As I mentioned the other day, Darkness Whispers,the novella I co-wrote with Richard Chizmar, is now available in trade paperback and eBook formats from JournalStone Publishing.
A few of the first copies landed on my desk today and I’m thrilled with how this edition turned out:
I’m thrilled to announce Darkness Whispers,the novella I co-wrote with Richard Chizmar, is now available in trade paperback and eBook formats from JournalStone Publishing!
I’m pleased to report Darkness Whispers, my brand new novella co-written with Richard Chizmar, is NOW SHIPPING!
This title is the very first Signed Limited Edition hardcover from Scarlet Galleon Publications and all 500 copies SOLD OUT pre-publication!
There will hopefully be trade paperback and eBook news to report in the near future, so please stay tuned if you missed out. Thank you for your support!
It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of Bentley Little’s work ever since I first read The Revelation as a teen, so you can imagine how thrilled I am to share his thoughts on Darkness Whispers, a brand new novella I’ve co-written with Richard Chizmar, which will be the very first Signed Limited Edition hardcover from Scarlet Galleon Publications:
“Filled with enough plot, characterization and metaphorical heft to stuff a full-length novel, Darkness Whispers brilliantly depicts the supernatural exploitation of a small town’s moral failings. Subtly shifting from Bradbury-esque whimsy to badass horror worthy of the King himself, the novella is a major achievement by Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman.”
— Bentley Little, award-winning author of The Consultant and The Influence
I’m very pleased to announce Darkness Whispers, a brand new novella co-written with Richard Chizmar, which will be the very first Signed Limited Edition hardcover from Scarlet Galleon Publications!
About the Book: Darkness Whispers will introduce you to the town of Windbrook, a sleepy little community nestled deep in the secluded Skullkin Valley of western Pennsylvania.
All is well in Windbrook, just like usual, just like always. Nothing changes here, nothing is different.
Except… except today something is different.
An old man with piercing gray eyes will arrive in town this morning. This man isn’t human. Not even close. And he isn’t coming alone. Death travels with him.
Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December, and Brian James Freeman, acclaimed author of The Painted Darkness, have combined forces to create an old-fashioned tale of horror, full of good and evil, with a breathtaking ending that will leave you wondering when this peculiar old man might be coming for you…
If you’ve ordered the unsigned trade paperback of Blue November Storms, your copy will be on the way very soon. The Cemetery Dance warehouse has just been slammed with a 35 title project that will probably end up devouring all of April, but they are shipping regular orders every day. (For those who ordered the signed and remarqued copies, those are already making their way around the country and will hopefully be ready to ship by the end of next month.)
In today’s news, the new eBook edition of Blue November Storms is available for download now:
About the Book:
It’s been twenty years since the group of friends known as the Lightning Five visited their hunting cabin together. Twenty years spent living in the shadow of something they did in high school, an event that forever defined them in the minds of everyone in their small town.
Now they’re returning to the cabin to reminisce about old times and forget their troubles, but mother nature has other plans in mind. Before too long supplies will be running low and the Lightning Five will have to make some hard choices… like who gets to live and who has to die.
Special Bonus Features:
* New introduction by horror legend Ray Garton about why you should never, ever go into the woods
* Twenty original illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne
* Afterword by Brian James Freeman detailing how and why the story was written
* “Ink-slinger: An Interview with Glenn Chadbourne” by Robert Brouhard
* Stunning new cover artwork by Vincent Chong
Here are some samples of the twenty original black & white illustrations that horror artist Glenn Chadbourne drew for the new trade paperback of Blue November Storms. These samples show spoilers for the plot, so you may want to stop right here if you haven’t read the book! On the other hand, these are a pretty great tease of what you’ll find in the book if you’re curious. Check them out below the break:
Ray Garton had way too many kind things to say about Blue November Storms in his introduction to the new edition, but he also covered a wide range of topics including why you should never, ever go into the woods. Ever.
Here’s a little preview:
It is immediately evident when one reads Blue November Storms that one is in the hands of a writer who knows what he’s doing. That only becomes more evident as one proceeds.
I love this kind of story. You know, the kind of story where old friends, often reunited after a long separation, are confronted with the resurgence of some haunting or terrifying event from the past in which they were all involved and by which they were all scarred. It has a rich history in the genre–Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, Stephen King’s It, among others–because it’s something with which most people can immediately identify. While few of us have in our backgrounds something as extreme as murder or rape or some other horrible crime, we all have something we probably would not want to revisit, something we wish would just stay buried.
But this is the horror genre, where things don’t stay buried.
In a cabin they built in the woods, they will reunite with their friend after twenty years on the night of what promises to be a spectacular meteor shower. While their families are at a nearby campground watching the light show, the guys will be hashing over the past in their old cabin.
But like I said… this is the horror genre.
Anyone familiar with the horror genre knows that, should you find yourself in a horror story, it’s always a good idea to stay the hell out of the woods. Personally, I think that’s a good policy in life, staying out of the woods. I grew up in a family of campers. I’ve never been able to get a good handle on the concept of camping. People in the modern world, with all the modern conveniences, deciding to pack some stuff and go stay out in the woods for a while–it makes no sense. I mean, if a massive earthquake hits or there’s a nuclear attack or the power grid goes down, yeah, then you have to rough it. But to pick a random weekend and leave behind one’s bed and toilet and heat and air conditioning to traipse off to the woods and sleep in a tent for pleasure–it’s unfathomable madness. Even if you have access to a cabin, it’s still a cabin and you’re still in the goddamned woods. I don’t get it.
If you’re a horror fan, you know what’s out there. There are families of inbred cannibals, practitioners of unspeakable religious rites, extraterrestrials possibly disoriented by a rough touchdown, drug-crazed psycho-killers and Bigfoot, to name only a few things. But that’s just the horror stuff. There’s also nature to contend with, and I’m not talking about the PBS series. I’m talking about possible conditions that will kill you and animals that will start eating you before you’re dead. I’m talking about insects that not only don’t fear you but want to explore you and boldly go where no insect has ever gone before and should never ever be allowed to go, period…
It’s really a wonderful introduction and Ray has a lot more to say after that, so I hope you’ll pick up a copy of this new edition!
“Everything in Blue November Storms works. Brian’s lean and vivid prose propels us through a story that surprises and moves; his characters and their relationships with one another ground this otherwise fantastic and frightening story in human experience. The spell worked for me and my bet is that it will work for you, too.” — Ray Garton, from his introduction
I’m pleased to report Blue November Storms, which was originally published in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series years ago and quickly sold out, is finally available again as a value-priced trade paperback for just $9.99.
I’ve always thought of this early work of mine as a bit of a “chills and thrills” B-Movie type of story, so I hope readers who enjoy that kind of horror will have fun with it.
This new edition features a revised version of the text, an exclusive introduction by Ray Garton in which he explains why you should never go into the woods, 20 original illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne, a beautiful new cover painting by Vincent Chong, a bonus interview with Chadbourne about his artwork, and a new afterword I wrote explaining how the story got written in the first place.
You can see a few samples of Glenn’s interior artwork on my website, but I’ll post more here in a few days because they really are amazing.
Here’s the sales copy for this new trade paperback edition:
It’s been twenty years since the group of friends known as the Lightning Five visited their hunting cabin together. Twenty years spent living in the shadow of something they did in high school, an event that forever defined them in the minds of everyone in their small town.
Now they’re returning to the cabin to reminisce about old times and forget their troubles, but Mother Nature has other plans in mind. Before too long supplies will be running low and the Lightning Five will have to make some hard choices… like who gets to live and who has to die.