Kate Elliott's Blog, page 6
September 14, 2015
Court of Fives: Mapping it Out
Let Kate Elliott guide you through five real-life visual inspirations for the world of COURT OF FIVES for Novl’s new feature, Mapping It Out.
Map of Saryenia from Novl.
I’m a visual writer, and when it came time to imagine Saryenia and what sights my heroine Jes would see as she walked the streets of the city she grew up in, I relied on images of places I have seen and places I’d like to visit.
[…] I often think of reading fantasy as being a form of travel, because you are journeying to a place you’ve never before visited. I hope you enjoy the trip!
Find out what real-life visuals inspired COURT OF FIVES at NOVL.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
September 10, 2015
BLACK WOLVES Giveaway
I am giving away TWO copies of the ARC (Advance Reviewer Copy) of BLACK WOLVES. Official publication date in the US/Canada/UK/Australia/NZ is 3 November 2015. Rules below!
(NOTE: A Black Wolves ARC is also one of the rewards available for donating to the Read for Pixels 2015 – Fall Edition.)
ABOUT BLACK WOLVES:
An exiled captain returns to help the son of the king who died under his protection in this rich and multi-layered first book in an action-packed new series.
Set in the same universe as the Crossroads Trilogy, Black Wolves begins a new, standalone trilogy in which two old people have to find and face the truth about their past, and three young people get caught up in the unexpected repercussions from a long-ago act of violence.
One early reader calls it: “a murder mystery at the heart of a political thriller wrapped up in an epic fantasy setting.”
Another likened the book to “Jane Austen’s Persuasion meets Dragon Age, played in family saga mode.”
3 November 2015
Orbit US, Hachette Book Group
“Sophisticated, multifaceted worldbuilding sparked by original flourishes, populated by characters we quickly come to care about and whose motivations drive intricate, absorbing conspiracies.” -Kirkus Review
“Black Wolves is a sweeping tale of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and intrigue, impelled by the mysteries that lie at its heart.”―Jacqueline Carey, bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Kushiel’s Legacy series
“Intricate, fascinating worldbuilding, twisty political intrigue, vivid characters to love and hate — this is Kate Elliott at the top of her epic fantasy game.”―Karen Miller, author of The Tarnished Crown series and Rogue Agent series
“On a vast, colorful canvas, Kate Elliott has drawn dozens of characters who act and react with poetry and grit. Lush and textured, by turns moving, exciting, playful, and contemplative, Black Wolves is a masterpiece that soars with an epic soul.”―Ken Liu, Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy award-winning author of the Grace of Kings
TO ENTER:
1. Leave a comment telling me about your favorite villain, either from one of my books or from another work of fiction (any medium).
2. PLEASE INCLUDE whether you are USA or International.
3. I will pick one USA and one International winner using a random number generator.
4. Giveaway ends 20 Sept., 10 PM Hawaii Time.
Good luck!
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
September 8, 2015
The Book Smugglers’ SFF Roundtable
Kate Elliott is one of five fantasy authors, all of whom have new novels out, who participated in The Book Smugglers’ recent SFF in Conversation roundtable. Together with Zen Cho (Sorcerer to the Crown), Aliette de Bodard (The House of Shattered Wings), Cindy Pon (Serpentine), and Tade Thompson (Making Wolf), Elliott discusses how culture and history inform their respective writing, expectations of SFF Western audiences, and diversity within the genre.
We have curiosity, imagination, and empathy for a reason: To build gates and windows into places that aren’t us. Story creates connection.
Court of Fives is set in a fantasy world inspired by Greco-Roman Egypt, the history of Hawaii’s annexation and cultural renaissance, the sports/obstacle course game show Sasuke/American Ninja Warrior, and the 19th century novel Little Women. Across time and regions, cultures have met and mingled and influenced each other, and as the child of an immigrant I think that mindset of how things connect and how they change each other is what I often bring to my writing. I’m always exploring the crossroads.
Read more at The Book Smugglers.
SFF in Conversation is a new monthly feature on The Book Smugglers where guests talk about a variety of topics important to speculative fiction fans, authors, and readers. “Our vision is to create a safe (moderated) space for thoughtful conversation about the genre, with a special focus on inclusivity and diversity in SFF.”
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
September 4, 2015
Kate Elliott Guest Post: Ptolemaic Egypt & COURT OF FIVES
A big thank-you to Gail Carriger, New York Times bestselling author of the Parasol Protectorate and the Finishing School series, for hosting Kate Elliott’s most recent guest post in her Intellectual Salon blog series. Elliott gives an in-depth look at the many historical aspects of the Egyptian dynasty, culture, and Greco-Roman influence in her Young Adult debut novel, COURT OF FIVES:
[W]hen my spouse and his co-director received the concession (permit) from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities to work at the site of Tell Timai, I was both excited and a tiny bit disappointed.
Tell Timai has no pyramids or massive, monumental statues.
In fact, Timai became important long after the Old and New Kingdom Egypt famous for its monumental architecture and elaborate tombs. […] However, the more I learned about Ptolemaic Egypt, the more I began to see the cultural interaction of that time as fertile ground for a fantasy setting.
Read more at Gail Carriger’s website.
You can also enter a giveaway for COURT OF FIVES, along with Waistcoats & Weaponry, and the Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce through September 13 at this link to Carriger’s website.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
September 3, 2015
Deadly Destinations w/ Kate Elliott at Dark Faerie Tales
Take a visit to the royal city of Saryenia with Kate Elliott as your personal tour guide to offer tourist tips, local observations, and even a detailed map of the districts! (You can also enter to win a free copy of COURT OF FIVES at the link!)
