Tehani Croft Wessely's Blog, page 12

Recent Reviews

Thanks to the always-on-top-of-things VentureAdlaxre, we have our first review of Cranky Ladies of History (due out March 8)! Absolutely delighted to see she loved it, with a comprehensive five-star review! Among other things, she says of various pieces: “…a gentle and beautiful piece of writing…”, “…rich in culture and a joy to read…”, “…a light touch yet with a depth of thought…”.

A short review of Jo Anderton’s Guardian by reader John on Goodreads has this great line: This is sci-fi done right.

Alex Pierce reviews One Small Step, saying: …a who’s who of established and emerging Australian writers, too, which is a total delight.

Over at Beyond the Dreamline, Faith calls Splashdance Silver: definitely funny…a bouncy, airy charm.

2014 Awards eligible works

It’s that time of year when nominations begin to open for Awards for 2014-published work. Below is a list of the work we have that is eligible, and the categories generally applicable, should you be interested in nominating.

Novel

Guardian by Jo Anderton

Novella/Novelette

“How the Jungle Got Its Spirit Guardian” by Vida Cruz, in Phantazein (Philippines) – 9000 words approx

“Sanction” by Dirk Flinthart – 8600 words approx

“The Ghost of Hephaestus” by Charlotte Nash, in Phantazein – 8000 words approx

Short Story

“A Cold Day” by Nicole Murphy, in Phantazein

“Bahamut” by Thoraiya Dyer, in Phantazein

“Kneaded” by S.G. Larner, in Phantazein

“Rag and Bone Heart” by Suzanne J. Willis, in Phantazein

“The Lady of Wild Things” by Jenny Blackford, in Phantazein

“The Love Letters of Swans” by Tansy Rayner Roberts, in Phantazein

“The Nameless Seamstress” by Gitte Christensen, in Phantazein

“The Seventh Relic” by Cat Sparks, in Phantazein

“The Village of No Women” by Rabia Gale, in Phantazein (US)

“Twelfth” by Faith Mudge, in Phantazein

Collected Work

Focus 2013: highlights of Australian short fiction, Tehani Wessely (ed.)

Phantazein, Tehani Wessely (ed.)

Artwork

Cover art, Kathleen Jennings, for Phantazein

Other work we have been involved in includes:

“Snapshot 2014″, Tsana Dolichva, Nick Evans, Stephanie Gunn, Kathryn Linge, Elanor Matton-Johnson, David McDonald, Helen Merrick, Jason Nahrung, Ben Payne, Alex Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Helen Stubbs, Katharine Stubbs, Tehani Wessely, Sean Wright.
Joanne Anderton, Alex Pierce and Tehani Wessely for the Eddings Reread review series.
David McDonald, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Tehani Wessely, for the Reviewing New Who series
Katharine Stubbs, Ventureadlaxre (Fan Writing)

You might also like to check out the Ditmar eligibility list for more amazing Australian work from 2014!

Cranky Ladies of History – cover!

We are very fortunate to have had Kathleen Jennings create a stunning art piece for the cover of Cranky Ladies of History. Although Jim Hines did his best to inspire her at Continuum earlier this year (pictured here posing, with Kathleen looking on), she’s gone in a somewhat different direction. Sorry Jim!

While Amanda Rainey, our wonderful designer, will have things to add to make it even more special (and we still haven’t confirmed the colour yet), we can share the art itself now!

 

 

Happy holidays to all our readers and wishing you a peaceful and prosperous 2015!

Reviews round up

Don’t forget to enter to win an exclusive Cranky Ladies of History calendar, designed by Tansy Rayner Roberts – these calendars are ONLY available through this giveaway, unless you were a clever campaign backer and got yours there! Competition closes tomorrow.

Speaking of Cranky Ladies, it’s very pleasing to see the anthology appearing on some “anticipated reads of 2015″ lists (such as Tsana’s, here) – we’re in the final stages of edits for the book, and can’t wait to share it with you!

