Eight Years of IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS

April 2 marked the eighth anniversary of the publication of my debut novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds. This past year I've often felt like I've become trapped inside the book's 1918 setting, when another pandemic threatened lives, shut down cities, and turned masks into a means of keeping everyone safe. It's been surreal, to say the least. 

To everyone who's read In the Shadow of Blackbirds over the past eight years, thank you for discovering and recommending my tale of a rational, science-minded girl who's forced into a world of spiritualism and suspense during WWI and the 1918 flu. 

Below you'll find a few bonus features for the book that I've posted throughout the years, as well as purchase links and library links for the various editions.

★ “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

Paperback Edition

Ebook

Audiobook

Library Copies

Hungarian Translation

The Making of the In the Shadow of Blackbirds Cover

In the Shadow of Blackbirds Map of San Diego:

View IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Map in a larger format

☙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
• 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) 

New Video: "Cat Winters Discusses the 1918 Pandemic"

Because of the research I conducted when I wrote In the Shadow of Blackbirds and The Uninvited, numerous people have been asking me about the 1918 influenza and how it ended.

I decided to answer several of those questions in a video.



Teachers and parents: Feel free to share my video with students.

For more information about the 1918 pandemic, I recommend exploring the CDC website 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 Virus).

I've also been hearing from many new and second-time readers of In the Shadow of Blackbirds. If you're looking for a copy of the novel, I encourage you to help independent bookstores by ordering through Bookshop.org.

Event Updates

Like many authors right now, I've reached the point where I've canceled all my late-winter/spring appearances, or the events were cancelled for me. It's heartbreaking not being able to travel right now, especially when my Tucson Festival of Books appearance was also going to involve a visit with my daughter at the University of Arizona. I'm going through a separate health issue right now and want to stay safe, plus I want to keep others safe by not traveling from state-to-state and potentially picking up the virus. So, I'm staying close to home for a while.

As someone who's written not one but TWO novels about the 1918 influenza pandemic, I'm definitely more than a little nervous about what could happen if COVID-19 spreads rapidly through the United States and elsewhere. My heart breaks for countries like China and Italy, where the virus has already overwhelmed healthcare systems.

Please take care of yourselves out there. Take care of the people around you. I know it's disappointing to cancel vacations and stick closer to home, but if we can all just stay put for a little while, it would help so much to keep the situation under control.

If you're curious about the 1918 flu pandemic and how it compared and differed from what's happening right now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an excellent page with information and additional resources.

In case it's of any help, I'll close with this excerpt from my novel In the Shadow of Blackbirds. My protagonist's father sent her this letter in the middle of the 1918 flu pandemic, and now I'm sending it to all of you.

Let's talk for a moment about sequels

I'm in the middle of writing a new young adult novel that I'll refer to as the Secret Project, but long before any official announcements appear about the book, I want to get something out of the way:

The new novel is not a sequel to Odd & True. 

I know that the cover of Odd &True looks like it's the beginning of a series, and I know that people who read it might wonder if there will be either a sequel or a prequel (more on that topic in a sec). And I also know that the title of Secret Project might even have people questioning if it's a sequel to In the Shadow of Blackbirds (another bird is involved in the name). But, no, like all my other books, Secret Project is a standalone, and I'm extremely excited about it.

So, why don't I ever write sequels? 

There are two main reasons.

1. I really like standalone novels. As a reader, I prefer them.

2. My books aren't quite successful enough to merit sequels. They haven't yet made it onto a bestseller list. Moreover, I write historical fiction, which isn't necessarily associated with series in the world of YA publishing (unless you're a bestseller). To be able to convince a publisher to buy my historical series, even one that involves monsters or ghosts, my books would need a stellar debut.

My novels have sold well, largely because of library sales, awards, and word of mouth (thank you librarians, award committees, and readers!), but those types of sales, while wonderful, are more gradual, less flashy. The chances of my books "breaking out" and achieving bestseller status are much slimmer than the odds for novels with major publicity budgets supporting them.

I do often consider writing sequels. In fact, I've written the first chapter of a sequel for In the Shadow of Blackbirds, but I quickly tucked it away, realizing I'd put my protagonist through enough in the first book. I preferred to leave her story on a note of hope.

I've thought about writing a sequel to The Cure for Dreaming set ten years after that novel ends, but that particular book, despite gathering a strong feminist following, has been my least successful one financially. It would be a struggle to convince anyone to publish a second book.

