Why We Publish Books

Recently, a letter arrived at Scarletta for two of our authors—James Peter Taylor and Kathleen Murphy-Taylor. They co-wrote the book Willow in a Storm. Willow in a Storm is a raw, unflinching memoir about the events in James Peter Taylor's unusual life, over forty years of which were spent incarcerated.
This letter was sent from a man in the Alexander Correctional Institute who had received the Taylor's book through a books to prisoners program. His story was so moving and his words were so kind that our authors asked us to share some of his letter.

This book has changed my life. I no longer wish for death since reading Willow in a Storm because I now know it is possible to survive the rapes, beatings and psychological torture that I have been forced to endure these last three years...I feel compelled to write so that you will know how much you have helped me through your book and to know also that you have very likely saved my life as well.

Where I will be tomorrow is as unclear as where I will be ten years from now, but I wanted you to know that your book has given me something, that until now I have lacked during this horrible experience. Hope. And for that I thank you.

These words are enough to fill a publisher's heart with joy. We are incredibly sorry for the unfairness of life that has led to this man's incarceration, but at the same are glad that we were able to publish a novel that could give him such comfort. At the end of the day, sure, a book on the New York Times' Best Seller's list would be great, but it's even more rewarding to personally hear from the those whose lives have been touched by our books.If you want help change a prisoner's life through literature, here are some great books to prisoners programs: Women's Prison Book Project (located in Minneapolis), Internationalist Prison Books Collective and Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project.

Hilarity Ensues Because Book Titles Cannot Be Copyrighted

Perhaps you've heard of a recent New York Times' Best Seller: The Litigators? Ask anyone who the author is, and they'll tell you John Grisham. But what some of these same people are doing unaware is going online and purchasing a different book with the same name.
You see, six years ago in 2005, Scarletta Press published its very first book, a fiction/legal thriller by lawyer/author Lindsay Arthur, and the title? You guessed it...The Litigators. Now we here at Scarletta are proud of our first book, in fact, we think it's a darn good book, but time passes and publishers are forced to focus on current and upcoming books, and less is done with backlist books. However, November hit and suddenly The Litigators saw a pretty big spike in ebook sales. We couldn't account for it, but sales kept increasing. And then the book received a new review on Amazon...it began, "I have read everything written by Mr Grisham." Wait...Mr. Grisham?

Exciting changes at Scarletta Press

MINNEAPOLIS (December 2, 2011)—Scarletta press accepts the resignation of Ian Graham Leask as publisher and minority stockholder to pursue other publishing opportunities effective immediately. Scarletta Press thanks Ian for his writing and publishing expertise over the years. His vision and dedication has been greatly valued. We wish him the best in his new endeavors.

December marks an interim period of transition, with a new beginning for January 2012. This change has been in discussion for some time. The publishing industry continues to experience drastic transformations. Scarletta Press is in the process of reinventing itself with new ideas and new goals in order to best serve and address author’s needs and maintain the most collaborative, productive, and successful relationships with its authors, publishing partners, service providers, and media relations.

The most intriguing part of this transformation is the stronger emphasis Scarletta Press has decided to place on their children’s imprint, Scarletta JR (Junior Readers). There will also be more collaboration on foreign rights and partnering publishing opportunities, larger pushes on marketing and social media outreach, and more room for advanced ebooks and interactive ancillary product development related to Scarletta’s books.

All publicity correspondence will remain the same, and can be directed to Desiree Bussiere [desiree@scarlettapress.com]. All official business correspondence can be directed to Nancy Tuminelly, President of Scarletta Press [nancy@mightymedia.com]. All editorial correspondence, including submissions, should be directed according to information listed on the Scarletta Press website.

There are many new plans and new books in the works for the near future, so stay tuned for more news to come as the New Year approaches.

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Spend your holidays in style with Pamela Cory & Hassie Calhoun

Book Details TITLE   Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence AUTHOR Pamela Cory ISBN  978-0-9824584-7-1 eISBN 978-0-9824584-8-8 SPECS 368 pages, $15.95 For More Info Pamela Cory Scarletta Press Twitter NOTE: proof of purchases will be verified through sales tracking prior to sending music links.

