Severance Package is available in stores everywhere today. It kind of feels weird typing that, because it's been so long coming. I finished the first draft in early November 2006, and it was originally scheduled to appear in November 2007, but somewhere along the line St. Martin's decided it would be better as a paperback original, and launched in early summer 2008. And while I was a little bummed at first, I think it was a very good call.I've always been a paperback guy. Nothing wrong with hardcovers; I've bought my share, certainly. But if I have a choice, I'll always go with paperbacks. They're easier to carry around. They usually have cooler art. And frankly, they're more affordable. When you gorge on books like I do, price matters. (And yes, I love public libraries... but there's something cool about owning your own copy, you know?)
Anyway, St. Martin's has done me a solid by making this a very, very cool paperback. The cover is by Tomm Coker, and there are eight black-and-white illustrations inside by Dennis Calero. (One of 'em is included at the top of this post.) There's a nice and grisly "death fax" inside. And finally, the cover stock is made of this material that feels like a painter's canvas--classy stuff for what is essentially a pulp hybrid of a spy novel and a slasher flick.
So even if you think the story blows... the book still looks like a million bucks.
I'll stop before this sounds any more like late-night TV infomercial. ("Act now and receive the exclusive bonus chapter of Severance Package, which can strip paint and remove warts within seconds!") But I'm damned proud of this one, and I hope you'll check it out.
