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Welcome to JournalStone's May 2011 newsletter! Another month has passed us by and our thoughts are with everyone who weathered the storms firsthand. Hopefully all of you made it through unscathed.
CONGRATULATIONS to Annastaysia Savage. Her novel, "Any Witch Way," was published on April 8, 2011. The majority of her reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and we have high hopes that her novel will be a huge success. If anyone would like an author interview, please let us know. She would love the opportunity.
We have four new authors we want to welcome into the JournalStone family this month. All signed their contracts in April 2011.
Mike Phillips has signed on with his novel, Reign of the Nightmare Prince, a tale that mixes science fiction and fantasy with personal self-reflection. How does peaceful tranquility react when threatened with extermination? Look for it in June/July.
Brett Talley and Stephen DeBock are two authors from our horror contest that have already signed on with JournalStone to publish their books. The tally won't be in for a few weeks on who the winners are, but these two will have a published book no matter what the outcome. We loved their work so much, we had to quickly sign them both.
JG Faherty has signed on with a YA novel. You might remember him as the author of "Carnival of Fear." He has several published short stories, and with his previously published novel is the first author JournalStone has signed that has an established presence. We are thrilled to have him on board and hope to continue working with him long into the future.
We also want to welcome Joel Kirkpatrick into the JournalStone family. Joel is joining us as our Director of Acquisitions and will be the first contact for anyone aspiring to publish a novel with JournalStone. Congratulations, Joel. We are excited to have you as a part of our growing team, especially me. Joel's e-mail address is joel@journalstone.com. Send him those submissions today!
Thanks everyone for your support. I am amazed how fast we are growing, and we couldn't do it without the wonderful people buying our books and the talented pool of authors entrusting us with their work.
Christopher C. Payne
President
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With two authors already signed and inquiries out to a few others, we are well on our way to finalizing our first-ever novel contest. If you haven't heard from us, don't worry yet, we are still reading entries and have a long way to go before picking a winner.
There is still time to enter. Please submit your 75,000+ words manuscript/novel to christophercpayne@journalstone.com on or before June 1, 2011, and you will be entered. The winner will receive a $2,000 advance against future royalties and have his/her novel published by JournalStone. Grammar counts, people. Have it edited before you submit your entry.
The first-place winner is also eligible for active membership to the HWA (Horror Writers Association). Have you always wanted to join, but haven't met the criteria? You can now become an active member with all of its benefits and prestige!
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About Us
JournalStone is a full service, small press publishing company, focusing on young adult and adult horror, fantasy and science fiction. Our goal is to provide novels of the highest quality. We view every person who picks up a book as our customer and someone to whom we owe a service. Thanks to you, and please keep reading. JournalStone |
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Let's Team Up!
Rumor has it Amy is launching a contest in May for anyone doing reviews for JournalStone. I hear there's even a monetary award for the winner! Are you interested in having your reviews read and winning a prize if you are the best?
JournalStone's Web site is currently viewed by more than 10,000 people a month, and we would love to have your input. Shoot an email to amy@journalstone.com, and we will do our best to sign you up as a JournalStone reviewer. Thanks, and we look forward to having you as a part of our growing family.
Amy Eye is our Director of Web Content.
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The Authors Speak is an author interview program. We seek to profile authors, spotlight books, and support literacy as a whole. We ask the questions others don't, bring you the authors others don't, and recommend the books that nobody ... does.
Join us on May 28 at 12 PM Eastern time, (9 AM Pacific time) for a live interview with Christopher C. Payne. Not sure why anyone would want to talk to me in person, but come and join us anyway. Hope to hear from you! |
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In Rango (March 2011), Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski teams up once again with the ever-engaging Johnny Depp to create another theatrical masterpiece. Paying tribute to classic favorites, such as Don Quixote and Chinatown with a bit of Blazing Saddles tossed in, this film has a little something for everyone to love. The stunning animation (finally something that is NOT in 3-D!) is courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic and is their first full-length animation venture.
