New Release: Kings Of Under-Castle by Michael B. Fletcher

We are excited to announce the release of our first anthology of short stories in nearly three years - Kings Of Under-Castle by Michael B. Fletcher. Michael has been long associated with IFWG Publishing, often participating in our beta reading groups, and is a friend of several other writers based in Australia. I certainly noticed the odd Pickel and Weasle stories popping up in writing challenges, and it was inevitable that these rogues who live in the sewers under a royal castle, would make it to the title list. And so we have it, a collection of fifteen short stories starring the two hilarious protagonists, as well as a cast of other characters that can only rival a Shakespearean comedy.

 

Thanks to John Hughes for his magnificent 3D rendering art and cover design - he is a legend!

Here is the blurb:

Kings of Under-Castle is an anthology of short stories featuring two rogues, Pickel and Weasle, who live in the drains beneath the King's castle.

Pickel and Weasle encounter the officious Courtier Bland, the macabre Surgeon Strichnin, the Keeper of the Royal Bloodhounds, and the deadly Hanging Judge. They meet up with the King and Queen, the lovely Helena von Gosporin, the cheery jailer, Drossum, all the while being supported/hindered by two cheeky urchins, Joe and Ferd.

Pickel and Weasle are quick to purloin valuables to make their life in the dark tunnels more comfortable, nor are they fussy about what they eat, as long as it's meat.

Their hilarious adventures get them into many sticky situations which test their ingenuity and they usually, but not always, end up on top.

At this point, the title is available in Kindle, but it will soon be released in NOOK Book, Kobo, as well as print (in the New Year).

Amazon US
Amazon UK

Well done, Michael, and good luck in the Aurealis Awards, where this collection has been submitted.

New Release: Brumbies In The Snow

One of the great pleasures we have in IFWG Publishing, is our sideline of children's titles - normally aiming for the 8+ range, often in the 10 to 14. It was with great pleasure last year that we released Brumbies, by Paula Boer and Rowena Evans (Illustrator), which was the first of a five part series. It was aimed at the young horse-loving market, and it told a great story set in the Australian outback. It was written and published in Australian English (mainly because we correctly assumed that the bulk of sales would be in Australia), and it was choc-a-block full of illustrations, maps, and even an Australian horsemanship glossary. Great value.

We have just released book two, titled Brumbies In The Snow, noticeable with a yellow cover, instead of the green of the first volume. It continues the adventures of the protagonists of the first book, and takes place in Australian winter, where in the highlands there is (yes actually) snow. Another wonderful tale.

We look forward to the remaining three books, each with a unique color, coming out over the next few years. We hope that you consider purchasing this book (or both!) for your older children for Christmas. It would be a treat!

 

Here is the blurb:

Taming a wild horse is no easy task, as Ben and Louise soon discover. Their progress is slowed by a runaway horse and a desperate search through the park for two lost hikers. Concern for an injured brumby adds to the complications.

Follow the wild twists and turns of the Best Selling sequel Brumbies adventure, as Ben and Louise explore the High Country of Australia in winter and learn what it means to break in a brumby.

Brumbies In The Snow will shortly be available from our site, but it is already available from all good online stores, in both print and ebook formats.

Example Links:

Print in Amazon US

Ebook at Barnes & Noble

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Story Quest Contest: Winners and Finalists Announced

IFWG Publishing and SQ Mag are pleased to announce the finalists and winners of the 2012 Story Quest Short Story Contest.

Winners:

First Place: 'Strike Day' by Marie DesJardin (Apocalyptic)
Second Place: 'Endangered Species X' by Guy Prevost (Scifi/Ecological Disaster)
Third Place: 'Faye's Diner' by J.T. Seate (dark/supernatural)

Other Finalists:

'Unbound' by Dan Hankner (scifi)
'My Trip To The Circus' by Jason Lairamore (scifi)
'Caldera' by Joshua D Moyes (Apocalyptic)
'Fairest Fowl' by J.B.Rockwell (fantasy)

Congratulations to all the winners! Prize money will be shortly sent to the winners.

We look forward to more excellent entries in our 2013 competition, opening 1 August 2013.

More details on this year's contest can be found in the contest page.

New Title: Brumbies In The Snow by Paula Boer & Rowena Evans

IFWG Publishing is pleased to announce the release of the second volume in the 5-part Brumbies children series, Brumbies In The Snow.

We know horse-lovers everywhere have been waiting for the continuing adventures of Ben and Louise.

The blurb is:

Taming a wild horse is no easy task, as Ben and Louise soon discover. Their progress is slowed by a runaway horse and a desperate search through the park for two lost hikers. Concern for an injured brumby adds to the complications. Follow the wild twists and turns of the Best Selling sequel Brumbies adventure, as Ben and Louise explore the High Country of Australia in winter and learn what it means to break in a brumby.

Well done to Paula and illustrator Rowena, who have produced again a wonderful story for children, and particularly horse-lovers.

At this stage, it can be purchased from Amazon, but it will soon be available in a wide variety of online stores, including IFWG's website.