Enter the royal city of Saryenia. You will see such wonders here as you never knew existed in your tour of the many countries bordering the Three Seas.
It’s true this magnificent city began as a humble Efean fishing village built between Mist Lake and the Fire Sea. The narrow, twisting lanes of the oldest part of the city, the Warrens, are all that remain of the village, and of course only Commoners–that’s what we call people of Efean ancestry–live there now. Because the streets have no names, the only way to figure out where you are is by your proximity to the fountains at each intersection of three or four or five alleys (we can’t really call such narrow passageways “streets”). Each fountain bears the statue of an animal atop it, so the Commoners who live in the Warrens will give you directions according to how close they live to the “cat fountain” or the “scorpion fountain.” We won’t go there today, nor do we recommend you attempt to navigate that maze alone or, in truth, at all.
Saryenia has much more interesting and splendid things to see.
Read more at Dark Faerie Tales’ Deadly Destinations…
Thank you to Dark Faerie Tales for continuing this leg of the blog tour. Deadly Destinations at Dark Faerie Tales takes readers on intimate journeys into their favorite paranormal/supernatural and SFF Young Adult novels.
P.S. Kate Elliott’s live Worldcon Ditch Diggers podcast, along with Fonda Lee, Linda Nagata, Aliette de Bodard, and Lee Harris is now available for your listening pleasure.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
August 27, 2015
Remembering Japan: 1945 – 1946: Chapter Twelve: The “Singers”
From October 1945 to June 1946 my father, a Navy signalman, was stationed in Japan at Toriga-saki by the town of Kamoi, at the entrance to Tokyo Bay. He was then nineteen years old, a young Danish-American man from rural Oregon. The experience made a profound impression on him and he spoke of it often.
In Chapter Twelve, a memorable encounter in the market while on the hunt for a chess set.
Chapter Eleven: Madame Butterfly
Chapter Eight:The Cold War Begins?
Chapter Seven: The Toriga Saki Fleet
Chapter Six: General Douglas MacArthur
Chapter Five: Japanese Signalmen
Chapter Two: Harbor Entrance Control Post Toriga Saki, Tokyo Bay
Chapter One: The Sea Devil to Japan.
Introduction can be read here.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
April 2015 Lightspeed Magazine includes a Crossroads Trilogy story
My story “On the Dying Winds of the Old Year, On the Birthing Winds of the New” appears in the April 2015 Lightspeed Magazine as part of the exclusive print/ebook content (as opposed to the free online content).
“On the Dying Winds of the Old Year, On the Birthing Winds of the New” stands alone, but will be of particular interest to people who have read the Crossroads Trilogy since it is written by the point of view of Mai, some years after the end of the trilogy.
You can find the Table of Contents and more information here.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
Remembering Japan: 1945-1946: Chapter Nine: A Social Call
From October 1945 to June 1946 my father, a Navy signalman, was stationed in Japan at Toriga-saki by the town of Kamoi, at the entrance to Tokyo Bay. He was then nineteen years old, a young Danish-American man from rural Oregon. The experience made a profound impression on him and he spoke of it often.
Chapter Nine contains the most often-told — and our favorite — story. Naturally it is a humorous one.
Chapter Eight:The Cold War Begins?
Chapter Seven: The Toriga Saki Fleet
Chapter Six: General Douglas MacArthur
Chapter Five: Japanese Signalmen
Chapter Two: Harbor Entrance Control Post Toriga Saki, Tokyo Bay
Chapter One: The Sea Devil to Japan.
Introduction can be read here.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
Remembering Japan: 1945 – 1946: Chapter Ten: Japanese Hot Tub
From October 1945 to June 1946 my father, a Navy signalman, was stationed in Japan at Toriga-saki by the town of Kamoi, at the entrance to Tokyo Bay. He was then nineteen years old, a young Danish-American man from rural Oregon. The experience made a profound impression on him and he spoke of it often.
In Chapter Ten, the American sailors get a quiet lesson in how to bathe properly.
Chapter Eight:The Cold War Begins?
Chapter Seven: The Toriga Saki Fleet
Chapter Six: General Douglas MacArthur
Chapter Five: Japanese Signalmen
Chapter Two: Harbor Entrance Control Post Toriga Saki, Tokyo Bay
Chapter One: The Sea Devil to Japan.
Introduction can be read here.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
Kirkus Reviews on COURT OF FIVES
A rendition of the library at Alexandria (although I have my doubts about the terrain).
A very positive review for COURT OF FIVES (August 2015) at Kirkus Reviews.
If you don’t like spoilers of any kind, don’t read it as most of the review synopsizes the plot. (Why? WHY???) I hasten to add there is nothing wrong with how the synopsis is written; it just reveals much of the plot, which perhaps is part of the point of a review journal aimed toward people buying books for schools, libraries, and stores who don’t have time to read everything new.
The last two lines are gold, and I’m very chuffed indeed:
This series opener, the auspicious teen debut of a seasoned author of adult fantasy and World Fantasy Award finalist, features a gripping, original plot; vivid, complicated characters; and layered, convincingly detailed worldbuilding.
A compelling look at racial and social identity wrapped in a page-turning adventure.
Mirrored from I Make Up Worlds.
