Sam Stone's Blog

The Trilogy

It's been a very busy year and I've been a little lapse at keeping in touch on this blog - for this I apologise!

But to update you a little on my exploits and forthcoming titles, the second book in THE HOUSE OF KILLERS trilogy, KILL OR DIE, came out in May in ebook and will be available in paperback on 5th August 2021. If you have been reading the ebooks then there isn't very long to wait now for the final part, KILL A SPY, which will be landing in your ereaders on 23 July 2021! I'm very excited to hear what you think about this trilogy as a whole.

You can also now get THE HOUSE OF KILLERS in Audio along with my first psycological thriller THE STRANGER IN OUR BED.

 

Catch up with the rest of the trilogy here ...

 

KILL OR DIE - AVAILABLE NOW IN EBOOK. PAPERBACK RELEASE: 5th August 2021

‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson

Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne in the explosive second adventure of your new favourite spy thriller series…

An agent with an agenda. A killer with a conscience. A showdown that brought a global network to its knees…

For disgraced MI5 agent Michael Kensington, the events of the past year have exploded his life like a fist closing around a grenade.

For serial killer and career assassin Neva, they brutally exposed how hers had so irrevocably imploded.

She ran. He didn’t. But he refuses to give up on her.

With a power vacuum gaping at the heart of the conglomerate that almost silenced them and a deadly web of rogue operatives spinning out of control, they soon realise the fight for freedom has only just begun.

Kill or Die is the second gripping instalment in The House of Killers trilogy, an unmissable spy thriller perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David Baldacci.

Praise for The House of Killers:

‘Fast-paced and impeccable, this is writing at its very best … It was almost dawn by the time I finished … It demands to be read in a single sitting. An absolute triumph!’ Awais Khan, author of In the Company of Strangers

‘Wow, what a read! Buckle up for a thrilling ride through a labyrinth of secrets, lies and betrayals, in a shadowy world where no one and nothing can be trusted. And where death is just the slash of a knife away’ Abbie Frost, author of The Guesthouse

BUY KILL OR DIE

 

KILL A SPY - EBOOK RELEASE: 23 July. PAPERBACK: 14 October 2021

 

The house of killers always had one objective: to train a class of warriors that would elevate the Network from the national to the international – the amateur to the elite. It was the perfect poison… Radicalisation by virtue of not knowing any different.

They never expected their most notorious child to claw his way back to the beating heart of MI5. Consumed by hurt and rage, Michael Kensington has his own objective: Neva.

But as the body count rises like a tide that will sweep them all into oblivion, Neva will stop at nothing to make him understand that everything is at stake.

Because there’s only one way to push back against the tide… Together.

Kill a Spy is the third jaw-dropping instalment in The House of Killers series, a captivating spy thriller perfect for fans of Caroline Kepnes and Alex Gerlis.

PRE-ORDER KILL A SPY

PUBLICATION DAY: THE HOUSE OF KILLERS

I'm so delighted to tell you that today is the day! THE HOUSE OF KILLERS is now available in ebook and for a limited time it will be 99p in the UK.

This is a spy thriller, action packed but with all the psychological you could possibly want. 

‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson

Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne in this nerve-shredding new thriller series simmering with obsession and espionage…

Serial killer Neva has been conditioned not to ask questions of the mysterious Network, to remain perfectly incurious and perennially cold-blooded. She must simply execute the targets they text her and live to bury the tale.

But then she’s tasked with terminating a fellow assassin and glimpses her own future in her colleague’s fate. When she leaves flowers on the gravesite, someone notices.

Agent Michael Kensington knows he’ll have his work cut out for him when he’s recruited by MI5 onto operation Archive to piece together patterns in cold cases.

Nothing could ever have prepared him for Neva…

An assassin obsessed with hell, a fugitive tortured by the secrets of her past, a woman destined to unthread him.

The House of Killers introduces a trail-blazing new voice in spy fiction. An absolute must-read for all fans of spooks past and present, from Bond to Bourne, Smiley to Polastri.

