News from Frayed Edge Press - Frayed Edge Press

Right Guy, Wrong Time Now Available as Ebook!

11/10/2023

Louise MacGregor's New Adult romance, Right Guy, Wrong Time, is now available as an ebook! Part romantic comedy, part social commentary, part women's empowerment, this novel manages to be a light, entertaining read while also tackling some tough subjects.

Edie, a record label talent scout, experiences date rape as well as sexual harassment at work. Handling her recovery and these challenges is further complicated when she meets an intriguing new love interest. This offbeat feminist romantic comedy moves beyond “girl meets guy,” dealing with sexual dysfunction, the ubiquity of rape culture, and what recovery looks like in a world filled with reminders of your assault.

What reviewers are saying:

"...skillfully portrays the reality of assault from a woman’s perspective. [S]ome readers...may find solace in seeing this topic addressed in a romance novel."-- Library Journal

"...the best portrayal of the aftermath of a rape that I have ever read in a novel."
--Steff Pasciuti, Reader Fox Blog

Find out more about this title and how to obtain the ebook, here.

Blessed Hands: Stories is Now Available

10/17/2023

Get your hands on a copy of Frayed Edge Press' latest release: Blessed Hands: Stories by Frume Halpern, translated by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub.

This collection of psychologically insightful and emotionally complex stories is now available, in its entirety, for the first time ever in English.

Rhea Tregebov, author of Rue des Rosiers, says "Halpern's radical compassion, her powerful commitment to those whose social position, or physical limitations, leaves them outcast from the promised land of America makes for compelling, unforgettable fiction."

Find out more here: www.frayededgepress.com/blessed_hands.html

Pre-Order - Short Story Collection by an Overlooked Woman Author, Available for the First Time in English

9/19/2023

Blessed Hands: Stories
by Frume Halpern
Translated by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub

These slice-of-life stories first appeared in the Yiddish radical press in mid-20th century New York. An over-looked master of the short story genre, Frume Halpern's fiction is now available for the first time, in its entirety, to English-language readers.

These psychologically insightful stories present the lives of protagonists who are working-class poor, social outcasts, and those experiencing illness, disability, and racism. Halpern worked as a massage therapist in a hospital and many of these stories are about those who work with their hands.

Available for pre-publication ordering at a 20% discount, now through October 16, 2023.

Select FEP Ebooks 50% Off During July

7/12/2023

Frayed Edge Press July Ebook Sale!

For the month of July! select full-length FEP ebook titles are only $2.99. Title include Loose in the Bright Fantastic, Songs for the Gusle, and DIG.

And, all individual Street Smart Series of short fiction titles are available only $0.99 each! See the complete list here:
https://www.frayededgepress.com/street-smart.html

Happy Summer Reading 2023 (or winter if you're down under)! This special pricing is available for the entire month of July, through our Smashwords partner only. See the full list of titles in our Smashwords store:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/FEP2022

Interview with Robert Paul Moreira

6/22/2023

Interview with FEP author Robert Paul Moreira now available in THE MUSEUM OF AMERICANA: A LITERARY REVIEW.

"Characters under duress are the most exciting to read and write about."

"I wanted to stretch the boundaries of what a traditional book could accomplish by showcasing the two genres I write in."

His mixed genre collection, DIG, is available from Frayed Edge Press and other online and bricks and mortar retailers.

For more information and a link to the interview, see:
https://www.frayededgepress.com/dig.html

New Novel Addresses Family Issues and Dementia with Compassion and Humor

5/16/2023

Frayed Edge Press is pleased to announce the publication of Loose in the Bright Fantastic, a new novel by E.B. Moore. Gray-haired Maggie has fled the hospital wearing only her late husband’s ill-fitting wingtips and an ancient mink over her hospital johnny--going on a wild adventure through Boston as her family desperately searches for her.

Early readers have praised the compassion and sensitivity of Loose in the Bright Fantastic, as well as its humor and the centering of an older protagonist:

"[Maggie's] adventure through Boston is hilarious, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful. A fine, satisfying read!" -Juliette Fay, author of Catch Us When We Fall

"...a compassionate and, at times, laugh out loud hilarious tale of family, friendship, and a search for meaning." -Monica R., NetGalley

“...upends the expected story of a failing mind, gifting us with Maggie, a woman who never gives up her potent core of vibrancy and finds one more magnificent adventure.” Randy Susan Meyers, author of Waisted

More information and buying options are available on the book webpage.

