Ian’s Comments (group member since Nov 08, 2010)

Ian’s comments from the Atomic Fez Publishing group.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

1 Tea or coffee?
Answer: Coffee first thing and into the morning. Then tea in the afternoon.

2 City mouse or country mouse?
Answer: City mouse by trade; country mouse at heart.

3 Wine or beer?
Answer: Beer, malty or dark.

4 Jazz or blues?
Answer: Jazz; Chet Baker-esque.

5 Cats or dogs?
Answer: Dogs (sorry Ian)

Bonus Q: How do you feel about snails?
Answer: Eating: never. In the wild: all power to their shells.

AUTHORIAL QUESTIONS

1 How old were you when you got your first library card?
Answer: Around 10 I think. I used to scour Pembrokeshire libraries for the Doctor Who Target novelisations.

2 What's the first book you remember reading on your own?
Answer: Probably Enid Blyton books like The Magic Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair series.

3 What's the book you've reread most often (and why do you keep rereading it)?
Answer: The Hobbit. It never loses its charm.

4 Who's the author / what's the book / to whom / with which you'd most like Sleepless Knights to be compared?
Answer: Either Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, or The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

5 What's the one thing you'd like to say to say to someone reading Sleepless Knights?
Answer: Thank you!

Bonus Q: Why do you write?
Answer: A love of stories and storytelling. And to try and replicate the feeling I get as a reader when I find a book I love, with something I’ve created, for other readers. The hope of achieving that is a constant inspiration.

For those of you wishing to “try before you buy,” you can now read PART I of Sleepless Knights by Mark H Williams. By the way, the cover design and art are by Jimmy Broxton.

Follow this link this link here to discover why Muriel Gray said the following:

Mark Williams’ dazzling début shakes up Arthurian legend into a wildly inventive, roller coaster ride of thrills, hilarity, dark fantasy and brilliant characterisation all written with an exquisite elegance befitting the originality of the tale. Treat yourself.

— Muriel Gray, author of The Trickster, Furnace, and The Ancient

Plus, stay tuned for more educated acclaim from the Great and the Good, as well as a SPECIAL CONTEST!

Have you ever wondered how an author and editor communicate to each other? Have you ever wondered how a book started its life when it left the author’s gifted hands and then was hacked to bits by the editor and/​or publisher? Have you ever looked around you and thought gosh, what I really need is a big stack of loose paper with lots of doodles and red marks all over it? Do we have an opportunity for you!

During the process of editing the début novel by John Llewellyn Probert , The House that Death Built , a great number of things were scribbled on a stack of paper upon which the original draft of the work was printed (using paper made entirely from “bagasse”, the fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice, and employing a clean energy supply and closed water cycle process) from the file as it was initially submitted by author. Then I started doing a combined edit /​ proofing /​ smart-​​arse comment effort as is my normal wont. One well-​​known UK author complimented me on providing the most entertaining editorial notes he’d ever seen.

Once I’d finished doing all of that — including a few attempts at sketching something in the story, which I normally never do, but did here in an attempt to understand a couple of bits in the plot — the stack of paper was sent off to the author for him to go through and make changes in the aforementioned Microsoft Word for Mac file which he had sent to his hard-​​working publisher to print out and scribble all over. Yes, a perfect balance of old-​​world craftsmanship and the modern technological methods of precision reproduction combined for reasons of entertainment.



Once he’d stopped screaming to Lady Probert about the frequency of red pencil marks resembling a blood-​​splatter pattern, he set himself to the task of going through the paper, making many of the changes suggested, ignoring a few of the more arcane punctuational preferences his publisher seems to like (“manœuver”, æreoplane, and “fœtid” for example), and occasionally making a comment on a page or two in reply; plus adding to one of the drawings demonstrating his own considerable artistic skills!

So, what does all that look like, exactly?

NOW SOME LUCKY PERSON OTHER THAN THE AUTHOR CAN FIND OUT!

WIN THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT… and more!

All you have to do is buy a copy of The House that Death Built directly from the publisher’s site (by using that link right there, by the way), before October 31st and you’re automatically entered! Yes, any of the three editions qualify you: paperback, hardback, or even the eBook edition (as long as it’s the *.ZIP file version via the site, as identities of the purchasers through Kobo and Amazon can’t be tracked).

What do you get? It might be easier to tell you what you don’t get! The number of things is so numerous they are beyond most people’s ability to count!

Well, okay, there’s at least three things, which is fewer than the fingers of most people’s hands. Still, that’s a lot!

