SALT LAKE CITY, UT October 25, 2012
Eric Trant is the author of several short stories, including “Apple Tree” and “One Small Step,” the latter of which introduces the spacesuit-wearing Percy Freebottom, and is the inspiration for his debut novel Out of the Great Black Nothing, from Open Heart Publishing, 2011. His short stories are featured in Open Heart Publishing’s anthology series, An Honest Lie, Volumes 1,2,3 and 4, including his newest short story, “The Man in the Long Black Coat.”
Trant’s second full-length novel is scheduled for release from WiDo Publishing ™ in Fall 2013:
Wracked with the guilt of causing his older brother’s coma, twelve year-old Marty Jameson seeks refuge in his deceased Uncle Cooper’s attic, only to find the attic is haunted by creatures his uncle claimed to see through his glass eye. Isolated in the attic by his mother’s psychotic, abusive rages, Marty befriends the crippled girl next door, but when the creatures begin killing those around him, Marty must decide whether to abandon the only friend he has ever known, or face the supernatural terror that is ripping apart his life.
It is a fast-paced, high-stakes, 70,000 word thriller set in a rural Gulf Coast Texas town, where there are neither secrets nor tattletales, and where evil can reside next door to hearty goodness. The gritty characters are reminiscent of Dean Koontz and Stephen King, while the intense imagery will bring to mind such authors as Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke.
Trant states that he is excited to be with WiDo Publishing. “I did my research for my upcoming novel, networked with my peers, and decided to submit to WiDo, based on a couple of things that set them apart. First, they are what I consider a medium-sized independent publisher. Ten publications a year, since 2007, told me they are serious about putting out books. A little more research showed me they distribute through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, which means my work won’t be limited to their personal distribution websites and small bookstores.
“Add to that some direct referrals from my peers, and the fact that I had already read some of their books and found them to be well-edited, well-written, professionally designed, available in local bookstores and online, in all modern formats including print, and you can see why WiDo was a smart publisher for me to approach.”
Submissions editor Allie Maldonado said this realistic work of Southern fiction with strong thriller and horror elements kept her up all night reading. “I couldn’t put it down. Eric’s writing is amazing,” says Maldonado. “We were eager to sign with an author of such talent.”
An editor for Open Heart Publishing and a native of Houston, Texas, Eric Trant continues to write vigorously in whatever time he can notch out from his day. Catch him at his website Eric W. Trant.