Feral by Holly Schindler Publisher: HarperTeen on August 26, 2014
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller, YA, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: eBook
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
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.
Welcome to the Feral Blog Tour. Mystery/Thrillers are not a common read for me, but Feral sounds totally up my alley. I hope you guys enjoy the guest post below where Holly talks about the top 10 things every writer should know. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end.
Guest Post
10 Things Every Writer Should Know
by Holly Schindler
1. Your first draft is junk. Accept it, even as you write it. It’s freeing, actually. It allows you to play with all sorts of ideas, if you’re not convinced that your first draft has to be perfect.
2. No one cares about your writing degree. They only care about what you’ve written.
3. An agent can open doors you can’t—but you also can’t assume that an agent will solve all your problems. Signing with an agent is just that: signing with an agent. It’s not a book deal. It’s not a good book deal. It’s signing with an agent.
4. You will not spend your entire writing life with the same set of people: editors come and go with great frequency.
5. An editorial letter is nothing to fear. Your editor is not all-knowing; he or she is not telling you the way your book HAS to be. His / her job is to ask the questions that push you to tighten your manuscript (how you do so is up to you).
6. You will get a 1-star review on Amazon and Goodreads. Someone out there will quit reading your book halfway through. But someone else will write you an email thanking you profusely for writing the same book.
7. How each writer works is completely unique to each writer. If you work best wearing a stocking cap and listening to show tunes, do it. If you work best at night, do it. If you work best thinking for six days in your garden and writing for one day, do it.
8. Not everyone will understand your need to write. You have no need to apologize for it. You are not obligated to justify it. You are who you are.
9. Celebrate other writers’ successes. Even if you don’t want to. Even if part of you resents the fact that everyone else is landing deals and you’re not. Throw yourself into celebrations anyway. Life’s too short to feel bad. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel once you start congratulating people instead of begrudging their good news. Being positive in thought also helps the tone of your writing. (As a side-benefit, celebrating others means they’ll celebrate with you, when your own good news comes!)
10. You don’t control what you sell or when. You don’t control reviews of your work. The only thing in your career that you truly control is what you put on the page—so get to work!
Author Bio
Holly Schindler is the author of the critically acclaimed A BLUE SO DARK (Booklist starred review, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year silver medal recipient, IPPY Awards gold medal recipient) as well as PLAYING HURT (both YAs).
Her debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY also released in ’14, and became a favorite of teachers and librarians, who used the book as a read-aloud. Kirkus Reviews called THE JUNCTION “…a heartwarming and uplifting story…[that] shines…with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve.” Bloggers also quickly fell for the book; Susan at Bloggin’ ‘bout Books said of THE JUNCTION, “Triumphant and compelling, this is one of those books that will make you cheer. And look a little bit closer for the unique beauty in all of us.”
FERAL is Schindler’s third YA and first mystery / thriller. She encourages readers to get in touch, and can be found at hollyschindler.com, hollyschindler.blogspot.com, @holly_schindler, Facebook.com/HollySchindlerAuthor, and http://hollyschindler.tumblr.com/
Giveaway
This is a Tour Wide Giveaway
Melliane
oh that’s a nice post. I’m quite curious about the book. It sounds good! thanks for sharing!
Jennifer Bielman
I have good things so far.
kimbacaffeinate
I really want to read this one, thanks for sharing and for the awesome giveaway
Jennifer Bielman
You will have to let me know how it is if you do.
Hilary Cook
I really appreciate what you said here in this post. It helps a lot with the anxieties of writing. Very good, sound and positive advice here. Thank you.
Jennifer Bielman
She really did share great advice for writers.
Carmel @ Rabid Reads
I’m a bit of a control freak which is why I will NEVER be an author, so many factors are too unpredictable; the one star reviews, sales, the various pros that are involved in publishing, etc. Great list, Holly! Thank you for telling it like it is. And, happy Friday, Jennifer!
Jennifer Bielman
LOL, that is why I shouldn’t be an author too, but I try anyways. That’s why my first book, written 3 years ago is still not published, lol.
Lily
This one is on my TBR and i’m just really excited for it! Thanks for sharing this post 🙂
Jennifer Bielman
Awesome. Let me know how you like it.
Lupdilup
I’m loving the Synopsis of Feral! It’s so much up my alley 🙂 I’m adding it to my TBR right away!
Thank you for this great and insightful post.
Jennifer Bielman
Yaaaay, I agree, the blurb totally got me too!
Lisa @ Lost in Literature
Great guest post! I love those 10 points. This author seems to be very optimistic… I like the way she looks at writing. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Jennifer Bielman
hehe, me too. She has a great outlook of writing.
Natalie
Thank you for the giveaway!! I’d really like to read this book 🙂
Olivia
I love this guest post! Seeing as I would like to write myself one day. I love that she was blunt, to the point and pretty much showed truthful points. I am going to remember this in the days to come 😉
Jennifer Bielman
I hope these tips come in handy one day.