Inkwater Press

Shannon Stephaniuk lives in Toronto and runs a PR agency that specializes in advertising and creativity. This holiday season she turned off her phone and email and stopped thinking about advertising. So, what did Shannon do instead? Sat on a beach and read a book about advertising.  Read her weblog on The Happy Soul Industry at glossyinc.com.

Happy holiday gifts for Rick and Alice Garlock included learning that their book Spirit Unbroken:The Two Sides of Love has received an Honorable Mention in the 2008 DIY Book Festival in the Biography/Autobiography category.  The Garlocks have been invited to attend the 2009 DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books award ceremony honoring them and the other competition winners in February.

In Spirit Unbroken, Rick and Alice contrasted the story of Alice’s demeaning, abusive childhood with her successful search as an adult for a loving maternal family in Japan.   Letting Inkwater Press know of this award, Rick and Alice said, “As always, we are forever humbled with the privilege of telling our story, and eternally grateful to Inkwater for all your support!” 

Our hometown Portland is notorious for one weather phenomenon:  rain, and lots of it.  Portlanders know two seasons:  wet and less wet.  So when white flakes of frozen rain (AKA snow) fall here, Portlanders get excited.  It must really be winter if ice and snow cover the roads, right?  That’s a completely new season for us!

Inkwater staffers have braved treacherous roads and marathon bus rides to make it into the office over the last couple of days.  Our office parking lot is slick with ice, and our coffee and hot chocolate intake has increased to compensate for the chilling view outside.  During this cold, introspective season, we wish all of our authors and readers joyful, relaxing holidays.

If you’re still seeking the perfect gift, here are a few recommendations from our bookshelves:

For the sports buff: Sorcery at Caesars is a fascinating read for any sports enthusiast.  Author and long-time Boston Globe columnist Steve Marantz provides a thrilling insider’s view of one of the most controversial fights in boxing history:  Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvelous Marvin Hagler at Caesars Palace in 1987.

For Children and the Young at Heart:  City of Hamburgers introduces young Jeffrey, who’s tired of the same old fairy tales and wants to hear about Grandma’s life growing up in the old country as a Hamburger. Imagination, as well as ketchup and mustard, flow through this delightfully quirky book.  Written by Simpsons writer Mike Reiss and Queer Duck animator Xeth Feinburg, City of Hamburgers is sure to please animation nuts, Simpsons fans, and small fry alike.

For the Traveler: Encourage and congratulate your favorite globetrotter with a book by consumate traveler Dave Fox.  As an award-winning humor and travel writer and Scandinavian tour guide for Rick Steves, Dave Fox had more than enough material for two highly amusing and informative books:  Getting Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad, and Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and still have time to enjoy your trip!)

For Francophiles, Anthropologists, and Cultural Aficionados: Not sure what to get your academic adventurer?  We recommend the Africa Trek series.  Africa Trek follows the incredible three-year journey of French citizens Alexandre and Sonia Poussin along the length of Africa.  The Poussins’ story was adapted into a television series which is currently being shown on public television stations across the country.  Learn more at AfricaTrekSeries.com.

There are plenty of other great titles to choose from at InkwaterBooks.com, our online bookstore, and our books are also sold through Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.  Order today so your books will arrive by the 25th!

Glenn A. Terris of Scappoose, Oregon, took 40 years to write Genesis: Revisited. Published in November, the buzz about this science fiction novel cropped up almost instantaneously.

A long-time fan of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, Glenn was hospitalized for a year following an accident in his twenties. He wrote a first draft of Genesis:Revisited as he was recovering. Several local newspapers and a radio station in Glenn’s hometown in Vermont are covering this inspiring story.

Genesis:Revisited draws on classic science fiction themes such as extraterrestrial life and dramatic leaps forward in human evolution. On another level, Genesis:Revisited is a book about personal relationships: marriage, divorce, love and steamy sex show the human side of scientists, engineers and flight crews. As the story evolves, so do these characters. They make wiser decisions based on what’s right or wrong, not what’s easiest or fastest, a distinction Glenn draws from his own experience.

