A Sneak Peek at "Blood Wounds"

Hi Readers,

I’m sure that most, if not all, of you have heard of or read Susan Beth Pfeffer’s award-winning series affectionately known as “the Moon books.”  The series, which begins with “Life As We Knew It,” details the events that follow a catastrophic collision between the moon and a meteor that knocks the moon out of orbit and sets off a chain of events that forever alters … well … life as the characters knew it. 

Although Pfeffer is currently working on a fourth book for the moon series, her latest novel, “Blood Wounds,” due out on September 13, 2011, deals with a very different type of catastrophic event.  In “Blood Wounds,” Willa Coffey is a high school junior living a relatively normal life.  She resides in a wealthy suburb with her mother, stepfather, and stepsisters, attends a very nice public school, and sings in the chorus. But Willa’s life is forever changed when her father, whom she has not seen since she was a young child, murders his new wife and their three young children and then heads north, presumably towards Willa, forcing her and her mother into hiding under police protection.  

Although the publisher’s description of “Blood Wounds” suggests that the novel is a suspenseful, action-packed account of Willa fleeing from her father, the book is really much more about the aftermath as Willa attempts to come to terms with her own identity and how she fits into the many families in her life.  In fact, “Blood Wounds” opens with a scene in which Willa reflects on a Tolstoy quote from "Anna Karenina" about families and that quote sets the scene for the entire novel.  “Blood Wounds” isn’t about running from a madman as much as it’s about realizing that no family is perfect, and no family is the same, but nevertheless, family is important and sometimes it’s all we have.

“Blood Wounds” is a must-read and since I’m so excited about it, I am going to give my copy to one lucky reader.  If you want to get your hands on an ARC of “Blood Wounds,” fill out this form. You can earn extra entries by tweeting about the contest, promoting it through Facebook, or posting about it on your own blog!