Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell

Asja Bakić’s Mars takes you on a trip that you won’t want to come down from.

Mars is a superb, out-of-the-ordinary debut story collection by Bosnian author Asja Bakić and translator Jennifer Zoble. With each story set in its own complex world, the reader is taken through landscapes and scenarios that are so uncommonly cool, you’ll feel like you’ve been missing out all this time by not being aware of them.

The collection starts with “A Day Trip to Durmitor,” where a writer struggles to write something that is worthy enough to get her to the second phase of the afterlife. As a writer, I’m sometimes skeptical of reading stories about other writers, but Bakić does it so genuinely and without pretentiousness that I couldn’t help but feel at ease and begin rooting for her. Writers are present in quite a few of her stories like “Heading West” and also in “Passion,” which turned out to be my favorite in the collection. The twists and mystery had me talking aloud to myself a few times: i.e. “shut up,” “nuh-uh,” and well, you might be able to guess the rest.

Sex is ever-present throughout the book, but I wouldn’t call it sexy. In “Buried Treasure” it’s the children who have the most interest in sex. Masturbation and porn pique their interest, even as they and their family process the loss of their grandfather. In “Asja 5.0,” sex is a thing of the past as men have lost the ability to get an erection and humans are unable to procreate on their own. Pornographic literature like magazines or ancient scenes and descriptions are used to teach these uninformed characters about all of the different forms of sexual pleasure. And in “The Guest,” characters grow new body parts when they are considered for sex by someone. As you can tell, your typical rules do not apply here, and I truly enjoyed the purposeful randomness of it all.

Just as you get into the groove of Bakić’s writing style, the stories sometimes end abruptly. That made me read the next even more feverishly, never knowing when I’d have to say goodbye to these intriguing ideas. I felt the most suspense in stories like “Carnivore” where a married man agrees to go to a strange woman’s house that he just met on the bus, or in “The Guest” where a journalist enters a cult village for a story. The stakes feel high from the beginning, and we don’t know if the ride is going to stay calm, or go ape-shit like our guts tell us it will. And the answer is always up to Bakić. She plays with our instincts and knows that she can move in whatever direction she likes. In doing it successfully so many times, she’ll gain your trust like she did mine.

Nearly every story in Mars is captivating and unique. There are so many directions that each one can go in, making me hope (read: beg) that they’ll be turned into individual novels. I ended this collection yearning for somebody, anybody to talk about it with. So make it your next book club pick and then invite me to your book club. Because I need to vent. 

Mars comes out on March 19th, 2019. 

Publisher: Feminist Press

ISBN: 9781936932481

Thanks for reading “Book Review: Mars by Asja Bakić” by Jaylynn Korrell! Please spend some more time with us at the following links.

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by Jaylynn Korrell

When thinking of a theme for my next roundup of notable indie presses, a quote by writer and actress (and more amazing things) Issa Rae came to mind. While attending the Emmy’s in 2017, a reporter asked Rae who she was rooting for, and she responded by saying, “I’m rooting for everybody black.” And then it dawned on me. I should have written this post months ago!

So I went on the hunt to find the independent presses that were founded by black people and publishing amazing titles with a black audience in mind, and boy did I find them. These amazing book businesses are built around strong background stories and intimate and uplifting missions for the work that they are doing. I can’t wait for you to hear them.

I felt inspired reading about their stories and the books they produce. Each publisher found their own niche in the market that wasn’t met at the time, and then they filled it, and then filled it some more. The amazing work that they put out needs to be noticed and raved about.

So here it is, my top 5 independent presses that are celebrating black culture. Read about them, find out what they’re up to, and support them!

(What better way to show your support for black businesses than by investing in and supporting their products? Lucky for you, I’ve included links their websites and online bookstores!)

Cassava Republic Press

Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, cofounder of Cassava Republic Press says, “We want to convert minds. We want to convert them to begin to question who they are but also [to] question society.”

She and Jeremy Weate founded this indie press in 2006 in Abuja, Nigera but have now expanded their business to the UK as well. They publish a wide variety of books, including fiction and nonfiction for adults as well as children, all with the intent of having the black and African person be reflected in literature.

Bakare-Yusuf thinks that “In any society, you have to see yourself reflected in what your consuming.” They want to inspire readers to start asking questions about African writing while publishing titles that accurately portray daily life and culture in Africa.

