Olivia Atwater
OccupationAuthor
Period2020–present
Genre
SubjectWriting
SpouseNicholas Atwater
Website
oliviaatwater.com

Olivia Atwater is an author based in Canada. She is best known for her Regency Faerie Tales trilogy, which comprises Half a Soul (2020), Ten Thousand Stitches (2020), and Longshadow (2021). She has also written the fantasy novel Small Miracles (2022), a novella with her husband, and non-fiction works about writing.

Career

Atwater started writing at a young age after being inspired by a Dungeons & Dragons campaign led by her father.[1] She submitted her first novel to a publishing company at the age of twelve, but later decided to pursue different careers and continue writing in her spare time.[2] She worked as a web developer, historical re-enactor, repairperson, and salesperson.[3][4] After researching self-publishing, Atwater followed a friend's advice and published her debut novel, Half a Soul, on her own in 2020.[3][2] Inspired by British folklore,[1] the Regency fantasy romance novel follows Theodora "Dora" Ettings, a girl who believes she was cursed after a faerie stole half of her soul.[5][6] Atwater subsequently published Ten Thousand Stitches and Longshadow, which along with Half a Soul comprise the Regency Faerie Tales trilogy.[7] The novels received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly,[5][8][9] The British Fantasy Society,[10][11][12] Tor.com,[6] Booklist,[13][14][15] and Library Journal.[16] She wrote the novella A Matter of Execution with her husband Nicholas as a prequel to the fantasy novel Echoes of the Imperium.[17]

Atwater sold the English rights of the Regency Faerie Tales to Orbit Books, who re-released all three novels in 2022.[7] That same year, she published Small Miracles,[2] an homage to Good Omens (1990) by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.[18] Writing for The New York Times, Olivia Waite recommended the novel, likening it to Pratchett's work.[19] Small Miracles won the eight edition of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off.[20]

Writing style and technique

Atwater was influenced by Terry Pratchett (pictured).

Atwater usually develops her novels starting from a singular scene and sticks to the original outline of the plot.[3] Atwater said that she used to write stories centered around "human heroism in the face of otherworldly adversity", but after meeting people less fortunate than her she began exploring themes of "human heroism in the face of human cruelty and absurdity".[4]

Atwater likes Terry Pratchett, in particular his novels Small Gods (1992) and The Wee Free Men (2003).[3] Reading Pratchett convinced her that her "love of fantasy wasn't lesser in any way" and inspired her to write young adult fiction.[4] As a child, she enjoyed the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.[3] She said her writing was influenced by Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (2007), in particular her understanding of the structure of the hero's journey and the classic fairy tale.[4]

Personal life

Atwater has a degree in technical writing and editing.[3] She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her husband Nicholas and her two cats.[3]

Bibliography

Regency Faerie Tales

  • Half a Soul (2020)
  • Ten Thousand Stitches (2020)
  • Longshadow (2021)

Companion novellas

  • The Lord Sorcier (2020)
  • The Latch Key (2022)

Tales of the Iron Rose

  • A Matter of Execution (2021; written with Nicholas Atwater)

Atwater's Tools for Authors

  • Better Blurb Writing for Authors (2021)[21]
  • Reader-Friendly Writing for Authors (2023)[22]

Victorian Faerie Tales

  • The Witchwood Knot (2023)[23]

Other works

  • Small Miracles (2022)

References

  1. 1 2 "An Interview with Olivia Atwater". phoenixcrate.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Abbott, Alana Joli (November 24, 2022). "New Life for Old(er) Books: How Reprints at New Houses Find a Wider Audience". Paste. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Author Spotlight Interview: Olivia Atwater". Hidden Gems Books. June 2, 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Feature: Interview with Olivia Atwater, Author of 'Half a Soul'". betwixtthesheets.com. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Half a Soul". Publishers Weekly. March 29, 2022. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Hamilton, Jenny (July 26, 2022). "How to (Not) Fit In: The Misfit Heroine and Olivia Atwater's". Tor.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Acquisition Announcement: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater". Orbit Books. April 5, 2022. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Ten Thousand Stitches". Publishers Weekly. May 6, 2022. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Longshadow". Publishers Weekly. June 3, 2022. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Nigel Robert (October 21, 2022). "Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater". The British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Nigel Robert (November 25, 2022). "Ten Shousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater". The British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  12. ↑ Wilson, Nigel Robert (December 1, 2022). "Longshadow by Olivia Atwater". The British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ Utz, Judith (June 1, 2022). "Half a Soul". Booklist. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  14. ↑ Utz, Judith (June 30, 2022). "Ten Thousand Stitches". Booklist. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ Utz, Judith (July 29, 2022). "Longshadow". Booklist. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ Burkhardt, Joanna M. (December 1, 2022). "Ten Thousand Stitches". Library Journal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ Nielsen, Rune S. "Author Interview: Olivia Atwater". runesnielsen.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  18. ↑ "SPFBO Finalist Interview: Olivia Atwater". fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com. April 6, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  19. ↑ Waite, Olivia (June 26, 2022). "Happy Marriages, Petty Temptations and Angel Sex". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  20. ↑ Lawrence, Mark (October 4, 2022). "Finalists for the 8th SPFB". Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  21. ↑ Atwater, Olivia (2021). Better Blurb Writing for Authors. Starwatch Press. ISBN 978-1777688059.
  22. ↑ Atwater, Olivia (2023). Reader-Friendly Writing for Authors. Starwatch Press. ISBN 978-1778271342.
  23. ↑ Atwater, Olivia (2023). The Witchwood Knot. Starwatch Press. ISBN 978-1998257003.
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