UK Interview with Chris High

It was a pleasure to conduct this Q and A for the UK release of THE RIDGE.

High also reviews the novel, calling it "close to the perfect ghost story."

Talking ghost stories with Joe Hill and Peter Straub

Publishers Weekly has an excellent look at the contemporary ghost story in its current issue. Interesting comments from Hill, Straub, and others.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/48630-ghosts-the-other-undead.html?page=2

Gold Dagger

Learned the wonderful news from Hodder that THE CYPRESS HOUSE was nominated for the prestigious Gold Dagger award by the Crime Writer's Association, which bases their festivities out of the UK. It's a true honor, and a great list of names -- Steve Hamilton and Tom Franklin wrote two of my favorite books of 2010, for example. Very special to be included on such a list.

Judges' comments on THE CYPRESS HOUSE: A compelling suspense story haunted by the paranormal and steeped in the fears and anxieties of Depression-era Florida. Strong characterisation and an isolated, storm-ridden setting drive the novel towards an unexpected ending.

Very generous! Details on the award from the CWA:

The eight authors in contention for this year’s coveted prize are, in alphabetical order:
Tom Franklin Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Macmillan)
Lucretia Grindle The Villa Triste (Mantle)
Steve Hamilton The Lock Artist (Orion)
Mo Hayder Hanging Hill (Bantam Press)
Michael Koryta The Cypress House (Hodder & Stoughton)
M. J. McGrath White Heat (Mantle)
A.D. Miller Snowdrops(Atlantic Books)
Denise Mina The End of the Wasp Season (Orion)

The eight will be narrowed down to four when the shortlists are announced on 22nd August. These will be featured in an ITV3 season starting 1st September and running for 6 weeks. The winner will be announced at at an awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane on 7th October, and broadcast in the following week (probably 11th October) on ITV3.

Interview on NPR's Weekend Edition

I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed by the great Linda Wertheimer (that's the truly great Linda Wertheimer -- first woman to anchor coverage of an election night, first person to broadcast from Senate chambers, a founding voice of NPR, etc.) on Weekend Edition. It was a privilege, and I hope you'll have the chance to check it out.

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/10/137682354/sanctuary-of-suspense-a-lighthouse-on-the-ridge

LA Times and St. Petersburg Times approve of THE RIDGE

Nice reviews from two major papers last week!

LA TIMES: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/books/la-et-book-20110627,0,6946940.story

"Koryta has created a vivid world that's hard to shake for days after the book is finished. In 'The Ridge,' he has delivered a nuanced supernatural thriller worthy of the praise he's received and that is surely yet to come."

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: http://www.tampabay.com/features/books/article1177878.ece

"Koryta doesn't just craft an absorbingly creepy plot; he also makes effective use of setting and local history (as he did in So Cold the River and The Cypress House). His prose is observant and streamlined, and his characters are believable and complex — which helps make them unpredictable, in some cases shockingly so. Reading The Ridge is a fine way to chill down a hot summer night. But you'll want to leave the lights on."