Diane Bator's Blog
February 7, 2024
Escape With a Writer Has MOVED!
You can find all of the latest and greatest releases, interviews, and books at:
https://escapewithawriter.wordpress.com/
January 31, 2024
Chatting with donalee Moulton, author of Conflagration and Hung Out to Die
Welcome back to amazing Canadian author,
donalee Moulton who I first met through
Crime Writers of Canada.
donalee’s first mystery book Hung out toDie was published in 2023. Her second book, Conflagration, waspublished in December.
“Swan Song” was one of 21 short storiesselected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime, an anthology publishedby the Crime Writers of Canada. It was shortlisted for the 2023 Awards ofExcellence. A second short story featuring the Nunavut-based character in “SwanSong” was published in Black Cat Weekly. A literary short story,“Moist,” was published this spring in After Dinner Conversation andreprinted in The Antigonish Review. It has also been selected forinclusion in two anthologies.
donalee is the author of The ThongPrinciple: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-authored CelebrityCourt Cases. She is an award-winning freelance journalist. Her byline hasappeared in The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, NationalPost, and Canadian Business among other online and printpublications.
donalee lives in Halifax happily surroundedby family, friends, pets, and words of all shapes, sizes, and syllables.
What was the most difficultsection/piece you ever wrote? What made it difficult?
I wrote an article early in my career aboutan infant born several months prematurely (with only a tablespoon of blood inits entire body if I remember correctly) and the fight to save the little one.I recall drafting the article with tears streaming down my cheeks. In thatmoment I realized, for me, that journalism was about moving people as well asinforming them.
What sort of research do you dofor your work?
There were key elements to my first mysterybook Hung Out to Die that had to be authentic, at least in a fictionalcontext. I have done a lot of reporting on the cannabis industry and have hadthe opportunity to tour a cannabis-production plant before it opened. Likewise,for years as a freelance journalist I wrote on the health sector and healthissues, including mental health and personality issues. As a communicationsspecialist, many of my clients were from this sector. All of this research fedinto Hung Out to Die. Even more was required for my second book Conflagration!,a historical mystery set in 1734. Accuracy is paramount.
Which books and authors do youread for pleasure? Is there an author that inspires you?
I relish reading. I was a judge in the CrimeWriters of Canada’s Awards of Excellence last year, and I got to dive into morethan 40 fabulous – and very diverse – books that kept me on my toes and my eyesglued to the page. When I was younger and I was discovering the wonder and wowof the mystery genre, I devoured authors like Tony Hillerman, Martha Grimes,Ruth Rendell. More recently I have discovered writers like Richard Osman. AndDelia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing was nothing short of joyous.
Was there a person who encouragedyou to write?
My mother taught me to love language – andto respect it. She cared about words and getting the words right. She was mygreatest influence.
What would you say are yourstrengths as an author?
Ialways find it easy to get distracted when I am writing. As a freelancejournalist, however, I learned to stay on track. Working to deadline meantthere often wasn’t time to travel down interesting but non-essential paths. Youare also working to a specific word count as a journalist so you know no matterhow interesting the asides, they will not make it into the article for lengthreasons. Rigor is required.
How often do you write, and doyou write using a strict routine?
I am not a marathon writer. I am a sprinter.I can’t sit and write for hours at a time. I break up my writing by taking ayoga class, soaking up some sunshine, checking email, doing some paid work. Ido try to write 1,000 fictional words a day. Some days I achieve this. We don’tneed to talk about the other days.
CONFLAGRATION!
On a warm spring dayin April 1734, a fire raged through the merchants’ quarter in Montréal. When the flames finally died, 46 buildings – including the Hôtel-Dieuconvent and hospital – had been destroyed. Within hours, rumors ran rampantthat Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved Black woman fighting for her freedom,had started the fire with her white lover. Less than a day later, Angélique satin prison, her lover nowhere to be found. Though she denied the charges,witnesses claimed Angélique was the arsonist even though no one saw her set thefire.
In an era when lawyers are banned frompracticing in New France, Angélique is on her own. Philippe Archambeau, a courtclerk assigned specifically to document her case, believes Angelique might justbe telling the truth. Or not. A reticent servant, a boisterous jailer, andthree fire-scorched shingles prove indispensable in his quest to uncover whatreally happened.
Angélique’s time isrunning out as Archambeau searches for answers. Will the determined court clerkdiscover what really happened the night Montreal burned to the ground beforeit’s too late?
