Part of Series
There are many ways to be a heroine. Princess and swordswoman, lawyer and motorcyclist, scholar and barbarian: there are many ways to be a heroine. In this anthology, seventeen authors find new ways to pair one weapon-wielding woman and one whose strengths lie in softer skills. “Which is more powerful, the warrior or the gentlewoman?” these stories ask. And the answer is inevitably, “Both, working together!” Herein, you’ll find duels and smugglers, dance battles and danger noodles, and even a new Swordspoint story! From big names and bold new voices, these stories are fun, clever, and always positive about the power of love. Contents: “Margo Lai’s Guide To Dueling Unprepared” by Alison Tam “Princess, Shieldmaiden, Witch and Wolf” by Neon Yang “Elinor Jones vs. the Ruritanian Multiverse” by Freya Marske “Plan Z” by Django Wexler “Little Birds” by Cara Patterson "Positively Medieval" by Kaitlyn Zivanovich “Book and Hammer, Blade and Bone” by Ann LeBlanc “What Finds You in the Deep” by K.A. Doore “The Sweet Tooth of Angwar Bec” by Ellen Kushner “Danger Noodle” by S.K. Terentiev “Chicago Iron” by Chris Wolfgang “In the Salt Crypts of Ghiarelle” by Jennifer Mace “The City Unbreachable” by Yoon Ha Lee “The Commander and the Mirage Master’s Mate” by Elaine McIonyn “The Epic Fifth Wedding Anniversary of Zaynne The Barbarian and Tikka the Accountant ” by Elizabeth Davis “The Parnassian Courante” by Claire Bartlett “The Scholar of the Bamboo Flute” by Aliette de Bodard
Authors
K.A. Doore grew up in Florida, but has since lived in lush Washington, arid Arizona, and cherry-infused-everything Michigan. While recovering from climate whiplash, she has raised chickens, learned entirely too much about property assessment, photographed cacti, and now develops online trainings, none of which has anything to do with – or perhaps has everything to do with – her BA in Classics. She writes fantasy – mostly second world, mostly novels – with a touch of horror and a ton of adventure. The first book in the Chronicles of Ghadid Trilogy - an adventure fantasy about queer assassins who save the day - will be published by Tor in March, 2019.
Elizabeth Davis wrote her first book as an elementary school assignment when she was eight years old. It was called Silly Excuses—a book about fantastic excuses young children can tell their parents when misbehaving. Not only did she pass the project with flying colors, but her teacher was so taken with the book that she had it published in the school library. Elizabeth has been writing ever since and is currently the author of the Sanctorum Order series, which consists of thrilling contemporary romances. She lives in The Netherlands with her husband, their son, and family cat. http://www.elizabeth-davis.com.
Elaine McIonyn is an sci-fi/fantasy fiction writer from Ireland. She lives in Dublin, where she co-runs a writing group for local SF writers. She lives with her partner, who is a shameless enabler of this writing lark, and a selection of interesting teas that accompany her on, and possibly cause, her flights of fancy.
Ellen Kushner weaves together multiple careers as a writer, radio host, teacher, performer and public speaker. A graduate of Barnard College, she also attended Bryn Mawr College, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She began her career in publishing as a fiction editor in New York City, but left to write her first novel Swordspoint, which has become a cult classic, hailed as the progenitor of the “mannerpunk” (or “Fantasy of Manners”) school of urban fantasy. Swordspoint was followed by Thomas the Rhymer (World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award), and two more novels in her “Riverside” series. In 2015, Thomas the Rhymer was published in the UK as part of the Gollancz “Fantasy Masterworks” line. In addition, her short fiction appears regularly in numerous anthologies. Her stories have been translated into a wide variety of languages, including Japanese, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Latvian and Finnish. Upon moving to Boston, she became a radio host for WGBH-FM. In 1996, she created Sound & Spirit, PRI’s award-winning national public radio series. With Ellen as host and writer, the program aired nationally until 2010; many of the original shows can now be heard archived online. As a live stage performer, her solo spoken word works include Esther: the Feast of Masks, and The Golden Dreydl: a Klezmer ‘Nutcracker’ for Chanukah (with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra). In 2008, Vital Theatre commissioned her to script a full-scale theatrical version. The Klezmer Nutcracker played to sold-out audiences in New York City, with Kushner in the role of the magical Tante Miriam. In 2012, Kushner entered the world of audiobooks, narrating and co-producing “illuminated” versions of all three of the “Riverside” novels with SueMedia Productions for Neil Gaiman Presents at Audible.com—and winning a 2013 Audie Award for Swordspoint. Other recent projects include the urban fantasy anthology Welcome to Bordertown (co-edited with Holly Black), and The Witches of Lublin, a musical audio drama written with Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom (which one Gabriel, Gracie and Wilbur Awards in 2012). In 2015 she contributed to and oversaw the creation of the online Riverside series prequel Tremontaine for Serial Box with collaborators Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Patty Bryant. A dauntless traveler, Ellen Kushner has been a guest of honor at conventions all over the world. She regularly teaches writing at the prestigious Clarion Workshop and the Hollins University Graduate Program in Children’s Literature. Ellen Kushner is a co-founder and past president of the Interstitial Arts Foundation, an organization supporting work that falls between genre categories. She lives in New York City with author and educator Delia Sherman, a lot of books, airplane and theater ticket stubs, and no cats whatsoever.
