Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet No. 40

Mon 28 Oct 2019 - Filed under: LCRW| Posted by: Gavin

November 19, 2019. 60 pages. Ebook ISBN: 9781618731623

News: Frances Rowat’s “Ink, and Breath, and Spring” will be reprinted in Rich Horton’s The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2020.

Fracking? Secret International Conspiracy to Topple Democracy? Rotten to the Core?

Nope.

The contents of occasional outburst of hope and joy and fabulous fiction were produced under pressure and are the stronger for it.

Reviews

“Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet is a strange and fantastic magazine, and I recommend a subscription to anyone who is on your list but also difficult to predict.”
— Vernacular Books

“This year my favorite story [from LCRW] was Frances Rowat’s ‘Ink, and Breath, and Spring’, a lovely, mysterious, and sad mystery story, about a murdered and flensed man found in the gardens of a strange library, and the way a groundskeeper somewhat unwillingly finds out what happened.”
— Rich Horton, Locus

Table of Contents

fiction

Frances Rowat, “Ink, and Breath, and Spring”
Fred Nadis, “The Giant Jew”
Amber Burke, “In Pictures”
T. S. McAdams, “Duck Circles”
Margo Lanagan, “More Information to Help You Get to Rookwood”
Mary Cool, “The Fruit That Bears the Flower”
Lisa Martin, “Seat Belt On, Falling”
Jeff Benz, “The Stone People”
Michael Byers, “Sibling Rivalry”

nonfiction

Nicole Kimberling
About These Authors

poetry

D. A. Xiaolin Spires, “Planetary Refuse: A Flurry of Haiku”

cover

Cat Mallard, “Moon Garden”

About

This is Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet issue number 40, November 2019. ISSN 1544-7782. Ebook ISBN: 9781618731623. Text: Bodoni Book. Titles: Imprint MT Shadow. LCRW is (usually) published in June and November by Small Beer Press, 150 Pleasant St., #306, Easthampton, MA 01027 · smallbeerpress@gmail.com · smallbeerpress.com/lcrw · Printed at Paradise Copies (paradisecopies.com · 413-585-0414). Print subscriptions: $20/4 issues. Please make checks to Small Beer Press. Library & institutional subscriptions are available through EBSCO. LCRW is available as a DRM-free ebook through weightlessbooks.com, &c. Contents © 2019 the authors. All rights reserved. Cover illustration “Moon Garden” © 2019 by Cat Mallard. Thank you authors, artists, and readers. Please send submissions (we are always especially seeking weird and interesting work from women writers and writers of color), guideline requests, &c. to the address above. Peace.

About these Authors

Jeff Benz lives in Long Island and works as a freelance court reporter in Manhattan. “The Stone People” is adapted from a chapter of his novel, Over a Thousand Sleepless Nights.

Amber Burke is a graduate of both Yale and the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. She lives in New Mexico, where she teaches writing, yoga, and coordinates the Holistic Health and Healing Arts Program at UNM Taos. She is a regular contributor to Yoga International and her stories and essays have been published in The Sun, The Superstition Review, The Michigan Quarterly Review, The Raleigh Review, Essays and Fictions, Sky Island Journal, and The Pinch, among others.

Michael Byers has taught creative writing at the MFA program of the University of Michigan since 2006. He is the author of The Coast of Good Intentions (stories) and two novels, Long for This World and Percival’s Planet. His stories have been anthologized several times in The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Awards, and his novella “The Broken Man” was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award.

Mary Cool is editor in chief of Ducts literary magazine at ducts.org and hosts the Trumpet Fiction reading series in New York City. Her fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in the journals Hogglepot, Storychord, and Barely South Review. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Brooklyn, New York.

Nicole Kimberling lives in Washington state.

A deep love of both stories and nature have been with Cat Mallard since childhood, she credits this to being an only child spending time either outdoors or at the large city library. She is a life long Florida resident and studied art at the University of Florida. She lives in North Florida in a wooded area with her family and little pup. You can find more of her work at catmallard.com.

Lisa Martin lives in San Francisco where she works at book shop and attends City College to study journalism and graphic design. Her non-fiction articles have appeared in Make: Magazine, but this is the first time her fiction has appeared in print. You can find her on twitter at @ReesesMartin.

T. S. McAdams lives with his wife, son, and bullmastiffs in the San Fernando Valley, where he is not working on a screenplay. His work has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Madcap Review, Santa Monica Review, Pembroke, Jersey Devil Press, Sierra Nevada Review, Exposition Review, and Faultline.

Fred Nadis has been a limousine driver, college professor, and dried fig bandit (he’d give them back if he could). He has published pieces in the Atlantic, Vanity Fair online, and many literary journals. He is the interviewee for wired.com’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast #182. His book, The Man from Mars: Ray Palmer’s Amazing Pulp Journey was a Locus Nonfiction Award Finalist in 2014.

