In the Shadow of Blackbirds

and#160; 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 sand#233;ances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, sheand#8217;s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first loveand#151;a boy who died in battleand#151;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.

Praise for In The Shadow of Blackbirds

STARRED REVIEW "Wintersand#8217;s masterful debut novel is an impressively researched marriage of the tragedies of wartime, the 1918 flu epidemic, the contemporaneous Spiritualism craze, and a chilling love story and mystery."

and#151;Publishers Weekly, starred review

STARRED REVIEW "More than anything, this is a story of the breaking point between sanity and madness, delivered in a straightforward and welcoming teen voice."

and#151;Booklist, starred review

STARRED REVIEW "Winters deftly combines mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, and romance. Excellent pacing and deliciously creepy descriptionsand#133;and#8221;

and#151;School Library Journal, starred review

"This engrossing combination of historical fiction, ghost story, psychological thriller, and straight-up whodunit moves between genres with stunning ease, maximizing the tropes of each to satisfying effect."

and#151;The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the tenor of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity."

and#151;Kirkus Reviews

"Mary Shelley is a likable, sympathetic heroine, and through her story, teen readers will get a glimpse of a fascinating time period, made all the more real by the haunting historic photographs that pepper the novel, from soldiers in trenches to policemen in gauze masks. Part romance, part mystery and part ghost story, In the Shadow of Blackbirds makes palpable a terrifying time that brought the horror of death into the homes of millions."

and#151;Bookpage

"One of the creepiest (in a good way) covers of the season! What's inside, historical Y.A. set at the time of the Spanish influenza, is equally haunting."

and#151;The Atlantic Wire

and#147;Cat Winterand#8217;s debut novel is creepy good.and#8221;

and#151;The Boston Globe

"Romance fans will love Stephenand#8217;s ghostly visits to Mary Shelley, confirming that their romance is as steamy as ever. Mystery lovers will enjoy the satisfactory resolution of the puzzle. Recommend this title to fans of Libba Brayand#8217;s The Diviners."

and#151;VOYA

"In this book, the passion of first love and the paranoia of the times are realistically and movingly rendered."

and#151;The Oregonian

"Beautifully written and absolutely riveting. I enjoyed everything about this book."

and#151;The Statesman Journal

Award

William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist 2014

School Library Journal Best Book of 2013

2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults

andquot;A strong female protagonist, realistic dialogue, and well-written prose allow readers to become immersed in Oliviaandrsquo;s rather unique (and sometimes frightening) world.andquot;

andquot;Winters creates a rich, gothic backdrop (further brought to life through period photographs and illustrations) for a story that will open many readersandrsquo; eyes to historical injustices inflicted on womenandmdash;injustices with plenty of present-day parallels.andquot;

andquot;Winters continues to be a refreshing, incisive talent with a unique perspective.andquot;

andquot;Fluid boundaries between whatandrsquo;s tangible and whatandrsquo;s intuited, lucidity and unconsciousness, sanity and madness are particularly apt for this story about hypnotism and emotional manipulation.andquot;

andquot;...readers will cheer as Olivia strikes out on her own, finally free of her fatherandrsquo;s control.andquot;

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. At her bleakest moment, however, shes 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-20th-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girlandmdash;a suffragistandmdash;in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. Itandrsquo;s 1900 in Oregon, and Oliviaandrsquo;s father, concerned that sheandrsquo;s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: sheandrsquo;s able to see peopleandrsquo;s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so sheandrsquo;s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout.

Praise for The Cure for Dreaming

andquot;A smattering of period photos adds authenticity to this gripping, atmospheric story of mind control and self-determination.andquot;

--Kirkus Reviews

and#160;

Cat Winters was born and raised near Disneyland in Southern California. She is the creator of suburbanvampire.blogspot.com, and she runs corsetsandcutlasses.wordpress .com, a group blog featuring authors of YA historical fiction. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family.