Chet Williamson’ s parents took him to see the film of Robert Bloch’s Psycho when he was twelve, after which he bought the book to learn the real story. He has been a reader, fan, and disciple of Bloch ever since that first reading.

Chet is the author of nearly thirty books, the latest of which are Defenders of the Faith and Hunters. Among his other novels are Second Chance, The Story of Noichi the Blind, Ash Wednesday, Soulstorm, Lowland Rider, Reign, and McKain’s Dilemma. Nearly all his work remains in print as Crossroad Press e-books, available at Amazon’s Kindle Store and all other e-book markets. Two new collections, The Night Listener and Others and A Little Blue Book of Bibliomancy, have recently been released.

The original Psycho novel by Robert Bloch was published in 1959 and became an instant hit, leading to the smash movie only a year later, which brought Norman Bates’ terrifying story into the public consciousness, where it still remains (proven by the success of the tv series, Bates Motel). It took Bloch 23 years to write another Psycho novel, revealing that Norman had been in a mental institution the entire time. In that sequel, Norman quickly escapes the sanitarium and goes on a killing spree in Hollywood.

“I wasn’t drawn to it as much as it was drawn to me! I’ve written for 35 years in the fields of suspense and horror, and was approached by Macmillan Entertainment and the Robert Bloch estate about writing an immediate sequel to Bloch’s first Psycho novel, and I jumped at the chance. I’d seen the film on its first release when I was twelve, and was absolutely terrified by it. I bought the paperback as soon as I could, and that started a lifelong affection for Bloch’s work. So when I got the chance to not only follow in his footsteps, but to also write about one of the most iconic characters in fiction, there was no way I could say no,” describes Williamson.

This book starts, as none of the other Psycho sequels and spinoffs did, right after the events of the original Psycho — Norman has been arrested for the murders of Mary Crane and Detective Arbogast, and is placed in the state hospital for the criminally insane. It’s not long before people start disappearing. So is Norman to blame?

Chet Wlliamson will be at the following book signing locations:

Lancaster Barnes & Noble, 7 PM, Tuesday, April 12

Harrisburg Books-A-Million, 2 PM, Saturday, April 16

To learn more or order a book, visit Chet’s website.