Strangewood

Summary

Strangewood is the story of Thomas Randall, creator of Adventures in Strangewood, the most popular series of children's books in the world. Thomas is recently divorced, and dealing with the repercussions of that trauma, as well as the damage it has done to his five year old son, Nathan.

But there is other damage being done as well.

Due to his recent life changes, Thomas has begun to neglect the world and characters of Strangewood. The creatures who live there are not at all happy. Strangewood must be saved, but to do so, they are willing to risk anything, even the life of a little boy.

Backstory

Though it's labeled "horror," I think of Strangewood as a fantasy novel. I cut my teeth, so to speak, on horror, but I have found, over time, that the writers whose work affects me most profoundly are those who mix the real world with fantastical realms, and the hope represented by the conventions of fantasy with the dread inherent in horror stories. Jonathan Carroll and Tim Powers and Robert Holdstock come to mind immediately. Though they've been labeled horror writers, I think King and Barker both tread that middle ground more often than not.

The other major difference I felt while writing Strangewood was that this was the first thing I had ever written in which the story of what happens to the characters emotionally, and within their relationships, was more important than the plot itself. That trend is continuing into my next novel, Straight On Til Morning, which I'm at work on now.

One last thing I wanted to share is the story of how the germ of Strangewood, which sat in my head for more than a year before I began to write, came about. I was being interviewed for a magazine by a writer named Hank Wagner, whom I've known for years. We talk about our children a lot. My son, Nicholas, was perhaps three years old at the time, and he loved Winnie the Pooh. Well, who doesn't? I've always loved Pooh, and I read it to my sons often before bed. Milne had a great gift. The problem was, we owned more than twenty Winnie the Pooh video tapes, and I had watched them all with Nicholas over and over. Hours of Pooh a day. At that time, it was his entertainment of choice. Much as I loved Pooh, I told Hank in this interview that there were times when I would love to see a horde of dark warriors ride down into the Hundred Acre Wood on horseback, slaughter all the little #$%@* and nail their pelts to trees. Then I thought . . . hmmmmm. Strangewood was born.

Strangewood represents a milestone for me as a writer. Though I've written dozens of books, this is the first one I truly feel is everything I hoped it would be. It also seems to be vindication of a sort. There are those who believe that some of the work I've done -- on licensed properties and young adult novels -- isn't fit for a "serious" writer. Which is just silly, of course. But with Strangewood , I've received comments of support from Peter Straub, F. Paul Wilson and Kevin J. Anderson, among others. Their kind words are more than I could have hoped for.

I hope this has piqued your interest, and I look forward to your comments if you should happen to read the book. Thanks for your time.

~ Christopher Golden

Special Edition

Earthling Publications has just announced a signed, limited edition of Christopher Golden's novel STRANGEWOOD. Paul Miller, the man behind Earthling, has received extraordinary praise in recent years for the amazing job he does on each and every book that the company produces.

STRANGEWOOD will be a beautiful package, including sixteen illustrations by Richard Kirk, an introduction by Graham Joyce, and an afterword by Bentley Little. Even the endpapers are fully illustrated. In addition, the book will be Smyth-sewn and bound in leather, and housed in a cloth-covered slipcase.

Christopher Golden says, "STRANGEWOOD [is] my enduring favorite of all of my scribblings," and he is extremely excited about this release. He adds, "Yes, Earthling's book are expensive, but they aren't intended for the casual collector. What Paul Miller does is just as much a work of art as Richard Kirk's illustrations. I'm honored he's chosen STRANGEWOOD for his Earthling Classics series."

See samples of Kirk's illustrations.

To reserve a copy, email earthlingpub@yahoo.com with the subject Reserve STRANGEWOOD

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