Rio Youers's Blog, page 5

The first review for THE FORGOTTEN GIRL has landed and it’s a belter—a starred review, no less, from the good people at Publishers Weekly. Here it is:

“Canadian author Youers (Westlake Soul) makes his U.S. debut with a paranormal thriller distinguished by subtle characterizations and emotionally evocative prose. Some vicious thugs abduct street musician Harvey Anderson from his apartment building in Green Ridge, N.J., and give him a savage beating. They want to know the location of Sally Starling, a name he doesn’t recognize, even after they show him a copy of the rental agreement that he and Sally signed in 2010 for the Green Ridge apartment. Later, a man, whom Harvey dubs “the spider,” shows up and explains this memory lapse. The spider reveals that Sally used her power to erase Harvey’s memories of her and that he has a similar ability to probe people’s minds. But despite the spider’s best, excruciatingly painful efforts, all Harvey can summon up is a vague recollection of a dancing woman and the boardwalk at Asbury Park. Harvey’s compelling, moving search for Sally and the truth offers everything that fans of intelligent suspense could wish for.”

Pretty good, huh? Needless to say, I’m over the moon.

With fewer than six weeks until THE FORGOTTEN GIRL hits stores, the reviews will start coming thick and fast.

Publishers Weekly also ran an interview with me recently. Online subscribers can check it out right HERE.

I’ll be posting more cool stuff as it lands, so stay tuned. And just a reminder: THE FORGOTTEN GIRL hits bookstores and online retailers on June 13.

Not long now!

(My thanks to Chris DiLeo for nabbing this shot from PW.)

I’m extremely proud to announce that THE FORGOTTEN GIRL will be published in Turkey by Ithaki Yayinlari.

This is the first foreign sale for THE FORGOTTEN GIRL and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Ithaki Yayinlari produce beautiful books, and their list of authors includes Neil Gaiman, Andy Weir, Josh Malerman, Michael Moorcock, Scott Lynch, Terry Brooks … heck, the list goes on. It’s fair to say I’m in excellent company.

No details on a release date as yet, but I’ll be sure to post it here as soon as I know.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRL will be published in North America on June 13, and is available for pre-order right now.

I am incredibly proud to announce that my first novel with a major publishing house is coming out next year. THE FORGOTTEN GIRL will be released by St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books on June 13, 2017.

And would you look at that cover!

Okay, right off the bat, here’s what New York Times bestseller Joe Hill has to say about it:

“An absolute rocket—THE FORGOTTEN GIRL is a supernatural thriller that thunders along at Mach 5 from the first page to the last. Written with a brutal lyricism, a savage wit, and a killer instinct for suspense, it’s a work that marks out Rio Youers as a big star.”

Good ol’ Joe.

And here’s a brief synopsis, so you know what you’re in for:

THIS IS HOW YOU’LL REMEMBER ME.

Harvey Anderson is a twenty-six-year-old street performer from New Jersey. He enjoys his peaceful life, but everything he knows is turned upside down when he is abducted and beaten by a group of nondescript thugs. Working for a sinister man known as “the spider,” these goons have spent the last nine years searching for Harvey’s girlfriend, Sally Starling. Now they think they know where she lives. And who she loves.

There’s only one problem: Sally is gone and Harvey has no memory of her. Which makes no sense to him, until the spider explains that Sally has the unique ability to selectively erase a person’s memories. An ability she has used to delete herself from Harvey’s mind.

But emotion runs deeper than memory, and Harvey realizes that he still feels something for Sally. And so—with the spider threatening—he goes looking for a girl he loves but can’t remember … and encounters a danger that reaches beyond anything he could ever imagine.

Political corruption and manipulation. A serial killer’s dark secrets. An appetite for absolute, terrible power … For Harvey Anderson, finding the forgotten girl comes at quite a cost.

Life isn’t so peaceful anymore.

 

I’ve had novels published before, of course, and short stories published with many of the big houses, but this is my first full novel with a major publisher. It is the result of many, many years of hard work, and it goes without saying that I’m just as thrilled as can be. A special thank you to Christopher Golden, Jaime Levine, and the late, great Mickey Choate, all of whom—in their special way—made this possible.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRL is available for pre-order right now from places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble (so … ya know, feel free to pre-order—I don’t mind at all, I promise), but I’ll be sure to post a full list of online venues when they become available.

