My Post-Radiation Celebratory Swag Giveaway!

On February 11 I was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. On March 18 I underwent surgery to remove the tumor just as the U.S. was shutting down in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. From May 27 through June 23 I spent every weekday morning at the hospital undergoing radiation.

It's been a lot to cope with, but I know we've all been dealing with insurmountable stress and hardships this year. I'm certainly relieved to be done with these stages of my treatment.

To celebrate the end of radiation, I'm running a book swag giveaway!

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. I will email the five winners on Thursday, July 2. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Five random winners will receive a stash of bookmarks, postcards, and stickers.

To enter, simply fill out the following form by 11:59 pm Pacific on Wednesday, July 1. You must be at least 13 years old or have the permission of a parent or guardian. I'll email five random winners on July 2. Good luck!

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.

A Virtual Author Reading

Because all my remaining March events got cancelled, I decided to create a virtual author reading. Since I didn't feel like reading from any of my dark historical novels at the moment, I chose instead to share some of the poems I wrote from the ages of 7 to 9. I hope it lightens the darkness a little.