My Summer Schedule: Appearances, Book Updates, and a Social Media Break

Bathing beauties. Library of Congress.

Hello, dear readers. I hope you're doing well.

Here's my news for Summer 2016.

My newest YA novel, Odd & True, is due to my editor in August, and I'm hurriedly working to finish it so it can remain on schedule for its Fall 2017 release. In order to meet my deadline, I won't be posting any more updates on this site for a while.

Furthermore, I plan to take a social media break from July 11 to August 8. If you send me any messages during those weeks, I'll be hiding away in a writing cave and won't be able to respond. That's truly the only possible way I'll survive. 

In the coming weeks I'm also heading to both Florida and New York for literary events, most of them kindly arranged by my YA publisher, Abrams. Here are the finalized details about where and when I'll be appearing:

Sunday, June 26, 2016

ALA 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition

Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL

9:00 am-10:00 am: YALSA's Coffee Klatch (ticketed event).
11:00 am-Noon: Book signing in ABRAMS Booth #1226.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016, 7:00 pm

McNally Jackson Books
52 Prince St., New York, NY
I'll be in conversation with my YA editor, author Maggie Lehrman. Q&A and signing to follow.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

ThrillerFest

Grand Hyatt, New York City, NY

Panel - Medieval, Renaissance, or WWII? Historical Thrillers (1:00 pm-1:50 pm).

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Willamette Writers Conference

Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, Portland, OR

Panel - How to Break Into (and Survive!) the World of Young Adult Fiction (3:30 pm-5:00 pm).

Many of my Fall 2016 signings are already listed on my Events page, including the launch party for Yesternight, my next novel for adults, which HarperCollins will release October 4, 2016.

There are a few other fall festival/conference appearances in the works, but I can't yet announce them. Please check back around September for the updated info.

I'm extremely grateful to be so busy as an author, but, unfortunately, the deadlines and traveling have forced me to decline my assistance to numerous people who have asked me to blurb their books or to help them out in some other way. I genuinely wish I could help everyone, but I'm also raising two kids in the middle of working on my books, and any spare moment that's left (which isn't much) must absolutely go to them.

Thank you for patience. Thank you for your enthusiasm for my work!

Warmest wishes,
Cat 

Indie Bookstore Love on Black Friday & Small Business Saturday

Mary Shelley Black fans
at Georgia's FoxTale Book Shoppe.

I hope everyone is surviving or has survived the frenzy that is Black Friday (which I personally avoid like the Spanish influenza). I've decided to take this day to give a tremendous shout-out to the indie bookstores that have strongly supported In the Shadow of Blackbirds by either hosting me for a signing or supporting the novel in other generous ways. Please help me thank these wonderful stores by visiting their websites, having a look around, and buying from them if you're in need of a book this holiday season.

Powell's Books

FoxTale Book Shoppe

Jacobsen's Books & More

Mysterious Galaxy 

The Yellow Book Road

A Children's Place

St. Johns Booksellers

McNally Jackson

I'm sure there are other amazing indies that have been strong advocates for this book, and my deepest thanks goes out to them all.

I greatly appreciate the bigger bookstores as well, but when you shop at an indie store, your support of a local business helps your entire community. Thank you booksellers everywhere!

Book launch at Powell's Books.

St. Johns Booksellers signing.

Reading at Primrose & Tumbleweeds, an independent restaurant that hosts
Bards & Brews with Jacobsen's Books and NIWA.

Pre-ordering Available at Indie Bookstores

I'm a huge supporter of independent bookstores, so I'm thrilled to announce that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is now available to pre-order through IndieBound, the site that connects readers to their favorite local indies. Click the graphic below to head to the Blackbirds pre-ordering page: 

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

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