NEWS -

Selected Shorts: Celebrating 50 Years of Stephen King

Posted: October 28, 2024, 09:51
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From StephenKing.com:

Master storyteller and bestselling author Stephen King burst onto the literary scene in 1974 with the publication of the spine-chilling novel Carrie. On Wednesday, November 13th at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in NYC (and available to stream) see actors and admirers pay tribute to the legendary author with readings from his sensational short fiction––and an excerpt from the book that launched an extraordinary writing career. Hosted by Colson Whitehead (Harlem Shuffle) with performances by Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) and more.

Please Note:
· Stephen is not traveling and will not be present at the celebration.
· There will not be a book signing at this event.

Please check the Symphony Space website for up-to-date information.

Tickets and Event Details at Symphony Space

Shining In The Dark Soon Out In Germany

Posted: October 22, 2024, 16:35
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I’m happy to reveal that Buchheim Verlag will release a trade edition of my book Shining in the Dark in German in March 2025. Earlier the book has only been released in a limited print run in German but now everyone will be able to read it.

The book contains Stephen King’s story The Blue Air Compressor not reprinted since 1981 and then it a small magazine as well as an original story by John Ajvide Lindqvist called The Keeper's Companion that so far can only be found here. Just to name a few of all the names included in the book.

You can find more info about the book itself on the official site.

More info to come!

We Have A Winner!

Posted: October 22, 2024, 15:40
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OK, the contest is over, and this one might have been the hardest I’ve had so far. It seems a lot of you misread the question.


The question was this:

King’s first and last book during his 50-year long publishing period (April 1974 and April 2024) have something in common. What is it and what are the titles of these two books?

If we break down the question, we get this:

The timeline for the question: King’s 50-year long publishing period (April 1974 and April 2024). This has nothing to do with any specific book. It’s the time for his first 50-years as a published author and the timespan for the question.

During this period, (April 1974 and April 2024) he published all his books up till Holly. You Like It Darker was released after April 2024 (it was released in May 2024) and has nothing to do with this as I never said his first and last book of ALL his books.

So, for the question the first book is Carrie (April 1974) and the last is Holly (September 2023).

And what those two books have in common is that they both have a female name as their titles which is the answer to the question.

Someone who figured this out and who is also the winner of the signed copy of HEARTS IN SUSPENSION is Matt G. from Claremont, NH. Congratulations and thanks to Veryfinebooks who sponsored this contest!

Flanagan Puts Carrie On TV

Posted: October 21, 2024, 19:06
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Variety reports that Mike Flanagan will adapt Carrie as an 8-part TV serie for Amazon.

A series adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “Carrie” from horror maven Mike Flanagan is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned.

The series logline describes it as a “bold and timely reimagining of the story of misfit high-schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother. After her father’s sudden and untimely death, Carrie finds herself contending with the alien landscape of public High School, a bullying scandal that shatters her community, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers.”

Flanagan will write and executive produce the potential series with Intrepid Picture’s Trevor Macy also serving as an executive producer. Flanagan will also serve as showrunner. Melinda Nishioka will oversee the project for Intrepid. Flanagan is currently under an overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios.

Josh Brolin In Negotiatons To Be In The Running Man

Posted: October 18, 2024, 15:00
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Deadline reports that Josh Brolin is in final negotiations to land the villain role in The Running Man. No details of Brolin’s role have been released but sources say he will play the antagonist behind the violent reality show. If true that means he would play the same character (or a version of him) that Richard Dawson did in the 1987 adaptation.

Until confirmation I would consider this a rumor though.

Salem's Lot Improv In Bangor

Posted: October 18, 2024, 13:41
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A very interesting way to present King’s book Salem’s Lot will take place in Bangor. The audience will have a say in what happens, and this will make each performance different from the others.

Here is what Bangor Daily News said:

Lights, music, improv, vampires.

“A Kick in Your Derry’ere!” will bring all these things to life this week at the Bangor Opera when ImprovAcadia and Penobscot Theatre Company take on mega selling author Stephen King in a sendup of one of his earliest works.

