Last year was tough as anything. With the pandemic raging, live shows were out of the question and bookstores were shuttered. Running a press was like one-armed mountain-climbing — it can be done (shout out to Maureen Beck!), but it’s a lot harder. 

So I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that now that we’re mostly on the other side of things, so many opportunities have opened up. We had such a great time these last few weeks…and the month isn’t even over yet! Here are some of the fun things the Press did this month:

Kitra is back…and her crew just got bigger!

Sirena, the sequel to Kitra, came out September 30, and response has been tremendous. It’s already gotten some great reviews (see here and here). Gideon Marcus is already hard at work on Book Three, to be called Hyvilma. It’s going to be a bit of a departure from the other two books, but will still feature your favorite characters and introduce a new one we think you’ll like.

God willing and the creek don’t rise, we’ll see that exciting installment of The Kitra Saga coming out in Fall 2023.

Journey Press in Time and Space

We tabled our very first convention the weekend of October 8-10. San Diego Who Con was a fun event, as always, and our books were a hit. We were particularly delighted that there were no clear favorites among our library. From classics like I Want the Stars and Sibyl Sue Blue to brand new releases like Sirena, all were popular. 

The event also marked the convention debut of Lorelei Esther, our illustrious illustrator. She made a special set of stickers for the event including these great ones of Pinky cosplaying Trek and Who.

Our next stop will be Loscon up in Los Angeles over Thanksgiving weekend. If you’re in the area, come drop by. And check the schedule: we’ll be doing a bunch of fun panels, too!

A Peach of a trip

With hardly a break, Journey Press took its show on the road, heading out to Atlanta, Georgia for Multiverse Con. It was a match made in heaven: Multiverse is a newish science fiction/fantasy/horror convention with an emphasis on diversity. Not only did we quickly sell out of all the books we shipped to the event, but Read-it-Again Books, one of our favorite Georgia booksellers, did land office business with our titles, too.

Speaking of which, right before the convention, Gideon, as well as Laura Weyr (author of The Eighth Key) stopped by Suwannee to chat with Read-it-Again’s (not) YA book club. The attendees got to ask lots of questions about the authors’ current and upcoming titles. It was super fun, and many spoilers were shared.

To cap it all off, the stint in Atlanta began with Gideon giving one of his signature presentations to the students and faculty of Georgia Tech. “What science fiction got wrong…and right! (and how you make the future)” was a big hit, and there are already plans for him to be engaged for another talk. Maybe timed to coincide with Multiverse Con again…

Tom Purdom takes the limelight

One of our favorite venues is Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree, CA. Every Tuesday, the original Space Cowboy, Jeal-Paul Garnier, hosts the web show “Simultaneous Times Podcast”, featuring a lineup of speculative fiction masters. On October 12, SF legend Tom Purdom (author of I Want the Stars) joined Rodrigo Assis Mesquita and Geoff Habiger. His reading of his essay, “Science Fiction: a View from the Inside”, is a fun look at what makes the genre so appealing:

Next up: Gideon Marcus!

Just back from Atlanta, Gideon was the next guest on the STP, this time for a one-person show. He started with a reading from Sirena followed by a half hour of Q&A. Tune in to find out the motivations for Sirena’s writing, revelations about the universe of The Kitra Saga, and sneak previews of what’s to come:

New Releases Department

A new star is about to appear in the literary sky!

Hugo Finalist Janice L. Newman is releasing her first book with Journey Press: the speculative fiction/romance collection, At First Contact.

Containing three novellas, ranging the hard science fiction, paranormal, and modern fantasy genres, all are touching romances between surprising and diverse characters. 

Release date is November 30 — just in time for the holiday season (and on the shelves for Valentine’s, too!)

Join us December for the next exciting episode of Journey Press News!