Letters From the Labyrinth
Hi there. My name is Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth -- a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
I was going to write up a thing about my trip to Phoenix, Arizona, where the creative team behind Season One of THE DOOR met up last week. That creative team consists of myself, writers Richard Chizmar, Stephen Kozeniewski, Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason, director and YouTube celeb Tony E. Valenzuela, and Serial Box Content Production Coordinator Lydia Shamah.
Then, I decided to just post my journal entries instead.
Enjoy.
(Note: In addition to the creative team mentioned above, Thunderstorm Books founder Paul Goblirsch is also mentioned in the diary entries below).
MONDAY 1/15/18:
Drove to the airport at 10am. It was sixteen degrees outside, and the river is still frozen. It's even frozen alongside the cooling towers at Three Mile Island, which I've never seen before. You know it's fucking cold when the nuclear power plant is frozen up.
Kozeniewski and I flew out of Harrisburg. Rich flew out of Baltimore. Stephen met me at the gate. He was pretty excited. It made me smile. Reminded me of the first time I flew across the country to sit in a Writer's Room. I try to subtly manage his expectations. Writer's Rooms -- creating by committee -- can be a massively frustrating and soul-crushing experience, except for those rare occasions when you've got a team that just gels and leadership that gets out of their way. We'll see how this one goes.
It was seventy degrees in Phoenix. Paul picked us up at the airport. Stephen and I are staying at his house for a couple reasons. One, it gives me some one on one time with one of my primary publishers. Two, it gives Stephen some one on one time with a publisher he should get to know (particularly if he's going to start benefiting from the additional revenue stream of limited editions). And three, it will cut down on the number of people crowding into the house Serial Box rented for us on AirBNB.
First time I've been to Paul's house. His office is breathtaking. His wife built these ornate custom-made bookshelves that go floor to ceiling (she's a master woodworker), and they feature every book Thunderstorm has ever published. His upstairs bookshelves are full of treats, too -- limited editions from Cemetery Dance, Subterranean Press, Donald M. Grant, and others. I spent hours going through them. At one point, I commented to Paul's teenage daughter that her dad had some cool books. She responded with, "I've got a cool dad."
Paul showed us the sample copy of CLICKERS FOREVER: A TRIBUTE TO J.F. GONZALEZ. it doesn't have the fancy endpapers or the signature sheets, but holy shit, this thing is going to blow minds. It's a deliberate callback to the way these anthologies used to look and used to be, which I think is how Jesus would have wanted it. Felt good to hold it in my hands. That book dominated my life last year, and my own work fell even farther behind. It was so worth it.
Paul and Stephen had some beers. I had some bourbon. Then Stephen and I crashed, jet-lagged. I called Mary to let her know I was there safe, and fell asleep about thirty seconds later.
TUESDAY 1/16/18:
Got up early. Paul's wife made breakfast, which I normally don't eat, but there was bacon, and thus, I was persuaded. I called little man who was super excited because it snowed back home last night, and he was off school. He asked me to bring him home a rattlesnake or a scorpion. I told him I'd see what I could do.
Stephen and I drove to the AirBNB. It is supposed to be a half hour drive, but it took us ninety minutes. Luckily, we'd left early, so we were still on time.
Back home, I can drive for thirty minutes and have lunch with Rich anytime I like. He rarely does conventions. I'm used to seeing him that setting -- his Cemetery Dance office or at lunch. So it was weird to see him in Phoenix. He was relaxed and at ease and excited about THE DOOR (I've called it that so much when teasing the public that now I'm calling it that in my head, as well).
Met Lydia and Tony. Lydia is fantastic -- a former literary agent and now the Production Coordinator at Serial Box, she exudes confidence, calmness, and charm. She's smart and funny and patient and very, very cool. Tony was fantastic, as well. In truth, I'd been a little nervous about Tony. He and I had spoken on the phone, and that had gone well, but it wasn't lost on me that he was the creator of this property. It had a successful run, and now we were continuing the franchise. These were his babies. Those fears were unnecessary. He is super into my ideas for the franchise, and where to take it. He's friendly, enthusiastic, and has an energy level perhaps on par with Hal Bodner or Jim Moore. And the dude is fucking hilarious, too. We hit it off, both professionally and personally, I think.
Finally, the Sisters of Slaughter showed up. Was so cool to meet Michelle and Melissa finally. I could tell they were nervous, at first. I suspect they felt a bit of Imposter Syndrome, walking into that room with folks like Rich, Tony, and myself. Stephen confirmed for me later that they had indeed been feeling that. I remember feeling that way, too, first time I sat in a Writer's Room with Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens. What really impressed me about the Sisters is that they very quickly got over that nervousness, and realized, "Hey, we belong in this room. We fucking earned this." And then they got down to the business of kicking ass and taking names. So cool to see.
We sat around a large table in the kitchen. Lydia went over the introductions. Then Tony talked about the franchise's creation and history, it's popularity on YouTube, etc. Then all eyes turned to me, and I realized that, "Fuck, I guess I'm in charge of this thing" which was disconcerting and alarming, because I'm used to being just another hired gun. Not the Head Writer and certainly not the goddamned Showrunner, and as I'm thinking this, everyone is still looking at me, and then Lydia gives me a smile and a nod, so I stand up and fake it.
We went through the Story Bible I'd created. Then, I shared an anecdote about the lead protagonist and his child, and how that's based on what we went through with little man last year, and by the end of that, they understood how personal this storyline was to me. We found a storyline that was personal for Michelle and Melissa, as well. We found one that Stephen identified with very strongly. And we found one that Rich was begging to write. In short, everyone was ready and willing to bleed on the page.
We began plotting everything out on Post-It Notes -- the world, the characters, the plot beats for every episode. I stuck these to the walls and windows of the kitchen as we talked and planned and debated and spitballed. You know how I said that Writer's Rooms -- creating by committee -- can be a massively frustrating and soul-crushing experience, except for those rare occasions when you've got a team that just gels and leadership that gets out of their way? Well, this was an amazing creative committee. We didn't just gel. We were goddamned glue. And I stayed the hell out of their way, and let them get it all up on the board. Then we went through all that, and by the end of the day, we had background on all of our characters, and had episodes one through seven fully plotted. I was impressed. Lydia was impressed. Rich was impressed. Tony was ecstatic. Stephen and the Sisters of Slaughter are still too new at this to fully comprehend how fucking rare a team and energy like this is, but there's no doubt they were feeling the magic, as well.
