Who we are
Founded in 2018 by award-winning author Edward Willett, Shadowpaw Press has grown into a bustling traditional publishing company with an eclectic list that encompasses science fiction, fantasy, creative non-fiction, memoirs, young adult and children's books, and more. Shadowpaw Press's Reprise imprint features new editions of notable, previously published work.
Shadowpaw Press is a member of Literary Press Group (Canada)and the Association of Canadian Publishers, and distributed by LitDistCo. You can meet our editorial advisory board here, read about our authors here, and read some author testimonials here.
Why this campaign
It takes money to publish books, and most of that money flows out the door before the book is released and sales begin.
We're turning to Crowdfundr to help us ensure that the wonderful books we plan to publish in Winter/Spring 2025 come to fruition.
What we'll use the money for
Three brand-new titles:
- Hello, a new collection of short fiction by award-winning literary author David Carpenter;
- Theories of Everything, a new collection of short fiction by award-winning literary author Dwayne Brenna;
- Shapers of Worlds Volume V, the fifth and final collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories by authors who were guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers, illustrated by Alberta artist Wendi Nordell.
New editions of three notable previously published books:
- Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities, Mark Morton's Julia Child Award-nominated, amusing look at where food-related terms come from, now back in print for the first time in twenty years;
- Waiting for the Piano Tuner to Die, a new edition of the award-winning short-story collection by Harriet Richards;
- The Night Girl, James Bow's exciting YA/New Adult urban fantasy set in Toronto.
Detailed information about all of these titles can be found a little farther down in this story.
Your contributions to this Crowdfundr campaign will help us ensure that these titles are not only published, but find the readership they deserve, defraying the cost of editing, book design, printing, and marketing. In exchange, you'll receive recognition on our website and in our newsletter, and ebook or print copies of these and other books published by Shadowpaw Press (depending on your level of support).
Looking ahead
Crowdfundr campaigns are becoming a a regular feature of Shadowpaw Press's publishing program. We're already working on our Summer and Fall lists. Back Shadowpaw Press, and you'll also receive regular updates on our plans through our newsletter and updates on this campaign.
We (publisher/editor Edward Willett and his only staff member, Shadowpaw the Siberian cat, who unfortunately is not a very hard worker) are grateful for any support you can offer, and thank you for believing in our publishing efforts.
Now, the books in more detail:
Original Titles
Hello
by David Carpenter
In two novellas and seven shorter stories, award-winning author David Carpenter addresses the theme of human frailties in his distinctively empathetic style.
A disabled widower seeks comfort in memory by getting in touch with his younger self. An old drunk, assisted by his own delusions, lays his ghosts to rest. A young child escapes her oppressive family by ministering to the needs of a monster in distress. A social reject acquires a new look and becomes consumed with the need for revenge against his early tormentors. A former social worker encourages a friendship with a paroled criminal.A cleaning woman in strained circumstances, determined to support herself and her child, feels compelled to make extreme choices.
Some of Carpenter’s characters face the frailties that come with old age, loneliness chief among them. Others become vulnerable to their own compulsions and set in motion moral dilemmas. Many of these loners reach for their phones to send or receive a message that might deliver them from their isolation, but even though they hear “Hello” from the person they reach out to, there is no guarantee of deliverance.
These are tales told by a master of language, an author who uses words with skill, sureness, and grace. While his characters may not find what they’re looking for, readers of these compelling pieces of short fiction surely will.
Praise for Hello
”David Carpenter shows true mastery of the short story and the novella forms. The narratives are graceful and strong, confidently written by someone who the reader can immediately tell has handled language for many years, and the effect is not unlike hearing a pianist who has been playing for decades, whose fingers touch the keys with a skill, sureness, and grace not available to a less-experienced performer.”
— J. Jill Robinson, author of The Land of Not Knowing
Theories of Everything
by Dwayne Brenna
In this finely honed collection of short fiction, Dwayne Brenna creates a series of unforgettable characters—academics, street people, ageing hippies, farmers, music producers, videogame players and their mothers, movie stars, boxers, actors, cooks, and even a parrot—and , with compassion and affection (and sometimes laugh-out-loud humour) tests their mettle in a variety of fascinating locations, from Saskatoon to Victoria to Libya to Los Angeles to London to Hawaii and beyond with familiar and homey details and a fidelity to mood and atmosphere.
