Wednesday, January 05, 2011

What is Juliet Marillier reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Juliet Marillier, author of Seer of Sevenwaters.

Her entry begins:
I have several favourite historical novelists, but none provides such a winning combination of literary skill, originality and darn good storytelling as David Mitchell, author of the mind-bending Cloud Atlas. I’ve just finished his most recent novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. The book is set mostly on Dejima, an island off the port of Nagasaki where European traders maintain a heavily restricted presence in a Japanese empire otherwise isolated from western influences. The year is 1799, and young Dutch clerk Jacob arrives on Dejima to be drawn into a complex and dangerous adventure.

Mitchell has a gift for creating rich and unforgettable historical settings while...[read on]
Among the early praise for Seer of Sevenwaters:
Sibeal of Sevenwaters, the teen fifth daughter of the Lord of Sevenwaters, has always known she wants to be a druid. In this romantic follow-up to 2008's Heir of Sevenwaters, Sibeal's uncle Ciaran, her mentor, orders her to spend a summer on the sheltered island of Inis Eala, away from her training, to determine whether the contemplative life is truly for her. At first, Sibeal thinks that Ciaran is punishing her. Then a sudden storm brings a shipwreck and several mysteries that challenge Sibeal's resolve and vocation. Why does the Norseman Knut seem to be holding something back from the islanders, and if Svala is Knut's wife, why is she so terrified of him? And who is the handsome, amnesiac man Sibeal has found washed up on shore? Readers will thrill to this strong, heartfelt tale of the Sevenwaters family and their magical exploits.
--Publishers Weekly
Read an excerpt from Seer of Sevenwaters, and visit Juliet Marillier's website to learn more about her books and works in progress.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Juliet Marillier & Pippa, Gretel, and Sara.

The Page 69 Test: Seer of Sevenwaters.

Writers Read: Juliet Marillier.

--Marshal Zeringue