The show will follow the story arc of King’s second novel, “Salem’s Lot,” published in 1975, but be different each night based on suggestions from the audience. In the book, author Ben Mears returns to Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, to write a novel about his childhood only to find there is a vampire endangering its citizens.

My Thoughts On Lost (Or Found) In Translation

Posted: October 17, 2024, 14:05
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Check out my thoughts about the chapbook Lost (or Found) in Translation here.

It’s not often I think ”I wish I had written that book” but it happens. One time was when I read the book What’s in a Name by Bev Vincent. A more recent time was today when I read the book Lost (or Found) in Translation, also by Bev Vincent. It’s a good thing that his books are so good or I would have been really annoyed with him.

Fairy Tale Goes From Film To Series

Posted: October 16, 2024, 20:48
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Deadline reports that A24 has decided to turn Fairy Tale into a 10-episode series.

Paul Greengrass, who wrote the script and was expected to direct the (first planed) feature will expanded the script with J.H. Wyman. Wayman will also be the showrunner.

Peter Rice will be executive producer alongside Greengrass, Wyman and King.

Scare Up The Vote Event Online

Posted: October 16, 2024, 07:34
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The video from last nights event Scare Up the Vote is now online. They talked about horror but no news about upcoming books or movies were give. Check out the full video here

1.23 in you’ll see Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel.

2.00 in you can see Joe Hill and Stephen King

Cover for The End Of The World As We Know It

Posted: October 15, 2024, 10:03
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Here's the cover for The End of the World As We Know It. A book with stories taking place during and after the events in The Stand written by numerous different authors (not King though) and with an introduction by King.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand.

The book is released August 19, 2025. Pre-order here.

The Rock Bottom Remainders Look Back

Posted: October 14, 2024, 22:49
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On Saturday November 23 at 2:30 pm The Rock Bottom Remainders will look back at
”life on the road”.

Something strange has happened with the author photos though & even though I would love to be there Sam Barry isn’t my stage name :-)

The ROCK BOTTOM REMAINDERS, an endearingly ragtag cover band established in 1992 and mostly made up of high-profile published authors, performed at Miami Book Fair more than a dozen times over the years. And they’re reuniting right here this year, bringing together a lineup not seen together on stage for more than a decade! Meet the latest iteration of the group – which includes MITCH ALBOM, DAVE BARRY, SAM BARRY, ROY BLOUNT JR., GREG ILES, MARY KARR, STEPHEN KING, RIDLEY PEARSON, AMY TAN, SCOTT TUROW, and ALAN ZWEIBEL – as its members look back at “life on the road,” past performances, and oh, yeah – their books. Moderated by author and journalist LISA NAPOLI.

More info here.

Contest: Win A Signed Stephen King Book

Posted: October 3, 2024, 13:45
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Have you ever wanted to own a book signed by Stephen King? Now is your chance. By entering this contest, you get the chance to be the owner of a signed copy of HEARTS IN SUSPENSION. This one was signed by King back in 2016 when the book was released. Included is also a letter of authenticity from the publisher, University of Maine Press.

All you need to do to enter the contest it so follow Lilja’s Library on Facebook, Instagram or X and answer the question bellow. You need to do it before Monday October 21. That’s it!

Good Luck and thanks to Veryfinebooks who is sponsoring the contest by donating the book!

Scare Up The Vote

Posted: October 2, 2024, 13:07
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Scare Up the Vote is a grass roots event by the horror community to raise funds and awareness to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. This live online event includes appearances from Stephen King, Joe Hill, Mike Flanagan, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Cynthia Pelayo, Paul Tremblay, Gabino Iglesias, Victor LaValle, Alma Katsu, Bryan Fuller (Hannibal), Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone), Don Mancini (creator of Chucky) and MANY MORE TO COME!

