Time to offer Henry Gee my hearty congratulations. He’s just proved that a self-published novel that’s excellently written, perfectly formatted and free of typos, has a decent chance of being picked up by a traditional publisher. This is what I said about the self-published version of By The Sea back in November in my post titled Interview with Henry Gee.
Mermaids, museums and murder are just some of the ingredients in Henry Gee‘s gothic horror crime novel By The Sea — a book that has earned him a decent number of five-star ratings on Amazon and Goodreads. He really knows how to paint a vivid canvas with words and, personally, I loved everything about his novel: its characters, setting, fast-paced plot, mystery, and suspense.
So here we have it, the traditionally published version of his novel unveiled: the cover and the blurb.
Horrific bereavement has forced Detective Inspector Persephone Sheepwool to leave London and make a new life on the remote North Norfolk coast.
But horror is never far behind, as she discovers when a body is found at a museum in a decaying clifftop mansion whose shadowy staff is dedicated to discovering the secrets of the sea. Investigating the death, Sheepwool finds that some secrets are probably best left submerged.
Trouble is, even the most deeply submerged secrets have a nasty way of oozing to the surface.
If you like a book with an atmosphere so thick that you can cut it with a knife, this is one for you – Brian Clegg, author of Extra-Sensory
Bram Stoker meets Tom Sharpe in this hugely entertaining romp. Henry Gee may just have invented a new genre –not Science Fiction but Science Gothick – John Gribbin, author of In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat
This Gothic novel is a cracking good story, with an intricate and unpredictable plot … It starts with a death – is it murder or misadventure? – and more deaths follow … a pleasing mixture of suspense, the grotesque and laugh-out-loud humour – Frank Norman in Mill Hill Essays
This novel is definitely Gothic, very Gothic, downright Gothic – Pat Shipman, author of The Man Who Found The Missing Link and The Animal Connection
By The Sea is now available as a paperback and eBook from ReAnimus Press, from Amazon UK and Amazon US.
Share this:
Sarah Potter Writes 
Thnk you Sarah!
LikeLike
My pleasure, of course 🙂
LikeLike
Wow, what an inspiring post and an exciting story! ♥♥♥ ;^)
LikeLike
Yes, it’s always inspiring hearing of people achieving something that the gloom-mongers say is virtually impossible.
Henry’s novel is exciting, atmospheric, sometimes scary, and his characters most memorable. He certainly deserves to do well with it.
LikeLike
Henry already knows I can’t wait to read this, but I’m saying it again: I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THIS! I’m so happy Henry found a publisher that recognized his talent as a writer. Woot-woot!
LikeLike
Excellent. I can guarantee that you won’t be able to put it down. It was one of those novels that enticed me into taking extra long tea and lunch breaks!
LikeLike
good for him.. wonderful.. I I must find it as a gift for my MIL – she loves mysteries.. now back I go into my box to check once again for typos!
c
On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 7:40 AM, sarahpotterwrites wrote:
> sarahpotterwrites posted: “Time to offer Henry Gee my hearty > congratulations. He’s just proved that a self-published novel that’s > excellently written, perfectly formatted and free of typos, has a decent > chance of being picked up by a traditional publisher. This is what I said > about”
LikeLike
Those pesky typos. I don’t know how many times I’ve read my novel through, plus 6 people having read it, too, and yet yesterday I spotted a full stop missing at the end of a paragraph. Oh, the sin of it!
LikeLike
Typos, tyops, mishtakes. No matter how many times I read through anything I’ve written, however brief, even a Facebook update, the pesky buggers always seem to get through.
Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. Such encouragement will only get you a sequel, you know. I am planning another mystery for the redoubtable Detective Inspector Persephone Sheepwool and Detective Sergeant Elaine Fitch. This one will be even scarier than ‘By The Sea’.
LikeLike
congratz to Henry. Thanks for sharing this Sarah!
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Fabulous news.
LikeLike
Yes, it certainly is.
LikeLike
That’s great news and gives us hope that even if we’re not initially successful the traditional way, it can still happen – I bought a copy when you interviewed Henry, but haven’t read it yet (still working through my to read list!)
LikeLike
I know all about having a “to read” list. My trouble is that in the evenings I always fall asleep reading, which means that I have to have sneak reads during the day instead.
LikeLike