It's not too late to... Buy Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence this holiday season and receive a free musical download! Snuggle up during the 2011 holiday months with a perfect cocktail of passion, hope, devastation, and nostalgia in Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun. And this season, you can wind down while listening to the book's feature song, I Just Can't Figure It Out, performed by author & songwriter, Pamela Cory. PROMOTION DETAILS 1.  Buy Hassie Calhoun from an independent bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any wholesaler during November or December.  2.  Find your code (where'd you hear about the promotion?): Scarletta Blog -  HCspB Scarletta Twitter -  HCspT Pamela Cory Twitter -  HCpcT Scarletta Facebook -  HCspF Pamela Cory Facebook -  HCpcF 3.  Email desiree@scarlettapress.com with the following information: subject line: Hassie Promo email body: promo code, date of purchase, price paid, name of store & city where purchased, and reply-to email address  4.  Receive your free music download link via email within one to two weeks. 5. Enjoy your holidays! With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts young and talented Hassie in several compromising situations. Pamela Cory offers a deceptively sophisticated look into the life of an ambitious young woman during the era of the Rat Pack, whose very passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to. In this coming of age novel, "...the imagery is vivid. The lights are bright, the music is romantic, and the people are larger than life. To Hassie, Las Vegas is full of possibility, hope, prosperity, excitement, and to the reader the dangers of all of this loom on every page." (The Nevada Review)

Minneapolis Rocked NaNoWriMo!

Everyone knows that NaNoWriMo ended last week, but have you seen the stats about this year's participants? It's amazing! Stats for NaNoWriMo are split into two categories: Main and the Young Writers Program. For NaNoWriMo Main, there were 256,618 participants in 2011! Up from 2010's 200,530 participants. And 36,744 of those writers completed their goal of 50,000 words! Everyone wrote a total of 3,074,068,466 words!!!

Moving on to the NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program, there were 81,040 participants in 2011, up from 2010's 68,710! There were 16,334 writers who completed their goals and everyone wrote a total of 368,143,078 words!
These numbers are absolutely astounding and we couldn't be more thrilled for the writing community. We're looking forward to reading some of these masterpieces in the years to come!
But to be honest, the stats that I love most are for the Top 50 NaNoWriMo Cities (according to Google Analytics, based on number of November visits from these fine places). And the reason? Out of ALL the cities in the WORLD, Minneapolis made the list at #12. We couldn't be more proud.

Tergiversate?

I love a good word of the year as much as the next person, but tergiversate? That was the word chosen by Dictionary.com for 2011. Tergiversate, meaning “to change repeatedly one’s attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.”
And while yes, I agree, this word aptly describes 2011, I'm still of the mindset that I'd like the word of the year to be a word that's in use. Yes, tergiversate was used on August 20th, 2011 in The Times of London when Oliver Kamm said, “The tergiversations of stock markets are often puzzling from the outside. They’re no less puzzling from within.” But that's not enough for me. Especially for a year when words like "jobs" and "occupy" were on everyone's lips constantly. I want to hear the word of the year and be able to say, "Yes! I used that word all the time this year." I can't say I've ever used the word tergiversate.
This year's runner-up was insidious. Originally from the Latin word “insidere” which meant “to sit on, occupy,” and that now means “proceeding in a seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect.” And with the movie that came out this year with the same name, I would even have preferred this over tergiversate. Yet, it was decided that, "Ultimately, though, insidious is too negative to represent the mood of change and transformation that has marked this year as well."
At the end of the day, I can't be too upset. I love that we have a word of the year. I love that we care that much about words. And maybe this word will expand our personal dictionaries, who knows, maybe I'll even find myself saying it next week.
To read more about why tergiversate was chosen, you can check out Dictionary.com's blog here.

Major changes in store for Scarletta Press

Co-founder and Publisher, Ian Graham Leask, will resign his post as Publisher of Scarletta Press as of December 31, 2011. Scarletta Press thanks Ian for his writing and publishing expertise. His vision and dedication has been greatly valued. We wish him the best in his new endeavors.

An official press release with more detailed information will be issued later this week. If you have any questions, please direct them to the Publicity Director, Desiree Bussiere [desiree @ scarlettapress.com]. 

Students Bring Lexicon To Life With Drawings

Students recently sent author Penny Noyce pictures they had drawn of Lexicon while their teacher, Cary Sneider, read Lost in Lexicon to them aloud.

On the top we have a drawing of Aunt Adelaide's barn and the quote that inspired it: "The barn now stood in the middle of a pond with water reaching halfway up its sides." (pg 29), and to the right, an image of the pig that lives in the barn: "The pig lay on her side in a stall, with her eyes half-closed, the fine hairs on her side quivering as she breathed." (pg 23).

To the left here, we have another drawing of Lexicon: "Sheep grazed in the distance, far off at the horizon, steep white-and-purple mountains cut into the sky." (pg 29), and underneath, we have an image of Daphne and Ivan's adventures: "The two cousins built a raft of branches and rode out onto the river below the bridge, where the raft promptly sank." (pg 15).

These pictures are fantastic and we're so glad the students decided to share them with us. If your students or children have done any drawings of Lexicon, we ask that you either send us an electronic copy to info@scarlettapress.com or a hard copy to 10 S. 5th Street #1105, Minneapolis, MN 55402. We'd love to add them to our collection!

