Publications Archives - Page 4 of 9 -

June 19, 2018June 18, 2018

Release Day : Children of Artifice

It’s Alive!! *lightning, thunder, torrential downpour*

Children of Artifice is live and available on an Amazon near you. It will also be available through Forbidden Planet from Mid July. We will post more information on store based events as it comes in, but for now, Danie Ware will be at Edge lit on Saturday 4th July, easily identified by her badge that says Danie Ware and her general new book bounce.

We will have copies of Artifice at Edge so you can get them signed, just pop over to the dealers room, or bring your own with you, or any of Danie’s books, we don’t mind, it’s just nice to see happy authors scribbling on people’s stuff.

Anyway, a bit about the book…

An ancient city, sealed in a vast crater. A history of metallurgical magic, and of Builders that could craft the living, breathing stone.

Caphen Talmar is the high-born son of an elite family, descended from the Builders themselves, his artistic career ruined when his ex-lover broke his fingers. One night, gambling down at the wharfside – somewhere he shouldn’t have been in the first place – he meets Aden. An uncomplicated, rough-edged dockworker, Aden is everything Caph needs to forget the pressures of his father’s constant criticism. But this isn’t just another one-night stand. Aden is trying to find his sister, and he needs Caph’s help. Soon, they find themselves tangled in a deadly game of trust, lies and political rebellion. And, as Caph begins to understand the real depth of the horrors they’ve uncovered, he learns that Aden is not what he seems. And Aden knows more about the coming destruction than Caph could ever have guessed.

Praise for Children of Artifice

“Danie does it again: a delicious tale that I didn’t want to put down.
All the people, all the detail, all the story – and none of the drag. A
one-sitting read of pure joy.” – David Devereux

“Slippery, smart and sexy: an heady alchemical brew of high politics and low magic that’s strong enough to lay anyone low.” – Simon Morden

“A skilful alchemy of raw emotion, renegade sensuality and emboldened fantasy. Ware tears out her readers’ hearts and dips them in molten gold, making every one of us a willing child of Artifice.” – Kim Lakin-Smith

“Children of Artifice has a fantastic story, one I would recommend to readers of any genre and age. It conjures beautiful imagery and puts you in a state of living dream, taking you on an emotional journey which stays with you. I am looking forward to the sequel.” – Tej Turner

December 12, 2017December 10, 2017

Awards Eligibility 2017

Hello Fox Fans. I just discovered it’s a think to let our readers know what titles we have had out in 2017 that could be considered for awards.

Novels
Fool if you Think it’s over by Jo Thomas, the 3rd Elkie Bernstein Book, a fantasy series
Starfang by Joyce Chng, the first in an SF series
The Hobgoblin’s Herald by Andrew Aston, fantasy genre
Into the Blight by Jonathan Ward also fantasy genre
The Girl in the Fort by Tracy Fahey, fantasy, fairytales, (fennec)
Skytown by K.C. Shaw, fantasy, adventure

Novellas/Novelletes
Ghoulsome Graveyard by G. Clark Hellery fantasy, horror (fennec)
Got Ghosts by Fiona Glass, horror, romance,

Anthologies
Tales of the Mouse and Minotaur edited by Adele Wearing, mixed genre
Respectable Horror, edited by K.A. Laity, horror, chills,
Pacific Monsters edited by Margret Helgadottir, horror, art,

Collections
Multiverse by Jan Siegel and guests, poetry

Debuts
The Hobgoblin’s Herald by Andrew Aston, fantasy genre
Into the Blight by Jonathan Ward also fantasy genre

Young Adult
The Girl in the Fort by Tracy Fahey, fantasy, fairytales, (fennec)
Skytown by K.C. Shaw, fantasy, adventure

Middle Grade
The Girl in the Fort by Tracy Fahey, fantasy, fairytales, (fennec)
Ghoulsome Graveyard by G. Clark Hellery fantasy, horror (fennec)

Artwork
Any of our titles. We always include artists details on the book page.

[Show as slideshow]

HEMA
I don’t know if there are awards for fencing non fictions translations, but we released two in 2017.
Treatise on Fencing, Docciolini transaltion by Piermarco Terminiello & Steven Reich (Vulpes)
La Scherma : The Art of Fencing translation by P. Terminiello, C. Stewart & P. Marshall (Vulpes)

Publisher/Small or Indie Press
Fox Spirit is an entirely indie press, with no affiliations to larger publishers. A small team works around their day jobs to bring you the best books we can, and stories we believe in.

