother's Now a Vampire

My newest short play, "Mother's Now a Vampire," will be performed on October 30, 2026, 7 pm, as part of HART Theatre's Tales Told in the Dark, a Halloween-themed evening of staged readings.

In the late 1800s, a mild-mannered, middle-aged mother shocks and baffles her family when she transforms into a bloodsucking creature of the night.

I'm in the midst of casting the production right now and will post photos once we get into rehearsals.

Tickets are going fast! As of this posting, only 11 seats are left.

ORDER TICKETS HERE

HART Theatre is located at 185 SE Washington St., Hillsboro, Oregon.

I am very excited about this opportunity, to say the least!

Photos from my debut play: Don't Cry for the Wolves

My debut play, Don't Cry for the Wolves, which I both wrote and directed, premiered as an early workshop performance at HART Theatre in Hillsboro, OR, this past Saturday. The play was produced as part of Portland's Fertile Ground Festival of New Works. The photo above shows Sage Wilhelm and Thea Hammond performing as Wolves and Aj Graham as Grandmother. 

Here's the full cast list:

               Ruby  Abby Kelly 

Grandmother  Aj Graham 

    Newscaster  Daniel Stapp 

            Wolves  Sage Wilhelm 

                           Thea Hammond 

My entire cast gave moving, unforgettable performances. The audience reacted with laughter, gasps, tears, and even stunned silence. I can't even begin to describe how magical and emotional it felt to watch this cast perform my deeply personal script with an audience hanging on their every word. I ended up sobbing by the end.

I put this play together on a shoestring budget. The actors only got to perform their roles on one night, but everyone enthusiastically agreed to be a part of this festival performance and generously gave of their time and their talents. They also kindly helped out with costumes and props. 

Special shout-out to my sister, Carrie, for creating the wolf paws shown in the photo above. She also designed and sewed a wonderful moon prop. 

I'm actually really sad that this performance is now over. I hope to find more opportunities for the piece in the future. In the meantime, I'm starting work on my next play. 

Yes, there will be more plays!

Here are more photos from Saturday 's performance. 

My pre-show talk.

Abby Kelly, Sage Wilhelm, Thea Hammond,
and Aj Graham.

Aj Graham and Daniel Stapp.

Sage Wilhelm, Thea Hammond, Abby Kelly,
Aj Graham, and Daniel Stapp.

Aj Graham, Daniel Stapp, Abby Kelly, and me
at the cast party in downtown Hillsboro. 

Tickets Available for DON'T CRY FOR THE WOLVES!

Tickets for my one-act play, Don't Cry for the Wolves, are now on sale on HART Theatre's Fertile Ground Festival website!

The play will be performed at HART Theatre in Hillsboro, Oregon, on the evening of Saturday, April 11, 2026, 7:30 pm, as part of Portland's Fertile Ground Festival of New Works. My production will be paired that night with another one-act play, Howard vs Love by Abrianna Aydee. 

Here's the official synopsis for Don't Cry for the Wolves:

Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Cat Winters reimagines "Little Red Riding Hood" as a haunting, modern fairy tale. When a wolf roams nearby in the deep, dark woods, Ruby and her grandmother must decide who to trust and who to fear. 

Not only did I write this play, but I'm directing it and in charge of the stage design, lighting design, casting, props, costumes, and just about everything else, although I'm getting some wonderful help from family members and my cast. 

Because it's part of the Fertile Ground Festival, Don't Cry for the Wolves will be performed as an early workshop, meaning it's new, experimental theater, not a polished finished production. Actors will be allowed to have scripts in hand, but there will be movement, basic costumes, wolfish sound effects, custom-made props, and a story that I hope will move you and haunt you.

If you'll be anywhere near Hillsboro, Oregon, on April 11, I hope you can make it to the show! I would love to see you there. 

Don't Cry for the Wolves: Promotional Graphic, Synopsis, & Performance Date

Look at this gorgeous, haunting graphic for my upcoming one-act play, Don't Cry for the Wolves! Erin K. designed the image for me, and I love it! A version with the theater's info on it is forthcoming, but I wanted to reveal the graphic here and publicly thank Erin for her beautiful design. You can find her portfolio at artstation.com/erin-k.

