J. N. WILLIAMSON's ILLUSTRATED MASQUES contains graphic adaptations from the Masques series including Stephen King's "Popsy."
September 21, 2011
In addition to the letter by King, the book also includes an introduction by J.K. Rowling and letters by Gene Hackman, William Shatner, and other celebrities I like. Dear Me will be released in hardcover and ebook on October 25th!
This is all very interesting stuff, but you'll have to wait for my full review, coming to FEARnet.com soon!
Enjoy the new section, read some great books, and I'll continue to keep you informed!
For readers new to The Dark Tower, The Wind Through the Keyhole is a stand-alone novel, and a wonderful introduction to the series. It is a story within a story, which features both the younger and older gunslinger Roland on his quest to find the Dark Tower. Fans of the existing seven books in the series will also delight in discovering what happened to Roland and his ka-tet between the time they leave the Emerald City and arrive at the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis.
This Russian Doll of a novel, a story within a story, within a story, visits Mid-World's last gunslinger, Roland Deschain, and his ka-tet as a ferocious storm halts their progress along the Path of the Beam. (The novel can be placed between Dark Tower IV and Dark Tower V.) Roland tells a tale from his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt ridden year following his mother's death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape shifter, a "skin man," Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter. Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Book of Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime, "The Wind through the Keyhole." "A person's never too old for stories," he says to Bill. "Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them." And stories like these, they live for us.
August 11, 2011
"I'm not afraid." Wow! For those of you (all of you) clamoring for the new Stephen King novella, "Mile 81," due on ebook on September 1st ... your wait just got a little easier. Today, iTunes released a preview sample of the story (twenty-seven pages, the entire first chapter!), including the table of contents. It's neat that the chapters are named after people with the names of their vehicles in parentheses. Gives us a glimpse as to what's going to happen! I can't wait!
August 3, 2011
Cemetery Dance announces VERY limited edition of A Book of Horrors! I've been hyping this book for awhile, and with good reason. It's all-new, classic horror from leading writers in the field. People like Dennis Etchison, Elizabeth Hand, Ramsey Campbell, Richard Christian Matheson, and of course Stephen King. If you haven't read my review of King's contribution, "The Little Green God of Agony, do it and let it convince you. This collection is terrific. A further description from Cemetery Dance:
Open this book at your own peril! That is because this volume is exactly what it says on the cover—A Book of Horrors contains all-original stories by some of the most successful and exciting names in modern horror fiction.
For the first time in many years, here is an original anthology of horror and dark fantasy in all its many and magnificent guises—from classic pulp-style tales of Dark and Stormy Nights, through more contemporary and psychological terrors, to the type of cutting-edge fiction that only the very best horror fiction can deliver.
Brought together from around the world by World Fantasy Award-winning editor Stephen Jones, one of Britain's most acclaimed and experienced anthologists of horror fiction, here are many of the authors who have helped shaped the genre in all of its forms, along with terrifying tales of unease by a new generation of storytellers devoted to the Dark Side.
But be warned: once you begin to delve within these pages, your imagination and senses will be assaulted by terrors both grim and gruesome, literary and lethal, that will stay with you long after you have closed its covers and tried to put aside the images and situations which have wormed their way deep within your mind.
Don't blame us for the bad dreams or cold sweats that these tales will induce. We did tell you — this is A Book of Horrors, and once you open it there is no way that these scarifying stories will ever be forgotten... no matter how much you wish that the nightmares will just go away!
Anyone familiar with Charnel House knows that Cemetery Dance puts out massively cool limited editions. This one is going to rock and no fooling! BUT! Because this is a co-publishing venture with PS Publishing in the UK, they only have HALF the print run to sell, and they're already going fast. Order quick atwww.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/jones02!
August 3, 2011
New short story: "The Dune," coming this fall! Literary magazine Granta will be publishing an all-Horror special for their Fall/Winter edition, and Stephen King has a brand-new short story in it. (Can you believe how much new writing he has given us this year?) It's called "The Dune," and the issue should be available October 27! More info as it comes!
July 30, 2011 
Here's some fun and interesting news. King's The Stand has been re-released in mass market paperback with a new, body-strewn cover. Random House, which now owns Doubleday (King's publisher for his first five books, plus Pet Sematary), has released the book under its Anchor imprint, a new publishing division for The Stand. (My thought? It's to class things up a bit. The Pocket Books releases are really snazzy.)
But that's not the most interesting part! Take a look at the new "Also By the Author" page (and ignore my thumb):
The first thing I noticed is that the books are listed in (mostly) true chronology. Notice that Drawing of the Three and The Waste Lands aren't lumped together like they usually are in these books; all the Dark Tower books are listed as when they were published by Grant, not mass market publishers. (Sadly, stuff like The Eyes of the Dragon are only listed according to when Viking published it.)
The next interesting thing is that Cycle of the Werewolf is nowhere to be found. What!? Is it because Silver Bullet is listed? Also: Rage is listed. While the last Stephen King novel to feature an "Also By" page - The Dark Tower - listed Rage, but Blaze, which came later, left Rage off the page.
There's also a brand-new category, which I find a little funny. "Story Collections and Novellas" is interesting. Hearts In Atlantis is over here, which is arguable. Also here: Blockade Billy, which does count as a novella ... but then why is Cycle of the Werewolf (which would count) not here? And why is The Colorado Kid in Novels and not over here? So puzzling! Also: no The Plant. Which is understandable, but still!
Anyway, the "Also By" page was one of my favorite parts of King books when I was growing up, and it's neat to have it back. Now, let's put it in 11/22/63! Come on!
July 26, 2011
Read King's enlightening introduction to a new British release of Lord of the Flies! I love this essay!
July 26, 2011
My review for the Full Dark, No Stars bonus story, "Under the Weather," is NOW UP!
July 20, 2011
The heart of Stand By Me and the genius horror of Christine. Stephen King's Official Site has given us more information on the upcoming eBook novella, "Mile 81":
At Mile 81 on the Maine Turnpike is a boarded up rest stop, a place where high school kids drink and get into the kind of trouble high school kids have always gotten into. It’s the place where Pete Simmons goes when his older brother, who’s supposed to be looking out for him, heads off to the gravel pit to play "paratroopers over the side."
Pete, armed only with the magnifying glass he got for his tenth birthday, finds a discarded bottle of vodka in the boarded up burger shack and drinks enough to pass out.
Not much later, a mud-covered station wagon (which is strange because there hadn’t been any rain in New England for over a week) veers into the Mile 81 rest area, ignoring the sign that says “closed, no services.” The driver’s door opens but nobody gets out.
Doug Clayton, an insurance man from Bangor, is driving his Prius to a conference in Portland. On the backseat are his briefcase and suitcase and in the passenger bucket is a King James Bible, what Doug calls “the ultimate insurance manual,” but it isn’t going to save Doug when he decides to be the Good Samaritan and help the guy in the broken down wagon. He pulls up behind it, puts on his four-ways, and then notices that the wagon has no plates.
Ten minutes later, Julianne Vernon, pulling a horse trailer, spots the Prius and the wagon, and pulls over. Julianne finds Doug Clayton’s cracked cell phone near the wagon door – and gets too close herself. By the time Pete Simmons wakes up from his vodka nap, there are a half a dozen cars at the Mile 81 rest stop. Two kids – Rachel and Blake Lussier –and one horse named Deedee are the only living left. Unless you maybe count the wagon.
With the heart of Stand By Me and the genius horror of Christine, "Mile 81" is Stephen unleashing his imagination as he drives past one of those road signs...
The novella will also include an excerpt of King's upcoming mammoth novel, 11/22/63. Very exciting stuff coming down the pipeline! We'll keep you updated with all the news on this surprise new title!
July 13, 2011
So fresh, so unique, and so viscerally frightening. Read my review of Stephen King's newest short story, "The Little Green God of Agony," which appears in the upcoming anthology, A Book of Horrors, edited by Stephen Jones. You guys are going to love this story!
July 13, 2011
New eBook coming! Scribner announced today a NEW eBook coming from King, September 1st of this year! Called Mile 81, the ebook will be novella-length - 80 pages - at a price of $2.99. Check out the official Mile 81 page at Scribner!
July 12, 2011
Date and length of Wind! Scribner announced today that the new Dark Tower midquel, The Wind Through the Keyhole, is coming April 3, 2012, and that it will be 336 pages! Longer than the first, shorter than all the others, I think King had said. I'm getting pretty amped for this one!
July 8, 2011
Buy Rocky Wood's stuff! Rocky Wood, co-author of Stephen King: The Non-Fiction and president of the Horror Writers Association of America, is selling off all his King stuff through The Overlook Connection! You might have noticed the link at the top of the page. If you've clicked it before, good news: there's a whole bunch of new stuff up there now! If you haven't ever looked at the Rocky Wood Collection at Overlook, YOU'RE in luck! There's so much stuff!
The Rocky Wood is a win-win: you get way cool King swag, and Rocky gets funds he needs to treat his ALS. So do Rocky - and yourself - a favor and buy something cool!
July 7, 2011
Slight, but not without charm. Stephen King's new review of Josh Ritter's novel, Bright's Passage, is up at the New York Times Sunday Book Review online edition. Check it out!
June 30, 2011
King's Summer Reading List! Say! King has just published his "Non-Snobby Summer Reading List" for Entertainment Weekly, and you should give it a look! Check it out here! One addition King hadn't mentioned: >Live Wire, by Harlan Coben. I just finished it and it was boss!
June 23, 2011
"Horror's last maverick", editor Stephen Jones has compiled a new horror anthology titled A Book of Horrors, including a BRAND NEW Stephen King short story, "The Little Green God of Agony." Though the title convention suggests a connection to the last Dark Tower novel (with its chapters, "Blue Heaven," "The White Lands of Empathica," etc.), nothing concrete is yet known about it. From StephenJonesEditor.com:
Open this book at your own peril! That is because this volume is exactly what it say on the cover—A Book of Horrors contains all-original stories by some of the most successful and exciting names in modern horror fiction. For the first time in many years, here is an original anthology of horror and dark fantasy in all its many and magnificent guises—from classic pulp-style tales of Dark and Stormy Nights, through more contemporary and psychological terrors, to the type of cutting-edge fiction that only the very best horror fiction can deliver. Brought together from around the world by World Fantasy Award-winning editor Stephen Jones, one of Britain's most acclaimed and experienced anthologists of horror fiction, here are many of the authors who have helped shaped the genre in all of its forms, along with terrifying tales of unease by a new generation of storytellers devoted to the Dark Side. But be warned: once you begin to delve within these pages, your imagination and senses will be assaulted by terrors both grim and gruesome, literary and lethal, that will stay with you long after you have closed its covers and tried to put aside the images and situations which have wormed their way deep within your mind. Don't blame us for the bad dreams or cold sweats that these tales will induce. We did tell you—this is A Book of Horrors, and once you open it there is no way that these scarifying stories will ever be forgotten... no matter how much you wish that the nightmares will just go away!
A Book of Horrors is coming September 29th!
June 18, 2011
Congratulations, Stephen King! Stephen King is the proud recipient of the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, for the masterful work, Full Dark, No Stars. King has won this award previously in 1990 (for Four Past Midnight) and in 2008 (for Just After Sunset). Thanks to Tina Rooker for the heads-up!
June 15, 2011
More info on Keyhole, plus Dark Tower re-releases!: Houghton & Stoddard, Stephen King's British publishers, recently announced their acquisition of The Wind Through the Keyhole in a press release!
Hodder & Stoughton are delighted to announce the acquisition, from Chuck Verill at Darhansoff & Verrill
in New York, of THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE by Stephen King, a further title in the Dark Tower series, to be published worldwide in hardcover in the spring of 2012.
This novel will join the seven volumes, already published, that make up the series. As King's UK editor, Philippa Pride, puts it, 'For those of us who are hooked on the bestselling fantasy/adventure series already, it is a wonderful reunion! For readers who have yet to embark, it is a delightful way into the series as the novel stands perfectly alone - a story within a story - and features both the older Roland and the younger.'
Why did the author return to a series completed eight years ago? King had 'started thinking - and dreaming - about Mid-World again. What happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah and Oy ...? There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. And little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland's old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest.'
Verrill comments 'the book is fabulous, and should be wholly satisfying to both Dark Tower cognoscenti and newcomers who are bound to be drawn in.'
Hodder will relaunch rejacketted paperbacks of the entire series alongside, as part of their major King reissue programme.
Exciting indeed! I can't wait!
June 2, 2011
One thing led to another...: Scribner has released an excerpt from Stephen King's upcoming mega-novel, 11/22/63. Seven pages that you can either read online or print out a .pdf! I'm loving the way Scribner and King have been promoting his new stuff lately, and the way both are unafraid to use new media to do it. 11/22/63 isn't coming until November, folks, so sip here and enjoy the ride!
May 24, 2011
The trade paperback edition of Full Dark, No Stars is out today, including the brand-new story, "Under the Weather." I'll have a review of this story - and how it fits in with Full Dark as a whole - soon!
May 23, 2011
Here it is, folks: news so exciting, I almost can't believe it's real. Oh, but it's real.
It: The 25th Anniversary Special Limited Edition IS COMING.
From the Cemetery Dance website:
"I worked on the book in a dream. I remember very little about the writing of it, except
for the idea that I'd gotten hold of something that felt very big to me, and something that
talked about more than monsters..."
— Stephen King, from the exclusive afterword for this special edition
It: The 25th Anniversary Special Limited Edition
by Stephen King
Featuring a brand new afterword by Stephen King, full-color wrap-around color artwork by Glen Orbik, and
nearly thirty original color and black & white interior illustrations by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells!
About this Deluxe Special Edition:
Cemetery Dance Publications is very pleased to announce our Special Deluxe Limited Edition of Stephen
King's classic novel It, which he calls his "final exam on Famous Monsters" in his brand new afterword to
this oversized special edition!
This is easily the biggest, most lavish production Cemetery Dance Publications has ever undertaken. Glen
Orbik painted the gorgeous wrap-around cover artwork, Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells created nearly thirty
exclusive interior illustrations including black & white drawings and color paintings, and we hired the
designer of the Limited Editions of The Secretary of Dreams, Blockade Billy, Riding the Bullet, and Full
Dark, No Stars to create a unique interior design unlike any book we've ever published!
This fine collectible volume will be available in three states, all of them printed in two colors and bound in
fine materials that go beyond the scope and quality of our other much-acclaimed Stephen King special
editions. Already deep in production, the exclusive Cemetery Dance Special Limited Edition of It by
Stephen King will be the perfect addition to any collection. We expect strong demand for this collectible
given the popularity of the novel, so don't wait to place your order or you might miss out!
Special Features Exclusive to this Collector's Edition:
brand new afterword by Stephen King detailing why he wrote the book
deluxe oversized design (7 inches X 10 inches) featuring two color interior printing
epic wrap-around full color cover artwork by Glen Orbik
nearly thirty pieces of color and black & white interior artwork by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells
interior color artwork will be printed on a high-quality glossy stock and tipped into the book
high-quality embossed endpapers and fine bindings for all three editions
full-color signature sheets with exclusive color artwork in the signed editions
a page count so high it pushes the limits of our printer — easily our largest book ever!
extremely collectible print run that is a tiny fraction of the MILLIONS of copies of this novel you've seen
in bookstores over the last 25 years — and you will NOT find our edition in chain bookstores!
The Cover Painting:
Ordering Multiple Copies:
There is a limit of one (1) Limited Edition and one (1) Lettered Edition per person or household. There is
currently no limit on the Gift Edition, although that might be changed in the near future. Please note that we
cannot combine multiple orders, so if you want to save on shipping, please place one order.
Matching Numbers or Letters:
If you would like us to match your Number or your Letter from Full Dark, No Stars, you will need to
REPLY to your order confirmation email and tell us right away.
General Shipping Information:
This is a HUGE, oversized hardcover special edition protected by a custom-made slipcase or traycase,
depending on the edition you order, and this will be the BIGGEST and HEAVIEST book we have ever
published. This special edition must be shipped in a custom-made shipping box and we will be hiring extra
staff just to ship these orders.
US Shipping:
If you live in the US, we strongly recommend you select UPS as your shipping method and have your order
shipped to a street address. Our shipping fee for that option is based on the price UPS will charge us for the
shipping and the required insurance to protect your investment, along with the cost of the packing materials
we must order specifically for this item. Shipments via Media Mail are shipped at your own risk. There
will be no replacements sent for damage or loss that occurs for packages shipped via Media Mail.
Non-US Shipping:
We charge what the post office will charge us to ship this item via Priority Mail International, which is the
only method available for this book due to the size and weight. We estimate the shipping for the Gift
Edition will be approximately $41 to Canada, $56 to the UK, and $67 to Australia — some locations may
vary. Our online checkout system can estimate shipping for multiple copies, multiple editions, or other
locations. Just add the editions you want to your cart and begin the checkout process. You will see your
shipping estimate on the Payment & Shipping page. (You are under no obligation to finish checking out.)
This method will result in a much quicker shipping estimate than calling or emailing our office and we
cannot be responsible if you miss out on an edition you want while waiting for our office staff to reply.
Note About Contacting Our Office:
If you have any questions about this item, please contact our office via email. We expect to be extremely
busy responding to customer inquiries and general media requests for the next week, so it may take longer
than normal for us to reply to you, but email is still the faster way to get a response since we answer
questions from the office and from home. Thank you for your understanding.
General Notes:
Unfortunately, no coupons, savings certificates, store credit, special offers, or other discounts can be applied
to this item, and this item cannot be used to qualify for any special offer or discount or deal. If you are a
retailer, please note that standing orders do not apply for this item — you need to email our office for more
information.
Published in three states:
Slipcased Oversized Hardcover Gift Edition of only 2,750 illustrated copies printed in two colors with two
color hot foil stamping, a fine binding, and embossed endpapers ($125)
Traycased Oversized Hardcover Signed Limited Edition of only 750 illustrated copies printed in two colors
and bound in leather with two color hot foil stamping, a satin ribbon page marker and different embossed
endpapers, signed by Stephen King and all of the artists ($475)
Oversized Signed Hardcover Lettered Edition of only 52 illustrated copies printed in two colors and bound
in two different fine materials with gilded page edges, imported endpapers, a satin ribbon page marker, and
protected in a custom deluxe box, signed by Stephen King and all of the artists ($2,000)
* * *
Folks, this is going to be an enormous, sumptuous edition. I cannot WAIT to see this thing with my own eyes, and hold it in my hands. This is the literal definition of awesome.
May 17, 2011
Check out this super neat feature on what goes into the making of a limited-edition book cover. Cemetery Dance's design process for the cover of Full Dark, No Stars is far more fascinating than you'd expect. Design and font nerds will go nuts over this! I know I did!
May 11, 2011
The last time I took a vacation, 11/22/63 was announced. While I was away for five days this time, a whole plethora of news and information came down the pike. All of which is to say, I should vacation more, just to ensure that we get boatloads of King news. Let's catch up:
Donald M. Grant, Publisher officially announces The Wind Through the Keyhole, with artist Jae Lee. From Grant's website:
COMING IN 2012
THE DARK TOWER: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE by STEPHEN KING
We are not taking orders at this time, do not have prices and have not set a release date. Please do not call or email us asking for more information than is posted here. Updates will be announced in future issues of our newsletter and also posted here. We also advise you to sign up for Stephen King's newsletter at stephenking.com.
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. will, in the Spring of 2012 be publishing limited editions of this new Dark Tower novel by Stephen King which will be illustrated by Jae Lee.
Stephen King has agreed to sign 800 copies of a Deluxe Edition which will be issued in a tray case. These will also be signed by Jae Lee. In keeping with our policies of supporting long time customers, owners of Deluxe Edition copies of THE LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA numbered 1-800 will have the first option to buy this Deluxe Edition.
In addition there will be a limited "Artist" Edition which will be signed by Jae Lee and will be issued in a slipcase.
So, pretty much, super exciting news for Tower freaks and fans of quality limited editions. Jae Lee has long illustrated the comic-book interpretation of King's Dark Tower saga, and seems to be the perfect fit for this interstitial mid-quel. I'm excited!
StephenKing.com re-launches with a new look. Speaking of King's website, it relaunched May 4 with a new look. King's new site is brighter than before, and no longer relies on Flash-based tech (meaning you can now see everything on your iPhone and iPad). Even more exciting: you can now receive "MicroNews Feeds" on Twitter! Check out the StephenKing.com Twitter feed here.
Stephen King still in talks to write an episode of The Walking Dead. Reported yesterday by amazing fansite Lilja's Library, Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman seems completely on board with King writing an episode of the acclaimed zombie series:
"[King writing an episode has] been discussed a little bit," he said. "Everyone involved on both sides of that are very anxious to make that happen; AMC is excited; [Creator/executive producer/director] Frank Darabont is excited; I'm excited. I know Stephen King and [his son and fellow writer] Joe Hill are excited. We'll see if we can make that come together. I can neither confirm nor deny."
I think we're all excited for this to happen. King's last foray into scripting an episode for TV that was not his property was with The X-Files' "Chinga," which was a bit iffy. The Walking Dead seems far more in King's wheelhouse, and with Darabont at the helm, this could be another perfect marriage. We shall see.
Caught up? Good. Keep watching this space for more updates in both content and design. Some exciting stuff is coming for your Charnel House. Thanks for reading!
April 26, 2011
NEW story in the upcoming paperback of Full Dark, No Stars! Reader Peter Hansen tells me that the new story in the paperback edition of Full Dark, No Stars is called "Under the Weather". No news yet whether it connects thematically with the four novellas, or if it's just a bonus. More news as I learn it! This is thrilling!
Lots of Michael Collings news! Michael R. Collings is the most prolific Stephen King expert, and we're about to be hit with a truckload of Collings awesome:
(1) Coming soon to Amazon.com as a Kindle exclusive: Perspectives: Views, Reviews, Interviews, a release that "will reprint about 60,000 words of reviews, short articles, and interviews that have appeared over the past 25 years in print sources, but that are for the most part impossible to find." This includes reviews of King novels Blaze, The Stand, Rose Madder, Four Past Midnight, Needful Things, and The Waste Lands, "as well as reviews of several books about King." There are also reviews of books by Koontz, Straub, McCammon, and Dan Wells, as well as Collings's awesome (and long out-of-print) Pet Sematary movie review from Castle Rock! More information on this one as I get it, but the word is that it will be appearing within the week!
(2) Literary blog The Two Ends of the Pen just published Collings's terrific essay, "Horror: A Constant State of Fear." Referencing King specifically and tackling horror as a genre, this scholarly (but accessible) essay is a must-read for King and horror fans. You can find it here.
(3) Collings's new novel, The Slab, was the #1 Kindle book over this past weekend. Fans of Collings's nonfiction shouldn't miss this - Collings's horror grasp is not only on the mind, but also the throat. You can pick The Slab up here.
Stay tuned for even more super awesome announcements. I mentioned Charnel House changes? They're coming - and soon!
April 20, 2011
Feast your eyes on this:
BAM! Thank Lilja's Library for providing this one. Looks AWESOME! I can't wait!
Also! Rocky Wood's Stephen King: A Literary Companion is NOW SHIPPING! You can order it here!
"This companion provides a two-part introduction to best-selling author Stephen King, whose enormous popularity over the years has gained him an audience well beyond readers of horror fiction, the genre with which is most often associated. Part I considers the reception of King’s work, the film adaptations that they gave rise to, the fictional worlds in which some of his novels are set, and the more useful approaches to King’s varied corpus. Part II consists of entries for each series, novel, story, screenplay and even poem, including works never published or produced, as well as characters and settings.
Rocky is a terrific guy and a helluva writer, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't pick this one up. Oh! And don't forget The Rocky Wood Collection at the Overlook Connection! Rocky is selling his entire Stephen King collection, and it's super impressive stuff. Rock!
April 19, 2011
King to return to American Vampire? In a recent interview with Ain't It Cool News, American Vampire creator Scott Snyder intimated that Stephen King may be coming back to the comic:
AICN: I was wondering if there were any word on Stephen King ever coming back and doing some more stuff?
Snyder: He teases it. He’s doing a little piece, a foreword, for us in prose for the volume two which is out in May, which we are really excited about which collects issues six through eleven. But he always has an open door man. I talk to him a lot. We send him every issue and he’s always chiming in about where he’d like to be, so my hope is we are really, really thrilled about what we have planned for the fifties. I have a big, big twist and a new character I want to bring in that is sort of our version of a Punisher. He’s a character who has actually been tucked into the series earlier in a hidden way and my feeling is that if he comes back at any point, it will probably be there. I think that he can’t really resist hot rods and vampires.
Folks, American Vampire (along with Walking Dead) is the best horror comic on the stands. King's run was terrific, but the comic has been fantastic ever since, even without King's direct contribution. I urge everyone to pick up the first hardcover collection (featuring not only King's storyline, but also a great introduction by King), and preorder Volume 2!
April 18, 2011
Really interesting stuff! Chris Eggertsen, of the website Bloody Disgusting, recently provided a complete Hollywood history of Stephen King. This thing is fascinating. Check it out!
Also, word comes in from publisher Faber & Faber that Stephen King will provide a new introduction to the upcoming "centenary" edition of Lord of the Flies. King readers will be familiar with the effect this novel had on King and his writing - The Dark Half's Thad Beaumont was traumatized by it, and Hearts In Atlantis is in part an homage to it. Publisher Hannah Griffiths says, King and Golding "is just the best combination of writers ever." I have high hopes for this introduction!
April 12, 2011
An important cause for a good friend. Want to help out a true King expert, friend, and all-around good guy, while ALSO getting your hands on some really rare Stephen King items? Author Rocky Wood is selling his King collection through Overlook Press, and there are some amazing finds on there! If you are a King collector of any stripe, I highly recommend you check it out.
Sadly, part of the reason Rocky is parting with this treasure trove is because he has been diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Right now, only the symptoms are treatable; there is currently no cure. While treatment options are good in Rocky's native Australia, the money he gets from his collection will absolutely help with his medical bills.
You can also donate to Rocky directly through PayPal at rocky_wood@hotmail.com. Please do him a favor and do not mention this is a donation when you donate. It's ridiculous, but if he gets classified as an official charity, they might suspend his account. Thanks for understanding!
I'm going to leave a link up to the collection on the website indefinitely. Thank you, everyone, for helping our buddy Rocky through this difficult time.
April 12, 2011
UPDATE: Read my pocket review of "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" here. Don't miss this one, folks!
The May issue of The Atlantic containing Stephen King's new short story, "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" is
NOW OUT! Even more, you can now read King's story online! That's right! BRAND NEW STORY ONLINE! Check it out!
April 1, 2011
HUGE NEWS! Hot on the heels of King's announcement/confirmation of The Wind Through the Keyhole, he has announced THREE new Dark Tower novels, happening in between each of the latter books. The first, Bumbler Lament, takes place between Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah, and will mostly focus on Oy and why he was exiled from his clan. The second, Too Many Doors, takes place between Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower, and will look at the creation of all the doors, everywhere, between the worlds. "I wanted to get some detail going on this one," King said, "so I made sure I wrote in some scenes of the Great Old Ones selecting the trees and melding the doorknobs." Then added, devilishly, "The chapter on hinges alone will keep you up all night."
