We Sign Author Mark A. Rayner, New Brunswick Publishers, and More

May this subtitle shine warm upon your face

Mar 22, 2024

Being the eleventh edition of Assorted Nonsense, the official newsletter of Donovan Street Press.

Let’s start with the big news, shall we?

Mark A. Rayner Signs with Donovan Street Press Inc.

Author Mark A. Rayner twirling moustache — Author Mark A. Rayner

We are beyond thrilled to announce that author Mark A. Rayner has signed with Donovan Street Press Inc. to publish his superb short fiction collection The Gates of Polished Horn.

This is an important step for Donovan Street Press. Mark A. Rayner will be the first author officially published by the company. It marks a transition from an entity created to essentially self-publish the works of Joe and Tom Mahoney to a company dedicated to publishing quality books by others. In doing so, Donovan Street Press Inc. follows the tradition established by other small, noble presses such as Five Rivers Publishing and Brain Lag Press, both of which started by publishing the work of their principals, and, applying what they’d learned, went on to publish works by many other fine authors.

And what better author for Donovan Street Press Inc. to start with than Mark A. Rayner? Listeners to our inaugural podcast Re-Creative will already know Mark as the funny, warm and knowledgeable co-host of that show.

Describing himself as a “human-shaped, monkey-loving, robot-fighting, pirate-hearted, storytelling junkie,” Mark is already an accomplished, award-winning author of satire and speculative fiction, writing in multiple genres such as science fiction, humorous SF and dark comedy.

Mark is also a prof at Western University, at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, where he “teaches bemused students how to create digital products that won’t become self-aware and destroy all humanity.”

Speculative fiction is famous for its tradition of stellar (um, pun intended) short fiction, many of the field’s greatest minds (Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, C.L. Moore, Henry Kuttner, Anthony Boucher, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury and many, many more) having contributed outstanding examples to the craft.

Mark A. Rayner’s work puts me in mind of those I’ve named. Featuring genre-bending science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as well as straight-up literary fiction, The Gates of Polished Horn is a superb addition to the field, featuring gripping, thoughtful, and accessible story-telling. This is Mark at the top of his game exploring themes of truth, dreams, and the nature of reality in over twenty tales written over the space of twenty years.

Donovan Street Press can’t wait to make it available to you!

The dreams that pass through the gates of polished horn are fraught with truth, for the dreamer who can see them."
~Homer, Book XIX, The Odyssey

Steve the First

Readers of Adventures in the Radio Trade will recall, in the chapter entitled Matt Watts, discussion of the CBC Radio SF Comedy series Steve the First and its sequel Steve the Second.

I super enjoyed working on these shows with Matt, as recording engineer, story editor, and de facto producer (at least for the mixes.)

For those who haven’t heard it, someone has posted all episodes of Steve the First online, on the Internet Archive. I just listened to the first episode again for the first time in many years. It is some fine writing and acting. Even the recording and mixing isn’t half bad, if I may be so bold as to say so…

New Brunswick Publishers

white and red lighthouse under blue sky during daytime — Photo by Sophia Noelle on Unsplash

This is the fifth installment of our survey of publishers in Atlantic Canada. We’ve already covered publishers in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. You can find those surveys in previous editions of Assorted Nonsense.

Today we’ll cover publishers in New Brunswick. I found seven publishers in New Brunswick. We’ll cover the first four today.

Bouton D'or Acadie

Bouton d’or was founded by Marguerite Maillet in Moncton about 28 years ago "...to help youth literature blossom in Acadie."

They have published over 260 titles so far, about an average of 12 per year, everything from poetry to nursery rhymes to humour and “documentary.” They have received financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Canada Book Fund, and the Province of New Brunswick.

Their books are distributed by Prologue and Nimbus.

Their catalogue looks like mostly (if not all) children’s literature (in keeping with their mission statement). No SF and fantasy per se, though I imagine one could find elements of both here and there throughout their catalogue. They are accepting submissions.

And it’s all in French, of course.

Chapel Street Editions

Publishing “New Brunswick Stories,” Chapel Street Editions is a non-profit enterprise that operates out of Woodstock NB by Keith Helmuth, Ellen Helmuth, and Brendan Helmuth. It was established in 2014 after a false start many years earlier.

Theyy publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children's books, and special projects, publishing books “that make a significant contribution to the ongoing literary heritage of the province.” They also republish important books from the past.

They don’t do ebooks, which is unusual these days.

They receive financial support from private grants and the Arts and Culture branch of the Government of New Brunswick.

They don’t appear to have a distributor, but their books are available at several retail outlets. They are accepting submissions that fit with their mandate.

Galleon Books

Run by Lee Thompson, Galleon Books publishes out of Moncton, NB. They publish novels, short stories, poetry, and so on. Their list includes magical realism and what appears to be at least a sub-genre of fantasy.

"We are a small but becoming less-small eclectic publishing house in New Brunswick, Canada, with a love for beautiful books and unique voices."

They utilize a unique subscription model to cover costs. Subscribe, and you receive a certain amount of their upcoming books. They also accept donations.

They do not have distribution, and they are not currently accepting submissions.

Goose Lane Editions

Goose Lane, based out of Fredericton NB since 1954, is a pretty big player on the list of New Brunswick publishers.

They publish Canlit. To expand on that in their own words:

“Whether it's homegrown Canadian fiction, singular collections of poetry, books on contemporary art, or courageous stances on environmental issues and global politics, we provide book lovers with great reads that inspire, spur conversation, and stimulate minds. We seek to represent a balance of voices and proudly embrace Queer Lit as well as First Nations and Inuit authors and artists who are shaping and transforming our perspectives.

They receive funding from the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Government of New Brunswick. They also offer “custom” publishing services, which I suppose helps fund their operation.

They do accept submissions, I’m informed by author Corey Redekop, who actually used to work as their publicist. Thanks for the info, Corey! And I’m acquainted with at least one individual who’s been offered a publishing contract with them, for a memoir.

They don’t advertise publishing SF or Fantasy, certainly don’t specialize in it, though some could be buried in their list.

I just finished watching my sister Susan Rodger’s documentary series Grand River Grand on Bell Media’s Fibe TV. How cow! I mean horse! Grab a tissue and start watching. This is one moving, accomplished piece of work.

The six part documentary series is about a remarkable woman who’s assembled a team of people (and horses, and cats, and one donkey) to help those in need at a scenic ranch in Grand River, Prince Edward Island. The island comes off looking like Montana. Well, in terms of horses and ranch stuff, anyway.

Each episode is about twelve minutes long. If you’re human, you’ll tear up ocassionally. If you’re not human, you’ll still tear up ocassionally. It’s informative, entertaining, and moving, not necessarily in that order. And I’m not just saying this because Susan is my sister, and I owe her money. (She is my sister, but I don’t owe her money.) It’s great work, I’m proud of her, but it’s a great watch whoever made it.

I think this link should take you directly to where you can watch it: Grand River Grand. Though you may have to log in and futz around a bit. Apologies to those not subscribed to Bell Fibe. (Damn this fractured media landscape!)

Refer a friend

Appearances

I’ll be at the Riverview Lion’s Club for the Athena’s Touch Craft Fair tomorrow, Saturday, March 23rd, weather permitting
I’ll be at the Miramichi Market 345 McKenna Ave Miramichi between 12 noon and 4pm this coming Sunday March 24th
And I’ll be Mother’s Day Market in Richibucto Saturday May 11th from 9am until 2pm.