Praise for The House of Killers:

‘Fast-paced and impeccable, this is writing at its very best … It was almost dawn by the time I finished … It demands to be read in a single sitting. An absolute triumph!’ Awais Khan, author of In the Company of Strangers

 BUY NOW

ALSO AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER:

KILL OR DIE: BOOK 2 THE HOUSE OF KILLERS (Release date 29 May 2021). BUY HERE

‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson

Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne in the explosive second adventure of your new favourite spy thriller series…

An agent with an agenda. A killer with a conscience. A showdown that brought a global network to its knees…

For disgraced MI5 agent Michael Kensington, the events of the past year have exploded his life like a fist closing around a grenade.

For serial killer and career assassin Neva, they brutally exposed how hers had so irrevocably imploded.

She ran. He didn’t. But he refuses to give up on her.

With a power vacuum gaping at the heart of the conglomerate that almost silenced them and a deadly web of rogue operatives spinning out of control, they soon realise the fight for freedom has only just begun.

Kill or Die is the second gripping instalment in The House of Killers trilogy, an unmissable spy thriller perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David Baldacci.

THE HOUSE OF KILLERS

It's just four weeks today THIS will drop into ebook readers! 

THE HOUSE OF KILLERS is written under my real name Samantha Lee Howe andit is the first part of a new trilogy. Currently you can pre-order the ebook for only 99p but this won't stay at that price for ever so order now. A little heads up too for fans of this genre, Book 2: KILL OR DIE (Release date 29 May 2021) and Book 3: KILL A SPY (Release date 23 July) are also up for pre-order at 99p as well. 

So be ahead and save yourselves some money too by pre-ordering all three now.

‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson

Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne in this nerve-shredding new thriller series simmering with obsession and espionage…

Serial killer Neva has been conditioned not to ask questions of the mysterious Network, to remain perfectly incurious and perennially cold-blooded. She must simply execute the targets they text her and live to bury the tale.

But then she’s tasked with terminating a fellow assassin and glimpses her own future in her colleague’s fate. When she leaves flowers on the gravesite, someone notices.

Agent Michael Kensington knows he’ll have his work cut out for him when he’s recruited by MI5 onto operation Archive to piece together patterns in cold cases.

Nothing could ever have prepared him for Neva…

An assassin obsessed with hell, a fugitive tortured by the secrets of her past, a woman destined to unthread him.

The House of Killers introduces a trail-blazing new voice in spy fiction. An absolute must-read for all fans of spooks past and present, from Bond to Bourne, Smiley to Polastri.

Praise for The House of Killers:

‘Fast-paced and impeccable, this is writing at its very best … It was almost dawn by the time I finished … It demands to be read in a single sitting. An absolute triumph!’ Awais Khan, author of In the Company of Strangers

END OF YEAR ROUND UP - 2020

End of Year Round Up – 2020

I went into January 2020 with high hopes for the future. The Stranger in Our Bed, was being published by HarperCollins imprint, One More Chapter, in February, and I was excited to see how this book, a departure from my usual works, would be received.

I’d spent a great deal of time preparing for several events in 2020: I had a book tour planned as well as appearances at the two top crime festivals in the country, Harrogate and Crimefest. There was also a book launch arranged in London for when the paperback came out in April. A super party, with many celebrity guests attending.

As well as the tour, I was also going to host a launch at the fabulous Sci-Fi Weekender event, due to take place at the end of March. What is that expression about the best laid plans …?

In January I fell ill with a really bad cough and ended up on antibiotics. It lasted for about three weeks and played havoc with my asthma. I fortunately got over this by the end of the month.

In February my husband, David J Howe, and I flew to Los Angeles to take part in the annual Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey One. We were both guests at the event and took part in panels and interviews. I delivered one of my popular writing workshops and we also did a launch to celebrate the digital release of The Stranger in Our Bed as it went live in ebook format on 14th February. The launch was a huge success, and so well attended and supported by lovely friends and readers that it became a huge party. It was certainly a high point of the weekend. The book shot into the best sellers lists and for a couple of days I even held the no 1 slot for ‘most popular author’ with Stephen King and Dean Koontz behind me at #2 and #3. It was extraordinary and it also raised my hopes again that the book would be a success.

While catching up with our amazing friends again we were totally unaware that this was the last ‘normal’ thing we would do this year. While we were in Los Angeles though, we became acutely aware of concerns over the Corona Virus that soon became known as Covid-19. Flying home from this trip was different to usual. I was nervous on the plane as I usually get sick after events – my immune system is pretty poor – and I was worried what we might have caught something over there or indeed on the plane itself.

