Brian Keene Newsletter

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 rarely go to the doctor -- mostly because I don't have health insurance, but also because doctors seldom deliver good news. When I do need to go (to get the annual finger up the ass or get my cholesterol checked or things like that) I go to our local urgent Care center and pay cash.

Yesterday, I had to get a procedure done at Urgent Care. I got there around 9am and left around 10:30am. While I was there, I noticed that I seemed to be the only person in the waiting room who didn't have the flu.

That had changed by one in the afternoon. The fever, chills, headache, muscle cramps -- all that shit that comes with the flu? I had all of it. According to Mary, I was somewhat delirious all through last night, despite the Advil, Tylenol, Zicam, Airborne, grapefruits, oranges, and lots of water in my system. I still feel like utter hell this morning, but at least the fever seems to have broken.

I also apparently tried to write during the delirium. I found a note to myself "Novel about a thief, ala Goodfellas" along with random sentences that don't make sense "Cardboard control panel" and "The dog who no one could see." Mary says, "Those notes are the tip of the iceberg, I assure you. There was the plan to sleep in your car so you could control the temperature, something about selling calendars, the Brady Bunch, and your ability to diagnosis a fever without a thermometer because you were asleep. And more. It was like drunk you and sleeptalking you combined, only less coherent."

Anyway, I'm supposed to be working on the pilot for THE DOOR. I don't know how much actual writing I'll get done, though.

If I had just stayed home and not gone to the doctor, I wouldn't have the flu...

The hardcovers of CLICKERS FOREVER should begin shipping next weekend.

February is LOST LEVEL month, with not one, but two brand-new LOST LEVEL books dropping this month.

Hardcovers of HOLE IN THE WORLD are up for preorder.

An hour ago, they were nineteen strangers on an airport shuttle, braving travel delays and a freak blizzard. Then they fell through a hole in the world. Now, they are nineteen strangers trapped in a dangerous dimension filled with prehistoric monsters, futuristic technology, and otherworldly mysteries. They’ll have to learn to work together if they want to survive and return home…but will any of them be left alive by then?

Thunderstorm Books is proud to present HOLE IN THE WORLD — a weird fantasy prequel to Brian Keene’s popular THE LOST LEVEL series.

Yes, this is a prequel to THE LOST LEVEL series, but you can read it as a stand-alone, with no previous knowledge of the other books.

HOLE IN THE WORLD is limited to 168 signed and numbered collector's edition hardcovers. $65. CLICK HERE TO PREORDER

Here is the cover

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 Kobo editions 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.

Here is the cover

Last year, The Horror Show with Brian Keene (my weekly podcast which had over 200,000 downloads in 2017) held a 24-hour live streaming telethon to raise money for Scares That Care, a 501C(3) charity that helps children with cancer, women with breast cancer, and burn victims. Our goal for that 24-hour period was $10,000. Thanks to the kindness of the horror genre -- both the fans and the professionals who make up our community -- we exceeded that goal.

This year, we are doubling our goal, and intend to raise $20,000 is 24 hours. Once again, the beneficiary will be Scares That Care. All of the money raised will go directly to the charity. STC is a completely volunteer organization. None of our staff and no one on the Board of Directors draws a salary. The money goes directly to the families in need.

The 2018 Horror Show with Brian Keene Telethon will begin at noon (EST) on May 11 and end at noon (EST) on May 12. Just like last year, it will be livestreamed across the world via YouTube. It will be free to listen to, so no matter where you live, you can participate.

You can also attend the telethon, and be part of our live studio audience. The telethon will be held at Courtyard Marriott 2799 Concord Road, York PA 17402. You will need a ticket to be part of the live studio audience. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here. Seating is limited to 80 people. (All proceeds raised from ticket sales will go directly to the $20,000 goal). Your ticket guarantees you 24-hour admission to the telethon -- come and go (and sleep) as you please. Please note that by purchasing a ticket and attending, you are granting The Horror Show with Brian Keene permission to broadcast your voice and/or likeness live on the air.

