A brief post to announce that registrations for the Queer Company are now open!
Link: The Registration as a Delegate page on the Manifold Events website
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Queer Company registrations are open!
A brief post to announce that registrations for the Queer Company are now open!
Link: The Registration as a Delegate page on the Manifold Events website
Friday, 20 February 2015
A PRIDE OF POPPIES: The Grand Reveal!
We are so very proud to announce that A PRIDE OF POPPIES, our WWI anthology, will be released on 1 May, with a formal launch at the Queer Company event in Oxford on 9 May.
In the normal course of events, we would wait until April to announce the details and reveal the cover. This title, however, seems to demand a little more attention. And so in this post we are revealing the authors, the cover, and the charity to which all proceeds will be donated.
And so, with no further ado ...
A PRIDE OF POPPIES features thirteen stories by ten terrific authors, including a few of the Press's stalwarts, and many who are new to the Press. A more enthusiastic, professional and talented bunch, our editor couldn't have wished for ... (Oh, and she penned something for it, too.)
Our authors are:
The cover is a particularly lovely riff on the distinctive Manifold Press style. Click the image for a larger version:
And we are deeply honoured to announce that all proceeds will be going to THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, home of The Poppy Appeal. It seemed clear from the start that this anthology must be a charitable concern, and it also seemed clear that the Legion must be our first choice of charity. We have rarely been prouder than when the Legion agreed.
You'll be hearing from us again with more details between now and May. We will make the books available for pre-order as soon as possible. In the meantime, thank you very kindly indeed for your interest! We hope that our readers will be happy to support a worthy cause, and to receive something entertaining and thought-provoking in return.
In the normal course of events, we would wait until April to announce the details and reveal the cover. This title, however, seems to demand a little more attention. And so in this post we are revealing the authors, the cover, and the charity to which all proceeds will be donated.
And so, with no further ado ...
A PRIDE OF POPPIES features thirteen stories by ten terrific authors, including a few of the Press's stalwarts, and many who are new to the Press. A more enthusiastic, professional and talented bunch, our editor couldn't have wished for ... (Oh, and she penned something for it, too.)
Our authors are:
- Julie Bozza
- Barry Brennessel
- Charlie Cochrane
- Sam Evans
- Lou Faulkner
- Adam Fitzroy
- Wendy C. Fries
- Z. McAspurren
- Eleanor Musgrove
- Jay Lewis Taylor
The cover is a particularly lovely riff on the distinctive Manifold Press style. Click the image for a larger version:
And we are deeply honoured to announce that all proceeds will be going to THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, home of The Poppy Appeal. It seemed clear from the start that this anthology must be a charitable concern, and it also seemed clear that the Legion must be our first choice of charity. We have rarely been prouder than when the Legion agreed.
You'll be hearing from us again with more details between now and May. We will make the books available for pre-order as soon as possible. In the meantime, thank you very kindly indeed for your interest! We hope that our readers will be happy to support a worthy cause, and to receive something entertaining and thought-provoking in return.
New review of ESCAPING FROM HIM
It's taken a little while for the word to filter through to us, but Dan at Love Bytes has delivered his verdict on Liam Livings' first title with Manifold Press, ESCAPING FROM HIM - and although the conclusion he comes to is somewhat mixed, it does raise an interesting question:
While this book isn’t listed anywhere as for Young Adults, it would be a fine read for that market, as the sex in the book is very understated and mostly on a “referred to” basis. Personally, I thought the book was good, but it seemed to lack detail and a certain amount of cohesiveness for me to give it a higher rating. After reading the blurb, I thought it would be a great beach read this weekend while I was away, but it had difficulty holding my attention. I think as I stated above that it is probably perfect as a YA.
It's fair to say that we've never really thought about targeting specific titles at younger readers, but it isn't at all a bad idea and something we might consider in future - we'd be very intrigued to learn your opinions on the subject.
Meanwhile, there was a good deal about the book that the reviewer liked - he called it 'an entertaining story' - even though it wasn't entirely his cup of tea. That's fair enough, and we here at Manifold Press are certain ESCAPING FROM HIM will continue making friends for itself wherever it goes!
