The Crooked Staircase cover art released

December 19, 2017

The various ISBNs of The Whispering Room

December 10, 2017

Full story below.
TL;DR:
There are four different ISBNs for the trade hardcover of The Whispering Room. They are:
Version 1:
Bantam Trade Hardcover, ISBN: 9780345546807

Version 2:
Target Signed Hardcover, ISBN: 9780525486428

Version 3:
Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million Online Signed Hardcover, ISBN: 9780525486411

Version 4:
Barnes & Noble In-store Signed Hardcover, ISBN: 9780525486244

The fun part is that they all share the same copyright page with the same ISBN that matches the one on the dust jacket of the un-signed trade hardcover…

The long version:
As with other recent titles like The City, Innocence, and The Sielent Corner, there have been pre-signed copies made available through Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Target. In previous cases, the B&N/BAM copies and the Target copies have each had their own custom ISBN on the dust jackets. This time (and hopefully not previously) there was seemingly another factor: in-store vs. online and Barnes & Noble (and maybe BAM too…?)
Here’s how I cam to discover this:
I pre-ordered everything online. I managed to mistakenly order two copies of the B&N/BAM edition from B&N so when they both arrived I figured that I’d just return one of them for a refund. But, I also noticed that neither of my online-ordered copies had “signed copy” stickers on them and, for maybe the first time ever, I was disappointed in their not being a sticker on the book.
But, I had seen signed copies in my local B&N with stickers so now I wanted to return both of my un-stickered copies and get one w/ a sticker. One return, one exchange. Not wanting to try to explain all of this to my friendly neighborhood bookseller, I figured I’d make two trips, the first for an exchange, the second for a return.
But first I called one of the local stores to make sure they stll had signed copies on hand. I was told they did not, and that no other stored in town did either. Well, I guess I’d return on on this trip, then the other on another trip.  So off to B&N I went…
When I arrived, I took a chance and looked on the front-of-store octagon and found five signed copies! (Bookseller fail.) So, I’m back to my original exchange plan. Signed & sitickered copy in one hand, signed un-stickered copy & receipt in the other, I headed for the cashwrap. A simple exchange the I and the bookseller assumed. But wait! The ISBNs don’t match! (Ok, now my collector’s Spidey-sense is tingling but I’m not going to try to explain this to the bookseller. It’s already too complicated.)
Manager called & more confusion ensues. In the end I get my in-store, signed, and stickered copy and I still have a signed, un-stickered, online copy. Two different ISBNs on the dust jackets. All because I accidentally ordered to copies online in the first place.
(As a follow-up I did find a signed copy in a Target and its ISBN matched the one I ordered online.)
However, I can’t confirm that all online copies weren’t stickered, nor can I confirm that all in-store copies were, nor whether Books-A-Million stores had yet another ISBN. (Thinking no but I no longer have one within a reasonable driving distance to check.)
In the end, here’s hoping that the previous titles didn’t have a unique B&N in-store ISBN as I really don’t want to have to go hunting for copies.
If you know something I don’t about all this, please, as always, leave a comment.

Dean Koontz and the Russian on the Train

December 6, 2017

The December 2017 / January 2018 issue of Amtrak’s magazine The National contains a new essay by Dean titled “Dean Koontz and the Russian on the Train” about the inspiration behind House of Thunder.
Here’s just a sample:

On one occasion, making the journey alone, I found myself seated beside a personable Russian dressed in a sharp blue suit. I wore bellbottom jeans with decorative buttons, a psychedelic shirt and a suede jacket with fringe. The spirit of the late ’60s still inebriated the nation. A few others on the train looked as foolish as I did, and my Russian seatmate wasn’t put off by my outfit.
Leonid spoke fluent, accented English and was an excellent conversationalist. When riding a train, I usually enjoyed the scenery or read a magazine. Leonid wasn’t the first interesting traveler I’d met, but certainly the most engaging. When he learned I was a writer, he declared, “I have a wonderful story idea for you.”

Luckily, you can read the whole thing online at AmtrakTheNational.com.

The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room Charnel House Updates

December 4, 2017

The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz is at the bindery and should ship at the end of December. I am sorry for the long delay on this title. Greg Campbell has bound the Charnel House editions by hand for the past couple of decades and I felt it a prudent decision to wait for him to set up shop in his new location.That said, these books don’t like to adhere to the schedules I set for them. This title fought me tooth and nail and I would like to thank my customers who have had great patience with me as well as the want of a fine hand made book. A pre-order E-blast will go out later this month for The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz which is already in production.

