About “The Bottle Imp” by Robert Louis Stevenson

Book Acquisitions, News

Some time ago, during a Thinking Ink Press discussion about our small books, Anthony Francis floated the idea of publishing one or more classic short stories.

Bottle Imp art by Harvey Chin

Many of these stories entered the public domain because they were published before 1923 and their copyrights expired. Not everything that was published before 1923 is in the public domain. Some works have had their copyrights renewed, so it’s important to check, rather than making assumptions. Anthony looked into some classic sci-fi and fantasy stories he likes, but their copyrights were tied up.

In the meantime, Betsy Miller remembered a story that she had read and liked when she was growing up—“The Bottle Imp” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Set in Hawaii and San Francisco, this is a story with a cursed bottle that grants wishes but can send you to Hell. Not to mention, the story includes true love and leprosy—what more could you want?

Robert Louis Stevenson, by Artist unknown, via Wikimedia Commons

In case you sort of remember Stevenson and are not sure exactly why, he wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and many, many more books and stories. “The Bottle Imp” was published in the book Island Nights’ Entertainments in 1893. We decided to look into publishing a small print edition.

The project took off when Betsy and Maria Judnick were chatting at Peet’s coffee shop in Cupertino. Maria is an English Professor at Santa Clara University, and when she heard about Betsy’s interest in publishing “The Bottle Imp,” she stepped forward with an offer to work with a group of college students to annotate the story and to provide historical context.

Maria Judnick <3 RLS

It turns out that Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the authors that her students study, so this was a perfect combination of publishing and academics. And that is why  you should hang out with your friends at coffee shops from time to time.

So, the annotated edition is in the works now and we’re looking at publishing it in 2018. We might even have a party to celebrate. Because you should also party with your friends from time to time. We’ll keep you posted.

Our New Charity Steampunk Anthology Some Time Later Is Now Available

Appearances, Book Release, Uncategorized

We’re happy to announce that our latest charity steampunk anthology Some Time Later: Fantastic Voyages Through Alternate Worlds is available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online booksellers. The release date is June 1, 2017. Some Time Later will also be available for sale at the steampunk anthology Clockwork Alchemy on Memorial Day weekend.

If you enjoyed the popular audio story “Three Men and a Vampire” by Harry Turtledove performed by Sage and Savant and you want more, pick up a copy of Some Time Later and you’ll find a companion story “Three Men and a Werewolf.” You’ll also discover pairs of Jeremiah Willstone stories by Anthony Francis, Drake & McTrowell stories, Miranda Gray stories, and more.

If you’re coming to Clockwork Alchemy, stop by Author’s Alley and you can meet many of the authors who participated in this anthology. All the books in the Later series will be on hand, as well as other Thinking Ink titles, and we’ll also have con ribbons and other extras!

 

Some Time Later is the third volume in our set of charity steampunk anthologies that benefit local libraries such as the San Jose Public Library:

For Clockwork Alchemy this weekend, Thinking Ink Press is organizing a charity donation drive for the San Jose Public Library, and we have donors who will match that donation up to the first $1000.

Stay tuned for the outcome of this drive, but if you want to dive right in to the stories, you can read them now by coming by Clockwork Alchemy and picking up, or looking where fine books are sold!

Sage & Savant Meet Thinking Ink Press in a Steampunk Extravaganza

Appearances, Book Acquisitions, Book Release, , , , , , , , , ,

We’re excited to announce that this April, Thinking Ink Press is the featured sponsor of Episode 11 of the continuing Steampunk podcast and blog of Dr. Petronella Sage and her friend Professor Erasmus Savant. Join us as we venture back to the Victorian Science-fiction world of Sage & Savant as they travel through space and time!

During the month of April, listen to Audio Adventures: Stories from Thinking Ink Press Steampunk Anthologies, featuring three stories:

  • A  new story, “Three Men and a Vampire” by Harry Turtledove, from our forthcoming charity steampunk anthology Some Time Later, Fantastic Voyages Through Alternate Worlds, available at the steampunk convention Clockwork Alchemy 2017.
  • “The Fall of the Falcon” by  Anthony Francis, from our charity steampunk anthology Thirty Days Later.  “The Fall of the Falcon” is a prequel story to Anthony’s steampunk novel Jeremiah Willstone and the Clockwork Time Machine, new this year from Bell Bridge Books.
  • “The Honorable Eddy” by Kirsten Weiss from our charity steampunk anthology Thirty Days Later. Kirsten Weiss writes genre-blending cozy mystery, urban fantasy, and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.

Starting in April, on the Savant & Sage website, you’ll also find interviews with Anthony Francis, Kirsten Weiss, Sharon E. Cathcart, not to mention steampunk anthology editors AJ Sikes, BJ Sikes, and Dover Whitecliff.

Please stop in for a visit at the Sage & Savant website and join us for fun and fabulous adventures. If you’re at Clockwork Alchemy 2017, look for Thinking Ink Press authors and editors!

Pictured: the Radio Broadcast Center at Universal Studios Florida (modified), from Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License and Harajuku Fashion Walk (modified), from Flickr / Gaudencio Garcinuño under the Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 License.

