THE RAVEN'S TALE Cover Reveal and Pre-order Links

Hardcover, ISBN 9781683354864

Bustle is generously hosting the exclusive cover reveal for The Raven's Tale, my upcoming novel about a year in the life of seventeen-year-old Edgar Allan Poe. To take a peek at the design—and to see my top three favorite Edgar Allan Poe stories—head to Bustle.com. The designer of the cover is Hana Anouk Nakamura, and the artist is Shane Rebenschied.

Pre-order options for the novel are also now available! If a link isn't working, it means the book hasn't yet appeared on the seller's site. I'll update this post as soon as the missing links go live.

☙PRE-ORDER:❧

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Powell's

IndieBound • Book Depository • Indigo
BAM • Amazon UK • Kobo

About The Raven's Tale:

Seventeen-year-old Edgar Poe counts down the days until he can escape his foster family—the wealthy Allans of Richmond, Virginia. He hungers for his upcoming life as a student at the prestigious new university, almost as much as he longs to marry his beloved Elmira Royster. However, on the brink of his departure, all his plans go awry when a macabre Muse named Lenore appears to him. Muses are frightful creatures that lead artists down a path of ruin and disgrace, and no respectable person could possibly understand or accept them. But Lenore steps out of the shadows with one request: "Let them see me!"

The Raven's Tale will release from Abrams on April 16, 2019.

The ODD & TRUE Cover Reveal and Giveaway!!!

What do you get when you take a book that could be described as Big Fish meets Supernatural, with two Edwardian sisters at the center, and pair it with a highly talented cover designer and an artist known for her beautifully haunting and fantastical images?

You end up with the breathtaking, spellbinding Odd & True cover  . . .

Coming September 12, 2017 from Amulet Books/ABRAMS
Hardcover, ISBN 9781419723100 • Ebook, ISBN 9781683351443

About the Novel:

Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio.

In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase supposedly full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic states, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all.

About the Cover:

This absolutely stunning design was created by an entire team of amazing talents, including Alyssa Nassner, the cover designer, and Brazilian artist Nathalia Suellen, who's known for such mystical covers as those of A.G. Howard's Splintered series. I adore the Tim Burtonesque vibe, and those girls representing Trudchen and Odette are so badass. I love it!

Carrie and Cat.

Odd & True is my love letter to the magic of storytelling, and, more importantly, my love letter to the childhood I shared with my younger sister, Carrie. So far, all of my YA novels have featured protagonists who grew up as only children, even though my relationship with my sister has always been a close and special one. Carrie and I share a love of ghost stories, myths, family legends, and elegant tea rooms (tea leaf reading plays an integral role in Odd & True). After spending a weekend down in Southern California with Carrie for her birthday in 2014, I realized it was finally time to pay tribute to the bond of sisterhood.

Preordering Options:

I'll list the preordering and Goodreads links before the giveaway, because preorders are extremely important for a book's success. The giveaway will follow.

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Amazon UK
 BAM • Book Depository  • IndieBound

The Giveaway!:

Abrams has kindly agreed to give away one advance reading copy of Odd & True, which will ship out as soon as advance copies are available in the coming month. The giveaway is U.S. only. My apologies to my international readers, but I do plan to host some international swag giveaways in the future. You must be 13 years or older to enter.

A Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the cover? I'd love to hear your opinion.

Cover reveal: YESTERNIGHT

I'm in the middle of preparing for next week's launch of The Steep and Thorny Way (details about launch activities listed here), but I just also learned that the gorgeous, atmospheric, vibrant cover for my second novel for adults showed up on Goodreads. My editor at HarperCollins gave me the go-ahead to reveal it over here, so, without further ado, I present to you Yesternight . . .

Yesternight, by Cat Winters

October 4, 2016

William Morrow/HarperCollins

A paperback original

ISBN 9780062440860

From the author of The Uninvited comes a haunting historical novel with a compelling mystery at its core. A young child psychologist steps off a train, her destination a foggy seaside town. There, she begins a journey causing her to question everything she believes about life, death, memories, and reincarnation.

In 1925, Alice Lind steps off a train in the rain-soaked coastal hamlet of Gordon Bay, Oregon. There, she expects to do nothing more difficult than administer IQ tests to a group of rural schoolchildren. A trained psychologist, Alice believes mysteries of the mind can be unlocked scientifically, but now her views are about to be challenged by one curious child.

Seven-year-old Janie O’Daire is a mathematical genius, which is surprising. But what is disturbing are the stories she tells: that her name was once Violet, she grew up in Kansas decades earlier, and she drowned at age nineteen. Alice delves into these stories, at first believing they’re no more than the product of the girl’s vast imagination. But, slowly, Alice comes to the realization that Janie might indeed be telling a strange truth.

