kate elliott

March 5, 2015

There is no better time than now to become acquainted with Kate Elliott’s wonderful worlds

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized a dribble of ink, collection, elizabeth story, essay, fantasy, julie dillon, kate elliott, overview, Paul Weimer, review, the very best of kate elliott

For A Dribble of Ink, Paul Weimer supplies an overview of Kate Elliott’s works.

Though also an author of several science fiction novels (Jaran, for instance, might be considered as Genghis Khan meets Jane Austen in space!), Elliott is best known for being one of the cornerstones of epic fantasy writing starting in the mid 90s and continuing strongly to this day. While many of the innovations and style of Elliott’s rising carries through all of her work, the series’ themselves are individual and distinct in manner, matter, and tone. There is a Kate Elliott fantasy series for nearly every taste of reader.

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The Very Best of Kate Elliott collects her shorter fiction, with delightful cover art by Hugo winner Julie Dillon. Elliott’s short fiction is full of dense nuggets of worldbuilding and character, and often provides new and novel perspectives on the worlds of her fantasy novels.

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There is no better time than now to become acquainted with Kate Elliott’s wonderful worlds and I look forward to enjoying the perspective, voice, and talent she brings to epic fantasy for years to come.

Read the rest of Weimer’s informative essay at A Dribble of Ink.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

March 4, 2015

Kate Elliot explains how to write women characters as human beings

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized elizabeth story, julie dillon, kate elliott, the very best of kate elliott, tor.com, writing

At Tor.com, Kate Elliott talks about how to create believable female characters.

There is an “easy” answer to this.

Write all characters as human beings in all their glorious complexity and contradiction.

That’s a decent answer, although rarely easy to pull off in practice, but it’s not really answering the question I’m getting asked.

Standard Disclaimer One: In no way am I suggesting anyone has to write women in a particular way or that they have to write women at all. Write what you want to write. That’s what I do. This post is for the people who have asked the question to me directly or in a more general way to themselves.

Standard Disclaimer Two: I’m barely scratching the surface here. There is so much more that can be said. Think of this essay as part of the journey rather than the destination.

My Three Basic Pieces of Advice

Learn about Elliott’s basic pieces of advice in her insightful piece at Tor.com.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

March 3, 2015

THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT is an unique gathering of truly memorable tales

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized collection, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, fresh fiction for today's reader, her story arc, julie dillon, kate elliott, review, short stories, the very best of kate elliott

The reviews for keep rolling in for the “relevant and insightful” THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT.

From Fresh Fiction for Today’s Reader:

With more than ten short stories, and four essays giving an insight into the author’s logic, this compendium contains many different themes on fantasy and alternative worlds. From a young girl wanting to escape an arranged marriage by following a witch through a stone portal, to two princesses willing to do the unthinkable to protect their heritage and their Goddess, there really is something for everyone.

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Elliott’s many readers, as well as fantasy fans in search of powerful stories featuring well-drawn female characters, will revel in this unique gathering of truly memorable tales.

Her Story Arc:

If you’ve never read Elliott before this collection is a great place to start. There are stories here touching on almost all of her fictional worlds, which will help you figure out where to read next (believe me, you’ll want to). I loved returning to the Jaran universe, a science fiction setting with many layers including the presence of theatre artists traveling the galaxies to perform for both humans and alien species. This collection’s “My Voice Is In My Sword” involves a production of Macbeth being performed for empathic aliens as the theatre troupe deals with the ego of its leading player. While a particular treat for anyone like myself who loves theatre, I think anyone who appreciates well-written character dynamics will enjoy the piece.

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The final 4 pieces are essays previously published online, in which Elliot gracefully questions some of the all-too-common trends in speculative fiction. Placed alongside her own stories of powerful, diverse women, they take the collection beyond one which makes you both laugh and cry to a work that is also relevant and insightful.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

March 2, 2015

The introduction to THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT deserves a wider readership

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Charles de Lint, collection, elizabeth story, essay, fantasy, introduction, julie dillon, kate elliott, review, short stories, the magazine of fantasy & science fiction, the magazine of fantasy and science fiction, the very best of kate elliott

In the March/April 2015 issue of THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, Charles de Lint admits to only reading the introduction to THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT.

Normally I wouldn’t review a book I haven’t yet read but I was so taken with the introduction that I wanted to bring it to your attention before another two months have gone by. Consider this a review of the introduction, which, in all honesty, deserves a wide readership.

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Basically, it boils down to her loving fantasy and sf but getting frustrated at not finding herself in the stories. Things have changed to some degree—especially in the fantasy/sf field—but there was certainly a time when you couldn’t find a female protagonist. They were always on the sidelines. The mother, daughter, girlfriend, wife. Occasionally, the femme fatale with whom the hero had to match wits (a contest that he inevitably won).

