Book & Author Details:
Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison
Publication date: February 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication date: February 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.
When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.
Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…
When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.
Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…
Purchase:
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AUTHOR BIO
I live in Georgia with my wonderful husband and two spoiled cats. When I'm not writing, I'm usually catching up on my extensive Netflix queue, reading a book, giggling at something funny online, or trying to convince my husband to give me just ONE bite of whatever he's eating.
Learn more about my writing and books at my blog (http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com/), find teasers for upcoming works on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kateaveryellison), and subscribe to my new releases newsletter to be notified of new novels as soon as they hit stores (https://tinyletter.com/kateaveryellison)!
Learn more about my writing and books at my blog (http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com/), find teasers for upcoming works on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kateaveryellison), and subscribe to my new releases newsletter to be notified of new novels as soon as they hit stores (https://tinyletter.com/kateaveryellison)!
Author Interview with Kate Avery
Ellison
Describe Of Sea and Stone in six words.
Atlantis, steampunk, sunlight, seawater, secrets, romance.
What books have you read and loved
lately?
I am almost finished with Finnikin
of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, and it’s an absolute delight. Witty,
immersive, and utterly compelling fantasy that reminds me very much of my
beloved Megan Whalen Turner books.
Ice cream or cake?
Ice cream cake, of course! It’s the best of both worlds.
What authors have influenced your writing
style the most?
I grew up on a pretty steady diet of mystery, actually, so I feel like
classic mystery authors like Agatha Christie had a strong influence on me. When
I was a teenager, I started reading fantasy by authors like Robin McKinley,
Gail Carson Levine, and Sherwood Smith. The
Blue Sword, Ella Enchanted, Crown Duel...I loved those books. I also had a
huge love of historical fiction, so Ann Rinaldi, Elizabeth George Speare, and
Eloise Jarvis McGraw influenced me a lot as well. As far as more
recently-written books that I didn’t grow up reading, I continue to be an awe
of fantasy authors Megan Whalen Turner (The
Thief, The Queen of Attolia, etc.) and Melina Marchetta (Finnikin of the Rock), dystopian author
Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), and
contemporary young adult authors Lucy Christopher (Stolen) and John Green (A
Fault in Our Stars).
If you had to pick a shoe that
represented your writing style, what would it be?
Have you seen those canvas shoes where an artist has drawn original
artwork on the front and sides and is selling them online? I think my books are
like that—in some ways they feel familiar, but they have their own surprises
and twists that make them unique.
Who has been the most supportive
person in your writing career?
My husband. About two years into trying to get published, I was ready
to give up on my stories and get a job doing something tremendously ill-suited
for me, like being a secretary (I am a very bad secretary. Very disorganized).
He convinced me to give it more time, and he is probably the sole reason I am
published today. He is my first reader, my strongest encourager, and my most
reliable critic.
Are you working on anything else
currently?
Yes! I’m currently hard at
work on the second book in the Secrets of Itlantis series, and I’m also working
on a few secret projects on the side—one is a more traditional fantasy, another
is a post-apocalyptic novel. I hope to have more details about them for my
readers very soon.
Excerpt #2 for Of Sea and Stone
The broad stone ground of the
Training Rock was warm and smooth beneath my bare feet. A salt-scented wind
teased the tendrils of hair escaping from beneath my hood. I straightened my
spine and lifted my chin as if I belonged as I approached the group of boys and
young men, who stood in a haphazard line before the target of wood.
I took
my place at the end of the line.
The
smell of salt filled the air. Gulls screamed overhead as the first boy drew
back his arm and threw his spear. It glanced off the target and clattered on
the rock. His face creased with disgust, and he turned away. The second boy
threw, and the tip of his spear embedded itself in the corner of the target.