I have proposed the idea of an Odd & True sequel to my agent, but again it all comes down to sales. I don't yet know how Odd & True will do. Right now it's safer if I write another standalone and put the idea of a sequel on the back burner.

I'm certainly not the only author in this situation. I've talked to novelists whose publishers originally asked for a three-book series, but sales for the first books were so low (there are many factors that contribute to both high and low book sales) that the series were cut after the first or second book, sometimes leaving readers with dangling cliffhangers.

Yes, self-publishing the second or third book is an option, but when writing is an author's full-time job that puts food on the table, taking a year off to write a book with no publisher backing it is equivalent to you working your job for free for a year, with the hope that someone might pay you eventually.

What can you as a reader do to help your favorite authors release their series? For starters, buy the authors' books. Pre-order sales are crucial to a book's success; they count for bestseller lists. If you can't afford to pre-order, then request the books from your local library.  Library orders do help immensely. And leave reviews for books on online ordering sites like Amazon.

Don't stock up on free ARCs (advance reading copies) if you don't have the means to promote your reviews to a wide audience (see this Twitter thread from bookseller Nicole Brinkley and this thread from Justina Ireland for more info on this subject). Most importantly, don't download free books from sites offering illegal copies. Every time you do so, you're decreasing your favorite authors' chances of being able to continue writing more books.

Publishers look carefully at sales, and if an author's books aren't selling well enough, even though the books are popular in the online community, the publisher may stop buying the author's books or at the very least lower their advances.

The bottom line: publishing is a challenging business, and competition is fierce. Becoming a published author does not guarantee that every book an author wants to write will get published.

If I do decide to create more Odd & True books, and if the first novel does find success, I will certainly share that news as soon as I can. Until then, rest assured Odd & True can stand on its own.

More info on the Secret Project to follow. I think fans of dark literature will be excited about the subject matter . . .

Odd & True is coming 

Sept. 12, 2017, from Abrams.

PREORDER: 

Amazon • Barnes & Noble

Powell's • IndieBound
 BAM • Amazon UK

 Book Depository • Indigo

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Selected for the Big Library Read

Libraries have been a major factor in the success of my debut novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Even before the book's release in April 2013, librarians were spreading the word about it. They named the book a 2013 Morris Award finalist, and over 1,000 library systems around the globe have purchased the novel for their collections.

I'm thrilled to announce that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is now experiencing another major library moment: It was selected as one of two books that are being featured in the October 2015 Big Library Read.

According to BigLibraryRead.com, here's what the event entails:

“During the two-week program, the Big Library Read titles are available to borrow through participating libraries and schools. It’s free and there’s never a waiting list during the program. All you need is a library card or student ID to get started reading in this international eBook club.”

The program runs from October 7-21, 2015.

If you're arriving at this site because you found me through Big Library Read, welcome! Feel free to stay for a while to learn more about me and all of my books. In the Shadow of Blackbirds bonus features (playlists, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cover, an In the Shadow of Blackbirds map of San Diego) are available at BlackbirdsNovel.com. Discussion questions for the book are available through Big Library Read.

The program will also feature a Twitter chat with me on Tuesday, October 13, from 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern Time. Please join me by using the hashtag #BigLibraryRead.

If you happen to live in or near San Diego, come chat with me in person about the book at my appearance at Mysterious Galaxy on Saturday, October 10, at 2:00 pm.

The other selected title is Robin McKinley's The Door in the Hedge.

THE CURE FOR DREAMING Blog Tour & the Paperback Release of IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS

Two big things are happening this week in the world of my books. First of all, today marks the first day of The Cure for Dreaming Blog Tour!

The tour is being hosted by Rock Star Book Tours, and it will include ten days of guest posts, interviews, and reviews, as well as a tour-wide giveaway. Here's the full schedule:

Week One

10/6/2014- Word Spelunking- Interview

10/7/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

10/8/2014- Me, My Shelf and I- Review

10/9/2014- Falling For YA- Interview

10/10/2014- Crossroad Reviews- Review

Week Two

10/13/2014- Xpresso Reads- Interview

10/14/2014- Candace's Book Blog- Review

10/15/2014- I Heart YA Fiction- Review

10/16/2014- Rainy Day Ramblings- Review and Guest Post

10/17/2014- Bad Bird Reads- Guest Post

In other news, the paperback edition of In the Shadow of Blackbirds debuts this Tuesday, October 7! I've received my copies, and they're absolutely beautiful. A special bonus: The book includes a sneak peek of The Cure for Dreaming at the back. Some photos of the paperback:

Order the paperback online: 

Amazon  
Barnes & Noble  
Powell's Books  
IndieBound 
Book Depository
Abrams  
Amazon UK
Indigo

Coming next week: The Cure for Dreaming (October 14)!

IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Up for YALSA's Teens' Top Ten — Voting Open

I've been so busy working to meet deadlines and prepping for the release of The Cure for Dreaming that I've forgotten to spread the word about some exciting news: In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of the twenty-five nominees for YALSA's 2014 Teens' Top Ten! Teens picked the nominees, and they'll get to choose the final list of ten.

Voting is open at http://www.dogobooks.com/book_clubs/teens-top-reads through October 18, 2014. Teens can vote for up to three books.

Thanks to the individuals who nominated In the Shadow of Blackbirds, and thanks to everyone heading over there to vote! It's a fantastic list filled with some of my good friends' novels, and I'm extremely honored to see In the Shadow of Blackbirds included.

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).

Oregon Spirit Book Award

I'm incredibly excited to announce that In the Shadow of Blackbirds was named the winner in the Young Adult category of the Oregon Spirit Book Award for 2013. The award in presented by the Oregon Council of Teachers of English (OCTE). April Henry's The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die and Bridget Zinn's Poison were named honor books in the Young Adult category.

Only Oregon authors were eligible for this award, so I know several of the authors whose books appeared on the 2013 Oregon Spirit Book Award shortlist, including one of my buddies from my weekly writing and coffee dates, Teri Brown (Born of Illusion, Born of Deception), and fellow Corsets, Cutlasses, & Candlesticks member Susan Hill Long (Whistle in the Dark). Congratulations to everyone!

Huge thanks to the OCTE for bestowing this honor upon In the Shadow of Blackbirds!

More Upcoming Events, Including a June 4 YA Panel

I now have several appearances officially scheduled, including an extremely fun YA panel coming up on June 4, 2014. The details:

Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 6:30 pm
Manaia Coffee House and Grill (event presented by Jacobsen's Books)
203 E. Main St., Hillsboro, Oregon
Spring into Summer with Cool YA Reads panel and signing with Cat Winters, Paula Stokes, Miriam Forster, and Tara Kelly.

Click on the image to view larger version.

I've also started scheduling my book tour for The Cure for Dreaming, including my October 25 launch party at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton, Oregon! Here are all of my June through November 2014 appearances (so far):

Saturday, June 28, to Sunday, June 29, 2014
2014 ALA Annual Conference
Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sat., June 28, 2:30-3:00 pm—Abrams/Amulet Book Buzz
Sun., June 29, 8:30-10:00 am—YALSA's YA Author Coffee Klatch 
Sun. June 29, 2:00-3:00 pm—Signing at Abrams Booth #628

Thursday, July 17, 2014, 5:30 pm
Tillamook County Library 
1716 3rd St., Tillamook, Oregon
In the Shadow of Blackbirds presentation, Q&A session, giveaways, signing.

Saturday, October 25, 2014, 4:00 pm
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing 
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, Oregon
LAUNCH PARTY FOR THE CURE FOR DREAMING!!!! I'll be bringing treats and giveaways to celebrate the release of both my newest novel and the paperback edition of In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

Saturday, November 8, 2014, 4:00 pm
University Book Store
4326 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington
The Cure for Dreaming reading and signing.

More 2014 events are currently in the works. Please keep an eye on www.catwinters.com/p/events.html for updates.

Bram Stoker Awards Banquet

Tomorrow evening (Saturday, May 10), I'm heading to the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet, which, conveniently for me, will be held right here in Portland this year as part of the 2014 World Horror Convention. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a Bram Stoker Awards Finalist in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, and I'm thrilled to pieces.

The awards ceremony will be streamed online at approximately 7:30 pm PDT. If you're interested in watching, here's the information I received about viewing the announcements:

The awards presentation will begin immediately after the banquet, approximately 7:30 p.m., and will be streamed live via the internet. To view the live-stream, please follow these instructions:

1. On the evening of May 10th, go to
https://avms.webex.com/avms/j.php?MTID=mbfc75996326ded17427e4dad4f06c473

2. If requested, enter your name and email address.
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: whc2014 . Click "Join".

