Letters From the Labyrinth 154
Hi. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 154th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
The 2019 Maelstrom set (the 8th in the series) is now available. There are two versions of the set available. This year’s 3-book set includes:
THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF by Brian Keene
In January 2018, authors Brian Keene and Mary SanGiovanni witnessed a group of unidentified flying objects over their home. That encounter with the unexplained forms the basis for this honest, revealing memoir-styled treatise on faith, religion, the occult, atheism, agnosticism, science, and the supernatural, as Brian Keene takes the reader on a journey through his own belief structure, revealing how it has influenced him as both a person and a writer, impacting everything from his lifestyle choices to the books he’s written. Regardless of your own individual experience, you’ll find yourself pondering THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF.
CURSE OF THE BASTARDS by Steven L. Shrewsbury and Brian Keene
Bored with retirement, the aging barbarian Rogan — accompanied by his loyal nephew Javan — returns to the land of his birth and encounters enemies both old and new near the great city-state of Nodd. All he wanted was to be left alone, but now Rogan will have to lay siege to the great metropolis, waging war against its bloodthirsty leader, uncovering the sinister plot of an ancient evil, and learning the truth about his god, Wodan. This is the third and final book in the Bastards Trilogy.
WORLD’S FARE by Michael T. Huyck Jr.
Darryl sees dead people and the history all around them. It’s a living that has always come with complications, but now Darryl has become a tool exploited by competing powers from different times, different places, and different realities. The struggle eventually lands him and his friend in the middle of New Orleans and the Robert Charles race riots, where the past they select will decide the future the world gets. This world, anyway. Thunderstorm Books is proud to present WORLD’S FARE, the debut novel by Michael T. Huyck Jr.
This year, the Maelstrom Sets are available in TWO editions:
1. Get all three signed, limited edition hardcovers for the one low price of $150. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.
2. Get a deluxe slip-cased edition of all three signed, limited edition hardcovers with bound satin ribbon markers and more for $275. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.
Thank you for your continued support!
I created a photographic, behind-the-scenes documentary this week, all about the making of my film FAST ZOMBIES SUCK. I think I did okay for my first attempt at such a thing. I posted it for free on my YouTube channel (where you can also still watch the original movie for free, as well).
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY
If you liked it, let me know. If the response is good, I'll make some more of these. I've got thousands of pictures from various things over the past two decades.
THE MIDNIGHT PALS is my absolute favorite thing on the Internet. If you are unfamiliar with the Midnight Pals, the premise is simple. The world’s greatest horror writers, both living and dead, sit around a campfire and tell each other stories. The series was created by cartoonist Bitter Karella. It took the form of a Twitter thread, and that thread proceeded to take Twitter by storm.
Midnight Pals is fashioned after the classic television program Are You Afraid of the Dark, which features a group of teenagers who call themselves The Midnight Society. Every episode, one member tells a scary story to the group in the woods at night, beginning with “Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story…” and then the title of the episode. For Midnight Pals, Karella replaced the teenagers with (initially) Stephen King, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, and Edgar Allan Poe. Ostensibly, these titans of terror take turns telling scary stories (always beginning with that familiar refrain) but then often get sidetracked by bickering and non-sequiturs.
Over time, the cast has grown to include such deceased pinnacles as Shirley Jackson, Clark Ashton Smith, Jack Ketchum, and Robert Bloch; living legends such as Edward Lee, R.L. Stine, and Guy N. Smith; and my generation of horror writers, represented by Wrath James White, Joe Hill, Nick Mamatas, Mary SanGiovanni, Carlton Mellick III, and many others.
Oh, and I’m in it, too. I’m in it a LOT…
Which is why I’m very happy to have contributed to SUBMITTED FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE MIDNIGHT PALS — a new omnibus collection of the best of the series, complete with all-new illustrations, brand-new bonus stories, and much more, including an Introduction by myself.
There is an Indiegogo campaign for it taking place right now. CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE. Of particular interest to you, my readers, is the opportunity to be killed in my next book. That’s right — the first person to pledge $500 will appear in my next book as a character, and will get killed in the story. I’ll work with you to find out what you’d like included about yourself, and your name will live on in infamy as a character in my mythos. But there is only one of these opportunities available, so first come, first served!
Next Saturday, October 12, I will be appearing at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival, taking place at the Haverhill Public Library 99 Main Street, Haverhill, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 01830. Here is my schedule for that event:
PANEL 12:30 – 1:20
Writing Your First Novel: First time novelists share the joys and terrors of writing, publishing, and promoting their first novels, moderated by legendary horror novelist Brian Keene. --J. Edwin Buja, Brian Keene (M), Mary Hart, Michelle Renee Lane, Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel, Tony Tremblay
SIGNING 1:30 - 2:30
Please note that I am only signing for one hour. I will have a very limited amount of books for sale, so this would be an excellent time to bring your books from home. I never charge for signing or photographs.
This Week's Podcasts:
DAVID G. BARNETT - The Horror Show with Brian Keene - Episode 238
Necro Publications founder David G. Barnett sits down with Brian, Kelli Owen, and John Urbancik for a career spanning interview about extreme horror, Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, publishing and more. Then Brian, Matt and Dave discuss Terrific Productions and Andrew Rev. Plus Tim Seeley’s good news, and Mary’s recipe for sausage and peppers.
Listen for free on YouTube – iTunes – Spotify – Project Entertainment– iHeartRadio – Stitcher
DEFENDERS DIALOGUE - Episode 78
It’s an attack of the killer bees as The Champions fight against an expatriate Nazi menace called Swarm! Christopher Golden and Brian Keene discuss The Champions issues 14 and 15.
.Listen for free on iTunes – YouTube – Project Entertainment – iHeartRadio – Stitcher
Former comic book journalist and current comic book writer Gavin Dillinger flew in yesterday from Tennessee. He was a guest on both The Horror Show with Brian Keene and Grindcast (both shows are recorded here in Central Pennsylvania). You'll hear that interview next week. It's a good one.
The show we recorded will be Dave's last one for the foreseeable future, as he begins his cancer treatments next week. After those are finished, the doctors will be removing his stomach (a procedure that makes me very uncomfortable but also fascinates me because I'm astonished a human being can live without a stomach).
I'm wishing him good luck with what lies ahead. Dave has sat in this studio with me every week for the last five years, and it's going to be weird without him there.
A reminder about his GoFundMe. He needs it not only to supplement his health insurance, but to help with the regular household bills that are coming in while he undergoes this dangerous treatment.
Okay, that's it for this week. As always:
PATREON - Where I post new short stories, writing advice essays, two serialized ongoing novels, and behind-the-scenes stuff.
TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.
YOUTUBE - Where I'm posting free stuff each and every day.
I'll see you back here next week!