Thoughtful Reflections

Lost in Lexicon author Pendred Noyce recently opened up about a plethora of issues in an interview conducted by Thoughtful Reflections host Sylvia L. Ramsey. She addressed the difficulties of naming her characters, what it's like to be published in today's industry, writing for yourself vs writing what you think others want to read, and more. Here's a taste of some of her answers:
How do you come up with the names of places and characters in your books?
"It is funny, but I always have a hard time writing until I know the names of my main characters. I need a name that sounds like the picture I have in my mind, and I really do not know how to find those names. It is sort of like figuring out what to name your baby: you flounder around until suddenly you know."
Are there any problems in getting children’s’ books published?
"Editors are always looking for what is hot right now. They told me Lost in Lexicon was too old-fashioned or too didactic for today’s kids. In the end, I decided the only way I could prove them wrong was by publishing the book myself, and making a success of it. I pulled together a great team – an editor, an artist, an art director, and a designer – then published a book that has won awards and enthusiastic followers. While I was doing a radio interview and bookstore visits in Minneapolis, I finally ran across a publisher, Scarletta Press that understood what I wanted to do in providing challenging, thoughtful fiction for kids. Scarletta acquired Lost in Lexicon to anchor their brand new line of children’s books."
To read the interview in its entirety, click on this link.

Have a Hassie Calhoun Holiday

Book Details TITLE   Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence AUTHOR Pamela Cory ISBN  978-0-9824584-7-1 eISBN 978-0-9824584-8-8 SPECS 368 pages, $15.95 For More Info Pamela Cory Scarletta Press Twitter NOTE: proof of purchases will be verified through sales tracking prior to sending music links.

If you haven't heard yet: Buy Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence this holiday season and receive a free musical download! Snuggle up during the 2011 holiday months with a perfect cocktail of passion, hope, devastation, and nostalgia in Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun. And this season, you can wind down while listening to the book's feature song, I Just Can't Figure It Out, performed by author & songwriter, Pamela Cory. PROMOTION DETAILS 1.  Buy Hassie Calhoun from an independent bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any wholesaler during November or December.  2.  Find your code (where'd you hear about the promotion?): Scarletta Blog -  HCspB Scarletta Twitter -  HCspT Pamela Cory Twitter -  HCpcT Scarletta Facebook -  HCspF Pamela Cory Facebook -  HCpcF 3.  Email desiree@scarlettapress.com with the following information: subject line: Hassie Promo email body: promo code, date of purchase, price paid, name of store & city where purchased, and reply-to email address  4.  Receive your free music download link via email within one to two weeks. 5. Enjoy your holidays! With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts young and talented Hassie in several compromising situations. Pamela Cory offers a deceptively sophisticated look into the life of an ambitious young woman during the era of the Rat Pack, whose very passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to. In this coming of age novel, "...the imagery is vivid. The lights are bright, the music is romantic, and the people are larger than life. To Hassie, Las Vegas is full of possibility, hope, prosperity, excitement, and to the reader the dangers of all of this loom on every page." (The Nevada Review)

Freedom Ticket

Hennepin County Library is currently featuring Willow in a Storm as their Freedom Ticket read.

Willow in a Storm is a raw, unflinching memoir by James Peter Taylor, with the help of his wife, Kathleen Murphy-Taylor, and recounts the events of his unusual life, including more than 40 years spent in prison. A victim of childhood abuse, he abandons women, children, and jobs until, in pursuit of "the perfect crime," he unintentionally kills Minnesota banker Kenneth Lindberg, a married father of four.

"Written in a stark, unsentimental style, this compelling memoir shows how one man survived a seemingly impossible existence."

To check-out this book from your local Hennepin County Library, make sure you have a library card and then go here. Or you can find the novel on Amazon.

Inside Pamela Cory's Head

Hassie Calhoun author Pamela Cory recently completed an interview on WhoHub as a way to reach out to fans interested in getting to know the author behind the book.

She opens up about her first reading experiences and how she began writing: "As a very young reader, I loved the Nancy Drew series. I also wrote my own stories to add to the series - of course, no one else saw these stories but this was my earliest writing."

She also talks about what is necessary to make a character believable: "Verisimilitude is the key to all believability. My characters actually live in my psyche and have their own identity, character flaws and personality quirks. I was once advised to assign a living being (i.e. actor/actress) to each character to enable him/her to be "real." I love it when I can not identify anyone who actually fits my mind's description. That also helps me work harder to bring that character alive for the reader."

To learn more about this great author, you can check out the rest of the interview here.

HOLIDAY PROMOTION: "HASSIE CALHOUN"

Book Details TITLE   Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence AUTHOR Pamela Cory ISBN  978-0-9824584-7-1 eISBN 978-0-9824584-8-8 SPECS 368 pages, $15.95 For More Info Pamela Cory Scarletta Press Twitter NOTE: proof of purchases will be verified through sales tracking prior to sending music links.

