I just wanted to thank everyone who called in orders to Cornerstone Books. Almost everything got signed yesterday night and should go out shortly. Cornerstone actually wound up with more orders than they had books in stock, and so a small number of orders will be signed next week and go out then. Sorry for anyone who winds up waiting the extra week.
And I wanted to throw out a reminder that I’ll be at Casablanca Comics in Portland, Saturday afternoon, from 4 – 6, to scribble my name in comics. You can get all of the LOCKE & KEY books there, plus WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT – LEGACY, and KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1. Casablanca is also carrying copies of 20TH CENTURY GHOSTS and HORNS. If you can’t make it in to the signing, you can still get your books autographed and shipped to you. Here’s a big fat link to Casablanca’s online ordering page.
Speaking of KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1, the first couple reviews are in. I deny all allegations that my mother wrote them under pen names. They are awfully good though. Here’s love from IGN; and a few sweet nothings from Panels on Pages.
There’s a lot going on in LOCKE & KEY world this month. Here’s a long entry that is actually very short because most of it is pictures.
Tomorrow this is out:
It’s the third book in the series, and you can find it in bookstores and comic shops everywhere (for the next few days you can also still order a signed copy from Cornerstone Books or Casablanca Comics – see here for more details).
But there’s also this:
You’re looking at LOCKE & KEY: KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1, which features a standalone story called “Sparrow.” With the exception of the last two issues, all of the stories in KEYS TO THE KINGDOM are standalones; you don’t need to already be familiar with the series to jump in and enjoy. Every issue will also introduce a set of new keys (again, except for the last two). And when KEYS wraps up, we’ll be moving into the final stage of the larger story. I have had more fun than I can easily say writing about Bode, Tyler and Kinsey, but the good times have to end sometime; you can kill a good thing, draggin’ it out too long. The plan is for just two more books after this one, and then I will really be closing the door on LOCKE & KEY.
Now wait, we’re not done. Because this is also out tomorrow:
That would be the $1 LEGACY EDITION reprint of the first ever issue of LOCKE & KEY, and includes “The Cheat Sheet,” an 8-page summary of everything that’s happened in LOCKE & KEY since WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT #1. And, uh, the Cheat Sheet features a couple photo sequences starring yours truly, and shot by my pal Shane Leonard. And this is what I say to anyone who doesn’t like it:
Shane wasn’t the only friend to make a major contribution to “the Cheat Sheet.” The other would be Israel Skelton of Skelton Crew studios, who fashioned an actual in-the-real-world version of the Ghost Door for my office. Israel is a busy, busy man. As of this month, he’s signed on with IDW to create a series of replica keys based on the Locke & Key stories. Izzy made a limited run of ghost keys for ComicCon 2009, and this year will be offering limited runs of The Head Key and The Echo Key:
The Head Key will be available through Israel’s website as of Wednesday the 11th – pop right over if you want to get your hands on one. I’ll be signing the tags on the keys for all preorders made by September 2nd. The Echo Key will make its way into the wild later in the fall. (Update: although I’m not entirely sure when they’ll ship, both keys are now up for sale. Here’s your linky-link)
Thanks for caring about the comic, guys, and I hope you have fun with the new series.
LOCKE & KEY vol. 3: CROWN OF SHADOWS is out in hardcover this week, and as noted in my last entry, there are two ways to get a signed copy.
The first method would be to order from Cornerstone Books in Salem, MA. They’ll ship to you wherever you live (tho you pay shipping costs). But wait! There’s more! You can also order up to two other books, and get them signed as well. This makes it possible for you to get a complete signed set of the entire LOCKE & KEY series to date. Just like these happy customers:
But it also means you could order CROWN OF SHADOWS and both of the novels, or one of the novels and the book of stories. It’s practically a signed book buffet!
You can reach Cornerstone Books at 978-744-1831. But be sure and call ‘em soon… the window to order closes Wednesday night. (Aw, all right – probably if you order Thursday morning, we can squeeze you in. Just remember WHO REALLY LOVES YOU.)
The other way to get a signed copy of CROWN is to call up Casablanca Comics in Portland, ME. I’ll be signing there this Saturday, from 4 – 6, but you can also call in an order (207 892-0056), or buy through their website.