And here's the official synopsis for Don't Cry for the Wolves:

Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Cat Winters reimagines "Little Red Riding Hood" as a haunting, modern fairy tale. When a wolf roams nearby in the deep, dark woods, Ruby and her grandmother must decide who to trust and who to fear. 

The play will be performed at HART Theatre in Hillsboro, Oregon, on the evening of Saturday, April 11, 2026. It's part of the citywide Fertile Ground Festival and will be paired that night with another one-act play, Howard vs Love by Abrianna Aydee. 

Tickets will go on sale on this page of HART's ticketing software on February 23, 2026. If you would like to be notified when they're available, please subscribe to my newsletter or find me on BlueSky or Instagram at @catwintersbooks. You can also receive updates through HART's Instagram and Facebook accounts.

I know not everyone who wants to see this play can come to Oregon. I'm working on ways to make the script available for theaters and schools to license, so hopefully it will find homes beyond Oregon in the future. Thank you for your interest! 

Coming April 2026: Don't Cry for the Wolves

I'm happy to announce that my one-act play, Don't Cry for the Wolves, will be performed at HART Theatre in Hillsboro, Oregon, as part of the citywide Fertile Ground Festival in April 2026. This production will mark my debut as a playwright—a dream of mine ever since I performed my own plays with my sister and cousins in my family's living room as a kid. I'm so excited!

Don't Cry for the Wolves is a reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood for our modern era. I'm honored that HART selected the piece to be included in their Fertile Ground lineup and can't wait to dive into the process of bringing it to the stage.

The festival will run at HART from April 10-18, 2026. I'll learn the specific date my play will be performed in the near future, and I will certainly keep everyone updated with the latest news.

Back when I was younger, I studied both drama and English at the University of California, Irvine, and participated in a five-week Theatre in London program through Michigan State University. I took playwriting courses while at UC Irvine and got involved in playwrights workshops there, writing scripts that I and other actors performed. 

For various reasons, I tucked away my desire to work in the theater for decades after graduating from college, but many of my novels have incorporated the theater and theatricality. The Cure for Dreaming even opens in a theater in Portland, Oregon.

I've been working at a performing arts center since 2022, which rekindled my love of the stage. I've longed to become more involved in productions and received encouragement to give this festival a try. I'm so glad I did.

Much more info to follow. Huge thanks to HART and their Fertile Ground Committee for selecting Don't Cry for the Wolves!

Two New Poems in YA Poetry Anthology YOU'RE NEVER TOO MUCH

I'm thrilled to announce that two of my brand-new poems, "Hope" and "An Octopus Dwells Inside My Head," will appear in the YA poetry anthology You're Never Too Much: Poems for Every Emotion. The collection of poetry, edited by Charlie Castelletti, will release from First Ink/Pan Macmillan on September 4, 2025. 

Pre-orders for the book are available now.

The hardcover edition of the anthology is releasing in the UK, but an ebook edition will also be available.

Here's a synopsis of the book from the publisher:

A stunning gift book containing poems that'll tap into every emotion — and empowering you to feel them — from classic poetry, well loved poets and bold, new modern voices. An offering for every mood and moment, this is the perfect companion for moments of solitude or sharing, promising to move and resonate deeply with anyone who has felt too much or not enough.

This poignant collection, curated by Charlie Castelletti, will help you navigate all that life throws at you. From falling in love to having your heart broken, to feeling anxious about and having hope for the world, this anthology is the perfect gift on your journey to self-discovery.

I'm so honored to be a part of this anthology and look forward to having these new poems of mine enter the world. Thanks to Charlie Castelletti for acquiring my work!

Four New Poems, a Virtual Reading, & Battling Book Bans

Hello, dear readers!

This week Door Is a Jar Literary Magazine published four more of my poems in Issue 34 Spring 2025. Huge thanks to editor Maxwell Bauman for acquiring my work!

I’ll be reading one of the new poems, “Stealing from Children,” at Door Is a Jar’s virtual Spring Contributor Reading Event this Thursday, March 6, at 6:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT.

Here's the link to the reading.

