Novel Press aims to produce an eclectic range of high quality fiction and poetry. It is the brainchild of a group of writers who met on the Creative Writing M.A. at Nottingham Trent University in the late 90s. There have been several successes with short stories, poetry and articles, as well as academic works and visual arts. The first novel produced by a member of the group was The Dangerous Sports Euthanasia Society, (Transita, 2005) by Christine Coleman. That publisher has now discontinued its fiction imprint, and the state of fiction publishing in general has become even more restrictive. Each of us has his or her distinctive voice, and maintaining the quality of our work is paramount. We are each other’s harshest critics, and we want to retain our authorial autonomy, hence: the creation of Novel Press. We are hoping that this will follow in the footsteps of the renowned Birmingham-based Tindal Street Press, and will eventually be able to open its doors to other writers. Meanwhile, our infant brainchild is taking one small step at a time. Scroll down to find out more about Paper Lanterns by Christine Coleman, the first book to emerge from Novel Press. New Ways of Publishing Birmingham Post Article on Novel Press and Christine Wain-Heapy Watch this space for more on the publication of fiction and poetry from other members of the group. Novel Press Authors • Andy Oldfield www.andyoldfield.com • Christine Coleman www.christinecoleman.net • Helen Jayne Gunn www.helenjaynegunn.co.uk • Helen Purcell site not completed • Paul Lathrope site not completed Published by Novel Press March 2010 Paper Lanterns by Christine Coleman ISBN 9780956444202 Price: £7.99 “Certainties are shattered as past and present inexorably unfold - a deeply moving and unusual novel” Crysse Morrison, author of Frozen Summer and Sleeping in Sand After a phone call from her younger brother, Ann travels to Hong Kong in search of the truth about their scandalous mother, Vivienne. Here, she discovers a series of letters and journal entries which reveal a secret about her beloved grandmother’s early life that challenges her most deeply felt convictions. Ann must also face up to her own part in an event which took place just before her sixteenth birthday, and caused the break-up of the family. “A vivid and absorbing tale of family secrets and illicit love, observed with the keen eye of a poet. You can almost smell and taste Hong Kong. Recommended for fans of Margaret Forster and Penelope Lively” Linda Gillard author of Star Gazing, Short-listed for Romantic Novel of the Year 2009 About the Author: Christine Coleman spent her childhood in the Sussex countryside, and her late teens and early twenties in Dublin, where she learned to enjoy Guinness and climb mountains while gaining a degree in English. She has taught in secondary schools in Dublin and the Midlands, and now works part time as manager of an Adult Literacy and Numeracy programme in Birmingham. Her novel, The Dangerous Sports Euthanasia Society, was published by Transita in 2005. Paper Lanterns was partly inspired by an unexpected discovery of a cache of love-letters written in China in the late nineteen twenties by two separate women to the same man. On her first trip to Hong Kong in the early nineties, Christine was fascinated by the contrasts between the busy urban districts and the beautiful scenery of the outlying islands, and since then she has made several return visits. To read more about Christine’s work, visit her website: www.christinecoleman.net To request a review copy or special discounts email novelpress at live dot co dot uk