Source: Charnel House

Amazon Launching "Single Sitting" Imprint; Koontz to be included

December 4, 2017

LOS ANGELES, Nov 30 — Amazon has revealed a new publishing imprint focusing on fiction and non-fiction works that can be read in a single sitting, beginning with a story by Joyce Carol Oates and the story that inspired the Amazon Studios film Crown Heights.
…

W. Kamau Bell, Jade Chang, Eddie Huang, Janice Y.K. Lee, Walter Kirn, Dean Koontz, Wednesday Martin, Nick McDonell, Harold Schechter, Dan Slater, Dodai Stewart and Susan Straight will be among the other authors to contribute stories to the new imprint.

Read more at Maylay Online.

A Mr. Murder film starring Bruce Willis?

December 3, 2017

Here’s an intersting excerpt from Tales from the Script: 50 Hollywood Screenwriters Share Their Stories edited byPeter Hanson and Paul Robert Herman

Chapter 3: The Marketplace of Ideas

“MICHAEL WOLK: I had many experiences in Hollywood of not pitching original ideas, but of going into meetings with producers who had a property already and were looking for a way to ignite it. It was either something that had lain dormant for a while, or it was a new property, or a sequel they were trying to create, and they were pumping writers for ideas.
“I had a marvelous interaction with Dean Koontz, who is somewhat more popular than, let’s say, me. He had written a book called Mr. Murder, and it was being developed as a script for Bruce Willis. I really liked the book, and I had some great ideas how to make it better for the screen.
“I got down to the finals, and I was talking to Mr. Koontz himself over the phone. I was able to impart my story-making magic to Mr. Koontz, who listened. But in the end I was nixed for the job because, basically, Dean Koontz thought he’d written a pretty good story, and he didn’t think I’d written a better one.”

This fun little thing happened yesterday…

December 3, 2017

Buy a Zune get Black River

November 19, 2017

Ok, it was back in 2008, and that still wouldn’t have gotten me to buy a Zune but it turns out Dean’s Black River audiobook was part of a Microsoft Zune promotion…

Zune also now supports audiobook content from leading distributors including Audible Inc. Zune users can now explore more than 50,000 books, magazines and newspapers from more than 600 publishers and content providers at audible.com and sync it to their Zune. To commemorate the addition of audiobooks, Audible is offering all new and existing Zune owners a free copy of “Black River” by bestselling writer Dean Koontz.

Read the full press release @ news.microsoft.com.

The Whispering Room signed editions available for pre-order

November 16, 2017

As with many of Dean’s recent books, both Barnes & Noble and Target are offering pre-signed copies yet again. Currently they’re available for $19.04 and $21 .00 respectively.

Update: Books-A-Million is also offering signed editions which have the same ISBN as the B&N edition.

Jane Hawk #3 title, draft cover art, and release date

November 5, 2017

Looks like book #3 is going to be titled The Crooked Staircase and is scheduled to be released on 8 May 2018.
From Amazon:
Jane Hawk—who dazzled readers in The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room—faces the fight of her life, against the threat of a lifetime in this electrifying new thriller by #1  New York Times bestselling suspense master Dean Koontz.
“I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.”
Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—and free will—of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was.
Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.

Looking for an eARC of The Whispering Room

November 5, 2017

Click the cover to request your eARC from NetGalley.

New to NetGalley? No problem! Just sign up for a reviewer or media professional account using the email that received this message. NetGalley delivers secure electronic review copies to many devices, including Kindles, Nooks, iPads, PCs and more—make sure to check out the handy FAQ before you download, but if you have any troubleshooting questions, feel free to contact me directly or email support@netgalley.com.

[Side note: The original eARC from NetGalley has the original cover. They’ve since updated it to have the new cover.]

The Whispering Room trailer

October 30, 2017

 

Charnel House editions of The Whispering Room now available for pre-order

October 20, 2017

The Charnel House Numbered Edition
Crafted by hand and signed by the author
250 Numbered copies, bound in Japanese silk jacquard
600 Pages
$300.00

The Charnel House Lettered Edition
Crafted by hand and signed by the author
26 Lettered copies, bound in full Morocco leather in the color(s) of your choice and stamped in 22kt gold
600 Pages
Available in choice of 4 colors: Hunter Green, Crimson, Chocolate, and Black
$1000.00
 
 

The Silent Corner paperback to be released on 31 October 2017

October 3, 2017

Click through to per-order via Amazon.

