Dispatches from the Flying M

COLD BLACK HEARTS, #Contest, and #CheapEbooks!

I got my author copies of COLD BLACK HEARTS the other day. That's always an exciting event, no matter how many books I've had published, because until I'm holding it in my hands, it's never really real. This is the fifth and final of the matching-edition reissues from WordFire Press, and it means my five favorite solo horror novels are all available again, in beautiful editions, in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.

If you're a fan of my work, you'll really want to own these. They're all set in the contemporary American west, mostly in border regions from West Texas to California (though SEASON OF THE WOLF explores Colorado's Rocky Mountains, instead--with spooky wolves and spookier humans). They're unrelated, so you don't need to read them in any given order. They're loaded with thrills and chills and unexpected twists, action set-pieces, and characters you'll love.

But don't take my word for it. Here's what the Tucson Weekly said about COLD BLACK HEARTS:

"This is Mariotte's great talent: His writing hooks you, and you just have to see how things end. And Annie, much in the vein of the maverick lady investigators and interrogators that populate cable television, is sassy, interesting and smart—and not afraid to risk her reputation, her relationships or even her life to get to the bottom of something."

And HorrorWorld.org said:

"You won’t find the excesses in this novel that you would see in most small press horror or even some of the newer mass market releases; it seems that Marriotte prefers to present his horror laden with atmosphere and emotion rather than the grotesque. That’s not to imply that there isn’t plenty of action and some vivid descriptions of carnage to be found in these pages, there is, but it doesn’t feel exploitive. It is the strength of Mariotte’s writing that initially keep the readers turning the pages and it’s the bond he manages to form between the reader and Annie that keeps us interested until the end. 

"I would recommend Cold Black Hearts to all fans of horror and dark fiction."

And the publisher's blurb:

"When an explosion wrecks police detective Annie O’Brien’s career and destroys her hearing, she’s left with something new—a vastly heightened sense of empathy that makes it impossible to be around other people.

"Her home in Phoenix, Arizona’s bustling metropolitan area, rapidly becomes unbearable. An investigative job offered by an old family friend sends her to a lonely corner of New Mexico, to try to free an innocent man wrongly convicted of a brutal double murder.

"As she pursues justice for the unfortunate prisoner, she finds herself caught up in the saga of New Dominion, a nearby town wiped out in a bloody massacre back in 1933 . . . but is somehow rising from its own ashes. Annie’s presence creates unexpected ripples, summoning ancient, demonic forces and causing tragedy to repeat itself—unless she can find some way to stop it.

"Cold Black Hearts is a riveting supernatural thriller, and Annie O’Brien is bound to be your new favorite character!"

At the Baen Books website, click on the "Book" link on the left for links to a ton of booksellers, and snag it from your favorite, or click the Ebook link to get the ebook directly from Baen. You can also read a long excerpt for free!

 

Speaking of free, that's how much you'll pay for YEAR OF THE WICKED if you win Simon Teen's Halloween Sweepstakes! Not only that, but they'll throw in nine other spooky YA thrillers as well, including BROKEN LANDS by my pal Jonathan Maberry. Give it a try! And if you don't win, it's available pretty much everywhere books are sold. (Remember, you can still read an extended excerpt for free, until Halloween!)

If you're still looking for good reading on a budget, you've got 11 more days to nab an ebook copy of 7 SYKOS, by Marsheila Rockwell and me, for a mere 99 cents, wherever ebooks are sold! And I don't know how long it'll last--so act fast--but the ebook of my novel STAR TREK: THE LOST ERA: DENY THY FATHER is available now at the same low, low price! Before Picard starts streaming, learn all about the troubled relationship between Will Riker and his father, and experience Will's Starfleet Academy days and earliest missions.

Finally, Tucson Comic-Con is coming soon! Our level of participation will depend on Marcy's level of healing from cervical spine surgery a few weeks ago, so send good thoughts!

New Stories and Bargain Psychos!

