Something I have not done nearly enough promotion on, is the awesome new Fight Club anthology that just came out. I say it's awesome for many reasons (one of them being, that yours truly has an essay in it), but primarily because, Read Mercer Schuchardt, the guy who edited it, is someone I've known for a long time now. And he has one of the most unique and smart approaches to "Fight Club" that I have ever read.

"You Do Not Talk About Fight Club: I Am Jack's Completely Unauthorized Essay Collection" is a collection of essays on Chuck Palahniuk, the novel for 'Fight Club', and of course, the movie. It came out September 1st, and you should all order it here from Amazon. Hell, it's only $10!

To convince you all that this book is worth your hard earned money, I have partnered up with Jeff Mues at BenBella Books, the publishers, for a very exciting promotion. Basically, every month, for at least the next three months, we are going to feature a essay from the book for free download on this site. Starting today!

Download The Introduction To The 'Fight Club' Anthology Here! read more »

Hello all! Hope you're all enjoying the start of your weekend. As you know, Chuck is just getting back from a few events in NY to promote the upcoming Sep 26th release of 'Choke'! I expect we'll see some pics and clips from those two events soon. In the meantime, he just sent over the September essay, "Tell A Lie, Bury A Gun".

Chuck has committed to 1 year of these, so expect 3 more yet for 2008.  Also remember that, for the first month they are posted, these essays are only available to Premium Members.  Basic Members can view them one month later.  So come October 6th, this new essay will be available to all, free, for one month only.  read more »

Hey folks! This is just a reminder that Chuck is doing an event at Borders in Los Angeles on September 13th! Not to mention, he'll have Clark Gregg and Sam Rockwell with him! I had the chance to interview Clark Gregg in person on Tuesday, and he's a very awesome dude. You'll all want to get the chance to see him speak.

Saturday, September 13 – Los Angeles 7:00pm NOTE: This event will NOT include an autographing. No memorabilia please. There will be pre-signed, movie-tie-in-versions of CHOKE (signed by Chuck only) as well as pre-signed, selected backlist available for sale at the event. Borders event with Chuck Palahniuk, Clark Gregg and Sam Rockwell – CHOKE panel discussion Discussion and Q&A Borders Books & Music NO SIGNING 1360 Westwood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90024

A Long Time Coming

Amy Hempel is a tough interview.

I don't mean that to say she's rude or doesn't answer questions, it's just that this interview started more than two years ago.

The first time I approached her for this was Aug. 10, 2006, at a reading in the park at Union Square, where she joined other writers to read excerpts from Unleashed: Poems by Writers' Dogs.

By the end of the reading the skies opened. The kind of rain that changes the direction of rivers. She ducked under a tent and stayed to chat with friends and fans. When the crowd cleared, I made my pitch.

She was gracious in saying 'no.' She ran out of things to say after a flurry of interviews for her collected works, she said, and told me to contact her in a year.

So I waited. One year later, I made my pitch again, and our back-and-forth culminated in an agreement to answer a list of questions by e-mail. read more »

Let me start by saying that Radiohead is NOT doing the score for 'Choke'. Nor are they contributing a previously unreleased song for the soundtrack. Yes, that would be cool as all hell. But it's unfortunately not true. I have that from my contacts at Fox Searchlight, so you can believe it.

Now, onto the actual soundtrack. I can't tell you how many of you have contacted me on this site and on the official MySpace page to ask what that song is playing in the trailer.

It's "Satan Said Dance" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! And yes, it's on the soundtrack. read more »

I heard from Chuck's publicist yesterday, Todd Doughty, with even more great news on promotion front. Chuck has TWO more upcoming events scheduled to promote CHOKE. It also turns out that Clark Gregg (director of 'Choke') will also be in attendance for Chuck's sold out August 30th reading at The Strand! Here are the two new dates:

UPDATE: No tickets are necessary for either of these events. It's strictly first come first serve.

I was contacted this week by a film industry friend and producer who has just optioned the rights to the movie version of 'Rant'. He kindly asked me to keep this nondescript for now, but I can say that 'Rant' is officially optioned now and is in the early stages of development. We'll keep you informed as they progress onward.

For now, take this time to discuss. Would 'Rant' make a good movie? How would you like to see it done?

The Cult Master's Program is back in action with a fall line-up that breaks new ground, adding journalism and non-fiction writing to our exciting roster of upcoming classes.  First on this new menu is a killer opportunity for anyone who has ever admired the skills of top investigative reporters or wondered how to add depth and credibility to writing of all kinds through the deployment of advanced research and sleuthing skills.

To lead us on this journey, I have recruited a top player in the field.  Jon Leiberman is an Emmy award-winning investigative correspondent who has filed hundreds of reports on fugitives across the country and abroad for the FOX TV show “America’s Most Wanted.” An expert in all things crime, he regularly appears on shows including “The Today Show,” “Shepard Smith’s Fox Report”, “Nancy Grace,” “The Dan Abrams Report” and “The Maury Povich Show,” and is quoted extensively on crime stories in newspapers throughout the country. read more »

You Were Expecting A Dude?

Close your eyes. Well, not yet. Read the next paragraph first.

Picture a hard-boiled bad-ass. That noir anti-hero with blood-flecked armor, imperfect but too cool to show it. Lighting a cigarette and staring off into the distance with that world-weary look of someone who knows all the angles but still can't figure out how the hell they got into this mess.

OK, now you can close your eyes, and once you get that image of that person in your head, open them back up.

Ready?

You pictured a guy, didn't you?

I'd bet good money you did, and maybe it's not a sexist thing. It's fair to say that the hard-boiled crime genre has long been a boy's-only club. Sure, there are strong female characters, but at the end of the day, the person at the end with their finger on the trigger is almost always carrying a bottle of whisky and a Y chromosome. read more »