Frances Rowat lives in Ontario with her husband, their dog, and a not-quite-startling number of cats. She was born in Canada, and while growing up spent time in England, Algeria, and Switzerland. She spends most of her time behind a keyboard, where she frequently gets lost in details. She enjoys earrings, fountain pens, rain, and post-apocalyptic settings, and can be found online on Twitter @aphotic_ink or at aphotic-ink.com.

D. A. Xiaolin Spires steps into portals and reappears in sites such as Hawai’i, NY, various parts of Asia and elsewhere, with her keyboard appendage attached. Her work appears or is forthcoming in publications such as Clarkesworld, Analog, Strange Horizons, Nature, Terraform, Grievous Angel, Fireside, Galaxy’s Edge, StarShipSofa, Andromeda Spaceways (Year’s Best Issue), Diabolical Plots, Factor Four, Shoreline of Infinity, LONTAR, Mithila Review, Star*Line, Polu Texni, Eye to the Telescope, and numerous anthologies. Her stories are available or forthcoming in German, Vietnamese or Estonian translation. She can be found on Twitter: @spireswriter and on her website: daxiaolinspires.wordpress.com.


Stray Bats in Los Angeles

Mon 28 Oct 2019 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , | Posted by: Gavin

Stray Bats coverIf you are heading to LA this weekend for the 2019 World Fantasy Convention don’t miss your chance to get both Guest of Honor Margo Lanagan and Kathleen Jennings to sign your copy of their new chapbook Stray Bats.

We won’t be there (cf Book Moon) but I am happy to say — and very appreciative of their generosity — that it will be available from two lovely dealers in the dealers room, Patrick Swenson of Fairwood Press and Greg Ketter of DreamHaven.

As usual Kathleen will have work in the Art Show and she will also have extra copies of Stray Bats with her.


Hot Chocolate Walk 2019

Fri 25 Oct 2019 - Filed under: Not a Journal.| Posted by: Gavin

On December 8 me and our kid, Ursula (now 10-years-old), and my mother-in-law, Annie, are all going to be doing the Hot Chocolate Walk for Safe Passage. Should you be up for it, please do consider sponsoring either one of us or donating. It’s a fun morning: usually cold, we do the walk, not the run, and Ursula doesn’t really love hot chocolate but we usually walk with friends, everyone has a great time. 6,000 people turn out and they raise something like $600,000, which is amazing. Thanks for any support you can give!

Here’s the kid at the end of 2017 walk — bravely trying the hot chocolate, delighted by the free sunglasses, and proudly wearing the red hat they give to people who raise over $150:

Ursula Grant 2017


Half-Witch

Tue 22 Oct 2019 - Filed under: Big Mouth House, Books| Posted by: Gavin

A Big Mouth House Book
hardcover · 7/17/18 · 320 pages · $18.99 · 9781618731401 | ebook · 9781618731418
paperback · 9781618731678 · October 22, 2019 · audio: March 29, 2019

NPR Best Books of the Year
“A marvelous blend of whimsy, terror and deep feeling.”

Locus Award finalist
Crawford Award finalist
Junior Library Guild Selection
Locus Recommended Reading

Kind-hearted Lizbet and witch girl Strix embark upon a perilous quest where even the fate of Heaven is at stake.

In the world in which Lizbet Lenz lives, the sun still goes around the earth, God speaks directly to his worshippers, goblins haunt every cellar and witches lurk in the forests. Disaster strikes when Lizbet’s father Gerhard, a charming scoundrel, is thrown into a dungeon by the tyrant Hengest Wolftrow. To free him, Lizbet must cross the Montagnes du Monde, globe-girdling mountains that reach to the sky, a journey no one has ever survived, and retrieve a mysterious book.

Lizbet is desperate, and the only one who can help her is the unpleasant and sarcastic witch girl Strix. As the two girls journey through the mountains and into the lands of wonder beyond, on the run from goblins, powerful witches, and human criminals, Lizbet discovers, to her horror, that Strix’s magic is turning Lizbet into a witch, too. Meanwhile, a revolution in Heaven is brewing.

