FERAL - ONLINE TOUR + TRAILER PARTY

Exciting news for my next YA (and first mystery / thriller), FERAL.  The book went live on Edelweiss last week; bloggers can grab an e-galley now:

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened.

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

To celebrate the galleys hitting the world,  I'm holding a trailer party...and you're invited!  To attend, share the trailer (below) anywhere you can: your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.



I'm also in the earliest stages of organizing the online tour: vlogs, sneak peeks, giveaways, and more!  To participate,  sign up using the form below.  If you have trouble viewing the form, email me at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com.

FREE SKYPE VISITS

I've had the most fun Skyping with classrooms lately.  Before the release of  THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, I'd Skyped with bookstores and discussion groups, but not classrooms.  Let's face it: A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT aren't exactly classroom-friendly. 

Because it's been such a success, I'm Skyping for FREE with classrooms that have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, so please do pass along the word to your own 4th- or 5th-grade teachers. I can be reached at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Me and Jill the O.W.L. (@justkeepreading)'s 5th-grade class:

Me and Mrs. Dee's class (@210BIS):

INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN KATCHER, AUTHOR OF EVERYONE DIES IN THE END

I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Katcher a few summers ago at a Teen Author event here in Springfield.  His latest book released earlier this month, and I snatched it up as soon as it came out.  What a wild ride, indeed.  It's an absolutely cinematic book, filled with history, mystery, adventure, and humor.  This will snag any reluctant readers in your life--especially boys.

As a MO girl, I love the fact that this takes place in my home state.  Is it easier to write about a place you’re familiar with, or harder?  (Do you know too much?  Have too many details you can include?)

It's almost cheating, it's so easy. I grew up in Missouri and went to college in Columbia. It takes no effort to set a book where you live. That's why my editor insisted I set my next book in Seattle. I'm getting lazy, writing everything about Missouri.

What is the inspiration behind EVERYONE DIES IN THE END?

When I was in college, I was determined to have a supernatural adventure. I would have loved it if some mysterious cult had marked me for death.

Is it based on any of your own experiences?  (Were you in a scholars program?)

Sadly, no one ever tried to assassinate me in college. I did, however, attend Mizzou as an undergraduate. In fact, Sherman, the main character in EVERYONE DIES, started out as a college senior, until it was suggested he'd be more believable as a teen.

This is a departure in style from your previously published YAs—more fantasy, less realism.  Why the switch-up?

Maybe I wanted to challenge myself. Maybe the voices in my head told me to do it. I now have one contemporary YA book, one LGBT YA book, and one YA horror. At least I'm not typecasting myself.

What are your reading tastes, movie tastes?  What influenced the book?

This is heavily influenced by H.P. Lovecraft, the great 1920s author who pioneered the 'aliens keeping a guy's brain alive in a jar' story.'

This book has quite a few action scenes—are they hard to write?  Or do they flow easily?  Why do you think that is?

I came up with the car chase/train wreck scene years ago. I'm glad I was finally able to stick it in a book. I wrote the World War I battle scene once when I was alone at my mom's house in the middle of the night and ended up scaring myself. I wouldn't say these gruesome scenes are easy to write...but 
they sure are fun.

This book has plenty of Katcher humor.  Is it hard to balance humor and action?

Humor comes easy for me. It's hard for me to pitch PLAYING WITH MATCHES to people: It's about a girl with a badly disfigured face...and it's funny!  Everything else, however, is more difficult for me to write. I hope EVERYONE DIES gives the audience a few belly laughs as they turn all the lights on and check under the bed.

Is it harder to develop a character in an action-driven story?  How do you deal with that?

I didn't want to make my hero the stereotypical action movie macho man. Instead, I made him a boring twerp who's suddenly fighting for his life (and hooking up with a cute redhead).

Did you do any research?  Any truth at all to the “historical” sections?

A bit. The fire at Academic Hall, life in the 1930s, that sort of thing. I'm sure my readers will point out my many historical errors.

~
EVERYONE DIES: An epic story of love, adventure and intrigue...at a science fiction convention! 

Be sure to keep up with all things Katcher at BrianKatcher.com!

DEAR BLOGGERS - FERAL IS YOURS

Yesterday, I sent my notes on the first-pass pages for FERAL to my editor.  This was my last chance to make any changes to the manuscript. 

I have to admit, I had a funny feeling sending the book along yesterday.  You'll be hearing more about the journey FERAL took from first draft to publication in the next few months, but I initially drafted the book a decade ago, as an MG novel.  Claire, my protagonist, has gone through about a hundred name do-overs and personality revamps; she's changed more than any MC in any of my books, actually. 