The third book takes place between Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 of The Dark Tower. Called Eggs, it explicitly links Mordred Deschain and Pennywise the Dancing Clown, because of the similarity of spider eggs. "There's some real cosmic shit in there," King is quoted as saying. VERY exciting stuff!
BUT THAT ISN'T ALL!
Even though King's anticipated time travel novel, 11/22/63, won't be out until November, we have already heard word of a sequel, titled 9/8/66. Says King, "Doing research for the Kennedy book, I realized that 11/22/36 was not only the day the President was killed, but it was also the day Dr. Who debuted on TV. And I thought, wouldn't it be great to write another time travel book that centered on the day Star Trek came out." Early reports say that 9/8/66 will be approximately 1,500 pages long.
AND!!!!
King is releasing a brand-new short story to The Pacific Quarterly this May. Titled "John Updike Isn't Alive, But He Won a Pulitzer and That's Pretty Cool," it's said to be "very, very frightening."
FINALLY!
We've been waiting years for this, and our prayers have finally been answered! Just yesterday, King announced a massive volume of his collected nonfiction! Titled Two Headlights (or, alternately, Third Coming, or More Natural Acts of Human Intercourse, or Cork; the name hasn't really been finalized), this volume will contain everything, from "Remembering John" to "The Importance of Being Archie" to every "Garbage Truck" and Entertainment Weekly column. Look for Justin Brooks and Rocky Wood's brand new book about that book in the months to follow!
Oh, and by the way! april fool's!
March 22, 2011
The rumors appear to be true! Stephen King is in talks to pen an episode of the critically-acclaimed (and Charnel House-approved) zombie drama The Walking Dead. From Entertainment Weekly Online:
AMC’s zombie sensation The Walking Dead might be getting a serious scare injection on its writing staff for next season. Iconic horror novelist (and former EW columnist) Stephen King has confirmed with EW that he’s currently in talks to write an episode of the post-apocalyptic series. Dead is executive-produced by Frank Darabont, who has directed three films based on King’s work — four, if you count his 1983 short film The Woman in the Room — and King tells EW exclusively that Darabont “has expressed enthusiastic interest for season 2 or possibly 3.” Although the author is still early in negotiations, the current plan would be for King to co-write an episode with his son, Joe Hill, the author of horror novels Heart-Shaped Box and Horns."
Which would be the second time King and Hill have collaborated, following their Richard Matheson-inspired short story, "Throttle." Exciting news!
March 14, 2011
From King's official website comes news of a brand-new short story, "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive." It's coming in the May issue of The Atlantic, on newsstands April 19th (and on the web and to subscribers a week earlier, on April 12th). The good news just keeps coming!
March 11, 2011
On Stephen King's official message board, you can now vote for who YOU want to illustrate Wind Through the Keyhole. The list features various Dark Tower veterans (Michael Whelan is in the lead right now), but I urge you to check out some of the artists who haven't done a book yet. I am especially partial to Gregory Manchess's work. But don't take my word for it! You can sample the artwork and vote right here! Enjoy!
March 10, 2011
NEW DARK TOWER BOOK. After a long news drought, now comes the ocean. Not only is 1/22/63 coming this November, but King has now announced The Wind Through the Keyhole as definitely upcoming! From his website:
Dear Constant Readers,
At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?
There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland's old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It's finished, and I expect it will be published next year.
It won't tell you much that's new about Roland and his friends, but there's a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume—call this one DT 4.5. It's not going to change anybody's life, but God, I had fun.
WHOA! Amazing stuff! Keep an eye out here for details about both of these upcoming novels, and check out King's full announcement on his website.
March 2, 2011
BRAND NEW NOVEL ANNOUNCED! From King's website:
Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.
Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.
This seems like an entirely different sort of book for King, except perhaps the length: at roughly 1,000 pages, this one will be joining the ranks of The Stand, It, and Under the Dome. A really terrific title, too, and an intriguing storyline. I'm excited!
The book is due November 8, 2011. For further details, keep an eye on the 11/22/63 page on King's site, the official Simon & Schuster website for the novel, or keep tuned right here for all the tantalizing hints and updates of this fascinating new book.
February 16, 2011
NEWS! First, the mass market paperback of Full Dark, No Stars will be released on July 26th, not July 19th as originally reported. Second, for the first time EVER: my FULL LENGTH review of The Dark Tower. Cherish it, always.
OH! One more thing. Stephen King's new book comes out this November. I can't tell you any more than that. (Literally. I have no more information. But when I do, I promise, you'll be the first to know.)
January 30, 2011
Update! I've gently edited my vitriolic critique of Stephen King Goes to the Movies, the most pointless book in King's canon. Um, enjoy?
Hooray! The brand-new full-length review of Just After Sunset is NOW UP! Enjoy!
January 27, 2011
Update! My brand-new, in-depth, semi-thesis critique of On Writing is NOW UP!!! I hope you enjoy this one. It was a blast to write!
Hey all! Shivers VI, from Cemetery Dance is NOW AVAILABLE! In addition to other amazing writers like Peter Straub (whose sequel to his terrific A Dark Matter appears here), Bev Vincent, Brian James Freeman, Melanie Tem, Al Sarrantonio, and more, Shivers VI is the only place to find the original text version of Stephen King's "The Crate." While the illustrated adaptation appeared in Creepshow, this story has never been collected in a Stephen King anthology, and it is well worth reading. Edited by Richard Chizmar, Shivers VI is going fast. Get your copy while it's still available!
January 22, 2011
Rocky Wood, co-author of Stephen King: The Non-Fiction and Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished, will be releasing a new book this summer, Stephen King, a Literary Companion. This book
[p]rovides a two-part introduction to best-selling author Stephen King, whose enormous popularity over the years has gained him an audience well beyond readers of horror fiction, the genre with which is most often associated. Part I considers the reception of King’s work, the film adaptations that they gave rise to, the fictional worlds in which some of his novels are set, and the more useful approaches to King’s varied corpus. Part II consists of entries for each series, novel, story, screenplay and even poem, including works never published or produced, as well as characters and settings. 
Wood's a terrific writer, and his work on King has provided new insight into King's canon. I'm really looking forward to this one! Pre-order your copy here!
January 20, 2011
Update! My updated and expanded review of Duma Key is ALSO now up! Hooray!
A more in-depth and edited update of The Mist is now UP! Because why not?
January 19, 2011
Hey! Check out my BRAND-NEW, FULL-LENGTH review of Blaze! A severely underrated novel, and perhaps the last-ever Bachman book.
We are coming close to the end of the novel critique re-writes, folks. The newest - Under the Dome and Blockade Billy, Full Dark, No Stars - may need some tweaks, not many. On Writing and Just After Sunset need some overhauls, but nothing like a full rewrite. I, surprisingly, never wrote a review of The Dark Tower; I'm currently re-reading that and hope to have a full critique on that for the first time on this site soon.
This has been an ambitious project, folks, and I'm so happy you've been on it with me. There has also been a reason for me doing these now, beyond just wanting the site to look more professional. But we'll get there. You'll see.
Till then, keep reading!
January 12, 2011
I am beyond pleased to announce the publication of Toward Other Worlds: Perspectives on John Milton, C.S. Lewis, Stephen King, Orson Scott Card, and Others, written by the most prolific expert on King writing today, Dr. Michael R. Collings. Dr. Collings's depth and breadth of work on King is amazing, books that define and redefine what writing on King is and can be: Stephen King as Richard Bachman, The Films of Stephen King, The Stephen King Phenomenon, Scaring us to Death, not to mention the various essays he has contributed to other defining works, such as George Beahm's masterful Stephen King Companion. Collings writes with an academic pen, but never sacrifices accessibility.
His new book, Toward Other Worlds, enhances Collings's remarkable output even further. Here, he collects some of his best essays (some previously published, some not) on writers of speculative fiction. Of particular interest to Charnel House readers are his seven essays on King. Two, "Of Books and Reputations" and "The Radiating Pencils of His Bones: The Poetry of Stephen King" are reprinted from out-of-date sources and are refreshing to have in a collection like this. The others are of similarly high caliber: "On Kubrick's The Shining," "Considering The Stands," "Stephen King's The Dark Tower in the Epic Tradition," "Faith Within Fantasy: Stephen King, Richard Bachman, and Seventh-Century Devotional Poetry," and an illuminating interview with reporter Shuei Sai on films based on King works.
Most fascinating are Colling's take on King's more recent work, notably Desperation, The Regulators, and the Dark Tower series. He's got a vast knowledge of literature and why certain tenets continue to work after centuries. King, he continues to argue, is a modern interpreter of the myths and legends that have existed since the genesis of fiction. It is also refreshing to read an academic's take on King's accessibility, and why it should be encouraged.
I have been a big fan of Michael Collings for ages. I loved Toward Other Worlds, especially the King essays. It is in stock and ready to ship from Amazon.com, so do yourself a favor and pick up your copy today!
January 11, 2011
Hey! What the wow? Check out my BRAND-NEW FULL-LENGTH review of Dreamcatcher! I liked it way more the second time!
January 8, 2011
The BRAND-NEW CRITIQUE of Lisey's Story is NOW UP. Check it out! More soon!
January 7, 2011
According to my sources, the mass-market paperback of Full Dark, No Stars should be available on July 19th, 2011! Interestingly, neither
(Oct 28)Update 2! Lets see if this little quote doesn't set you on fire!
"This week, in a special edition of our regular weekly Joe Fridays installment, Joe spills the King beans. Yeah, the announcement has been made, but as for the whos, wheres, whys and hows – all in here. Well, most in here – he’s not going to tell you how the first mini-series ends.
Did we say 'first'? "
Read the rest at Newsarama
here.
dvs
(Oct 28) Update! Okay, so I was wrong. King is doing a Dark Tower project with Marvel, and we have the info! (I love being wrong!)
Starting in April of 2006 and continuing monthly through September, Marvel will release a series of six comic books detailing Roland Deschain's life before we caught up with him in the desert at the beginning of The Gunslinger. The artwork will, in fact, be done by Jae Lee (and MAN is it beautiful!) 
The six-issue series will be collected in a hardcover edition in time for Christmas 2006, which means those of you (me) who collect King in hardcover will be able to put this one right up there on the shelf.
Marvel is being sure to push this series (no news on a title proper yet; for now, we're referring to it as Dark Tower [8]) as "graphic fiction," which seems a push toward getting this project in a more mainstream light (sort of like Creepshow was published as "illustrated fiction"). And this isn't the first time King has done a project with Marvel; he and Berni Wrightson did three pages of a one-shot called X-Men: Heroes for Hope. But this is the first ongoing comic series that King has ever worked on, and everyone involved seems beyond excited (including me!)
So next year is going to resemble 1996, everyone: two full King novels and an ongoing, six-month fiction series. Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying King's retirement? (I've also created a page with all the info, right here!)
You can also read the original story here! kmq
(Oct 28) Read all about the Marvel SK project here! With
images!
dvs
(Oct 26) According to the UK-based website PN Online, King will be doing a project with Marvel Comics ... and further, it will be a graphic novel of what amounts to The Dark Tower 8. Rumor has it that Jae Lee (The Inhumans, Hellshock) will be doing the art. Now, I will state for the record that all this is strictly rumor ... and to this reader's eyes, it doesn't seem likely. Still, stranger things have happened! Read the whole story over at Newsarama! Thanks to Brad for the 411!
(Oct 23) Hey everyone! We now have RELEASE DATES for both Cell and Lisey's Story!!! Cell is coming January 24th, 2006 (a little over 3 months away! WHOA!) It's so soon you can actually PRE-ORDER IT!!! Lisey's Story is coming October 24, almost exactly a year from today. Still no word yet on the new novel King is currently writing, but this news more than makes up for it! Now that we have a firm page count and a release date, expect covert art and more goodies very soon! Whee!
As for Charnel House, you'll notice that I've put upcoming release dates near the top of the page, for quick reference. Also, I've built the bare bones of the pages for Cell and Lisey's Story; Cell contains links to both the pre-order and the first section of the book itself! Definitely worth a surf!
(Oct 22) Wow, everyone! Here's a way amazing offer from Rocky Wood, author of the upcoming Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished:
With Halloween approaching, the Publishers of The
Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King (see
www.horrorking.com) are offering 40% off the regular retail price for copies ordered by 31 October. This is for the latest,Third Edition of this classic King resource.
When ordering simply enter (CHA40) after your name on
the order page www.horrorking.com/order. This will save you $20!
Kids, The Complete Guide to the Works of SK is an invaluable resource. It features listings for "EVERY Story,EVERY Character, EVERY Place, EVERY Link, EVERY Error,and MUCH, MUCH MORE." The third edition includes The Dark Tower VII, plus all work up to and including everything published up through October 2004. I have a copy, everyone, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Thanks, Rocky!
(Oct 21) Major website refurbishments! The big news is I finally posted my review of Faithful, which means one more barren review site is not longer barren! Whee!
Also did some cosmetic fixing on a number of the review pages, bringing them up to the current look. Cleaner interfaces and easier-to-read reviews are now up on Firestarter, The Eyes of the Dragon, Four Past Midnight, From a Buick 8, Gerald's Game, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, The Green Mile and a major change for Golden Years, including some bulleted info (though no review as of yet - coming soon!)
My intention is to bring the whole site up to a uniform look by the end of the year, which means easier browsing for you and easier updating for me. Thanks again, everyone, for visiting. I love this stuff.
(Oct 20) Some pretty hefty news today! Both the publication of Cell and the publication of Lisey's Story has been moved up a month, which means we call all expect Cell in January 06, and Lisey in October. Yey!
Now, this might prompt one to wonder why things are coming out any faster. What about the rumors swirling around the THIRD new book King is currently working on?
According to the official King message board, King will likely release info on the new novel is:
Probably not for a while--possibly not until next spring depending upon when Stephen is ready to let info out. It will not be out until after Lisey’s Story which will be fall of ’06, after Cell’s release.
Okay, so this is super-awesome exciting. The idea that King is already planning ahead to '07 means that the new, steady stream of novels doesn't seem to be slowing. I'm also boldened a bit by next year's release schedule, enough so that I'm wondering if this new book is going to be the only book of 2007, or if it will "simply" be the first.
As to what it's about, the only possible (and very tenuous) lead comes from the SKEMERs newsgroup. Apparently, King has recently been considering writing a new story about Thad Beaumont, he of The Dark Half, and exploring the events which lead to his circumstances described in Bag of Bones. (How's that for Most Intense Attempt at Keeping Spoiler-Free?) Absolutely no word if King has done more than think about it, but in light of the info and the fact that he is working on a new project, I thought I'd share. Whee!
(Oct 19) Some work progressing on the book pages: Dolores Claiborne, Dreamcatcher and Everything's Eventual are now up to par. No hard news in the world of King just yet, but we're still waiting on that big reveal from Cemetery Dance. Regarding CD, I want to urge everyone to pre-order a copy of Rocky Wood's upcoming Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. This is sort of an update of Spignesi's The Lost Work of Stephen King, with both some discussion on newly-discovered King works (real obscure stuff like "Comb Dump") AND a massive excerpt from King's unpublished novel Sword in the Darkness. Seriously, it's awesome. Run! Get! Tell em Kev sent you!
(Oct 16) Three things today, kids: the first is that we now have those first two paragraphs from the do-it-yourself story "The Furnace"; you can check them out here!!! (Related to that, it seems that the name of the magazine doing the contest is our old friend Weekly Reader, the one that did a huge King issue in the early 90s, printing a classroom-play adaptation of "Trucks." This is what's in my memory instead of calculus.)
Also, my review page of Silver Bullet is now up, with a review and a picture and everything. Try to contain your excitement! And enjoy it here.
Finally: I've begun receiving emails asking whether or not I plan on reviewing the final two books of the Dark Tower series. The answer is yes ... just not yet. I've only read each of the novels once, and I haven't read them since they were first published, which means I definitely need to do re-reads to reacquaint myself before I can feel confident in writing a review. (To that end, I have to do the same with Skeleton Crew and the unexpurgated The Stand. These things will come.) I want to thank everyone for their interest. It really is awesome to be back.
<
(Oct 15) Okay, in response to "The Furnace," I went through and did a whole big overhaul on my Uncollected King page. Seriously, like a whole bunch. Added pictures and words and everything! So go check it, before you wreck it! Wahoo!
(Oct 15) In a magazine for teens called Know Your Own World, King has written two paragraphs of a short story called "The Furnace," which is intended for readers to complete. Sources say that this one is more like "Skybar" and less like "The cat From Hell" in that King does not intend to complete the story. Also in the magazine: excerpts from On Writing and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
It's not much, but I'll take it!
(Oct 12) Yey! My essays section is live! Surf on over for a history of SKEMERs, one of the longest-running King groups in the world! Read a concise history of Richard Bachman! Get all wrapped up in a very, very long essay about the time I kind of fainted after a book signing! It's all there, kids! Check it out! [EDIT!!!] The links are now working! I screwed up in there, but things are chilly now!
(Oct 11) According to Lilja's Library, the upcoming novel Cell will be 384 pages (the audio will be on 10 CDs and 8 cassettes - all numbers estimated). Now, I know 384 pages sounds really short, until you consider that that's longer than Carrie, Pet Semetary, Cujo, Misery, The Eyes of the Dragon, Thinner, Gerald's Game, Dolores Claiborne, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, On Writing and From a Buick 8. See, a King novel doesn't have to be epic-length to be epic-awesomeness! Yey Cell! We want zombies!
(Oct 10) A lot of behind-the-scenes refurbishments, kids; lots of work on my "essays" section (this involved going through my home computer and pulling up every King essay I've ever written, converting it to HTML, and posting it. Now my wrists hurt, ow.) I have two or three more essays to toss up there - a King primer and a Bachman essay - and then the page will be ready to go live.
You also may have noticed a new ad on the site. This is for Tomas Krynsky's stephenkingcollector.com. Tomas has always been a good friend, and when Charnel House got back into the swing of things, he lent his support at once. Now, everyone go lend yours! Tomas's site is, hands-down, the best site for information on Stephen King limited editions. They rock big-time. Do yourself a favor and click on the link! Yey!
(Oct 08) Some way awesome bits of news! According to Lilja's Library, the moderator on King's official message board had this to say:
He’s [King's] in the editing phase of two books but has an idea for a new one that he will begin writing soon.
Wow! My guess - hopefully wrong! - is that he's editing Cell and Lisey's Story for next year's publication, and that this new one is something we haven't heard of yet.
(By the way, regarding Cell, two things: 1. does this novel sound strikingly familiar to the rain-cannibals King talked about in the foreward to The Green Mile? And 2. I wonder why King chose to publish Cell first? The first chapter of Lisey's Story was published over a year ago, so why the immediacy for Cell? Not that I'm complaining, not at all! Just curious.)
In other King news: Okay, so I was at Wizard World Boston last weekend, and I actually heard Joe Quesada - the Editor in Cheif of Marvel Comics - speak. Someone else (not me, but not because I didn't have my hand up, poised to ask the question; just because this other dude got to me first) asked if the rumors were true, and would Stephen King be doing a project with Marvel soon. Quesada said, "Well, I can't comment on that. But, just hypothetically, if King were to do a project with Marvel, wouldn't that be cool?"
Then I was the one that literally shouted YES!!! And that's what gets quoted over at Newsarama.
Finally: Doubleday Book Club will be releasing a Stephen King desk calendar for 2006. No news yet whether it will be available to the general public or strictly through the book club. A description:
If you’re already a fan of Stephen King, chances are you’re more than a little creeped out by pet cemeteries, you have a healthy fear of clowns, and when you think of the Man in Black, it isn’t Johnny Cash who comes to mind. But we’d like to tell you a few things about the master of horror that you don’t already know know. Peek inside the pages of the 2006 Stephen King Library Desk Calendar to discover:
What question King answered correctly on Jeopardy! to beat David Duchovny and Lynn Redgrave.
The story behind why Stephen King was partly to blame for the Red Sox curse.
In his own words, why King wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman
King’s tips for the aspiring writer
The top ten list of King’s most popular characters
King’s musical tastes
The overlooked novels of Tabitha King, and much more.
As an added bonus, Stephen King’s short story, “My Pretty Pony,” is included at the end of our exclusive calendar. 7½" x 10"; 128 pages; spiral bound.
Sounds pretty neat! This is only the third time King has actually allowed a calendar based on him to be released, so yey!
And that's it for now!
(Oct 06) More work done on the book review pages, including a brand-new review of Cycle of the Werewolf (I've been maintaining this page since I was 21, and some of the earlier reviews are kind of ... well, the suck.) I also realized that I should really have a seperate page for Silver Bullet, if only because it's actually only one of two full-length screenplays King has published in mass-market format. There's an interesting factoid!
Oh, by the way: I'm on my second read of The Colorado Kid. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
(Oct 04) My review of The Colorado Kid is now up. Yes, it's that fast a read. And yes, it's that good.
(Oct 04) WAHOO!!!! The Colorado Kid is OUT TODAY!!!! Go buy it! Review coming soon! WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
(Mar 15) Sorry for the L_O_N_G delay in updating the site. What can I tell you, life happens... Well the good news is that SK has a very interesting new project comng out. Read all about it on the press release on the official site. This is probably old new news for many of you. Sorry bout that. I'll try and keep things fresh yo!
dvs
(Oct 29) We received some promotional material from Warner Bros on the
new Salem's Lot DVD set. I am anxious to get a chance to check this out!
Read the press release here!
(Oct 7) Charnel House does not generally cover movies but I thought
the following
article from CNN was quite interesting and thought you might enjoy
reading it.
dvs
(Oct 4) I picked up my copy of Bev
Vincent's The Road to the Dark Tower this weekend. It is very cool
and well worth checking out. Charnel House is even listed under fan sites!
Thanks Bev!
I am also anxiously awaiting the publication of the second
Dark Tower Concordance. The publication date for both the second concordance
and "Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the 2004
Season" are listed as 12/2004 according to the publisher's
web site.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Pop-up book is listed as being available
10/2004! So lots of stuff available for your Christmas lists!!
dvs
(Sep 22) Of course the big news is that The Dark Tower saga comes to a close
with the release of the The Dark Tower yesterday. There is a GREAT video clip
from the Today show here.
It is well worth checking out. SK even mentions his "retirement."
Watch and enjoy!
dvs
(Sep 16)More news from the SK
home page. Borderlands 5 - From the Borderlands is now available in paperback
stores and newsstands nationwide (USA). The book has recently won a Bram Stoker
Award as the Best Anthology of the Year, and contains a new Novelette by Stephen.
Ordering information may be found at the Borderlands
web site.
dvs
(Sep 10) From the SK
home page! A new work of fiction by Stephen titled "Lisey and the Madman"
will be included in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories,
an anthology edited by Michael Chabon, published by Vintage. The anticipated
publication date is November 2004.
dvs
(Sep 3) There is an interesting review of The Dark Tower at Ain't
It Cool News.
dvs
(Aug 2) Read a Dark
Tower excerpt from the SK Official site!
dvs
(Jul 28) Info on Grant
Books Dark Tower VII This page also has some cool new images.
dvs
(Jun 08) Dark Tower 6: Song of Susannah is FINALLY out!!! Right now!
Go buy it! I'm on page 43 and it's SO FREAKIN AWESOME!!! AAAAAAAA!!!!
(May 18) Brom Brian Freeman of Cemetery Dance: "I just wanted to let you know that we'll be running an exclusive interview
with Jerad Walters of Centipede Press in this week's CD Weekly Newsletter.
We spoke with him about how he landed the SALEM'S LOT Limited Edition, why
he started his small press, and other questions you might have on your mind." Way neat! You can sub to the newsletter HERE!!!
(May 18) Read an
excerpt from the upcoming he Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah from the Simon
& Schuster web site!
dvs
(May 14) From the SK Home Page:
Limited Edition 'Salems Lot
A limited edition of 'Salem's Lot is being published through Centipede Press.
It will include the original novel and two related short stories: "Jerusalem's
Lot" and "One for the Road" as well as Stephen's introduction
from the Pocket Books edition and over 50 pages of deleted scenes from the original
manuscript which have never before been published. This limited edition of 300
copies will be available in October. Orders are currently being taken here.
dvs
(May 13) MEGA-AWESOME deal from the cool kids over at Cemetery
Dance. Here's the deal:
Just for being regular followers of this irregularly updated website, you're
gonna get THIRTY PERCENT off any order at CD, from now through May
23rd. No, I'm NOT KIDDING!
All you gotta do is enter this code in the Coupon field when checking out
at the CemeteryDance.com online
store:
CHARNELHOUSE30
...and the store will automatically take 30% off their order!
Brian Freeman, author, Cemetery Dance guru, and King pimp extraordinaire
sent me a list of upcoming titles CD will be offering that y'all might be
into:
THE DEVIL'S WINE edited by Tom Piccirilli, featuring poetry from King,
Straub, Bradbury and many others
THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER by Bev Vincent, the first critical analysis of
Stephen King's Dark Tower series
THE ILLUSTRATED STEPHEN KING TRIVIA BOOK by Brian Freeman & Bev Vincent,
featuring at least one thousand King related questions and several dozen of
questions based on Glenn Chadbourne's illustrations
GREAT GHOST STORIES edited by R. Chetwynd-Hayes & Stephen Jones, including
Stephen King's "The Reaper's Image"
Cemetery Dance magazine, which features Bev Vincent's "News From The Dead
Zone" column in every issue.
Remember, this offer's only good through May 23rd, so act now! Operators (or web-perators) are standing by!
(May 13) And as if two King books weren't enough this year, we're also being treated to Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the 2004 Season.
This is the baseball book you've been hearing so much about, King's first book-length nonfiction collaberation.
The book, co-written by Stewart O'Nan, has a tentative release date of December 2004.
(Let me just say right now that I sincerely hope King stays this busy throughout his "retirement."
A new book out 2 months after King is supposedly "done publishing"?
Yeah, I can live with that kind of output.) YEY! Check out my Faithful "shell" page, up now!
(Apr 01) More exciting news from the fine folks at Cemetery
Dance!
The Road to the Dark Tower by Bev Vincent is the first critical analysis of
Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Bev Vincent examines each of the seven component
books and the series as a whole, exploring themes and influences, tracing the
connections that radiate from the Dark Tower into many of King's other works.
For the Cemetery Dance edition of this book, CD has commissioned Glenn Chadbourne
(who has done some AMAZING King related artwork in the past, and is working
on The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book) to create a set of SEVEN Dark Tower
bookmarks. Anyone who preorders THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER from Cemetery Dance
before April 30 will receive this set for FREE.
Also, any preorders before April 30 will receive a FREE copy of the trade
paperback NAL edition, which we'll have signed by Bev Vincent!