Buy Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence this holiday season and receive a free musical download! Snuggle up during the 2011 holiday months with a perfect cocktail of passion, hope, devastation, and nostalgia in Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun. And this season, you can wind down while listening to the book's feature song, I Just Can't Figure It Out, performed by author & songwriter, Pamela Cory. PROMOTION DETAILS 1.  Buy Hassie Calhoun from an independent bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any wholesaler during November or December.  2.  Find your code (where'd you hear about the promotion?): Scarletta Blog -  HCspB Scarletta Twitter -  HCspT Pamela Cory Twitter -  HCpcT Scarletta Facebook -  HCspF Pamela Cory Facebook -  HCpcF 3.  Email desiree@scarlettapress.com with the following information: subject line: Hassie Promo email body: promo code, date of purchase, price paid, name of store & city where purchased, and reply-to email address  4.  Receive your free music download link via email within one to two weeks. 5. Enjoy your holidays! With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts young and talented Hassie in several compromising situations. Pamela Cory offers a deceptively sophisticated look into the life of an ambitious young woman during the era of the Rat Pack, whose very passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to. In this coming of age novel, "...the imagery is vivid. The lights are bright, the music is romantic, and the people are larger than life. To Hassie, Las Vegas is full of possibility, hope, prosperity, excitement, and to the reader the dangers of all of this loom on every page." (The Nevada Review)

For Lovers of Lexicon

If you haven't already purchased Lost in Lexicon here's one more reason why you should: Compass Book Ratings has featured the novel in their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! When discussing the books they've compiled, Compass Book Ratings says "The books in our gift guide represent the best clean reads we've read all year, and we think that our readers will enjoy giving and getting these titles!"
In other news about Lexicon, the Mom's Choice Award blog is currently featuring an interview with author Penny Noyce about what it's been like winning the Mom's Choice Award, what she's been up to since then, and where her inspiration comes from:
Q: So where did you get such an idea of magical lands and lost children?
A: When I was a child, I wanted more than anything to go to C.S. Lewis’s land of Narnia. My sister and I probed dark closets, leaped over rivers, and ran down hills with our eyes closed, calling on Aslan to transport us to that magical world.
We at Scarletta couldn't be more glad that C.S. Lewis inspired Penny all those years ago! And you can read the rest of her interview here.

A Celtic Childhood is a fun romp

You know a book is good when it receives a glowing review from Squeaky Clean Reads, despite the following content review:
PROFANITY: Excessive throughout
VIOLENCE: Some Mild instances
SEXUAL CONTENT: Some Mild and a few Moderate instances
MATURE THEMES: Moderate
And yet they couldn't stop complementing A Celtic Childhood, saying things like:
"A Celtic Childhood is a lovely memoir that reads as if you’re sitting at the feet of a grandfather full of stories! This book is full of charming vignettes and hilarious antics" and "Young Bill’s views are hilarious"
So if you're look for a "fun romp" of a book, A Celtic Childhood should definitely be at the top of your list. And you can find the rest of the review here!

Sweet on Books

Did you know Sweet on Books is sweet on Lost in Lexicon? Sweet on Books is a locally-based initiative with reviews written exclusively by mothers as part of the ABC7 Learning Section. Each week they bring readers the latest reviews of books geared toward children in grades K-5. Here are some of the wonderful things they had to say:

"Under the guise of an adventure novel, Lost in Lexicon expertly incorporates educational elements into the storyline to deliver a true learning experience. Just as The Phantom Tollbooth…did years ago, this book pushes readers to see the familiar from a new perspective and to open their minds to fresh ideas."

"Both The Phantom Tollbooth and Lost in Lexicon serve as reminders that we are all equipped with a perfect cure for boredom—our own brains. I hope that this story inspires many young readers to observe, think, have open minds, and most important, to rely on themselves for entertainment."

You can find the rest of the review here!

The Awards Roll In

Have you heard the great news? USABookNews.com announced the winners and finalists of THE USA "BEST BOOKS OF 2011" AWARDS on November 1, 2011. And two of Scarletta's books received a total of three finalist awards!
Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence, a women's literary fiction and first in a trilogy, is an award-winning finalist in the Fiction: Chick Lit/Women's Lit category.
Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, an adventurous middle-grade fantasy and first in a series that brings a world of concepts to life, is an award-winning finalist in both the Children's Fiction and Children's Educational categories.
USABookNews.com is an online publication providing coverage for books from mainstream and independent publishers to the world online community. You can find a complete list of the winners and finalists of The USA "Best Books 2001" Awards here.

National Novel Writing Month

Looking for a challenge? Why don't you try writing 50,000 words in 30 days. That may sound impossible, but that's the goal of NaNoWriMo. They claim that "For one month, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create!"