New Title: Numen Yeye by Biola Olatunde

We are very proud to announce the release of Numen Yeye, by Biola Olatunde. Biola has already published with us, Blood Contract, a great adventure set in contemporary Nigeria, which is equally a social commentary on life in that part of Africa.

Numen Yeye goes one more. It is primarily a social commentary, focused on spiritualism and superstition, the good and bad sides of indigenous religion as well as Christianity. It shows there is a lot of gray, and perhaps that for goodness to exist, so must there be a darker side. Numen Yeye is also a fantasy story, where a young girl, Ife, is blessed by the spirit of Numen Yeye and for much of the novel, there is an oscillation between the worlds of village live in Africa, and the place of Light, where the spirit creatures and gods reside. Ife's life, as well as others, are told with great sensitivity and vividness, testament to Biola's skills as a poet.

This was a long project for IFWG Publishing, because we discovered, on the fly, the necessity to translate (so to speak) Nigerian English idiom into US English for the largest of our Western readers. At the same time we didn't want to lose the magic of the original language, and not to stray too far from the way the dialogue represents the language of the characters. It took many months to get this right, and readers will marvel at the story, the style, and will be constantly reminded that we are talking about different world to what they are used to, both real and fantasy.

Well done Biola, you deserve great interest in your novel.

Numen Yeye is now out in various ebook formats. The print version will be out soon.

November 2012 Newsletter

I thought I would be a little different this month and provide you with an insight into titles that are forthcoming. I have already described in some depth our upcoming books, Numen Yeye, by Biola Olatunde, and Unlikely Hero, by Geraldine Fitzsimmons. They will appear soon, and we look forward to them.

What will also appear over the next several months are:

Loria, by Jesse McMinn. This book is the first of a heroic fantasy series, set in the world of Loria, which has many facets that reminds one of Earth, but also much that is different. What makes this story refreshing is the humor and world building gone into the book, adding spice to a story about a man who is transported from the mundane living of Earth, to excitement and adventure in a world full of magic.

Blood Sabers is the sequel to We Were Legends, by our prolific author MF Burbaugh. This book unbalances the reader, as the story is set quite a time after the events of the first book, and takes twists and turns in plot that surprises - and delights. A worthy sequel indeed, and full of Burbaugh's sense of humor, and dare I say it, touch of sauciness.

Brumbies in the Snow, by author Paula Boer and illustrator Rowena Evans, is the sequel to Brumbies, second in a series of 5 horse adventures for children. This is wonderful reading for children (and those who are children at heart), as well as those who are 'horse crazy' (like what my daughter is fast becoming).

Kings of Under-Castle, by debut IFWG author Michael B Fletcher, has written a wonderful set of short fantasy fiction bundled into this anthology, starring the roguish Pickel and Weasle, rather unsavory (and yet funny, almost delightful at times) men who live beneath the King's castle and parasitically live off what is thrown (or flushed) away. Very funny, and wonderfully adventurous.

Paper Magic, by writer and illustrator Jeffery Doherty (who has illustrated some of our upcoming novels) has produced a magical children's book that isn't just a joyous read, but lifts the spirit - it is a story about a young girl whose legs don't work, who is given a magical gift. I will say no more.

The Andromedans, by Elizabeth Lang, last of the scifi trilogy of The Empire. Something we all are looking forward to read, and congratulations to Elizabeth for not just producing a highly professional body of work, but also on her tireless marketing efforts.

Books that we hope will come over the next few months include:

Golden Spinner, a rework of the children's book formerly called Whirlwind, due to legal reasons, but also improved on a number of fronts (while we were at it).

The Adventures of Ursus the Bear, by Jack Eason and wonderfully illustrated by Frances Hutt. This is an amazingly long children's story project and we hope that it can be tied together by end of 2012, but it may roll into early next year.

As you can see we have a lot on our plate, but you will also note that it is one hell of a list (you should see our 2013 list!) We are so proud of the work of those talented people who have chosen us as publishers.

October 2012 Newsletter

With a sigh of relief, we are seeing our production line coming up with the goods. It has been a while. As you read this, two titles will have been published, or are on the verge of being published: Numen Yeye, by Biola Olatunde, and Unlikely Hero, by Geraldine Fitzsimmons. Coming very soon will be Loria, by Jesse McMinn - the manuscript is with the proofreaders as I type this editorial. Several others will quite quickly follow them.

Numen Yeye has been the most delayed title of ours since we started as a company, mainly for good reasons. I admit to underestimating how long the project would take, but we learned a lot from the experience: you can't gloss the process while working with something excellent. You don't use carpenter chisels to cut diamonds. Biola is a poet at heart (I hope she agrees with this statement) and her strong ties with her Nigerian heritage combines into powerful narrative pieces. We first had dealings with her when we published her shorter work, Blood Contract - an adventure set in Nigeria and which, on the surface, was an exotic adventure. But no, it became abundantly clear early on reading the manuscript, it was first and foremost a critical treatment of modern Nigerian society, including corruption and violence, and touching on the darker side of spiritualism.

