The Official Site
The National Post published a piece today announcing its “13 Most Anticipated Books of (the First Half of) 2013.” Delighted to see The Demonologist counted among them. Even more delighted (in a gut-busting way) to see my novel predicted to be the literary “Gangnam Style of 2013.”
People, you do not want to see my PSY dance.
The Globe and Mail asked me to write them a Christmas short story this year. Characteristically, you will find no dancing sugar plums or anything sugary at all in “The Ward,” but it’s about as sweet as I’m prepared to get.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Learned today that foreign language rights to The Demonologist have been sold in Poland (Zysk) and China (Beijing Time Publishing).
These are both firsts for me, which is due to the hard work of the agents at Aitken Alexander in London, but also, perhaps, in part because the Polish and Chinese are historically big demon believers…?
The early pre-publication reviews are starting to come in including one in Kirkus Reviews which is…another thumbs up!
“Pyper is an intelligent writer, steeped in Miltonian symbolism, gifted with language… This artful literary exploration of evil’s manifestation makes for a sophisticated horror tale.”—Kirkus
So my Twitter Fiction Festival story, White House, is live and happening now over at @whnanny. Wanted to say thanks to Twitter and the accomplished (and no doubt hard-working) jury they assembled to select some amazing projects from around the world.
Also, my gratitude to those who are following along and have expressed kind words. I didn’t know how this thing was going to turn out (still don’t, really). But it’s great to know you’re out there, getting a kick out of it (even if, in a few cases, it has already disrupted precious sleep habits…including my own!)
There’s been some great coverage of the festival and White House too, including this piece by Alison Flood in The Guardian:
The Guardian (UK) – Alison Flood on the Twitter Fiction Festival
Excited to announce that my story, “White House,” has been selected to be showcased for the first ever Twitter Fiction Festival. The festival (and my story) begins tomorrow, Wednesday, November 28th and over the following five days.
“White House” is the re-telling and re-casting of Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw” set in the present day White House. A real-time psychological thriller for Twitter.
You can check out “White House” at @whnanny (under the name of the narrator, Hannah Bly).
In this morning’s edition of USA TODAY, there is a panel discussion among romance authors about their picks for Scariest Novel Ever. I was delighted to find there, amongst the less surprising appearances of The Exorcist, The Shining (and probably my fave) The Turn of the Screw, my own first novel, Lost Girls. (Thank you, Molly O’Keefe!)
Yes, it was a pleasant kick to start the day. But it triggered something more in me, a reflection on Lost Girls – a novel first published thirteen years ago now – and the interesting life it continues to lead. People still come up to me (not in great numbers, but with consistency) at readings or events to say what LG meant to them. (Just this past weekend, at an IFOA panel which I moderated here in Toronto, a woman – hi Maggie! – came up to have her Lost Girls signed – her second Lost Girls, as she lost her first and insisted on having it replaced).
It’s a book that has inspired a song (by the Pacific Northwest’s Green Pajamas), an art installation piece, and alternative cover art send to me by readers.
Anyway, I’m pleased that LG continues to poke its head up from time to time (or, more appropriately, thrust its dead hand up out of cold waters…) May you disturb sleep and discourage northern lake swims for years to come.
USA TODAY – Lost Girls Scariest Novel Ever Pick
I just took on an exciting assignment adapting a novel – not one of my own – for feature film! I love the project (obviously), and I’m looking forward to digging in. More details to come. For now, just wanted to share the news.
Below, I give you the cover design for the Canadian and US edition of The Demonologist. The texture and colour and striking simplicity articulates the book so lusciously, I’m in debt to its designers, Jackie Seow and Esther Paradelo, at Simon & Schuster, for such great work.
What’s also cool about it is that the hardcover will feature a cut-out of one of the o’s, which will have an eye looking out from within. If you pull the flap back, you will see that the eye belongs to a girl – Tess, the protagonist’s daughter – cast against a classically hellish landscape. I’m planning on blowing that one up as a poster and putting it on the office wall. It’ll do the same job that those sappy “INSPIRATION” posters do for others.
There may yet be some changes to come, but it seems that the pub dates for The Demonologist are firming up. Currently, Simon & Schuster is planning to publish on March 5, 2013, simultaneously in Canada and the US. And Orion has set the novel for May 2, 2013 in the UK. Still a ways off, in normal human anticipation-of-future-events terms, but right around the corner in publishing terms. Certainly close enough to pre-order the book from your favourite bookstore so that it’s waiting for you, with a devilish grin, when it arrives hot off the press…