WCFR, a classic hits radio station in Windsor County, Vermont aired an interview with Glenn on December 10. The Camas-Washougal Post-Record will feature a story on Glenn and his wife Linda this month, as will the Blackriver Tribune in Springfield, Vermont. Two other Northwest newspapers and an online science fiction magazine are also talking to Glenn about possible stories.

So, what does this first-time author offer up as advice to new writers? “Do not give up. Hold on to the belief that you have something to offer that is worth whatever it takes. It took 40 years for this to come true for me. It will not take long for the second book.”

We think these words are particularly wise coming from Glenn.

‘Tis the season for extra food, extra fun, and extra book sales (at least we hope so!).  Hectic holiday schedules make it easy to forget another important holiday theme:  extra GIVING.  Inkwater authors Rick and Alice Garlock haven’t forgotten.  They’re spreading cheer among US Soldiers in Iraq this holiday season by donating copies of their book, Spirit Unbroken, to Operation Paperback.

Throughout the month of December, they are facilitating a “Buy One, Give One” deal.   For every copy of Spirit Unbroken: The Two Sides of Love purchased through www.rickandalicegarlock.com (check or money order) or www.inkwaterbooks.com (credit card), a free copy will be donated anonymously to a brave soldier abroad.

Rick explains their generosity this way:  “We will never forget the freedom that allows us to write and publish is won everyday on the battlefield.  Much as we donate to the church youth groups at speaking engagements, we feel it is important to initiate a non-profit gesture to support our troops in a seasonal charity, and what better time could there be but at Christmas time, during the heightened spirit of giving.   Please during this very critical time of the season and in the life of our nation, consider bringing a few moments of joy to an unknown soldier by purchasing Spirit Unbroken, the two sides of love (for yourself or as a Christmas present).”

Inkwater Press is excited to be publishing Stephanie Snowe’s debut work, tentatively titled It’s Not You, It’s Your Mom: The Romantic Misadventures of a Southern Belle.  Ms. Snowe describes the book as “a humorous look at the world of internet dating and all the perils and pitfalls that come along with looking for love after Prince Charming turns out to be a frog.”

Here’s a seasonal sneak preview of It’s Not You, It’s Your Mom: The Romantic Misadventures of a Southern Belle, just in time for Thanksgiving. The following excerpt appears just after the sudden departure of Ms. Snowe’s first husband.

“Oddly enough, I didn’t miss him. Not really. When he left me, it was hard at first. Good Lord was it hard. The announcement was made on Thanksgiving morning and I then had to sit through a family dinner and pretend that nothing was wrong while I was dying inside. Dying. If anyone ever deserved an Academy Award for their performance it wasn’t some two-bit actress with a cocaine problem and an undeserved sense of self-importance. It was me. And the worst part? I didn’t even get any pecan pie that day. Not even one piece. And I freaking love pecan pie.”

From all of us here at Inkwater Press, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving, and a slice of your preferred pie.

Top photo by WayTru.

Martha M. Martin’s debut YA novel, The Haunting of Annie MacKay, earned a top review at FlamingNet.com, a website featuring book reviews by kids and teens.

The student reviewer gave The Haunting of Annie MacKay a score of 9 out of 10, and wrote, “I enjoyed this book very much. It’s very easy to read and it’s a page turner. I couldn’t put it down. I like mystery books and this one was great. They book demonstrates friendship, love and determination. I love the relationship Annie had with her parents. They told each other the truth no matter how ridiculous it may seem.”

Ms. Martin has actively sought opportunities to share her work with local teen readers.  She recently spent a day at Langley Middle School, which earned her coverage in The South Whidbey Record.