HUNG OUT TO DIE
Meet Riel Brava. Attractive.Razor-sharp. Ambitious. And something much more.
Riel,raised in Santa Barbara, California, has been transplanted to Nova Scotia wherehe is CEO of the Canadian Cannabis Corporation. It’s business as usual untilRiel finds his world hanging by a thread. Actually, several threads. It doesn’ttake the police long to determine all is not as it appears – and that includesRiel himself.
Pulledinto a world not of his making, Riel resists the hunt to catch a killer.Resistance is futile. Detective Lin Raynes draws the reluctant CEO into theinvestigation, and the seeds of an unexpected and unusual friendship are sown.Raynes and Riel concoct a scheme to draw a confession out of the killer, butthat plan is never put into place. Instead, Riel finds himself on the butt endof a rifle in the ribs and a long drive to the middle of Nowhere, Nova Scotia.
ALL EBooks andPrint:
https://www.amazon.ca/Donalee-Moulton/e/B09WVR3K44/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk
January 27, 2024
Writing With Your Muse, a Guide to Creative Inspiration by W.L. HAWKIN
WritingWith Your Muse
A Guideto Creative Inspiration
Aspiritual guide of creativity by critically acclaimed author,
W.L.HAWKIN
Released and publishedby Bluehaven Press!
The book will be available worldwide in digitaland print January 2024
Writingwith your Muse offerstechniques, strategies, tools, tips, and stories to help you tap into creativeinspiration. You don’t have to be psychic to be successful with thesetechniques, although that natural ability exists in all of us, and thesetechniques will help you develop your sixth sense. There’s even science to backit up. This book will help you if you hear words or see images but find itdifficult to get the text on the page, you’ve written and published but aresearching for something fresh and different, you have ideas but don’t know howor where to begin, you want to write but have no ideas, or you’re sufferingfrom a bad case of writer's block.
Thisbook is a must for writers searching for new ideas and methods to release theircreative energy. Hawkin is refreshingly honest about her own experiences,establishing her expertise with gentle humor and humility. The book is packedwith options and ideas to encourage writers to explore their own innerspiritual and creative sides. If writing is a journey, then Hawkin is theperfect guide to its unexplored and untamed reaches: inspiring, forthright, andinventive.” Marie Powell, author of The Last of the Gifted series
“I’m so thankful Hawkin wrote this unique and beautifulwriting book. It is, at once, a craft tool and a spiritual journey guided by askillful, compassionate mentor. Hawkin’s gentle approach to teaching (she's aformer academic and teacher) makes this stand out from other writing craftbooks.” Sionnach Wintergreen, author of Men of the Shadows series
MORE FROM W.L. HAWKIN:
“From Iron Age Ireland to modern-day Vancouver, Hawkin takes readers ona wild ride fueled by love, revenge, and ecstasy ... a tall, sexy drink ofsatisfaction.”—JP MCLEAN, DARK DREAMS SERIES
“Great characters that are incredibly well-built. A depth of emotionaldescription that will surprise you. Drama, lots of drama. A connection withNature that will have you looking around with new eyes. Great erotic scenes ofintimacy, many of which aren’t even “sexual” per se.”—JULIO CARLOS,SCRIBBLE’S WORTH
“This story reads like a journey, and one with exactly the kinds ofpeople you’d want to be on an epic adventure with—complex, intriguing, and withenough nuance and contradiction to, like the plot itself, add a frisson ofunpredictability at interesting moments.”—JUNIPER GREER-ASHE
ABOUT W.L. HAWKIN :
W. L. Hawkin writes the kind ofbooks she loves to read from her home in the Pacific Northwest. Because she’s agenre-blender, you might find crime, mystery, romance, suspense, fantasy,adventure, and even time travel, interwoven in her stories.
If you like “myth, magic, andmayhem” her Hollystone Mysteries feature a coven of West Coast witches whosolve murders using ritual magic and a little help from the gods. The books—ToCharm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, To Kill aKing, and To Dance with Destiny—follow Estrada, a free-spirited,bisexual magician and coven high priest as he endeavors to save his family andfriends while sorting through his own personal issues.
Her standalone novel, Lure:Jesse & Hawk (2022) won a National Indie Excellence Award, a GoldReader's Choice award from Connections E-magazine, a Crowned HeartReview from InD’tale Magazine, and placed as a finalist inThe UK Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Lure is a small-town romantic suspense storyset on a Chippewa Reservation in the American Midwest near the fictional townof Lure River.
As an intuitive writer, Wendycaptures what she sees and hears on the page, and allows her muses to guide herthrough the creative process. In her newest book, Writing with your Muse: aGuide to Creative Inspiration, she explains her writing process and offerstips and techniques to help writers get their words on the page.
Wendy needs to feel the energy ofthe land so, although she’s an introvert, in each book her characters go on ajourney where she’s traveled herself.
If you don’t find her at Blue Haven Press, she’s outwandering the woods or beaches of Vancouver Island with her beautiful yellowdog.
To request additional review copies or aninterview with W.L. Hawkin, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative EdgePublicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
Welook forward to the coverage!
January 25, 2024
Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, featuring short fiction releases from Shadowpaw Press
Fourth entry inpowerhouse anthology series features short fiction by some of today’s topwriters of science fiction and fantasy and original artwork by Alberta artistWendi Nordell
Shapers of WorldsVolume IV, the fourth in a series of anthologies featuring short fiction bysome of today’s top writers of science fiction and fantasy, releases everywhereJanuary 23, 2024, from Shadowpaw Pressin Regina, Saskatchewan.
Edited by Edward Willett, award-winning author of more thansixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers of allages, the anthology was successfully Kickstarted earlier this year. Like theprevious three volumes in the series, the anthology features work by authorswho were guests on Willett’s Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers (www.theworldshapers.com), whichfocuses on the creative process of writers of science fiction and fantasy. Forthe first time, the anthology also features artwork, with each story receivinga unique black-and-white illustration by Calgary-based artist Wendi Nordell.
Shapers of Worlds Volume IV features new fiction fromDavid Boop, Michaelbrent Collings, Roy M. Griffis, Sarah A. Hoyt, SherrilynKenyon, Noah Lemelson, Edward M. Lerner, David Liss, Gail Z. Martin, JoshuaPalmatier, Richard Paolinelli, Jean-Louis Trudel, James van Pelt, Garon Whited,and Edward Willett, plus reprints by James Kennedy, Mark Leslie, R.S. Mellette,and Lavie Tidhar. Among those authors are several international bestsellers, aswell as winners and nominees for every major science fiction and fantasyliterary award.
From the farthest reaches of our galaxy to thecozy-yet-mysterious spaces under beds and behind sofa cushions, from mysticalrealms of fantasy to the here-and-now and the very near future, these nineteenauthors offer readers a kaleidoscope of fantastical adventures in the companyof unforgettable characters.
The editor of a tyrannical bestselling author thinks she'sfinally escaped their hellish relationship when the author dies . . . but shecouldn't be more wrong. A retired ghost-hunter's life takes an unexpected turnwhen an immensely valuable magical vase from the nineteenth century is broughtto her attention. At the end of a millennia-long journey to the edge of thegalaxy, a man who has lived a hundred lifetimes is reunited with his first truelove in the midst of a battle for survival. Scarecrows that appear overnight ona lonely man's lawn prove to be far more than the teenagers' prank he thinksthem to be. A man travels back in time to confront the attacker who destroyedhis life, only to make a horrifying discovery. The Monster Under the Bedfinally meets his match . . .
Travel into the past, the present, and the future in storiesset in our world, in deep space, in worlds scattered across the multiverse, andin worlds that exist only in the imagination.
An unforgettable journey awaits. All you have to do is turnthe page.
Praise for Shapers of Worlds Volume IV
“One of the most overall enjoyable anthologies I have hadthe pleasure of reading . . . You are in for a wild ride from one end of theuniverse to the depths of hell, and I think that the editor says it best in hisintroduction: this collection is like a grand feast, made of many variedsplendid ingredients, and you are quite sure to leave happy and satisfied whenyou are done . . . Overall, I highly recommend this fourth volume of Shapersof Worlds.” – Tangent Online
About the editor
EDWARD WILLETT is the Aurora Award-winning author of morethan sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers ofall ages, including twelve novels for New York’s DAW Books. A past president ofSF Canada, he is currently vice-president of SaskBooks, the professionalassociation of publishers in Saskatchewan. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.
