[Letters From the Labyrinth] Brian Keene 11/12/17
Hello. I'm Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
The collectible signed limited edition of CLICKERS FOREVER: A TRIBUTE TO J.F. GONZALEZ is available for pre-order.
Few Millennium-era horror authors left as big an imprint on the genre as J.F. Gonzalez. CLICKERS FOREVER: A TRIBUTE TO J.F. GONZALEZ celebrates his rich legacy, featuring some of horror’s biggest names alongside tomorrow’s stars in a massive career-spanning tribute. Featuring stories set in Gonzalez’s literary worlds of CLICKERS, SURVIVOR, PRIMITIVE, and RESTORE FROM BACK-UP; examinations of his creative process and the lasting impact of his seminal works; personal tributes and anecdotes from those who knew him best; and much more. A must-have for fans of J.F. Gonzalez and horror fiction. Includes exclusive content available only in this edition.
* You are pre-ordering, which means you are reserving your copy ahead of production. The book is expected to physically ship to you in January 2018.
* This hardcover is signed by ALL of the contributors and contains material that is exclusive only to this edition.
* Over 450 oversized pages
* Limited to 175 copies, at $100 each.
* Interior illustrations by Hannah Gonzalez.
* Cover by Dave Kendall.
* Signature sheet illustrations by Chris Enterline.
* Table of Contents:
Introduction – Brian Keene
Captivity – J.F. Gonzalez
That Goddamn Grin – Robert Ford
Vanilla Sunshine – Jonathan Janz
Books with Bite – Jonathan Maberry
Back from the Dead – Mike Lombardo
Bangers and Mash – Matt Hayward
Garage Clicker – John Urbancik
On the Contributions of J.F. Gonzalez to Horror Literature – Mary SanGiovanni
My Own Personal Jesus – Wayne Allen Sallee
Algorithms of the Heart – Mike Oliveri
Moist Air – Adam Cesare
On Clickers II – J.F. Gonzalez
Clickers vs. Mandibles: The Tale of an Unwritten Saga – Jeff Strand
Ten Secrets to Survival Clickers Don’t Want You to Know (They Really Hate Number Six) – Jeff Burk
A Birthday Party for Jenny Too Good – Gord Rollo
Belief – Lesley Conner
Shooting Schedule – J.F. Gonzalez
WWJD: Collaborating with J.F. Gonzalez – Wrath James White
Only One Way to Write the End of the Individual: J. F. Gonzalez’s The Corporation – Nick Mamatas
Gracias, hermano: a letter to a man I never met – Gabino Iglesias
Deep into That Dark One Peering – Stephen Kozeniewski
At the Corner of Flanders and Phillipsport – Michael T. Huyck Jr.
Surfing Is My Life: Fear and Loathing on the Northern California Coast – Gene O’Neill
The Folly of the Dead, or, I’m Pretty Sure My Buddy Is A Serial Killer – Geoff Cooper
The Survival of Horror: A Tribute to J.F. Gonzalez’s Survivor – Matt Serafini
For You, Anything – Wesley Southard
WonderClaws™ – Monica J. O’Rourke
Throwing Books – Dave Thomas
Clickbusters – Amber Fallon
Night Run – Kristopher Rufty
A Bad Influence – Robert Swartwood
Grab – Jay Wilburn
Ku Klux Clickers – Wile E. Young
My Own Private L.A. Gangsta – Weston Ochse
Jesus and the Splatterpunks: An Oral History – David J. Schow, John Skipp, and Brian Keene
Bleeding Through – Charles R. Rutledge
Mabel’s Recipes – J.F. Gonzalez
To the Bitter End – Kyle Lybeck
Complications Of – Kelli Owen
* Later next year, there will be paperback and digital editions of the book released through Deadite Press, however, please note that those editions will NOT include all of the material that is in this limited edition, nor will they be signed.
J.F. (Jesus) Gonzalez has been gone three years now. People say "it takes time" to get over something like that. They are partially right. I don't think one ever gets over something like that. But in time, you can learn coping skills.
My coping skills for the last three years were to put that tribute anthology together and to throw myself into setting up and overseeing his estate -- getting the machine up and running, and keeping it well-oiled, so to speak.
Putting the book up for pre-order last Friday, on the third anniversary of his passing, very much felt like closure to me.
Your mileage may vary...
Something else that happened last Friday was the Lancaster International Film Festival's horror night, hosted by myself, and directors Paul Campion and Mike Lombardo. The theater sold out, and the standing room only crowd were enthusiastic and awesome. Thanks to those of you who attended, including folks from as far away as New England and Florida. (Paul traveled the farthest, of course, having flown in from England on Friday morning). Special shout-out to Ron Davis, who runs the Brian Keene Fan Group on Facebook, and who is also a crazed madman who drove all day to get there, stayed until 1 in the morning, and then drove home again to clock in for work.
We showed THE NAUGHTY LIST and I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE DOOMSDAY back-to-back, and then did a Q&A for each film. Both of the Q&A sessions were filmed so that we can include them on the DVD releases of both films. Mike talked about the three years it took us to film the feature-length WHITE DOOMSDAY and what comes next. Paul talked about his work on the Marvel and Harry Potter franchises and the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy (including designing Balrog), THE DEVIL'S ROCK, shooting THE NAUGHTY LIST, and we also talked -- for the first time -- about all the behind-the-scenes things that have prevented DARK HOLLOW from being greenlit.
It was a good night, with good friends, and good people.
And that is how you cope.
Paul Campion and I at the Lancaster Film Festival.
And that brings us to my final public appearance for 2017. Just announced.
Monday, November 20
2 PM - 3:15 PM
Frederick Community College
Center for Student Engagement
Conference Center, room E126
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and FREE TO ATTEND
Are you a writer wanting to be published? Join Brian Keene, Mary SanGiovanni, Damien Angelica Walters, Lesley Conner, and JP Sloan to learn tips of the trade! Q&A period will follow the panel discussion. Authors’ books will be available for purchase at the event.
My Top Five Favorite Movies of 2017:
1. Brawl In Cell Block 99
2. 68 Kill
3. The Belko Experiment
4. Logan
5. Kong: Skull Island
As I'm finishing up this newsletter, I just got a text from Paul Goblirsch at Thunderstorm Books. He says we are down to only 40 copies of CLICKERS FOREVER: A TRIBUTE TO J.F. GONZALEZ. I imagine they will be gone within the next day or two.
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER so you don't miss out!
That's it for this week. A few reminders:
PATREON - Where I post new short stories, a serialized ongoing novel, and behind-the-scenes stuff.
TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.
See you next Sunday!