While this book isn’t listed anywhere as for Young Adults, it would be a fine read for that market, as the sex in the book is very understated and mostly on a “referred to” basis. Personally, I thought the book was good, but it seemed to lack detail and a certain amount of cohesiveness for me to give it a higher rating. After reading the blurb, I thought it would be a great beach read this weekend while I was away, but it had difficulty holding my attention. I think as I stated above that it is probably perfect as a YA.
It's fair to say that we've never really thought about targeting specific titles at younger readers, but it isn't at all a bad idea and something we might consider in future - we'd be very intrigued to learn your opinions on the subject.
Meanwhile, there was a good deal about the book that the reviewer liked - he called it 'an entertaining story' - even though it wasn't entirely his cup of tea. That's fair enough, and we here at Manifold Press are certain ESCAPING FROM HIM will continue making friends for itself wherever it goes!
Sunday, 15 February 2015
New event: Queer Company
Reading, writing and publishing are fulfilling occupations in themselves, but we also feel very lucky to be working in this particular genre – not least because of the wonderful sense of community. To celebrate our excellent friendships – and in the hope of making even more – Manifold Press is delighted to be hosting a new UK-based event.
Queer Company will be a small, friendly gathering designed to engage and inspire. This one-day event is planned for Saturday 9 May 2015 at The Jam Factory in Oxford.
We hope this gathering will be the first of many, with annual events complementing the wonderful work done by UK Gay Romance and UK Meet.
The timing this year coincides with Manifold Press’s fifth anniversary – we’re proud and rather astonished to reflect that our first titles were released on 1 May 2010. We will also be taking the opportunity to formally launch our new anthology A Pride of Poppies, featuring modern GLBTQI fiction of the Great War, all the proceeds of which will be donated to charity.
If you’d like to join us…
There is more detailed information available on the Manifold Events website.
Registrations will open at 12.00 midday on Sunday 22 February.
Please note that, due to the nature of the event, we can accommodate no more than 50 people attending. We hope there won’t be too many of you disappointed, but we are expecting the registrations to be filled quite quickly. We will maintain a waiting list if necessary.
Thank you for your interest. We’re looking forward to enjoying your company!
Saturday, 14 February 2015
New review of END OF THE TRAIL
Reviewer Sadie Forsythe took the opportunity recently to pick up a free copy of Jane Elliot's title END OF THE TRAIL, and it seems she was very glad that she did!
It’s a wonderfully slow, angst free, subtle, Gay For You story and I very much enjoyed it. ... I loved the way each man had his own personality and quirks. John and those chickens, for example. There was a lot to love in this book. ... All-in-all, it was a great feel-good read and I’ll being looking for the sequel, as well as more of Jane Elliot’s work.
We're delighted that Sadie enjoyed this title so much, and we feel quietly confident that she'll love the sequel as well!
It’s a wonderfully slow, angst free, subtle, Gay For You story and I very much enjoyed it. ... I loved the way each man had his own personality and quirks. John and those chickens, for example. There was a lot to love in this book. ... All-in-all, it was a great feel-good read and I’ll being looking for the sequel, as well as more of Jane Elliot’s work.
We're delighted that Sadie enjoyed this title so much, and we feel quietly confident that she'll love the sequel as well!
Valentine's Day Giveaway
We are holding a Valentine's Day giveaway on our Live Journal blog. Please drop by! We are giving away one free book each day for the next seven days. You don't need a Live Journal account to enter, as you can sign in using OpenID or a range of other logins.
Wishing you a happy day, whether celebrating or not, and the best of luck!
Saturday, 7 February 2015
New review for MITCH REBECKI GETS A LIFE
Over at Boys in Our Books, reviewer Susan has given her verdict on Julie Bozza's new title MITCH REBECKI GETS A LIFE, and it would be reasonable to say that unfortunately it didn't have some of the attributes she looks for in a book:
There were still flashes of the Bozza writing that I really enjoy. But the story as a whole and the way that it was put together really did not work for me. [...] I’m actually so confused by my disappointment with this book that I’m wondering if maybe I missed something…? Maybe I just didn’t get the story?
It's sad when a book doesn't meet a reader's requirements, but both our titles and our readers are so immensely diverse that sooner or later it was bound to happen. We can only say that we're going to keep trying new and different ideas, and we're confident Susan will find something she likes better further down the road - and meanwhile, of course, other readers may have a very different reaction!
