Tag: YA fantasy

My Edward Willett novel Worldshaper long-listed for Sunburst Award for best young-adult novel

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My Edward Willett-bylined novel Worldshaper (DAW Books) has been long-listed for this years Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, in the Young Adult Fiction category. (A bit of a surprise since it wasn’t published as YA, but much like Masks, it’s YA-friendly.) I’m very pleased! The full press release listing all the long-listed …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2019/06/my-edward-willett-novel-worldshaper-long-listed-for-sunburst-award-for-best-young-adult-novel/

How to Write Young Adult Fantasy: More Story, Less Pretentiousness

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A little while ago I gave a talk at the offices of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild for the Saskatchewan chapter of CANSCAIP, the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (that’s their logo at left). This is more or less what I said. I didn’t start out as a writer. Like most writers, I started out as a reader. My parents …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2016/08/how-to-write-young-adult-fantasy-more-story-less-pretentiousness/

My other YA fantasy series: The Shards of Excalibur

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Mara isn’t the only 15-year-old fantasy heroine I’ve written about: there’s also Ariane Forsythe, heir to the power of the Lady of the Lake from King Arthur legend, who with her slightly younger friend Wally Knight, who has his own surprising heritage, must magically travel the world trying to recover the five shards of Arthur’s …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2016/07/my-other-ya-fantasy-series-wraps-up-youd-probably-like-it/

Book 3 of my OTHER YA fantasy series gets its Amazon page

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The Lake in the Clouds, Book 3 in The Shards of Excalibur series from Coteau Books, written as Edward Willett, now has its Amazon page. Here’s the description: In the third instalment of this modern take on Arthurian legends, Ariane – descendant of none other than the Lady of the Lake herself – is on the …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/11/book-3-of-my-other-ya-fantasy-series-gets-its-amazon-page/

Great review for my Edward Willett-penned Song of the Sword

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Helen Kubiw gives my YA fantasy Song of the Sword, written as Edward Willett, a great review at CanLit for Little Canadians, writing in part: Because Edward Willett ensures that there is a lot of action in Song of the Sword as well as emotional issues of family and trust, it’s a fantasy that will grip teens of both genders…Edward Willett blends the humour with …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/08/great-review-for-my-edward-willett-penned-song-of-the-sword/

Song of the Sword, Book 1 in my OTHER fantasy series, is now in print!

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Got this handsome box of books from Coteau Books yesterday: copies of Song of the Sword, Book 1 of my five-book The Shards of Excalibur series, written as Edward Willett, a brand-new revised edition of a book that first came out about four years ago but was orphaned by the collapse of Lobster Press. Book 2, …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/05/song-of-the-sword-book-1-in-my-other-fantasy-series-is-now-in-print/

A new teaser for Shadows…

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Courtesy of DAW Books, here’s a bit of a teaser for Shadows, sequel to Masks and Book 2 in The Masks of Aygrima… In Masks, Mara Holdfast’s life changed forever. As the daughter of the Autarch’s Master Maskmaker, she had a clearly defined future: working with her father to make the Masks that must be …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/04/a-new-teaser-for-shadows/

Kirkus Reviews likes Song of the Sword

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First review I’ve seen of the new version of my written-as-Edward-Willett YA fantasy Song of the Sword (first book in the five-book Shards of Excalibur series) is from Kirkus Reviews, which says it’s “a tight story (all the details make sense), and characters exhibit honest emotions,” and adds, “Fantasy references galore should ensure that readers …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/03/kirkus-reviews-likes-song-of-the-sword/

Song of the Sword now has its own webpage from Coteau Books

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Song of the Sword, first book in my news YA fantasy series written as Edward Willett, now has its official web page on the Coteau Books site. And here it is! You can download a high-res version of the cover or the media release. Feel free to send it to everyone you know. You can …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/02/song-of-the-sword-now-has-its-own-webpage-from-coteau-books/

Coteau Books Spring 2014 catalogue features Book 1 of my OTHER YA fantasy series

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The launch of my back-from-the-dead YA fantasy series The Shards of Excalibur, written as Edward Willett, grows ever nearer: Coteau Books has released its spring 2014 catalogue (download the whole thing here) which features Song of the Sword, book one in the five-book series which will continue with Twist of the Blade (currently in rewrites) …

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.ecblake.com/2014/01/coteau-books-spring-2014-catalogue-features-book-1-of-my-other-ya-fantasy-series/