RobertMcCammon.com Site Updates -- 2008

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News and Updates Archive -- 2008

2008-12-15 — New Forewords Online

GONE SOUTH TPB cover


2008-12-11 — YouTube video

  • YouTube user Viorica8597 has created a video telling the story of Magistrate Isaac Woodward from Speaks the Nightbird using clips from the movie To Kill a King. You can view the video on YouTube.


2008-12-10 — New French release of Bethany's Sin paperback

  • French publisher Bragelonne, under their Milady imprint, is releasing a new paperback edition of La Malédiction de Bethany, a French translation of Robert McCammon's Bethany's Sin. The translation is by Jacques Guiod (who translated the book for the original Pocket release), and the book's cover art is by Anne-Claire Payet. The book will be released on February 6, 2009.


2008-11-13 — More vintage book covers

Italian BCE of MINE


2008-10-30 — Another Update from Robert McCammon

Hi all. I wanted to report on what was happening with Mister Slaughter. Unfortunately we don't have a publisher yet, but never fear, we're still pushing ahead. The deal is that I just didn't think Pocket did a very good job with The Queen of Bedlam. There was no promotion at all (well, there was a small ad in the New York Times Review of Books, but that was because the publisher at Pocket liked the cover), and I just can't throw Mister Slaughter into the fire.

If you guys want to know where I am mentally, just read the commentaries in the new Pocket editions of Boy's Life and Gone South. I'm not saying you should buy them if you already have them, but take a look at those commentaries. They tell a harsh story, but it's where I am.

Due to the economy, publishers are buying fewer books and seem to be reluctant to put money in promotion or author's tours. If the book doesn't make X amount of profits, whoever championed that particular book gets his or her head cut off, because of the corporate structure of the publishing world. And in my particular case and the case of Pocket, I honestly think they have no idea how to promote the Matthew Corbett series. Really...I don't think they understand the books or see the potential in Matthew's story.

Wouldn't be the first time, guys. Recall that I had to fight to keep Boy's Life from being turned into a run-of-the-mill mystery piece, and that was only one of many fights I had with Pocket over the years.

So here I am again, similar to when I took Speaks the Nightbird home and thought I was done with publishing. This time, though, I have lots of options and I'm determined to continue Matthew's story to the finish. The problem is that sorting all this out is going to take some time, and I want to be careful that I find the right people in the business who'll help me continue on.

I had hoped that Mister Slaughter would be out in October of 2009, but it probably won't be. I'm cleaning house, and what I have to do may add several more months to the schedule.

One of the elements of Mister Slaughter is that Matthew is really beaten and bruised by Tyranthus Slaughter during the course of the book, but he never gives up. The book is about not quitting in the face of adversity, as a matter of fact. Matthew is not a quitter. He's a good example for me to follow, and that's what I intend to do.

Thank you for hanging in with me, and hopefully within a month or so, I'll have some better news.

Best Wishes,
Robert McCammon
October 30, 2008


2008-10-28 — Fan-created cover for Swan Song

  • Lauren Vinita has created a book cover for Swan Song that she'd like to see. You can see her complete cover in the Fan Art Gallery or by clicking on the image to the right. Thanks, Lauren!
Vinita SWAN SONG fantasy cover


2008-10-15 — Original artwork for British Boy's Life paperback

  • I recently found the website for artist Mark Salwowski, whose artwork was used for the cover of the British paperback edition of Boy's Life. The original artwork for that cover is available for sale on Mark's website, along with a bunch of other great artwork. You can also find downloadable wallpapers and more there. Mark has given me permission to add the scan of the original art to the Book Cover Gallery. Thanks, Mark!

    Click on the image to the right to see a larger version of the art.

Salwowski BOY'S LIFE artwork


2008-09-26 — French cover art for Le Visage du Mal

  • French publisher Bragelonne has published volume 2 of their translation of Speaks the Nightbird. Le chant de l'oiseau de nuit, Tome 2: Le Visage du Mal is available now. The cover artwork, shown on the right, has been added to the Book Cover Gallery. Thanks to Leslie at Bragelonne for the image!
STN Vol 2 French PB cover


2008-09-16 — An Update from Robert McCammon

Hi everybody,

I wanted to check in and tell you how much I appreciate your comments. I guess it would be a cliche to say that your positive response to my work is one of the major things that keep me going, but this doesn't make it any less true. A writer very often feels like he or she is working in the dark, so any candle of response is much appreciated. Again, thank you for taking the time to write in and let me know.

I finished Mister Slaughter in June, but I'm still waiting to see exactly when the book's going to be published. My agent and publisher are "in talks" (another cliche, I suppose, but again true) and I'm hoping to find out something within the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you what the future holds. Knowing from experience that nothing can be written in stone, my plan is to write a contemporary novel next, before I do the next Matthew Corbett book. It's about a rock band and is set in the summer of 2008, but that's about all I can say right now.

The Matthew Corbett books are a real challenge to do, with putting together the story and the research, and I've decided it would be fun (?) to do this book set in the here-and-now before getting started on the next Matthew story.

