| McCann, Jessica | McCann, Jessica | <div class="ExternalClassC9185803414F4B80A0F91AEC9EC16805"><h2>Meet local author Jessica McCann.</h2><h3>Genre: Fiction / Non-Fiction<br></h3><h3>Title: <em>All Different Kinds of Free, Peculiar Savage Beauty, Bitter Thaw, Words: Essays on Writing, Reading and Life</em></h3><p></p><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Jessica McCann is an award-winning historical novelist and has worked as a professional writer and journalist for more than 35 years. One of her earliest assignments as a freelance writer was covering a new surgical radiation technique for destroying brain tumors, during which she was permitted to don scrubs and observe inside the operating room. Since then, her reporting and creative nonfiction has appeared in dozens of magazines, including </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Business Week</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>, </em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>The Writer</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>, </em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Phoenix</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>, </em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Raising Arizona Kid</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>s </em>and </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>ASU Research</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">McCann’s debut novel, </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>All Different Kinds of Free</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">, was awarded the Freedom in Fiction Prize from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Her second, </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Peculiar Savage Beauty</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">, was named Arizona Book of the Year by the Arizona Authors Association and shortlisted for the </span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.goodreads.com/review/show/3434115698__%3b%21%21LkjWUF49MRd51_ry%21Z9UireQq7Wlr9QA6kPz2KBCgBXauTXxqVm08E9zF-Cmb9DBsQDM3vIlgmJE7TDwcxY8a8zSvjXLdXm4pPsqIXA1Hh00c$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">international Rubery Book Award</span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">. </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Publisher’s Weekly</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> called it a “gripping, atmospheric novel… with a suspenseful plot and insightfully etched characters.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span><br><br><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Bitter Thaw</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">, McCann’s most recent release, was named </span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/shelfmediagroup.com/portfolio/winter-2023/__%3b%21%21LkjWUF49MRd51_ry%21Z9UireQq7Wlr9QA6kPz2KBCgBXauTXxqVm08E9zF-Cmb9DBsQDM3vIlgmJE7TDwcxY8a8zSvjXLdXm4pPsqIXNcMZtB_$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">2023 Best Indie Book</span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> by </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Shelf Unbound</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em> </em>magazine and received the </span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.forewordreviews.com/awards/finalists/2023/historical/__%3b%21%21LkjWUF49MRd51_ry%21Z9UireQq7Wlr9QA6kPz2KBCgBXauTXxqVm08E9zF-Cmb9DBsQDM3vIlgmJE7TDwcxY8a8zSvjXLdXm4pPsqIXEyaNQzO$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Gold Award for Historical Fiction</span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> from <em>Foreword INDIES</em>.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">In all her writing, McCann shares stories of ordinary people overcoming adversity to accomplish extraordinary things. Themes of nature, forgiveness, community, and perseverance are another hallmark of her work.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span><br></p><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Phoenix is home and provides year-round opportunity to be outdoors – hiking, swimming, gardening, or reading a book on the patio. It’s where she grew up, fell in love, raised a family and chased her dreams. While she loves to travel and discover new places, McCann can’t imagine living anywhere else.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><br></p></div> |
