Athena's Daughters, Day 3: A Print, A Preview, and Even More Stretch Goals!

To everyone who has contributed to or shared about our Kickstarter project -- thank you so much for your support! We could not do this without you!

To recap: if you have pledged at the $5 level and up, here's what you're now getting, in addition to any items you've specifically pledged for:

• a digital copy of the Athena's Daughters anthology
• an email from one of our authors, personally thanking you for your contribution
• a digital copy of Danielle Ackley McPhail's novel The Halfling's Court
• a digital copy of Gail Z. Martin's short story bundle (including Buttons, Vanities, and Steer A Pale Course.)
• and a digital download of Maggie Allen's album Last Call, recorded with her band Naked Singularity!

The image at the top of this post is an original commission by artist Ginger Breo. Because we hit the $9000 mark yesterday, this beautiful piece featuring the goddess Athena will now be available for purchase as a print!

Right now, we are $300 away from unlocking our next stretch goal. In my last post, I told you about the fabulous NisiShawl, whose story will be included in our anthology once we hit the $11,000 mark. Below is an excerpt of one of her other stories, as well as a link to a second Kickstarter anthology in which she's currently featured, Steampunk World.

This is from Nisi's short story "Black Betty" :

For the first three human years of her life, Betty was black. The Fraziers took possession of Betty when she was a mere pup, freshly weaned from her mother’s satiny nipples. They raised her on kibble they kept in a garbage can locked in a shed. Low-grade stuff compared to what she was fed later, but they doctored it with pot liquor and bacon drippings and added table scraps when those were available. The Fraziers were good people.

“That dog oughta be talkin,” proclaimed Mizz Millie, their alpha. “Beagles sure is smart. Lookit how her eyes followin up our conversation!” Mizz Millie was far less mobile than the rest of the pack, but they all submitted to her anyway. How and why this happened was one of the many things Betty studied. She observed everything about the Fraziers and later integrated it all, every scent and sound and sight and sensation.

Mizz Millie spent those three years either in her bed or seated – depending on the weather – next to the warm fire or the open window. She hardly ever went outside. She had the wisest hands, and Betty loved her with all her cheek, chin, and belly.

Betty often wished she could talk; it would have been a way to prove her loyalty to Mizz Millie and thus to the Frazier pack. But at that time she had not yet been modded...

Read more here.

Nisi isn't the only author we'll be adding once we pass the $11,000 stretch goal mark. We are also adding a story by talented newcomer TanyaSpackman, an excerpt of which is below:

Amaia was relieved to finally find a bit of peace as she dressed her mother’s body at the funeral home. She’d been dreading this moment, but as she, and two women from her mother’s church, moved the body back and forth to maneuver the fabric of the clothes in place, the heavy ache crushing her chest lifted. For the first time in several days, she didn’t wish she too was dead. The only words spoken were absolutely necessary.

“Pull towards you and I’ll move it down.”

“Can you help me lift?”

Otherwise, it was quiet, and the three women moved silently to complete the task. Once her mother was dressed, the other two women gave Amaia a hug and left the room. She’d already said goodbye, but couldn’t help one more kiss on her mother’s cold cheek. The kiss felt empty and she regretted it. She said a quiet thank you to the funeral director waiting outside the door and left.

~~~~~~~~~

7 April 2015 From: Omar Gray, JPL/NASA To: Megan Keelan, JPL/NASA

Megan, check out the attached files. Hiromi was spot on with those gravity measurements. This thing is huge. Alex’s calculations say 2700 km in diameter. It has got to be a D-type. Course is a little iffy right now, but it’s going to be close fly-by. Give us a couple more days for an accurate course. Likely close enough for tidal effects, at least.

Megan, this is a scary one. Might want to pass it up the chain ASAP.

VR, Omar

Omar Gray, PhD Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex omar.gray@jpl.nasa.gov (760) 555-4774

~~~~~~~~~

Thank you guys again for supporting this project. You are the ones who funded this anthology and helped make it possible. With your help, we can continue to make it even better! Keep spreading the word!

Athena's Daughters Kickstarter, Day 2

Amazing. We are FULLY FUNDED on day TWO of this campaign! Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our project, as well as those who may not have contributed, but have faithfully shared the link on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Reddit, and other social platforms. You guys rock! We could not have done this without you!

I want to take this time to talk briefly about the inspiration for this anthology, and remind you about some awesome upcoming stretch goals we've put together for you!

The reason Silence in the Library wanted to put together this collection of stories is simple: media representation of women matters. Right now, there are many examples of strong women in books, television, and film. Through this anthology, we wanted to show that character strength comes in all forms. Female characters do not only have to be physically strong to be considered awesome. Women and girls also have mental strength, moral strength, or strength of conviction, all of which deserve due recognition alongside physical feats.

Basically, we wanted to read and write stories about compelling women of all walks of life. The authors in this anthology who have children wanted their families to be able to read about a variety of female characters, too.

Since this project IS funded, I'll remind you about the fantastic upcoming rewards we're working to bring you now:

At the $9000 level, artist Ginger Breo will create an exclusive piece of artwork for this anthology which will feature the goddess Athena. It will be made available as an 8x10 print for backers to purchase.

At the $9500 level, all backers who have pledged $5 and up will receive a free digital download of Danielle Ackley McPhail'snovel The Halfling's Court!

At the $10,000 level, all backers who've pledged $5 and up will receive a free digital download of Gail Z. Martin's short story bundle 3 Deadly Curiosities! This includes her short stories Vanities, Steer A Pale Course, and Buttons.

At the $10,500 level, all backers who have pledged at the $5 level will receive a free digital download of Maggie Allen's album Last Call, from her folk-rock band, Naked Singularity!

Finally, at the $11,000 level, we begin to add more stories to the anthology! Award-winning author Nisi Shawl and newcomer Tanya Spackman will both have their work included in Athena's Daughters if we reach this goal.  Tanya has even posted an excerpt of her story on her blog for you to preview!

I am so excited to see where we take this project from here. Thank you all for your continued support. I hope you continue to spread the word of this fantastic Kickstarter to your friends and family.

(Newcomers: like what you hear? Back us!)

Athena's Daughters Kickstarter is Live!

Our beautiful cover!

It is officially Day 1 of our Kickstarter campaign! I've partnered with Silence in the Library Publishing and a host of renowned authors including Mary Robinette Kowal, Gail Z. Martin, Jean Rabe, Sherwood Smith, Janine Spendlove, and many more in a new Kickstarter project titled Athena's Daughters. 

Athena’s Daughters is a collection of short speculative fiction from some of the best female science fiction and fantasy authors in the industry. This anthology features stories written by women about women. It showcases an engaging, diverse group of stories about female characters who exhibit strength in all forms, whether physical, mental, or moral. It also features an introduction by retired astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Col. Pam Melroy.

I am so pleased to be part of this anthology. My included work, "Oh, Sisters, Let's Go Down to the River," is an Appalachian ghost story about a young girl whose daily chore is to scrub the family well. She thought nothing could scare her more than being lowered into the well's narrow mouth. But she didn't ever count on hearing voices while she worked...

Silence in the Library, our publisher, believes strongly in bringing creative artistry back to the industry. To that end, the anthologies they produce feature illustrations for each individual story. Athena's Daughters showcases the work of two talented artists  in particular -- Autumn Frederickson and Betsy Waddell -- and, as one of our stretch goals, is also poised to feature artist Tietjen Alvarez, who will create an original art cover exclusively for this anthology.

My fellow authors and I, in addition to the staff at Silence in the Library Publishing, believe that any good project should contribute something to improving the human community. In keeping with that goal, a portion of every book sold will go to RAINN. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country, and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims, and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

This is only a small portion of what you'll find on our Kickstarter project page. Please join us today and become a part of the Athena's Daughters journey: http://tinyurl.com/athenasD.