On Monday I traveled to the Oregon State Capitol to testify in support of Senate Bill 1098, Oregon’s Freedom to Read bill, which, among other protections, would prohibit “discrimination when selecting or retaining school library materials, textbooks or instructional materials or when developing and implementing a curriculum.” I’m a co-leader of the Oregon chapter of Authors Against Book Bans, and seven of us joined Basic Rights Oregon and the ACLU of Oregon to form a coalition of supporters of the bill. It was a moving, uplifting experience that gave me hope.

Here’s the link to my verbal testimony (content warning: suicidal ideation and homophobia).

Looking ahead, on Tuesday, April 8, at 6:30 pm Pacific, I’ll be making an appearance at the Pajama Storytime at the Barnes & Noble in Beaverton, Oregon! I’m delighted to get this chance to read from my picture book biography, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, illustrated by Matt Schu.

Thank you so much for taking a moment of your day to read my latest news.

Warmest wishes,

Cat Winters

Poetry News, Social Media Update, & My Newsletter's Return

For a little while longer, you can head into select bookstores across the U.S. to find copies of Issue 33 Winter 2024 of Door Is a Jar Literary Magazine, which includes my poem "A Moth with Hummingbird Wings." It sounds like this issue will be on newstands through February 2025. You can also order copies on the magazine's website. 

Starting February 3, 2025, you'll be able to pre-order Issue 34 Spring 2025 of Door Is a Jar, in which you'll be able to find four more of my poems, including one that I think my readers of dark fiction will enjoy. It's called "Why Does She Have to Write Such Dark Things?" The official release date is March 3, 2025.  

In other news, I have stopped using Instagram and Facebook. While these sites have allowed me to promote my work and establish ties with so many dear people over the years, I'm uncomfortable using Meta any longer and condemn their newest policies that open the door even wider for disinformation and discrimination. I deleted my Twitter account last fall.

If you typically follow my news through social media, I created a solution: My long-ignored author newsletter is returning this month! Please sign up to receive updates about my upcoming publications and events using the following form:

Subscribe

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Email Address *

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

You can also find me on Bluesky. Here's my handle: 

catwintersbooks@bsky.social 

All the best to you as we all find our way through 2025! My wonderful job with a performing arts center, my volunteer work with Authors Against Book Bans and Basic Rights Oregon, my loved ones, and my poetry are all helping me cope with everything. On a related note, do not expect my poems to be sweet, gentle things. 😏 

Warmest wishes, 

 Cat Winters

"A Moth with Hummingbird Wings" Is Now Available

What a tremendous honor to see my poem "A Moth with Hummingbird Wings" in the pages of Issue 33 Winter 2024 of Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine, which published this week! 

The publication comes in both print and digital formats, and you can find copies in several Barnes & Nobles and other U.S. bookstores. Please visit the Door Is a Jar website for more info. 

Thanks to Door Is a Jar Literary Magazine not only for publishing "A Moth with Hummingbird Wings," but for acquiring four more of my poems, coming in March 2025. 

Winters Poetry Is Coming This Winter

I'm so happy to announce that Door Is a Jar Literary Magazine will be publishing my poem "A Moth with Hummingbird Wings" this December! The piece will appear in Issue 33 Winter 2024, which will be available in print from various Barnes & Nobles, Books-a-millions, and indie bookstores across the U.S. You can subscribe to the Door Is a Jar Newsletter and keep an eye on my website and social media accounts for updates.

I loved writing poems throughout my childhood and teenage years but left poetry behind when I decided to focus primarily on novels in adulthood. Then, from 2017 to 2018, I wrote numerous Edgar Allan Poe-inspired poems for The Raven's Tale and remembered the magic and satisfaction I experienced when crafting poetry in my youth.

In April 2020, shortly after I underwent a lumpectomy for breast cancer, while I awaited the start of my radiation treatments, I began writing poetry by hand in a journal. It was my way of coping with cancer and my separation from many of my loved ones during the terrifying early months of the pandemic. A documentation of the chaos of 2020, chronicled in verse. 

This past April, because it was National Poetry Month, I challenged myself to start submitting some of those poems to literary magazines. I had actually written "A Moth with Hummingbird Wings" shortly before it was accepted, but it was also fueled by my experiences of the past 4+ years. 

