Here’s the first review I’ve found of the forthcoming Ask Anna:
I would like to introduce my readers to Anna Koontz. The newest (four legged) talent from the Koontz family who has followed in her dog-daddy’s footsteps with her first advice book for canines with plans to become the advice columnist for the canine world. Dean Koontz writes, “we have complied for you this book of Anna’s golden advice to other canines, with the hope that it will help you understand your dogs better and will encourage you to stop being a ninny of an owner, if in fact you are one.”
“The dark makes the light stuff brighter.”
Not only is that a comment made by a character in Dean Koontz’s latest novel “The City,” it’s a truth that the author learned first-hand while growing up.
In “The City,” eight-year-old African-American musical prodigy Jonah Kirk is blessed with a mother and grandparents who selflessly love and support him. His father Tilton, however, epitomizes the adult who never grows up, who never accepts responsibility for anyone or anything other than the pursuit of his own pleasure. Jonah sees these traits in his father and, understandably, resents him.
Dean can relate to Jonah here. During an interview on “Christopher Closeup,” he recalled that his mother was a wonderful woman, but his father was a “violent alcoholic” who was also a “gambler and womanizer,” resulting in his family living in poverty. The worst part for Dean wasn’t his family’s unstable financial situation, though; it was the fact that he lived in a small town where everybody knew everybody else’s business, leaving him in an “almost constant [state of] humiliation or embarrassment” at his father’s actions.
And yet, Dean wouldn’t change his childhood even if he could. He said, “There’s a temptation to think how much better my life would have been, or how much more I would have achieved if I’d had a rosier childhood. But then I think, ‘No, if I hadn’t had my dad’s example, I might have gone that way.’…That is where I was able to clearly see that there is good and evil in the world; there are not just shades of gray. As a consequence, I think it helped me a great deal as a writer to have grown up in that environment.”
Read the full article and listen to the full interview @ Patheos.com.
96. Strangers by Dean Koontz The characters in this 2002 horror novel are all brought to the Tranquility Motel in the Nevada desert outside of Elko to figure out what was done to them and why.
The product page on the Cemetery Dance Web site now lists the full table of contents for this volume. (Not that Dean’s contribution is a surprise.) Right now it looks like copies of all three editions are still available for pre-order.
“Mr. Dark’s Carnival” by Glen Hirshberg
“Universal Horrors” by Stephen Graham Jones
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Perspective” by Michael McBride
“The Scariest Thing I Know” by Dean Koontz
“Guising” by Gemma Files
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Gort Klaatu Barada Trick or Treat” by Nancy Holder
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Under the Autumn Stars” by Tim Waggoner
“Monsters” by Stewart O’Nan
“Death and Disbursement” by S.P. Miskowski
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “All the News” by Karen Heuler
“Dear Dead Jenny” by Ian McDowell
“What Blooms in Shadow Withers in Light” by Richard Gavin
My Favorite Halloween Memory by M. Rickert
“The ’Corn Factory” by Benjamin Kane Ethridge
“In a Dark October” by Joe R. Lansdale
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “The Real Darkborn” by Matthew Costello
“The October Game” by Ray Bradbury
“Fear of Fallen Leaves” by James Newman
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Costume” by Melanie Tem
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Dancing With Mr. Death” by Kealan Patrick Burke
“Scarecrow” by Roberta Lannes
“Strange Candy” by Robert McCammon
My Favorite Halloween Memory by Harry Shannon
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “That Which Doesn’t Kill You Earns You Candy” by Nate Southard
“The Pumpkin” by Robert Bloch
“Mr. and Mrs. Werewolf ” by Whitley Strieber
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Rescuer?” by Nicole Cushing
My Favorite Halloween Memory by Ray Garton
“Great Pumpkins and Ghost Hunters: Halloween on TV” by Lisa Morton
“The Pumpkin Smasher” by Al Sarrantonio
“The House on Cottage Lane” by Ronald Malfi
My Favorite Halloween Memory by Tim Curran
“The Dry Season” by James A. Moore
“The Spirit of Things” by John Skipp
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Haunting Season” by Orrin Grey
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “The Witch of Walnut” by Elizabeth Massie
“The Little Werewolf Who Cried” by Al Magliochetti
“The Boy in the White Sheet” by Bev Vincent
My Favorite Halloween Memory by Richard Gavin
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “The Last Halloween” by Ronald Kelly
“Sexy Pirate Girl” by Lisa Morton
“Monster Night” by Brian James Freeman
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Screams in the Asylum” by James Newman
“Underfolk” by Tina Callaghan
My Favorite Halloween Memory: “Pumpkin Parade” by Sephera Giron
The plot is typical Koontz. Jonah is somewhat similar to, say, Odd Thomas. Both are supernaturally gifted through unusual circumstances. But nothing dramatic. Both pay the price for their gifts and go through a solitary journey where only a few people are privy to their abilities. And both go through a life-changing loss. But at the end of the day, they are your average Joes…
But the genius here is Koontz’s understanding of ethnicity and the supernatural. Instead of taking the easy route of writing about a white American family, Koontz focuses on minorities. Jonah and his family are black, middle-class and educated. Then somewhere along the line, there is Mr Yoshioka, a Japanese American who is former Manzanar internee.
