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c/o Margaret K. McElderry Books |
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LATEST NEWS For more up-dates please check out my blog: http://humanoddity.blogspot.com/ COMING SOON! On May 24, 2011, My story "Elf Blood" will be published in the anthology Welcome to Bordertown, edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner. The publisher is Random House. See more information on my blog and at the official website for the Bordertown Series. —updated April, 2011 BIOGRAPHY I was born in Bristol, in the South West of England on June 20, 1953. When I was little, we lived with my father's parents on a street that had cobblestones up our end.The house we lived in shows up in my story "The Bogey Man," but the granny in the story is nothing like my real granny, thank goodness.
When I was seven, we moved up north to Newcastle upon-Tyne. That's where I first decided that I'd save everything I wrote, including my first horror story, created when I was about ten-- The Blood Ridden Pool of Solen Goom. In each chapter, a ghostly hand lured an unsuspecting traveler over a cliff to his death. All the chapters ended, "And more blood flowed into the blood ridden pool of Solen Goom." My father took my sister and me to the library every Saturday. I could hardly wait to get home and start on the giant pile of books. I discovered the Chronicles of Narnia there and read them over and over. Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novels were among my favorites, too, especially Dawn Wind. At the point where Dog dies, I would lock myself in the bathroom and cry my heart out under the mistaken assumption that no one would hear me, when actually my wails probably echoed through the entire house. "She's reading that stupid book again," I expect they said downstairs. There were books at home as well as at the library. Boxes of old science fiction magazines and paperbacks beckoned to me from the spare room. The romance of the alien landscapes on the covers lured me inside again and again, where I grappled with the jargon until the day when it all fell into glorious place. The only problem with the science fiction back then was that there were no girls in the stories. That's the reason why, years later, I wrote Alien Secrets. It was for my twelve-year-old self who wanted to be part of the adventure without having to pretend she was a thirty-year-old American male. When I was fourteen I discovered my first vampire book, The Shiny Narrow Grin by Jane Gaskell, and I became mesmerized. I responded with a pretentious, over-written, dreadful sequence of poems interspersed with prose called The Saga of the Vampire. It involved a human girl and two vampire brothers. Years later, when I decided to write a novel for teenagers, I remembered those old poems, and yes, I stole from myself. When I was fifteen, my family moved to America. In high school, I continued to write, and in college, I took poetry workshops but I didn't seem to have much time for prose. In graduate school, I didn't even have much time for poetry. It wasn't until after I graduated with my Master's degree in Library Science that I became serious about writing again, but it took over ten years of writing and learning before I became a published novelist and I still can't quite believe it's true. Nowadays I live with my husband and six cats in the Maryland suburbs. (Three are Siamese from www.siameserescue.org) I still work as a children's librarian but in the evenings and on weekends I write. If you want to find out more about me, look here: |
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"Growing Up To Be A Writer." Lives and Works: Young Adult Authors. Speaking For Ourselves, Too: More Autobiographical Sketches By Notable Authors of Books For Young Adults. Something About the Author. The Seventh Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators. Authors Among Us. Interview. Cynthia Leitich Smith’s blog, Cynsations, |
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My Books |
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Sub-rights available through my agent: Edward Necarsulmer, IV |
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| FREAKS: ALIVE, ON THE INSIDE! New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0689870378. $16.95; Simon Pulse, 2007. ISBN: 978-0689870385. $7.99 U.S./$9.50 Can. Also available from Recorded Books Inc. (800-638-1304, www.recordedbooks.com) Unabridged book on tape. ISBN: 978-1-4193-7138-7, $67.75 Unabridged book on CD. ISBN: 978-1-4193-7143-1, $97.75. Playaway digital audiobook. ISBN: 978-1-4281-2465-3, $56.75. |
 Cover by Cliff Nielsen |
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| "When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the dog faced girl, he feels a need to get out into the world and find a new life," thinks Abel. However, the increasingly possessive Phoebe is only one of seventeen-year-old Abel's reasons for wanting to leave the Faeryland Revue of 1899. Abel is born into the world of sideshow performers. His parents, and most of the inhabitants of the entertainment resort they live and perform in, are human oddities-freaks many call them-people with physical differences that set them off from most of the population. But Abel has no interesting physical difference, and he feels that he will never have a chance to excel until he goes out into the world among people more like him. "Why would someone want to come see an ordinary boy like me throw knives when there are such wonders around me?" He is just dependable, kindly Abel, the lad who runs errands into town and who helps back stage, the one who is stuck minding twelve-year-old Apollo, an irrepressible puppy boy who can't stay out of trouble. Abel doesn't want to be good, however. He yearns for adventure--the sort of adventure a young man can only have when not surrounded by people who know his parents. When the Siamese twins depart the show, one of them gives Abel an Egyptian ring as a gift to remember her by, and Abel starts to have disturbing, delicious dreams of a beautiful dancing girl. She seems the physical embodiment of the adventure he craves, and where would he ever find a woman such as that? Not at home. That's when Abel decides to creep out at night and walk across the Maryland countryside to join a traveling circus as the first step on his way to find his fortune. But fortune, in the shape of the voluptuous dancing girl who haunts him in twilight and in sleep, has her own plans for Abel, and through misadventure and mishap (complicated by a little problem he thought he'd left behind) she leads him back to the freaks-a raggle-taggle band of traveling performers very different from the proud, independent souls he grew up with, held in thrall to a manipulative showman and his thugs. They break his heart. Faced with kidnapping, abuse, and even murder, it is only by using the qualities he thought were unimportant and mundane, that Abel can help them and, through that, finds his place in the world and the love of his life. For ages 14 and up. |  Cover by James Jean |
