Isaak, Elaine 1973-

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Isaak, Elaine 1973-

PERSONAL:

Born November 9, 1973, in CA; married; husband's name Ed (a software engineer); children: Laurel. Education: Attended Rhode Island School of Design. Hobbies and other interests: Fiber arts (weaving, dyeing, quilting), stone carving, sculpture, archaeology, fantasy fiction, science fiction, Mongolian history and culture, international travel, exotic cooking.

ADDRESSES:

Home—NH. Agent—Rachel Vater, Lowenstein-Yost Associates, 121 W. 27th St., Ste. 601, New York, NY 10001. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Artist and writer. Curious Characters, Lee, NH, founder, designer of stuffed animals, and metal sculptor, 1997—. Has also sewn costumes, quilts, and dance outfits for corporations and parade groups.

MEMBER:

Poets Unbound (founder).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Ray Bradbury Short Fiction award, 2002, for "The Dance of Harmony"; Phobos Awards semifinalist, and New England Science Fiction Association Short Fiction Contest prize, both 2003, both for "Merge"; Misfits Writing Contest prize, 2005, for poetry.

WRITINGS:

FANTASY NOVELS

The Singer's Crown, Eos (New York, NY), 2005.

The Eunuch's Heir, Eos (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of A Song for the Sea. Author of self-published poetry chapbooks, including Doubles or Metaphors and The Intimate Toes of Rome. Contributor of short fiction to books, including Clash of Steel: Demons and Shadowsword, and to periodicals, including Glyph, Peeks and Valleys, Dark Treasures, and Kinships. Contributor of poetry to anthologies, including Renaissance, and to periodicals, including Thumbprints, Tecumseh Review, and Conscience. Contributor to Writer.

SIDELIGHTS:

Elaine Isaak is an award-winning poet and author of the fantasy novels The Singer's Crown and The Eunuch's Heir. Born in 1973 ("the same year that Tolkien died," she noted on her Web site), Isaak displayed a strong imagination as a child. "I began writing stories at an early age, and my motherȧs keepsake chest contains several tiny spiral-bound notebooks full of childish block-lettered tales," the author recalled on an Amazon.com blog. "I spent much of my youth guiding friends on imaginary quests and rescues in the forests of central Massachusetts." Isaak attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where she majored in sculpture, before withdrawing to work on a novel. She then designed costumes for corporations and parade groups before starting her own company, Curious Characters, creating original stuffed animals and small-scale metal sculptures.

After self-publishing the poetry chapbooks Doubles or Metaphors and The Intimate Toes of Rome, Isaak founded Poets Unbound, a poetry group in New Hampshire. She also published several pieces of short fiction before her debut fantasy novel, The Singer's Crown, appeared in 2005. The work concerns Prince Kattanan duRhys, the only member of his family to survive a bloody takeover of the throne of Lochalyn by his uncle Thorgir. After being castrated, Kattanan is raised in a monastery where he develops into a talented court singer. Kattanan eventually becomes the personal cantor of Melisande, daughter of the corrupt King Gerrod and fiancée of the sinister wizard's apprentice Earl Orie, both allies of Thorgir. Kattanan falls in love with Melisande and attempts to reclaim his crown with the help of a mysterious wizard, a legendary magic-breaker, and an outcast prince. "This standalone epic fantasy portrays a richly detailed world filled with memorable characters," remarked Library Journal contributor Jackie Cassada.

In The Eunuch's Heir, the sequel to The Singer's Crown, a young prince tries to escape from the shadow of his sainted father. Wolfram duRhys finds it impossible to live up to the standards set by his father, Kattanan, so he spends his days drinking and womanizing. After an attempt on his life, Wolfram flees his kingdom and journeys to Hemijrai, a distant land. "Here, darkskinned people with strange societal rules and expectations force Wolfram to grow up faster than he ever expected," noted a critic in Kirkus Reviews. Wolfram also finds true love with the priestess Deishima and uncovers a plot to invade Lochalyn. In The Eunuch's Heir, Wolfram is transformed from a "spoiled boy to a man ready to grasp his own destiny," Cassada remarked.

On her Amazon blog, Isaak wrote: "Books are sort of like children—each one teaches you how it must be handled. If you're really lucky, you learn things that will help you get even better the next time around."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, Frieda Murray, review of The Singer's Crown, p. 36.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2005, review of The Singer's Crown, p. 821; September 1, 2006, review of The Eunuch's Heir, p. 881.

Library Journal, October 15, 2005, Jackie Cassada, review of The Singer's Crown, p. 50; September 15, 2006, Jackie Cassada, review of The Eunuch's Heir, p. 54.

Publishers Weekly, August 14, 2006, review of The Eunuch's Heir, p. 185.