Thank you for checking out Kate Ristau’s Press Kit
Full details and downloads in Kate Ristau’s Press Kit below.
Bio
Kate Ristau is an author, folklorist, and the Executive Director of Willamette Writers. She is the author of three middle grade series, Clockbreakers, Mythwakers, and Wylde Wings, and the young adult series, Shadow Girl. You can read her essays in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Kate is the Producer of the Nebula Awards, the Chair of the Tigard Public Library Board of Directors, and the Vice-President of the Oregon Poetry Association. Meet her online at Kateristau.com.
Mythwakers: The Minotaur Blurb
A Powell’s Best Book of 2023!
If you like Ancient Greek mythology, you’ve come to the right place. The Mythwakers series focuses on mythological creatures, like me, the Minotaur. I have the body of a man and the head of a bull. I’m here to tell you all about the history and the folklore of my world, from Theseus to the labyrinth. Get ready for a whole new world of myth and magic.
Wylde Wings Blurb
Clockbreakers: Asterion’s Curse Blurb
A Powell’s Best Book of 2016!
“I can show you what it can really do. It’s unbelievable power. Your strength. Together, we can bend time and space.”
On her eleventh birthday, Charlie receives a magic key to go back in time. But before she blows out her candles, she rolls her wheelchair right into Ancient Greece with her best friend Maria and her former best friend Trent. She’s a Clockbreaker on an action-packed adventure with a mission: to save her father, and perhaps even save the world.
Clockbreakers Two: Morrigan’s Revenge Blurb
Charlie’s dad is gone, and she’s on a magic adventure to get him back! But first – fifth grade. She rolls her wheelchair into her classroom and then straight into an Ancient Irish battle. But this is not the time travel she expected. Betrayed by her friends, Charlie faces the wrath of the goddess, Morrigan, and the warriors think she is one of the fairies. Can Cuchulain — the hero of Irish folklore — help? Or will she be trapped back in an ancient myth forever?
Clockbreakers: The End of Time Blurb
Charlie is back! She rolled her wheelchair to Ancient Greece and Mythic Ireland, and now she is opening one last door, hoping to find her dad, her best friend Maria, and her way back home. She is diving into Norse Mythology with Loki and an army of dwarves on her heels. Meanwhile, the sons and daughters of Hercules, two trickster gods, a couple of valkyries, a minotaur, and an army of automatons and bloodthirsty Vikings stand on the brink of war. Can she stop Prometheus from destroying time forever? Can she save the world before the clock breaks?
Shadow Girl Blurb
Áine lives in the light, but she is haunted by darkness, and when her fey powers blaze out of control, she escapes into the Shadowlands. But she cannot outrun her past. Fire fey and a rising darkness threaten the light, burning a path across the veil. Her fiery dreams come to life, and with the help of Hennessy, an uninhibited Irish girl, Áine dives into the flames to discover who she truly is. Her mother burned to keep her secret safe, and now Áine wields the deadly Eta. She must learn to fight in the shadows — or die in the flames. This is not a fairy tale.
Interviews and Video
NBC Interview: Explore character development with me on the Portland Today Show.
YouTube: Follow me on YouTube to learn more about writing and the writing process. These videos are short and to the point.
Storytelling: Come hear me tell you a story with Portland Story Theater.
Interview with Toastmasters: Hear me discuss writing and folklore with Ken Coomes on Toastmasters.
Sample of articles about Kate Ristau
Article in Publisher’s Weekly
Article in The Oregonian
Powell’s — Best Kids’ Books of 2016
Powell’s — Best Books of 2023
NW Kids Magazine — Top Family Pick
Article in The Daily News
Article in The Geneseo Republic
Article in NW Book Lovers
Sample of Podcasts
Bold: My writing podcast.
Storytellers Telling Stories: Listen in as I tell you a few stories.
Artslandia: Online with Susannah Mars and Erin Fitzpatrick Bjorn.
Author Magazine: Interview with Bill Kenower
Praise for Mythwakers
“Kate Ristau’s new Mythwakers series sets out to teach kids all about mythology but in a new and super fun way: through the point of view of its characters. First up is Asterion, the famous minotaur. Asterion is goofy, kind of cheeky, and full of fascinating facts about his mythological life and the true history of Ancient Greece. With Ristau’s light, breezy style and loads of hilarious jokes and asides, Mythwakers: The Minotaur is a great way for kids to find and foster a love of mythology and history. I can’t wait to find out what figure, and what mythological world, is up next.” — Gigi Little on Powells.com
Praise for Clockbreakers
“Kate Ristau’s first novel in the Clockbreakers series is a fast-paced, super-fun story that mixes myth, science fiction, and reality beautifully. Charlie is smart and spunky and her infectious voice sweeps you along, through labyrinths, across deserts, in and out of time — and the fact of her wheelchair is handled wonderfully, as a part of her character, not an impairment to it.”
-Gigi Little, editor of City of Weird
“Clockbreakers gets started quickly and doesn’t let up! Twists and surprises around every corner (literally!) and a diverse cast of characters, both human and not.”
-Teresa Klepinger, author of Cliffhanger Writing Prompts
“Yes, it’s a time travel book, but it’s also a heart travel book, a book about friendship, forgiveness, courage, and the powers waiting to be discovered in each one of us.”
-Kathleen Lane, author of The Best Worst Thing
“Ristau does an amazing job of weaving Greek mythology into this story, leaving the reader (like myself!) curious to know more. Clockbreakers will play out like a movie in your head…and I’m ready for the sequel!”
-Erin Ritch, author of Myth
Shadow Girl Blurb
Áine lives in the light, but she is haunted by darkness, and when her fey powers blaze out of control, she escapes into the Shadowlands. But she cannot outrun her past. Fire fey and a rising darkness threaten the light, burning a path across the veil. Her fiery dreams come to life, and with the help of Hennessy, an uninhibited Irish girl, Áine dives into the flames to discover who she truly is. Her mother burned to keep her secret safe, and now Áine wields the deadly Eta. She must learn to fight in the shadows — or die in the flames. This is not a fairy tale.
Shadow Queene Blurb
While Áine returns to the light, Hennessey falls into shadow. Just when her dreams are about to come true, Hennessey’s world is torn apart. She is dragged into the Shadowlands, while Áine is forced into the light. But in a world of magic and darkness, where the fae whither and monsters reign, Hennessey finds a power all her own. She embraces the shadows and enters the endless night.
Shadow and Shimmer Blurb
Destiny and darkness collide in this final book of the Shadow Girls Saga.
The Fairerlands are burning. Áine walks the endless road, fighting off nameless fears, while Hennessy battles in darkness. They both must rise up and stop the Queene before the worlds collapse. Fey hangs in the balance, teetering on the edge of Oberon’s sword. If one world falls, they all will. It is time to take a stand.
Shadow Girl Praise
“A determined girl from Faerie meets a frank, funny Irish girl in a delightfully fresh fairytale of old meeting new.”
-Tina Connolly, Nebula-nominated author of Ironskin
“A fun, engaging, and unique magical adventure.”
-Jen Violi, author of Putting Makeup on Dead People
“This is a coming of age narrative involving fairies, but it’s no Disney movie. The magic is considerably nastier and relationships more realistic and slippery. The folklore that Ristau pulls from is older, darker stuff; a heady mix of British Isles mythology, cosmology, and history.”
-Folklorist Charlie McNabb
“A fast-paced adventure with a fresh voice.”
-Molly Ringle, author of Persephone’s Orchard
“This is not a fairy tale. Don’t expect fairy wings, but it is filled with magic, folklore, witty dialogue and epic storytelling.”
-Librarian Robert G. Monge
“An entertaining, magical read.”
-Joanna Bartlett, author of The Awesomely Amazing Adventures of Cherry: Butterfly Buddies
“I love it when a book surprises me. Shadowgirl kept surprising me all the way to the last page.”
-Maren Bradley Anderson, author of Fuzzy Logic
“Fast moving and witty, Shadow Girl pulls on a journey from fey lands into our world through the eyes of Ainé , a mysterious girl on a mission.”
-LeeAnn McLennan, author of The Dormant Series
Contact
Author: Kate [at] kateristau [dot] com
Publisher: Orders [at] HopeWellBooks [dot] com
Headshots
Credit: Sarah K. Horton
Crop as necessary, other images available
Book Covers from Kate Ristau’s Press Kit
Thank you for checking out Kate Ristau’s Press Kit!
Please contact me if you need more information or details beyond Kate Ristau’s Press Kit.