NEWS -

Bag of Bones on TV in 2011

Posted: May 3, 2010, 10:54
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Dread Central caught up with Mick Garris when he attended the “Never Sleep Again” signing event held this weekend at Dark Delicacies in Burbank.

Garris told them he’ll be directing a four-hour miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s Bag of Bones which fans will be able to check out on network television sometime in 2011.

"Bag of Bones is something we tried to do as a feature for two or three years," Garris told them. "But the way features are now, if it's not about teenagers or a sequel or a remake, forget it. We wanted to do something much more adult and passionate than studios are making now. It's a ghost story for grown-ups. Television is the only place you can do that."

Production on Bag of Bones is set to begin in June in Alaska. Garris also added that they will hopefully be casting their lead this week so stay tuned.


Thanks to Uncle Creepy

Haven promo

Posted: May 2, 2010, 22:18
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Syfy released a short promo for Haven today and even though it dosn't tell us much it looks very nice.


Thanks to Herbert West

King comments on the recent Dark Tower news

Posted: May 1, 2010, 01:57
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King comments on The Dark Tower movie:

"It looks good. Things are happening and they are happening fast but any reports you see might be taken with a grain of salt for the next couple of weeks. You will know the news from the official source as soon as we are able to post it."


Steve

Conflicting info about DT movie

Posted: April 30, 2010, 11:46
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It looks like there is some conflicting info about what the format for The Dark Tower will be. THR says one feature film and then a TV series and Deadline a trilogy and then a TV series.

I'm still looking for confirmation about this but it would be so much easier if Ron Howard could just e-mail me :-)

Dark Tower as a screen trilogy and TV series?

Posted: April 30, 2010, 08:29
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Very interesting information surfaced recently. If it’s correct King’s Dark Tower books is set to be a screen trilogy and TV series. Exactly what this means isn’t all that clear. Is it three TV movies? That will be extremely hard to succeed with. Is it three TV series with say 12 episodes each? That would work. Can Akiva Goldsman (script), Ron Howard (directing) and Brian Grazer (producer) pull it off? I have no idea. And, what happened JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof? I have no idea.

I’m working on getting more info on this as we speak so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the full news (as it was reported by Deadline below.

Read the complete text

Thanks to Joel, Ariel Bosi and Maribel Deschain

Excerpt from the audio edition of Blockade Billy

Posted: April 28, 2010, 20:04
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Here is an excerpt from the audio edition of Blockade Billy.

Hodder & Stoughton also told me today that they will be using the same cover for their edition as Scribner does. The UK edition is released on May 25th.

Haven shooting in Lunenburg

Posted: April 27, 2010, 16:24
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Looks like not everyone in Lunenburg enjoyed the filming of Haven and two other projects there last week. Personally I’d loved to be there.

Read more here.

If anyone has photos from the filming I'd be happy to post them here on Lilja's Library.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Limited Billy

Posted: April 27, 2010, 10:06
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BlockadeBilly will be released as a limited edition by Lonely Road Books later this year. However, the book is already sold out so if you’re still looking to get one you need to get on the waiting list. And even that is not guarantee that you’ll get one…

Here are the information about the books:

Limited Edition:
Just 350 hand-numbered copies printed on a high quality paper stock (different from any other edition) and featuring a fine leather binding, two color printing throughout the book, a color frontispiece by Glen Orbik, eleven interior illustrations by Alex McVey, a sewn-in ribbon page marker, a custom deluxe traycase with pullout ribbon, an illustrated signature sheet signed by the artists, and Stephen King's first-ever baseball card, SIGNED by King as his way of signing this special edition. Also includes a copy of the authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card Cemetery Dance printed for their 1st edition hardcover ($450)
Lettered Edition:
52 hand-lettered copies with all of the special features of the Limited Edition plus a "THREE PIECE" binding featuring a special Japanese cloth and a fine leather, an exclusive artwork page in each book featuring an original piece of artwork to make EACH copy unique, a bonus art portfolio featuring Limited Edition prints of the artwork from the book, and a deluxe hand-made custom box ($1,250)

Head over to Lonley Road Books to find out more about this book.