Here’s what you win:
* the original manuscript! which has been written on by the editor and author as they crafted the final form of the book
* plus! “Copy #1″ of the Limited Hardcover Edition (be the envy of your friends everywhere!)
* plus! a copy of Wicked Delights , John Llewellyn Probert’s previous title from Atomic Fez!
* plus! …something else from inside the vaults of Atomic Fez

LIMITED HARDCOVER EDITION DETAILS
Includes, exclusive to this edition, the Author’s ‘Afterword’ about the genesis of the book as well as its writing and influences! Only 100 individually numbered copies, signed by both the author and cover artist, dust-​​jacket over burgundy binding cloth, with both title and author’s name stamped in gold on spine, and FREE POSTING AND PACKING.

So… there you go! Everyone entered is guaranteed at least one price: a copy of the début novel from award-​​winning, highly skilled, and frequently silly author John Llewellyn Probert! …because you just bought one, you see. It’s just that easy!

Well, hello there!

2012 has proven to be occasionally tumultuous and terrible, but we forge ahead here in the mighty headquarters of Atomic Fez Publishing, offering up two titles for ordering now: The Designated Coconut and The House that Death Built , both of them novels, and both of them worth a careful examination.

John Travis has his 2nd book in the “Benji Spriteman” series: The Designated Coconut . Be assured these are not the animals in the movies of questionable intelligence such as K-​​9 or Marmaduke, these animals are mirrors of ourselves, nature’s reflection of our own societal form and pressure, plus a wink or two along the way presenting familiar cultural references.

In the twenty-​​four months that had passed since The Terror, the world had become a slightly more civilised place — so civilised that when two female feline crime writers turn up to do a signing at a local bookstore, only one of them is murdered, implicating Benji Spriteman.

In an attempt to solve the crime and clear his name, Benji ends up in Rockway, the sleepy seaside town where the remaining sister is staying. Only Rockway turns out to be not too sleepy, and the detective finds his life in danger not only from the animals on land, but from those above and below it too…

As I waited in the lobby, I listened to the comments of various animals as they came in from their early morning walks. Almost all of them were complaining about the heat. ‘World’s gone mad,’ an old Tabby in a pair of shorts muttered to himself on the way to the elevators, ‘preferred it in the Old days. Didn’t have to buy fans then. Just sat on the rug and licked my ass. Good times.’

For those of you who hesitated when The Terror and the Tortoiseshell was introduced, but are intrigued by the notion of sentient animals fighting crime, wait no more! Heading to either book’s page on www.AtomicFez.com provides you with an offer of two (2!) books for a savings of ten (10!) dollars ($$!) or a good, solid English “fiver” (£5!) plus free shipping! Excelsior!

Meanwhile, John Llewellyn Probert has written a novel! It’s his first! It’s groovy, and so is he! It’s called The House that Death Built and is available in three (3!) formats! It’s available in eBook format, which is DRM-​​free as is the case with all Atomic Fez eBooks; there’s a paperback edition; and there’s a Limited, Numbered, Hardback edition which is signed by both the author and the cover artist! Atomic Fez isn’t in the habit of doing ‘collector’s editions”, but as this is John’s début as a novelist, it seemed apt to create a special version of this title, just for him. It may also be the final outing for the characters “Mr Massene Henderson” and “Miss Samantha Jephcott”, which are the “specialists in paranormal adventure” he created to engage in daring-​​do against the spirit world, and who have previously only appeared in the short stories collected in Against the Darkness (Screaming Dreams, pub.).

You are cordially invited to join Mr Massene Henderson and Miss Samantha Jephcott, specialists in paranormal adventure, as they embark on their most perilous case to date.

The Dark Manor isn’t just any old haunted house. Built on the site of a stone circle, from bricks saturated with pain and agony, windows that have seen terror beyond insanity, and doors that would scream if the wood from which they were fashioned could voice the appalling acts to which they have been witness, the house was designed with evil in mind and deliberately constructed to bring William Marx, the wealthy industrialist who built it, into contact with the spirit world.

But Marx hasn’t been seen since he entered the repository of death and madness that is The Dark Manor, and neither have any of the people who have gone looking for him. Now Sir Anthony Calverton has purchased it and needs the place investigating properly, which of course calls for some proper supernatural investigators.

Who will survive The House That Death Built? Only time and the pages within will tell…

Ο Φόβος είναι ο πόνος που προκύπτουν από την αναμονή του κακού

Also, for those of you who haven’t already got a copy of his collection Wicked Delights, its regular price has just been reduced! Hooray! Get the same number of excellent words for less money! HUZZAH!

PLUS! There’s a contest! But more about that a bit later. Oh, it’s worth the wait, let me assure you!