Read the full Flamingnet review here. Or click here for the  South Whidbey Record article on Ms. Martin’s book and events.  A press release is available here.  To order The Haunting of Annie MacKay, visit our online bookstore at InkwaterBooks.com.

Africa Trek I & II

Alex Poussin, Africa Trek co-author and filmmaker, went on the road with a four-city book tour November 5 - 14, generating excitement from the media and his fans and readers every step of the way.  As a result, sales are soaring for Africa Trek I and II.

Alex visited Portland (Oregon), Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and San Francisco.  Click below to view the events and media coverage that made this tour a success.

KARE 11 interview

Oregonian two-page article

Deseret News half-page article

San Francisco Get Lost Travel Books reading

Salt Lake City Sam Weller’s Books reading

International School of Minnesota events

The Haunting of Annie MacKay by Martha Martin

Martha M. Martin’s YA novel The Haunting of Annie MacKay was recently featured in the South Whidbey Island Record. In her article, “New children’s books by Whidbey Island authors,” writer Patricia Duff writes, “Martha M. Martin integrates the very real themes of homelessness and bullying into her first novel for middle school readers.”  She continues,

“In this old-fashioned ghost story, main character Annie MacKay is dealing with various harrowing relationships and situations in her San Francisco middle school, while living out of an old van with her well-meaning, but unlucky and homeless parents.

When Annie learns that she has inherited a Victorian mansion on Fog Island off the coast of Washington state, the family moves there, accepting the terms that the house is haunted and that they must live there for at least one month in order to own it.

With the help of a new friend, the resilient Annie combats the predatory influence of a look-alike ghost whose unmet needs include finding a doll lost in a shipwreck two generations earlier.”

In addition to this excellent synopsis of The Haunting of Annie MacKay, Ms. Duff mentions that Martha will speak to classes at Langley Middle School on this Friday, November 14.

Of The Haunting of Annie MacKay, Sandy Gilbert, a teacher of thirty-one years, raves, “This brilliantly written first novel deals with friendships, family, and a sense of community in a fashion that will keep you turning pages.”

You can order The Haunting of Annie MacKay at our online bookstore, InkwaterBooks.com.  Read the Entire South Whidbey Record article here.

Globejotting by Dave Fox

Are you a budding travel writer?  Do you dream of seeing your name in National Geographic bi-lines?  Or would you just like to learn how to write travel journals that beautifully reflect your most extraordinary travel experiences?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider taking Dave Fox’s class on how to write amazing travel journals.

Long a Rick Steves travel guide, Dave has written two books on travel:  Getting Lost:  Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad, and Globejotting:  How to Write Extrordinary Travel Journals.  His next travel journaling class will be held in Lynnwood, WA, tomorrow night.  Here’s the 411:

Date and Time: Thursday, November 13, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Location: Lynnwood Library, 19200 44th Avenue West, Lynnwood, WA 98036. For more information, call 425-778-2148, or visit the Lynnwood Library website

Class Title: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals
(And Still Have Time to Enjoy Your Trip!)
(Formerly “Writing the Inner Journey”)
Recommended in the Wall Street Journal

Class Description: Every journey has two parallel experiences — the external, in which we observe the world around us, and the internal, in which we visit new places within ourselves. “Writing the Inner Journey” is a class in self-discovery through travel journaling. With foreign surroundings as a backdrop, you’ll learn to tap your deeper emotions and create vivid travelogues for yourself and others. Simple but powerful exercises will help you discover your unique voice as a travel writer. You’ll explore different journaling techniques to find the style that’s right for you, and learn ways to overcome one of the biggest challenges in travel journaling simply finding time to write when there is so much else to do! Whether you’re writing for yourself or publication, whether your explorations take you around the block or around the world, this class will help you tune in to your inner journey. You’ll travel and write with exciting new insight. For related articles and exercises, please see the online version.

Take this class and you could soon be winning awards for your travel writing, like Margaret Hopkins, who recently won the Getting Lost travel writing contest!