Stay tuned for more news.

I know it probably seems like I’ve been asleep at the wheel, but this has actually been a busy year for me (too busy to even update my website – ha!). The first part of it was spent finishing and working on edits for my next novel, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL (more on this VERY soon), and I’m also two thirds of the way through a brand new novel called HALCYON. All things being equal, this should see the light of day in the summer of 2018. I know, I know, but these things take time.

I also have a few other things in the pipeline. If they come to fruition (they don’t always, ya know), I’ll spill all the fun details right here.

I’ll leave you, for now, with a promise to update my site more often. By way of apology, here’s the Flaming Lips singing “Fight Test,” which I pretty much played on a loop while writing THE FORGOTTEN GIRL.

Take care of one another. Peace.

“This knowing, eerie fable is a delight. Rio Youers throws a mean knuckleball.” — Owen King.

And let me tell you … Owen King is wise in the ways of baseball, and even wiser in the ways of storytelling. Needless to say, this blurb gave me a serious case of the feel-goods.

Okay, let me explain: Owen is talking about my new novella THE ANGELS, which I’m delighted to announce is available NOW from Cemetery Dance. Minor league baseball forms a backdrop to the story, but it’s really about love, friendship, and desire … and how far a person will go to make their dreams come true.

Here’s the copy:

Life is good for 22-year-old Christopher Casey. He has the car, the beautiful girl, and he plays baseball for the Gracetown Angels.

His best friend, Hank Mosley, is the team superstar, but when he slumps at the beginning of the 1958 season, everything starts to unravel. Hank takes dark and drastic steps to reverse his fortune… but at what price?

How far would you go to make your dreams come true?

The Angels is a tale of passion, friendship, and dreams—an all-American baseball story set in a golden age, with tones both chilling and magical, and a certain darkness that resonates with the modern game.

THE ANGELS is available in two editions: a signed hardcover (limited to 750 copies) and an über-deluxe, signed and traycased lettered edition (limited to just 26). They are priced at $30 and $175 respectively. Both editions boast incredible cover art and interior illustrations by comic book artist Ray Dillon. Check out Ray’s website, and his excellent work, right HERE.

I’m so proud to work with Richard Chizmar, Brian Freeman, and the whole crew at Cemetery Dance. They’re the best at what they do (there’s a reason Stephen King publishes so frequently with them), and they have produced another beautiful novella here.

You can order your copy of THE ANGELS directly from the Cemetery Dance website.

This coming Saturday (Oct. 3) I’ll be at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Festival in Andover, Massachusetts, along with Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, Joe Hill, Sarah Langan, Paul Tremblay, Mary SanGiovanni, Thomas Sniegoski, Jason Ciaramella, and many others. There’ll be signings and creepy panels, even a reading of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.

As well as early copies of Christopher Golden’s acclaimed new anthology SEIZE THE NIGHT, I’ll also have a few copies of WESTAKE SOUL and POINT HOLLOW on hand.

I hope to see you there!

POINT HOLLOW has earned many a stellar review since its release in April of this year, but a review in Publishers Weekly is always worthy of mention—particularly one so glowing.

The reviewer writes: “Youers (Westlake Soul), with echoes of classic Stephen King and Jack Ketchum, expertly builds the tension to near-unbearable heights before the inevitably ghastly conclusion. This is a fine bout of horror that is not for the weak of nerve.”

I’ll take it!

You can read the full review HERE.

And just a gentle reminder that POINT HOLLOW is available in paperback and e-book through all the usual suspects.

I am extremely pleased to announce that my short story “Outside Heavenly” will appear in IMAGINARIUM 4: THE BEST CANADIAN SPECULATIVE WRITING.

Published by ChiZine Publications and edited by Sandra Kasturi and Jerome Stueart, IMAGINARIUM 4 is a reprint anthology, showcasing  the best speculative writing published by Canadian authors in 2014. It also features an introduction by Margaret Atwood—which, if you ask me, is by itself worth the price of admission.

