Date: Thu, 23 Mar 95 23:42:53 EST From: "Ellen Greenblatt" MADWOMAN PRESS 1995 CATALOG Madwoman Press P.O. Box 690 Northboro, MA 01532 (508) 393-3447 Friend of Madwoman Press: With the publication of "Fertile Betrayal" our list has grown to ten books, a record we think is pretty good for a 1.25- woman, part-time operation begun in 1991. Madwoman Press is a small press--it might even qualify for "micro," status except that at two books a year, we are larger than some other publishers who produce fewer books, less frequently. We publish books written by lesbian women for other lesbian women and their progressive non-gay friends. You don't have to be gay or lesbian to read and enjoy our books. We chose to focus our resources by publishing works by lesbians about lesbians because mainstream culture, while it has improved since I first came out almost twenty-five years ago, still doesn't reflect our lives accurately or fully. Three of our six original titles have been nominated for important awards--"That's Ms. Bulldyke to you, Charlie!," was a Lambda Book Award finalist for 1992; and "Thin Fire" and "Lesbians in the Military Speak Out," were both nominated for the American Library Association's prestigious Gay and Lesbian Book Award in 1993. We prefer to publish original books, but when Naiad Press was about to let the three books in the Nyla Wade mystery series by Vicki P. McConnell go out of print, we brought the remaining stock for two of them and reprinted the third. We think McConnell is an exceptionally talented writer whose work should be kept in print. (If you're a fan of McConnell and want to see another Nyla Wade mystery, please drop me a line and I'll pass it along to Vicki. ) Like all small publishers, especially those of us who work full-time at a "day job" to make our living, there is never enough time to do all the things we'd like to promote our authors and books, so if you like a book we've published we urge you to tell your friends. Better yet, order a copy and give it as a gift. Drop us a line (see our address above) for a free catalog, and if you can remember, include a SASE for us to send it. Remember, this is a small operation, so we're not trying to be cheap, we're trying to put our money into books. Also, since if you're reading this, we know you're a cybersurfer, you can e-mail your catalog request to us at 76620.460@compuserve.com). We always welcome direct orders for our books. While we don't take credit cards yet, we can take an order over the phone or via E-mail, tell you what it will cost, and then ship it out as soon as your check arrives. Direct sales are a crucial part of any small press's success, so we encourage your orders and thank you for your support. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Finally, for those of you who want to stay abreast of feminist and lesbian publishing and the women-in-print movement, I recommend getting your own subscription to Feminist Bookstore News, P.O.Box 882554, San Francisco, CA 94188. At $70 (U.S.) a year, you simply cannot get better coverage, in any other single place, of new lesbian and feminist titles around the world. Whether a book is from a small, University, or mainstream press, this is where you'll read about it first. This is not a slick pop-culture magazine. It is, however, packed with information about new titles, the book business and publishing. While it's focus is largely on the United States and Canada, it has plenty of international news too. FBN, to which we have no connection other than as a subscriber and an advertiser, is like "Consumer Reports," or "PC Magazine," for the independent-minded reader. It's filled with news and substance, and each of the six issues published every year provides a psychological boost by reminding us that the matters we care about and want to see on the public agenda are being discussed and used to frame the cultural debates of our time. It's also a good antidote to what sometimes seems like a flood of anti-woman news from the mainstream media. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Mysteries Fertile Betrayal by Becky Bohan Veterinarian Nedra Wells has moved to a small town in Minnesota to open her own mixed-animal practice. For years she has envisioned being a country vet like her father, and after meeting and falling in love with school teacher Annie Callahan, Nedra was sure she could have it all--the career, the lover and life in a small town. It's what she's always wanted. It should be perfect. But it's not. Nedra and Annie's reception in town--as low- profile, but unmistakable lesbians, has been polite, but cool. Annie's reservations about leaving their urban life have not been replaced by a happy settling in. Her sense of isolation seems only to increase with her fear that sharing a life with Nedra will mean giving up her own. Against a backdrop of a possible fracture in her relationship, Nedra's practice confronts her with a deadly health crisis in a local cattle herd. Baffled at first by her inability to diagnose and treat the problem medically, Nedra's inquiry leads her into a broader investigation and ultimately, to the solution of a very human problem. Becky Bohan's first novel "Sinister Paradise," introduced a talented new writer. With "Fertile Betrayal," Bohan gives us more grit, and wonderfully believable characters who will capture your imagination and your enthusiasm. ISBN 1-886231-00-1 227 pp Price: $10.95 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Mrs. Porter's Letter by Vicki P. McConnell This is the first book in the Nyla Wade mystery series. Recently divorced, Nyla marks the launch of her new career as a freelance writer by buying an antique desk in which she discovers a packet of passionate love letters. The letters, written by W. Stone to Mrs. Porter, were well hidden for good reason as Nyla discovers when she embarks on a search for Stone and Mrs. Porter in an effort to return the letters. Danger, adventure and self- discovery follow. ISBN 0-9630822-6-4 210 pp Price: $9.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Burnton Widows by Vicki P. McConnell Lesbian journalist Nyla Wade has moved to Burnton, Oregon, where she has a new job as a reporter at the local newspaper. When she arrives in the costal community she discovers a limestone castle, old murders and a town too anxious to obliterate the castle and its history: the generations of lesbians who have lived there. Nyla's unwanted probing re-opens old wounds, unleashes local gay activists and uncovers the truth about what happened the night of the murders. ISBN 0-9630822-7-2 246 pp Price: $10.