ODD & TRUE galleys

Advance reading copies (ARCs) of Odd & True have arrived! The finished version of the book will be a hardcover edition that I'm sure will be absolutely gorgeous, but the ARCs are also beautiful.

Here's a gallery of photos of my pretties:

If you're a reviewer, bookseller, librarian, etc., and you've received an ARC, please keep in mind that this is an uncorrected proof. Odd & True has already gone through two more stages of edits since the ARC was printed, and proofreaders are continuing to pore over the pages. The following are examples of items that have already been changed/corrected:

• The Spanish word "vámonos" is misspelled in the ARC, but I've verified that it will be spelled correctly in the finished copy of the book. I deeply regret making a mistake in a language that's not my own and apologize for this error.
• In the finished copy, I've gone into more detail about the mechanics of Tru's leg brace. In the ARC, I didn't show how her leg was able to bend in the brace, but that's since been fixed. I also altered scenes in which she was kneeling, knowing this would be difficult for her.
• Typos, formatting errors, and overly repeated words are still getting fixed at this moment.

If you review and/or purchase books and would like to receive an advance copy of Odd & True, please contact the appropriate publicist listed on my Contact page (there's a U.S. publicist and an international publicist). The book will also be available from NetGalley this summer.

Odd & True is coming 

Sept. 12, 2017, from Abrams.

PREORDER: 

Amazon • Barnes & Noble

Powell's • IndieBound
 BAM • Amazon UK

 Book Depository

Sneak Peeks of THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY

Advance reading copies (ARCs) of The Steep and Thorny Way arrived on my doorstop last night, to my delight, and they look absolutely STUNNING! Here are some photos that will give you a sneak peek at what's in store for the finished book, which releases March 8, 2016, from Amulet Books. At the very bottom of the photos, I've included a short teaser from the novel.

The beautiful ARCs: front cover, spine, and back cover.

A quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

A peek at the beautiful chapter headings, and a preview of the book's first line.

And . . . the little teaser excerpt:

The book was sumptuously designed by Maria T. Middleton at Abrams, who also designed In the Shadow of Blackbirds and The Cure for Dreaming.

More sneak peeks to come in 2016. Preordering options are listed below. Check back here next Thursday, October 1, to visit my stop in the upcoming YA Scavenger Hunt, which will include an ARC giveaway for The Steep and Thorny Way!

Bloggers: The Steep and Thorny Way will be available to request from the Abrams Kids page of Netgalley later this fall.

PREORDER: 

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Powell's •
 Amazon UK • Book Depository • Indigo

(More ordering options coming soon.)

The Great SLASHER GIRLS & MONSTER BOYS ARC Giveaway (U.S. only; ends Monday, May 18, 2015)

I'm part of the upcoming YA horror anthology Slasher Girls & Monster Boys (Dial, August 18,2015), and I'm thrilled to announce that we're running a giveaway for advance reading copies of the book. Here are the details:

HOW TO WIN:

We want to see you at your creatively slashiest. Show us your macabre side and post a pic of something scary to Instagram or Twitter, under hashtag #SLASHERGIRLSARC.

SCARY PIC SUGGESTIONS 

1. Hold a séance

2. Read a horror story in a cemetery

3. Recreate a horror scene from film/tv

4. Play light as a feather, stiff as a board

5. Say Bloody Mary 3 times in a mirror at midnight

6. A selfie with your Slasher boyfriend/girlfriend/platonic friend--Pinhead, Freddy, Xenomorph Queen...

7. Draw a chalk outline of a body on a sidewalk. Possibly yours.

SUPER SPECIAL ENTRY: Dig your own shallow grave. Anyone who goes to this much trouble will be placed in their own pool, i.e. your chances of winning are extremely good. Shallow grave guidelines: Be safe about digging. We’ll not be responsible for bodily injury due to spade mishaps, digging near power/gas lines, or digging on a too hot day, etc. Keep it safe, keep it shallow. On a beach, perhaps. Or in your garden.

Enter the giveaway as many times as you want (but dig your grave only once). The Special Pool entries will be given priority.

And don’t let us hinder your slashy creativity. If you have other ideas, let’s see them! Tweet us your fave horror quotes! Show us your…scary dogs? Just keep it legal. And don’t forget to RT and use the hashtag #SLASHERGIRLSARC.

(U.S. only; ends Monday, May 18)

PRE-ORDER:

Amazon • Barnes & Noble •  Penguin • Amazon UK

Visit the Slasher Girls & Monster Boys website.