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What you really need to do is read Elliott’s introductory essay, which is full of deeper insights that take in not only the world of the written word, but also the one in which we all live. I loved the way she explained her journey through family history, the landscapes in which those journeys took place, and how she finally came to understand the only way that her stories could be authentic.

Now I need to go read some of those stories. Luckily, I have a whole book of them on hand.

Read the rest of de Lint’s review at THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

February 26, 2015

Kate Elliott discusses storytelling, her new collection, and of course cake

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized ama, cake, collection, crossroads, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, interview, julie dillon, kate elliott, reddit, short stories, spiritwalker, the very best of kate elliott

Recently, Kate Elliott answered fan questions in a Reddit AMA.

[–]TFrohockAMA Author

Hi, Kate! I’ve really enjoyed your Spiritwalker trilogy.

Can you tell us some of the favorite themes you like to write about in your stories and maybe just a little about why those themes resonate with you?

[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

Thank you, Teresa.

Spiritwalker is a good example of four of my favorite themes, ones that crop up in many of my series.

1) Active, physical protagonist. Can be a fighter but doesn’t have to be, just someone who is comfortable in their body and strong and likes to move. This resonates with me because, um, it describes me. I hasten to add my characters are not “versions” of me, but I do enjoy writing that physical type.

2) Revolution. I’m just so interested in how societies work and how they fall apart and how they change, sometimes in violent ways and sometimes in quiet, subtle ways. I’m not sure why this theme resonates for me but I suspect that the whole American Revolution thing is a big deal in the USA so perhaps it’s partly an echo of that.

3) Family. I identify strongly with the idea that we are who we are in relationship to the people around us. I do not resonate so much with the “loner cut off from all relationship” type of character or the “orphan protagonist” in part because I find so fascinating the ways in which people can both feel close to and find annoying family members (whether blood or found family) and I think I examine that dichotomy a lot in Spiritwalker. We all constantly walk that balance.

4) A love story. I just enjoy writing these.

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[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

I do talk a lot about gender in fantasy and about having women characters in books because I grew up reading and loving sff and wishing I saw more female characters in the stories.

Once I started writing I decided to write what I wanted which was: more female characters in books both as main characters and as secondary characters. That’s the main thing. I just wanted what was, to me, a more interesting and varied cast.

Spiritwalker is told in first person and has a single point of view character who is female, but I am pretty sure (although I haven’t counted it up) that all my multiple third person point of view series (which is all the others) have a 50/50 split between male/female points of view. So I guess my question would be: If it is a 50/50 split, does that mean I am highlighting women if, in much epic fantasy, it’s more like a 75/25 or 80/20 split? I don’t say that in a snarky way. I’m thinking of academic studies that have suggested that in some circumstances if women make up 30% of a room or talk 30% of the time it is perceived as 50% or more (even though it isn’t). In which case 50% might seem overwhelming to some readers. 😉

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[–]Bergmaniac

Hi Kate! I bought your short stories collection last week. So far I have only read the Spiritwalker trilogy of your series (though I certainly plan to read more). So my question is – do the short stories in the collection which are set in the worlds of your other series contain major spoilers for them? In other words – is it better if I read these short stories now or after I have read the respective series of novels?

Also, speaking of short stories, which SFF authors do you consider to be the best at writing them?

[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. The Crossroads universe story definitely does spoil the Crossroads Trilogy, so read Crossroads first if you care about spoilers. Of the two Jaran universe stories, My Voice Is In My Sword is safe to read (no crossover at all), and Sunseeker is tricky; it include characters who are important in the Jaran novels but the focus is on a minor character. If you hate ANY spoilers, then no. If only MAJOR spoilers, then I’m torn but possibly yes. Of the two Crown of Stars stories, Riding the Shore contains an embedded spoiler in a passing reference but otherwise is unconnected because it takes place hundreds of years later. The other Crown of Stars story (A Simple Act of Kindness) is actually now alternate history because I completely changed a crucial aspect of the plot after I wrote the story, so you can safely read it (I think) because it tells a story that actually never happens in the series.

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[–]Ennas_

Hi Kate! Just popping in to let you know that I liked your Spiritwalker trilogy a lot! Your other books are still lost somewhere on Mt TBR. And I would like to have that chocolate cake recipe you mentioned. You can never have too many of those!

[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

My Favorite Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 400F

Melt over low heat, stirring well: 2 sticks butter, 6 heaping Tablespoons cocoa, 1 c water

Mix: 1 ½ c sugar, 2 c flour, ½ teas baking powder, ½ teas salt, 1 teas soda, ½ c buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 teas vanilla.

Beat thoroughly.

