Pink Fox Publications

Allasso, Volume 2: Saudade is officially out!  This second volume revolves around the common theme of “saudade,” a Portuguese word enveloping the feelings that come with loss.

I was actually a Mormon missionary several years ago, if you can imagine that.  I went to Brazil, and often, people I met said that word.  Saudade.  Tenho saudade de você.  I miss you.  Fico com saudade d’aquele dia que nos encontramos.  I have nostalgia of that day we met.  A saudade me pega.   Longing for you gets to me.  Any English word fails at representing the depth of saudade, yet for some reason, we try to replicate it, extract the meaning, find the point of understanding.

If you wish to know the meaning, look instead to writing, to the stories of those with regret, sorrow, and hope for a return to better days.

We have less than a week before Allasso, Volume 2: Saudade is released!  I’m excited and nervous, but — oddly enough — not stressed.  For the last volume, I worked right up to the release date on everything, and I even had to wait on the print version because of a few small problems.  I was inexperienced.

This time, the print version is ready, and everything will be released on May 1st.  Just like last time, all the stories and images will be available for free on this website, but purchasing a copy will help.  Besides, the print version has a beautiful cover by Silent Ravyn (mainly because I admitted I was no good at making covers myself).

We will also have the Reader’s Choice Award for this round.  My apologies go out to Justin Moore, the winner of the last volume’s award; I only recently received the prizes, so I should be shipping it out in the next few days.  The voting will last through all of May.  Feel free to take your time to read and find the submission you love the most.

Flayrah, a major news organization in the fandom, recently posted a review of Allasso, Volume 1: Saudade.  The review was mostly positive with a few points that could be strengthened — honestly, I’m a new editor, and I’ve long realized that my first solo work compiling a publication would have flaws.  That being said, I’m very thankful for the review, and I feel like things will continue to improve.

Alongside Allasso, Flayrah has been nominated for the Ursa Major Award for Best Magazine. If you haven’t checked out their site, be sure to do so; they do an amazing job at keeping up with events in the fandom.

I recently came in contact with Silent Ravyn, one of my favorite artists in the fandom, and asked her to make the cover for Allasso, Volume 2: Saudade.  I’ve never contacted an artist for something like this before, and I really wondered how she would react.  Her response?

“I would love to do the cover art for this! We should definitely talk.”

And we did talk.  Today, she sent me a link to the finished image, based off the story “Magtwilla and the Mouse” by Mary E. Lowd.  Her art always has such an upbeat joy to it, and I was glad to see that this image combined that joy with a monotone sorrow.  I’m ecstatic about this contribution.

Prize winner will be announced on Sunday, and Allasso, Volume 2: Saudade will be released May 1st in online, print, and e-book formats.

On May 15th, the nominations for the next Ursa Major Awards were released, but I didn’t remember to check until I was sitting at a friend’s house eating dog-shaped cupcakes for his birthday.  As soon as I got home, I checked the site out and saw Allasso had been nominated for the Best Magazine award.  This is an honor for someone who has just barely entered that big world of publishing.  In addition, Mary E. Lowd’s story “Fetching Asteroids” was nominated for the Best Short Fiction award.

The award is based off of voting by members of the fandom.  Please, check their site out, and vote for what you think should win.  There’s an amazing amount of talent in the fandom, and it’s a joy to celebrate these people’s accomplishments.

Just a few hours ago, Tsaiwolf  posted a picture on his FA page for a story that will show up later on in Allasso Volume 2.  I personally love his art, especially this new style he currently uses; it combines a comic-book line style with  a nice colorful texture.  His previous work made me happy, but this new style sets him apart from other artists in the fandom.

Check his art out, and give him love.