Pre-Publication Sale - Loose in the Bright Fantastic

4/11/2023

Loose in the Bright Fantastic
By E.B. Moore
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
Price: $18.00 pbk.
Pre-Pub Sales Price: $14.40

20% Off Pre-Publication Sales

"Where in the world is Maggie?"

Gray-haired Maggie has fled the hospital wearing only her late husband's ill-fitting wingtips and an ancient mink over her hospital johnny. Loose in the big city and in the early stages of dementia, she eludes both the police and her family for days--revisiting old haunts and finding shelter in a homeless man's squat.

Told with compassion and humor, this heartfelt story of aging and resilience, generational challenges, and the power of love will appeal to any reader who has ever been part of a family.

Songs for the Gusle - Now Available!

3/21/2023

Frayed Edge Press is pleased to announce the publication of Songs for the Gusle, the first-ever complete translation of Prosper Mérimée’s 19th-century French literary hoax. The widely-praised translation by Indiana-based translator Laura Nagle makes this exciting early example of “fakelore” available to English-language readers for the first time.

The volume also includes Mérimée’s preface to the 1840 edition of the work, in which he confesses to the deception, as well as a translator’s note by Laura Nagle in which she discusses the background of the work and some of the challenges of translating it.

More information and buying options are available on the book webpage.

Read an Ebook Week - March 5-11, 2023

3/5/2023

Read an Ebook Week - Discounts Available

March 5-11, 2023 is National Read an Ebook Week! To celebrate, we're offering 50% off all FEP ebooks available through our Smashwords partner!

All single-title Street Smart Series novelettes, regularly $1.99, now only $0.99 each. All full-length titles (including DIG by Robert Paul Moreira; In Madison's Cave by Douglas Anderson; Jeremiah Hacker by Rebecca M. Pritchard; and Street Smart x 7: A Street Smart Series Omnibus), regularly $5.99, now only $2.99 each.

Happy ebook reading!

Songs for the Gusle Now Available for Pre-Publication Sales

2/20/2023

Prosper Mérimée' classic volume of "fakelore" is now available for the first time in its entirety, in English-language translation.

Purported to be a collection of folktales, ballad lyrics, and travel narratives compiled and translated into French by an anonymous traveler returning from the Balkans. Before long, though, it was revealed that both the stories and their “translator” were the fictional creations of a young civil servant, Prosper Mérimée, who would later become one of the most accomplished French writers of his generation. In these dramatic tales of love, war, and encounters with the supernatural, Mérimée has given us both a treasure trove of “fakelore” and a satirical portrait of a self-appointed expert blissfully unaware of how little he understands the cultures he claims to represent.

Songs for the Gusle will be published on March 21, 2023 and is now available for pre-publication sales ordering.

DIG Reviewed in HIVE Indie Book Reviews

1/9/2023

Robert Paul Moreira's mixed-genere collection DIG has been reviewed in HIVE Indie Book Reviews!

"From the start, it’s exceedingly clear that Moreira has a distinct, unique voice that the reader will either deeply love or abhor in its entirety. This concise manner of storytelling mixes modern individual culture with mythological and literary references in such a way that nearly raises a middle finger to the occasional snobbery of contemporary literary fiction and sets Dig apart from the very first. That is to say, this read was like nothing I’ve read before, and diving into it felt akin to a fully submersive dip in the strangest of pools."

Read the full review here!

Find out more about DIG!

Now Available! Street Smart x 7: A Street Smart Series Omnibus

11/15/2022

Now Available!
Street Smart x 7: A Street Smart Series Omnibus

Now together under the same cover for the first time: all seven numbers of Frayed Edge Press’ Street Smart Series of Short Fiction—novelette-length works featuring contemporary urban settings, well-drawn characters, and engaging plots.

This volume also includes a representative illustration from each story.

Learn more about the book, including options for print and ebook purchase, on its webpage.

DIG -- Four Star Review in Foreword Reviews

11/15/2022

"Dig is a gritty literary collection whose diverse entries concern finding one’s place within a family, a culture, and a country."

DIG by Robert Paul Moreira garners four stars in Foreword Reviews. Read the full review on their website.

Learn more about the book on its webpage, including options for print and ebook purchase.

Now Available for Pre-Order: Street Smart Series Omnibus

10/31/2022

Forthcoming -- Pre-Order Now for 20% Off

Now together under the same cover for the first time: all seven numbers of Frayed Edge Press’ Street Smart Series of Short Fiction—novelette-length works featuring contemporary urban settings, well-drawn characters, and engaging plots.