A new Weird Western anthology called STRAIGHT OUTTA DEADWOOD was just released by Baen Books, and it contains stories by both Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell and me! Marcy's story is "Dreamcatcher," and it explores--in a dark and twisted way, of course--the Ojibwe roots of that well-known talisman, and what happens when a Christian clergyman objects to its use. My story, "Sunlight and Silver," is about a frontier photographer who specializes in memorial photographs--pictures of the recently deceased--whose subjects start disappearing from his photos. Both are, I think it's safe to say, wonderfully creepy.

There are plenty of other terrific stories in the book as well, including some by pals like Charlaine Harris, Shane Lacy Hensley, and Steve Rasnic Tem, along with Mike Resnick, Jane Linskold, Stephen Graham Jones, Mario Acevedo, and a whole host of others. Check it out at the title link above.

In other news, Harper Voyager, publisher of our novel 7 SYKOS, has made the ebook a 99-cent special for the entire month of October! Because October is when people's minds go to the weird and horrific, that's perfect timing for our psychopaths vs. zombies epic. In case you're still on the fence, here's what NYT bestselling author and zombie expert Jonathan Maberry had to say about it: "7 SYKOS is a wild and crazy ride that smashes through barriers and roadblocks and drives way the hell out into new territory for the zombie genre. Inventive, fun (in a dark, weird, twisted way), filled with twists and turns, and packed with characters you'll love--even if you also hate some of them. I loved it!"

Whatever ebook format you prefer, you'll be able to grab it for less than a buck at the title link above. You can still get it in paperback, too, but it'll run you $7.99. Still a bargain.

I've been talking a lot about my teen horror epic YEAR OF THE WICKED, so I'll take a break from that and let the book speak for itself. The publisher, Simon Pulse, is offering an "extended excerpt" for free for the entire month! Again, there's no better time than October for a spooky story. Give it a read at the title link (you have to register with your email, but that just gets you news about other great YA books, and of course you can unsubscribe at any time).

Finally, here's a review of COLD BLACK HEARTS, from Kaye Lynne Booth's blog Writing to be Read.

"In Cold Black Hearts, by Jeffrey J. Mariotte, evil stirs the ancient legends into reality. When Annie O’Brien is caught in a bust gone bad and the resulting explosion, she loses both her hearing and her job, but she gains an uncanny sense of empathy for the people around her. So, there’s nothing to stop her from taking a job investigating a four year old murder where the original investigation was botched, and working to free the convicted man, even though he gives her the creeps and is probably guilty of numerous crimes, if not this one. Her investigation uncovers not only the evidence needed to free Johnny Ortega from prison, but also evidence that there is something much more sinister going on in Hildalgo County than a simple cover-up, but when Annie manages to put all the pieces together and tries to stop the return of an ancient demon, it could cost her her life, or worse.

"Filled with sacrifice and betrayal, Cold Black Hearts will chill you to the core of your soul. Lots of unexpected twists and turns to this story. I give it four quills."

It's coming soon from WordFire Press and Baen Books, and you can nab a copy at the title link above, in paperback or ebook.

New Books and Birthdays

On the day that a new book is released, people often wish its author "Happy Book Birthday!" It is indeed an eventful moment--the culmination of months or years of effort. Whether sitting at a keyboard or scratching away in a notebook or simply mulling story points and character traits while trying to sleep, taking a shower, or sitting at a stop light, the author has put a lot of work into that book. Then publication day comes, and the big questions loom: will people buy the book? Will they like it? Will they post reviews and tell their friends?

I had two books released this week, one on Tuesday (the traditional release day for books from the so-called Big 5 publishers) and one on Wednesday (the standard release day for medium-sized publisher WordFire Press--they call it WordFire Wednesday). Neither is brand new, but in some ways, both are.

First up was YEAR OF THE WICKED, a teen horror/romance novel from Simon Pulse, the young adult (YA) imprint of publishing giant Simon & Schuster. I got author copies a couple of weeks ago (as you might have seen here), and it's even prettier in person than in the pictures. This book combines four previously published novels, originally published as Witch Season: Summer, Witch Season: Fall, Witch Season: WInter, and Witch Season: Spring. The second book, Fall, was a finalist for the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award, and all four have been some of my most popular books. They were updated prior to being republished as Dark Vengeance, in two volumes, and now they're back for a new generation of readers (and despite inflation, less expensive than ever!).

Here's what the publisher says about it:

n the tradition of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Riverdale, this magical bind-up includes all four novels in the Witch Season series filled with spellbinding romance, revenge, and of course, witches!

A witches’ war is brewing…

And it’s coming straight towards Kerry and her friends at their summertime home. Along with it is Daniel Blessing. Mysterious, charismatic, and handsome Daniel is on the run from a powerful witch named Season.

Kerry and her friends don’t believe in witches and spells, but Kerry can’t help believing in Daniel…and falling for him.

But falling for Daniel pulls Kerry into a feud his family has been waging for generations. A dark feud of passion, magic, and revenge. Suddenly it becomes clear that Season isn’t after just Daniel, she wants Kerry and her friends dead too. Because, though Kerry doesn’t know it yet, she might just be the only one with the power to uncover the truth—and end the witches’ war once and for all.

 

Should you be so inclined, you can buy it from Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books a Million, or directly from Simon & Schuster. Or, of course, from your local bookseller.

The second book released this week is SEASON OF THE WOLF. It's part of WordFire Press's celebration of my 20 years as a novelist, wherein they're releasing beautiful uniform editions of five of my horror novels in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.

Again, here's what the publisher says:

In the mountains around the small town of Silver Gap, Colorado, bark beetles--aided by a warming climate--are decimating the pine forests. That environmental degradation has brought Alex Converse, wealthy heir and would-be documentary filmmaker, to town. And his arrival coincides with another--the reappearance of wolves, long thought to be extinct in the state.

But these are no ordinary wolves. They're big, cunning, ferocious, and very, very hungry. As the town grapples with that danger, an even more terrifying predator emerges, one without fur and fangs...one wearing a human face.

Season of the Wolf is a heart-stopping supernatural thriller about the nature of evil, the evils of nature, and the epic struggle between a small town's residents and impossible creatures from the dawn of history.

 

And at The Arched Doorway, Rebecca Lovatt wrote, "Season of the Wolf is a quick read, but it’s one that imparts an important message about the delicate balance between our actions and nature. Mariotte turns the tables, and shows us what it’s like to be among the hunted, not one of the hunters — having our safe havens invaded and taken away, friends and family killed and shown no mercy.  It’s a great read, and while it doesn’t fit into my usual genre, I believe that any reader, whether they enjoy mystery, thrillers, fantasy or just fiction in general will find something in Season of the Wolf that will draw them in."

An assortment of ebook sales links can be found here. You can find physical copies at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

 

Finally, Saturday is my birthday. I can't think of a better present than for you to pick up one or both of these books, enjoy it (or them), and write a review for one of the online booksellers, or on your own blog or social media site. Word of mouth is critical.

And, as always, thanks for reading!

 

Appearances and Reminders

I got copies of YEAR OF THE WICKED from my editor at Simon & Schuster this week, and it's just gorgeous. All four books (published originally as Witch Season in four volumes, then as Dark Vengeance in two volumes), are now combined in a single volume, at a reasonable price (less than all four would've run you originally, or both volumes of DV). So more story for less money! Always good. It'll be in stores everywhere on September 3, so watch for it! And if you see it in the wild, post on social media and tag me!

Now that summer's winding down (though you can't tell here in Arizona, where the rainy season never actually came but the hot season is sticking around), I'll be out and about a lot.

August 30-September 2, Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell and I will be at CoKoCon. Because that takes place before YEAR OF THE WICKED is officially released, I won't have copies for sale (though I might have one with me, in case you want to pet it). Here's my CoKoCon schedule:

Saturday, August 31

 

Graphic Novels: Effective Writing and Pitching

Canyon 3, 1pm - 2pm

Tags: Books & Authors

Brian Augustyn, Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell

Comic veterans discuss how to develop and sell your graphic novel.

Keeping It All in Line: Wrangling Complex Plots

Canyon 3, 6pm - 7pm

Tags: Books & Authors

Ross B. Lampert, Jeff Mariotte, Judith Starkston

You didn’t mean to, but all of a sudden you’ve got 300,000 words, a dozen POV characters and no idea where it’s going to end up. Our panelists will help you avoid being George R.R. Martin and get those plot threads tied back up.

Sunday, September 1

 

Playing Well With Others: Collaborative Work

Canyon 3, 4pm - 5pm

Tags: Books & Authors

Diana Terrill Clark, Ernest Hogan, Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell

Sometimes writing isn’t a solitary profession. Our panelists discuss the ups and downs of working with a co-author.

Signing: Jeff Mariotte and Marsheila Rockwell

Dealers’ Room, 6pm - 7pm

Tags: Signings

Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell

Signing with Jeff Mariotte and Marsheila Rockwell.

On Saturday, September 14, the official launch of YEAR OF THE WICKED will be at Barnes & Noble in SanTan Village, Gilbert, from 2-4 PM. If you can't make it, you can call the store and order signed copies.

Barnes & Noble #2348

2150 E. Williams Field Road #105

Gilbert, AZ 85295

 

tel: (480) 857-8033

fax: (480) 857-7932

 

On Saturday, September 21, Marcy and I are doing a super-cool event at the amazing Spooky's Swirls! It's a gluten-free bakery (not that you'd know from the treats, which are as good as those found anywhere, but without all that pesky gluten). But it's also--in partnership with the Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association (HSPPA) an incredible museum of props and costumes from your favorite sf, fantasy, and horror movies! Even cooler, lots of the props come from properties I've written over the years--Spider-Man, True Blood, Hellraiser, etc., etc. So we'll have an assortment of books and comics with us that play off the exhibits, as well as our most recent stuff! We'll be there from 9 AM-1 PM, chowing down and talking books, movies, comics, etc. If you're on Facebook, here's the event page!

We'll also be at the Tucson Comic-Con, November 1-3, and TusCon, November 8-10. More details about those later.

I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you about the Racing the Clock Thriller Bundle! Where else can you get edge-of-your-seat thrillers by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Mike Baron, Kari Kilgore, Robert Jeschonek, Sam Stone, Lauryn Christopher, and Allyson Longuiera (and my own MISSING WHITE GIRL, to boot!) for such a great price--essentially, whatever you want to pay--and decide how you want the proceeds allocated? It's only around for a short time, so grab it while you can!

 

A Book-Bundle of Joy

If you're anything like me, you love a gripping, can't-put-it-down book, one that keeps you reading late into the night even though you have to work in the morning. Because really, what's more fun, reading a page-turner or working while awake?

So if you're anything like me, you're going to want to get your hands on this bundle of books. It's called the Racing the Clock Thriller Bundle, and it's curated by my fellow trench-warrior Dean Wesley Smith, who's written even more books than I have (more than double, in fact).

You can see all the covers below, and get all the details at the StoryBundle website. The main things to know are that YOU decide what the books are worth to you. For five bucks, you get four great books--including a short-story anthology, the name of which was adopted for the entire bundle--for whatever price you want to pay. But if you're willing to go above $15--about half the price of a new hardcover novel these days--you get an additional six books, including my own MISSING WHITE GIRL. I can't vouch for all the books, but 5 of the 10 are by friends, and they're all knockouts in one way or another. Then there's MWG, which is a brilliant supernatural thriller. So even if the other four were just okay, the bundle would still be a bargain. But Dean picked 'em, and he's got great taste, so I'll go out on a limb and say there's not a "just okay" one in the bunch.

Oy, yeah--before we get too far down the page, I'll also mention that 10% of whatever you decide to spend can (if you so choose) go to a very worthwhile charity, AbleGamers! So of course, you should choose to donate that 10%, because if you don't, it'll just be split between the authors and StoryBundle--and while we're deserving, we're not half as deserving as AbleGamers. Here's what you should know about them:

AbleGamers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that enables people with disabilities to enjoy the amazing world of video games. In America alone, over 33 million gamers with disabilities need specialized, custom controllers and assistive technology in order to enter the same virtual worlds as everyone else. Since 2006 AbleGamers has enabled thousands of individuals with disabilities to have a greater quality of life by providing these expensive pieces of assistive technology to children, adults and veterans with disabilities who need help overcoming the social isolation being disabled can bring. AbleGamers has helped tens of thousands of people with disabilities through one-on-one consultation and building a customized solution for each individual, tailored to their specific needs.

For more information, please visit www.AbleGamers.org.

So really, you've got nothing to lose, and hours--no, days--of great reading to gain. All for whatever you're able to pony up. Is there a better deal in the book world? I think not. As MJ said to Peter Parker, "Go get 'em, Tiger!"

 

River Runs Red and ERB

RIVER RUNS RED has just been released by WordFire Press in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.

This is another in my series of reissues (edited anew, and somewhat rewritten) celebrating my 20th year as a novelist, released in beautiful uniform editions that I'm thrilled to have on my shelves. RIVER RUNS RED happens to be one of my own favorites of my novels, and I found as I was going through the galleys from the publisher that I was caught up in the suspense and excitement of the book--even though I obviously knew what would happen.

So instead of telling you about it myself, I'll let some of the biggest names in horror and thriller fiction tell you what they think:

"Based on actual government programs, Jeffrey J. Mariotte's RIVER RUNS RED is a fascinating blend of espionage and the occult with several jaw-dropping plot twists and one of the best action sequences I've read in a long time."

 --David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of FIRST BLOOD and THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROS

“Mariotte can flat out write. This is a smart, fast, terrific read. This river runs.”

--Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of THE FORCE and THE BORDER

"In RIVER RUNS RED, Jeffrey J. Mariotte seamlessly weaves our modern and ancient terrors into a breathless, fascinating novel of magic, murder, and friendship.  Mariotte's one hell of a writer, and this is his best work yet!"

--Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of ARARAT and THE PANDORA ROOM

"From creation to the apocalypse by way of El Paso:  Jeffrey J. Mariotte lures you out onto the surface of a real world that cracks like thin ice, plunging you into the bizarre."

--Andrew Klavan, author of TRUE CRIME and EMPIRE OF LIES

"A brisk and twisting thriller that builds to an intense climax. Mariotte stirs a rich cast of characters into his wicked black kettle, dashes in some supernatural spice, and serves up a satisfying stew. Mariotte delivers once again."

--Scott Nicholson, author of THEY HUNGER and THE GORGE

“With a cast of monsters and madmen, psychics and government spooks, ghosts and (yes) gods, RIVER RUNS RED is a thriller of apocalyptic proportions. Mariotte's latest reads like a clock-slamming game of fastblitz supernatural chess played out on a board stretching from the dungeons of Iraq to the deserts of the American Southwest. With an endgame fought on the dark rivers of the human soul, it’s a battle at once mythic and personal... and a surefire checkmate for readers everywhere.”

--Norman Partridge, author of DARK HARVEST and THE MAN WITH THE BARBED-WIRE FISTS

RIVER RUNS RED--my Texas novel--is largely set in and around El Paso. I spent a lot of time there, researching the area, including spending time at the mall where a terrorist recently murdered 22 innocents. I've written and spoken a lot about mass murder, and I'm not going to go into it now, except to say that if the book hadn't already been printed, I'd change the dedication to be to the 30,000+ Americans who die every year from gun violence.

It's available wherever books are sold--if a store doesn't have it in stock, they can order it (and yes, you should ask--nay, demand--that they do!).

Here's an assortment of places you can grab the ebook.

And various editions can be had from these vendors:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

Books a Million

In other news, last weekend I went to Willcox, AZ for the 2019 Dum-Dum, an annual gathering of Edgar Rice Burroughs fans. I drove down with pal Bob Boze Bell, publisher of True West magazine, artist, author, and raconteur, who was the event's keynote speaker. I met the great folks from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., and picked up their brand-new edition of Tarzan and the Valley of Gold, a movie adaptation (and then some!) by the great fantasist Fritz Leiber--the first-ever hardcover edition. The fans were warm and welcoming, and a good time was had.

MegaMania! 2019 and More!

