I’m a Big Boy Now by Eamon O’Leary

 

How we came to publish this one

Eamon has been a contributor to CaféLit for quite a while. His stories are well-told, a little quirky and often a lot of fun so when he approached us with this collection we didn’t hesitate to offer him a contract.    

. 

The title

It’s actually a quote from a line near the end of the collection. Most of the vignettes are about Eamon as a child.

Some notes about the process

Eamon had already had this edited but we still put it though two of our editorial processes and found a few things to alter. And we even found a typo post publication. However, we weren’t too thrown by this: the average number of typos / other  mistakes in published books is fifteen. Will we spot the other fourteen? We hope not.  

The cover

Obviously this is a photo of Eamon. It took a while to find the right one that worked technically and artistically. This one works well in both ways.     

Some notes about style

There is some dry humour in these stories. And in places you will want to laugh out loud.

Who we think the reader is

Eamon already has a following from his stories and reflections on Irish radio. There are quite a few fans from CaféLit as well

What else

The book is selling well. Eamon has been quite proactive in promoting it and several bookshops in Ireland have ordered directly from us. Currently this is our best seller. Eamon has had a few copies made in hardback as a souvenir for the family, We are exploring offering this to other authors.    

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or e-book file.

 

Grab your copy here.        

Kathleen by Amanda Jones

How we came to publish this one

Amanda is one of our editors and she is also a regular contributor to CafeLit. She is editing The Best of CaféLit 14 for us. In fact, this was first published as a CaféLit serial. Here, though, we’re publishing it as a Feisty Women book.     

The title

Plain and simple: the book is about Amanda’s mother and her mother’s name is  Kathleen  

Some notes about the process

All stories on CaféLit are given a brief copy edit before they are posted. So, we collected the posts from the site. We only made further copy edits and proof reads to the text we had. However the book was a little short. For that reason we decided to add in some of Kathleen’s own work and we also decided to print in the format we orally use for collections of flash fiction.       

The cover

Just a fabulous photo of Amanda and her mum. What could be better?

Some notes about style

These little stories are not really memoir nor are they biography. This is more a collection of vignettes and some of the pieces are actually written by Kathleen herself.   

Who we think the reader is

There is much about disability in this book so it may appeal to those people who are living with disability or have friends or relations in that position. Also though, these short pieces are very well crafted and verge on being prose poetry or poetic prose. They will please reader who enjoys that type of material.

What else

Amanda has conducted several talks and works shops based on this book.

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF.

 

Grab your copy here.        

The Memory Keeper by S.Nadja Zajdman

  

How we came to publish this one

We have already published S.Nadja Zajdman several times – in our annual anthologies and on CafeLit. She has a great story-telling voice and we were so pleased to put this one together for her.   

The title

There is a great title. The narrator here does gather lots of memories. This reads like a memoir but it is in fact fiction.     

Some notes about the process

I had the privilege of working with Sharon on this book. It was a great pleasure. It was such a satisfactory process for two reasons: there wasn’t much that needed altering and Sharon was very open to suggestions.    

The cover

We went backwards and forwards a little with pictures of snow scenes. There is still an element of that in the way the child is dressed. But this is such an apt illustration; much of the narrative is about the relationship between the narrator and her father.    

Some notes about style

The writing is very engaging and tending toward the literary. Zajdman works with the sense to create vivid pictures. There is also a considerable amount of inner monologue.  

Who we think the reader is

This is an absorbing read and relationships figure largely in the narrative. It will certainly also make the reader think,   

What else

This is one of our single author collections. Yet it could also be in Feisty Women series. Although each chapter is a self-contained d story there is also an over-arching story as well.

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the image to be taken to Amazon or here for other options of buying. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or mobi-file.