Letters From the Labyrinth 212 - Brian Keene
Good morning. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 212th 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 NEMESAI by myself and John Urbancik is now shipping from Thunderstorm Books. A reminder that it sold out during pre-orders. A paperback and Kindle edition will be available eventually, but there is no release date for those editions yet.
Thanks to everyone who preordered the signed limited edition of SUBURBAN GOTHIC last Sunday. It sold out in four hours time! It's at the printer now, and copies should ship to you from Thunderstorm Books before Christmas. If you missed out and still want a hardcover, several online booksellers, including Camelot Books and Bad Moon Books, will have a limited number of copies. And if you prefer to wait for a paperback or ebook, don't forget that Deadite Press will be releasing it in those formats early next year.
That wasn't the only book to sell well this past week. END OF THE ROAD has been a number one bestseller on Amazon for several days now, in both paperback and for Kindle. That's the third time this year that something I wrote hit number one in the 'Horror and Supernatural Literary Criticism' category (previously it was for TRIGGER WARNINGS and UNSAFE SPACES). Thank you to all of you for making that happen. And if you haven't been able to get a copy yet, the Kindle edition of END OF THE ROAD is just 99 cents for a limited time! Click here to get your copy in paperback or for Kindle.
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If you have six minutes, head over to my YouTube page for a brief walking tour of the real-life cemetery that helped to inspire my novel GHOUL (and the subsequent film).
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The Board of Directors have decided to postpone Scares That Care's Wisconsin event, which was supposed to take place April 2021. It will now take place in 2022. As of right now, our Williamsburg event, scheduled for July of next year, is still on, but that could change. It is a fluid situation, one that each and every fan, comic, media, and horror convention is struggling with right now.
I miss going to cons. I miss traveling. I miss signing. I miss meeting the folks who read my books and I miss hanging out with my friends. END OF THE ROAD was -- among other things -- supposed to signal a scale back for me, as far as public appearances and signings go. I'd intended to limit myself to a few signings and conventions each year. BizarroCon was definitely one I still intended to do annually. While the vast majority of my work does not fall under the Bizarro genre marketing category, I am a big fan of the genre myself, and I do occasionally dabble in it (mostly with short stories). BizarroCon is the only event I can attend as a fan, rather than as "Brian Keene" and I adore it for that.
BizarroCon always takes place around November. Obviously, it didn't happen this year. But next weekend -- December 5th and 6th -- about a dozen Bizarro authors will be holding a virtual book signing in partnership with online literary magazine Babou691. All you'll need to do to participate is head to their website next weekend. They've got a fantastic line-up of Bizarro authors planned, and yes, you can actually get your book signed, just like in person!
Do check it out, if you can!
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DEFENDERS DIALOGUE is back after a long delay! We apologize for the time out. First, there was the election. Then Chris had some family stuff going on. Then I got sick (but not with Covid). Then Chris had more family stuff going on. But we are finally back on track again.
This past week: Jealousy personified as a demon? The Man-Thing confronts a gorgon and a possessed swamp to save a dog in this recap of issues 9 and 10.
Listen for free on iTunes – YouTube – Libsyn – iHeartRadio – Stitcher
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I wanted to watch the fight last night, but I am middle-aged and couldn't figure out where or how to do it, so instead, Mary and I watched a movie called HIS HOUSE. It is a staggering, heartbreaking, and visceral horror film -- part ghost story, part psychological thriller. It truly made me jump on the couch. I suppose critics might compare it to other socially conscious horror films such as US and BAD HAIR, but in my opinions, HIS HOUSE is far superior. It's streaming on Netflix right now. Check it out if you haven't! I highly recommend it. And listen -- don't Google the plot, because it relies on a pretty big twist.
We also binge-watched all eight seasons of HOMELAND. It was enjoyable and engrossing and fun. I don't know that I'd go back and watch it again, like THE SOPRANOS or CALIFORNICATION or BREAKING BAD, but I had a good time with it.
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I want to remind current Patreon supporters and those of you who are considering signing up that I have a Patreon Index on my website. It has direct links for every individual bit of content that's available on my Patreon. Every short story. Every chapter of every serialized novel. Every essay. Every bit of writing advice. Please use it. It will make your browsing experience sooooooo much easier.
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This newsletter goes out to thousands of people for free, but I have to pay to have it produced and sent. If you fancy buying me a coffee or a beer, click this link. No pressure, and no biggie if you don't want to. I'm happy you're here, regardless.
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As I type this, the woods behind my house are echoing with the sounds of gunshots as an army of hunters face off against my deer. Well...they're not my deer. But they have spent the year hanging out in the field behind my house, so I think of them as my deer. There's an old doe with graying fur whom Mary and my ex-wife and I have all named Crooked Ear. She's a survivor, and has no fear of humans. She has no love for humans either. If you get too close, she stomps and paws the dirt and snorts. I'll be curious to see if she is back in the field again after hunting season is over.
I am not a hunter. I have hunted, in the past, as a teenager. But as an adult, I'm not a hunter. I enjoy the meat, but I don't like the hunt. I don't judge people who do hunt, though. I know many, many families here in rural Pennsylvania who rely on hunting to feed them through the winter. But the older I get, the more I despise trophy hunters. Earlier this week, as I took my daily four mile hike through the woods (now dressed in bright orange colors so I don't get shot) I found a deer carcass next to the creek. It was a spike buck who had been hanging out in my field. Somebody shot him and left the body lay there along the creek bank. the only thing they took were his antlers. And that enrages me. If you're going to hunt, use the meat. Venison is delicious and very healthy. To kill an animal like that simply for the trophy (and a spike buck ain't much of a trophy) and then let it lay there to rot and poison the waterway...
Human beings ruin everything.
I can't post the forest, because it's not my land. it belongs to the state. But next year, I think I might set off fireworks in the days leading up to hunting season, and scare the deer off, so the trophy hunters have to take each other home to hang on their walls.
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That's it for this week! As always, thanks for being here. I hope that each of you are still hanging n there. 2020 has been hard. I suspect 2021 will also be hard. Hunker down. Stick by your loved ones. Read good books.
I'll see you back here next week.
Brian