Alice knows the investigation may endanger her already shaky professional reputation, and as a woman in a field dominated by men she has no room for mistakes. But she is unprepared for the ways it will illuminate terrifying mysteries within her own past, and in the process, irrevocably change her life.

PREORDER: 

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

BAM • Indigo

Also coming in ebook and audiobook editions.

Cover Reveal for THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY

I'm excited beyond belief to reveal the cover and official synopsis for my next YA novel, a book I hold near and dear to my heart. Without further ado, I present to you The Steep and Thorny Way . . .

Coming March 8, 2016

Amulet Books, Hardcover, ISBN 9781419719158

A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him—who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night.

Some notes about the cover: 

This captivating design was created by Maria T. Middleton at Abrams, the brilliant talent behind all of my young adult covers, as well as the creator of those gorgeous interior designs. The photographer is Symon Chow, who also photographed the cover of In the Shadow of Blackbirds. I love the cover so much and feel it's absolutely perfect for The Steep and Thorny Way. Everything on the cover is significant to the story.

Yes, this novel will include historical photographs, just like In the Shadow of Blackbirds and The Cure for Dreaming. Yes, it's inspired by Hamlet, but you don't need to be familiar with the play to understand the novel. If you are a Hamlet aficionado, however, you will find nods to the plot and the characters throughout, including a ghost.

The Steep and Thorny Way features both biracial and LGBTQ characters from the past and tackles some of the darkness faced by those who didn't fit into the 1920s mold of "perfection." I think it might be my most controversial novel yet, but I also feel it's my strongest, and I can't wait to share it with everyone in March 2016.    

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! 

Interview with Cover Photographer Symon Chow

Symon Chow and cover model Olive.

My guest today is the talented Symon Chow, the photographer behind the In the Shadow of Blackbirds cover. Photography plays an enormous role in the plot of this novel, so I'm thrilled to feature someone who is both familiar with the art form and skilled at capturing the haunting look of the early-twentieth-century spirit photographs that are integral to this book.

Here is my interview with Symon.

Thank you so much for joining me today, Symon! As soon as my editor, Maggie Lehrman, gave me the link to your website and I saw your haunting, unique, vintage-style photographs, I knew you were the perfect photographer for the In the Shadow of Blackbirds cover. When and how did you first become drawn to this particular style of photography?

I guess it would have had to be in college when I started learning how to shoot “Alternative Process” photography. I have always been fascinated by old cameras and lenses, though even before college, I was fascinated by turn-of-the-century photography. But back then wasn’t as much about the gear and the process as it was about the subject. I have always had an affinity for the fashion of the era. If I had to pinpoint its beginning, it actually came from a shirt that my mother wore when I was a child. The shirt had a very intricate Art Nouveau pattern of sirens swirling through ribbons of fabric. I still remember it fondly and it has stuck with me though all of my creative endeavors.

When ABRAMS designer Maria T. Middleton approached you about photographing the cover of In the Shadow of Blackbirds, what were the first steps you went through to design and prepare for the shoot?

The first step of most covers I have worked on is to, of course, discuss what the designer and editor envision. I like to get as much details about the feeling they want to convey, so that I can get an idea of what kind of lighting will be involved. Then I like to ask about what types of props they want to incorporate. With that information, and the actual story for reference, I try to get as much detail before I work on “sketches.” I present as many different options as I can, focusing on different key elements that we’ve discussed. When the sketch is approved I can then concentrate on putting together the actual elements of the composition and source props and setups. The process is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It can at times be very fun and at times a little frustrating, but in the end, ALWAYS super fulfilling!

Your online portfolio shows a variety of costumes and eclectic Victorian/early 1900s-style backdrops and props. For the In the Shadow of Blackbirds cover, did you provide the costumes and all the accessories, including the goggles? 

I did actually, but not as much as I normally would have. Maggie and Maria already had a very particular outfit in mind before I even got involved in this project and had the costume pretty much sorted out. The only thing they didn’t have were the goggles...which I just happened to have sitting around (I collect old military goggles). On the day of the shoot we also played with different shoes and accessories. We have a fairly large collection of turn-of-the-century, pre- and post-WWI outfits and props that we’ve been collecting for years.

Did you use various costumes and backdrops for this shoot, or was there one particular look that you wanted most?

I believe we did a number of set-ups for this cover. Mostly wardrobe changes, different lighting set-ups, and positioning. We wanted to keep the setup simple in terms of the pose, because we wanted to focus on atmosphere. We were going for haunting, but also at the same time, inviting. We wanted the reader to get sucked into Mary’s world, and actually want to stay a while

Early-twentieth-century spirit photography plays an enormous role in the novel. Decades before the Photoshop era, photographers used methods such as double exposures to create ghostly images in the developed pictures. Are you able to divulge how you and Maria created the spirit lurking behind the model on the cover? 

Smoke and Mirrors.

If you lived in the early 1900s, would you still have been a photographer and designer? Do you think it would have been easier or harder to make a living with that art form back then?

I believe I would absolutely be working in photography and/or design in some shape or form. Especially in my photography, I use much of the same equipment, technics, and chemicals that were being used back then. It would be a toss-up as far as ease goes. While it would be easier to do the work of actually taking the picture and developing, it would be much harder to have the picture altered, press ready, and reproduced. This type of work is just in my blood, whether it be taking photos or making a sign or creating a book. I think if I were alive back then, and given the choice, my job would have been in the arts/technical field.

Thank you so much for joining me, Symon! I love hearing about the creation of this highly unique cover.

Visit Symon Chow online at www.SymonChow.com.

For more behind-the-scenes In the Shadow of Blackbirds cover info, please see my interview with the book's designer, Maria T. Middleton.

Behind the Scenes: The IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Cover Design

Today at The Lucky 13s, I'm interviewing Maria T. Middleton, Associate Art Director at ABRAMS, about her cover design for In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Find out what TV series' opening credits inspired the title type, learn how the ghost on the cover was created, and view cover shoot photos and the initial cover comp:

Cover Scoop: In the Shadow of Blackbirds

BlackbirdsNovel.com! Cover Jacket Photos! Interviews! Book Trailers!

This upcoming Saturday (2/2/13) will mark the two-month countdown point before the release of In the Shadow of Blackbirds, which means a whirlwind of pre-publication activity seems to be happening on a daily basis.

To help celebrate the book's rapidly approaching publication date, I just launched BlackbirdsNovel.com. The new website contains info about the novel's historical world, 1918 photos and film clips, links to early-twentieth-century spirit photography galleries, an In the Shadow of Blackbirds soundtrack, an interactive map of San Diego with excerpts from the novel, and other extras.

I'm currently offering an international giveaway at the website: two winners will receive a custom-made In the Shadow of Blackbirds charm bracelet and a signed swag pack. Details can be found on the home page.

The charm bracelets, made by my sister, Carrie.

In other news, my editor sent me samples of the book's finished jacket. Here are some sneak peeks:

The full jacket.

Front cover and inside flap.

Bottom half of back cover.

For a larger view of the text, click on the photos.

And for more info about my novel and me, check out these recent interviews:

Through the Looking Glass

Catherine Scully's Website

Next week, on February 7, my book trailer reveal tour kicks off, thanks to Mod Podge Blog Tours, and the trailer will debut on Valentine's Day. More giveaways will be offered, so please stop by and join the festivities.

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

The IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS Cover Reveal & Giveaway!!!!

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Coming April 2013 from Amulet Books/Abrams.

Add to Goodreads.

Pre-order at Amazon.

______________________________________ 

I'm trembling with excitement as I type up this post to reveal the hauntingly beautiful cover for In the Shadow of Blackbirds and to finally share an official synopsis for the novel. The cover was designed by the talented Maria T. Middleton, and the photography is by Symon Chow.  The lovely cover model is portraying a scene in which my protagonist, Mary Shelley Black, begrudgingly poses for a photographer who claims to capture the spirits of lost loved ones with his camera.

In celebration of the cover reveal, I'm giving away an In the Shadow of Blackbirds prize package. I don't have advance copies of the book available yet—those will wait for a future giveaway. But I do have some pre-Halloween treats involving creepy dark birds, which play a major role in my novel:

If you enter my giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below, you'll have a chance to win 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. I'll run the giveaway until Thursday, October 4. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Line Edits, Cover News, & Other Updates

I just wrapped up the latest revision stage for In the Shadow of Blackbirds, a process called line edits. My editor, Maggie Lehrman at Amulet Books/Abrams, went through the entire manuscript and commented about any actions or dialogue that didn't seem quite right, cleaned up awkward words and phrases, and addressed plot issues that still needed some work. Her notes were brilliant. I'm so thankful to be working with Maggie.

It was an intense process, especially with the colorful array of tracking changes showing all our edits throughout the document. But I'm extremely glad this stage exists. When you're writing a historical novel that involves a mystery, cleaning up plot holes and anachronisms is essential.

Toward the end of these revisions, I received a lovely surprise in my inbox: A peek at my cover art.

Gorgeous. 
Unique. 
Perfect!

That's all I can say about the cover for now, but I will share it as soon as I'm able. To ensure you don't miss out, sign up for my monthly newsletter (launching this fall) at http://www.catwinters.com/p/newsletter.html. You can also subscribe to my posts in the right sidebar of this page.

Other August news:

•  I'm a contributor at WriteOnCon, an online writer's conference that starts tomorrow (August 14 & 15). I'm giving writing advice, along with other members of The Lucky 13s.
• Later this month I'm being interviewed about the setting of In the Shadow of Blackbirds. I'll post a link as soon as that feature is live.

Many more updates are yet to come. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Don't suffer too much Olympics withdrawal.