A couple of weeks ago, Marcy and I had the pleasure of attending our first Western Writers of America annual convention. I'd hung out with some of the members before, at other events, but had never met so many at once. What a great group of people. Some were old friends, and I made some new ones, including meeting two authors I've read for years but had never managed to come face to face with: Clay Reynolds and Loren D. Estleman. I also did a panel on writing comics with pal David Morrell (father of Rambo, among many other great characters) and Kellen Cutsforth.

On Friday, I was presented with a finalist's certificate for my western novella "Byrd's Luck," which appears in the anthology THE UNTAMED WEST from Western Fictioneers.

The day after we got home, my finalist's certificate for the same story, from the Western Fictioneers' Peacemaker Awards arrived.

For any fan of Western fiction, the book is worth picking up in paperback (my preference) or ebook. If you have a Kindle reader, you can read the entire novelette in Amazon's free sample, but you'll still want to grab the book for all the other great stories within.

We'll also have copies with us on Saturday, July 13 at MegaMania! in Tucson, AZ. We'll have other books as well, and the library usually provides something as a giveaway. This annual event is a one-day comics/pop culture con put on by the Pima County Public Library. Here's our schedule:

1 PM - RM 3/RV 102
Writing Action Scenes

What makes for an effective action scene? How do you go about creating one? Ask pro authors Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell, and K.S. Merbeth

3 PM - RM 2/RV 112
Writing Together Workshop

How does co-writing work? Writing partners Marsheila Rockwell and Jeff Mariotte lead a workshop about co-writing.

4 PM - Signing Area
Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell, Tom Leveen

MISSING WHITE GIRL and Awards News

Let's get right to the big news: today is the release day for the WordFire Press edition of supernatural thriller MISSING WHITE GIRL!

Here's what's on the back cover:

"Terror in the borderlands…

"Lulu Lavender’s mixed-race family has been slaughtered, and she has been taken. But with the high-profile case of a missing white teenager from a wealthy family occupying the attention of law enforcement and the media, it’s left to sheriff’s lieutenant Buck Shelton and his small, rural office to find Lulu, if he can.

"To Buck’s growing horror, his quest leads him into a world he never knew existed, where the tendrils of an ancient evil reach right into the torn-from-the-headlines present. On the US/Mexico border, supernatural forces using vigilantes, drug dealers, and innocents as pawns clash in a bloody showdown—and not everyone will survive…"

Here's what's on the front cover:

Here's what the Tucson Weekly had to say: "MISSING WHITE GIRL is frequently enthralling. Mariotte hits upon some fascinating topics, including those of immigration and the Border Patrol, Mexican and American patriotism, and the terrible things people will do when they feel maligned and desperate. He throws in just enough grit and gore to appease action junkies, but doesn't use it as an easy selling point to the Saw crowd. But his true masterpiece is Buck Shelton. In his hero, he’s crafted one of the finest new sleuths in fiction."

The Douglas AZ Daily Dispatch said MISSING WHITE GIRL "offers a gripping supernatural thriller while weaving an insightful commentary about race and class on the U.S./Mexico border."

Bestselling thriller writer J. Carson Black said: "Jeff Mariotte's atmospheric supernatural thriller has stayed with me longer than I could have imagined. Perhaps it is because he captures a world I know intimately, the high desert along the border between the United States and Mexico. MISSING WHITE GIRL captures the mood and tenor of a place that has been at the forefront of the national news, and explores the harder truths that that can't be described in a sound bite. A family of mixed race is viciously murdered in their home. Their daughter Lulu is kidnapped. But Lieutenant Buck Shelton is hard pressed to find criminalists able to process the scene of this horrific mass murder and kidnapping, because all the county's resources have gone into searching for a missing white girl. The national news focuses solely on the pretty blonde from a wealthy, prominent family, her disappearance an excuse for another media circus. Meanwhile, Lulu, half black and half Hispanic, must fight for her life. There are many dynamics to the story, all of them informed by the deepening fissure on our border: a good man loses his job and is talked into joining a group of border vigilantes; a college professor's past life is revealed and nearly destroys him; Lulu is a hostage to people who want something from her that she cannot give. And there is the other white girl, a mysterious icon from another century, slowly making her way to the border crossing. Some desperately want her to get there, and others must stop her at any cost. All of these subplots are woven together seamlessly in a book that has a deep meaning for me personally. MISSING WHITE GIRL is one of the best books I've read this year."