Combine cooked melted cocoa with flour mixture. Pour into greased, floured pan (9×14) or 2 9” round pans. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

[–]Ennas_

(I cant post a pic, but…I made the cake and it tastes great!)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/sannehoo/cake.jpeg

[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

That is so fantastic!!!!

Yes, I love this cake. Not too sweet and really strongly chocolate.

[–]Ennas_

I thought if you surprise me with a real recipe, I can surprise you (and myself) with a real cake. 😀 It’s huge, though! I had to make some cupcakes because my cake tin was too small. But my boardgamefriends didn’t mind!

[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

This is a perfect cake for board game/RPG parties.

[–]twinsuns

I love that you actually gave a recipe! Noms.

[–]KateElliottAMA Author[S]

I’m very serious about cake.

[–]Ennas_

Thanks! Cake is serious business! 😉

Read the rest of Kate Elliott’s AMA at Reddit.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

February 25, 2015

Writing a narrative that entertains is Kate Elliot’s chief goal

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized collection, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, interview, julie dillon, kate elliott, Paul Weimer, short stories, the very best of kate elliott

Over at SF Signal, Paul Weimer interviews Kate Elliott about THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT

Paul Weimer: Readers at SF Signal are familiar with you and your novels. So why a collection of shorter works, for which you aren’t so well known?

KE: Jacob Weisman at Tachyon Publications approached me to ask if I had ever considered publishing a collection of my short fiction. I was brought in as part of the Tachyon “THE VERY BEST” series, which also includes volumes from Charles de Lint, Tad Williams, and Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine.

As it happens the stories in the collection are indeed “the very best” of my short fiction because they constitute ALL of the short fiction I have ever written with the exception of two stories too tied to the Spiritwalker Trilogy to work without prior familiarity with that series (one available for free on my web page and one — with fabulous Julie Dillon illustrations — available for purchase) and two (never published) short stories I wrote as a teenager. Over the course of my life I have written twice as many novels as short pieces.

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PW: I didn’t expect the non fiction essays to be included along with the stories. How did you come to choose these to be included? How do you see the dialogue play out between the essays and the themes of your own stories?

KE: I don’t write in a vacuum. While my chief goal when writing is to create a narrative that entertains the reader and keeps them reading (if I can’t keep my readers reading then it really doesn’t matter what other theoretically fabulous things I do, does it?), I do churn a lot of themes and questions through my stories as a way to examine, take apart, and consider from multiple sides issues and thoughts I have about the world, life, people, history, culture, and so on. Writing science fiction and fantasy is my way of trying to understand how humanity works and how I feel about that.

Writing a more substantive essay takes a lot of time so I don’t do it often, and generally I write such essays about subjects that I’ve wrestled with for a long time, often through my fiction. I asked for these essays to be included in the collection, and wrote an introductory essay as well, because the concerns reflected in the non-fiction resonate throughout my fiction.

Read the rest of Weimer’s conversation with Kate Elliott at SF Signal.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

February 24, 2015

The secrets behind Julie Dillon’s beautiful cover to THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized a dribble of ink, behind the scenes, collection, cover, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, julie dillon, kate elliott, short stories, the very best of kate elliott

For A Dribble of Ink, Kate Elliott reveals how Julie Dillon’s gorgeous image became the cover to THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT.

When I decided to commission an artist to illustrate a short story in the Spiritwalker universe, I was thrilled that Julie Dillon agreed to work with me…

Besides the black and white drawings for The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal, I also asked Julie for two color illustrations. I picked the subjects based on passages from Cold Steel that I thought would be visually evocative.

I particularly wanted an illustration for a scene in which the heroines, Cat and Bee, emerge from a cave onto a beach whose strand, instead of sand, is “red coals and smoking ash.” Here in the spirit world the sea isn’t water; it’s smoke. In the scene a dragon rises out of the sea of smoke to confront them.

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Therefore, when Tachyon Publications approached me about the possibility of publishing a collection of my short fiction (now available as The Very Best of Kate Elliott), I asked if they would be interested in using this illustration for the cover. They politely agreed to look at it, making no promises that it would be suitable, right up until the moment they saw it. At that point they were, understandably, quite enthusiastic.

Not every illustration or photo can be used on a book cover because the dimensions and balance have to work together. Furthermore, using the wrong typeface, color, and design can ruin an otherwise interesting image. Designer Elizabeth Story did an incredible job turning the illustration into a gorgeous cover. She flipped the image (my daughter, also a designer, explained why the image works better flipped on a book that opens on the left; it has to do with the way the eye gets drawn to the right and thereby to the side of the book you open). The clean, classic typeface doesn’t clutter, nor does it draw attention to itself and away from the image. The gold color of the letters echoes the fire in the dragon.