Reviews

“John Schoffstall’s Half-Witch is one of those books that are simultaneously so startlingly original and deeply familiar I can’t quite believe they’re debuts. . . . Half-Witch is a marvel of storytelling, balancing humor, terror and grace. Lizbet is so earnestly good, in a way that I think has fallen out of fashion but that I loved reading. She and Strix are a perfect double act, and the shape and texture of the friendship they build is a joy to discover. . . . This is a book of crossing and mixing, of mashing and counter-mashing, with surprise and wonder the result. The ending suggests a sequel, which I hope comes about; the book’s last act is full of revelations (as it were) about the especially strange nature of Lizbet’s world that I’m keen to see Schoffstall develop and explore. But Half-Witch is also fully satisfying in and of itself.”
— Amal El-Mohtar, New York Times Book Review

“John Schoffstall’s Half-Witch is the darkest of the dark horses, the most out there of the outliers, and the traditional review venues haven’t given this a lot of attention—one lonely star from Kirkus, one tepid review from School Library Journal. But look a little deeper and you’ll find high praise coming from the New York Times, NPR, and Locus Magazine, as well as literary fantasist Kelly Link and others. This is a strange book, one that involves God and witches and brims with humor that will appeal only to some readers. It’s slightly episodic, set in a strange fantasy world—a little medieval, a little gothic, a lot unexpected—with an unlikely pair of heroines, one deeply religious and one a witch. It’s hard to know how to take this; is it blasphemous, or deeply spiritual? Is it high fantasy or low? The odds of consensus are so slim, it’s almost not worth speculating about the chances—yet this is an odd, fizzily delightful read, with a strong setting, well-developed characters, and rich themes, that makes readers work for understanding even as they wander with Strix and Lisbet. Plus, the sentence-level writing is seamless. In other words, this has everything a winner needs—except maybe readers.”
— Sarah Couri and Karyn Silverman, School Library Journal

“Thoroughly delightful. . . . It embraces the absurdity of its medieval setting, with cheeky devils and superstitious townsfolk and even Jesus popping in for a chat, but the emotional core is anything but silly. These girls may only be half witches, but they’re each fully awesome.”
— Christina Ladd, Geekly Inc.

“Other highly recommended titles are Half-Witch from John Schoffstall, a traditional fantasy except that the sun orbits the world and God takes part as a not-very-helpful character . . .”
— Laurel Amberdine, Locus

“This book was a delight. Schoffstall’s writing is dazzlingly clever, funny, and heartfelt. The world he creates is familiar yet unique and, like all the best books, it takes a piece of you and replaces it with something else, something stronger. A scar healed, a bone mended, a pair of birch tree legs that can cover the most treacherous terrain so long as you have a friend like Strix by your side.”
— Eric Bosarge, Vernacular Books

“Plenty for all to chew on in its vision of a magic-inflected Europe and a protagonist with a direct (if interference-riddled) line to God.”
— Graham Sleight, Locus “Ten books of the year”

“Even a fantasy world strictly conforming to medieval Christian cosmology cannot withstand an unlikely friendship between human and witch in a picaresque middle-grade debut.
After 14 years fleeing across the Holy Roman Empire, Lizbet Lenz has learned to avoid attachments. Yet when her ne’er-do-well father finally lands in jail, she’s ready to beg help from anyone: margraves, witches, God (with whom she has regular, literal, if one-sided conversations). Only Strix, a witch girl crafted from leaves and rubbish, is willing to aid Lizbet’s desperate venture across the impassable Montagnes du Monde; unfortunately, that assistance may be turning Lizbet herself into a witch. In this wildly imaginative alternative Europe, the delicately evolving relationship between kindhearted, pious, fiercely determined, and achingly lonely Lizbet (“fair-skinned, like most northern folk”) and surly, bellicose, but resourceful Strix (“the brown of autumn leaves”) provides a sweet counterpoint to a tale otherwise teeming with selfishness, violence, and cruelty, where even heaven fails before the legions of hell. This last plotline, played at first for mordant (and potentially blasphemous) humor, subtly coalesces all the seemingly unrelated episodes until they suddenly transmogrify into a climax that’s genuinely thrilling, unexpectedly poignant, and oddly reverent. As Lizbet and Strix together realize their individual identities and agency, even greater joint adventures beckon.
Not for everyone, but readers who appreciate powerful female friendships and sui generis whimsy will cherish it.“
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“There is something deeply satisfying about a traditional fantasy with plucky protagonists, nefarious villains, hungry goblins, tricky witches, and a dangerous and difficult quest. In John Schofstall’s Half-Witch, everything you expect to find is present, plus a lot of unlikely twists and turns that make this adventure a classic read. . . . As they continue their quest, Lisbet and Strix become the very definition of plucky, and it is hard not cheer them on. They are charming characters who overcome all sorts of fantastical obstacles and forge a powerful friendship.”
— Colleen Mondor, Locus

“Extremely twisted, with a wicked sense of humor that had us snorting and reading passages out loud to anyone who would listen. The friendship between the leads is one of the loveliest relationships we’ve ever read in a teen book.”
— Pegasus Books, San Francisco Chronicle

