Tale Publishing will be having a table at the Mount Street Market Extravaganza this coming weekend (See ART & CRAFT EXTRAVAGANZA | City of Monash for details). We will be selling the range of Tale Publishing titles, so come along to browse or purchase from the range, or just for a chat!
It’s our first stall for a long time and we are looking forward to doing several others throughout the year.
There was a buzz at the Peterborough launch of From Fame to Infamy: Captain Forbes and the loss of the Schomberg. The book tells how the Schomberg came to become shipwrecked off the coast of Peterborough and the aftermath. After the launch, the Warrnambool Standard got in touch and asked to interview the author Shannon Azzaro. They published the interview today. Such was the Standard’s dedication, they even asked Shannon to pose in front of the coastline where the wreck occurred!
The journalist was interested in how through writing the book Shannon found sources about the shipwreck which had not been used by other writers and that in doing so she reached some different conclusions to other accounts of what transpired on that fateful Boxing Day in 1855. To learn more, you’ll have to read the book.
The book can be purchased from bookshops and online retailers. Here are some links to retailers Amazon, Dymocks, Booktopia, Readings.
Part of the coastline of Victoria is known as the Shipwreck Coast for good reason – many ships have been sunk after crashing into its reefs and rocks. One of the famous wrecks which lies off the coast of Peterborough is the Schomberg. Peterborough local, Shannon Azzaro became fascinated by the tale of this wreck and began to research it. Shannon is a retired librarian who utilised her skills to track down rarely seen sources which led to her questioning the traditional narrative of the wreck and its captain, Captain Forbes.
Her debut non-fiction book From Fame to Infamy: Captain Forbes and the loss of the Schomberg uses new sources of information and tracks the whole story of the Schomberg in greater detail against the narratives of the day. Historians, sailing, and shipwreck enthusiasts have published many versions of the shocking tale of Master Mariner, Captain “Bully” Forbes, who wrecked the mighty clipper Schomberg along the Victorian Shipwreck Coast in 1855. But what if those books got it wrong?
Was the journey a case of “Hell or Melbourne in 60 days?” Did Forbes bring about his own downfall? Was his reputation ruined by others, and if so, why?
The book will be launched in November 2022 and on sale in December. We are delighted to reveal the cover for the book, which was designed by our cover designer, Cathy Larsen.
Robert New has written a follow-up series of stories to his ReadFreely “Best Book We’ve Read All Year – Runner Up” anthology Colours of Death: Sergeant Thomas’ Casebook. The new collection, Colours of Death 2 contains nine new Sergeant Thomas stories and continues the colour theme of the first book.
Robert is particularly proud of this collection and feels the mysteries are even more beguiling than before. “I’d be hard pressed to name a favourite story. They each offer something unique,” he said when pitching the stories to us. They are filled with his usual mix of quirky science facts and novel ideas, but what impressed us most was how the stories are more involved and twisty than before. As such we are sure these stories will thrill and entertain mystery lovers.
The book will be released this December. Here are the details for the nine stories in the anthology:
Red: Poison Fire
A horrific death and an obvious suspect. However, is the case as simple as it appears?
Violet: The Unique Vision of Mr Kallang
A rare ability leads to a major drug bust, but what happens when it’s challenged in court?
Blue: Froggy
The mayor of Sergeant Thomas’ hometown has been murdered. Could someone he knows have done it?
Green: Fuller
When soil is found in the stomach of a deceased teenager, the autopsy only makes it harder to determine a cause of death. Why did she die?
Indigo: Pressure Point
A mysterious summons leads an informant of Sergeant Thomas to seek help locating his girlfriend.
White: The White Tales
Sergeant Thomas joins a newly formed club and is presented with a mystery. Why did a newlywed drown her husband? More importantly how did she get away with it?
Yellow: A Billionaire’s Bath
A mining magnate practically lives in her bathtub, until one evening, when she is electrocuted in it.
Orange: The Hartog Tulip
A new type of diamond attracts the world’s attention. How could it have come from a salt mine, and why is Sergeant Thomas unsurprised when it is stolen?
Black: The Billionaires Club
An exclusive club for billionaires has been robbed. Sergeant Thomas and his friends have to solve the locked room mystery before word gets out.
And without further ado, here is the cover as designed by the wonderful Cathy Larsen:
Preorders are available now from your favourite bookshop (ISBN 9780648681687). Paperback/Ebook available from Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US).
We are very excited to announce that the sequel to R. Andrew Russell’s Intelligent Consent, the aptly named Intelligence Horizon will be released in time for Christmas. Here is the blurb for the book:
The future for Anastasia and Robert is balanced on a knife-edge. They are key developers of scanning technology used to copy the structure of the human brain and load it into intelligent robots. Their malevolent employer, Augustin, plans to kill them if they try to leave, but also when they outlive their usefulness. They also come under threat from an organisation intent on the elimination of all advanced robots. Meanwhile, two intelligent robots, Rob and Sam-renamed-Penny, have been sent to Mars to help Augustin achieve his all-consuming dream. Can they fend-off attacks by trans-planetary bandits, and use all of their cunning to outwit Augustin?