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"Teens will be easily drawn in by the cliff-hanger chapter endings; the vibrant, affectionately drawn cast of characters (including a seductive mummy), and the exuberant, often bawdy language, in which even emotions are visceral creatures: 'A worm of anger squiggled in my gut,' Abel says. Klause's suspenseful twist on the outsider's story, the grim horror of human exploitation, and the questions about belonging will fascinate readers." Booklist. (starred review) "It has been far too long since readers have been treated to Klause's enticing literary style, which combines humor, empathy, and a delicious sensuality. It is obvious that she loves these "freaks."…Many teen readers will love this book, with its openhearted portrayal of people with differences, while others will find the realism disturbing. At any rate, it is a must-have for all young adult collections." "The unusual setting of his adventure is treated with respect and affection." "Set in 1899, this gripping and sensual, but never explicitly sexual tale is a fascinating mixture of fantasy and reality. Abel's growth from an immature, irresponsible teen into a more mature, dependable young man ready to take charge is well done. The author never loses sight of the fact that despite their unusual appearances, all of the characters are human." "Everything about the main character of Klause's fin de siècle novel set in Middle America is appealing, including his name…Abel [Dandy] makes an amiable hero and the narrative has a satisfying warm-heartedness to it. Teens, especially those who feel a bit freakish themselves, will gobble this up." Publisher's Weekly. |
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| BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE. New York: Delacorte Press, September 1997. Hardcover out of print; Dell Laurel Leaf, 1999. ISBN: 978-0440226680. $6.99 U.S./$9.99 Can;Delacorte trade paperback, 2007. ISBN: 978-0385734219. $8.99 U.S./$10.99 Can. Publisher’s library binding edition, 2007. ISBN: 978-0385904347. $11.99 U.S. Also available as an AudioFile Earphones Award winning recording from Recorded Books, Inc. (800-638-1304, www.recordedbooks.com ) Unabridged on tape ISBN: 978-0-7887-1102-2, $61.75 Unabridged on CD. ISBN: 978-1-4193-6797-7, $77.75. |
 Cover by Cliff Nielsen |
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Vivian's werewolf clan has fled from discovery in West Virginia to the tenuous safety of the Maryland suburbs, but their leader, Vivian's father, is dead and the pack is in turmoil. Angry at her male age-mates who she feels caused her father's death, Vivian feels estranged from her own kind, yet unable to fit in with the humans at school. When a poem about shape-changing appears beside her expressionistic print in the school literary magazine, Vivian sets out to meet this young man who knows too much, and is shocked to discover that she is attracted to a meat-boy. Ignoring her werewolf suitor, and defying the laws of her clan she romances a human-it couldn't hurt, could it? But then the bodies start to turn up. For ages 14 and up. Cover by Cliff Nielsen |
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"This violent, sexy novel is a seamless, totally convincing blend of fantasy and reality that can be read as feminist fiction, as smoldering romance, as a rite of passage novel, or as a piercing reflection on human nature…Klause's imagery is magnetic and her language fierce, rich, and beautiful…Passion and philosophy dovetail superbly in this powerful, unforgettable novel for mature teens." Booklist. (starred review) "The description of changing into a wolf form is conveyed so vividly that one wants to howl. This sexy tale has everything-romance, mystery, and truth, making it a truly outstanding read and one of the best horror novels of the decade." "With the darkly sexy prose and suspenseful storytelling that gave such luster to The Silver Kiss, Klause lures readers into the politics of the pack, their forbidden desire for human flesh and the coming of age of their future queen…most will find this sometimes bloody tale as addictive as chocolate." "Extrapolating brilliantly from wolf and werewolf lore, Klause creates a complex plot fueled by politics, insanity, intrigue, sex, blood lust, and adolescent longings, and driven by a set of vividly scary creatures to a blood-curdling climax. The werewolves' taste for risky pranks and the author's knack for double-and even triple-entendres add sly undercurrents to this fierce, suspenseful chiller." "Succeeds as a supernatural gothic romance that's sweaty (and bloody) enough for a sultry summer night." |
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Released as a major motion movie in January 2007, and available on DVD and Blu-ray as of June 2007. Disappointing, however. http://www.mgm.com/bloodandchocolate/ http://imdb.com/title/tt0397044/maindetails |
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THE SILVER KISS. |
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Zoë feels alone-her mother is dying, her father is always at the hospital, and her best friend is moving away-then she meets a beautiful young man in the park late at night. He seems to understand all that she is going through. What she doesn't know is he is really a three hundred year-old vampire on a quest for revenge. For ages 14 and up.
