another sky news

I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that the manuscript for Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, by Andrez Bergen, found its way into my inbox one day. TSMG is the reason I love editing, and I’m thrilled that I’m in a position to help it make the transition to tangible form. Andrez - an expatriate Australian living in Tokyo - has one of the most distinct voices I’ve read in ages. Combining a vernacular worthy of his heritage with a deep rooted knowledge of all things noir and sci-fi, Andrez crafted a gritty tale that swept me in from the moment I started reading it.

Andrez knew a lot of work was still needed, and true to form we’ve been working together editing it for quite some time now. That said, he provided the richest of raw materials - everything an editor could hope for. Working together has been fantastic - we became fast friends despite the fact that he resides in Tokyo and I’m here in Portland. Once again, the beauty of technology used right; it’s amazing how easy it’s become to create truly amazing work cooperatively with people across the globe.

I love that I’ve had the chance to be part of making this book. I can’t wait to share it in total with all of you, and I know Andrez feels the same. For now, though, we’re just giving a taste. The book is still being edited, but we’d like to share the first two chapters with you.

-Kristopher Young
Another Sky Press

Download the first two chapters of Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat

Please note: We don’t have pre-ordering set up for TSMG yet because we want to wait until a bit closer to publication. If you’d like to be notified at that time, please join our mailing list or contact us.

About the Author:

Andrez Bergen is an expatriate Australian journalist, musician, photographer, DJ, artist, some-time filmmaker, writer, wayward graphic designer, and ad hoc beer connoisseur who’s been entrenched in Tokyo, Japan, for the past eight years.

Andrez, under the alias of Industrial Form, dabbled with graf, then moved on to installation art spaces and visuals for events put on by pioneering Melbourne experimental electronic music label IF? Records (which he co-helms). He creates music under the pseudonym Little Nobody.

Andrez also writes for the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in Japan, American mags Anime Insider and Geek Monthly (ex-Cinefantastique), Impact in the U.K., 3D World, Beat and Vice in Australia, and various other publications, on movies, music, anime, culture, travel, etc.

In 2005 Andrez married New York based artist Yoko Umehara, who has moved back to Tokyo, and in November of that year the couple had the world’s cutest daughter, named Cocoa.

Douglas Novielli at Verbicide interviewed Kristopher Young about Another Sky Press, neo-patronage, and other good stuff. Check it out!

From their site:

VerbicideMagazine.com is the online successor to the print magazine Verbicide, an independent entertainment periodical co-published via Scissor Press by founding editor Jackson Ellis and creative director Nathaniel Pollard. Twenty-five issues of Verbicide were published from 1999 to spring 2009. In July 2009, Verbicide became an online-only magazine.

VerbicideMagazine consistently prints some of today’s most thoughtful and challenging fiction and interviews. Interview subjects range from musicians, to authors, to comic book creators, to actors. VerbicideMagazine.com also regularly features political commentary, modern art pieces, Abstract Fantasy comics, and an abundance of movie, book, and music reviews.

Hey, just wanted to let everyone know Alterati.com has a new podcast up with Kristopher Young. In it, Kristopher and Joseph Matheny discuss Another Sky Press, neo-patronage (pay what you want), and more! It’s more of a conversation than an interview, and definitely worth checking out!

To repeat, this is a podcast, so no need to get out yer reading glasses, just sit back and enjoy.

Joseph Matheny, who hosts the segment GSpot on Alterati, is an experienced author and publisher himself, with a diverse track record that includes inventor, creator, marketer, product manager, CEO, CTO, writer and artist.

Kristopher Young, of course, is a founder, author, and editor here at Another Sky.

Sorry we haven’t updated in so long. We’ve been very lax in updating the website over the past long while, and here’s why: we’ve thought we were inches away from a total website revamp for some time now, but various technical and not so technical details kept getting in our way.

For awhile, we thought this brand new site was “less than a month away”, so we were updating the improved version of our site with new content, waiting for the switchover. Meanwhile, the current version of our site (the one you’re reading now) got rusty and out of date.

And, unfortunately, for reasons out of our control, the revamp which never materialized has now been temporarily shelved. We’re going to be updating this version of the site on a much more regular basis. We still hope to completely revamp the site sometime soon, but it looks like that is a project for another day at this point since we’re basically going to need to begin anew with a new coder.

That said, while the website might not have been being updated much, we’ve been working on all sorts of projects behind the scenes.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be highlighting some of the great projects we’ve been working on - a novel, a novella, children’s books, artbooks and more!

First up to be featured will be our upcoming novel, Tobacco Stained Mountain Goat by Andrez Bergen. In addition to both lots of info on both the novel and its author, we’ll be previewing the first few chapters.

“A frenetic, jangled, edgy, tragic, disturbing joyride through angst-ridden Middle America, The National Virginity Pledge feels like a cross between a David Lynch movie and a trip to your favorite dysfunctional uncle’s house — and I mean this in the best way possible.”
-Marc Schuster, Small Press Reviews

Click here to read the full review!

And after you’ve read the review, find out more about The National Virginity Pledge!

More interview goodness from Kristopher Young, this time talking via email to Gabe Barber of Reading Local. On the table are various issues near and dear to Another Sky Press - our mission, our future, and our dreams. Reading Local is a fantastic site - a crucial find for any Portland reader interested in the local scene. It’s also a blueprint for how the internet can and should support and promote its local scene. Thank you, Reading Local.

Read the full interview here:
http://www.readinglocal.com/2009/03/01/kristopher-young-interview/

We know you’re going to love this as much as we do: we will be releasing The National Virginity Pledge: Short Stories and Other Lies by Barry Graham on February 1st, 2009! Check it out!

It’s been so hectic over here at ASP we’ve been slack on keeping the website up to date (we’re also working on a brand spanking web site at the same time, so please forgive us!).

Without further ado…

Invision 2 edited by Michael Fields

• Binding: Perfect Bound
• Dimensions: 8.5” × 8.5”
• Length: 80 pages
• ISBN: 0977605175

About

A full-color collection of visual art featuring twelve incredible artists from Portland, Oregon and beyond - Erik Abel, Ashley Anson, Damon Ayers, Jason Brown, Michael Fields, Justin Gorman, Jason Graham, Klutch, Michael Edward McGovern, David Stein, Alisha Wessler, and Eric Wixon.

Ash Dogs by Justin Nicholes

• Binding: Perfect Bound
• Dimensions: 5.5” × 8.5”
• Length: 180 pages
• ISBN: 0977605167

About

Marcus Green has just been discharged after a tour of duty in Iraq. Wounded and disfigured, Marcus returns to a life he barely recognizes… and that barely recognizes him. Stricken by guilt and self-doubt, and spurred on by deep-rooted restlessness, Marcus decides he must embark on a journey to reclaim that part of himself which he has lost. As he explores his past he reconnects with a forgotten half-brother in Mexico and a former hometown love, but he must also come to grips with his accidental family — other wounded veterans and the Iraqis he was supposed to protect.

20% of the profits from Ash Dogs will be donated to the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust.

Praise for Ash Dogs!

“Justin Nicholes’ impressive debut offers us a psychologically nuanced, spare and cinematic look at the way families and strangers cleave together in times of great crisis. The odd arrangement of family, as important a theme as ever here, is investigated alternately with great tenderness and a hundred-yard stare. The effect is often electric. This is compelling work by a young writer to watch.”
-Darren DeFrain, author of The Salt Palace (New Issues Press)

Pre-order Ash Dogs here!

The Golden Calf by Henry Baum

• Binding: Perfect Bound
• Dimensions: 5.5” × 8.5”
• Length: 180 pages
• ISBN: 0977605159

About

Ray Tompkins is the kind of person you never get to know. He’s the security guard, the factory worker, the man working the midnight shift. Nobody really understands Ray - not his coworkers, not his family, and certainly not the women in his life. There is a rage building inside Ray Tompkins and Los Angeles is the fuel - the sick obsession with celebrity mixed with the vacuousness of everyday life. Against this backdrop, Ray Tompkins finds a way to vent his anger. He, too, will be known…

Praise for The Golden Calf!

“This pacy, tightly written novel is like ‘Taxi Driver’ meets Charles Bukowski’s Factotum.”
-Uncut

“An amusing, persuasive insight into obsession, stalking and the disintegration of sanity. Highly recommended to anyone with a bitter hatred of Tom Cruise and Hollywood stars in general.”
-Butterfly

“A marvel of pace and comic timing….Much of Baum’s narrative bears a similarity to Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground.”
-Daily Telegraph

“With a superb narrative control, Baum paints a portrait of male dysfunction set to explode.”
-The List

“Ray is nearly as good a portrait of post-collegiate angst as has been painted so far.”
-New York Press

“Explores the hazy junction where the teeth of the daily grind sink into the day-dreamt certainties of life’s true bell-head sounds.”
-Lee Ranaldo, member of Sonic Youth

Pre-order The Golden Calf here!

We’re going to have a busy, busy year and we’re starting off with two new novels from a pair of incredible authors - Ash Dogs by Justin Nicholes and The Golden Calf by Henry Baum. Both are very much worth your time - so please check them out, and better yet, pre-order them!

We’ve also got some other great stuff in the works - a sequel to our successful Invision art book, other novels, some childrens’ books, and more! If you’re in Portland, we’re having an Invision 2 release party on July 31st at The Goodfoot featuring art work from both books!

