CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD up for PRE-ORDER! And DARK CRYSTAL Comics!

Buy Clown in a Cornfield on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, or Books-A-Million or keep reading on to be convinced.

First things first, I mean, have you seen this cover? WOW!

Yes. I lost my mind when my editor at HarperTeen shared the cover for Clown in a Cornfield for the first time. That illustration is by Matt Ryan Tobin. If that name sounds familiar, Tobin’s a slasher phenom who’s done work for Mondo and Death Waltz. Cover design by Jenna Stempel-Lobell, who’s done a ton of iconic covers.

Then there’s the matter of that Clive Barker cover blurb… which, if the cover itself didn’t plunge me deep into madness, those words certainly did. Beyond honored to have someone who’s so heavily shaped who I am as a horror fan (and a person) say such kind things after reading my book.

A few more incredible authors (and filmmakers!) have read early copies of Clown and have been nice enough to share words and I want to share them with you now, but… we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The book’s not out until August 2020.

But it has recently been made available for pre-order.

And if you just balked at the idea of buying a book months out from release… believe me, I understand, but pre-orders are a huge help to authors. No matter where you choose to shop, pre-orders help build analytic leverage at online retailers, can increase the size of initial orders at big stores, and can help your local brick-and-mortar indie bookstore know what’s something they should be keeping in stock.

So, as August approaches and I get to talk even more about Clown in a Cornfield (don’t forget, it’s already being developed as a feature film by Temple Hill Entertainment), the most valuable thing you can do to help me spread the word is to pre-order your copy and encourage your friends to do the same.

I’m intensely proud of this… slice… of slasher madness. Pre-order is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, through your local indie bookstore using Indiebound, and on Bookshop, where indie bookstore get a percentage of your order. HarperCollins also has a directory of additional retailers and links on their website.

Thank you. And wherever you pre-order, keep your receipt and keep your eyes here on this blog or my Twitter, because I’m working out a special way to reward the folks who’ve pre-ordered.

Okay. Thanks for listening to that sales pitch! Now: more news!

Yes, you may have heard me talk about it (like on this great episode of the Cinepunx podcast), but I’m getting the opportunity to work on one of my favorite properties of all time: Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal!

BOOM! Studios has officially announced that, with issue #5 of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, artist French Carlomagno and I start a 4-issue arc focusing on fan-favorite character: Hup. This arc is from a story by Netflix showrunners Jeffery Addis and Will Matthews, so it’s super legit. We’re not going to have podlings wielding chainsaws or anything!

 Issue #5 drops in January, #6 in February (etc.) and they’re already listed in Previews and can be requested at your local comic shop or ordered from your favorite online retailers, or direct from the publisher. Like novels, pre-ordering comics is a super nice thing to do for creators.

If you’re a fan of my horror novels and don’t think this is for you: believe me, you will still find something to enjoy in this arc! French’s art is incredible and we’re getting to tell a story that feels intimate and funny but still *very* Dark Crystal.

*Update*: Dark Crystal: The Ballad of Hup & Barfinnious is now available to pre-order in hardcover on amazon or Bookshop. This will be out in October and collects all four issues.

That’s it. That’s all the news I’ve got. How are you?

Summer O’ Slashers

Hey all.

How’s things? Things are good with me. Finishing up a number of projects that are going to keep me hyped up from 2019 and beyond, but can’t quite talk about any of that yet. I will say that the Video Night audiobook is continuing to slay. I think a lot of that is down to Matt Godfrey’s awesome performance. If you’ve listened to it and could leave a quick review on Audible: we’d appreciate it.

But enough about me, this last week there were two big book releases from the Black T-Shirt crew.

First is Triple Axe by Scott Cole. This is out from Grindhouse Press, one of the absolute best cross-genre publishers in the bizarro scene. It’s hilarious and profane and I cannot recommend it more as a weird, mind-expanding slasher beach read.

Next is a reissue of Matt Serafini’s Under the Blade. This remastered, updated edition of Serafini’s taut, frightening, and twisty slasher-thriller is now available in paperback and ebook.  But don’t take my word for it, Brian Keene said: “Echoes of horror’s paperback glory days, but spills new blood with a modern protagonist and style. I loved it!”

And even though it came out a few weeks ago, we can’t forget to mention Pat Lacey’s horror-movie-themed novel Bone Saw, out now from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing.

