Daily Loaf

Jeff Strand, who has a cult following among horror aficionados, will be having a launch party for his first mass market paperback with a major publisher, Pressure, on Sat., May 30 from 7-9 p.m., at the Barnes & Noble in Carrollwood. Already optioned for film, Pressure breaks the molds and pushes the boundaries.

Here’s a quick summary of the plot:

They first met in boarding school: Alex, shy and nervous, and Darren, constantly scribbling in his journal. They became best friends in college. Alex always knew Darren was a little odd…

Alex didn’t know his friend was murderously insane until Darren asked Alex to join him in his blood-soaked fun.  Darren is twisted, deadly…and determined. And he won’t take no for an answer.

You may not have realized that such a thing as horror/comedy exists.  I didn’t either until I read the gleefully macabre books of Jeff Strand.  It’s not out-and-out comedy; rather, it’s horror with a humorous edge.  Horror and humor are very close, if you think about it.  When something in a film is really scary, you’ll often hear someone in the audience laugh just out of nervousness or to break up the tension.  Strand uses this to his advantage, and he does it as well as any author anywhere.  Pressure is Strand’s first “serious” thriller.  “Even my funny stuff is pretty dark,” says Strand. “And Pressure has a lot of humor in it, but there’s nothing inherently comedic about it.”

Jeff Strand ignites Pressure

The hardcover edition of Pressure was a great success, earning Strand a Bram Stoker Award nomination (he lost to Stephen King), a rave review from Publishers Weekly, and a contract from Hollywood. “It’s a very disturbing book,” says Strand. “I have no idea if the movie producer is planning to tone it down!”

At the launch party, readers can meet the author and be among the first to get signed copies. A portion of all Barnes & Noble sales between May 26 and May 31, at any store, will go to support the Tampa Theatre, simply by giving “Bookfair I.D. Number 560714″ to the cashier, or readers can print out the vouchers available at www.tampatheatre.org.

Leisure Books, an imprint of Dorchester Publishing, is a leading publisher of horror fiction and one of the only publishers to have a dedicated horror line, which puts out two books a month.  Jeff Strand will be joining the hallowed ranks of such Dorchester-published horror writers as Richard Laymon, Graham Masterson, Brian Keene, Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee. “I’m thrilled that this book is going to be so widely available — and cheap!” says Strand. “Now thousands of readers can get freaked out and hopefully lose a few nights’ of sleep.”

“Marvelously creepy reading…the horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless.” —Publishers Weekly

“Pressure is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller that probes the darkest recesses of the mind — as expressed in the disturbing relationship between two childhood friends who grow up to be more than enemies. Relentless, gripping, and frightening. An outstanding novel, impossible to put down.” —Douglas Preston, bestselling co-author of The Book of the Dead.

Check out Pressure. The publisher has a handy little device that lets you flip through the first two chapters online.  Decide for yourself just how warped Jeff Strand really is.

Contact information:  Jeff Strand JeffStrand@aol.com; http://www.jeffstrand.com (813) 508-8002

Pressure launch party information: Sat., May 30th from 7-9 p.m., Barnes & Noble in Carrollwood, 11802 N. Dale Mabry Highway. Tampa, Florida 33618.

Editor’s Note: Sally Bosco’s got some horror plans of her own, and we’ve got them on video. Internet vampires, anyone?

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