Now, though, I have to let her go.  Claire's not mine anymore; she belongs to my readers and bloggers.  There's a slight sadness to letting a project go, but there's also a new excitement to it, too.  Claire's yours; I hope the journey you'll take with Claire as a reader will be every bit as fulfilling as mine was as a writer.

Can't wait to introduce you...

FEATURED WRITER - MISSOURI CHAPTER OF SCBWI

SCBWI is just a lovely, lovely organization.  And I'm thrilled to be the Featured Writer for the Missouri chapter in March!

Check out my SCBWI interview here.

FOLK ART MUSEUM OP ED IN AM NEW YORK

The inspiration for THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY came from rural farm auctions; I've been going since I was a kid, and these days, I go with my brother (a full-time antiques dealer).  You don't leave a farm auction without discovering repurposed items somewhere: dresses made from feedsack material, stools made of Coke crates, bird feeders made from Ball fruit jars...

The deeper I dove into the manuscript, though, the more I began to learn about folk art environments like the Watts Towers in California, or the Orange Show in Texas, or Vollis Simpson's Whirligig Farm in North Carolina.  I knew I wanted to write about artists who created a work of art they could live inside.

The Watts Towers

Because I'm such a fan of folk art, I had to weigh in on the fate of the former Folk Art Museum, located near MoMA.  The piece runs today in Am New York.

HOLLYSCHINDLER.COM REDESIGN

After five years, it was seriously time for a website redesign.  The update went live this morning:

Check out the full site here.

FERAL FIRST-PASS PAGES + UPDATED JACKET COPY

I'm now deep in the midst of reading the first-pass pages for FERAL, due out this August.  (Actually, it's first-pass for HarperCollins, but last-pass for me.  This is my last chance to rake my fine-toothed comb through the manuscript.  Copyedits are always such a nerve-wracking and exciting process...)

FERAL also has an updated jacket copy on Goodreads, which is slightly different than the jacket copy released during the FERAL reveal...Gotta say, I love the new copy:

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened.

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

FIRST READER REVIEW FOR THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY

I'm ecstatic!  I just got my first reader review (from 7-yr.-old Sophie Katcher) for THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY:

Be sure to read the entirety of sharp Sophie's review here.  Your own young readers can send their reviews here.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Happy Valentine's Day!  May your mailboxes overflow with paper hearts and chocolate kisses...

COVER REVEAL - FERAL

My next YA, FERAL, releases with HarperCollins August 26, 14.  Though it'll be my third YA, it will also be my first thriller, first mystery, as both the cover and jacket copy reveal:

It’s too late for you. You’re dead.

Those words float through Claire Cain’s head as she lies broken and barely alive after a brutal beating. And the words continue to haunt her months later, in the relentless, terrifying nightmares that plague her sleep. So when her father is offered a teaching sabbatical in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out of Chicago, away from the things that remind her of what she went through, will offer a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire quickly realizes something is wrong—the town is brimming with hidden dangers and overrun by feral cats. And her fears are confirmed when a popular high school girl, Serena Sims, is suddenly found dead in the icy woods behind the school. While everyone is quick to say Serena died in an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it—for she was the one who found Serena, battered and most certainly dead, surrounded by the town’s feral cats.

Now Claire vows to learn the truth about what happened, but the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to discovering a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley. . . .

With an eerie setting and heart-stopping twists and turns, Holly Schindler weaves a gripping story that will make you question everything you think you know.

~

Be sure to pre-order FERAL or add it to your shelves on Goodreads. 

 

I can't WAIT for August to get here...

FERAL COVER REVEAL COMING FEBRUARY 13

Just a week after the release of my debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, the cover for my next YA, FERAL, will go live.  I've got 118 bloggers participating in the reveal; the cover and the official jacket copy will be visible across the web this Thursday (and, of course, it'll also be found here, at Novel Anecdotes).

Until then, a teaser video:

BREAKING NEWS - THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY'S BOOK BIRTHDAY

Happy Book Birthday to Auggie and the rest of the characters in THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY!  Click to order.  And be sure to read my interview with Lindsay Andrews, cover designer for THE JUNCTION, in the post below.  

INTERVIEW WITH LINDSEY ANDREWS, COVER DESIGNER FOR THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY

On the book birthday of THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, Lindsey Andrews has stopped by the blog.  THE JUNCTION is about art, and Lindsey is the designer behind the cover of THE JUNCTION; what better way to celebrate the release than to dish on the cover art?

1.      What’s your background—how did you come to a career as an artist?
  
I was always really into my art classes growing up and then learned about Graphic Design my senior year of high school. I immediately knew this was the field I wanted to go into and study in college. I was always that weird organized art kid. From there I went to James Madison University in Virginia and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts concentrating in Graphic Design.

2.      How did you become a cover illustrator specifically? 

I have always loved reading, especially Young Adult books. But, I never really thought about the publishing companies that actually made books happen until my best friend in college pointed out that maybe I could design book covers for them. So I started doing my research and I eventually got called for an internship at Hachette Book Group in their adult cover art department. I loved the publishing world so much that I came back to intern for a second summer after I graduated and I was lucky enough to get a full-time position there after my internship! 

3.      How did you come to this assignment? 

I came onto this project very soon after making the move to Penguins' childrens department. I came in towards the end of the project. There was actually a first cover that everyone was starting to second guess and my team decided they wanted to try a different approach. So, from there I got to take on the project and immediately wanted to try the idea of actually making a sign out of junk, as if the characters in the book had made it themselves. 

4.      What is the process for generating ideas for a cover?

We usually start off by having a conversation with the editor about the book. They also fill out an art form for us which has all of the basic information that we need to start working. From that, I usually begin to brainstorm by sketching and making lists. Then I usually go online for a bit to find some visuals to work from or possibly use on the cover. Then I'll read the book and take notes and do the process again from the key words I generate.

5.      I love so many details on THE JUNCTION—the patchy grass in the yard, the wrought-iron gate, the corrugated metal used for the sign.  How familiar were you with the book when you designed the cover?  Can you ever know too much about a book—does it keep you from focusing on a single idea? 

This project came up so suddenly and had to be finished so fast that I actually did not get a chance to read the entire manuscript before working on the cover. But, your very detailed notes about the story were very helpful and that's where I immediately got attached to the idea of making the sign.  

In general, it is helpful to read a manuscript before designing the cover because you do want to make sure you get the details right. But, it can also be a hindrance because all of the sudden you want to put TOO many details on the cover, when it really should be a more boiled-down, simplified idea. So, I usually try to do an initial brainstorming session when I only know a summary of the book. I'll see how far I get with that and then read the full story to get more ideas and a better sense of the overall feeling of the book.

6.      What are the tools of your trade: paints, pens, computer? 

I definitely work mostly on the computer. Lots of InDesign and Photoshop! But, it's nice to try to get back to pen and paper every once and awhile, so when a project calls for it I try to create some things by hand and scan them onto the computer.

7.      What was the most challenging part of creating this cover? 

The most challenging part of making this cover was trying to figure out how to actually put the pieces together in Photoshop and make it look as real as possible (yet, still illustrated). I had our two of our interns help find photos and figure out how to form the letters. It was definitely difficult to make sure the title was readable. And luckily, we were even able to use pieces from the first version of the cover (the tree and the other junkyard sculptures seen on the rest of the jacket).

8.      As a writer, I find the first draft to be the most painful, but I love revision.  What’s your favorite part of creating covers—brainstorming, finishing touches, etc.? 

I'm actually very similar to you! Just starting a project can be really difficult. Specifically, I usually enjoy the initial brainstorming, but the moment I sit down and try to make those ideas into actual covers I start to doubt myself. Suddenly some of those ideas are very hard to make tangible. But, once I can get passed that initial round of ideas it's like getting passed the first bump and being able to ride more smoothly.

9.      Who is your own favorite cover designer or illustrator? 

I really admire Jennifer Heuer's (http://www.jenniferheuer.com/) process of designing. I was able to work with her on a project while working at Little, Brown, and she's very creative. I really admire her ability to think out of the box and create as many things by hand as possible.

10.  What is your favorite illustration technique or “trick”?

I think my best illustration technique is in fact my ability to pick the right illustrator to work with and develop my skills of art directing along the way. Working in children's books allows us to work with a wide range of amazingly talented illustrators, photographers, and designers. It's all in knowing how to match someone's strengths to the right project and help to guide them along the way. These partnerships really make our jobs more fun and the projects more rewarding.

11.  Can we see some images of your workspace? 

I tend to work amongst organized chaos. I'm a very organized person but as a designer working on many different projects at a time it all has to go somewhere! So I tend to have little piles all over my work space. Other than that, I collect more books than I'll ever have time to read and I like to cover my walls in photos and illustrations that inspire me.

12.  When you’re at work on non-assignment artwork, what does it look like?  Any images you can share?

I don't actually partake in my own artwork anymore. I was always perhaps a little too practical for a typical art student and really only liked to spend time working on something if there was an assignment or useful purpose for it. And now that I work all day designing I often come home and just like to relax by reading and catching up on my favorite TV shows. But, back in school I was always into photo realism. I really enjoyed studying an object or person and drawing them as accurately as possible. I've included an example from college where I had to draw a person's face using only dots and different kinds of lines.

Thanks so much for dropping by, Lindsey!  (You can see more of Lindsey's work at Lindsey Andrews Book Design.)