I’m doing a single event in June… on June 20th, at 7PM, I’ll be at Water Street Books, in Exeter, New Hampshire, to interview Rio Youers about his spectacular supernatural thriller, The Forgotten Girl (additional details here). Rio has been knocking around in the small press world for over a decade, but Forgotten Girl is his first mainstream release with a major publisher. If you’ve been hunting for a feverishly paced, furiously tense, and often hilarious summer read, your search is over.

I’m so excited for people to discover The Forgotten Girl that we’re running a special offer at the event. Show up, buy a copy of the novel, and pick up Rio’s autograph while you’re at it. The first 50 people in line for Rio’s signature will be handed a signed copy of one of my comics.

A few notes and provisos:

I’ll be there for the conversation, but when we move to the autographing stage of the evening, I’m out the door. This is Rio’s signing, not mine; I won’t be signing copies of my books. Don’t ask, because I’ll have to say no and make us both feel bad.

The signed comic giveaway is limited to one issue per buyer. If you buy a dozen copies of The Forgotten Girl, that would make you awesome, but you’d still only get one comic. You don’t get to pick which signed comic you get – that’s up to Rio, who will be in charge of the stack. It’ll be a random mess of titles (Locke & Key, The Cape, Wraith, etc.) so there’s no way to guess which one you’ll be handed.

Finally, unexpectedly, frustratingly – the 20th is also the night of the Exeter Classic Bike Race. The road directly in front of the bookstore will be closed to drivers and it won’t be possible to park at the store. We all only just found out about the race. The event is happening all the same. Park in the nearby municipal lot and we’ll see you there.
These just turned up – advance readers copies of the new book. If this ever stops being a thrill, I’ll know it’s time to find a new job. Strange Weather will be available in hardcover, everywhere, at the end of October.

Hey, speaking of Water Street Books… if you want a signed copy of Strange Weather shipped right to you, they can help you out with that.

Earlier this year, Skelton Crew, IDW, and myself launched a new collectable, the Biblio Key, with the purpose of raising money for free speech and education. Locke & Key readers responded in unstoppable waves. You guys are awesome. We ultimately raised $9,980 and divided it evenly between the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund), 826 Valencia (a non-profit that teaches writing skills to kids in underfunded school districts), and Donors Choose.

Because of you guys, Mrs. Marsicano has the gear to make electric toy cars with her class; Ms. Delany will have copies of The Outsiders for her class (stay gold, kids); and Mrs. Liggin will be able to teach The Martian. We ultimately completed projects for something like 20+ classrooms, each in a different state.

We’ll have to do this Biblio Key thing again sometime soon and see if we can’t help folks out in all the states we missed (Next time, California!).

Thanks everyone – you da best.

Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth is a slim little hardcover that collects two stories from Keyhouse’s haunted past – “Open the Moon” and “Grindhouse,” a pair of hard-to-find tales that were first published a few years back. Oh, and Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode make a return appearance in a third story, “In The Can.” I know a lot of people have thought this series was headed for the toilet for years… it turns out they were right!

You’ll be able to find this in stores in mid-August (although I heard from an inside source that there will also be advance copies available for the lucky few who are able to make it to the IDW table at San Diego Comic Con).

And just a few months after Heaven & Earth lands, Locke & Keyco-creator Gabriel Rodriguez is launching his own gorgeously illustrated title, Sword of Ages. Gabe isn’t just one of the greatest artists working in comics. He’s also an expert at narrative, someone who knows exactly what parts of a story to tell and how to tell them. Sword of Ages promises to be a title for the ages. Get it on your pull list.
That’s enough out of me. Thanks for giving me as much of your time as you do. As the DJ Chris Carter says, it’s important not to overstay your welcome, or you’ll never be welcome to stay over. Think of me fondly; I promise to do the same for you.