Numen Yeye is a very different story, with strong fantastical elements that knits well into our publishing house's specialization, and digs very deep into Nigeria's spiritual heritage. We were gob-smacked by the messages inherent in her manuscript, and the beauty of her words. What made the project difficult was our need to be sensitive to the work's language, as it was written in the Nigerian idiom of English, and to be frank, would have been confusing for anyone else to read straight off the cuff. A copy editing exercise turned into a translation sub-project, and the proofreading cycle had to work to that same treatment. It added months to the publishing schedule. But it was worth it. I was honored with the job of editing this manuscript, and Sophie Yorkston did a sterling job of proofreading (and lending a second copy edit cycle to boot). We are very proud of this work, and Biola should be honored for writing a work that will challenge readers, conceptually, as well as with some degree of retention of the Nigerian idiom - enough to keep the spirit of the Nigerian culture within the pages, and allow Westerners an appreciation of a very different world (worlds, in fact).

Geraldine Fitzsimmons is also not new to IFWG Publishing. We had the pleasure of publishing her and Andy Stephenson's crime thriller, The Devil Came East, which in my view is still one of our early shining lights. Geraldine has a gritty style and a mastery of vivid characterization, and presents in Unlikely Hero, a pastiche of characters in a well constructed, complex plot. She captures the Northern Ireland, France, Israel, New York City of the 1970s vividly, and delves the reader deeply into international espionage (and with another sweep of her deft hand, local crime) with acumen. Like Biola's newest work, we are proud of this one. A must-read for those who have an interest in the time of The Troubles, but also those who like political/crime thrillers.

I will write more about Jesse McMinn's Loria in the next newsletter. Not only is the story unique in many ways, I am delighted by Jeffery Doherty's artwork for the cover and I feel I am doing these talented people a disservice until I can reveal the full cover.

Until next month,

Gerry Huntman
Chief Editor
IFWG Publishing

Upcoming Title: Numen Yeye, by Biola Olatunde

We are pleased to announce a forthcoming title, which will very shortly be published in print, Kindle, NOOK Book and Kobo formats.

We felt it was important to say a little about Numen Yeye, by Biola Olatunde, because its production has been meticulous and lengthy, and it is very much a novel worthy of mention.

Biola Olatunde is a Nigerian novelist, poet and screenwriter, with a wealth of writing experience. Her foray into novel writing is one of her later efforts, and her first novel, Blood Contract, was published by IFWG Publishing, and has received critical acclaim. We don't publish many non-speculative fiction titles, but Blood Contract captured our interest, not only for its exotic adventure, but because the novel is also a significant social commentary on Nigeria today--village politics, violence, bribery, corruption--and yet it also talks about a people with a strong spirit and a captivating culture.

Numen Yeye is a longer, more detailed work, and to our additional pleasure, is essentially a speculative fiction piece. This novel delves into Nigerian culture to a much higher degree than Blood Contract; in fact, culture is the central theme. And what a culture! Biola paints a complex picture, a complete picture, of the wonderful spirit of the Nigerian people, in addition to the beauty and majesty of the 'old' religion. In contrast, Biola also depicts in detail the darker side of Nigerian culture, including black magic and witchcraft, as well as the negative elements of local Christian churches. All of these powerful themes are viewed through the eyes of two blessed young people, a girl and a boy. The periodic switching to the realm where the old Nigerian gods and spirits reside, and how they are bridged with these two young people, elevates Numen Yeye into a compelling read.

It is important to make a point about the writing style. Biola Olatunde is an accomplished poet, and her narrative has a strong poetic influence, which is well suited to the subject matter of the novel. Additionally, she wrote her novel in Nigerian English, and the conversion of it into US English was a long and meticulous project, the aim being to translate, without losing her style and the 'feel' of the Nigerian language. Readers will understand this careful balance the moment they read the first few paragraphs--we make no apology, we are intensely proud of our achievement.

Here is the early cut of the front cover, depicting a beautiful Nigerian girl.

 

And now the blurb:

Numen Yeye is about two worlds, inextricably interconnected. Numen Yeye is a princess in the Kingdom of Light, and her spirit is channeled through a young girl called Ife, who lives in a Nigerian village. Ife's awareness of her Light connection grows, but not as quickly as her dismay with the abuse of Nigeria's religious heritage in dark practices. And yet she recognizes what relevance her heritage has to her peoples', and her own, personal lives.

Numen Yeye is a story about Ife's discovery of her meaning in life, despite her growing, special abilities. It resonates with each and every reader. It is universal in theme. Numen Yeye is also about the spiritual lives of the Nigerian peoples, including their village customs and rites. It is a revelation.

Numen Yeye is not a typical contemporary fantasy novel. It was written in Nigerian English and the publisher has taken pains in retaining as much of the idiom and style as possible through its translation, while still enabling Western readers to fully appreciate what is a very different, fascinating world.

