Michelle Anderson Picarella, C.E.O.

It has become a common topic for people to come to us and want to talk about what we are doing with 7DS Books and Twisted Core Press. Of course, it would be a lie if any of us tried to say we didn’t love that. If someone had come to us a year ago and asked if we thought we could do such amazing things with this opening group of authors and titles, without a doubt we would have smiled and nodded. The dynamic force, the authors, the seeds of Twisted Core, left no option but to grow wonderful things. The hard work, ambition, professional goals, and dedication of everyone involved with what is not even yet a full first year of this company has left no room for anything other than blossoming success.

The publishing industry was once an iron-locked machine. Like a clock, it chose the time an author and their work would shine, if they were one of the lucky few to be selected. Every gear in the clock had a purpose and there was no room for any other gear to fit in. Clocks are now digital and so is the publishing industry. This is by no means saying the traditional clock is no longer wanted and needed, but the world has a vast selection of options, and that selection grows by the minute. Luckily, we are one of those new options and we are loving every moment of it.  

The only regret is taking such a long time to blog, but we have been busy and we’ve been having fun along the way. If you have ever talked to any of us at Twisted Core/7DS Books, you know we have plenty to say. As we do near the end of our first year and enter into 2014, we thank you for embracing us, for reading these books by our favorite authors, and for the support. We have a lot to live up to in the following year and our engines are revved.

Managing Partner, A.T. Russell

Becoming a publisher wasn’t a dream or plan Dan, Shelly, and I had. Instead, it was a progression born of experiences, good and bad, that we encountered in the literary world. How it all began seems a blurry memory to me. I can recall discussing the formation of an indie collective with a great friend, and then she introduced me to Shelly. That’s when things began to blur, as the speed of ideas and actions turned into formative and constructive plans. Then, on November 13, 2012, the LLC was filed and the operating agreement was drafted. That’s pretty much how it happened.

At any rate, as we began to produce books and anthologies, another old idea reignited. We tried to push it down, ignore it, run from it. I mean, being reasonable, we’d only been operating for five months at the time. The last thing we wanted to do was to take on a real dream. Yeah, right.

So, unable to prevent it from happening, Twisted Core Press and 7DS Books held its Inaugural Awards Event and Author Retreat at The Country Squire Inn & Winery, in Warsaw N.C. on the weekend of September 6 – 8.

Yep, and it was awesome!

I got to meet my friend, Dawn Kirby, in person. You know, she’s as good as gold, and sweeter in real life than she seems to be in the digital world. I also met Ranee Dillon and Tish Oliver. I must say, either TCP is extraordinarily lucky or we’re pretty damn good, because Ranee and Tish are terrific people, and the type of authors/storytellers that a publisher holds onto for dear life.

Marc Quaranta was there, too. He’s this tall fella, somewhere in his mid-twenties, with a strong voice, good looking guy. Talk about a perfect fit, Marc settled in beautifully with the rest of us. Sam Godwin also joined us. Here’s this cool young man, artistically gifted, humble beyond his meager years, and he slid right into place seamlessly.

As you would expect, the setting was good to go. How about it was made better by the significant others who accompanied our authors and artists. Jamie Kirby, Billy Oliver, Anne Williams, and Haylea Nichole made our retreat memorable, as they shared personal stories and experiences with us.

We then got luckier when Katie Jones showed with her man, Bryan. Katie is our beta reader, and her joy at meeting the authors she supports was palpable. Hours of laughter and storytelling abounded, and that was before the awards presentation.

There’s more.

My dear friends, Lester and Korri Ross, joined us. In fact, we adopted Korri as a beta reader during the awards presentation. How about that?

We had such a good time. Fans and supporters brought even more bounce, particularly Madam Carol Anderson, who injected conversation and a vein of life that delivered even louder laughs.

Where we once considered this event as our introduction to the literary world, the word inaugural implanted itself. There’s no way we cannot continue an annual awards event and retreat. Never mind the good time, the benefit of shared stories and experiences carry considerable importance. Friendships and professional collaborations were born during our retreat. And though we had a sizable contingent, next year’s event will be larger. There will be more award categories, more authors, more fans and readers, and more fun.

Operations Executive, Dan Picarella

Wow, what an event! I am still reeling from that weekend and the past 10 months or so. We knew early on that we wanted to break the mold, and consequently most of the rules, when we started this endeavor. There was months of planning involved with our first, Inaugural Awards Show. We treated it with the same care that we give everything else, where T.C.P. & 7DS Books is concerned. It was indeed a snowball that started small and just kept on growing. From locating a venue, which became The Country Squire Inn & Winery, to choosing what to honor in our awards show, we had our work cut out for us. I can remember countless conferences between  Shelly, A.T. & myself, all lasting several hours long.

We were able to pull it all together and even have a few tricks up our sleeves, just in time, & man was it worth it!

From the moment our guest started to arrive, I was filled with so much excitement and pride. I am still buffering forward on the hype I received from such a wonderful & truly talented group of people. What an event, what a show- Want to do it again. Tomorrow!!

We set out to do something different & special, when we started our publishing adventure. We are achieving that goal & will continue to do great, new, & unexpected things.

So hold on to your hats, we are just getting started…