Letters From the Labyrinth 208 - Brian Keene

Hey. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 208th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
I'm writing this on Halloween. You'll read it the day after Halloween. It doesn't really feel like Halloween this year, does it? And I'm not even talking about how the pandemic and social distancing have impacted the normal festivities. It just doesn't feel like Halloween. It doesn't even feel like autumn. Mary and my ex-wife and I were sitting on the porch earlier this week, solving the problems of the world, and all three of us simultaneously decided it was too cold to do any more of that. It feels like winter already, as if autumn walked through the door, looked around at the rest of 2020, and said "Nope. Screw this. I'll come back next year" and then skipped the whole party.
This was the year that showed us its teeth, and as a result, a lot of people showed us who they really are. Depression and anxiety increased, addictions flared, marriages and relationships flailed and failed, friendships fizzled...and that's just in my own industry. I'm sure the same things are happening in your social circle, as well.
Halloween is when you're supposed to wear a mask, but what does that mean in a year when people have been wearing masks of one kind or another all year long? Or in a year when people went unmasked in one form or another?
I don't know. I don't have any words of wisdom for you. I'm just a cult writer, with a laptop pointed at the world, trying hard to capture what he sees. I'm a parent, trying desperately to hold on for his sons. The only advice I have to offer is what I've been saying all year long -- make sure the people you love know that they are loved. Autumn has abandoned us and winter is here, and it's going to be long and cold and dark and -- masked or unmasked -- we are all going to feel its bite.


Two brand-new anthologies came out this week, and both of them feature a brand-new story by me.
CENTRALIA: EPICENTER features not one, but two of my recurring characters -- ex-Amish occult detective Levi Stoltzfus and combat magician Don Bloom -- in their first titanic team-up. This new shared world anthology also contains stories by Adam Cesare, Cullen Bunn, Brian Quinn, Michael Patrick Hicks and Heath Amodio. Available in paperback and Kindle! Click Here To Order
25 GATES OF HELL contains my new short story “I’ll Come Back To You”. It also contains stories by Brandon Scott, Catherine McCarthy, Jill Girardi, and a host of new writers who you should check out. Available on Kindle right now (paperback forthcoming in days -- possibly by the time you're reading this). Click here to download and start reading.

This week also saw a new printing of MAR MUERTO, the Spanish-language edition of DEAD SEA. Available in both Spain and the United States/UK.
And don't forget, the Spanish-language edition of THE RISING: DELIVERANCE (the fourth book in the five book THE RISING series) is now available in paperback in both Spain and the United States/UK as well.
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Folks have been asking about what's coming out next, as far as audiobooks are concerned. The next batch of audiobooks slated for release between now and early 2021 are:
THE CAGE
EARTHWORM GODS II: DELUGE (narrated by Scott Weinberg)
URBAN GOTHIC
DEAD SEA
ENTOMBED
CLICKERS
CLICKERS II
In addition, THE DAMNED HIGHWAY (co-written with Nick Mamatas) will be released in audiobook for the first time, accompanying new trade paperback and ebook reprints.
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As I'm typing this, the news just broke about Sean Connery's death. He was one of my favorite actors (also on that list are Clea DuVall, Robert DeNiro, Laurence Fishburne, Keith David, and Robert Duvall). Never got to meet him, but I do have a funny story.
Back in 2016, during the nationwide 'Farewell (But Not Really)' tour, I was in Burbank to sign at Dark Delicacies. I got a hotel a few blocks down the street because I had a bunch of business meetings lined up for the two days preceding the signing, and had also made social plans with Kasey Lansdale, David J. Schow, Laura Lee Bahr, John Skipp, and Hal Bodner. Much of that is recounted in END OF THE ROAD, but one thing that I don't think I included in the book was this little story.
On the day of the signing, I was walking down the street from my hotel to Dark Delicacies, and this guy comes running up to me, clearly excited, and asks if he can take a selfie with me. I assumed he was a fan of my books. I grinned and said, "Sure!"
He stops dead in his tracks and frowns. "You don't have an accent."
Turned out this guy, from a distance, thought I was Sean Connery.
That's still one of the nicest compliments anyone has ever given me.
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A note to Lifetime Subscribers -- your next shipment, which includes THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF, TRIGGER WARNINGS, and UNSAFE SPACES -- goes out in the mail on Monday. Will take them about a week to make it to the Thunderstorm Books fulfillment center, and then they'll be on the way to you. Here's proof of life, all signed.

If you missed the Scares That Care Halloween Party, the entire six hour event is now available to view on YouTube.
No Defenders Dialogue last week. Both Chris and I were busy with other stuff. We'll get back to it this week, which means you'll hear it next week.
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That's it for this week. As always, a few reminders:
PATREON - Where I post new short stories, writing advice essays, three serialized ongoing novels, and behind-the-scenes stuff EVERY SINGLE DAY.
TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.
YOUTUBE - Where I'm posting free stuff each week.
I'll see you back here next week!