The first Chômu release of 2012, Dadaoism (An Anthology), is something of a lepidopterous monster (perhaps not unlike Mothra). It has taken many times more person-hours than our single-author volumes to produce, featuring 26 pieces of writing (short stories, flash fiction, novellas and poems, as well as work slightly harder to categorise) from 25 authors, a killer cover design from Anil Nataly of Bigeyebrow, and what we believe to be stylish mayhem and mystery throughout. As well as authors previously published under the Chômu banner, such as Reggie Oliver, Michael Cisco, Nick Jackson, Jeremy Reed and Brendan Connell, we are also very pleased to present a plethora of authors new to us, and perhaps to the reader: Katherine Khorey, Jesse Kennedy, Megan Lee Beals, John Cairns, Kristine Ong Muslim, Peter Gilbert, and more. The full table of contents is viewable here, from where you may also pick up a copy for yourself.

Quoting the introduction from co-editor Justin Isis, the first online review of the anthology concludes thus:

“Feel free to eat this book, tear out any pages which displease you, add corrections and emendations. Feel free, as always, to write lies in the Book of Life.” A truer characterization of unbridled rebel spirit and richly attitudinal contents under pressure could not be made.

- Gordon Hauptfleisch, Blogcritics

This is the first of a projected seven books for 2012. (Although we are publishing fewer books this year than last, with the help of this anthology, we are publishing more authors.) Please watch this site for details of future titles and general news, or sign up here to our mailing list. (Speaking of general news, and for those who missed it, ‘An Interview with Quentin S. Crisp’, a short film by R.B. Russell, in which mention is made, amongst other things, of Chômu, is viewable on YouTube, at this link.)

Prize Draw for uniquely inscribed copy of Dadaoism (An Anthology)

We are presenting another prize draw this month, this time, of course, for a uniquely inscribed copy of Dadaoism (An Anthology). The prize copy will be inscribed and otherwise creatively defaced by the editors, Justin Isis and Quentin S. Crisp. The same rules apply as in previous prize draws: To be entered for this draw, please sign up here to our mailing list (or using the ‘Free updates’ widget on our home page) and send an e-mail with the subject heading ‘No, it’s not weird fiction’ (remember the important apostrophe) to info at chomupress dot com. If you are already on our mailing list, of course there is no need to sign up again – simply send an e-mail with the ‘No, it’s not weird fiction’ subject heading to the address mentioned. Only one entry allowed per person. Deadline for draw, the 31st of May.

Other winners, previously unannounced are Steve Duffy and Marc Lyth (sometimes known as Weber). The former won not only an inscribed copy of Nemonymous Night, but the entire ten-volume set of the acclaimed Nemonymous journal, pictured here:

The latter won a copy of Link Arms with Toads! personalised with a poem about himself by the author, Rhys Hughes:

Also included with the prize were a copy of the anthology Cthulhu Unbound and other goodies detailed on Rhys Hughes’ blog.

Here is the poem:

Caught in a weber spun by himself
Marc waits patiently for the secret
spider of his mind to come
and suck out his juice
with all the stealth of an eight-legged elf.

“Fangs for that!” he’ll say. “Most kind of
you, dear spider. Have a nice day!”
or words to that effect.

He lives alone with his books and his cat
and a balding head
which he has never yet read
because he prefers hair-raising tales.
He dismantled radiators in his youth
and we find that’s proof (if any were needed)
that he deserves to be eaten
by the secret spider of his mind.

The cat’s name is Balrog:
that’s another reason.

A jujitsu black belt, Marc should be able
to handle himself in any situation
but the secret spider of his mind is an expert too
and knows all his moves.
Before closing its jaws on his quivering flesh
it will dance for him
an eightfold Can Can,
the sort of thing we can all do without.
But that’s Lyth, I guess.

As mentioned in a previous update, Jérôme-Luc Paulin and Steve Poupard won inscribed copies of Dying to Read and The Great Lover, respectively.

Our next book to be released will be The Orphan Palace, by Jospeh S. Pulver, Sr., of whom Matt Cardin speaks thus: “Joe Pulver is like the answer to some arcane riddle: What do you get when you cross one of Plato’s Muse-maddened poets with a Lovecraftian lunatic, and then give their offspring to be raised by Raymond Chandler and a band of Beats? His work caters to a literary hunger you didn’t even know you had, and does it darkly and deliciously.”

We hope you will enjoy what remains of the summer until that release, and use your time wisely in catching up with the Chômu catalogue. Please also look forward to our November and December releases, Here Comes the Nice, from the legendary Jeremy Reed and The Secret Life of the Panda, a wonderful collection from Nick Jackson.

Finally, the exclusive Brendan Connell interview was sent out to all our subscribers (check your spam if you missed it); remember to subscribe to our e-list for future interviews (John Elliott and Joe Simpson Walker coming soon), to receive updates and to be eligible for future prize draws and competitions.

July is here. Could this be the feel-good hit of the summer? Jeanette, by Joe Simpson Walker, is officially released today.

Here is the soundbite:

“Joe Simpson Walker is to kinky boots what William S. Burroughs was to junk.”

We feel confident in saying that you have not read anything like Jeanette before. It is a transgressive novel set in the early sixties, “a time when fetishism, bondage, masochism, transvestism and homosexuality are still condemned as perversions.” Transgressive fiction encompasses works such as Justine, Venus in Furs, The Story of O, Lolita, The Naked Lunch, Last Exit to Brooklyn, the theatre of Joe Orton, and the pseudonymous or uncredited writings of the erotic underground. Jeanette adds something entirely new to this lineage. The longest novel that Chômu has so far published, it nonetheless rattles by at a fair lick. Like a motorbike rider roaring past and snatching the handbag of your preconceptions, Jeanette is a novel that comes out of nowhere and means to cause trouble. Take a ride on the wild side by grabbing your copy here.

Prize Draw for uniquely inscribed copy of Jeanette

We would also like to announce a prize draw for a signed and uniquely inscribed copy of Jeanette, with a customised bookmark. You may know the drill by now, but here it is again: To be entered for this draw, please sign up to our mailing list and send an e-mail with the subject heading ‘kinky boots’ to info at chomupress dot com. If you are already on our mailing list, naturally there is no need to sign up again – simply send an e-mail with the ‘kinky boots’ subject heading to the address mentioned. Only one entry allowed per person. Deadline for draw, the 3rd of August.

Everyone on the mailing list will also soon receive exclusive mini-interviews with our authors, including Brendan Connell, John Elliott and Joe Simpson Walker.