So those are my big recommendations while you’re waiting for the next Adam Cesare book to drop (and believe me, I’m waiting too, but the wait’s going to be worth it). Like *all* authors, Matt, Scott, and Pat really appreciate (and most times financially benefit) when you leave a quick Amazon and Goodreads review of their books when you’re done.

If you’ve been neglecting to keep up on my YouTube videos or (gasp!) haven’t subscribed to my channel, I’ve been having a lot of fun sharing movie and book reviews over there. Here are a couple of my recent faves:

Aliens Invade Your Ears! Black T-Shirt Books Goes International!

Big news! My first novel, Video Night, is now an exquisitely-produced audiobook. Narrator Matt Godfrey (who audio fans may know for his production of Micheal McDowell’s Blackwater) gives an incredible performance here and I am overwhelmed to have such a talent bringing life to a book that’s very near and dear to my heart.

If you’ve been holding off on checking out the book, now’s the perfect time to grab it in this new format. Or, if you’ve read the book when it first came out, now’s the perfect time to revisit. And if you’re a “eh, audiobooks aren’t for me” kind of reader, I think this might be the book that breaks you into the habit. As someone who didn’t consider myself an audiobook guy until recently, I have to say that I now LOVE the format. It’s a great way to supplement my reading while I’m doing the dishes or walking the dog. It’s available on Amazon, Audible and iTunes.

The OTHER piece of big news is that Black T-Shirt Books has expanded again. Please welcome the amazing Aaron Dries to the family by picking up The Fallen Boys: A Novel of Psychological Horror in either ebook or paperback. 

Author and filmmaker Mick Garris (Masters of Horror, Stephen King’s The Stand, Critters 2: The Main Course) calls it “A terrific book. Beautiful and brutal. Heartbreaking and incredibly emotional. I really, really enjoyed it.” And Hellnotes says: “It will upset and maybe even offend. It will trick you and make you wince. But above all else, The Fallen Boys will move you. This is a tale you will never forget, as told by one of the most important new voices in the genre.”

Aaron is flat out my favorite writer from the Samhain-era and I’m so happy he’s chosen to release this incredible novel with us. He’s a master of what I like to think of as tragi-horror, his stories imbued with such verisimilitude and melancholy that they all really put you through the emotional wringer while at the same time shredding your nerves. Which is very different from what the other writers in the Black T-Shirt stable do, but it’s good to mix it up, right?

As with all Black T-Shirt releases: both The Fallen Boys and the Video Night audiobook will live and die on your support. So please pick up a copy (or help spread the word, even if you can’t commit right now) and then consider leaving each a quick, honest Amazon and Goodreads review when you’re finished. It’s how we make our livings and how we get the word out about the books. Thanks!

That’s it on the announcement front. But while I still have you here, have you been to my YouTube channel recently? I’ve got new videos up discussing the virtues of Syfy’s Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block and another one foaming at the mouth over Arrow Video’s new release of Basket Case. Please subscribe and then come join the conversations going on in our (lively) comments section.

All-Hallows Cesare

It’s been over a month since I last updated the ol’ blog, but I’ve been far from sedentary.

Leatherface really wants that Video Night shirt I’m wearing. He could just order his own…

Took a road trip up to Rock and Shock in Worcester, MA earlier in the month and it was just as great as always, even better because Black T-Shirt Books had a huge table with all of our authors in attendance.

The Adventure Time Spoooktacular 2017 hit comic shops and seems to have been well-received with both critics and fans of the show (Paste Magazine called it “wildly entertaining” and Nerdist says it’s a “fantastic anthology that Adventure Time fans can’t miss”). If you still haven’t grabbed your copy you can call your local comic store or order direct from BOOM! Studios.

And on top of all that (and some top-secret stuff it’s too early to talk about), I’ve been a busy, stammering, bee on YouTube with my Project: Black T-Shirt channel. If you’ve missed me giving a tour of my movie shelves, discussing Chucky’s latest massacre, paging through Grady Hendrix new book Paperbacks from Hell, or wanted the festival-circuit heads up on Tragedy Girls, please click over there and binge-watch. Also hit those “like” and “subscribe” buttons if you don’t mind.

Hot Summer Reads! Horrendous Sunglasses!

