Letters From the Labyrinth - Brian Keene 211

Hi. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 211th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.

The signed, limited edition hardcover of SUBURBAN GOTHIC went up for pre-order this morning. It is expected to sell out very quickly. Click here to pre-order your copy.

Two titans of modern horror — Brian Keene and Bryan Smith — team up for a terrifying sequel to both Keene’s URBAN GOTHIC and Smith’s THE FREAKSHOW.

The Westgate Galleria Mall was once a sprawling, shining temple to American consumerism and suburban growth. Now, it is a crumbling reminder of how both have fallen — an architectural ghost, haunting the outskirts of society. That makes it the perfect filming location for a YouTube channel devoted to the exploration of abandoned places. But the mall isn’t as empty as it seems, and the residents have sinister, obscene plans for them. Now, with daylight still hours away, both the hunters and the hunted will fight to stay alive…and desperately try to make it home.

SUBURBAN GOTHIC by Brian Keene and Bryan Smith — Home is where the severed heart is…

Again, if you are a collector, and want the signed limited edition, click here because it's up for pre-order.

If you're a reader who prefers a paperback or a Kindle edition, those will be available in early 2021 from Deadite Press.

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This book is easily the most extreme thing of my career. And probably ne of the most extreme of Bryan's career, as well. And I don't say that lightly. Younger readers sometimes ask, "What's the difference between Extreme Horror and Splatterpunk?"

Suburban Gothic. That's the difference. There's a scene I wrote involving a beheading, and a scene Bryan wrote involving a firecracker, and I know that both of us found those scenes relieving and cathartic and... look, the novel is set right now, during the 2020 pandemic, and 2020 hasn't been easy on anybody, and I know for damn sure it hasn't been easy on Bryan or myself. We've both suffered some personal losses this year. And while I doubt either of us were aware of it while writing this, this book was inspired by the blasted hellscape that is America in 2020.

I started SUBURBAN GOTHIC a few years back, and it kept stalling, because I found it hard to get into the Extreme Horror headspace. I chalked that up t getting older. Eventually, I asked Bryan to help me write it. But it was still slow going.

Then, 2020 comes along and suddenly both of us are working on this thing full blast. And having fun again. More fun than we've had with a book in a while.

I can't speak for Bryan, but how did I deal with 2020? Suburban Gothic. That's how I dealt with it.

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For the production assistants and studio representatives who receive this newsletter, here is the status of various works, as of November 2020:

Earthworm Gods - Under Option
Kill Whitey - Under Option
Dark Hollow - Under Option
The Cage - Under Option
Castaways - Under Option
Pages From A Notebook Found Inside A House In The Woods: Under Option

As they have already been filmed, the rights to Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, The Siqqusim Who Stole Christmas, and Fast Zombies Suck are unavailable. The stage rights to The Damned Highway are also unavailable, as it will return to the stage after the pandemic.

The rights to all other works are currently available. Interested parties can query me directly.

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Glenn Rolfe is an author who hit my radar a few years ago -- one of the new generation of horror writers. I've since become a fan. I like his stuff. His latest project is a charity anthology called SURVIVE WITH ME, and all proceeds from the book go to support the American Indian College Fund. The line-up of authors is impressive. Stories by Ronald Malfi, Hunter Shea, Rio Youers, Gwendolyn Kiste, Hunter Shea, Somer Canon, Brian Moreland, John Everson, JG Faherty, Chad Lutzke, John Everson, and a number of outstanding authors. It is available in both paperback and for Kindle. Check it out here.

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This week absolutely sucked. On Wednesday, we had to put my youngest son's cat to sleep. She had cancer, and had been hiding it well. Our first indication something was wrong was when she hid all day on Monday. On Tuesday, I noticed that she wasn't eating. My ex-wife, my youngest son, and I took her to the vet on Wednesday morning, and were horrified to learn that there was a lot of fluid that had built up inside, and her body temperature was dropping, and that even if they drained it, they expected she wouldn't live but three or four more days. So the three of us said goodbye to her, and our son held her while the doctor did the deed. It was his first brush with death. He was too little to remember when we had our dog Sam out down, and the death of my cat earlier this year was only something he had to deal with after the fact. He was crushed, to say the least.

Then, on Thursday, my oldest son had to have his cat put to sleep. He, too, was utterly crushed.

Yesterday, you 12-year old and I took a walk through the old graveyard where I used to play as a kid -- the cemetery where my novel GHOUL is set -- and talked about death and grief and loss, and what are thoughts were on what happens after we die. Later in the afternoon, my thirty-year old called me and we had the same discussion.

I really will be glad to see this year in the rearview window.

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Can't remember if I put this in last week's newsletter or not, but if you're in the mood for a free story, here's me reading "Not Alone" -- a zombie story set in the world of my novels DEAD SEA and ENTOMBED. As I said, it's totally free. It's also close captioned for the hearing impaired. Click here to enjoy!

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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!