The Shires Press Series is a partnership program between Southern Vermont College and the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont. In this program, students at Southern Vermont College can publish books of  their own through the independent bookstore. These books can range in genre and this program is not limited to just humanities majors; any student at SVC is eligible to enter the program. This year will be the third year in a row in which students have published books through the Shires Press Series. The students that will be publishing this year are Tanisha Wright, Benyamin Wurmfeld, and myself.

The first book that we will be discussing is Born from Death, Tanisha Wright’s novel. On the subject of her book, Wright says that, “This is the story about the Grim Reaper’s daughter, Libitina. After years of living a sheltered lifestyle because of her controlling father, she finally goes outside the barriers of her little world and witnesses so many new things. The people that have forced their way into her life have helped her expose the shocking truth about her existence. If Death cannot have children, why does she exist? What is her purpose in life? Why won’t her Father answer her questions?”

Next is Shadows in Mariner Valley by Benyamin Wurmfeld. When asked to sum up his novel, Wurmfeld says, “Shadows in Mariner Valley is a culturally rich science-fiction novel that takes place en route between far-flung star systems on a journey back to Mars. Space captain Tigrin Breyer is a human from Mars who is trying to save Mars from invasion by Earth’s armies and is seeking redemption from his own bad acts in the service of his homeworld. Shadows in Mariner Valley is a story of personal growth, identity, the family you are born with, and the family you make along the way.”

The final book is my own novel, Don’t Talk to Alistair Moore. Taking place in a small suburb in Connecticut, this realistic-fiction story is about high school senior Alistair Moore and the struggles he faces following the death of his mother. Some of these struggles being depression, eating disorder(s), neglect, loss, and ostracization. Though while the book is based upon these themes, it is also about how drastically his life changes when he meets school sweetheart, Soraya Meite. It begs the question, how much of an impact can one person have on another’s life? Is it enough to make the difference or is it pointless in the end?

While all three books are drastically different from one another— one supernatural, one realistic fiction, and one science fiction— they all have something in common: their release date. All of these books will be published and up for sale by May 2018. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates on the Shires Press Series as we continue to follow these three students on their journey to publishing their first books.