Bentley Little Books

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Bentley Little is a renowned American author that writes horror. Born in Mesa, Arizona in 1960, he has a communications BA and comparative literature MA both of which he acquired from California State University Fullerton.

‘The Revelation’, his first novel, which he published in 1990, began as a thesis for his Masters. Following his graduation, Bentley was so confident in the potential success of the novel that he spent a lot of time doing temp jobs.

The author was certain that his debut novel would wow audiences, at which point, the money would roll in, turning the writer into an overnight success. This did not happen. First of all, it took him several months to secure an agent.

But even after he jumped this hurdle, it was another two years before ‘The Revelation’ found a publisher that was willing to buy it. By then, the author had wised up and secured proper employment. He was working as a technical writer (Southern California Municipality) when his novel was finally published.

Bentley’s publishing journey grounded him. The industry was far more grueling than he had anticipated. Fortunately, he was willing to persevere. The author was quite young when he decided that he wanted to write fiction.

However, he never told anyone. His parents thought he wanted to commit suicide when they found a story he had written in the first-person in his room. It came as a surprise to some people when he abandoned journalism in favor of pursuing English in college.

One of Bentley’s turning points was the success he had in selling his first two stories. The author had already acquired his communications BA by this stage and he was ready to tackle a Political Science Masters program.

The stories he had sold encouraged him to bet everything on a career in publishing, which is why he decided to Major in English. His efforts paid off when Dean Koontz and Stephen King discovered and ultimately encouraged people to read his work, turning the author into a beloved horror icon.

Despite his achievements, Bentley Little lives a very low profile life. He does not promote his work in any significant manner. He doesn’t have an official website and he tends to avoid interviews. While most authors go to great lengths to encourage readers to consume their work, Bentley is a rare sight at conventions.

He is just as disinterested in book signings. However, the author disagrees with people that call him a recluse. Rather, he argues that as a writer, his job is to write. He is neither a publicist nor a marketing professional, and he has no interest in filling those roles. He is confident that the right people will discover his work.

The notion of opening social media accounts to run after potential readers does not interest him. This has only added to his allure.

Bentley Little Awards

Bentley’s first novel won the Bram Stoker Award.

Bentley Little Books into Movies

‘Masters of Horror’ turned one of Bentley’s short stories (The Washingtonians) into a TV episode.

Best Bentley Little Books

Even though he writes about ordinary people, Bentley has developed a reputation for filling his novels with disturbing scenes of a sexual and violent nature. Some of Bentley’s best books include:

The Store: This novel follows a simple man in a small town in Arizona who had everything he could ask for, not just a loving family but a job with convenient working hours. Everything started to change when ‘The Store’ entered the picture.

The city council should have protected the town from its influence. But then ‘The Store’ started flouting laws during construction and no one stepped up to stop them. Even worse, small shop owners started vanishing. Before anyone could fully comprehend the power of ‘The Store’, they had conquered the entire town, forcing one man to carry the responsibility of saving his community.

The Association: For Barry and Maureen, approval of their application by the Association brought with it some unexpected restrictions. Yes, they were now authorized to live in an exclusive community. But they were also expected to give the association full control over their lives, not just their decor and landscaping but also the friends they chose to make and the jobs they decided to pursue.

Even worse, any failure to adhere to the Association’s rules was likely to incur severe punishments, with the most notable being death.

When Does The Next Bentley Little book come out?

Bentley Little doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is DMV and was released on April, 14th 2023.

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