Esme Carpenter at the SYP Event

On 30th August, IFWG author Esme Carpenter did her first reading of her novel, Against the Elements, for the Society of Young Publishers in Leeds.

The event focused on the debate of digital versus print publishing, and the importance of fantasy and science fiction. There was a great turn-out and many interesting points were made, and Esme thoroughly enjoyed her reading and the discussion about both her novel and IFWG Publishing. Well done, Esme!

If you would like to hear more about SYP, take a look at their website, here.

August Newsletter Words From The Editor

Quite a lot has happened at IFWG Publishing over the last month, and it is well worth detailing them.

Firstly, with the improvement of the Kobo interface, we have made a big effort and have now got our entire catalog of current titles (less 1, for legal reasons) onto the platform. We will, for the foreseeable future, stick to the three ebook formats of Kobo, NOOK Book and Kindle. This is a great result for us, as we are now optimally positioned within the ebook market.

We have now published 6 short titles in our Chap-eBook series, by current authors. The most recent being added to the series are Diamonds, by RA Knowlton, and A Concerned Citizen, by Larry Ivkovich.

As you read this newsletter, the fourth Story Quest Short Story Contest will have been opened for submissions, with its usual cash prizes for the first three places, as well as all short listed stories being published in SQ Mag, with the potential of sliding into the SQ Mag 'Best Of' print and ebook anthology in 2014. What makes this contest different, is we are coming good with the promise that some of the contests will have themes - in this case we have picked the concept of 'disaster', in a very wide definition of the word. This is exciting for us, as it represents another step toward recognition that our contest is popular and acceptable to the speculative fiction industry.

Over the last few weeks we have published two new titles: The Rebels, by Elizabeth Lang, and The Bounty Hunter, by MF Burbaugh. This breaks our long drought, and with pleasure adds strong, almost classic, scifi and fantasy to our catalog. Over the coming weeks we will publishing Loria (heroic fantasy), by our new author Jesse McMinn, Numen Yeye (contemporary, African fantasy), by Biola Olatunde, and Unlikely Hero (political thriller) by Geraldine Fitzsimmons.

As you can see, we are busy indeed.

Gerry Huntman
Chief Editor
IFWG Publishing

Full Catalog Now Available In Kobo Platform

We are pleased to announce that our entire catalog of titles have now been converted to Kobo, and are for sale. You can see IFWG Publishing's Kobo catalog here.

eBooks are a very important part of IFWG Publishing's sales strategy, as it is with the majority of traditional publishers in the world, small and big. At this stage we believe we have optimized our range by sticking to Kobo, Kindle and NOOK Book. Some months ago we determined that PDF was not in sufficient demand, nor is it currently safe from a number of security weaknesses.

Our entire ebook range, in all available formats, can be found here.

Our entire chap-ebook range, in all available formats, can be found here.

We are very proud of our production quality, as much as our print products. Please consider sampling one of two - you wont regret it!

2012 Story Quest Short Story Contest

We are pleased to announce that the Story Quest Short Story Contest for speculative fiction has opened for submissions for 2012, and will close on 31 October 2012. This is our fourth contest, and the second in collaboration with SQ Mag.

The format is pretty much the same as last year - a finalist list will be compiled and announced in mid-November 2012 (usually from 6 to 8 stories) and the winner, second place and third place will be determined. These three winners will be given cash prizes, and the entire finalist list of stories will be published in SQ Mag issues 1 January 2013 and 1 March 2013. This also means that the stories will be eligible for the 'best of' anthology for 2013, published in 2014.

This year we have added a little spice, which is something we always anticipated we would eventually include - a theme. The following is taken straight from the contest web page:

"This year's theme is 'disaster'- a natural or man-made disaster that is integral to the story. It could have happened in the past, happening 'now', or is unambiguously going to happen. It can be the backdrop to a story, or indelibly connected to a character's actions or the plot - but it must be integral to the story. As per usual, this story can be written in any speculative fiction genre or sub-genre, and must also comply with all other contest rules."

We have been fortunate indeed to have excellent guest judges on our judging panels. This year we have Daniel I Russell, horror and dark fiction writer, based in Western Australia, originally from the UK. He has published a number of novels and shorter fiction, and is the vice-president of the Australian Horror Writers' Association. In other words, he is skilled and well respected in the dark fiction community, and the wider speculative fiction domain.

We invite you, writers, to visit our web page and consider entering the contest. It is free and provides you with the chance of a cash prize, and certainly a great deal of exposure. If you do wish to submit, read our rules carefully.

Gerry Huntman
Chief Editor, IFWG Publishing
Convener, Story Quest Short Story Contest

Chap-eBook Release #006: A Concerned Citizen, by Larry Ivkovich

We are happy to announce the release of our sixth chap-ebook, the novelette sized urban fantasy, A Concerned Citizen. It is a great tie-in with Larry's recent novel, The Sixth Precept, and contains two characters from the novel. A Concerned Citizen is the first of Kim Yoshima's adventures, and provides fans of Larry's spectacular contemporary setting with something to dig their teeth into.