Adam Kane to direct Haven

Posted: April 26, 2010, 21:49
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Bloody Discusting reported:

Adam Kane ("The Mentalist," "Heroes") will be directing the pilot for the Stephen King-created supernatural series "Haven" for the Syfy Channel. Production has started with Lunenburg, Nova Scotia standing in for the fictitious Maine town of Haven, where Emily Rose ("Damages") plays an FBI agent solving the murder of a local ex-con. The pilot's ensemble cast includes Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat and John Dunsworth. The project centers on a spooky town in Maine where cursed folk live normal lives in exile. When those curses start returning, FBI agent Audrey Parker is brought in to keep those supernatural forces at bay -- while trying to unravel the mysteries of Haven.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

King at the Big Read Kickoff Event

Posted: April 26, 2010, 10:31
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Here is a video of King at the Big Read Kickoff Event. It took place on March 20 at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Some news about film version Bag of Bones

Posted: April 22, 2010, 23:28
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I just spoke to Mick Garris and he confirmed that discussions are being held with a major TV network to bring Bag of Bones to the small screen. He hopes to be able to share more news with us soon.

A Sneak Peak Into Syfy's Haven

Posted: April 22, 2010, 01:03
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Emily Rose gives us a sneak peak into Syfy's Haven and it dosn't really sounds like The Colorado Kid...

Read about it here.

A preview of my book

Posted: April 22, 2010, 00:16
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The facebook launch of Lilja’s Library yesterday is officially a success. In the last 24 hours more than 300 of you have joined and the numbers are growing as we speak. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your nice comments and kind posts about Lilja’s Library since I haven’t had the chance to do it personally.

Read the complete text

Lilja's Library hits facebook

Posted: April 20, 2010, 21:18
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Today Lilja’s Library premiers on facebook. To be honest I didn’t think joining facebook would be a good idea for Lilja’s Library but since quite a few of you have told me that I need to get Lilja’s Library on facebook I have. Now we just have to wait and see if it was a good idea…

Join here

Pengin audio arrived today

Posted: April 20, 2010, 21:05
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This arrived in a box today. Yes, that is correct. It's all the audio books Penguin and they will be reviewed here soon so look for that.

"Double" cover for Riding the Bullet

Posted: April 20, 2010, 21:03
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Here is the cover for The Deluxe Special Edition of Riding the Bullet and personally I love the "double" concept of it.



Two reviews of Blockade Billy

Posted: April 20, 2010, 20:39
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Here are two reviews of Blockade Billy that is officialy released today.

GQ
USAToday.

A sidenote: It looks like Scribner will release 500,000 copies of their edition.

Blockade Billy hits the UK

Posted: April 19, 2010, 14:40
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Today Hodder & Stoughton announces that they will publish a UK edition of Blockade Billy. Here is the press release:

NEW NOVELLA FROM STEPHEN KING BOUGHT BY HODDER & STOUGHTON FOR FATHER’S DAY

An explosion of interest across the world in King’s novella, BLOCKADE BILLY, has prompted Philippa Pride, King’s UK editor, to step up to the plate and acquire for Hodder & Stoughton, from Chuck Verrill in the States, UK and Commonwealth rights to the publication – which includes a bonus story, the chilling MORALITY. The story of BLOCKADE BILLY is the baseball story that King has long been asked to write by his fans: ‘Ask no more; this is it,’ King Says. ‘I love old-school baseball, and I also love the way people who’ve spent a lifetime in the game talk about it. I tried to combine those things in a story of suspense.’ The novella tells the story of William Blakely, unknown baseball player for the New Jersey Titans, whose baseball days in the late 50s are relayed in first person narrative to Stephen King by George ‘Granny’ Grantham, who coached third base at the time. Pride commented: ‘It’s another gripping, tale from the master: how does he captivate you so completely from page one and hold you in his brilliantly powerful and dark grip until the last page? He’s just got that inimitable X factor, hasn’t he?’

Hodder will publish in hardback, on 25 May 2010, at £9.99.
An audio version of the book will also be available.

My interview with Richard Chizmar

Posted: April 19, 2010, 13:59
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Richard Chizmar is the founder of Cemetery Dance Publications, who's releasing King’s latest book; Blockade Billy tomorrow. I got a chat with Rich and he told me all about the book, how it happened that CD got to publish it. You can read my interview here.

King on Ellroy and Wasson

Posted: April 19, 2010, 09:00
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In the April 23/30 issue of Entertainment Weekly: Big Audio Dynamite. It's about giving praise to the audio version of James Ellroy's Blood's a Rover, which SK says "is, quite simply, the best audiobook I've ever heard".

It's read by Craig Wasson. As it happens, Wasson's just been named the reader of Blockade Billy.

Quotes:

"[Wasson's] a fine actor [...], but a mad hot audio reader."

"Great readers seem to live inside the books they're performing. Wasson is one of those."

Thanks to Willowlove.

Haven starts shooting on April 20

Posted: April 15, 2010, 13:23
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TV series based on Stephen King work headed for Lunenburg

LUNENBURG — The picturesque town of Lunenburg, N.S., is going to be the backdrop for a television series based on the work of horror-writer Stephen King.

