Elliott, Patricia 1946-

PERSONAL: Born 1946, in London, England; married; children: two sons. Education: Earned M.A., 1995.

ADDRESSES: Home and office— London, England.

CAREER: Author. Teacher of children’s literature at an adult education college. Formerly worked in publishing in London, England, and as a bookseller in New York, NY.

AWARDS, HONORS: Fidler Award for first novel, Branford Boase Award shortlist, and West Sussex Children’s Book Award shortlist, all for The Ice Boy;Guardian Children’s Fiction Award longlist, and Best Novel Award nomination, British Fantasy Society, both for Murkmere.

WRITINGS

FANTASY NOVELS; FOR YOUNG ADULT READERS

The Ice Boy, Hodder (London, England), 2002.

Murkmere, Hodder (London, England), 2004, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2006.

Ambergate, Hodder (London, England), 2005, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2006.

The Night Walker, Hodder (London, England), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS: Though Patricia Elliott was born in England, she spent much of her childhood living with her family in the Far East. “While we were abroad, there was no school in the afternoons, and I would spend my free time reading,” Elliott recalled on Time Warner Bookmark.“When I ran out of books I wrote my own in pencil, in much-smudged exercise books.” Although she continued writing, Elliott spent several years working in the publishing industry and as a bookseller before her first novel, The Ice Boy, was published. Her more recent novels include the young-adult fantasies Murkmere, Ambergate, and The Night Walker.

Based on a Norse legend, The Ice Boy follows the adventures of young Edward as he searches for his father, who was lost at sea. Though unable to discover his father’s fate, when Edward rescues a man from drowning, he begins to have visions of an icy land located somewhere just beyond the horizon. Praised by critics, The Ice Boy won the Fidler Award for a first novel and was nominated for several others literary honors.

In Murkmere, Elliott spins a gothic tale that focuses on the friendship between Leah, a fey girl who is the ward of the Master of Murkmere Hall, and Aggie, a villager chosen to be Leah’s companion. When Aggie arrives, a bad omen, delivered by birds, accompanies her. Soon she realizes that, not only are dark things happening in the halls of Murkmere, but her employer may in fact be behind them all. Of even more concern to the girl, the faith she has practiced all her life may not be all she once assumed it to be. “There is plenty of suspense, and readers will not be able to put the book down,” wrote Tasha Saecker in a review of Murkmere for School Library Journal. According to Kliatt contributor Claire Rosser, the book’s “challenging vocabulary,” Elliott’s inclusion of “concepts that stretch the mind of the reader,” and the novel’s inclusion of “intrepid young women will win over readers.” In Kirkus Reviews, a critic deemed the novel a “wonderfully atmospheric and moody” tale set firmly “on the border between fantasy and fiction.”

Set in the same world as Murkmere, Ambergate is the story of Scruff, an orphan escaping a crime she committed in the city by fleeing to Murkmere Hall. Unfortunately, when the law follows her, Scruff must also flee Murkmere, only to become embroiled in a plot to assassinate the Lord Protector’s son. “This is a beautiful, compelling novel,” with “deftly drawn” characters and descriptions “worth a whole page of explanations,” wrote Leslie Wilson in the London Guardian.A critic for Bookseller also praised Elliott’s novel, describing Ambergate as “an intricate blend of mythology and symbolism.”

As Elliott explained on Time Warner Bookmark, she draws on mythology, particularly Norse and Celtic myths, in her writing. The writer elaborated on the inspiration behind her novels in an essay posted on the Hachette Book Group USA Web site, writing that “all the superstitions in Murkmere can, in fact, be found in British folklore—I didn’t have to invent anything, except the religion itself.” In an online interview with the West Sussex Grid for Learning Web site, Elliott acknowledged that she always wanted to be a writer. “I started writing when I was a child because I enjoyed reading so much and wanted to create the same ‘worlds’ as in the books I had just read and enjoyed,” she said. “Nowadays the only difference is that I create my own worlds!”

