Kendare Blake
Kendare Blake is a contemporary author of young adult novels. Her works include Anna Dressed in Blood, Antigoddess and Three Dark Crowns.
Kendare Blake | |
|---|---|
| Born | Seoul, South Korea |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | MFA in Creative Writing |
| Alma mater | Ithaca College, Middlesex University |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Notable works | Three Dark Crowns |
| Years active | 2011-now |
| Website | |
| kendareblake | |
Early life
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Kendare Blake was raised in Cambridge, Minnesota by adoptive parents.[1]
She is an alumna of both Ithaca College (in New York)[2] and Middlesex University in London. It was at the latter where she received her Master of Arts Degree in Creative Writing.[3]
Career
Her books stretch over a variety of genres, including horror, fantasy and contemporary fiction. Several of her works have been listed on the New York Times' Best Seller's List.
Her Anna Dressed in Blood duology and Goddess Wars trilogy were originally published in English by Tor Teen, while the Three Dark Crowns series was published by Harper Teen.
In November 2019 Blake announced via an Instagram post that Harper Teen would also be publishing her next three books. This was confirmed by a small piece in Publishers Weekly online on November 11.[4] A stand-alone horror novel titled All These Bodies is scheduled for 2021. It is described as the story of a teenage girl who survives an attack by a suspected serial killer, only to become the prime suspect. Also announced was the first in a two-part fantasy series to be released in 2022. On her Instagram account, Blake has referred to this work as Heromaker and it is expected to be a duology centering around a mystic order of warrior women.
In April 2021, Publishers Weekly announced Disney-Hyperion had obtained the rights to a new trilogy series by Blake, to be entitled In Every Generation. This series will is set in the same universe as the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and be set in a newly rebuilt Sunnydale, California, and features a new slayer, Buffy Summers' niece, as well as a werewolf and a demon who team up to save the world from evil.
Works
The Anna Duology
The Anna Duology is a two book series comprising the books Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares. The books follow Cas Lowood, a teenage ghost hunter whose father was killed by ghosts. Cas and his mother travel the world searching for spirits needing to be sent to the afterlife, and his latest assignment is Anna Dressed in Blood, a ghost with a reputation for ripping apart young men who venture into her home. Despite his life-long commitment to destroying spirits like Anna, Cas feels compelled to learn more about the real girl behind the spirit, and while working to solve her murder develops feelings for the ghost. In the first book, Anna eventually sacrifices herself to save Cas' life, while the second book focuses on Cas' journey to get her back and allow her to find a peaceful afterlife.
The Goddess Wars Series
The Goddess Wars is a series comprised of three main books and two novellas. The first book, Antigoddess, focuses on the Greek goddess Athena and several other ancient immortals, all of whom are slowly dying in a variety of ways. A few of the old Gods have gone mad in their death throes and are hunting other former immortals in order to absorb some of their life force and prolong their existence. Looking for help, Athena and Hermes seek out a mortal girl named Cassandra who was once a powerful oracle, hoping to unlock her past memories that could help them. Book 2, Mortal Gods, Athena and Cassandra have formed an alliance and hope to battle Ares and his army of other dying Gods, which includes Aphrodite who killed the love of Cassandra's life. The two also seek out Achilles who they believe may be the key to winning the war. They are beaten back, however, and in the final book, Ungodly, Athena is stuck in the underworld while her allies try to find a way to heal the three Fates, who they discover are the source of the God's illnesses.
The two novellas in the series are both prequels with The Dogs of Athens focusing on Artemis as she searches for other immortals along with her pack of hungry dogs and When Gods and Vampires Roamed Miami focusing on a young man who mistakenly believes Athena to be a vampire and his attempts to get her to "turn" him.
Bibliography
The Anna Duology
Anna Dressed In Blood (2011)
Girl of Nightmares (2012)
Goddess Wars
Antigoddess (2013)
Mortal Gods (2014)
When Gods and Vampires Roamed Miami (Prequel Novella) (2014)
Ungodly (2015)
The Dogs of Athens (Prequel Novella) (2015)
Three Dark Crowns Series
Three Dark Crowns (2016)
One Dark Throne (2017)
The Young Queens (Prequel Novella) (2017)
The Oracle Queen (Prequel Novella) (2018)
Queens of Fennbirn (Combining The Young Queens and The Oracle Queen) (2018)
Two Dark Reigns (2018)
Five Dark Fates, (September 3, 2019)
Three Dark Crowns Series
In Every Generation Trilogy
In Every Generation (2022)
One Girl In All the World (Winter 2023)
Untitled Book 3
Other works
Sleepwalk Society (2011)
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys (Anthology) (2015) - On the I-5 (Short Story)
Violent Ends (Anthology) (2015) - Burning Effigies (Short Story) (2015)
His Hideous Heart (Anthology ) (2018)
All These Bodies (2021)
Heromaker (announced for 2022)
Other media
In 2016, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer purchased the rights to turn Anna Dressed in Blood into a feature film through her production company Fickle Fish Films.[5] In May of that same year, it was announced that Maddie Hasson and Cameron Monaghan had been cast in the roles of Anna and Cass Lowood, respectively.[6] At that time, Trish Sie was named as the director, though later she was replaced by Amanda Row.[7]
In February 2017, Variety announced the Fox corporation had plans to turn the Three Dark Crowns series into a feature film through the 21 Laps Entertainment production company, which has also produced the Netflix series Stranger Things and the film Arrival. Shawn Levy and Dan Levine were announced as producers.[8]
In April 2019 it was also announced that Blake's short story On the I-5, which was featured in the Slasher Girls & Monster Boys anthology had been optioned for adaptation by Warner Brothers. As with Three Dark Crowns, production is being handled by 21 Laps Entertainment and Shawn Levy and Dan Levine will also produce. The story has been called "a female-empowered subversion of the serial-killer genre."[9]
Awards and honors
Anna Dressed In Blood
- Cybils Award Nominee (2011)
- Kirkus "Best Teen Books of the Year" (2011)[10]
- Top 5 Novels of the Year - National Public Radio (2011)[11]
- Missouri Gateway Readers Award Nominee (2014)[12]
- Lincoln Award Nominee (2015)[13]
References
- "Kendare Blake". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- "Kendare Blake". Pan Macmillan. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- "Kendare Blake | Wolf Literary Services". wolflit.com. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- "Book Deals: Week of November 11, 2019". www.publishersweekly.com. November 8, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
- McNary, Dave (2016-05-03). "'Twilight' Author Stephenie Meyer Adapting YA Book Franchise 'Anna Dressed in Blood'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- Hipes, Patrick (2016-05-03). "Maddie Hasson & Cameron Monaghan Join Stephenie Meyer's 'Anna Dressed In Blood' – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- Anna Dressed in Blood, retrieved 2018-01-13
- McNary, Dave (2017-02-23). "'Three Dark Crowns' Fantasy Novel to Get Movie Adaptation at Fox". Variety. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-04-12). "Warner Bros, 21 Laps Option Kendare Blake Short Story 'On The I-5'". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- "2011 Best Books for Teens: The Complete List (pg. 28) | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- "The Teens Are All Right: 2011's Top 5 YA Novels". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- "2013-2014 Gateway Award Final Nominees - Missouri Association of School Librarians". www.maslonline.org. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- "2015 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominees" (PDF).
- "2018-2019 MASL Readers Awards Final Nominees". Missouri Association of School Librarians. 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- "Lincoln Awards Master List 2019" (PDF).
External links
Quotations related to Kendare Blake at Wikiquote