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Cousin on Odd Thomas Reviews

April 5, 2014

ODD-THOMAS_movie-artJust three new reviews this week. This may be the end…

Anna gets in on the act

April 3, 2014

Ask AnnaMy fellow Dean Koontz collector Noah just pointed out to me that Center Street will be publishing ASK ANNA: Advice for the Furry and Forlorn, on 28 October 2014 and that it’s available for pre-order on Amazon.com right now.

Between the pages of ASK ANNA, you’ll find advice better than a belly rub. Dogs everywhere run to Anna with their questions about love, food, proper etiquette in the dog park, sibling rivalry, how to cope with lazy owners and a myriad of other topics. , and Anna’s advice solves all problems and Brighten Every Dog’s Day.
Anna begins her counseling by putting dogs at ease. Her motto: ” Let Me Hold Your Paw and Help.”
Anna’ advice to owners is: “Read this book and get a clue about what your dogs really think of you!”
Here’s a special message from Anna:
Dear Person,

My dad, Dean Koontz, is a writer, as you might be aware. For years his first golden retriever, Trixie, also wrote books, which sometimes made the best-seller list. I vowed never to be a writer.

I barely have enough time for all the belly rubs, ball chasing, bird chasing, tug-of-war, and posing cutely that is required of me as a golden retriever, not to mention all of my non-professional interests, such as the new translation of Proust that I have undertaken, and learning to pilot a hot-air balloon.
Nevertheless, I have written a book of advice for dogs. It’s not a matter of ego, which anyone who knows a golden retriever will attest. It’s not about money, because all the earnings I receive from ASK ANNA will be given to Canine Companions for Independence, which provides assistance dogs for people with disabilities. What it’s about is giving back to my community–which I feel obliged to do especially because of all the park grass I’ve ruined with little round brown spots.

Thank you for your support.

Uncle of Odd Thomas reviews

March 29, 2014

Odd Thomas DVDsNow that the DVD and Blu-ray have hit the streets in the US, it’s time for another review link dump…

Wilderness and Other Stories

March 22, 2014

no image availableIt looks like there’s a new and very interesting audio release coming out this fall: Wilderness and Other Stories.

“The world is a machine that produces endless surprises and mysteries layered on mysteries.” Wilderness, a darkly intriguing story, was originally published as an exclusive e-book short in the Fall of 2013 as a prelude to Dean Koontz’s new novel of mystery, suspense, and strange wonder—Innocence. Addison Goodheart was born in an isolated home surrounded by a deep forest, never known to his father, kept secret from everyone but his mother, who barely accepts him. Only in the woods, among the wildlife, is Addison truly welcome. Only there can he be at peace. Until the day he first knows terror, the day when his life changes radically and forever . . . The other twelve short stories in this audio collection span Koontz’s career as a writer from 1966 (Kittens) to 1989 (Trapped). They were collected and published in an anthology entitled Strange Highways (1995). Of the fourteen stories that were anthologized in Strange Highways, only the short novels (Strange Highways and Chase) and one short story (Down in the Darkness) were ever recorded.

  • Format: Audio CD
  • Publisher: Brilliance Audio
  • Release Date: September 9, 2014
  • ISBN-13: 978-1480574373
  • List Price: $14.99
  • Format: MP3-CD
  • Publisher: Brilliance Audio
  • Release Date: September 9, 2014
  • ISBN-13: 978-1480574397
  • List Price: $9.99

Saint Odd release date & details

March 22, 2014

no image availableAmazon.com has a page up for the final Odd Thomas novel, Saint Odd. No cover art yet but here are the particulars that are available:

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam
  • Release Date: December 9, 2014
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345545879
  • List Price: $28.00

Items for sale

March 21, 2014

I’ve got some items for sale. Quality and rarity varies and in some cases I have multiple copies available. Leave a comment if you have a question or drop me a line via the contact form if you want to make an offer.
2014-03-13 17.29.07 2014-03-13 17.36.17 2014-03-13 17.36.05 2014-03-13 17.35.55 2014-03-13 17.35.37 2014-03-13 17.27.482014-03-13 17.35.11 2014-03-13 17.34.53 2014-03-13 17.34.012014-03-13 17.34.41 2014-03-13 17.34.29 2014-03-13 17.34.09  2014-03-13 17.33.52 2014-03-13 17.33.31 2014-03-13 17.33.22 2014-03-13 17.33.14 2014-03-13 17.32.57 2014-03-13 17.32.41 2014-03-13 17.32.32 2014-03-13 17.32.24 2014-03-13 17.32.16 2014-03-13 17.32.09 2014-03-13 17.32.02 2014-03-13 17.27.342014-03-13 17.31.48 2014-03-13 17.31.35 2014-03-13 17.31.20 2014-03-13 17.31.09 2014-03-13 17.29.59 2014-03-13 17.29.46 2014-03-13 17.29.29    2014-03-13 17.28.20 2014-03-13 17.28.10 2014-03-13 17.28.28 2014-03-13 17.28.56