Casablanca will ship you up to three books, and they have all the LOCKE & KEY graphic novels, as well as copies of HORNS, HEART-SHAPED BOX, and 20TH CENTURY GHOSTS. Not only that, they’ll have copies of LOCKE & KEY: KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1 (the first issue of the new series), and the $1 LOCKE & KEY: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT – LEGACY EDITION… which are both out the same day as CROWN OF SHADOWS. That said, you can’t call in and order just the new comics – if you want signed copies of LEGACY or KEYS TO THE KINGDOM 1, you’ll have to order at least one of the books. Walk-in customers, however, will be able to purchase signed copies of the new comics during the event.
And a big hot heap of gratitude to anyone who calls in an order to Casablanca or Cornerstone. I love to sell me some books, of course, but I’m also glad when those sales are to the benefit of a classy indie bookstore or comic shop, and that’s the case here. I appreciate the support and so do they. Thanks guys.
Sorry for the prolonged period of radio silence. I’ve been neck-deep in a new project and the thing is a time hog; it hasn’t left a lot of room for blogging.
There’s a lot happening with LOCKE & KEY over the next month. Maybe a visual will help. This, from editor Chris Ryall:
You’re looking at the small avalanche of LOCKE & KEY stuff that will be arriving in comic shops and bookstores on August 11th. They are: the hardcover edition of LOCKE & KEY (Vol. 3): CROWN OF SHADOWS; the beginning of the new story arc, KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1; and WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT #1: LEGACY EDITION, a $1 reprint of the very first LOCKE & KEY story.
For those who haven’t been following the comic, KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1, and the $1 LEGACY EDITION are great places to jump in and give it a try. KEYS will be a series of standalone LOCKE & KEY stories (except for the final two issues, which work as a two-parter). You don’t need to be a devotee or a longtime follower to drop in and enjoy them. And LEGACY is more than just another edition of a story which has already been reprinted a few times. It also includes an 8-page “Story So Far” feature in the back – hosted by a damn fine looking hunk of manmeat – which covers everything else that’s happened since LOCKE & KEY began. It isn’t the same as reading the stories themselves, but it does catch you up on the highlights.
And for those of you looking to lay hands on signed copies, there are a few ways to get them:
Signing: July 29th (Thurs), 7PM — NYC. BARNES & NOBLE (82nd and Broadway). IDW has hooked the 82nd St Barnes & Noble up with advance copies of CROWN OF SHADOWS; I’ll be there this Thursday to sign CoS, other volumes of LOCKE & KEY, HORNS, HEART-SHAPED BOX, and 20th CENTURY GHOSTS. Don’t let me be lonely, guys… come see me!
Pre-Sign: August 12th — SALEM, MA. CORNERSTONE BOOKS. Between now and August 11th, you can preorder a signed, personalized copy of CROWN OF SHADOWS, and up to two other books, through Cornerstone Books in Salem, MA. They’re happy to ship wherever you live (although the shipping costs are on you). Note that this is not an in-store appearance. The only way to get your books is by contacting Cornerstone to preorder.
There are a few ground rules: I’ll only sign up to three books per household. One of them has to be CROWN OF SHADOWS, but the other two can be anything else I’ve written. All three books will be autographed, although I’ll only personalize and/or doodle one of them. Cornerstone Books will make every effort to deliver your books to you in mint, but they won’t accept returns. No one can promise there won’t be a scuff mark somewhere on one of your books. Here’s the info on Cornerstone Books:
Signing: August 14th, 4-6 PM — PORTLAND, ME. CASABLANCA COMICS. I’ll be in Casablanca Comics on the afternoon of the 14th to sign KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1, WTL: LEGACY, CROWN OF SHADOWS, and all the other volumes in the LOCKE & KEY series. This is a great comic store in the Old Port. If you’re in the area, come on down and say hello.
Stay tuned… if there are other signings to announce, I’ll post them as soon as they’re scheduled.
I wrote the first draft of this story – it’s a standalone titled “Beyond Repair” – as part of HEAD GAMES, but when I hit the last page, I realized I was going to have to put it aside for a while. Because when you get to the last page, it’s pretty clear that we’ve reached the halfway point of the overarching story, and I didn’t think it had been properly prepared for way back in HEAD GAMES. So this one has been waiting for about a year and a half. Oh, and also, it’s the first and only time I’ve ever had to make a chart to write a story.
I just wanted to thank Chris Ryall, Robbie Robbins, Jay Fotos, Ted Adams and all the IDW crew for their hard work on CROWN OF SHADOWS… and I want to especially thank Gabriel Rodriguez, who turned in some of his best work ever, while battling through a series of personal setbacks that would’ve kicked the legs out from under most people (including his whole fucking country falling down around his ears). I can’t imagine a more fun collaboration.