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2006, Holly Koelling, review of Murkmere, p. 81.

Bookseller, February 18, 2005, review of Ambergate, p. 40.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, April, 2006, Karen Coats, review of Murkmere, p. 350.

Horn Book, March-April, 2006, Anita L. Burkham, review of Murkmere, p. 187.

Guardian (London, England), April 30, 2005, Leslie Wilson, review of Ambergate, p. 33.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2006, review of Murk-mere, p. 83.

Kliatt, January, 2006, Claire Rosser, review of Murk-mere, p. 7.

Publishers Weekly, February 20, 2006, review of Murkmere, p. 158.

School Librarian, autumn, 2004, Sarah Wilkie, review of Murkmere, p. 156; autumn, 2005, Griselda Greaves, review of Ambergate, p. 154.

School Library Journal, October, 2006, Tasha Saecker, review of Murkmere, p. 150.

Times (London, England), June 12, 2004, Amanda Craig, “Girls, Girls, Girls,” p. 17.

ONLINE

Fantastic Fiction Web site, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (January 11, 2007), “Patricia Elliott.”

Hachette Book Group USA Web site, http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/ (January 11, 2007), Patricia Elliott, “The Making of Murkmere.”

Society of Authors Web site, http://www.societyofauthors.net/ (January 11, 2007), “Patricia Elliott.”

Time Warner Bookmark, http://www.twbookmark.com/ (January 11, 2007), “Patricia Elliott.”

West Sussex Grid for Learning Web site, http://wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk/ (September 20, 2004), interview with Elliott.*

Elliott, Patricia 1946-

Personal

Born 1946, in London, England; married; children: two sons. Education: Earned M.A., 1995.

Addresses

Home and office—London, England.

Career

Author. Teacher of children's literature at an adult education college. Formerly worked in publishing in London, England, and as a bookseller in New York, NY.

Awards, Honors

Fidler Award for first novel, Branford Boase Award shortlist, and West Sussex Children's Book Award shortlist, all for The Ice Boy; Guardian Children's Fiction Award longlist, and Best Novel Award nomination, British Fantasy Society, both for Murkmere.

Writings

FANTASY NOVELS; FOR YOUNG READERS

The Ice Boy, Hodder (London, England), 2002.

Murkmere, Hodder (London, England), 2004, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2006.

Ambergate, Hodder (London, England), 2005, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2006.

The Night Walker, Hodder (London, England), 2007.

Sidelights

Though Patricia Elliott was born in England, she spent much of her childhood living with her family in the Far East. "While we were abroad, there was no school in the afternoons, and I would spend my free time reading," Elliott recalled on the Time Warner Bookmark online. "When I ran out of books I wrote my own in pencil, in much-smudged exercise books." Although she continued writing, Elliott spent several years working in the publishing industry and as a bookseller before her first novel, The Ice Boy, was published. Her more recent novels include the young-adult fantasies Murkmere, Ambergate, and The Night Walker.

Based on a Norse legend, The Ice Boy follows the adventures of young Edward as he searches for his father, who was lost at sea. Though unable to discover his father's fate, Edward rescues a man from drowning, and then begins to have visions of an icy land located somewhere just beyond the horizon. Praised by critics, The Ice Boy won the Fidler Award for a first novel and was nominated for several others literary honors.

In Murkmere Elliott spins a gothic tale that focuses on the friendship between Leah, a fey girl who is the ward of the Master of Murkmere Hall, and Aggie, a villager chosen to be Leah's companion. When Aggie arrives at the hall, a bad omen, delivered by birds, accompanies her. Soon she realizes that, not only are dark things happening in the halls of Murkmere, but her employer may in fact be behind them all. Of even more concern to the girl, the faith she has practiced all her life may not be all she once assumed it to be. "There is plenty of suspense, and readers will not be able to put the book down," wrote Tasha Saecker in a review of Murkmere for School Library Journal. According to Kliatt contributor Claire Rosser, the author's use of "challenging vocabulary" and "concepts that stretch the mind of the reader" combine with Elliott's focus on the lives of "intrepid young women" to "win over readers." In Kirkus Reviews, a critic deemed the novel a "wonderfully atmospheric and moody" tale set firmly "on the border between fantasy and fiction."