Stories include contemporary noir, coming-of-age, police procedural, and three stories featuring anarchists. Pre-publication sales pricing available now-- see the publication page for details.

Publication Date: November 15, 2022. Physical Description: 6x9; 210 p.; pbk.

New Fall Release - DIG by Robert Paul Moreira

10/11/2022

Now Available!

DIG by Robert Paul Moreira is now available from Frayed Edge Press!

This mixed-genre collection collection of short stories, microfiction, hybrid fiction, and drama features Latinx characters who are often caught between cultures, DIG explores themes of physical and emotional violence, human relationships, and the weight of politics, history, and culture on individuality and identity.

“Robert Paul Moreira is the most original voice coming from our nation’s southern border.”
--Brian Allen Carr, author of Opioid, Indiana

Read the press release and visit the book page for DIG to learn more!

DIG by Robert Paul Moreira - Now Available for Pre-Order!

9/13/2022

Pre-Order Now!

Pre-publication sale pricing is now available for Robert Paul Moreira’s forthcoming collection, DIG. Mixed-genre, short stories, flash, and drama combine in what American Book Award winner Stephen D. Gutierrez calls “a fantastic read--moving and comic and tragic, and infused with earned hope.” 20% off pre-publication sale pricing is available now through October 10, 2022.

DIG
Book description: 6x9, 185 p.
20% off sale price: $14.40
Publication date: October 11, 2022

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Now Available as Ebooks -- Street Smart Series Nos. 6 & 7

9/1/2022

Now Available as Ebooks! Street Street Smart Series #6 -- "Make the Bear Be Nice", by Stephen St. Francis Decky and Smart Series #7 -- The Day is Gone, by Shelonda Montgomery, are now available as ebooks! In addition to the usual availability on Amazon Kindle, we've expanded our ebook offerings onto new platforms -- including Apple iBooks, Kobo, B&N and more! Use the links on the book pages or search by ISBN on your favorite platform! Look for more FEP titles coming to a wider variety of ebook platforms soon!

Happy Women in Translation Month!

8/1/2022

August is Women in Translation Month!

Frayed Edge Press is happy to present a variety of under-represented world literature, translated for the first time into English. Check out our Translation page for new and forthcoming translated works from our press.

We're proud to be part of the effort to allow women writers from all countries to be read in English, and we salute the the work of women translations in helping to bring many of these works forward.

Celebrate Women in Translation Month by reading a translated woman author, or reading the work of a woman translator!

Cover Reveal for Forthcoming Title - DIG by Robert Paul Moreira

6/28/2022

Forthcoming in October, 2022!

This cross-genre collection of short stories, microfiction, and drama provides a kaleidoscope of modern human experience—from navigating fraught romantic relation-ships and definitions of masculinity, to dealing with the pull of family ties and the struggle to make one's way in the world.

Featuring Latinx characters who are often caught between cultures, DIG explores themes of physical and emotional violence, human relationships, and the weight of politics, history, and culture on individuality and identity.

Robert Paul Moreira earned his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Texas Pan American, and his Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is the editor of ¡Arriba Baseball!: A Collection of Latina/o Baseball Fiction (2013) and author of the story collection Scores, winner of the 2016 NACCS Tejas FOCO Fiction Award.

Celebrate Short Story Month with FEP Street Smart Series

5/3/2022

Happy May! Celebrate Short Story Month with novelettes from Frayed Edge Press' Street Smart Series!

Seven short fiction titles featuring contemporary urban settings, well-drawn characters, and engaging plots.
These handy, pocket-sized reads are perfect for commuting or reading in one sitting!

You can find them all at:
https://www.frayededgepress.com/street-smart.html

Fiction from Frayed Edge Press

1/18/2022

As we use January to rest and reboot, we invite you to explore some of the wonderful works we've published in the past! In 2020 and 2021, we published three unique works of fiction:

Ambushing the Void by James McAdams, a genre-subversive collection of short stories that explore the liminality of existence,

Stealing: A Novel in Dreams by Shelly Brivic, an experimental novel explores the concept of individuality, the psychological influences of family, and the very nature of reality,

and Right Guy, Wrong Time: A #MeToo Love Story by Louise MacGregor, an offbeat feminist romance moves beyond “girl meets guy,” dealing empathetically with sexual dysfunction, the ubiquity of rape culture, and what recovery can look like in the #MeToo era.

