Writing Talent is in the Genes

After the season’s first real snowfall, New England woke up with a smile on its face. Hunkered down in Green Lane’s basement, I read the Wall St. Journal account of how a new novel will be marketed. I saw the same book featured in the Costco magazine, so this title is definitely going to be pushed.

It’s Joe Hill’s novel called “Heart-Shaped Box.” It’s a story of an aging rock star who tangles with a revengeful ghost, and the initial printing is 125,000 copies. When publicist Lisa Gallagher read the manuscript, she liked it so much that she offered the young writer a two-book deal. “I read it in a single sitting,” she said. Hill’s first book, a collection of short stories called “20th Century Ghosts” got rave reviews when it came out in 2005. Barnes & Noble said they are placing the book in the front of all of their stores.

The most interesting aspect of Joe Hill is how genetics must indeed play a part in why some authors write big selling tomes and others sink. The author’s full name is Joseph Hillstrom King. His father is, yes, another King, his first name is Stephen.