We'll see if any of my other pieces find homes in the near future. For now, poetry has been helping me stay in touch with my love of writing while I continue to heal from the novel-writing burnout that I've discussed in a previous post.

CUT! Named a 2024 Oregon Book Awards Finalist

Literary Arts in Oregon just announced that my picture book biography, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, illustrated by Matt Schu, is a 2024 finalist for the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature, part of the Oregon Book Awards. What a tremendous honor! I'm grateful, to say the least.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Portland on April 8, 2024. Author Kwame Alexander will host the event. 

If you'd like to attend the ceremony, you can purchase tickets through Literary Arts. 

To see the full list of 2024 Oregon Book Awards finalists, click on the following link:

literary-arts.org/2024/01/announcing-the-2024-oregon-book-awards-finalists/

Thank you, Literary Arts!

Praise for Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation:

⭐ “Winters and Schu do an excellent job in telling the story of Reiniger . . . It is a story of hope, rejection, and determination, and is inspiring to all artists . . . A wonderful addition to public, school, and classroom collections.” 
— School Library Journal (starred review) 

⭐ “With a refrain of ‘snip, snip, snip!’ the story introduces readers to German film pioneer Lotte Reiniger (1899–1981) . . . Schu’s exquisite digital illustrations possess a strong sense of illumination and depth, often suggesting a tactile quality, as if constructed from paper.” 

— The Horn Book (starred review)

Ordering options:

✁ Bookshop.org

✁ IndieBound

✁ Barnes & Noble

✁ Amazon 

✁ Books-A-Million

Add Cut! to your Goodreads shelves

Download illustrator Matt Schu's instructions for making Lotte-inspired shadow puppets!

So, What's Next?

Hello, dear readers! 

I feel like it's time to give an update about what I've been up to writing-wise . . . and to talk about why I don't currently have any new-release announcements.

First, my debut picture book biography, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, illustrated by Matt Schu, has now been available from Greenwillow Books for over seven months! I'm currently booking school and library visits and have a fun presentation called "Lights! Camera! Scissors! Action!" You can find more info about all of my presentations at Lonni Lane Marketing. 

Unfortunately, aside from selling Cut! back in May 2020 (at the beginning of the pandemic and in the middle of my cancer treatments!), I have not had any luck in selling additional manuscripts to publishers over the past three years. 

In 2019 I wrote an adult novel set during the Dust Bowl. My agent, Barbara Poelle, suggested revisions, but by the time we had the book ready to submit to publishers, the pandemic hit. Barbara and I agreed it wasn't the right time to try selling a book about a woman trapped at home with her children in the middle of a traumatic and deadly moment in history. 

We waited several months, and then Barbara sent the manuscript to several editors. Everyone said the book was too bleak. Looking back, it was still too soon. Earlier this year, Barbara considered sending it out again, but first she obtained some in-house reads at the literary agency where she worked. Once more, the novel proved to be too dark for readers. Alas, we're putting the book on the back burner for now. I worked hard on the manuscript for well over a year, but it's certainly not the first completed novel I've ever had to set aside. I wrote seven other manuscripts before writing In the Shadow of Blackbirds, two of which made the rounds to publishers, without any success. I've been here before.

I also wrote three new picture books since the summer of 2020, but none of them have had any luck either. In one case, we got close to selling the book to a publisher, but the editor wanted multiple rounds of revisions before she could make an offer, and we ended up not seeing eye-to-eye about the book. 

I have another picture book bio in progress, but I'm working on obtaining funding for further research.

I feel that writing young-adult fiction is my greatest strength, but I suffered severe burnout after The Raven's Tale. Writing a novel about teenage Edgar Allan Poe was a full-time endeavor that felt like working on a master's thesis over the course of several years, and then sales proved to be disappointing. The book floundered, and my publisher decided not to release it in paperback format. 

I honestly have no idea how sales are going for my picture book.