Along the way, Brenna tackles a wide selection of conflicts and social ills, good versus evil, scruples and the lack of them, doing or not doing the “right thing,” yielding or not yielding to temptations, and the many other struggles of the human heart, all without being didactic or preachy, but simply by addressing the very human circumstances his characters find themselves in, and how they manage to escape, or not escape, the predicaments arising because of who they are, who they’ve been, and who they could be.
Praise for Theories of Everything
Shapers of Worlds Volume
V
Edited by Edward Willett
Illustrated by Wendi Nordell
The fifth in a series of powerhouse anthologies featuring some of today’s top authors of science fiction and fantasy!
This fifth anthology of short stories by some of the authors, including many major award-winners and international bestsellers, who were guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers,features stories by Brad C. Anderson, Edo van Belkom, J.G. Gardner, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, Chadwick Ginther, Evan Graham, M.C.A. Hogarth, M.J. Kuhn, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Kevin Moore, Robin Stevens Payes, James S. Peet, Omari Richards, Lawrence M. Schoen, Alex Shvartsman, Alan Smale, Richard Sparks, P.L. Stuart, Brad R. Torgersen, Hayden Trenholm, Brian Trent, Eli K.P. William, Edward Willett, and Natalie Wright. Every story is illustrated with an original black-and-white drawing by Calgary artist Wendi Nordell.
New editions of
Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary
Curiosities
by Mark Morton
Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities, originally published by Bain & Cox in 1996, explores the etymological origins of more than a one thousand English words pertaining to food, cooking, and eating. In 2003, it was translated into Czech and published by Volvox Globator (Prague) as Nadívaný pštros. A second and expanded edition was published by Insomniac Press in 2004. It was one of three books nominated for a 1996 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Food Reference/Technical Category (Calphalon Award), and was included in The Globe and Mail’s list of “required reading” notable books for 1997.
Praise for Cupboard Love
“Morton lays out the histories of hundreds of food-related terms as deftly and completely as any casual reader could wish.”
– The Atlantic
“A whimsical, side-splitting, erudite and sometimes cheeky book.”
– The Globe and Mail
“Morton has brought together terms from a la to Zuppa Inglese that occur in the history of cuisine. Worldwide in scope and reaching back hundreds of years, the book reveals how food words came about and how they influenced other words and phrases . . . Thoroughly researched, well presented, fascinating, and a wonderful addition to reference collections, especially for libraries supporting interest in culinary arts or etymology.”
– Choice Reviews
Waiting for the Piano Tuner to
Die
by Harriet Richards
Finalist, Book of the Year, 1998 Saskatchewan Book Awards
The men and women in these stories, and perhaps most of all the children, make their own sense of a world where "There are forces at play so simple, natural, and accidental that nobody can figure them out and see them coming." It is a world, too, in which "there’s lots more sorrow flying around people’s heads than there is joy."
That sorrow may be heartbreaking, occasionally it is horrific; but the reader is constantly reminded, with the quiet, clear-eyed and sometimes mischievous irony of Harriet Richards’ voice, that in this world and – in the least likely places – we may entertain angels unawares.
Praise for Waiting for the Piano Tuner to Die
“If you believe life is little more than a series of disappointments followed by death, then the ten stylistically dazzling stories in Harriet Richards’s Waiting for the Piano Tuner to Die may well convince you to change your tune . . . A piano tuner adjusts the instrument’s strings to ensure it sounds harmonious. The same might be said of Richards’s talent for creating organically unified short fictions of the first order.”
—Judith Fitzgerald, The Globe and Mail
“While lyrical and affecting, there is nothing precious, nothing sentimental in this collection. It’s edgy fiction grounded in the flat and vast Saskatchewan landscape: the environments are expansive but the stories dig deep.”
—Planet, the Welsh Internationalist
The Night Girl
by James Bow
Perpetua Collins works for a real troll.
Well, technically, a goblin, and it's not as bad as it sounds. As the administrative assistant, she provides a "human" face for an employment agency specializing in placements for goblins and trolls. It's probably the most unusual job she could find in Toronto, but she's grateful for it, having come to the city with $500 in her pocket and no support. Without it, she'd have no choice but to go back to the boring small town and overbearing mother she worked so hard to leave.
But as Perpetua settles into her new job, disturbing questions arise. And no, they're not about the fact that goblins and trolls exist. She's fine with that part. What bothers her is that the agency has no visible means of support. How does her boss manage to keep his "clients" out of the public eye? They've been part of the city far longer than anyone thinks, and are growing restless under the burden of forced invisibility and financial poverty. What will happen if the veil drops, and humans see?
