Samantha Harvey's THE WESTERN WIND is shortlisted for the Staunch Book Prize!

Congratulations to Samantha Harvey on being shortlisted for the second annual Staunch Book Prize! The £1,000 award was set up in 2018 by author Bridget Lawless to draw attention to the plethora of violence towards women in fiction, and make space for exciting alternatives. According to the prize's website, 'while women in the real world are fighting sexual abuse and violence, being harassed, assaulted and raped, or being murdered because they’re women, the casual and endless depiction of females as victims or prey sits uneasily alongside their fight. Real rape survivors struggle to be heard, counted and believed, under-reporting is rife, partly because victims fear being torn apart in court, and prosecutions continually fail. Meanwhile, in popular culture, women are endlessly cast as victims of stalking, abduction, rape and murder, for entertainment.'

The winner will be announced on Monday 25th November 2019 - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. More info here.