Olivia Atwater Explained

Occupation:Author
Period:2020–present
Subject:Writing
Spouse:Nicholas Atwater

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. Inspired by British folklore, the Regency fantasy romance novel follows Theodora "Dora" Ettings, a girl who believes she was cursed after a faerie stole half of her soul. Atwater subsequently published Ten Thousand Stitches and Longshadow, which along with Half a Soul comprise the Regency Faerie Tales trilogy.[5] The novels received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly,[6] [7] [8] The British Fantasy Society,[9] [10] [11] Tor.com,[12] 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. That same year, she published Small Miracles, 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 eighth edition of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off.[20]

Writing style and technique

Atwater usually develops her novels starting from a singular scene and sticks to the original outline of the plot. 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".

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

Personal life

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

Bibliography

Regency Faerie Tales

Companion novellas

Tales of the Iron Rose

Atwater's Tools for Authors

Victorian Faerie Tales

Other works

Notes and References

  1. Web site: An Interview with Olivia Atwater. phoenixcrate.com. September 9, 2023.
  2. News: New Life for Old(er) Books: How Reprints at New Houses Find a Wider Audience. Abbott. Alana Joli. November 24, 2022. Paste. March 2, 2023. November 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221127220608/https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/publishing/how-self-published-books-find-new-audiences-at-traditional-publishers/. live.
  3. Web site: Author Spotlight Interview: Olivia Atwater. June 2, 2020. Hidden Gems Books. March 2, 2023. September 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200927080429/https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/interview-olivia-atwater/. live.
  4. Web site: Feature: Interview with Olivia Atwater, Author of 'Half a Soul'. April 7, 2020. betwixtthesheets.com. March 5, 2023. March 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230302192830/https://www.betwixtthesheets.com/interviews/feature-interview-with-olivia-atwater-author-of-half-a-soul. live.
  5. Web site: Acquisition Announcement: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. April 5, 2022. Orbit Books. March 2, 2023. May 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220524215055/https://www.orbitbooks.net/2022/04/05/acquisition-announcement-half-a-soul-by-olivia-atwater/. live.
  6. News: Half a Soul. March 29, 2022. Publishers Weekly. March 2, 2023. March 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230302224922/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316462709. live.
  7. News: Ten Thousand Stitches. May 6, 2022. Publishers Weekly. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305203637/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-46290-7. live.
  8. News: Longshadow. June 3, 2022. Publishers Weekly. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305203640/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-46312-6. live.
  9. Web site: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. Wilson. Nigel Robert. October 21, 2022. The British Fantasy Society. March 2, 2023. March 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230302224923/https://britishfantasysociety.org/half-a-soul-by-olivia-atwater-from-orbitbooks-bookreview-faerie-regencyromance/. live.
  10. Web site: Ten Shousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater. Wilson. Nigel Robert. November 25, 2022. The British Fantasy Society. March 5, 2023. March 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230302225124/https://britishfantasysociety.org/ten-thousand-stitches-by-olivia-atwater-from-orbitbooks-bookreview-fantasy-fairytale-romance-althistory/. live.
  11. Web site: Longshadow by Olivia Atwater. Wilson. Nigel Robert. December 1, 2022. The British Fantasy Society. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305203641/https://britishfantasysociety.org/longshadow-by-olivia-atwater-from-orbitbooks-bookreview-fairytale-ffromance-fantasy/. live.
  12. How to (Not) Fit In: The Misfit Heroine and Olivia Atwater's. Hamilton. Jenny. July 26, 2022. Tor.com. March 2, 2023. August 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818010736/https://www.tor.com/2022/07/26/how-to-not-fit-in-the-misfit-heroine-and-olivia-atwaters-half-a-soul/. live.
  13. News: Half a Soul. Utz. Judith. June 1, 2022. Booklist. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305203646/https://www.booklistonline.com/Half-a-Soul-/pid=9762932. live.
  14. News: Ten Thousand Stitches. Utz. Judith. June 30, 2022. Booklist. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305203641/https://www.booklistonline.com/Ten-Thousand-Stitches-/pid=9763413. live.
  15. News: Longshadow. Utz. Judith. July 29, 2022. Booklist. March 5, 2023. March 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305203648/https://www.booklistonline.com/Longshadow-/pid=9764733. live.
  16. News: Ten Thousand Stitches. Burkhardt. Joanna M.. December 1, 2022. Library Journal. March 5, 2023. subscription. March 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230303155212/https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/ten-thousand-stitches-2163988. live.
  17. Web site: Author Interview: Olivia Atwater. Nielsen. Rune S.. runesnielsen.com. March 2, 2023. October 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221015074801/https://runesnielsen.com/author/author-interviews/2022/5/28/author-interview-olivia-atwater-finalist. live.
  18. Web site: SPFBO Finalist Interview: Olivia Atwater. April 6, 2023. fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com. September 9, 2023.
  19. News: Happy Marriages, Petty Temptations and Angel Sex. Waite. Olivia. June 26, 2022. The New York Times. March 3, 2023. September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220905141605/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/26/books/review/new-romance-novels.html. live.
  20. Web site: Finalists for the 8th SPFB. Lawrence. Mark. Mark Lawrence (author). October 4, 2022. June 2, 2023.
  21. Book: Atwater, Olivia. Better Blurb Writing for Authors. 2021. Starwatch Press. 978-1777688059.
  22. Book: Atwater, Olivia. Reader-Friendly Writing for Authors. 2023. Starwatch Press. 978-1778271342.
  23. Book: Atwater, Olivia. The Witchwood Knot. 2023. Starwatch Press. 978-1998257003.

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