Gary Compton
I miss you, wor kid.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Messages
- 3,247
Press release…Press release…Press release…
Embargoed until 17th December 2014, please.
WRITER SIGNS THREE-BOOK DEAL FOR A GOLD SOVEREIGN
AND CONTINUES FAMILY TRADITION STARTED 181 YEARS AGO
In 1833, Captain Marryat, author of Children of the New Forest, Mr Midshipman Easy and many others, a contemporary of Charles Dickens, vowed he would keep the first gold sovereign he earned from the book he was writing. In 2014, his great-great-great-grandson, Jeff Richards, writing as Jo Marryat, signed a three-book deal with TicketyBoo Press, for an advance of one gold sovereign to commemorate the event.
Gary Compton of TicketyBoo Press said, ‘As a small press, we’re not yet able to offer big advances, but we make up for that by giving above industry-standard commissions for ebooks and paperbacks. I’d heard the story of Captain Marryat’s sovereign from Jeff’s wife, and was delighted to surprise him by signing the three-book Heartfire series for a 2014 gold sovereign advance.’
Indigo Heartfire, the first in the series, is a fae, whimsical love story, which gives humorous glimpses into the difficulties of starting over. An easy-to-read romantic fantasy, it covers the difficulties of grieving with a sympathetic but light touch. However bereft Robert feels, he never loses sight of hope. One reviewer said, ‘this is a perfectly absurd book: it’s absurd and it’s perfect.’
Jeff first wrote Indigo Heartfire in 1991, as a feature-length film script, and it was later optioned by a Bafta-nominated film producer, as well as an independent film company, undergoing five years of development. But in the best traditions of storytelling, it was consigned to a drawer when all the avenues had been exhausted, and languished there for 15 years, before surfacing as a novel. They say ‘write what you know about’, so setting it in an alternative medicine clinic was easy, as Jeff has been an Osteopath since 1985. His passion for writing kept him busy and he even managed to complete an MA in Creative and Critical Writing at Sussex University in 2011. This is his first novel.
Indigo Heartfire is available now on Amazon as an ebook, and directly from the Publisher’s website from 17th December 2014. Emerald Heartfire, the second in the series will be available in March 2015, and the final book in the series will appear in Autumn 2015.
For further information please contact Gary Compton of TicketyBoo Press on 0777 3614544, email gary.compton@ticketyboopress.co.uk
or Jeff Richards on 07941 282017, email jeff4richards@hotmail.com
Notes to Editors:
1. Preview ecopies of Indigo Heartfire are available upon request, as well as photos and bios. Please contact Gary Compton gary.compton@ticketyboopress.co.uk
2. Indigo Heartfire is published by TicketyBoo Press Ltd, 23 Worsdell St, North Blyth, Northumberland NE24 1SD 0777 3615544
3. About the Heartfire Series: linked by the central character of Fae Annabelle, the three books explore romance, love and conflict in the contemporary world, with humour and sharp observation of human frailties. The fantastic becomes believable in a charming and easy-to-read series that surprises in its wonderful ingenuity and characterisation.
4. For interviews with Gary or Jeff, please use the contact addresses above.
Embargoed until 17th December 2014, please.
WRITER SIGNS THREE-BOOK DEAL FOR A GOLD SOVEREIGN
AND CONTINUES FAMILY TRADITION STARTED 181 YEARS AGO
In 1833, Captain Marryat, author of Children of the New Forest, Mr Midshipman Easy and many others, a contemporary of Charles Dickens, vowed he would keep the first gold sovereign he earned from the book he was writing. In 2014, his great-great-great-grandson, Jeff Richards, writing as Jo Marryat, signed a three-book deal with TicketyBoo Press, for an advance of one gold sovereign to commemorate the event.
Gary Compton of TicketyBoo Press said, ‘As a small press, we’re not yet able to offer big advances, but we make up for that by giving above industry-standard commissions for ebooks and paperbacks. I’d heard the story of Captain Marryat’s sovereign from Jeff’s wife, and was delighted to surprise him by signing the three-book Heartfire series for a 2014 gold sovereign advance.’
Indigo Heartfire, the first in the series, is a fae, whimsical love story, which gives humorous glimpses into the difficulties of starting over. An easy-to-read romantic fantasy, it covers the difficulties of grieving with a sympathetic but light touch. However bereft Robert feels, he never loses sight of hope. One reviewer said, ‘this is a perfectly absurd book: it’s absurd and it’s perfect.’
Jeff first wrote Indigo Heartfire in 1991, as a feature-length film script, and it was later optioned by a Bafta-nominated film producer, as well as an independent film company, undergoing five years of development. But in the best traditions of storytelling, it was consigned to a drawer when all the avenues had been exhausted, and languished there for 15 years, before surfacing as a novel. They say ‘write what you know about’, so setting it in an alternative medicine clinic was easy, as Jeff has been an Osteopath since 1985. His passion for writing kept him busy and he even managed to complete an MA in Creative and Critical Writing at Sussex University in 2011. This is his first novel.
Indigo Heartfire is available now on Amazon as an ebook, and directly from the Publisher’s website from 17th December 2014. Emerald Heartfire, the second in the series will be available in March 2015, and the final book in the series will appear in Autumn 2015.
For further information please contact Gary Compton of TicketyBoo Press on 0777 3614544, email gary.compton@ticketyboopress.co.uk
or Jeff Richards on 07941 282017, email jeff4richards@hotmail.com
Notes to Editors:
1. Preview ecopies of Indigo Heartfire are available upon request, as well as photos and bios. Please contact Gary Compton gary.compton@ticketyboopress.co.uk
2. Indigo Heartfire is published by TicketyBoo Press Ltd, 23 Worsdell St, North Blyth, Northumberland NE24 1SD 0777 3615544
3. About the Heartfire Series: linked by the central character of Fae Annabelle, the three books explore romance, love and conflict in the contemporary world, with humour and sharp observation of human frailties. The fantastic becomes believable in a charming and easy-to-read series that surprises in its wonderful ingenuity and characterisation.
4. For interviews with Gary or Jeff, please use the contact addresses above.