About the artist
WENDI NORDELL has been drawing for as long as she could holda pencil. It has always been a favourite pastime and eventually became anoccasional job. While her three children were growing up, she painted manymurals, including the pediatrics wing in a hospital, a school entrance, and inmany homes. She also attended festivals and craft shows, selling hand-drawngift cards, bookmarks, and illustrations. Now that her children are grown, shehas pursued an illustration career, illustrating a dozen books in the last fiveyears, mostly for children, but also including Edward Willett's science-fictionand fantasy poetry collection I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust.Recently, she returned to the Alberta University of the Arts, pursuing a degreein illustration.
About Shadowpaw Press
Shadowpaw Press was founded in 2018 by Edward Willett. Amember of Literary Press Group (Canada) and the Association of CanadianPublishers, Shadowpaw Press publishes an eclectic selection of books by bothnew and established authors, including adult fiction, young adult fiction,children’s books, non-fiction, and anthologies. In addition, Shadowpaw Presspublishes new editions of notable, previously published books in any genreunder the Shadowpaw Press Reprise imprint.
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For more information:
Edward Willett
306-536-5421
January 23, 2024
Americana: Stories, a testament to the culture of America by Bill Hemmig
Americana: Stories
Acollection of stories that is truly unique and is a testament to the culture ofAmerica by critically acclaimed author, Bill Hemmig
Released and published by Read Furiously
The book is available worldwide in e-format and paperback
Read Furiously is proud toannounce its newest title: Americana: Stories by Bill Hemmig. Bill Hemmig isalso author of Brethren Hollow, partof Read Furiously One ‘n Done series and a contributor to the Life in the Garden State anthologyseries.
Welcome to Bill Hemmig’s Americana, a collection of snapshots that capture everyday American encounters. From fillingthe bird feeder to a realtor conference (behind) the happiest place on Earth tothe picturesque canals of Venice, each story celebrates the eccentricitieshidden inside the fabric of an ordinary life.
Americana: Storiesis not just a collection of tales; it’s an invitation to experience the magic and diversity that makeAmerica truly special. Immerse yourself in the authentic voices, vividlandscapes, and raw emotions that define itscitizens. Each page turn will leave you craving for more and enthralled by Hemmig’s unparalleled storytelling prowess.
Through his signature playfulsatire, first introduced in Brethren Hollow, Hemmigeffortlessly captures the essenceof American culture, taking readerson a mesmerizing journey filled with love, loss, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit. With anincredible depth of characters and a keen eye for detail, Hemmig brings to lifethe untold stories of everyday people, each battling their own demons, chasingdreams, and navigating the complexities of life.
Aside from Read Furiously, Bill Hemmig’s work also appears in the Toho Publishing anthology, The Best Short Stories of Philadelphia, 2021. He has had stories published in the journalsThe Madison Review,Philadelphia Stories, and Children, Churches and Daddies(cc&d), and he is a three-time finalistin the New Millennium WritingAwards. By day he is Dean, Learning Resources& Online Learningat Bucks CountyCommunity College in Pennsylvania.
Americana: Stories [ISBN: 9798986119939, LCCN: 2022946350] has a retail price of $16.99 and is available wherever books are sold.
In his new collection, Americana, Bill Hemmig explores thepsychological complexities of modern life. In these keenly observed stories setin familiar surroundings—the interior of a bathroom, a daily commute along a two-lane highway,a garden designedby a former homeowner--Hemmig createslandscapes that are continually shifting, in whichcharacters, sometimes tragic,sometimes comedic, live in a state of emotionaluncertainty as they move back and forth between reality and imagined worlds. “Life happens inside us,” says onecharacter, as Hemmig explores with acuity and deep intelligence the tensionbetween these two and how to live with the inevitability of death, Cheryl Baldi Author of The Shapelessness of Water
Inside, outside, upsidedown”—such are the dizzying and often tumultuous lives of the characters inBill Hemmig’s story collection, Americana. Often with humor, sometimes pathos,and always with passion, ~Julie Cooper-Fratrik Author of The Space of Appearances
BillHemmig is the author of Americana: Stories and Brethren Hollow, both publishedby Read Furiously. His short stories appear in Read Furiously’s Life in the Garden State anthologies, The WorldTakes and Stay Salty, and in theToho Publishing anthology, The Best ShortStories of Philadelphia, 2021. He has had stories published in the journalsThe Madison Review, Philadelphia Stories, and Children,Churches and Daddies(cc&d), and he is a three-time finalist in the NewMillennium Writing Awards. By day he is Dean, Learning Resources & OnlineLearning at Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania.
About Read Furiously:
In 2012,Read Furiously published its first title, the graphic novel series The MOTHER Principle. Today we dedicateour time and energies to publishing titles that offer a new perspective on theworld through a roster of fascinating voices.
