John R. Little

The Bram Stoker Awards were held this year in conjunction with the World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City. I volunteered to be the coordinator of the Stokers, and you can read my article about it here.

It’s looking like a good year for me. My novella, Miranda, will be published in June from Bad Moon Books, and they’ll be following up with another novella, The Gray Zone, in the fall.

While at WHC this year, I signed a contract with Bloodletting Books that will see them publish Dreams in Black and White in early 2009.

And perhaps the most interesting news is that I talked to a publisher at WHC about having a new edition of The Memory Tree released. We were both excited at the idea but haven’t nailed down a contract yet. Hopefully this will work out and allow the people who’ve wanted to read the book another shot at it.

Yesterday, The Memory Tree was announced as being a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in the category of First Novel. It's a tremendous honour, and I'm very grateful to the Horror Writers Association for including me on the ballot. The awards will be announced at a banquet in Salt Lake City as part of the World Horror Convention on March 29, 2008.

The other books that are nominated in this category are all terrific:

I Will Rise by Michael Louis Calvillo
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Hollower by Mary SanGiovanni

In other news, I've sold three new novellas that will soon be published as limited edition books. The first is Miranda, coming in May, 2008 from Bad Moon Books. In September, Bad Moon will be publishing The Gray Zone. And later this year or early 2009, another publisher will be coming out with Dreams in Black and White. I'm not at liberty to name the publisher just yet.

Placeholders, my new novelette from Necessary Evil Press, sold out in three weeks. The reviews have been terrific, and this past weekend I learned that the book has been nominated for the Black Quill Award for best horror book published by the small press. It's a very big honor and I was more than a little surprised to be on the ballot. If you're interested in seeing all the nominees, click here.

If you'd like to vote for Placeholders or any other title, you'll have to register. It's free and easy.

Thanks to everyone who's enjoyed the book!

My next book will be a novella called The Gray Zone. More details to come soon.

I'm very pleased that my newest book, Placeholders, has just been published by Necessary Evil Press. NEP is one of my favorite publishers, and when you combine that with stunning cover art by Caniglia and a great introduction by Thomas F. Monteleone, it makes a wonderful package. As I write this, the book has been available only a few days and is almost sold out. Depending on when you read this a few copies may still be available. If you're interested in one, drop me an e-mail and I'll let you know if there's any still to purchase.

I'm still getting wonderful feedback on The Memory Tree, and that's really nice. People have e-mailed me after finding it in a small-town library or having it passed to them from a friend. Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business shortly after the book was published, so there's a lot fewer copies in circulation than I'd like. You never know, one day, another publisher may pick it up.

About 15 terrific reviews have been published about the book, in Booklist, The Magazine of Fantasy&Science Fiction, Dark Discoveries, Apex SF&Horror Digest, Hellnotes, Horror World, and others. All the reviewers have been very kind, and I appreciate their kind words.

If you happen to read Horror Fiction Review, the current issue has an interview with me.

It’s time I posted an update on The Memory Tree. Copies of the book are now available at Amazon.com. All preorders are finding their way through the system and should be in your hands soon.

If you’re interested in a personalized autograph, drop me an email. I have some copies of the book that you can buy directly from me and I’d be happy to sign them for you.

There are two upcoming bookstore signings lined up as well. If you’re nearby and have a chance to drop by, I’d love to see you.

Saturday, May 12, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
White Dwarf Books
3715 Tenth Avenue
Vancouver, B.C.

Thursday, June 7, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Chapters (North London)
London, Ontario

The first print review of The Memory Tree was recently published in Horror Fiction Review. Among other nice things, the review called it “The first great debut of 2007,” and added, “First novels rarely pack this much punch.”

January is a time when we think about the past and the future at the same time. In some ways, that’s part of the theme of my novel, The Memory Tree, which is being published next month. I spent part of my Christmas holidays going through the advanced copy of the book, looking for any stray typos that remained. These final edits have gone off to the publisher, and now, all I have to do is be patient and wait a bit . . .

The first two reviews of The Memory Tree have been posted online. You can read them at Hellnotes and Apex Digest.