To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link:
https://avms.webex.com/avms/j.php?MTID=m4029989ede732b114a103416db2f97aa

For assistance, go to https://avms.webex.com/avms/mc and on the left navigation bar, click "Support."

The Cover for the Paperback Edition!

The paperback edition of In the Shadow of Blackbirds is coming October 7, 2014, from Amulet Paperbacks, and I'm now able to share its cover. Granted, the cover isn't dramatically different from that of the hardcover edition. In the paperback version, the cover model portraying Mary Shelley Black is now front and center, the title and my name are larger and brighter (they match the color of the cool antique chair!), and that lovely Morris Award Finalist seal has been incorporated into the artwork. The spookiness of the original design is all still wonderfully in place, and I'm extremely happy with the revised look. Here it is . . .

The two covers side by side (left, hardcover; right, paperback):

Bonus feature: The paperback will include a sample chapter from my upcoming novel, The Cure for Dreaming.

Pre-order the paperback:

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

Coming Thursday, April 17, 2014:

The cover reveal for The Cure for Dreaming!

The Scholastic Reading Club Edition (and Other Paperbacks and Goodies Coming Your Way)

As a reader who LOVED to receive her Scholastic book order forms in school as a child—and who still has many of her childhood Scholastic books sitting on her bookshelves—I am so thrilled to announce that the Scholastic Reading Club is carrying an exclusive paperback edition of In the Shadow of Blackbirds! I just got my hands on a copy (in other words, I ordered one through my son's school book orders, because I was dying to see it!!!), and here are some pics of the lovely new arrival: 

As I said, this is an exclusive edition that's only available through the Scholastic Reading Club and the Scholastic school book fairs. However, the Amulet Books paperback edition—which will include a sneak peek of The Cure for Dreaming—is coming October 7, 2014, and it's now available to pre-order. The cover will be a slightly modified version of that of the hardcover, and I'll likely be able to share the artwork within the next month.

Also coming quite soon: the cover reveal for The Cure for Dreaming! Amulet Books usually debuts their fall catalogs around April, which means they'll probably be sending me the artwork to reveal late March to early April. Please check back for that announcement. I absolutely love the cover and can't wait to share it.

I recently turned in the copy-edited manuscript of The Cure for Dreaming, and the next stage will be proofreading the typeset version. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . I'll post a sneak peek of one of the pages when I receive them in April. The novel is scheduled to release October 14, 2014, and pre-ordering is already available for that one, as well.

I'm also madly working away on the first draft of my adult novel, The Uninvited, which I need to turn in to my William Morrow editor by June 2. I've been told that particular novel will more than likely debut Spring 2015, which feels quite soon. I'm extremely excited to share all of these upcoming projects with everyone and feel so thankful to now have multiple books—and multiple editions of books—making their way into the world! 

Czech Republic Edition

Introducing the Czech Republic translation of In the Shadow of Blackbirds, coming March 12, 2014, from Jota:

Pre-order from Jota

Other editions coming soon:

Paperback Edition
Coming October 7, 2014 / Amulet Books
Pre-order from Amazon

Hungarian Edition
Publication Date TBA / Scolar Kiado

In addition to celebrating these upcoming editions, I'm keeping extremely busy working on The Uninvited and the finishing touches of The Cure for Dreaming. More on those books soon. :) 

Bram Stoker Award and Georgia Peach Book Award Nominations

Over the past few days, more wonderful news arrived for In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Just this morning I learned the Horror Writers Association named the novel a 2013 Bram Stoker Award Nominee for Superior Achievement in Young Adult Fiction. The full list of nominees is posted at stokers2014.org, and here's the list for the young adult category:

Patrick Freivald – Special Dead (JournalStone)
Kami Garcia – Unbreakable (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Geoffrey Girard – Project Cain (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Joe McKinney – Dog Days (JournalStone)
Cat Winters – In the Shadow of Blackbirds (Harry N. Abrams)

Congratulations to all my fellow nominees! My little book is sitting there among some amazing company! The winner will be announced May 10, 2014, at the Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet, to be held during the World Horror Convention right here in Portland, Oregon. I'm going to try my best to make it to the banquet, which will also be live-streamed.

