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Over his 25 years as a professional writer, Stefan's work has often reflected his lifelong fascination with the paranormal. His first original comic series, Meta-4 tackled such topics as UFO history and trance channeling, while his award-winning writing on the popular X-Files comic from Topps was one of the few comics to boast a bibliography. His latest novel, Blood Prophecy, combines vampires, the historical discovery of the Rosetta stone and ancient Gnostic myths. He's been a researcher, educational and technical writer and has many fiction and non-books and articles to his credit.
Given Stefan's background, when Paranormal State star Ryan Buell wanted a writing partner for his first book, HarperCollins was quick to suggest him. Intrigued by his resume, Ryan, an avid X-Files fan, gave him a call, and after that conversation decided to work with him. The result, Paranormal State: My Journey Into the Unknown, is now on sale, already in its second printing and enjoying rave reviews.
While working with Ryan on the book, Stefan was invited to watch last season's Ghosts of Gettysburg investigation. He was immediately impressed with the PRS team's integrity and good humor. Ryan since invited Stefan on this case, thinking his research skills could be put to good use. He's now been along with the team on two additional investigations that will be appearing later this year, with plans afoot for more.
Be sure to catch "They Come out at Night" on Sunday, October 17, 2010.
The first title to be developed will be Ward Larsen's The Perfect Assassin, which will be produced by Amber Entertainment's Ileen Maisel and Lawrence Elman, with Oceanview founders Robert and Patricia Gussin and Susan Greger serving as executive producers. In the tradition of Tom Clancy and Daniel Silva, The Perfect Assassin is a tale of espionage and intrigue about a female American doctor sailing across the Atlantic whose boat is hijacked by an Israeli assassin.
According to Oceanview CEO Robert Z. Gussin, "At its heart, Oceanview Publishing is a content provider and partnering with Amber Entertainment, a content converter, is a natural and mutually beneficial partnership. Since Oceanview focuses on such popular entertainment genres as mystery, thriller, and suspense, we feel that partnering with Amber Entertainment will allow us to create a dynamic synergy."
Moreover, Gussin adds, "Oceanview Publishing focuses on works that exhibit a strong sense of place and setting; compelling protagonists and supporting characters; tension that builds throughout a book's narrative; seamless, gripping, and suspenseful storylines; and authenticity. With that in mind, we're confident that Oceanview's titles are uniquely positioned to make the transition into film and television."
Created in 2009 by New Line Cinema veterans Ileen Maisel, Mark Ordesky, and Jane Fleming, along with renowned documentary and television producer Lawrence Elman, Amber Entertainment acquires and converts major intellectual property assets and brands into filmed entertainment. Amber Entertainment is based in London and Los Angeles.
Oceanview Publishing is headquartered in Longboat Key, Florida. Oceanview is a proud member of the International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. You can find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/oceanviewpub. Follow us on Twitter @oceanviewpub. For more information, please contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone (615-297-9875) or by email (maryglenn@maryglenn.com).
When author Stefan Petrucha first heard the killer song "Creature of the Night" which hard rocker Jazan Wild had written to promote his upcoming novel Blood Prophecy, he knew the video had to be equally special.
Without any budget to speak of, recreating the novel's wild characters and varied historical settings would be impossible. There'd be no way to recreate the meager plot in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where Puritan colonist Nathan Fall digs up an undead creature that turns him, his wife, and their son Jeremiah into vampire-like monsters, no way to film the way Nathan's father, Atticus, kills Nathan and Mary, but lets young Jeremiah live, hoping he can be saved from rank bestiality by the depth of his intellect and insatiable curiosity; no way to get across the 150 year quest that followed as Jeremiah obsessively seeks a way to regain his humanity, a journey that takes him to Napoleon's Egypt, the rocky coasts of Brittany, and the gates of Eden.
Rather than even try to be literal, Petrucha collected a series of licensed clips, combining them in unique ways in an effort to match Wild's thrumming beat, screeching guitar and wailing vocals and get across the book's scope and feel. Initial viewers put the results head and shoulders above the usual promo-video fare. The Blood Prophecy video, audio track and a book excerpt are now available.
Stefan Petrucha will be autographing copies of Blood Prophecy at the New York Comic Convention Sunday, October 10, from 2:00 -3:00 at the Hachette Book Group Booth, #2315.
"[Jeremiah Fall] travels to the shores of Egypt, the rocky coast of Brittany, and the gates of Eden itself in a quest for understanding and redemption that will thrill fans of biblical horror and historical detail." -- Publisher's Weekly STARRED REVIEW
"A must read... a classy, fun spin on the vampire tale." -- Ryan Buell, host of A&E's Paranormal State
You can read more about Stefan and Blood Prophecy at his website.
ITW member Mary Kennedy never met Lt. Col. Lisa Schieferstein, yet she was intrigued by her story.
Mary knew Lisa was half a world away, doing a tough job in a gritty, remote location. As the garrison commander of the 389th "Renegades" division in Iraq, Lisa was stationed at a desert outpost, with 90 soldiers under her command. The heat was appalling, the conditions were rugged, and danger was ever present.
Even though Mary's life, in her own words, "is incredibly cushy by comparison (a nice psychology practice in Delaware, a second career as a mystery novelist)," when she saw a photo of Lisa--in full body armor--visiting a one-room Iraqi schoolhouse to bring books to the children, Mary knew right away they had something in common: a love of books.
To date, Mary and her author friends have sent more than 200 pounds of home-baked sweets and books to Iraq. Mary says, "I wish everyone reading this piece could adopt a soldier and send books, candy, snacks, and, sure, homemade cookies or brownies. It's easy to do and it really means the world to our brave men and women in the military forces. As Janet Evanovich told me, "If Stephanie Plum could meet the Renegades, she'd give them a high-five and say, 'Well done!'"
Read the full story at Publishers Weekly.
New York Times bestselling author David Morrell is releasing a new, never-before-published, full-length thriller, The Naked Edge, along with nine of his previously published books, in electronic book format exclusively in the Kindle Store. This is the first time any of these titles have been available electronically. These Kindle editions will offer additional content for many of the books, including new introductions and photographs that reveal insights into the making of these modern classics. All 10 of these Morrell books are available starting today for download exclusively from the Kindle Store.
"Publishing these 10 books in the Kindle Store is a great opportunity to explore how electronic publishing enables me to give my readers additional, unique content," said Morrell. "Available at $9.99 or less, I hope that my fans will be able to rediscover their favorite titles, and that new readers will have the chance to enjoy my books on their Kindles. I'm especially excited about publishing my new thriller, 'The Naked Edge' in digital format, exclusively for Kindle."
Morrell is the co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization, a three-time Bram Stoker award- winner, and recipient of ITW's ThrillerMaster award in recognition of his legendary career and outstanding contributions to the thriller genre. His first novel "First Blood," still in print after 38 years, became the successful Rambo film franchise.
"It's exciting to be able to make the work of an accomplished author like David Morrell available to the millions of Kindle readers around the world," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. "Both his longtime fans and new readers alike will enjoy these 10 books, now available exclusively in the Kindle Store."
These 10 Morrell books will be electronically available exclusively in the Kindle Store for one year:
• "The Naked Edge" (a new, never published, high-action thriller with numerous photo inserts)
• "First Blood"
• "Blood Oath" (with a new Introduction)
• "The Brotherhood of the Rose"
• "The Fraternity of the Stone"
• "The Covenant of the Flame" (with a new Introduction and photo inserts)
• "The Totem" " (both the markedly different U.S. and U.K. versions available together for the first time)
• "The Protector"
• "Last Reveille"
• "Fireflies"
Available for download exclusively from the Kindle Store.
Audible.com has acquired the audio book rights to the first two novels in Gregory Lamberson's "The Jake Helman Files" series of supernatural thrillers, PERSONAL DEMONS and DESPERATE SOULS. The novels, published by Medallion Press, focus on Jake Helman, a fallen-from-grace ex-cop who finds himself embroiled in supernatural exploits, sometimes with spiritual overtones.
"I'm thrilled to see Jake Helman entering other media," says Lamberson, who also wrote JOHNNY GRUESOME, winner of the 2008 IPPY Gold Medal for Horror, and the police procedural werewolf novel THE FRENZY WAY, which was published in June. "I've been developing these stories for years, and it's rewarding to see them reaching as wide of an audience as possible. Audible.com has a great track record for downloadable audio books, and I can't wait to see who they choose to read my novels."
PERSONAL DEMONS won the 2009 IPPY Gold Medal for Horror, and is available as a mass market paperback, anf Medallion publishes DESPERATE SOULS as a trade paperback on October 15th. In PERSONAL DEMONS, Helman tangles with a reclusive billionaire, a serial killer who steals the souls of his victims, and the biblical Cain and Abel. In DESPERATE SOULS, he takes on drug lords who use a street narcotic called Black Magic to create an army of voodoo-style zombies.
"Audible doesn't typically do horror," explains Lamberson, "but The Jake Helman Files are cross-genre pieces that mix the supernatural, crime drama, and noir. I think the action and surprises are what appealed to them, and Jake Helman isn't your typical series lead - I make him suffer in terrible ways, which makes him sympathetic despite his flaws. He's a hero in the making, as likely to run from a monstrous enemy as he is to save the day."
Audible.com has not announced a release date for either audio book, but Medallion Press will publish COSMIC FORCES, Book 3 in the series, in October 2011, and the fourth book, TORTURED SPIRITS, in October 2012.
FIRST THRILLSEdited by Lee Child 2010Forge
This is another thriller anthology and it's got the big guns it. Ken Bruen, Lee Child, Rebecca Cantrell, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, John Lutz, Karin Slaughter and many more. All the stories are brand new and have not been anywhere else before. Some stand outs for me were: EDDY MAY by Theo Gangi, THE PLOT by Jeffery Deaver and UNDERBELLY by Grant McKenzie. As these are short stories I really can't say much without giving things away, but I'll tell you, there's not a clunker in the bunch, these are all stories by authors at the top of their game.
Jon Jordan
Author Scott Nicholson and Amazon are giving away two Kindles as part of his fall book blog tour. A Kindle DX will be given away through the participating blogs, and a Kindle 3 will be given away through the tour newsletter at scottsinnercircle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A Pandora's Box of free ebooks will be given away through Nicholson's "hauntedcomputer" Twitter account.
"The digital era is great for connecting readers and writers," Nicholson said. "So it's perfect timing to embark on a digital tour and celebrate the book blogs, readers, and a device that has enhanced the joy and education of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide."
As a bonus, if Nicholson hits the Top 100 in the U.S. or U.K. Kindle Store during the tour between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, he will give away an extra Kindle 3 through the blogs. No purchase necessary, and the contest is international. Co-sponsored by Kindle Nation Daily and Dellaster Design. Details at www.hauntedcomputer.com.
The shortlist for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger was announced at a lunchtime ceremony at the The Crown Hotel, Harrogate during the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. This award is made in memory of CWA founder John Creasey, for first books by previously unpublished writers. As well as their dagger, the winner will receive a cheque for £1000.
CWA Chairman Tom Harper said: "The CWA Dagger Awards have always enjoyed huge prestige among crime fiction fans and authors. The shortlists this year are incredibly strong, and that for the John Creasey has some exciting new talents, all working at the top of their game."
The shortlisted books (more details here) are:
Acts of Violence, Ryan David Jahn (Pan)
Cut Short, Leigh Russell (No Exit Press)
Martyr, Rory Clements (John Murray)
Random, Craig Robertson (Simon & Schuster)
Stop Me, Richard Jay Parker (Allison & Busby)
Rupture, Simon Lelic (Picador)
The Holy Thief, William Ryan (Mantle )
The Pull of the Moon, Diane Janes (Robinson)
The CWA Dagger Awards are the longest established literary awards in the UK and are internationally recognised as a mark of excellence and achievement. This prize is sponsored by Louise Penny and Michael Whitehead. Louise Penny is author of the award-winning Armand Gamache series, and is herself a previous recipient of the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger.
More information at The Crime Writer's Association website.
ITW member Matt Hilton has two major launches of books on opposite sides of the Atlantic within two days of each other. On August 17th - Judgment and Wrath - the second in his Joe Hunter thriller series will be launched in the USA by William Morrow and Company. On 19th August, Hodder and Stoughton will publish the fourth book in the series, called Cut and Run, in the UK.
Matt is gearing up for two solid months of publicity, beginning with Thrillerfest V where his debut novel, Dead Men's Dust has been shortlisted in the debut novel of 2009 awards.
From The International Thriller Writers:
