At the beginning of January, we learned that another small press with whom we had shared authors had decided to dissolve. Not only that, they were "unpublishing" all of their existing titles, a situation that would be traumatic to any writer. So we at DarkWinter Press reached out to some of the authors we knew whose valuable work would now no longer be available, and we offered to reprint their books. Moving forward, this new division of DarkWinter will be devoted to reprinting great literature that, through no fault of its own, has fallen out of print or has been made unavailable.
Why "Baxter House Editions"?
DarkWinter Press has its headquarters in a rambling old Victorian house, referred to locally as "The Baxter House" by many older residents who still remember Ella Baxter, who lived there from 1921 until the late 70s. The house was built in 1906 by Charles and Jessie Baxter--Ella and her husband Hugh, Charles and Jessie's son, took over the house after they were married. Hugh died young, leaving Ella alone with 4 children. Resourceful, and trained as a nurse, Ella opened up her beautiful home--the front room became a doctor's office and the doctor boarded at Baxter House. Ella also provided accommodations for teachers at the school nearby. In later years, the house was divided, and tenants lived in two upstairs apartments. Stories abound about special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, when Ella would host all the tenants, gathered around a huge table in the kitchen. Therefore, in the spirit of Ella Baxter, who brought people together in joy and friendship, Baxter House Editions will bring together those books which need a new home, and their writers, all under our roof.
Is Baxter House haunted?
Of course. We wouldn't have our headquarters here otherwise. But the energy is good, thanks to Ella.
So stay tuned. You'll be seeing the first of the Baxter House Editions coming soon!
