Did we say 'first'? "

Read the rest at Newsarama here.
dvs

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

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!

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!

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.

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!

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. <

It's not much, but I'll take it!

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!

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:

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!

Oh, by the way: I'm on my second read of The Colorado Kid. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

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:

Remember, this offer's only good through May 23rd, so act now! Operators (or web-perators) are standing by!

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!

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

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

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!)

"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!!!!!!!!!!!

"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!!!!

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...)

"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!

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.

...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.

"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!

"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!!!

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?

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!

-- 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!

This is MEGA-cool news! "Many" black and whites!?!? YEY!

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!)

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!

"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!

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!

"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 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.

“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!?!?!?!

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!

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.

Sadly, folks, this event is sold out. But still cool, right?

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!)

The breakdown: A Tribute to Frank Muller will include:

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

July

August

September

October

November

Yey!

"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.

It'll be out as paperback (I'm thinking oversized?) this April! Order now! (Thanks, Brian!)

Next time: less exclamation points.

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!

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!

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!

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!)

""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!!!

So there you have it! We will soon know who it will be. Until next time...

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.

--> 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.)

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.

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.

In January we [Donald M. Grant] mailed a letter to over 400 customers who had bought a WIZARD & GLASS