Tricky by Name
Welcome to The Tricky Genre Press
We’re delighted to usher you into the world of The Tricky Genre Press, home of weird storyteller jjhudsson.
If you’re interested in genre-defying stories about eighteenth-century sleuths, witchcraft, giants, creatures from other planets, viking raiders, dragons, early rockets, interstellar travel and stuff like that, then you’re going to like it here.
Our stories have only one rule: it’s got to be believable. That means world-class worldbuilding, characterful characters, storied storylines and write-homeable writing. You may not understand all of it, but you’ll definitely know you’ve been here.
A Brief History of the Press
It doesn’t feel like ten years has slipped by since jjhudsson first mentioned the idea of a website. “Who does he think he is ?” opined Tulip, our Commercial Manager, when she first learned of the plan, “Brian Cox?”. We make no such comparison.
Early attempts at a web presence for our Storyteller stalled when it was realised we needed content. They foundered when it was revealed we also needed money. They were positively dead and buried when someone pointed out you also have to know something about html, CSS, EPubs and a whole host of little words like that.
And so the years shuffled by with the speed and determination of an elderly person crossing the road in front of a Ferrari. In fact, the only thing that seemed to be moving here at The Tricky Genre Press was the mould in the kitchen. It was not even certain that jjhudsson was writing anything. Nothing in the shape of a manuscript had arrived for ages (Ed. although there was quite a lot of litigious correspondence from the owner of a wine shop in Harpursbridge.).
Then, about a year ago, came that fateful day to which we have alluded in the blog Trick of the Tale: a manuscript arrived at the Press, in the hand of jjhudsson - purporting to be novel.
Nigel, our inspirational leader leapt into action: “I suppose we’d better do something about it,” he suggested with perspicacity.
The rest, as they say, is history. “It’s like the Avengers assembling,” remarked Angus, our eagle-eyed typesitter [sic], blowing the dust off his typewriter. “Tulip, Nigel, me. All we need now is a website.”
Enter Pieter - our very own Tony Stark. And because of hayfever and an irregular heartbeat, also enter Robbie - our technically savvy intern. Through an ungodly alchemy of these two warlocks of the web just nine months later, this - The Tricky Genre Press Website, which Peiter has cunningly named ww.thetrickygenrepress.co.uk.
A Tour de Force
We won’t go into how the Press came by its name (you can read about that in the blog Trick of the Tale). Instead, we’ll give you a flavour of what you can expect when you visit.
Our lovely Home Page - complete with its eery background courtesy of Caspar David Friedrich - has four headings: Collections, Novellas & Short Stories, Novels and Poetry. Right now on the site you'll find four EPUBs novellas featuring everyone's favourite eighteenth-century Gallic sleuth, Professor Summanus Horthólary; an interstellar philosophical parable about circular time; and two e-booklets of poetry about love, death and coffee machines.
And there is much more to come, including a collection of otherworldly novellas set in a timeless England, a viking-espionage caper which is also an exploration of the blurred line between paganism and early Christianity, a story about rocketry in 1930s Germany, one about dragons in the eighteenth-century; plus more poetry e-booklets about love, death and other weird things. Every time you come back, you’ll find something new.
Along the top right, you see the menus for the other parts of the site: The Tricky Genre Shop, where you can buy and download our EPUBs for reading on your Kindle, Kobo, Nook or any other e-reader; and The Tricky Genre Blog (of which you are now reading the very first edition), in which we will reveal in the inner workings of The Tricky Genre Press, the writing life and process of jjhudsson and offer sneak peeks at his upcoming stories.
That’s pretty much it. There’s a short section about the Tricky Genre Team with amusing pictures of us all (which may or may not be true); and some FAQs on how to transfer an EPUB to your e-reader (which generally are true).
Utterly Incomprehensible
And what might those EPUBs be? We offer two suggestions: the first in a series of uncanny tales and sleuthing set in eighteenth-century France; and a taster of the unofficial poetry of jjhudsson in an e-booklet.
A stranger is found dead in the snow in woods outside the town. There are no footprints to or from the body; the victim’s coat, watch and shoes are missing and he has been beaten. The Bishop of Pessane is convinced the crime is the work of gypsies. Horthólary, however, suspects the man’s death is related to his curious passion.
The Angel of Pessane. The first in a four-part series called The Lays of Maladie, featuring jjhudsson’s eighteenth century polymath and sleuth, Professor Summanus Horthólary. A stranger is found dead in the snow. There are no footprints. The bishop of Pessane is convinced the crime is the work of gypsies. But Horthólary suspects the death is related to the man's curious passion.
Splash! A little book of poems about life, death & coffee machines discovered amongst the marginalia of jjhudsson’s manuscripts for his longer-form writing. This first e-booklet comprises six poems, some touching, some angry, some just weird (if you have ever wondered what connection exists between the sex life of an ant and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principal, read Gombrich Between the Lines.). For a limited period we are offering this EPUB for free as a thank you for visiting the site.
We’ve created ‘Read more’ pages for all our EPUBs, where you can - well, read more about them. For example: a sample chapter, view the Table of Contents, or take a peak at the maps and illustrations that accompany most stories. Below each section there are links to the blogs we have written giving more background and insight into each tale.
Never Again
We hope this quick tour of The Tricky Genre Press has piqued your interest in the off-track worlds of jjhudsson. If you would like to receive news about our upcoming EPUBs, the work and writing practice of the Storyteller jjhudsson, or insights into some of his stories you can follow us on Patreon or LinkedIn, or sign up to our occasional email newletter.
We look forward to travelling with you.
Notes
Tulip’s reference to Brian Cox refers to the physicist, musican, author, podcaster and TV presenter.
Angus’ reference to The Avengers alludes to the US TV series Avengers Assemble (2013 -2019), Marvel Animation & Disney XD. Tony Stark is a character in the Marvel Universe, Marvel Comics, The Walt Disney Company.