From “Book Collector: Furry Scribes”
Celebrity canine Trixie Koontz comes from a very distinguished line of scribes, starting with her best friend, the legendary suspense author Dean Koontz. Even though she is now deceased, the spirit of Trixie is keeping pace with the elder Koontz, having just released her third book, Bliss to You. Her two previous books were Life is Good! andChristmas is Good! In addition to currently having her own newsletter, Trixie News, a memoir and series of children’s books by Trixie are also in the works.
When I wrote to Dean Koontz to see if he could pull any strings in snagging me an autograph from Trixie, he came through with an inscribed bookplate boasting both his autograph as well as his authorized rendering of Trixie’s name and paw print. (www.deankoontz.com)
I think I’ve finally be able to get all of the details from both the CD and MP3-CD editions of Wilderness and Other Stories. So, at the moment, here’s the entry for this title. I sill have to go through and enter these appearances on the pages for the individual stories. (Also, the images used here are from Amazon & Brilliance and don’t represent the dimensions of the released editions.)
Wilderness and Other Stories
(collection)
by Dean Koontz
Audio
September 9, 2104 Brilliance Audio
℗2014 Brilliance Audio
Performed by Dick Hill, MacLeod Andrews, Will Damron, & Tonya Eby
Wilderness (59:01)
Kittens (12:17)
The Black Pumpkin (50:14)
Down in the Darkness (1:14:47)
The Scariest Thing I Know (18:04)
We Three, Revised Edition (14:54)
Ollie’s Hands (45:13)
Bruno (1:11:41)
The Night of the Storm, Revised Edition (56:20)
Miss Attila the Hun (1:01:18)
Hostage Situation (16:18)
Hardshell (1:48:30)
Trapped (1:52:29)
Snatcher (48:31)
Twilight of the Dawn (36:19)
(Lengths are approximate and may vary between the CD and MP3-CD format due to title and disc introductory material.) CD
12 Compact Sicac / 13 Hours : 41 Minutes
ISBN: 978-1-4805-7437-3
Cover Price: $14.99
Wilderness (Disc 1, Tracks 1-11)
Kittens (Disc 1, Tracks 12-14)
The Black Pumpkin (Disc 1, Track 15 & Disc 2, Tracks 1-10)
Down in the Darkness (Disc 2, Tracks 11-15 & Disc 3, Tracks 1-9)
The Scaries Thing I Know (Disc 3, Tracks 10-12)
We Three (Disc 3, Tracks 13-14 & Disc 4, Tracks 1-7)
Ollie’s Hands (Disc 4, Tracks 8-15)
Bruno (Disc 4, Tracks 16-19 & Disc 5, Tracks 1-10)
The Night of the Storm (Disc 5, Tracks 11-15 & Disc 6, Tracks 1-8)
Miss Attila the Hun (Disc 6, Tracks 9-18 & Disc 7, Tracks 1-8)
Calling all crime thriller fans! ITV favourite Bradley Walsh presents this six-part series celebrating the very best of crime thriller fiction and TV.