 

New Charity Steampunk Anthology, Some Time Later

Book Acquisitions, Book Release, , , , , , , , , , ,

We are excited to announce our next charity steampunk anthology, Some Time Later: Fantastic Voyages in Alternate Worlds, available soon through booksellers in print and ebook editions and at Clockwork Alchemy 2017.

Created by returning anthology editors AJ Sikes, BJ Sikes, and Dover Whitecliff, Some Time Later includes two new stories each from fifteen authors including Harry Turtledove, Kirsten Weiss, Anthony Francis, David L. Drake and Katherine L. Morse, Sharon E. Cathcart, T.E. MacArthur, and more.  Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to public libraries.

Join us on a journey through time and genre:

  • Take a tour of Jolly Olde London, where madness may (or may not) prevail and things can get hairy after dark!
  • Take an airship to the ancient city of Atlantis!
  • Battle demons! Match wits with mystics! Try to resist the seductive power of chocolate or the magic of tiny mushrooms!
  • Maybe even steal a treasure from a dragon!

So put the kettle on, pour a strong cuppa, and curl up on the couch for a rollicking good read with Some Time Later.

To order a copy of Some Time Later that you can pick up at Clockwork Alchemy, contact anthony@ThinkingInkPress.com.

Rereleasing Twelve Hours Later: A Steampunk Charity Anthology

Book Acquisitions, Book Release

Back by popular demand, Thinking Ink Press is republishing the out-of-print steampunk charity anthology Twelve Hours Later: 24 Tales of Myth and Mystery. The brainchild of the Treehouse Writers, fifteen talented authors, artists, and poets, Twelve Hours Later was released at Clockwork Alchemy 2015 and features pairs of stories set within the same day.

Myth! Mystery! Intrigue! Dirigibles!

Support public libraries and explore the world of steampunk fiction. Twelve Hours Later, 24 Tales of Myth and Mystery will thrill you with round-the-world and round-the-clock adventure, weaving lore from ancient Egypt, Greece, Japan, and more into a steampunk tapestry!

  • A devoted nursemaid braves mythical Japanese spirits to save a child’s life
  • Daredevil adventurers tangle with a Chinese demon called the Lord of Death
  • A lady archaeologist battles thieves for possession of Egyptian hieroglyphs

Linked pairs of stories, set 12 hours apart, fill a 24-hour day with a whirlwind of steam, legends, spycraft, and the occasional forest demon!

Half the proceeds of the anthology will be donated to nonprofit organizations that support literacy, including the San Jose Library System. As you indulge your literary senses, you’re also helping to promote literacy!

Twelve Hours Later will be released on Friday, March 24th, and is available for preorder on Amazon. So get a copy and find out what happens … Twelve Hours Later!

The Authors of Twelve Hours Later

Sharon E. Cathcart

Lillian Csernica

Steve DeWinter

David L. Drake and Katherine L. Morse

Anthony Francis

T.E. MacArthur

Vicki Rorke

AJ Sikes and BJ Sikes

Janice Thompson

Elizabeth Watasin

Kirsten Weiss

Dover Whitecliff

 

“The Case of the Large Box of Books”: A Drake & McTrowell Mystery

Uncategorized

That’s right, folks, the steampunk charity anthology Twelve Hours Later is soon returning to bookstore shelves! If you want it first, drop by the  Drake and McTrowell booth at the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention! Check out this wonderful skit in which they investigate the arrival of a mysterious box of books filled with myth, mystery, intrigue, and dirigibles!

Small Surprises, an Instant Book by Lita Kurth

Book Acquisitions, Book Release, , , ,

drawing of a lizard bride looking at a brownieWe’re happy to announce that we have published our newest Instant Book, Small Surprises by Flash Fiction Forum co-founder Lita Kurth. Small Surprises includes two flash fiction stories, “The Bride” and “Life Is a Mystery.”

Instant Books are limited edition miniature books with complete stories inside. Folded from a single sheet of paper, they fit in the palm of your hand, but they’re sturdy enough to read and share.

Thinking Ink Press member Anthony Francis created the cover art for Small Surprises, and Instant Book designer Keiko O’Leary created the book layout. She selected the typography and paper, and hand-folded each book.

Small Surprises will be available for sale at the next Flash Fiction Forum on March 8 at 7:00 p.m. at SJ/Works Gallery, 365 S. Market St. in San Jose, CA.

You can also buy copies by contacting keiko@thinkinginkpress.com.
animated gif of turning pages of Small Surprises Instant Book

Hip, Hop, Hooray for Our First Picture Book!

Book Acquisitions, Book Release, , , , ,

We’re  happy to announce our first picture book, Hip, Hop, Hooray for Brooklynn Bunny! by Jill Harold and Betsy Miller.

This upbeat story is about Brooklynn, a little bunny who loves to hop. Brooklynn wears a brace at night, but she is determined to learn how to hop rope in time for the Hippity Hop Games. Armed with hop rope rhymes and a can-do attitude, Brooklynn shows that persistence pays off and can be a lot of fun.

Hip, Hop, Hooray for Brooklynn Bunny! will be available in print, ebook, and audiobook editions in March 2017.