I was
better at throwing than any of these boys. I’d always been good at it, better
than anyone else my age when I was small enough to swim in the shallows with
the free children and sleep in my mother’s arms at night. My mother had beamed
with pride to see me throw, and so I continued to hone my skill even after she
was gone. Sometimes I went out to the edge of the rocks that formed a ring
around the sea like a circle of stone arms, and I caught fish to put on the
fire so Nealla and I could eat more than the meager food we were provided for
our meals. I was better than all of them, but being a girl banned me from
participating in the competition.
At the
front of the line stood Nol, the oldest in the competition and the favorite of
the crowd. He cast a glance my way, but didn’t look long. I exhaled as he
turned his head away.
One by
one, the boys threw their spears. They were still learning, and few were good
yet. The aim of a fisherman was impeccable, once he’d mastered the art, but
these were just boys.
I
swallowed as the boy beside me took his turn, and then it was mine. I stepped
forward and hefted my spear. The weight was familiar in my hand. I inhaled,
squinted at the target, and threw.
The
spear buried itself at the edge of the middle circle. A few of the boys cried
out in appreciation. Sweat broke out across my back.
I hadn’t
meant to throw quite so well.
Nol
turned his head again to look at me. He wasn’t stupid, even if he was infuriating.
He’d seen Kit throw before.
I held
my breath, and he looked away.
Those
who had struck the target gathered their spears and tried again. There were
only a few of us, and the number rapidly dwindled. I threw poorly, but my spear
seemed to swerve to meet the target against my will, and the rest of the boys
threw with the skill of drunken monkeys. Finally, only Nol and I were left.
My heart
drummed in my chest. I didn’t dare look at Nol or the crowd.
“You’ve
improved, Kit,” Nol said as he passed me to retrieve his spear.
It was
clear by the way he strode toward the target that he thought victory was
assured for him. He barely spared me a glance as he drew back his arm to throw.
The
crowd waited, breathless.
Nol
threw first. His spear struck the inner circle of the target, and he
straightened, pleased. I could tell by his posture that he thought he’d won.
The necklace of shell he always wore tinkled faintly as he turned to me. He
yanked off his mask, and his expression was triumphant.
“Your
turn.”
I drew
my arm back and took aim. I heard the rush of the sea behind me, the cry of
gulls above me, and the hiss of my breath over my teeth as I threw. Sea and
gulls and breath combined to make music. I shut my eyes and threw.
My spear
hit the mark and quivered.
It had
struck closer to the center.
The boys
roared in approval and swarmed around me. Nol’s jaw tightened, and he shot a
glance toward the crowd. I saw his father, the mayor, frowning.
I
stepped forward to receive my prize. As I passed Nol, suspicion crossed his
face. He snatched off my mask, dislodging my hood in the process.
My long
hair tumbled down around my shoulders. Wind fanned my face.
I was
exposed.
The
crowd gasped. Nol let go of me as if he’d been burned.
“It’s
Tagatha’s thrall!” someone shouted.
“You
deceptive little brat,” the spear master snarled. “Where’s Kitran?”
I ran.
The
spear master grabbed for me. His fingers slipped through my hair, giving one
painful tug, then the strands ripped from my scalp and I ran faster. I reached
the edge of the cliff, dropped Kit’s spear, and jumped.
The rock
was hard beneath my feet as I leaped, and then salty air rushed around me, the
gulls’ screams filled my ears, and I was falling, falling, falling through air
and wind and sunlight. I brought my arms forward right before I entered the
water in a perfect dive.
Bubbles
exploded across my vision as I hit the water. Blue closed around me, cold and
shocking, shutting out the shouts above. My chest skimmed the sandy bottom of
the lagoon. Fish shot away, and seaweed snagged my ankles. The rocks of the bay
were dark against the orange light of the dying sun.
I swam a
ways from the cliff, holding my breath, kicking my legs to propel myself
forward.
When my
head broke the surface, I heard the spear master shouting after me. I swam
away, my arms making sure, even strokes as his threats echoed across the water
after me. I had no fear that he would jump in after me. I was one of the
strongest swimmers in the village. He couldn’t catch me, and he wouldn’t try.
But I
couldn’t swim forever.
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