Short Fuse Publishing Unveils STRANGE FUSE Imprint for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Books — Foreword Literary, Inc.

Strange Fuse Launch Titles

SAN FRANCISCO – May 4, 2018 – PRLog — Fuse Literary’s Short Fuse Publishing today debuted a new imprint for science fiction, fantasy and horror (SFFH) stories: STRANGE FUSE. Launch titles for the imprint will feature a reissued Lambda Award finalist first-contact novel from J.M. Frey called TRIPTYCH, a culinary shock-u-mentary from Simon Alkenmayer called CREATURE’S COOKBOOK, and a new novella and free short story from debut author Kimberly Unger: THE GOPHERS OF HIGH CHARITY and WISHES FOLDED INTO FANCY PAPER.

Fuse Literary co-founder Gordon Warnock heads up Short Fuse Publishing’s seven imprints, including Strange Fuse and the recently announced Kid Fuse for children’s books.

“We started Strange Fuse as a way to publish great science fiction, fantasy and horror by unusual voices, specializing in genre blending/bending, experimental, head-bursting, thought-provoking speculative fiction,” Warnock said.

Strange Fuse also plans to explore new ideas in marketing and sales, working in conjunction with its authors. A digital subscription service, monthly newsletter, serialization, alternate and additional content, fan fiction, new types of subsidiary rights, and more are just a few of the ideas they will be exploring.

Strange Fuse will publish monthly, beginning with these unique titles:

TRIPTYCH by J.M. Frey is a science fiction tale of first contact that is an allegory for how we treat refugees and “others” today. When it originally debuted, Triptych was nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards, won the San Francisco Book Festival award for SF/F, was nominated for a CBC Bookie award, was named one of The Advocate’s Best Overlooked Books of 2011 and garnered both a starred review and a place among the Best Books of 2011 from Publishers Weekly. This is an “author’s cut” remixing of this story.

CREATURE’S COOKBOOK by Simon Alkenmayer is a sojourn into the dark meat of the soul, according to its author, who is an immortal monster that eats humans. Part mystery, diary, horror story and cookbook, Creature’s Cookbook tells the tale of this “humanitarian” and its quest for contact.

THE GOPHERS OF HIGH CHARITY by Kimberly Unger is a debut novella with exceptional world-building. Reminiscent of Oliver Twist meets The Godfather with subtle but powerful magic, the heroine has a lot to learn about the dangers of moving up the ranks in her local hierarchy.

Free short stories will be a regular staple of Strange Fuse. The first, WISHES FOLDED INTO FANCY PAPER by Kimberly Unger, is a twisted (or should we say folded) tale of revenge hidden inside the creases of decorative celebratory paper flowers made by a group of refugee aliens for the native group of aliens.

About Short Fuse Publishing

Short Fuse Publishing is a digital-first provider of groundbreaking fiction and nonfiction across many genres. A division of Fuse Literary, Short Fuse Publishing boldly provides an outlet for creative works that push boundaries beyond the wheelhouse of more traditional publishers. Our curators are Fuse Literary agents whose clients seek publication of their short stories, novellas, novels, poetry, nonfiction, multimedia, and more.

About Fuse Literary

Fuse Literary is a hybrid literary agency with offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Dallas, North Dakota, and Vancouver, which blends the knowledge and skills of traditional publishing with the brash new opportunities engendered by digital publishing, self-publishing, ebooks, and technology. Partners Laurie McLean and Gordon Warnock are joined at Fuse by agents Emily Keyes, Connor Goldsmith, Michelle Richter, Tricia Skinner, Margaret Bail and Carlisle Webber. Visit the website, http://fuseliterary.com for more information. Or follow us on Twitter @FuseLiterary.

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QUOTES FROM STRANGE FUSE AUTHORS:

J.M. Frey: “Choosing to publish with STRANGE FUSE was a no-brainer.  Just as certain breeds of plants thrive in certain environments, stories too need to be planted in the right places to flourish. And there’s nothing sadder than a vibrant book planted in the wrong place and left to wither on a dark and dusty shelf.  The FUSE line has stepped in to provide my stories the exposure, the light, and nourishment they deserve – highlighting what makes the books unique, stand-outs in their genre, and precious. Of course, there’s also the gorgeous covers! I’m so pleased to be working with a team that is innovative, creative, and takes the entirety of my career, not just the current book they’re promoting, into account.”

Kimberly Unger: “In a creative career, there is no “one true path”. There are opportunities, distractions, second chances, brilliant moments…. Each road through one’s career is different, from the first thing you create until the last. I brought these stories, Wishes Folded into Fancy Paper and The Gophers of High Charity, to Strange Fuse because I want to be at the forefront of disruption. I love being one of the first to set foot on a new path, but when you are trying something different, you’re often going it alone. Strange Fuse is providing me the opportunity to find my audience along a road less traveled while giving me the full support I’d have if I were traveling the highway along with everyone else.”

Simon Alkenmayer: “For me the choice to publish with Strange Fuse was a sensible one. I wanted to maintain strict control over the experiment I am running in human behavior and the standard model of publishing makes that difficult. You see, my books and stories are a part of an immersive world containing social media of all types, website content, and all of it sitting on the fulcrum of my staunch refusal to “break character”. That sort of project can be difficult to place in the publishing world in a way that satisfies the author—a monster who eats people. I’m not bothered. I’m far too old to be bothered by much anymore. And if anyone had the temperament and patience for waiting out a proper fit, it is I.

“Strange Fuse has been a remarkably relaxed experience allowing my work—which as the above introduction implies is rather…odd—to have its place. The salivating readers are sated, the experiment is brought to the greater world, and I can keep hold of all the data. I also happen to find them professional and like them as people, which is excellent, because it means I don’t have to threaten to eat any of them.

“You laugh, but can you be entirely sure I’m joking?”

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For more information contact:
Laurie McLean, Laurie@FuseLiterary.com, 650-922-0914