I also learned the novel is a 2014-15 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee. A committee of Georgia school and public librarians selected twenty books for the list, and over the next year teens will get to choose books from those twenty titles to read and rate, ultimately selecting one winner and two honor books. For more information about the Georgia Peach Awards, please visit georgiapeachaward.org.

Thank you so much to the Horror Writers Association and the Georgia Peach Book Award Committee for honoring In the Shadow of Blackbirds with these nominations!

2014 William C. Morris Award Finalist

I'm blown away by today's news: In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a 2014 William C. Morris Award Finalist!

In case you're unfamiliar with the award, here's a quote about this incredibly surreal honor from today's official announcement at the YALSA website.

"YALSA selected five books as finalists for the 2014 William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. YALSA will name the 2014 award winner at the Youth Media Awards at 8 a.m. ET on January 27 during ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia."

I'm still in a bit in a daze about this news, but I'm so grateful to everyone who helped get this book into print and to the members of the William C. Morris Awards committee. I'm also delighted to announce that some of my fellow members of The Lucky 13s are also finalists. Here's the full list:

Charm & Strange, by Stephanie Kuehn

Sex & Violence, by Carrie Mesrobian

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets, by Evan Roskos

Belle Epoque, by Elizabeth Ross

In the Shadow of Blackbirds, by Cat Winters

To make this news even sweeter, I discovered one of my favorite novels of recent years, Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys, was a 2012 Morris Finalist. That's what truly blows me away: finding my book in the same categories as authors I admire.

I'm not taking a single moment of this for granted.

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2013

Last night School Library Journal announced their Best Books of 2013 list, and I'm stunned and honored to announce that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is on that list! I'm absolutely floored, and so extremely grateful.

I'm also sitting on a few other exciting news items that I can't yet reveal, but to say the least, I'm incredibly thankful for my writing career this Thanksgiving season. Thank you, readers, for being so amazing and loving!

Where to Find Signed Copies

I just signed more copies of In the Shadow of Blackbirds at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, and they're offering free shipping through Sunday, November 17. Online ordering is available at Powells.com. (The Powell's link will take you directly to the signed editions of my book.)

Signed copies will also be available next Friday at the Lloyd Center Mall Barnes & Noble in Portland, Oregon. I'm going to be making an appearance in the store as part of the Barnes & Noble Discovery Day events. You can catch me there Friday, November 22, at 3:00 pm. If you want to request a signed edition before I arrive, please call the store at 503-249-0800.

I've also signed copies of the book at the following Portland indies:

A Children's Place Bookstore

Jacobsen's Books & More

Please call those two stores ahead of time to check on the availability of the signed edition.

Happy reading!

Holed Up with Edits for THE CURE FOR DREAMING

I'm currently working on the revisions my editor requested for my Fall 2014 release, The Cure for Dreaming, so this site will be a little quiet during the month of November. I don't have any blog stops planned for the coming month either, but I'm extremely grateful to all the bloggers, bookstores, and librarians who featured In the Shadow of Blackbirds during their Halloween festivities.

I'm happy to report that both The Cure for Dreaming and the paperback edition of In the Shadow of Blackbirds should be available in time for next year's Halloween season. My publisher, Amulet Books, and I will be busy getting everything ready over the next several months, and you should hopefully be hearing more about both of those releases in the spring.

More Info about The Cure for Dreaming

* ADD TO GOODREADS *

Halloween Blog Tour & Treats

Bloggers have been very kind about inviting me to participate in guest posts and interviews this Halloween season. Here's a list of my visits, many of which include giveaways.

October 4 - "The Ghosts in my House"

Horror Writers Association

October 7- Top 10 Favorite Ghost Songs

Bookish

October 20 - Top 10 Favorite Ghost Books

Ruth Silver's Paranormal Palooza

October 22 - Interview
The Book Wars

October 23 - Top 10 Favorite Creepy Characters
Candace's Book Blog

October 23 - Interview

Appraising Pages' Month of the Macabre

October 29 - Top 10 Favorite Haunted Sites

Beauty and the Bookshelf

October 30 - How to Give Your Readers Chills

Daisy Chain Book Reviews

Special Halloween Treat: If you dress like an In the Shadow of Blackbirds character for Halloween, please send me a link to a photo of you in costume. I will mail a signed bookplate and bookmark to anyone who does so. Send photos to catwintersbooks AT gmail.com, or send your link via Twitter (@catwinters).