A wonderful review of Phantazein from A Fantastical Librarian, where Mieneke says the book is “filled with fabulous stories from a strong and all-female line-up” and is “…entertaining and a joy to read”. Thank you, Mieneke!

Sean Wright also reviewed Phantazein recently, noting that “Phantazein showcases the depth of talent Australia has in the fantasy field…” Indeed!

The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories is unpacked a bit over at Peter Tennant’s new site Trumpetville – take a look at what he says here.

We really appreciate all the reviews from our readers – if you have read one of our books, please post (or cross-post) a review on Amazon or Goodreads, as they do help!

 

Win a Cranky Ladies of History calendar!

We have just mailed out all the Cranky Ladies of History calendars (designed by Tansy!) that were part of some reward tiers of the Pozible campaign. However, we find ourselves with a couple of extras, so we decided to run a little competition to give them away! It’s pretty simple to enter – just use the RaffleCopter form below. Please feel free to share!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Reviews

Some lovely new reviews around the internet!

Kyla Lee Ward at Tabula Rasa gives an entertaining review of Dirk Flinthart’s Path of Night, noting: “Flinthart delivers a thoughtful and entertaining take on his material.”

Elizabeth at Earl Grey Editing Service says of Phantazein: “The stories that make up the anthology had a nice mixture of cultures” and “…I’d definitely recommend it…” while Tsana Reads and Reviews declares: “there’s something here for all kinds of fairytalesque fantasy fans.”

We really appreciate all the reviews from our readers – if you have read one of our books, please post (or cross-post) a review on Amazon or Goodreads, as they do help!

FREE Margo Lanagan!

Hmm. Possibly that title could have been worded a little differently, because as far as we know, Margo isn’t actually locked up anywhere (at the moment…)

Rather, we have a very short special on Margo’s wonderful “Flower and Weed” over at Amazon, to celebrate Margo’s wonderful Barbara Jefferis Award win for Sea Hearts. Sea Hearts is a personal favourite of ours, and “Flower and Weed” tells a little part of the story – don’t miss out!

It’s Year’s Best time!

It’s that time of year when it seems a bunch of Year’s Best anthologies are announced, and we’re so pleased to see a number of our 2013-published stories recognised.

Our own Focus 2013, which collects award-recognised Australian stories, features DK Mok’s “Morning Star” (One Small Step, an anthology of discoveries) and Joanne Anderton’s “Mah Song” (The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories).

Joanne Anderton’s story “Mah Song” will also appear in the inaugural Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction from Twelfth Planet Press, which has an astonishing international lineup, and Rowena Cory Daniells’ “The Ways of the Wyrding Women” (One Small Step) has made the table of contents for Ticonderoga’s Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror.

“By Blood and Incantation” (One Small Step) by Lisa Hannett and Angela Slatter received honorable mentions in two anthologies, Imaginarium 3: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing and Ellen Datlow’s, with Datlow also highlighting Kathleen Jennings’ “Ella and the Flame” (One Small Step), “Sand and Seawater” by Joanne Anderton and Rabia Gale (One Small Step), and Joanne’s “Mah Song” and “Fencelines” from The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories. 

 

Announcement: Cranky Ladies of History Table of Contents

Our Pozible campaign backers had an advance preview of the table of contents for Cranky Ladies of History a few days ago, but now we are delighted to share it with the world! It seems like so long ago this idea came to life, and we still have a ways before the book itself is released, but right now we are SO excited to present to you the line up for the anthology (presented in approximately era-order):

Author
Provisional Title
Cranky Lady
A little detail…


Joyce Chng
“Charmed Life”
Leizu
Chinese empress who discovered silk


Amanda Pillar
“Neter Nefer”
Hatshepsut
Egyptian ruler


Barbara Robson
“Theodora”
Theodora, wife of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian the first
Wife of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian the first


Lisa Hannett
“Hallgerðr Höskuldsdóttir / For So Great a Misdeed”