Order from this
page! This looks like an extremely interesting read. I am very excited for
this one and you should be too!
dvs
(Mar 24)From the SK Official Home Page:
New Book Announced
Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King, lifelong Red Sox addicts, will chronicle the
2004 Red Sox season from spring training and Opening Day through to the highly
anticipated events of the fall, in a hardcover book that Scribner will publish
in late '04. They'll go to some games together and each will keep a diary. They'll
argue or agree about plays and trades, and the result will be a fan's notes
for the ages.
dvs
(Mar 10) A quick update from Cemetery
Dance Publications:
Cemetery Dance Publications will begin running excerpts from THE DEVIL'S
WINE in next week's Cemetery Dance Weekly email newsletter! This anthology
features poetry from Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, Jack Ketchum,
Edward Lee, and many other great authors!
If you're not already a subscriber, this is a FREE newsletter and you can
sign-up here: http://www.cemeterydance.com/html/newsletters.shtml
(Mar 09) a little taste for you...
“I have stridden the fuming way
of sun-hammered tracks and
smashed cinders;
I have ridden rails
and burned sterno in the gantry silence of hobo jungles:
I am a dark man.”
The Dark Man excerpt by Stephen King from The Devil’s Wine
Cemetery Dance Publications copyright 2004 by Tom Piccirilli
If these words don’t get you excited enough to go purchase The Devil’s
Wine nothing will. For fans of Stephen King this is a fantastic and fascinating
collection of 6 poems. According to the introduction to the SK section the
poems were written in the late 60’s and early 70’s and “show
the groundwork for several themes and narrative inflections that King will
eventually put to use in his popular fiction.”
I was lucky enough to receive an advance readers copy from the fine folks
at Cemetery Dance and I am here
to tell you that the King poems alone are worth the price of admission. In
addition to the King poems there are contributions by 18 other authors including
Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, and Jack Ketchum! I think it is also worth noting
the great pencil sketches on each author’s introductory section. They
are attributed to Caniglia and help give this book that extra something that
makes it a very special find. The poems which jumped out at me so far are
“The Dark Man”, by Stephen King and “the Thing that Goes
by Night: the Self that Lazes Sun” by Ray Bradbury. This is a wonderful
addition for your library and I think you will enjoy it as much as I have.
Kev has provided a handy link below to the Cemetery Dance site and I second
his enthusiasm for this book. Happy reading!
dvs
(Apr 06) We NOW have a cover graphic for Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla!!! It's extremely provocative, given what we know of Susannah's, uhhhh, situation. MANY thanks goes to Lilja for posting the pic and making me aware of it!
(Apr 03) Hey! "The Tale of Gray Dick," the new Dark Tower-related story is IN STORES NOW as part of McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales. It's available in bookstores everywhere, right now! (Thanks to all who alerted me of this. I've been out of state for a few days, and wasn't able to check my email!) A note, from personal experience: When you go to the store and ask for the book, ask for the book with the specific title. "It's something Mammoth? It's put out by McSweeney's? I think it's blue." None of this works. I'm the worst customer EVER!
(Mar 26) A recent interview with the Chicago Sun-Times (no longer online) had King giving us all hope for books after the Dark Tower series. King stated "But after that, I'm pretty well done with what I think of as my traditional career. Except it's not gonna be retirement, because I'm gonna keep writing. I'm just gonna pick and choose more what I decide to publish and do." So, um, WAHOO!!!!
King also stated:
"And one thing that might really be fun is to just do a book, a novel, a real novel, and publish it online and see what happens." Even more WAHOO!! (And giant thanks to Lilja for this news!)
(Mar 26) Hey kids! There's has been startlingly little King news as of late, in anticipation of the big Dark Tower insanity. Dreamcatcher, the movie came out, and while I'm not in the business of reviewing films here, I will say that the first hour was amazing. The rest was... Um... Not amazing. McSweeney's 10 (featuring "The Tale of Gray Dick") is not yet out in stores, but I'll report as soon as it hits.
(Feb 21) BIG NEWS on the upcoming Gunslinger expansion!. Thanks to Bev Vincent, King expert extraordinaire, who first alerted me to this, and Ronnie, who first posted this information on the SimonSays message board:
"The revised edition is 10% longer than the original manuscript.
Expect changes on every page, as well as continuity corrections,
as well as a style that's more in line with the other books in
the series."
SO DANG COOOL!!!!!!!!!!!
(Feb 19) King's own OFFICIAL WEBSITE has now spelled out, in detail, what will be happening to the future of The Dark Tower. WIll The Gunslinger be revised and expanded? All right here. Will there be a 2-volume concordance published in tandem with the remaining books? All right here. What's all this about a three-publisher deal that will reprint all the books in affordable editions while still retaining the limited value? All right here. Does she pick Ethan, or will it be Winthorne? (Oh, wait, that's something else.) This is something we have all been waiting for for a long, long time. The hour is finally upon us. Boo-YAW!
(Feb 14) Okay, kids, let's skip the preamble and go right to it. This GIANT news comes direct from Grant Books. Remember: DO NOT CALL THEM WITH ORDERS OR QUESTIONS YET!!! (Thanks to hawkeye Peter Hunt for being the first to send this info to me!)
"1. THE DARK TOWER V: WOLVES OF THE CALLA
Donald M. Grant Publisher is part of a unique multi-publisher contract designed to bring Stephen King's Dark Tower series to all his fans and collectors. Stephen King wants the final three books of the series to have a national promotion and distribution which Grant, alone, could not provide.
Mr. King has completed the final draft of WOLVES OF THE CALLA and it is now in the copy editing & proofing stage.
a) The SIGNED NUMBERED DELUXE edition will be issued in two volumes using a heavier weight paper than the other two editions. It will be available initially only to owners of a SIGNED, NUMBERED, deluxe edition of WIZARD AND GLASS. You must still own the copy of WIZARD AND GLASS at the time we ship WOLVES OF THE CALLA or your order will be voided.
b) There will be a special GRANT MAIL ORDER edition of 3,500 copies available only to our customers by direct order. These will be shipped in October 2003 and will feature a smyth sewn library binding matching that of our previous Dark Tower hardcovers. The entire edition will be signed by artist Bernie Wrightson.
Under our contract we cannot sell this edition at a discount, even to our regular dealers and bookstores.
c) The TRADE HARDCOVER will have a national release date in November 2003. The book will have the same laid paper as all the previous Dark Tower hardcovers, 12 tipped in full color plates by Bernie Wrightson, illustrated endpapers and will retail for $35.00. It will be in full cloth and feature a standard notched binding.
This edition will be exclusively distributed by Scribner, a division of Simon and Schuster, and all inquiries for wholesale orders must be made through them.
We will have copies available for our direct mail order customers.
We are not taking orders for any edition at this time, but will send out a special email newsletter later this Spring when we are. We appreciate your patience.
2. DARK TOWER 1-4 REPRINTS.
Viking, a division of Penguin Putnam, will be reissuing the first four Dark Tower books in hardcover in June 2003. As we are not directly involved in these editions we do not have complete information. The books will use the interior color art of the original GRANT editions (although WIZARD AND GLASS will probably have only 12 of the 18 Dave McKean color plates) and will have cover paintings by a new artist.
All wholesale orders should be made through Penguin Putnam although we expect to have copies available for our customers.
3. DARK TOWER 6 & 7
Darrel Anderson is illustrating THE DARK TOWER VI: SONG OF SUSANNAH and Michael Whelan is illustrating THE DARK TOWER VII: THE DARK TOWER. Publication of both books is expected in 2004."
Like I said, HUGE news! Full text of this info is available on Grant's Dark Tower 5 Update Site. WOW!!!!
(Feb 12) Hawkeye Joel sent this bit of info for me: Donald Grant Books will soon have VERY exciting news regarding The Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla. Keep current with this link.
(Feb 12) Okay, an addendum to the previously mentioned BIG Dark Tower news. From Lilja's Library:
The publishing schedule that popped up on the Internet on Friday isn't entirely correct and that within the next week there will be a joint press release (from Simon & Schuster and Viking) announcing the publication schedule and other details about the books.
Well, okay! (Thanks to everyone who emailed me about this. I've been away from my computer...)
(Feb 07) BIG Dark Tower news! (But what other kind is there?) This news comes to us from Dark Tower guru Anthony Schwethelm, over at the Dark Tower Compendium:
"Thanks to Stu over at Betts Books, we have this exciting new information about the different editions for the forthcoming DT books, along with who's publishing them and when!
We are pleased to be able to announce that the complete Dark Tower Series is going to be released in a trade hardcover edition!
The first four titles will be released in June by Viking. Prices are tentatively set at $25.00 for the Gunslinger, $35.00 for The Drawing Of The Three and The Wastelands, and $40.00 for Wizard & Glass.
The remaining 3 volumes will be released by Simon and Schuster (Scribner) as follows: DT V [The Wolves of the Calla] in November, 1003. DT VI [The Song of Susannah] in July, 2004 and DT VII [The Dark Tower] in November, 2004. Prices have not been set yet."
Thanks for the buzz, Anthony!
(Feb 07) Hey! Check out the paperback cover of From a Buick Eight, which I ripped off from Lilja's Library. I have to say, this is my favorite paperback cover since Bag of Bones. AWESOME!
(Feb 04) We've been waiting on this news for awhile: Bev Vincent's The Road to the Dark Tower, the first critical look exclusively at King's magnum opus, will be published in 2004, after the final volume of King's Dark Tower series is published. I'm going to reprint the email I received in its entirety here:
From Bev Vincent
"The Road to the Dark Tower will be a NAL/Dutton trade paperback in 2004. It's a critical look at Stephen King's Dark Tower series, the first book to explore the intricacies of the entire seven-volume epic that brackets King's publishing career. He started work on the first volume, The Gunslinger,
in 1970, prior to publication of Carrie, and will publish the final volume,
The Dark Tower, in 2004, after which he has announced his intention to retire
from publishing.
I pitched the idea in November 2002 and by mid-December acquired an agent
(Michael Psaltis at the Ellenberg Literary Agency) and an editor/publisher
(Ron Martirano at NAL/Dutton). We anticipate the book will come out shortly
after The Dark Tower appears from Donald M. Grant.
But how, I hear you asking, can you write about the Dark Tower series when
a huge chunk of it hasn't been published yet? When I don't know how it will
all come out? Well, here's the kicker -- before I even started thinking
about the project at any length, I asked Stephen King what he thought of
the idea. If he had any objections whatsoever, I was perfectly willing to
drop it and move on to other things. Within 24 hours I had a response --
no objections. Not only that, he provided me with the first draft manuscripts
of the last three books in the series so I could get to work on The Road to the Dark Tower right away. What started about three months ago as one of
those half-awake-in-the-shower pie-in-the-sky notions has progressed to
the point where my publisher wants the manuscript this year.
As news develops about this project, I will post more to my web site
(www.bevvincent.com). It's been a very exciting time and I've got a busy
several months ahead of me.
And, no, I won't tell you how The Dark Tower ends. You'll have to wait to
see for yourselves!"
Okay, I can't say how thrilled I am here. Not only is this one of those rare King-sanctioned books, but this is also King expert Bev Vincent's first full-length criticism of King (Bev writes the quarterly column "Notes from the Dead Zone" in Cemetery Dance magazine. Also, this will be the very first book to look at the Dark Tower series in its entirety (I feel, though, that I have to mention Anthony Schwethelm's Dark Tower Compendium site and book, which has been in progress for years. The two books don't conflict, however, as Anthony's book is more encyclopedic and Bev's is more critical.)
As King's epic hurtles toward the finish line, news like this gives one hope. King may retire, but thanks to intelligent, thought-provoking books like Bev Vincent's (and Stephen Spignesi's, and George Beahm's, and Michael Collings's) prove that the work will live on. Very cool.
(Jan 24) We got TITLE! The new novella by King that will appear in the upcoming Ed McBain anthology will be called "The Things They Left Behind" (hmmm - a sequel to Pat O'Brien's The Things They Carried? Nah.) No more news on that exciting front, but as soon as I have stuff, I'll share. (MANY thanks to Mr. Bob Hawkeyerland, and my good buddy Justin for the info.)
(Jan 22) Lilja is featuring a new interview with Michael Collings, one of the Big Three King experts (the other two being George Beahm and Stephen Spignesi), mainly regarding his new book Horror Plum'd. The interview is terrific, with much insight into Collings's career and his approach to King criticism. For those of us who have been fans of Mr. Collings for a long, long time (like me), the news of a book of this magnitude is very exciting, as is the news that Collings is updating some of his earlier Starmont books. We're all very happy about this stuff! Now go read the interview!
(Jan 20) Thanks to hawkeye Joel, we have here an excerpt from the Ed McBain newsletter, discussing a new anthology McBain is editing. The King-pertinent stuff:
...I [McBain] have to do a novella for an anthology I'm
editing for Tor Books. My own contribution is titled MERELY HATE. I've
done the research for it, now all I have to do is write 20,000 words.
The other writers from whom I have commitments for original
never-before-published novellas, are -- in alphabetical order --
Lawrence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, Jeffery Deaver, Stephen King, Sharyn Mc Crumb, Walter Mosely, Joyce Carol Oates, Anne Perry, and Donald Westlake. Some lineup, huh? No title yet. I already have in hand two wonderful novellas from Don and Steve. It's going to be a great book.
Mucho exciting! It's already done! Further details when I have them. Also exciting is the inclusion of Donald Westlake, another one of my favorites. Check out The Hook and The Ax for proof.
(Jan 20) According to The Sky I Scrape, King will be writing an "appreciation" of the Ramones for the deluxe edition of their upcoming tribute album. From the site:
"The initial run of We're A Happy Family - A Tribute To Ramones comes packaged in a deluxe limited edition digipak designed by Rob Zombie with a 28-page booklet featuring rare photos and an appreciation of the Ramones penned especially for this collection by the best-selling novelist STEPHEN KING."
COOL!
(Jan 17) Caught me off guard! Everything's Eventual is now on sale in paperback! Wow! For those of you who wait for the paperback, go buy it!
(Jan 10) Thanks SO MUCH to hawkeye Bev Vincent, who writes:
"The Tale of Gray Dick"
Excerpt from The Wolves of the Calla,
Adapted for this publication, the excerpt is to be published in
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (www.mcsweeneys.net), Issue 10,
edited by Michael Chabon. It will be available to subscribers prior
to the March 2003 release to the general public.
Bev goes on to say:
...you CAN get the issue without subscribing, but it is only
available in a limited number of stores. See
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/avail/index.html.
Also, a correction and retraction. The story is NOT about an elephant, as I had previously reported. The elephant story is by Glen David Gold. For more info on that tale, see here.
How this will affect McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales has yet to be seen. As soon as I know, you'll know.
THANKS, BEV!!!
(Jan 08) This bizarre news comes from Brian Freeman, of StephenKingNews.com: I'm just gonna cut and paste here:
Jim Milliot reports for Publisher's Weekly that Stephen King has agreed to
do an "abridged, pop-up edition" of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. The deal
was initiated by Robin Corey. Corey is the publisher for novelty and media
tie-ins at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. Although the pop-up
edition isn't expected to be published until late in 2004 at the very
earliest, Corey hopes this will be the first of many Stephen King pop-up
projects.
Um, yey?
(Jan 08) News from Donald M. Grant Publishers: the Talisman/Black House slipcased gift set (the 3,500 printing) will, in fact, be signed by Rick Berry! Read more here! (Thanks to hawkeye Tomas Krynsky for the heads-up!)
(Dec 17) Okay, we now have FULL clarity. Here's the news as I have it now (info from Brian Freeman and Rosandra, with additional reportage by Justin Brooks.):
King has a new story called "The Tale of Gray Dick" (yes, I giggled a little, too. I'm purile) coming out in McSweeny's literary magazine, issue #10. The story is rumored to be a ghost story. About an elephant. This is going to be the first printing of this story, and the magazine will include many other terrific authors, as well, so there's definitely incentive to purchase this. Ah, but the caveat: you can't buy issue #10 without subscribing to McSweeny's for a four-issue year, which costs $65. Learn all about subscribing here.
For those who don't want to spend $65 on a year sub, you can wait a few months and purchase McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, coming out in paperback in March 2003, edited by Michael Chabon and published by Vintage. The contents entire are listed down below. The proceeds from the paperback sales are going to benefit 826 Valencia's writing program for kids.
Either way, this is King's first published fiction of 2003. In a year that promises to end with the publication of Wolves of the Calla, this new story is opening up the gates in the same way that last year's "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" did. I can't wait.
(Dec 11) News from Cemetery Dance! I'm reporting it here because I love CD, and these titles are going to be kick-ass. There's been NO news or guarantee of King's involvement in either of these titles, so please don't ask me or the fine folks over at the Dance. They have the same info I do.
Regardless of any King-centricity, I urge you to check these two titles out. The buzz is already high on both these books, and judging by CD's track record, I can guarantee that the production on these will rock your world. Without further adieu, the news!
Cemetery Dance -- A Fifteen Year Celebration: To be published in honor of Cemetery Dance magazine's 15th Anniversary, this exclusive hardcover edition will feature brand new, never-before-seen fiction and non-fiction from dozens of the horror/suspense genre's biggest stars! It will also include a scattering of significant reprints from the 15 year publication run of the magazine, as well as original interior artwork. This massive anthology promises to be the most talked-about and sought-after book of 2003! If you remember our edition of The Best of Cemetery Dance, then you know the type of contributors and production values we're talking about -- only this book will be even better! We're not ready to announce the final contents list quite yet (we're still in the early selection stage), but don't wait another minute -- pre-order your copy today before they are long gone!
-> Trade Hardcover Edition: $40
-> Signed Limited Edition (leather binding, slipcased, and signed by dozens of contributors): $175
-> Deluxe Lettered Edition (different binding, different dust jacket, traycased, signed by dozens of contributors, only 52 copies):$750
THE CENTURY'S BEST HORROR FICTION
History in the making!!! In celebration of the new millennium, Cemetery Dance Publications has commissioned a spectacular two-volume anthology project under the editorship of noted author and historian of the horror genre, John Pelan. John will be selecting one story published during each year of the 20th Century (1900-2000) as the most notable story of that year -- all 100 stories will then be collected in The Century's Best Horror Fiction.
The ground rules are simple: Only one selection per author. Only one selection per year. Contents to be kept top-secret until publication in 2003! Volume One will feature even-numbered years. Volume Two will feature odd-numbered years.
Two huge volumes, one hundred authors, one hundred classic stories -- history in the making!
-> Single Volume: $40
-> Both Volumes: $75
Deluxe Lettered Edition (the lettered edition will only be sold as a two-volume set and will feature different binding, different dust jackets, traycased, signed by as many of the living authors as possible, only 52 copies): inquire for availability
***
HOW TO ORDER [IMPORTANT!]:
These titles will not appear on the CD website for another week or so, so you cannot order from the site. Right now, you have FOUR options for placing your advance order:
1) you can call us at our new office number -- (410) 588-5901 (11am-6pm EST)
2) you can fax an order to (410) 588-5904
3) you can send in payment to: Cemetery Dance, 132-B Industry Lane, Unit 7, Forest Hill, MD 21050
4) you can email us your order to: order@cemeterydance.com (be sure to include full name, address & payment information) As always, thanks and good luck -- these will sell out quickly!
(Dec 11) Michael Whelan HIMSELF wrote to me to confirm that he is, indeed, currently working on the illustrations for the final Dark Tower book, simply titled The Dark Tower. One of the coolest emails I've ever gotten!
(Dec 09) Stephen Spignesi's website has been updated, and now includes a gallery of twenty-two of his book covers. Check out not only the King covers, but also new titles like Crop Circles: Signs of Contact, and rarities like The Woody Allen Companion.
Also updated: The description of the new book 100 Greatest Disasters. If you're a list nut (or if you have one on your holiday shopping list), BUY THIS BOOK. There's no one better than Spignesi at this type of book; trust me, I've read dozens (and not just the King ones, either.) Seek and enjoy!
(Dec 09) King is featured in an upcoming book titled White Lines: Writers on Cocaine. According to the Barens & Noble website, "Stephen King provides the single breath of air in the
oppressive atmosphere with a three-page account of how he kicked his
addiction." I'm going with Bev Vincent's assumption that this is probably an excerpt from On Writing. Thanks to Jonathan Reitan for the news, and Bev for the clarity.
(Dec 17) The FULL LIST of titles and authors appearing in McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (authors in bold are personal favorites.)
-- Jim Shepard's "Astounding Stories"
-- Glen David Gold's "The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter"
-- Dan Chaon's "The Bees"
-- Kelly Link's "Catskin"
-- Elmore Leonard's "How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and
Became
a Famous Oklahoma Lawman"
-- Carol Emshwiller's "The General"
-- Neil Gaiman's "Closing Time"
-- Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium"
-- Stephen King's "The Tale of Gray Dick"
-- Michael Crichton's "Blood Doesn't Come Out"
-- Laurie King's "Weaving the Dark"
-- Chris Offutt's "Chuck's Bucket"
-- Dave Eggers's "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly"
-- Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary"
-- Aimee Bender's "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers"
-- Harlan Ellison's "Goodbye to All That"
-- Karen Joy Fowler's "Private Grave 9"
-- Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes"
-- Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance"
YEY!
(Dec 03) To all of you who have recently been to the Bad Moon site, please be aware that the "Charnel House" Roy is pooping on is NOT ME. It's Charnel House Publishers. Many (one) drooling fans of this fine website wrote to me in a panic, wondering why Roy hated me so. Well, I stormed over to his office and we had it out. We had words. There were cleavers involved. And a rabid ferret. Then, when we realized it was all a case of mistaken identity, we kissed and made up and then went for ice cream. That Roy. Buy stuff from him: he's super cool.
(Dec 01) A couple of juicy bits on Michael Whelan (one item of which should have been up here a week ago, but real life derailed me.) Let's cut the chatter and get to the good stuff:
Number 1 (sent to me by hawkeye Peter Hunt and pointed out to me on my answering machine by my good buddy Rich DeMars [who, by the way, is also a son of a b*tch]), this recently appeared on Whelan's website: In recent interviews author Stephen King has announced his plans to stop publishing; but his fans have been thrilled to learn that he will end with the last book in his DARK TOWER series, and it will be illustrated by Michael Whelan.
King began the series in 1970, but the first volume wasn't published until 1982 when THE DARK TOWER:THE GUNSLINGER was released by small press publisher Donald M. Grant. Fully illustrated by Michael Whelan with 6 color paintings and many black and whites, THE GUNSLINGER soon became an expensive collectible out of reach for most of King's fans. Grant also published the next 2 volumes and then all 3 were released as mass-market trade paperbacks and they gained a huge following. Fans have had to wait 20 years for King to get to the fifth book, so many were fearful that he would never finish the epic. Stephen King promises that Volume 7 (called simply THE DARK TOWER) will be published in 2004.
Up until now, each book in the DARK TOWER series has been illustrated by a different artist. Michael Whelan will be the only artist to do 2 books and it's most fitting that he will do the first and the last books. He and King talked recently and Steve remarked that it had been 20 years since they had begun this journey and that they were both still alive! For both men, this comment has more than its share of irony since not long after King's near-fatal accident, Michael learned he had cancer. Thankfully both of them recuperated and can still share their fantastic visions with us.
Lucky Michael has gotten to read the last 3 books and he is already
at work on the research and preliminary sketches for the 10 paintings and many black and whites he will be doing for THE DARK TOWER.
This is MEGA-cool news! "Many" black and whites!?!? YEY!
Number two (sent to me by hawkeye and other great buddy George): The famous, much-sought "Roland on the Beach" painting is now again available at www.michaelwhelan.com. This hasn't been available for awhile, and I urge everyone to either snap this up themselves or put it on thier holiday wish list!
(Nov 27) After a very dry month fiction-wise, things seem to be looking up! Rumor has it that King plans to publish a new story in McSweeney's, a literary journal that has published such names as Harlan Ellison and Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius). Rumor further has it that King's tale will be published in issue #10, which will be edited by MICHAEL CHABON (author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, one freakin' amazing book.) The issue should be available to subscribers in January, and to newsstands in February. No news on the title of King's new tale yet. When the rumors clear up and the facts come in, you folks will be the first to know. (Thanks to hawkeye Justin Brooks for the info!)
(Nov 04) New email from Cemetery Dance! This will FLOOR you!
We are running a very special FROM A BUICK 8 raffle this week (this offer expires Friday night, November 8, at midnight, E.S.T.). As usual, each and every member of the Cemetery Dance Email List is entered into this raffle one time. In addition, for every book you order this week from the Cemetery Dance website, you are entered into the raffle an additional five times. That's right -- order two books, get 10 more chances. Order five books and you are entered an additional 25 times! This offer is valid for both in-stock and forthcoming titles.
So...what does the winner receive? An absolutely once-in-a-lifetime collector's item -- a "PC" copy of the signed and traycased Limited Edition of FROM A BUICK 8! Very few of these PUBLISHER'S COPIES will exist -- in fact, this copy is one of the Publisher's personal copies and will be the one and only copy used for promotional purposes! So take a look at the Cemetery Dance website and good luck!
P.S. Yes, we do have more exciting Stephen King announcements coming soon -- stay tuned to the website and make sure you stay on the mailing list!
The coolest thing about this is: joining the mailing list is free!!!, so you automatically have one chance to win for free! VERY cool! You can sign up for the mailing list ---> HERE!. Join now (don't forget: if you buy stuff, you get more chances to win) and enjoy! (By the way: they're not making me say any of this stuff. I love CD, always have, and they did such a great job on the Buick 8 limiteds, I want to spread the word! I'm shilling for love!)
(Oct 29) In an email from Cemetery Dance, they stated:
First, a shipping update for the new Stephen King limited edition. We are approximately 80% finished with shipping both the Gift and Limited Editions of FROM A BUICK 8. We expect shipping to take approximately one more week to complete. If your copy has not arrived yet, look for it shortly. Thanks for your patience!
(Oct 24) Yahoo News published a piece today titled Murder & a Manhunt in Stephen King's America, one of the most ridiculous "news" op-eds I've ever seen. The (unnamed) author seems to have an agenda with the article, but still I'm not sure what that agenda is. The author takes Americans to task for, apparently, caring more about the current sniper attacks than the war on terrorism, unemployment, etc. The author goes on to somehow link Stephen King as being culpable in America's concern with the serial killer. According to the article, the fact that the man arrested in conjunction with the attacks lived in a house with aluminum siding ("like so many homes in King's fictions"), King is somehow to blame. The article goes on to take King to task for selling a lot of books, insinuating that America's (apparently offensive) concern regarding the sniper is King's fault, and we should all be ashamed. I honestly don't understand what this guy (or lady) is trying to say, but I, for one, am not going to feel guilty for being afraid of a serial killer that can strike anywhere, and I'm certainly not going to pawn said fear off on Stephen King. Maybe if more of the houses in his books had been log cabins, America would be safe to fear the real problems facing this country. (Thanks to Rosandra and Mr. Hawkeyerland for the tip.)
(Oct 24) The From a Buick 8 limited AND gift editions have arrived, and they are PHENOMENAL! I literally cringed (in a good way!) at Berni Wrightson's illustrations (more Frankenstein than Creepshow, for the most part). The paper stock is thick, the chapter headings match the tray-/slip-case, the cases themselves are beautifully constructed. This is a book I'm going to cherish for a long time. Unfortunately, the publisher - Cemetery Dance - has sold out of both editions, but you'll probably still be able to find them at reasonable prices at all the regular haunts. Try Betts Bookstore first (tell Stu and Penney that Kev sent you!) - I know they were carrying at least a couple recently. Bad Moon Books and the Overlook Connection, and Zeising books are also great places to try. You won't be disappointed!