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Double Daughter by Vicki P. McConnell Nyla Wade returns to Denver for a visit intended to be filled with fun. But the trip quickly turns into a nightmare when anti- gay and lesbian graffiti, letters, and threatening phone messages escalate into savage assaults against her friends. As Nyla uncovers the truth about the campaign of hate she finds herself in the greatest peril of her life. ISBN 0-9630822-5-6 196 pp Price: $9.95 Sinister Paradise by Becky Bohan It's murder, intrigue and adventure on a Greek island! If you enjoy fast-paced adventure, intrigue, danger, and romance, you'll be delighted to discover Becky Bohan's first novel. Set amidst spectacular scenery on the island of Santorini, Bohan, weaves a tight drama that the Minneapolis Star Tribune called a "...riveting tale of love and greed in a country of olives and deep blue water." Lambda Book Report said, "Bohan has written a believable, enjoyable story of love and intrigue." When Britt Evans, professor of classical studies, arrives at Santorini she expects nothing more than lots of quite time for research at its archaeological excavation. She hasn't counted on being dragged into the investigation of a mysterious death, nor being attracted to Cassie Burkhardt, a computer programmer at the dig. As the murder investigation intensifies, so do Britt's feelings for Cassie and they are drawn into a spiral of danger and intrigue. ISBN 0-9630822-2-1 211 pp Price: $9.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fool Me Once by Katherine E. Kreuter Meet Paige Taylor, mystery writer and private eye. She's intelligent, urbane, and can't resist a pun or the chance to travel. When she makes an appointment with Los Angeles dentist, Bill Barrett, she discovers that she has a problem tooth, but that he has much more serious troubles. His receptionist and ex- lover, Carol Oliver, has just died, and his wife, Sally, has disappeared with a half-million dollars worth of Krugerrands. With the help of her assistant, Dick Kessler, and her lover, Patricia Towne, a professor of French at UCLA, Paige sets out to find Sally and the money. In Paris, Pat Towne finds some clues to Sally's real identity. In Hawaii and Alaska, Dick discovers that Sally has an accomplice whose identity surprises them all. Paige, meanwhile, follows Sally's trail to China and Hong Kong. But someone is plotting the perfect murders, and as Paige gets closer to the truth her name is added to the list of targets. Fool Me Once is the first in a series of Paige Taylor mysteries. ISBN 0-9630822-8-0 211 pp Price: $9.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fiction Thin Fire by Nanci Little At last, an intelligent romance! In this, her first novel, Little tells us the story of Elen McNalley, who signed up a for a three- year hitch in the army thinking it would get her a one-way ticket out of Aroostook County, Maine. What she got instead was a round- trip journey of self-discovery that took her from the scrub desert of Fort Hood, Texas, to the serenity of an isolated cabin in the Maine woods. The Army also gave her Nikki, who taught her she could love a woman and Kare, who taught her much more. This novel of passion and discovery follows a young woman too often abandoned by love on a journey of survival, rebirth, growth and hope. ISBN 0-9630822-4-8 227 pp Price: $9.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- On the Road Again by Elizabeth Dean Girls just want to have fun! Magazine reporter Ramsey Sears is on the road again driving cross-country reporting on lesbian destinations and communities. She's out of the office and out of sorts because she thinks her boss, Rita, is falling in love, but not with her. When her odyssey takes her to a holistic health ranch, the fast-food junkie finds herself sharing a room with Katy, a politically correct health fanatic. But a late night call sends Ramsey on a driving marathon to meet Rita and the mysterious Melissa in San Francisco... If you met Ramsey in As the Road Curves (New Victoria) then don't miss her latest adventure. The critics loved it. "The book is funny, insightful and interesting," said the Women Library Workers Journal. And Lambda Book Report called it "...hilarious, cognizant, and respectful of life's ironies, and all-around good reading." ISBN 0-9630822-0-5 223 pp Price: $9.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Nonfiction Lesbians in the Military Speak Out by Winni S. Webber Moving, fascinating personal narratives by women who have served their country while hiding their sexual orientation from hostile authorities. If this were a movie, it would be acclaimed as poignantly powerful cinema verit. As the Minerva Quarterly Report wrote: "One cannot read this book without being struck by the courage of the women speaking out here. It is thus a healing book in two very important ways: first, in the sense that it documents voices previously silenced by legal and social censure, and second, in the sense that its purpose is to help build bridges, not barriers, to understanding. As the U.S. armed forces and other American social institutions continue to struggle with this difficult and volatile issue, Webber's book...stands as highly recommended reading amidst the confusing and often painful dialogue that accompanies questions concerning the role of gay and lesbian people in a democratic society." ISBN 0-9630822-3-X 132 pp Price: $9.95 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Cartoons That's Ms. Bulldyke to you, Charlie! by Jane Caminos Proud, funny and on target. Here's what the critics said: "These funny cartoons depict moments in lesbian life with a fine edge. Ms. Caminos has carefully observed the passions, trauma, family differences, and society pressures faced by lesbians and transformed them into hilarious cartoons for us to laugh at ourselves." "The art work is delightful, sometimes fairly sexually explicit, and not all the women are thin, young and white, ..." Women Library Workers "Another first collection worth seeking out..." Hysteria "A wide variety of cartoons that are sure to make you laugh. Golden Threads Caminos strength is in tapping our collective consciousness..." Bay Windows. Ms. Bulldyke was a finalist in the Lambda Book Award humor category. Order your copy today and see for yourself why it earned that honor. It's the perfect stocking stuffer for that hard-to-buy-for friend (straight, gay or lesbian) on your holiday gift list. ISBN 0-9630822-1-3 Price: $8.95 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Diane Benison CompuServe: 76620,460 Madwoman Press, Inc. Internet: 76620.460@compuserve.com P.O.Box 690, Northboro, MA 01532-0690 Tel: (508) 393-3447 Fax: (508) 393-8305 The First Amendment Protects Diverse Opinions-- --Independent Publishers Promote Them * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *