Release week

Well, it's that time again. The Cypress House is officially in stores, or, if it's your preference, available in audio and e-book form. I hope you have a chance to give it a look. Many thanks are due to all the people at Little, Brown and Co. who work so hard to get the book out there. I had the pleasure of visiting the Hachette distribution center in Lebanon, Indiana, and it's always great to see the wonderful people there, who actually make it possible for the books to show up on the shelves. A minor detail, that!

I'll try to post some updates from on tour, and I hope to see you out there. I know, I know, it's winter and the weather is bad and the last thing you possibly want to do is venture out into the cold to go to a book signing. But let me remind you that...well, that the cover is pretty? So, yeah, come by and check out that cover. Ploy Siripant does one hell of a job on those.

Some nice words from sources who might do more to intrigue you:

"In fiction, I read an advance proof of Michael Koryta's THE CYPRESS HOUSE, which greatly impressed me, so much so that I went back and read his previous book, SO COLD THE RIVER, which is terrific." Dean Koontz, in an interview with Bookreporter discussing his new novel WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS

"An enthralling novel that easily melds mystery fiction, the supernatural and just a touch of the old-fashioned western and historical novels without losing the conventions of each genre. Yet "The Cypress House" is so grounded in reality that no plot turn or character rings false. "The Cypress House" works as a novel about post-war stress, small-town corruption and the dusty Great Depression. Koryta dredges up the dread that festers below the surface of the characters who reside at "The Cypress House."
As he did in last year's supernatural-tinged "So Cold the River," Koryta again shows his affinity for incorporating varied genres into a cohesive story and, along the way, stretching the boundaries of each...Koryta, who won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2009 for 'Envy the Night' and has been nominated for myriad awards, continues to display masterful storytelling in each novel."
Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Some tour changes

Signing schedule for THE RIDGE

Due to the fact that this is a two-book year, and I've been on the road pretty steadily on domestic and international fronts, the tour for THE RIDGE will be limited. Otherwise, the next novel might not be out until 2025. So, with the exception of local signings (Bloomington, Indianapolis, and yet another try at Cleveland, thinking they can't snow me out in June) I'll be making two stops where readers from around the world can have a book signed and inscribed if they so desire. Both Murder by the Book in Houston (www.murderbooks.com) and The Poisoned Pen http://www.poisonedpen.com/products/hfiction/9780316053662/?searchterm=ridge%20signed in Scottsdale, AZ, do a wonderful job with pristine mail-order copies and have for years. Just order via their sites or give them a call, and I'm happy to inscribe as you desire, and you'll never even have to leave the comfort of your couch. Although it would sure be nice to see you if I'm passing through your area! Full backlist is also available at both stores.

Monday, June 6, 2011
Barnes & Noble – Bloomington
7:00pm
2813 East 3rd St
Bloomington, IN 47408
(812)-331-0669

Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Big Hat Books
6:00pm
6510 Cornell Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 202-0203

Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Barnes & Noble-Crocker Park
7:00pm
198 Crocker Park Blvd,
Westlake, OH 44145
(440)-250-9233

Friday, June 10, 2011
Murder by the Book
6:30pm
2342 Bissonet
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 524-8597

Saturday, June 11, 2011
Poisoned Pen Bookstore with Steve Hamilton
5:00pm
4014 North Goldwater Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 947-2974

A great songwriter featured in a great magazine

And lucky me, I had the pleasure of doing the interview. This one was a real treat, and I encourage you all to check out Joe Pug's work and browse around the Paste site a bit. There's wonderful stuff there.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/12/catching-up-with-joe-pug.html

Some nice mentions

So Cold the River was named one of the year's notable crime novels by Marilyn Stasio of The New York Times. An honor, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Robert Petkoff continues to impress with his rendering of the audio version of SCTR, winning an Earphone Award from AudioFile Magazine, which has the following to say of his performance: “This production is a huge success. Robert Petkoff hits all the right notes of bewilderment, menace, and tension as the plot thickens. He delivers an especially effective voice transformation as one character is inhabited by his demon ancestor. But most effective are the marvelous sound effects—of rising winds, a hallucinatory railroad train, sloshing waters, and a ghost violin from the dark past.”

Can't wait to hear what Mr. Petkoff does with The Cypress House!

So Cold the River receives some generous recognition

Amazon has selected So Cold the River as #5 of its 10 Best Thrillers of the year, and as #51 of the 100 best books of the year.

Library Journal has named So Cold the River one of the year's best audio books. This was wonderful news, of course, but really a minimal surprise because I've heard nothing all year but praise for Robert Petkoff's reading. It's a real tribute to his abilities, because I thought SCTR would be a challenge for listeners -- long and sprawling and with lots of point-of-view characters to keep track of. Instead, I heard repeatedly how wonderful the audio edition was, and for that, all credit is due the narrator, not the writer. I'm happy to report that Mr. Petkoff will be narrating The Cypress House on audio as well.