Kate Elliott, author of POISONED BLADE, on listening to the main character’s heart

by Jocelyn Rish

POISONED BLADE is the second book in the Court of Fives series, and we’re thrilled to have Kate Elliott here to tell us more about it.

Kate, how long did you work on POISONED BLADE?

Because Poisoned Blade is the second volume of a trilogy, in some ways I have been working on it for as long as I’ve been working on the trilogy. The first draft of Court of Fives was written in Winter 2012-13, and I had started plotting it out about a year before that.

As for the actual work, I wrote a first draft in Winter 2014-15, and then did three major revision drafts through the rest of 2015. So if I were to add up the time spent JUST on Poisoned Blade I would say about ten months from writing the first line of the first draft to turning in the final final draft.

What did this book teach you about writing or about yourself?

That I have to listen to the main character’s heart, even when it is something I don’t want to hear. Often the plot twists and character decisions that make me most uncomfortable are the most gripping and true.

What do you hope readers will take away from POISONED BLADE?

I hope readers will take away two things:

1. That it’s okay to assertively strive to be the best you can be. I loved writing Jes as a fierce competitor, even when it gets her into trouble.

2. That it’s important to question the story and history you have been taught because, as the old adage goes, history is written by the victors. This often means there are a lot of stories which we take as “the way it is” or “the way it was” that leave out people and events because they don’t fit the narrative. For example, when I started writing epic fantasy I was frequently told that women had never done anything in the past except be pregnant and work inside the home, and that therefore there was no place for female characters in epic fantasy adventures except as brides or as helpless women needing rescuing by men. But, as I recently wrote in a long essay at Tor.com called Writing Women Into Epic Fantasy Without Quotas, women have been doing amazing things for always. Question received wisdom. It’s not always true.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

I have two pieces of advice for writers:

1. Figure out what works for you. There is no One True Handshake or Three Correct Steps. People work differently, and that’s how it should be. In my own experience I have to shift my writing process depending on the book, too; I can’t write each book exactly the same way. If someone tells you that you HAVE to work or write a certain way to be successful or good, be suspicious. That it works for them doesn’t mean it will necessary work (or not work) for you. Experiment. Figure out what works for you.

2. Be stubborn. Persistence is your best friend.

What are you working on now?

I am currently revising Court of Fives 3 (title not yet announced but it is due for publication in July 2017). I am also writing a first draft of Black Wolves 2 (Black Wolves is my most recent published novel, an epic fantasy that came out last November 2015). And I am finishing up the first draft of a novelette for an anthology. There’s more on my plate but those are the active open folders at the moment.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Poisoned Blade
by Kate Elliott
Hardcover
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Released 8/16/2016

Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives—the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes’s only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the chance to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on Jes’s traveling party puts her at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos—the prince she still loves—is fighting against their country’s enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal’s life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion.

She must become a warrior.

Purchase Poisoned Blade at Amazon
Purchase Poisoned Blade at IndieBound
View Poisoned Blade on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Elliott has been writing stories since she was nine years old, which has led her to believe that writing, like breathing, keeps her alive. As a child in rural Oregon, she made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, science fiction, and YA, including recent works Black Wolves, Court of Fives, and Cold Magic.

It should come as no surprise that she met her future husband in a sword fight. When he gave up police work to study archaeology, they and their three children fell into an entirely new set of adventures amid dusty Mexican ruins and mouthwatering European pastry shops. Eventually her spouse’s work forced them to move to Hawaii, where she took up outrigger canoe paddling. With the three children out of the house, they now spoil the schnauzer.

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Have you had a chance to read POISONED BLADE yet? Have you figured out what works best for you as a writing process? Are you persistent and stubborn about your writing career? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Anisaa, Sam, Erin, Susan, Michelle, Laura, and Kristin

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Aug 20, 2016

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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