911爆料

Locals shudder at the memory of the Thorpe family massacre, but the new owners of Thorpe House, the Whitmores, are New York tough and savage each other for sport. When a disarming stranger turns up at their door during a Thanksgiving nor’easter, though, the Whitmores quickly learn their petty viciousness is no defense against real darkness.

So begins James Patterson’s and  new novella “You’ve Been Warned 鈥� Again.” An Assistant Professor of English and one of the organizers of this week’s , Nikitas first collaborated with Patterson on the novella 鈥�,鈥� which was published in April.

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So what’s it like to work with the Guinness World Record holder for most books on the New York Times bestseller list 鈥� the best-selling author in the world? It’s been a blast, said Nikitas. 鈥淭he best fun I鈥檝e had writing anything. It鈥檚 freeing to work with an established writer, with an established voice. It has changed my outlook as a writer. I like to think it will help me in terms of my own readership. It鈥檚 exciting.鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檝e Been Warned 鈥� Again鈥� is your classic New England ghost story. In it, literature lovers will note echoes of 鈥淜ing Lear,鈥� 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Afraid of Virginia Woolf鈥� and 鈥淵oung Goodman Brown.鈥� Music fans will draw comparisons to the Rolling Stone鈥檚 classic 鈥淪ympathy for the Devil.鈥� And the appearance of a black goat will chill history buffs familiar with Puritan superstitions.

BookShots: Breakneck-paced Fiction

Nikitas’ novellas with Patterson are part of a line of Patterson thrillers called . A former New York City ad man, Patterson is arguably not only the best-selling author on the planet (so said “CBS Sunday Morning” in 2016) but also the savviest marketer in publishing. To date, he鈥檚 sold more than 350 million books worldwide. BookShots, Patterson has said, are 鈥渓ike reading a movie.鈥� One BookShots鈥� features a smartly dressed bibliophile dodging danger with book in hand while a voiceover pitches its selling points: 鈥淯nder 150 pages. Under $5. Impossible to stop reading.鈥�

BookShots follow the structure of Patterson鈥檚 major novels: short chapters that begin with a hook and end with a cliffhanger. 鈥淚t creates an urgency that I鈥檝e found inspiring,鈥� Nikitas said. 鈥淚n some ways, my own writing has changed. I鈥檝e become mercenary about pacing and economy and am more cognizant about pleasing an audience with a compelling story.鈥�

Nikitas, who is the author of two other critically acclaimed novels, 鈥淧yres鈥� and 鈥淓xtra Life,鈥� has big-name fans in director David Lynch, who called him, 鈥渁n incredibly gifted new author鈥� and novelist Joyce Carol Oates, who said, “Any subject Derek handles, channelled through the lens of his unique sensibility, is likely to be of unusual worth and interest.鈥� Nikitas says his 鈥渘ormal habitat鈥� is the thriller but his style is more psychological 鈥� focusing on character building and interiority. Patterson鈥檚 influence, he says, 鈥渉as added a few new tools to my toolbox but it hasn鈥檛 revised my teaching process.

“I’ve become mercenary about pacing and economy and am more cognizant about pleasing an audience with a compelling story.” Derek Nikitas

鈥淚 make sure to tell my students, understand that there are many options,鈥� when it comes to approaching Fiction writing.

Nikitas is at work on a couple of new novels, one of which is set in South County. He teaches undergraduates and graduates as well as supervises the English Ph.D. with a creative writing dissertation, “which offers doctoral candidates the opportunity to write a book-length project (novel, memoir or poems) with an academic “critical introduction.” It is the only Ph.D. program of its kind in New England, and one of only a handful in the Northeast,” Nikitas said. His is a busy schedule.

But if Patterson comes calling again?

鈥淚鈥檇 be happy to do another one.鈥