Question of the Day #43: What is your opinion on Ron Howard as Director for 'The Dark Tower' series?

King made an excellent decision in choosing Ron Howard for The Dark Tower series but I don't think their idea to do a trilogy would cover all seven books.  Although, I'm sure Ron Howard doesn't want to spend the next 10+ years on one massive project either.  So I could see why they would want to do it as a trilogy as opposed to what they did with the Harry Potter movies.  What do you think? 

*Post your thought and opinions in comments.

'The Dark Tower' now in Ron Howard's hands

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot production company, which has long sought to crack Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" book series as a television series, no longer has the rights to one of the author's biggest properties.

Bad Robot has returned the rights to the best-selling author. Now Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman are teaming up to tackle the fantasy Western.

The three are in discussions to adapt the material as a movie, to be written by Goldsman and directed by Howard, that would lead to a TV series produced by Imagine's small-screen division.

"Tower" is not set up for production, nor has any option deal been made, but insiders say Universal, home to full story

Ron Howard is such a gifted filmmaker, directing films such as The Da Vinci Code, and A Beautiful Mind (This is a  film I will never forget as long as I live.  I still think Russell Crowe should have won Best Actor for that film.  He won Best Actor in my book.)  The Dark Tower films would be epic and they would blow LOTR out of the water.  Let casting for Roland begin....

Simon and Schuster 'Blockade Billy' audio clip

Blockade Billy audio clip at Simon and Schuster read by Craig Wasson.  Craig Wasson sounds great for this audio.  You almost feel like you are having a one on one conversation with the storyteller.    Pre-Order Now


 

Question of the Day #42: Would you like to see an annual convention held in honor of Stephen King and would you attend? What would you like to see it named?

Yes, there should be an annual convention in honor of SK possibly named King-Con, DarkTower-Con, or StephenKing-Con.  Now that would be a convention worth attending.  Let's see, Marvel artists Jae Lee, Veritigo artists,  Dark Tower artists, movie stars, authors, King rockin' out with the The Rock Bottom Remainders, round-table discussions, collectibles, the possibility of purchasing rare signed books firsthand, SK clothing.....   Heck yeah, I would make every effort to attend any convention that involved Stephen King.  Now I ask you, why hasn't this happened yet?!?  We need a place to celebrate our favorite author and his lifetime of work!!!!

*Post your thoughts or opionions in comments.

Some of the many lessons learned from Stephen King

Stephen King has taught me many things over the years. He taught me that if I'm suffering from serious obesity, the best diet plan is provoking an old gypsy woman. He warned me that no teenage girl likes having her prom interrupted with a pig-blood shower. He contributed the healthy reminder that the clown who lives in the sewer probably isn't friendly and I don't want to take his balloons, whether they float or not.

But if there's any lesson that Stephen King felt the desire to teach over and over again, and a lesson that I've taken to heart, it's this one: If a cultured, European man moves into your small town and opens a shop specializing in the sort of top-end merchandise nobody in your town would ever normally purchase, he's most likely either a vampire or Satan. And in either case, you may want to start investigating property values in a neighboring town. For full article on Hit Fix or visit his blog  Daniel Fienberg on the Fien Print

Stephen King's Favorite book of 2009

This article was printed back in December but I just found it today LA Times. 

The Litte Stranger by Sarah Waters

'Alan Wake' video game inspired by SK's works-6 years in the making

The much-anticipated video game Alan Wake inspired by the works of Stephen King and Lost  is rated T due out 05/18/10.  This game takes gaming to a new level.  Now this is a game for our family.  I have one word for this game, WOW!  Preorder Now




Article on Examiner.com
News video about the game Scoop Independant News
The Prequel is a six-part live action vid
Episodes 1: Oh Deer and  2: Time Flies watch on Bright Falls.com
Episode 3               05/07/10
Episode 4               05/13/10
Episode 5 and 6     05/17/10




                            

Stephen King brings supernatural mystery to Syfy with 'Haven'

Stephen King brings supernatural mystery to Syfy with 'Haven'

Posted using ShareThis

The Hollywood Reporter another article here.

Haven Official Website

Question of the Day #41: Has anyone asked you what types of books you like to read and when you tell them Stephen King's books they look at you like you have a problem?

