Legend Press

Dan Gothard - Oxford Mail

Dan Gothard, one of our brilliant authors from 8 Hours published last April has been featured in the Oxford Mail. Dan has just published his debut novel Relax and Swing and it is excellent to see the book getting such good coverage. Below is a extract:

"ANDREW FRENCH harks back to an era of dyed fringes and black eyeliner in the debut novel of Oxford writer Dan Gothard.

IN THE early 1980s, David Sylvian’s band Japan was one of the most stylish groups around.

And if you were a real fan, you dyed your fringe and wore the right uniform, including a long raincoat, a pair of white canvas shoes, and maybe even some black eyeliner.

Unfortunately, Sylvian’s faultless sense of fashion was not always appreciated by gangs of skinheads in provincial towns around the UK, as I and novelist Daniel Gothard, inset, both found out to our cost.

“I grew up in Reading and I did get beaten up when my brother and I walked into a skinhead pub,” recalls the 40-year-old, whose first novel Relax and Swing has just been published.

The father-of-three, a bookseller at Waterstone’s in Oxford, thought he would try his luck at writing fiction instead of selling it after taking a masters degree in creative writing a few years ago."

To read the article in full click here!

Lucy

Emma Seaman debates the Booker

Legend Press author Emma Seaman has been invited to take part in one of Waterstones ‘Great Booker Debates’ next week, to coincide with the announcement of this year’s Man Booker Prize winner.

Six local authors have each been given one of the shortlisted books to read and on Tuesday evening will go head-to-head in a public debate - after which the audience can vote for their Booker winner.

Emma chose Devon-linked author Phillip Hensher’s ‘The Northern Clemency’, a huge 738-page doorstop of a novel which covers 20-odd years and dozens of characters…

"I'll be working hard to win the debate," says Emma, "Booker prize blogs show that 'The Northern Clemency' is lagging behind in the popularity stakes, maybe because readers are intimidated by the sheer size and scale of the work! But the Booker is never predictable, and with some really unusual novels on the list this year, it's going to be a fun evening for the speakers and the audience."

The event takes place at Torquay Library on Tuesday 14th October - from 7pm.

The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlisted novels are:
Aravind Adiga The White Tiger (Atlantic)
Sebastian Barry The Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber)
Amitav Ghosh Sea of Poppies (John Murray)
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)
Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency (Fourth Estate)
Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole (Hamish Hamilton)

This year's judging panel is chaired by Michael Portillo former MP and Cabinet Minister. He is joined by Alex Clark, editor of Granta; Louise Doughty, novelist; James Heneage, founder of Ottakar's bookshops and Hardeep Singh Kohli, TV and radio broadcaster.

'another tour de force from the Legend Press refinery'...

The Roundtable Review have given an excellent review of our latest short story collection '8 Hours' calling it 'another tour de force from the Legend Press refinery'!

What we think is great about the short story collection format is that it undoubtedly provokes critical thought from the reader - what may be one person's favourite story may be another person's least.

Ann Morgan says "'We get a varied range of pieces from Jackie Blissett’s beautifully-controlled revelation of the price of loss in ‘Maria’s Mother’ to the unravelling of a man during his first marriage-counselling session in Kevin Chandler’s masterful ‘Fifty-Minute Hour’, and a lot of good stuff in between."

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Listen to our short story authors...

On 5th April three of our short story writers took part in the Short Story Festival at Foyles. Kevin Chandler, Josie Henley-Einion and E.C. Seaman read an extract of their work from our Short Story Re-invented series. Listen here!

Come along to Kevin Chandler's Huddersfield signing

Kevin Chandler, one of the authors of our innovative short story collection 8 Hours, will be signing copies of the book this Thursday 10th April at 7:15pm in Hudderfield Waterstones. Click here to see Kevin featured in the Huddersfield Examiner "It’s very difficult to get published these days, being good isn’t enough. It is hard for new writers to break through, but Legend Press are committed to publishing new material."

Pop along and support Kevin and buy a signed copy of our innovative short story collection!

