Letters From the Labyrinth 80

Hey there. This is the 80th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth -- a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.

CLICKERS FOREVER arrived in a lot of people's mailboxes this week. Some folks, including me, are still waiting for their copies. But while I wait, I've really been enjoying the kind words folks are posting on social media. I'm so pleased that everyone is loving this tribute to J. F. Gonzalez.

So, with that in mind, how about a J.F. Gonzalez update?

MONSTERS by J.F. Gonzalez and ANIMALS by J.F. Gonzalez and Wrath James White are in production at Thunderstorm Books. These two novellas will be published in one volume, and are a prequel to SURVIVOR. Thunderstorm will do a regular signed limited edition, and will also release it as part of the Dark Worlds collector's set. The prequels will eventually see wider release in paperback and ebook via Deadite Press.

I also just sent the manuscript for UP JUMPED THE DEVIL to the Thunderstorm Books production team. It is a four novella collection that J.F. had finished compiling and writing the afterword and story notes for a few weeks before he got sick.

As the novellas tie heavily into his mythos (particularly the novels PRIMITIVE and THEY), it will be released as part of Thunderstorm's Dark Worlds series (along with SURVIVOR). It will also be released in trade paperback and ebook later this year.

FETISH is the next out of print J.F. Gonzalez novel to be reprinted in paperback and e-book. Robert Swartwood and Kealan Patrick Burke are finishing up production design on it right now, and it will be available before the end of this month.

Gabino Iglesias is hard at work on finishing THE CROSSROADS, an uncompleted novel that J.F. considered his magnum opus.

To stay up to date on all these releases, and to purchase all of his in-print books, visit J.F.'s official website.

I’M DREAMING OF A WHITE DOOMSDAY -- a feature length film written and directed by Mike Lombardo and executive produced by me -- continues to steamroll the festival circuit, taking home Best Film and Best FX last night at the New Jersey Horror Film Festival. Here's Mike with his latest two awards. (I think photo credit goes to Patrick kennedy, but am not sure).

This week I worked on:

* The second draft of the pilot for THE DOOR.

* J.F. Gonzalez's UP JUMPED THE DEVIL

* A short story called "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" (a reference that fans of Iron Maiden will get).

* INVISIBLE MONSTERS (The next Levi novel)

* THE FALL (The final novel in THE RISING series)

The latest installment of my HISTORY OF HORROR FICTION column is now available for free over at Cemetery Dance. This month, I examine Theseus and the Minotaur, Homer’s Iliad and its sequel, the Odyssey, the Oresteia, Beowulf, Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, and Lucian of Samosata’s second century AD True Stories.

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

Critics and readers are raving about RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL, which is on sale now in Paperback – Kindle– Nook – Kobo

If you’re not convinced, Apex Magazine has the first chapter available for free.

Synopsis: 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.

A reminder about The Horror Show with Brian Keene's 2nd Annual Scares That Care Telethon

WHAT: 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.

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. As a matter of fact, a new chapter of THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH BOOK ONE went up last week.

TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.

See you back here next week.