My wife, Lynda, gave me the most amazing Christmas gift. She hired an artist / woodcutter, Dave Danchuk, to duplicate the cover art of The Memory Tree in wood. Here’s a picture of me holding the final piece. In person, it looks amazing. The black parts are where the wood has been cut away. (There’s a black piece of wood behind.)

I’ve finished writing my second novel, 10 Days. I’ll be looking for a publisher for it soon. I’m now working on my third novel, which doesn’t have a firm title yet.

2007 is going to be a terrific year for me. Publication of anyone’s first novel is a pivotal event, but I also have stories coming out in two highly anticipated anthologies, Until Somebody Loses an Eye and Monster Noir. I have a pair of novellas scheduled for book publication together mid-year (“Miranda” and “Dreams”), and there’s a surprise publication I can’t talk about yet.

Hopefully 2007 will also bring the sale of 10 Days and completion of novel number 3. I’m sure to place a few other short stories as well.

At the end of January, I’ll be attending the Borderlands Writers Boot Camp in Baltimore. This is a highly regarded writing weekend sponsored by Borderlands Press. Instructors include Thomas F. Monteleone, F. Paul Wilson, Douglas Winter, and Ginjer Buchanan, who will all be critiquing 10 Days (along with the other boot camp attendees). In March, I’ll be attending the World Horror Convention in Toronto. This is the first time WHC has ever been held outside the United States.

Thanks for dropping by my web site. Check back when you have a chance. See you then. All the best to you in 2007.

The Memory Tree is now available for preorders! This allows you to reserve a copy now and have it delivered when the book is published in February. There are three editions available: a signed limited edition (250 copies available), a regular hardcover, and a trade paperback, so hopefully you’ll find an edition that fits your budget.

The signed limited edition comes with a bonus chapbook of my story, “Climbing Mount Turnpike.”

Cover art is by the wonderful artist, Alex McVey. I liked it so much, I bought the original art from Alex.

If you’d like more information, including some terrific comments about the book, check out Nocturne Press’s site here or Shocklines (limited, hardcover, paperback).

I hope you’ll give the book a try. Thanks very much for your support.

Here’s that terrific cover:

It’s been a good summer in Vancouver, sunny and warm, and various writing projects have been progressing nicely as well. I wanted to give a short update on where things are at.

My first novel, The Memory Tree, is currently scheduled for publication in February, 2007, only a handful of months away. Alex McVey is doing a terrific cover, and I think you’ll find it a very nice package. The book ended up landing at 318 pages, with a heartfelt introduction by Kealan Patrick Burke.

Down the road a bit, Nocturne Press will be packaging two novellas together, “Miranda” and “Dreams” into another solid book. That book is currently targeted for summer of 2007, and I’ll give more solid dates as we get closer.

I have three new short stories coming out in the coming months.

First, a rewritten version of my story “Volunteers Needed” will be published this November by the Northwest Horror Writers Group in a promotional chapbook.

Second, “Tails,” has been accepted into the hardcover anthology Until Somebody Loses an Eye, edited by Jeff Strand and John McIlveen, scheduled for the first half of 2007.

Finally, “The Thief of Time,” will be in the hardcover anthology Monster Noir, edited by Steven Savile. Tentative date is next spring.

In case you missed them, I’ve had several publications earlier this year. You can find them on the Buy Books or Bibliography pages:

“3:26 a.m.,” published in Horror Fiction Review
“Ever After,” published in Shivers IV
“The Jameson House,” published in Post Mortem magazine

What’s up next?

I ’ve finished the first draft of my new novel, 10 Days, but it’ll be some time before it’s ready to submit to a publisher. I’m working on a couple of new novellas and some other surprises. Stay tuned, and thanks for popping by!

My first novel, The Memory Tree, is scheduled for publication in February 2007 by Nocturne Press. It will be available as a limited editon, a trade hardcover, and a trade paperback, so it'll fit all budgets.

The book follows Sam Ellis, a stockbroker in Seattle in 2007, who is knocked back in time to 1968, back to his hometown. He's there along with his childhood self, his parents (now his peers), and all the folks he knew when he was a child. Sam's trips to his own past have a profound effect on his future, where the dark secrets he has lived through are haunting him.

The book has a heartfelt introduction by Kealan Patrick Burke.

John R. Little

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