Tea or coffee?
Coffee most often, although when the mood for tea hits me, a mug of the stuff is more than delightful. One of my favourite is Kashmir tea made with black tea, hot milk, and a plethora of spices – cinnamon, cloves, pepper corns, fennel seeds and the like. And of course, I love Starbucks and Tim Horton’s java.

City mouse or country mouse?
Originated in Montréal – beautiful city – the pulse of the place will remain in my heart forever. That said, I’ve lived more of my life in rural settings once I left Montreal to pursue various avenues of life; a decade in Nova Scotia, and the past decade and a half in various rural Ontario towns. I enjoy visiting cities, but prefer the tranquility of the country. Where else can you see deer, raccoon, coyote, and wolf step into your back yard? It’s amazing stuff. Both offer unique experiences, though, and I enjoy a healthy balance of each.

Wine or beer?
Hell, you just giggled creating these questions didn’t you; these absolutes in black and white! Call me Gray. I love both. Beer is wonderful on a blistering Canadian July day (or anywhere hot, for that matter). I prefer darker ales, but will seek out new and wonderful pilsners and other pale ales too. I love good wines as well, both white and red, and on occasion, a dryer rose. I made both at home for years, with the various kits. It was fun at the time, but it’s always fun to peruse the aisles in the liquor store and wineries. I particularly love the Niagara wineries, and find it delightful when people offer a bottle of their homemade brewed specialities. One year a friend gave us a piquant strawberry wine; it made me shut my eyes and just smile. Don’t get me started on good scotches now…

Jazz or blues?
Blues always holds a special place in my heart. I played guitar and bass guitar in bands for a number of years while in my 20’s, and grew up listening to pretty well everything; but there’s nothing like a good, solid blues guitar to pull at the heart – those melancholy minor keys, a bent note on a Telecaster or Stratocaster… makes me swoon, it does. That said, jazz played an important part in my musical past. I can remember purchasing John Coltrane pieces in sheet music form, to learn on the guitar. Talk about some finger-snapping techniques there.

Cats or dogs?
Well, we have five cats and one dog, so I guess you have your answer. Plus, three rats, five toads and frogs, and two euromastyx lizards. Love animals; just love them – they make me go gah-gah with absolute bliss.

How do you feel about snails?
Snails? Adorable. Nothing’s cuter than finding one of these neat little dual-knobbed wonders sliding along a blade of grass. I’m not into escargot. I’d rather play with the snails, which is likely where you’ll find me, in dank places where snails tend to reside, in between writing sessions.

How old were you when you got your first library card?
Seven or eight perhaps; libraries and the Scholastic Book Club were the best things. I love libraries; the sound of them (they aren’t quiet; they contain the held breaths of wonder, the careful turning of pages, the pauses between the turns, the soft scribbles of pencils and pens against note pads); the smell of them – the aroma of words on paper, of old glues and canvas book covers, of inks and wood polish and dust motes hanging in the air. All these aisles filled with knowledge, ideas, inspiration, entertainment – the question always is, in which aisle do you begin today? Libraries are magic waiting to happen when you borrow a book.

What's the first book you remember reading on your own?
It was something about three little kittens; I remember feeling awe at being able to read the words. I wanted to read the story out loud to anyone who would listen. It opened up a new world. I didn’t know that I wanted to be a writer way back then; I just knew that I loved those words, the images, emotions, and this keen sense of adventure words always inspired.

What's the book you've re-read most often (and why do you keep rereading it)?
Ah, another tough one, but I’d have to say John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley: In Search of America . Steinbeck was one of the authors I first encountered early in high school and I couldn’t get enough of him. I encountered Travels with Charley when I was sixteen or seventeen years old and I read the book, cover to cover, in a couple of days. I found myself revisiting passages; his syntax inspired the very thing that he talks about within that book, this yearning to wander, to explore, and to seek new places, experiences, and people. There’s this feeling of wonder, excitement, wanderlust, earthiness, and nostalgia that just rings throughout that book. The man’s words are gold.

Who's the author/what's the book/to whom/with which you'd most like Terribilis to be compared?
Without a doubt, Thomas Harris; his Red Dragon was the inspiration behind Terribilis . First I read the book; then I saw the original film, and years later, the re-make. To this day, that book and film still make me shudder.

What's the one thing you'd like to say to say to someone reading Terribilis?
Thank you so much for showing an interest in reading the book. If you can pop into a book signing somewhere, I’ll buy you a coffee and we can talk books, or weather, or whatever you’d like.

Bonus Q: Why do you write?
I couldn’t imagine not writing; writing encompasses every facet of my daily life. It’s the ability to savour things, to make sense of things; it’s fun, exciting, passionate, and it gives me so much to look forward to every single day.

Tea or coffee?
A chewy combination of the two that I like to call ‘toffee’. In all seriousness though, coffee for the win.

City mouse or country mouse?
Whichever has leaner meat and cooks up nicer.

Wine or beer?
Wine. It’s way easier to relax with a glass of wine in your hand. And red over white. And Shiraz over every other variety.

Jazz or blues?
Since the slide guitar is the greatest invention that people have yet to come up with (aside from the stethoscope and melon baller of course), blues all the way. If you’ve ever seen vintage footage of Leadbelly playing “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” it will haunt you in the most pleasing way imaginable.

Cats or dogs?
Okay, whoa – hold the phone. What the hell is a dog? Is that like a less calm, less self-reliant, more needy version of a cat? I kid, I kid.

The answer is two-fold: I enjoy cats and catlike dogs, I.E. the mighty Pug, which should always be capitalized. Currently, my cat Majig is curled up next to me whilst I write.

How do you feel about snails?
Snails are delicious and can be easily kept alive and happy in a scummy bucket, making them easier to care for than a pet rock.

How old were you when you got your first library card?
It was issued to me as a child in Airdrie, Alberta upon entering kindergarten. I used it frequently to polish off Robert Munsch’s catalogue.

What's the first book you remember reading on your own?
I suppose that would be one of the million or so ‘Hardy Boys’ novels. I was an early reader and started in on those at around 4. I don’t remember any of the plots except to say that they were all pretty much the same.

What's the book you've reread most often (and why do you keep rereading it)?
A toss up between Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange and Dave Eggers’ You Shall Know Our Velocity. With Burgess, it’s all about the language. I’d love to be able to create my own slang in way that seems as effortless as he does and every time I go back to this book, I’m in awe. With the Eggers book, it’s the smile factor. It never fails to make me laugh when they tape money to a donkey in Africa with a note that says ‘Here I am, rock you like a hurricane’.

Who's the author/what's the book/to whom/with which you'd most like Dirk Danger Loves Life to be compared?
I should like to think Dave Eggers. I’ve always liked the way he weaves comedy in with heavier material and it’s what I aspire to as well (with my own, unique voice of course!).

What's the one thing you'd like to say to say to someone reading Dirk Danger Loves Life?
I would like to say ‘Thank-you and please, no dogears! Especially if you’re reading on an iPad because that is in no way covered by the warranty. Also, that is a lovely hat.’

Why do you write?
I write because I enjoy it quite thoroughly and the idea of making someone else laugh or cry or cower in fear because of my words puts a smile on my face.

Hey there! Should that book's cover above make you think "hmmm... I might like a bit of that", then click the link below to possibly WIN! one of the ARCs being given away in anticipation of the publishing of this book in north America come November! Great Britons get to buy their copies in October! But you might get a paperback long before either of them!

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Well now, this is the way we like to start the week, wot?

Not just a British Fantasy Society's Short-List nod for Andrew Hook's Ponthe Oldenguine in the "Best Novella", but also a position in the short-list for "Best Small Press" for Atomic Fez itself! HUZZAH!

Considering the full list of those being considered was massive--and yes, everyone says the next bit, but it's honestly true--just getting on the list of the "best five" is an achievement-and-a-half.Considering that Atomic Fez is based 1/3 of the way around the planet to the west of the United Kingdom, and it gets even more amazing. "Right chuffed" is the way the entire offices of Atomic Fez feel just now.

...okay, it's just me, but all of me feels that way.

While Mr. Hook's is the only single title to be recognized, obviously the hard-work of all the authors in 2010 making their books as good as can be has been noticed, as the publishing house itself has been 'short-listed' for "Best Small Press". Thus, the collective effort by all of the authors over the previous year is what made the "Best Small Press" inclusion possible for this publisher. Hooray for all of them as well!

If you head to the giveaways section, you'll find you can WIN! a copy of a book!

Yes, that book up there! But not quite that book, no no! You're going to win a very rare ADVANCE READING COPY! There's only 25 copies in the whole wide world!

Head here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

For those who share his taste in humour and thoughtful prose, Rhys Hughes is one of those authors it's easy to become obsessed with. Sadly, it can sometimes require an obsession in order to locate a large part of his work, as it almost exclusively comes from tiny publishing houses. With a combination of a quote from Mike Mignola and a recently acquired distribution deal, it's hoped that Twisthorn Bellow will find Mr. Hughes the wider audience he deserves.

John Llewellyn Probert is easily one of the most entertaining authors around these days. As is evidenced by his answers.

Why, bless my stars & garters! I certainly would! Andrew Hook is a fine author of Ponthe Oldenguine! What a fine feller he is, too!