Read the first five chapters of Innocence right now

August 22, 2013

Donald Wollheim and the Ace Double Novel

August 18, 2013

While this article doesn’t mention Dean, he did publish two Ace Doubles so some of you might find the article interesting nonetheless.

In October 1953, Ace introduced its first science-fiction novel, pairing up two novels from A.E. van Vogt: The World of Null-A and The Universe Maker. Every other month, a new book would appear on the book rack. Van Vogt’s book was followed in December 1953 by Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Conqueror and Leigh Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon. In between, the company published a single novel. Due to their popularity, Ace bumped the production schedule up to a science-fiction double a month in 1958.

Read the full article @ KirkusReviews.com.

Forbes Top-Paid Authors 2013

August 16, 2013

Dean’s #11 this year. (Full article)

New trilogy to start in 2014

August 12, 2013

Your heard it here first folks! Here’s what’s coming after Innocence in 2014!

EXCITING NEW TRILOGY ON THE HORIZON: Innocence will publish a short six months before the start of a brand new trilogy from Dean Koontz, kicking off with Secret Forest in July. The series stars Ivy Elgin, who played a secondary role in Koontz’s New York Times bestselling novel Velocity, and she’s risen to become one of Koontz’s most popular, sought-after characters in spite of the limited time she spent on the page. There’s something magical about her that fans simply cannot forget and have asked for more of since first meeting her! These back-to-back, high-power publications will help fuel and promote one another, and bring Koontz to even greater heights.

This comes from a promotional site that Random House (and many other publishers) use to promote titles to booksellers and librarians which I’m going to keep to myself. Granted, previous books by Dean have been announced and later cancelled (Storm Front anyone?) so if this doesn’t come to be, don’t blame me.

Read some of Innocence now

August 12, 2013

Innocence won’t be released until December 10th, but if you’ve got an iOS device you can get the first 15 pages right now via the iBooks store. (Just using iTunes, won’t work. You’ll need to open the iBooks app on your iOS device and find download the sample via the app.)

Stephen King liked Watchers

July 31, 2013

“I read you that stupid book, that Dean Koontz book,” said Owen King, who is 36 and the youngest of the three children.

“Watch it!” interrupted his father, but Owen, seated across the table from his father, kept going: “The one where the dog is a genius, and he talks to him by pointing at Scrabble pieces with his nose.”

“Hey, I liked that book,” Joe said.

“I loved that book,” their father said.

Read the full article @ NYTimes.com.

I should be in front of my TV right now

July 18, 2013

My Hungarian DVD of Odd Thomas showed up in today’s mail. I’m about 1/3rd through it right now but my wife needed to do some other things for a few minutes so I’m using that time to write this post. I’ll be sure to post more details and a review this weekend.

  

Meet Odd Thomas

July 18, 2013

Today I got a hold of a copy of Meet Odd Thomas which is actually just a promo copy of the original Odd Thomas novel. A special thanks goes out to Diana K. for swapping this with me for some books of her interest.

Watchers trailer

July 18, 2013

[evp_embed_video url=”https://collectingkoontz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Watchers-Trailer-1988.mp4″]

Koontz's Chart Toppers

July 13, 2013

A bit dated (January 2012) but still interesting.

Is Dean Koontz a Visionary Fiction Writer?

July 13, 2013

Then along came the Odd Thomas series. Again, I don’t know how I discovered it, but I do know that Koontz’s “odd” protagonist nabbed and bagged my heart before I even got to paragraph two. The series is written in first person, from the point of view of a short-order cook named Odd Thomas, who pulls you in with his wit and humility and then captivates you like a first crush with his concern for the underdogs of – and out of – this world.
“My name is Odd Thomas, though in this age when fame is the altar at which most people worship, I am not sure why you should care who I am or that I exist.”
Peculiar things happen to Odd Thomas that don’t happen to anyone else. He communicates with the dead, for instance. Not by choice, mind you. Odd Thomas is a reluctant confidant and can’t resist helping the quiet souls who seek him out for justice.

Read the full article @ Visionary Fiction Alliance.
Update 7 September 2013:
On the author’s personal blog A Writer’s Journey, she’s posted a response she received from Dean a few days later.

More Odd Thomas film news, and it's not good (unless you're in Hungary)

July 9, 2013

Several new articles appeared online today regarding the status of the Odd Thomas film. Basically, don’t hold your breath when it comes to a theatrical release in the US:

We now have an update on the ill-fated movie Odd Thomas, and what’s causing it to be stuck in limbo. It turns out it’s due to a monetary dispute between two production companies behind the film; one of them is not paying up! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Two Out Of Ten production company (TOOT) and Fusion Films had filed a lawsuit back in January that continues to postpone the release of Stephen Sommers’ film adaptation of Odd Thomas , a novel written by Dean Koontz. The lawsuit had been filed because OMG (Outsource Media Group) had promised producers $35 million to cover marketing prints and other advertising leading up to the release of the film, and money to pay back production loans. Through many meetings, missed deadlines, and second chances, the producers have not seen the money they were promised.

The above paragraph is from PageToPremier.com and you can find pretty much the same info on FirstShowing.net and some more stills from the film on IndieWire.com.
But, the PageToPriemer article also points out an announcement from the Unofficial Odd Thomas Movie Facebook page that there was a DVD release of the film back on June 17th… in Hungary.
I quickly found a copy with a little online searching and got it for $35. However, and this if very important, it is a Region 2 DVD which means that it will not play on 99.9% of US DVD players. Unless you have a region-free DVD player, if you purchase this disc, you won’t be able to watch it.
Luckily, I do have a region-free DVD player and I’ll post more as soon as my copy arrives.
 

Happy 68th Birthday Dean Koontz

July 9, 2013

Books make great gifts

July 8, 2013

Did Odd Thomas just open in Thailand?

July 6, 2013

From this article on Thailand The Nation dated June 28, 2013:

Also opening…
“Odd Thomas” – Anton Yelchin (Chekov in the new “Star Trek”) is a young man with clairvoyant abilities. When he isn’t serving up flapjacks at his small town’s greasy spoon diner, he’s dealing with supernatural beings that only he can see. It’s directed by Stephen Sommers (“The Mummy”, “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) and is based on a novel by Dean Koontz.

An (updated) interview from 2008 & comments from other writers

July 6, 2013

Found these online recently; both from 2008. The first is “Fear Nothing: Interview with Dean Koontz” by  Michael McCarty which is reprinted (with an updated introduction) from the book Giants of the Genre by Michael McCarty. The second is “Tribute to Dean Koontz: Forty Years as a Published Novelist” also by Michael McCarty which features comments from such authors as Ed Gorman, Bently Little, Douglas Clegg and many more.

Rick McCammon, A True Southern Gentleman

July 6, 2013

An essay by Joe R. Lansdale, published in the program book for the Bram Stoker Awards® Weekend/World Horror Convention 2013.

“Anyway. That was our first meeting, and it led to Rick telling us he had this great idea for an organization for horror writers, which he called H.O.W.L., the Horror and Occult Writers League, a name I still prefer. The only problem was Rick had the idea and not the time. He turned it over to my wife Karen, and she ran with it. Began by making crude mimeographed and stapled newsletters, sending them out to an enthusiastic and growing crowd of interested parties. This resulted in what is now known as The Horror Writers Association. It was Rick’s brain child and Karen was the shield carrier. Later Dean Koontz arrived with an army to assist us, but that’s another story.”

Read the full essay @ RobertMcCammon.com.

[FrightFest '13] Anton Yelchin Battles Demons In New 'Odd Thomas' Stills

July 6, 2013

Via Bloody Disgusting.
 

Odd Thomas' reading list

June 23, 2013

“If Odd were to recommend five books, I think he would be most attracted to those in which one of the lead characters overcomes narcissism, materialism, and arrogance and is given the grace of humility. In no particular order, they would be:”
Read the full article on the Barnes & Noble Review.

Phantoms Trade Paperback

June 23, 2013

According to Amazon.com Berkley will be releasing their trade paperback of Phantoms on 7 January 2013 with a list price of $16.00. (That’s the same day as Innocence is being released BTW.)