Dover author Greg Bastianelli will host book release events at several locations as he prepares for the release of his sixth book, “Thorns.”
Bastianelli, 66, was born in Dover, and while he lived in New York City for several years, he returned to his beloved Garrison City. where he settled down with his wife, Rhonda, and raised his family.
Bastianelli writes in his preferred genre, horror. His other titles are “October,” “Shadow Flicker,” “Snowball,” “Loonie,” and “Jokers Club.”
According to his author website, Bastianelli graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied writing under instructors Mark Smith, Thomas Williams and Theodore Weesner. He worked for nearly two decades as a reporter at Foster’s Daily Democrat, where he says the highlights of his career were interviewing shock rocker Alice Cooper and B-movie icon Bruce Campbell.
He became enchanted with the stories of Ray Bradbury as a young child, and his love of horror grew with the works of Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell.
When not in Dover, Bastianelli said he enjoys traveling, especially to Italy, where he has visited his ancestral home and hiked the Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast and to the top of Mt. Vesuvius. He and his wife were married in Venice, Italy.
He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers.
Bastianelli worked at Foster’s Daily Democrat as a reporter from 1989 to 2008, but he knew what he wanted to do was write novels.
“I was doing some writing while there, a few short stories, and was working on my first novel even before I left Foster’s,” he said. “I finished my first draft of ‘Joker’s Club,’ a long time before it was good enough to become published.”
Writing is in his blood.
“I wrote my first short story in sixth grade,” Bastianelli said. “I always gravitated toward horror. Growing up I watched the Creature Double features, ‘Twilight Zone’ and old monster movies. I read horror, ‘Dracula’ and ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes,’ by Ray Bradbury were favorites. In junior high school, I used to go to library and take out books by Shirley Jackson, ‘Haunting of Hill House’ and ‘The Lottery.’”
Of course, Halloween is Bastianelli’s favorite holiday.
Bastianelli said he worked with small press publishers for releasing his books. His current publisher is Flame Tree Press in London.
What ‘Thorns’ about?
Without giving away any spoilers, Bastianelli said “Thorns” is set during a pandemic.
“It’s a grotesque pandemic that causes thorns to erupt on bodies,” he said. “The thorns cause intense pain and the destruction of internal organs. The central character is a nurse in Italy who becomes infected after caring for patients. There is no cure and she worked on the front lines.”
Finding out she is infected, and knowing there is no cure, Bastianelli said the nurse begins a journey home, to be with her husband and young son as the world is descending into chaos.
“Thorns” is available now in the United Kingdom. Due to printing issues in the United States, he said, the release date is now scheduled for September, but he has made arrangements to ensure books are available at his five scheduled book release events.
Book release events
July 25: Book release party with Jetpack Comics, held at The Loft Pub at Strafford Farms in Dover at 6:30 p.m.
July 30: Reading and book signing at Copper Dog Books in Beverly, MA, at 7 p.m.
July 31: Reading and book signing at Water Street Books in Exeter at 7 p.m.
Aug. 1: Book signing at The Bookery in Manchester at 1 p.m.
Aug. 8: Book signing at The Booktenders in York, ME, at 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat. Reporting by Karen Dandurant
