A short title on grief in this year of universal grief

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Jessica Knauss

I lost my beloved husband Stanley Arthur Coombs to cancer in 2016. Over these four terrible years, I’ve learned many truths, for example:

Grief marks a before and an after in the life of the survivor.

You don’t “get over” it. You learn to live with it.

Every grief is unique.

Most grief publishers seem to keep to the practical, providing tips and tricks for how to go on when your world has collapsed. This essay goes in search of the reasons to keep going.

In this disastrous year, grief is becoming universalized. I’ve decided I can’t be the only one who wants a symbolic framework to make sense of their grief. So here is my essay, which interprets the symbolism in three different dreams I had during the first year of my particular grief. I hope it helps.

Dreaming Through the Pain is available for 99 cents as a digital download from Amazon here, and from any other retailer you desire here.

A Journal for the Castle Lover in Your Life in English and Spanish

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Jessica Knauss

Cover Açedrex Publishing is pleased to announce the first book in a new series. Studies have shown that writing by hand provides better emotional release and memory retention. With this in mind, we wanted to provide beautiful, comfortable spaces for you to record your thoughts and experiences. We’re starting big.

Castles: A Journal for Visiting Historic Castles, Palaces, Forts, and Other Architecture

If you love visiting castles, fortresses, palaces, or any kind of historic architecture on any continent, this is the journal for you. Take it with you on your adventures, or keep it at home to fill out when you get back. Either way, this book has lined pages and prompts so you won’t forget the important details. Blank pages allow you to let your imagination run wild. Full of your memories, this book becomes a unique and treasured keepsake.

You can also use this book to plan your castle-hunting trip! It is our sincere belief that the “new normal” will eventually allow for fun excursions, safe from illness. Creating this journal is an act of hope.

Photos of Biar Castle, taken on the editor’s excursion to that mountain town in Alicante province in December 2019, grace the front and back covers.

This book is available as a paperback so you can use a nice soft pencil or your favorite pen to remember — or to plan or even dream about — your castle adventures. This book is appropriate for beginners as well as castle-visiting veterans.

¡También en español!

Cover Açedrex Publishing anuncia con orgullo una nueva serie. Se ha demostrado que escribir a mano proporciona una mejor catarsis y mayor capacidad de memoria. Con esta idea, queremos crear espacios únicos y cómodos para grabar tus pensamientos y experiencias. Empezamos a lo grande.

Castillos: Un diario para visitar castillos, palacios, fortalezas y arquitectura histórica

Si le encanta visitar castillos, fortalezas, palacios o cualquier tipo de arquitectura histórica en cualquier continente, este es el diario para usted. Puede llevarlo en sus aventuras o guardarlo en casa para completar cuando vuelva. Este libro tiene páginas con renglones y entradas para que no se olvide de los detalles importantes. Las hojas en blanco le permiten dejar volar su imaginación. Lleno de tus recuerdos, este libro se convertirá en un recuerdo único y atesorado de toda la familia.

¡También puede usar este libro para planificar sus visitas a castillos en un momento futuro! Creemos que un gran día, esta nueva normalidad permitiría hacer excursiones libres de enfermedades. Crear este diario ha sido un acto de esperanza. Las tapas presentan fotos que sacó la editora en una excursión en diciembre de 2019 al Alcázar de Biar, Alicante.

Este libro está disponible en tapa blanda para escribir con un lápiz que se puede borrar o tu bolígrafo favorito para recordar – o planear o incluso soñar – tus aventuras. Tanto los principiantes como los veteranos de cazar castillos podrán utilizar este libro.

Thrilling! A Predator’s Game Now Available

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Jessica Knauss

A Predator’s Game, long-awaited prequel to A Predatory Mind, was released March 30. You can order it now and get it instantly for Kindle, Nook, or Kobo. Be sure you’re ready to chase clues all over turn-of-the-century Manhattan! For slightly delayed gratification, order the softcover at the links below (more coming soon) or request at your local bookstore or library.

Kindle | Nook | Kobo

Softcover | Amazon Softcover | Indiebound Softcover

Manhattan, 1896.

When the author Arthur Conan Doyle meets Nikola Tesla he finds a tall, thin genius with a photographic memory and a keen eye, and recognizes in the eccentric inventor the embodiment of his creation, Sherlock. Together, they team up to take on a different, evil Holmes. Multi-murderer Dr. Henry H. Holmes has escaped execution and is unleashing a reign of terror upon the city. Set in the late nineteenth century in a world of modern marvels, danger, and invention, Conan Doyle, Tesla, and the madman engage in a deadly game of wits.

Surprises at every turn and many moments that are so clever, you’ll wonder how the author came up with it. He must’ve had Arthur Conan Doyle at his shoulder as he wrote. Don’t miss it!

Coming March 30: A Thrilling and Cerebral Adventure

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Jessica Knauss

APG 1 Great news for fans of Martin Hill Ortiz’s exceptionally imaginative thrillers!