Icelandic woman


Garth Nix
“The Company of Women”
Lady Godiva
Anglo-Saxon noblewoman


Juliet Marillier
“Hallowed Ground”
Hildegard of Bingen
German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath


LM Myles
“Little Battles”
Eleanor of Aquitaine
French queen & mother of dynasty


Foz Meadows
“Bright Moon”
Khutulun
Central Asian warrior


Laura Lam
“The lioness and her prey”
Jeanne de Clisson
French pirate


Liz Barr
“Queenside”
Mary Tudor (Mary I of England)
Queen of England


Deborah Biancotti
“Look How Cold My Hands Are”
Countess Bathory
countess from the renowned Báthory family of nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary. She has been labelled the most prolific female serial killer in history


Dirk Flinthart
“The gift of freedom”
Grace O’Malley
Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the Ó Máille clan sometimes known as “The Sea Queen of Connacht”


Faith Mudge
“Glorious”
Elizabeth I
Queen of England


Havva Murat
“The Pasha, the girl and the dagger: The story of Nora of Kelmendi”
Nora of Kelmendi
Albanian warrior


Kirstyn McDermott
“Mary Mary”
Mary Wollstonecroft
English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights.


Thoraiya Dyer
“Vintana”
Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar, also known as Ranavalona the Cruel
Queen of Madagascar


Stephanie Lai
“The dragon, the terror, the sea”
Cheng Shih
Chinese pirate


Jane Yolen
SACAGAWEA
SACAGAWEA
Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States


Kaaron Warren
“Another week in the future”
Miss CH Spence
Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, politician and leading suffragist.


Sylvia Kelso
“Due care and attention”
Lilian Cooper
British-born Australian doctor


Sandra McDonald
“Cora Crane and The Trouble with Me”
Cora Crane
American businesswoman, nightclub and bordello owner, writer and journalist.


Nisi Shawl
“A Beautiful Stream”
Colette
French novelist and performer


Liz Argall
“Oodgeroo is Not Yet Your Name”
Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Australian poet, political activist, artist and educator.

Isn’t that AMAZING? Tansy and I are so chuffed to have such a marvellous bunch of stories to work on (and yes, we’re just a little bit smug that we have already read them ). So, which cranky lady are YOU most keen for?

Conflux, Phantazein, Cranky Ladies…

We had a lovely weekend at Conflux a couple of weeks ago, and celebrated the launch of Phantazein with a fantastic roll up of con attendees. Cake and champagne were consumed, and wonderful congoers purchased books. I made a short and hopefully coherent launch speech that thanked the contributors, the cover artist Kathleen Jennings, and our designer Amanda Rainey, and also the authors of the forthcoming Insert Title Here anthology, which got slightly bumped because of Phantazein leapfrogging it (it will now launch in April 2015). The convention itself was quite intimate, but had some big-hitting panellists and a really lovely friendly feel to it. Was great to catch up with so many interstate friends, and I must give a huge shout out to intern extraordinaire Katharine and (sub intern?!) Elanor, who spent a great deal of time in the dealer room taking care of the table – it made such a big difference to my con experience, and is so much appreciated!

I’m delighted to see the first reviews of Phantazein starting to come in now – people seem to be enjoying it! Over at Butterfly Elephant, Bethwyn says “There is something dark to this collection, something that weaves everything together and leaves you coming back for more each time.” Katharine gave it five stars on Goodreads and said “From the very first piece in this anthology (one of my favourites!) I was swept away. This is a collection of wonderous fantasy, the kind that don’t always have a happy ending…” and Matt Morrison says of the stories “…all have a fresh voice and a unique spin…”.

My co-editor Tansy Rayner Roberts and I had a chat about the line up for Cranky Ladies of History today, and we’re very VERY close to being able to announce the table of contents. It’s SO exciting and we’re so delighted with the stories our amazing authors have shared with us – just you wait and see!