ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.
Yeah. The book is as sweet as its cover and description. How often does that happen? Pretty rarely, and this book is truly a gem. It was exactly what I'd hoped for and more - it was so kickass and cool as Hell.
ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD releases August 30th!
Interview with Kendare Blake
1. You're awesome. Tell us a little about yourself.
You're awesome. So there. But a little bit about me...Before I gave myself over 100% to the writing thing, I got a finance degree. Was going to be an analyst. I enjoy a day of good manual labor; working in a horse stable was one of the best jobs I've had. I can throw hay with the best of them. Up to the third row. Then it's too high, as I am a short person.2. Anna Dressed in Blood is getting rave reviews! Congrats! How does it feel to have your first book coming out in just a few weeks?
It feels...weird. And the reviews feel weird. Great, but terrifying. There are nightmares of huge trucks full of Anna Dressed in Blood being returned to my doorstep. I'm trying to not overthink it and just remain calm. She's going to do what she's going to do. And I'm going to love her regardless, just like I still love my first one, Sleepwalk Society, and that sold like poop. Is it weird that I've started referring to books as third parties?3. I have never felt so terrified and so sympathetic for a homicidal ghost before. How did you get the idea for this story?
Ha. You know that was one of the most prickly issues? How do I have my central character be so...horrible and violent, and still be likable? Oddly enough though, it was Cas's personality that was deemed too prickly at first. He was way more defense-mechanism-y in early drafts. If you can believe that.The idea for the story grew from one passing thought. It went sort of like this. "Hey. You know what's fun? Scary things. I like scary things. Oooh, I should get that new Silent Hill. But I don't know if I want to play that by myself. I should get someone to play that new Silent Hill with me. I never do scary stuff anymore. I used to write scary stuff. That was fun. I should do that again." And then, a short while later, in one of THOSE moments, I thought of her name. Anna Dressed in Blood. And that was pretty much it.
4. What are some of your favorite horror books/movies?
Favorite horror books: Stephen King's IT, Stephen King's THE STAND, Joe Hill's 20th CENTURY GHOSTS and HORNS, Caitlin R Kiernan's THE RED TREE, Bret Easton Ellis's LUNAR PARK (yeah, I'm counting it) more that I can't think of right now.Favorite horror movies: The Nightmare on Elm Street films, Event Horizon, Insidious, The TV movie of IT (come on, it's adorable), The Exorcist, The Others, more that I can't think of right now.
5. I know many authors create a playlist for their books as they write. Do you have any favorite Anna Dressed in Blood songs?
I have no playlist! Not for Anna at least. I wrote in silence. Now I write with Call of Duty in the background. Or to Indie rock. I have a fondness for They Might Be Giants. And Fleet Foxes. If Anna had a song, it might be the Fiona Apple cover of "Sally's Song" from The Nightmare Before Christmas.Win an ARC of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD!
Kendare's awesome editor was kind enough to send me an extra copy to give away on my blog. My personal copy has made its odyssey around through my friends and I've successfully converted several people to Team Anna. This book is incredible, you guys, and Kendare is so sweet and has awesome taste in horror.
The winner of ANNA is Baggins! Congrats!! Thanks so much to everyone for entering and for your excitement about this awesome book!