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| "This first novel is sexy, scary and moving…The gruesome bits are viscerally effective, all the more so for their well-spaced restraint and for the controlled discretion which surrounds them. Neither is the love story between Simon and Zoë for the faint of heart…Joining the mysteries of sex and death, the vampire myth is darkly erotic, a passion this novel evokes without over-the-top exploitation. It's just a kiss." The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books. "A roller-coaster ride in reality, the macabre, death and love." "Klause weaves all the gory details into a poignant love story that becomes both sensuous and suspenseful." |
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Unabridged book on tape from Recorded Books, Inc. is now out of print.
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Twelve-year-old Puck has been thrown out of school and must join her parents on the planet they are studying a year earlier than they intended. She knows she's in trouble. On the spaceship she meets her first alien, Hush. He's in trouble, too. The precious object he's been entrusted to bring back to his people's home world has been stolen. He's tracked it down to the ship they're on. Puck decides to help him whether he wants her to or not-they needn't both go home in shame. But all of the passengers and crew seem to have secrets to hide, and on top of everything else, the ship is haunted. When a dead body is found and Puck receives a threatening message, she begins to wonder if she'll make it to her destination alive. For ages 10 and up. |
 Cover by Cliff Nielsen |
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"It's Murder on the Orient Express, space style…" Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Klause offers middle-grade readers a dynamic 1990s variation on the best of the 1950s-early 1960s juvenile science fiction by Heinlein, Norton, Bova, et al." "Combining science fiction with a tightly plotted mystery, Klause assembles a sympathetic and well rounded cast of characters, from Puck and Hush down to the ship's cats. She maintains the suspense throughout and keeps the reader guessing until the very end." "This is a fast-moving space mystery that's filled with twists and turns and many surprises." "Klause juggles all this with admirable aplomb while devising a poetically literal manner of speech for Hush, deftly creating memorable characters…writing wonderfully suspenseful scenes…and slipping in some thoughtful, quite beautifully written passages…this is great fun." |
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Short Stories "The Hoppins." In Short Circuits "The Bogey Man." In Night Terrors: Stories of Shadows and Substance "Summer of Love." In The Color of Absence "Kissing Dead Boys." In The Restless Dead "The Mummy's Daughter." In Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists and Other Matters Odd and Magical "Elf Blood." In Welcome to Bordertown Holly Black and Ellen Kushner, eds. New York: Random House, 2011. ISBN 978-0-3758-6705-7. $19.99 . Ages 14 up and Adult. |
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| My Links | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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If you want to know more about Bordertown and the wonderful writers who have contributed stories and poems, visit the official Bordertown series site. An interview with me on a web site well worth exploring, because of tons of good information on books and authors for children and teens. www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/AnnetteCurtisKlause.html The freaky art of James G. Mundie, plus a gallery of human oddities, recommended reading, and some great links. James Taylor's Shocked & Amazed On and Off the Midway. "Step right up! Step right up! Freaks! Alive, on the inside!” Summer of Love. This is the San Francisco my vampire, Simon, walked in my short story called "Summer of Love". To work with Annette Klause, see our Speakers Bureau The Ronald G. Becker Collection of Charles Eisenmann Photographs at Syracuse University |
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Promoting Children's Books Since 1945
The first book I remember owning was about birds' eggs. I especially liked the picture of a swan's egg. I'm sure I must have shared it with my best friend-an imaginary ghost called Gulliver.
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