Awards
Some of the awards we look at.
This is Horror
Starburst Brave New Worlds
British Fantasy Society
Clarke Awards
Gemmell Awards
Shirley Jackson Awards

This year with Pacific Monsters we are also looking at The Sir Julius Vogel Awards

December 5, 2017December 2, 2017

Launch Day : Multiverse

We are delighted to bring you only our second volume of poetry, Multiverse by Jan Siegel and guests.

Pat Cadigan, Helen Lederer, Clare Potts and Julian Bell all feature in this delightful collection that tours literature and SFF with original poems and a few homages.

Jan was on First Dates celebrity in October which is well worth a watch, but we at Fox Spirit are first and foremost fans of her writing. You can find Jan in our own Mouse and Minotaur and of course she is the author of the Devil’s Apprentice and Prospero’s Children among other titles. It is a real pleasure to be publishing her poetry collection.

The cover illustration is by John Howe while the design and layout are by Vincent Holland-Keen.

You can read Upon a Dark and Stormy Night in it’s entirety here, but for now I leave you with the opening lines to The Barman

‘Once upon a midnight dreary – when I fancied a daiquiri

After some launch far from cheery in a neighbourhood bookstore,

To the Groucho then I staggered with a visage pale and haggard

And I thrust aside each laggard

Lagging round the open door,

’Twas a fool and not a blackguard came between me and the door,

Just a fool I am quite sure.’

November 30, 2017November 28, 2017

They’re Here! Pacific Monsters

Welcome to Pacific Monsters. Editor Margret has again risen to the challenge, researching and inviting authors who really understand the horrors of the Pacific Region, covering New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The great joy of this series is of course that exploration of a regions own monsters and the way some horrors are both universal and extremely local.

Today is the launch of the 4th Volume of Monsters, a collection of short stories, graphic stories and art. We hope you enjoy it and the blog posts from some of the authors that started yesterday and will continue for the next week.

Not done yet!

We have had an incredible busy year and launched a wonderful range of titles but we are not done yet!

Coming up before the end of the year we have the Sledge.Lit launch of The Girl in the Fort by Tracy Fahey, we will also be bringing some of this year’s other new titles for a public viewing. If you can’t make Sledge but would like Tracy to sign your copy of Girl, we have done some simple foxy bookplates so let us know.

We have some free fiction to add to our collection which I am looking forward to sharing with you all, from new to us writers.

Of course we also have three more titles to launch.

As you know every Christmas we release our newest Monster title and this year it is Pacific Monsters, which an incredible selection of stories and art as ever. Margret Helgadottir has once again worked hard to link up with writers from the region to tell their monsters their way.

We are also delighted to say that the multi award winning Daniele Serra will be staying on as cover artist to complete the series.

We also have a poetry collection by the fabulous Jan Siegel who was pure skulk recently on First Date celebrity edition. Jan has guest poems in this collection from people better known in other creative arts including Pat Cadigan and Helen Lederer, who all demonstrate their adaptability here. Multiverse is a wonderful collection, dark, funny, reflective and including cake.

Approach with Caution! The second volume of the Pseudopod Tapes is almost here! A new collection of outro essays from Alasdair Stuart, one of the UK’s best genre voices and author of our own Not the Fox News column. Whether you are a listener or not the host of the world renowned horror story podcast once again offers a collection of essays on genre and life that are more than worth the price of entry.

We would also like to remind you, if you join your kids up for the Fennec Kit’s Club they get a Christmas card and goodies from Aunty Fox and Kit, so let us know, there are limited places this close to Christmas.

October 26, 2017December 8, 2018

Fennec : New Release

We are so proud of our little sister Kit, the second title in her line for Middle Grade to Young Adult readers is available today!

The Girl in the Fort by Tracy Fahey

Tracy’s collection of short stories was shortlisted for this years BFS best anthology and in this full length novel seh delivers the same talent for story telling.

‘Your actions affect others; you are very powerful.’ For a second her eyes seem to glaze over, her voice deepens. ‘You hold a great fate in your hands, and no-one can tell what way it will turn. It is all within you, but there are dark shadows around you…’

After her father takes a job abroad, eleven year old Vivian is sent from Dublin to stay with her grandparents in their ramshackle family home in the countryside. At first she fiercely resents abandoning city life and her friends – but reluctantly finds herself becoming attracted to the strange fairy fort in a nearby field, and the odd secrets it holds. But spending too much time in the fort can be a dangerous thing, as Vivian and her new friends Katie and Tommy find out. As the long, hot summer unfolds, Vivian sees her grandmother’s folk tales come to life, experiences the complicated joys of witnessing the past, and forges new relationships with her family.

October 24, 2017October 21, 2017

Book Launch : Got Ghosts

Halloween is nearly upon us! The pumpkins are carved, the cobwebs draped and the ghosts are dusting off their best hauntings. It is the perfect time to launch a spooky novella for a little Halloween fun.

Welcome to Greystones. Do you believe in ghosts? You will.

Haunted manor house Greystones Hall is filled to the brim with ghosts. It’s also falling to bits, and artist owner Emily doesn’t have the money to refurbish the place. When the makers of hit tv show ‘Got Ghosts?’ offer to pay for a weekend’s filming there she jumps at the chance, even though she and her ghostly grandfather Gramps have reservations.

The reservations seem to be misplaced when the film crew swing into action, and producer Carl turns out to be dark, handsome and very available. But Emily soon starts to have doubts about the methods they use, which Carl won’t discuss. Then the show’s resident medium Stella stirs up a new and malevolent spirit, revealing a dark secret at the heart of the house that has been hidden for centuries. And when Emily’s own safety is threatened, together with that of her ghosts and her beloved Gramps, will it be Carl who comes to the rescue, or someone much more unexpected?

October 10, 2017October 10, 2017

Launch Day : Into the Blight

Our latest Fantasy outing is Into the Blight by Jonathan Ward.

It is a time of turmoil and uncertainty.

For decades the Bask have ruled over the six clans of Arran. Now they rule no longer: overthrown by a creature from legend that wields terrifying power, and seeks to remake the land according to her own inscrutable designs.

Fearing that the creature might turn her attention their way, the rulers of the neighbouring kingdom of Taleria seek anything that could stand against her might. They find it in the past: in the tales surrounding a cursed land and an ancient power buried there. An expedition is mounted to claim this power for Taleria.

But there are some things in the world that should very definitely remain buried…

Read more here

September 23, 2017

La Scherma is live

Our latest Vulpes title is now live.

La Scherma, the art of fencing by Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri and translated by the team from The School of the Sword is available in it’s gorgeous new second edition.

‘This is the first published English translation of Francesco Alfieri’s fencing treatise: “La Scherma”, first published in Padua in 1640. Alfieri was the Master at Arms at the Accademia Delia in Padua, Italy from 1632. The Delia was a school attached to the University of Padua teaching young gentlemen military skills, mathematics and the martial arts of self defence. It is not widely appreciated that Europe has martial arts traditions that are centuries old. Contained within this book is a description of one of these European combat systems ~ the art of fighting with the Rapier ~ a long, slender, civilian sword designed for self defence and dueling. The ability to wield such a weapon with skill was a matter of vital importance in an age when the defence of honour and, by definition, the immortal soul, could be more important than life itself. Alfieri’s concise system is a very practical and effective way to address this need. It is an excellent resource for all students of historical swordplay and anyone interested in the martial arts of Renaissance Europe. “This work doesn’t ‘merely’ provide new access to a significant treatise published at a time of great transition in Europe, but it offers an opportunity to truly engage with Alfieri through the context supplied in its concise yet informative introduction and copious notes.” – Joshua Pendragon: Guest Curator, Noble Art of the Sword Exhibition, Wallace Collection, 2012′

This is a second edition of the original translation by the same team.

August 8, 2017August 4, 2017

Release Day : Skytown

K.C. Shaw’s adventure of sky piracy and privateering is available now!

This is the first full length outing for returning favourites Lizzy and Jo from some of K.C. Shaw’s short stories.

Cover art by Jenny Haines

Get yourself on an adventure

Opening paragraphs of Skytown

Lizzy had no more gold nuggets sewn into the lining of her leather coat, the one that looked like it was made from a dead sofa. ‘Check again,’ Jo said. They couldn’t be out of money. They’d had so much.
Lizzy didn’t check again. Instead she folded the coat and laid it on her bed. ‘That gold was supposed to be for emergencies. Did you think it would last forever?’
Lizzy as a rule didn’t have much of a temper; she indicated her disapproval with silences, glowers, and a certain falling intonation of her deep voice. Jo fought the urge to shrink away in apology like a little girl caught doing wrong. ‘I didn’t think we’d spent so much,’ she said.
‘We’ve spent it all. Now we have to get more.’
It was early morning, barely past dawn, but the room they shared faced east and Jo could see quite well. Lizzy’s skin was so pale she practically glowed in the dark anyway. Through the open window, the surf crawled up and down the beach.
Jo said, ‘We can head farther south along the coast, I suppose. I’d like to see more of the world.’
‘If you want to continue eating while we see the world, we need to find airships we can take.’
Jo nodded. She must be practical like Lizzy and not squeamish about the profession she had, after all, chosen willingly. ‘Yes. It would probably be best to tread lightly in Hule; we can use it as a safe zone in case of trouble elsewhere. Besides, I’d like to come back to this village when we have money again.’