Countdown to Christmas day 2

Please check out Sarah’s link too, she is trying to get children’s books out to food banks this Christmas which seems worth supporting if you can.

Five Beautiful Children’s Books For Christmas
(Sarah Daniels)

Cinderella Of The Nile by Beverly Naidoo
In this haunting retelling of Cinderella by Beverly Naidoo, Rhodopis is stolen from her family by
pirates. She’s eventually sold as a servant to a family with three older sisters. It’s illustrated in the
beautiful and distinctive style of Marjan Vafaein.

Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Norse Myths tells the stories of the Vikings from creation to destruction. Twenty three exciting
chapters bring Odin, Thor and Loki to life. Jeffrey Alan Love’s illustrations use silhouette and a
stunning colour palette to emphasise the high drama of the stories.

The Fox And The Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith
This hardback book is perfect for those that crave fairytales. A deep dark forest dwelling fox has
just one friend: the star that lights the forest paths at night. Coralie Bickford-Smith is a book
designer who draws on the Arts and Crafts movement to produce a stunning volume.

The Sleeper And The Spindle by Neil Gaiman
A young queen becomes the hero of this fairytale when she sets off to rescue a sleeping princess.
Chris Riddell’s illustrations are captivating and strange. The metallic ink gives the book a magical
feel that is perfect as a Christmas gift.

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies
My children love the Storm Whale by Benji Davies. It’s a gentle, charming story about a lonely boy
who finds a whale washed up after a storm. This hardback edition with slipcase highlights the
breathtaking illustrations of this moving story.

December Count Down to Christmas

Books make fantastic gifts, I get Papa Fox one every Christmas, it’s his annual book and he always reads it over the few days of Christmas while he has a few genuinely slow days. 

So with that in mind we are inviting anyone who would like to, to send us a review or a short list of recommendations of books people should be reading and gifting this year. 

There is a £5 payment and posts should come to submissions@foxspirit.co.uk
We will continue to accept new posts until around the 14th. Please include your paypal details. Also, for each post we will put £5 into a pot to go to booktrust.org.uk. That’s £125 if we get a post per day, so please do join in. 

To get things going a few Fox Spirit titles you might want to consider for Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers.

***

The Judgement Call / Along the Long Road 
by Simon Bestwick and Penny Jones
Two short rural horrors playing with the idea of just desserts. A double date goes horribly wrong in Along the Long Road and in The Judgement Call you have to wonder, would the bell toll for you?

Winter Tales
Anthology
A collection of dark stories to keep you under the covers this winter
Edited by Margrét Helgadóttir

Cover by S.L. Johnson

The Monsters Series
Edited by Margrét Helgadóttir

European, African, Asian and Pacific Monsters are all available now, with Pat 1 of American Monsters coming later this month. Collections of short stories and at in a coffee table format. 

Ghoulsome Graveyard
By G Clark Hellery
Something for younger readers from our Fennec line. Spooky adventures.

And if none of those appeal, head over to our buy links to browse a broad selection of genre treats.

News from Iona Winter

Foxy folk, we are delighted to pass on this announcement from Iona Winter who you may remember joined the Skulk with the release of Pacific Monsters.
 
Iona Winter is of Māori and Pākehā descent and lives in KaritaneAotearoa New Zealand. Her writing has appeared in HeadlandHaloCentum PressReflex FictionFlash Frontier, and various online publications.In 2016 Iona was awarded the Headland Frontier Prize, and performed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. She was also long-listed to the Bath Flash Fiction Award. Her story in Pacific Monsters is based on the myth of TePouākai, the extinct Haast Eagle. The largest eagle to have ever existed, it inhabited TeWaipounamu, the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
 
Now the message from Iona
***
 
Kia ora koutou katoa
 
I’m delighted to share that then the wind came (Steele Roberts Aotearoa) my debut collection of short fiction and poetry, is set to be launched on December 14th 2018. For those of you in or near Ōtepoti Dunedin, I’d love you to join me at the Dunedin Athenaeum Library that evening (more details to follow).
 
Whakawhetai ki a koutou, huge thanks to Siobhan Harvey, Tina Makereti, Sue Wootton and Thom Conroy for reading the manuscript – and to Roger Steele for accepting it. Aroha nui ki a koutou, much love to everyone who has supported me as a writer – be that edits, reading through screeds of heavily notated paper, or the gift of honest feedback. Thank you to everyone who has published my writing, and invited me to attend festivals and events to perform my work – some previously published and performed pieces are contained within the book. And of course, my advance gratitude to everyone who might buy a copy of then the wind came.
 
