Letters From the Labyrinth 173
Hi everyone. I am, as always, Brian Keene and this is the 173rd issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
This past week, folks on social media did a big thing to de-stigmatize mental illness, by posting about it and such, and using the appropriate hashtags. I didn't say much, other than admitting that I suffer from long-term PTSD. What I didn't mention is that more recently in my adult life, a peculiar form of paranoia/psychosis, in which I am absolutely convinced I am going to die very soon, has pretty much taken control of my waking hours. It's not hypochondria, but it probably looks that way to my closest friends. And I couldn't blame them for thinking that way. Ask him and Geoff Cooper will tell you that while I was writing TERMINAL, I convinced myself that I had cancer. He's not wrong.
But this isn't that.
I suspect the reason I am constantly convinced that i'm going to die soon is a combination of two things -- the fact that a number of friends my age died in a very short period of time these last few years (everyone from writer pals to Navy buddies to high school chums) and the constant state of dread I exist in due to not having health insurance and finding short cuts wherever I can (like swallowing a daily dose of turmeric, garlic, zinc and pet store amoxicillin in an effort to beat an infection that had set in to a cracked tooth a few months ago).
And while those closest to me -- folks like Mary, Coop, and Kelli Owen -- like to gently tease me about my hypochondria, I can't blame them. I know it must be exhausting, and I know what it must look and sound like to them. But it really is a deeply-seated, deeply-rooted fear, and the more I try to ignore it, the deeper it becomes. Case in point -- it is Saturday night as I write this. Mary and my 11-year old are playing video games together. We're all sitting within a few feet of each other. But while they are having fun, I am sitting here secretly convinced that there's a sinus infection rampaging through my face, and turning the interior of my head into swiss cheese. It sounds ridiculous. I know. I laugh about it, too. And yet, the fear persists.
I've gone to talk therapy, on and off, when I need it. The longest was a seventeen-month stint which was very helpful and taught me some coping skills. This week, i'll probably make an appointment to start going again, and deal with this new issue.
Why am I sharing it here? The reason is simple, really. There's probably at least a few of you who needed to hear it. Anyone can be impacted by mental illness, and I don't care how self-reliant you are, it is not something you can deal with yourself. At the very least, you need to learn some valid and acceptable coping skills.
If I can go talk to somebody once a week, you can too.
So, that's for whomever needed to hear it. And the rest of you who didn't need to hear it? Well, maybe keep it in the back of your mind, just in case you ever need to.
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This week marked nineteen years since Richard Laymon passed away. That passage of time seems bizarre to me. It seems like it was just yesterday. He was 54 when he died. We always thought of him as the wizened elder. Now I'm 52 and trying to serve that role for another generation of writers. Most days it is rewarding. But most days it is also exhausting. And that makes me smile, because I'll bet it was that way for Dick, as well.
Dick's stuff experienced some renewed interest a few years ago. Some of the elements of his work haven't aged as well as we'd probably like, but I think it's important to remember the context. I still love his stuff, but I also understand why others do not. Regardless of how you feel about his work, however, you should know that he was absolutely kind, generous, funny and helpful of every new writer he encountered. He was also a doting husband and father. He was a really sweet guy who wrote some really messed up stuff.
Here are a few pictures I posted on social media earlier this week that you might have missed.
Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Paul Legerski, John Pelan and Richard Laymon, 1998 (Photo by Shannon de Hoedt)
Richard Laymon and me, 2000 (Photo by Ann Laymon)
Geoff Cooper, Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, Gerard Houarner, me, and Holly Newstein Hautala, 2000 (Photo by Ann Laymon)
Worked mostly on THE FALL this week. For the last month, I've been stuck on a scene involving astronauts on the International Space Station, who have been there since the start of THE RISING. I knew what I needed them to talk about, in order to set up things that will happen later in the novel, but I wasn't sure what the dialogue actually *was*. This week, it finally came to me, and I'm glad it did, because now I can move on to an awesome scene that takes place at a very familiar location from the first novel.
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Episode 10 of THOR: METAL GODS, written by me, aired this week. As the space battle rages, Thor and Loki confront Sylvain and reinforcements arrive to help the crew of the Orlando. Guest-starring Marvel’s Valkyrie! Available exclusively from SerialBox.
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I’m pleased to announce that my first public signing for 2020 will take place Saturday March 28, beginning at noon, at Air Studio - West Shore Farmer’s Market, 900 Market St, Lemoyne, PA 17043, and will involve my podcast cohorts, as well.
That’s right! Each year for the last 6 years, The Horror Show with Brian Keene has done a Listener Mailbag episode, where we answer questions from the audience. This year, we’re doing it live! And afterward, we’ll all be happy to sign books for you. You are welcome to bring books from home. Air Studio will also have books by each of us for sale, as well as exclusive themed-balloon displays! (A balloon bouquet based on THE RISING, anyone?)
So join myself, Mary SanGiovanni, Kelli Owen, Matt Wildasin and special guest Stephen Kozeniewski March 28 at Air Studio in Lemoyne, PA!