Digital Review Copies of THE UNINVITED

I've just learned that reviewers can now request a digital review copy of my August 2015 HarperCollins novel, The Uninvited, at Edelweiss. Printed review copies of the book should also become available this month. Here's how to request a copy.

Digital Review Copies:

Click here, and then click "Request Digital RC" in the box in the upper-right-hand side of the page.    

Printed Review Copies:

Email your request to Lauren Jackson at HarperCollins.

Advance Praise:

“An affecting novel, dark in fiction and in fact. Set in 1918 against the parallel epidemics of the Spanish influenza and an equally terrifying strain of ‘superpatriotism,’ Cat Winters’s latest offers resonant characters, a stunning twist, and an emotional, satisfying conclusion.”

—Michelle Gable

International bestselling author of  

A Paris Apartment

“A wonderfully atmospheric and intriguing novel. Cat Winters portrays a fascinating period in American history with clever writing and a delicious plot twist. A novel that is sure to keep readers hooked to the end.”

—Hazel Gaynor

New York Times bestselling author

“Part ghost story, part love story, part historical fiction, this tale set in a small Midwestern town during the Great War is compulsively readable, beautifully written, and populated with characters that will hover in the air around you, long after you've set the book on your nightstand. I finished this story and wished very much I had written it.”

—Wendy Webb 

Bestselling author of  

The Fate of Mercy Alban and The Vanishing

PRE-ORDER: 

HarperCollins • Amazon • Barnes & Noble •
Amazon UK • Book Depository

ARC Requests for THE UNINVITED

I've already received a few requests for info about how to be put on the list for advance reading copies of my 2015 novel, The Uninvited. This morning I talked with my HarperCollins publicist, and she said that all such requests should be emailed to her.

So, if you're a bookseller, librarian, reviewer, etc.—someone who typically receives ARCs—please send your request to Lauren Jackson at HarperCollins.

ARCs are not yet available, but the list of recipients is in the works.

The Uninvited is my adult novel releasing from the William Morrow imprint of HarperCollins on August 11, 2015. Please note that if you've requested ARCs for my two YA novels in the past, this particular book is being released by a different publisher.

Thank you to everyone interested in receiving an advance copy.

Advance Praise:

“An affecting novel, dark in fiction and in fact. Set in 1918 against the parallel epidemics of the Spanish influenza and an equally terrifying strain of ‘superpatriotism,’ Cat Winters’s latest offers resonant characters, a stunning twist, and an emotional, satisfying conclusion.”

—Michelle Gable

International bestselling author of  

A Paris Apartment

“Part ghost story, part love story, part historical fiction, this tale set in a small Midwestern town during the Great War is compulsively readable, beautifully written, and populated with characters that will hover in the air around you, long after you've set the book on your nightstand. I finished this story and wished very much I had written it.”

—Wendy Webb 

Bestselling author of  

The Fate of Mercy Alban and The Vanishing

PRE-ORDER: 

HarperCollins • Amazon •  
Amazon UK • Book Depository

Deadlines, Advance Copies, a TV Spotlight, and a Puppy: My Super-Busy Summer of 2014

June and the first half of July have rushed by in a blur. I've been astoundingly busy working on multiple books at once, as well as promoting both In the Shadow of Blackbirds and The Cure for Dreaming. I'm coming up for a quick breather to share my latest news.

The ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. At the end of June I got to attend this amazing gathering of librarians and authors and saw the advance reading copies of The Cure for Dreaming for the first time. Thanks so much to my publisher Amulet Books/Abrams for sending me!

Here are two more photos of the advance copies:

The Uninvited. During the month of June and up to this past week, I worked diligently on edits for my William Morrow/HarperCollins adult novel, which is tentatively scheduled for publication on May 5, 2015. My HarperCollins editor, Lucia Macro, visited Portland in June, and I received the opportunity to have lunch with her and discuss her suggestions for the book. A cover should be in the works soon, and I'll also likely be able to share an official synopsis sometime in the coming months. For now, it's shrouded in a bit of mystery . . .

Filming! Last Thursday and Friday, a film crew came to my house and followed me around Portland for an upcoming episode of Oregon Art Beat, Oregon Public Broadcasting's Emmy Award-winning local arts series. My feature is tentatively scheduled to air in the fall, probably right around the time of the release date and launch party for The Cure for Dreaming. The segment will appear online as well as on TV. Below are some pictures from the filming, including one of me with my weekly Thursday-morning writing and coffee group, which will be included in the feature. 

(Left to right) Me, Teri Brown, Kelly Garrett, videographer Todd, and Miriam Forster.

 Producer Katrina Sarson, setting up an interview with me at Portland's White House.

The Secret Project! When I'm not working on my adult novel or running off somewhere to promote my books, I'm hard at work on a secret new project that I need to turn in to one of my editors by mid November. Hopefully, I'll get to talk more about it soon.

Me at the Tillamook County Library

Tillamook Library Talk! The wonderful Tillamook County Library in Tillamook, Oregon, spotlighted In the Shadow of Blackbirds for their 2014 Teen Summer Reading Program. Earlier this month, teens got to create their own spirit photographs, and last night I visited the library and chatted about the novel. Thanks to the library for hosting me and to all of the sharp and insightful teenagers who showed up and asked me questions.

Little Wilbur.

Wilbur! My family has a new puppy. His name is Wilbur, and he's a four-month-old American Eskimo. He's keeping us quite busy and entertained, and, luckily, my husband, a high school teacher, is home for the summer to help out with the training.

All right, back to work for me. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer (or winter, if you're down in the Southern Hemisphere).

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 spine in the final version has a little more to it, as well as the interior pages. As excited as I am about the ARCs (which are indeed amazingly beautiful), I have to say the finished version will be a breathtaking work of art, thanks to the book's talented designer, Maria T. Middleton.

I'll give you a tiny peek of the ARC's frontmatter—a sample of the flavor of the book's gorgeous and spooky interior design:

 

If you're interested in receiving an In the Shadow of Blackbirds ARC, here are three ways to try to obtain a copy:  

• If you live in the U.S., enter to win my current giveaway at The Mod Podge Bookshelf. 
• If you're a bookseller, librarian, book reviewer, book blogger, or someone else who typically receives galleys, fill out my ARC request form. If you are open to receiving an electronic copy, please note that the book will be on NetGalley in early December.
• If you are heading to ALA Midwinter in Seattle this January, stop by the ABRAMS booth. I'll be signing ARCs that weekend (exact dates and times to be announced).

Thanks so much to everyone who's already expressed an interest in receiving an advance copy. More giveaways are also in the works.

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 copy in the mail shortly after I receive my shipment. I'm dying to see the ARCs myself and will definitely post photos when they arrive!

Halloween Week Giveaway #2: IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS ARC and Swag

It's Day 2 of the In the Shadow of Blackbirds Halloween Week Giveaways, and I'm making a stop at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire. Author Mindy McGinnis (Not a Drop to Drink) interviewed me about my book's creepy-cool ghostly cover, so if you want to know the story behind the design (and what I originally envisioned for the cover artwork), head on over to Mindy's amazing site.

We're also giving away an advance reading copy of In the Shadow of Blackbirds (to be mailed when the ARCs are available in November), along with a signed swag pack:

Swag pack with a signed bookmark, stickers, and a signed bookplate.

You can enter either here or at the Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire post. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Week Giveaway #1: IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS and BRUISED ARCs!

Welcome to Day 1 of the In the Shadow of Blackbirds Halloween Week Giveaways! Over at Iceybooks today, Sarah Skilton and I are discussing our respective 2013 Amulet Books releases. Sarah is the author of the contemporary YA novel Bruised, and my novel is a historical YA, so we're chatting about writing books set in the past vs the present.

The giveaway: We're sending advance reading copies of both Bruised and In the Shadow of Blackbirds to one lucky winner! My ARCs should be arriving mid November, and Sarah's are already available to ship.

We're willing to mail the books internationally, so anyone reading this post should scurry over to Iceybooks for details immediately. Good luck!

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Advance Reading Copy Requests

In the Shadow of Blackbirds advance reading copies (ARCs) are currently in production, which means my historical ghost tale will be heading out to early readers soon (approximately mid November). If you are a book blogger, reviewer, librarian, bookseller, or anyone else who typically receives ARCs, please fill out my ARC request form. I will forward all requests to my marketing contact at Amulet Books/ABRAMS. The novel will also eventually be available via Netgalley.

If you don't fall into any of the above categories (or even if you do), I'll be providing opportunities to win ARCs, as well as swag, at two of my stops during my Halloween week blog tour.  Check out last week's blog tour post for details.

Advance praise for In the Shadow of Blackbirds:

“Cat Winters deftly captures the darkness and the light of human nature with In the Shadow of Blackbirds. I swear, I can smell the smoke from the flashlamps and taste the electricity in the air—and Mary Shelley Black's dark and startling story lingers long after the final page.”

    —Saundra Mitchell

      Edgar-Nominated Author of Shadowed Summer
and The Vespertine Series