Black Classic Press

Up and running since 1978, Black Classic Press publishes books that are uplifting and educational to the black community. 

W. Paul Coates started this publishing journey over 40 years ago in Baltimore, Maryland, printing out small pamphlets at first. But since then, BCP has grown tremendously and is now known as one of the oldest and finest Independent Black Publishers in America.

Black Classic Press specializes in republishing work that is out of print but worthy of being remembered, bringing back to life pieces that they believe have contributed to the shaping of the Black diaspora experience. The work they are doing to give younger generations access to this priceless information is truly commendable.

RedBone Press

After seeing there were not enough black voices in typical lesbian publishing, Lisa C. Moore decided she would have to create her own.

In 1997, Redbone Press began publishing work that celebrated the cultures of black lesbians, but in 2004, it began to include black gay men to its catalog as well. Their mission states that they publish work “that further promotes understanding between black gays and lesbians and the black mainstream.”

New Beacon Books

May I introduce you, or reintroduce you, to the UK’s first black publisher: New Beacon Books!

John La Rose and his partner Sarah White founded New Beacon in 1966, aiming to make literature available to their community with books from a wide variety of places and cultures. Now, New Beacon even has a bookstore in London to sell their beautiful fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books!

And the community loves them for it. When faced with the tough decision to close their bookstore, due to its no longer being economically viable, the community fought back with the donation of their time, their money, and a successful crowd funding campaign.

Just Us Books

What started as a search for good children’s books about black history and black experiences for their own kids, transformed into a journey of making those books themselves.

It all started in 1987 when Wade and Cheryl Hudson couldn’t find a publisher for the book they created. Out of necessity, they published AFRO-BETS ABCBook on their own.

They received amazing feedback from schools and families, praising them for creating something so unique and helpful to the black community. They went on to build a lasting business that produces amazing educational children’s books that target the black community. Their books have even gone on to win prestigious awards!

Thank you for reading “5 Independent Presses Celebrating Black Culture!” If you liked it, check out what else IBR has been up to at the buttons below.

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Interviewed by Joe Walters

Laura Morrison wins the IBR Book of the Month Contest with her thrilling, spine-tingling, and wonderfully weird novella Come Back to the Swamp!

IBR’s editor-in-chief Joe Walters sat down with the author to discuss main characters, evil swamps, the “don’t go in there!” trope, and more.

 Interview with Laura Morrison

What Readers Want to Know:

IBR: Laura, thank you so much for writing Come Back to the Swamp. It enthralled us from beginning to end, proving to be an excellent choice for IBR’s Book of the Month. The book’s strange plotline and even stranger characters created a truly unique experience for our readers. What made you first begin this project?

LM: About ten years back when I lived in New Jersey, I worked at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge removing invasive plants. One day, out of nowhere, this crazy old lady rose out of the muck. This chance encounter started me down a terrifying, supernatural, life-changing journey that I just had to get it down on the page so the world could know terror that dwells within the swamp. And that’s all a lie except that I worked at Great Swamp NWR. 

Really, it’s just that when I was out in the swamp getting all scratched up by thorny plants and getting eaten by mosquitos and ticks, I started thinking what a great setting a swamp would be for a story that was unsettling or scary in tone. It took me a few years to get started on it, but eventually I sat down and began writing, and Swamp just sorta happened.

IBR: As you may remember from our review, we admire Bernice for her ability to embrace her conflicts and drive this entertaining story forward. Not only does she approach her issues with bravery and strength, but she also does it with humor. If you could compare her to a few real-life and fictional characters, who would they be and why?

LM: As far as real-life individuals who inspired Bernice, first and foremost is Jane Goodall. I love her bravery, strength, and curiosity. A woman going off to research gorillas in the middle of the jungle when she was in her 20’s–in the 1960s no less–was quite a thing. 

Another real-life influence is myself, of course. I’m an environmental scientist by training, I worked with invasive species, and I like space operas. My younger sister was also an influence for Bernice. She studies snakes and turtles, and her stories about her fieldwork were often in the back of my mind when I was writing.

