Status: 8 Mar 2023

The latest short story collection from Brain Jar Press, Tansy Rayner Roberts’ Gorgons Deserve Nice Things, went on sale yesterday and the response has been phenomenal. Gorgons is our most pre-ordered book in two years, and while we shipped the bulk of those over a month ago, there’s also been a steady stream of first day sales to keep things bubbling along. By the standards of small press publishing—or, at least, my little corner of it—it’s on the road to being our smash hit for 2023.

Here’s the blurb, for the curious:

“We lived in a world that did not allow women to breathe; how could we be anything but monsters?”

Tansy Rayner Roberts retells the stories of seven women from Greek mythology, giving voice to the scorned, the sidelined, and the monstrous.

A young gorgon finds acceptance at the Medusa Club. Atalanta spills the truth behind the myth of the Argonauts. Scylla suffers through a series of terrible college roommates. Handmaids in Sparta get more than they bargained for when they interfere in their queen’s correspondence with a Trojan prince. A comparative mythology graduate finds herself at a speed-dating night packed with dodgy gods. Behind a velvet rope, a queenly Minotaur presides over a roller disco. Persephone shares her story via a series of pomegranate recipes.

Deliciously mythic and delightfully funny, Gorgons Deserve Nice Things delivers new takes on ancient stories, reinvigorating them with modern perspectives and settings. Showcasing the craft and insight that made her one of Australia’s most beloved short fiction writers, this collection sees Roberts at her wry, subversive best

PRAISE FOR GORGONS DESERVE NICE THINGS

“A perfect concoction of Greek myths revisited, rewilded, and remade. Bite-sized and blazing with wit and rage these stories will delight. Gorgons deserve nice things, and readers of myth and fantasy deserve this most wonderful of books.” – Trent Jamieson, author of Day Boy and The Stone Road

“This collection is an absolute delight. Tansy Rayner Roberts’ take on Greek mythology is sometimes savage, sometimes witty, always written with elegance, and often downright hilarious.  The stories are insightful, reflecting the author’s deep knowledge of her source material. Five stars from me!” – Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series

FIND OUT MORE AT BRAINJARPRESS.COM

Right, then. Now that I’ve done my bit to pay the bills and keep the cat in kibble…

ON THE DOCKET

Shipping books will be a big part of my day, obviously, but I’ve also got the soft launch of the next Brain Jar Press book and a bunch of other titles to push forward. At some point, I definitely need ot sit down and work on this week’s short story for Patreon, and prep Eclectic Projects 3 to go to the printer.

PETER M. BALL INBOX: 27

BRAIN JAR INBOX: 23

BRAIN JAR SUBMISSION QUEUE: 4

Release days—particularly big release days—always blow out my email numbers as there’s a chaotic stream of emails coming in alerting us to new orders, books going live on various sales platforms, and checking in on folks to make sure everything’s running smoothly.

I’ll be attempting to winnow those numbers down before the end of the day.