Stephen King to publish surprise limited-edition baseball novella

Independent horror publisher Cemetery Dance is set to publish an original baseball-themed novella by Stephen King, announced the publisher on March 29. A limited number of first-edition copies will be published of Blockade Billy, which can now be pre-ordered directly through the publisher's website.

Stephen King says about the book, "I love old-school baseball, and I also love the way people who've spent a lifetime in the game talk about the game. I tried to combine those things in a story of suspense. People have asked me for years when I was going to write a baseball story. Ask no more; this is it."

Blockade Billy will be published in mid-April in a hardcover edition featuring cover artwork by Glen Orbik and eight pieces of interior artwork by Alex McVey.

About the book:

"Even the most diehard baseball fans don't know the true story of William 'Blockade Billy' Blakely. He may have been the greatest player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first - and only - player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game's history.

"Every effort was made to erase any evidence that William Blakely played professional baseball, and with good reason. Blockade Billy had a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse... ."

Cemetary Dance is currently accepting pre-orders of the novella through its online store: http://www.cemeterydance.com/sh/king04.html.