I look forward to sharing then the wind came with you. Kia pai tō rā, have a beautiful day,
Iona
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Winter is Coming

Even the Skulk are not immune. In Kettutalo we must lay in provisions and asses our assets to survive the long winter.

What this means is we will not be reopening submissions for fiction during 2019 and in all probability 2020. We have lots of great books coming, next year in particular is a busy one so please don’t worry, there are many many books to come, including several planned titles for a new non fiction line. 

We are closing submissions so we can get caught up, take stock and plan properly moving into the future. A stronger, better, though perhaps less prolific Fox Spirit is coming.

We are sorry we will not be able to take on any more wonderful books for a while, it is always hard to turn down projects that we want to do, but right now we need to take a moment, refocus and ensure the long term future of Fox Spirit Books and the Skulk. 

Vulpes and FoxGloves are not affected and we are not cancelling any existing plans, including the launch of thee Darwin’s Fox non fiction line.

As for what to read in the meantime, we have over 70 titles out, many of them available as ebooks on kindle, and in January we will be making ebooks available right here on the website. We may even do some bundles. 

There will be foxy merch by agreement with certain artists and we will continue to promote the many wonderful artists and authors we work with. There will be sequels and series and a few new titles we have already said yes to. There will be blog series and newsletters and plenty of alternative fox. 

We are going to have a very busy couple of years, we just won’t be opening to submissions during them. 

Thank you to everyone who has worked with us and supported us, we hope you will continue this journey with us. 

Always your Aunty Fox.

Fearless Genre Warriors -FREE!

The fabulous Jenny Barber contacted a whole den full of Skulk and pulled together a collection that spans all the Fox Spirit anthologies and collections published up to 1st November 2018 and what have we gone and done? Made it free!

It is available for under £3 on Amazon (the minimum they would allow), but keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook for the adverts with the passwords in during the run up to Christmas to grab it for nothing in convenient multi format zip files. 

Then just pop to our free fiction page, pop in the relevant password and download. 

If you are heading to Sledge.lit there is a password in the brochures here too. 

Now about that book, In Jenny’s words:

‘Would you like some free short fiction? Would you like some free short fiction from a simply stunning selection of new and established authors? With bonus poems and articles and internal artwork? 

Fearless Genre Warriors covers it all – we have horror tales, fantasy tales, SF tales, crime tales, humorous tales, and tales that blend any or all of the above! So whatever your fiction thing is, we’ve got you covered!’

And here are those wonderful contents, feast your eyeballs on this lot and then maybe consider picking up one of the books they came from, or leaving a few words of review. 

Introduction
The Dragon’s Maw – Cheryl Morgan
Palakainen – K. A. Laity
The Band of Straw and Silver – Andrew Reid 
From the Womb of the Land, Our Bones Entwined – AJ Fitzwater 
The Itch of Iron, the Pull of the Moon – Carol Borden 
Tits Up in Wonderland – Chloe Yates 
Fragrance of You – Steven Savile 
Kumiho – V.C. Linde 
The Ballad of Gilrain – Sarah Cawkwell 
The Ballad of Gilrain – lyrics Sarah Cawkwell, music Adam Broadhurst 
Art is War – Alasdair Stuart
The Alternative La Belle Dame Sans Merci – Jan Siegal 
Thandiwe’s Tokoloshe – Nick Wood 
Unravel – Ren Warom 
The Cillini – Tracy Fahey 
Katabasis – K T Davies 
Train Tracks – W. P. Johnson 
Sharkadelic – Ian Whates 
Feeding the Fish – Carol Borden 
Antichristine – James Bennett 
Lucille –  Alec McQuay 
Carlos – K. A. Laity
A Very Modern Monster – Aliya Whiteley 
You Are Old, Lady Vilma – Jan Siegal 
Winter in the Vivarium – Tim Major 
Always a Dancer – Steve Lockley 
The End of the World – Margrét Helgadóttir 
The Holy Hour – C. A. Yates 
In the Mouth of the Beast – Li Huijia 
Kokuri’s Palace – Yukimi Ogawa 
A Change of Heart A Babylon Steel story – Gaie Sebold 
Indiana Jones and the Pyramid of Envy – Alasdair Stuart 

There is also some bonus stuff in the back, talking about the anthologies we put together. 

