Parisian Phoenix Publishing

As a small craft, boutique press, we offer the unique opportunity to our authors that we encourage them to explore their full creativity.

When Larry Sceurman first pitched me his nostalgic fiction, short story collection which kinda, sorta became Coffee in the Morning, I gave him some news that he didn’t expect. I suggested that two of his longer short stories, The Death of Big Butch and Mr. Albert in the House of Penguins, didn’t belong in the collection.

I proposed that The Death of Big Butch become its own novella and that Mr. Albert in the House of Penguins was really the final chapter of its own novel. The other stories would stay as they were– the backbone of Coffee in the Morning.

Larry said to me, “But Angel, I don’t know how to write a novel.”

And I told him not to worry, that he had me on board, and we had at least a year to figure it out.

But then, somewhere between Larry’s first and second book, Parisian Phoenix launched Parisian Phoenix Kittens, our children’s imprint, as a unique partnership with Echo City Capers. The more Larry got to know the dynamic duo behind Echo City (Joseph Swarctz and Ralph Greco Jr.), the more he started thinking about some stories he had tucked away.

Stories for children.

The more he got to know Joe’s art style, the more Larry wondered: “Could Joe make these stories come to life?”

So Larry did some research with some literacy professionals– teachers, children’s librarians and a reading specialist. The (first) result is a draft of an easy reader called Barry The Dancing Bear.

The story follows four bears-friends throughout their daily routine, and explores what it takes to maintain a good attitude and what we can do to make our moods have a positive influence on others.