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You can buy prints of the color illustration at Julie’s INPRNT store.

Read about the rest of the process including the black & white sketches that lead to the finished image at A Dribble of Ink.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

February 23, 2015

THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT offers a delightful plunge into fantasy

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized collection, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, julie dillon, kate elliott, lee e. cart, review, shelf awareness, short stories, the very best of kate elliott

For Shelf Awareness, Lee E. Cart calls THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT as “a great compilation of shorter works.”

Elliott draws on a wealth of mythical and magical lore from around the world to flesh out her characters, who dabble in herbal witchcraft or believe in magic, and her settings, in which readers can find essences of Asia and the Middle East, hints of Medieval Europe and far-off futuristic lands. In this compendium, vibrant details, unusual names and quirky plot twists are evidence of Elliott’s active imagination, which sets off on a kaleidoscopic journey into the multilayered realms of these fierce, brave and loyal women, offering new readers and those familiar with Elliott a delightful plunge into fantasy.

Read the rest of Cart’s review at Shelf Awareness.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

February 20, 2015

THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT is, truly, a demonstration of the very best of Elliott’s abilities

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized collection, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, fantasy literature, jana nyman, julie dillon, kate elliott, review, short stories, the very best of kate elliott

At Fantasy Literature, Jana Nyman is dubious at first but is ultimately swayed by THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT.

Kate Elliott is a prolific writer, producing over twenty fantasy and science fiction novels and several highly-acclaimed short stories in the last three decades. This year alone will see the publication of not only The Very Best of Kate Elliott, a collection of twelve short stories and four essays, but also two new novels: Court of Fives and The Black Wolves, and Elliott shows no signs of slowing her output in the future. Thus it was with some prickliness that I began reading The Very Best of Kate Elliott, thinking that the title would prove to be ambitious at best (and disappointingly superlative at worst).

The introduction provides insight into Elliott’s progression from young reader to mature writer of fiction and why she writes the way she does, reflecting her family’s experiences as Danish immigrants to Oregon and her own experiences with fantasy literature of the 1960’s and 70’s. Though the novels she read as a teenager focused exclusively on male characters and their agencies and narratives, she realized that the women who don’t exist in written histories or fiction are still real. They have important stories, and she wanted to write in such a way that would give them a voice even when the main characters in her own fiction aren’t female. In The Very Best of Kate Elliott, each single character has value, and she includes every gender, sexuality, race, and social class. Everyone should be able to find representation in the books they read. Everyone has power, though it’s not always of the same kind.

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Elliott is a writer of remarkable talent and sensitivity. Despite my misgivings about titling this work as The Very Best of Kate Elliott, I am not too proud to admit when I am wrong. This is, truly, a demonstration of the very best of Elliott’s abilities. I look forward to the inevitable Volume Two of The Very Best of Kate Elliott, but for the time being, I’ll content myself with reading more of her novels and shorter work as they are published.

Read the rest of Nyman’s review, which includes coverage of many of the stories, at Fantasy Literature.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

February 19, 2015

THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT should appeal to readers whether or not they are familiar with Elliott’s existing writing

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized collection, elizabeth story, essays, fantasy, jonah sutton-morse, julie dillon, kate elliott, review, short stories, the skiffy and fanty show, the very best of kate elliott

For The Skiffy and Fanty Show, Jonah Sutton-Morse delivers a thorough and thoughtful review of THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT.

There’s a charge often leveled against books that feature women that they must be “political” or that centering relationships between women either attacks men or somehow interferes with the story. In the essays in this book and elsewhere, Elliott addresses the notion of stories that are more or less “political” (spoilers — “The Status Quo Does Not Need Worldbuilding“), but the stories in this collection show again and again that exploring relationships we do not often see in fantasy and science fiction enhances rather than weakens the narrative. In “The Queen’s Garden,” two sisters, their network of relatives and servants, and the men who come to their father’s court all together weave a story of heroism, treachery and love both romantic and familial — and more successfully than any smaller narrative could have. And “To Be a Man” shows a frank and charming appreciation for men among a household of women.

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The Very Best of Kate Elliott is a collection of stories and essays that should appeal to readers whether or not they are familiar with Elliott’s existing writing. The thoughtful introduction and essays provide a framework for understanding why stories about women viewed through the female gaze are so essential to broadening and reclaiming the science fiction/fantasy tradition. The twelve stories filled with diverse characters, the wisdom of age, and the exuberance of youth put that framework into practice. The gorgeous cover art by Julie Dillon is the final cherry on top.

Read the rest of Sutton-Morse’s insightful thoughts at The Skiffy and Fanty Show.

For more on THE VERY BEST OF KATE ELLIOTT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Julie Dillon.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

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