Cover Reveal! Monsters

This year’s Monsters volume is running a little closer to Christmas, but it is on its way!

American Monsters Part 1, a collection of stories from South and Central America, including a number of translations, artwork and once again Daniele Serra’s stunning cover art!

So without further ado, the cover!

And a reminder of those contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
  1. Liliana Colanzi: «The Wave»
  2. Santiago Santos: «A Carpet Sewn With Skeletons»
  3. Sabrina Vourvoulias: «Time’s Up, Cerotes»
  4. Ramiro Sanchiz: «The Pearl»
  5. Paula Andrade: «Almamula»
  6. Cesar Alcázar and Eduardo Monteiro (art): «Cerro Bravo» (graphic story)
  7. Christopher Kastensmidt: «A Parlous Battle»
  8. Mariela Pappas: «The Eyes of a Wolf»
  9. Solange Rodriguez Pappe: «The Entangler»
  10. Daniel Salvo: «Jaar, Jaar, Jaar»
  11. Flavia Rizental: «My Name is Iara»
  12. Gustavo Bondoni: «Vulnerable Populations»
  13. Fabio Fernandes: «The Emptiness in the Heart of All Things»
  14. Paula Andrade: «La Perla del Plata» (graphic story)
  15. Teresa Mira de Echeverria: «Lakuma»
The book will have illustrations by Paula Andrade, Lynda Bruce, and Kieran Walsh.

 

The Jackal Who Came in from the Cold – Table of Contents

Our spy themed foray into Furry is almost ready for your reading pleasure, so House Fox is delighted to share with you the table of contents for this fabulous tome. 

Floof will Out.

Contents

Introduction by Leinir
A Treacherous Thing by C.A. Yates
Survivors of the Holocene by Madison Keller
Starlight and Thorn by K.C. Shaw
The Man in the Background by Miles Reaver
Dirty Rats by Jan Siegel
The Sentinel by Will MacMillan Jones
Pay the Piper by A McLachlan
The Long Game by Neil Williamson
Agent Friendzone by Kyell Gold
Big Bird by Frances Pauli
The Off Air Affair by Huskyteer
Game of Shadows by HJ Pang
The Winged Fox by K.R. Green
Le Chat Et La Souris by Tom Mullins

Pyroriffic – I Do, Because I Dare

Delighted to have the fabulous Sarah Cawkwell join us for a wee rant. 

I Do, Because I Dare

It will come as little surprise to anybody to discover that I’m something of a nerd. It was this mindset that originally brought me into the fold of the fantasy and science fiction writing community. Being a nerd has provided me with some of my best escapes, whether that be in the form of losing myself in a good book, or smiting the dragon at the end of a tabletop campaign (unlike my husband whose character spent the entire time hiding behind pillars without line of sight to the battle). Whether it be running around a field in the rain during a LRP battle or shouting down the microphone to my team whilst playing Overwatch, being a nerd is an immensely satisfying thing to be.

However.

Yes, there’s a ‘however’. And it comes partly in the form that many of you will recognise. It comes in the form that you periodically encounter the worst kind of misogyny. Example: You can’t write about Space Marines if you’re a woman; what do you know about it?

Correct reply: they’re fictional, futuristic, genetically engineered super warriors. What do you know about it?

This is improving. It’s a slow process, but it’s improving. It will get better with each generation, I am reassured. Well, frankly, I won’t live forever and at the speed it’s taking to improve, I might as well accept that there’s a whole bunch of folk out there who, for whatever reason, cannot crowbar the concept of a female author, or producer of content in a male-dominated environment into their Neolithic craniums.

True story: I’ve stood behind two guys in a bookstore who picked up one of my Warhammer novels. The one was reading the blurb and finished with ‘that sounds cool’. His mate said ‘yeah, but look. It’s written by a woman, innit.’ I may have added the ‘innit’ for poetic licence.

“Oh,” says the first man. “Oh. I suppose you’re right.”

The book went back on to the shelf. I said nothing. I was too timid. Inside, I was shaking him by the lapels and screaming in his face.

Recently, while playing Overwatch, I was unfortunate enough to encounter a double-whammy. Not only was I mocked for possessing the apparently incorrect pair of genes, the following also happened. I have taken out the swear word I actually used, but I’m sure you can imagine. What it proved was the following:-

  1. The Yoof of Today aren’t improving. They need better education around diversity.
  2. I am much braver at sticking up for myself than I thought I was.

So… posit. There we are, a team of five. Myself, a friend, and three randoms, all of whom appear to know one another. We’re having a nice chat and talking about which characters we prefer to play. The usual. The final spot is being held for one of their mates, who, we are told, is really good at what he does.

He arrives. After the usual ‘oh god, you’re girls’ reaction, my hope for the remainder of the game was really not good. That proved to be completely based in fact when he started telling us how to play our characters. Note: both myself and my friend have played this game a lot. We are more than competent and many other, less idiotic people have complimented us on our gameplay. So here’s what transpired.

Him, to me: “Well, I think you’re doing it wrong. I think you should stop playing this game, because I mean, not only are you a girl, you sound like you’re over thirty, so…” And he trails off into this smug little silence. Nobody speaks. You could hear a fly cough.

(Past me would, at this point, have flared crimson red and probably burst into tears).

Me, to him, without breaking stride: “And you sound like you’re a complete [redacted], what’s your point?”

The result of that comeback was that all his friends laughed at him. He spent the rest of the game in humble apology, never once criticising and even saying positive things. But it was too late. The damage was done. He’d lost all credibility and I’m grateful to his mates for mocking him the way they did.

But you know what? Yeah, I am over thirty. Why the hell should that mean I can’t play a game I’ve enjoyed since it came out? Listen, sunshine, the generation before me invented the video game. I grew up with them just as much as you did. So hush.

Hush, now.

It was BlizzCon last weekend. As a long-time player of Blizzard’s many and varied games, I was invested in watching the opening ceremony. Alright, mostly I was invested in watching the Overwatch segment of the ceremony, but I’m glad that I did – and here’s why.

Jeff Kaplan, who is one of Blizzard’s VP’s and also the Game Director for Overwatch, presented the segment. He waffled on for a bit about the game, about the new content, about future content and then he did something remarkable. Something not unusual, but something remarkable. I paraphrase him wildly here. I apologise, Uncle Jeff.

“And of course,” he said, riding on the wave of enthusiasm that swept through the packed arena, “I must thank everyone involved behind the scenes. The women and men who make this possible.”

He continued to talk, but I didn’t listen. Because I was reeling.

The women and men.

The women. And men.

The order in which he chose to say those words was not accidentally, I think. Blizzard prides itself on inclusivity in its working environment, to the point that they had a specific forum to discuss this at BlizzCon. But to have Jeff Kaplan say that sentence, in that particular order suddenly made me feel proud of who I am. That I have every bit as much right to produce content, to enjoy content and to be a part of a gaming community as literally the next man.

Thanks, Uncle Jeff. You rock.

So is there a moral to this story? Well yes. Sort of. It doesn’t matter one jot if you’re a woman, over thirty, an alien from the planet Zogg or even if you only exist as a result of someone’s incredible belief: if you enjoy something, whether it be sci-fi, LRP, tabletop, cosplay, board games or, heaven forfend, Overwatch, get in there and enjoy it. Enjoy it and own it.

It’s your multiverse.

Blog posts needed for December

You know what makes a great gift? A book!! Books are amazing, you can pick them up all over the place, they fit into stockings and under pillows, and they provide endless adventures. So all this December we are inviting you to share a review of a favourite book or give us five of your favourite books with just a few lines for each.

We are not looking for reviews of Fox Spirit Books for this, (although if you pop those on Amazon or Goodreads we will love you forever, obvs).

Just send your submission to submissions@foxspirit.co.uk and title it ‘Christmas Books’. We are offering a £5 token payment for these posts so also include a paypal email.

We are looking for titles from any time, old or new and we are keen to see books proposed by under represented groups, such as POC and LGBT+ writers. 

 

Horror Double Feature

Our delightful horror twinset The Judgement Call by Simon Bestwick, a tale to absorb in the run up to Christmas, and Along the Long Road by Penny Jones, are available now for your Halloween delight. No tricks, just dark treats from the British Horror scene.

Penny Jones takes us on a journey of peer pressure and madness on dark country lanes, while Simon Bestwick sees sins answered for. 

Available now on Amazon.

Cover by Neil Williams