That night David and I stayed overnight in a hotel at Heathrow to sleep off some of the jetlag, so that we’d be fit to drive the next day. But David started with this awful hacking cough and by the time we did make it home he wasn’t feeling well at all. The illness lasted about 10 days and we were wondering if it was covid, but at that point so little was known about the symptoms beyond a cough and a temperature and testing hadn’t begun on anyone with symptoms other than those in hospitals. Fortunately David got better. Then we heard about a friend in LA who’d been with us all through the convention. This friend had been tested and did have Covid. And, although David wasn’t tested, we do think that he may have had it and it’s possible I had in January also before we’d even known what Covid was.

As we know, the UK went into lock down in March and again, I hoped a few weeks of this would mean the virus would burn itself out. Little did we know that wouldn’t be the case. For the first month of lockdown, like most people, I struggled to keep motivated.

Very soon into the pandemic we heard of people we knew catching Covid and some even dying of it. It was horrendous. But I pushed myself to get back to work and finish the book I was writing because I thought I’d go insane otherwise. There was an amazing high point for us during this time though. My book was selling amazingly well in the USA and as a result it became a USA TODAY! bestseller. I was absolutley ecstatic and we used this as an excuse to celebrate – albeit on our own – with a bottle of bubbly.

In April The Stranger in our Bed was released in paperback. We couldn’t get out to promote but we did a live digital launch and drank champagne while talking to facebook friends for half an hour.

Around the same time I finished a new book I was writing and passed it onto my agent, Camilla Shestopal, and she submitted it to my editor at HarperCollins. A few weeks later Camilla and I had a Zoom meeting with my editors, Bethan Morgan and Charlotte Ledger, and we talked about the book and where One More Chapter saw it going. That meeting was very interesting. Both Bethan and Charlotte loved the book but they also wanted two more in the same series and so The House of Killers series was born and book 1 would be called The House of Killers. I came away feeling elated that they wanted to keep working with me. Definitely another high moment of the year!

A short time later I signed a three book deal and had promised to turn in Book 2, Kill Or Die, in October, and Book 3, Kill A Spy, by the end of December. No pressure much …!! The only way to ease that kind of pain is to get on with the work. So, I put my head down and began writing Book 2 which I managed to deliver in August, two months ahead of time.

Later that month – and boy was this year now galloping on for me – I was introduced to actress and producer, Terri Dwyer. Terri was looking for a thriller screenplay for her company, Buffalo Dragon, to put into production and film before the end of the year. Terri read The Stranger in Our Bed and loved it. I told her I could write the screenplay and so the book was optioned and I set to work on the early drafts of the screenplay as soon as possible.

While I was waiting for film contracts to sign I finished book 3, Kill A Spy, to first draft. I had lots of time to deliver this so I put it aside for a while so that I could concentrate on the screenplay. Once I’d finished the screenplay, I went back to the book and re-edited it. This was eventually submitted to One More Chapter in October. By then I was working with the film’s director, Giles Alderson, on the screenplay and we finally reached an agreed version which became the shooting script. This was a process I learned a lot from and it has given me much confidence for doing this again in the future.

With various lockdowns and the ever changing Covid situation I feared that the film wouldn’t get made. However casting went ahead and before long the producers, Terri and Dean Fisher, had locked in a superb cast for the film.

The stars are: Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey), Emily Berrington (Humans) and Ben Lloyd Hughes (Industry) as well as Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Nina Wadia (Aladdin), Andi Osho (I May Destroy You), Bart Edwards (The Witcher), Terri Dwyer (13 Graves, Break) and Paul Casar (Detectorists).

When filming started, David and I went to the set for a few days. With all the Covid restrictions everyone was tested and we isolated for three weeks to make sure we were okay. It was very exciting going on the set and meeting such talented people among cast and crew. And David and I even got to do a little cameo. No spoilers on this but see if you can spot us! While I was there watching some of the filming I did have a bit of a moment where I turned and looked at David and said, ‘That’s my film!’. How does it feel to be in this situation? I went from feeling surreal, to excitement to sensory overload in the space of the first 4 hours.

