Jo Riccioni graduated with a Masters in Medieval Literature from Leeds University, where her studies included Icelandic saga and the Arthurian and Robin Hood legends. Her short stories have won awards in the UK and Australia and have been anthologised in Best Australian Stories. Her story, Can’t Take the Country out of the Boy, was optioned for film. Jo’s first novel, The Italians at Cleat’s Corner Store, won the International Rubery Award for fiction and was long-listed for the New Angle Prize in the UK. She lives in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, an adopted Aussie with one foot still in the snow.
"""A rich and thought-provoking tale. Riccioni explores a world of distorted matriarchal structure, where fertility is a commodity. I was biting my nails the entire time. A beautifully crafted high fantasy world with a heroine that speaks to my heart and sometimes breaks it."" – Stacey McEwan author Ledge ""An outstanding fantasy debut, evocative and thought-provoking. Jo Riccioni combines a poet’s touch with the skill of a true storyteller, making The Branded a compelling read."" – Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters and Warrior Bards series. ""The Branded is a timely and passionate adventure, a story for today’s women, for those who refuse to back down. With a vivid setting, and a tough and sassy female lead, Riccioni has tapped into the very pulse of the female empowerment movement."" – Bronwyn Eley, author of The Relic Trilogy"