R. Andrew Russell is a former Professor of Robotics and brings both the human and robot characters to life with an eye for what makes us human. Perhaps echoing Russell’s own thoughts, a character in the novel says: ‘We’re limited in how far into the future we can predict human attitudes to robots. I like to think of this as the intelligence horizon … Hopefully, beyond this horizon, intelligent robots may be accepted as having at least some rights.’
It is an interesting idea and one which is explored in the novel. We are thrilled to be able to give a sneak peek of the cover, which is once again designed by Cathy Larsen. So, without further ado, here it is!
We have been thrilled and honoured to have several of our authors ask us to consider their next books.
Christine Hoy has followed up her thrilling memoir, Secret Sibling with a ‘fact-ion’ telling of her family’s history, called This Other Eden. It will was released this month.
We are working with our friends at Spineless Press to create our first audiobook which will be of Robert New’s Colours of Death: Sergeant Thomas’ Casebook. We anticipate a May/June release.
The Monash Writers Group have written a follow-up to their anthology Unprecedented Times called The Way Forward. This collection is aiming for a May/June release.
After his debut book, Colours of Hope and Despair, Bala Mudaly published his memoir Colour-Coated Identity in September. He hasn’t rested on his laurels though, and will have a third book, For All Seasons out in the second or third quarter this year.
Rachel New and her father, Robert, have written a new picture book, called Lost in the World of Dragons. The artwork is being created at the moment and the book should see a third-quarter release. It is being illustrated by Magdalena Almero Nocea who also illustrated their previous book, Unicorn’s Egyptian Rescue.
R. Andrew Russell has written a much anticipated sequel to his debut Intelligent Consent. The follow-up is called Intelligence Horizon and follows the main characters after the events of the first part. This will join our third quarter releases.
Not confirmed yet, so we have to be discreet, but we’re also in talks to publish the debut non-fiction book of a new author later this year.
We also have an idea for a very special project we’d like people to submit to, so in the second half of the year we will reopen our submissions for that… more details to follow closer to the time.
All in all, it looks to be a busy year for Tale Publishing.
We are delighted to announce the release of Christine Hoy’s new book This Other Eden. The historical saga is based on the real history of Christine’s family. The origin of the book came while Christine was researching her genealogy and organising the notes she’d made. Imagining some of the conversations that must have occurred during the significant events Christine had researched, led to the idea of writing a ‘fact-ion’ story based on what she had uncovered.
The book covers a time period from 1802 until the end of the first world war and tells the story of how one family rose from an impoverished agricultural life to become entrepreneurs in London and Australia.
What drew Tale Publishing to the work were the historical setting and ability to capture the lived experience of the time – which is what also intrigued us about her previous book, Secret Sibling. This Other Eden is out now from all major retailers, including Amazon.
Our most recent release is Bala Mudaly’s autobiography, Colour-Coated Identity: A Memoir, it is a fascinating story of Bala’s journey from Apartheid South Africa to Australia and his search for an identity beyond racial lines. It is eloquently written and an engrossing tale, but don’t take our word for it. The book was recently reviewed in the Indianlink paper. You can read the review here:
https://www.indianlink.com.au/arts/books/review-a-colour-coated-identit
Congratulations go to two contributors, Sasha Buntman and Suya Lee, to the Unprecedented Times anthology Tale Publishing launched just before Easter. Their poems were selected to be displayed as well as recorded and played at intervals for the audience of the new Monash Gallery of Art exhibition STAGES: photography through the pandemic. They weren’t the only contributors to be involved in the exhibition though, as one of the other writers, Erica Tippett, will lend her voice to the recording of the poems.
The exhibition runs through to the end of August and copies of Unprecedented Times will be available for purchase through the gallery’s bookshop. It is also available online as an ebook. The paperback will be widely available from the first of July thanks to our distributor, Woodslane.
Additional congratulations go to Rainie Zenith whose story from the anthology, Ernie, won the Monash Wordfest 2020 Short Story Competition.
With such talented contributors, it’s easy to see why the Monash Writers Group consider Unprecedented Times to be their best anthology to date.
Tale Publishing was wowed by this book when it was presented to us. It is a beautiful story and wonderfully illustrated. It may surprise some people to know Amber (and illustrator, Li Yang Lim) are both dentists and graduates of the University of Queensland. That fine institution has an article on them and their book.
About the book Amber Khan’s When the World Came Together.
When people stop visiting, three little ducks set out to find why. Across the world, they encounter wonderous people in everyday places who share their stories. Inspired by true events from the human response to the pandemic including the Great Teddy Bear Hunt, this beautifully illustrated book defines our time. A portion of the sale price will be donated to Covid-19 research. Available for pre-order from Dymocks or Amazon. Released February, 2021.
Tale Publishing 