Friday, 14 February 2025
Blog Tour - Murder on West Lake by I. M. Foster
By Matt Graydon
Times of Turmoil (The Time Locket Book 2) by Anna Belfrage
Ride with the Moonlight (Thunder on the Moor, Book 2) by Andrea Matthews
(Thunder on the Moor, Book 2)
By Andrea Matthews
Thursday, 13 February 2025
The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh (Book Two) by R.w. Meek
(Book Two)
By R.w. Meek
Publisher: Historium Press
Page Length: 654 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pulitzer Prize Nominee 2024
International Firebird Award, Second Place Literary Fiction 2024
Literary Titan, 5 Star Gold Medal 2024
NY Big Book Awards, Distinguished Favorite 2024
Shelf Unbound Notable Indie 100, 2024
International Coffe Pot Book Club Award, Silver Medal Historical Literary Fiction 2024
Historical Fiction Company, Bronze Medal Literary Fiction 2022
Sabrine, hospitalized for five years at the infamous Salpêtrière Asylum for Women, gains her release due to intervention of her sister Julie Forette and a young Sigmund Freud. The reunited sisters are introduced to the dazzling art milieu of 1886 Paris, and soon become close friends to the leading Impressionists. Sabrine attracts a cult following as a poetess, the enigmatic "Haiku Princess." Seemingly cured by Freud of her Grand Hysteria, Sabrine soon enters into a tumultuous relationship with Vincent van Gogh.
Jule and Sigmund Freud, alarmed by the eerie parallels between the emotionally volatile couple and their self-destructive impulses, begin an urgent search to discover the root causes for Sabrine and Vincent's growing psychoses. Julie, 'The Dream Collector' seeks their most unforgettable dream for Freud's interpretation and revelations occur.
The Dream Collector is an exploration of the psychological consequences of betrayal, abandonment--and the redemptive power of art.
Pick up your copy of
The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh
HERE!
The Magician's Daughter by Alison Chambers
Alison Chambers on The Magician’s Daughter
The Magician’s Daughter is a story about treacherous Nazi spies, high-level fascist conspiracies, and escalating sabotage, all taking place at the time Eleanor Roosevelt is set to tour US Army Air Force Bases in England in 1942.
What made you decide to write about World War II?
I have always been fascinated by World War II and the events leading up to it more than any other period in history. When I was just eighteen, I read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer and Eleanor and Franklin by Joseph P. Lash. More recently, I have enjoyed reading the many historical fiction books that have been released dealing with spies and sabotage, particularly women spies, who risked their lives to save others, set in either Occupied France, England, or even in Nazi Germany itself.
Why did you choose the setting you did?
I felt that there were very few historical fiction stories I found recently that told the story of the US Army Air Force base personnel serving in England during World War II, ala the book, movie and TV series 12 O’Clock High. I attempted to tell that story with more than a few twists and turns along the way.
Why 1942?
1942 seemed like a good place to start, considering the war was in a difficult place, the Allies were far from succeeding, and the tide had yet to turn. These were perilous times. The Allies were still years away from the D-Day invasion that seemed like an impossible feat with too many overwhelming logistical challenges at the time. The daring daylight air raids over Occupied Europe had not yet been successful. In fact, the results were so disastrous that only twenty percent of bombs had hit their mark, others fell harmlessly or even worse, injured and killed countless civilians by striking residential and retail centers instead.
How does Eleanor Roosevelt fit in?
Eleanor Roosevelt had an indomitable personality. She pressed on, performing her duties with grace and aplomb, despite challenges to her marriage, her health, due to her grueling schedule, and despite receiving endless criticism of everything from her looks to her pursuit of both civil and women’s rights. She did visit the troops in October of 1942, less than a year after the United States entered the war. She was anxious to study the home front effort of the British and visit US troops stationed there. She stayed almost a month and besides the bases, visited factories, schools, bomb shelters, hospitals, Red Cross clubs in England, Scotland and Ireland. She was tireless in performing her duties and praised the British people for their spirit to ‘carry on’ in the face of unrelenting obstacles. She lauded the work of women during the war and advocated for American GIs stationed in Great Britain when they complained about late paychecks and lack of mail from home. She did much to improve morale and won over the troops with her sunny ‘can do’ attitude. Prime Minister Winston Churchill commented that she had left ‘golden footprints’ behind her.
Who is the Magician?
The magician is loosely based on the life of stage magician Jasper Maskelyne, who applied many of his sleight of hand tricks to the business of war while working for the British. He created ingenious weapons for use by spies and with his band of fellow artists, created faux tanks and battleships to conceal the Suez Canal and ‘move’ Alexandria Harbor. While there is some conjecture regarding the reality of some of these events, they still make great fodder for a story!
Talk a bit about your main character.
My main character is a woman spy working for the OSS. The fledgling organization had just begun in 1942 and at its inception, General William Donovan felt there was great potential in recruiting women. Over the life of the organization, more than 4,000 officers were women. It was important for me to try to communicate the important role these women played in helping to win the war. I also added the element of romance because I feel romance helps cement the characters together and adds a much-needed pause in the action. When I thought about what my character’s backstory would be, I wondered, ‘What if her father was a magician?’ This led me to find out about Maskelyne and I was fascinated by his story.
In different ways, Eleanor Roosevelt and Jasper Maskelyne were both master magicians during a dangerous time, aimed at influencing others and ultimately helping to change the course of the war.
The Magician's Daughter
HERE!
Alison Chambers
Sandra Koehler, who writes under the pen name of Alison Chambers was Vice-President of one of the largest association management companies in Wisconsin. She has traveled extensively and served as Executive Director of several national medical associations, where she was responsible for marketing, communications, and public relations, as well as overall management. She has been quoted in USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and other national media and has received four awards for service excellence. She has also written for newspapers. Koehler, who majored in political science and history, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She first started writing when she was a teenager, sparked by an interest in Nancy Drew books and a desire to tell a good story. She enjoys keeping her hero and heroine in dangerous and exciting situations against a backdrop of exotic settings, lost treasure and unsolved historical mysteries.
Connect with Alison:
The Woven Lie (Three Sisters) by Liz Harris
Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Holand Press: Writing A New Chapter
Holand Press: Writing A New Chapter
Books matter. Readers matter. Writers matter. As such, there is always a demand for new stories and new authors. Holand Press has been founded to help meet that demand.
Although we may be the new publishers on the block, there are two questions that we are most frequently asked. What type of books are you looking for? And what type of author are you looking for?
This blog aims to answer those questions.
The short answer to the first question is that we are looking for good books. Books which the reader is compelled to turn the pages of. Part of the purpose of a book is to make someone want to read another book (preferably a Holand Press title). We are looking to publish books, both fiction and non-fiction, which resonate or introduce audiences to brave, new worlds. Books which entertain and inform, as well as maybe even edify. Books which will reach and satisfy their readership.
Also, for a more pragmatic answer, we are looking to publish titles in a number of commercial genres: Crime/thrillers, history books, memoir/biography, historical and literary fiction. Do please check out our FAQs and submissions page for further information.
Mainstream houses and independent presses are releasing fewer titles and arguably taking fewer risks. It’s a problem for publishing, one which Holand Press intends to help solve.
As to the second question – what kind of authors are we looking for? – the short answer is those who wish to be read and are willing to work to reach their audience. We not afraid of shaping and amplifying new voices. Debut writers matters, and we are keen to help raise their sales and profile. But, as most gems need polishing, most debut authors need to be open to being edited and taking advice on promoting their work.
We are, of course, receptive to hearing from established authors. You may want to publish outside your normal genre. As well as looking to the future, we are mindful of the past. Previously released books can be republished and repromoted. We will consider publishing backlist titles. You may also be an author who has self-published, who wants to find a larger readership. We are happy to consider such authors. Please note that we are not a vanity press, however.
We hope that this first blog post has answered some questions you might have, and will encourage you to check out our books and get in touch should you wish to submit your manuscript.
Help us write a new chapter in our story, as well as yours…
Holand Press Interview
Tell us about Holand Press. What are you looking for?
We are a new, enterprising, enthusiastic and efficient independent publishers. We publish kindle editions as well as print on demand hardbacks and paperbacks. We set ourselves up to fill gaps in the market and give new voices a platform to find a readership. Major trade publishers, as well as independent presses, seem to publish far fewer titles nowadays and it is riskier for them to publish debut authors or writers who haven't wholly broken through. There are plenty of great authors writing crime/thrillers, historical and literary fiction. But there is also too much talent falling through the cracks. With some editorial and marketing help we hope to break more writers through and narrow their odds in reaching their audience.
Holand Press isn't a vanity press. We pay a royalty and our strategy is to work with our stable over a long period of time, publishing multiple titles, to build their brand and sales.
In terms of what we are looking for I would suggest that authors check out our website Holand Press - Holand Press
We already publish in a number of genres - including crime/thrillers, historical and literary fiction - but we are open to other submissions, whether fiction or non-fiction. We do not publisher erotica, illustrated or children's books, however. We can publish series or stand alone titles. As well as debut writers we are happy to publish more established names. We will consider backlist titles and books which have been self-published. We are already publishing a number of US as well as UK authors. We are understandably looking for writers, whether new or experienced, to submit to an editing process. It's rare that a submission is ready to be published as soon as it comes in. We need to ensure that each manuscript is polished and commercially viable. We also prefer working with writers who are engaged with the process of expanding their profile and readership.
Can you tell us about some of your titles and what we can expect from Holand Press?
We have published our first wave of ten titles or so, with another batch to be published next month. In some ways these titles reflect the taste of our staff and advisory board - consisting of historical fiction and crime/thrillers. But we are happy to publish outside these genres and take chances on new voices. Again, we would ask your readers to check out our website for our catalogue, but I particularly enjoyed The Magician's Daughter, a WW2 mystery, by Alison Chambers - and The Last Known Sighting by Barry Lees, a modern crime thriller.
I suppose readers can expect more of the same of what's on our list already (partly as we are keen to have authors publish multiple titles with us). But they can also expect more of other genres and periods as we look to expand our list. We will aim to publish over a hundred titles in 2025. We have a team of readers who enjoy going through submissions and we have a good idea of what can and does sell, so we are happy for writers to get in touch. We can be contacted at submissions@holandpress.com We would urge people to take a look at our website and read our FAQs etc beforehand.
What's it like, starting a new publishing venture?
Hard work, but exciting. Thankfully we have a team and advisory board pushing in the same direction. It's been a marriage of experience and enthusiasm. As much experience as we have, though, it's important to constantly evolve and take on board new ideas, as well as new writers. We need a business model and stable of authors which will help us grow over the next five years, not just five months. Like any business we need to be aware of controlling costs and maximising sales. But publishing can and should be fun. Selling books is not like selling beans. We are working with some wonderful people and helping writers to reach their readerships. There are worse jobs. Our mood is a lot sunnier than the weather at the moment.