Rio Youers's Blog
November 4, 2020
Goodreads Giveaway Part II
The fine people at Goodreads and William Morrow are offering readers in the US a second chance to snag a copy of my new action thriller, LOLA ON FIRE.
1 of 100 advance reader’s editions are up for grabs. The giveaway will run from Monday, November 2nd to Monday, November 16th, so that’s plenty of time to get your name down.
Follow this link for a chance to win: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/312946-lola-on-fire
If you get lucky, and you read and enjoy LOLA ON FIRE, please consider leaving a review. Even if it’s just a few words, it means to much!
LOLA ON FIRE will be published by William Morrow on February 16th, 2021.
October 5, 2020
Goodreads Giveaway
Great news for anyone hoping to snag an early copy of LOLA ON FIRE. Goodreads is giving you a chance to win 1 of 100 advance reader’s editions, courtesy of my fantastic publisher, William Morrow.
LOVER. MOTHER. KILLER. LOLA.
Rio Youers’s LOLA ON FIRE combines vengeance and deceit, love and bullets, secrets, and twists in this high-octane action thriller with a vibrant emotional core, and bestselling authors can’t stop raving about it!
“John Wick meets Jane Hawk in LOLA ON FIRE, a wild, relentless read. The action is terrific, the writing crisp, the characters unforgettable.” —Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author
“LOLA ON FIRE serves up all the gonzo action, quotable lines, and unforgettable characters a reader could want, in a novel that rivals Killing Eve in intensity and atmosphere.” —Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“LOLA ON FIRE sizzles and scorches like fresh steak slapped on a red-hot grill. Cross Elmore Leonard with Lisa Gardner and you get Rio Youers. More Lola, please, aflame or otherwise.” —A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
“What a ride! Rousing action and killer pacing, powered by characters you’ll love who possess the ass-kicking skills of the John Wick universe yet are still grounded with real humanity. Don’t miss it.” —Taylor Adams, author of NO EXIT
This Goodreads giveaway begins today (October 5th) and will run until Monday, October 19th. It is open to US residents only, ages 18 or older.
Enter here for a chance to win, and good luck: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/312945-lola-on-fire-a-novel
September 2, 2020
Lola on Fire
My new thriller, LOLA ON FIRE, will be published by HarperCollins/William Morrow Books on February 16, 2021. I consider this my best novel to date–a furious blend of action, humor, and heart. Working with the team at Morrow has been an absolute joy, a dream come true, and we have all worked hard to create something (hopefully) very special. LOLA ON FIRE is one big bang of a novel, and I can’t wait to set it loose on the world.
LOVER
MOTHER
KILLER
LOLA
Remember the date: February 16, 2021.
Preorder here: https://bit.ly/LolaOnFire
August 26, 2020
Beauties #3
In comic books stores and online retailers today: SLEEPING BEAUTIES #3, based on the novel by Stephen King and Owen King, adapted by me, with art by Alison Sampson and colors by Triona Tree Farrell.
No spoilers, but shit is getting crazy in Dooling! And everywhere else, for that matter!
For more information, head over to the SLEEPING BEAUTIES page at IDW Publishing.
July 29, 2020
Beauties #2
The Aurora sickness continues to spread, the world descends into chaos, and the mystery surrounding Evie and the town of Dooling deepens.
Based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King and Owen King, adapted and written by MEEEEE, with art by Alison Sampson and colors by Triona Farrell, SLEEPING BEAUTIES Issue #2 (of 10) hits comic book stores everywhere today.
For more information, head over to the SLEEPING BEAUTIES page at IDW Publishing, and while you’re in the clicking mood, check out this fantastic 9.5/10 review at AIPT Comics.
June 24, 2020
Out Now!
Issue #1 (of 10) of SLEEPING BEAUTIES is out now. Based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King and Owen King, written and adapted by yours truly, with breathtaking art and colors by Alison Sampson and Triona Farrell respectively.
Published by IDW Publishing, the comic is already scoring great reviews across the board. We are all extremely proud of this opening issue, and hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a wild ride.
SLEEPING BEAUTIES is available wherever comic books are sold.
March 2, 2020
Nadia
Here’s a sneak peek of some of Vincent Sammy’s interior artwork for the new edition of WESTLAKE SOUL.
This is Nadia.
There will be ten such illustrations included in the book, all duotone, and all jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Vincent is such an amazing artist, and he’s bringing WESTLAKE SOUL to life in the best possible way.
I’m so proud of this book, and delighted with the way it’s coming together. SST Publications have produced something to be cherished. This truly is the definitive version of WESTLAKE SOUL.
There are still copies left, but they won’t last. Head over the PRE-ORDER PAGE now to avoid disappointment.
February 10, 2020
WESTLAKE SURFS AGAIN!
My 2012 novel, WESTLAKE SOUL, has been out of print since the beginning of 2019. Since that time—and somewhat ironically—the popularity of this little book has boomed. It has earned a host of new fans and reviews (like THIS ONE from Sadie Hartmann’s Goodreads page, and this YOUTUBE REVIEW from Edward Lorn). Unfortunately, because WESTLAKE SOUL is out of print, it has proved incredibly difficult to track down a copy. An affordable copy, at any rate. The last time I checked, they were selling on Amazon for anywhere between $600 and $900. I’ve no doubt these prices were set by shitty, annoying little bots, but still …
My point is, WESTLAKE SOUL is an extremely sought-after novel. I learned this myself when I announced on Twitter that I would sell signed copies from my own stock for $10 plus shipping.
I sold 100+ books in a little under two hours. All my copies … gone!
Well, folks, I have some good news: WESTLAKE SOUL WILL SURF AGAIN, FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY. The brilliant SST PUBLICATIONS will publish a signed edition limited to just 400 COPIES. It is priced at £34.95, and will feature an introduction by New York Times bestselling author, OWEN KING, as well as cover art and interior illustrations from Vincent Sammy. (Check out VINCENT’S WEBSITE. The dude is amazing!)
Trust me, this is the definitive version of WESTLAKE SOUL. If you’re a fan of the novel, or picking it up for the first time, this is the copy you need to own.
Head over to the PREORDER PAGE AT SST PUBLICATIONS for all the info, and a complete rundown on what you get for your money. At £34.95, it really is incredible value.
Furthermore, there are no plans (as yet) to publish WESTLAKE SOUL anywhere else, so this may well be your final chance to get hold after the book. When they’re all gone … that’s it, they’re gone, baby!
And I expect them to go quickly.
This beautiful, signed, limited edition of WESTLAKE SOUL is available to preorder right now, with an expected publication date of Autumn 2020.
July 19, 2019
Beauty!
This news has been boiling away in the background for a while (hey, it takes time to put these things together), but now I can finally announce—and with no small degree of elation—that I will be adapting Stephen and Owen King’s bestselling novel, SLEEPING BEAUTIES, to comics.
The news dropped on Deadline.com on Tuesday, and has been circulating the web in various forms since then. You can read the Deadline article by clicking THIS LINK. But here’s the official press release from IDW Publishing:
SAN DIEGO, CA (July 16, 2019) – IDW Publishing is proud to announce the early 2020 launch of Sleeping Beauties, a captivating comic book series based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King and Owen King. Author Rio Youers (The Forgotten Girl) and artist Alison Sampson (Winnebago Graveyard) will adapt the rich narrative of Sleeping Beauties to a ten-issue limited series under the watchful gaze of Stephen and Owen.
“We are so excited about Rio and Alison’s vision for Sleeping Beauties,” says Owen King. “We’ve been fans of Rio’s for years and Alison’s artwork is simply extraordinary. IDW couldn’t have found a better pairing.”
To which co-author Stephen King adds, “We’re looking forward to seeing our work in this exciting format.”
Sleeping Beauties explores a world where women have sunken into a deep, cocooned slumber, their dreams taking them to an idyllic other place. They can only wake if disturbed, which results in violent, feral behavior. Meanwhile, the men have inherited the Earth, their society devolving into barbarism. Provocative and absorbing, Sleeping Beauties is a gripping dark fantasy of gender dynamics, individuality, and toxic masculinity.
“To work on anything with the King name attached is surreal, dizzying, and somewhat terrifying,” says Youers. “As soon as my feet touch terra firma, I will focus on my goal: to stay true to the novel’s spirit, and to deliver a page-turning, visually impacting experience that will appeal to readers of both Stephen and Owen King’s fiction, and to comics fans the world over.”
“I’m thrilled to be able to work on Sleeping Beauties,” says Sampson. “The story is very suggestive for interesting art, with magical themes interwoven through a very real place setting in Appalachia, and the opportunity to draw some truly diverse people. Places, spaces, gender, bodies, character, relationships, political themes, emotions, a challenging (and almost certainly innovative) design job, and a great story – it’s all here. I cannot wait to share what we are making.”
“There was something magical about the combination of Stephen King’s and Owen King’s specific skills on the pages of the Sleeping Beauties novel, an alchemy that resulted in a story so of the moment and yet so timeless,” says IDW President & Publisher, Chris Ryall. “Rio and Alison are fashioning a graphic retelling that synthesizes that same sense of wonder while very much making the comic its own thing entirely. We’re ecstatic to be doing this with all involved.”
For information on how to secure copies of Sleeping Beauties, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.
It’s great to be back on board the IDW train. They published a couple of my short pieces back in the day (“Quoth the Rock Star” and “For King and Country”), and I even wrote a twelve-page comic for them, which appeared in the ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS ANNUAL (2012). They always put out such great stuff, and I’m just thrilled to team up with them again.
And I’m equally thrilled to collaborate with Alison Sampson, an incredible artist who did such stunning work with Steve Niles on WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD. I know Alison will make this comic something very special indeed.
My thanks to Stephen and Owen King for trusting me with their wonderful novel. I know it’s a book they’re both exceptionally proud of, so to be associated with it in any form is just amazing. Thanks, also (and in abundance) to Chris Ryall at IDW, who put all the pieces together. He’s a fantastic guy and a wonderful creator in his own right, and I look forward to working on this project with him, and with the entire crew at IDW.
SLEEPING BEAUTIES will be a ten-issue comic, and will launch early 2020. I will update this site—you’d better believe it—as and when news comes in.
May 14, 2019
Out in the UK
The paperback of my critically acclaimed novel, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, is now available in the UK from Titan Books.
This action-packed, psychological thriller earned starred reviews at Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and was a finalist for the 2018 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. New York Times bestseller Joe Hill said, “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.”
THE FORGOTTEN GIRL is available now wherever books are sold, but I’ll drop the Amazon link RIGHT HERE for ease. And hey, if you read it, and enjoy it, feel free to drop a review. That’s a good way to make an author happy.
More soon.