(Oct 18) More on the King Retires? page up today!!! Newest additions: Hand-Ake Lilja and Stu Tinker! WOW!!!
(Oct 17) Okay, I'm reeling here. King's Official Site now also states that Dark Tower 7: The Dark Tower will be OUT MARCH 2004!!! The first drafts of each book are now done. They now need to be copyedited, illustrated, bound, etc. It's going to be a VERY exciting time starting September 2003. VERY!
(Oct 17) Clarification: Apparently, the overseas markets are NOT going to be publishing the Dark Tower books prior to the US books. According to King's office, this news is "absolutely not true."
(Oct 17) From the Cemetery Dance site: "We are currently packing both the Gift and Limited Editions of the new Stephen King book -- every day, all day. We are approximately 1/3 of the way finished and expect shipping to take another 10-14 days to complete. UPDATE! Brian Freeman now says: "We're 50% through the gift editions, we've started the limited editions, and
the lettered editions will be shipping as soon as the traycases are done!"
"For the time being, please refrain from calling to inquire about your specific shipment -- every moment of our days are furiously filled with inspecting and packing the King books to get your orders out to you. "
So, the books are coming, kids! Please don't bother the fine folks at CD for a couple of weeks, and you should get your books in due time! It's a whole mutual respect thing. (By the way, Brian Freeman states: "... the BUICK 8 gift edition ... is amazing! The
illustrations rock and the book just looks fantastic! Even the paper
quality is phenomenal! (Just wait until you see it! You're going to love this book!)" I can't wait!
(Oct 17) From King's Official Site: it seems that Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla is due September 2003 and that Dark Tower 6: The Song of Susannah is due NOVEMBER 2003! Note, as it states on the website, that these dates are still tentative ... but we seem closer to getting these books a lot quicker than we thought! Terrific! (Thanks to Bob "Hawkeyerland" for the heads-up!)
(Oct 13) Prominent King critics David Rawsthorne (HorrorKing.com), Norma Blackburn (King of Horror), and Rocky Wood have finally completed work on the upcoming The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King. This almost obsessively detailed guide covers every piece of fiction King has ever written. More info is available below, in the News From Everywhere section.
(Oct 13) Stephen Spignesi, god among King critics, has just added his list of top 25 King works on his website! (Spignesi's website, which includes an "odd fact of the day," an ongoing contest, and a far more complete list of his works than I have on my site, is a must-visit-and-often site. He's awesome!)
(Oct 13) Rosandra at Needful Things sends us a link to King's interview on the Mitch Album show! Yey! Very informative and knowledgeable (i.e., no "Where do you get your ideas?" questions), the interview is available --> HERE!
(Oct 08) Just got a hold of George Beahm's Patricia Cornwell Companion, and the word is: VERY COOL! (Yes, that's two words, I know.) You are now able to order the book directly from George, and I reccomend it! George is a terrific writer and a great friend, and this is a terrific book (plus, have I mentioned that I have an essay in it?) Enjoy!
(Oct 07) I've also fixed the look of my Tommyknockers page, and added my "Personal Observations." I'm on a roll!
(Oct 07) Fixed the code and updated my "Personal Observations" section of my Needful Things page. Enjoy!
(Oct 07) And now... the weirdest Stephen King auction ever. (Thanks, Antman!)
(Oct 07) For those who may have missed it, HERE! is the link to King's interview with Matt Laur on the Today show. Lauer actually seems to be a reader, and even though he asks the dreaded "Where do you get your ideas" question, he backs it up with specifics. Great interview.
(Oct 07) In a new interview with The Journal News.com, King gave his readers just a squidge of hope. A quote directly from the article:
But almost in the same breath, King gives new hope to fans who are in despair: "Look, this is not rocket science. If I write something five years down the line that I really like, then I'll publish it. Writing is such a blast. But to write, if you need money, you have to publish. I'm so lucky that I never had to write for money. But if I write something and I think 'This is a gas,' then I suppose I'll want people to see it."
Now, if we're to take the "five years" thing as a hard-and-fast number (which, okay, we really shouldn't, as it was meant as arbitrary and speculation only, so don't barrage King with letters about the "new book" in 5 years, because at this point, anything can happen!), we'll only have one barren year between now and then. With the remaining Dark Tower books coming out over the next three years, we'll still have plenty King to keep us busy - especially if the last book is as long as I'm guessing it will be.
In addition to the very exciting quote, the interview features some of King's opinions on the film version of The Shining, and more movie insights. Excellent piece, and I have none other than hawkeye Justin Brooks to thank. Thanks, Justin!
(Oct 06) When King announced his retirement in the September 27th issue of Entertainment Weekly, people were stunned and shocked. We here at Charnel House decided it was time to see what prominent members of the Stephen King community thought of the impending retirement. How did they respond? See for yourself on the brand-new King Retires? page! Many terrific insights there - I'm blessed to be in contact with all these people. Thank you all for participating!
(Oct 06) I am back from my Springsteen tour of the Midwest and ready to plunge back into the world of Charnel House! Thank you all for your patience! Onto the news!
Stephen Spignesi, author of The Stephen King Encyclopedia and The Essential Stephen King continues updating and refurbishing his site. A current contest, fact of the day, and "Latest News" updated every day, theres no reason not to put the page on your favorites list. Click HERE now!
Along similar lines, author George Beahm (The Stephen King Companion, America's Best-Loved Boogeyman) has just published The Unofficial Patricia Cornwell Companion. Why mention that here on the King page? Because I wrote something in it! THAT'S RIGHT! ME!!! WAHOO! (So, um, buy it!)
From Rosandra at Needful Things: The NY Times Review of Stephen King's From a Buick 8.
"This is a novel about a haunted car, and Mr. King has threatened to
make it his last: not just his last scary-auto book, but also the last
novel he publishes that is not already planned."
Thanks, Rosandra!
The Onion did a tasteless yet amusing supposition of what King will do now that he's "retiring." Enjoy! (Thanks to Jim, Rosandra, and everyone else who forwarded this!)
(Oct 13) The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King
The most complete Guide to Stephen King’s fiction ever compiled – EVERY story; EVERY Character; EVERY Place; TIMELINE; Every LINK; Every Error and MUCH, MUCH MORE.
No publication since Spignesi’s The Shape Under the Sheet has ever attempted to summarize every story, every character, every place, and the entire timeline of King’s work. The simple fact is that this information has not been available in any one place – until now.
We have decided to issue the Complete Guide on CD as the material included in it equates to well over 2400 pages of normally printed Book material!
Note: The Guide is Limited to only 500 copies at the low price of US $49.95 each (plus postage and handling). The Limited Gold CD-Rom comes with an introductory booklet. Both the booklet and the CD-Rom are individually numbered and the booklet is signed by each of the Authors.
Pre-orders will be taken from 14 October 2002. Buyers may select their own Limited Edition number with payment now. Otherwise, no payment is necessary at this time, with orders being confirmed by a $10.00 deposit in March 2003. The Complete Guide will be dispatched in May 2003.
For full information about the Contents of the Complete Guide, along with other important information, please go to our promotional web pages:
http://www.horrorking.com/order/ or http://www.acay.com.au/~normab/guide/.
The ‘Complete Guide’ includes every possible detail from each of over 260 King works of fiction. Easy to use indexes of Characters (nearly 20,000), Places, Businesses (over 4000), Things and Timelines (over 3500 entries) are key to the Guide. A sample chapter (The Dead Zone) which alone is over 50 pages in length is available at the sites listed above for your consideration.
So don’t forget – check out The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King and get in fast! We expect to sell out the 490 copies available very quickly!
Any questions may be directed to rocky_wood@hotmail.com.
(Sep 25) WOW!!! From Rosandra at www.castlerocknet.com/needfulthings: a RAFFLE TO MEET STEPHEN KING! Click THIS LINK for an opportunity to "Win Tickets to Meet Stephen King at Borders
Books and Music in Ann Arbor, Michigan." Thanks again, Rosandra!
(Sep 25) Speaking of Rosandra, she now has a LINK to view King's interview on The Today Show. If you missed it, here's your chance!
(Sep 25) From hawkeye Tomas Krynsky (from The Collector): The Cemetery Dance gift editions of From a Buick 8 are shipping next week, and the limiteds are being sent the week after. WAHOO!!!
(Sep 24) Hawkeye Bev Vincent pointed me toward this article in today's Bangor Daily News. Much of it is a reiteration of the retirement "rumors," but one statement - from Susan "Mulder" Moldow, King's publisher at Scribner - was darn tantalizing:
“I’ve heard him describe a novel that I know he wants to write, that isn’t a part of the ‘Dark Tower’ series and that doesn’t seem to duplicate anything he’s done before. And since he’s described it to me, it would be harsh and cruel for him to withhold it from me.”
Oh, really!?!?!?!
(Sep 24) From a Buick 8 is released today! Go buy yourself a copy! Heck, buy two!!
(Sep 24) I got my Black House limited edition from Grant today. All I can say is: wow. This stuff took my breath away. Rick Berry's art is amazing. The tracase is wonderful. Black House is a beautiful, beautiful book. WAHOO!
(Sep 23) King WILL be appearing on The Today Show tomorrow (September 24th). No idea which segment he'll be on, but he IS going to appear. THANKS Rosandra!
(Sep 21) Stuff from Rosandra: (by the way, for those of you who don't know Rosandra's page, please take the time to peruse it. It's www.castlerocknet.com/needfulthings, and it's always chock-full of cool news and other stuff. Okay, onto the news!):
In a recent email, Rosandra informed me that:
1) Reportedly, King will appear on the Today Show on September 24th to
promote From a Buick 8. However, he is not listed as a guest for the
next week...
2) Maryland discussion on King: Saturday 21, 2002 @ 12:30-2 p.m., Hanson Community Center, 12350 Vivian
Adams Dr., Waldorf. Free. 301-645-2186.
The discussion is in celebration of the author's 55th birthday. Join a
group of your peers to discuss his many works. For ages 18 and older.
Light refreshments. Call to reserve a spot.
3) The New York Times book review of From a Buick 8 will appear in the September 29th issue.
4) Just a reminder that Washington Post Book Review of Buick 8 will appear on September 22.
THANKS, ROSANDRA!
(Sep 21) Added a new link to my links page: Tomas Krynsky's The Collector. Very cool site!
(Sep 19) Stephen King is on this week's cover of Entertainment Weekly. Inside, according to my source J. Nolan, King states "for the record, emphatically, that after the DT Books are released he has nothing else to write, nor does he plan to write anything else for a great while." I honestly don't know what to say to this. I'm a little bit stunned and saddened ... but the future will only tell. Here's hoping he changes his mind sometime in the (near?) future.
(Sep 19) Stephen Spignesi (author of The Shape Under the Sheet: The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia and The Essential Stephen King) now has an OFFICIAL WEBSITE!!! at www.stephenspignesi.com. It's WAY cool, and has an excerpt for his newest project, The Essential Beatles up there now! (Seriously, kids: if you've read ANY of Spignesi's books - not just the King ones - you know how awesome they are. Check out his site, take a look at his list, and write down a few titles to take to your local purveyor of books. Spignesi ROCKS!)
(Sep 18) It's true, kids! Donald Grant Books is NOW SHIPPING its signed, limited edition(s) of Black House! I haven't received mine yet, but as soon as I do, I'll do a limited review. SO VERY COOL!
(Sep 18) From hawkeye J. Nolan: apparently, Wal-Mart is NOW SELLING the audio for From a Buick 8. I don't know why, they just are. YEY!
(Sep 18) From our favorite Hawkeyerland: Stephen King, Sam Shepard and Martin Scorsese are among the
dozens of authors and other artists appearing this month at the third annual
New Yorker Festival.
The three-day event, which takes place throughout the city, runs Sept. 27-29. Highlights will include readings by King and Shepard, etc.
The New Yorker Festival Web site: http://festival.newyorker.com .
Sadly, folks, this event is sold out. But still cool, right?
(Sep 11) The House Sells Out. I've added a Cemetery Dance banner above, mainly because CD is the coolest magazine on the market, I've ordered tons of stuff from them (and it's always top-quality), and Rich Chizmar is a terrific guy. So click it, order stuff, and tell them that Kev sent you. (You probably won't get a discount because you tell them Kev sent you, but it's fun to say, ain't it?)
(Sep 11) (Updated!)NKC: Jim Cole and Jay Holben, two of King's most revered "Dollar Babies" makers (Jim did the terrific "Last Rung on the Ladder" and Jay did the amazing "Paranoid") are almost ready to let loose thier first professionally-produced short film! It's called The Night Before, and - as someone who has read the screenplay - I have nothing but high hopes for it. Check out the trailer --> HERE! (you'll need Quicktime to view it, but if y'all downloaded Paranoid a few months back, you should have it). Keep your eye on them: Jim Cole is going to be the next M. Night Shyamalan (as soon as his full-length feature script of Stereopticon is produced!) and Jay Holben is going to be the next Spike Jonze (judging by the mind-bending trippiness of Paranoid, he's the only director I could think to compare Holben to.) The short feature of The Night Before should be available soon - updates to come.
(Sep 03) Shocklines.com update: now it's even easier to sign up for the contest. Just click on the big honkin' banner above, and you'll be taken right to all the rules and regs. Kids, Shocklines is one of the coolest places on the internet. (And as soon as I get me some of that there money, I'm gonna buy them out of their Ketchum overstock.) Buick 8 is a wonderful book, and the limited looks to be truly terrific. Good luck to everyone!
(Sep 03) Looking for a cheap way to start up or beef up your King collection? Look no further than RICH DeMARS'S KING EBAY EXTRAVAGANZA! Seriously, it's extremely cool: postcards, books, posters, comics, trading cards: all quite inexpensive. Rich and I have been buds for years - you can trust this guy unconditionally. Happy hunting!
(Sep 01) The free online magazine The Spook has just delivered something truly impressive. Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door, Red, Off Season), one of the best writers working today, has written an incredible review of King's upcoming From a Buick 8, and The Spook has printed it! The review gives insight into the book that even I missed on the first run-though, and it has gotten me excited enough to want to read it again. My only beef with the review is Ketchum's gentle bashing of Christine, one of my favorites, but that's neither here nor there.Follow this link, scroll down the page, and look for the link reading "Stephen King's From a Buick 8." You'll need Adobe Acrobat to read it, but the website provides a link to that free download. BIG thanks to Sunny for this. It's rare when one of my favorite authors reviews another, and this was definitely one of the best. Thanks, Sunny!
(Aug 30) Buick 8 limited giveaway! HOW COOL IS THAT? From Shocklines:
Hey gang, sorry if a couple of you get this a couple of times on
different lists. Just a quick note: my store, Shocklines.com
(http://www.shocklines.com) is having a sweepstakes where we are
giving away a copy of the deluxe, traycased, signed limited edition
of Cemetery Dance Publications (1 of only 750). All you need to do is
basically sign up for the store newsletter and drop us an email with
some info before September 25th. Anyone who's interested can check
out the details at:
http://store.yahoo.net/shocklines/stepkinbrfro.html"
VERY cool! Check it out!
(Aug 22) WOW! Check out the way-cool Berni Wrightson artwork for the limited edition of From a Buick 8. This stuff rivals anything he did in Creepshow or Cycle of the Werewolf. I am suitably impressed.
Addendum:: One of the covers is for the numbered signed edition, and the other is for the lettered sighned. Thanks to John H. for the details, and to Bev Vincent for the clarification!
(Aug 22) For those of you having troubles with the Buick 8 screensaver, there's a chance you might need more software. From hawkeye Sunny: A friend of mine who was unable to download the screensaver at first, went
to www.shockwave.com and downloaded the Macromedia Flash Player 6 as a hunch
since the Black House website to promote the book was also flash oriented. And waddaya know. It works! He could download the screensaver once he downloaded the Flash Player 6 plugin (or something like that.) Let me know if this works for y'all - I've been having troubles with my own copy, as well.
(Aug 22) In anticipation of the final three volumes of the series, Signet has released four brand-new covers of the first four volumes of The Dark Tower. The covers are mega-cool, so if you're at all into collecting paperbacks, these are definitely for you. Preview them here, on the best darn Dark Tower site on the web. Thanks Antman!
(Aug 15) I've been gone a long, long time, but now I am back from vacation with a boatload (read: two items) of news! Let's do some listy things:
1. There's a From a Buick 8 screensaver available on King's own site NOW! Check it out: it's WAY cool! (Thanks to hawkeyes J. Nolan, Sunny, R. Axelrad and Mr. Hawkeyerland!)
2. The research and principal photography for George Beahm's indespensible Stephen King Collectibles is DONE! For more information, check out www.GeorgeBeahm.com. WOO HOO!
(Aug 07) We have the From a Buick 8 limited cover! Thank you Lilja and Anders! YOU ROCK! 
(Jul 24) Okay, we've got artists and links! Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla will be illustrated by Berni Wrightson! Dark Tower 6: The Song of Susannah will be illustrated by Darrel Anderson! And finally - wahoo! - the final book of the series, The Dark Tower, will be illustrated by the granddaddy of Dark Tower illustrators, Michael Whelan! I know some of this is older news, but isn't it nice to have all of it in one place, with links? I thought so!
(Jul 22) [Update] - King's office has now confirmed that "Nothing" is, indeed, nothing. (See my July 18th discussion of this "story" offered on ebay.) King never wrote a story by this title, and "didn't contribute that or anything else for the World Horror Convention in Ottawa." Thank you J. Nolan for the update!
(Jul 22) King hopes to have The Dark Tower finished by mid-fall. YEY!
(Jul 18) Something my friend Hawkeyerland stumbled upon: NOTHING by Stephen King is up for bid on e-bay, and it seems just a tad shady to me. The description reads This is perhaps the rarest of all Stephen King short stories. Nothing is never mentioned about it in any critigues of King's works. Those of us who attended the World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa were given Nothing. The program is in mint shape. If you are a King fanatic, a completest, or a simple fan, Nothing is for you. We accept paypal, billpoint, and Moneyorders. Buy this now or you'll have Nothing. Kinda vague, huh? My advice: this "story," has - to the best of my knowledge - never been mentioned by Spignesi, Beahm, Collings, Winter, or Vincent, and I highly doubt the validity of this auction. The phrasing alone makes me believe that one might be easily had...
(Jul 16) The Wavedancer Benefit audio is now available! WOO HOO! To recap: this is the companion peice to the Benefit, which took place in February of this year. The audio is now available on tape and CD, featuring King, Peter Straub, Pat Conroy, and John Grisham doing readings of their work. (King reads "The Revenge of Lard-Ass Hogan." I'm SO on board for that.) All proceeds benefit the Wavedancer Foundation, which will in turn help speed along Frank Muller's recovery. Read about the benefit here and purchase the audio here!
(Jul 08) As of this past Friday, King is back at work on The Dark Tower. Cool.
(Jul 08) Not much fresh news on the strictly King front, but we have some exciting news in the way of one of our favorite King experts, Stephen Spignesi. We've got a bunch of news on my Spignesi page, including info on three upcoming new books y'all are sure to love, including a cover graphic for one of them. It's all very exciting! Click here for details!
(Jun 26) This is always fun: Forbes Magazine has done their annual "celebrity" top 100 - the 100 most powerful celebrities in the world. Stephen King, a regular on the list, hits this year a number 14. (It's a fun picture, too!)
(Jun 23) The real author of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is none other than suspense author and Rock Bottom Remainder RIDLEY PEARSON! Pearson is the author of many terrific novels, including Hard Fall, Chain of Evidence and the excellent Lou Boldt/Daphne Matthews series. Check him out! Many thanks to Bev Vincent for the news, and many kudos to all who have kept it this secret this long!
(Jun 20) Hawkeye Lynda Tysdal has informed me that On Writing actually IS in 
paperback! It's true! I went down to Barnes & Noble today, slammed my money down, and got the first copy. (Am I quoting Misery just a bit too much nowadays?) Anyway, the mass market paperback is out, it's cool, and you should all buy many copies.
(Jun 16) Fine Art Dept.: Berni Wrightson is reportedly doing six paintings for the limited edition of From a Buick 8, and twelve for the upcoming Dark Tower installment Wolves of the Calla. In addition to the full-color artwork for Wolves, Wrigtson will be doing a number of "illuminations," those cool illustrated chapter headers and footers (I'm thinking along the lines of the stuff he did at the end of chapters in Cycle of the Werewolf, but don't hold me to that.) As a longtime fan of Wrightson's work, I couldn't be more excited about this stuff (and neither can he: according to Tyson Blue's latest installment of Needful Kings Online over at Lilja's Library, Wrightson said ""It's been a long time since I did any work with Stephen ... it's nice to be doing it again.")
(Jun 16) People have been asking me: Kev (that's what they call me back home, they call me Kev), why haven't you been following the Dead Zone TV series, or Firestarter: Rekindled? The truth is, I had to make a decision a couple of years ago what to concentrate on in Charnel House. As my time elsewhere was becoming a concern, I needed to make a choice whether to give up the site altogether, or just focus on the stuff that I considered important for me. Therefore, I will tell people the day a new King movie comes out in theatres and on DVD/video. I will not follow the on-set stuff. I usually will not follow or report on remakes or "adaptations" such as the above-mentioned shows, or later installments of Children of the Corn. If King is heavily involved with the process himself (think Rose Red or Storm of the Century, you'll see more reportage on it. But the visual adaptations aren't my main priority; I had to make my goal here the stories themselves. I hope everyone understands and, hopefully, forgives me. Thanks!
(Jun 07) Ever wonder if your book is a 1st edition or not? Ever go on ebay and read the words FIRST EDITION! and wonder if it's true? Ever email the webmaster of Charnel House and ask him if your book's a first? Well, wonder no longer. King himself has released a quick guide for identifying firsts on his own website. This list was compiled by King expert Bev Vincent, with help from one of my very best friends, Rich DeMars! So cool!
This list isn't meant to replace more in-depth looks at firsts and limiteds, such as George Beahm's exemplary Stephen King Collectables, but it's a terrific, accurate starting point. Download it and start collecting! (Thank you Mr. Hawkeyerland for the heads-up!)
(Jun 06) GIANT NEWS!!! - There's a new Stephen King self-interview online, in which, naturally, King interviews himself. Among the interview topics? The fact that DT5: Wolves of the Calla & DT6: The Song of Susannah are NOW DONE!!! In addition, part 7, "simply called The Dark Tower is about 1/3 done. Read the interview! Revel in the happy! Thank you, J. Nolan!
(Jun 06) In addition to all the Dark Tower excitement, some cool DVD news has just hit: For all those waiting for the miniseries of The Shining, wait no longer! (Well, wait a little longer). It should be out on DVD in late 2002 - early 2003, with commentary from Mick Garris, Steven Weber, and King himself. Other DVD news: IT and Cat's Eye are also on their way! Yey!
(May 30) Announcing a new link! The brand-new online horror bookstore Shocklines is now open to the public! This store has been endorsed by genre expert Brian Freeman and the horror gurus over at Cemetery Dance. I've just spent a good chunk of (work) time perusing this site, and I am amazed by it. Go, shop, and have some fun! (Note: Shocklines is also giving a 10% discount on advance orders of the upcoming Black House/Talisman gift set, coming from Grant in September. Exciting!)
(May 30) According to a recent mailing, Donald M. Grant is pushing back their limited publication of Black House to September 2002. Argh! Oh well, I'm guessing it will be really, really cool! (Thanks to hawkeye Michael Emerson for the heads-up!)
(May 23) My brand-spankin' new review of From a Buick 8 is NOW ONLINE!!! Go read it at my Buick 8 page! WOO HOO!
(May 19) This just in, from Brian Freeman: An auction selling a SIGNED copy of Secret Windows is now up on ebay. You'll remember Secret Windows as being a collection of essays released in tandem with On Writing exclusively through the Book of the Month Club. Brian verifies this as the real deal, so get to bidding!
(May 14) Hey kids! Two new disc-related events occuring today: Riding the Bullet has been released on audio, and the Rose Red miniseries is now available on DVD. Run! Buy! It's Peripheral City here in the House!
(May 12) This isn't really news, but it's close enough. I'm in Bangor, Maine right now. Did the Stephen King stuff - saw King's house (and remained unobtrusive), saw the Standpipe, checked out Paul Bunyan ... all the cool stuff. We're heading back soon, but I thought I'd share this fun little excursion. Sometimes, you just gotta go to Bangor.
(May 09) The audio companion to the Frank Muller Foundation is coming! According to Lilja's Library, the title of the audio will be THE WAVEDANCER BENEFIT:
A Tribute to Frank Muller, and will feature Stephen King, Pat Conroy, John Grisham, & Peter Straub. It will be available on two cassettes and two CDs, either format running one hour and 40 minutes, with a projected release date of July 2002!
The breakdown: A Tribute to Frank Muller will include:
John Grisham performing a rare public reading from The Summons
Peter Straub reading a portion of Black House
Stephen King reads a hilarious rendition of "The Revenge of Lardass Hogan" (Thanks for the quote, Lilja!)
Pat Conroy finishes up with a discussion on writing.
All portions of the audio were recorded live at Town Hall in NYC.
Folks, I can't stress the importance of this upcoming release. The proceeds are going to benefit Muller, who is still recovering from an awful motorcycle accident, and whose medical bills are running into the stratosphere. TO donate to the Wavedancer Foundation, please follow this link for more details.
(May 09) The case brought to court by Christina Starobin against Stephen King has been dismsissed. For those of you who remember, this was the case of a woman who wrote a novel about vampires running a car service in New Jersey, and claiming that King deliberately ripped off her idea for his novel Desperation. Among the indicators of proof: the fact that both authors used the word "zilch" in their books. Interesting. Also conclusive: the fact that King is a "hack," and who could not have possibly written a book as good as Desperation without resorting to plagiarism. Again: interesting. As stated above, the case has been dismissed. Now you can read the full story!
(May 05) When Writers Get Together Dept. - Author Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, Good Omens) discussed the recent Rock Bottom Remainders concert on his web log today! Very cool stuff. This is the first detailed report I've read, and it sounds quite fun (I can attest to the power of this band - I've seen them twice and they were terrific). Gaiman helped out on "Louie Louie" and "Gloria," but, sadly, misspelled "Gloria." See what happens when you rely on your word processor's spell check too much? (JUST KIDDING MR. GAIMAN!) Thanks to hawkeyes Brad and M. Emerson who alerted me!
(May 05) Okay, okay, okay. Thank you all for your emails. Apparently it's not the "international" edition - it's the regular American edition - but you can only order it at the Amazon.com Black House site. However, don't try looking for it in American stores yet; chances are, you won't find it. To quote my Swedish friend Lilja (of Lilja's Library): "I checked your site today and unfortunately I have to tell you that your correction about Black House is wrong. The book is out in paperback. I have no idea why it's out already. If you check Random House's site it says August (Amazon.com says September) but the fact remains that one edition (with a different ISBN #) is out ... My guess is that this is an international edition. The same happens with other paperbacks by King. Sometime they are released as much as 6 month earlier here in Europe then they are in the US." Thanks, Lilja, and all the hawkeyes who emailed me!
(May 04) The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is available in paperback now, and worth reading whether or not you were into the miniseries. It's a terrific book.
(May 04) The new issue of Cemetery Dance (#38) has hit stands and subscribers' mailboxes, complete with Bev Vincent's excellent column "From the Dead Zone" (lots of cool King news, and a mention of this very website!) Other related items: an interview with Graham Masterton (author of the excellent Bonnie Winter [aka Trauma], and also author of a book called Charnel House) and a tale by Ed Gorman (a remarkable author who I interviewed on this very site!) CD is an awesome magazine, and I urge each and every one of you to go out and purchase the new issue now. Go ahead. I've got M&Ms, I'll wait.
(May 03) Scribner publicity just sent out a fact sheet detailing 2002: The Year of King! And here in the House, we've decided to provide you with a (riding the) bulleted list of everything eventual this fine year. Enjoy!
May
Riding the Bullet audiobook published
July
On Writing finally available in paperback!
August
15th - The Cemetery Dance publication of From a Buick 8 comes out!
September
1st - Black House mass market paperback comes out!
24th - From a Buick 8 mass market hardcover (Scribner) comes out!
October
The Shining is available in a new trade (big) paperback format, with one of those campy new covers.
November
The Man in the Black Suit: 4 Dark Tales audiobook is released (which includes more Everything's Eventual stories.)
Yey!
(May 02) News has been slow, but it now seems to be picking up! The first new order of business: Cemetery Dance Publications has now confirmed an August 15th release date for the limited edition of From a Buick 8!!! WOO HOO!!!!
(Apr 19) According to Anthony over at The Dark Tower Compendium, his news regarding the early release date of Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla was reported to him through specious sources. I'd also like to point out that said specious sources wrote to me early this morning, asking me to say on here that Anthony was wrong, destroying Anthony's credibility. Let me just say that Anthony rus a terrific site over there, and his news is almost always right from the source, and almost always 100 % accurate. The fact that some jerk is trying to slander him should not change anyone's viewpoint on this. Thank you, Anthony, for all your information and support!
(Apr 18) There's a new short article by King in the latest issue of The New Yorker (April 22 & 29. It's a double issue called "The Money Issue.") It's a very short article called "Cone Head" which essentially discusses the same story King recounted in the "Raft" part of the "Notes" section of Skeleton Crew. I always like hearing that one, though.
(10-30-01)Big "About King" News: Michael Collings, the third of the Big Three Stephen King biographers (the other two being George Beahm and Stephen Spignesi), is finally releasing his King magnum opus, Horror Plum'd! WOO HOO! It will be available early next year in a limited edition through The Overlook Connection, but you can pre-order it now and save a ten-spot. In an email from Dave Hinchberger, he states:
"Mr. Collings, author of previous OCP titles Hauntings: The Official Peter Straub Bibliography and Storyteller: Official Guide to Orson Scott Card is now bringing to you this incredible collection of every book, story, and ephemera published on Stephen King. Including: Books, Novels, Short-Fiction Collections, Non-Fiction, Etc. Including Reprintinngs and multimedia adaptaions of book titles. Short Fiction, Screenplays, Anthologies, Audio and Video adaptations, etc. This volume, coming in at over 600 pages, also features many reproductions of novels from the US and Foreign editions. Almost 100 cover and art reproductions. Thousands of listings that took Mr. Collings over fifteen years to collect. This is a one-of-a-kind volume, and invaluable to any King reader and/or collector to discover the many volumes and listings of and about Stephen King. Due in early 2002.
SPECIAL PRE-ORDER SALE:
==FIRST EDITION HARD COVER - Prepay for your edition now, and save $10.00 Off and we'll pay for shipping! $65.00 (list price at publication will be $75.00).
For more insight into the creation of this book and Michael Collings himself, please check out the interview I conducted with him last year. To learn more about the book (or to order), please visit www.overlookconnection.com.
(Feb 24) Hey! I've written a "collective critique" review of Everything's Eventual! Check it out!
(Apr 17) (Semi-spoilers for Buick 8) A promotional CD containing the first chapter of From a Buick 8 has just been sent to members of the press and bookstore owners, and I managed to get my hand on one. Let me tell you, kids, I just finished listening to it, and it's simply amazing. I utterly hate using the phrase "classic King," but when I was listening to this, I got the same feeling I got when I first read The Dead Zone: in one short chapter, we get to know all the characters inside and out, get their quirks, and still get that unherhum of dread that pervades many of King's best horror stories. Right now, we know there's something wrong with that Buick (or is it a Buick), trapped in Shed B behind the police barracks ... but what? And what's in store for Ned Wilcox, the young kid whose Dad got killed in a senseless accident, and who's just taken dispach duties for the summer at said barracks? I know no answers. All I do know is that King's got his story on here, and I am frothing wanting to know what's next. I CAN'T WAIT FOR SEPTEMBER!!!
(Apr 08) Okay, some confusion has now been cleared up! Dark Tower 5 will still be called Wolves of the Calla. Dark Tower 6 will be called The Song of Susannah. Even better? BOTH ARE DUE IN '03!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?? Song page to come... (Thanks to Dean, David, Bob I, Bev, Chris, J Nolan, and everyone else who loaded my mailbox today! YOU GUYS ROCK!) The gaffe on King's site was noticed by Anthony Schwethelm from over at the AWESOME Dark Tower Compendium and fixed at once! Thanks to Anthony!!! Anthony rocks!
(Apr 08) Good news for you UK fans: Hodder and Stoughton has changed the publication date of From A Buick 8. It has been amended by the publisher to the date of August 30, 2002! (Thanks to hawkeye J Nolan, as always!)
(Apr 04) My review of the novella of "Everything's Eventual" is now up on my Everything's Eventual page. Twelve down, two to go! (This is why reviewing novels is easier, boys and girls...)
(Apr 04) Black House has made it to the finals! That's right, the King/Straub collaberation is on the final ballot for Best Novel at this year's Stoker awards. The other nominees are Ray Bradbury's From The Dust Returned, Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Jack Ketchum's The Lost. (Extremely strong category this year!) The Stoker Awards will be presented June 8th at the New York Helmsely Hotel. We'll keep you posted! (Thanks to hawkeye Sunny for the info!)
(Apr 04) The Time Magazine interview is now online!!! Read it, enjoy it, and please don't freak out! Slow down does not mean stop! Thanks to hawkeye Peter for the info!
(Apr 04) Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide by Stephen Jones is on its way to US shores! Many of you have heard of this book: unlike most "King on film" books, this one is extraordinarily comprehensive, and doesn't pander. According to the Amazon.com website, Creepshows is "a must-have for every Stephen King fan! Creepshows is the definitive
illustrated guide to the more than 50 film and television productions,
sequels and spin-offs, stage shows, radio plays, and computer games adapted from the work of master storyteller Stephen King..."
It'll be out as paperback (I'm thinking oversized?) this April! Order now! (Thanks, Brian!)
(Mar 31) King will be playing at BEA this year, along with the rest of the Rock Bottom Remainders! WOO HOO! Check out the link --> HERE! Thanks to hawkeye GB for the info!
(Mar 26) Time Magazine has a new interview with King titled, aptly, "Ten Questions With Stephen King." This is th April 1st issue, but it's on the stands NOW! Go buy it! (Thanks to hawkeye J. Nolan!)
(Mar 25) The Frank Muller Benefit (featuring Stephen King reading "The Revenge of Lard-Ass Hogan") will (tentatively) be released on audio this July. You'll be able to buy it on either 2 CD's or 2 cassettes at $20.00 each. (Thanks to Lilja's Library for the info!)
(Mar 22) Betts Bookstore has now announced its GIANT news! They have acquired what is - they conisder - the largest Stephen King collection ever ... and they are selling all of it. You want signed limiteds? They have them. You want magazine appearances? They have them. You want flat signed mass market hardcovers? They have them. Kids, this is GIANT news - Betts is currently overflowing with product. If you are ANY type of collector, do yourself a favor and VISIT THIS LINK. You will be blown away, I guarantee it.
(Mar 21) On the Horizon Department: Hey all! Betts Bookstore has announced that we are to "Watch for a huge Stephen King announcement Friday!" NO idea what this could be. Speculation points to something DT related, but we have no clue here at the House. (Thanks to hawkeyerland, my intrepid CRinVA, for all the news!)
(Mar 21) I don't do this a whole lot, but I love Cemetery Dance, and they're putting out the limited of From a Buick 8, so this has a tenebrous connection to King: Go to their site, at once and purchase the new novel Bonnie Winter, by Graham Masterson. It's one of the best, creepiest books I've read in awhile. Enjoy!
(Mar 20) I wasn't going to do review links, but then I thought: hey, I love reading reviews. Why not give others the chance? So, thanks to Mr. Brian Freeman here's a review of Everything's Eventual from USA Today. (Mainly positive, though I disagree re: "Road Virus" and "L.T.'s") Check it out!
(Mar 20) Thanks to my favorite hawkeyerland, we now have info that "Secret Window, Secret Garden" is being made into a movie!!! WAHOO! All the information can be found --> HERE!
(Mar 19) Everything's Eventual is NOW OUT in US bookstores!!! This is a terrific collection, folks, even if the order of the stories is seriously flawed. Run out and grab this book now! (Also cool: it features one of the best King covers ever - the wraparound art is great, and the stuff on the spine is amazing! Check it out!)
(Mar 15) Thanks to hawkeye Adrian Copeman, we now know that Everything's Eventual is now out in some UK bookstores! Thank you Adrian!
(Mar 14) Simon & Schuster has now put out an Everything's Eventual trivia game on their Stephen King site, in anticipation of the release of Eventual on March 19. Check it out!
(Mar 11) DARK TOWER 6 NEWS THAT'S RIGHT!! SIX!!! Accroding to King's office, the reason why King is not doing interviews and appearances for Everything's Eventual is because he's down in Florida, working on Dark Tower 6. OH MY GOD!!! No word on title or subject, but he's at least 100 pages into it. OH MY GOD!!! Anthony's gonna flip! (THANK YOU J NOLAN!!!!)
Next time: less exclamation points.
(Mar 08) Donald M. Grant states on its website that THe Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla is now in production! Whether that means that the book will be out early is up for debate, but it's still exciting news. Hats off to hawkeye Darth Pookie for the info!
(Mar 07) The final Bev Vincent Everything's Eventual auction is now up. In Bev's words:
The final auction is under way. This time it's a Dutch
auction, $250 starter, no reserve. The last two copies
in existence are going with this one! By Sunday night,
they'll all be gone.
Which means: hurry fast! Supplies are running out!
(Mar 07) Big news from Donald M. Grant! I'll let them explain it: the email I received today states:
1. We have just drawn postcards for our second lottery draw-
ing for BLACK HOUSE and the letters went out yesterday to
winners. Please DO NOT contact us asking if your postcard
was drawn. Lottery winner orders must be received by April
30. We will do a final drawing for unclaimed copies after
BLACK HOUSE is shipped. Please do not send in another
postcard if you have already entered.
2. We still do not have all the art for BLACK HOUSE. When
we have all the art and the final touches to the book design
are done we will then be able to turn the book over to the
printer. We would expect to have the books in hand about 3
months after that.
On a personal note: I WAS PICKED!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOO!
(Mar 05) This is the sixth Everything's Eventual auction Bev Vincent has put up on Ebay. Don't forget that the entire purchase of these goes to the Wavedancer Foundation, which will benefit Frank Muller during his difficult recovery period. These things are selling fast and high, folks, so get your bid in! Thanks for all your support!
(Feb 23) Betts Bookstore has just released a new Stephen King T-shirt! Very cool! The shirt has the Betts logo on the front, plus the names of King's books and the Insomnia tour illustration on the back. Go place your order --> HERE!, and while you're at it, pre-order the Everything's Eventual and From a Buick 8 releases. Tell 'em Kev sent ya: Betts is the best!
(Feb 23) Wiley Saichek over at Bookreporter.com has just informed me that King has been nominated for the "Reading Olympics!" From the email:
Bookreporter.com is running a "Reading Olympics" Poll where readers can vote
from a list of twelve bestselling authors to "win" gold, silver and bronze
medals. The criteria --- which authors get readers turning the pages. I
wanted to let you know that Stephen King is included among the
"contestants" in case you would like to vote and then possibly link the
poll to your website or get the information to your readers. The poll is open through February 28th. It
can be accessed at:
http://www.bookreporter.com/cgi-bin2/survey/surveys.pl?poll=1
So go! Vote! Enjoy!
(Feb 20) Regarding the Buick 8 limited editions from Cemetery Dance: the numbered limited editions are SOLD OUT!!! A recent announcement from the site:
Unfortunately, all copies of the forthcoming From a Buick 8 limited have already been reserved. We suggest contacting one of the specialty book dealers. There were a few rumors that Cemetery Dance did not allow retailers to order Buick 8, but I assure you, THAT IS NOT TRUE! We, of course, restricted the number of copies each store was allowed to order, but our longtime book dealers were allotted copies. Thanks and good luck!"
So, check out my Stephen King Store area, with links to Betts, Bad Moon, and Overlook - they might be able to give you a hand! (Thanks to hawkeye Michael for the help!)
(Feb 19) From the Cemetery Dance Website!!!! ->
""Good news, bad news....
The GOOD news is this: we are now accepting online reservations for the
limited edition of Stephen King's FROM A BUICK 8. We've just posted the
official ordering information and orders are already pouring in at a
trememdous rate. So hurry and take a look! You'll find a special
express-preorder link at http://www.cemeterydance.com/king/
The BAD news is this: we are still on our old internet server. This will
result in two things... first, the website is still very slow. Second, we
will have to close the site for a time (anywhere from 3-4 hours to perhaps
two days) sometime later in the week when we do switch servers.
Finally, A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: sometime in the next several months, we will be announcing additional Stephen King projects from Cemetery Dance... so be sure to stay tuned and most importantly, stay on the CD Email List for early notification!!!
The book is available in two states:
--> a slipcased "Gift" edition ($75)
-->a signed and traycased "Limited" edition ($250) [SOLD OUT]
From the website: Dustjacket and interior artwork will be by the legendary Bernie Wrightson (artist for the limited edition of The Stand and Cycle of the Werewolf [and Creepshow])! Cemetery Dance has the final manuscript in hand and is thrilled to report that From a Buick 8 is classic Stephen King storytelling -- a wonderful and chilling novel!
WOW!!! Great news! Go order now!!!
(Feb 19) And, in a rebuttal from King's office, we get more embroiled in the Diary of Ellen Rimbauer mystery. King's office states, for the record: "The Hyperion employee(s) doesn't know what he/she is talking about because Stephen is NOT the author. I absolutely positively 100% KNOW that for a fact. The true >author of the book will not be revealed until after the DVD/Video release in May."
So there you have it! We will soon know who it will be. Until next time...
(Feb 19) So, there's a new "editorial piece" about King over at Salon.com, a "scathing" summation of why King should quit writing. Now, I used to get angry at these articles, but this one's so transparent that it's hard to get worked up over. The writer, Richard Blow, seems to have a personal vendetta against King, and midway through the article, we find out why. He starts off telling us how he used to be so into King, and that he used to have genius aplenty. Then he goes on to tell us that he can't remember any names from King's recent work, etc. He complains that King is recycling his plots, and that all his 90's works have gotten away from the "everyman" stories and is focusing just on writers and writing (citing specifically Dolores Claiborne, which is a story of a magazine writer going back home to face her demons. Ah, Mr. Blow, time to do your homework. That was the movie, not the book.)
The guy further loses credibility by bringing up the time when King didn't sign an autograph for him. That's the midway point through the article, and any valid points he might have made (indicating, correctly, that Dreamcatcher wasn't all that great) get tossed out the window. He starts going on about how King can't be believed anymore, especially when he talks about recovery from his accident. Apparently, King's tale of starting to write again after being nearly killed is the ramblings of an untrustworthy cripple. The best part is when Mr. Blow writes that Black House is a further indicator of King's slippage, explaining that subjects such as child cannibalism are "beyond the pale," even for King (forgetting, of course, the many children eaten in It.)
By the time Mr. Blow is stating that Dreamcatcher is a rehash of past King tales like "The Railroad" (there's no story or novel by King called "The Railroad"), you just have to laugh. It's so much petulant fanboy whines given credence (for whatever reason) by a reputable magazine. Shame on you, Salon.
(Feb 19) Audio Confusion Department: The audio tie-ins (yes, plural) for Everything's Eventual are on their way ... and my, are they confusing. Let me see if I can break all this down for you:
--> Five stories from the book will be on the original Everything's Eventual audiobook: "Everything's Eventual" (r/b Justin Long), "Luckey Quarter" (Judith Ivey), "Autopsy Room 4" (Oliver Platt), "The Little Sisters of Eluria" (Boyd Gaines), and "The Road Virus Heads North" (Jay O. Sanders).
--> Later in the year (reports state November is most likely), we'll be getting The Man in the Black Suit and Three Other Eerie Tales. The stories on this one are reportedly "The Man in the Black Suit," "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French," "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" and "The Death of Jack Hamilton." If this roster changes, I'll let y'all know.
--> Then, "Riding the Bullet" will be released as its own audio. More on that when I hear.
--> Add these to the already released Blood & Smoke (which contains "Lunch at the Gotham Cafe'," "1408," and "In the Deathroom" and the live recording of L.T.'s Theory of Pets, and you have the whole of Everything's Eventual. (You know what? I'm gonna buy them all and just record them to CD as one big ol' collection. So there.)
(Feb 18) The second of Bev Vincent's Everything's Eventual ARCs is now up for auction!!! Go there!!!
(Feb 18) More on the identity of the author of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, this from hawkeye Kevin Etheridge in the UK, who writes:
Further to your post about the King / Ellen Rimbauer connection, please let me advise you of this. I saw your posting from Jon Sheard about the article in 'The Guardian' UK newspaper by 'The Loafer' about this book and King. Allow me to elaborate. I saw this article and made a few enquiries on this side of the pond. I spoke to the Guardian's book department, who put me in touch with the person who had given them the story initially. This person was Maxim Jacoubowski, author and proprieter of 'Murder One Books' in London. I spoke to Maxim, who told me that he had leaked the story to the Guardian after hearing about the initial article that appeared in 'Variety' magazine (below) in late January 2002. Maxim told me that he had spoken to the 'Variety' source who were VERY SURE of their facts regarding King and the Library of Congress viz 'Ellen Rimbauer', and that all the Hyperion reps were making it crystal clear to buyers that the two 'authors' were one and the same. At the time the article appeared , the Ellen Rimbauer diary was at #13 on the NYT bestseller list, and has since to date now sold 400,000 copies - not bad for a 1st time author !! (Rimbauer) , Maxim asserts that even without the Hyperion reps. statements, he has read the book , and is CONVINCED that King is the author, and that 'Variety' would not make this assertion about the Library of Congress unless they had proof. Maxim has a very high reputation in the literary community, and I do not see him making this statement lightly, and as we know historically, King is not above doing this al'a Bachman. Why he should have neglected to remove his name from the copyrights for this book is amazing in light of the past, but there you go.
I hope this sheds some more light on the issue, and perhaps lets someone in the USA approach the Library of Congress for the proof we all seek.
This amid confirmation from King's office that King is most assuredly NOT the author is all very intriguing. Personally, I still think Patrick McGrath did it.
(Feb 15) Stephen King recently gave Bev Vincent a stash of SIGNED - yes, you read that right, SIGNED - Everything's Eventual ARC's (Advance Reader's Copies.) In order to benefit the Frank Muller Wavedancer Foundation, he's begun to put these up for sale on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1514688855. ALL proceeds go to the Frank Muller cause, and I believe Bev is even defraying shipping costs. The book's great and the charity is wonderful. GO NOW!
(Feb 15) In adjunctual (yes, I'm allowed to adjective things) King news, a signed copy of Stephen Spignesi's The Italian 100 also just went up on Ebay. Check it out HERE!!!
(Feb 14) Everything's Eventual is scheduled to be out on bookstore shelves March 19th! Mark it on your calendars!
(Feb 14) News on the Donald M. Grant edition of Black House (quoted directly from an email from the Grant offices):
Rick Berry has completed 6 of the 7 full page paintings for
BLACK HOUSE and expects to finish all the art for the book
by the end of the month. When the final touches to the book
design are done we will then be able to turn the book over to
the printer. We would expect to have the books in hand about
3 months after that.
(Feb 14) Speaking of Donald Grant, we have some GREAT news regarding the second deluxe Black House lottery!
In January we [Donald M. Grant] mailed a letter to over 400 customers who
had bought a WIZARD & GLASS DELUXE EDITION book
from us but who had not ordered BLACK HOUSE. Since then
we have heard from about half of them (many said that they
never received our original mailing announcing BLACK
HOUSE) and of those we have thus far heard from less than
half have ordered BLACK HOUSE. This means that there will
be more books available via the lottery than we had initially
anticipated and so we will do a second drawing at the end of
February, with another drawing upon the release of BLACK
HOUSE.
WOO HOO!!!!
(Feb 14) Sadly, at this time, there seem to be no plans to release a novel or screenplay (a la Storm of the Century) of Rose Red. Darnit!
(Feb 07) Anthony, over at the The Dark Tower Compendium has released this touching bit of news: King is dedicating Wolves of the Calla to Frank Muller. The deciation reads:
"To Frank Muller... who hears the voices in my head."
To read Anthony's entire statement on the dedication, follow this link. (Thanks Anthony!)
(Feb 07) Rose Red is already in the process of being released on DVD/VHS! Lion's Gate has announced that May 14th is the release date, with special features including: A Director's Commentary, a "Making of" behind-the-scenes section, and story board artwork. Thanks to Rosandra and Brian for the updates!
(Feb 05) I HAVE EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL!!! Um, review to come...
(Feb 05) Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla is NOW FINISHED! And it's 900 pages long! (I'm assuming this is manuscript pages, which means that the actual published book will probably be a bit shorter...)
(Feb 05) The offical From a Buick 8 publication/laydown date is September 24th, 2002. WOO HOO!
(Feb 05) Well, according to King's office, King most assuredly did NOT write The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. Now we have NO idea.... Anyone with hints, clues, etc?
(Feb 05) This is not specifically King related, but I thought it was kinda neat. Two people who have had significant success with King's "Dollar-Babies," Jay Holben ("Paranoid") and Jim Cole ("The Last Rung on the Ladder") have collaborated on their own project: Holben is doing an adaptation of one of Cole's short stories called "Hot Shots" (which I've read and enjoyed immensely.) Now, I know we don't normally do movie news here in the House, and very rarely stuff this peripheral to King himself, but I've known Jim Cole for years and he's a terrific writer (his script for Stereopticon is one of the great unproduced films floating around the Hollywood ether right now), and Holben's Paranoid is one of the very best King adaptations. For the full press release, click here!
(Feb 04) A column in the UK paper The Guardian, in its usual droll manner, purports that King himself is the author of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. The article reads:
"Reports that Stephen King, the Sultan of Shock, is hanging up his pen, may come as a surprise to one Joyce Reardon, PhD, "author" of a new American bestseller, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. Rimbauer is a central character in King's Rose Red, a haunted-house thriller that is running this week as a miniseries on ABC TV. Though Ms. Reardon has eschewed King's normal US publisher Viking for Hyperion, the Loafer [the reporter] was intrigued enough to follow her to the Library of Congress, where - to our shock and horror - we found her book copyrighted to one Stephen King.
This discovery is reminiscent of the discovery that Stephen King was Richard Bachman. If you'll recall, a reporter discovered Bachman was King by searching for Rage in the Library of Congress and finding it copywritten as by Stephen King. Does this article prove King's been dabbling in pseudononymous waters again? [I do find the fact that "the Loafer" is unaware that King moved to Scribner four years ago kind of odd.]
You can read the article here! Many thanks goes to hawkeye Jon Sheard for the heads-up!
(Feb 01) There's a new article in USA Today regarding King's involvement with the Frank Muller reading tomorrow. It's a very informative article - check it out!
(Feb 01) I don't normally do movie news here, but this one's always been an exception. Jay Holben's Paranoid movie is now available for download at www.paranoidthemovie.com. I'll be downloading it tonight! VERY COOL!
(Feb 01) WOW! Bev Vincent, King "guy" extraordinaire has come into some Everything's Eventual, and he wants to share them ... for a price! He's auctioning them off, with all proceeds going directly to aid the recovery of Frank Muller. The entire letter, as posted to the SKEMERs newsletter:
"Stephen King has graciously provided me with a small number of signed ARCs (advanced galleys) of his new collection, "Everything's Eventual" to auction for charity. The beneficiary of the auctions will be the Frank Muller Fund of the Wavedancer Foundation. All proceeds will go directly to this charity. I will pay for auction costs and shipping.
I'm not revealing the exact number of books available. Auctions will run during February after the ABC Rose Red auctions are finished.
King signed galleys are virtually unheard of and these will be available prior to the release of the first edition hardcover.
I'll announce when the first auction begins. Possibly as early as next week, depending on how long it takes for the books to arrive.
My eBay identity is "deadzone."
Start saving your pennies. It'll be tax deductible and for a great cause.
See www.bitchen.com/muller if you don't know about Mr. Muller and Wavedancer."
Bev has also asked me to post a link to all his auctions, so here it is!
Thanks, everyone!
(Feb 01) Let's Quell Some Fears Dept.: Surf on over to this article regarding King and his rumored retirement. The relevent info reads as such:
His agent, Arthur Greene, was skeptical about King's recent statements.
``He's spoken about retiring many times in the past,'' Greene told The Associated Press Thursday. In my own mind, I think it's unlikely he'll stop working." [Bolding mine, of course.]
A spokeswoman for King said the author had not yet read Sunday's article and would have no immediate comment.
This echoes my thoughts exactly. Last time King went on the retirement kick, I kind of ... well, freaked. Now, I'm a little calmer about it. My thought is, King will continue writing, but slow down publishing. I can see him letting Tabitha read everything he's writing, and once in awhile, she's gonna say, "Hey, that's pretty damn good, Steve. Publish that." And he will.
King has stated many times over that he won't ever stop writing. Good for him! And if he lets his publishing trickle, that's good for him, too. He's given us two books a year since forever. Also, if King does end up never putting out anything ever again (after the Dark Tower books, of course!), I can't really begrudge the guy. All I have to do is look at my bookshelves stuffed with his books and say, "Thank you."
(Jan 31) Don't forget: the final installment of Rose Red airs tonight, 9:00 EST! Set your VCRS!
(Jan 31) Of course, if you don't want to set your VCRs, that's cool, too. Rumor has it that Rose Red is coming to VHS and DVD this May. (Thanks Brian!)
(Jan 30) Hi! Okay, as you can see, there's been some refurbishment. Out with the old, in with the new! Like to know what you all think of the changes. I'd like to know what you guys think. Let me know here! Also, you might want to check out some of the book pages (especially IT and its companion, the IT Character Profiles). Soon enough, all the book pages will be redone!