Our goal at Read Furiously is to create a new generation of readers (lovinglyreferred to as “FuriousReaders”) who view reading as a necessity for this busy world. We believe that reading is more than performative -reading is an activity that brings people together to help us make senseof where we come from and wherewe are going. Every Read Furiouslytitle is curated carefully to reflect these values.
Withevery title we publish, Read Furiously donates 5% of our net proceeds tovarious literacy programs and book-related charities, and we also invite our talented creators to do the same.We also work with LittleFree Libraries and book donationprograms throughout NJ. Weunderstand that reading can be a form of activism and we take thisresponsibility very seriously.
Throughour published titles and community efforts, Read Furiously recognizes thatreading is a personal and social act. If we are successful in combining thetwo, being a Furious Reader will be another way we can change the world - onebook at a time. We strive to celebrate diverse voices and encourage asustainable reading journey.
Enjoy the journey, FuriousReaders!
To request additional review copies oran interview with Bill Hemmig, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative EdgePublicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
We look forward to the coverage !
January 20, 2024
Nir Yaniv’s rollicking, madcap military sci-fi satire The Good Soldier
Catch-22 meets StarshipTroopers in Nir Yaniv’s rollicking,madcap militarysci-fi satire The Good Soldier
The Good Soldier by Nir Yaniv, a rollicking, madcap military sci-fisatire that’s been described as “M*A*S*H in outer space” and “Catch-22 meetsStarship Troopers,” is the latest adult science fiction novel published byRegina, Saskatchewan’s Shadowpaw Press.
As U.K author and critic Adam Roberts (Jack Glass) puts it, TheGood Soldier is “a rattling, SFnal updating of The Good Soldier Švejkvia StarshipTroopers (asit might be: Švejkship Troopers): funny, pointed, readable, a subversivedepiction of the futility of war and a satire on the perennial logic of themilitary mind and the structures of the army.” It is also, he adds, “highlyrecommended.”
AsThe Good Soldier begins, The Imperial Navy has long been at war. It is awell-oiled machine, a mighty galactic power in which nothing can go wrong.
EnterPre-Private Joseph Fux, self-proclaimed Idiot, Second Class.
WhenFux arrives on board the light frigate UPS Spitz,things immediately begin to go wrong. It’s not Fux’s fault. It never is. Accidentsjust happen when he’s around, despite the best intentions.
Andas the always-cheerful Fux bungles his way through one job after another, hethrows the whole ship and its orderly crew into chaos. No one is leftunscathed: not the responsible and lonely Lt. Lipton, grieving for his lostlove; not the mercilessly logical Doctor Nightingale, who may or may not beLipton’s current romantic interest; not the overzealous Ensign Berseker, or thepompous political officer, Commander Kapust. Not even the hidden, monstrousCaptain.
Knowinglyor not, Fux is an agent of resistance, his blind stupidity the only saneresponse to the insanity of war. Something’s gotta give, and the tinyspanner-in-the-works that is Fux threatens at last to destroy the entiremachinery of the Galactic Empire . . .
More praise for The Good Soldier
“In this amiable satire of the gung-ho heroics of military sci-fi,Yaniv (coauthor of The Tel Aviv Dossier) sets a seeming simpleton against animmense empire, and the contest is hardly fair . . . (A)n amusing alternativeto the usual run of martial marvels and battle-tested warriors. Military SFfans will enjoy this gentle roasting.” – Publishers Weekly
“Drawing on a tradition of anti-war fiction and his own militaryexperience, Nir Yaniv meshes together classical American gung-ho SF with thedelightful absurdism of European literature to create an unforgettablefar-future fable for our times. Think M.A.S.H. in space, and you’llcome closest to capturing the spirit of TheGood Soldier, but you’ll have to enmesh yourself in the(mis)adventures of Idiot-Second-Class Fux and company of the good ship Spitz to find out foryourself. This is one explosive novel you do not want to miss!” – Lavie Tidhar,award-winning author of CentralStation and Neom
“A madcap dystopian satire that shoulders its way into the ranksof Billthe Galactic Hero and Catch-22,then stands sloppily at attention as it smirks in the face of an apoplecticpolitical officer.” –Alex Shvartsman, Award-Winning Author of The MiddlingAffliction and Eridani’s Crown
About the authorNIR YANIV (niryaniv.com) is an Israeli-born multidisciplinaryartist living in Los Angeles. He’s an author, a musician, an illustrator, and afilmmaker. He founded Israel’s first online science fiction magazine and servedas its chief editor for ten years, after which he moved on to editing a printedgenre magazine. He collaborated with World Fantasy Award-winningauthor Lavie Tidhar on two novels, including the “deranged sci-fiextravaganza” (per The Jewish Quarterly) The Tel Aviv Dossier,and his English- language collection The Love Machine & OtherContraptions was published by Infinity Plus in 2012.His most recent Hebrewnovel, King of Jerusalem, was published in Israel in 2019. His shortstories have appeared in Weird Tales, Apex, and ChiZine,among others.
Nir’s musical career includes soundtracks for film, dance shows,and theatre. His most recent work is the voice-and-drums animated album TheVoice Remains (LifeArt Music, 2021). Nir has also directed several shortfilms and music videos, both live-action and animated.
About Shadowpaw Press
Shadowpaw Press was founded in 2018 by Edward Willett. A member ofLiterary Press Group (Canada) and the Association of Canadian Publishers,Shadowpaw Press publishes an eclectic selection of books by both new andestablished authors, including adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’sbooks, non-fiction, and anthologies. In addition, Shadowpaw Press publishes neweditions of notable, previously published books in any genre under theShadowpaw Press Reprise imprint.
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For more information:
Edward Willett
306-536-5421
www.theworldshapers.comJanuary 18, 2024
Parade of Streetlights, a debut novel from Itua Uduebo
Parade of Streetlights
A criticallyacclaimed debut novel of investigative candor all from a millennial’s point ofview from Itua Uduebo
Released and published by Read Furiously
Life is lived between the checklists.
Paradeof Streetlights is a captivating exploration of themillennial experience. Following a significantincident from his youth in Lagos, KolawoleIdowu always had a hauntingdesire to return to Nigeria and commit his time to making a difference.Within the course of a year, Kola exploreshis home of New York City and all aspectsof his world with candor andhumor. Kola is both self-conscious and observant as he encounters people on thestreets of NYC and constantly struggles with the idea of what it means to behimself.
Paradeof Streetlights is a deeply personal and introspectivedebut novel from author Itua Uduebo told in vignettes and featuring characters who are working through many personalabsurdities.
Thisis a novel about the choices we make, the ways we restrict ourselvesneedlessly, and the freedom of embracing the authentic pursuitof happiness. Kola’s voiceis a welcome addition to the literary canon and his story will stay with youlong after the last page is finished.
Ituawas born in Lagos, Nigeria, reside in New York, NY, and graduated fromGeorgetown University with a degree in International Politics. He is currentlyworking in the financial technology industry. His writing journey began in his college years and to date he has several essays, articles,freeform poems, and short stories published online and in print. His focuses are new adultfiction, urban literature, science fiction,thrillers, politics, racial justice, culture, and global affairs. Currentlyworking on his second novel manuscript and always looking to take on newcreative challenges.
About Read Furiously:
In 2012,Read Furiously published its first title, the graphic novel series The MOTHER Principle. Today we dedicateour time and energies to publishing titles that offer a new perspective on theworld through a roster of fascinating voices.
Our goal at Read Furiouslyis to create a new generation of readers (lovinglyreferred to as “FuriousReaders”) who view reading as a necessity for this busy world. We believe that reading is more than performative -reading is an activity that brings people together to help us make senseof where we come from and wherewe are going. Every Read Furiouslytitle is curated carefully to reflect these values.
With every title we publish, Read Furiously donates 5% of ournet proceeds to various literacy programs and book-related charities, and we also invite our talented creators to do the same.We also work with LittleFree Libraries and book donationprograms throughout NJ. Weunderstand that reading can be a form of activism and we take this responsibilityvery seriously.
Through our published titles and community efforts, ReadFuriously recognizes that reading is a personal and social act. If we aresuccessful in combining the two, being a Furious Reader will be another way wecan change the world - one book at a time. We strive to celebrate diversevoices and encourage a sustainable reading journey.
To request additional review copies oran interview with Itua Utuebo, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative EdgePublicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925. We look forward to the coverage!
