So! When SHADOWS CAST BY STARS grows up, it’s going to be a….paperback! I’ve been sitting on this for a while, but I saw that the paperback cover has gone up on the internet over the weekend, so I guess it’s official:
Nifty, huh? So, mark June 4, 2013 on your calendars, because that’s when this new incarnation of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS will be hitting the shelves!
Well, look howdy, Lower Mainlanders! (Please read that sentence with a western drawl…) See that poster up there? Five awesome YA writers, all in one spot – how can that not be excellent? So, if you’re in the neighbourhood, come on by & chat with us! We’d love to see you!
Those of you who frequent these parts may have heard-tell that I’ve been dealing with an Achilles issue. Fortunately, I’ve been given the green light to begin exercise – hallelujah! I’m one of those people who needs to move, and as a result, this has been a rough summer. Normally, my husband and I are out hiking every moment we can, but because of the Achilles issue, I haven’t been able to do much of anything.
So, this past Sunday, I agreed to go on a short walk with Mikel, as the poor guy has been going a bit stir-crazy with me being out of commission. A short walk, he said. Fifteen minutes, to see a local landmark known as “The Abyss” (ominous, no?).
It turns out that the path to the Abyss is very poorly marked, and so, our fifteen minute walk turned into an hour long trek. We got there eventually, but…probably not the best thing for my poor leg. But, it survived, as did I, and I’m very glad we went, because….petroglyph!
Petroglyphs are mentioned a few times in SHADOWS CAST BY STARS. Mikel and I have come across quite a few in our hikes, though many petroglyphs are now underwater due to rising sea levels. Still, when I come across them, it’s a real treat – a sure sign that the place is special. After all, etching an image into rock isn’t something that happens overnight, and to etch it deep enough to withstand centuries of west coast rain? That’s pretty amazing.
In the next while, I’m hoping to do a few more posts about aspects of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS that have intrigued readers. Most of those will have to do with some of the supernatural creatures in the story (sisiutl and dzoonokwa, for example!), so if there are things you’ve wondered about, this would be a good time to ask!
Oh, and yes, we did find the Abyss, and an abyss it is – a huge fissure in the granite. Bit of a creepy place, I tell you!
So, yesterday was Launch Day and it was FUN! I was nervous (more nervous than I anticipated I’d be) but there were so many lovely smiling faces in the audience that I pretty quickly forgot about nerves and just enjoyed chatting about SHADOWS CAST BY STARS and about the stories behind the book. It’s not easy for me to be front and center, but on this day, I was really glad to celebrate bringing this book into the world, and I was SO thrilled by everyone’s support.
So, photos!
Author! With books!
Cake! (Which, actually, is cupcakes iced like a cake. The lovely River Writers also brought cupcakes, decorated a fab blue, but they got eaten before a photo could be taken…)
Signing! (That’s my Gramps I’m talking to…)(Also, since this is a learning experience, I learned that I like signing. The presenting is hard for me – I’m always slightly (okay, maybe a bit more than slightly) terrified that I’ll say the wrong thing (which is why I write, because on paper I can think, is that what I really mean? Yes? No? Okay, let’s think about that again. But talking? Once it’s out of your mouth, that’s it! No chance for revision!) But signing? Signing is fun!
And, writers! These are the lovely ladies of the River Writers, who have been so supportive as I struggled my way through the writing of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS. Thank you so much for celebrating with me!
And since I am thanking folks, I also want to send a HUGE thank you to Amy Jacobsen, my publicist at Simon and Schuster Canada, who helped put this all together.
And, a HUGE thank you to in Courtenay. I’ve been visiting this bookstore since I was a kid, and it was a huge joy to step through the door yesterday and be greeted by my book. Thank you so much to Evelyn and her team for their enthusiasm and support. I couldn’t have done it without you! And, just as nothing can replace the smell of a good book, nothing can replace the pleasure of stepping into an indie bookstore.
Taking a story from seed to book is a long, arduous journey, with some sky-scraping peaks and some gloomy valleys. But, the journey – what a journey it has been! Thanks to everyone who has shared it with me. I am very fortunate to know you all!
And now, two more days to go until my little book takes flight into the great wild yonder. Remember, release day (June 5!) means giveaways, so stay tuned!
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!
Look what arrived at my house today!
My book! Yay!
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!
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!
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!
If you’re a reviewer/blogger looking for an ARC of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, I just noticed that you can request an e-galley here on Simon & Schuster’s website!
Yay!
Now, back to writing for me!