(Jan 29) Completely refurbished my Rose Red site (which you can check out --> here!) In addition to fixing the links, there's a full-length review of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, plus a representation of the cover. Enjoy!
(Jan 29) Sigh. Okay, I'm putting this link on here, the one where King says he's getting ready to retire. Honestly, I've been avoiding posting it because I refuse to believe it. But, it's my editorial duty to report the news, so here you go. (Keep in mind, King said about the same type of thing surrounding the publication of Bag of Bones. My hope is that he'll scale back ... but not stop. A guy's gotta dream, right?)
(Feb 05) Cole/Hoben Press Release:
STEPHEN KING DOLLAR-BABIES UNITE
AND COLLABORATE ON SHORT PROJECT
Los Angeles, CA (January 22, 2002) - Director Jay Holben (Paranoid) has
selected the material for his next short project to go into production this
Spring. After a lengthy search, which included pouring through more than 50
potential scripts, Holben has teamed with fellow "Dollar-Baby" James Cole to
bring Cole's semi-autobiographical short story to the screen. Cole (The Last
Rung on the Ladder) was featured in author Stephen Spignesi's exhaustive
study of King's work The Stephen King Encyclopedia. Shortly after
completing Paranoid, Holben and Cole exchanged e-mails and met through the
assistance of King fan site creator Hans-Ake Lilja (www.liljas-library.com).
After presenting Holben with a copy of his feature script, Stereopticon,
the director was immediately drawn to Cole's writing. Holben turned to Cole
to see if he had any pre-existing short story material and the writer
produced a short story based on his pre-adolescent hospital experiences. The
extremely well formed characters and the deep, heartfelt truth of Cole's
tale struck Holben as the perfect choice.
The second draft of the yet untitled film has been completed, and
casting/pre-production has begun to move forward. Joining the production
team is producer Mark Russell, who was part of the production team behind
Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, A.I., and the 20th anniversary
re-release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Also producing is Jacqueline
Cruz, whose tenure in the film industry has included the prestigious William
Morris Agency and Dreamworks SKG Television, where she worked on successful
series such as Spin City, It's Like, You Know... and Freaks and Geeks. Ms.
Cruz most recently worked as story editor with Baltimore/Spring Creek
Pictures, the production company of director Barry Levinson and producer
Paula Weinstein.
Stepping away from the hyphenate roll of director-cinematographer, Holben
has turned to longtime friend and collaborator Christopher Probst as his
director of photography for the film. Probst is the technical editor for
American Cinematographer magazine and recently served as camera operator for
the ASC award nominated epic mini series Uprising.
Principal photography is tentatively slated to begin in Los Angeles early
this Spring.
(Jan 27) ROSE RED BEGINS TONIGHT!!! (Sunday, the 27th of January, 9:00 PM EST. It continues tomorrow night at 9:00 and comcludes Thursday at 9:00. Enjoy!)
(Jan 25) Hey kids! Check out the newest New York Review of Books: LOTS of King stuff inside. There are reviews of Black House, Dreamcatcher, Rose Red and Stephen Spignesi's awesome book The Essential Stephen King. Unfortunately, the article is not archived online, but newsstands should have it out now (cover price $4.00), and you can also visit their website at www.nybooks.com. Check it out! (Thanks to hawkeye Steve for the info!)
(Jan 22) More Rose Red stuff: King himself wrote a revealing and intriguing look into the creative process behind the miniseries in TV Guide online this week. Great article!
(Jan 20) Hey! Those of you who read and loved The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer can now surf on over to the Beaumont University site and check out the missing entries from Ellen's diary! The Blair Witch-iness gets even deeper! WOO HOO!
(Jan 18) An email from Tera Humphrey explains the Rose Red auction in greater detail! It states:
"Stephen King fans a rare opportunity to bid on actual wardrobe pieces and props from "Stephen King's Rose Red" movie at www.abcauctions.com. The king of horror himself has signed some items. Beginning January 24, 2002, fans will be able to bid on 100 "Stephen King's Rose Red" items on www.abcauctions.com leading up to ABC's premiere movie event, airing January 27, 28 and 31 at 9 p.m./8 p.m. Central
Proceeds from items signed by Stephen King will benefit The Wave Dancer Foundation; an organization dedicated to the welfare, healing and recovery of disabled professionals.
Some notable items being offered from January 24 through 31 include:
Script Signed by Stephen King - a copy of the shooting script with King's autograph on the cover
"Ellen Rimbauer" Fan - a hand-painted fan opening to reveal a bright red rose, that was created as a character prop for the lady-of-the-house, Ellen Rimbauer
Additional King items offered from January 31 through February 7 include:
Signed Stephen King Costume - Stephen King-signed white cotton golf shirt is an authentic costume piece created for the author's appearance as a pizza deliveryman in "Rose Red"
Signed Crew Jacket - Stephen King-signed Rose Red ABC Crew jacket "
To read the FULL press release, surf on over to my Rose Red Page!
(Jan 18) From Cemetery Dance magazine:
Just two short weeks until we post official ordering information for the limited edition of Stephen King's FROM A BUICK 8. Click over to the official Cemetery Dance website (http://www.cemeterydance.com) to find out who the two lucky winners are of last week's BUICK 8 contest!
Also....
For the next 24 hours only (offer expires at midnight on Friday, January 18), we're offering HUGE savings on all books on the Cemetery Dance website! Here are the details: order three or more books from the website and receive a 40% discount! You can't beat that! There is no longer an "additional comments" section on the order form (to mention the sale), but don't worry -- we will automatically deduct 40% from your order!
VERY COOL!
(Jan 18) Yesterday's USA Today had a feature on charity auctions, which mentioned that King would be signing Rose Red memorabilia. No further news at this point, but when I have more specifics, I'll be sure to link it for you!
(Jan 17)King is Officially Insane Dept.: From Bev Vincent, via Brian Freeman's Stephen King News and Info Site, regarding the order of the stories in Everything's Eventual:
King said: "What I did was take all the spades out of a deck of cards plus a
joker. Ace to King = 1-13. Joker = 14. I shuffled the cards and dealt them.
The order in which they came out became the order of the stories, based on
their position in the list my publisher sent me. And it actually created a
very nice balance between the literary stories and the all-out screamers.
Next collection: selected by Tarot."
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Autopsy Room Four
The Man in the Black Suit
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away
The Death of Jack Hamilton
In the Deathroom
The Little Sisters of Eluria
Everything's Eventual
L.T.'s Theory of Pets
The Road Virus Heads North
Lunch at the Gotham Café
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French
1408
Riding the Bullet
Luckey Quarter
How do I feel about this? Not great. I know this is a place where I rarely disparage King in any way ("The Ten O'Clock People" notwithstanding), but in Night Shift and (especially) Skeleton Crew, King arranged his collections specifically, in a certain order that let the stories flow. There was a BANG beginning and a BANG ending, with ups and downs inside. "Autopsy" is one of King's best, but I'm not sure it functions as a "first" story. And, I'm sorry, "All That You Love" belongs at the end, a quiet coda to an impressive collection. The considerably weaker "Luckey Quarter," while good, will not resonate as "Love" would have in that last slot.
Just me thinks. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
(Jan 14) WE GOT COVER! 
The US cover of Everything's Eventual, continuing the Scribner trend of being better than the UK covers, is now available, as is the jacket flap description. MANY thanks to hawkeye Larry Fire for this tip!
(Jan 14) Oddity of the week: King (along with director George Romero) has written the "liner notes" to Romero's upcoming DVD release of Night of the Living Dead. This seems strange until you consider that King and Romero have been very close for decades (Romero optioned The Stand and Pet Sematary as films, actually directed Creepshow and The Dark Half, and currently owns the rights to The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.) Very cool! Check out the full story on GeorgeARomero.com. (Thanks goes to hawkeye Kelly Bird and, again, Mr. Brian Freeman!)
(Jan 13) News of the Pretty Cool Dept. From The Vancouver Sun, written by Susan Balcom:
American novelist Stephen King has hired a North Vancouver furniture
designer to make a writing desk for his Florida home.
The desk, which cost $40,000 Cdn., is the most prestigious sale yet for
Peter Pierobon, who has been showing his work at art galleries in the U.S.
The desk is made from sapele, a reddish-brown mahogany-like wood from
Africa. It has two secret drawers and a mysterious line of raised script on
its black leather surface.
King, who is famous for his thrillers and horror stories, wanted the phrase
"All Things Serve the Beam," written in Gregg shorthand on the desk top.
"I have no idea what that means," says Pierobon, who often uses
language-based decoration in his work as a way to communicate with whoever
uses the piece. "I have never spoken directly to Stephen King. This has all
been done through various middlemen on the Internet."
King commissioned the piece after viewing Pierobon's designs at
www.johnelder.com, the Web site for the John Elder Gallery in New York.
Thanks to Brian Freeman (and hawkeye Darrin) for this news: way cool!
(Jan 13) We have the UK cover of Everything's Eventual up on the site now! Check it out on my Everything's Eventual page, or see the image direct here! (THanks to hawkeyes J Nolan, Lilja, and Alex for this speedy update!)
(Jan 11) Stephen J. Spignesi's manuscript for The Essential Stephen King is NOW SELLING on Ebay. The manuscript is signed, and you get a free bookmark with it. Check it out...
(Jan 07) Here There Be Webslingers Dept.: You may have noticed some changes in the House over the last couple months. Nothing major, so far. I've been going through the book review pages and removing major spoilers (I wroste a good portion of those when I was 1. nineteen and 2. new to writing reviews.) I'm also making the in-page tables more user-friendly (as well as adding some categories) and doing away with the "Also by King" list on all but the main page. I'm sorry, it just got too unweildy.
The bigger changes are upon us, though: as you may have noticed above, there are no more ads. That's right, I've decided to set up the House on a payment plan. Now, I don't want to turn into the kind of site that asks for donations (although I might, eventually; I'm snarky that way), but if i ever get tired of all the paying, the ads are likely to come back. Just a warning!
Keep an eye on this space for newer and more exciting changes! Thanks for reading, and have a pleasant 2002!
(Jan 07) Cemetery Dance Publications has just released an update on their upcoming From a Buick 8 limited edition release. Note: read the page to the very bottom!
(Jan 04) Frank Muller, one of the best audio book readers in the world (responsible for The Regulators, The Green Mile, Different Seasons, and many more), has recently been involved in a serious motorcycle accident. To quote the official website: "On November 5th, 2001, Frank Muller was riding his motorcycle from LA to Nevada and was involved in a serious accident. While accident details are not available, it sent him to the hospital in critical condition with a shattered wrist, face and a tracheotomy."
Because of the nature of Muller's work (as an actor and audio reader, he is technically self-employed), he has limits to his insurance and the money is running out. Again from the website:
"The audio books community has responded to Frank with an outpouring of support for him and his family. As part of this support, a benefit performance will be held at 8:00 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2002 at Town Hall, a 1,500-seat performance hall located at 123 West 43rd (between 6th and 7th Avenues) in New York City. The performance will include live readings and reflections by Stephen King, John Grisham, Pat Conroy and Peter Straub.
Ticket prices will be $100, $75 and $50. The performance will be taped, and the audio recording will be made available for purchase. Donations of $25 and above will also be accepted from those who cannot attend but would like to support this effort. All proceeds will go to Frank and his immediate family. Information on how to reserve tickets for this event will be made available shortly."
For details on tickets and the performance, please visit the official site --> HERE <---
We here at Charnel House have always admired Mr. Muller and pray for a speedy and total recovery. Thank you.
(Dec 27) Check out this brand new interview with King on the creation of Rose Red. Really cool, if short. (Still no word on whether there'll be a tie-in screenplay!)
(Dec 26) Thanks to hawkeye Greg Barr, we now have the location of the official Rose Red site. Set your VCRs and Tivos!
(Dec 21) I've updated my Everything's Eventual page with a brand-new review of "The Death of Jack Hamilton." I've also gone through all of Charnel House and dug up all of my erstwhile short story reviews and collected the appropriate ones on the Eventual page, as well. The only stories on that site now missing reviews are "The Little Sisters of Eluria," "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French," and "Everything's Eventual" (although I seem to recall writing reviews for each of these at one point or another. They might be on my home computer.) When Everything's Eventual comes out, I plan on going over all the stories again to get the "collective" feel of the book, and I may end up revising my story reviews, as well. (Speaking of reviewing, I know I've been unspeakably lax in my Skeleton Crew, The Stand and Secret Windows reviews. One of my New Year's resolutions is to reread these books and do extensive reviews. I promise!)
(Dec 19) Cemetery Dance Publishers has now released some new info on the upcoming limited edition of From a Buick 8. Check out all the new stuff --> HERE!
(Dec 19) For you industry insiders, the Rock Bottom Remainders will be making an appearance at BEA (the trade show for the book industry) in New York City this year, as reported by Publisher's Weekly. Very cool!
(Dec 19) The new issue of The New Yorker features a new (that's right: NEW!!!) Stephen King short story called "The Death of Jack Hamilton." I just found out about this tonight (THANK YOU J NOLAN & TRACEY!), so I can't give you further info on the content. I can however tell you that this will be the 14th story in the upcoming collection Everything's Eventual. (Oddly, while the collection is called Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales, the audio version of the collection will be Everything's Eventual and Other Stories. See my reasonings for this below...) WOO HOO!!!!
(Dec 16) Way cool! Berni Wrightson, illustrator extrordinaire (he did the work on Creepshow, Cycle of the Werewolf, and the 1990 version of The Stand) will be illustrating The Dark Tower 5: Wolves of the Calla. AMAZING news!
(Dec 13) Intriguing... There's been some speculation that The Diary of Ellen Rimbaur was, in fact, written by Tabitha King, and the "Afterword" by "Steven Rimbauer" is actually by Stephen King. As I've stated this is pure speculation at this point, but it certainly is intriguing... (Oh, and for you stats fanatics: 288 pages, $22.95US/$32.95CAN, ISBN: 0-7868-6801-5.)
(Dec 11) OH MY GOD!!! We now have official confirmation on the title of Dark Tower 5: WOLVES OF THE CALLA. (Thank you so much, J. Nolan!) King is apparently "on schedule," and while there's no confirmed publication date, we're looking at a possilbe early 2003! YEY!
(Dec 10) This is so darn cool! Surf on over to The Diary of Ellen Rimbaur official site, which connects explicitly to the upcoming miniseries Rose Red. It seems King is working this like The Blair Witch Project, using the net to promote the tale of Rose Red in the "real world." The site has tons of background information about the Rose Red hotel, Ellen Rimbauer's diary excerpts, and psychoanalysis by Dr. Joyce Reardon. (I just love all the postmodernism.) The acutal book The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer will be released in January - we'll let you know when it arrives!
(Dec 10) Dreamcatcher is NOW out in paperback! For those of you who are "waiting for the paperback," wait no longer! WOO HOO!
(Dec 07) Exciting news today from Donald M. Grant, Inc! The email I got from them today confirms that they've picked the Black House limited "postcard winners!" Woo hoo! (REALLY hoping one was me...) The full email:
1. 100 postcards were picked from the lottery requests (for the limited
edition of Black House) and letters went out yesterday and today to winners.
Please DO NOT contact us asking if your postcard was drawn. If we have not
heard back form someone who was picked by the end of January we will try
contacting them again. We will do another drawing for unclaimed copies
before BLACK HOUSE is shipped. Please do not send in another postcard.
2. We are still awaiting art and design work from Rick Berry for our edition
of BLACK HOUSE. When we receive this and are able to turn in all materials
to the printer, binder and tray-case maker, it will take 2-3 months to get
the finished books and traycases. Usually the books are finished before the
tray-cases. I have seen some of the finished paintings and you will not be
disappointed.
ALL THE WAITING!!!!
(Dec 07) Odd but cool news: an audio version of Riding the Bullet will be released in May. (This seems kind of strange to me, given that Everything's Eventual is coming out in March. Many - if not the majority - of King's more recent books have all been released on audio [since moving to Scribner, King's audio tie-ins have been beautifully well-presented.] Also, a bunch of the Eventual stories have already been released on audio, in various sources: "The Little Sisters of Eluria," read by Frank Muller; "1408," "In the Deathroom," and "Lunch at the Gotham Cafe," all read by King himself in Blood and Smoke; and the live recording of "L.T.'s Theory of Pets." Maybe they couldn't get all the copyrights together to release all these versions on one collection: I don't really know. All I'm saying is that the "Riding the Bullet" thing is just a bit odd...)
(Dec 07) On Writing will be released in paperback in the US July 2002!
(Dec 07) The Rose Red Press Release is now available on the Official Stephen King Web Presence It states:
"STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED" WILL HAUNT ABC ON JANUARY 27, 28 AND 31
"Stephen King's Rose Red," a three-part, six-hour miniseries created
directly for television by best-selling author and unparalleled master of
horror Stephen King, will air as an ABC Premiere Event on SUNDAY, JANUARY
27, MONDAY, JANUARY 28 and THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET, each
night), on the ABC Television Network.
"Stephen King's Rose Red" is the chilling tale of Dr. Joyce Reardon (Nancy
Travis), an obsessed psychology professor who commissions a team of psychics
and a gifted 15-year-old autistic girl, Annie Wheaton (Kimberly J. Brown),
to literally wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion -- Rose Red, built
in 1907 by Seattle oil magnate John P. Rimbauer. Their efforts unleash
myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets of the generations who have
lived and died there.
The ensemble cast includes Nancy Travis, Matt Keeslar, Kimberly J. Brown,
David Dukes, Melanie Lynsky, Matt Ross, Julian Sands, Kevin Tighe, Julia
Campbell, Emily Deschanel, Laura Kenny, Tsidii LeLoka and Yvonne Scio.
Mr. King and Emmy Award-winner Mark Carliner ("Stalin," "George Wallace")
are executive producers. Thomas Brodek is producer and Craig Baxley is
director. The teleplay was written by Stephen King.
"Stephen King's Rose Red" was produced for ABC by Greengrass Productions,
Inc., in association with Victor Television Productions, Inc., and Mark
Carliner Productions.
A TV parental guideline will be posted closer to airdate.
This is sounding cooler and cooler as it draws close. Still no word on a Storm of the Century-type tie-in sceenplay publication, but we'll let you know the second we hear anything...
(Dec 03) Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide, by Stephen Jones, will have an American pressing in February. From all accounts, this book goes far above any past look at the films of Stephen King, earning great reviews from every aspect of the King community. Check it out!
(Nov 26) More Everything's Eventual news! The subtitle of the collection now seems to be "14 Dark Tales," which, when you add it all up, equals semi-sadness for King fans everywhere. "14" indicates that there will only be one brand-new story, in addition to those previously published tales listed below. No word yet on the story title, or what it's about. Oh, and we have some stats for those who need to know: the price will be $28.00 and the book's ISBN is 0-743-23515-0.
(Nov 19) You want stories? WE GOT STORIES! So far, 13 stories have been confirmed for King's upcoming March 2002 collection Everything's Eventual. They are:
1. Riding the Bullet
2. Luckey Quarter
3. Autopsy Room Four
4. L.T.'s Theory of Pets
5. Lunch at the Gotham Cafe
6. The Man in the Black Suit
7. Everything's Eventual
8. That Feeling, You can Only Say What It Is in French
9. The Little Sisters of Eluria
10. The Road Virus Heads North
11. In the Deathroom
12. 1408
13. All That You Love Will be Carried Away
The big surprise here is "Little Sisters," which - for those who don't know - is a prequel to The Gunslinger, and which ties in explicitly to Black House. (Also, I'm pleased as punch that "Carried Away" will finally see a book printing. This is indeed one of King's very best fictions to date.) THANK YOU J NOLAN!!!
(Nov 19) And we have air dates for the upcoming miniseries Rose Red (which is also mentioned in Black House...) This six-hour miniseries will air on January 27th, 28th, and 31st, 2002, on ABC. WOO HOO!
(Nov 16) BIG ASS NEWS! The publishing schedule for 2002 has now been radically changed! King's new novel From a Buick 8 was supposed to come out in March 2002. No longer. Now, Buick 8 will be published next September ... and King's long-awated 4th short story compilation will be arriving in March instead! WOO HOO!!!
The history of this book's publication has been crazy. Rumors abounded all over the internet as to when it would come out, what its title would be, etc. The waiting is over, kids: the book will not be called Road Kill or One Headlight. Instead, the title comes from King's amazing novella Everything's Eventual, which is one of the 15+ stories in this 500+ page collection.
So far, the only stories that are confirmed are "Everything's Eventual" and "L.T.'s Theory of Pets," but on my new Everything's Eventual page, I've made some educated guesses (and hopes) as to the rest of the roster. My hope is that there will be some new tales in this one, but you just never know with King.
So, there are your stats: over 500 pages, 17 short stories, two confirmed titles, and a March 2002 release date. YEY!!!
(11-12-01) I want to give a shout out to ALL my loyal Charnel House readers who supported me in signing up for Brian Freeman's terrific King news mailing list. The contest is over, the ballots are counted, and I have WON BIG TIME!!! I didn't get the grand prize, but I came in second, with the From a Buick 8 "gift" edition, being put out by Cemetery Dance early next year. WAY cool!!! Again, thank you all, and when I get more actual info on this volume, I'll let you all know. (SO EXCITED!)
(09-28-01) Hey! My full-length Black House review is now up!!! WOO HOO!
(11-08-01) And some more sad news for you Plant fans. From today's Yahoo Internet Life interview with Stephen King:
"The reason ["The Plant" was never finished] is that the story never
picked me up and carried me. With The Green Mile it was something else.
That story just spread wings. I didn't write it; it wrote it. I love when
that happens. But with "The Plant" there was always that sense of pushing
the story along. It was never an issue of would people read it or how many
people were buying into it. Financially we did quite well. But...It
remains unfinished."
Thanks to hawkeye Nesler for the info!
(11-07-01) Some sad news for you Talisman fans: Creature-Corner.com has reported that the proposed miniseries for ABC-TV has been canceled. (This makes absolutely no sense to me, given 1. The popularity of King miniseries in the past and 2. THe current popularity of Black House. But when have TV execs made any sense?) Read the full story -->here!
(11-05-01) Hey kids: just received my two copies of The Essential Stephen King and they are AMAZING! I was really surprised by the numbered one. I knew it was going to come in a slipcase, but I didn't know it would be this cool, all black see-through plastic. Also, I was unaware that there would be a dust jacket with it. Nice surprise! Betts still has some copies left, so go order yours now! (Seriously, I'm not being hyperbolic here: once Betts sells out, that's it. There's literally no more copies left. Go! Now!)
(11-03-01) You can now view the American Winners of the On Writing contest on Stephen King's official site. I;ve yet to read them, but I've heard they are all pretty darn good.
(10-30-01) Now you can view the (even cooler) British cover of From a Buick 8 ---> here!
(10-27-01) Interesting Rose Red news: just learned that it was origianlly going to be a remake of The Haunting, with Liam Neeson starring. Apparently, there was a falling out with King and the creative team, and The Haunting became the movie that came out a few years ago, and King took his original screenplay and modified it, and it became Rose Red. So, a little background for you!
(10-26-01) UPDATE on The Essential Stephen King!!! In an email from George Beahm I JUST received, he informed me that:
"[He] just heard from Stuart Tinker and the slipcases are now in Bangor--they
arrived a few minutes ago. So, the book, dust jacket and slipcase are all on
hand and it's just a matter of time for customers to get their copies.
Stuart is packing these himself because he wants to get the job done right."
These books are SOOOO cool! More description from George Beahm's Website:
"The book is 504 pages and is printed on heavy sixty-pound white book stock--archival paper, designed to last more than a lifetime. The limited edition is bound in black cloth with white overprinting that extends from the back to the front cover, listing (alphabetically) all of the works examined by Spignesi. Sturdily bound in sewn signatures, the book's trim size is 6.25 x 9.25 inches. The book is protected with a dust jacket that repeats the design of the stamping on the book itself; and the book and jacket fit snugly inside a hand-made acrylic slipcase.
This edition is, properly, the Writer's Cut. We have restored all the dropped text, reset all the type, redesigned all the pages, added new photos and art, and have brought the book up to its original state of grace.
The contributors who signed the book include: Stephen J. Spignesi, George Beahm, Charlie Fried, Tyson Blue, Mick Garris, Jim Cole, Jay Holben, Michael R. Collings, and Bev Vincent.
The new text includes: a new introduction by Spignesi; a new foreword by Beahm; a hilarious 3,200-word tongue-in-cheek by former Castle Rock contributing editor, Tyson Blue; a "Fan's Favorites" as seen from the perspective of the membership of SKEMERS; a restructuring by Spignesi of the top 100 by category; Spignesi's choice of 49 runners up; a look at King's future works; a master "A to Z" list compiled by Spignesi, comprised of 565 items; the complete text to Robert Browning's poem, "Child Roland to the Dark Tower Came"; the complete text to Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"; a Stephen King-like poem by Spignesi; a revised afterword by Beahm; and, of course, the full text of the trade edition.
The labor involved in shipping this book out is considerable. Each book must be very carefully packed by hand and cushioned, to survive one-way shipping. Boxes were made to order for this book, which should insure safe delivery. Cushioning will be extensive."
Kids, this is truly a book you NEED to own. There are still copies available at Betts Bookstore, and ONLY at Betts bookstore. This is an EXTREMELY limited edition, so I would reccomend ordering ASAP:
--> Website: http://www.bettsbooks.com
--> Phone: (207)947-7052
--> Fax: (207)947-6615
--> Email: Bettsbooks@aol.com
You can also see pictures and get a more extensive description of the book at George Beahm's Website. WOO HOO!
(10-21-01) The Essential Stephen King limited edition is NOW AVAILABLE at Betts Books in Bangor, Maine for the low low LOW price of $75. Take a look at the book, with slipcase -->HERE! I got my copy a few days ago, and I have to say: WOW. Even if you bought the regular edition, you are not prepared for the restored text, dozens of new illustrations, suprising extras, and sumptuous production design. This is a book you need to own.
(10-12-01) Dreamcatcher will be out in paperback on November 27th! Yey! Here, you will see a (small) reproduction of the cover graphic. Not as cool as the hardcover cover, but still pretty cool. (Thanks J Nolan!) 
(10-12-01) The film version of Paranoid will FINALLY be released ... packaged with issue #6 of Total Movie Magazine (as was originally scheduled!) Look for the December/January issue. I'll report when it's available!
(10-09-01) BIG BEAHM NEWS!!! Just received a letter from George Beahm about The Final Phantasmagoria and The Essential Stephen King. For those who ordered these things, or are thinking of doing so (and you really should!), please read on...
1. PHANTASMAGORIA: THE FINAL CHAPTER is now officially out of print from the
publisher--i.e., Beahm. He had a box or two remaining, and those were sent to
Stuart Tinker [at Betts Books], who is the sole source for this book now. (You can just click on that link, or call Betts at 207-947-7052. Tell Stu Kev sent you!)
2. THE ESSENTIAL STEPHEN KING is now in print. I got a confirmation today
from the printer in Canada that they have shipped the book to Bangor. Stuart
Tinker is honoring the $ 60 prepublication price until the books physically
arrive in Bangor, which will likely be late Thursday or early Friday. So,
please, if someone wants to order this edition, do so now; otherwise, the
few remaining copies will be sold at the regular retail price of $75.
On the 10th, slipcase manufacturing will begin. These are being made by hand
and as soon as they have enough to ship -- i.e., lots of 100 -- they'll ship
them to Bangor and the orders will be processed in the order they were
received.
In other words, THE ESSENTIAL STEPHEN KING is now in print, and it's the
last chance to get them at the "prepublication" price.
This is a 504-page book and is light years apart in terms of content,
typesetting, design, packaging, etc. This is a good example of why small
presses exist.
So, YEY! I reccomend this to everyone interested in (1) a more complete version of Essential SK or (2) well-crafted, small press books. Again, that Betts info is:
(10-09-01) Okay, weird info here: I don't normally do movie stuff here, but we here at the House found this kind of interesting. There's an in-depth documentary on the making of The Shawshank Redemption called Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature. Apparently, it was only broadcast on British television, and is not available in the US at all. Anyone else heard of this? (Thanks to Hawkeye Joy for the info!)
(10-09-01) Duh! Dept.: Okay, so you know how the prologue to Dark Tower 5 is called "Calla Brin Sturges," and that the book is going to be a sort of takeoff of the movie The Magnificent Seven (as disclosed by King himself on his website)? Well, the guy who directed Magnificent Seven was named John Sturges. I know this was probably way obvious to everyone else for weeks, but I just figured it all out yesterday. Sorry for all the duh.
(10-05-01) Recently, Dark Tower expert Anthony Schwethelm saw King speak at the "Stephen King Day" at the University of Maine at Orono. King was scheduled to read from Hearts in Atlantis ... but instead read from The Dark Tower 5! (And no, not the "Calla Bryn Sturges" prologue - MORE) Click HERE to read a full report of the reading, with many spoilers and details revealed! (Thanks to Anthony for permission to reprint!)
(10-05-01) King's being reprinted in Family Circle again: this time it's in the November first issue. The article is called "What You Pass On," and it's an excerpt from King's Vassar speech, which can be read in full here.
(10-02-01) The Today show interview with King and Straub, talking about Black House is now online, and you can view it here!. (It's a good one, too. King's looking quite a lot better, if still maybe too thin.)
(10-02-01) Hey! Want to help promote literacy, teamwork, and Stephen King singing "Teen Angel?" Great! Then surf on over to the Stephen King "Future" page and purchase tickets for the upcoming three Rock Bottom Remainders concerts! Yey! Help the children!
(10-01-01) WOO HOO! Cemetery Dance Publications has now officially announced that they will be puclishing King's upcoming book From a Buick 8 in a limited edition! This book will be signed by King and illustrated by Bernie Wrightson, who did the great Cycle of the Werewolf illustrations and all the panels for Creepshow. (There is also news that there will also be a "gift" edition, but that hasn't been fully confirmed yet.) Visit their website, sign up for their mailing list, subscribe to their magazine, because this is the time to be CD informed!!
(09-23-01) WOO HOO!!! Black House S/L news!
From the Donald M. Grant Newsletter:
Welcome to issue #7 of the Donald M. Grant Newsletter
September 21
1. Lottery procedure for BLACK HOUSE
2. BLACK HOUSE recap
Please read ALL of this:
1. There will be 1,500 numbered & signed copies of BLACK HOUSE. About 100 copies will not be sold but are being given to the authors, artist, Random House, etc. Accordingly there will be between 150 and 200 copies available (as well as unclaimed copies with numbers between 1 and 1,200).
All unclaimed copies will be made available only to people who are not eligible to buy a Numbered & Signed BLACK HOUSE (ie don't have a S&N WIZARD & GLASS)
We are doing this so that as many people as possible can receive a copy.
We will do a lottery drawing the first week of December for copies numbered above 1,200.
AFTER we ship the previously ordered books, we will do a SECOND drawing for unclaimed copies numbered between 1 and 1,200.
All requests we receive will remain in the Lottery Pool, so DO NOT send us a second request in December.
TO BE IN THE LOTTERY:
Send in a POSTCARD, (NOT an email or letter) which reads:
Please put me in the lottery to purchase a copy of the signed & numbered BLACK HOUSE.
Include your name, address, phone number and, if you want, email address.
REMEMBER, only send in ONE card. If we receive more than one card from anyone we will throw them ALL away.
When we send out our flyer the order form will include a lottery request. If you have already sent us a postcard, do not duplicate your lottery request on your order form if ordering a book(s).
2. RECAP
Please check our website:
http://grantbooks.com/talisman2.html
for any information and updates. Please don¹t call or email asking for information which is supplied on the website. People still do and it just delays our work on the flyer, books, answering other emails and shipping your orders.
You can order a S&N BLACK HOUSE for every S&N WIZARD & GLASS that you own. If you also have a S&N TALISMAN (in addition to a S&N W&G) from the 1,200 copy edition, we will give you that number. Otherwise you will receive the same number of your WIZARD & GLASS unless some one has a TALISMAN with that number. In that event the number you receive will be random.
If you are eligible to order a S&N BLACK HOUSE based on the above you cannot be in the lottery (so that as many people as possible may get a copy)
Only one lottery card per person. PLEASE.
Thank you.
Robert K. Wiener
President
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc.
WOO HOO!!! Send in those postcards, people!
(09-23-01) A Daily News article titled "The Growing Pains of Stephen King" has just been released, and it's quite good; Stephen Spignesi, George Beahm, and Tony Maistrale (Stephen King: The Second Decade) are interviewed.
(09-22-01) A new article on New York Times Online discusses novelists and how they see their work in light of the WTC Tragedy. I'm reprinting King's portion on my Spare Parts page, but follow the link to read the whole article: it's quite good (if, at times, chilling. My thought on entertainment at this point mirrors King's - writing, movies, TV - all that may be "irrelevant" - but if we let go of it, the terrorists win. Let's not let them win.)
(09-22-01) Fangoria #207 is out now, with a review of Black House! Check it out! (Thanks, J Nolan, for all the news!)
(09-24-01) Collection Insanity Dept.: More dispelling of rumors about King's upcoming short story collection. According to King's office as of today, the new collection will not be out until 2003, and it will not be titled Rear View Mirror. Keep watching this space for more rumors, updates, and bald lies.
(09-24-01) Spoiler Alert: There is a new tidbit about the plot of the upcoming Dark Tower 5 over on my Crawling Shadow page (as it is a spoiler, I'm not putting it on the main page; also, yes, I realize that the book probably won't be called The Crawling Shadow, but that's the closest to an official title we have). It's not any big revalation for people who have read the prologue, but it's still neat. Check it out!
(09-24-01) The stats for the upcoming From a Buick 8: 416 pages, $28.00, ISBN: 0-743-21137-5. Yey!
(09-22-01) Just to let you all know: I am reading Black House! I read quite slowly, though (which is why I try to get the review copies when I can), so that's the reason for the delay. As soon as I finish it, I swear I'll put it up!
(09-21-01) HAPPY 54th BIRTHDAY, STEPHEN KING!!!! We here at Charnel House hope you have a terrific day and a wonderful year. Thanks again for all the words.
(09-18-01) Stephen King speaks out about the September 11th tragedy, in a New York Times essay called "The Weapon," part of the NYT series "The Elements of Tragedy." Read it on my Spare Parts page or visit the New York Times site.
(09-17-01) Hey, all! Check out Stephen Spignesi's new essay We Are America on my Stephen Spignesi page. If I may be permitted to say so, this is just what we need. Thank you, Steve and thanks to all my readers.
(09-17-01) George Beahm's The Final Phantasmagoria has been shipped out to subscribers! Yey! There are still some copies left at $20 each - surf on over to GB Books to check the status of copies. Very cool!
(09-15-01) Black House has just hit American shelves. Ladies and gentlemen, start your shopping. (And, without giving anything away, let me just say this: the book is good. Very good. Much more a horror novel so far thean The Talisman, and much, much darker. Enjoy!)
(09-13-01) There has been a lot of confusion about the news of the upcoming short story collection (known previously as One Headlight). The only thing certain right now is that Scribner is discussing releasing the collection in September 2002. The title of the collection is still up in the air (I had heard a rumor that it would be titled Road Kill, but that appears to have been erroneous.) The term "a very certain possibility" has come up a couple times in conjunction with all of this. So, what we've got here is an "official rumor." If that makes any sense ... :)
(09-10-01) It's been confirmed that the Cemetery Dance Publications limited edition will be coming out in March 2002, with "lots of extras!" Yey! The artwork is said to be "amazing", but we still have no official word on the artist (although Berni Wrightson is rumored.) Exact date to come...
(09-10-01) Back from Scotland and what can I tell you? Oh yeah: NOW OWN BLACK HOUSE!!!! I'm getting on this one immediately, kids - the review is to come!
(09-05-01) Hey kids! Writing from Scotland here, plopped down in an Internet cafe in Edinburgh, simply so I can update you all on your Stephen King news. 
(I'm not sure if this is noble or sad.) Just a breif annoying autobiographical pause: I have bought so many UK King books here and in London that it turned out to be too expensive to ship back. Color me insane. Also destitute. Anyway, onto the King updates!!!
(09-05-01) Scribner has now released its first official ad for the upcoming From a Buick 8, including a small reproduction of the official cover and the first ever description of the plot!!! Click here to see the full ad. The cover can be found on my From a Buick 8 page. You wanna hear about the plot? Here goes:
Ever since 1979, the state police of Troop D in rural western Pennsylvania have kept a vintage Buick Roadmaster-or what looks almost just like one-caged in Shed B out back of the barracks. That's when Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox answered a call about its driver gone missing from a gas station just down the road. Wilcox knew old cars, and he knew this one was suspect. When Rafferty vanished a few hours later, Wilcox and his fellow troopers knew it was worse than dangerous-and that it would be better if John Q. Public never found out about it. Mostly the car sleeps (that's one way of putting it, anyway), but even as it sleeps it breathes-inhaling a little bit of this world, exhaling a little bit of whatever world it came from.
In the fall of 2001, Wilcox's eighteen-year-old boy Ned starts coming by the barracks, mowing the lawn, washing windows, shoveling snow. Sergeant Commanding Sandy Dearborn knows it's the boy's way of holding on to his father, killed in the line of duty in a gruesome auto accident. Missing his father, Ned is allowed to become part of the Troop D family, and one day he looks through a window of Shed B and discovers the family secret. Just like his father, he wants answers. And the secret begins to stir.
From a Buick 8 is a novel about the fascination deadly things have for us and about our insistence on answers when there are none. Like The Green Mile, it is set in a close knit and isolated community and exploits King's unparalleled ability to describe the often sinister interaction of men in small groups. King completed a draft of From a Buick 8 before his own near-fatal auto accident just two years ago, and he addresses the coincidences between his life and the novel in a fascinating afterword.
WAY COOL!!!! I, for one, can't wait for this book. AND, when the paperback of Dreamcatcher comes out (also March 2002), there will be a short excerpt from the new book in it. YEY! Life is good for King fans. (Thanks goes to Lilja for all the FaB8 news!)
(09-05-01) The final issue of PHANTASMAGORIA, the Stephen King 'zine, is being shipped to the GB Inc on September 10th. If you're a subscriber, you should be receiving your copy fairly soon after that. (There is a leatherbound lettered limited coming as well...)
In other GB Inc news, THE ESSENTIAL STEPHEN KING is at the printer and the delivery date at Betts Books in Bangor is now listed as October 9th. Dates on both of these are subject to change - please keep checking back for updated information.
(09-05-01) The UK site for Black House is now available!!! Click here to check it out!
(09-05-01) The internet-only "bridge" story that was to connect The Talisman and Black House has now been abandoned. According to sources, King just has too much else to do. (Thanks, J Nolan!)
(08-24-01) Read the first full review of Black House, on Amazon.com. (It contains potential spoilers - watch out!) Thanks, Brian!
(08-23-01) You can now hear an audio excerpt of the upcoming Talisman audio production, read by Frank Muller. Check it out --> here. (Thanks to hawkeye Ron for the tip!)
(08-23-01) Check out the From a Buick 8 COVER (trade edition), just released from Scribner --> 
Not sure how much I like the cover yet -- it sort of smacks of "horrormeister" instead of the more (for lack of a better word) "literary" covers of King's last few books. But still VERY COOL!!! (Click on the small pic to see the larger one; thanks for the tip Lilja!)
(08-22-01) GIANT BLACK HOUSE NEWS!!!. The limited editions (both signed and unsigned) of Black House are now available on the Donald M. Grant Black House order form! Go there NOW to reserve your copy! Here are some of the AMAZING details:
Signed Limited rules:
This book is being sold $232.00.
You can order a Signed & Numbered Black House ONLY if you have a signed & numbered edition of Wizard & Glass.
If you only have a signed & numbered edition of Wizard & Glass, your Black House will be matched to that provided that no one reports a Talisman with that number.
If you have your Wizard & Glass number already registered with us you do not need to send us a copy of the signature page. No one needs to send us a copy of their Talisman signature page. If two people claim to have numbered book then they will enquire further.
Unsigned limited rules:
And I think this is even cooler: The unsigned "gift" edition of Black House comes slipcased with a NEW gift edition of The Talisman!!! WOO HOO!!! The two volume set is being sold at $157.00 (that's right - for BOTH!!!). You don't have to own either signed limiteds of Talisman or Wizard and Glass to order these babies - they're available to EVERYONE!
No news yet on how unclaimed Black House s/l are being dealt with - my guess is with a lottery of some kind. Either way, GO ORDER NOW!!! (J Nolan is the MAN!)
(08-21-01) The prologue to The Dark Tower 5 (titled "Calla Bryn Sturgis") is NOW AVAILABLE right here, on King's own website!!!. Oh my God, palpitations. This is official, on King's own website!!! Go there now! (Smaller news: the new book "probably won't be titled The Crawling Shadow".) WOO HOO!!! (Thanks again J Nolan - YOU ROCK!)
(08-20-01) IT IS CONFIRMED!!! This is direct from King's office, kids - it's the real deal. Cemetery Dance publications will be releasing a limited edition of From a Buick 8 concurrent with the mass market release next spring (no exact date yet.) Please, for the love of all that is good and right in this world, PLEASE to not bombard Cemetery Dance with emails and questions - they have enough to do! I've been assured that as soon as details become available, we'll be reading about them on the CD website, and you'll hear it here first! Keep watching this space.... (Thanks to hawkeye J Nolan and Marsha D for this update!!!)
(08-20-01) Big news day! This is not yet confirmed, but there is now word that the Rock Bottom Remainders will be adding quite a few dates to their tour. (Boston, Boston, please come to Boston!)
(08-20-01) Okay, kids: Here are the variant formats in which you can buy the upcoming Black House. They are really embracing the internet with this one. (Note: this does not include the Donald M. Grant version coming out later in the year.) All publication dates are September 15, 2001
Hardcover (0-375-50439-7) $28.95
eBook (1-58836-054-7) $23.00
Hardcover Large Print (0-375-43151-9) $28.95
Audio Cassette (Unabridged, Read by Frank Muller; 0-7393-0010-5)$54.95
Audio Download (0-7393-0015-6) $32.95
No news yet on the CD, but I know there will be one. Enjoy!
(08-20-01) Okay kids, regarding the From a Buick 8 rumors, here is the Official word from Cemetery Dance:
Cemetery Dance Publications has an amazing line-up of books to announce in late September -- including two or three MAJOR surprises! Be sure to visit the official Cemetery Dance website (www.cemeterydance.com) and join their exclusive email mailing list to be one of the first readers to receive these special announcements. Keep in mind, many of these titles will sell out immediately, and members of the email list will be the first to know when books are available for preorder. Thanks!
So, join that email list! What are you waiting for!? We'll get you more news ASAP!!!
(08-18-01) Reprint news! There's a brand-new paperback reprint of Danse Macabre planned by Berkley Publishing Group being released on September 15th (to coincide with the publication of Black House.) No news yet if there's any new content in the book. In addition, Night Shift is being rereleased in December and Needful Things is being rereleased in January, from NAL and Dutton. No news if these will have new author's introductions, as Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, and The Shining did in their repints. (Thanks for the news, Lilja!)
(08-17-01) Unsubstatiated Rumor Department: There's a rumor (let me just stress RUMOR) that Cemetery Dance Publications will be doing a limited edition of King's upcoming From a Buick 8. Berni Wrightson is rumored to illutrate. Keep in mind, this is only a rumor! We'll let you know if anything percolates... (Thanks to Hawkeyerland for the tip!)
(08-16-01) Dark Tower 5 News!!!. Direct from the office itself: The Crawling Shadow is "definitely more than 50 [pages.]" Apparently, King's original plan to finish all 3 books in a row (but publish them a year apart) seems to be in gear now. The earliest DT5 would be published is 2003, even if he finishes before then (this is due to the artist's work, the editing, and the actual printing.) So, solid news, but still kind of a wait. (Thanks to Hawkeye J Nolan Carr and, of course, Marsha DeFilippo.)
(08-16-0) The location map is now available on the Official Black House Site. Now you can check out the Black House sites and locales!
(08-15-01) Periphery Department: The September issue of Good Housekeeping includes an interview with Tabitha King. In the interview, Mrs. King discusses Stephen's problems with his past addiction. My justification for including this news here is that King talked about his addictions in On Writing, and it helped to understand his writing better. So there! :)
(08-15-01) The second installment of Tyson Blue's "Needful Kings Online" column is now up at Liljas Library! It's called "King is Back, with a little help from his friend..." Check it out!
(08-14-01) Check out this review of the upcoming Carrie DVD. I don't normally report on movie stuff, but this preview really impressed me. Enjoy!
(08-09-01) The Official Black House Site is now up! Now, I know wht you're thinking: that an official site is nowhere near as good as a fan site can possibly be. Well, in this case, you're dead wrong! This site offers a table of contents for the book, an excerpt from the book, and - best of all - a lengthy letter from the editor, Lee Boudreaux. In this letter, Boudreaux discusses the plot of Black House at great length (who is this "villainous Burny??!?!" The crow's name is Gorg?! ARGH!) This is a terrific site for fans who get off on getting this type of minutae. This site is WAY packed, and I urge each of you to visit it often! (I've added the above link to the Black House area of this site ... as well as the BH table of contents. Enjoy!)
(08-09-01) According to Anthony Schwethelm's amazing Dark Tower Compendium, The Dark Tower 5 is now 44 pages long! YEY! Thanks, Anthony!
(08-09-01) The Stephen King/John Mellencamp Musical is still a go:
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - John Mellencamp and fiction writer Stephen King expect to complete the musical they're working on sometime in February.
Mellencamp said the two plan to meet in February to finish the musical, which he termed "an American story."
"Steve has written the most beautiful story," he said. "I've written about five songs for this thing and there's not one rock song anywhere near it."
Mellencamp said he still has about 10 songs to write for the production.
"If this works like we think it's going to, it'll be great," he said.
(08-08-01) The Random House Black House Audiobook website has a 6 1/2 minute exeprt of the book. Go take a listen! (Thanks, Lilja!)
(08-08-01) Cinescape gives Stephen Spignesi's The Essential Stephen King an "A" review!.
(08-05-01) Check out my review of the live recording of LT's Theory of Pets, now in the audio section of my Six Stories page!
(08-04-01) My brand new review of The Essential Stephen King, limited edition, has now been written. I think my review speaks for itself, but seriously, kids: hyperbole is not enough. Buy this book! You won't regret it!
(08-02-01) I'm back from the Fifth Annual SKEMERs con, and boy do I have lots of news! Let's run it down, shall we?
Biggest news first: King is NOW WORKING on The Dark Tower 5: The Crawling Shadow. This is very exciting news, and serves to halfway confirm my theory that the book will be out by next fall! WOO HOO!
Black House news: The new paperback release of The Talisman is now out, and it contains the first chapter of Black House, coming in at 18 pages! WOO HOO!
The 'Salem's Lot 4-hour miniseries remake will air next season on TNT. WOO HOO!
I just finished listening to the audio version of L.T.'s Theory of Pets this morning - I hope to get a review out tonight.
Speaking of reviews, this weekend I got a chance to get a galley of the upcoming complete and uncut edition of Stephen Spignesi's The Essential Stephen King. Read my review here!.
...and finally, some interesting news on the Uncollected Works front. Surf on over to that page, and you'll see some big changes. While in Maine this weekend, I had a chance to take a look at some previously unheard of King stuff - stories like "Comb Dump" and "Mobius" and "Loon Call." I'm in the process of heavily beefing up my uncollected site, to now reflect novels, screenplays, and now these unpublished short stories. Keep checking back over the next few days for listings.
(Jul 26) Head on over to King's Official Site and check out the "future" area. New Bag of Bones news: Film rights have been optioned, with MGM distributing. Bruce Willis is the producer, which I found kind of odd. But cool! In addition, pictures are now located on King's "Future" page, and the formatting is a little different. It looks a lot better now. (Thanks to hawkeye Scottie Englin for the news!)
(Jul 26) Check out this short interview with Mick Garris, regarding his work on The Talisman. The interview's short, but still pretty neat.
(Jul 26) The Fifth Annual SKEMERs Convention is taking place in Bangor starting tomorrow! WOO HOO! I will be there until the end of the month, which means probably no updates while I'm away. I'm still unsure if I'm going to be doing a full-out "con essay" like I did the first three years, but I will definitely have a picture page this year, along with some tidbits. Looking forward to seeing the house again, that's all I'm saying...
(Jul 23) Because of the excitement of news of The Kingdom, I decided to create a page for the series. In light of that, it seemed kind of silly not to include a Golden Years page. So, they're both up, very bare bones, but I will be adding to them ASAP. (The Golden Years review will come soon after Skeleton Crew, The Stand ('90), and Secret Windows.)
(Jul 23) Over at Lilja's Library, they have a brand new interview with Peter Straub regarding the upcoming collaberation Black House. In the interview, Straub answers a lot of questions about the upcoming book (far moreso than in my earlier interview with Straub), and also refrains from insulting his interviewers (but is still quite acerbic, don't worry!) Check it out at once!
(Jul 22) A few years have passed since the relative failure of Golden Years, and King has decided to tackle series television again! From Reuters:
Stephen King to Take a Stab at Network Series TV
PASADENA (Reuters) - The supernatural thriller master who made household
names out of "Cujo," "Carrie" and "Christine" will try to work his same
magic for the first time on prime time series television. [Webmaster's note: This is not the first time. That would be Golden Years.]
Stephen King's "The Kingdom" is set to debut in the 2002-03 season, and will
begin with a two-hour installment followed by 13 one-hour episodes,
according to ABC, the Walt Disney Co. unit that will broadcast the show.
Despite the similarity in names between the show and its primary creative
force, "The Kingdom" is actually based on a Danish miniseries of the same
title by Lars Van Trier, whose credits include the film "Breaking the
Waves."
The new show will include "shocking and frightening tales" centered on a
haunted hospital built over an ancient graveyard.
King has worked on television before with such miniseries as "The Stand,"
"The Tommyknockers" and "Storm of the Century," but "The Kingdom" will mark
his first foray into prime time series television, said Stu Bloomberg,
co-chairman of ABC Entertainment Television Group.
"This has been a passion of his," Bloomberg told a gathering of reporters on
Sunday at an event to promote the network's upcoming shows. "He is writing
the first two hours. He might write all of (the remaining 13 hours). He
loves this project."
Bloomberg said the direction the show will take after the initial two-hour
opener has yet to be determined. And despite the show's basis in the Danish
original, the series will bear King's distinctive imprint, Bloomberg added.
"He's going to make it very much his own," he said.
The series will mark one of the biggest commitments for King -- a highly
prolific author -- since he was severely injured in June 1999 when a van
struck him while he walked along the side of a highway in his home state of
Maine.
King suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs and numerous pelvic, hip and leg
fractures in the accident, and was told that his rehabilitation would be
long and painful.
Earlier this year, King estimated his medical bills, future surgeries and
lost writing income as a result of the mishap would add up to between $65
million and $75 million.
King is also the creative force behind the "Rose Red," an ABC miniseries set
to air in 2002.
WOO HOO! Yey for King! New series TV! (But not the first...) Thanks to Brian for the info!
(Jul 18) The audio version of King's L.T.'s Theory of Pets is now out in stores, read by King himself! I suggest you buy it, and listen to it along with Blood & Smoke, for a whole "uncollected audio King" atmosphere. Or maybe I'm just insane.
(Jul 08/09) Okay kids, I've been keeping this top secret for about a month now, and now I finally get to talk about it. Stephen Spignesi's The Essential Stephen King is finally going to be released in the version it was originally intended: complete and uncut. When the book went to the mainstream publishers, they balked at the length and thoroughness, and what you got was a truncated version of what should have been the defining "fan comment" on what makes Stephen King America's best author. Now the book that should have been is here, and lemme tell ya: it's a doozy.
Quoting from the Betts site: "Limited to only 666 numbered copies, signed by all of the contributors. The prepublication price is only $60.00 and a lettered, leatherbound state of 52 copies, in a wooden slipcase, is available at the prepublication price of $175.00. Both states will be signed by the following: Stephen Spignesi, George Beahm, Jim Cole, Jay Holben, Tyson Blue, Michael Collings, Mick Garris, Bev Vincent and Charlie Fried."
7-9-00 Update: In addition to all the cool new sections you'll read about below, keep in mind that the entire LOOK of this book will be changed, as well. This isn't going to be like The Regulators limited that was essentially the same book with some whistles and bells. Beahm, as the publisher, is going in and radically redesigning the look of the book, tossing out all the white space and redoing the text from the inside out. In addition, there will be a new trim size, and the book will be packed with photos. For all intents and purposes, this Essential SK will be a whole different book.
Kids, this book is going to be available EXCLUSIVELY through Betts Bookstore. You're not going to find it at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. Just Betts. Order NOW. Please surf on over HERE for more info. Ordering information is below.
Someone recently posited in the SKEMERs newsletter, "Why would anybody buy a limited edition of a book about King?" Here are twelve reasons why you NEED to own this limited (courtesty of the Betts site):
1. "In The Matter Of Stephen King" by Tyson Blue. A 3,200 word legal brief defending Stephen King against charges that his work does not stand up against the fiest classic American literature.
2. "Fan's Favorites" - the SKEMERS rank their favorite King works, a 1,300 word poll drawn from over 300 members of the premiere King fan club on the Internet.
3."Stephen King Essentials" - a restructuring of the top 100 by category: Essential Novels, Essential Novellas, Essential Short Stories,Essential Nonfiction.
4. "Forty-nine runners-up" - King pieces that did not make the top 100, but are of exceptional merit and noteworthy.
5."On The Horizon" - a look at future works.
6. "The Stephen King Master A to Z List" - the master 588 item, A to Z bibliography from which the list was drawn.
