NIGHT FLOWER – Available Now!

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Exciting news: NIGHT FLOWER is now available exclusively as an e-book! Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and The Novl, you can download the Court of Fives prequel for only $2.99 through these e-tailers:

Apple iBooks | Google Play | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Goodreads

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NIGHT FLOWER focuses on Jessamy’s parents, Kiya and Esladas, and their serendipitous story prior to the events of Court of Fives:

When adventurous Kiya leaves behind her country home for a new life in the city of Saryenia, she meets a young soldier by the name of Esladas while working in the marketplace…and despite neither of them speaking the same language, chance encounters and stolen moments lead to a blossoming romance.

Everyone around them seems to be frowning upon their relationship, but how can they let it go when there’s this feeling in their chest that tells them that something great could come out of it? Is their love worth becoming outsiders for the rest of their lives?

 

For more information, visit The Novl’s official NIGHT FLOWER post. Happy reading!

ICYMI: Kate Elliott Interviews & Guest Posts

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In case you missed it, here’s a roundup of Kate Elliott’s recent online appearances:

Nov 5 – John Scalzi’s Whatever Blog Guest Post: The Big Idea
“Change always happens, but as Kate Elliott explains in this Big Idea for Black Wolves, the opening novel in a new fantasy trilogy, not all change happens at once.”

Nov. 13 – Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog Guest Post: 10 Fantasy Novels Whose Depictions of Women Did Not Make Me Smash Things
“Long ago, in a galaxy far far away, […] it [was] almost impossible to find fantasy novels that gave me a fresh, provocative, innovative landscape without simply replicating the same dull and retrograde roles for women. Fortunately these days it’s new world dawning and I, for one, am thrilled.”

Nov 20 – Fangirl Happy Hour Ep. 27: “That Darn Internet”
“This week on Fangirl Happy Hour, Renay and Ana welcome Kate Elliott back to the show to discuss H.P. Lovecraft, the World Fantasy Award, fandom, rec the best pigeon dating game you will ever play, and answer some listener questions.”

Nov. 23 – Tor. Com’s Rocket Talk Ep. 69: Kate Elliott & Emma Newman
“This week’s episode features fantasy and science fiction authors Kate Elliott and Emma Newman on their recent novels, what it’s like to write aged characters and what kinds of resistance exists in society to hearing those stories. They also discuss the rarity of anxiety disorders in fiction.”

Dec. 2 – Lady Business Guest Post: The Call to Adventure
“Kate Elliott shares the old opening to her new novel, Black Wolves, which came out November 3.”

E.P. Beaumont Interview: The Muse of Research with Kate Elliott
“Kate Elliott took time from a very busy schedule of writing, revising, and promoting her work to grant this interview. As reader, I’m entertained; as writer, I’m taking notes.”

Happy reading!

BLACK WOLVES – Best Epic Fantasy Novel Finalist

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More good news! Kate Elliott’s latest fantasy novel, Black Wolves, is now a finalist for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Best Epic Fantasy Novel!

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Other honorable finalists in the Best Epic Fantasy Novel category include Cecilia Holland’s Dragon Heart, Erin Lindsey’s The Bloodforged, and Juliet Marillier’s Tower of Thorns. Congratulations to all the nominees in all of the categories!

PS – You can also read RT Book Reviews’ review of Black Wolves here.

BLACK WOLVES – Library Journal Starred Review!

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Elliott_BlackWolves-TPExcited to announce that Kate Elliott’s Black Wolves has received a starred review from Library Journal:

“Elliott sketches in a delightfully complex landscape full of court intrigue, religious upheaval, culture clashes, and the mysterious demons who seem to be pulling many of the strings in play. . . . Elliott’s strong narrative will keep readers engaged.”

You can read more quotes, reviews, and more about the new epic fantasy at Kate Elliott’s main page. If you haven’t already, you can pick up your copy of Black Wolves at your local independent bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other online and bricks and mortar stores!

Brand New Kate Elliott Short Story: THE BEATRICEID

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If a Court of Fives novella prequel isn’t enough, Kate Elliott will also be publishing a new short story, THE BEATRICEID, with The Book Smugglers.

Set in the world of the Spiritwalker trilogy, the story is “a fun, feminist, subversive retelling of Virgil’s The Aeneid featuring the author’s beloved characters Cat and Beatrice,” written entirely in iambic pentameter. The story will also feature a beautifully illustrated cover from Hugo Award winner Julie Dillon.