Praise for The Night Girl
"A charming urban fairy tale about tolerance, acceptance, and discovering the wonders that may just be hidden in plain sight."
-J.M. Frey, author of The Skylark's Saga
"It's an excellent fantasy adventure packed with humor, unforgettable characters, and more twists and turns than an underground amusement ride. You'll never look at a gargoyle in the same way. Or the city of Toronto. So much fun!"
-Arthur Slade, author of Amber Fang
Perks
Donate at least $40 (or as much as you want) and receive a copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume V, the fifth anthology featuring science fiction and fantasy by authors who were guests on Edward Willett's Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers. The anthology is edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell.
Donate at least $100 (or as much as you want) and receive Shapers of Worlds Volume V plus the previous four Shapers of Worlds anthologies, featuring science fiction and fantasy short stories by some of the top writers in the field today, including many international bestsellers and major award-winners.
Donate at least $75 (or as much as you want) and receive the complete award-nominated Shards of Excalibur young adult fantasy series by Edward Willett in print: Song of the Sword, Twist of the Blade, Lake in the Clouds, Cave Beneath the Sea, and Door Into Faerie.
Contribute $2,000 or more and Edward Willett, award-winning author and the founder, editor, and publisher of Shadowpaw Press, will personally edit your novel of up to 100,000 words, plus provide up to three hours of personal consultation about your book or writing in general..
Highlights
See all activity8More About Us
Shadowpaw Press is a small traditional, royalty-paying publishing company located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, founded in 2018 by Edward Willett, an award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers of all ages.
Shadowpaw Press publishes an eclectic selection of books by both new and established authors, including adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’s books, non-fiction, and anthologies.
Our Shadowpaw Press Reprise imprint publishes new editions of previously published novels.
About Edward Willett
Over a professional writing career now spanning more than three decades, publisher and editor Edward Willett has worked with publishers of all types and all sizes, from the very small to the major publishers like McGraw-Hill and DAW Books.
In addition to being a writer, Ed has also worked as an editor for newspapers, magazines, and book publishers. He began his career at the Weyburn Review, becoming news editor after four years as a reporter/photographer/columnist. He is a member of Editors Canada. He continues to do freelance editing work, and has edited magazines ranging from Fine Lifestyles Regina to Windscript to the venerable Canadian literary magazine Grain. In addition, Ed has served as writer-in-residence at both the Regina and Saskatoon Public Libraries, working with numerous writers in both locations to improve their manuscripts.
Ed currently serves on the board of directors of SaskBooks, the professional association of publishers in Saskatchewan. His is a past president of SF Canada, the professional association of Canadian science fiction and fantasy writers.
Shadowpaw Press is named after Ed’s black Siberian cat, Shadowpaw.
Our Editorial Advisory Board
Members of the Shadowpaw Press Editorial Advisory Board review submissions and provide recommendations to the publisher regarding publication, as well as advising the publisher on other matters falling within their individual areas of expertise.
The Shadowpaw Press Editorial Advisory Board members are:
Dave Margoshes
The Authors
David Carpenter
David Carpenter, author of Hello, began his writing vocation as a critic and translator in Winnipeg and Toronto. Inspired by a reading by the Moose Jaw Movement (Gary Hyland, Robert Currie, Lorna Crozier, and others) inSaskatoon, he switched to writing his own work, which began to emerge in 1985. He is the author of fifteen books of fiction and nonfiction and one book of poetry. His literary awards and honours include the Saskatchewan Book Awards' 2010 Book of the Year for A Hunter’s Confession, the Kloppenburg Prize for Literary Excellence (2015) ,the Code’s Burt Award (Toronto) for The Education of Augie Merasty (2016), and, most recently, the High Plains Creative Nonfiction Award (Billings, Montana) for I Never Met a Rattlesnake I Didn’t Like (2023). As well, as a recognition for his writing, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Saskatchewan (2018). He lives and writes in Saskatoon.
Dwayne Brenna
Dwayne
Brenna, author of Theories of Everything,is the
award-winning author of several books of humour, poetry, and
fiction. Coteau Books published his popular series of humorous
vignettes entitled E
ddie Gustafson’s Guide to Christmas
in 2000. His two books of poetry,
Stealing Home
and
Give My Love to Rose
, were published by Hagios Press in 2012 and 2015 respectively.