The blurb reads:

After serving on the Pittsburgh Police Force for twenty years, Lt. Kim Yoshima thought she had seen and heard everything. But after encountering a mysterious man with meta-acute strength, reflexes and speed, she realizes that the latest case she's working on is much, much more than it seems. So much, in fact, that the fabric of space and time is unraveling and only she can stop it. The adventures of Kim Yoshima begin... 

A Concerned Citizen is currently available in NOOK Book and Kindle formats, and will soon be released in Kobo.

New Release: The Bounty Hunter

MF Burbaugh is a prolific writer, and IFWG Publishing is pleased to publish a fair percentage of his fantasy and science fiction adventure stories. When we were approached with The Bounty Hunter, we were immediately taken by its mix of sauciness (but not excessive, and mainly humorous), heroic fantasy, and clever skepticism of authority. And yet, despite his eclectic mix, the story is also about revenge, undiluted and raw, and hope. You may ask us is it tenable for a novel to contain all of these traits - and our answer is a resounding 'yes'!

The blurb reads:


The god's do not always smile on the innocent.

Sir Wendel, once the youngest Knight in the land, has fallen from the good graces of the new king. His wife and child are brutally murdered as he is forced to watch and he is stripped of all his possessions save his sword which carries a name, a special name, called Ferocity's Revenge.

Roaming the lands of England he hires out as a bounty hunter, soon he is known by that this new name. When people want the best they seek The Bounty Hunter. With little more than a death wish he is thought to be fearless.
This England is not ourEngland, it is a forgotten one. One stuck in time. At night the people sometimes see the gods battling for control in the skies, or do they?

Join him in this saucy, revengeful, swashbuckling, epic story, as Sir Wendel finds himself in intrigue and mystery when he takes on an apprentice as part of a large fee deal, a young princess of a foreign kingdom bent on revenge and willing to do anything to get it.

The Bounty Hunter is now available in NOOK Book and Kindle eformats, and soon will be followed by Kobo and print.

New Release: The Rebels by Elizabeth Lang

IFWG Publishing is proud to release Elizabeth Lang's second installment to her The Empire Series, The Rebels. Elizabeth Lang's sequel continues her strong plot with powerful characters, knitting a poignant love story with a science fiction adventure of space opera proportions. Few can combine these two elements, but Elizabeth has, at a stellar level.

Her blurb reads:


Rebellion is a state of mind.

“Maybe I want to find out what’s worse than dying.”

On the cusp of freedom, Adrian Stannis is plunged into the world of bounty hunters and rebels, each one valuing his head with the kind of single-minded intensity that does not bode well for his dream of peace and a fully stocked lab in a quiet and obscure corner of the galaxy.

Dragged along against his will by a barbarian intent on selling him back to the Empire, Adrian 'accidentally' kidnaps an emergency room doctor--because that is the kind of thing he does, while Kali and Bryce try to find him and become embroiled in an adventure of their own, one that leads to a sinister mystery that might destroy them all.

The Rebels is currently out in ebook formats: Kobo, NOOK Book and Kindle. The print edition will be out soon.

The third installment, The Andromedans, is expected to be released in Winter 2012.

IFWG Publishing eBooks Now In Kobo

We are pleased indeed to announce that we have set up facilities to add Kobo to our ebook platforms. We are quite speedily adding our back catalog to Kobo format, so by the time you read this blog post, most, if not all, are already available.

You can browse all available IFWG Kobo titles at the Kobobooks.com site.

Our full choice and range of eBooks can be found in our eBook Store.

Our full choice and range of Chap-eBooks can be found in our Chap-eBook Store.

Chap-eBook Release #05: Diamonds by RA Knowlton

We are happy to release the novelette sized chap-ebook, Diamonds, by RA Knowlton. A wonderful science fiction with dark undertones.

The blurb is as follows:

Jake Hollard is a restless soul, running away from life's greatest questions.

He roams the galaxy in search of easy answers, but they allude him. He hears about a distant planet that offers hardworking men a chance at riches beyond belief. Undeterred by many warnings, he set out on his quest and that's when his nightmare begins.

 

The chap-ebook can be found at Amazon.

Guest Judge for 2012 Story Quest Short Story Contest

We are pleased to release the name of our Guest Judge for this year's Story Quest Short Story Contest. It is horror fiction writer Daniel I Russell, British-born and resident in Western Australia. We were very fortunate to have him contribute recently to SQ Mag edition 2.

The following bio is taken from his own words:

Daniel I. Russell was born near Wigan in 1980 and has soiled various anthologies, magazines and ezines such as Dead West, Midnight Echo and Pseudopod. His newest novel, The Collector: Mana Leak (Dark Continents Publishing), is released today (1 May 2012). Daniel was also on the cover of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #43, and has released the novel Samhane (Stygian Publications) and novella Come Into Darkness (Skullvines Press). He is Vice President of the Australian Horror Writers' Association, the associate editor for the Necrotic Tissue print magazine and lives in Western Australia with his partner and three children. Daniel is represented in Europe by Michael Preissl Literary Agency.
www.danielirussell.com

Welcome Daniel to the judging panel, alongside

• IFWG Chief Editor and author and contest coordinator, Gerry Huntman
• IFWG Public Relations and author, Esme Carpenter
• IFWG Submissions Editor and author, Warren Goodwin

The contest will open for submissions on 1 August 2012.