As a matter of fact, I hope to do another contemporary book after I finish the next Matthew book as well. I'm planning on doing seven more Matthew books, so it looks like I'm not going to be sitting around in retirement like I thought I was going to be a few years ago, so in that instance my crystal ball was severely cracked. And I'm glad it was, because I really am enjoying writing the Matthew series.

So...that's basically where I'm going for the next few years. At one point I'd hoped to be able to do a Matthew book every year, but they're too complicated for that and I do need some downtime between them. This idea about the band has really reached out and grabbed me, so we'll see. This is kinda scary for me because I haven't written a contemporary book for a good long while (as in many years).

Again, thanks for your comments and your participation on the website. Thanks for all your well-wishes and your appreciation of my work, and I'll talk to you again further along the way.

Best Wishes,
Robert McCammon


2008-09-13 — Still waiting and graphic reprint

  • We're still waiting for news about Mister Slaughter. As soon as I have anything to report, I'll post it!

  • In 1992, Innovation Books published a comic adaptation of Robert McCammon's short story "Nightcrawlers" in a series of graphic novels entitled J.N. Williamson's Masques. In January 2009, Checker Book Publishing will reprint some of those stories, including "Nightcrawlers," in a new hardcover edition, also titled J.N. Williamson's Masques. The book can be pre-ordered via Amazon.com now. The cover art is pictured at the right.
2009 MASQUES graphic novel reprint


2008-08-07 — New L'Heure du Loup paperback artwork

  • French publisher Bragelonne, under their Milady imprint, is releasing a new paperback edition of L'Heure du Loup, a French translation of The Wolf's Hour. The new cover artwork has been added to the Book Cover Gallery. Thanks to Leslie at Bragelonne for the image!
THE WOLF'S HOUR French PB cover


2008-08-01 — New Gone South trade paperback artwork

  • The new cover artwork for the upcoming Pocket Books trade paperback edition of Gone South has been added to the Book Cover Gallery. This new edition of Gone South includes a brand-new foreword by Robert McCammon. It is scheduled for publication on October 14, 2008.
GONE SOUTH TPB cover


2008-07-16 — New artwork by Troy Palmer

  • Troy Palmer has contributed some great new artwork he created that was inspired by his recent reading of Robert McCammon's Boy's Life. You can find it on Troy's page in the Fan Artwork Gallery.

    Thanks, Troy!

Troy Palmer artwork gallery


2008-07-14 — Several Italian covers added to Gallery

Italian covers


2008-07-12 — Several Spanish covers added to Gallery

Spanish covers


2008-07-10 — New Italian edition of They Thirst

  • Italian publisher Mondadori has released a paperback edition of Hanno Sete, the Italian translation of They Thirst by Paulo de Crescenzo. This is the same translation that was published in hardcover by Gargoyle Books in 2005. The new cover, shown to the right, has been added to the Book Cover Gallery.

    Thanks to Ernesto Vegetti for the information!

Italian THEY THIRST cover


2008-07-04 — New review of Boy's Life


2008-06-26 — Mister Slaughter has been completed!

  • Robert McCammon has completed writing Mister Slaughter, the third book in the Matthew Corbett series! Since he literally just finished it, there's no information yet on when it might be published.


2008-06-13 — Game inspiration, Blue World mention

  • I've created a Robert McCammon page at Facebook.com. It's still a work-in-progress, but please feel free to "become a fan" of the page if you have a Facebook account.

  • Game developer Chuck Wendig checked in with a pointer to a page for the upcoming White Wolf game Hunter: The Vigil. The teaser page lists some of the game's inspirations, which include Robert McCammon's Stinger and Swan Song.

  • BuddyTV ran an article about actor Steven Weber joining the cast of the TV show Psych. The article includes this brief mention:

    Meanwhile, Psych isn't the only upcoming acting gig for Webber this year. In fact, he is currently working on Blue World, a thriller film based on the short story of Robert McCammon.


2008-06-06 — New review of The Queen of Bedlam


2008-05-01 — French website for Speaks the Nightbird launched

STN #1 French cover


2008-04-20 — Southern KY Book Fest photos

  • My photos from Robert McCammon's signing at the Southern KY Book Fest in Bowling Green, KY, on April 19, 2008, can be viewed by clicking here. We had a great time meeting and talking with everyone!


2008-04-16 — Blue World movie news & more French editions

  • French publisher Bragelonne plans to release Le chant de l'oiseau de nuit, Tome 2 around September 25, 2008. They also plan to reissue L'Heure du Loup, a French translation of The Wolf's Hour, in August 2008 under the Milady imprint. More reissues are planned for the future. I'll be working with Bragelonne to provide more information as it becomes available.

  • Producer Michael Nehs has provided a brief update on the status of the Blue World movie. Shooting is now scheduled to begin mid-summer, and the following actors have been cast:

    They are still in talks for the casting of "John" and "the stranger." For more information, see the Blue World movie page.