End of the day, Michelle and Melissa went back home to spend some time with their families (it was Melissa's fifteenth wedding anniversary). Lydia, Rich, and Tony went out to dinner. Stephen and I drove back to Paul's, which took about ninety minutes again. I decided we were spending too much time in the car, so I texted Lydia and suggested that since the team was getting along so well, Stephen and I stay at the AirBNB with her, Tony, and Rich. She thought that was a great idea.
We had dinner with Paul and his family. Then I interviewed Paul for the podcast. He announced Mary's new imprint and some other cool stuff. Then, I called home and talked to little man, who had off school again, thanks to more snow. Eventually, I went to bed. Paul and Stephen stayed up talking. I found out the next morning that Paul offered Stephen a book deal.
WEDNESDAY 1/17/18:
Paul drove us to the AirBNB house, along with all of our stuff. The drive was ninety minutes again. Rich texted me and asked if I could bring coffee. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts and got the team a box of coffee, assorted bottles of water and soda, a dozen donuts, and a breakfast sandwich for Rich.
Paul and Rich got to meet in person finally, after years of talking online. Rich is the reason Paul got into publishing. He's like Paul's Dick Laymon or Stephen King. Paul was nervous as hell, but Rich put him at ease and was super gracious, and made sure Paul knew he viewed him as a peer and not some newbie upstart (which he isn't, of course. He's been doing this over a decade now).
Paul took off, with the invitation to come back and join us all for dinner that night. The Sisters arrived, and we all go back down to business. We finished plotting episodes eight through ten, and were done by lunch. We still had a day and a half in Phoenix, but we were done! I don't think any of the veterans in that room have ever seen a creative conference go as smoothly as this one. In truth, I worried that maybe I was missing something important, but Lydia confirmed that we'd hit it all. We went back through everything, just to make sure we were cool with it all, and then...we were truly finished. Season One -- all ten episodes -- are fully plotted and fleshed out. All we've got to do is write them.
Paul came back at five. The Sisters headed home. Paul, Rich, Lydia, Tony, Stephen and I went to dinner. We only had Paul's car, and seating was super tight, so I volunteered to ride in the trunk, and then did so, much to everyone's delight. I was secretly pleased that, at age fifty, I can still squeeze myself into a car trunk if I need to.
Dinner was delightful. We sat on a second floor open air balcony, looking out at the city, and had much steak and drinks. Had a fantastic IPA, locally-brewed. We talked long into the evening. Paul and Rich talked publishing, and it sounds like Rich is going to help Paul get some of the bigger dogs (the dogs bigger than myself, Bryan Smith, Mary, Tom Monteleone, or Ronald Kelly, which would be a huge boost for Thunderstorm. Not that any of us are little dogs, but yeah...you get a novel by one of the BIG big dogs, and that puts you on a brand new level). I talked with Lydia and Tony, and got to know them very well. I like them both immensely. Stephen mostly listened -- chiming in when he had something to offer, but mostly listening and observing. That kid is so fucking smart. Way smarter than I was at his age. He's going to do so well in this business.
Paul dropped us all back off at the house, and said his goodbyes. Stephen and I bunked out on the couches. Rich got Freeman and Mindy to change his flight, since we'd finished early. Unfortunately, that meant he had to leave at 4am. He headed off to bed. Tony, Lydia, Stephen and myself stayed awake talking and bonding for a while. Then, one by one, we crashed.
THURSDAY 1/18/18
I called little man. No snow day, so he was off to school...and not happy about it. Talked to Cassandra for a bit. She said the weather was warming up drastically, and a flood watch was in effect. The ice on the river had formed a pretty formidable dam, the way it did a few years ago. Apparently, my road was the zone of biggest concern. I called Mary and advised her to keep an eye on the water level, and what to do if she had to evacuate. Dave was there with her. They were recording the first episode of her new solo podcast.
Michelle and Melissa arrived, and I recorded a podcast interview with them. Then Tony made breakfast. I packed up all the Post-It Notes, in order, and put them in my bag, so I could transform my office back home into a replica of the Writer's Room and fully immerse myself. The Sisters said their goodbyes, and Lydia, Tony, Stephen and I hung out until it was time to leave. I worked a little on my History of Horror column, and a little more on THE FALL (and realized that I'm going to have to include a scene in the next chapter of THE SEVEN that dovetails in with THE FALL, as they will have already left Havenbrook by the time Frankie, Teddy, Exit and the others arrive). Got a text from Rich He was back in Baltimore already. Fucker. Suddenly, I was homesick.
Lydia gave me a lollipop with a real scorpion embedded inside, to give to little man. So, he got his scorpion after all.
Eventually, it was time to go. Stephen and I were both exhausted and talked out, but I think our friendship has reached the point where we can exist in comfortable silence rather than having to fill the space with mindless chatter. At least, I hope we have. On the flight home, he read Jesus's PRIMITIVE and I read Michael Wolfs' FIRE AND FURY (don't know how true it is, but it's goddamn engaging, compulsive reading).
Landed in Harrisburg at midnight. Drove home, following the river. It's fucking scary, man. If it warms up any further, we're gonna flood.
Mary was asleep when I got home. Cuddled up next to her, and set alarm, so I could get up and take little man to school.
FRIDAY 1/19/18:
Got up when alarm went off. Went to Cassandra's. Little man was happy to see me. He liked his scorpion lollipop. Played with him, made his lunch, and then while he got ready for school, caught up with C.
Dropped little man off at school. Went home. Mary was still asleep. Decided that the Post-It Notes wouldn't work in my office, because it wasn't a kitchen like the kitchen at the AirBNB, so I recreated that kitchen in our kitchen. When Mary woke up, there were Post-It Notes on every wall, every counter, every cupboard, and even the fridge and oven. She said it looked like a cave, with Post-It Note stalactites and stalagmites.
Went to work on the revised Story Bible, incorporating the work of our stupendous team. Picked little man up from school. When he walked into the kitchen, he was surprised. He stared at the notes in wonder. When he got to the Cub Scout Pack, his wonder changed to delight. I told him he could help me write those parts. Then I made dinner.
Hoping to finish the Bible revisions by Monday night. then I can get started on the pilot episode. October will be here before we know it, and we have a lot of work to do before then. And we can't do any of that work until I write the pilot.
No pressure.
They've evacuated Front Street up in Wrightsville. The ice dam is about two miles down river. you can see it from our dock. It looks like the fucking wall in Game of Thrones. My neighbors are split on whether or not we'll flood here. Jim says we will. John and Diane think the freeze/melt/freeze/melt cycle will prevent it. Not much I can do, either way. Will just keep an eye on it and hopefully get this done beforehand.
God, I can't fucking wait to get started on the pilot.

Stephen Kozeniewski modeling CLICKERS FOREVER.

Poolside selfie.

(L to R): Richard Chizmar, Stephen Kozeniewski, Lydia Shamah, Melissa Lason, Michelle Garza, me, and Tony E. Valenzuela.

The Sisters of Slaughter and their next victim.

We had about a hundred Post-It Notes. Here are a few of them, out of order and entirely disjointed, but they will provide you a glimpse at what's to come.
EXPLORING THE LABYRINTH is a new series of essays by Kit Power, in which he will read every one of my in print books, in the order they were published. The series is presented for free by The Ginger Nuts of Horror.
Last month, Kit examined CLICKERS by J.F. Gonzalez and Mark Williams. This month, he delves deep into my 2003 debut novel, THE RISING.
Click here to read about his first encounter with Ob and the Siqqusim.
RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL — the sequel to THE LOST LEVEL — comes out February 13th, 2018 in paperback, Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.
If you pre-order the paperback from the publisher, they’ll send you an electronic copy free right now. Kindle editions and Koboeditions are also available for pre-order.
War has come in this sequel to the best-selling novel THE LOST LEVEL.
The snake-like Anunnaki have always been a blight for the people living in the hidden dimension known as the Lost Level, but now, the denizens are fighting back. After their community is decimated and their loved ones are enslaved in the aftermath of a devastating Anunnaki attack, Aaron Pace leads a diverse group of warriors — including the bow-woman Tolia, the mighty Karenk, a baby Triceratops, and a time-displaced Ambrose Bierce — on a trek through primordial jungles, dark forests, and a sun-blasted desert while battling pterodactyls, man-eating worms, and other dangers.
Can their small band lay siege to the Anunnaki city and rescue their friends, or will they suffer the same cruel fate so many others have before them? Find out in Brian Keene’s RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL.
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 back here next week. Stay dry!