When we got back to our hotel after that first day, I was exhausted and overwhelmed. And very emotional (in a good way). I’d loved everything that was happening but I had to also take it in. So much had happened to get the film to this point and it was a bit of a shock to the system that it was being realised. I suppose it isn’t much of a surprise really that I’d feel this way at first. I’m so used to disappointments in my career that I could hardly believe something was going right for a change.

That has been this whole year really. Everything I hoped would happen, actually did. Even so, you can’t assume it always will can you? So you have to just enjoy the times when things are going right.

One thing that struck me so much was how very professional Buffalo Dragon and their whole team were. This film was getting made and they were doing it well. No cut corners. No skimping on getting the best cast they could. When you look at what they have achieved during a major world wide pandemic then its nothing short of miraculous.

After a few days on set David and I went home again, and then returned a few days later to record my interview for the EPK (Electronic Press Kit) which is used to promote the film, and which will probably eventually end up on the extras on a future DVD/Blu-Ray release. This was a great deal of fun too. Afterwards I said my goodbyes to the cast and crew as I knew I wouldn’t be seeing them again. Except perhaps at the premier. It was quite a wrench leaving to be honest.

Home after this felt like a bit of an anti-climax. One of the problems was that I still couldn’t share the news about the film to anyone because it hadn’t been announced. Even so, I watched the progress of the film by following Giles on Twitter, who was posting photos that didn’t give anything away, but I knew what they meant.

Eventually the announcement went into Variety and I was able to share my excitement at last.

As I write this, the last day of filming is taking place and it’s hard to believe that it’s almost all in the can. Wow! Terri Dwyer told me she wanted to make the film this year and she has indeed achieved what others would have found impossible. And that is all down to her drive, and the outstanding efforts of all of the amazing cast and crew too. What a team!

Christmas is almost on us and I’m now signing off with my end of year round up for 2020. I’d normally not post this until 1st January, but I don’t think that much is going to happen between now and then.

2021 will see me celebrating every small success as usual. And maybe there will be some larger ones coming again, I can only hope. But either way, I think I have a lot to look forward to.

Happy Christmas everyone. Wishing you all a better year next year! Here’s to 2021!

 

 

 

 

FILM DEAL

I’m absolutely delighted to share that THE STRANGER IN OUR BED went into production in November 2020 for a feature film that is due to be released in cinemas in early summer 2021.

The film is being produced by production company BUFFALO DRAGON and is directed by Giles Alderson (The Dare) and stars Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey), Emily Berrington (Humans), Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Industry).

The cast also includes … Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Nina Wadia (Aladdin), Andi Osho (I May Destroy You), Bart Edwards (The Witcher) and Paul Casar (Detectorists).

It has been an absolute delight to work with producers Terri Dwyer and Dean Fisher as well as the amazing Giles Alderson (featured in the phot with me).

I couldn’t be happier with the chosen cast who I now see as the characters in the book!!

For more information please read the announcement in VARIETY.

COVER REVEAL!

THE HOUSE OF KILLERS

I'm very pleased to share the cover of the first book in THE HOUSE OF KILLERS series, which will be released in March 2021 (digital) and July 2021 (Paperback).

 

 

BLURB

‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson

Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne in this nerve-shredding new thriller series simmering with obsession and espionage…

Serial killer Neva has been conditioned not to ask questions of the mysterious Network, to remain perfectly incurious and perennially cold-blooded. She must simply execute the targets they text her and live to bury the tale.

But then she’s tasked with terminating a fellow assassin and glimpses her own future in her colleague’s fate. When she leaves flowers on the gravesite, someone notices.

Agent Michael Kensington knows he’ll have his work cut out for him when he’s recruited by MI5 onto operation Archive to piece together patterns in cold cases.

Nothing could ever have prepared him for Neva…

An assassin obsessed with hell, a fugitive tortured by the secrets of her past, a woman destined to unthread him.

The House of Killers introduces a trail-blazing new voice in spy fiction. An absolute must-read for all fans of spooks past and present, from Bond to Bourne, Smiley to Polastri.

PREORDER NOW: AMAZON UK   AMAZON USA  BOOKSHOP ORG

 And if you are a Netgalley reviewer, you can request a copy now. THE HOUSE OF KILLERS

 

The cat is definitely out of the bag as my new explosive ...

The cat is definitely out of the bag as my new explosive espionage series is announced on Book Brunch.

THE HOUSE OF KILLER Coming in 2021 ...

Pre-order now 

AMAZON UK

AMAZON USA

THE STRANGER IN OUR BED

Hello!

I haven't posted anything for a while here as I have been rather busy working on my thriller writing career.

My debut thriller, written as SAMANTHA LEE HOWE, THE STRANGER IN OUR BED is officially published this Thursday (16 April 2020) and so here is a list of links that you can order it from.

The book has already received a great deal of acclaim and is a USA TODAY Bestseller.
Please give it a try if if you haven't already!







HARPERCOLLINS 
WATERSTONES
FOYLES
BLACKWELLS

POSING FOR PICASSO is Racing the Clock

I’m delighted to be part of StoryBundle package RACING THE CLOCK with my Supernatural Crime Thriller POSING FOR PICASSO (As Sam Stone). The Bundles are selling fast and it won’t be available for long so get over there now and bag your own collection of great titles from
The Racing the Clock Thriller Bundle, curated by Dean Wesley Smith who said …

“I love reading stories that grab me and don’t let me go until I come up at the end of the story, sometimes breathless from the ride the author has taken me on. Those kinds of stories make me want to instantly get more stories from that author, repeat the ride like getting back on a roller coaster for a second trip around. With Racing the Clock StoryBundle, those were the types of books I was looking for to put together in one place. And since I love just about all genres, I didn’t care if the books were science fiction, mystery, fantasy, or thriller, as long as the author could take me on a ride. Fast-paced and gripping can be done in any area. I just wanted the feeling. The thrill. So I went to find writers I knew had the ability (an advanced ability, actually) to take all of us readers on a breathless adventure. And in this bundle are some of the best writers in the business at doing just that. ”

Read more about the bundle here, and make sure to click on each cover for a synopsis, reviews and preview of each book

Here are some selected reviews of each of the wonderful titles involved.

Posing for Picasso by Sam Stone“A novel that is dark, disturbing, and utterly tremendous entertainment.”
– Ken Bruen

Helmet Head by Mike Baron“This is pure Grindhouse and I mean that in the best possible way.”
– Amazon Review

Conflict of Interest by Lauryn Christopher“…Christopher turns the hit-man formula on its head, and in doing so gives us a surprising and entertaining read.”
– Big Al, Big Al’s Books & Pals

The Tower by Kristine Kathryn Rusch“‘The Tower’ is not only a compelling read, but also an informal treatise on social psychology.”
– Tangent Online

The Case of the Claw by Keith R.A. DeCandido“In conclusion, this is a great book for those who love superhero novels and something I recommend to people who enjoy taking advantage of prose fiction. In this universe, superheroes and villains can die or change or be disgraced forever. It’s not limited by the conventions of the unlimited comic publishing cycle and all the stronger for it.”
– CT Phipps, United Federation of Charles

Until Death – Death and Redemption Book 1 by Kari Kilgore“Until Death is an innovative take on a familiar story, with layers of authenticity stacked on top of love, loss, hope, and death. Kari Kilgore is an author to watch—her lyrical voice a siren song; her insight, conjured voodoo.”
– Richard Thomas, author of Breaker and Tribulations

Missing White Girl by Jeffrey J. Mariotte“But his true masterpiece is Buck Shelton. In his hero, he’s crafted one of the finest new sleuths in fiction.”
– Tucson Weekly

Fiction River Presents: Racing the Clock by Allyson Longueira“… fans of the unconventional will be well satisfied.”
– Publishers Weekly on Fiction River: Pulse Pounders

GLOBAL WOMAN SUMMIT

The GLOBAL WOMAN SUMMIT takes place in London 13-14 July 2019. The summit has a range of incredible speakers and is a 'New Paradigm in Empowering Women'. 

I'm delighted to tell you that I've been invited to attend the GLOBAL WOMAN SUMMIT Gala Dinner on Saturday 13 July. Global Woman celebrates the successes and achievements of women all over the world. I'm very proud to be one of their guests this year.

Tickets are still available to attend the summit. Please check their website for further information.
Global Woman Summit