Tag: Cranky Ladies of History

Cranky Ladies wins at the 2016 ACT Writing and Publishing Awards!

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9780992553456It was very exciting to find out last night that Cranky Ladies of History won the Fiction category at the 2016 ACT Writing and Publishing Awards, announced at a special event at the Gorman Arts Centre in Canberra. A huge thanks to contributor Barbara Robson who was kind enough to be our representative on the night, as neither Tehani nor Tansy could be there. It was wonderful that one of the authors could collect the award on behalf of us all!

We would like to thank the judges, the ACT Writers Centre and the awards supporter Dymocks Belconnen, ACT for this wonderful opportunity – we are so delighted to be the award recipients, amid excellent company. A huge shout out to the many awesome backers of the Pozible crowdfunding campaign back in 2014, who helped make the book possible, and to Arts Tasmania’s Crowbar grant, of which we were the inaugural recipients. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the book – we love you all! And of course, thanks to Kathleen Jennings for the gorgeous cover and illustrations, Amanda Rainey for the beautiful design, and most especially to our amazing contributors, without whom this wonderful and important book could not exist.

What’s been going on lately?

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A new review of Cranky Ladies of History from Matthew Davis at Goodreads: This book covers a wide variety of periods, genres and voices, but one thing that remains consistent is the level of quality … This was my first Fablecroft book, but on the strength of this collection, it sure won’t be the last.

Thanks Matthew, that warms the cockles of this editor’s heart!

Cute little review of Dirk Flinthart’s Striking Fire by Rivqa, also at Goodreads: A fine collection with some unexpected (for me) gems…

Catching up on several Goodreads reviews of Tansy Rayner Roberts’s Pratchett’s Women essay collection that I somehow managed to miss!

  1. Mike said: “I’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in non-ranty feminist perspectives and fantasy fiction…“
  2. Amanda said: “…Tansy’s honest, soul-searching, and massively enthusiastic take on how female characters are portrayed in the Discworld universe is an excellent read.”
  3. Octavia Cade said: “…this works as an entertaining introduction … It’s got that nice chatty blog vibe to it.”
  4. Cindy said: “…[it] made me want to reread a whole bunch of the Pratchett books again!”

Thanks so much for taking the time to review our books!

Congratulations to all the Awards winners!

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We were delighted to see that Cranky Ladies of History took home the Ditmar Award for Best Collected Work last night at Contact 2016, and that Kathleen Jennings also got the gong for her beautiful artwork for the book! There was strong competition in every category, so this is a real pleasure.

We didn’t have as much success in the Aurealis Awards on Friday night, but wanted to congratulate both the winners and all the finalists in every category – it was a fabulous event.

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Celebrating International Women’s Day with a Cranky Ladies discount offer!

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Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, and the one year anniversary of our launch of Cranky Ladies of History! To celebrate, we’re offering a whopping 50% discount on the ebook at Smashwords until March 9 (just to cover all the international bases…). You can grab a copy of the book in your preferred, DRM-free ebook format for just $5.00 – just use the coupon code SJ32H at the Smashwords checkout! 

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And if you’d like to read more about some amazing women, check out the awesome blog tours from our crowd funding ride back in 2014, and the launch bubble last year.

Some new reviews

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A couple of new snippet reviews around the ridges:

Over on Amazon, reader Ladi8ug loved The Aware, saying: This was a fantastic read! Lots of twists and turns and just a few easy to see plots to make you feel like you know what’s going on, then you are back to wondering what will happen next. I rarely give 5 stars, but this book deserved it.

havenstar6highqualityAnd still on Glenda Larke, Goodreads reviewer Siavahda wrote a wonderfully detailed review of Havenstar which ends with: …this has gone straight onto my favourites shelf, and is going to get recced to everyone I know. 

At Goodreads, reader Liz gave Cranky Ladies of History five stars and said: Thoroughly enjoyed it! Many of the stories had me looking for more information on these fascinating women. A great introduction to women in history.

We missed this lovely review of Pratchett’s Women on Amazon, courtesy of reader Syntia, when it written earlier this year: …not afraid to point out and analyze glaring problems with portrayal of female characters…

And this great line from a review of Guardian by Jo Anderton on Goodreads: …included many really visceral moments that I loved…

As always, thank you to all the wonderful readers who take the time to rate and review our books on Amazon, Goodreads and other forums – we appreciate each and every one!

Looking for the perfect gift? Cranky Ladies in hardcover!

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Just in time for the forthcoming gift-giving season (if that’s your thing), we have now released the hardcover of Cranky Ladies of History for general purchase! Gorgeous art by Kathleen Jennings, complemented by the stunning design from Amanda Rainey, encloses the very excellent selection of astonishing stories. The book has received rave reviews and is being read by people all over the world. 9780992553456

Whether it is for yourself or for someone special (or, you know, that fond acquaintance you buy gifts for… or your child’s teacher… or the delivery guy you like…), the hardcover book makes a fantastic present.

Available to order from the FableCroft website, your favourite bookstore, or grab it at Amazon, Booktopia, Book Depository and more. (Paperback also available)

We recommend shopping around, because prices vary at different sites and unfortunately we can’t control that. US folks might be best at Amazon, but for Aussies, our shop may be cheapest for you!

The ebook is also available from your preferred etailer.

News and reviews

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Editor Tehani is in very excellent company in the SF Mind Meld asking the question “The books that made us love science fiction and fantasy” (and is super excited to be part of her first Mind Meld!).

ITH CoverStephanie Gunn reviewed Insert Title Here for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2015 (not all the contributors are women, or Australian, but we appreciate her including it!). Stephanie says she “loved the darkness of this anthology … and all of the stories were worthwhile reading” and “…this is an extremely strong collection.  The stories are varied, and I suspect that most readers will find at least one or two which speaks to them.  Highly recommended.” Cheers Stephanie!

 

Ju at The Conversationalist comprehensively reviewed Cranky Ladies of History and notes: This book is both a pleasure to read, and gives you some small insight into the historical significance of several women, mostly those who are forgotten by modern history. It’s not that the book is educational exactly, but it does make you want to learn more, to study these women and their lives.

Speaking of Cranky Ladies, we currently have a Goodreads giveaway open internationally for two copies! Even if you already have one, they make excellent gifts, and Christmas is coming…

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Cranky Ladies of History by Tehani Wessely

Cranky Ladies of History

by Tehani Wessely

Giveaway ends November 15, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/154926

A different Stephanie reviewed Phantazein a while ago, over at the No Award blog, noting that it “expands beyond Western fairytales” and is a “fun read”. Thanks Steph!

Delighted to see stories from Phantazein in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year Recommended Reading list, including Faith Mudge’s “Twelve” and Suzanne J Willis’s “Rag and Bone Heart”. Several other Aussies and plenty of great company on that list too!

Focus2014CoverSMAngela Slatter is interviewing the contributors to Focus 2014 over at her blog. Check them out here.

Alex Pierce includes some FableCroft news in her latest Aurora Australis column at Tor.com.

The long and the short: some reviews!

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9780992553456While we were in Sydney over the weekend, attending the NSW Writers Centre’s Speculative Fiction Festival (see my Storify here), the Future Fire’s comprehensive review of Cranky Ladies of History hit the internet. Reviewer Valerie Vitale had some thoughtful comments, including: “…a collection of stories definitely worth reading … informative and very engaging on an emotional level. It is a fascinating and inspiring parade of great women…”

Our most recent re-release, Glenda Larke’s Havenstar has also been getting some new love, with reviewers on Amazon saying things like: “Larke has created a fantastic yet thoroughly credible world…” and “I cannot recommend this book too highly.”

And I just came across this snappy review for Insert Title Here via Amazon, in which the reviewer calls the book: “literate and entertaining” 

The short ones are appreciated too, thank you readers!

Reviews rolling in

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Screen Shot 2014-09-13 at 9.55.45 amIt’s always a buzz when new reviews come in for our books, so I can’t quite believe I neglected to post about this first one for Phantazein from SQ Mag when it was published in April! Among other wonderful things, reviewer Sophie Yorkson says: Each and every one of the stories in Phantazein leapt off the page at me with a vivacity and clarity of storytelling. 

Thanks Sophie! And thanks also to reviewer Rivqa on Goodreads who said the book is: Beautiful and glorious. Stories to linger in the quiet corners of one’s mind.

9780992553456Stephanie Gunn reviewed Cranky Ladies of History for the Australian Women Writers Challenge, unpacking the book quite comprehensively and saying: …all of the stories in this book are excellent … I’d like to think that somewhere in the past, these women are looking up and thanking the authors and editors for shining a light on them in all of their glorious crankiness.

We also have not one but TWO reviews in the new issue of Aurealis magazine (#81). Deanne Sheldon-Collins looked at Cranky Ladies of History and notes that the book: showcases historical fiction, but touches of surrealism and folklore embrace the speculative nature of rewriting history.

ITH CoverDeanne also reviewed Insert Title Here, recommending that: If you want immersing but varied fiction, insert this title into your reading list.

Thanks Deanne!

As always, a massive thank you to every single person who takes the time to review one of our books, whether extensively or just a few sentences on Goodreads or Amazon etc – it’s so very appreciated!