(King of Pigs character art from Ghost River).
It’s a weird time to be alive. Even weirder trying to chase your dreams with current events drowning out so many recognizable patterns and voices.
But here we are. Ghost River is officially released on Halloween (2 days), and the US election happens 3 days later. Talk about living on the edge, babes!
So many peers have advised postponing releases, but we (at Lost Boys Press) are done waiting for the ‘new normal.’ Personally, I’ve waited over 25 years for this and the idea of postponing ANYTHING AT ALL feels like poison.
So full steam ahead, friends!
What could go wrong? LOL. 2020 is only a FEW MONTHS longer.
RIGHT? RIGHT?
A Book of the Times
I mused about Ghost River on Twitter the other day:
And it got me thinking about how important this wild book was to me over the last year. It was a bizarre anchor that kept me strapped in while so many were falling out around me. Ghost River, this empty expanse of a place, was where I could go to light firecrackers and work through the complexities of my life in 2020.
The anger, rage, loneliness, anxiety, and desperation bled out in this tale. And my seething discontent cut into the pages like broken glass.
I hated it but needed it so badly. A tincture of foul-tasting medicine I took every day for 8 months. My anger at the work itself helped shape it too. I wanted to destroy story-telling. I wanted gray characters unlike any that have been seen in traditional narratives. I wanted a book that felt like chewing on rusty nails.
An anti-book. A scream of defiance in a sea of cookie-cutter horrors.
Risky? Yes. Controversial. Definitely. Anti-book? Well. Somewhat.
At the time, I did not realize it was actually healing me. Art is funny that way. Even when it is desperate and angry and lost, it brings remedy to a weary soul. While I tried to smash Ghost River apart, pieces started fitting together behind my devastation.
A story wanted to be told. Demanded it, really. A vein of immaculate beauty hidden underneath all the corrosion and horror appeared. That thread of love, beauty, the desire to connect and be free stretched across the grand narrative. A remedy to the 2020 despair I felt was hidden in the dirt like a buried treasure.
Some won’t see it. That’s OK. It’s there though, and if you’re looking for the truth behind the events in Orphan Rock, maybe you’ll find it too.
News, Reviews & Clues
Book News
Lost Boy Press is launching 2 titles on Halloween - Ghost River, and A Map to the Stars (the brilliant and experimental novella by Ashley Hutchison). You can visit Lost Boys Press to learn more about these titles, read reviews, Pre-Order e-books (they drop on Halloween), and order print editions. Speaking of, the print editions are NOW LIVE to order, to hopefully land in your mailbox around Halloween!
Don’t forget to read the advisory on Ghost River. It’s a very dark tale, and some of the content may be triggering to some readers (light spoilers).
Where Does it Go - Podcast Interview
From the WDIG Website:
We had the good fortune to get to interview the author Chad Ryan about ghosts! His debut novel, Ghost River, looks at ghosts in a variety of iterations, and we talk about his research for the novel, his personal ghost experiences, and a philosophical discussion on why ghosts are such a common concept.
Sarah and Emily also provide first impressions on what they’ve read of Chad’s work, what they enjoyed about it, and how much they’re looking forward to reading Ghost River once it’s released, on the suitably spooky date of October 31, 2020.
LOST BOYS PRESS Featured in Meteor Magazine
Check out Ashley and Chad featured in Meteor Magazine’s 3rd Issue! They talk about publishing, pandemics, books, and more!
It’s free to download (click here)!
No Rest for the Wicked & Weary
So here we are just two days away from book release and you’d think we’d be celebrating (maybe taking a vacation?).
Ha! No. NOPE. NADA. Besides marketing, I’m already into my next two projects that will be announced in the coming weeks. Think you’ll like what’s coming too. Let’s just say I’ve been waiting to flex these particular muscles for a while now.
But rest assured my fascination with scary things won’t be ignored.
OK, fine. I’ll share a little teaser. Just a taste. That’s all you get.
Now, shhhhhh. You didn’t see anything. GO BACK TO SLEEP.
Thank You for Your Support
As always, I want to express my gratitude for your love and support. This is GO TIME now, and I’m very pleased to bring you Ghost River in all of its damaged glory.
When you purchase it or Map to the Stars, you help keep a couple of indie-authors like me and Ashley Hutchison around. Further, we’ll be able to give back and publish other brave writers who like to bend and shatter the rules.
The end result? MORE AMAZING BOOKS!
Again, I offer great thanks to all of my friends!
Without you, everything falls apart,
Chad Ryan