Now don't get me wrong, as an editor, this idea is terrifying: not edit my writing? How could I do such a thing? But the purpose of National Novel Writing Month isn't to come away with this perfect, 175-page, bound masterpiece. The purpose is to get as many words written down as possible.There are plenty of skeptics, people who say quality is more valuable than quantity, and when it comes to publishing your book I agree. But who says you have to publish this? Or that you have to try to get it published on December 1st after your writing time is up? The amazing thing about NaNoWriMo is that if you can beat the challenge, you'll have 50,000 words to work with later on! If you spend all of November putting your thoughts to paper, you can spend the next 11 months refining those words. And creating a novel in under a year is definitely something to be proud of.

The Write Stuff

Love book giveaways? So do we! Which is why we enjoy Brittany Roshelle's blog The Write Stuff. Not only does she post book reviews and author interviews, she often has giveaways for books, ebooks, merch surrounding books, you name it! Her upcoming post will be an interview with HASSIE CALHOUN author, Pamela Cory. And you'll have a chance to win a copy of Pamela's book!
You can look for this interview on Halloween (Monday, October 31), and you'll be sure to get at least one treat for the day!

Books, More Books, and a Twin Cities Book Festival!

This year's Twin Cities Book Festival was once again held at MCTC and the place was packed from when the doors opened at 10 am to when they closed at 5 pm. And just like previous years, this book fest did not disappoint. It was certainly the place to be in a weekend packed with other great literary events such as the launch party for Paper Darts' first book, John Jodzio's Get In If You Want To Live, Milkweed Editions' Book Lovers Ball, and FallCon 2011 with the Midwest Comic Book Association.
The Twin Cities Book Festival, like usual, offered something for everyone. Most of my day was spent upstairs in the wonderfully creative Children's Pavilion with author Penny Noyce. We set up a Lexicon Villages Event and had a blast with the kids. It was great watching them get into the activities whether they were feeding Emily the thesaurus/llama synonyms, creating flower sentences out of word petals, making tangrams of Lost in Lexicon images, and measuring EVERYTHING they could get their hands on with our non-standard measuring units of erasers, paperclips, and pennies.

"Hassie Calhoun is the perfect protagonist"

Have you checked out the Nevada Review lately? Well you should. And not just because they wrote a lovely review about Hassie Calhoun (though we're quite excited about that!), but because through our relationship with them, we've come to find that they write incredibly thorough and thoughtful reviews. Here's what they had to say about Hassie Calhoun:

"Author Pamela Cory delivers the perfect cocktail of hope and devastation in her latest novel, Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence. With one hand, Cory offers her readers untarnished hopes of the young and uninitiated, and with the other she delivers the inescapable realities of the real world and the people who live there."

"In the back of the book, author Pamela Cory provides a list of questions for readers to ponder. The first on the list begins by asking, 'How badly do you want to slap Hassie?' Although this question may seem too dismissive for a character who ultimately lives a relatively complex and successful life chasing her dream of stardom, it does in fact get to the heart of Cory’s development of Hassie’s character. Like Vegas offering the duality of hopes and exploitation, Hassie’s character offers a frustrating duality of innocence and stubborn arrogance that leads to so many of her painful choices. Perhaps more important to the question, though, is that Cory develops this excellent character and story so well that the reader will indeed want to slap Hassie."

You can find the rest of the review at the Nevada Review's website. And look for it in print in the spring issue of the Nevada Review as well!

Catch us at the Twin Cities Book Festival

A new world of entertainment awaits you at the Twin Cities Book Festival in Minneapolis! We hope you’ll stop by to visit with Scarletta Press & author Pendred Noyce!

 

Rain Taxi Review of Books will proudly sponsor the 11th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival this coming Saturday, October 15, at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College in downtown Minneapolis from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The book festival is open to the public, and hosts a wide array of publishers, bookstores, and other industry members for a day of children’s activities, used book fairs, spectacular authors, and panel discussions.

 

This year, Pendred Noyce has been invited to host a Lexicon Villages event at the festival’s children’s pavilion. The Lexicon Villages will be a featured event that children and adults of all ages can dive into from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. You’ll travel from village to village, and puzzle over fun and engaging concepts together as the land of Lexicon comes to life. Don't be surprised if you walk away with a keepsake from Lexicon!

 

Lost in Lexicon is a literary fantasy for kids age 9-12. It tells the tale of two cousins on a journey through a magical land full of mixed up words and numbers, with a quest to return the lost children of Lexicon to their homes. It is the first in a four-part adventure series. Lost in Lexicon has won numerous awards, to include a Mom's Choice Gold Award, a Parents’ Choice Recommended award, a ForeWord Book of the Year Awards Honorable Mention, and an IBPA Ben Franklin for Interior Design.