It will be live at 8p ET / 5p PT Oct. 15 here


More info can be found here

Some Interesting Facts About Salem's Lot (The New Movie)

Posted: October 2, 2024, 08:45
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Some interesting information has surfaced about the new Salem’s Lot adaptation. Den of Geek spoke to Gary Dauberman who revealed that his initial cut of the film contained more of the town’s backstory and was about three hours long, compared to the finished version’s almost two hours.

“My first cut was about three hours. There’s a lot left out. My first draft of the script is 180-odd pages or something because you’re trying to include everything. And a lot of it has to do with a lot of the secondary characters and stuff that I spoke about. So it was sad to see that stuff go, but it’s like a necessary evil.”

One of the things left out is the scene where Ben Mears as a child he sneaked into the Marsten House and had what may have been a supernatural experience.

Dauberman also spoke about the delay of the release of the film.

“It was a dark journey, you know, mostly an unpleasant journey, just not knowing… I just didn’t know what was going on.”

Another interesting fact was revealed when Cinema Blend spoke to Dauberman. Dauberman revealed that there is a deleted scene that features an issue of Comics Review.

“It didn't get into the movie, but I had the original publication, the zine of his first published short story. Someone brought it in. It's like, if you buy it, it's like $10, 15 grand or whatever. I had a scene where Mark Petrie is leaving class and he drops all his books and stuff, and Ben [Mears] helps him pick it up and he picks it up and he looks at it, and that's where Mark gets all his knowledge of horror movies and all that stuff.”

My Thoughs About Salem's Lot

Posted: October 1, 2024, 10:11
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Here are my thoughts about the new adaptation of Salem’s Lot.

The review contains SPOILERS so be warned!!!

The movie isn’t as bad as I feared but it’s not a particularly good movie either and it’s biggest problem is that it’s just not scary.

New Omnibus Gwendy Edition With New Introduction

Posted: September 24, 2024, 11:05
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Here is the cover by Ben Baldwin for next years omnibus edition of The Gwendy Trilogy. It will be published by Gallery Books (in the spring next year) and by Cemetery Dance (later in 2025). King and Chizmar have written a joint introduction entitled Butch and Sundance.


I’m still hoping for a version where they have edited the three books into one.

More Names Enter The Institute & Who Plays Who?

Posted: September 24, 2024, 10:47
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Deadline reports that 11 more names have been added to The Institute series. Already known are Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Barnes, Simone Miller and Jason Diaz. They are now joined by Joe Freeman, Fionn Laird, Hannah Galway, Julian Richings, Robert Joy, Viggo Hanvelt, Arlen So, Birva Pandya, Dan Beirne, Martin Roach and Jane Luk. Production of the eight-episode series will begin in Nova Scotia later this year.

Laird plays Nick, The Institute’s resident bad-boy rebel.

Galway portrays Wendy, police officer and lifelong resident in the town where Tim is night knocking.

Joy plays Hendricks, the Doctor in charge of The Institute’s scientific work.

Roach portrays Chief Ashworth, Tim’s boss, the small-town Chief of Police.

Hanvelt plays Avery, the youngest, most innocent, and by far the most powerful of The Institute’s inmates.

Richings portrays Stackhouse, The Institute’s calculating head of security.

Beirne plays Drew, a police officer in the department Tim works for.

So portrays George, The Institute’s class clown.

Pandya plays Iris, one of the first kids Luke meets when he arrives at The Institute.

Luke portrays Maureen, an Institute orderly with a tragic past.

Previously announced Barnes’ Tim Jamieson is a disillusioned ex-cop who takes a job as the night knocker in a small town, withdrawing from the world until Luke’s plight reignites him and gives him something to believe in.

Parker will play Ms. Sigsby, the charming but iron-willed director of the Institute and a true believer in its awful mission. She’s certain history will come to see her as a hero.
Miller plays Kalisha, a sarcastic-but-friendly Institute inmate, who becomes one of Luke’s closest allies.

Diaz plays Tony, the most sadistic of the Institute’s orderlies, who delights in wielding his power over the children.