January 16, 2024
Isn’t She Great, a love letter to female-led comedies with a touch of pink by Elizabeth Teets
Isn’t She Great
A loveletter to female-led comedies brought to you with a touch of pink bycomedian, screenwriter and author, Elizabeth Teets
Released and published by Read Furiously
Based on Elizabeth Teets’sprogram series called “Isn’t She Great” at the Hollywood Theater,this anthology is a collection of the most beloved female-centric comedies and the audienceswho adore them. From 9 to 5 to Romy and Michele to the iconic ElleWoods, the essays in this collection build on our devotion to these films and continuethe conversation around funnywomen and how these characters have shaped so many talented writers.
Isn’t She Great is for anyone who loves movies andfeels the glamour in pink. Cult cinema and film criticism will never be thesame.
About ElizabethTeets:
Elizabeth Teets is anOregan born writer, comedian, screenwriter, and fashionista. Her work has appeared in the Los AngelesTimes, New York Times, Repeller, Catapult, Reductress, and more. She lives inLos Angeles where she is waiting for her group chat to respond.
About Read Furiously:
In 2012,Read Furiously published its first title, the graphic novel series The MOTHER Principle. Today we dedicateour time and energies to publishing titles that offer a new perspective on theworld through a roster of fascinating voices.
Our goal at Read Furiouslyis to create a new generation of readers (lovinglyreferred to as “FuriousReaders”) who view reading as a necessity for this busy world. We believe that reading is more than performative -reading is an activity that brings people together to help us make senseof where we come from and wherewe are going. Every Read Furiouslytitle is curated carefully to reflect these values.
With every title we publish, Read Furiously donates 5% of ournet proceeds to various literacy programs and book-related charities, and we also invite our talented creators to do the same.We also work with LittleFree Libraries and book donationprograms throughout NJ. Weunderstand that reading can be a form of activism and we take thisresponsibility very seriously.
Through our published titles and community efforts, ReadFuriously recognizes that reading is a personal and social act. If we aresuccessful in combining the two, being a Furious Reader will be another way wecan change the world - one book at a time. We strive to celebrate diversevoices and encourage a sustainable reading journey.
To request additional review copies oran interview with Elizabeth Teets, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at CreativeEdge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925. We look forward to the coverage!
January 14, 2024
Mark Morton’s debut YA novel, The Headmasters, from Shadowpaw Press February 6 2024
MarkMorton’s debut YA novel, The Headmasters, called “a brilliantscience-fiction debut”
by RobertJ. Sawyer, releases February 6 from Shadowpaw Press
NotedCanadian non-fiction author and long-time CBC columnist Mark Morton makes hisdebut as a novelist with The Headmasters, coming February 6 fromShadowpaw Press; a gripping, provocative post-apocalyptic dystopian young adulttale that asks the question, “How do you learn from the past if there isn’tone?”
Sixtyyears ago as The Headmasters opens, something awful happened. Somethingthat killed everyone except the people at Blue Ring, a research facility innorthern Ontario. Something that caused the Headmasters to appear. But youngMaple doesn’t know what is was. Because talking about the past is forbidden.
Everyoneat Blue Ring has a Headmaster. They sink their sinewy coils into your skull andcontrol you, using your body for backbreaking toil and your mind to communicatewith each other.
Whensomeone dies, their Headmaster transfers to someone new. But so do the deadperson’s memories, and if one of those memories surfaces in the new host’smind, their brain breaks. That’s why talking about the past is forbidden.
Maplehates this world where the past can’t exist and the future promises only moresuffering. And she hates the Headmasters for making it that way. But shedoesn’t know how to fight them – until memories start to surface in her mindfrom someone who long ago came close to defeating the Headmasters.
Butwhose memories are they? Why aren’t they harming her? And how can she use themto defeat the Headmasters? Maple has to find the answers herself, unable totell anyone what she’s experiencing or planning—not even Thorn, the young manshe’s falling in love with.
Thorn,who has some forbidden secrets of his own . . .
Praisefor The Headmasters“Mark Morton’s The Headmasters is a brilliant science-fictiondebut from one of Canada’s best-loved nonfiction writers. This compelling YAnovel is a spot-on updating of Robert A. Heinlein’s classic The PuppetMasters for the new millennium, with intricate world-building, a greatscience-fiction puzzle, and — ironic for a novel about suppressed memories — amain character you’ll never forget. I loved it.” — Robert J. Sawyer,Hugo Award-winning author of The Downloaded
About the author
MARK MORTON (markmorton.ca)i s also the author of four nonfictiontitles: Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities (nominatedfor a Julia Child Award and to be reissued soon in a new edition from ShadowpawPress Reprise); The End: Closing Words for a Millennium (winner of theAlexander Isbister Award for nonfiction); The Lover’s Tongue: A Merry RompThrough the Language of Love and Sex (republished in the UK as DirtyWords), and Cooking with Shakespeare. He’s also written more than fiftycolumns for Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture (University ofCalifornia Press) and has written and broadcast more than a hundred columnsabout language and culture for CBC Radio. Mark has a PhD in sixteenth-centuryliterature from the University of Toronto and has taught at severaluniversities in France and Canada. He currently works at the University ofWaterloo. He and his wife, Melanie Cameron, (also an author) have fourchildren, three dogs, one rabbit, and no time.
