Introducing Pixel Hall Press

I was recently contacted by Cynthia at Pixel Hall Press about 'Annabelle' by Nancy Christie, a short story they are publishing as an ebook. I asked Cynthia to provide some more information about the ebook and the Press itself, and I am sharing the publisher's words here with you, in case what they have to offer is of interest for other book reviewers and also for any writers out there. Please note this is the publisher's piece and not mine and I have not received anything for posting this information, I am merely sharing it out of bookish interest!

In this era of digital technology, Wall Street involvement and merger mania, mainstream publishers seem to have lost sight of the core principles and purpose of publishing. At the other end of the spectrum is an avalanche of self-published books that are notoriously uneven in quality. Small boutique imprints, such as Pixel Hall Press, are reclaiming the heart and soul of publishing by reviving the idea that a publisher's “raison d'être” is to find and nurture great writers, and to provide readers with beautiful, meaningful, truly enjoyable books.

Pixel Hall Press is a relatively new, old-fashioned small publishing house whose focus is on discovering literary gems and great stories that might have otherwise been overlooked. Their stated mission is “To publish books that energize the imagination and intrigue the mind, and to be a conduit between readers and provocative, stimulating, talented authors.” Determined to remain small, Pixel Hall Press has announced that they will be moving forward slowly and deliberately. They plan to add only one or two new book authors a year, giving them more creative control, the opportunity for greater dialogs with readers, and a higher percentage of the profits.

Though Pixel Hall Press has been in existence for less than a year, they are already gaining a reputation for finding and publishing books and stories of significant literary merit, such as “Jo Joe” by Sally Wiener Grotta.

In addition to more traditional printed books, Pixel Hall Press has recently rolled out its new PHP Shorts imprint. PHP Shorts is carefully selecting a few short stories, to publish as stand-alone eBooks. For instance, on September 8, 2013, PHP Shorts will publish “Annabelle” by Nancy Christie, a hauntingly lyrical short story about the price exacted by the passion for creating art from an artist, his wife/model and his daughter.

While Pixel Hall Press will publish only a few authors, they are quite open to queries from writers, and respond to all emails. Writers should first read PHP’s published Writers Guidelines, before submitting anything. Reviewers who want to be on the list to receive information about upcoming titles and the availability of review copies should contact Cynthia Dadson - Cynthia AT PixelHallPress DOT com.

Stolen - Rebecca Muddiman

‘How had this become her life? It wasn’t even a life. She felt like a ghost.’

Abby Henshaw is on her way to visit a friend after a doctor’s appointment with her eight-month-old baby daughter, Beth. The journey she makes will change her life forever. Suffering a horrendous assault and abandoned at the roadside in a remote spot in the country, Abby faces not only the after effects of the brutal attack, but also comes to a terrifying realisation about Beth – she is gone, stolen. DI Michael Gardner investigates the case and as he looks into Abby’s life and those closest to her, he starts to uncover huge secrets amongst them, and he also finds himself forming a bond with Abby and unable to let the case go even when any leads seem to have gone cold.

Rebecca Muddiman successfully portrays how Abby’s life is utterly destroyed by Beth’s disappearance, and how she is tormented by the secrets she kept and the decisions she made. She is reduced to scouring public places in the vain hope of ever seeing Beth again, and when there is new hope she depicts the struggle Abby has to convince those around her to believe her and not let this lead slip away.

This powerful debut is a compelling, page-turner of a crime novel from a talented new author. The story slowly builds in tension, I was a bit keen for it move slightly quicker at times in the middle, but when the revelations come towards the end, I felt they were powerful and shocking. The chapters are very short and keep the story ticking along at a good pace. The plot is always central to this novel – the reader questions what the outcome will be throughout – but the novel is also very much character driven, as we get a strong insight into Abby’s drastically altered life and into DI Gardner’s rather empty life and his mindset as he continues to doggedly pursue this case for Abby, despite it having been shelved and seemingly without any hopes of resolution, whilst under pressure to solve his other cases. 

I was really keen to discover the ending to this story and learn if what I had suspected was true; there are clues for us but the whole truth when it comes is more shocking than I had thought. I look forward to reading more from this author. 

Published by Moth Publishing and Winner of the Northern Crime Competition 2012

I originally reviewed this book for Newbooks magazine.

You can find the author on twitter @RebeccaMuddiman and visit her blog here.