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…
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Excerpt 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.
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://
Learn more about my writing and books at my blog (http://
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.