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John Quick Returns - The Horror Show with Brian Keene - Episode 252
Brian, Mary, Matt and Kelli address rumors regarding the future of the podcast. Then John Quick returns to the show to discuss his forthcoming Richard Laymon homage, jumping from self-publishing to the small press, and and his simultaneous new novels. Plus the cast of Joe R. Lansdale's The Thicket, the HWA's Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, and the Splatterpunk Award nominees.
Listen for free on iTunes – Spotify – Project Entertainment– iHeartRadio – Stitcher - YouTube
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Speaking of YouTube, here's a new unboxing video in which I look at the latest from myself, Stephen Kozeniewski, J.F. Gonzalez, Jeff Strand, Kristopher Rufty, Kenzie Jennings, Matt Hayward, Kristopher Triana, Edward Lorn, Robert Ford, Aaron Dries, Regina Garza Mitchell, Cullen Bunn and many more.
Wrath James White and I are proud to announce the nominees for the 2020 Splatterpunk Awards, honoring superior achievement for works published in 2019 in the sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. The nominees are recommended by readers, fans and peers. The nominees are as follows.
BEST NOVEL
1. Carnivorous Lunar Activities by Max Booth III (Cinestate/Fangoria)
2. Killer Lake by W.D. Gagliani and David Benton (Deadite Press)
3. Reception by Kenzie Jennings (Death’s Head Press)
4. Lakehouse Infernal by Christine Morgan (Deadite Press)
5. Merciless by Bryan Smith (Grindhouse Press)
6. Toxic Love by Kristopher Triana (Blood Bound Books)
7. They Kill by Tim Waggoner (Flame Tree Press)
BEST NOVELLA
1. White Trash Gothic Part 2 by Edward Lee (Section 31 Productions)
2. Saint Sadist by Lucas Mangum (Grindhouse Press)
3. Weeping Season by Sean O’Connor (Uafas Press)
4. How Much To..? by Matt Shaw (Self-Published)
5. One For the Road by Wesley Southard (Deadite Press)
6. Paradise, Maine by Jackson R. Thomas (Alien Agenda Publishing)
BEST SHORT STORY
1. “Breaking the Waters” by Donyae Coles (from Pseudopod)
2. “Angelbait” by Ryan Harding (from The Big Book of Blasphemy, Necro Publications)
3. “Censered” by Christine Morgan (from And Hell Followed, Death’s Head Press)
4. “Shoulder Pain” by Chandler Morrison (from Macabre Museum Magazine)
5. “Param” by Susan Snyder (from Trigger Warning: Body Horror, Madness Heart Press)
6. “Norwegian Woods” by Jeremy Wagner (from The Big Book of Blasphemy, Necro Publications)
BEST COLLECTION
1. Dead Sea Chronicles by Tim Curran (Bloodshot Books)
2. Various States of Decay by Matt Hayward (Poltergeist Press)
3. Dawn of the Living Impaired, and Other Messed-Up Zombie Stories by Christine Morgan (Death’s Head Press)
4. This Is A Horror Book by Charles Austin Muir (Clash Books)
5. Dirty Rotten Hippies and Other Stories by Bryan Smith (Grindhouse Press)
6. Resisting Madness by Wesley Southard (Death’s Head Press)
BEST ANTHOLOGY
1. And Hell Followed, edited by Jarod Barbee and Patrick C. Harrison III (Death’s Head Press)
2. The Big Book of Blasphemy, edited by Regina Mitchell and David G. Barnett (Necro Publications)
3. Dig Two Graves, edited by Jarod Barbee and Patrick C. Harrison III (Death’s Head Press)
4. Midnight In The Graveyard, edited by Kenneth W. Cain (Silver Shamrock Publishing)
5. The New Flesh: A Literary Tribute to David Cronenberg, edited by Sam Richard and Brendan Vidito (Weirdpunk Books)
6. Polish Extreme, edited by Edward Lee & Karolina Kaczkowska (Necro Publications)
A panel of judges composed of professionals, critics and scholars in the field will now begin the process of reading each nominated work, and selecting a winner for each category. Winners will be announced at KillerCon, taking place in Austin, Texas this August 7th through the 9th.
In addition to the winners, author and editor Edward Lee will receive the annual J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his significant contributions to the sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. Previous recipients are David J. Schow and David G. Barnett.
Four notes of interest regarding this year’s awards:
1. While each category normally has six nominees, press will note that the Best Novel category for this year contains seven. That is due to a tie in the recommendation process.
2. While scholar and editor Regina Mitchell has served as a judge in previous years, she will not be a part of this year’s judging panel, as that would violate the award’s rules regarding eligible works (for The Big Book of Blasphemy). Her replacement, along with the identities of the other judges, will be announced in a separate forthcoming press release.
3. This year saw a significant increase in the number of women and authors who identify as female writing Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. The recommendation process evidenced readers and fans mentioning a number of new female voices.
4. This year also saw a significant increase in the number of consumers reading Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror, as evidenced by the number of new readers participating in the recommendation process.
Had a bunch of other stuff I wanted to talk about this week, but this newsletter is running on the long side, so I'll save it for next week.
As always, a few reminders:
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!