MISSING WHITE GIRL is available now in paperback and ebook, and the hardcover will be along shortly. Although the book has been previously published, this edition has been substantially revised and updated. Even if you've read it, you haven't read it like this!

Here's more at WordFire's website. Baen Books has a free 15-chapter sample.

 

In other news, Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell and I are heading to Tucson for the Western Writers of America's annual convention. On Thursday I'm on a panel on comic books with bestselling author and genuinely awesome guy David Morrell, creator of Rambo, among others. On Friday I'll be at the Spur Awards Finalist's Luncheon, where my novelette "Byrd's Luck" is being honored as a finalist. The novelette was also nominated for a Peacemaker Award from the Western Fictioneers. It didn't win that either, but I'm thrilled with the dual nominations! If you have Kindle, you can download the sample from the Amazon page for the anthology THE UNTAMED WEST and read the entire novelette for free. If you like it, you can buy the book and get dozens of other terrific Western stories. If you don't like it--well, most of the stories aren't much like "Byrd's Luck," so you should buy it anyway!

Big News Day: Horror-, Western-, and Thriller-related

So much news today, it's hard to know where to begin.

No, on second thought, I guess it's not. The biggest news of the day has to be the release of my novel The Slab.

I wrote this one years ago--I'd actually started it before 9/11, inspired in part by the experience of a couple of relatives, including my father, coping with Alzheimer's Disease. Then 9/11 happened, and it twisted in whole new directions, and helped me process both how I felt about the event and its aftermath. The book is set during that aftermath, and it's horror on an epic scale, all set amidst the weirdness of California's Slab City and Salton Sea environs.

Here are some quotes from a few reviews, upon its original publication:

"Mariotte manages both thought-provoking juxtaposition and lizard-brain satisfaction as he plays out the large cast of characters across this hard and relentless landscape. His serial killers are just original enough to catch readers by surprise and he neatly ties together the threads of random magic, post-traumatic stress syndrome, a subtle supernatural invasion and an upper-class attack on a lower class landscape." -- Rick Kleffel at Trashotron.com

"The Slab is one of those books that transports back to a time when you first started to fall in love the genre. It reminds of some of the great horror novels of the '80's. That's not to say the novel feels dated, not by any means. What I'm trying to say, remember those books that had a a roller-coaster fun heart, with a huge cast of characters, that kept you turning each page under the covers long after your parents told you to go to sleep." -- Ginger Nuts of Horror

"This novel is so jam packed with action, morality plays, and diversity, that in lesser hands than Mariotte's it could have easily become confusing. If you have ever read and enjoyed those epic horror novels from the 70's and 80's (think Dan Simmons's work) where you were immersed in a sprawling world of rich characterization, smart plotting, and enough sub-plotting where the horror was deliberately episodic and horrifying, The Slab will be the perfect read for you." -- TT Zuma, Horror World.org

It's been around for a while, but even if you've read it before, you haven't read it like this! WordFire Press is putting out five of my favorite novels in new, uniform editions, in celebration of my 20th year as a novelist. To that end, I've gone through each book and revised and re-edited, so these are truly the author's preferred texts. The Slab is now available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook. Here are some links to buy:

WordFire
Baen Books (free sample here, just click on the cover)
Books2Read.com
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
And for some reason, Amazon has the hardcover separate from the other formats, here.

As for the other news? Well, a while back I mentioned that my western novella "Byrd's Luck," from the anthology The Untamed West, was a finalist for the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Now I've learned that it's also nominated for the Peacemaker Award from the Western Fictioneers. The Untamed West was published by Western Fictioneers--it's what they do instead of charging authors dues, so I was proud to contribute to it and to see it lead off the book. I'm doubly proud to have it recognized and honored by the two most prestigious awards in the field of western fiction.

Because it's the first story in the book, you can use the "Look Inside" feature at the book's Amazon page and read the first several chapters of "Byrd's Luck" for free.

