Sam Weller

In this haunting debut collection of short stories, Sam Weller, authorized biographer of the legendary Ray Bradbury, blurs the boundaries between the weird, the outre, the paranormal, the Gothic, and old school punk rock. Dark Black features 20 tales, at turns chilling, melancholy, hilarious, and nightmarish. A marine biologist at the end of his career embarks on his greatest field study to find the mythical sea beast he believes he witnessed as a young man, long ago. A writing professor discovers the Clutter murder house, made infamous in Truman Capote's 1966 classic, In Cold Blood, is available on a vacation rental site. He books the home to finish his latest book with unexpected results. A group of kids use a Ouija board to contact their beloved, deceased friend. A punk rock musician writes a groundbreaking album, collaborating with the ghost of a musical legend. A college student with subtle telekinetic abilities attempts to use her powers in the midst of a horrifying school shooting. Sam Weller worked side by side with Ray Bradbury for over a decade. No surprise, then, that Dark Black is deeply inspired by Bradbury's dark and enduring 1955 collection, The October Country, mashed-up with modern influences, such as anthology television program "The Black Mirror" and "American Horror Story." Dark Black's 20 short stories are made up of evanescent ghosts and inner demons, lost souls and lost love. Featuring striking, original color artwork by renowned artist and printmaker Dan Grzeca, known for his concert prints for The Black Keys, Sharon Van Etten, U2, among others, Dark Black is art object as book, in this case of haunting new American Gothic fiction.

Hardcover, 224 pages 71/2 103/4 in. 19.05 x 27.305 cm. Acclaimed biographer and Bradbury scholar Sam Weller spent more than a decade interviewing Ray Bradbury, who admitted, "Sam Weller knows more about my life than I do." Revealed in Weller and Bradbury's conversations, collected in Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews, is a vivid portrait of the author. A creative genius, an opinionated and occasionally contrarian thinker, "and a nostalgic futurist," Bradbury longed for yesterday even as he looked toward tomorrow. During the process of conducting research for the book, noted Los Angeles photographer Zen Sekizawa photographed Bradbury's home and decades of his accumulated possessions. Her photographs present an alternate portrait of Bradbury--one that is more poignant now that his personal possessions have been sold at auction and his home of more than half a century razed. Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews is the definitive collection of interviews with this American icon, illustrated with Sekizawa's stunning color photographs (including previously unpublished images). Originally issued as a paperback in 2010 by Stop Smiling Books and Melville House Publishing, Listen to the Echoes is now available as a full-color, larger-format hardcover edition with a new final chapter by Weller about Bradbury's legacy since his death in 2012, and dozens of new photographs from the Bradbury archive. Also new to this edition are essays by Margaret Atwood and Frank Darabont. Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), the poetic and visionary author of such classics as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man, was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Bradbury's sway over contemporary culture is towering--Mikhail Gorbachev, Alfred Hitchcock, and David Bowie all counted themselves as fans, to name only a very few. Limited Edition The limited version comes in an edition of 300, is printed on silver foil, and wrapped in a clear poly book jacket. It includes a "library card" signed by contributors Margaret Atwood, Frank Darabont, Black Francis, and Sam Weller. Edited by J.C. Gabel Foreword by Black Francis Afterword essays by Margaret Atwood and Frank Darabont Designed by Benjamin Woodlock Original photography by Zen Sekizawa Hat & Beard Press #10

Ray Bradbury is a storyteller without peer, a poet of the impossible, and, indisputably, one of America's most beloved authors. In a much-celebrated literary career that has spanned seven decades, he has produced an astonishing body of work, including "The Illustrated Man", "The Martian Chronicles", and "Fahrenheit 451". In "Shadow Show", editors Sam Weller and Mort Castle have collected short stories from 26 of the most diverse and celebrated authors writing today, all gathered to honor Ray Bradbury and his tremendous contribution to the literary canon. Contributors include: Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Dave Eggers, Harlan Ellison, Alice Hoffman, and Audrey Niffenegger.

Accomplished journalist Sam Weller met the Ray Bradbury while writing a cover story for the Chicago Tribune Magazine and spent hundreds of hours interviewing Bradbury, his editors, family members, and longtime friends. With unprecedented access to private archives, he uncovered never-before-published letters, documents, and photographs that help tell the story of this literary genius and his remarkable creative journey. The result is a richly textured, detailed biography that illuminates the origins and accomplishments of Bradbury's fascinating mind.