I am by no means the only author who has been struggling to sell books over the past several years or who's been struggling with disappointing sales of published books. Publishing was already a challenging field in 2019 when The Raven's Tale debuted, but as with every other aspect of life, the pandemic hit the industry hard. Supply-chain issues impacted the printing of new books and caused delays in release dates. The lack of in-person events and school visits led to lost promotional opportunities. Publishers laid off vital staff members. The remaining staff has often been overworked and underpaid. Greenwillow Books, a division of HarperCollins, published Cut!, and Cut! released in the middle of the HarperCollins strike this past winter. 

The removal of books from schools and libraries during the current "Ed Scare" in the U.S. has also had an impact on book sales. Kidlit relies heavily on sales to schools and public libraries, and when states pass laws limiting which books can appear on shelves—and when school librarians receive harassment and death threats over the acquisition of books that discuss race, sexuality, and gender—authors feel the impact both personally and financially. I haven't seen my own titles appear on lists of books that have been challenged and/or removed, likely because my books tend to fly under the radar, but it kills me to see what a small but loud group of people are doing to authors, librarians, teachers, and most of all, to kids and their freedom to learn. In some regions of the U.S., such as Houston, Texas, districts are eliminating entire school libraries. All kidlit books are at risk of disappearing from the hands of readers who want and need them, and it's a subject on all authors' minds as we sit down and write our next books.

Nevertheless, despite my recent rejections, despite my YA burnout, despite the seemingly impossible state of publishing, despite the book bans, despite my need to work two side gigs to supplement my writing income, I am working on a new YA novel that's deeply influenced by our modern world. It's my way of coping with everything, especially the relentless anti-LGBTQIA+ movement in the U.S. and elsewhere that's deeply affected me, my family, my friends, and so many other people who are simply trying to live their own lives. A member of my own household is trans, so I'm particularly protective of the rights of trans people in this oppressive, dangerous era of transphobic legislation and fearmongering.

I'm not the fastest writer these days. My muse is tired and timid and often needs to be coaxed. I would love to eventually try to find a publisher for this new attempt at a novel, but for now I'm writing for myself and my family, and we'll see what happens. I often write my best work when I'm angry, and I have felt angry so often over the past three years. 

Living in this modern era is often unfathomably difficult. If you're struggling, too, whether it's creatively, personally, financially, or all of the above, please know you're not alone. Take good care of yourself. Find ways to pour your own frustrations, anger, and fear into art, or activism, or into something as simple as tending to a plant (gardening has become a new coping mechanism for me over the past three years). Seek mental health help if you have the means. I've been in therapy myself to receive treatment for an anxiety disorder. It's okay to reach out to others and say you're struggling.

Keep going. You're important, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm thankful you've taken the time to read this post.  

I'll close the post with one of my favorite passages from In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

I know the world seems terrifying right now and the future seems bleak. Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to the ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs. 

Never let hatred, fear, and ignorance get the best of you. Keep bettering yourself so you can make the world around you better, for nothing can ever improve without the brightest, bravest, kindest, and most imaginative individuals rising above the chaos.

Oh, one more thing! I celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the release of In the Shadow of Blackbirds by getting a tattoo of the bird that designer Maria T. Middleton included throughout the book. My tattoo artist is Michael Facchini.

Warmest wishes,

Cat Winters 

Summer Scares 2023

In the Shadow of Blackbirds was named an official Summer Scares selection for 2023! What an incredible honor and a huge surprise. Look at the company it's in!

Summer Scares is an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, teen, and middle grade readers, developed by the Horror Writers Association in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Booklist. Thank you to everyone who made this opportunity for Blackbirds possible! 

The book will be celebrating its tenth anniversary on April 2 of this year, and I'm overjoyed that a new generation of readers will get the chance to discover it. 

Be on the lookout for some fun online celebrations as we get closer to summer.

Summer Scares Resource Page: 

http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares.html

Ordering options and more info about In the Shadow of Blackbirds:

☙ORDER ONLINE❧

IndieBound • Powell's • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository • Bookshop.org • Libro.fm  • Amazon

☙AWARDS & RECOGNITION❧

• 2014 Morris Award Finalist
• A School Library Journal Best Book of 2013
• YALSA's 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults
 • 2013 Bram Stoker Award Nominee for Superior Achievement in Young Adult Fiction

• YALSA's 2014 Teens' Top Ten Nominee
• 2013 Oregon Spirit Book Award Winner
• SCBWI 2014 Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards Finalist 
• Booklist's 2013 Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth
• Booklist's 2013 Top 10 First Novels for Youth
• Starred reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist,
School Library Journal
• Highlighted review, VOYA Magazine
• Editors' Choice, Historical Novels Review
• 2014 TAYSHAS Reading List
• A Mighty Girl Top 2013 Girl-Empowering Book for Children and Teens
• 2014 Westchester Fiction Award Winner  
• 2014-2015 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee
• 2014 Maine Regional Library System Cream of the Crop List
• TriState Young Adult Book Review’s 2014 Book of Note List
• 2014-2015 Florida Teen Reads Award Finalist 
• Oregon Young Adult Network Book Rave 2014 List
• 2015-2016 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Nominee
• Nominated for the ACL of Northern California's
2013 Distinguished Book List 
• 2015-2016 MASL Gateway Readers Award Nominee
• Shortlisted for the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board Teen Reader’s Choice Award, Canada
• 2016 Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee 
• 2015-2016 South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee 
• October 2015 Big Library Read Selection 
• 2015 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Mysteries: Murder, Mayhem, and Other Adventures) 

 • 2023 Summer Scares Selection

☙REVIEWS❧

★ “Winters’s masterful debut novel is an impressively researched marriage of the tragedies of wartime, the 1918 flu epidemic, the contemporaneous Spiritualism craze, and a chilling love story and mystery...
Deliciously creepy.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Unconventional and unflinching... More than anything, this is a story of the breaking point between sanity and madness, delivered in a straightforward and welcoming teen voice.”

—Booklist, starred review

★ “Winters deftly combines mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, and romance...the story and setting are atmospheric and eerie.”
—School Library Journal, starred review

“Romance fans will love Stephen's ghostly visits to Mary Shelley. Mystery lovers will enjoy the satisfactory resolution of the puzzle. Recommend this title to fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners.”

—VOYA Magazine, highlighted review

“This engrossing combination of historical fiction, ghost story, psychological thriller, and straight-up whodunit moves between genres with stunning ease, maximizing the tropes of each to satisfying effect.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the tenor of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] gorgeous production...The book’s historic setting is as much a star as the plucky Mary Shelley...”

—Library Journal

“Cat Winters's debut novel is creepy good... Mary Shelley, with her Boy Scout boots and penchant for aviatrix goggles, is just plain awesomely odd.”
—The Boston Globe

“Winters’ words have a curious lyricism to them – a silent kind of brilliance . . . The haunting combination of a very real kind of mystery, combined with ghostly voices and the unknown of “the other side” made this novel a rare kind of war-time story, a rare kind of love story, and a rare kind of story altogether”
—The Guardian

“The unique plot continually surprises and shocks, and rich, descriptive detail brings it all vividly to life. From its first pages, one is captivated and transported into a chilling, haunted, and poignant world. Recommended with great praise.”
—Historical Novels Review

“One of the creepiest (in a good way) covers of the season! What's inside, historical Y.A. set at the time of the Spanish influenza, is equally haunting.”
—The Atlantic Wire

“Beautifully written and absolutely riveting.”
—The Statesman Journal

“The passion of first love and the paranoia of the times are realistically and movingly rendered.”
—The Oregonian

“Words like ‘unputdownable’ and ‘irresistible’ are simply not enough for Cat Winters’s In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Days after finishing this story, it remains the first thought I have in the morning, and the thing that haunts me until I sleep.”

—Lauren DeStefano

New York Times bestselling author
of The Chemical Garden trilogy

“Mary Shelley is a likable, sympathetic heroine, and through her story, teen readers will get a glimpse of a fascinating time period, made all the more real by the haunting historic photographs that pepper the novel, from soldiers in trenches to policemen in gauze masks. Part romance, part mystery and part ghost story, In the Shadow of Blackbirds makes palpable a terrifying time that brought the horror of death into the homes of millions.”
—BookPage

“The plot is well developed, the story is full of good research on folk remedies, spirit photographers, séances, and the horrors of losing your mind in the trenches.”
—BayViews

“Cat Winters deftly captures the darkness and the light of human nature. I swear, I can smell the smoke from the flashlamps and taste the electricity in the air—this dark and startling story lingers long after the final page.”

    —Saundra Mitchell

      Edgar Award-nominated author of Shadowed Summer
and The Vespertine series

“Part history, part mystery, part post-apocalyptic paranormal romance, In the Shadow of Blackbirds bundles everything in a spookily atmospheric and almost otherworldly early-twentieth-century San Diego. From the first page, I was captivated by Mary Shelley Black—by her spirit and by her capacity to love and hope amid the horrors of war and the hysteria of pandemic.”
—Katherine Longshore
Author of The Royal Circle series

Two Starred Reviews for CUT!

⭐ “Winters and Schu do an excellent job in telling the story of Reiniger . . . It is a story of hope, rejection, and determination, and is inspiring to all artists . . . A wonderful addition to public, school, and classroom collections.” 
— School Library Journal (starred review) 

⭐ “With a refrain of ‘snip, snip, snip!’ the story introduces readers to German film pioneer Lotte Reiniger (1899–1981) . . . Schu’s exquisite digital illustrations possess a strong sense of illumination and depth, often suggesting a tactile quality, as if constructed from paper.” 

— Horn Book (starred review)

Thank you, School Library Journal and Horn Book!

Ordering options:

✁ Bookshop.org

✁ IndieBound

✁ Barnes & Noble

✁ Amazon 

✁ Books-A-Million

Add Cut! to your Goodreads shelves

Download Matt Schu's instructions for making Lotte-inspired silhouettes.

Now Available: CUT!

My debut picture book biography, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, is now available! Matt Schu is the illustrator, and his drawings spectacularly bring Lotte's real-life world of early-1900s art and cinema to life, while also paying tribute to the exquisite use of shadow of light in Lotte's films. 

Who was Lotte Reiniger? She was the creator of the oldest surviving full-length animated film, the inventor of an early multiplane camera, and a revolutionary silhouette artist whose influence can still be seen in the works of artists and filmmakers to this day.

Here are two sample pages from Cut!, photographed by Matt Schu, along with reviews for the book.

“With a refrain of ‘snip, snip, snip!’ the story introduces readers to German film pioneer Lotte Reiniger (1899–1981). Lotte’s adolescence coincided with the dawn of cinema, a time when movies ‘were silent but filled with magical sights’ . . . Schu’s exquisite digital illustrations possess a strong sense of illumination and depth, often suggesting a tactile quality, as if constructed from paper.” 
— Horn Book (starred review)

“Dream-centered text by Winters articulates the labor put in by its subject, making for an informative account of a successful life in the movie business, involving ‘a pair of scissors, a great deal of patience, and her talented hands.’”
— Publishers Weekly

Cut! features extensive backmatter, including a timeline of Lotte Reiniger’s life, an author’s note, and sources.

Please see my Events Page to learn where Matt and I will be signing copies of the book. If you're curious about the various ways I conducted research into Lotte's life, please head to this conversation between Fiona Robinson and me at Publishers Weekly.   

Huge thanks to my editor, Martha Mihalick, for giving Cut! a publishing home and for using her editorial skills to make the book shine!

✁ Bookshop.org

✁ IndieBound

✁ Barnes & Noble

✁ Amazon 

✁ Books-A-Million

Upcoming Readings and Pre-Order Info

January 24 will mark the publication of my debut picture book, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, illustrated by Matt Schu. 

To pre-order a copy signed by both me and Matt, please make your purchase through Green Bean Books and indicate in the comments section that you'd like your copy signed. 

Because Matt and I both happen to live in the Portland area, we'll both be discussing and reading from Cut! at two local events later this month. Here's our schedule:

Please note that masks are required for the Green Bean Books reading. That particular event will be held on an outdoor, heated patio, so please also bundle up if the weather is cold.

More info about Cut!:

✁ Written by C. E. Winters 

✁ Illustrated by Matt Schu

Coming Jan. 24, 2023

Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins 

ISBN 9780063067394

“With a refrain of ‘snip, snip, snip!’ the story introduces readers to German film pioneer Lotte Reiniger (1899–1981). Lotte’s adolescence coincided with the dawn of cinema, a time when movies ‘were silent but filled with magical sights’ . . . Schu’s exquisite digital illustrations possess a strong sense of illumination and depth, often suggesting a tactile quality, as if constructed from paper.” 

— Horn Book (starred review)

Long before Walt Disney, a young woman revolutionized the landscape of animation using light, a pair of scissors, and her imagination. From acclaimed author C. E. Winters and debut illustrator Matt Schu, STEM meets the arts in this engaging nonfiction picture book biography about Lotte Reiniger. Cut! is an exceptional choice for classrooms and for fans of Hidden Figures, I Dissent, and the Questioneers books. 

In the 1920s, when young women had limited opportunities, Lotte Reiniger used her curiosity and ingenuity to change the landscape of animation forever. Inspired by the films of her youth, and encouraged by teachers and mentors working in film at the time, Lotte Reiniger honed her skills in cutting out paper silhouettes to use in stop-motion animation. 

Eventually, her talent and her drive led her to invent the multiplane camera, which allowed her to give her animation depth of field. With her small team, Lotte designed and directed the oldest full-length animated film in existence. 

Acclaimed author C. E. Winters and debut artist Matt Schu expertly introduce young readers to Lotte Reiniger, a remarkable and often overshadowed historical figure. Balancing biographical information with a compelling story, Cut! follows Lotte Reiniger from childhood to her first groundbreaking accomplishments. Matt Schu’s dynamic illustrations draw inspiration from Reiniger’s own artistry and are full of detail, color, and light. Cut! is an excellent nonfiction picture book perfect for classrooms and family sharing. 

Features extensive backmatter, including a timeline of Lotte Reiniger’s life, an author’s note, and sources.  

More pre-ordering options:

Bookshop.org

IndieBound

Barnes & Noble

Amazon 

Books-A-Million

Add Cut! to your Goodreads shelves

Find Cut! on Edelweiss

Sample artwork from Cut!, illustrated by Matt Schu.

Picture Book Cover Reveal!

I'm so excited to share the cover of my debut picture book biography, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, written as C.E. Winters, illustrated by the highly talented Matt Schu.

Cut! is scheduled to release January 24, 2023, from Greenwillow Books. Pre-order options are now available.

For more information, please visit my picture book website, cewinters.com.

IndieBound

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

I Have a Picture Book Coming in 2023!

I'm so excited to announce that I'm now the author of a picture book biography! Cut!: How Lotte Reinger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, illustrated by the talented Matt Schu, will release from Greenwillow Books in Winter 2023. Thanks to my Greenwillow editor, Martha Mihalick, for acquiring the book back in the darkness and chaos of early 2020, and to my agent, Barbara Poelle, for helping me embark on this new adventure.  

Here's the official announcement from Publishers Weekly Children's Bookshelf:

I've written the book under the name C.E. Winters to separate my picture books from my novels for teens and adults. I've also launched a new website, cewinters.com, and set up new Twitter and Instagram accounts that will primarily focus on my books for younger kids. 

Who was Lotte Reiniger? She was the creator of the oldest surviving full-length animated film, the inventor of an early multiplane camera, and a revolutionary silhouette artist whose influence can still be seen in the works of artists and filmmakers to this day.  

Here's a snippet of Reiniger's short film Cinderella, from 1922:

While you're waiting for Cut!, I recommend watching these short documentaries:

Lotte That Silhouette Girl

The Art of Lotte Reiniger

The animation genius you've (probably) never heard of 

I'll share more news about the book as soon as I can! 

Fall 2021 Updates

Hello, dear readers!

It's been a while since I've posted any news here, mainly because the book news I'm sitting on can't be shared publicly just yet. I'm shrouded in secrecry right now! All I can say is that I sold a book last year and hope to be able to announce it publicly next year. 

I'm also working on a secret new project, and I have another book out on submission . . . so, again, all the things I could possibly talk about are projects I can't actually talk about.

Please keep an eye on this website for announcements or follow me on social media.

   

Warmest wishes,
Cat Winters