Desperate for some creepy reading for when you’re at the beach? I’ve come up with a list of five (it’s actually seven, but don’t tell anyone) novels and audiobooks. You can check that out over on my YouTube channel. If you haven’t hit that subscribe button, I’d love it if you did.

Are movies more your thing? Well I was lucky enough to get the chance to check out the upcoming 68 Kill at a special screening during Wizard World last month. The movie was directed by Trent Haaga, stars Matthew Gray Gubler and AnnaLynne McCord, and was based on a novel by Bryan Smith. I’ve got a video review of that where I discuss other recent novel-to-film adaptations.

If you’ve no interest in watching me talk, and would rather read my take on a giant monster story: Exponential is now out in paperback from Black T-Shirt Books. This new edition sports a dope new cover and a brand new afterword. If you already own the old edition: this is the same book, don’t double-dip unless you’re really sure you need to own the new cover. If you’d prefer to save paper: there’s always the ebook, also available for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

If you’ve already got that, or monsters aren’t your thing: Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume Two is now out in ebook, paperback, and audiobook narrated by Joe Hempel.  There are great authors like Tim Waggoner, Michael Arnzen, and Bryan Smith in there. Along with one by me.

That’s all for today! Happy reading, stay cool!

TerrorCon 2017 and the short films of XX (2017)

Hey everyone. A couple of quick items:

First of all: This weekend (Feb. 25th-26th) Black T-Shirt Books will be repping hard at TerrorCon 2017 in Providence, RI.

If you’re in New England, I encourage you to stop by. The guest list is insane and I’ll be there slinging books alongside superpals Matt Serafini and Patrick Lacey. Hope to see you there.

Second of all: thank you. The response to Video Night, The Summer Job, and Zero Lives Remaining being re-released has been truly incredible.

As a quick tip for anyone who’s purchased the paperback editions of any of these books (even if they were the old editions): through Kindle Matchbook you’re eligible to get a FREE ebook copy of the new edition. Just make sure you’re logged into the same Amazon account and that the kindle book rings up $0.00 before you click to purchase. Even if you’re a technophobe: claim your free ebooks because it helps out the books visibility on Amazon.

Lastly but certainly not leastly: I managed to get an episode of Project: Black T-Shirt up in observance of Women in Horror Month. In the episode I do a segment-by-segment rundown of XX, the new multi-director anthology film. Spoiler alert for the video, but: I recommend you check this movie out. Especially if you’re a Jack Ketchum fan, as it includes a great adaptation of one of his best (and most anthologized) stories.

As always: views, likes, comments, and subscribes on the YouTube page help me out immensely.

That’s all for tonight. Hope to see you at the show and thank you again for reading (and reviewing on Amazon) these books. I wouldn’t be able to keep writing if it weren’t for your generous support.

Check in to The Brant Hotel… again.

Less than a month after Video Night‘s triumphant return, The Summer Job is now available on Amazon.

Check out the new cover by artist Fredrick Richardson:

Like Video Night, this new edition is not meant for double dipping, but does contain a new afterword and some tiny nips and tucks in the text. If you’re familiar with some of my other work but haven’t yet checked out The Summer Job: I highly suggest you give it a chance. It’s some of my strongest work, if not my flat-out best novel. You can pick up a copy here.

If you’re not looking to check out my words but would instead like to watch me rant about books and movies: I also have you covered there. Last week’s episode of Project: Black T-Shirt is a top 5 list of the “Best Vampire Novels You Haven’t Read”! The trick is that you may have read a few of them, but at least we have a fun discussion in the comments. Click here to watch that. Be sure to hit the “Subscribe” button while you’re over there.

If you’re watching that and thinking: “Boy, I love black t-shirts too but I wish I had one with my favorite Long Island alien invasion novel” than I ALSO have you covered there.

Well, artist Chris Enterline and I both have you covered. Because we’re proud to announce a brand new line of t-shirts and merch through our Redbubble store. The inaugural design is based on Video Night and you can pick up a shirt right here. And, yes: it is a deliberate homage to “The Birth of Venus” by Botticelli.

They’re a little pricey, but the quality of Redbubble’s products is completely off the charts. If you pick one up: please send me a picture of you wearing it!

These designs are not meant to compete with Sam Mcanna’s Skurvy Ink shirts, but Sam has shut down his site and that business will hopefully be returning soon in some form or another.

Hope ya’ll are having a great day. Peace and love,

Adam