Letters From the Labyrinth 184 - Brian Keene
Hi. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 184th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
If you have been reading my daily Blog or you follow me on social media, then you know that my cat, Max, passed away this week. I've been going through the grieving process. Past history has taught me I do that in one of three ways. I either throw myself into my work, lose myself in alcohol or drugs, or both. That's not a joke or meant to sound light. Looking back on my 52 years of life, those seem to be my coping mechanisms. Hell, I admitted as much in END OF THE ROAD (of which there are less than 100 copies left via Cemetery Dance).
This time, I've been just throwing myself into my work. I'm too old and too tired to sink to the bottom of a bottle or discover a new drug.
There is good news, though. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Mary will be home later today. She's been quarantined in New Jersey for the last 51 days. I can’t wait to see her. Of course, love in the time of the coronavirus raises questions we’ve never considered before. Do I sweep her off her feet and hug her so tight that neither of us can breathe and kiss her so long that the sun crosses the sky — or do we blow kisses to each other from a minimum distance of six feet away while wearing face masks?
Anyway, this week has been an emotional game of ping pong, as you can probably imagine.
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I was very happy to sit down with Jay Wilburn for the latest episode of Matters of Faith, and discuss my new books The Triangle of Belief, understanding our place in the universe, the supernatural, explaining the unexplainable, dealing with loss, and the path forward, and much more. Click here to listen.
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Issue 7 of Prepper Survival Guide is in U.S. stores now (Wal-Mart, most major supermarket chains, newsstands, etc) and contains my latest article “Fighting for Non-Fighters: Simple Strategies to Protect Yourself”. (These are not available online).
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J.F. Gonzalez's classic werewolf novel, SHAPESHIFTER, is back in an all-new digital edition and featuring a brand new cover by Chris Enterline. The release is in celebration of Latinx Book Month, and SHAPESHIFTER is available now as part of the Latinx Dark Fiction Bundle. Click here to download.
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My dear friend Kasey Lansdale did an at home concert this week with The Oceanaires and special guests Vince White and Heather Fay. The whole thing is available for free via YouTube.
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SUBMITTED FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE MIDNIGHT PALS is now shipping. I've raved about this before. It's a comedy book by Bitter Karella, the conceit of which is all of your favorite horror writers from throughout history gather around a campfire to tell stories. Things often go terribly awry and hi-jinks ensue. It's one of the things that brings me the most joy in life, and not just because of the fictional Brian Keene who sometimes appears. It's just laugh out loud funny. Bitter Karella has fulfilled all of the Indiegogo orders for the book, but has extra copies leftover. If you'd like one, DM them via Twitter at @midnight_pals.
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This month’s offerings for Patreon subscribers:
1. A new chapter of SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2, in which Frankie and Nelson LeHorn face off against man-sharks and vampiric mermaids.
2. A writing advice essay on ‘Writing and Relationships’.
3. A sneak peek at NEMESAI by myself and John Urbancik.
4. An ultra-rare short story reprint — “History of the World, Part 1” which previously only appeared in the out-of-print APOCRYPHA.
Click here to start reading.
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That's it for this week. I've got to get the house cleaning done and shower and shave and make myself look presentable before Mary gets home. Very excited! I'll see you back here next week.