Partly in preparation for the upcoming mini-tour, and partly because we just like talking to people about our books, Leeftail Press will appear at the eighth almost-annual Authors Fair in Redding, CA, on November 10. Copious quantities of books will be on hand, as well as our core staff and information about the press itself. Author D. T. Kastn will also be there, to sign and promote Tendence and Cavile, as well as her upcoming poetry collection, Paperchurch.

If you’re in the area, make sure to turn out in your Saturday finest to support your local and indie authors! Feel free to stop by the Leeftail table, chat with our staff, and pick up free promotional materials.

What: Eighth Almost-Annual Authors Fair

Where: Mt. Shasta Mall, Redding, CA

When: Saturday, November 10, 2012

Why: To support local authors and discover new writers

Without Alice is a novella set in post-Alice Wonderland, where things have gone drastically wrong. In an effort to return Wonderland to its previous glory, the reigning queen sends a pick-pocket named Axford Barrel to retrieve Alice and bring her back. Unfortunately, time passes differently in our world, and the original Alice is long gone. Rather than return empty-handed, Axford convinces a girl named Breca to accompany him and pretend to be the legendary Alice. Breca has problems of her own, namely that Death has inexplicably fallen in love with her. The moody force of nature hijacks the body of an undertaker named Fred and follows the object of his affection down the rabbit hole, with occasionally disastrous consequences. Without Alice is a story about otherworldly love triangles, improbable names, whimsical humor, and saving the world.

The novella was the subject of an early experiment with formatting and cover design, and as such has been tweaked a few times. (You may see it around Amazon with its original cover, though that version is out of print.) Re-edited and with a shiny new cover, we’re happy to announce it as the second title published by Leeftail Press. The author, Random da Shea, has also written a number of short stories based on Lewis Carroll’s classic works. One of these, Alice’s Adventures in a Demi-Hell, appears as bonus story in this edition of Without Alice.

Though da Shea appreciated Carroll’s style from an early age, the original title of the novella was Without Dorothy, and it was going to be based on the Oz books. (Early notes from before the first draft also include extensive quotations from Paul McCartney’s Flaming Pie album; “I was going through a phase,” says da Shea.) When it comes to switching gears, the story didn’t stop there. “Axford was originally a satyr named Cadio,” says the author. “And Breca was named Elvey. Actually, I don’t think the story was meant to be about them at all, so I’m a little baffled at what I ended up with, to be honest.” One thing that remained constant was the inspiration for the character of Death. “His face is Rik Mayall’s face,” says da Shea frankly. “Remember that phase I said I was going through? There was more than one.”

The first draft, she says, was written in about a six week period in 2000, and went through an aging process and several permutations before arriving in its current form. One of the more important internal changes was the addition of several Lewis Carroll-inspired pieces of poetry. “That was one of my favorite aspects of the original books, and I wanted to pay homage to that,” says da Shea. “I’m glad that Without Alice sat around marinating for ten years, because they certainly weren’t in the original, and the book needed that extra something.”

Leeftail Press is a small independent publisher, based in beautiful Northern California. As avid readers (with about 140 combined years of reading between us, and about 70 combined years of editing), we look for stories that stand out, that move us, that make us think, that make us laugh, that make us simultaneously want to make all our friends read the book, and yet refuse to lend it out because we’re afraid to let it go.

That’s what you’re looking for, right? Great! This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Leeftail Press is dedicated to working with authors and with readers to support the off-beat, the subtle, the unusual, and the extraordinary. We believe in the strength of local talent, the drive to create, and to share what moves you with others.  Though we’re just getting started, we hope you’ll keep checking back to see what’s new with us as we open our mailboxes to submissions, and begin the journey to the new.