Each week, Bradley is joined by some of the stars of the biggest crime thriller shows, gives us a privileged peek behind the scenes of upcoming new crime dramas, and plays quizmaster as he sets out to find a ‘Criminal Mastermind’.
Culminating in the glittering Crime Thriller Awards 2014 – the ‘Oscars’ of the crime thriller world – this series delivers exclusive access to the stars and sets of some of Britain’s best known crime thriller programmes – including much-loved shows like DCI Banks, Whitechapel and Silent Witness – as well as gripping new dramas like the BBC’s Interceptor.
Each week, Bradley interrogates a leading actor from a major crime thriller – including the likes of Robert Glenister and Stephen Tompkinson – and casts a forensic eye over the career of a literary Living Legend, profiling blockbuster authors including Robert Harris, Dean Koontz, Lynda La Plante, Michael Connelly, and Wire In The Blood creator Val McDermid.
Across the series, Bradley’s also aided and abetted by renowned authors including Adele Parks, Peter James, Mark Billingham and Kate Mosse, who join him to help review an outstanding new crime thriller book of the week – and we hear what inspired their creators, including Lucie Whitehouse, James Carol and Peter May.
Plus, we get to enjoy some chilling, entertaining, and unforgettable clips from TV’s biggest and best-loved crime thriller shows, as Bradley and his guests try to identify the components of a classic crime drama.
These are all the details I gave at this time. IMDB doesn’t even list this season yet. When I find out the details about the episode that will include Dean I’ll be sure to post them here.
Source: itv.com
It’s always amusing to look back at a movie that’s packed with future stars, especially if said movie belongs to the horror genre. Why? Well, let’s face it…the actors know what they’re making. It’s not Oscar-material. No, no, they’re making the scary stuff, which I assume is a good gig, but not necessarily career changing. Case in point the late, great Peter O’Toole in 1998’s Phantoms. Dude was as classical actor as someone could be, yet even he had bills to pay. At least he took a role filled with other future Hollywood stars (well, mostly). Phantoms is packed with future headliners in Liev Schreiber, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Nicky Katt, and Ben Affleck. Not too shabby.
I recently stumbled upon HistoryForSale.com which bills itself as “the autograph and manuscript leader.” I will say that it has a lot of autographs available for purchase. When it comes to items signed by Dean, there are currently three: a “typescript with the opening lines of his 1991 best-selling novel Cold Fire” (which looks to be a neatly removed first page of the novel,) and two “autograph” pages (1,2) each with Dean’s simple answers to four questions (like “what’s your favorite movie,”) and his autograph. For each of these items the site is asking $629, $899, and $899 respectively. And those are the “sale” prices.
Seriously folks, Dean’s autograph is not hard to come by. Granted, he doesn’t tour but his autograph is hardly a rarity. If you want something signed by Dean, do a simple eBay search. You’ll spend a lot less, and you’ll probably get a whole book out of the deal.
Nestled between Fowler’s Gun Room and an antique coin shop on Tustin Street in Orange, first impressions paint Book Carnival as a quaint hole-in-the-wall bookstore.
But for mystery and suspense readers, it is hallowed ground.
In 1992, Michael Connelly held a signing for his first book, “Black Ice,” in the 1,800-square-foot store. He’s returned annually ever since.
Dean Koontz held his first signing at Book Carnival in 2001 and has returned multiple times…
The full article is at The Orange County Register Web site but good luck reading it as it’s behind a paywall.
Lakewood Playhouse’s 2014 Silent Auction features over 40 signed novels by some of the world’s greatest authors of crime fiction.
“We try to do something special with our Silent Auction every season,” said Managing Artistic Director, JOHN MUNN, “And this year is no exception.”
Thanks to Board President, Harlan Zinck, the Lakewood Playhouse has acquired signed novels by some of the World’s Greatest Authors working in Crime Fiction.
We will be running a Silent Auction throughout the run of Agatha Christie‘s “And Then There Were None” (September 12th through October 12th, 2014) with the much sought-after books going to the highest bidder!
