Category: News

Launched in August 2018, Magnify is a monthly newsletter that celebrates small press books and the various communities that support them. Each month the “Inside Look” column explores some aspect of indie publishing. Past columns have included interviews with publishers, authors, and indie press publicists; profiles of people and organizations that support independent authors; and personal reflections on my own experience launching my debut novel with indie publisher 7.13 Books.

When I started Magnify, my goal was to bring attention to the literary fiction and creative non-fiction coming out from small presses. I saw the newsletter as a small way that I could give back to a community that does so much to enrich the literary landscape by publishing new writers.

Debut novelist Melissa Duclos joins Marrie Stone to talk about her novel, Besotted. Melissa shares her nearly 15-year journey with her novel, her decision to break up with it, and her discovery of small, independent presses. She also talks about the novel’s unique point of view, first person omniscient. 

Listen to the Podcast

I’m grateful to the Big Other for including Besotted on their Most Anticipated Small Press Books of 2019!

For more small press books that I’m looking forward to, check out the January issue of Magnify for 12 books I can’t wait to read this year!

When I suggested to Gigi Little, my cover designer, that the wooden box my narrator discovers in the opening pages of Besotted might make a strong cover image, I never dreamed she would carve the box herself—not out of wood, but out of pixels.

One of my biggest joys as a writer is interacting with other writers and readers who are invested in the world of literature. This month, I was fortunate enough to “meet” (over e-mail anyway) another community builder, Peg Alford Pursell. Part of an ongoing series of conversations between authors who don’t already know each other organized by The Refresh, Peg and I discussed our forthcoming novels and our efforts to build our respective writing communities. Read the full text of our conversation here. After hearing from Peg about the Why There Are Words reading series and small press that she founded, I was eager to learn more about her life as a small press publisher and author. I’m grateful to her for continuing our conversation in the October issue of Magnify, my newsletter celebrating small press books. 

I had a great time chatting with Booktrib’s Rachel Carter for their Novel Concept Podcast about the process of putting aside a book that I could not find a publisher for. The interview followed the publication of an essay in English Kills Review about my process of letting go of the novel. 

Read More: “Breaking Up With My Book.”