April 2014 -

April 30, 2014April 20, 2016

Drag Noir: Creamy Contents, No Filling!

Photo via Dangerous Minds (click to see original article)

While the order of stories may be subject to change, here’s the stories you’ll be reading when Drag Noir pops out in a couple months from now with a faboo cover from S. L. Johnson:

The Meaning of Skin – Richard Godwin

Wheel Man – Tess Makovesky

No. 21: Gabriella Merlo – Ben Solomon

Geezer Dyke – Becky Thacker

Lucky in Cards – Jack Bates

Trespassing – Michael S. Chong

Chianti – Selene MacLeod

The Changeling – Tracy Fahey

Straight Baby – Redfern Jon Barrett

Kiki Le Shade – Chloe Yates

Protect Her – Walter Conley

King Bitch – James Bennett

A Bit of a Pickle – Paul D. Brazill

Stainless Steel – Amelia Mangan

The Itch of the Iron, The Pull of the Moon – Carol Borden

We’ve got a whole lot of interesting takes on the theme from folks around the world. I hope you will enjoy — I know I did as I sweated the choices. I was afraid I might not have enough submissions; instead, I had to make tough choices among some fine stories but the ones that made the final selection brought surprises and delights as well as that elusive noir spirit.

Doll yourself up and get ready for this one.

April 29, 2014April 20, 2016

Not The Fox News: The Bully Pulpit is not the Moral High Ground

I was bullied a lot at School. Never physically; I was 6’0 and 200 pounds by the time I was 13, but always psychologically and emotionally. That’s the thing no one tells big kids who don’t learn to throw their weight around straight away; the very thing that you could be using to control the situation is going to rob you of any control until you do. I was the perfect storm; physically large, over articulate, teacher’s kid, glasses. Add in the fact that when I hit Secondary School I was sharing a classroom with my friends, my enemies and a parent and you start to see the size of the target on my back.

Continue reading “Not The Fox News: The Bully Pulpit is not the Moral High Ground”

April 25, 2014April 20, 2014

Crime in the Fox Den

Although Fox Spirit is probably more associated with Fantasy, SF and Horror, we do love a bit of crime. No cozy mysteries here though, the emphasis is on dark.

Requiem in E Sharp by Joan De La Haye

A troubled detective

A tormented serial murderer

Sundays in Pretoria are dangerous for selected women.

A murderer plagued by his childhood, has found a distinctive modus operandi to salve his pathological need to escape the domination of the person who was supposed to cherish him.

For fans of serial killer crime and procedural. We know fairly early who dunnit, the real question is who will make it to the end of the book and how will the killer be caught. Set in South Africa Joan uses the corruption in the system and the setting to spin a grim tale of a ruthless murderer.

Extricate & Other Stories by Graham Wynd

EXTRICATE is a violent tale of sexual obsession, unfolding on the dark streets of a nowhere town. Peter falls for Judy the instant he lights her cigarette, but she’s his best mate’s girl — and he’s already married. He decides to begin removing obstacles — starting with his wife. How far will he be willing to go? How far does lifelong friendship go when he finally meets the woman of his peculiar dreams?

Extricate is available on its own as an ebook and coming soon with a second novella and some additional short stories.

This is a collection of noir crime kicking off with a sexy tale of lust, murder and betrayal.

White Rabbit by K.A.Laity

White Rabbit is a noir crime novel with a supernatural twist for fans of crime with a little extra twist.

Sometimes the shadows that haunt us

are what lead us back to the light

Disgraced former police detective James Draygo has sunk as low as his habit allows, working as a fake psychic despite his very real talents. When a media mogul’s trashy trophy wife gets gunned down at his tapping table he has to decide whether he can straighten up long enough to save his own skin. He may not have a choice with Essex’s loudest ghost bawling in his ear about cults, conspiracies and cut-rate drugs. Oblivion sounds better all the time…

April 21, 2014April 21, 2014

Live Rabbits!

White Rabbit will be hopping onto Amazon as a paperback any hour now so get your copy and burrow in with this noir tale of murder and the supernatural.

April 20, 2014

Wicked Women and other titles

I’m delighted to announce that something which has been bubbling in the background for a while is now opening to submissions.

Wicked Women

Edited by Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber

‘Regular readers of Fox Spirit books know that women are pretty bad-ass – be they evil queens, goddesses, super-villains or anti-heroes, warriors, monsters, bad girls, rebels, mavericks or quietly defiant – so with that in mind, we’re looking for stories of women who gleefully write their own rules. Women who’ll bend or break the social norms, skate along the edge of the law and generally aim to misbehave.’

Details posted on the Submissions page but please note that submissions go directly to wickedATmajorarcana.demon.co.uk in this instance not the usual address. books (800x600)

‘Drag Noir’ has now closed for submissions and I am looking forward to seeing what K.A.Laity produces from the third in the Noir series of books. Once again we have artist S.L.Johnson working on the cover.

After the reception to Tales of Eve Mhairi Simpson is back on board editing an invitation only follow up ‘Daughters of Eve’ loosely inspired by women of HEMA (historical european martial arts) and the release of The Lost Giganti.