Kaitlin Doubleday


2008-04-11 — French translation of Speaks the Nightbird

STN #1 French cover


2008-04-02 — New reviews


2008-03-30 — Grand Master Award


2008-03-29 — Boy's Life trade paperback cover

  • Pocket Books will be reissuing Robert McCammon's Boy's Life in a new trade paperback edition in July 2008. The edition will include a new foreword by Robert McCammon. Click on the image to the right to see a larger version of the new cover.

  • Russian fans can win a McCammon book by correctly answering a McCammon quiz at Victoria Eroshkina's Russian horror site.

  • Robert McCammon will be attending the Southern Kentucky Book Fest in Bowling Green, KY, on April 19, 2008. In addition to appearing in the signing room, he will be participating in a panel discussion at 2 PM in Room 5. The panel title is "Murderous Queens, A Lost Continent, & Swashbuckling Pirates: Truth & Fiction in History."
BL cover


2008-03-20 — Thriller Award nomination!

  • Robert McCammon's The Queen of Bedlam has been nominated for the 2008 Thriller Award in the Best Paperback Original category! The Thriller Awards are given out by the International Thriller Writers. Here are all the nominees:

    BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL 2008

    • The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flacco (Ballantine)
    • A Thousand Bones by P.J. Parrish (Pocket)
    • The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli (Bantam)
    • The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon (Pocket)
    • Shattered by Jay Bonansinga (Pinnacle)

    The winners will be announced this summer at Thrillerfest 2008 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City during a gala banquet on Saturday, July 12, 2008. You can read more about the awards on the International Thriller Writers website. Congratulations to Robert McCammon on the nomination!

ITW logo


2008-03-18 — Russian magazine interview with McCammon

  • T'ma (Darkness), the Eastern Europe Horror and Dark Fiction E-zine, recently conducted an interview with Robert McCammon using questions from Russian fans of McCammon's work. You can read the interview here, as well as find links to the Russian website hosting the interview and downloadable magazine.


2008-03-17 — Great newspaper review of Boy's Life

  • The Albertville, AL, newspaper Sand Mountain Reporter ran a review of Boy's Life in the March 18 issue. The review, titled "No better read than this 'Boy's Life,'" can be read on their website or by clicking here.


2008-02-27 — Another speed metal band; new German cover


2008-02-19 — The Rap Sheet article/interview Part 4 is online


2008-02-17 — More articles about Blue World, vintage review


2008-02-13 — More trade paperback reissues in 2008, CD reissue

  • Pocket Books will be publishing new trade paperback editions of Boy's Life (July 1, 2008; ISBN 1-4165-7778-5) and Gone South (October 14, 2008; ISBN 1-4165-7779-3). Boy's Life can be pre-ordered now on the SimonSays.com website and on Amazon.com.

  • Phoenix Audio has released an unabridged audio CD of Stalkers: 19 Original Tales by the Masters of Terror. This anthology includes Robert McCammon's short story "Lizardman." The disc can be ordered from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. (This is a CD reissue of the 1992 Dove Audio cassette release. Despite the title, it only contains the same 8 stories in that release.)

  • The hardcover edition of The Queen of Bedlam is almost sold out, and Pocket Books does not currently plan to do a second printing of the hardcover. It is no longer available via SimonSays.com, and retailers are finding that they can no longer get copies. The Alabama Booksmith still has a handful of signed copies, and Amazon.com still lists the book as being in-stock. If you want the hardcover edition and haven't bought it yet, you should order it soon....

  • A reminder to Italian readers: Robert McCammon's La Via Oscura, an Italian translation of Mystery Walk, is in stores now from Gargoyle Books!

Italian MW


2008-02-08 — New McCammon article/review/interview

  • A new, 4-part Robert McCammon article/review/interview by Ali Karim has been started on The Rap Sheet.

  • A new-to-me Dutch cover for MINE has been added to the Book Cover Gallery. Click here or on the image to view a larger version.


2008-01-31 — Video from the 1989 World Fantasy Convention

  • From the Archives! Way back in 1989, Robert McCammon was the Guest of Honor at the World Fantasy Convention in Seattle, WA. I've just posted an 11-minute video of the Q&A part of "An Hour with Robert McCammon" to YouTube in two parts. Click here to watch the videos, or you can download an audio-only MP3. Thanks to Sephera Giron for sending me the videotape back in 1989!


2008-01-25 — Speed metal songs based on McCammon novels

  • Speed metal band Engorged based two songs on their 2004 album "Where Monsters Dwell" on Robert McCammon novels. The songs are "Stinger," based on Stinger, of course, and "Werewolf Militia," based on The Wolf's Hour. You can listen to "Stinger" on the Engorged MySpace page, and you can read the lyrics here.

  • The Quiet Room is another band whose name was inspired by Usher's Passing. Click here to read about how their name came about.


2008-01-24 — Review of Bedlam by Ali Karim


2008-01-23 — News about the Blue World movie

  • An update on the Blue World movie from producer Michael Nehs is expected within the next couple of weeks. A couple of recent website articles have revealed some information about the shooting schedule, the woman playing Debbie Stoner, and a recent parterning with another movie company. Click here to read the most recent information about the movie.


2008-01-08 — New Speaks the Nightbird review

© 2023 Robert McCammon Last updated 2023-02-13 15:01 Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha