MOUSE GUARD AND OKKO: THE CYCLE OF WATER NOMINATED FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Kearny, NJ -- Mar 25, 2008 -- Archaia Studios Press (ASP) is once again honored to have a book nominated for ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards. But this time, it’s not just one book, it’s two---the only publisher this year earning such a distinctive honor. Both MOUSE GUARD: FALL 1152 by David Petersen and OKKO: THE CYCLE OF WATER by Hub are among the ten finalists for ForeWord’s Award in the Graphic Novel category.

The Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced at BookExpo America at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on May 30.

This is the 5th straight year ASP has had its books nominated for the awards “established to bring increased attention to the literary achievements of independent presses and their authors.” In the previous four years, ARTESIA and ARTESIA AFIRE won Gold and Silver Awards, respectively, THE LONE AND LEVEL SANDS captured an Honorable Mention, and ROBOTIKA nabbed the Bronze Award.

“We’re very grateful to have two of our books nominated for the awards this year,” said ARTESIA creator and ASP Publisher Mark Smylie. “We’re proud of each and every one of our books and it’s terrific to see them and their creators get the recognition they so richly deserve.”

To see an excerpt from MOUSE GUARD, go to:
http://www.aspcomics.com/mouse_guard.php

To see an excerpt from OKKO, go to:
http://www.aspcomics.com/okko.php

ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Winners are selected by a unique process involving dozens of ForeWord readers---librarians and booksellers who are immersed daily in the selection and recommendation of books. Each entry is judged on criteria including originality, writing and production quality, and customer interest in the subject matter.

All ASP titles are available worldwide at finer comic book shops, bookstores, amazon.com, Indie Press Revolution (www.indiepressrevolution.com) and electronically at DriveThruComics.com.

ABOUT ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Mark Smylie founded Archaia Studios Press (ASP) in 2002 as a new home for his epic fantasy comic book, Artesia (first published by Sirius Entertainment). Artesia, winner of ForeWord Magazine’s Best Graphic Novel of 2003, and its sequels -- Artesia Afield and Artesia Afire -- gave ASP its foundation. Artesia: Adventures in The Known World, a roleplaying game written by Mark, expanded ASP into the world of gaming; the game won the Origins Award for Role-Playing Game of 2005. Now Mark and publishing partner Aki Liao have expanded ASP to include a line of idiosyncratic and creator-driven comic books and graphic novels in the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres, as well as translations of several of Europe’s best titles. More information can be found at www.aspcomics.com.