Almost there! Also, giveaways and interviews…

A week until the launch, and ten days until the release of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS – wow, how crazy is that? I’ve been keeping my head down, doing lots of work behind the scenes, like interviews and such, and today, one that I really enjoyed just went up on my good friend Shari Green’s blog – lots of talk about how SHADOWS came to be and such, plus a GIVEAWAY! And really, who doesn’t like free books?

Also, Claire Legrand, she of the awesome, forthcoming THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS is hosting a GIVEAWAY on her blog, too! An abundance of giveaways!

And, if that wasn’t enough, I’ll be giving away a bunch of stuff on release day, including books and swag and art prints by a local First Nations artist, so mark your calendars!

Special Delivery!

Look what arrived at my house today!

My book! Yay!

Guest Post/Spooky Story up on the Me On Books blog!

Hello everyone! Lindsay over at Me On Books is running a YA Can Lit feature on her blog, and today’s post is by yours truly! I’ve written about a real life ghost story that I used as inspiration for a scene in SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, and yep, it’s spooky and REAL. I know, because I was there!

Anyhow, should you wish to take a read, head on over to Lindsay’s blog. I hope my guest post sends shivers up your spine!

Winner of the Giveaway!

Drum roll please….

The winner of the personalized, signed hardcover of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS in celebration of one-month-until-release is….

ARANTZA!

Arantza, an email is on its way to you…

Many thanks to everyone who entered (so many nice comments, thank you thank you!), and please stop by on June 5 as I plan on celebrating the release of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS with another giveaway!

Giveaway is closed!

Thanks so much for all the entries for my one-month-until-release giveaway. I’ll be posting the winner a little later today – stay tuned!

Kirkus Review of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS

I wasn’t sure when I should post this, but since it’s popping up all over the place, I figured it was time to go public! Kirkus, “the world’s toughest book critics” (that’s what they call themselves!), liked SHADOWS CAST BY STARS! Here’s what they had to say:

SHADOWS CAST BY STARS
Author: Knutsson, Catherine

Review Issue Date: May 1, 2012
Online Publish Date: April 4, 2012
Publisher:Atheneum
Pages: 464
Price ( Hardcover ): $17.99
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-1-4424-0191-4
Category: Fiction

A post-apocalyptic debut breathes new life into a quickly flagging genre with its setting among the First Nations peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

Even though they live in the Corridor, Cassandra Mercredi and her family have kept to the Old Way. When a new strain of the Plague that killed their mother emerges, she, her twin brother, Paul, and her father flee to the Island, where the Band clings to treaty lands. Métis, they are apart from the specific culture of the Island, but they are nevertheless Other, and their blood contains the only known cure for the Plague. Cass finds herself apprenticed to healer Madda and increasingly drawn to Bran, the son of the Island’s vanished leader. She also experiences a terrifying connection to the Sisiutl, the serpent-spirit that dwells in the lake by her house. Knutsson’s narrative is ambitious, twining together Pacific Northwest mythology, standard post-apocalyptic tropes and a coming-of-age story inflected with romance. Readers of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will recognize the harsh realities portrayed, albeit within the science-fictional framework. Knutsson’s language is often atmospherically beautiful, but the story flounders at times, introducing unfulfilled subplots that may be foreshadowing for events in future volumes or simply red herrings.

Nevertheless, it’s an absorbing read populated by characters hardly ever found in teen novels. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

***
Whew, and yay!

Also, the giveaway of a signed copy of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS ends tomorrow at noon (PST), so if you haven’t entered yet, get on over there, read the sample chapter, and enter away!

Celebrating one month until the release of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS!

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED – WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

Well! A month today, SHADOWS CAST BY STARS will make its way into the world–my very first book, and what a journey it has been!

To celebrate the one-month-until-release date, I’ve got two things to offer up!

Firstly: I’ve received permission to post the first chapter of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS–read it here!

Secondly: A giveaway! I love giving stuff away. This time, I’m offering up a personalized, signed copy of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS (open internationally!)! And, if the mood strikes, I may just throw in a piece of swag or two…*wink wink*

Details: I’m running this giveaway from today, May 5, until May 10 at noon PST, which, as it happens, is my birthday! I’ll announce the giveaway winner later that day.

To enter: Since this giveaway coincides with the posting of the first chapter of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, you’ll have to answer a question to enter! Don’t worry, it’s not a hard question & the answer is in the first few paragraphs of the opening chapter: What bird haunts Cassandra’s brother, Paul?

Leave me the answer in a comment to this post (comments will be screened), along with your name and email. I’ll contact the lucky winner when the giveaway is over, and I’m happy to send the book anywhere in the world!

Please enter only once, so that it’s fair for everyone.

And if you haven’t taken part in the YAmazing Race (hosted by the Apocalysies) for your chance to win Mgnificient prizes, you’ve got until May 8th to do so!

One last thing: I’ll be running another giveaway to coincide with the launch of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, which will involve another signed hardcover and some swag, so stay tuned for details close to June 5!