7. The complete text of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask Of Amontillado".
8. The complete text of Robert Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".
9. A poem by Spignesi, "A Crow On The Lawn Of The House I Grew Up In", accompanying the "Paranoid: A Chant" chapter.
10. A new introduction by George Beahm, done especially for this edition.
11. A Playboy-style interview with Spignesi.
12. Dozens of photos, many never seen before!
This is really going to be an amazing book, people. If you already have a copy of The Essential Stephen King, you don't have the whole story. If you don't: for the love of all that is holy, go reserve this book NOW! Write Betts at Bettsbooks@aol.com (or just click on the link), fax them at 207-947-6615, or call them at 207-947-7052. Do it NOW! Once these books are gone, they're gone.
Oh, and hey - do me a favor. If you learned about the book from Charnel House, or are ordering it from here, just mention either the site or me, Kev. Thanks!
(Jul 13) Normally, I wouldn't report on something as peripheral as this, but it's kind of neat: The August issue of Premiere magazine (Reese WItherspoon on the cover, looking like Goldilocks) has a giant feature article on the 25th Anniversary of the film version of Carrie. In celebration of the upcoming packed DVD, the article features interviews with the cast and crew and discussed the DVD's myriad of features. Thanks to Joy for the info!
(Jul 12) The first of Tyson Blue's new, exclusively online version of his "Needful Things" column appeared on Lilja's Library today (which is Friday the 13th over there in Sweden.) Just to prove there's no rancor between us webmasters, I will refrain from whining because Lilja's got Tyson Blue exclusively. {refrain, refrain, refrain}
(Jul 10) Donald M. Grant publishers now tell us that the limited edition release of Black House will probably be delayed until November/December (two to three months after the Random House edition is due.) For those of you who have seen ANY of the Grant editions, you know this is worth the wait. Visit the page, check out all the info there, but please DO NOT email them or call them about the book. All the info they have is either on my site or theirs. Thanks!
(Jul 10) At the beginning of the Dracula 2000 video (no relation to King), there is a preview for King's upcoming Rose Red. I have not seen this yet, but I've heard it's way cool. (From what I hear, watch the preview, then rewind and return. The movie, apparently, reeks.)
(Jul 10) For those interested in the upcoming Hearts in Atlantis film, check out the new movie website! Still the creepy Anthony Hopkins poster. I'm praying this film is good.
(Jul 06) That's right! The Talisman is being rereleased with a brand new cover ... in HARDCOVER. What's that all about? The rerelease is scheduled for September, presumably to capitalize on Black House's release. Great news for all you (and me) King completists!
(Jul 05) Check out the new Hearts in Atlantis movie poster. I personally think it was a huge mistake to have Anthony Hopkins at the centerpiece for this thing, so soon after Hannibal was such a hit. It doesn't look gentle and sweet, it looks creepy. I know it's dangerous to continually associate an actor with his roles, but I don't think that's what's going on here. I mean, Hopkins did Shadowlands after Silence of the Lambs and didn't look this creepy. Hmmmm...
(Jul 05) The troublesome road to get Paranoid, the film, to people should finally be over! Joy Holben's Paranoid will have its world premiere at Hollywood Shorts on July 8th! Admission is free! Anyone care to write an early-bird review for me, as I continue to wait for the DVD?
(Jun 29) Frank Muller, who is doing the audio reading for The Talisman, is also now signed on to do the reading of Black House! Yey continuity!
(Jun 29) The Shining, as you may know, is being re-released by Pocket Books in paperback this September, with a new introduction. Look here for the new cover!
(Jun 29) Okay, in addition to the short stories on the Uncollected page, I've now added all the uncollected POEMS. Look and see!
(Jun 27) All righty! I've now updated my Uncollected section!!! That's right! All the stories are now attributed at least once, and I will be working hard to place all the tales and scratch up new ones. I'm even considering putting a list of all the stories that are actually in King's official volumes, and listing all the early appearances of those. We'll see. Till then - check it out!
(Jun 26) Okay, kids: big NNN!! (that's New Novel News): From a Buick 8 is now scheduled for Spring 2002 - around the same time that the Rose Red miniseries (and hopefully tie-in screenplay!) will be running. Check out King's Official Site "Future" Section. Now, hmmm... This frees up King's normal September slot for ... what? Dark Tower 5? More of The Plant? The short story collection? Something new? We can only wait and see...
(Jun 26) We've got yet more info on Black House (they're really pushing this sucker...) In an email from AtRandom yesterday, Random House offered a wealth of suprises, not the least of which was this: Look for the enhanced e-book, with never-before-seen notes from the authors and editor! So, we have to buy the ebook, as well? Hmmm...
In addition, there were hints that the fifth Dark Tower book will be out in 2003! To round everything off, we have a full plot description - the whole letter can be found on my Black House page! (For more info direct from the source, go to the Random House Black House site.
(Jun 26) Our friends Stu and Penney Tinker over at Betts Books have recently been ROBBED. The a****** who stole a quantity of rare books from them is now proffering the goods on ebay, who have been no help. Read this statement on the Betts site for all the information, and help if you can! Betts has always been a great source for King stuff, but the Tinkers are also some of the nicest and most generous people you'll ever meet. Let's wrangle this theif in and get the Betts stuff back.
(Jun 25) Yes! The Black House proof is now on EBAY! (that's a direct link!) It's expensive, but check it out!
(Jun 22) Exciting Black House news!!! Donald M. Grant has just confirmed that Rick Berry will be doing the art for the upcoming limited of Black House! Berry's stuff is all techno and cool looking - this is going to be interesting!
(Jun 21) Way cool Black House news!!! A brand new Harper Collins web site is detailing the extensive ad campaign, as well as offering a QuickTime ad. VERY neat stuff!
(Jun 22) King was on Fresh Air Online today, discussing the accident and On Writing in paperback! Check it out! (Thanks to Lilja for the heads-up!)
(Jun 20) Read a new interview with Mick Garris regarding the upcoming films Riding the Bullet and The Talisman misiseries. Cool stuff! Thanks to Lilja for the news!
(Jun 19)The Rose Red Project Department: This little tidbit comes from Hawkeye John Nesler. The upcoming Hyperion book titled The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer was supposedly "edited" by a Dr. Joyce Reardon. A search on the name "Joyce Reardon" connects with this site, discussing a Joyce Reardon who does Bible Study meetings ... in Bangor, Maine. Coincidence? Perhaps. But I'm liking the syncronicity. Thanks to John for piquing my interest on this book.
(Jun 19) King's short story "Strawberry Spring" has been turned into a film, to be shown at the St. Louis Local Filmmaker Festival on July 29, 2001. I'm guessing this is a "dollar baby." Will any of you be going to this? Do you feel like reporting on it for me? :)
(Jun 13) BIG ROSE RED NEWS!!! Hyperion is releasing a book in January titled The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, a main character in the upcoming King miniseries Rose Red. The "diary" is supposedly edited by a "Dr. Joyce Reardon," PhD. (For a full description of the content of the diary, check out my Rose Red page. For a picture of the upcoming book, click -->here<--.) No news as of whether King wrote the "diary" himself, or if the miniseries will also be accompanied by a screenplay tie-in, as Storm of the Century was; more news to come!
(Jun 13) According to Lilja's Library, Frank Muller (who has read all the Dark Tower books, The Green Mile and Different Seasons) will be reading the upcoming audiobook for The Talisman! How cool is that? Still no word on whether he's reading Black House or not, but we'll keep you posted!
(Jun 13) Okay, here it is: check out the page I set up for The Essential Stephen King Experiment (it's up above, right under the date.) Lists will go up soon, and we may have a VERY SPECIAL surprise from Mr. Stephen Spignesi himself in the next few days. Heep sending me your lists!
(Jun 12) Okay, kids: here we go. In a recent letter to SKEMERs, I proposed opening up a section on this very website to something I'm going to call The Essential Stephen King Experiment. This little scheme (heh heh) was inspired by my total immersion in Stephen Spignesi's new book The Essential Stephen King, which lists what Spignesi considers to be King's 101 best works, in decending order. My proposal suggests a sort of fan response to the "Official List." I propose that you readers of Charnel House (Contant Readers and Hawkeyes alike) send me your own lists. I've shortened the number to 50 for space (and insanity) purposes - but if you want to do 100 or 25, that's your right. TESKE is meant to show the cross-pollenization of what other fellow fans think about King's work, and to allow a response to this fascinating book by Spignesi. Email me -->HERE<-- with either your list, or to let me know you're working on a list. The section will be up very soon!
(Jun 11) Minor minutae update: the page count for King and Straub's upcoming Black House is 640 pages! Thanks to Randy Axelrad for the info!
(Jun 08) You read correctly! Stephen Spignesi's much-anticipated The Essential Stephen King is now in bookstores (Hardcover, $24.95)!!! This is the book which takes into account everything King has ever written (over 550 individual works) and ranks the top 101 in decending order. I bought the book yesterday and I gotta say, kids, I can't stop going through it. Full review later, but let me just give you a bit of a breakdown here:
-> This book is guaranteed to get your dander up! When I noticed that The Dark Half was not in the top 5, I was like, WHAAAAAT! But Spignesi wisely adds a little section to each chapter detailing why he liked each specific work. Now, this doesn't mean you'll agree with him, of course. (I can anticipate the fun banter in the van on the way to the SKEMERcon this year: "Dude, The Stand TOTALLY shoulda been at #1." "No way, Insomnia was WAY better!" "Listen, It DID go to #1, so I'm right!")
-> There are these fun little pictograms that seperate each chapter into sections that are just kind of neat.
-> The book is kind of like a combination of Spignesi's Quiz Books and The Lost Work of Stephen King: it's in list format, and the "factoids" are very easily digestable, but you can tell Spignesi's all scholarly beneath his pop culture veneer. Like all of Spignesi's books, this one is set up for casual fans and devoted experts.
-> The introduction alone, at once a defense and an explanation, is worth the price of the book. 'Nuff said.
(Jun 08) Harper Collins Australia has now released a slightly different verson of the plot of Black House! Flip yourself on over to my Black House page and check it out!
(Jun 08) On Writing is now out in trade paperback! Run to your local bookseller and pick up a dozen today!
(Jun 05) News from Locus magazine regarding the upcoming Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide by Stephen Jones. I know, I know; another King film guide? But this one sounds kind of interesting:
The book features a candid look, complete with major cast and
credit information, at each and every Stephen King movie, sequel
and spin-off, along with television adaptations, stage shows,
radio plays and computer games, plus details of unproduced and
forthcoming projects. Illustrated with numerous rare posters,
photographs and book covers, and featuring extensive quotes from
many of the key people who worked on these projects -- including
an Introduction by Mick Garris and unique contributions from
Bernie Wrightson, Harlan Ellison, Peter Straub, Dennis Etchison,
Frank Darabont, David J. Schow and others, plus an original career
interview with Stephen King himself.
This book is ONLY being released in the UK, so you may wish to check with Amazon.com UK if you want to order it, or one of out Specialty Stores.
(Jun 04) Some Black House news: check out the brand new (and mega cool) Black House ad that Random House is now promoting. In addition, they've also taken on a Black House-specific site. Enjoy!
(Jun 04) And an update on Secret Windows: this book is now available in a trade paperback format from Quality Paperback Book Club" for the low low low price of $13.99 plus $3.59 postage plus $1.06 (which comes out to $18.64 - prices higher outside the US). Check out the brand new cover here.
(May 30) In Stephen Spignesi news, his new book Gems, Jewels, and Treasures: The Complete Jewelry Book is in stores NOW! You Spignesi completists and gemhounds get in your cars and go but it at once! (Or, you cold also follow the handy link and buy it through Amazon.) Steve reports that he will be on QVC later this summer to promote the book. Cool!
(May 29) King won a Stoker award for On Writing! I assume this is in the nonfiction category! Thanks to Bev for the news!
(May 24) Loads of King film info, from Smilin' Jack Ruby's Column on 13th Street. Everything from Darabont's Mist adaptation to King tackling of Patrick McGrath's great novel Asylum. (While you're there, check out 13th Street's 13 Greatest Horror Authors of All Time!) Thanks to Elizabeth Jacobi for the info!!!
(May 23) From Stealth Press: "PETER STRAUB reports with some relief that sequel to THE TALISMAN, BLACK HOUSE, was completed in mid-April -- six weeks ahead of the deadline! -- and has been copy-edited. The next step is for Straub and co-author Stephen King to go through the manuscript and answer the copy editor's queries, which should happen within the next week or so. Publication date is 12 September of this year."
WOO HOO!!! Thanks to Jonathan for the update!!!
(May 23) Time is running out to order this year's SKEMERs T-Shirts! Even if you're not going to be at the con, pick one up for yourself! They're inexpensive, and everytime you wear it, people will know how cool you are!
(May 23) According to Dark Horizons, there's not just one, but TWO film adaptations based on 'Salem's Lot in the works. Why can't they just go ahead and produce Desperation?! Thanks to Dan L. for the news!
(May 21) BIG STUFF HERE! Read a full description of the plot of Black House, over on the Black House page. This appears to be taken from the jacket flap, but I'm not positive about this. Thanks again to Lilja for this info!
(May 18) Lawrence Kasdan, director of movies like The Big Chill and the awesome Grand Canyon has signed on to direct the upcoming adaptation of Dreamcatcher. The news is that William Goldman (who wrote Misery and the mistitled Hearts in Atlantis) is doing the screenplay; no news on shooting, cast, or release dates.
(May 18) Big news for you art fans! Run along over to George Beahm's site and, after reading all his cool updates, follow his link to the Firestarter news. Apparently, Michael Whelan, who did the art for the limited of the novel (see the image below) is now releasing some of his ARTIST'S PROOFS at the low low low price of $85. Check out the pages, order the proof, and then sit smugly on your find as it goes up in value (which it will, guaranteed.)
(May 15) TONS of Black House news. First and foremost, check out the brand-spankin'-new US cover! Very cool! Also, Random House says they will start releasing BH excerpts on their site in THREE WEEKS!! Woo hoo! And if that wasn't enough, the paperback rerelease of The Talisman (set to come out this July) will contain a WHOLE CHAPTER of the sequel! Thanks, Lilja, for all the news!
(May 14) Bev Vincent's "News From the Dead Zone" column has appeared in Cemetery Dance #34! Bev is one of an elite circle of Stephen King Experts (and one of the two or three without a book deal). We'll keep you updated everytime this column makes its appearance. Way to go, Bev!
(May 14) DVD news: The 25th Anniversary Edition of Carrie will be in stores August 28th for only $19.95!!! The film is set to include two 45-minute making-of documentaries, "Acting Carrie" and "Visualizing Carrie." In addition to all this, you're also going to get a Carrie: The Musical featurette, text on Stephen King and "The Writing Of Carrie," an animated photo gallery and the original theatrical trailer. WAY COOL!!! (Thanks to Lilja's Library for the info.)
(May 14) You may have noticed a little bit of a rehaul to the Charnel House main site. Here to explain these changes is our main editor: um, me.
We've changed the main link sections above to accomodate some changes I've been meaning to make for awhile. You'll notice the "Download The Plant" section, the Riding the Bullet section, and the "Vermont Speech" section have disappeared. I felt the first two were superfluous on the main site, and the third was only there because I couldn't find another place to put it. I anticipated a lot of other things coming up without a real place to put them, so I created the Spare Parts section, which will encompass these odds n' sods areas of King's vast oevre.
-->Also new is something called the News Archive, a super-simple idea that just never occured to me until I checked out some of the nether regions of the beloved Buffyguide. This should be pretty much self explanatory, but for those not up on the hip terms, the news archive will become my depository for all news that is not so new, going back as far as January of this year. Every news item will eventually end up there, after spending some time in the cherry seat of the "New in the House" area and the shotgun "News from Everywhere." Love the news, feel the wonderment.
-->Finally, a revered writer finally gets his own site. As longtime readers of Charnel House may know, the basic design concept of this page originated from the Michael Collings reviews at the end of George Beahm's Stephen King Companion. Without him, this page would never have featured the full-length reviews, which, I believe, set this page apart. After a wonderful Interview with Mr. Collings a few months ago, I've wanted to give him, like George Beahm and Stephen Spignesi before him, his own page. Keep in mind, it's extremely rudimentary right now, but a full list of published books will appear soon, as well as an area focusing just on his King books, as well a news section.
-->And yes, I will write those last few reviews soon, I promise!
(May 11) This falls into the category of more personal stuff than we usually report, but for those who want to know: Stephen King just bought a new house in Florida, and you can read about this somewhat-expected turn of events HERE.
(May 10) The super-early screening of Hearts in Atlantis took place last week at La Canada in California. The verdict? Well, let's just say the movie doesn't seem to be in the "astounding" category. Check the review here. (Thanks to Dan for the heads-up!)
(May 04) Rock Bottom Remainder News!!! It's all a Halloween theme this year - October 30, New York; Halloween, October 31, Chicago; and November 2, Denver. (NO BOSTON!?!?) More on tour dates and venues as they come in...
(May 04) Brimming with Talisman news: Mick Garris has signed on to direct the miniseries on ABC for Kennedy-Marshall/Dreamworks. Although the impending writers and actor's strike may delay production, Garris (who directed The Stand and The Shining miniseries) is going to start work on the script soon, working against the early feature film draft by Richard LaGravenese. No projection on when it will be out, who will be in it, or anything so far (my prayer: Haley Joel Osment for Jack!!!) Thanks to Bev for all the info!
(May 04) Oops, We Dropped the Ball Dept. - That's right, kids - one of the most anticipated books about King - The Stephen King Universe - is out now, in trade paperberback format. This book, by Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, and Hank Wagner has been anticipated for months, and then, without fanfare, came to bookstores yesterday. Now, keep in mind, the hardcover edition - the "keeper" - is not in stores yet, but Stu from Betts Bookstore tells me that they are on their way. Sorry for the delay in this - this appearance shocked everyone! (Thanks to Joy C. and Chris C. for the heads-up!)
(May 04) Speaking of The SK Universe, your friendly neighborhood Charnel House is listed as one of the websites to see! Check out appendix D!
(Apr 26) Not a whole lot going on in the world of King recently, but I thought I'd update with a few minor things here: Simon & Schuster's Audioworks division will be releasing LT's Theory of Pets on tape and CD this July. Presumably, this will be an excerpt from the Stephen King Live! audio that Hodder & Stoughton released in 99, but we're as yet not positive. More details on this cool bit of news as we get it...
(Apr 26) Stephen King could NOT have written Desperation!!! At least that's what this woman claims. I won't spoil this sadly true article for you, but read on! (Oh, by the way: thank you, Mr. Judge Guy, but Desperation ROCKED!) Thanks to Lilja's Library for this one!
(Apr 16) From King's Official Site: For those of you who are Dark Tower fans, Black House will answer many questions you may have about the Crimson King, who/what are Breakers, how does Ted Brautigan fit in, etc. It will be the closest thing to a DT novel you'll see before the fall of the Year Three ('03). Stephen is planning a return to the gunslinger, but first must satisfy a number of other commitments, including an introduction to a new edition of M.G. Lewis's classic gothic novel The Monk, and an essay on horror movies for the noted genre publication Fangoria.
Well, okay! This alleviates some of the bad news of Black House taking up all the DT 5 time! I can't wait to find out the whole Ted Brautigan thing, and where does the Crimson King fit in! Now I'm even more excited about Black House!!!
(Apr 15)George Beahm's Official Website has now been updated. Check it out for all the latest news on The Final Phantasmagoria and all the Stephen King Collectibles stuff, as well as his comments on the MSNBC profile on King. Check it out!
(Apr 11) According to Lilja's Library, excerpts of the upcoming Black House will start to be released on the Random House website sometime in June. Keep in mind that this is not the usual publisher of King's material (that would be Scribner), so you should bookmark this site, as well. More info on this very exciting development as it comes in!
(Apr 11) This past weekend, King did an exclusive signing at the Dunn and Dunn bookstore in Naples, Florida. We only heard about this today for the first time, and we apologize for not being ahead of this one. The signing was limited to 200 people and it sold out very fast. Cool for you people who were there!
(Apr 06) WOW! Awesome new cover of The Talisman, which is being rereleased in conjunction with the upcoming Black House. Very neat!
(Apr 06) Of tertiary interest: Nicole de Boer (Dax on Deep Space Nine; not Jadzia, Ezri) will be starring in the Dead Zone TV series with Anthony Michael Hall. I wonder if they cast her because she kind of looks like a small Brooke Adams?
(Apr 06) The Rock Bottom Remainders are (allegedly) going back on the road for the 2001 Rock For Kicks World Tour. No dates yet, but we'll report them ASAP! (Thanks to hawkeye Lilja for the above news items!)
(Mar 29) BIG CORRECTION!!! Michael Whelan, who did the artwork for King's The Gunslinger has now released his LEGENDS artwork in fine-art format through Glass Onion Graphics (this is the frontispiece to the Legends anthology. Please, click on the link to see just how beautiful this picture is. This print is available in three editions:
-> the signed, limited edition of 500 is $175 (on May 31, the price goes up to $195)
-> the artist's proof edition of 35 copies is $235
-> the remarqued edition is $300. (This is the artist's proof edition with a penciled drawing within the borders of the print.)
Michael Whelan is one of the best illustrators not only in King canon, but in the entirety of the fantasy field. (This weekend, I saw a chessboard he designed and was SOOO tempted to plunk down the $1200 and just buy it.) Please don't hesitate on this print: visit www.michaelwhelan.com now to order this amazing piece of work.
(Mar 21) CBS has put a transcript of the King interview with The Early Show online!. Check it out!
(Apr 26) Judge Shoots Down Writer's Claims Against Author Stephen King
John Caher
New York Law Journal
April 25, 2001
A federal judge in New York has dismissed with disdain a complaint by a writer and adjunct literature professor who claimed that prince of horror Stephen King stole her work.
U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York shot down Christina Starobin of Saugerties, N.Y., for engaging in a "recurring and vitriolic attack upon the character and abilities of King."
Starobin v. King and Penguin Putnam Inc., 00-CV-0185, stems from a complaint brought by Starobin, a poet, author and assistant adjunct professor at Ulster County Community College in Stone Ridge, N.Y.
Starobin had written a novel, Blood Eternal, about vampires who run a car service in suburban New Jersey. The copyrighted novel was submitted to Penguin and then returned to Starobin on Sept. 20, 1996. Two days earlier, King copyrighted his novel, Desperation, which was published by Penguin.
The complaint alleged that King, whose 40-plus books have sold millions of copies, is essentially devoid of literary talent, could not have written Desperation on his own and pilfered from the work of Starobin during the three months her manuscript was in the possession of Penguin. About the only similarity Judge Hurd found between the two novels was that, in his opinion, neither was very good.
"There are no common characters, locations or occurrences shared by her novel and King's," Hurd wrote. "There are no common references to popular culture, historical events or common sequences of events ... . When the two works at issue are viewed as a whole, it is utterly beyond dispute that no reasonable person could regard them as similar, much less substantially so."
The judge added that he was not all that impressed with King's literary abilities either. Hurd said he had never before read a Stephen King novel, and was not exactly enthralled by the horror writer's tale of an evil spirit that emanates from a mine in the Nevada desert and possesses passers-by, transforming them into homicidal maniacs.
"Quite frankly, neither work was a particularly good read," Hurd said, referring to Desperation and Blood Eternal, both of which he said were read cover-to-cover.
Regardless, Desperation spent some 15 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list in hard cover and was highly successful as a paperback.
LITERARY CREDENTIALS
Starobin repeatedly contended that her literary credentials are superior to King's, and that assertion alone established an issue of fact as to whether King is capable of writing Desperation.
She attempted to bolster that point with this statement from her plaintiff's memorandum:
"Although plaintiff's having graduated Harvard cum laude, gone on to a Masters in English and Comparative Literature at Colubmia [sic] and a PhD in English at New York University does not mean intelligence [sic], it does mean a long number of hours reading books other than Grisham and other best sellers and exposure to philosphy [sic], plot and symbolism in heavy enough doses to become queasy with the superficiality espoused by [defendant] King."
Judge Hurd, however, termed Starobin's conduct "reprehensible," considered her character attacks on King unseemly and found it "disheartening that a person of plaintiff's education and self-professed abilities would resort to such attacks, particularly in light of the obviously baseless nature of her claims."
Starobin argued pro se. Peter A. Herbert, of Lankler Siffert & Wohl in Manhattan, appeared as co-counsel for King. Also representing the defendants, including the publisher, were Gerald E. Singleton, Maura J. Wogan and Yuki A. Hirose, of Frankfurt, Garbus, Kurnit, Klein & Selz in Manhattan.
(Apr 12) Also updated on the Stephen King site is the Bibliography, which continues to annoy me. (Why is The Green Mile under "Other Books?" The whole thing makes no sense.)
(Apr 05) Float on over to my Black House page to check out the just-revealed UK cover. This minimalist cover recalls Insomnia's, but is far less headache-inducing. I wonder what the US will look like...? Thanks to Lilja for this awesome information!
(Mar 30) Spent some time this morning fixing up the SKEMERs page on the site. Float on over there and read the essays, check out the pictures, or log on to the official site. The '01 con is coming up this year and we're all pretty dang excited. SKEMERs rock!
(Mar 26) Thanks to hawkeye Lilja, we now have great link to a new Stephen King Interview. King touches on both Black House and From a Buick 8 in the interview! SO COOL!
(Mar 26) A whole bunch of updates over on George Beahm's Official Site. Get the latest scoop on The Final Phantasmagoria and Stephen King Collectables - very exciting stuff!
(Mar 21) Lots of bizarre news from Reuters, via Bob "Hawkeyerland" Ireland. Yes, this is apparently all true:
According to Reuters, Entertainment News - ``Firestarter: The Next Chapter,'' a four-hour
sequel to the novel and movie ``Firestarter,''[has been written] picking
up the characters 20 years later. Sci Fi will announce
the cast soon.
(Mar 20) That's right!!! Dreamcatcher is OUT IN STORES NOW!!! In the US!!! GO buy it now!!! I like using triple exclamation points!!!
(Mar 12) WOW! New English Library has changed and rereleased all their King paperbacks. As usual, the British paperbacks are, more often than not, WAY cooler than their American counterparts. Lilja's site has a FULL PAGE devoted to these: check them out!
(Mar 09) The trade paperback covers of On Writing have been previewed, and as usual, the Brits have the better cover. See the UK cover and the US cover (the US simply being a retread of the hardcover.)
(Mar 05) More on the film version of Dolan's Cadillac: The film will be directed by Stacy Title, with a release date of 2002 (let's hope the strike won't affect this!) Sylvester Stallone will play Dolan, and Kevin Bacon is set to play Robinson. Check out Upcoming Movies for more info. (Thanks again to "Hawkeye" Barry for the info!)
(Feb 12) Upcoming reprint news: On Writing will be released in trade paperback form this June from Simon & Schuster. The Shining will be re-released in paperback this September by Pocket. My thought is that it will follow the reprint format of Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, and Pet Semetary, with a cool new cover and a brand-new introduction by King. Check out the stats --> here.
(Jan 17) Speaking of delays, the release DVD of the "dollar-baby" Paranoid is being put on hold for now, due to some copyright disputes over pieces of music used in the film. More news as we get it...