The web page will change on that day.

Esme Carpenter at Two Live Events in August 2012

For those of you who reside (or are visiting) England this coming August, the following events will take place.

On 6th August Esme Carpenter, one of our talented writers, will be taking part in a strange and wonderful event called 'The Going Back and Forth'. It's been developed by students Philippe Nash and Harvey Herman. The event celebrates local art, music and written word, and invites people to come and share. It's going to Brighton, but also to York, which is where Esme comes in. She will be reading a short story for the event, and  we (as is Esme) is really pleased to be part of it.

6th August, 7.30pm, Basement Bar, York. Entry is £3. Visit their tumblr at thegoingbackandforth.tumblr.com.

On 30th August Esme will be reading from, and talking about, her young teen novel Against the Elements for The Society of Young Publishers. They're a group of - you guessed it - young publishers and writers who meet twice monthly. She will read and talk about writing and publishing.

30th August, 7pm, The Adelphi Hotel, Leeds. Entry is free for members but is £2 for non-members.

Chap-eBook Release #004: To The Battle Born by Geraldine Fitzsimmons

IFWG Publishing is happy to announce the fourth chap-ebook release, To The Battle Born, an insightful, enthralling political thriller. Geraldine has already published with us - one of the two authors collaboration of the crime thriller, The Devil Came East, and this novelette contains a few characters taken from her upcoming novel, Unlikely Hero.

The blurb doesn't give too much away: Two similar warriors condemned by their nature. Alex seeks financial gains; with Ryan it is a desire to improve society. Once established, a true belief for something creates a powerful passion in some men that allows them to use any method to accomplish their aim.

Go to our chap-ebook store to purchase this impressive work.

Chap-eBook Release #003: Phillis P by MF Burbaugh

Hot on the heels of Bree T. Donovan's chap-ebook, IFWG Publishing is happy to announce the release of Phillis P, a wonderful science fiction short story by MF Burbaugh. This compelling story starts with a most interesting premise - what if an average Joe meets the richest woman in the world, who states that she must marry him?

MF Burbaugh is one of IFWG Publishing's more prolific writers, with two novels under his belt (Circle of Seven, We Were Legends), and two more coming your way this year (soon to be released The Bounty Hunter, and Blood Sabers - sequel to We Were Legends). Additionally, he has also got a serial scifi piece running in this year's SQ Mags - free for all to read, and worth following the link.

Author Panel Event: Moorestown, NJ with Bree T. Donovan

We were glad to here that Bree T. Donovan, author of the paranormal fantasy, Blackthornes of the Forgotten, was part of a 13 person author panel at a local library in Moorestown, NJ. Attendance was a wonderful 55 people, and they had to turn folks away at the door. The following are a couple of photographs taken at the event, including Bree speaking.

 

Chap-eBook Release #002: Before The Fountain, by Bree T. Donovan

We are happy to announce the release of our second chap-ebook, written by Bree T. Donovan. Before The Fountain is a wonderful novelette, set in her beloved Ireland.

Here's the blurb:

Before the Fountain is an Irish fairy tale, but not quite the fairy tale of remembered childhood. It evokes that same sense of wonder.

This story of two life-long friends is contemporary, but still tells us a tale we know in our heart of hearts. Donovan takes us to a thoroughly modern Ireland with a tale of a kind of green knight, a man who uncovers the best in everyone he meets. Like the energy generated by a long-distance run, the energy of life can neither be created or destroyed-just as all great loves.

Donovan's story is moving and inspirational, crafted with the same special narrative as her novel, Blackthornes of the Forgotten, also set in modern Ireland.

Cover design by Elizabeth Lang.

Chap-eBooks: New Product Line

IFWG Publishing is pleased to announce that we have now commenced publishing 'chapbooks' for eformat only, which we call 'chap-ebooks'.

Chapbooks a few hundred years ago were small booklets, usually 40 pages or less, that were sold by street peddlers, containing stories, newsletters and suchlike. Over the years, in the traditional publishing space, these beasts were produced by publishers to reward fans of their stable of authors, or provide something special, though short. Many publishers and self-publishers now sell short eformatted pieces through online distributors, paralleling the chapbook experience.

We have combined the two concepts to produce a chap-ebook line. However, we have strictly limited it to work that is written by our existing contracted authors. This is a way to give our fans treats, especially between major publications by a given author. In some circumstances we will also publish chap-ebooks by an author that supplements a major story.

The series of chap-ebooks are numbered sequentially, but otherwise have nothing in common with each other. They will appear on an adhoc basis, and in the spirit of the old chapbooks, will be produced without expensive polish (in terms of the cover art), but will certainly maintain the standard internally.