Stealing Home
, a poetic celebration of the game of baseball, was subsequently
shortlisted for several Saskatchewan Book Awards, including the
University of Regina Book of the Year Award. His first novel,
New Albion
, about a laudanum-addicted playwright struggling to survive in
London’s East End during the winter of 1850-51, was published by
Coteau Books in autumn 2016.
New Albion
won the 2017 Muslims for Peace and Justice Fiction Award at the
Saskatchewan Book Awards. It was also one of three English-language
novels shortlisted for the prestigious MM Bennetts Award for
historical fiction. His baseball novel
Long Way Home
was published by Pocol Press in 2022, and his theatre history
text
Nights That Shook the Stage
(McFarland Books) came out in the spring of 2023. His short
stories and poems have been published in an array of journals,
including
Grain
,
Nine
,
Spitball
,
The Antigonish Review
,
Intima
, and
The Cold Mountain Review
.
Harriet Richards
Harriet Richards, author of Waiting for the Piano Tuner to Die, was born in Toronto, Ontario, as the fifth of seven children to a Welsh father and an American mother. Her family relocated to the prairies during her childhood. Initially pursuing a career as a visual artist, her creative focus shifted when an obstinate painting, inspired by a recurring dream, evolved into her first short story.
Richards is the author of three acclaimed works of fiction. The Lavender Child (1998, republished by Shadowpaw Press in 2024) was a finalist for the Fiction Award and won the First Book Award at the Saskatchewan Book Awards. Waiting for the Piano Tuner to Die (2003) was a finalist for Book of the Year, and The Pious Robber (2013) was also a finalist for Book of the Year and won the Fiction Award. Her short fiction has appeared in literary journals in Canada and Wales, and her paintings have been featured on book covers in both countries.
Richards has guided emerging writers through the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild and edited numerous works of fiction and literary essays for authors across Canada. She resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Mark Morton
Mark Morton, author of Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities (nominated for a Julia Child Award), is also the author of three other nonfiction titles, The End: Closing Words for a Millennium (winner of the Alexander Isbister Award for nonfiction); The Lover’s Tongue: A Merry Romp Through the Language of Love and Sex (republished in the UK as Dirty Words ), and Cooking with Shakespeare . His YA science fiction novel The Headmasters was published by Shadowpaw Press in 2024. He’s also written more than 50 columns for Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture (University of California Press) and has written and broadcast more than a hundred columns about language and culture for CBC Radio. Mark has a PhD in sixteenth-century literature from the University of Toronto and has taught at several universities in France and Canada. He currently works at the University of Waterloo. He and his wife, Melanie Cameron, (also an author) have four children, three dogs, one rabbit, and no time
James Bow
James Bow, author of The Night Girl,, writes science fiction and fantasy for both kids and adults. He’s been a fan of science fiction since his family introduced him to Doctor Who on TV Ontario in 1978, and his mother read him classic sci-fi and fantasy from such authors as Clifford Simak and J.R.R. Tolkien. James won the 2017 Prix Aurora Award for best YA Novel in Canada for Icarus Down. His most recent novel, The Sun Runners, was published by Shadowpaw Press in 2024. A companion anthology, Tales from the Silence, which he edited, was published by Shadowpaw Press's sister company, Endless Sky Books, at the same time.
By day, James is a communications officer for a charitable land trust protecting lands from development in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. He also loves trains and streetcars. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with his two kids, and his spouse/fellow writer/partner-in-crime, Erin Bow.
Activity
Donate at least $40 (or as much as you want) and receive a copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume V, the fifth anthology featuring science fiction and fantasy by authors who were guests on Edward Willett's Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers. The anthology is edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell.
Donate at least $100 (or as much as you want) and receive Shapers of Worlds Volume V plus the previous four Shapers of Worlds anthologies, featuring science fiction and fantasy short stories by some of the top writers in the field today, including many international bestsellers and major award-winners.
Donate at least $75 (or as much as you want) and receive the complete award-nominated Shards of Excalibur young adult fantasy series by Edward Willett in print: Song of the Sword, Twist of the Blade, Lake in the Clouds, Cave Beneath the Sea, and Door Into Faerie.
Contribute $2,000 or more and Edward Willett, award-winning author and the founder, editor, and publisher of Shadowpaw Press, will personally edit your novel of up to 100,000 words, plus provide up to three hours of personal consultation about your book or writing in general..