A pet chameleon (Johnny Depp) who fancies himself quite the thespian is accidentally tossed from his owner's car in the middle of the Mojave Desert. After narrowly escaping becoming a hawk's afternoon snack, he meets a desert iguana, Beans (Isla Fischer), who takes him to the Old West town of Dirt where the water reserves are running dangerously and suspiciously low. The once make-believe hero suddenly finds the opportunity to reinvent himself as a true hero by becoming Rango, a tough wanderer and the newest sheriff of Dirt. Along the way he faces foes, such as the gang of moles and Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy).
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JournalStone will be sponsoring the HWA Stoker Weekend held in June 2011. Head over, and join us. We will be accepting pitches there, as well, if you are interested in submitting.
We will also be launching JG Faherty's new YA novel at the event, so stop by and chat with us both. Check out the scheduling to see when he will be presenting his latest work, published by us!
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 A Clash of Kings, the second of George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series, picks up where A Game of Thrones ended. It follows the same style-each chapter focused on a particular character from a limited third person view. The newly contracted second season of HBO's Game of Thrones will depict this installment of the series.
Civil war plagues The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as The War of the Five Kings ensues. Joffery Baratheon, Renley Baratheon, Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, and Stannis Baratheon all declare themselves king and fighting breaks out in different areas of the kingdom for each of them. When the brothers, Renley and Stannis, attempt a meeting to work out some sort of peace agreement between themselves and the Starks, mysterious events begin to occur. After the failed meeting, Renley is murdered in his tent by a mere shadow in the night; a shadow that will later reappear to ensure the Renley forces are completely disbanded. Could the strange Red Priestess that Stannis has named his banner "woman" be the source of this cruel sorcery? How far will Stannis take his claim to the iron throne?
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The Secret of the Sacred Scarab
by Fiona Ingram
Egypt - full of fantasy, adventure, secrets, curses, and treasure. This intriguing land is one that I have always wanted to experience for myself, so anytime a fun new book comes out surrounding the mysteries of this extraordinary land, the temptation to dive in is overwhelming.
The same feelings sit with the heroes of our story. Justin and Adam are two youngsters getting ready to go on a family outing with their famous Aunt Isabel. Adam and Justin cannot wait for the adventures to start, after all, if an adventure was going to start anywhere, Egypt would be the place.
Soon after the group arrives the mysteries start to unfold; a merchant slips free gifts to the boys in a hurry and runs off before the boys can question him or even thank him!
Cameras are broken and rucksacks are nabbed. In contradiction to Isabel's claims of "NO ADVENTURES," this trip turns out exactly the way the boys would like. Hidden messages, sacred objects, and danger at every stop. Throw in a smuggling ring, and this is turning into a true life story for these young boys. What the boys soon learn is that the real adventures are often more dangerous and frightening than they seem from the outside. Once fully immersed in the danger, you cannot wish yourself out.
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BONE MARROW STEW
is a fantastic short story collection from Tim Curran. With stories, ranging from a man who can resurrect the dead in Paris, a theoretical physicist who sees into another dimension, the people caught in the middle of a migration of epic proportions on a mining colony and the things the men on a prison road crew actually do, there is something here for everyone.
My favorite story in the collection (although it's hard to choose) is "The Chattering of Tiny Teeth" about the things seen on a muddy, trench-filled battlefield in Flanders during World War II. It's so much worse than the dead, dying and usual horrors of war. Another favorite of mine is "Queen of Spades" about a group of children trying to scrape out an existence in a bombed-out city during World War II; what's come looking for these children may be worse than the Nazi soldiers they were able to hide from. And how could I possibly leave out "The Legend of Black Betty," a tale about zombies and voodoo in the Old West.
Other great stories include "The Puppeteer" about the things that puppets may be able to do when no one is looking; "One Dark September Night..." about the scars one man has carried from a night with his friends; "The Architecture of Pestilence" about a snake-oil salesman and the consequences of his actions; and "Reign of the Eater" about the bringer of death....this one reads like dark poetry.
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