A Predator’s Game, long-awaited prequel to A Predatory Mind, will be released March 30. You can preorder it now for Kindle or Kobo and get ready to chase clues all over turn-of-the-century Manhattan to end up at the classic venue for thrillers, Niagara Falls.

Kindle PreOrder | Kobo PreOrder

Manhattan, 1896.

Surprises at every turn and many moments that are so clever, you’ll wonder how the author came up with it. He must’ve had Arthur Conan Doyle at his shoulder as he wrote. Don’t miss it!

Softcover | Amazon Softcover | Other stores coming soon! Request it at your local bookstore!

Bestsellers 2015 and What’s to Come in 2016

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Jessica Knauss

It hasn’t been a great money year for Açedrex Publishing. But Açedrex was founded for the love of books, so in 2016 we’ll persevere and get even more great reading material out to you readers of the world.

As usual, our best selling book of 2015 has been

These journals are fascinating reading, whatever your opinion of Columbus. You should read his story in his own words in order to make better arguments for enshrining his achievements, vilifying him, or forgetting about him all together.

Other great things that happened at Açedrex this year:

New releases

Our first nonfiction from Rook’s Page, Skinny Zen, is revolutionizing the diet scene. Unpredictable Worlds was published and recognized with a five-star review from Reader’s Favorite. Tree/House is out in a new edition and is our first foray into audiobook!

Something else great coming in 2016:

New release early 2016

A Predator’s Game by Martin Hill Ortiz from Rook’s Page Publishing.

APG 1

You’ve heard of Tesla, Arthur Conan Doyle, and maybe even H. H. Holmes. You haven’t seen them like this. This is the thrilling sequel to Ortiz’s fantasy thriller A Predatory Mind, coming to you in early 2016.

Açedrex and Rook’s Page will keep on bringing you books we love and that we hope you love, too. Happy New Year!

New Preorders for November

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Jessica Knauss

Two of Jessica Knauss’s masterful works have been in limited distribution until now. We’re proud to announce that at last, as well as the Kindle editions you’ve come to know and love, Tree/House and Unpredictable Worlds will be available on all the other ebook platforms, too!

Both books of fiction have received critical praise and are perfect gifts for the book lover in your life during this holiday season.

The magical day is November 20. Let these books be your other literary activity as you get ready to watch the last installment of the Hunger Games.

Tree/House is already available in softcover in many venues:

Softcover | Softcover at Indiebound | Softcover at Amazon | Softcover at Barnes and Noble

And in Kindle and Nook.

It will be waiting for you at your favorite alternative ebook retailer on November 20, or preorder today at Apple iBooks and Kobo and it will download to your device on release day.

Unpredictable Worlds has a lovely softcover edition available now:

Softcover | Softcover at Indiebound | Softcover at Amazon | Softcover at Barnes and Noble

And is ready for you in Kindle and Nook.

As with Tree/House, Unpredictable Worlds will be waiting for you at your favorite alternative ebook retailer on November 20, or preorder today at Apple iBooks and Kobo and it will download to your device on release day.

Please note that because all the stories (and more) from Rhinoceros Dreams have been revised and included in Unpredictable Worlds, Rhinoceros Dreams will no longer be available after November 20.

Thank you for supporting Açedrex Publishing’s mission to bring original books to a wide audience.

Unpredictable Worlds Releases in Kindle and Softcover Today!

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Jessica Knauss

Unpredictable Worlds, the book of anything-but-cookie-cutter short stories you’ve been waiting for, releases today!

A teacher controls her students with an edible microchip. A reporter turns into a rhinoceros. A couple’s efforts to eat local go frighteningly awry. If you’re looking to be surprised, puzzled, or just plain entertained, pick up this omnibus. There’s something for everyone!

More than twenty years in the making, Unpredictable Worlds contains all of Jessica Knauss’s published and prize-winning short fiction as of March 2015 and a few of her best stories never before seen in print or ebook. Zany plots and outrageous characters will stretch your belief and tug at your heart.

WARNING: These stories contain exaggeration, elision, and disregard for “the real world.” Some even exhibit a tone of blatant optimism. However, they respect human speech patterns, admire good grammar, and hold proper punctuation in the highest regard.

If you had the foresight and good sense to pre-order the Kindle version, Unpredictable Worlds is already on your device, ready to read.

If you waited for release day, please feel free to get it now on Kindle, in paperback, or paperback at Amazon.

And don’t miss the Unpredictable Worlds blog tour, which uncovered a few secrets the author never knew she was keeping.

New Amazing Book Available for Bargain Preorder

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Jessica Knauss

Açedrex is proud to present a new book of short stories!

Unpredictable Worlds will release for Kindle on May 15, but you can preorder it now at the special reduced price of only 99 cents. Save 66% off the post-release price and get this unique book delivered to your device on release day so you can start enjoying it before anyone else!

