Pabst Opens the Box

By Jon Condit
July 6th, 2006

Nothing like getting a man named after a delicious beverage to adapt your story to make selling your book rights worthwhile.

The story I refer to is Heart Shaped Box, the debut novel from author and son of Stephen King, Joe Hill, which is set to hit shelves in February. The beverage I refer to is Pabst Blue Ribbon, one of the cheapest beers in existence, because according to The Hollywood Reporter Warner Bros. has brought in a man named Tom Pabst to adapt the novel for the big screen.

Hill, you may recall, penned one of the most original collections of short stories I've ever read, the Bram Stoker-award winning 20th Century Ghosts (review), and Box is his first crack at a full-length novel. The story tells of a rock star who collects occult artifact and sells them online to the highest bidder, and eventually comes across the sake of an actual ghost. I know it sounds a bit weird, but if you’ve read 20th Century Ghosts you’d know that we’re in goods hands with Hill’s storytelling skills. I just hope Pabst does the tale justice with his script.

Check out Joe’s official site for more on the man, and keep it here for more on Heart Shaped Box very soon!

- Johnny Butane