Profile of Elaine Isaak

More Information

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  • E-mail: elaine@removethiselaineisaak.com

This profile moderated by Elaine Isaak.

Bio

Elaine Isaak dropped out of art school after two and a half years to found Curious Characters, designing original stuffed animals and small-scale humorous or encouraging sculptures, and to follow her bliss:  writing.  Now she divides her time between business and writing, and being the mother of a delightful 4-year old whose first phrase was "gargoyle book".  Elaine lives in a semi-refurbished Victorian house with not nearly enough gingerbread, surrounded by masks and artifacts from around the world.  Her debut fantasy novel, The Singer's Crown, came out in 2005 from Eos Books, with sequel, The Eunuch's Heir, to be published in fall of 2006.  Visit www.ElaineIsaak.com to read sample chapters and find out why you do not want to be her hero.


Honors

  • Ray Bradbury Short Fiction award honorable mention, 2002
  • Phobos Awards semi-finalist, 2003
  • New England Science Fiction Association Short Fiction Contest first runner up, 2003
  • Misftits Writing Contest, second place for poetry, 2005

Bibliography

Novels

 

2006    The Eunuch's Heir, Eos Books, October 2006

 

2005    The Singer's Crown, Eos Books, October 2005

 

  

Short Fiction

 

2006   "Joenna's Ax"  in Clash of Steel:  Demons, Carnifex press, September

 

2004    "To Carve a Queen" in Dark Treasures, fall

 

2003    "Winning the Gallows Field" on www.ElysianFiction.com, issue #3

 

2001  "The Horde" in Glyph, spring

"To Carve a Queen" in Kinships, summer

            "Branching" in Peeks and Valleys, fall

 

Reviews

Library Journal
"The Eunuch's Heir"

The author of The Singer's Crown tells the story of a young man's transformation from a spoiled boy to a man ready to grasp his own destiny. Filled with swordplay, romance, and intrigue, this fantasy adventure belongs in most libraries.

Publisher's Weekly

Many of the details are moving, and the prose is taut. Rivals become fast friends, blood enemies fall in love and families unite and fly apart at breakneck speed. Despite its flaws, this stand-alone is an enjoyable read, and fans are likely to eagerly await Isaak's next book.

Booklist

very well done first novel that keeps one happily turning its pages

Library Journal

When his uncle seizes control of the kingdom and murders Prince Kattanans family, the boy is spared for a different fate, that of a eunuch. Trained as a singer because of his beautiful voice, Kattanan is sent into the service of Princess Melisande, who becomes his friend and arouses the jealously of her fiancFate and a group of unlikely companions, including a female wizard and an outcast prince, combine their forces to steer Kattanan to his true destiny and to a love he did not expect to find. Isaaks first novel features a different kind of hero, a young man stripped of his manhood who must find another way to fulfill his purpose and claim his birthright. This standalone epic fantasy portrays a richly detailed world filled with memorable characters and belongs in most libraries.