Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Elizabeth Creith!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Elizabeth Creith
Elizabeth Creith lives in a hundred-year-old farmhouse surrounded by roses and forest with her husband, cat, koi, and a lot of wildlife. She writes humor, fantasy, poetry, and non-fiction, and also practices bookmaking (with pages, not ponies), paper engineering, painting and printmaking.
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About the Book: The Swan Harp
I was Father’s heir now, and one day I’d be queen. But when I looked at Mother, Adana, and Orla and imagined flying, somehow the thought of being queen didn’t comfort me.
As next in line to the throne, Kiar will be responsible for protecting the human kingdom of Valenia. The middle of three daughters of King Tir and Queen Tianas, a woman of the swanfolk, Kiar is devastated when her sisters are able to take swan form and she is not.
When three young swanfolk arrive to be fostered in the royal family, her friendship with spirited Willow and growing feelings for tall, thoughtful Tuan make her feel even more different. Her inability to change shape is not the only problem Kiar faces; the king of neighboring Noermark is determined to bring Valenia under his rule, either by force or by guile. He sends his son to ask for her hand in marriage.
Facing down a human enemy is one thing, but when dark magic threatens the kingdom and tragedy pulls the family apart, it’s up to Kiar and her swanfolk friends to defeat the supernatural forces before Valenia falls.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I was listening to Loreena McKennitt’s song “The Bonny Swans.” The song mentions three daughters at the beginning, but the middle daughter is never mentioned again. I wondered what happened to her. That’s where it started.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
The combat scene. I was part of the Society for Creative Anachronism for some years, and learned to fight with rattan weapons. I used what I knew, and particularly what I knew of being a short fighter pitted against a taller, heavier one, to write that scene.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
I used to think that I wasn’t a writer, because everything I wrote was awful. Real writers just knew how to do it, right? I didn’t have that attitude about any other art I practised, and I eventually realized that I could learn how to write well the same way I learned to draw well. Practice, study, practice.
YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2024?
The Fox Wife by Yangtze Chou
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. Oxford is my favourite city in the world, and this book is just lush with detail and atmosphere, and words, words, words.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
The third book in the trilogy. After that I have another shapeshifter story, set here and now.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Getting people fired up about making art. I love to show people how to do things – make pop-ups, spin yarn, fold a book out of one sheet of paper, anything, and see them light up when they get it.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
I have a couple. Locally, Thinking Rock Community Arts is where I put energy and resources. Art is not the exclusive bailiwick of some elite group. We are all artists when we’re little, but most of us quit at some point. I’d love to see everyone making art and enjoying it.
Internationally, Plan Canada does a lot to create safety and opportunity, particularly for girls, all over the world. It does everything from providing education and local self-employment support to digging wells and funding medical care. Plus you can give someone a goat, or chickens, or bees, for Christmas and the actual livestock goes to a person who can use it to feed their family and generate income.
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Write, write and rewrite. Finishing your first draft is such a great feeling. You’ll be completely in love with your story. But put it away for a few weeks. Re-read it, preferably on paper. Then rewrite and fix it, as often as you need to. The Swan Harp went through ten drafts. The first draft was awful in comparison to this one – but it was wonderful, because it was done, and now I could polish it.
Learn your tools; grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, paragraph structure, proper word use. They allow you to tell your story exactly as you want it told. Would you buy a chair that was poorly finished and splintery, or tippy on its legs? Sure you can sit in it, but it’s not as good as one that’s well-made. Same with a piece of writing.
Don’t ask for critique unless you want it. Take it graciously. You don’t have to act on it all, but listen and think about whether it’s helpful, true and useful to you.
Finally, learn to live with rejection, because there’s a lot of it to go around. Not everyone will love what you write. Some will be deliberately unkind. Don’t take it personally, don’t let it hurt your confidence. Eat some ice cream, have a cry if you have to, get back to writing.
YABC: Is there anything that you would like to add?
Most writers don’t make a living at it. I don’t. But when you tell someone you’re a writer, they think you have the coolest job on the planet. Just sayin’.
Title: The Swan Harp
Author: Elizabeth Creith
Release Date: 04/02/24
Publisher: Type Eighteen Books
ISBN-13: 979-8987830963
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Range: 13+
*Giveaway Details*
Five (5) winners will receive a paperback copy of The Swan Harp (Elizabeth Creith) ~ US/CAN Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway!*
This book sounds magical!! Can’t wait to check it out
Sounds wonderful! The cover is magical!
This sounds so interesting!
The cover is stunning. The synopsis sounds amazing!