One more important note:

Last year, a number of well-meaning publishers, authors, celebrities, etc. took to social media during the telethon with promises to their followers and fans that "If you buy my book or movie in the next 24 hours, I'll donate the money to Scares That Care." Some of them followed through with this. Others did not. Therefore, this year will we not be recognizing or endorsing any such effort by mentioning it on the air.

The best way for publishers, authors, musicians, and celebrities to help is to promote the telethon as it is happening. Encourage your followers and fans to tune in to the live-stream. More importantly, encourage them to donate. If you would like to organize a fundraising drive to benefit the charity, do it in advance, and then donate the money the day of the telethon. Call into the show or send us a message with your donation. "Hi, Brian. This is Fred Spacklepaste, author of Your Mom Is A Vampire. Over the last month, my fans raised $500 for Scares That Care, and I've just sent it in." That is something we will gladly recognize and announce on the air.

In short, this isn't about promoting your product. It's about raising money for kids with cancer and burns.

So, to recap:

WHAT: The Horror Show with Brian Keene 2018 Telethon -- a live, 24-hour event that will be streamed around the world for free, during which we will raise $20,000 for charity.

WHEN: May 11 and 12, 2018

WHERE: In person at Courtyard Marriott 2799 Concord Road, York PA 17402, or listen for free from the comfort of your home.

TO BE PART OF THE STUDIO AUDIENCE: Click here and buy a ticket. Limited to 80 people.

WHO WILL BE THERE: Well, me obviously, along with Dave Thomas, Mary SanGiovanni, Mike Lombardo, Phoebe, Coop, Other Brian Smith and the rest of The Horror Show staff. Scares That Care's Joe Ripple will be on hand. Celebrity guests such as Dan Padavona, Scott Edelman, Christian Jensen, and many --many -- more are scheduled to appear, as well.

With your help, we can do this, and once again show the world how giving and charitable the horror genre's fans and professionals can be.

“Interlude: Jack Ketchum’s Footprint” – the latest installment of my HISTORY OF HORROR FICTION column – is now available for free over at Cemetery Dance.

If you missed the previous three chapters, click here to get caught up.

DAVID J. SCHOW will be the recipient of the inaugural J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented during the first annual Splatterpunk Awards ceremony later this year. Schow is the person who first coined the term “splatterpunk,” which has been in the Oxford English Dictionary since 2002. His seminal body of work includes such novels as The Kill Riff, The Shaft, and Upgunned; his nine short story collections include Seeing Red, Black Leather Required, Havoc Swims Jaded, Eye, and the 40-year anniversary volume DJStories: The Best of David J. Schow. As editor he brought us the classic Silver Scream anthology and the three-volume Lost Bloch series (celebrating Robert Bloch rarities). As scenarist he has written prodigiously for film (The Crow [with John Shirley], Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, The Hills Run Red) and television (Masters of Horror, Mob City). His non-fiction includes two books exploring The Outer Limits TV series, The Art of Drew Struzan, and Wild Hairs, a compendium of his popular “Raving and Drooling” columns for Fangoria Magazine. He can be seen on various DVDs as expert witness or documentarian on everything from Creature from the Black Lagoon and Psycho to I, Robot and King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen, and was lead researcher and commentator on the recent Outer Limits Blu-Ray set. His previous honors include the World Fantasy Award (Best Short Fiction), the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award (Book of the Year), the International Horror Guild Award (Best Non-Fiction Book), and the ultra-rare Dimension Award from Twilight Zone Magazine. Despite what the internet says, he has never won a Bram Stoker Award, and he's okay with that.

The Splatterpunk Awards were founded by Wrath James White and Brian Keene, and recognize superior achievement in the horror fiction sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. The awards ceremony will take place August 24 through 26 at Killercon in Austin, Texas.

Reminder that I’ll be signing books February 23rd through the 25th as a guest at Con Nooga, taking place at The Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, TN. I’ll have books for sale at the convention. You can also bring books from home for me to sign. As always, there is no charge for signatures and no charge for pictures and no charge to hang out in the hotel bar and share a beer and conversation.

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.