Barry Lyga's Blog: The BLog, page 35

SCHEDULE CHANGE: NYC Teen Author Festival Signing

Hi, all!

Due to some family commitments, I’ve had to adjust my signing schedule for this coming Sunday’s Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder.

I will now be signing from 1:00 to 1:30. If you’re planning on seeing me on Sunday, March 22 at Books of Wonder, please get there at 1:00!

Sorry for the last-minute change — it was unavoidable!

Horn Book on “Blood of My Blood”

The folks at Horn Book have weighed in on Blood of My Blood. Here’s what they have to say…

This trilogy-ender begins with a bang. Jasper “Jazz” Dent (son of infamous serial killer Billy Dent), his best friend Howie, and his girlfriend Connie have been investigating a “game” played by serial killers that resulted in a double-digit body count. Now the friends are separated, with each in danger and in pain: Jazz has been shot and is trapped in a storage unit; hemophiliac Howie is in the ER; and Connie is being held captive by Billy himself. Though Jazz is clearly the protagonist, the breakneck-paced, omniscient narrative follows each of the three teens as they fight to reunite and take down Billy. Along the way, Jazz and readers uncover more gruesome secrets about Jazz’s family and learn just how dark Jazz’s Billy-influenced heart may be. The previous two books raised tantalizing questions—what is the identity of Billy’s partner-in-crime, Ugly J? What happened to Jazz’s mother? What will Jazz do when he catches up with Billy?—and Lyga delivers with a vengeance. Not for the faint of heart.

Thanks, Horn Book!

Must Watch: Princess of Thrones

I literally have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard as I watched this mash-up of The Princess Bride and Game of Thrones. Two of my favorite medieval-ish fantasies, which should never, ever be within spitting distance of each other.

You gotta watch this…

I Hunt Killers is On Sale!

The fine folks at Amazon and Kobo have decided to put the I Hunt Killers ebook on sale for the month of March. You can scoop up the ebook for a mere $2.99. How awesome is that?

Here are some links, in case you’re too tired to go find it yourself!

Amazon Kindle
Kobo

Yeah, the Daredevil Trailer is Pretty Awesome

Battlin’ Jack Murdock? Hell’s Kitchen? The Kingpin? The World’s Best Casting™ for the role of Stick? Random Catholic iconography?

Oh, hell yes…

Podcast: Lucky Number Seven!

The seventh episode of “Writing in Real Life” is posted and available for your listening pleasure!

This week’s show features: Barry committing a felony for the first time (we think). The whole family not burning to death — twice. Morgan and her twin conspiring to destroy two apartments.

Plus: Is there a cultural narrative for people who regret having kids? Mourning your child-free life. Working for multiple publishers. And last but not least: how to (sleep) train your dragon. Er, baby.

Don’t forget to leave us feedback and ask questions. Also, follow us on Twitter and rate us on iTunes!

75 Years of The Flash

I absolutely love this video showing the evolution of the Flash over the past three-quarters of a century. Give it a gander…

The Real Life Billy Dent?

I didn’t base Billy Dent on any particular real-life serial killer. I wanted him to be something new, something different. New and different enough, at least, that readers wouldn’t know what to expect. That unknowing, that inability to divine what comes next — that’s where terror makes its nest.

After I’d finished the first two books and was working on the third, I happened to catch an MSNBC special on Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, while on a flight. I was captivated by it. Billy isn’t real and he isn’t based on anyone real…but Dennis Rader is the closest thing I’ve seen in the real world to William Cornelius Dent.

If you are at all interested in the bizarre coincidences that sometimes link art and life, check out this article from the Wichita Eagle. It tells the story of Rader’s daughter and how his depredations impacted her, as well as a crucial decision she made.

It is eerily similar in many respects to the Killers trilogy, right down to lines like this:

Dad committed his first murders at age 29. She was 27. She worried maybe something would change in her in two years….

And this:

“What the hell is he doing in prison to be ‘busy’?”
She later learned that he had a fan club – loons who wrote to him. She worried they’d look her up.

And this:

In the end, Parker said, we are not our parents. We are who we are.

It’s just plain weird to see this. But I like weird. Thanks to Melissa Walker for sending the link along!

Episode VI: Return of the Writers!

Nah, that’s not actually the title of the sixth episode of my podcast. Mostly because Morgan doesn’t like Star Wars. (I know! How could I possibly marry her???)

However, a new episode of Writing in Real Life is now available for y’all. Topics discussed this week include: Me getting back to writing. Morgan’s revision. And some seriously talk about how/when/why/whether to have a baby.

Check it out here!

A Brief Blood of My Blood Review

Indefatigable reviewer Liz Burns has chimed in on Blood of My Blood in a short, sweet review. She says, in part:

What I liked best about Blood of My Blood is that it showed the trilogy to not be three connected stories…but one story…about Jazz coming to terms with his past and figuring out what his future should be.

Which is exactly as I wanted it.

Read Liz’s entire review here.