[Letters From the Labyrinth] 67
Hi. I'm Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here, for your reading pleasure.
I hope that those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a good one. I spent the holiday in New Jersey, with Mary Sangiovanni's family. They number thirty-plus strong, and their Thanksgiving meal is a traditional Italian affair, meaning the first course comes out around noon and there are twelve more to follow, plus dessert. The family spreads out at tables and chairs throughout the house, and the conversation can be overwhelming. These gatherings used to terrify me when Mary and I first started dating, but now they feel like coming home. I no longer find a quiet room to hide in, and instead, throw myself into the fray.
I get along with her father in particular, who is in his early seventies, and an O.G. fan of the genre. We talk Universal monsters and H.P. Lovecraft and Kaiju films and comic books and Ray Bradbury and all sorts of other things. He had just re-watched Forbidden Planet before we got there, and David J Schow had just emailed some pictures of himself with Robbie the Robot (as well as a pic David took of Leslie Nielsen with Robbie the Robot), so this year, we talked a lot about that.
Scott Edelman was on hand last week when we spoke at the Frederick Community College in Maryland, and he recorded it for his podcast, Eating the Fantastic, which is available on iTunes and elsewhere.
Click here to listen for free on your computer as myself, Mary, Damien Angelica Walters, Lesley Conner, J.P. Sloan, and Eric Hendrixson dispense writing and publishing advice.
Ron Davis, who runs the Brian Keene Fan Group on Facebook, is editing a Scares That Care benefit anthology. You can learn more about it here.
I'll be contributing to it. If you are an author who would also like to contribute, Ron writes: "I am now accepting stories for consideration/inclusion in a horror anthology to benefit the charity Scares That Care, titled Fight the Real Monsters. I'm seeking DONATED work with all proceeds of the finished anthology, which will be sold as an ebook and in paperback, going directly to the STC charity. Submitted stories should be between 1,000 & 20,000 words. New stories are appreciated but older stories are also welcomed. The rights to all of the stories will remain with the author. This is a non-themed anthology but keep in mind that the Scares That Care charity helps children with cancer, women who have breast cancer and also burn victims so please refrain from using these themes in your story. This call will remain open from December 1st 2017 until January 31st 2018. Interested authors can contact me via PM on Facebook, DM on Twitter @RonDavis1980, or send their submission via email to STCbenefitantho@outlook.com. Please include a cover letter with your email containing your name, contact info, the title of your story, year of copyright and a short personal bio. Acceptance and rejection notifications will be sent out after all submitted stories have been reviewed. Please be patient."
Author Max Booth III sent this picture, taken at his local Half Price Books. That's an original first printing, first edition signed limited edition hardcover of THE RISING. It's also a really good price (I've seen them go for double that amount on the secondary market).
If you haven't, you should check out Max. He's super busy in a way that I used to be twenty years ago. These days, I just get tired watching him. Which is a good feeling. Tell him I said hi.
Speaking of THE RISING, over on Patreon right now, there's a brand-new story set in the world of THE RISING available to $10 supporters.
YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. A BRAND NEW RISING-RELATED SHORT STORY.
Click here to start reading.
The great holiday dedicated to capitalism is upon us–Black Friday! Over at Apex Book Company, you can get 30% off paperback or e-book edition of my novels THE LOST LEVEL, KING OF THE BASTARDS, and THRONE OF THE BASTARDS simply by using the discount code CHEER17 at checkout.
February 2018 sees the release of RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL in paperback, e-book, and audiobook from Apex Book Company. (The hardcover was released earlier this year from Thunderstorm Books).
Spring of 2018 also sees the hardcover release of HOLE IN THE WORLD, the third book in the series, which serves as a prequel to THE LOST LEVEL. That hardcover will be available from Thunderstorm Books. (Paperback, e-book, and audiobook will follow at the end of next year from Apex).
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!