There were still flashes of the Bozza writing that I really enjoy. But the story as a whole and the way that it was put together really did not work for me. [...] I’m actually so confused by my disappointment with this book that I’m wondering if maybe I missed something…? Maybe I just didn’t get the story?
It's sad when a book doesn't meet a reader's requirements, but both our titles and our readers are so immensely diverse that sooner or later it was bound to happen. We can only say that we're going to keep trying new and different ideas, and we're confident Susan will find something she likes better further down the road - and meanwhile, of course, other readers may have a very different reaction!
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
All good things must come to an end
Our present massive free book bonanza on AllRomance, Smashwords and related distributors will end on Friday 6 February. To those who haven't so far taken advantage of it - now is the time!
The titles are
DEAR MISTER PRESIDENT by Adam Fitzroy
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dearmisterpresident-578559-149.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328785
END OF THE TRAIL by Jane Elliot
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-endofthetrail-578569-153.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328791
FOOL'S ERRAND by Chris Quinton
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fool039serrand-578563-145.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328800
HOMOSAPIEN by Julie Bozza
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-homosapien-578562-149.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341181
We'll almost certainly be doing this again at some point, although when and with which titles we are not yet in a position to say; watch this space for further information!
The titles are
DEAR MISTER PRESIDENT by Adam Fitzroy
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dearmisterpresident-578559-149.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328785
END OF THE TRAIL by Jane Elliot
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-endofthetrail-578569-153.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328791
FOOL'S ERRAND by Chris Quinton
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fool039serrand-578563-145.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328800
HOMOSAPIEN by Julie Bozza
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-homosapien-578562-149.html
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341181
We'll almost certainly be doing this again at some point, although when and with which titles we are not yet in a position to say; watch this space for further information!
Sunday, 1 February 2015
Two new titles released today!
Well, technically, they were actually stealth-released last night - as some of you may have noticed already!
We're proud to present Julie Bozza's MITCH REBECKI GETS A LIFE: Investigative journalist Mitch Rebecki loves his job and loves New York. He doesn’t mind making enemies, either. When a crime boss threatens retaliation, Mitch’s editor sends him out of harm’s way to Sydney. In exile and resentfully working on lifestyle pieces, Mitch is miserable. But he makes a friend or two, meets a man … and discovers that Australians do organized crime, too, in a small way. Mitch soon finds himself in too deep on all counts, and trying to head home again seems the only solution
and
ESCAPING FROM HIM by Liam Livings: Darryl’s on the run – from controlling boyfriend Chris, an air-conditioner called Dave (deceased), an intolerable, claustrophobic situation and a person he just can’t be any more. The trouble is, he doesn’t have a plan – or any money – and all he knows is he needs to get away from everything. That’s where a lucky lift to Glasgow comes in, which turns out to be just the beginning of a whole new life …
We'd also like to remind readers that we'll be doing a 24-hour Q+A on Goodreads starting at 09.00 today UK time (i.e. about two and a half hours from now), and a one-hour Twitter chat at 6pm GMT / 1pm EST / 10am PST! These are always fun and totally unpredictable, so please do come and join in the mayhem!
We're proud to present Julie Bozza's MITCH REBECKI GETS A LIFE: Investigative journalist Mitch Rebecki loves his job and loves New York. He doesn’t mind making enemies, either. When a crime boss threatens retaliation, Mitch’s editor sends him out of harm’s way to Sydney. In exile and resentfully working on lifestyle pieces, Mitch is miserable. But he makes a friend or two, meets a man … and discovers that Australians do organized crime, too, in a small way. Mitch soon finds himself in too deep on all counts, and trying to head home again seems the only solution
and
ESCAPING FROM HIM by Liam Livings: Darryl’s on the run – from controlling boyfriend Chris, an air-conditioner called Dave (deceased), an intolerable, claustrophobic situation and a person he just can’t be any more. The trouble is, he doesn’t have a plan – or any money – and all he knows is he needs to get away from everything. That’s where a lucky lift to Glasgow comes in, which turns out to be just the beginning of a whole new life …
We'd also like to remind readers that we'll be doing a 24-hour Q+A on Goodreads starting at 09.00 today UK time (i.e. about two and a half hours from now), and a one-hour Twitter chat at 6pm GMT / 1pm EST / 10am PST! These are always fun and totally unpredictable, so please do come and join in the mayhem!
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