As for fictional characters, I’d say Bernice is a mix of Hermione Granger, Westley from The Princess Bride, and Marina Singh from State of Wonder. Hermione has Bernice’s determination, intelligence, and bravery. Same for Westley, except he’s not exceptionally bright–sorry, Westley! I call it like I see it. He does, however, know a thing or two about swamps, seeing as how he got Buttercup through the Fire Swamp alive. State of Wonder is one of my absolute favorite books, and the main character, Marina Singh, is a pharmacologist who goes down to the Amazon and has a pretty hellish time; she only manages to get through it as well as she does due to her strength of character.

None of them really have Bernice’s sense of humor, however. My sister and I are the only people in this list of influences who are very funny.

IBR: Come Back to the Swamp opens with a riveting passage describing the invasive species in the swamp and how they illustrate “the sad downsides of globalization.” Because this opens the novella, we consider the environmental aspects of the novella to be quite important. What else do you believe that readers could take away from Come Back to the Swamp from an environmental standpoint?

LM: While I didn’t intentionally plant an environmental message in the story, my opinions definitely bleed through in this book and everything I write. For instance, the swamp in this story has a very definite power. I love the idea that no matter what people do to the natural world, and no matter how much they encroach on it, in the end nature will always be able to bounce back in some capacity–perhaps not in the way it has evolved to be through the millennia, but nature really does have a powerful ability to keep on going.

IBR: What is one thing you would like readers to know before they start Come Back to the Swamp?

LM: Be prepared to be nervous next time you’re out in the wilderness alone. It’s probably rather evil of me, but I love the feedback I got from beta readers that after they read Swamp they found themselves looking over their shoulders when they were out hiking, and wondering what might be lurking behind the trees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpDZ38Hm3-o

What Writers Want to Know:

IBR: Like any good horror film, your book has the ability to urge readers to yell out, “Don’t go in there!” at any moment. But with your book, you make it clear why the character feels like he/she must “go in there.” Do you have any advice for how writers can effectively move the plot forward in such a believable way?

LM: I find that it’s helpful having thoughtful characters who go into the “Don’t go in there” situations with their eyes wide open. They see why they shouldn’t do it and they also see why they might want or need to. They weigh the consequences of both options and make their decision. It’s the characters who stupidly go running from safety and into obvious danger with no thought at all that I feel are unrealistic. The more they have a spirit of “Yes, I know this is dumb but here are reasons A, B, and C that I need to do it anyway” the better it is because the reader can then see that though the character is still doing a stupid thing it at least makes a bit of sense on some level.

Also, my main character Bernice clings quite tenaciously to science and logic, even in the face of what most others might see as the blatantly supernatural. Consequently, she finds it very hard to accept the supernatural, and her mind is quite good at finding ways to explain it away. Once she has pushed herself sufficiently far into denial, it’s easier for her to go into supernatural-related danger than it would be for a person who accepted the supernatural things.

IBR: Writers love to hear about a published writer’s early struggles, and unfortunately for you, we do too. What was the most difficult aspect of writing or publishing this book?

LM: If we were talking about general writing struggles I could rant for hours about the difficulties, but since we’re talking about Swamp specifically I have to honestly say the whole process was oddly easy. Usually I have to jam a bit of writing time in between parenting and gardening and beekeeping and all the other non-writer aspects of my life. But when I wrote this particular book I happened to be visiting my in-laws; when my kiddos are visiting grandparents they want nothing to do with their parents anymore because grandparents are much more fun, so I had an entire week where I had unlimited writing time. Since Swamp is only about 33,000 words, I was able to finish it in a week. It was amazing. I haven’t had as easy a time of writing a book before or since.

One of the characters, Kevin, did give me a lot of trouble, though. He was a headache in edits. I couldn’t make him a consistent character. I was only able to sort him out with the help of two of my writer friends who gave excellent advice.

As far as finding a publisher, there aren’t that many places that take novella-length stories so I didn’t have many places I could query, especially when I discounted the ones who turned up their noses at speculative fiction and humor. When I found Black Spot Books’ website I fell in love. They felt like such a perfect fit. I’m still stunned and grateful that they felt the same. Once Swamp was in their hands it was smooth sailing. The editing, the design, the marketing. Swamp and I are very, very lucky.

IBR: Before you leave us to create your next scintillating thriller, could you share some specific advice for an author looking to get published?

LM: In my case, all I had to do was go to the nearest crossroads at midnight and wait until this mysterious, dark figure materialized out of thin air before me. I asked, “Hey, will you give me a writing contract?” and he intoned in a voice to chill the marrow, “Sure thing, but the price is your soul.” Since getting published is really hard, I was like, “Cool, let’s do this,” and the next day Black Spot Books contacted me!

