Sinister Grin Press is pleased to announce the next book on our publishing list, Toroa by Erik Hofstatter, which is publishing May 15, 2018. We are even more pleased to show you the surreal cover created by Zach McCain. We just think it’s mesmerizing! Let us know your thoughts.
The beautiful cover is the icing on the cake as the story is phenomenal as well, so don’t delay in pre-ordering it in e-book or purchasing a print copy for your collection on publication day.
“The direction I was given for this cover was very basic: a sea, a large bird, darkened sky, and perhaps a cliff,” said artist Zach McCain. “As far as planning I didn’t do any sketches or think too hard about it. All I knew is that it should have motion, so I chose to have the bird flying and to have the waves crashing against the rocks. I just jumped right in. For some reason the title of the book made me think of book covers from the 1970s and so about partway through as I was working on it I knew I wanted to capture a little bit of that vibe without it being obvious. I ended up being very happy with the result. A very simple cover on one hand but also one that has mood and a touch of nostalgia.”
At Sinister Grin Press, we were enthralled by the mood evoked by the cover of Toroa! It’s breathtaking and we hope all our readers think so too.
“Zach’s brush captures the brewing, emotional cataclysm with a perfect storm of bleak, melancholic colors, and in the heart of it all - a lamenting albatross, its colossal wings blackening like death’s embrace,” said author Erik Hoffstatter.
Toroa, Back Cover Copy –
Infants are vanishing all over Waitangi, a small island nestled in the Pacific Ocean. The local tribe believes a colossal albatross is responsible. Worse still, they are convinced that the seabird had been trained to carry out these sinister kidnappings. On the other side of the globe, in England, a troubled Maori girl falls in love with Aryan — a charismatic fire-breather. As their doomed relationship unfolds, a tragedy strikes, leaving her forever changed. Grieving, she travels to the island in desperate search of her estranged father and seeking answers to her shrouded origins. Will her actions influence the mysterious events occurring on the isle?
Erik Hofstatter, Biography -
Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer and a member of the Horror Writers Association. 
Born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic, he roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. He now dwells in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, Crystal Lake Publishing, The Literary Hatchet, Sanitarium Magazine, Wicked Library, Tales to Terrify, and Manor House Show. Rare Breeds is out now via Dark Silo Press as well as Toroa from Sinister Grin Press, on May 15, 2018.
Website: www.erikhofstatter.net
Twitter: @ErikHofstatter
Facebook: www.facebook.com/erikhofstatter
Media/Reviewers
Digital ARCS will be available in early May for those interested in reviewing, so plan your schedule now or put in an early request. Scheduling is also underway for interviews or features with Hofstatter. Please contact Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi at [email protected] or find her on Twitter at @erinalmehairi, if interested.
Sinister Grin Press -
Sinister Grin Press publishes horror, fantasy, science fiction, urban, and western novels. Most of our books are so horrifying they’re categorized as “book that’ll carve a smile on your face!” Please peruse our back catalog for an array of titles as well as follow us to learn about our new and upcoming books for 2018. We have some superb authors on board to offer you what we hope will be some of your best reads of the year.