Carrie’s Legacy; New Book About King's Book

Posted: September 21, 2024, 17:10
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As most of you already know this year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Carrie, right? If not, you do now and finally, I can reveal some great news. Earlier this year I was asked to write an essay about Carrie and how it had influenced me and my love for King’s books. The essay would be published in a book called Carrie’s Legacy: Revisiting Stephen King’s Girl with a Frightening Power by Lividian Publications. I sent in my essay in June, called it The Christmas Gift That Sparked a Lifelong Love for Stephen King and today I can finally tell you about the book. It’s packed with essays from a lot of friends and big names in the King community and a piece by the man himself. In An Introduction to Carrie King shares the fascinating story of how Carrie was written.
You can read more about the book and order your copy over at Lividian Publications.

Dutch Limited Edition Of Shining In The Dark Released Today

Posted: September 21, 2024, 15:00
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A limited edition of Shining in the Dark is being released by the Dutch Stephen King Fan Club today. Here is some info about it:


- The Paperback has yellow glow-in-the-dark letters (left in the picture), the Hardcocer has green glow-in-the-dark letters (right in the picture).

- The book is released in 500 copies. 150 numbered Hardcover copies, and 350 unnumbered paperback copies.

- Each Hardcover copy has a numbered signature sheet (that matches with the book's number) signed by me.


- Both the Hardcover and Paperback editions come with a specially designed Shining in the dark-bookmark.

- The Hardcover (price €25) is already sold out.

- The Paperback (price €19) is almost sold out. Only a few copies left.

- These editions are only available through the Fan Club (not in bookstores).


- The book has 228 pages, and the Dutch translation was done by Pauline Onderwater & Ninja Paap-Luijten.

A Book I Didn't Expect To See

Posted: September 4, 2024, 08:04
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Name a sequel to a King movie that was good. I’m pretty sure you can’t but I dare you to do it…

Not a lot of us likes sequels to King’s movies (Doctor Sleep excluded since it’s based on a book by King that in itself is a sequel to his book The Shining) and that is why this book called King's Succession: An Examination of the Stephen King Movie Sequels caught my attention when I saw it on Amazon.com.

It’s a book about, you guessed it, sequels to King movies. I have no idea if it’s a good book or not (if someone sends me a review copy of it I’ll let you know, hint, hint) but otherwise I’d love to hear from anyone who’s read it.

Life Of Chuck Photos

Posted: September 4, 2024, 07:45
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Just a few days before it's premier Toronto Film Festival Vanity fair gave us some photos from The Life of Chuck and they also talked to Mike Flanagan more in dept about the movie. Head over to their site for all that.

Mark Hamill as Chuck's grandfather.

Notice the banner above them.

Paris Promotion Schedule

Posted: August 30, 2024, 22:26
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In two weeks, I’ll be in Paris, France to promote my book and I hope to see you all there.

On Friday September 13th (17-19.30) I’ll be signing books and being interviewed at Bar La Grisette (27 Rue du Faubourg du Temple, 75010 Paris).

On Saturday September 14th (all day) I’ll be attending Salon du Vampire and signing books.

If you can’t be there (which I hope you can) and still want a signed copy of my book you can. If you buy the book through this link between today and September 13 I will sign it for you while in Paris.

Here is the link.

J'espère vous voir tous dans deux semaines

The Running Man Starts Filming In November

Posted: August 30, 2024, 15:45
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Glen Powell has revealed to The Wrap that filming on The Running Man will begin in November. So far that’s about all we know about the movie, but a guess is that more info will be released closer to the filming starts. Another guess is that we hopefully will see it’s premier some time in 2025.

More Casting For The Institute

Posted: August 29, 2024, 07:42
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There has been some additional casting announced for The Institute. Simone Miller and Jason Diaz have joined Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker.

Miller plays Kalisha who is a sarcastic-but-friendly Institute inmate. She becomes one of Luke’s allies. Diaz plays Tony, a sadistic orderly at the Institute’s, who likes to use his power on the children.

Barnes plays former police officer Tim Jamieson who’s looking to start a new life and , but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide.