In a recent "Future of the Underground" column, cult author Nick Mamatas implied that I was an asshole, but I'll let that slide, seeing as 1) I've never met the guy, and 2) he goes on to describe Ann Sterzinger's NVSQVAM (nowhere) as "fantastic ... the kind of book that sexists of all genders like to claim women don't write or read." Meanwhile, erstwhile Whirligig editor Frank Marcopolos aptly effuses: "Ann Sterzinger's writing is electric. Her 100,000-watt power singes every page of Nusquam (nowhere)."
True that.
I am very proud to count Ann Sterzinger among the growing stable of writers at Nine-Banded Books. I think she classes up the joint, and I can only hope that her literary ambitions aren't blotted by her affiliation with my "tiny and insane" publishing venture. She's a pro.
At first glance, Ann's novel may not seem like Nine-Banded fare. She doesn't explicitly engage controversial subjects (except perhaps at the periphery), and it's shockingly easy to imagine her work spined alongside the moment's crop of Eggers-approved lit-fic sensations on offer at your local Barnes & Noble. But Ann's stuff is different, godammit. While a thousand aspiring dynamos plot at flairful tricks, Ann's cynically inflected tale is anchored by a working writer's sense of pace and craft, and by an honest critic's sense of bullshit. NVSQVAM (nowhere) is by turns comic and tragic, sly and poignant, irreverent and soul-rendingly earnest. It's a romp that settles in dark places, and I think you'll enjoy the ride.
NVSQVAM (nowhere) is currently available from Nine-Banded Books (where domestic shipping is always free, your welcome), as well as through Amazon, Qimby's Bookstore in Chicago, and Atomic Books in Baltimore. If you want to learn more before putting down your hard-earned cash, check out Ann's dueling interview with Nine-Banded veteran, Andy Nowicki. And if you are interested in writing about the book for a magazine or blog, let me know and I'll set you up with a review copy.