About Shadowpaw PressShadowpaw Press was founded in 2018 by Edward Willett. A member ofLiterary Press Group (Canada) and the Association of Canadian Publishers,Shadowpaw Press publishes an eclectic selection of books by both new andestablished authors, including adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’sbooks, non-fiction, and anthologies. In addition, Shadowpaw Press publishes neweditions of notable, previously published books in any genre under theShadowpaw Press Reprise imprint.
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For more information:
Edward Willett
306-536-5421
January 11, 2024
Northwood Meadows Lifestyle, a collection of webcomic from Andy Chang
Northwood Meadows
Lifestyle
Acollection of webcomic that truly display life from an animal’s point of viewfrom critically acclaimed comic artist, Andy Chang
Released and published by Read Furiously
Now available from Read Furiously, Northwood Meadows: Lifestyle is a collection of webcomics fromcomics artist Andy Chang.
Northwood Meadows: Lifestyle are sliceof life comicsas illustrated througha colorful cast ofwitty animals to be told in three panel comic strips.
In the beautiful place of NorthwoodMeadows, there lives an entertaining crew of animals (and one extraterrestrial). Philthe penguin is the unappreciated artist of the group, while Ana is trying sohard to live her best life. Ally is making the most of his time on Earth andTed the turtle is terrified of it all, but still tries to “upgrade his shell.”Balancing out this chorus of voices is Bob, the source of reason in NorthwoodMeadows.
NorthwoodMeadows: Lifestyle [ISBN 9781737175865] is listed as $13.99 and available wherever books are sold.
Read Furiouslydistributes through Ingram.Any retailers unable to order through Ingram, please contact us at sales@readfuriously.com to inquire about orderingdirectly from Read Furiously.
Our goal at Read Furiouslyis to create a new generation of readers (lovingly referred to as “furiousreaders”) who view reading as a necessity for this busy world. We believe thatreading isn’t a chore or something we do to show off to others; reading is anactivity that brings people together to help us make sense of where we comefrom and where we are going. Every Read Furiously title is curated carefully toreflect these values.
Andy Chang is an independent comic artist– based in New Jersey. He has made severalchildren-friendly/all-age comics-such as Add-Zero and Adventures of Sniffy – prior to thecreation of Northwood Meadows.
Hisstyle of art was inspired by a mixture of Japanese Manga and the Sunday comics – whimsical andsimplistic- but the stories he creates references a funny take on the realityof the everchanging daily life.
Andy lives with his wife and three daughters, who all providesunlimited resource of inspiration and aspiration for Northwood Meadows’ futurecomic art.
About Read Furiously:
In 2012,Read Furiously published its first title, the graphic novel series The MOTHER Principle. Today we dedicateour time and energies to publishing titles that offer a new perspective on theworld through a roster of fascinating voices.
Our goal at Read Furiouslyis to create a new generation of readers (lovinglyreferred to as “FuriousReaders”) who view reading as a necessity for this busy world. We believe that reading is more than performative -reading is an activity that brings people together to help us make senseof where we come from and wherewe are going. Every Read Furiouslytitle is curated carefully to reflect these values.
With every title we publish, Read Furiously donates 5% of ournet proceeds to various literacy programs and book-related charities, and we also invite our talented creators to do the same.We also work with LittleFree Libraries and book donationprograms throughout NJ. Weunderstand that reading can be a form of activism and we take thisresponsibility very seriously.
Through our published titles and community efforts, ReadFuriously recognizes that reading is a personal and social act. If we aresuccessful in combining the two, being a Furious Reader will be another way wecan change the world - one book at a time. We strive to celebrate diversevoices and encourage a sustainable reading journey.
To request additional review copies oran interview with Andy Chang, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative EdgePublicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
We look forward to thecoverage!
