Apex Books Kickstarter Announcement! INVISIBLE THREADS + Interview with Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner

When Lesley Conner of Apex Books reaches out to you for help promoting a new project, the only answer you can give her is “YES OF COURSE I’LL HELP!” I’m thrilled to help promote the latest Apex Books Kickstarter project, an anthology called Invisible Threads.

I had the chance to ask Lesley and Jason some questions about the anthology, and here’s what they said:

Welcome back to the blog, Jason and Lesley! It’s always a pleasure to chat with you. Today your latest Kickstarter project Invisible Threads kicks off. Can you tell us about the ideas behind the anthology and what your inspiration was?

Jason: Our last anthology was fueled by anger (Do Not Go Quietly). Invisible Threads is fueled by optimism. There are no calls to revolution in Invisible Threads. Just stories about the strength in good people. What fuels them to succeed and overcome in turbulent times. How they broke free of societal boundaries and expectations.

The origins of the theme can be found in a short story by Beth Dawkins (an original that will appear in Invisible Threads). She had written it for Apex Magazine, but we went on hiatus, leaving the story in limbo. I read it and was blown away. It’s a beautifully constructed tale about one woman’s attempts to climb a wall surrounding her poor, rural Georgia community. The wall, of course, is a metaphor for the poverty trap, socio-economic issues, and resentment of success. The story stuck with me, and when Lesley and I discussed potential themes for the next anthology, I proposed the thematic concept in Beth’s story.

Apex Books has a reputation for publishing stories that are current, hard-hitting and edgy, and this anthology looks like another stellar project in that same vein. What is it about this type of story that compels the two of you to continue to stretch the boundaries of what short fiction can be?

Jason: For me, the goal of every piece of content Apex publishes is twofold. First and foremost, it must be entertaining. Second, however, is that it must challenge the reader in a way that will make them consider their own beliefs regarding genre-related subjects (examples: medical technology, socio-political issues, morality, consciousness, and so on). I’m not necessarily looking to change a reader’s mind or shape the way they believe, but I do want to connect with them on an intellectual and/or emotional level.

Let’s talk about the cover art. This is such a powerful image! Who did the cover art and how did the two of you work with the artist to come up with such a thought provoking image?

Lesley: Thank you so much! The work is by an Italian artist named agnes-cecile, and it was piece that she had already completed prior to the anthology. I was searching DeviantArt looking for art styles that I thought would work well with the image I had in my head when I came across her work. She has an entire series of pieces that are these black ink threads. The emotion she is able to portray absolutely blew me away. I looked through them all before finally sending a link to “burn burn burn” and asking what he thought. He loved it as much as I did, and I went ahead and contacted the artist. I’m thrilled that she was willing to sell us the rights to use her work for the cover.

I’ve looked over the list of contributors, and I am so excited to see some familiar names, as well as some new ones. How did you come up with this list of contributors? Based on the themes of the anthology, were you looking for specific writers who might be a good fit?

Lesley: Jason and I spent a few days coming up with a huge list of authors who we thought would be a good fit for the anthology. We then had to narrow that list down before sending out invites, and that’s where you start thinking about what you want the anthology as a whole to look like. Of course, since we are funding this anthology through Kickstarter, it’s important to have a few bigger name authors who can help draw readers in, but we also wanted to make sure that we made room for amazing writers who maybe haven’t found a wider audience yet. Plus, it was very important to us to have writers from a variety of backgrounds. Any anthology would get boring pretty quick if all the contributors are carbon copies of each other, but I think that monotony would be amplified when it comes to a project like Invisible Threads.

I absolutely love the lineup of authors we have for Invisible Threads, but I’m also really excited because Jason and I always try to make sure we leave room for including more stories. If funded, we will be holding open submissions. At that point we’ll have a good idea of the shape of the anthology and will be able to see if there are any types of stories that are missing. I love going through the slush pile and finding amazing stories that not only introduce me to new authors, but also fill holes that we didn’t know needed to be filled prior to the process. I’m really looking forward to it.

What sort of backer rewards can readers expect to find when they visit the Kickstarter page? Will there be any stretch goals during the campaign?

Jason: This is our fifth Kickstarter (over about 10 years). I’ve learned that readers LOVE stuff like tuckerizations and personalized books, so we’ll have lots of those on offer. They’re usually one-shots so you’ll need to get in early to grab those. Writers always gobble up critiques and editing services and we expect to have plenty available from Lesley and I and a number of the contributors. There will be handcrafted items available, early bird specials, and a couple of unique and special backer rewards that I don’t want to spoil just yet.

We have a large list of stretch goals should we fund. The biggest one is to raise enough money to be able to include four to eight original stories selected via an open reading period. Other goals include adding poetry, interior artwork, paying our writers more, and producing a Kickstarter-only hardcover edition.

Thank you Lesley and Jason! I’ll definitely be backing this project, and I hope other readers who appreciate high quality, edgy short fiction will also take a look!

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Click here to learn more about Invisible Threads and back this project!

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And to tempt you, check out this amazing list of contributors:

• A.C. Wise
• Alix E. Harrow
• Andi C. Buchanan
• Beth Dawkins
• Chesya Burke
• Damien Angelica Walters
• Fran Wilde
• Geoffrey Girard
• Jordan Kurella
• KT Bryski
• Maurice Broaddus
• Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
• Michael Wehunt
• Sabrina Vourvoulias
• Stephanie Malia Morris
• ZZ Claybourn
• anges-cecile—Cover artist
• Makaylah Fazzari—Interior artist
• Justin Stewart—Asset artist

About the Editors:

LESLEY CONNER is a writer/editor, managing editor of Apex Book Company, and a Girl Scout leader. When she isn’t handling her editorial or Girl Scout leader responsibilities, she’s researching fascinating historical figures, rare demons, and new ways to dispose of bodies, interweaving the three into strange and horrifying tales. Her short fiction can be found in Mountain Dead, Dark Tales of Terror, A Hacked-Up Holiday Massacre, as well as other places. Her first novel, The Weight of Chains, was published by Sinister Grin Press in September, 2015. She is the co-editor of two anthologies: Best of Apex Magazine: Volume 1 and Do Not Go Quietly, both of which she edited with Jason Sizemore. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters, and is currently working on a new novel. To find out all her secrets, you can follow her on Twitter at @LesleyConner.

Raised in the Appalachian hills of southeast Kentucky, JASON SIZEMORE is a three-time Hugo Award-nominated editor, writer, and publisher who operates the genre press Apex Publications. He is the author of a collection of dark science fiction and horror shorts titled Irredeemable and the tell-all creative nonfiction For Exposure: The Life and Times of a Small Press Publisher. Jason co-edited the successful Do Not Go Quietly anthology with Lesley Conner. He currently lives in Lexington, KY. For more information visit www.jason-sizemore.com or you can find him on Twitter @apexjason.