This marks my second appearance in the IMAGINARIUM series, and the second “Best of Year” entry for “Outside Heavenly,” the first being Ellen Datlow’s BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR VOLUME SEVEN.

The full table of contents and preordering info can be found right HERE.

The mountain spoke to him.

Oliver looked east, where the ragged peaks scraped the sky’s pale belly. The sound had traversed the miles and echoed in his mind. Not words, but a command. It was followed by a stillness that made him wonder if the world had stopped breathing.

And so begins POINT HOLLOW, my brand new novel, available now from ChiZine Publications.

The lowdown:

Point Hollow, NY. A town with secrets. To the tourists that visit each summer, it is quintessential America. They stroll through its picturesque streets and hike its stunning trails. No one sees the cracks in the town’s veneer. No one knows its terrible history … a secret that has been buried—forgotten. But Abraham’s Faith, the mountain that overshadows Point Hollow, doesn’t forget so easily. It is wicked and controlling. It is filled with the bones of children.

Oliver Wray is Point Hollow’s favorite son, its most generous benefactor, admired by all. But  Oliver, like the town, has a secret: Abraham’s Faith speaks to him, and he has spent a lifetime serving its cruel needs. He believes his secret is safe, but one person has glimpsed the darkness in his heart …

Matthew Bridge hasn’t set foot in Point Hollow for twenty-six years. Something horrifying happened to him there. Memories of an ordeal that flicker and taunt, but cannot be recalled. Now, trying to find the answers to his failed marriage and failing life, Matthew is coming home. Back to Point Hollow. Back to Abraham’s Faith.

A straight-up serving of balls-to-the-wall horror, POINT HOLLOW is my second novel with ChiZine Publications, and I’m beyond thrilled to have worked with Brett, Sandra, and the rest of the crew again. As I say in the acknowledgements: They are giants in reputation, and it is richly deserved.

POINT HOLLOW is available now at select bookstores, and at all the usual online retailers. The e-book is also available. You can visit THIS PAGE for the quick links. And if you need more convincing, check out THIS REVIEW at examiner.com, who call POINT HOLLOW “…horror at its finest.”

A brand new story of mine—“Separator”—will appear in Christopher Golden’s SEIZE THE NIGHT, coming from Gallery Books in October.

Here’s the lowdown from the publisher:

A blockbuster anthology of original, blood-curdling vampire fiction from New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, including Charlaine Harris, whose novels were adapted into HBO’s hit show True Blood, and Scott Smith, publishing his first work since The Ruins. Before being transformed into romantic heroes and soft, emotional antiheroes, vampires were figures of overwhelming terror. Now, from some of the biggest names in horror and dark fiction, comes this stellar collection of short stories that make vampires frightening once again. Edited by New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden and featuring all-new stories from such contributors as Charlaine Harris, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Scott Smith, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Michael Kortya, Kelley Armstrong, Brian Keene, David Wellington, Seanan McGuire, and Tim Lebbon, Seize the Night is old-school vampire fiction at its finest.

Honestly, the table of contents makes me drool a little. Here it is:

Up in Old Vermont by Scott Smith

Something Lost, Something Gained by Seanan McGuire

Blood by Robert Shearman

The Neighbors by Sherrilyn Kenyon

On the Dark Side of Sunlight Basin by Michael Koryta

Paper Cuts by Gary A. Braunbeck

Miss Fondevant by Charlaine Harris

In a Cavern, In a Canyon by Laird Barron

Whiskey and Light by Dana Cameron

We Are All Monsters Here by Kelley Armstrong

May the End Be Good by Tim Lebbon

Mrs. Popkin by Dan Chaon and Lynda Barry

Direct Report by Leigh Perry (Toni L.P. Kelner)

Shadow and Thirst by John Langan

Mother by Joe McKinney

The Yellow Death by Lucy A. Snyder

Last Supper by Brian Keene

Separator by Rio Youers

What Kept You So Long? by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Blue Hell by David Wellington

My contribution, “Separator,” is about a bullheaded land developer who gets more than he bargains for when he attempts to evict a troublesome resident from her rainforest home.

SEIZE THE NIGHT is available for pre-order NOW.