Eva Langston, of the remarkable writing blog In The Garden Of Eva, recently reviewed Tawnysha Greene’s new novel, A House Made of Stars, which Burlesque Press (that’s us!) is very grateful to be publishing.
Eva revealed in her review that she “raced through the book in one night” — the book is gripping while also being risky and scary.
Because Eva is such a thorough and expert blogger, to accompany her review of the book, she also interviewed Tawnysha.
It’s a great discussion, and Eva finds out how the book was transformed from a classroom prompt to a dissertation to a novel, as well as asking about publishing and the book industry. You can and should read the entire interview, but I must quote one particular answer from Tawnysha, because it was so generous and kind that it basically made my morning.
Eva: Why did you decide to submit to Burlesque Press in particular?
Tawnysha: I first met Jeni Wallace of Burlesque Press when she came to a reading at the University of Tennessee. I knew that her press sponsored the Hands On Literary Festival in New Orleans every year, but I didn’t know that she published books. Then Siren Song by Tawni Waters, their first publication, came out. The book looked beautiful, and I remembered how gracious and kind Jeni was at the reading. I didn’t know if she was even looking at more manuscripts at the time, but I wrote her an email and attached the novel. Closing my eyes, I hit send.
Within a few weeks, I heard back. She wanted to meet. To discuss publication. I took deep breaths as I drove to the meeting. Two hours later, I laughed and screamed the whole way back home. It was one of the most exciting days of my life.
One of the main reasons I chose Burlesque Press was how impeccable their book design was for Siren Song, and they did not disappoint in designing my book. If anything, they went beyond my biggest hopes, and when I first saw the final cover for A House Made of Stars, I gasped. It was perfect in every way. I owe so much to the two of them and can’t think of a better team to release my first book.
Working with Tawnysha Greene is pretty much like a real-world version of that answer: she is a remarkably talented and hard-working writer who is also a very gracious, easy-going, and humble person. We feel fortunate to be able to work with her.
You can and should buy a copy of her novel on our online store (click the link!)
Burlesque Press 