The Best Short Stories, Our Three-Volume Series, Now Complete in all formats

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Jessica Knauss

The Rook’s Page imprint of Açedrex Publishing is proud to announce that our first multi-volume series is now complete in all formats. Fifty of the greatest shorter narratives ever written in three attractive volumes!

Have you read the 50 best short stories of all time?

Rook’s Page Publishing is here to make it easy to meet that goal! This three-volume set in ebook and softcover formats commemorates the hundredth anniversary of a critical moment in the history of literature.

In 1914, the New York Times asked the most highly regarded authors of the day to name the best short story in the English language. Many of their responses have maintained consistent fame through time. Others have become hidden gems. All are essential literary experiences that will make you love to read again.

These masterpieces are collected here for the first time, masterfully copyedited and with an introduction by Martin Hill Ortiz, PhD.

Volume I includes:
An Introduction to the Times survey and the stories
A Lodging for the Night—A Story of Francis Villon by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Pavilion on the Links by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Maltese Cat by Rudyard Kipling
The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
Will o’ the Mill by Robert Louis Stevenson
Wolfert Webber; or, Golden Dreams by Washington Irving
The Ring of Thoth by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
The Door in the Wall by H. G. Wells
Gifts of Oblivion by Dorothy Canfield

Volume I is available on ebook:

On Kindle in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, India, and Japan

In the USA, the UK, and Europe for Nook

Worldwide at Kobo

and in softcover (more than 500 pages!) at Amazon | CreateSpace | Barnes and Noble | your favorite indie bookstore | request it at your library!

Volume II includes:
Introduction
Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte
The Brushwood Boy by Rudyard Kipling
Doctor Marigold by Charles Dickens
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
An Unfinished Story by O. Henry
The Claws of the Tiger by Gouverneur Morris IV
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
Providence and the Guitar by Robert Louis Stevenson
Bread Upon the Waters by Rudyard Kipling
Marjorie Daw by Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Love in a Mist by A. Neil Lyons
His Wife by Stephen French Whitman
Rebecca and Rowena by William Makepeace Thackeray
Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
The Piece of String by Guy de Maupassant
Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm
The Story of Ruth Anonymous
“What is the Best Short Story?” The original article as presented in the New York Times

Kindle in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, and India

Nook in the USA, the UK, and Europe

Kobo worldwide

and in softcover (almost 500 pages!) at Amazon | CreateSpace | Barnes and Noble | your favorite indie bookstore | request it at your library!

Volume III includes:
Introduction
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Haunted and the Haunters; Or, the House and the Brain by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
A Municipal Report by O. Henry
The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale
The Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
The Cricket on the Hearth, A Fairy Tale of Home by Charles Dickens
The Story of Richard Doubledick by Charles Dickens
The Belled Buzzard by Irvin S. Cobb
An Incident by Sarah Barnwell Elliott
A Journey by Edith Wharton
Beyond the Pale by Rudyard Kipling
Without Benefit of Clergy by Rudyard Kipling
The Stolen Story by Jesse Lynch Williams
The Dead by James Joyce
Biographies of the Selectors and the Selected Authors

Volume III is available:

On Kindle in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, India, and Japan

For Nook for the USA, UK, and Europe.

And on Kobo worldwide.

and in softcover (well over 500 pages!) at Amazon | CreateSpace | Barnes and Noble | your favorite indie bookstore | request it at your library!

The 50 Best Short Stories of All Time, The Final Volume

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Jessica Knauss

At last, Volume III of this unique series of the very best literature the English language has to offer has arrived! You can finally read and enjoy all 50 of the stories chosen by the best authors of 1914 for a very low price. These stories stand the test of time.

Have you read the 50 best short stories of all time?

In 1914, a critical moment in literature, the New York Times asked the most highly regarded authors of the day to name the best short story in the English language. Many of their responses have maintained consistent fame through time. Others have become hidden gems. All are essential literary experiences that will make you love to read again.

These masterpieces are collected here for the first time, masterfully copyedited and with an introduction by Martin Hill Ortiz, PhD.

This volume includes:

Introduction

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

The Haunted and the Haunters; Or, the House and the Brain by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

A Municipal Report by O. Henry

The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale

The Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe

The Cricket on the Hearth, A Fairy Tale of Home by Charles Dickens

The Story of Richard Doubledick by Charles Dickens

The Belled Buzzard by Irvin S. Cobb

An Incident by Sarah Barnwell Elliott

A Journey by Edith Wharton

Beyond the Pale by Rudyard Kipling

Without Benefit of Clergy by Rudyard Kipling

The Stolen Story by Jesse Lynch Williams

The Dead by James Joyce

Biographies of the Selectors and the Selected Authors

The final volume of this exceptional series is now available in ebook:

On Kindle in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, India, and Japan

For Nook for the USA, UK, and Europe.

And on Kobo worldwide.

Check back for soft cover editions soon!

Some of the stories you’ll find in Volumes I and II, already available:
The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Ring of Thoth by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
The Door in the Wall by H. G. Wells
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant