Racontesse Journal: Mercurial Delights

‘…like bees to a dusky flower’

… was a phrase I was both charmed and delighted with. It was a recent remark made by my new publisher, Mercuria Press at a book trade show in the US.

Illustration © Alodie Fielding

Negotiations have ended, the contracts are signed and the new edition of Urban Creatures – my collection of dark tales - will be ready for pre-order before Christmas, available in Spring 2022. US based, Mercuria Press is an imprint of Chin Music Press and has bought the North American and world-wide rights to all three of my collections. Their publishing ethos is one of beautiful books that enrapture the senses and it aligns with my own – that is to produce wonderful literature which goes hand-in-hand with sumptuous artwork. Carla Girard at Mercuria Press has elevated my relationship with the Collection’s artist, Alodie Fielding. Accordingly, I’m pleased to announce Alodie’s name appears on the front cover of Urban Creatures.

The forthcoming edition includes new versions of the illustrations and, I can attest that, they are gorgeous. Having displayed a poster of the cover at a recent trade show, Carla was delighted to tell me that people were drawn to it ‘like bees to a dusky flower’ and this gave her a chance to share our excitement about the book. This is such a perfect partnership and I’m grateful to Katie Isbester at Claret Press for reaching her goal of passing my work on to achieve a wider audience.

If you’ve kept an eye on this blog before – then keep on peeping to uncover more…

Sarah Gray

Oct 2021