Just some of the highlights of from the forty-plus Authors in the auction include Signed Copies of Novels by: Simon Brett, Jim Butcher, Lee Child, Lindsay Davis, Nelson DeMille, Earl Emerson, Janet Evanovich, Gillian Flynn, Charlaine Harris, J.A. Jance, Dean Koontz, Sara Paretsky and Scott Turow.
One of the many things I love about Dean Koontz is the breadth of his artistic pallet. Your average bestselling writer (and I do the same though I’m not a bestseller) will keep doing the thing that made him famous, over and over. And the public likes it most of the time.
Koontz improvises. He tries stuff. He can write horror or fantasy or mystery. He can be funny, or heartbreaking, or profound, or terrifying. The City, his latest, is mostly a fusion of the lyrical and the tragic.
Dean Koontz first came to the public’s attention in the early 1970s. He was originally considered a science-fiction author (his 1975 far-future Nightmare Journey contains talking evolved descendents of animals), but he soon established a reputation as one of the leading authors of horror/suspense fiction with s-f, fantasy, or supernatural elements.
Watchers, his most popular novel, straddles the border between science-fiction and “realistic” suspense fiction involving genetic engineering. In a detailed analysis in Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers (1996), Joan G. Kotker argues that it is a successful combination of science-fiction, suspense, a technothriller, a love story, a police procedural, gangster fiction and:
… overriding all of this, an inspiring dog story whose suspense is based on a series of threats to a very special dog.
Here’s the first review I’ve found of the forthcoming Ask Anna:
96. Strangers by Dean Koontz The characters in this 2002 horror novel are all brought to the Tranquility Motel in the Nevada desert outside of Elko to figure out what was done to them and why.
According to Amazon.com, there will be a trade paperback large print edition of The City released by “Large Print Press” on 3 March 2015. No cover image is yet available.
The product page on the Cemetery Dance Web site now lists the full table of contents for this volume. (Not that Dean’s contribution is a surprise.) Right now it looks like copies of all three editions are still available for pre-order.The plot is typical Koontz. Jonah is somewhat similar to, say, Odd Thomas. Both are supernaturally gifted through unusual circumstances. But nothing dramatic. Both pay the price for their gifts and go through a solitary journey where only a few people are privy to their abilities. And both go through a life-changing loss. But at the end of the day, they are your average Joes…
CD
MP3-CD
It’s always amusing to look back at a movie that’s packed with future stars, especially if said movie belongs to the horror genre. Why? Well, let’s face it…the actors know what they’re making. It’s not Oscar-material. No, no, they’re making the scary stuff, which I assume is a good gig, but not necessarily career changing. Case in point the late, great Peter O’Toole in 1998’s Phantoms. Dude was as classical actor as someone could be, yet even he had bills to pay. At least he took a role filled with other future Hollywood stars (well, mostly). Phantoms is packed with future headliners in Liev Schreiber, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Nicky Katt, and Ben Affleck. Not too shabby.
The $16.00 trade paperback reprint of Darkfall was released on Tuesday.
I recently stumbled upon HistoryForSale.com which bills itself as “the autograph and manuscript leader.” I will say that it has a lot of autographs available for purchase. When it comes to items signed by Dean, there are currently three: a “typescript with the opening lines of his 1991 best-selling novel Cold Fire” (which looks to be a neatly removed first page of the novel,) and two “autograph” pages (1,2) each with Dean’s simple answers to four questions (like “what’s your favorite movie,”) and his autograph. For each of these items the site is asking $629, $899, and $899 respectively. And those are the “sale” prices.Nestled between Fowler’s Gun Room and an antique coin shop on Tustin Street in Orange, first impressions paint Book Carnival as a quaint hole-in-the-wall bookstore.
Dean Koontz first came to the public’s attention in the early 1970s. He was originally considered a science-fiction author (his 1975 far-future Nightmare Journey contains talking evolved descendents of animals), but he soon established a reputation as one of the leading authors of horror/suspense fiction with s-f, fantasy, or supernatural elements.
