Things aren't going well for Zenith House, Publishers. Their sales are failing and the company is about to go under when they are approached by Carlos Detweiller who has a book called True Tales of Demon Infestations he would like them to publish. After having his book rejected, Carlos sends them a "gift"--an ivy plant which is taken in and cared for by Riddley Walker (the company's mail clerk who pretends to be less educated than he is). The company experiences a sudden turnaround of fates but, as always, success doesn't come without a price.
The Plant was published in six installments and distributed through Stephen's web site as an e-book on the honor system for payment. The novel has not yet been completed. If the inspiration does return, at some time in the future this project will be completed but the format for its publication may be different.
Inspiration
In the early 1980s, I started an epistolary novel called The Plant. I published limited editions of the first three short volumes, giving them out to friends and relatives (folks who are usually but not always the same) as funky Christmas cards. I gave The Plant up not because I thought it was bad but because other projects intervened. At the time I quit, the work in progress was roughly 25,000 words long. It told the story of a sinister plant—sort of a vampire-vine—that takes over the offices of a paperback publishing company, offering financial success in trade for human sacrifices. The story struck me as both scary and funny.
Description:
Things aren't going well for Zenith House, Publishers. Their sales are failing and the company is about to go under when they are approached by Carlos Detweiller who has a book called True Tales of Demon Infestations he would like them to publish. After having his book rejected, Carlos sends them a "gift"--an ivy plant which is taken in and cared for by Riddley Walker (the company's mail clerk who pretends to be less educated than he is). The company experiences a sudden turnaround of fates but, as always, success doesn't come without a price.
The Plant was published in six installments and distributed through Stephen's web site as an e-book on the honor system for payment. The novel has not yet been completed. If the inspiration does return, at some time in the future this project will be completed but the format for its publication may be different.
Inspiration
In the early 1980s, I started an epistolary novel called The Plant. I published limited editions of the first three short volumes, giving them out to friends and relatives (folks who are usually but not always the same) as funky Christmas cards. I gave The Plant up not because I thought it was bad but because other projects intervened. At the time I quit, the work in progress was roughly 25,000 words long. It told the story of a sinister plant—sort of a vampire-vine—that takes over the offices of a paperback publishing company, offering financial success in trade for human sacrifices. The story struck me as both scary and funny.