Lunenburg will fill in for the fictitious Town of Haven, Maine where the inhabitants have no idea they are descendants of cursed ancestry.

Thirteen one-hour episodes are planned and the pilot for the series is pulling out all the stops for production in order to attract a large audience.

Filming will take place over three days beginning April 20.

The proposed cast includes Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat and John Dunsworth.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Cover for issue #4

Posted: April 15, 2010, 10:09
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Click for a larger imageHere are the cover for issue #4 of American Vampire.

Info about Scribners edition of Billy

Posted: April 14, 2010, 11:31
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Product Details
- Scribner, May 2010
- Paper Over Board, 144 pages
- Price: $14.99
- ISBN-10: 1451608217
- ISBN-13: 9781451608212

Latest on Blockade Billy

Posted: April 14, 2010, 10:28
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Scribners version of Blockade Billy:

UPDATE: Stephen and Cemetery Dance have made an arrangement with Scribner to make available a less expensive hardcover edition of Blockade Billy, with an on-sale date of May 25th, the same date the audiobook goes on sale. The Scribner edition will be available in all U.S. and Canadian retail outlets. Both the Scribner book and the Simon & Schuster audiobook will feature a bonus short story ("Morality"). In the meantime, an eBook edition of Blockade Billy should go on sale through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony on April 20th.

Remember though that there ARE some difference between this edition and Cemetery Dance's 1st edition. The Cemetery Dance edition...

- has a very limited print run of just 10,000 copies
- is heavily illustrated unlike a standard New York edition
- is shrink-wrapped to protect the book
- includes the Limited Edition William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card, which will never be reprinted
- is beautifully designed with both the collector and general reader in mind

The print run of Cemetery Dance's 1st Edition/1st Printing is about 1/100 of what King's New York publishers print for a new hardcover, making this easily the lowest print run of any new King trade edition since the 1970s!

Richard Chizmar talks Blockade Billy

Posted: April 13, 2010, 22:06
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Here are Richard Chizmar’s (owner of Cemetery Dance) thoughts on the Blockade Billy experience:

From CEMETERY DANCE Publisher Richard Chizmar…

First and foremost, I want to say that working on Blockade Billy these past couple months has been one of the most rewarding – and definitely the most fun – experiences I've had in over two decades of publishing. As I noted in the press release, "Stephen King and I have corresponded about baseball and books for almost 20 years now…so to combine the two is a dream come true for me."

When Stephen King's agent, Chuck Verrill, emailed last year and told me that Steve thought BILLY would be a good fit for CEMETERY DANCE because he knew how much of a baseball fan I was, I knew this book was going to be something special. But I didn't know the half of it…

If you had told me then that word of our secret, little Stephen King baseball project would end up traveling all over the world, drawing attention from Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Time Magazine, GQ, New York Magazine, ESPN, ABC, Sports Illustrated, Fangoria, PerezHilton.com, Gather.com, The Independent (UK), The Guardian (UK), Reuters, Examiner.com (New York), Publishers Weekly, Publishers Lunch, Shelf Awareness, The Washington Post, LA Times, Bloomberg, The San Francisco Chronicle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Miami Herald, The Boston Herald, Bangor Daily News, Baltimore Sun, Maryland Daily Record, Sacramento Bee, a newspaper in South Africa, and dozens of blogs and websites…I would have thought that you were crazy.

If you had told me we would end up selling all 10,000 first edition trade copies to individual readers (which is exactly what will happen in the next couple weeks), I would have sworn up and down that you were crazy.

If you had told me Stephen would graciously allow us to reprint another 10,000 copies of the trade edition and all of them would be swallowed up by just libraries (that's right, not a single retail account in the bunch), I would have known that you were crazy.

And, finally…if you had told me that retail demand – make that retail frenzy – for our secret, little Stephen King baseball project (which was always meant to have a very limited printing) would lead to Steve and CEMETERY DANCE working out a deal with Scribner to make Blockade Billy available to all his Constant Readers, I would have asked what planet you were living on... which, incidentally, is exactly what the head buyer at one of the country's biggest booksellers asked Cemetery Dance Marketing Director Brian Freeman when he explained to them that they would not be receiving any copies of our edition of the book!

But Blockade Billy really did take the world by storm, blowing away the expectations of everyone involved – and we're very proud of the role we've played in bringing Stephen King's first baseball story to readers. In just one week our World's First Edition/First Printing will begin shipping…and that's only the beginning. Who knows what kind of news our secret, little Stephen King baseball project is going to generate next.

