Bentley Little Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Mondo Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Bentley Little is an American author that writes horror stories. Bentley is an enigmatic figure whose reclusive nature and disinterest in engaging with the masses has allowed the mystery of his persona to grow.

+Biography

Bentley Little was born in 1960 in Arizona. The author speaks fondly of the fact that he was born soon after his mother watched the movie ‘Psycho’. Bentley’s parents had no idea what to expect when they went to watch the Hitchcock film.

And it has been reported that Bentley’s mother screamed so hard at some of the scenes that they feared she would accidentally give birth to Bentley there and then. Whether or not the incident was a sign from the stars that Bentley was destined to write horror, the author definitely took to the genre at an early age.

Though, because of the attitudes of the times, as a growing boy, Bentley never held any meaningful hopes and dreams of actually making it as a writer of horror. Rather, Bentley set his sights on pursuing a more practical career which is why he attended California State University Fullerton and earned a degree in Communications.

The author eventually proceeded to acquire an MA in Comparative Literature. It was during those early days that Bentley’s journey to writing success began.

Shortly after getting his Communications degree, Bentley Little wrote and sold a story to ‘The Horror Show’, a David Silva magazine.

Bentley should have been looking forward to tackling the employment pool. But he had instead chosen to go back to school. His objective was to acquire a Master’s in Political Science to increase his chances of securing a job as a journalist in the future.

Selling his first short story to a magazine and seeing it published changed everything. Suddenly, Bentley gained a new appreciation for his creative talents. More importantly, the author realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life writing fiction.

So Bentley changed gears and enrolled for a Master’s in Creative Writing. ‘The Revelation’, Bentley Little’s first novel was actually written as a thesis for his master’s. And the author was so impressed by the manuscript, he decided to submit it to a publisher.

Bentley was certain that the manuscript would make him wealthy within a matter of months. Not only did it take Bentley two years to finally sell it but he only made a few thousand dollars. And he had to wait for another year to see it published.

Bentley has admitted that he only got his chance at publishing success because of Dean Koontz. Bentley was a massive fan of Robert McCammon at the time and he was quite eager to attend his idol’s book signing.

Robert and Bentley got to talking. Bentley told Robert that after all the short stories he had written and seen published in magazines and anthologies, he was ready to move forward with an actual novel.

Bentley explained that he had already completed the novel in question, and now he wanted help getting it published because he had no idea how to proceed. Bentley expected sage advice from his literary hero.

Robert merely told him to get an agent. Bentley was quite frustrated by the response. His first novel (The Revelation) hadn’t elicited any interest from publishers and Bentley was starting to get discouraged.

His decision to attend a Dean Koontz signing sometime later changed everything. Dean knew of Bentley Little because both authors had written short stories that the same magazine had published.

Koontz not only appreciated Bentley’s short stories but he was eager to find out if the author had written anything longer. When Bentley revealed that he had actually produced a full-length novel that he had no idea how to publish, Koontz took down his contact information and, within a few days, connected him to an agent.

That same agent (Dominick Abel) has represented Bentley since then.

Even with Abel’s help, Bentley Little struggled to find his footing in the publishing field. Editors kept telling him that the horror genre was dead. They would coerce him to experiment with mystery and suspense and thriller, but all those attempts ended in failure.

And Bentley remembers hating the process of creating books like ‘Death Instinct’. The author knew where his talents lay but the publishers of the time were too busy trying to follow trends to let him play to his strengths.

Eventually, Bentley stopped trying to fit into the mold and refused to write anything that wasn’t horror. Bentley has seen great success as a result.

The author stands out because he doesn’t market his book. In fact, Bentley Little has no significant social media footprint to speak of. His official website was started and is run by his fans because the author doesn’t have internet access.

Bentley believes that his work can speak for itself and that promotional strategies are irrelevant.

The author’s unorthodox approach has worked for him on many fronts. For example, Bentley saw his short ‘The Washingtonians’ receive an adaptation for the television show ‘Masters of Horror’. The adaptation was aired in the second season (Episode 12).

There has also been a lot of talk about turning ‘The Store’, a Bentley Little novel, into a movie.

If that wasn’t enough, Bentley’s books have been praised by the likes of Stephen King.

+The Association

Barry and Maureen are tired of California. So they think they’ve hit the jackpot when they land a great but reasonably priced house in a gated community in the mountains of Utah.

They learn that joining the homeowner’s association is a pre-requisite for anyone who wants to live in the community. Neither Barry nor Maureen thinks much of this condition. They realize too late that the Association has the power to exert all manner of control on their lives, this including their décor and interactions with the outside world.

+The Store

A man living in a small Arizona town has a perfect life. Not only does he have a great family, with a beautiful wife and loving daughters, but his job lets him work from home. Things change when ‘The Store’ opens an outlet in town and the small downtown shops begin to crumble as a result.

The man wants to stay positive. But ‘The Store’ keeps ignoring all the town’s zoning laws. Even more bizarre are all the dead animals on their premises, not to mention all the small shop owners that start to disappear.

2 Responses to “Bentley Little”

1. Michele Matthias: 2 years ago

   Thank you for your work on this! Bentley Little has recently become my favorite author and now I know all of his publications so I can read them all.

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     Yeah I am a big fan of Bentley. Have a few friends who are horror fans and I made sure to buy them all a copy of The Store 🙂

     Reply