Ann Shortell's Blog
November 24, 2019
10 honours, Chinese translation?
Thank you to all the readers and competition judges. CELTIC KNOT A Clara Swift Tale has now been honoured in 10 competitions, including winning the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Award for Fiction. And while I was in Whistler, British Columbia, Clara was in Frankfurt at the book fair. Foreword Reviews, which represented the book there, tells me there is interest in a Chinese translation. Now, it’s a long road from interest to ink & paper, but I have to give Foreword a big shout-out!
April 26, 2019
WINNING A MEDAL IS LOVELY, WINNING AN IPPY IS PARTICULARLY LOVELY
I’m happy to announce that CELTIC KNOT A Clara Swift Tale has won a Bronze Medal from the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards -- An IPPY!
The category is FICTION-- CANADA EAST.
This means the judges have recognized the novel as one of the best books of the year in Canada (the IPPYs have two regional categories, Ontario & provinces to the east, and Manitoba & provinces and territories to the west.)
I’d like to congratulate the five other Canadian winners in the IPPY regional categories, as well as Canadian winners in all the IPPY national subject categories, both fiction and non-fiction, and in ebook categories.
In the category FICTION -- CANADA EAST,
the other two novels were both from Newfoundland: Gold winner The Luminous Sea by Melissa Barbeau, and Silver winner One for the Rock by Kevin Major (both published by Breakwater Books.)
As an author-publisher, it’s particularly gratifying to see CELTIC KNOT stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada’s traditionally-published books of 2018.
Of course, my novel and I have been blessed with great editors: Angela Pneuman at Stanford’s OWC program; copy editor Hayley Evans at FriesenPress; and my two Toronto editors, Angela Ferrante and Bryna Wasserman. Also a cadre of exceptional beta-readers.
Thanks and a toast to you all!
The category is FICTION-- CANADA EAST.
This means the judges have recognized the novel as one of the best books of the year in Canada (the IPPYs have two regional categories, Ontario & provinces to the east, and Manitoba & provinces and territories to the west.)
I’d like to congratulate the five other Canadian winners in the IPPY regional categories, as well as Canadian winners in all the IPPY national subject categories, both fiction and non-fiction, and in ebook categories.
In the category FICTION -- CANADA EAST,
the other two novels were both from Newfoundland: Gold winner The Luminous Sea by Melissa Barbeau, and Silver winner One for the Rock by Kevin Major (both published by Breakwater Books.)
As an author-publisher, it’s particularly gratifying to see CELTIC KNOT stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada’s traditionally-published books of 2018.
Of course, my novel and I have been blessed with great editors: Angela Pneuman at Stanford’s OWC program; copy editor Hayley Evans at FriesenPress; and my two Toronto editors, Angela Ferrante and Bryna Wasserman. Also a cadre of exceptional beta-readers.
Thanks and a toast to you all!
March 12, 2019
Book Award Season: A Foreword Indies finalist
CELTIC KNOT is a finalist in the Foreword Indies Book OF The Year Award!
It’s one of eleven books in its fiction category. (In June, four of the eleven finalists will be designated Gold, Silver, Bronze or Honorable Mention.)
My novel is being honored in what some readers may consider an unusual category for a tale of a young Irish-Canadian girl: Multicultural Fiction.
I’m thrilled that the Foreword judges saw the book as I do — as an immigrant narrative. That was one of my goals in writing this coming-of-age history with a mystery. The theme of crossing the threshold to a strange land is at the heart of Clara Swift’s bildungsroman.
Of course, aside from the ego stroke, I am entering award competitions to bring the book series to the attention of a publisher, even as I write Book 2.
The recognition by the Foreword Indies is a big step forward to the new land of a book series.
Thanks for reading.
It’s one of eleven books in its fiction category. (In June, four of the eleven finalists will be designated Gold, Silver, Bronze or Honorable Mention.)
My novel is being honored in what some readers may consider an unusual category for a tale of a young Irish-Canadian girl: Multicultural Fiction.
I’m thrilled that the Foreword judges saw the book as I do — as an immigrant narrative. That was one of my goals in writing this coming-of-age history with a mystery. The theme of crossing the threshold to a strange land is at the heart of Clara Swift’s bildungsroman.
Of course, aside from the ego stroke, I am entering award competitions to bring the book series to the attention of a publisher, even as I write Book 2.
The recognition by the Foreword Indies is a big step forward to the new land of a book series.
Thanks for reading.
February 5, 2019
Sarton Women’s Book Awards
I’m thrilled that CELTIC KNOT A Clara Swift Tale
is a finalist for the 2018 Sarton Women’s Book Award in Historical Fiction.
More than thrilled—stunned, really. My protagonist Clara Swift has gone off on a journey of her own, meeting readers in five countries. Now a message has reached me from Texas—they like her, they really like her.
Thank you to the Sarton judges and to Story Circle, which holds the awards to honour the memory and work of the novelist, poet, and memoirist May Sarton.
And this news reached me days before the 150th anniversary of the hanging of Jimmy Whelan—who insisted until the end that he did not assassinate politician D’Arcy McGee. I hope the short-list nomination brings more attention to this Canadian history with a mystery.
Cheers!
Ann Feb. 6th, 2019
is a finalist for the 2018 Sarton Women’s Book Award in Historical Fiction.
More than thrilled—stunned, really. My protagonist Clara Swift has gone off on a journey of her own, meeting readers in five countries. Now a message has reached me from Texas—they like her, they really like her.
Thank you to the Sarton judges and to Story Circle, which holds the awards to honour the memory and work of the novelist, poet, and memoirist May Sarton.
And this news reached me days before the 150th anniversary of the hanging of Jimmy Whelan—who insisted until the end that he did not assassinate politician D’Arcy McGee. I hope the short-list nomination brings more attention to this Canadian history with a mystery.
Cheers!
Ann Feb. 6th, 2019