One For The Road from PS Publishing

Posted: April 13, 2010, 20:49
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This little beutiful book arrived in the mail today. It's PS Publishing's edition of One For The Road. Review will come soon...

Click for a larger image

Click for a larger image

Latest on Blockade Billy

Posted: April 9, 2010, 21:46
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Here is the latest on Blockade Billy:

Cemetery Dance Publications’ beautiful hardcover of Blockade Billy is a limited edition, and we all know what that means—there won’t be enough copies to go around. Because of high demand from devoted readers and obligations to libraries, and—alas—contrary to pre-order invitations from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, it won’t be possible to ship copies of the limited edition to retail bookstores. Don’t blame Amazon! Don’t blame Barnes & Noble! Together with Cemetery Dance, Stephen is exploring ways to make the novella available to all his Constant Readers as soon as possible, at least by the time the Simon & Schuster audiobook goes on sale. More definite word on this should come shortly. But if you want that one-of-a-kind authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card which has time-traveled all the way from 1957, place your order online with Cemetery Dance.

Even more Blockade Billy

Posted: April 8, 2010, 23:52
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Here is a report about Cemetery Dance releaseing Blockade Billy.



It has also been revealed that Craig Wasson will narrate the audio edition.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

My review of Blockade Billy

Posted: April 8, 2010, 23:33
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Here are my thoughts on Blockade Billy. The review is free of major spoilers but if you want to stay totally unaware of the books plot, hold on reading it until the book is released (in about 2 weeks).

Today Cemetery Dance also released some illustrations from the book. You can see them here.

And here is a Q&A about the book that Cemetery Dance has sent out:

Q: What makes this book collectible?
A: This is the WORLD'S FIRST PRINTING of a brand new book by Stephen King, a must-have for any King collection, and we are printing a tiny fraction of the number of copies a big New York publisher would be printing. There are some collectors who are already speculating this could become the most valuable Stephen King first trade printing since the 1970s because of the very limited print run. We can't say we think they're wrong. When was the last time King let a small press debut one of his new books? There are millions of Stephen King fans and collectors who won't know about this 1st Printing, 1st Edition until it's already gone.

Q: How do you know people aren't hoarding copies now that word is getting around about how limited this book actually is?
A: To prevent hoarders from grabbing up all of the copies to resell later at inflated prices, we've had to place a strict limit of THREE per person or household. If you've already ordered one copy and have decided you want two more, you can do that, but please don't abuse the system. We really want to make sure our limited supply reaches as many different readers/collectors as possible.

Q: I saw someone say this is sounding more like a "Gift Edition" due to the set print run. What does that mean?
A: In a way, they're correct because we ARE only printing a set number. Some of the key features that will make our edition different than the Stephen King books you usually see in stores are:
* a very limited print run, just like our collectible "Gift Editions"
* beautifully designed with both the collector and general reader in mind
* heavily illustrated unlike a standard New York edition
* first printing, first edition is shrinkwrapped to protect your book
* first printing, first edition includes the Limited Edition William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card, which will never be reprinted

Q: Can I see some samples of the artwork?
A: Certainly! There are now artwork samples from Blockade Billy on our website where you can see some of Alex McVey's work and also view more details of the bonus Limited Edition "Blockade Billy" baseball card.

Q: Is that a real baseball card?
A: Yes! This card is designed to mimic the era it came from and was professional printed by one of the leading baseball card printing companies in America. To say more would give away too much about the story, though! The card has a VERY limited printing and we will never print more.

Q: What about the second printing? Will that be available in stores?
A: We were authorized to do a small second printing due to the incredible demand for this title, but as of today we have so many purchase orders for it that we are only going to be able to fill library orders. That means you won't be seeing our special hardcover edition of Stephen King's first-ever baseball story in bookstores anywhere!

Q: What about Amazon or another online store?
A: We will NOT be sending ANY copies of our first OR second printing to Amazon or any of the other big bookstores or distributors for bookstores. Those websites can list any book with an ISBN, and they can offer any discount they want, but that doesn't mean they are getting copies. We are working on a way to fill that demand from booksellers, but it won't be with the 1st or 2nd printing of our collectible hardcover, so this is going to be a rare Stephen King trade edition that is actually worth something to collectors down the road!

Q: Will this novella be included in King's upcoming collection, Full Dark, No Stars?
A: Nope, it will not! At this time there are no plans to include Blockade Billy in any Stephen King collection. And for more information on Full Dark, No Stars, scroll down this newsletter to the next section.

Haven in Europe

Posted: April 8, 2010, 09:13
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Haven sold to Europe:

Germany's Tele München Group has acquired continental European TV rights to Haven, E1 Entertainment's upcoming drama series based on a novella by Stephen King.

The 13x60' mystery drama, based on King's The Colorado Kid, is due to debut in the US on Syfy channel and on CanWest in Canada, while Universal Networks International has acquired global pay-TV rights beyond these territories, with the exception of Scandinavia.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Kevin Quigley a busy man

Posted: April 7, 2010, 13:21
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Kevin Quigley is a very busy man. Not only does he has a book coming out this April, Wetware: On the Digital Frontline with Stephen King he has also a review of the upcoming Blockade Billy up on his site.

WETWARE: On the Digital Frontline with Stephen King
a chapbook by Kevin Quigley

About the Chapbook:
Stephen King has long been at the forefront of experimental publishing. As the world grows more digital each day, King has consistently remained on the edge of breakthrough trends and technology, finding new ways to publish and interpret his stories. King's digital journey has been strange and fascinating. Wetware is your guide.

From the prehistory of King’s involvement with digital media such as The Dark Half video game and F13 to his online release of the lost work, The Cannibals, Wetware covers it all — in a concise and engaging pocket history. Explore the controversy surrounding King's online serial publication, The Plant. Relive the groundbreaking excitement of King's landmark e-book publication, Riding the Bullet. If you ever engaged in interactive fiction with The Mist, were intrigued by the Kindle-only release of UR, or terrified by the motion comic N., Wetware is essential reading.

Order WETWARE: On the Digital Frontline with Stephen King here.

Short review of Blockade Billy

Posted: April 6, 2010, 11:02
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Publishers Weekly already has a review (not on their site yet) of Blockade Billy. Here is a quote thanks to Willowlove.

~~~~SPOILERS below~~~~


Publishers Weekly Reviews

A quirky baseball player with a past shrouded in secrecy is the tragic hero of this macabre tale from the dark side of the all-American sport. In the voice of George "Granny" Grantham, retired third-base coach of the New Jersey Titans, King (Under the Dome) recalls the spring of 1957, when Billy Blakely, a catcher called up from the Titans' Iowa farm system, helped to boost the team out of the basement and add some excitement to the national pastime. Billy hits with such power and guards the plate with such determination (hence his eponymous nickname) that teammates are willing to forgive such eccentricities as his frequently addressing himself in the third person, or bloodying runners who collide with him. Of course, these kinks are clues to a shocking pathology that King coaxes out in a narrative steeped so perfectly in the argot of the game and the behavior of its players and fans that readers will willingly suspend their disbelief. As King's fiction goes, this suspenseful short is a deftly executed suicide squeeze, with sharp spikes hoisted high and aimed at the jugular on the slide home. (May)

Thanks to Willowlove

King on the Kindle

Posted: April 6, 2010, 10:58
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Here is an article by King called Stephen King On The Kindle And The iPad.

Billy on audio

Posted: April 5, 2010, 23:50
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Simon & Schuster announced today that they will release an audio version of Blockade Billy in May.

Cemetery Dance also tells me that the first edition/first printing with the bonus Blockade Billy limited edition baseball card is now over 50% sold out. This edition will not be in stores so if a collector wants one, they need to order through their website. This first edition/first printing will easily have the lowest first printing of any Stephen King trade edition in a very long time.

Premier set for Haven

Posted: April 4, 2010, 22:53
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Bev Vincent reported that Haven will premier Friday, July 9.

American Vampire; issue #2

Posted: April 4, 2010, 22:50
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Here is an article about American Vampire that contains spoilers for issue #2.

Thanks to willowlove.

More Blockade Billy

Posted: April 4, 2010, 17:38
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Today I had a real surprise in the mail when I got home. Yes, a ARC of Blockade Billy as you can see below. The book has 112 numbered pages and then one last page with an illustration. But remember, order your copy now or you'll risk missing out on it!

Order here.

Click for a larger image

Special feature

King calendar

September:
The Life of Chuck (movie)
September 13, 2024:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (French ed.)
September 21, 2024:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (US edition)
Fall:
The Extra Hour (short in CD #79)
2024:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (Greek ed.)
October:
Salem’s Lot (movie)
2024:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (Italian edition)
2024:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (Greek edition)
2024:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (German edition)
2024:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (German ed.)
2025:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (Spanish ed.)
February 21, 2025:
The Monkey (movie)
2025:
Welcome To Derry (TV series)
2025:
The Long Walk (movie)
2025:
The Institute (TV series)
November 21, 2025:
The Running Man

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May 21, 2024

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