SP Somtow unveils new novel 'ClubX: Vampire in the Closet'

Somtow, who was honoured as a National Artist in the Performing Arts in 2022, is making a notable return to literature with this release.

A Thai writer with over three decades of experience and a global reputation for his English-language novels, Somtow had taken a hiatus to pursue a career in international music. He founded the Siam Sinfonietta Youth Orchestra, directed theatrical productions such as Reya The Musical, and worked on several films.

During the launch event, Somtow revealed that ClubX: Vampire in the Closet marks his return to the literary world. "Initially, I didn't intend for it to be a book; it was meant to be a series," he said. "When Amazon in the US launched a platform for serial publishing inspired by Asian concepts, I thought that creating a series for Amazon would help develop a plot suitable for filming."

Somtow began publishing the story episodically on Amazon Kindle Vella, where it quickly gained popularity. Within a few months, it ranked in the Top 10 Best Sellers and achieved the No. 1 spot in the LGBTQI+ category and No. 8 in the Fantasy category in 2022. "This success surprised me, as it catered to an audience I had never written for before," Somtow noted. "Once it made the top ten, I was able to involve friends in the US to help produce the series."

He continued to film the series while writing it, seamlessly transitioning between script and novel formats. The series combines elements of adventure, secrets, and dark fantasy love. Somtow has already completed two books: Vampire in the Closet and Zombie in the Fridge, and he is currently working on the third installment.

Somtow's interest in horror began in childhood. He recalled that before he had a nanny, his mother took him to see the movie Psycho at a very young age, which sparked his fascination with the genre.

ClubX: Vampire in the Closet, a young adult novel, has garnered several international awards, including the Literary Titan Gold Book Award 2023 and The Brew Children’s Book Excellence Award 2023. It was also a finalist in the Dante Rossetti Young Adult Fiction category of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA).

The novel has been translated into Thai by Bingo, a Thai student in Australia, with Vithaya Saeng-arun ensuring the translation captures the depth of the English version. The story revolves around four high school boys—Fluke, Kim, Polo, and Danger—who uncover a secret at their school that leads to bizarre adventures involving science and dark fantasy love.

Adisak Limprungpatanakij, CEO of AdapCreation Publishing, highlighted that SP Somtow has authored up to 120 English novels available on Amazon, where he is well-known in the US, though less familiar to Thai readers.

"AdapCreation aims to translate and publish SP Somtow’s intriguing works into new genres for Thai readers," said Adisak. "We plan to release these books as pre-orders and sell them on various platforms, including e-books and serialized formats."

The Thai-translated ClubX: Vampire in the Closet is available for pre-order on the ArnBook Application until July 10, 2024. The pre-order package includes a signed copy by the author, postcards, and two sets of bookmarks, priced at 300 baht per book. The serialized version is available on platforms like ReadAwrite, Tunwalai, and Dek-D, with 25 episodes starting from June 10, 2024. The e-book format will be available on platforms such as ArnBook, MEB, Ookbee, Naiin, and Se-ed from mid-July 2024.

Moreover, the ClubX series will be adapted into a TV series, set to be broadcast on YouTube and other OTT platforms in the near future.