'Locus Magazine' Named the Novel 'The Winter Boy' to Its Prestigious Annual Recommended Reads List
(PRWEB) February 06, 2015 -- Every February, the respected journal "Locus Magazine" publishes its annual Recommended Reads List. Its editors and other professional critics sift through the science fiction, fantasy and other speculative fiction published in the previous year, and select novels and short stories they deem worthy of special recognition. This year, Pixel Hall Press's novel "The Winter Boy" by Sally Wiener Grotta is included in this prestigious list.
- The Internet Buzz Builds about "The Winter Boy"
This recognition of "The Winter Boy" by "Locus Magazine" adds to the buzz that is building about this unusual novel which is steadily gaining attention from reviewers, bloggers and readers.
Even the marketing gatekeeper Amazon has given "The Winter Boy" a nod, featuring it as a Daily Deal in today's Kindle newsletter.
As Wendy Delmater Thies wrote in "Abyss and Apex Magazine," "[It's] an amazing, tour-de-force literary work completely unlike anything I have ever read.... People will be studying and talking about 'The Winter Boy' for years to come."
The public is welcome to download a significant excerpt of "The Winter Boy" at no charge, to read for themselves why reviewers are calling this novel "enthralling" and "intriguing."
- About "The Winter Boy"
Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, Mary Doria Russell and Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Winter Boy" explores important political and social issues within a dynamic, character-driven otherworld, wrapped up in masterful storytelling.
The Valley of the Alleshi is the center of all civilization, the core and foundation of centuries of peace. A cloistered society of widows, the Alleshi, has forged a peace by mentoring young men who will one day become the leaders of the land. Each boy is paired with a single Allesha for a season of intimacy and learning, using time-honored methods that include dialog, reason and sexual intimacy. However, unknown to all but a hidden few, the peace is fracturing from pressures within and beyond, hacking at the very essence of their civilization.
Amidst this gathering political maelstrom, Rishana, a young new idealistic Allesha, takes her First Boy, Ryl, for a winter season of training. But Ryl is a “problem boy” who fights Rishana every step of the way. At the same time, Rishana uncovers a web of conspiracies that could not only destroy Ryl, but threatens to tear their entire society apart. And a winter that should have been a gentle, quiet season becomes one of conflict, anger and danger.
“...A deeply thoughtful book…very engrossing.” ~ Kelly Jensen, SFCrowsnest
- Availability of "The Winter Boy"
Published by Pixel Hall Press in hardbound, paperback and all eBook formats, "The Winter Boy" is available from all bookstores including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple iBookstore.
- About Sally Wiener Grotta
Sally Wiener Grotta is a consummate storyteller, reflecting her deep humanism and appreciation for the poignancy of life. As an award-winning journalist, she has authored hundreds of articles, columns, essays and reviews for scores of glossy magazines, newspapers, journals and online publications. She has also written numerous non-fiction books. Her fiction includes "Jo Joe," a Black Bear, Pennsylvania novel. A member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Sally Wiener Grotta is a frequent speaker at conferences, schools and other organizations on storytelling, creativity, and the business of writing.
- About Pixel Hall Press
Pixel Hall Press is a relatively new, old-fashioned small publishing house whose focus is on discovering literary gems and great stories that might otherwise be overlooked. Our mission is to publish books that energize the imagination and intrigue the mind, and to be a conduit between readers and provocative, stimulating, talented authors.
In this era of digital technology, Wall Street involvement and merger mania, many mainstream publishers seem to have lost sight of core principles and the purpose of publishing. At the other end of the spectrum is the veritable avalanche of self-published books that are notoriously uneven in quality. Small boutique imprints like Pixel Hall Press are reclaiming the heart and soul of publishing by reviving the idea that a publisher's “raison d'être” is finding and nurturing great writers, and to provide readers with beautiful, meaningful, truly enjoyable books.
Cynthia Dadson, Pixel Hall Press, http://www.pixelhallpress.com, +1 (570) 676-5500, [email protected]
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