A Haunted Book Signing in Connecticut

I will be at the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut next Monday the 10th from 6:30-7:30 signing copies of my new ghost story/thriller Break My Heart 1,000 Times, soon to be a major motion picture at fine theaters everywhere. Maybe it will play in less than fine or even disreputable theaters too, who knows. Wouldn't it be cool if it were filmed in Illusion-O, like in the original 13 Ghosts movie? Not the modern one (which I love) with The Torn Prince, The Torso, the Angry Princess (who I also love), and their ten other spectral pals, but the 1960 one by William Castle. Boy, that sure would be swell.

I'll also sign any copies of any of the Generation Dead books you have lying around, too. I suppose I'd sign zombie and ghost books from other authors if you were really insistent about it, just to be polite, although I don't know why you would want me to do that.  It would only embarass us both.

I'm told that books will be provided by Bank Square Books, a very fine bookstore you can visit physically in Mystic, CT or virtually HERE.

Break My Heart 1,000 Times Blog Tour Redux

And here are the last couple stops on the blog tour:

I discuss a few songs I listened to while writing BMH1Kx at Largehearted Boy HERE

I answer still more questions at Once Upon a Twilight HERE

And I rather bravely discuss a few Halloween costumes I have worn and even more bravely provide an eminently mockable photo of one such costume, circa 1986, at Supernatural Snark HERE

Thanks for reading!  It has been fun!

Break My Heart 1,000 Times Blog Tour

Wow, have I been busy!

I tell a true ghost story at Monster Librarian HERE.

I answer some questions at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer HERE.  Plus, there's a giveaway!

I write about writing at Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog HERE. Plus, there's a giveaway!

I answer more questions at Oodles of Books HERE. Plus, there's a giveaway!

I write about true ghost stories at Sophistikatied Reviews HERE. Plus, there's a giveaway!

I answer even more questions at Tynga's Reviews HERE. Plus, there's a giveaway!

I write about some ghost stories I admire at Mundie Moms HERE.

I answer still more questions at The Daily Fig HERE.

And now, I sleep. But stay tuned--there a few stops left on the tour!

Contest and Writing Process

Last chance to win a copy of Break My Heart 1,000 Times on Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog. Click the link and enter! And while you are there you might as well read my post about my writing process.

Soccer Zombies and BMH1kx

I sponsored my son's soccer team, and so was given a section of the promotional shirt to, well, promote. I struggled with what to have my corner of the shirt read; a big ad for Break My Heart 1,000 Times didn't seem conducive to the tough and gritty competitive spirit required for the soccer field, and the tagline I invented for the Gen Dead series, "Some of My Best Friends are Dead" seemed equally inappropriate for a U-14 soccer team.

As you can see (top right) I went with my trusty brand name, with website and titles in a small font.

I was secretly hoping that they would name the team the Griswold Zombies, but no such luck. Maybe next year.

Don't forget: Release day for Break My Heart 1,000 Times is...tomorrow! Buy three or four copies and give to all of your spooky friends to read for Halloween! Or buy the special Bite-Sized edition to drop in unsuspecting trick or treaters' bags!*

* (Disclaimer: the special Bite-Sized editions of BMH1kx exist only in my mind; any edition of BMH1kx may prove harmful if swallowed)

Also, check out this wonderful review from Lost In A Great Book if you are still on the fence: Lost In A Great Book

Break My Heart Art

 

I received this beautiful gift yesterday; a print from Stephanie Piro illustrating one of my favorite scenes from Break My Heart 1,000 Times! To see more of Stephanie's work, please go to her website www.stephaniepiro.com. Stephanie also writes book reviews at her site The Militant Recommender and wrote a very kind review of Break My Heart 1,000 Times, which is here: HERE Then she asked me some of the most insightful interview questions I've ever been asked here:HERE. Clearly, we're forming some sort of mutual admiration society. But is that so wrong? There's a lot of hate in the world.

The BMH1kx blog tour begins in a few days. I made some T-shits for the tour, but they are virtual shirts, ghost shirts if you will, and disappear the moment you think about putting them on. Break My Heart 1,000 Times, my scary book, comes out on Tuesday. Buy one before they disappear!

Spooky, Spooky Reading

I've always been an obsessive reader, one who observed certain self-imposed rituals that are either a guard against insanity or proof of its existence.  As long as I've been reading, I've made the month of October Spooky Reading Month, and I plan for Spooky Reading Month with an administrative discipline not found in other aspects of my life (like, say, career and family).  The most important aspect of Spooky Reading Month is the Amassing of Spooky Reads, where, months in advance, I'll begin acquiring scary books to read.  Doesn't matter if I buy the book in January, and it looks like the greatest scary book ever written, I'll hold off on reading it until October.  This helps heighten both the anticipation and the tension, and so by the time I finally open the book to read there's already a nervous thrill in my chest that I'm certain augments the feelings of suspense I have while reading.  I can remember October's past where I would overdose on certain authors; Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson (although there was also the major disappointment--on Mischief Night, no less-- of discovering that the latter's Raising Demons isn't actually about diabolical conjuration, but is a heartwarming memoir on parenting).

The personal crown jewel, for me, of any Spooky Reading Month was a ghost story.  I love l-u-v ghost stories.  If I had a dozen horror novels to read for SRM, I would save the ghost story for last, the special treat to be unwrapped late on Halloween Night (with a Zagnut, if I was lucky enough to get one in my door to door plundering).

Break My Heart 1,000 Times is exactly the sort of story I'd have saved for the end of Spooky Reading Month; it is the ghost story I have been wanting to write since I wanted to write. It is the scariest story I've yet written and I hope you will add it to your own Spooky Reading Month TBR stack when it comes out this October 16th.  I hope it haunts you the way it haunts me.

I'm doing a blog tour this month at a variety of high quality literary reader, reviewer and blog sites.  I'll be sharing stories about one of the actual ghosts I've encountered, I'll write about some of my favorite ghost stories, I'll be answering some questions about BMH1kx and writing in general,and I'll discuss some of the wacky Halloween costumes I've worn over the years.  It will be fun--we'll get all sugared up and visit some haunted houses!  Choose your masks!

Stay tuned, and I will post links to the blog tour stops as they arrive...

My Corporeal Book Tour

In addition to my oh so spectral blog tour, I will be appearing in a non-astral form at the following exciting events:

October 28th Boston Teen Author Festival, Boston, info here: BOSTON TEEN AUTHOR FESTIVAL

November 3rd, Vegas Valley Book Festival, Las Vegas, info here: VEGAS VALLEY BOOK FESTIVAL

Maybe I'll do some more stuff in New England if I'm invited. Especially if you have some type of event that has swanky hors d'oeuvres, or maybe a functional commemorative pen. I'd probably settle for you just having my books in stock. But I won't beg you.

 In other news, October is anti-bullying month (no, that doesn't mean you get to beat up a bully). One of the Kindle special sale books is the Dear Bully anthology, in which I reveal the Secret Origin of the Generation Dead series. Is the series from a Krypton-like planet? Was it bitten by a radioactive zombie? Was it splashed by a cabinet full of chemicals while simultaneously being struck by lightning? (Hint: it has something to do with bullying). Find out the truth (and read 69 other short and wonderful essays) for a very low price all October.

 Stay tuned for Blog Tour news!

Break My Heart 1,000 Times Reviews and Interviews

Will these reviews break my heart? See for yourself: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY RIFFS AND REVIEWS Will this interview reveal how many times my own heart has been broken? THE MILITANT RECOMMENDER Lots of linkage will follow over the next month--I'm going on a Blog Tour! Wheeeeee! Time to pack!

Generation Dead's Colette, By Yaz

In my top ten list of favorite things about being a writer, number four is "Having my work inspire other creative people to do creative work."(number five is "Getting to go first in the buffet line." It's an awesome life!). Every so often a creative person sends me a gift of their creativity; I have been very fortunate to have Yaz Basusta sending me artwork since the very first days of publication. She created, among other things, the Zombie Danny that I often use as my author photo was created by her.

This drawing of Colette was a recent gift from her--and really the gift of art is twice a gift--there's the gift of the time and energy of its creation, and then the work itself. Thank you,Yaz!

You can visit Yaz and see more of her work at her DeviantArt site HERE.

Break My Heart 1000 Times Movie News--I Am Not Daniel Waters

Directors are onboard!  I know what movie I'm going to see this weekend!

Gold Circle Films has hired Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, directors of The Words, which opens this week, to direct BMH1kx from the fantastic script that Jason Fuchs wrote!

Read the article from The Hollywood Reporter HERE

There are also similar articles HERE and HERE and also HERE.  A couple dozen articles appeared on the internet since the announcement yesterday, and I read as many as I could find because a). I am a raving egomaniac and b). because I thought it would be fun to find out how long it would take before an article mistakenly identified me as the Daniel Waters of Heathers fame (answer: within 12 hours of the announcement).  I'm a great fan of the man's work, and I love that we both have brothers named Mark, but I am not Daniel Waters!  A few of the many articles botch other similarly minor details like the synopsis, characters, etc., but, That's Entertainment!

I wanted to link to the very nice Kirkus  review for BMH1kx, but that won't post until two weeks before the release date of OCTOBER 16.  And speaking of October, Matthew Dow Smith's brilliant second issue of OCTOBER GIRL is available at Comixology, for less than a dime a page.  You can't go wrong.

Also, here is a very nice review of the book from The Scribbler in the Rye HERE. I love having a review on a site which also is a Salinger reference.  Like Phoebe.

(I covered the not-being-Dan Waters thing HERE, on my very first blog post.  In 2007!  Time, time, time, see what's become of me.

Questions Concerning a Frisson

Did you ever have the experience of having read a book, watched a movie, or engaged with any piece of art or entertainment, and had a completely mediocre response, and then you encounter the artifact at a different time and the reading or the viewing or the listening is an entirely different encounter than the one you had before?

And that this second (or third, or tenth) engagement with that artifact--an artifact that previously you were suitably nonplussed enough to rate three out of five stars so that the data aggregator would provide you with a more appropriate recommendation next time out--makes you question everything you thought, said or did during the time you engaged with the the artifact, even if that last encounter with the artifact was as recent as six months ago, because this time your experience with the artifact was literally a life changing experience, life changing as in expanding your world, your capacity to understand, your capacity to love? 

And so the elation and excitement you have over having had that expansive life changing experience,the sheer joy in being moved that way-- because sometimes you worry if you can ever be moved by art or entertainment or anything new in that way ever again--that joy is tempered by that back-of-mind worry about the person who saw and dismissed the artifact in the first place? 

What were you thinking?  What were you feeling? 
Were you feeling?

How have you changed? Have you changed? 
Are you changing still? 

Writing these questions, I sense movement at the corner of my eye, but when I turn there is only a bookshelf, some records, some DVDs.

Break My Heart 1000 Times

A couple early reviews:

The Militant Recommender Written by an artist,Stephanie Piro, who did an illustration of a scene from the book!

Dark Faerie Tales A lovely site!

And an interview:Zone Out ModeBMH1kx will be out mid-October! Preorder early and often!

My Wild Life, Part LXII

Ladies and gentleman, i give you the noble Hummingbird Moth:

Don't forget to get your ebook of Stitches, now available internationally!

Stitches eBook Released in the U.K. Today

You need something to do now that the Olympics is over, right?

Generation Dead: Stitches U.K.

The U.K. ebook edition of Generation Dead: Stitches is up for pre-order at amazon.co.uk.  It is a little hard to find as it isn't identified as a Generation Dead title and the cover art isn't up yet.

Here's a link to help you:Preorder UK Stitches!

And here's the cover:

Break My Heart 1000 Times Movie News

Did I mention that I read the script? I did. And it is great. The Break My Heart 1000 Times script was written by the multitalented Jason Fuchs. Some would say the crazily multitalented Jason Fuchs--actor, producer, and screenwriter--is there nothing this guy can't do? I heard he can 360 windmill dunk and make a subtle and nuanced risotto that comes out perfectly every time, too. And he's only 26! I'd likely hate him if he hadn't done such a wonderful job on writing such a suspenseful, scary script for BMH1kx.

He also, btw, wrote the screenplay for a little film called ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT, which is playing, like, everywhere. Check it out.

I ran across a recent interview with Jason on the Script website where he speaks a bit about adapting BMH1kx for film and about many of the other exciting projects he's worked on or will be working on. He's a fascinating guy. You can read the interview HERE.

U.K. Stitches!

Here's the floral cover of the U.K. Ebook edition of Generation Dead:Stitches to complete your bouquet. I'm told it will be released some time in August!

Creative People

I'm addicted to the lives of creative people. Specifically, to what inspires creative people, how they developed, how they work, their process, and how they make their way in a world that doesn't always seem geared towards supporting creative people. In looking over my list of what I've read this year, there are tons of books that I've read that have given glimpses into the lives of creative people--autobiographies like Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl, biographies like Hemingway and his World (I've probably read fifty-seven books about Hemingway), creative essays/memoirs like my friend David Yoo's new book The Choke Artist and Johnette (Concrete Blonde) Napolitano's book Rough Mix. Books like F. Paul Wilson's Aftershocks and Others, which is a book of short stories, but sandwiched between the stories are snapshot recaps of his career from year to year--fascinating encounters with both the production and business sides of creative endeavor (one of the things that have helped forge the bonds between Stephen King and his Constant Readers, I think, is that many of his books have similar material; the forwards, the afterwords, the story notes that give his loyal fanbase a peek behind the curtain, a chance to see the story behind the story). Musicians' biographies, artists' biographies (especially anyone that ever created for Mad Magazine, or painted science fiction book covers), writers' bios, anything. If you create, I want to read your story.

My friend Matthew Dow Smith is a creator--the type I'm insanely jealous of, because he is able to create just about anything in any medium, its seems. His newest creation is The October Girl, a brand new digital comic book from MonkeyBrain Comics, and you can--and should--get the first installment for the lofty price of .99 cents. And then you can catch some insight--for free!--into his process, his career, and the considerations one has to take into account to be a creative professional--in his eight part "Toys and Corners" series on his blog, starting HERE.

Buy the comic, read Matt's blog--it is my belief that by studying the lives of creative people as well as their creations you will find enrichment and inspiration for your own life. Give it a shot.

Generation Dead Optioned for Television

I'm happy to report that the paperwork is done and that the Generation Dead series has been optioned for television. Apparently there is some other zombie-related show on tv now that is sort of popular or something--so I'm certain there is a huge audience that will accept Phoebe and her undead pals into their homes on a regular basis. You would, wouldn't you? Let's play casting director! Who would you have as Phoebe if you called the shots? As Adam? Karen? Tommy? As that kid who threw a corn cob at Tommy? Who does that? January Jones would be excellent as Angela Hunter; I wonder if she's busy?

Break My Heart 1,000 Times

October! Pre-order whenever convenient!