We’re also going to be unveiling a completely redesigned website soon! It’ll be much prettier, sleeker, and will feature a much more community oriented interface.

A special note about pre-orders for these two novels: any pre-order with a contribution of $10 or more will be signed and personalized by the author. Any pre-order placed previous to this notice will automatically qualify regardless of contribution amount. As our authors live far from us (one is currently residing in China!) this pre-order period may very well be the only time we can offer signed copies of these novels. So please consider supporting the authors and the press!

Ash Dogs by Justin Nicholes

• Binding: Perfect Bound
• Dimensions: 5.5” × 8.5”
• Length: 180 pages
• ISBN: 0977605167
• Release Date: June 15th, 2008

About

Marcus Green has just been discharged after a tour of duty in Iraq. Wounded and disfigured, Marcus returns to a life he barely recognizes… and that barely recognizes him. Stricken by guilt and self-doubt, and spurred on by deep-rooted restlessness, Marcus decides he must embark on a journey to reclaim that part of himself which he has lost. As he explores his past he reconnects with a forgotten half-brother in Mexico and a former hometown love, but he must also come to grips with his accidental family — other wounded veterans and the Iraqis he was supposed to protect.

20% of the profits from Ash Dogs will be donated to the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust.

Praise for Ash Dogs!

“Justin Nicholes’ impressive debut offers us a psychologically nuanced, spare and cinematic look at the way families and strangers cleave together in times of great crisis. The odd arrangement of family, as important a theme as ever here, is investigated alternately with great tenderness and a hundred-yard stare. The effect is often electric. This is compelling work by a young writer to watch.”
-Darren DeFrain, author of The Salt Palace (New Issues Press)

Pre-order Ash Dogs here!

The Golden Calf by Henry Baum

• Binding: Perfect Bound
• Dimensions: 5.5” × 8.5”
• Length: 180 pages
• ISBN: 0977605159
• Release Date: June 15th, 2008

About

Ray Tompkins is the kind of person you never get to know. He’s the security guard, the factory worker, the man working the midnight shift. Nobody really understands Ray - not his coworkers, not his family, and certainly not the women in his life. There is a rage building inside Ray Tompkins and Los Angeles is the fuel - the sick obsession with celebrity mixed with the vacuousness of everyday life. Against this backdrop, Ray Tompkins finds a way to vent his anger. He, too, will be known…

Praise for The Golden Calf!

“This pacy, tightly written novel is like ‘Taxi Driver’ meets Charles Bukowski’s Factotum.”
-Uncut

“An amusing, persuasive insight into obsession, stalking and the disintegration of sanity. Highly recommended to anyone with a bitter hatred of Tom Cruise and Hollywood stars in general.”
-Butterfly

“A marvel of pace and comic timing….Much of Baum’s narrative bears a similarity to Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground.”
-Daily Telegraph

“With a superb narrative control, Baum paints a portrait of male dysfunction set to explode.”
-The List

“Ray is nearly as good a portrait of post-collegiate angst as has been painted so far.”
-New York Press

“Explores the hazy junction where the teeth of the daily grind sink into the day-dreamt certainties of life’s true bell-head sounds.”
-Lee Ranaldo, member of Sonic Youth

Pre-order The Golden Calf here!

Your pre-orders help Another Sky Press out tremendously! Once our books re-coup their expenses we will be able to put our resources towards new projects. All profits for our books are distributed as royalties to the author and other project members in a breakdown that they determine!

Last night 15 different authors read at the legendary Powell’s City of Books during their Smallpressapalooza event celebrating the thriving Portland independent press scene. And four of them have been published in one way or another by Another Sky Press!

Kristopher Young read from his novel Click - specifically, the chapters ‘Going Back’, ‘Eyes and Cockroaches’, and a short segment from ‘Cold and Narrow’ (dedicated to his teeth!).

Jeremy Robert Johnson, an accomplished novelist who happens to have a fantastic short story in our anthology Falling From the Sky. Pure charm and presence as always, it’s safe to say that he lit up the room (with some help from batteries).

Carlton Mellick III, author of one million books (as well as a short story in our anthology Falling From the Sky). Yet another force to be reckoned with, he finished out the night with a style all his own.

Last but not least, the multi-talented Keith Rosson was scheduled to appear but unfortunately was unable to make it. Keith was not only featured in our art book Invision, but is responsible for the absolutely amazing cover of one of our newest releases, The Golden Calf (by Henry Baum)! We were looking forward to hearing him read, but there’s always next time!

Thanks to all who came out and supported the night, and an extra special thank you to Kevin Sampsell of Powell’s City of Books (as well as Future Tense Publishing) for all the work he put into organizing and running the event. Kevin ended up giving a reading as well and stole the show with the tale (tail?) of his cat, Frankenstein.

Here’s to more events!
Another Sky Press