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My Best Relationship Advice
Susan Ostrov’s Loveland: A Memoir of Romance and Fiction was released July 15. I should start off by saying I’m probably the last person you’d want to give you or anyone relationship advice! I had almost no romantic experience when I got married in college, I was divorced after 24 years of marriage, and haven’t…
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James Hastie diary discovered in New Zealand
by David Mould In November 2023, John Parker and his wife Paulette, who own a cattle ranch in New Zealand’s North Island, were sorting through the possessions of John’s father, Tony, who had recently passed away. Among them was a precious historical resource—an 1817 diary by James Hastie. My 2023 Blackwater Press book, Mission to…
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Editorial note: what follows concludes the story of James, and his life following his departure from Ireland in 1923.
While Dragging Our Hearts Behind Us EPILOGUE By Boni Thompson 1923 James reaches New York City, by way of the secret branch of the Irish organization Clan na Gael, off-shoot of the Fenians and the Irish Republican Brotherhood, formed decades before to give aid to the many Irish immigrants arriving in America and Canada. He…
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What’s in my World Book Day parcel?
Today is World Book Day! What would the world be without books? Ugh, we don’t even want to go there. We have a little fun planned for you. During the week starting from the 23rd April and ending on the 30th April, buy (or pre-order) any of our books from our website, and you’ll receive…
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The importance of reviews for small businesses
We are always very grateful for our readers – both of our books, and of our newsletter. It’s tough to emerge in such a congested field, where competition is fierce and where publishing is, for better or worse, accessible to everyone. Blackwater is small but feisty, and we wouldn’t be here without you all. If…
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Pre-orders Galore!
We know our latest news has been quite unsettling, and I’m sure it has given our gentle readers much food for thought. But the show must go on…and what better way to celebrate the future of the publishing world than a bunch of exciting new books available for pre-order? First up, The Three Lives of…
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The Supply Chain
Dear Readers, On Thursday, our North American distributor, Small Press Distribution, announced that it had filed bankruptcy and ceased operations. We had no warning, or inclination at all, and our collective reaction can best be described as !!&*))@0@WTF))*(2 SPD….!!)__ Moving on. Why should you, gentle reader, care? Distribution and the supply chain are admittedly the…
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While Dragging Our Hearts Behind Us: The Photographs
by Boni Thompson, author of While Dragging Our Hearts Behind Us. St. Patrick’s Day is a fitting day to reflect on the publication of my grandfather’s story, 101 years after the end of the Irish Civil War, and therefore 101 years since my grandfather James left Ireland behind him. Evading the inevitable round-up of irregulars,…
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Black History Month: Mission to Madagascar
The month, we’re donating 25% of proceeds from sales of Guilt and Mission to Madagascar to Charleston’s Keep Your Faith Corporation. In this blog post, author David H. Mould explores the history of slavery in the British Empire. Black History Month has given me reason to reflect on the history of slavery in Britain, the…
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Rebel Cork
The Easter Rising of 1916 was one of the major events of the twentieth century that changed the map of Europe. Following a week of violence centered in Dublin, the men who led the fight were arrested and shot at Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin. The British hoped this was the end of the rebellion; it was…
