Ask the Author: Kate Forsyth

“Ask me a question.” Kate Forsyth

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Hi Kate!! I've SOOO loved both Bitter Greens and the Wild Girl! I can't wait for another one of your books to spend a weekend with :) I've been keeping my eyes open everywhere for The Beast's Garden and Beauty in Thorns, but I can't seem to find them in the US on any of the typical sites/bookstores. Are they available here somewhere or do you have any updates on when they might be?

Kate Forsyth Hi Alicia

Thank you so much I'm so glad you loved Bitter Greens & The Wild Girl.

The best way to get hold of some of my other books is through The Book Depository which has free international postage. Here's the link for The Beast's Garden:
https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Be...

and here is the link for Beauty in Thorns:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Beauty...

I hope you love them both!

best wishes

Kate

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i do not have a question for you Kate but just want to thank you for your beautiful series Witches of Eileanan, i am an avid reader but i have rarely read a series i enjoyed as much as this one, the magic and the connection of the women with mother nature and the healers are amazing! Cannot recommend these books highly enough, they are a real pleasure to read and own. Will you be writing another similar series?

Kate Forsyth Thank you so much, Lana! I am so glad you've loved the Witches of Eileanan. I'm often asked if I will write another series, and I always say ... maybe one day! I had so many other ideas and books take so long to write. I do hope you will read some of my other books one day, and keep an eye out just in case ...

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I've only just started reading Bitter Greens, and I really like it. I had added it to my Goodreads List awhile back and had forgotten about it. Between when I added it to my list and now I have had a renewed interest in fairy tales.I wonder if you have any plans to write a similarly styled story about Red Riding Hood?

Kate Forsyth Hi Gwyne, no I'm afraid not. Though never say never! Maybe Red Riding Hood will inspire me one day :)

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Hi Kate, I am so pleased to have discovered your books. Although I have only read "The Beasts Garden" so far, I have two sitting on my bedside table to read. Having just completed an introduction to Australian literature, I am curious to know whether any Australian female authors or any Aust. authors for that matter have inspired you or you enjoy to read? All the best with writing your new novel.

Kate Forsyth Hi Carley, thanks so much for your question & my apologies in not answering earlier. I haven't been in to GoodReads for a while. I love Australian fiction & read a lot of it. Check out my reviews - I have heaps of Australian authors listed under the tag 'Australia' and also 'aww2017' etc (for Australian Women Writers).

all my best

Kate

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Hi Kate. I really loved the Impossible Quest series. I was just wondering if you were planning on writing any more? Thankyou

Kate Forsyth Thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed The Impossible Quest. I have a few ideas ... but am very bogged down with other deadlines at present :)

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I really wish your books could be available in the US much sooner than they are. I am still waiting to read The Beast's Garden and now I find out you have a Sleeping Beauty adaptation I have to wait for?? My favorite fairy tale! Love your books, I just wish I could get my hands on them as they are released!

Kate Forsyth Hi Shellie

I'm so glad you wish to read my books! They are very easy to buy - just purchase them online through Book depository with free international shipping.

Here are the links:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Beauty...

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Be...

Happy reading!

all my best

Kate

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Hi Kate, I really enjoy reading all your books. I have just finished The Beast's Garden & wanted you to know that you most certainly did do the story justice. You did bring their suffering & their heroism to life which brought me to tears many times. You gave me an insight into their lives during this horrific time in history & I will remember this book for many years to come. Are you writing anymore fantasy novels?

Kate Forsyth Thank you so much, Adrianna - I'm so glad that The Beast's Garden moved you. It was such a difficult and challenging book to write I really love it when I hear that it has connected with a reader; it makes it all worthwhile.

I love fantasy and am sure I'll write more at some point. At the moment, though, I'm very busy & happy with other projects that I do hope you will read too :)

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Hullo Kate, I am not familiar with your books since none has been printed in Greek yet, but from what I read here and in your site I would really love to read them. Are you planning to edit in Greece? That would be lovely. Thanks Sophia

Kate Forsyth I'd love for my books to be translated into Greek but so far no Greek publisher has offered to buy my rights. You can read them in English, though - just order them over the net from an Australian online bookstore such as Dymocks or Booktopia :)

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I am currently writing my very first novel and I really love your quote; May my heart be kind, my mind fierce and my spirit brave. I would love your permission to use it at the start of a chapter in my book? The quote suits my story down to a tea

Kate Forsyth I'd love you to use my quote - as long as you attribute it to me! Good luck with your writing - I hope the muse is kind to you :)

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Hi Kate! When I was about 14, I discovered the magical world of Eileanan and ever since, it's remained one of my favourite series EVER. Will you ever expand on the Witches and Rhiannon series in that land? Will you ever write high fantasy for adults again? I write this as a huge fan of your work <3 xx Rosie

Kate Forsyth Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Rosie. I have lots of ideas for new Eileanan books but so many ideas for other books too. At the moment the other books are winning .... but I never say never! I'm sure I'll return to Eileanan one day :)

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Hi Ms. Forsyth, I've been dying to meet you or aska question. So heres the question. I really liked the Impossible Quest. Are you currently working on any young reader books? I read the Impossible Quest right when it was published and I was 11 years old. I t was perfect for my age.

Kate Forsyth I am so glad that you loved The Impossible Quest - thank you! I'm not working on any more books for younger readers right now as I'm writing a book for adults, but I have so many ideas I'm sure I shall soon. Meanwhile, why don't you read my book 'The Puzzle Ring'? I'm sure you'd like it!

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Hi, Kate! I'm Angela. Will 'Bitter Greens' be translated into Spanish in the foreseeable future? Thank you!

Kate Forsyth I would love for it to be translated into Spanish, but there are no plans for that to happen yet. I hope it will one day!

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Kate, do you know when I can get The Beast's Garden on Kindle in the US? Thank you! Also, do you have any plans for another fairy tale retelling in the future, Bitter Greens was my favorite!

Kate Forsyth Hi Jess - I'm afraid I don't know about the availability of THE BEAST'S GARDEN on US Kindle as I have not yet found a US publisher - I am sorry! The best way to buy it from the US is via Book Depository Ausrtalia (free shipping!)

And I am working on a new fairytale-infused historical fiction now about the Pre-Raphaelites - you can read all about it on my blog
http://www.kateforsyth.com.au/kates-b...

all my best

Kate

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Hi Kate Forsyth!! i just finished reading the Beasts Garden and it was AMAZING!! i loved it so much, i also really enjoyed reading the Wild Girl!! thank you for writing such amazing stories and good luck with your new stories your thinking of writing:) when do you think you will be finished with the sleeping beauty story?

Kate Forsyth Hi Sveva - thank you so much! I'm hard at work on BEAUTY IN THORNS but it'll be at least a year till I'm finished. It takes much longer to write a book than to read it! We have a planned release date of May 2017 :)

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i listened to your interview last year and you have been through so much as a small child and you came out to be such a great author, if you don't mind me asking, Do you think you would have been as successful in writing and such a great author if you didn't read the Grimm Fairy tales whilst in hospital when you were so small?? lots of love Sveva P.s. i LOVED both the Beasts Garden and the Wild Girl

Kate Forsyth Thanks so much for your question! I'm so glad that you enjoyed THE BEAST'S GARDEN & THE WILD GIRL. To tell you the truth, I think my childhood accident and my many trips to hospital had a crucial impact upon my imagination. Apart from anything else, it meant I spent my childhood reading and so I was actually incredibly lucky in some ways :) If you look at my whole body of work, you can see the Grimms in every book, even in only small ways.
I do hope you read some more of my books one day!

Hello, Ms. Forsyth! I've enjoyed Bitter Greens and The Wild Girl very much, especially since you are blending fairytales with history. It's thanks to your novels that I have become interested in the genre of historical fiction. If you don't mind my asking, what other fairytales would you like to retell?

Kate Forsyth Hi Bronwyn, I'm so glad that you've enjoyed BITTER GREENS & THE WILD GIRL. I am currently working on a new book that draws on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale - its about the Pre-Raphaelite circle of artists and poets and in particular about the creation of a famous series of paintings of 'The Legend of Briar Rose' by Edward Burne-Jones. Its a big & complex book, but very fascinating. Then I'm thinking of playing with 'The Nightingale & the Rose', a Chinese fairy tale ... but we'll see.
all my best

Kate

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What are you currently working on?

Kate Forsyth I am currently writing a historical novel for adults, which tells the dramatic true story behind the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones's painting of 'The Legend of Briar Rose' in late Victorian England, told through the eyes of his wife, his mistress, and his daughter, and other women of the Pre-Raphaelite circle.

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Hello! :) I am just discovering your beautiful books yet many of them are not available in the US. Do you know how to get versions of your books from Australia or do you know if they will be coming to the US? I hope so! ^__^

Kate Forsyth Dear Neko

Thanks so much for your message. I'm sorry you've had trouble getting some of my books. Its the same for me, wanting to read many US authors who are not available here. I simply order their books over the internet from a US online bookshop. Luckily its just as easy for you to do the same with my books - try Booktopia or Fishpond or Dymocks - these are the main Australian online bookstores :)

warmest wishes

Kate

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Just a comment to let you know that I was starting to curse you a bit as I kept reading The Wild Girl, thinking 'How long can she keep these two apart?!' Then I read your afterword about the timeline for the real Dortchen & Wilhelm's relationship and had a much greater appreciation for how you worked that into your story. Thanks for all that research, and more importantly, for an enjoyable book!

Kate Forsyth Hi JoAnne

I know! Trying to sustain sexual tension for decades was so hard! People keep asking me if I changed anything of the facts of their life, and I say that if I could've got them together sooner, I would have!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it despite the delayed sexual gratification :)

Hoping you read some more of my books one day.

best wishes

Kate

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Greetings! I have very recently demolished the The Witches of Eileanan series, and when finished I was so sad that I didn't have another book to continue on. I felt as though the research of the rituals, of festivals and everything the witches did was so well done (are you also a Pagan?) and the Scottish accents made me feel like my Gran was reading to me. Thank you so much for such a wonderful journey :)

Kate Forsyth Dear Valerie, thank you so much for your message and please forgive me for not answering earlier. Its been a busy few months. I'm so glad that you loved The Witches of Eileanan. Yes, I am a pagan too and strangely enough, the book's Scottish flavour was inspired by my Scottish grnadmother :) Have you read the sequel "Rhiannon's Ride"? -Three books in total, taking place 16 years after the end of "The Witches of Eileanan". I do hope you will read some of my other books some day too.

all my best

Kate

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