April 18, 2014April 20, 2016

Bushy Tales

The bushy tales series was how it all began. If I were looking to buy a pub in 2012 Leicestershire would now be the proud home of The Nun & Dragon Pub, but instead it’s the home of Fox Spirit Books and our first anthology ‘Tales of the Nun & Dragon’.

Come, rest your weary bones, draw a flagon and hark to the tales of Nuns & Dragons, of bravery and steadfastness in the face of mighty and implacable foes. Settle down and indulge yourself in wild flights of fancy brought to life by your fellow travellers.”

The Nun & Dragon is a local like no other – share in the wild and wonderful tellings of a gifted panoply of authors, tales replete with wonder, a liberal coating of mysticism, the odd splash of darkness and a sprinkling of grim humour.

With stories by: Sarah Cawkwell, Mhairi Simpson, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jasper Bark, Mark West, Joan De La Haye, Simon Bestwick, Colin F Barnes, Andrew Reid, Ren Warom, Pat Kelleher, Cat Connor, Peter Ray Allison, S.J.Caunt, Wayne Simmons, Geraldine Clark Hellery, V.C.Linde, Catherine Rogers, Jay Faulkner, Sammy H K Smith, Francesca Terminiello, K.A. Laity, Karen Davies

The second book in the series ‘Tales of the Fox and Fae’ is also out.

Deep in the woods where wild things lurk you’ll find foxes and rarer creatures, the fae. Join us for tales of faeries at the bottom of the garden, foxes falling foul of their own nature, battles fought in the night where human lives hang in the balance. Not all faeries are good, not all foxes are hunted. Welcome to our Tales of the Fox & Fae.

With stories by: Andrew Reid, Margret Helgadottir, James Bennett, Chloe Yates, Alec McQuay, Haralambi Markov, Peter Ray Allison, Jasper Bark (writer) & Soussherpa (artist) & Bolt-01 (letterer), Geraldine Clark Hellery, Jay Faulkner, T.F.Grant, Cat Connor

The final ‘Bushy Tales’ book, ‘Tales of the Mouse and Minotaur’ is coming later this year.

Tales of the Mouse and Minotaur explores the adventure of mice (and rats) and twists on greek mythology. It also sees the return of Gilrain.

All three books feature cover art by Vincent Holland-Keen and internal art by Kieran Walsh. In Mouse and Minotaur Kieran will be collaborating with Joe Kolessides on the internal art. I’m excited to see the images for that!

April 17, 2014April 20, 2016

Cover Reveal for Warrior Stone

At the end of this month Fox Spirit will be releasing it’s first YA title.

Warrior Stone: Underland by Robert Harkess

Cover art is by Linzi Goldstone and the layout by Vincent Holland-Keen

Please contact adele@ foxspirit.co.uk or use the contact form if you are interested in reviewing the title.

April 15, 2014April 12, 2014

Chapter 4

The story of Starfang continues…

Chapter Four

I spent a long hour placating and explaining matters to Governor Seeto. In the end, we worked out a budget for hive repairs and loss of lives; Clan Black Talons would foot half of the bill. In return, Seeto would conduct a purge of the hives of any Pariah activity and provide squads of enforcers for the purge duties. As for the craz trade, Seeto refused to budge. It was far too lucrative for him.

Didn’t Mother mention humans were involved? Bah. Humans and their addictions. Clans and their addictions. Horrible.

Switching off the comm-screen took some effort. My body craved energy. I fixed myself a cup of carbohydrate-rich soup and downed it in two gulps. I rubbed my face, my back twitching. Were my actions shameful? I had to obey my father and carry out the assignment. And it was blood feud… which ate up lives like a glutton with food.

I hated the fact that I had to stand between right and wrong, white and black. All my tours of duty had been straight forward. Not this one.

I would sleep with the screams of the dying and injured tonight.

~*~

Continue reading “Chapter 4”

April 12, 2014

Review Giveaway

Reviews are hugely important to authors and publishers, it’s a great way of getting word out about a book and giving people something other than just the publishers blurb to consider in their purchasing.

So we have decided to do a giveaway. If you have reviewed or do review a Fox Spirit title on your blog, Goodreads or Amazon in the month of April then send us the link and you will be entered into a random draw to one of two prizes consisting of these three gorgeous titles!

Alec and Geri have both signed their books and their stories in Guardians.

All you have to do is review one of our titles in April 2014, somewhere public and send a link to adele@foxspirit.co.uk before the 1st May. It’s open internationally. If you have a blog and would like to request ebook copies for review please contact me on the same email.

April 1, 2014April 1, 2014

Fox Pockets Final Closing

We are accepting submissions for the final four Fox Pockets until 15th April (this is an extension for Unknown Country)

In an Unknown Country

Piercing the Vale (not a mistake, ghost stories are fine but so a fairy stories)

The Evil Genius Guide (to be selected by Daz Pulsford)

Reflections

all have two weeks left to get your stories in.

(post edited to correct typo on copy editors name, which he spotted. This is why Aunty Fox does not do the copy editing.)