Eight Hours on the Costa Del Sol

We're often saying the success of our fantastic short story series, 'The Short Story Reinvented', and in particular the recently-launched EIGHT HOURS relies on word-of-mouth. Therefore it is great to see it already making its mark on the Costa Del Sol, courtesy of writing twins CL Raven's sister Sarah and fiance Craig.

'L-R clockwise: by a cannon in Sohail castle; Craig reading it on Fuengirola beach (he got very badly sunburnt reading it, but we couldn't include the picture for censorship reasons) beneath the Spanish flag on the top of Sohail castle & behind bars on the prison door of the castle - the only door of the castle still standing after Napoleon attacked it.'

Apparently, it will next be seen in Guernsey and California. EIGHT HOURS taking over the world, and rightly so! Just make sure you've bought your copy - after all you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of world domination.

Tom

   

Introducing the Legend Press writing twins...

It was great to hear that the launch events for new short story collection EIGHT HOURS went so well at the weekend. In fact, it seems the book is already starting to make a mark with increasing orders and media interest already, so we're very hopefully that EIGHT HOURS is going to be the success it deserves to be - make sure you've ordered your copy, no excuses!

It was also great to receive these pictures from the Cardiff event where EIGHT HOURS contributors Josie Henley-Einion and writing twins CL Raven put on a great show for the large crowd that had gathered. So here are CL Raven next to the fresh of the press copies of the great collection. Particularly like the bottles of Smirnoff Ice in the picture on the left.

I reckon they must be unique (no pun intended) as the first writing goth twins - will have to look after them though hope to see them at many more events over the coming weeks promoting the book.

Tom

Another launch event: Huckleberry's Bookshop

As mentioned last week, we're not just having one launch event for the fantastic EIGHT HOURS, the latest in the 'Short Story Reinvented' series, we're having several. Following events at Cardiff and Newton Abbot Waterstone's, on Friday and Saturday respectively, a full evening of celebration will be taking place on Monday 31st March at Huckleberry's Bookshop in Blandford Forum, Dorset.

The event at the wonderful independent bookshop, also one one of the smartest and innovative independents we've come across, will begin at 7pm and EIGHT HOURS contributors E.C. Seaman, Kevin Chandler and Hilary Lloyd will all be there to say a few words, read from their stories, answer questions and sign hot-of-the-press new copies of the collection.

If you are anywhere in the area, then you should make it a must - will be a great evening, and all part of the launch of the best EIGHT HOURS you'll ever encounter.

Tom

Four days to EIGHT HOURS launch...

It's now only four days until the launch of EIGHT HOURS - the third in the acclaimed 'Short Story Reinvented' series and this collection looks like being the most high-profile and popular yet. Backed by a series of nationwide events and widespread support, it is expected to make the major mark for the new form of the short story and demonstrating to the reading public all the short fiction values which have over recent years been overlooked.

If you haven't already, make sure you order your copy now:

ORDER NOW £7.99           Buy signed copy for £1 extra

                                 

Tom

Why have one launch event...

... when you can have many! EIGHT HOURS, the latest in our fantastic 'Short Story Reinvented' series launches on 29th March and we have a series of events arranged around the country to promote the superb collection. If you haven't already, you simply must give this latest book a go – a format devised as perfect for today's busy reader and new fiction at its very best. At every event we've been to and had a chance to speak to people at, these books have been snapped up like hot cakes.

Events: just for starters we have:

Fri 28th March - Cardiff Hayes Waterstone's with Josie Henley-Einion and fantastic writing twins CL Raven. Starts 6.30pm.

Sat 29th March - Newton Abbot Waterstone's with E.C. Seaman. Starts 12 noon.

Mon 31st March - Huckleberry's Bookshop, Dorset with E.C. Seaman and Kevin Chandler. Starts early-evening.

Sat 5th April - Foyles Bookshops, London, as part of the Short Story Festival, with E.C. Seaman, Kevin Chandler, Josie Henley-Einion and Daniel Gothard. Starts 3pm.

And there will be plenty more to follow - this book will and deserves to make a major mark in the hearts of today's readers.

You can get in first and order advance copies direct here - go on, you must give it a go:

ORDER NOW £7.99           Buy signed copy for £1 extra