News
February 14, 2010
My second novel, The Haunting of James Hastings, is finished, in the can, accepted by my publisher, and off to copy editing, hallelujah,
Amen. Is the world ready for a supernatural horror-thriller with
shades of Fatal Attraction and Eminem?
We shall see.
The important thing is, finishing one's second novel is the definition of a huge relief. Follow-up jitters slayed, sophomore slump, my ass.
It's doneski.
And this is surely the surest sign it is time to begin my third novel.
Which will of course be bigger, bolder, more ambitious, more terrifying
(at least to the writer), and altogether the most fun I have had on a book
to date.
My deadline for book #3 is November 22, 2010, so I guess it had better be.
September 25, 2009
Christopher Ransom's second novel announced, slated for publication by Sphere, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, in the United Kingdom, summer 2010.
The Haunting of James Hastings
“The woman who unloaded the moving truck all by herself looked nothing like Stacey. But later, after I welcomed her in, she began to change in ways that made it difficult for me to forget my wife had died more than a year ago . . .”
Salvation comes in the form of Annette Copeland, a beautiful widow who moves into the house next door. James and Annette bond quickly over the spousal losses they have suffered, but as their unconventional romance escalates, Annette begins to exhibit uncanny manners and desires that belong to Stacey. Concerned friends and former lovers who try to come between them meet with increasingly diabolical fates, and James becomes convinced Annette’s cosmetic changes are only the beginning of a horrific yet alluring case of possession.
Driven to isolation far outside of Los Angeles, James and his unstable companion return to the deserted gated community of Sheltering Palms, where evidence of Annette’s family tragedy is waiting for him, and James’s investigations unwillingly draw the attentions of two dangerous personalities: Rick Butterfield, a delusional policeman who knows Annette’s history and still pines for her; and Aaron, a 10-year-old boy who wanders the desolate subdivision nightly, waiting for his parents to come home.
With every attempt to atone for his failings as a husband plunging James deeper into a nightmare struggle for survival, he must finally confront the ghost of the man he used to be, the origin of his resurrected other half, and the true face of the evil that has brought them together.
The Haunting of James Hastings is at once a descent into psychological terror, a midnight meditation of the addictive nature of love, and a novel that redefines the ghost story for a culture obsessed with dark entertainments.
September 22, 2009
New Interview with Christopher Ransom by Dark Scribe Magazine
http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/drawing-first-blood/the-literary-birth-of-christopher-ransom.html
August 9, 2009
Author events announced. I will be reading from and signing copies of The Birthing House at the following locations:
Paper Moon Books
McGregor, Iowa
Sunday 8.9.09 @ 1:00 - 3:00pm
Boulder Bookstore
Boulder, Colorado
Monday 8.17.09 @ 7:30pm
Tattered Cover Bookstore - Highlands Ranch
Denver, Colorado
Tuesday 8.18.09 @ 7:30pm
Borders Books & Music on University Ave.
Madison, WI
Wednesday 8.26.09 @ 7pm
Set In Stone
Mineral Point, WI
Friday 8.28.09 @ 7pm
I hope to see you there!
August 4, 2009
The Birthing House is released in the US. St. Martin's Press has taken my manuscript and turned it into a beautiful hardcover novel. I could not be more pleased with the cover art and overall presentation. I know I am biased, but this is a captivating treatment. Had I handed over my wish list
of fonts, textures, images, and jacket copy, I could not have expected
better than this.
April 13, 2009
We've just received our first review from a major publisher and media outlet in the US, Library Journal.
"As much about the terrors of humankind as it is about the supernatural, this is an exceptional debut, full of action-packed gore and carnal imagery. Ransom’s style mimics that of the early Stephen King and Dan Simmons’s horror fiction (e.g., A Winter Haunting)."
This is obviously a welcome update, not least of all because King's early works and Simmons's A Winter Haunting were something of role models for me. I continue to hope that fans of these authors will enjoy The Birthing House when it is released in the States.
January 25, 2009
The Birthing House reaches #6 on the London Times list of fiction paperback best-sellers.
Believe me, I am more surprised than anyone to learn this. I never dared to dream of or expect such a response. I'm very grateful to my
readers in the United Kingdom, many of whom have been so generous
to take the time to e-mail me a letter about how they enjoyed the book.
It's incredibly rewarding to labor over a novel for 3 years and then hear from people who found the novel gripping enough to keep them up all night, checking the doors and making sure the windows are sealed. Most of my favorite novels had the same effect on me, so I'm not sure there is a higher compliment one could hope for at this time.
Thank you all for giving this first-time author a shot.
January 1, 2009
The Birthing House is released in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth territories.
Check back soon for news updates about The Birthing House and all things Ransomesque.
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