My guest today is Elizabeth Whitton, nominated in the YA Fiction category for the 2018 Prix Aurora,the fan award for the best in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Elizabeth Whitton writes YA, SF, fantasy and horror. Her YA novel HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD published by Kettlescon Press, and her short story THE CALLING, written under Elizabeth Grotkowski, and published by Analemma Books in the Enigma Front: The Monster Within” anthology; are finalists for the 2018 Prix Aurora awards. Three of her short stories have appeared in the Enigma Front anthologies. She lives with her husband and daughter in Calgary, Alberta, an hour’s drive away from the magnificent Canadian Rockies. How long have you been writing SFF, and what forms have you explored besides the one you’re nominated for?
I’ve been writing SFF since I read my father’s book “ISLANDS IN THE SKY” by Arthur C Clarke when I stayed home from school one day with a bad cold. My first published SFF story, THE DEMON OF P-CITY, appeared in The Enigma Front: Burnt anthology in 2016.
Other forms I’ve explored include flash fiction, which is a blast to pump out, poetry which I compose very badly, and the odd haiku which has taught me to “cut out the crap”!
But it is story telling that is the foundation of all my writing forms. Every night for years when I was young, washing dishes with my little sister, I’d tell her stories to pass the time. I’ve told them to my parents, teachers, schoolmates, friends, nieces and nephews, my own children—pretty much anyone who’d listen to me.
Now I write them.
Is this your first nomination? If not, what other title/category have you been nominated for (past or present)?
This is the first time I’ve been nominated for a Prix Aurora Award. In fact, I’m thrilled to be nominated for two this year. One for HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD, the best YA Fiction category and the other for my short story,“THE CALLING,” written under my married name, Elizabeth Grotkowski, in the Short Fiction category.
Tell me about your process of creating this work: how long did it take to write? Speed bumps along the way?
HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD took about two years to write. I wrote the book when I was housebound because of a car accident injury. I’d written for personal pleasure all my life, but this story obsessed me like no other, and I spent every waking moment pounding on my keyboard until I finished the bloated 135 K first draft. I spent the next two years honing it and I’m glad I did, because I’m very happy with the final result.
What’s your favourite thing about this nominated work: a character, a scene, a setting/world?
Oh my goodness, that’s an impossible question to answer because I could list so many! One favorite thing is my main character Addie. I love her journey from a reluctant, shy girl to ass kicking heroine, as she does what it takes to protect her human family, no matter what it costs her. Another thing I love is the juxtaposition between two very different societies, hidden within the broader human civilization. One is a paramilitary meritocracy where Addie thrives, and the other is a powerful, ruthless hierarchy based on the dictates of a blood purity caste system. I love the message of empowerment that I’ve threaded throughout the novel as strong female role models abound everywhere. They show Addie how to stand up for herself, fight for what she believes, and realize the power of women united in a common cause. And, of course, there is Eris, the boy she loves, who will do the right thing by Addie no matter how much it hurts either of them.
Name a couple of authors you find inspiring, and tell me what calls to you about their works.
Countless writers inspire me—they are my mentors, instructors, and, at times, my accusers. More than once, I’ve read a book, then buried my head in my hands and wondered how I can possibly delude myself into thinking I can write? One such novel is the NIGHT CIRCUS, by Erin Morgenstern. Her prose is breathtaking; every paragraph, every sentence, every phrase a delectable treasure the reader can ponder and savor. Erin Morgenstern definitely challenged me to step up my writing game.
I also adore Holly Black, the contemporary fantasy writer of THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLD TOWN and THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST. Her settings of fantastical worlds that reside right beside ours are places I love to linger. She has inspired me to emulate them in my own writing. And Maggie Stiefvater, who wrote the Raven cycle series and THE SCORPIO RACES, is the mistress of character development and luscious exposition. Reading her work prods me to delve more deeply into my characters.
Book blurb
Sixteen-year-old Addie Stevens is a dedicated underachiever with a serious allergy to attention. When an enigmatic boy with piercing gold eyes stalks her, she can’t shake him. And when she’s attacked by other-worldly hunters called the Denagali, it’s her stalker, Eris, who saves her.
But the Denagali smell blood in the water. Addie’s blood. They’re hunting her, and the one person who knows why is golden-eyed Eris. He can’t stop talking about secret bloodlines, old blood dynasties, and the Kharis, a hidden race of powerful beings. Addie doesn’t want to believe him, but she doesn’t have a choice. Every passing moment she stays with her family thrusts them deeper into Denagali danger.
To save them, Addie escapes with Eris to the sanctuary Kettlescon. Once there, Addie is far from safe. Secrets swirl around her like Kharis battle blades, rumors whisper of a dark transformation, while Addie’s unique “talents” suggest that her blood might be the oldest of them all…
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Beautifully composed interview !!! I love the insight into when and why Liz wrote Houses of Blood - I had no idea. Thank you for sharing :)
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