 
And DON’T FORGET to stop by the Scarletta Press table in the main exhibit hall to purchase both new and old books at a discounted price. If you can’t make it to the book festival (although we hope you can!), Scarletta Press books are also available from your local bookstores, and from many large outlets as well. Check out our website to find out about all our books!

 
Author Biography

Pendred Noyce is a doctor, education reformer, and writer. Penny has practiced internal medicine, supervised medical residents, and become a leader in Massachusetts mathematics and science education reform. She serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including that of the Noyce Foundation, and she chairs the boards of Maine’s Libra Foundation and the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers is Penny's first full novel and is the first in a four-part adventure series.

For more information on Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, please visit www.lostinlexicon.com.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® Names LOST IN LEXICON Among Best In Family-Friendly Products

The Mom's Choice Awards® has named Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers by Pendred Noyce among the best in family-friendly media, products and services.
The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials for children and families. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five identical samples of a product. Entries are matched to judges in the MCA database. Judges perform a thorough analysis and submit a detailed assessment. Results are compiled and submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final approval. The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and educators can feel confident in using.
Lost in Lexicon is a literary fantasy for kids age 9-12. It tells the tale of two cousins on a journey through a magical land full of mixed up words and numbers, with a quest to return the lost children of Lexicon to their homes. It is the first in a four-part adventure series. Lost in Lexicon has won numerous awards, to include a Parents’ Choice Recommended award, a ForeWord Book of the Year Awards Honorable Mention, and an IBPA Ben Franklin for Interior Design.
For more information on Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, please visit this website.

"Immensely readable and thoroughly enjoyable"

Undiscovered Scotland loved Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish saying:

"But the way Bill Watkins carries us with him through his adventures and misadventures is enthralling, often amusing, sometimes emotional, and always extremely well written. This is one of those rare books which keep you turning the page not through plot devices, but simply by keeping the reader engaged."

Thanks so much Ken Lussey! We're glad Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish is giving people one more reason to head to Scotland! And head to their website to check out the rest of the review!

"It’s always an interesting experience to read a novel from the point of view of someone who is borderline insane."

Yankee Invasion by Ignacio Solares recently received a lovely review from Squeaky Clean Reads. They write: "It clearly shows the feelings, frustrations and fears of the impotent citizen—while the ‘powers that be’ play their political games with the citizens as their pawns. Yankee Invasion has a lot to offer in terms of painting a vivid picture and creating an impression that lasts." You can read the rest of the review on their website.

MIBA & Beyond: Book Trade Shows and What They Do

As many of you faithful literature lovers may know, especially you booksellers, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA) Trade Show happened last Thursday and Friday, September 22-23, at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis. And what a great show, and a great venue it was! Claire Kirch, of Publisher's Weekly, reported on the conference, describing the venue as upstaging "everything and everybody at the Midwest Independent Booksellers' annual Conference..." And at Scarletta Press, we'd have to agree: This year's show was in a top-notch location, and brought some top-notch booksellers over to the Scarletta Press table!
Scarletta Press has been strongly emphasizing their new children's line, Junior Bookwormz, since early February of this year. The cornerstone books: The Lexicon Adventure Series by Pendred Noyce. The first book in the series, Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, debuted on August 9, and has been making a splash in every aspect. The book itself has won over 8 awards, including an IBPA Ben Franklin for 1-2 Color Interior Design, and Honorable Mention from ForeWord Reviews' BOTYAs for Juvenile Fiction, and a Parents' Choice Recommended. ForeWord calls it "...an adventure story for the digital generation...," and School Library Journal says "...readers will be rewarded with a good adventure, affecting lyrical passages, and thought-provoking questions..." With all this buzz, we thought: Let's give Penny Noyce and her books the main focus at the MIBA conference this year.

Scarletta Press on KFAI's Write On Radio!

Hi all! I just wanted to introduce myself. My name’s Ashley, and I’m the newest Literary Marketing Intern at Scarletta Press. I know there are a lot of really great publishers in Minneapolis, but one of the things I love about Scarletta is their new children’s imprint: Scarletta Press Junior Bookwormz!
I’m currently reading the first book in their children’s line, Lost in Lexicon, and even at the age of 21, I’m enjoying it! This past Tuesday night, Scarletta’s Publicity Director, Desiree Bussiere, asked me if I’d like to tag along and observe some marketing she had planned for the book.
We ended up at KFAI’s Write On Radio! program with the author of Lost in Lexicon, Pendred Noyce, as well as Peter Smith, author of A Cavalcade of Lesser Horrors. I arrived under the impression that it would be an evening to sit back and listen, but I soon found myself being asked if I’d like to help read off the upcoming literary events.