THE BEATRICEID will be available 22 DEC. 2015 as an e-book and a limited edition print paperback, which will include two essays and a Q&A by Kate Elliott herself.

Pre-orders will be taken from 8 DEC. 2015, along with an official cover reveal.

Get more details and stay up-to-date with more BEATRICEID news at The Book Smugglers.

NIGHT FLOWER Cover Contest Winner

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Thank you to everyone who voted for The Novl’s cover contest for NIGHT FLOWER, the Court of Fives exclusive digital prequel! And the winner is…

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NIGHT FLOWER tells the “legendary love story” of Jessamy’s parents prior to the events in Court of Fives:

Kiya is a Commoner who has just arrived in the bustling city of Saryenia. Esladas is a member of the Patron ruling class and determined to prove himself in the army. His plans are disrupted by the outgoing and beautiful girl who sells him fruit in the market, though, despite the fact that neither of them speaks a word of the others language. Brief conversations and stolen moments together soon become something more, but when their divided cultures clash, Kiya and Esladas must decide if their blossoming love is worth becoming outsiders for the rest of their lives.

This companion novella will be available digitally through Little, Brown Books for Young Readers via The Novl on 8 DEC. 2015.

Read more about NIGHT FLOWER at The Novl!

PS – The sequel to Court of Fives, POISONED BLADE, will be available Aug. 2016. Read NIGHT FLOWER to tide you over until then! 😉

BLACK WOLVES – AVAILABLE NOW

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Get your copy of Kate Elliott’s BLACK WOLVES today! Set in the same world as her Crossroads trilogy, but the first of a stand-alone series, Black Wolves is available at your local independent bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other online and bricks and mortar stores!

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DESCRIPTION:

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.

Twenty two years have passed since Kellas, once Captain of the legendary Black Wolves, lost his King and with him his honor. With the King murdered and the Black Wolves disbanded, Kellas lives as an exile far from the palace he once guarded with his life.

Until Marshal Dannarah, sister to the dead King, comes to him with a plea-rejoin the palace guard and save her nephew, King Jehosh, before he meets his father’s fate.

Combining the best of Shogun and Netflix’s Marco Polo, Black Wolves is an unmissable treat for epic fantasy lovers everywhere.

QUOTES:

 “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

REVIEWS:

“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

“With this book, Kate Elliott has leveled up. It’s a formidable fantasy…exceptionally plotted and filled to bursting with the politics and drama that makes all of her work so memorable. If you’re seeking epic fantasy that remembers women exist—that they matter—Black Wolves is not to be missed.” –Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

“This is a novel about politics. It’s politics all the way down. It’s about families of blood and families of choice, families of chance and family secrets and betrayals. It’s about heritage and inheritance in all senses. It’s also an argument about law, justice, and what happens on the edges of empire. It’s about consequences. All about consequences.” –Tor.com

Fantasy Gender Defaults

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Next week I’m leading a 2 hour workshop at Sirens Studio, the 2 day pre-Sirens Conference workshop. AND I NEED YOUR HELP!

(if you can get yourself to Denver next week you can buy a membership at the door for Sirens Conference, Oct 8 – 11–Rae Carson, Yoon Ha Lee, and myself are Guests of Honor.)

Here’s the description of the workshop:

 

“It all happened TO her, not BECAUSE of her:” Writing Past Defaults.

We all carry societal baggage about gender roles into our writing. That’s inevitable. In this workshop intensive, Kate will analyze how authors (including herself!) who are consciously attempting to expand and center roles for women may unconsciously undermine their female characters by sliding sideways into stereotyped personalities or behaviors and work. Often, male characters act within the plot while women characters—even as the central figures—may be given reactive roles. We’ll discuss typical fantasy gender defaults, ways in which authors who may seem to be subverting them aren’t always, and how to turn around these insidious messages to more fully write women characters as they really are, and have been, in the world.

 

 

Here’s where YOU come in. Yes, YOU!

I’m hoping all you well-read readers can come up with examples of girl/women characters in (preferably well known) fantasy novels who

fit typical gender defaults and why

and ALSO examples who

seem to subvert gender defaults but when examined closely actually fall into some default-ish behaviors or character elements (and why)

and examples who

actually subvert gender defaults (and why)

I welcome any other comments on the subject as well. Thank you in advance, crowd-sourcing friends and colleagues! I can only do so much reading research and I want to cast through as many examples as possible.