My Worldbuilding Secrets

Building a fictional world that's vibrant and intriguing is extremely important, no matter the genre, so this past week at Corsets, Cutlasses, and Candlesticks, Katherine Longshore (Gilt, Tarnish) and I shared our tips and tools for creating vivid, believable settings.

Here are the links to our posts:

Building a Believable Story World by Katherine Longshore

The Art of Worldbuilding by Cat Winters

If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments sections.

Photos and News from my First IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Appearance

Photo by fellow 2013 debut author,
Amy Tintera (Reboot).

I had the opportunity to spend this past weekend at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, and I was overwhelmed by the excitement brewing for In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

On Saturday afternoon, I signed advance copies of the novel in the ABRAMS booth from 2:00-3:30, and I was stunned to see actual lines forming to meet me. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by! I met librarians, bloggers, teen readers, fellow authors, college students, and numerous other avid book readers. It was absolutely wonderful.

In the afternoon, I met fellow Lucky 13s members Kristen Kittscher (The Wig in the Window), Amy Tintera (Reboot), Lenore Appelhans (Level 2), and Sarah Skilton (Bruised, also by Amulet Books/ABRAMS). Plus I had coffee with fellow Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks author Katherine Longshore (Gilt, Tarnish). All these authors are highly talented and as nice as can be.

Sarah Skilton and me.

I ate a lovely dinner with ABRAMS staff members and authors, as well as Seattle-area booksellers. Then I was back to signing at the booth the following morning.

I also had the opportunity to speak about In the Shadow of Blackbirds twice, once in the conference's Book Buzz theater, and once at a librarian luncheon, at which I met nearly fifty enthusiastic librarians from across the U.S. Here are some photos from Book Buzz:

Tom Angleberger chats about Art2-D2.

Sarah Skilton discusses Bruised.

My In the Shadow of Blackbirds talk (with Jason Wells, Cecily Kaiser, & Maggie Lehrman of ABRAMS).
Photo by Sarah Skilton.

And here are photos of some of the talented people who have been helping me turn In the Shadow of Blackbirds into a reality.

My editor, Maggie Lehrman (left), and my ABRAMS publicist, Laura Mihalick.

A shot of me in the booth with Maggie Lehrman.

Thanks so much to ABRAMS Books for allowing In the Shadow of Blackbirds and me to be a part of ALA Midwinter 2013!

Why I Write about the Early 1900s

Today I'm blogging over at Corsets, Cutlasses, and Candlesticks, the new YA and middle-grade historical fiction site I launched with eight other authors in September.

The theme this week is our favorite time periods, and I'm explaining how growing up near Disneyland in Southern California can turn a person into a historical novelist.

http://corsetsandcutlasses.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/i-blame-walt-disney-for-my-love-of-the-past/

I'm also kicking off my October tribute to Halloween music today by sharing my very first favorite ghost song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts"...also from Disneyland.

My Giveaway Winners...plus News about Upcoming Giveaways & Halloween Blog Stops

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my cover reveal giveaway!

The winner of a Halloween prize package that includes 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:

Tonja D.

The winners of signed In the Shadow of Blackbirds bookplates:

Jana

Petra

Caterina T.

Dannielle B.

Susan R.

Congratulations! I'll be sending all of you an email with more details soon.

If you didn't win this time, do not despair! Anyone who's taken a good look at my cover can probably guess that the Halloween season is the perfect time for me to be traveling around the blogosphere to discuss In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Here are my October blog stops, some of which contain more giveaways:

Oct. 5 - The Lucky 13s
I belong to this wonderful group of 2013 debut YA and children's book authors, and tomorrow we're all answering a single book-related question on the blog.

October 8 - Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks
I'll be chatting about my favorite historical time periods. And Disneyland.

Oct. 29 - IceyBooks
Fellow Amulet Books author Sarah Skilton (Bruised) and I will be teaming up for a post. GIVEAWAY INCLUDED!

Oct. 30 - Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire
Fellow 2013 debut novelist Mindy McGinnis (Not a Drop to Drink) will be interviewing me about the In the Shadow of Blackbirds cover. GIVEAWAY INCLUDED!

Oct. 31 - Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks
I'll be celebrating Halloween by sharing some of the spookiness you'll find in In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

The dates are subject to change, of course. Please stop by and visit if you can.

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!