The Road to Kid Lit

We began launching our children's line in January when we signed our first children's author, Pendred Noyce. Pendred Noyce wrote Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers, a middle grade adventure fiction, and first published it on her own in October 2010. After acquiring Pendred's series, we republished the first book this past August, and scheduled the next three books for publication in successive Augusts to come. (Check out Penny's Path to Publication story!)

The Lexicon Adventure series serves as cornerstone to Scarletta Press’ line of intellectually stimulating books for strong and thoughtful readers. “We want to publish fiction that ‘writes up’ to kids, treating them as young intellectuals who enjoy thinking,” says Leask. “Our books will be fun, adventurous, and suspenseful, but their vocabulary and storylines will be designed to challenge young readers in the right way.”

Founded in 2005, Scarletta Press has gained a reputation as a publisher of high quality literary fiction and non-fiction. Its adult books have won or been nominated for a number of literary awards.

After revising our submission requirements and really getting the word out about Lost in Lexicon, we've received many new children's book submissions. After rifling through the pile, there are a number of them still on the consideration table. With the plan to continually expand our children's line, we decided we needed a good name for our new children's imprint.

So here it is: Scarletta Press Junior Bookwormz! Be sure to follow us on twitter @SP_JRBookwormz. We've got a plan for some great Children's Literature, and we hope you'll be a part of it.

Random Acts of Publicity

This week is Random Acts of Publicity Week to help out all your favorite books and authors. While we of course would love it if you helped out some of our authors (who can resist a good book from an indie publisher?), we understand that you might have others on your mind. AND THAT'S OKAY! We mostly just want to see you helping out the authors. After all, shameless self-promotion can be a bit tiring on their end.

Here's the drill. Random Acts of Publicity was started by Darcy Pattison about three years ago. It focuses "on helping a Friend’s book get noticed, but you can also choose to help your favorite book get noticed." Anyone can help with a bit of social media. Interested in participating? Check out the FAQ to help you get started! Make sure to BLLurT and Post a lot!

What authors need to know: Submissions

Publishers get a lot of manuscripts submitted to them. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming for the acquisitions department. Publishers do their best to maximize an effective work flow, without overlooking great pieces of work. Authors don't necessarily care about that though; they care about getting noticed - they care about getting through the slush pile.

If it's a big publishing house, such as Random House or HarperCollins, the submission process is simple: agented or solicited submissions are the only way to get looked at. It's the easiest process for any publisher, but it also means that some really great books by unknown and unagented writers are overlooked. Thus, this process is not used by many small independent publishers.

Tasty treats & mentions

Well we couldn't be more pleased to help Linda White kick off her new series on MN Indie Publishers! This article comes at a perfect time with three books launching from our little press: Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers by Pendred Noyce, A Celtic Childhood by Bill Watkins, and Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish also by Bill Watkins.

We're making waves. Check out this article and share it everywhere!

"Though it radiates that sense of optimism and fresh outlook that only a relatively young company can, nothing about Scarletta Press is amateur. Perched in a sunny historic building on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, the office is a beehive of activity. Their output is sleek and their leadership is made up of industry veterans...

While the publishing world may be changing, Scarletta Press looks poised to ride that change...Some may think you’d have to be crazy to start a publishing company these days. But Scarletta Press is proving that if you take your lumps, do your homework, and know the playing field, there are still many opportunities out there. And they are doing a great job of looking ahead and moving into those new realms of possibility." Read the rest!

We're definitely proud to be a moving vehicle in this publishing industry!

Celebrate with Author Bill Watkins!

Tips: How to help out your favorite Authors!

At Scarletta Press, we can't help but push for you to love our authors. And we know there is a lot of love out there, but can you show it. Sometimes, that's all an author needs! Thanks to Lindsay Buroker, here are a few things you can do to help our authors, or any of your favorite authors!

Helping out on Amazon

Amazon is the big kahuna of book sellers, especially when it comes to ebooks, so helping an author “get found” on there can give them a big boost. You can certainly do these things on other bookstore sites as well (nothing against copying and pasting a review, for example), but Amazon tends to have more cool features to help an author get found.

Here’s the list (any one of these things can help):

The 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards Announced!

ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1

Scarletta Press is excited to announce the selection of Pamela Cory’s Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence as a finalist in the the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards®!

Ellen Reid, President & CEO, announced the winners and finalists of the awards on May 15, 2011. In it’s fifth year running, the National Indie Excellence Awards are full of tough competition. The full list of Winners and Finalists can be found here. “Excellence is not easy to achieve and the book industry needs it more than ever…the NIEA salutes authors and publishers who make excellence a priority” says Reid (--http://www.indieexcellence.com/mediaroom.htm).

Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence has been selected as an Award-Winning Finalist in the New Fiction category of the awards. A novel that paints the Rat Pack era in a new light, this literary fiction introduces Hassie Calhoun, a lovely and talented singer trying to make it as an entertainer in 1960s Vegas. With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts Hassie in several compromising situations. Her passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to.

NOTE: Pamela Cory will be appearing at BEA 2011 with Scarletta Press, booth 4633-A, and will tour the first half of June. See Pamela Cory's website for tour information by viewing the events page!

The 2011 International Book Awards Announced!

ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1

ISBN 978-0-9830219-2-6

Scarletta Press is excited to announce the selection of Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence and Pendred (Penny) Noyce's Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers as finalists in the the 2011 International Book Awards (IBAs) hosted by JPX Media Group.

JPX Media Group announced the winners and finalists of the 2011 IBAs on May 11, 2011. Over 300 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The full list of Winners and Finalists can be found here. "Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of JPX Media Group, said this year’s contest yielded a large number of entries from authors and publishers around the world, which were then narrowed down to the final results." (—JPX Media Group)

Looking forward to Book Expo America

Now that it's early May, I can safely say that Scarletta employees are rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off just to make sure everything is perfect for BEA. We're setting up meetings, organizing signings and book orders, booking hotel stays, and printing so many sales/marketing materials that we might just drown in the piles of shiny press releases and bookmarks. But through all that, there are some details we'd like to share in this little blog post:

BEA 2011: May 24-26 at the Jacob K. Javitz Center in New York City

Scarletta Press Booth: #4633-A

In-booth Autographings: THURSDAY MAY 26
               Pamela Cory - Hassie Calhoun - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
               Leonard Borman - Our Jewish Robot Future - 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

In honor of heading to BEA, dear Leonard has even made a little video inviting you to visit him:



Leonard Borman will be at BEA 2011 from Scarletta Press on Vimeo.

Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish

Bill Watkins reads the missing chapter of Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish. The book will be put back into print by Scarletta Press in August 2011, and will come complete with the missing chapter. Find the whole Once and Future Celt trilogy at Scarletta Press this August!

FULL VIDEO HERE!

More Book of the Year Awards!!!

We had another wonderful surprise in our inbox today; something we accidentally overlooked on Monday! Pendred (Penny) Noyce's Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers has also been selected as a finalist for ForeWord's Book of the Year Awards 2010! It has been selected for the Young Adult Fiction category.  (You'll notice the selection is for the first edition, which was published in October 2010 by Tumblehome Press. The first edition will be out of print come July 1, 2011. The Scarletta edition is available for pre-order, and has a publication date of August 9, 2011.)

View the complete list of Young Adult Fiction competitors here. Winners will be announced at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference, June 23-28, 2011. **Penny will be signing books at the Publishers Group West booth at ALA.

Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers is a literary fantasy for readers ages 9-12. It tells the story of two cousins, Ivan and Daphne, on a quest to find lost children in a world of words and numbers running wild.

A first-time author, Pendred’s novel has been selected as a recommended read by the Indie Next Kids List Winter 2011. And ForeWord Reviews says it “...breaks new ground in the adventure genre. This rollicking, often tongue-in-cheek novel will appeal to young readers who need a break from their computer games and long to journey into the woods of learning.”

“Lost in Lexicon is a smart romp of a book. Just as 13-year-olds Ivan and Daphne are propelled on a quest through the land of Lexicon so the reader will be pulled through this intriguing story with its puzzles and games. A challenging read and an entertaining adventure rolled into an extremely handsome package with excellent illustrations.” — Mary Logue, co-author of the Bloodwater mystery series

Book of the Year Awards

We had a wonderful surprise in our inbox today. ForeWord's Book of the Year Award finalists for 2010 have been announced! Clicking the link I discovered that Leonard Borman's Our Jewish Robot Future: A Novel About the Garden of Eden and the Cyborgian Transformation of the Human Race has been selected as a finalist in the Fiction - Science Fiction Category.

View the complete list of Science Fiction competitors here. Winners will be announced at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference, June 23-28, 2011.

Our Jewish Robot Future presents a cheeky story that visits the Garden of Eden and questions the absence of an 11th commandment: Thou shall NOT nosh thy brother. Margarita Haralson, a post-menopausal housewife determined to become pregnant in spite of her children’s refusal to give her grandchildren, narrates the story to her newborn child. This is a must read for anyone curious for an alternative, comedic take on human existence and Jewish family relations.

“A strange adventure with even stranger concepts … a highly entertaining and very highly recommended read." — The Midwest Book Review, November 2010

Too Much Good News?? No such thing!

There was already no doubt about it... Lost in Lexicon is a hit. But just because we can... Here's some more great reviews and interviews! Check 'em out!

Elle Strauss interviews Pendred Noyce
http://ellestraussbooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/self-publishing-success-story.html

Andrea from Online With Andrea interviews and reviews
http://andreasonlineblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/lost-in-lexicon-by-pendred-noyce.html
...and then it went global...