Several chap-ebooks will be appearing very soon, but we have launched #001 - R.A. Knowlton's Gift Horse, a delightful and thoughtful science fiction short story.

Visit our Chap-eBook Store.

Larry Ivkovich Book Signing at Art All Night, 2012

Larry Ivkovich, IFWG author and writer of The Sixth Precept, had a book signing activity at Art All Night 2012, at Trenton, NJ

Larry had a good time and an opportunity to market his great urban fantasy novel.

SQ Mag Releases Its Stunning New Edition

IFWG Publishing is pleased to announce the release of SQ Mag's second edition in its new online format, with hats off to the independent publishing and editing team, particularly its Editor-in-Chief, Sophie Yorkston. Aside from a wonderful cover, whose artwork was done by Jeffery Doherty, it features new fiction by leading authors, Daniel Pearlman and Daniel I Russel.

Well done!

Good Review of Whirl Wind

A very good review of Jennifer R. Resetar's children's book, Whirl Wind by reviewer Gary from Midwest Book Review.


"Whirlwind" begins with third grader Alex Johnson walking a short distance to school. Despite having a disability of cerebral palsy he does not let it get him down. Shortly into his walk he is approached by someone who calls his name even though Alex doesn't know him. Alex is told he is a super hero even though he has his disability. He is given a costume and will be known as Whirlwind, who will help others in their time of need. The story is interesting while showing that people with disabilities are the same as anyone else in the world, just a little different It also deals with how vicious others can be to each other and how intolerance is dealt with. "Whirlwind" is a great first of a series of kid's books that has interesting characters and many positive lessons to learn.

Market News: Manuscript Submissions Closed for 2013

We opened our pipeline for submissions for the 2013 publishing year, and, unbelievably, we received a wave of submissions, many of which were excellent. So much so, that our calendar is now full. 21 days.

IFWG Publishing's prime tenet is to help authors become published authors, to help them along the way from a vocational, and professional point of view. While we are ecstatic that we have a full schedule to the end of 2013, it also saddens us that we are not able to help as many new and talented authors as we wish - the 21 day window in a 366 day year indicates the impact we make - but nevertheless an impact it is. In 2013 we will be publishing approximately 12 books, including our first non-fiction, and around half of the titles will be by newcomers. This, we are proud of.

Our pipe will open again on 1 March 2013 for the 2014 schedule. There is one exception - if you have a piece of non-fiction you want published, and you are willing to wait to 2014 for publishing, please send your query to us now - visit www.ifwgpublishing.com for the address details. Be sure to include a marketing plan.

Bree T. Donovan at Book Signing of Blackthorns of the Forgotten

Below is a great pic of Bree at her first book signing for Blackthorns of the Forgotten, her paranormal fantasy set in modern-day Ireland. Bree reported that all attending had commented on enjoying the time. To make her signing more interesting she threw in some inter-active "games" to get the folks involved, something she is always prone to do. From the photo below, Bree was clearly having a good time.

IFWG at Megacon

Friday, February 17th marked the start of the first big event for IFWG Publishing, MegaCon 2012. Peak attendance reached 185,000 on Saturday with standing room only capacity in the extremely large Orlando, Florida event center. Lines stretched around the outside of the building and people were turned away and the doors were closed due to overcrowding. 

IFWG Publishing was well represented by staff and authors, including one artist, John Powers. The following are some shots from the event:

 

Elizabeth Lang and Jennifer R Resetar (IFWG authors)

 

John Powers, illustrator for Whirl Wind, drawing caricatures

 

Larry Ivkovich, Elizabeth Lang & Jennifer R Resetar with attendees

 

Larry Ivkovich showing his urban fantasy, The Sixth Precept

 

Louis K Lowy, Elizabeth Lang, Larry Ivkovich and RA Knowlton (authors)

 

Louis K Lowy and Jennifer R Resetar

 

Louis K Lowy and his impressive giveaways 

(including a 45 record with novel details as a label)

RA Knowlton with fan holding KorraSky: The Deception

 

Tireless IFWG Staffer, Sandy Knowlton

RELEASE of SQ MAG, A New Specfic EZine

IFWG Publishing is excited to announce the launch of SQ Mag, a speculative eZine, on 1st March. Each edition will be updated every two months.

The following structure makes this an exciting, must-read:

• SQ Mag is a free ezine. It costs the reader nothing to read everything published on the site. 
• What's more, subscribers to the eZine (costing nothing), have the option of the new edition stories being emailed to them in HTML, PRC or EPUB formats (also for free).
• SQ Mag releases anywhere between 3 and 9 short stories and/or novelettes each edition (usually around 6), where each of the main genres of speculative fiction are represented (scifi, horror/dark fantasy, fantasy). SQ Mag is also committed to publishing a fair share of new writers' work.
• Every year, a 'Best Of' anthology will be published, of the best short stories published the previous year.
• SQ Mag will always be publishing serial fiction piece in each edition.
• SQ Mag is an international ezine: they will publish in the English idiom of the submitted work. That is, if a writer submits a story in UK English, it will be edited and published in UK English. We have a little flag next to the author to indicate this.
• SQ Mag also publishes reviews in each edition.
• SQ Mag periodically publishes interviews and articles.

 SQ Mag grew out of a print magazine called SQ Magazine. The model presented above is, in the view of the publisher and editor, a better one for grown and exposure.

IFWG Publishing is the publisher of SQ Mag but has decided that the eZine be independently managed and financed. This means that while IFWG Publishing will be a major sponsor, all income generated by sponsorship, donations and merchandise, including profits from he yearly anthology, will be retained for the running of the eZine.

Visit SQ Mag at their in-construction site - www.sqmag.com, where you will see how it is looking, and how it is organized. Better yet, if you subscribe before 1st March 2012, you will get the first stories emailed to you if you have chosen such an option.

Sophie Yorkston, Editor-In-Chief
Gerry Huntman, Contributing Editor and Publisher

Photos from Jennifer R. Resetar's VIP Book Signing

Recently Jennifer R. Resetar, author of the children's book Whirl Wind, had a VIP signing.  This was Jennifer's first book signing was a huge success, supported by a large group of friends and family along with new fans.

Below are a few photos taken from the book signing, including a few family/friend shots, including with her husband, Corey.

Congratulations for a successful book signing from the IFWG Team, Jennifer!

Brumbies Now An Amazon Best Seller!

IFWG Publishing is proud to announce that Brumbies, a children's horse adventure by Paula Boer, and illustrated by Rowena Evans, is an Amazon Best Seller. It has sustained No.1 in various categories for sufficient time to earn this status, and even in Germany, it has even achieved No.2 in horse stories. Brumbies could not have got to Best Seller status without having demonstrated its high quality of writing, illustrating and production.

This is IFWG Publishing's first Best Seller, and congratulations to Paula and Rowena!

New Release: Blackthorns Of The Forgotten by Bree T. Donovan

IFWG is pleased to announce the release of Bree T. Donovan's paranormal/romance novel, Blackthorns Of The Forgotten. While we have been known to publish books that are out of our normal genre/sub-genre matrix, we are particularly happy to support such a talented writers as Bree. If a reader opens this book, they will not get what they expected. This is not the run-of-the-mill paranormal novel - there are no vampires, zombies, werewolves and witches. There is no unrelenting action, mayhem and gore. And yet, this is not a standard romance either - in fact we struggled over the term 'romance', as it only barely touched on the definition. This novel has supernatural elements but they are secondary - they are a backdrop. This story is about love and sacrifice, about soul mates that transcend barriers that can only be depicted in a fantasy. It has tragedy but it is also an uplifting novel, set in the mystical land of modern-day Ireland.

There is a darkness that permeates much of this novel, and this is why we chose a dark, foreboding cover, with the symbolic blackthorn tree at its center.

Whoever reads this book needs to have an open mind, receptive to what soul-mateship is all about.

We in IFWG are proud to present this novel to the reading public.

New release: Against The Elements by Esme Carpenter

IFWG is proud to announce the release of our very own Esme Carpenter's debut novel, the young teen fantasy, Against The Elements. We, the IFWG team as a whole, have been aware for years of Esme's immense writing talent, and this was underscored by her acceptance into, and graduation from, the prestigious University of East Anglia Writing School. What many people don't know is that she has written DOZENS of novels since she was about 15 years of age, and this novel we have published, is her revised version of a novel she had in fact written at 15. She is 21 years old as of this posting. What a future, and we are chuffed to be part of it.

Esme's novel is currently out in Kindle format, but it is only a matter of days before it is available in NOOK and paperback. Visit our ebook store to find the format you like, if you want it in electronic format.

Ian Hall's Book Signing in Topeka, Kansas

Ian kindly sent some snaps of him at his book signing (Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darién) at the Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant, in Topeka, Kansas. Clearly fun was had by all.

New Release: Ferryman by Jonathon Wise

We are proud to announce the release of Jonathon Wise's new post-apocalyptic novel, Ferryman.

You can purchase a copy here: http://ifwgpublishing.weebly.com/bio-jonathon-wise.html

Ferryman - debut novel by Jonathon Wise

IFWG Publishing is proud to announce the release this month of Ferryman, by Jonathon Wise. This is a very powerful, emotional novel of a world engulfed in the apocalyptic effects of a deadly virus. Jonathon Wise follows different routes than other 'virus' based stories, and we are proud indeed to be his publisher.

A young adventurer descends to the depths of a newly opened cave following a devastating earthquake in Mexico. While he gives into a strange compulsion to take off his oxygen mask and hold it to the microbial slime on the floor, he has but one thought in mind. He hopes to be forgiven.

The days of humanity are numbered when the plague takes its first victim a month later. The few who survive bear witness to the downfall of civilization. Humanity, once masters of their environment, are now slaves to nature. Not that this torment will be long lived, since no pregnancy has been carried to full term.

In this world of lost hope, one man rises to fulfill his destiny and lead the people back. This is the story of the Ferryman.