Roll Call

The thirty-nine steps books

 

Alchemy anthologies

Alchemy Press anthologies are available in print and eBook (Kindle) formats. Click on the titles for the relevant links — and fill your eReader with excitement, wonder, myth, horror and pulp heroics.

  

• The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders (Amazon UK / Amazon US)
• The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic (Amazon UK / Amazon US)
• The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2 (Amazon UK / Amazon US)

  

• The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes (Amazon UK / Amazon US)
• The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes 2 (Amazon UK / Amazon US)
• The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes 3 (Amazon UK / Amazon US)

December Newsletter

It has been a busy autumn at Alton Towers. I mean Alchemy Towers (the other Towers is about three miles further into the Peak District). At FantasyCon, held in a posh hotel at Nottingham University, we learned that Nick Nightmare Investigates by Adrian Cole (co-published with Airgedlámh Publications) won the coveted Best Collection Award presented by the British Fantasy Society. Copies are still available.

Congratulations to all concerned, to Adrian, his editor Mike Chinn (who also co-wrote one of the stories – where Nick Nightmare and Damian Paladin join forces to combat the forces of evil!), artists Jim Pits and Bob Eggleton, and Michael Marshall Smith, Stephen Jones and David Sutton.

The Alchemy Press was also short listed in the Best Anthology, Best Non-Fiction and Best Independent Press categories. So not a bad indicator of what we’re up to.

Music From the Fifth Planet launched

Last Friday at 21:30 hours the book was finally launched! Not in a NASA sense — although cover artist David A Hardy was on hand. And if you know David, you’ll also know that he has painted many super space-related images — check out his website (astroart.org) and you’ll see what we mean.

Were we we? Oh yes: Anne Nicholls’ latest collection Music From the Fifth Planet — packed full with goodies old and new) — was launched at a well-attended session at Novacon 45, held this weekend in Nottingham.

At the same time, NewCon Press launched a new Orcs collection, Tales of Maras-Dantia, from Anne’s husband, the best-selling author Stan Nicholls. There was much wine and cheeriness.

Anne’s stories have also appeared in The Alchemy Press books, Ancient Wonders, Urban Mythic, Pulp Heroes, and Swords Against the Millennium (along with a story from Stan).

 

Alchemy’s 2014 titles

Last weekend at FantasyCon in Nottingham the winners of the British Fantasy Society awards were announced. Although we didn’t win the Best Independent Press category, we are delighted to have been short listed. The winner was Fox Spirit Books — many congratulations go to them!

The above photo shows our output from 2014. From the top left clockwise: Merry-Go-Round, Kneeling in the Silver Light, The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2, Touchstones, Nick Nightmare Investigates (which did win for Best Collection!), The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp heroes 3, Tell No Lies and again (the hardcover this time) Merry-Go-Round. 

 

Buying Alchemy books

Alchemy Press titles are available online from Amazon and other dealers. But if you are keen to avoid Amazon and its associated companies take a look at Wordery, a UK book seller. As you can see via this link, they have a nice array of our titles all ready to purchase. (Note, the site muddles up Alchemy Press titles along with similarly named imprints.)

 

July Newsletter

Here we are, coming up to the end of July and as always it is all systems go here at Alchemy Manor. First up is the short list for the British Fantasy Society Awards, which were announced this week. We are tickled pink to see the Alchemy Press nominated in no less than four categories, namely:

• Best Anthology: The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2, edited by Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber
• Best Collection: Nick Nightmare Investigates, by Adrian Cole (co-published with Airgedlámh Publications)
• Best Non-Fiction: Touchstones: Essays on the Fantastic, by John Howard
• And Best Independent Press: The Alchemy Press itself

Also, Alchemy editors Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber are pleased so see short-listed for Best Short Story ‘A Change of Heart’ by Gaie Sebold, from their Wicked Women anthology, edited for Fox Spirit.

Jan Edwards interviewed

Alchemy editor and writer Jan Edwards (Leinster Gardens, The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic) is interviewed on the janruthblog:

As I don’t plan stories in advance, and seldom know the ending in anything more than hazy ideas, I tend to inhabit the skins of main protags and watch the story unfold through them. For me writing is more fun if I am surprised by what comes next.

Read the full interview here.

 

 

Tanith Lee RIP

We at The Alchemy Press are saddened by the death of Tanith Lee (she passed away last Sunday). Her short story “The Mermaid” featured in The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2, edited by Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber.  In his review of the book in Interzone, Ian Hunter describes this story as “…beautifully written and quite, quite shudderingly horrible.” Tanith was interviewed by us last September:

Tell us a little about yourself and your writing. How long have you been writing and how did you get started?

I’ve been writing since the age of 9 – about 57 years. Being slightly dyslexic (something unrecognised in my childhood) the school couldn’t teach me how to read. My father stepped in and taught me in a few months. About a year later, by then reading as a locust feeds, I began – as if logically – to write.

Read the full interview here.

We’ve met Tanith several times over the years. She was a lovely person, always charming and supportive. She is survived by her husband John Kaiine.

 

Urban Mythic 2 reviewed

Ian Hunter has reviewed The Alchemy Press Book of urban Mythic 2  for the latest issue of Interzone (# 258). It’s a fantastic, complimentary review, one that ends with his asking for volume three. Can’t be bad.

Of Tanith Lee’s story: “…beautifully written and quite, quite shudderingly horrible.”

Of K T Davies’ story: “…opens with some of the best writing I’ve read in a long time.”

Of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s tale: “What is really enjoyable about this story is the voice…”

And of Sarah Ash’s story: “…so well written you hope both of them will get together…”

And more…

Urban Mythic 2, along with the first volume, is available via Amazon and other good online stores.