Odd Apocalypse promotional item

March 21, 2014

Look what showed up in the mail today. Probably one of the most obscure items now in my collection. A poster tube from the 2012 San Diego Comic Con promoting Odd Apocalypse.
Odd Apocalypse SDCC 2012 Poster Tube (2)
Odd Apocalypse SDCC 2012 Poster Tube (3) Odd Apocalypse SDCC 2012 Poster Tube (4)

Odd Apocalypse SDCC 2012 Poster Tube (1)
 

Phantoms promo materials

March 17, 2014

Here’s two items stuck inside my second printing hard cover edition of Phantoms.
Phantoms - PROMO MATERIALSMy educated guess is that this is material that would have been sent out with advance copies of the book and not a second printing of the hard cover. But then again I’ve never seen a copy of an ARC or proof of this title so I can’t say they exist. (Please feel free to supply evidence to the contrary.)

Letter from the Strange Highways ARC

March 16, 2014

Just found this little item stuck in my ARC copy of Strange Highways:
Strange Highways - ARC Letter

Dean on beta

March 16, 2014

Just picked myself up a copy of Demon Seed on beta. Looks like Watchers was the only other film released on beta and I have a line on a copy or two. On the laserdisc front, I just discovered that Phantoms was released in that format so I’m on the look out for one of those too.

Science Fiction Book Club ad from 1987

March 15, 2014

Stragners SFBC ad - Penthouse September 1987

Homefront Veterans: Skiing With Wounded Warriors

March 15, 2014

Daily Beast logoIt’s a passing mention, but I’m a completist…

Homefront Veterans: Skiing With Wounded Warriors
…Earlier that morning, resort employees “saluted” the veterans with their ski poles held aloft, forming a 30-meter long inverted “V” archway—reminiscent of crossed Marine swords—for them and their service dogs. Author Dean Koontz and the family of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz generously fund a program called “Canine Companions for Independence” (www.cci.org). It provides free-of-charge specially trained dogs. An ever-serene black lab named Augie, for example, demonstrated his skills in picking up a dropped iPhone for his wheelchair-bound companion, Lance.

Bride of Odd Thomas Film News

March 15, 2014

ODD-THOMAS_movie-artThe media blitz seems to be slowing down as there’s only three this week.

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show tweets Dean

March 15, 2014

WKCDOGS Tweet

No Lady Gaga does not sing about Dean Koontz

March 15, 2014

Lady Ga GaUnfortunately I wasn’t able to get a screenshot of the article “SXSW Live Shot: Lady Gaga” before it was updated but the official correction does say:

This review originally referred to the man name-checked in “Applause” as Dean Koontz. It has since been corrected to Jeff Koons.

As to whether you think Lady Gaga read Dean Koontz I’ll leave that up to others.
 

Talkin' Pets

March 15, 2014

Talkin Pets logoVia the article Talkin’ Pets Turns 24 On April 5th, I found out that Dean once appeared on the show. Off to the Google machine I went and found that the show is posted as a podcast and that Dean was the guest for episode 14 broadcast on 1 September 2009 in promotion of A Big Little Life.
You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or just take a listen to that particular episode below. For more about the show check out TalkinPets.com.

On a related note, this article, says that David Tabatsky, editor of Beautiful Old Dogs, to which Dean contrbuted, appeared on the show on 9 November 2013 but I can’t find that recording.

Manuscript update

March 9, 2014

So, some of you (ok, probably all of you) are wondering what’s up with the book this blog is representing. Well, I do have an update.
As a result of the Google Hangout I did with Dean a few weeks ago he sent me a nice note saying that “I am working on my contribution to the bibliography soon.” He also requested that I send him the latest copy of the manuscript. I just sent the manuscript to Cemetery Dance and they’ll be printing all 709 pages of it and send it to Dean this week.
As soon as we get Dean’s Foreword and his answers to some questions we will be locking the manuscript and starting the editing and publishing process.
Thanks for your continued support and patience.

Ask Dean: "What role have books played in your life?"

March 8, 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af9vTCU0bxc

Strange Highways on CD & MP3-CD

March 8, 2014

Both the CD and MP3-CD editions are being released on March 11th and each have a list price of $14.99. The description (below) implies that the content is just the novella “Strange Highways” and not the complete Strange Highways collection with many additional short stories. I’ll confirm this when I receive my copy on Tuesday.

Strange Highways CDJoey Shannon, an alcoholic whose life has been going nowhere for 20 years, returns to his hometown for the funeral of his father. As he leaves town, he gets a mysterious second chance to relive the night in 1975 when his life began its downward spiral: to both literally and figuratively take the road that he didn’t originally take. On this road he is supremely tested by conflict with his successful and charismatic older brother P.J., by conflict between his cynicism and his lost faith, and by conflict between the ultimate good and evil.

Bride of Odd Thomas Film Reviews & News

March 8, 2014