Finally--because three's a charm--my Italian publisher, La Corte Editore, launched their Italian translation of my novel Narcos: The Jaguar's Claw in a big way, at the International Salon of Books in Turin, Italy. Just check out these photos from the event!

Of course, if you read English better than Italian, you can pick it up here, via US/UK publisher Titan Books. Incidentally, it's also nominated for an award--the prestigious Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers!

20 Years of #Horror Novels!

My first novel, GEN13: NETHERWAR--a horror novel written with my pal Christopher Golden--was a horror novel disguised as a superhero novel. It was released in 1999.

In 2019, in celebration of my 20th year as a novelist, WordFire Press (publishers of my thriller EMPTY ROOMS) is bringing out brand new editions of some of my favorite horror/supernatural thriller novels between now and the end of the year. More details when a schedule is set, but what I can tell you is that I have been back over every single line of these books, so you can consider these the "Author's Preferred" editions. Even if you've read them, you haven't read them like this. They'll be available in every format: paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audio.

The first one up, THE SLAB, has never been reprinted since the original edition from IDW Publishing back in 2003, so it's possible some of you have never even seen a copy. Jim McLeod at Ginger Nuts of Horror said, "“The Slab is one of those books that transports you back to a time when you first started to fall in love with the genre.” And at HorrorWorld.org, TT Zuma wrote, "If you have ever read and enjoyed those epic horror novels from the 70s and 80s (think Dan Simmons’s work) where you were immersed in a sprawling world of rich characterization, smart plotting, and enough subplotting where the horror was deliberately episodic and horrifying, The Slab will be the perfect read for you."

After that comes MISSING WHITE GIRL (I'm posting in what I believe will be the order of release).

This book was originally published long before Gillian Flynn started the fad of "Girl" titles, proving that I'm once again ahead of my time. And the subject matter is more relevant than ever, considering the drama going on around our southern border and the politics involved.

The newspaper ofthe border city of Douglas, AZ--where much of the book is set--said, "Missing White Girl offers a gripping supernatural thriller while weaving an insightful commentary about race and class on the U.S./Mexico border."

As with the other books in this set, I went over every word of this one, so you've never read it quite like this. And as the others, it'll be issued in multiple formats as part of this uniform 20th-anniversary celebratory series.

 

RIVER RUNS RED earned praise from masters of suspense and horror like Don Winslow (The Border), David Morrell (Rambo's creator, among other accolades, Christopher Golden (Ararat), and more.

Considering Morrell's career output, I'm especially fond of his line: "River Runs Red is a fascinating blend of espionage and the occult with several jaw-dropping plot twists and one of the best action sequences I've read in a long time." But I kinda like Don's, too: "Mariotte can flat out write. This is a smart, fast, terrific read. This river runs."

This one and THE SLAB are my two works of epic horror, and I pretty much love both of them. I hope you will, too.

 

COLD BLACK HEARTS comes next. I originally sold MISSING WHITE GIRL to Penguin's Jove imprint, then offered them RIVER RUNS RED. They bought that plus an unwritten third book that I hadn't even started thinking about yet. That was when I realized that both previous books had three-word titles containing a color--it literally had not occurred to me before I had to figure out what the third book would be.

For the first time ever, a publisher has actually gone to the trouble of making the cover of each book predominantly the color mentioned in the title (if you missed the other two, scroll down on my page for them). That's a minor thing, but it's nice to have some thought put into it.

 

Last, but definitely not least, is SEASON OF THE WOLF. Once again, this is essentially a new book, since it's been rewritten and re-edited. It was originally a concept for a graphic novel, but when I started work on it, it gravitated toward this form instead. I'm glad it did. If this cover doesn't catch your eye, nothing will. At The Arched Doorway, Rebecca Lovatt wrote, "Season of the Wolf is a quick read, but it’s one that imparts an important message about the delicate balance between our actions and nature. Mariotte turns the tables, and shows us what it’s like to be among the hunted, not one of the hunters — having our safe havens invaded and taken away, friends and family killed and shown no mercy.  It’s a great read, and while it doesn’t fit into my usual genre, I believe that any reader, whether they enjoy mystery, thrillers, fantasy or just fiction in general will find something in Season of the Wolf that will draw them in.