A short story about a history enthusiast, whose obsession with the Hamilton-Burr duel takes him to the Cliffs of Weehauken, and beyond. As produced by the great weird-tales podcast The Drabblecast.
From Quirk Books and Ben H. Winters, TImes-bestselling author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Tolstoy's beloved epic, recast in a dystopian world of robots, cyborgs, and space travel!
(SPECIAL TO VISITORS TO THIS SITE: If you're reading Android you might be interested in this
helpful glossary, or want to peruse this list of influences.)
A New York Times best seller! Austen’s classic novel of love, heartache, and social distinction, except with nefarious pirates, primitive submarines, and rampaging giant mutant lobsters!
Online incidental pieces...
* An inside-baseball account of writing Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, for Slate.
* a recounting of my wrestling match with the plural of "octopus", for Visual Thesaurus.
* a virtual mix-tape of songs about the ocean and/or monstrousness, for the great Large-Hearted Boy blog.
A new musical, with a book by me and music & lyrics by the terrific Drew Fornarola. The debut production, directed by Jeremy Dobrish, will be at Vital Theater on the Upper West Side, starting Jan. 16th. It's about a timid, shy fourth grader, whose uncle turns out to be a...well, you can probably guess.
Worst-Case Scenarios
I have worked on numerous books in the best-selling humor series published by Chronicle, including...
A musical for children about the silversmith turned patriot. Book and lyrics by me, music and more lyrics by Stephen Sislen. Touring forTheatreworksUSA since spring of 2006, and now available for licensefrom Samuel French. Check out the patriotic (yet goofy) anthem sung by the "Sons of Liberty."
A musical for kids about a bored boy named Oliver who changes places with the Tooth Fairy. Mayhem and considerable silliness ensue. Book by me, music & lyrics by Rick Hip-Flores. Here's a swell review from the New York Times, and a sample (from the cast recording) , in which the Tooth Fairy longs for the life of a normal lady.
A "jukebox" musical, music by Neil Sedaka, book by me and Erik Jackson, concept by Gordon Greenberg & Marsh Hanson. A couple of wide-eyed gals in the Catskills in 1960 look for love, find only heartbreak, eat knishes, find love after all. First produced in summer, 2005, at the Capital Repertory Theater in Albany, Breaking Up is licensed by Theatrical Rights Worldwide and produced frequently, all over the country.
Slut
Book and lyrics by me, music by Stephen Sislen. Off-color title notwithstanding, the show is a goofy, romantic, heartfelt musical comedy, A smash hit at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival; Off-Broadway, fall of 2005; regional premiere at the Actors Theater of Charlotte in 2008. Here you can listen to the opening number, “I’m Probably Not Gonna Call.”
Journalistic potpourri
In which I attend anarchist training camp (for In These Times), join a cult (for NewCity Chicago), and cover the UN Conference on AIDS (for The Nation) by talking to a security guard in the cafe.
"Ben H.Winters, author of the immensely popular Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, connects all of Tolstoy’s dots in the cleverly bizarre world he has created and he transforms a Russian novel into a delightfully demented work of science fiction."
"It would have been enough for Winters to modify and emulate the Russian master’s style, turning those skills to pure entertainment. Throughout the novel, however, he uses this modified Victorian Russia to level a delicate criticism of modern society."
More fun feedback on Android Karenina, like...
Four stars from the Florida State University newspaper!
Some extremely positive feedback from the blogosphere on Android Karenina.
* Galley Cat says it's a "quick, light and funny read," but that the "true marvel of this mash-up is the way the author flips the events thoroughly and seamlessly from Czarist Russia to something more akin to 1984."
* Popular Fidelity says "it's a credit to Winters that his additions work with and enhance Tolstoy's underlying themes, rather than detract from them."
The Library Journal delivers an altogether glowing report on Android Karenina: "Winters...does a spectacular job, adding robots and mechanical terrorism to the misery, adultery, and philosophical introspection of Tolstoy’s masterpiece."
"Verdict: Creepy, thrilling, and highly enjoyable!"
It's official! Android Karenina is in stores! Pick up your copy today! (June 8)
Here I am on the CBC, talking about love and monsters:
Here I am talking up the audiobook version of Android Karenina on Suvudu.com.
(June 1)
On June 8, the day Android Karenina hits the shelves, I'll be doing a reading and signing at the legendary Strand Books here in New York, where I'll be joined by Russophile extraordinaire Elif Batuman, author of The Possessed.
This will be an enormous amount of fun; if you're in New York, please come join us!
(May 28)
Spoke on Galleycat's Morning Media Menu today about Android Karenina and the art of the literary remix.
And here's my contribution to their massive, multi-writer remake of Horatio Alger's Joe's Luck.
(May 20)
The nice people at the CBC asked me to give this short and informative talk on sea monsters and heartache. And in this clip from the Smithsonian Residents Associate book talk, I talk about why S&S&SM is so fun, and gesticulate a lot.
(May 14)
Getting very close to pub. day for Android Karenina. I'll be reading and signing at the Steampunk World's Fair on Saturday, May 15th, at 9pm, signing at the Book Expo of America at 2:00pm on the afternoon of May 26, and hosting an online discussion group at Goodreads.com from June 14 through July 9.
Update: Here I am at the Steampunk World's Fair. Man, that was some futuristic/historical fun.
(May 17)
An excerpt from my play, Benjamin, appears in the new issue of The Dramatist. Warning, it contains the cursiest curse word in the English language, not once, but twice. (April 23)
I added a bunch of stuff to the Calendar, including my upcoming appearance at C2E2, the massive Chicago comic/sci-fi convention, alongside the other Quirk Classics authors, Seth Grahame-Smith and Steve Hockensmith. (March 18)
I hear (from my sci-fi digging Aunt Ann) the very cool news that Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is an official Sci-Fi Book Club selection. (March 3)
The cover of Android Karenina was unveiled today... (Feb 19).
* Well, I revamped the website a bit, with the always-able assistance of Drew at Boom Creative.
(Feb. 17)
* A very nice review for Uncle Pirate appears in this week's Time Out New York. Arrrr!
(Jan. 29)
* And another one in the New York Times. Double-arrrr!
(Feb. 5)
* My second novel, Android Karenina, will be published on June 8 by Quirk Classics. More info here, here, and here.
(Jan. 26)
* Don't forget to go see Uncle Pirate at Vital Theater, running through the end of February!
* Don't forget to come see me be pseudo-erudite at a Jane Austen panel at the famous Morgan Library! (If you can't make it, get the gist in this piece I did for Time Out, or the accompanying interview!
* Also, two new theatrical events on the calendar: A Great Big Miracle at Orlando Theater Project in December; and Uncle Pirate at Vital in January.
(Dec. 1)
Two exciting upcoming appearances to report: On November 14th at 1:00 pm I will be appearing at the Miami Book Fair, and on November 17th at the National Press Club author night! (Nov. 3)
Meanwhile, in the great alternative universe of the internet, I made my debut on the Huffington Post and did a little guest-blogging at Largehearted Boy. (Nov. 6)
After an exciting couple weeks in print, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters just hit the New York Times best-seller list. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy -- enjoy!
(Sept. 25)
I'll be appearing on Fangoria Radio (on Sirius XM) tonight, September 18th, to plug Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Tune in around 11 to hear me talk monsters with the host, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister.
In other radio news, I just taped an interview for Morning Edition on NPR, and that will appear on Monday (September 21).
We had a terrific "launch" party for Sea Monsters e at Idlewild Books in Chelsea, on September 15 at 7. You can see some great pictures at the site of novelist Hannah Tinti, who stood in for Jane at the event. (Sept.
A couple non-Sea Monster related updates for a change...
Number one is that Breaking Up is Hard to Do has been slated for the Coverdale Theater in Cincannati next spring.
Number two is that the musical version of the swell kids book Uncle Pirate, with music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola, and script by me, has officially been announced by Vital Theatre for their March/April 2010 slot. (August 10)
Amidst all the fun press greeting Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters -- including in Entertainment Weekly, alotof cool blogs, and this awesome European paper that taught me the French word for sea monsters ("les calamars") -- it's important to note this wonderfully timely (and, I swear to God, coincidental) little news item, in which "jumbo squid invade San Diego shores, spook divers." (July 17
Hey, maybe you should be a fan of the book on Facebook!
Fun news: I'm the author -- er, co-author, with Jane Austen -- of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, the follow-up to the international best-seller, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The release date is September 15, but copies are available today (July 15) for advance order.
Check out the delightful "trailer" on the Quirk Classics youtube page.(7/15/09)
I am so excited and delighted and elated (and many other enthusiastic adjectives) to announce that HarperCollins Children's Books will be publishing my middle-grade novel, The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, in the fall of next year. (6/22/09)
The Orlando Theater Project will be presenting A Great Big Miracle, my Hanukkah play, this December. (6/10/09)
Four (whew) new Worst-Case "pocket guides" are coming out in September: Meetings, San Francisco, Cats, and (the one that was the most fun to write), Cars. If you want to know how to drive down stairs, here's the answer: you just do it. (5/24/09).
It looks like I'll be working on another show for Vital Theatre, this one adapted from the charming new novel for kids by Douglas Rees, Uncle Pirate. (4/30/09)
A multiplicity of new productions of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do are on the calendar, including Wisconsin this spring and Cincinatti in spring 2010.(4/2/09)
The Ventura County Star has got Neil Sedaka saying some nice things about Breaking Up is Hard to Do, as well as a swell review. (1/16/09)
The nextproduction of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do opens in Thousand Oaks, California on January 9; you can get tickets now. This production is the West Coast premiere, and the cast is terrific.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere will be leaving on its latest tour in late January 2009. To bring it to a school near you, contact TheatreWorks USA.
I've been named a Dramatists Guild Fellow for 2008-2009, in partnership with my frequent collaborator, the composer Stephen Sislen.
As I have in the past, I wrote the script for the 2008 North Shore Animal League America Benefit Gala, which was at Capitale in Manhattan. Great gig, great cause.
Ben Allen H. Winters is a writer who lives in Brooklyn with all the other writers.
I am represented as a playwright & librettist by Ron Gwiazda at the Abrams Agency; I am represented as a prose writer by Molly Lyons at Joelle Delbourgo Associates; I am represented at the United Nations, like all Americans, by Susan Rice.
For press copies of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters or Android Karenina, or to schedule an interview about Quirk Classics, please contact Melissa at Quirk Books: 215-627-3581, X 271.