One Month Till BLACK RIVER ORCHARD

(Sung to the tune of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.” Though I guess there it would have to be “One Month Till Apples,” or better yet, “One Month Till Orchard.” Whatever. Shut up.)

We are one month away (ish, as it arrives 9/26) from Black River Orchard! Small town horror and evil apples and suburban cults, ahoy! Is there sinister agriculture? Yes! Family drama? You bet! Body horror, weird apple information, local politics, and nightmarish folklore? All of the above!

So, now what?

Well, first, let me offer the caveat that, readers owe writers nothing beyond procuring the book by legitimate means, which is to say, at a bookstore, a library, an ancient curse, what-have-you. That can be the beginning and end of our relationship and it ticks the boxes: I wrote a book, you got the book, great, well-done all of us, we did it.

*a tiny parade ensues*

That said, these are Trying Times (or as the internet cartoon Strongbad once wrote to me in a letter, TRYING THYMES, except the S was like, a cool jaggedy heavy metal S, obvs), so certainly there are ways you can support writers (like myself) and their books (like Black River Orchard) even before those books come out on release day.

First, you can pre-order it, which is very helpful. I recommend pre-ordering it from my local, Doylestown Bookshop, where you can tell them in the notes section that you want it signed and personalized, and then they will mail the book to you directly. This is an awesome way to get the book because I will devalue it with my heretical scrawl. But obviously any indie bookstore is a good place to grab it, and you can pre-order e-books from your e-book place of choice — though here I recommend Kobo, where you can also get the audiobook. Bookshop.org is also a solid place to nab a physical copy. But all the places apply: B&N, BAM, Amazon, etc.

Why is pre-ordering good? Because it sends a signal to bookstores and publishers that people want the book. It helps those stores, too, and also makes sure that there are enough books to go around. It also helps you accrue Good Book Karma, which follows you into the next life. Probably.

(And if you’re intending to pick it up from a library, you can definitely ping your local library and ask them to carry the book. And they’ll do it! It’s wild! Because libraries are great!)

Second, if you’ve already read an early copy via an ARC or via NetGalley, leaving a review on NetGalley or Goodreads or Storygraph helps get the word out. Any attention you can give it online across the various Social Medias before release are like ripples from a pebble thrown into a pond — those ripples might reach the shores where other readers await.

Third, and related, tell people about the book. This is true before it comes out, and after. Word of mouth is 100% the best driver of BOOK LOVE, and is infinitely more valuable (and more real) than any kind of marketing we do. It counts online, in person, whatever. Just tell people about the book. Whisper it in their ears. Carve it into the side of an apple and throw it through their window. These are normal things to do and you should do them!

Fourth, commit to coming to one of the book tour events! The final details of these are not announced but I’ll be coming to these stores, I believe, in roughly this order — final dates and other details to come, though some of these stores may already have their events posted at their sites. (And these dates may yet change, so keep your apples, I mean, eyes, peeled.)

9/25: Doylestown Bookshop — Doylestown, PA

9/26: PRINT Bookstore — Portland, ME

9/27: Porter Square Books — Boston, MA

9/28: Books on the Square — Providence, RI

9/29: Gibson’s Bookstore — Concord, NH

10/1: Northshire Bookstore — Saratoga Springs, NY

10/2: Oblong Books / Rose Hill Orchard — Rhinebeck, NY

10/3: The End Bookstore — Allentown, PA

And then I’m also going to be doing four dates out West, dates tbd, but I’ll be at Tattered Cover (Denver, CO), Montana Book Company (Helena, MT), Powell’s Bookstore (Portland, OR), and Elliot Bay Bookstore (Seattle, WA).

Extra bonus fun: some of these events will feature WEIRD APPLE TASTINGS from local orchards. Some will also feature excellent conversational partners. Again: more details soon, probably in a day or three.

And hey, a lot of really cool people have said really nice things about the book, too —

“An epic saga that is at once a propulsive horror novel and a parable, a thriller and a cautionary tale, Black River Orchard is the immensely talented Chuck Wendig at his finest.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

“A gripping story of love and legacies gone rotten, deeply rooted in the landscape and as twisty and gnarled as an ancient apple tree.”—T. Kingfisher, USA Today bestselling author of What Moves the Dead

“This will undoubtedly be heralded as one of the finest horror novels of the twenty-first century.”—Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

“Enchanting, exquisite and dark, Chuck Wendig masterfully weaves a new horrifying fairy tale in Black River Orchard.”—Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award winner of Crime Scene

“Creepy and insidious, Black River Orchard whets your appetite and then turns you inside out.”—Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Queen of Teeth

“Black River Orchard should come with a warning label: You’ll never bite into another apple without remembering this dark, demented, and genuinely frightening novel.”—Jason Rekulak, author of Hidden Pictures

“Dark. Visceral. Creepy. Smart. Deep. So red it’s dark brown. Chuck Wendig’s Black River Orchard slithers and shines, its dangerous belly full of dark magic and accusations. I’ve been a fan of Wendig for years, and this is his best novel yet.”—Gabino Iglesias, Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil Takes You Home

“An essential for horror readers, and buy it for new horror readers—it will convert them instantly.”—V. Castro, author of The Haunting of Alejandra

“Plucks your heartstrings and preys on your fears at the same time . . . High-stakes horror meets peak emotional investment means Total. Reader. Devastation.”—Sadie Hartmann, author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered

“A fresh and unexpected horror feat, expertly drawing from the ancient, endless wells of our greatest fears.”—Premee Mohamed, Nebula Award–winning author of Beneath the Rising

“This masterful outing should continue to earn Wendig comparisons to Stephen King.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

So, that’s it for now.

One month till harvest.

One month till you take a bite.

One month till you write me an e-mail that says, “Dear Chuck what the fuck is wrong with you, I read your book and no seriously what the fucking fuck,” and I’m going to say, “sorry?” and you’re going to say, “Now I really want to eat an apple but also I’m not sure I will ever eat an apple again,” and I’ll say, “Yeah, that makes sense,” and then we’ll just stare at one another across the uncomfortable digital distance until we each bite into an apple at the exact same time and it’s super creepy but also we’re kind of into it?

See you in the orchard.

(Also, UK edition drops 9/28. Cover here:)