Thanks as well to everyone who’s been reading these stories. At the time of this writing, I’m about midway through the fourth storyline, KEYS TO THE KINGDOM, and for the first time I have more of LOCKE & KEY behind me than I have ahead of me. I hope you stick around for the end. I’m gonna try real hard not to screw it up.
Next Tuesday, Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio are out with STORIES: All-New Tales, a collection of genre-fuzzing fictions from an eclectic mix of great writers. I consider myself fortunate to have a story of my own in there, “The Devil on the Staircase” (my current favorite thing to do at readings).
On the same day STORIES is released, Tuesday the 15th, Neil Gaiman and Al will be in New York City, at Columbia University, to talk about the imagination and the increasingly scuffed line between genre and mainstream fiction. Several contributors will be on stage with him, including Kurt Andersen, Jeffrey Ford, Walter Mosley, Lawrence Block, Kat Howard, and yours truly; ace editor Ellen Datlow will also be a part of the panel.* Here are the gory details:
Horace Mann Auditorium
Teachers College
Columbia University
7:00 PM
Hope to see you there.
In other news, as of this morning, Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2, edited by William Schafer, is up for preorder here. I’ve got a story in that one, too, “Wolverton Station,” which is about a corporate hatchet-man who climbs onto a train in London and finds himself carried away into the sort of country that lies at the heart of the darkest sort of fairy tales. Dark Fantasy 2 is set to feature cover art by Dave McKean, and will be out in January 2011.
* ace editor Ellen Datlow will be in attendance, but not actually on the panel; my bad.
I’m not going to hide my fuckin’ light under a bushel anymore, folks – I got mad skilz in the kitchen and over the grill. Especially when it comes to making man meals for men. I’m talking lamb chops so rare they bleat when you poke ‘em with a fork, and fish grilled in the skin, with one baked eye staring up at you in despair as you go nom nom nom on its innards.
I was thinkin’ about scrapping this fiction bullshit and writing a cookbook, but then when the publishing world pissed themselves laughing and told me to get a real job, I remembered the blog and figured it would just be easier to post my recipes here.
So here’s the recipe for The Roswell Invader, so named ’cause it looks like a UFO, and if you cook it right it squirts alien death juice down your face when you bite into it. Also every Invader carries a crew of two alien meat-slivers, hell bent on ruling the world, or at least your lower intestinal tract. Put a grease-slicked smile on a child’s face, and cook this one for your kids next time you’re in charge of breakfast. Check it out – after the jump:
So about a month ago I made a decision – one that I suspect will be unpopular, but which I hope will be received with a measure of understanding ‘round these parts. Don’t hate me too much guys… but next week I’ll be shutting off the lights and bolting the doors on the good ol’ message board.
I’ll get into my reasons (some of my reasons), but before I do, let me say that this isn’t a reflection on the folks who visit the board. Quite the opposite – if not for the fun, pleasant, sweet, and supportive community that frequents the MB, I probably would’ve shut it down last fall. It’s been a digital hangout for some great people (Betsyboo, Mark and Mary, Patrick, Barry Wood, this_girl, New England Gothic, just to name a small few). You guys are the best. I’m flattered as all get out that you had some fun with the board; it’s been a pleasure dropping in to eavesdrop on your conversations over the last couple years.
Blair Butler’s vote, anyway… Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #5 is out as of last Wednesday, and Blair Butler just named it her pick of the week. Today is Free Comic Book day, so it’s a good time to visit your local comic store, and if you’re going to be in there anyhow, why not pick yerself up a copy? (No, it’s not free, but a practically-free L&K is in the works for sometime down the road)
And here’s what Miz B had to say about the penultimate issue of CoS:
So get this – right now 20th CENTURY GHOSTS is available over on Amazon, as a download for Kindle, for a big fat .99. No, not the title story of the same name… the whole collection. I’m not sure whether this is an AmazonFail, or a one-day promotion; apparently Neil Gaiman’s FRAGILE THINGS was also available for .99, around this time last week, for a single day, leading me to believe the latter. Whatever the case, if you got one o’ them Kindlethingees, here’s your chance to fatten your library with a book of stories on the cheap. Go help yourself.
(Yeah, yeah, I know. You don’t hear from me round these parts for a month, then I go and blog twice in one day. Go figure.)
