C.J. Milbrandt's Blog, page 82

International Support. The Byways books may key off of the fifty states as their threefold adventure unfolds, but that doesn’t mean the race is limited to American fans. Much to my delight, a bundle of international postcards arrived from a reader in Australia! The photographs of Armidale in New South Wales show several facets of the city she calls home. Take a look…

I’ll be dropping an EXCLUSIVE Hometown Challenge postcard in th...

Aurelius glanced between Ulrica’s face and the place she’d reserved for him. Surely not. From an early age, Pred were taught to stay on guard, and the list of people Aurelius wanted at his back was short. Only a fool gives away his trust, and it’s twicewise foolhardy to accept trust without an equal measure of suspicion. Yet this girl offered her arms.

“Will I be safe in my partner’s clutches?” he asked, only half joking.

“Safer than you would be on the ground.”

“According to yo...

Spotted in SCBWI. When I flipped through the latest issue of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators magazine, my attention was snagged by an article called “Where’s My Editor?” by Kim Childress. Why? Because she’s one of my editors for the Byways books!

A or An. To give you an idea of the kinds of conversations Kim and I enjoy, I’ll share an anecdote from last fall. As you may have noticed, the Byways books release in batches of three, one for each of the Johns brothers. Tha...

Good News! Rakefang is now live in the digital bookstores at both Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Rakefang finds Tupper Meadowsweet a young man by Flox reckoning, but he no longer fits in with his own people. Wild hair, stealthy grace, and foreign fashions make it obvious that he’s lived with Pred since boyhood. For three years, he’s been on the lookout for someone brave enough to follow him onto the legendary Moonlit Mountain. The last place he expected to find her was...

I’ve been following wordnik since my first days on Twitter, participating in their (now defunct) daily challenge to use their Word of the Day in a sentence. I have fond memories of silly word-related contests, and I often retweet their List of the Day. Hey, I even won a wordnik t-shirt! So it’s only natural that when they began putting words up for adoption, I jumped at the chance to celebrate the Byways books. For the duration of one year, you’ll find C. J. Milbrandt listed alongside their o...

Aurelius stared hard at Ulrica, whose rebellious glare dared him to disbelieve her. Magic. Ghosts. Vanora. He wanted her to make some sense of her insinuations, but that would have to wait. As leader, he needed to prioritize, and legendary mountains weren’t at the top of their list. Aurelius asked, “Do you have experience sleeping in trees?”

She nodded stiffly. “Rope for harnessing. Close quarters. Sleeping by turns.”

Unknotting his sash, Aurelius unwound the rope he’d used earlie...

Book Birthday! Today’s the release day for the third volume in the Galleries of Stone trilogy. Rakefang just went live on Amazon … and should be available soon in other book venues. BUY IT NOW! >>

Tupper Meadowsweet is a young man by Flox reckoning, but he no longer fits in with his own people. Wild hair, stealthy grace, and foreign fashions make it obvious that he’s liv...

Running allowed Ulrica to test her muscles, calm her jangled nerves, and reset her priorities. Her new hunting partner had no business grabbing up so much of her focus. When Aurelius had taken the lead with proper custom and confidence, she’d yielded. And Ulrica was convinced there was no shame in her response. We are hunters. This is our hunting ground. For the duration of the hunt, that’s all that matters. Willing her senses to take in the smells and sounds of the wood, she mat...

“I heard this mountain was guarded by a tiger,” the man rejoined, sounding wholly unconcerned. “They said nothing of a tigress.”

Ulrica snarled something in Terse, and he answered in kind. Switching back to Verit, she ordered, “Lift your lantern! Let me see how many lies are reflected in your eyes!”

He immediately obliged, and Tupper had his first good look at the traveler. Ragged clothes that must have been fine once. Dusty boots that had traveled far. Blue eyes with an audacious glint. A broa...

Aurelius wasn’t often allowed the lead, so he wasn’t wasting this chance. Driving a fist into the ground between them, he said, “We’ll approach Vanora from the east—downwind, in shadow, to water. From there, I’ll track your pretty kitties.”

Ulrica signaled her acceptance by pressing her own knuckles to the earth.

Which surprised him no end, but Aurelius wasn’t letting on. Leaders expect to be followed. So he sprang away and waited several ticks before stealing a backward glance. U...