Watchers gets a mention in King's Sleeping Beauties

October 2, 2017

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The Whispering Room ARC & Cover Change

September 13, 2017

This arrived in today’s mail…

The same day that Dean’s Facebook page announced this is will now be the cover of the book when it’s released.

I must admit this is the first cover change post-ARC that I’ve ever experienced. I’m sure it’s happened before to some book somewhere but it’s definitely rare.

Achievement Unlocked: A Visit to Shippensburg University

September 5, 2017

Early in August my wife and I took an epic road trip from Nebraska to New York, to New Jersey, to Pennsylvania, to Missouri then back home. Along the way we met old friends, possibly got filmed as part of a reality TV show, and did a lot of quilt and book shopping.
When cruising through Pennsylvania, I wondered out loud where Shippensburg, PA was knowing full well that the university library there had copies of The Reflector in their archives containing Dean’s earliest published works.  My wife looked it up and she said it was about 30 minutes away. What I thought she meant was it was 30 minutes off our route which would add an hour of travel time (plus the time spent at the university) to our trip and at this point of the trip I wasn’t looking to extend my driving that much. No, she corrected me, it’s about 30 minutes ahead of us on our current route, and just 10 miles off the highway. Well, that changed everything!

Next up was a call to a long-time acquaintance of mine, a fellow librarian on the campus. (Turns out he’d recently become the head of the library. Yes folks, personal networks come in handy.) He have us directions and made it to campus a short while later.

Our first stop was in the university archives to check out issues of The Reflector. I’ve had photocopies of Dean’s content for years, but to actually hold the issues in hand was a bit of an experience.

The next step was to verify something I’d already suspected. Dean did appear in the 1964 campus yearbook (I own a copy) but I did not know if he appeared in the ’65, ’66’ or ’67 (just for good measure) yearbooks. Those were brought out for me and I got to take a look. Theory confirmed, he’s not in there.

I was then asked if I wanted to see the Koontz items in special collections. I believe my response was literally “duh.” Turns out the library created the “Dean R. Koontz” collection a few years back containing the personal collection of OI. Richard Forsythe, Dean’s favorite English professor from his time on campus.


The library also kept material from a display put up for when Dean was back on campus years ago to give a talk. (I forgot to ask what year that was when I was there.) Here’s just one of the pieces from that display.

As if this visit hadn’t been exciting enough, I was then asked if I wanted to see the box of correspondence and other things. At this point I was pretty much babbling. Again here’s just a sample of the content of that box:
 
Like I said, the photos here are just a sample of what they had. I took many more, but I’m saving those for later.  Needless to say, this happy accident was amazing and the staff of the library were nothing short of gracious, helpful, and understanding of my excitement especially Melanie Reed who I look forward to working with the future regarding their collection.

Tobe Hooper, The Funhouse Director, Dies at 74

August 27, 2017

Filmmaker Tobe Hooper, best known for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, has died, according to Variety and other news sources. He was 74.
Born in Austin, Texas, Hooper made his first feature, Eggshells, in 1969, an odd, experimental film that is allegorical and, more than that, spacey and trippy. But it was The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that made him (in)famous. Long before I saw it, I remember reading a newspaper article in Los Angeles about a big, tough college football player who vomited during a screening and thought: ‘that’s a movie for me!’
Its horrors, of course, were more shocking in contrast to its era. Even as Hollywood was becoming (briefly) more serious about redefining mainstream filmmaking, Hooper and his colleagues painted a disarming picture about a house in rural Texas that looked bucolic on the outside, hiding truly unimaginable horrors within.
The film became a sensation and a foundation for horror movies to come. Hooper never escaped its shadow, but neither did Orson Welles escape the shadow of Citizen Kane, so it was not entirely a bad thing. Eaten Alive was a charming crudity about another hungry killing thing, Salem’s Lot was an acceptable if rudimentary TV version of Stephen King’s novel, and The Funhouse was a solid slasher.

Read the full article @ Screen Anarchy.

This Whispering Room to arrive in 2017?

July 23, 2017

The release date for The Silent Corner jumped around a few times and I’m hoping that doesn’t happen to the next book again but, I just received this from Amazon:

  Koontz, Dean “The Whispering Room: A Jane Hawk Novel”
Previous estimated arrival date: January 09, 2018
New estimated arrival date: November 21, 2017

Happy 72nd Birthday Dean!

July 9, 2017