BONUS: Check out Douglas Anderson's historical novel In Madison's Cave, which posits an epistolary conversation between founding fathers Jefferson and Adams -- and deals with topics we still find challenging today.

Street Smart Series Nos. 6 and 7 Now Available

11/8/2021

The latest two numbers in Frayed Edge Press' Street Smart Series of Short Fiction are now available!

#6 - "Make the Bear Be Nice" by Stephen St. Francis Decky. Both poignant and funny, this story concerns a homeless teen working nights cleaning movie theaters at a South Jersey cineplex. He forms an unlikely friendship with a former high-school classmate and his sister, while also struggling to come to terms with his estranged father. The story culminates with a chaotic uprising during a screening of an annoyingly ubiquitous summer blockbuster kids’ movie.

#7 - The Day is Gone by Shelonda Montgomery. In this story, a Chicago family’s lives are disrupted when two young brothers and their friend discover the body of a local store owner in a ditch. The children are so used to seeing violence in their neighborhood that they don’t bother telling anyone. When their mother finds out, it sets in motion a plan to move the family to a safer neighborhood. Complications arise when their father loses his job and abandons them, leaving their mother to ensure the safety of the family on her own.

Get your copies now and read more about all of the Street Smart Series titles here!

Two New "Street Smart Series" Stories Coming in November

10/15/2021

Two new numbers in Frayed Edge Press' Street Smart Series of Short Fiction are coming in November!

#6 - "Make the Bear Be Nice" by Stephen St. Francis Decky launches on November 2, 2021 and is available at a special pre-sale discount price now! Both poignant and funny, this story concerns a homeless teen working nights cleaning movie theaters at a South Jersey cineplex. He forms an unlikely friendship with a former high-school classmate and his sister, while also struggling to come to terms with his estranged father. The story culminates with a chaotic uprising during a screening of an annoyingly ubiquitous summer blockbuster kids’ movie.

#7 - The Day is Gone by Shelonda Montgomery launches on November 9, 2021 and is also available at a special pre-sale discount price now! In this story, a Chicago family’s lives are disrupted when two young brothers and their friend discover the body of a local store owner in a ditch. The children are so used to seeing violence in their neighborhood that they don’t bother telling anyone. When their mother finds out, it sets in motion a plan to move the family to a safer neighborhood. Complications arise when their father loses his job and abandons them, leaving their mother to ensure the safety of the family on her own.

Read more about all of the Street Smart Series titles here!

Happy International Translation Day!

9/30/2021

We love to share great books from other languages with our English-language audience! Check out the following translations from Frayed Edge Press!

Ere the Cock Crows by Jens Bjørneboe, translated by Esther Greenleaf Mürer. A chilling novel follows the ethical quandaries--or not--of Germans involved in Nazi concentration camps and human medical experiments in World War II.

Yearning for the Sea by Esther Seligson, translated by Selma Marks. This feminist retelling of Homer’s Odyssey centers Penelope and her feelings of loss and desire, in lush poetic language.

Winter in Bellapalma by Jens Bjørneboe, translated by Esther Greenleaf Mürer. This comic novel follows the exploits of a community of expatriates living off-season in a small Italian fishing village.

And, as a bonus -- see the Full Fare novelette in our Street Smart Series (#1) -- the first-ever translation into English of a work by the renowned French author, Jean Bernard Pouy. Some call his work untranslatable, but our team of three translators managed to crack the code!

Now Available -- In Madison's Cave

9/14/2021

In Madison's Cave, an epistolary dialogue between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams by Douglas Anderson officially launched on September 14th. Get your copy now!

In a series of chapters that mimic those of his infamous book, Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson ushers Adams into the underworld of the human psyche, filled with both its monsters and its redemptive lessons. This experimental novel considers early American history, government & politics, education, race relations, and other themes that still resonate in modern American life.

"Anderson's Jefferson and Adams are fully breathing and believable; brilliant and wrong-headed; visionary and cantankerous; stimulating company from start to finish. In Madison's Cave is a quirky, one-of-a-kind feat."--Thomas Mallon, author of Henry and Clara and Fellow Travelers

Douglas Anderson was educated at Oberlin College and the University of Virginia. He was the Sterling-Goodman Professor of English at the University of Georgia, and has published a number of critical studies in American literature. He currently resides in Portland, OR.