But also, write a book you love and believe in, share it with a few writers whose writing you respect, get their opinions, fine tune the manuscript, and begin hunting for a publisher. If you don’t personally know any writers whose writing you respect, join a writing group and find a few people; it takes a while and a lot of reading to make meaningful connections, but it is so, so worth it; finding a good group of writing friends is hands down the thing that has helped my writing the most, and with the magic of the internet any writer can find like-minded people, no matter how obscure their genre of choice or style. Never, ever give up. If you give up, you’ll certainly never get published. The more you try, the greater your chances.

To have the chance to be the next book of the month winner, get your book reviewed here.

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By Holly Tri

Writing realistic dialogue is a key element to successful fiction. Done right, nothing reveals the natures and relationships of your characters more honestly than dialogue: it is where your characters get to speak for themselves.

Nothing ruins a book faster than poor dialogue. Maybe it’s too flowery or redundant, or maybe it’s cold or completely unintelligible. Whatever the reason, you feel your heart sink every time the characters speak.

With regards to dialogue, readers crave realism. Books are our escape, and we want to believe in them.

The key for me has been learning techniques from one of literature’s masters of writing realistic dialogue, Jane Austen. This brief conversation, from Pride and Prejudice, between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy—undertaken while they’re dancing at a ball, no less—will set you on the right track.

1. Keep Attributions Simple (and Avoid Adverbs)

Notice how simply Austen attributes the dialogue to the character speaking in the excerpt above. First she says, plainly, “Elizabeth said,” and then just, “cried he,” for Mr. Darcy (we already know who Elizabeth is speaking to, so it isn’t necessary to use his name). After that, three more lines of dialogue follow without specific attribution, and it works because the reader already knows who’s talking. This allows for a quick back and forth between the characters, heightening the wit and keeping the reader’s attention.

In addition, Austen doesn’t use adverbs (words that describe verbs) to embellish her dialogue. She lets the dialogue speak for itself. It’s not, “Elizabeth said wittily”—her words are witty without the author having to tell the reader so. And using Mr. Darcy “cried” says quite enough about the state of his reaction. Adding any other description would have been overkill. Austen leaves the interpretation to the reader’s imagination.

Go to that piece of conversation that’s been bothering you. Now remove the adverbs (I know you used them). Try also changing all attributions to “said” (or removing them completely), only leaving verbs such as “cried” where absolutely necessary. How’s the dialogue sounding now?

Want to know how to write great animal characters in your fiction? Rabbit Cake author Annie Hartnett shares what she thinks in our original interview here.

2. Avoid the Name

How would this dialogue have sounded if Elizabeth and Darcy continually used each other’s names?

Do you say someone’s name every time you speak to them? Probably not. I imagine there are people who do so, but it’s not common, and definitely not conducive to realistic dialogue. This is a mistake beginning writers make often, but luckily, it’s easy to fix:

Go back to that same piece of dialogue you revised earlier. If any of the characters speak the name of the character he or she is talking to, remove the name. Now reread it aloud. How does it sound? Better?

Did you know that Jane Austen self-published too? Well, you do now. Read more about her publishing experience here.

3. Tell the Truth

If the dialogue is realistic, it should reveal truth about both the characters and the scene.

First, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are dancing, so short snippets of dialogue are all they’re able to manage as they weave around the dance floor. Long monologues wouldn’t be appropriate in this circumstance.

Second, both characters are well-read members of British gentry, and this can be clearly gleaned from their witty exchange. There’s no vulgar language or direct insults, and their vocabulary fits their social class.

Finally, from this small exchange, we can infer their relationship. Darcy frets slightly at having his character read so easily by the woman he (hesitantly) is falling in love with, while Elizabeth, who has no love lost for Darcy, playfully teases her adversary.

This application isn’t as easy as the previous two, but read through the dialogue you’ve been making changes to again and write yourself a list of what you learn from the conversation. Does it fit the scene? If you read only that conversation, will you learn at least something about the characters and their relationship? Is what you learn true to the story? If not, consider rewriting or (heaven forbid, I know) removing the conversation completely.

Expand this exercise to your entire work and you’ll be on your way to writing realistic dialogue too.

Looking for a free sample edit from Imperative Editing and Services? Contact the founder here.

About the Author

Holly Tri is the owner and founder of Imperative Editing & Services. For more than a decade she has worked one-on-one with writers to copy edit their work and produce a professional product. Holly has a master’s of fine arts degree in creative writing from Goddard College and is a published fiction author. Originally from Northern Minnesota, she now finds herself enjoying the rain forests and Pacific beaches of western Oregon.

Read about Independent Book Review’s developmental editing service and beta reading service.

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Do yourself a favor and become surrounded by books and writers for the  rest of this year. We rounded up the best literary festivals of 2018 starting in May, and we’re curious, “Did your town make it?”

The year, like time in general, can sometimes escape us.

Our schedules get in the way, things come up, and I for one will admit that I haven’t made it to any of the first literary festivals of 2018. There, I said it. There are so many available to me, and still, this is my truth. It’s out there, but I’m unashamed–because there is hope for me yet!

I know I’m not the only one who slacked on the lit opportunities of the beginning of 2018, but we need to be ready to try again midway through. Festivals celebrating our love for all things literary are crawling throughout the country, especially in the summer months, and there are options in nearly every state.

So here it is: a quick list of some of the best remaining literary festivals of 2018.

May

 Lit Fest Pasadena – Pasadena, California •May 19th & 20th 2018 • Free

This weekend of literary programs features performances, panels, and in-conversation events. They are held in multiple venues in Pasadena and all within walking distance of each other. Now in its 7th year, The Lit Fest Pasadena aims to represent the greater Los Angeles literary community through this writer-driven festival by its free admission and all-ages programming. I’m sure it’s gonna be lit!!! (had to do it)

June

Printers Row Lit Fest – Chicago, Illinois •  June 9th & 10th 2018 •  Free

Considered the largest free literary event in the Midwest, this festival takes up over 5 city blocks in Chicago’s Printers Row neighborhood. The festival offers a free and enjoyable two days of book vendors, food, and author readings if there are seats available. To make a claim to your spot in the crowd at your favorite author reading, $2 general tickets can be purchased. But if you’re willing to risk it or just want to browse the vendors on the block, the event is totally free!

July

Harlem Book Fair – Harlem, NY • July 21st 2018 • Free 

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of America’s largest African American book fair in Harlem this July, where famous authors like Maya Angelou, Nelson George, and Mark Anthony Neal have all presented in the past.  You can get involved by taking some of their writing workshops or just sit back and listen to the wealth of knowledge coming from their always-amazing speakers. 

August

AJC Decatur Book Festival – Decatur, Georgia •August 31st – September 2nd 2018 • Free

Attend the largest independent book festival in the country this Labor Day weekend in Decatur, Georgia. This event is completely free and expects around 80,000 attendees this year. Poetry slams, writing workshops, and author readings are just a few reasons to look forward to this lively festival. 

September

National Book Festival – Washington DC • September 1st 2018 • Free

Get ready for a huge literary celebration in our nation’s capital with the National Book Festival. Key note speakers for the 2018 event include Isabelle Allende, Amy Tan, and Jennifer Egan! These are only a few of the big names attending this year’s festival, with more being announced as we get closer to the event. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s sponsored by the Library of Congress either (just minutes away from the conference center), the biggest library in the world!

October

Boston Book Festival – Boston Massachusetts-  October 13th 2018  – Free

This free event features So. Many. Awesome workshops and lectures. We were lucky enough to attend last year and had an amazing time. Vendors line the streets outside of the Boston Public library. Schedules get posted early, in order to help you plan your day with lectures by a variety of authors and literary professionals. Some of our favorite lectures? Independent Publishers of New England and Margot Livesey!

November

Wordstock – Portland, Oregon • November 10 2018 • $15

Held in and around the Portland Art Museum, this event includes writing workshops, pop-up readings and over 100 author presentations. Pre-ordered tickets cost $15, but that includes a $5 book voucher, redeemable at an excellent book fair filled with lit mags, publishers, and more. Your entry fee grants you access to every event held at the festival, so long as you get there before each even reaches capacity.

December

To be quite honest, nothing seemed to be going on for this month. We’re just keeping it real, but if you know of anything we’d love to hear about it!

Hey writers! We didn’t forget about you. Come learn about how much we love you here.

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