“In a Europe where goblins coexist with the literal (but unhelpful) Holy Trinity, Lizbet is sucked into a magical quest with only the surly witch-girl Strix as a companion. Like all great children’s books, Half-Witch is not afraid to put the big stuff on the page: they match wits with the Pope of Storms and corpse-eating earth-witches, and also with human violence and cruelty. An edge-of-your-seat adventure about friendship, trust, and what it means to be changed by someone, Half-Witch is like The Golden Compass as written by Roald Dahl.”
— Lauren Banka, Elliott Bay Book Company

“Half-Witch gave me the same atmospheric shivers that The Bear and the Nightingale gave me; it’s got that same fairy-tale quality that makes every word seem a little bit like it’s shrouded in fog, like you are discovering the book as you are reading it. And it has that same weird blend of folk-lore and Christianity that makes for a wild and excellent contrast of ideas and themes and makes me want to just dig in and discuss this book. It’s a slightly creepy, unsettling, atmospheric, beautiful story about friendship and love and the journey it takes to get to those emotions, the trials humans face and the ways they change when faced with growing up and losing their ways. It’s about Loss. It’s about Finding. It’s about Being Made New. And while I don’t know if I really liked this book, I absolutely enjoyed it. (Also the cover is gorgeous. That’s important to note.)”
— Megan Szmyd, Book Shop of Fort Collins

“A picaresque fantasy debut in the mode of L. Frank Baum, in which witches and magic and God and goblins populate a world that is possibly just next door to our own. Lizbet and the witch girl Strix are delightful company in which to set out on the road.”
— Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble

“Fourteen-year-old Lizbet Lenz is used to not getting close to anyone and having to flee in the middle of the night thanks to her father’s penchant for getting in over his head. When he gets thrown into jail for causing a rain of mice it’s up to Lizbet to rescue him by scaling mountains everyone claims are impassable. As she travels, she gains a companion in Strix, a witch who doesn’t believe in friendship but looks out for Lizbet as she gets into trouble. This fantasy adventure has strong spiritual undertones, where God is not a distant unreachable figure, but someone who people can have a conversation with when they take Communion. Lizbet wrestles with her religious views as she is propelled into a world of goblins and demons in order to free her father and stop herself from being sent to an orphanage. The world feels like an antiquated version of our own—albeit with magic—though the exact time period is not clearly defined. Almost every movement made by Lizbet and Strix gets them into some kind of difficulty, which maintains a quick-paced plot and the threat of danger around every corner. Characters are initially childish in their beliefs and stubborn when those beliefs come into question. However, both Lizbet and Strix manage to grow over the course of the narrative.” —School Library Journal

Previously

July 12-15: Readercon, Quincy, MA

July 21, 1 p.m.  The Lahaska Bookshop, Peddler’s Village Store, 162 Carousel Ln & Rte 263 A, Lahaska, PA 18931 ·  First bookstore signing!

July 26, 7 p.m. Farley’s Bookshop, 44 S Main St, New Hope, PA 18938

John Schoffstall has published short fiction in Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Interzone, Strange Horizons, and other venues. He is a physician, and once practiced Emergency Medicine. Now he follows Candide’s advice and tends his own garden. He lives in the Philadelphia area.

Cover art by kAt Philbin.


Lianna Fled to the Moon

Mon 21 Oct 2019 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Lianna Fled the Cranberry Bog: A Story in Cootie Catchers by GennaRose Nethercott Illustrated by Bobby DiTrani https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1220332911/lianna-fled-the-cranberry-bog-a-story-in-cootie-catchersThis Thursday we’re hosting our first ever event at Book Moon (formerly White Square Books) in Easthampton: an evening with GennaRose Nethercott, award-winning author of Lianna Fled the Cranberry Bog.

A spooky story told entirely in fold-up cootie catchers, Lianna Fled the Cranberry Bog transforms a traditional children’s game into an interactive fable of cruel beasts, daring thieves, lost sweethearts, and a family on the run. The cootie catchers (also known as fortune tellers, salt cellars, chatterboxes, etc.) are lavishly illustrated by artist Bobby DiTrani. Each features eight possible endings—but the endings are also beginnings, complications, transformations, and jumping-off points for other parts of the story.

Come see GennaRose Nethercott conduct a journey through this haunted, magical tale.


Next Tuesday is Half-Witch Tuesday

Fri 18 Oct 2019 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

Half-Witch cover - click to view full sizeComing next Tuesday: the paperback edition of Half-Witch. I love having this on the table at book fairs and conventions. The title speaks to so many people who pick up the book and say something along the lines of “I’m a bit of a witch . . . ” Pick it or here, you know, from Book Moon!