One of the things I’m proudest of here at Grey Gecko is also one of the most important to all of us: the focus we have on the unusual, the esoteric, the overlooked and the under-appreciated. Take, for example, one of our newest – and longest, if in name only – titles: Sea Shells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability: Stories from a Small Florida Town in the 1930s, by Susan Adger.

Here’s what the author had to say about this book:

This fictional series of interconnected, humorous short stories tells of the inhabitants of a small Florida town in the 1930s. They include, among others, Flavey Stoutamire, owner of Stoutamire’s Rare Reptile Ranch which features a three-legged gator named Precious with a birthmark of Jesus on his side; Buck Blander, pastor of the Church of Everlasting Liability who honed his preaching skills in prison but doesn’t tell his parishioners; and Sweetie Mooney, whose attempts to run a beauty shop in her aunt’s home fail after tragedies with head lice and henna hair dye.

How could I read that and not want to publish this book?

Unfortunately for Susan and authors like her, this type of book is not well received in New York, because it relies on something that those big-city folks have likely lost completely: heart. It’s a story about people, first and foremost, and that sort of story is one we will always be interested in here at the Gecko.

Maybe I’m a little crazy (okay, a lot crazy, then), but I believe that books and stories like these need to be told, because I also believe that these are what will keep us grounded, keep us sane, and keep us who we are, at heart. If we lose that connection to where we come from, to who we were, how can we ever know who we will become? It’s books like these that make me proud to be a publisher, because I get to be the one who takes the chance, who helps someone’s dreams come true.

And there’s no better job in the world than that.

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Sea Shells & Gator Bones by Susan Adger will be released in Spring 2013 from Grey Gecko Press. The book will be available simultaneously in hardcover, trade paperback and ebook formats. Sign up for our newsletter to get all the info about our upcoming releases, read short stories from our authors, and take advantage of coupons and sales only offered to our newsletter readers. The first issue is in January, so don’t wait!