Yes, this has happened to me on several occasions through the years.  Honestly people, they are just books! I want to tell them geeze, I'm not evil  because I  like to read SK's books. If the people who completely clam up, crease their eyebrows, or look surprised would just give his books a chance they may  find some of his literature very entertaining with hours of reading pleasure.  His books are not all "Doom and Gloom", so to speak.


Here is an example of some of the responses that I have received, this happened to me on Facebook:  I posted that I was waiting in line overnight to meet my favorite author Stephen King for a book signing.  My friends on FB were asking, "YOU like him?" I told them that it had been a dream of mine to meet him for years. (Again, you must be a weirdo, came through in the posts.) I only had one or two people seem sincerely happy for me.  I even had posters tell me that they thought he was weird--but not one name caller had read any of his books. (Imagine that.)  I seriously doubt they had ever read or watched any of his interviews either.  His interviews are engaging and funny, even if you aren't a fan.  He has never come through as a weirdo during any interview that I have seen.  Even one of my FB friend's favorite movies was Shawshank Redemption and was totally unaware that King had written that one. (That was funny.) They have this pop culture perception of him that I feel is just wrong. The media has tried to paint a darker picture of him that I feel may discourage some people from reading his books which in my opinion, is a crying shame. The thing that is so cool about SK is that he is just a regular, "down to earth" guy, who cares about his readers and people in general. Stephen King has worked his whole life to provide enjoyment, through reading, to the masses.  Sorry to be so wordy, but this has been bugging me for a very long time.

*Post your opinions or thoughts in comments.

Question of the Day #40: Is there a book, short story or novella that you would like SK to revisit or elaborate more on?

Personally, I would like Stephen King to write another novel about vampires either somehow connected to 'Salems Lot or a completely different vampire novel all together.  American Vampire's Skinner Sweet is another vampire created by SK but that is only supposed to be only five measly issues (not enough IMO.)  I wonder if he will contribute again at some point later on?  I'll have to keep my eyes and ears open for that one. Whoa, what if at some point he wrote an entire novel on Skinner Sweet?     

*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.

Question of the Day #39: Hey SK readers, where are you from?

Brookeville, MD is my blogspot. :)  I love everything about Maryland.  There is just one word for Springtime in and around Brookeville, gorgeous.  The Cherry Blossom, Dogwood and all the other flowering trees make this area so beautiful, you almost feel like you are in a storybook  fantasy driving down the streets lined with all of these wonderful trees.  Brookeville has that hometown feeling, without having to live in a small town.  Even though it is seated so close to Baltimore and Washington, DC our town has managed keep nature close at hand.  One of my most favorite things to do is leave my home early to pick up my son from school, open the sunroof of my car, and read my most current Stephen King book while waiting.  There is usually a nice refreshing breeze while drenching me in the warmth of the sun.  Ahhhhhhh!


*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.


View Larger Map

Question of the Day #38: Are there any other author's books you like, that like SK's are in the horror genre?

In the past few years, I've read his books almost exclusively.  For me, these are the only other authors that I have read in the horror genre. I would love to have some other suggestions on other authors that the readers here feel are worth the read. Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this subject.   


Anne Rice Interview With A Vampire
Neil Gaiman (audiobook) The Graveyard Book
G.P. Taylor (young readers) Shadowmancer, Wormwood
F.E. Higgins (ages 12 and up) The Black Book Of Secrets
Joe Hill  Heart-Shaped Box


All of these books, I felt had a great concept that made me want to read any following books in the series or other books by the same author. I still need to finish or "catch up" on some of these series.


*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.

Question of the Day #37: Do you think SK's new novella Blockade Billy will be made into a movie?

Yes, I believe it will be adapted for screenplay.


*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.

Question of the Day #36: Are you reading Blockade Billy yet?

Yes, I started reading Blockade Billy but it isn't the hard copy yet.  The email came last evening that my book shipped. Since our home is only about an hour away from Cemetery Dance, it should be here today.  The reviews were so good that I downloaded the digital editon for my nook by Barnes and Noble.  The last game baseball game I saw was the Padres live in San Diego about 6-8 years ago when I lived there.  A fan of baseball I am not, but the novella is quite good.  My goal is to spend more time today reading. :-D          

 This was posted in an email 4/20/10 directly from Cemetery Dance:

As USA TODAY noted in their terrific review of the book this morning, the Cemetery Dance 1st Edition/1st Printing of Blockade Billy is SUPER LIMITED compared to the 500,000 copies Scribner is printing of their edition, which is due out at the end of May. For anyone who was worried that this other edition might be collectible, we suspect that number says it all. In fact, we think their huge print run will actually make our tiny 10,000 copy 1st printing even more collectible in the years to come. If you want a copy of our limited first printing, you can still place an order today while supplies last!

*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.


                                                                                                                

REVIEW: 'Blockade Billy': Stephen King's pitch-perfect baseball mystery

'Blockade Billy': Stephen King's pitch-perfect baseball mystery

Honoree Stephen King to appear in LA

15th Annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner
(Reposted from the Library Foundation Of Los Angeles Calendar)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 6:00 PM

HONOREES: STEPHEN KING & THE AHMANSON FOUNDATION Share On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, the 15th Annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles hosts the Library Awards Dinner each spring to help augment critical funding. The proceeds of the 2010 Awards Dinner will help the Los Angeles Public Library provide reading enrichment and literacy programs and related books and materials, educational and cultural activities for all ages, and public access to the latest electronic information resources.

During the dinner, two honorees will be celebrated for outstanding achievement:

•The Literary Award is awarded to a writer for his or her contribution to literature. This year the award will be given to Stephen King.

•The Light of Learning Award is given in recognition of an individual or organization that has made outstanding contribution to reading, libraries, and learning. The award this year will go to The Ahmanson Foundation.

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1973, he began teaching high school English classes at the public high school. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co. accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 40 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, American Library Association’s 1978 and 1981 Best Books for Young Adults. King lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.

The Ahmanson Foundation was incorporated in 1952 as a private foundation with initial funding from financier Howard F. Ahmanson and his wife, Dorothy Grannis Ahmanson. Ahmanson was passionately committed to community building—building the fiber of the community itself, its culture, its education, its social fabric. He believed that the business community had a responsibility to contribute to the community at large and that money he had earned in Southern California should be spent in Southern California. Following his death in 1968, the Foundation’s corpus was augmented and the Board of Trustees grew to include distinguished and visionary community members. While The Foundation’s grantmaking has evolved to meet the challenges of a Los Angeles far more complex than it was in 1952, the simple principle of building community for the common good remains a constant anchor. The Foundation has donated over $4.3 million to the Library Foundation of Los Angeles beginning with the Save the Books campaign and annually supporting children, youth and technology programs

15th Annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner
Make a Reservation for visit above link:


$50,000.00 Diamond
$25,000.00 Platinum
$12,500.00 Gold
$7,500.00 Silver
$500.00 Individual
To reserve more than 10 tickets for one program, call (213) 228-7025.

I am pleased to hear he will be receiving this award.  If anyone deserves it, it is you SK!  Congrats.

PS Publishing in the UK publishing Stephen King's One For The Road

Stephen King's Short Story One For The Road is being published in storybook form by PS Publishing.  The art does look amazing.   

I reposted this article originally written by Peter Crowther on April 16th, 2010 at 13:00 PS Publishing  The original source for this news was Lilja's Library.

Hi, folks;

Well, this one’s a little late, isn’t it? What can I say: the run-up to World Horror in Brighton was insane — what with trying to successfully launch fifteen books in one month — but we pulled it off. After World Horror, of course, we had to get home and start mailing out copies of those books to the people who’d placed orders for them — no rest for the wicked, I guess!

One For The Road – highly collectable illustrated Stephen King storybook ready to ship

A few words about One For The Road, our very special Stephen King storybook. Due to many requests from folks who simply couldn’t afford to stump up the loot for a five-year sub to our twice-yearly anthology, we’ve offered copies for sale individually, albeit at a pricepoint that wouldn’t annoy those who forked out for the sub.

This special landscape jacketed hardcover features 18 brand new full-page and full-color illustrations from PS favourite James Hannah, whose work has already graced the covers for Elizabeth Hand’s Illyria, Mark Samuels’s The Face Of Twilight, Graham Joyce’s TWOC, and Ray Bradbury’s classic triptych of The October Country, The Halloween Tree and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The book will be in two states: an unsigned jacketed hardcover (500 copies) and a 100-copy slipcased hardcover signed by James. Take up has been brisk on the 100-copy signed edition, so be warned – these won’t sit in the warehouse for long!

And until the end of the month we’ll be throwing in an extra standard edition to everyone who stumps up for the top state. (And yes, that offer applies to everyone who has already pre-ordered.)

■One For The Road by Stephen King – unsigned jacketed hardback (£75)

■One For The Road by Stephen King – slipcased hardback, signed by the artist (£175)

This widget added to Musical References

Currently I am trying to get all the song clips from the books I have, if I can't find them on Amazon.com I will have to use other sources at a later time.  These are for Rose Madder, Insomnia, and Delores Claiborne.

Question of the Day #35: Do you think Christian Slater performed the character Dolan well?

Yes, I feel that Christian Slater did a great job of first playing the sleazy criminal, then the sniveling, desperate lowlife that he most certainly was.  I feel that he captured what SK was hoping for in the original story.  Wes Bentley's performace was memorable as Robinson, to me he was believable.  The "Arc Of Descent" scene in the classroom was classic.  (Robinson reminded me of one of the zombies from Cell. lol)  The Sreenwriter for the film Dolan's Cadillac (2009) was Richard Dooling Author of The Journals Of Eleanor Druse.  My husband and I especially liked the first shot Robinson took with handgun of the decade.  That will be a memorable scene for us (we may have woke up our son.)  The movie was engaging and good overall, which at times for me is difficult with all the technology available.  I wonder what SK thought of Dolan's Cadillac?





*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.

Question of the Day #34: What is the most recent Stephen King film that you have seen lately?

While channel surfing the movie channels about a week ago, I came across Delores Claiborne.  (Couldn't resist, I had to watch it again. lol)  Kathy Bates gave another priceless performance.



*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments

Question of the Day #33: Where do you most like to read SK's books?

The place I most like to read SK's books is on that Godforsaken treadmill!!  If it weren't for his books, that treadmill would have been sold a long time ago.  At least I can kill two birds with one stone, right?  



*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.

The many states of Blockade Billy

Cemetery Dance Limited Print Run:  Blockade Billy 10,000 copies with limited ed. baseball card of William "Blockade Billy" Blakely 04/20/10  This edition was limited to 3 per household.
Cemetery Dance 2nd Printing :  This Edition is for Libraries only.
Cemetery Dance Signed Limited Edition:  350 Signed Limited Edition (see earlier post for description)
Cemetery Dance Signed Limited Lettered Edition:  52 Special Edition (see earlier post for description)

Scribner:   Mass Market Hardcover Edition
                     Audiobook
                     eBook 04/20/10

IMO there are way more than 10,000 Constant Readers worldwide.  I like the fact that King and his publishers are trying to make this edition available to all those who a.) might not have known about Cemetery Dance's edition or b.) couldn't get it before they sold out or c.) just aren't that interested in all the bells and whistles.

Scribner to make Blockade Billy with Morality available also information on the eBook versions

Cemetery Dance, Scribner, and Stephen King have come to an agreement to make Blockade Billy with Morality (another hardcover editon) available to US and Canadian retail stores on May 25th, 2010. This is the  same day the audiobook of Blockade Billy with Morality by Simon and Schuster will be released.  The Scribner price will be less than the original limited edition published by Cemetery Dance.  A digital version will be available to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Sony on April 20, 2010.

(Special Thanks to D for link to Morality I actually forgot that I posted this link on an earlier blog.  I have been dealing with so much information that I need to go back and read my previous posts sometimes.Whew!)

Question of the Day #32: Did you sign up for the lottery to purchase Special Editions of Blockade Billy?

I wonder what my odds are?  Well, let's see there are 402 books up for grabs and how many people trying to get 1 or 2 of those 402 books?  I'm not holding my breath but it is worth a try. 

IT Unabridged Audiobook: Update

Release date May 13, 2010

Calendar updated at the bottom of the page.

Blockade Billy Random Drawing for Deluxe Signed Lettered Edition and Deluxe Signed Edition

Cemetery Dance Random Drawing Page Enter the drawing for a chance to own a special book of Blockade Billy in two forms. 

(Posted on Cemetery Dance website)
HOW WINNERS ARE SELECTED AND NOTIFIED:

Winners will be selected after the deadline and notified via email. If you do not respond within 24 hours, we will pick another winner. After all of the winners are selected, we will notify everyone who entered.

SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE EDITIONS:

• Limited Edition: just 350 copies featuring a fine leather binding, two color printing throughout the book, a color frontispiece by Glen Orbik, eleven interior illustrations by Alex McVey, a sewn-in ribbon page marker, a custom deluxe traycase with pullout ribbon, an illustrated signature sheet signed by the artists, and Stephen King's first-ever baseball card, SIGNED by King as his way of signing this special edition. Also includes a copy of the authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card Cemetery Dance printed for their 1st edition hardcover ($450)

• Lettered Edition: 52 copies with all of the special features of the Limited Edition plus a "THREE PIECE" binding featuring a special Japanese cloth and a fine leather, an exclusive artwork page in each book featuring an original piece of artwork to make EACH copy unique, a bonus art portfolio featuring Limited Edition prints of the artwork from the book, and a deluxe hand-made custom box ($1,250)

DEADLINE:

We will remove the "add to cart" button from this page on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 4 PM EST. That is the deadline for entering.

Please note: all decisions of Cemetery Dance are final and we are not responsible for entries or responses that are lost for any reason.

(No coupons, discounts, Gift Certificates, Savings Certificates, or store credit of any kind can be used on the special editions.)

If I win the chance to purchase the Lettered Copy it is going to cost me my eye teeth. LOL

Friday Night Delight-Penguin audiobook releases Audio Clips

Visit stephenking.com to listen to all the new Audio Clips.
Go to:   Main Page
Select:  The Library
Select:  Audiobooks
Select:  Released Tab for Newest to Oldest

Blockade Billy HC announced as 10,000 Ltd. Edition-Esquire's Morality

This just in....Blockade Billy HC w/ William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card published by Cemetery Dance will not be available to those who pre-ordered the Ltd. Ed. HC through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.   There is simply not going to be enough Ltd. Ed. copies to go around due to high demand from Constant Readers (like you and I).  Also, there are so many that are already promised to libraries.   This Ltd. Ed. (not a numbered edition) but is limited to just 10,000 copies is already over 80% sold.  Stephen King and publisher Cemetery Dance is trying to make Blockade Billy available to all  of his Constant Readers before the release of Blockade Billy in audiobook format on May 28, 2010.  There should be some word on what they are going to do about this dilemma soon.

(posted from SKMB Forums:News by Ms. Mod.) But if you want that one-of-a-kind authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card which has time-traveled all the way from 1957, place your order online with Cemetery Dance.

Morality previously published in Esquire will be available on the new audiobook realeased by Simon and Schuster.

Posted with permission Cemetery Dance

Question of the Day #32: Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, do you prefer listening to the book over reading it?

Our family has on occasion, listened to audiobooks especially on road trips.  We find that trips fly by with a good audiobook.  We have listened to  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, LT's Theory Of Pets and UR by Stephen King to name a few.  In my opinion, reading vs. listening are both equally satisfying.  I find it most enjoyable to listen to an audiobook with another person (for me, a family member.)    


 *Post your thoughts or opinions in the comments section.

Narrator for audiobook Blockade Billy has been announced

Craig Wasson ( Answers.com) has been announced today as the person reading Blockade Billy.  I don't know much about Craig Wasson but the guy who read UR Holter Graham (Listen to an interview with Holter Graham) did a great job.

Very short snippet of Holter Graham on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X9MvzK8eW4

Question of the Day #31: What do you think the dark secret William "Blockade Billy" Blakely will possess?

(Just my guess, I have no inside information whatsoever!)  William "Blockade Billy" Blakely  is removed from baseball records  for having some dark secret, so I think he is a devil worshipper who is a serial rapist and murderer.  In a sport that is supposed to be All-American Apple Pie he will have no good qualities, except for baseball, that is. (Ted Bundy type of character) .  Countdown to Blockade Billy 13 days.


*Post your thoughts or opinions in the comments section.

Catching up with updates after a busy weekend: Titles and Synopses for Full Dark, No Stars and Blockade Billy Audiobook

Posted on stephenking.com message board on 4/2/10 Forums: News.  The story titles and plot synopses for Full Dark, No Stars are:

1922
The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father.

Big Driver
Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences.

Fair Extension
Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay.

A Good Marriage
Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage.

Blockade Billy will be released in audiobook form by Simon and Schuster on May 25, 2010.  ($14.99 Retail) The narrator will be Craig Wasson actor from Body Double (1984).  I noticed he was born in Eugene, Oregon.  That's not too far from where my husband grew up.  Cool.  

Question of the Day #30: Okay, now what did you think about the new short story Sparklers?

LOL, funny huh?  The SKMB is the BEST message board on the planet!! LOVE YOU SKMB!

Sparklers