How’s it going out there?

I’m freshly married, I get to be 45 years old for a few more days, and I’ve got Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on vinyl, so my summer is off on the right foot. I have a book to write, which makes me happy. Some days the work is good. Some days it isn’t. So that’s like every other job. I also wrote a bunch of what I thought might be an ongoing comic strip for Escape Hatch, but now I think maybe it’s a new comic book, or possibly a TV pilot, I’m still not sure. I think it’s fun though. Rough but fun.

I’m laying low this summer to get some scribbling done, and be a husband, and a father, and to read a bit. I planned for quiet and that’s what I’ve got — although there are two events in June I ought to mention.

Rock star writer Celeste Ng’s second novel, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, split the pop culture atom and has ruled the bestseller list for so long it’s creeping up on GONE GIRL territory. No surprise there. It’s a wonderful book, with characters that live on in the imagination long after you’ve read the last chapter. Like her gripping first novel, EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU, it’s compassionate but unflinching, has the propulsion of a thriller and the exquisite insights and composition of fine literature.

It’s my great pleasure to have a chance to chat with her on June 7th, at 7PM, in the Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and believe me we’ve got a lot to talk about: I mean to pick her brain about her process and approach in a desperate attempt to learn as much as I can from her. Come on out and join us and get yer copy of LITTLE FIRES signed by the lady herself.

CITY OF RUST author and dewy-eyed international sex symbol C. Robert Cargill and I will be getting together at the Harvard Coop in Boston on June 12th, at 7PM, to talk about his new collection, WE ARE WHERE THE NIGHTMARES GO, and mine, STRANGE WEATHER. Expect geekery: Cargill was also midwife to the DOCTOR STRANGE movie, and the malevolent mind behind SINISTER and SINISTER 2, a pair of great modern horror flicks. Oh, and he also wrote an episode of LOCKE & KEY with me for the planned Hulu show, back when that was a thing. So I’m sure we’ll talk about that too.

Speaking of LOCKE & KEY….
News broke at the beginning of the week that LOCKE & KEY has a series order at Netflix. Third time’s the charm, maybe? We’ll see. My heart remains optimistic.

And if you miss the books, why don’t you do yourself a favor and hunt down SWORD OF AGES, the visionary title crafted by my LOCKE & KEY co-creator Gabriel Rodriguez, doing some of the most exciting, ambitious, breath-taking work of his life. It’s one of the best films of the summer: it just happens to be on the page instead of the screen.
My book of four novellas, STRANGE WEATHER, is just as much fun to read now as it was when it came out last fall! If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, it’s not too late for us to be friends. If you HAVE picked up your copy, admit it: it’s the ultimate birthday present to give to your loved ones. Nothing wrong with buying additional copies as gifts. Especially when you realize STRANGE WEATHER is out in paperback on June 26th. Mark your calendar.
If you’re looking for something else to read, I can make a few recommendations:
My brother, Owen King (Sleeping Beauties, Double Feature), has a great new story available over at Ploughshares; I read an earlier draft last year and don’t mind saying it was one of the very, very best things I read in 2017. At $2 it’s cheap as a candy bar, but better for you, because it’s full of essential nutrients.
If you want to give your eyes a rest, you can always throw this one on your turntable and use your ears instead:
“Dark Carousel” is a brand new longish short story by yours dearly, and you can find it on vinyl at discriminating book and record stores. Locating a copy is a bit of a quest… it’s a limited run of an oddball item. But I spotted one in a B&N the other day, so it’s out there to be found. I believe that Water Street Books in Exeter, NH, is also still delivering signed copies, if you want to give them a shot.

Happy.