As many of you know, Theo is our General Manager. But most of you do not know the story of how he became our GM.

In 1999, we were living in Boston in a fourth-floor walkup studio. My coworker had adopted a cat from a shelter south of Boston. At just nine months of age, this little cat was terrorizing her first cat, a cat twice his size. Near tears one morning, she told me she had to return him to the shelter.

We had wanted a cat for years but our lease wouldn’t allow it. But we were worried about this feisty cat’s fate and didn’t want to see him returned to the shelter, where he might not have had another chance at finding a home.

We couldn’t get official approval from our landlord, but he lived below us (with his dog) and gave us unofficial approval. And so we took my co-worker’s cat home.

Theo was his name and we never considered changing it.

He was a holy terror. He was missing two toes from his back leg. Had been hit by a car was the official story. But it was clear he had been starved as well. So young and so sadly obsessed with food. Got us up at all hours of the night. We tried free-feeding, but he nearly doubled his weight in month. So from then on he was on a controlled diet. I remember thinking at one point we should have just had a child as eventually they let you sleep the night through.

And then it occurred to me that we did have a child.

Ira, our friend who is now with Theo, once said, as he watched Theo walk into a room, “That cat oozes testosterone.” And did he ever.

From Boston to San Diego, Seattle and then Ashland, he traveled with us, wanted to be with us always.

Eighteen years.

We had our challenges along the way. We could never adopt other cats or dogs because he had such a hot temper; he barely tolerated us at times. And then there were the emergency room visits. A urinary blockage one year. Diabetes a few years later. A torn ligament in his knee that had to be replaced. In the end, it was a tumor in his jaw that he couldn’t overcome.

We started Ashland Creek Press on a whim. Not knowing where it would lead us. We adopted Theo on a whim as well. Funny how those things you do on a whim end up changing your lives for the better. We regret not a single day. We only regret that we did not have more of them.

He made us more patient, more flexible. He gave us so many wonderful memories. His stubbornness inspires our writing, our publishing, keeps us going in the face of rejection.

He was an indoor cat all his life, but boy did he love to go on walks.

So we will leave the position of GM open for now. We think it will take 3 or 4 felines at least to fill his shoes, or paws. And, after a time of mourning, we will try to fill them.

We had eighteen wonderful years with Theo. Right about the time many parents are sending their children off to college, we had to send ours off as well.

Such is life.

And such an empty nest.

Theo
1999-2017

I’m pleased to announce that we are open once again for general submissions.

Thanks for your patience. We expect submissions to be open until June 1, 2017.

You can submit here.

As always, there is no submission fee for regular book submissions, but please carefully review the types of books we’ve published so far, as this is a good indicator of what we’re looking for.

Writing for Animals Anthology
We are 90% complete with articles for this forthcoming anthology of essays for writers. But we’re still looking for one or two more excellent essays, and submissions will remain open until March 31, 2017.

Thanks for your continued support of Ashland Creek Press.

“Raymond’s prose often lights up the poetry-circuits of the brain…”   — The Seattle Times

I’m pleased to announce that Ashland Creek Press has published the third edition of Midge’s Raymond’s award-winning short story collection, Forgetting English.

In this new, expanded edition of her prize-winning collection, which includes a reading group guide, Midge Raymond stretches the boundaries of place as she explores the indelible imprint of home upon the self and the ways in which new frontiers both defy and confirm who we are.

The characters who inhabit these stories travel for business or for pleasure, sometimes out of duty and sometimes in search of freedom, and each encounters the unexpected. From a biologist navigating the stark, icy moonscape of Antarctica to a businesswoman seeking refuge in the lonely islands of the South Pacific, the characters in these stories abandon their native landscapes—only to find that, once separated from the ordinary, they must confront new interpretations of whom they really are, and who they’re meant to be.

Forgetting English won the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction. Here’s what two reviewers had to say:

“Raymond has quiet, unrelenting control over the writing; each story is compelling and thrives because each detail and line of dialogue reveals just a little more about the characters and the evocative settings.” —The Rumpus

“All of her stories are heartbreakingly honest … I wouldn’t be surprised if she started getting compared to Alice Munro or Jhumpa Lahiri.” — Seattle Books Examiner

Learn more.

This is the third year of the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature, and we’re pleased to see it gaining momentum and awareness. Now more than ever we need a chorus of creative and passionate voices speaking up for the planet and all of its species.

This year, we received more than a hundred submissions, which included a wide range of fiction, short story and essay collections, memoirs, nonfiction nature books, and a number of previously published works in all categories. We began reviewing submissions when the contest opened in September of last year and have been reading steadily since then.

Every manuscript was given careful consideration, and the decision-making process was very difficult, given the exceptional quality of this year’s entries. As much as we love this contest, the hardest part is having to narrow the list down to only a few titles. It’s a completely subjective process, of course, and we thank all who contributed their work to this year’s prize.

We are delighted to announce the finalists and semifinalists:

FINALISTS

Three Ways to Disappear
A novel by Katy Yocom

Small Small Redemption
Essays by Sangamithra Iyer

The Heart of the Sound
A memoir by Marybeth Holleman
Published by Bison Books

Song of the Ghost Dog
A novel by Sharon Piuser

SEMIFINALISTS

Karstland
A novel by Caroline Manring

Rumors of Wolves
A novel by C.K. Adams

The Harp-Maker of Exmoor
A novel by Hazel Prior

The four finalists will move on to final judging by JoeAnn Hart.

We hope to announce a winner in the next month or so. To be among the first to hear the announcement, stay tuned to this blog or subscribe to our newsletter.

Again, thanks to everyone who submitted and everyone who writes with the goal of making this world a better place. We appreciate your support!

The Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature

Calling all Aussies!

We are headed to Australia during the first two weeks in September and would love to connect.

We’ll be participating in several events in various cities, including:

Adelaide: September 4

We will be teaching a full-day class on author book promotion at the SA Writers Centre.

Every participant will walk away with a custom book marketing plan — along with a free copy of Everyday Book Marketing. You can learn more and register here.

Melbourne: September 6-7

We don’t have anything scheduled just yet, except for hoping to see the little penguins.

Brisbane Writer’s Festival: September 8-11

Midge Raymond will be speaking and teaching throughout the festival. You can learn more and register here.

Sydney: September 12-14

Join us for a free seminar titled Writing about Animals: Literature’s evolving relationship with the animal kingdom. We’ll be joined by Among Animals 2 contributor Sascha Morrell. The event will be held at the University of Sydney (New Law Building, Seminar Room 028) on September 13th from Noon to 2pm.

If you’re in one of these cities and would like to meet, let us know!

We can also hand-delivery any of our books — Amazon can’t beat that!