Set in the same world as Murkmere, Ambergate is the story of Scruff, an orphan who escapes a crime she committed in the city by fleeing to Murkmere Hall. Un-

fortunately, when the law follows her, Scruff also flees Murkmere, only to become embroiled in a plot to assassinate the Lord Protector's son. "This is a beautiful, compelling novel," with "deftly drawn" characters and descriptions "worth a whole page of explanations," wrote Leslie Wilson in the London Guardian. A critic for Bookseller also praised Elliott's novel, describing Ambergate as "an intricate blend of mythology and symbolism."

As Elliott explained on Time Warner Bookmark, she draws on mythology—particularly Norse and Celtic myths—in her writing. She elaborated on the inspiration behind her novels in an essay posted on the Hachette Book Group USA Web site, writing that "all the superstitions in Murkmere can, in fact, be found in British folklore—I didn't have to invent anything, except the religion itself."

In an online interview with the West Sussex Grid for Learning Web site, Elliott acknowledged that she always wanted to be a writer. "I started writing when I was a child because I enjoyed reading so much and wanted to create the same ‘worlds’ as in the books I had just read and enjoyed," she said. "Nowadays the only difference is that I create my own worlds!"

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2006, Holly Koelling, review of Murkmere, p. 81.

Bookseller, February 18, 2005, review of Ambergate, p. 40.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April, 2006, Karen Coats, review of Murkmere, p. 350.

Horn Book, March-April, 2006, Anita L. Burkham, review of Murkmere, p. 187.

Guardian (London, England), April 30, 2005, Leslie Wilson, review of Ambergate, p. 33.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2006, review of Murkmere, p. 83.

Kliatt, January, 2006, Claire Rosser, review of Murkmere, p. 7.

Publishers Weekly, February 20, 2006, review of Murkmere, p. 158.

School Librarian, autumn, 2004, Sarah Wilkie, review of Murkmere, p. 156; autumn, 2005, Griselda Greaves, review of Ambergate, p. 154.

School Library Journal, October, 2006, Tasha Saecker, review of Murkmere, p. 150.

Times (London, England), June 12, 2004, Amanda Craig, "Girls, Girls, Girls," p. 17.

ONLINE

Fantastic Fiction Web site,http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (January 11, 2007), "Patricia Elliott."

Hachette Book Group USA Web site,http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/ (January 11, 2007), Patricia Elliott, "The Making of Murkmere."

Society of Authors Web site,http://www.societyofauthors.net/ (January 11, 2007), "Patricia Elliott."

Time Warner Bookmark, http://www.twbookmark.com/ (January 11, 2007), "Patricia Elliott."

West Sussex Grid for Learning Web site, http://wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk/ (September 20, 2004), interview with Elliott.

ELLIOTT, Patricia 1942–

PERSONAL

Born July 21, 1942, in Gunninson, CO. Education: Studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Addresses: Agent— Writers & Artists Agency, 19 West 44th St., Suite 1000, New York, NY 10036.

Career: Actress. Plays for Living, board member; previously worked at the public relations office at Harvard University.

Awards, Honors: Antoinette Perry Award, best featured actress in a musical, 1973, Theatre World Award, Drama Desk Award, all for A Little Night Music; Antoinette Perry Award, best featured actress in a play, 1977, for The Shadow Box; Soap Opera Digest Award nominations, outstanding supporting actress: daytime, 1992, 1993, both for One Life to Live; Drama Desk Award nomination, for Tartuffe; Los Angeles Dramalogue Award, for Hay Fever.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Nurse, The Green Slime (also known as After the Destruction of Space Station Gamma: Big Military Operation, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Battle of Space Station Gamma, Death and the Green Slime, Il fango verde, Gamma #3 Big Military Space, and Gamma sango uchu daisakusen ), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1968.

Martha, Birch Interval, Gamma III, 1977.

Helene, Somebody Killed Her Husband, Columbia, 1978.

Woman on train, Natural Enemies, Cinema 5 Distributing, 1979.

Good Samaritan, Criminal Hearts, Libra Home Entertainment, 1995.

Mortified teacher, Casper: A Spirited Beginning, Twentieth Century–Fox Home Entertainment, 1997.

Hazel, Richie Rich's Christmas Wish (also known as Richie Rich: A Christmas Story ), Warner Home Video, 1998.

Ruth, 101 Ways (The Things a Girl Will Do to Keep Her Volvo ), 2000.

Television Appearances; Series:

Renee, Empire, CBS, 1984.

Voice, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby–Doo (animated), ABC, 1985.

Renee Divine Buchanan #2, One Life to Live (also known as One Life to Live: The Summer of Seduction ), ABC, 1987—.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Mrs. Graff, The Man without a Country, ABC, 1973.

Rita Quinn O'Neill, The Quinns, ABC, 1977.

The Cartier Affair, NBC, 1984.

Mrs. Davis, A Special Friendship, CBS, 1987.

Darlene Patten, The Ladies, NBC, 1987.

Men in White (also known as National Lampoon's Men in White ), Fox Family, 1998.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Dorine, Tartuffe, PBS, 1978.

Emily, Summer Solstice, ABC, 1981.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Minnie Adams, The Adams Chronicles, PBS, 1976.

Christina, "The Godson," Kojak, CBS, 1977.

Ms. Coleman, "The Women," St. Elsewhere, NBC, 1984.

"Dr. Hoof and Mouth," Hill Street Blues, NBC, 1985.

"Discord in a Minor," Spenser: For Hire, ABC, 1985.

Vera Canning, "I Confess," Spenser: For Hire, ABC, 1987.

"A Catered Affair," Kate & Allie, CBS, 1988.

Stage Appearances:

Regan, Lear's daughter, King Lear, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, New York City, 1968–1969.

Townsperson, A Cry of Players, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 1968–1969.

Alice, Katherine's attendant, King Henry V, ANTA Playhouse, 1969.

Kristine Linde, A Doll's House, Playhouse Theatre, New York City, 1971.

Thea Elvstead, Hedda Gabler, Playhouse Theatre, 1971.

(Broadway debut) Countess Charlotte Malcolm, A Little Night Music, Sam S. Shubert Theatre, 1973–1974.

By Bernstein, Westside Theatre (Downstairs), New York City, 1975.

Patricia Natalia, The Prince of Homburg, Theatre Four, New York City, 1976.

Beverly, The Shadow Box, Morosco Theatre, New York City, 1977.

Dorine, Tartuffe, Circle in the Square Theatre, New York City, 1977.

Leontine, 13 rue de l'amour, Circle in the Square Theatre, 1978.

Margaret Morley, Artichoke, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I, New York City, 1979.

Wine Untouched, Harold Clurman Theater, New York City, 1979.

Mrs. Kendal and Pinhead, The Elephant Man, Booth Theatre, New York City, 1979–1981.

Lina Szczepanowska, Misalliance, Roundabout Stage I, New York City, 1981.

Vita, Virginia, Joseph Papp Public Theater/Newman Theater, New York City, 1985.

Olive Lashbrooke, The Voice of the Turtle, Roundabout Stage I, 1985.

Margaret, Bunker Reveries, Union Square Theatre, New York City, 1987.

Julia, A Month of Sundays, Ritz Theatre, New York City, 1987.

Melissa Gardner, Love Letters, Promenade Theatre, New York City, 1989.

Mrs. Sorken/Dr. Martina/Nina/Margaret, Durang! Durang, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, New York City, 1994.

Also appeared in Hay Fever, Ahamson Theatre, Los Angeles.