Letters From the Labyrinth 217 - Brian Keene
I'm Brian Keene and this is the 217th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
So...how are you enjoying 2021 so far?
Yeah. Same here.
Mary made it safely home from her extended holiday visit to New Jersey. Now she's quarantined at Casa Keene for 2 weeks to make sure she's free and clear of the virus, and I'm temporarily at the home of my youngest son and his mother. Their dining room table is my office for the time being.
I'm typing this on Saturday afternoon. About to call Jonathan Janz and talk business with him. Then I'm going to go visit Mary at a social distance, with masks (and also check on my hermit crabs and get my bedroom slippers, which I forgot to pack and have been desperately missing).
Between getting temporarily settled here and world events, I didn't get nearly as much work done as I had expected to this past week. Progress continued on WITH TEETH and SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2, but it was slow progress and not my best writing. And I only got two pages written on PROJECT CASTLE, and no work at all done on either of the anthologies I'm editing (that I mentioned in last week's newsletter).
So, the last few days, I turned my attention to J.F. Gonzalez's estate instead. I found it much easier to work on his stuff than I did to sit and write. As of yesterday, THE SUMMONING AND OTHER ELDRITCH TALES - which collects his Lovecraftian fiction, including a collaboration with the also departed Mike Baker - is in production, meaning Robert Swartwood is designing the paperback and Kealan Patrick Burke is creating the cover. This collection was first published back in 2010 and has long been out of print. The new edition should be available late this month or early next month.
It will be followed (in fairly short order) by a new edition of FETISH, and then a new edition of VOYEUR (which Jesus wrote under the pseudonym Angel Garcia). And Deadite Press will release a new edition of SHAPESHIFTER later this year.
Longer-term, that leaves a reprint of CONVERSION (also long out of print and second only to VOYEUR in being most sought after by his fans), and a new edition of IT DRINKS BLOOD. And that's it for his solo novels and novellas. There are two unfinished novels -- THE CROSSROADS and FINAL RETREAT -- which are being completed by Gabino Iglesias and myself, respectively. And then at least two more short story collections, and two non-fiction collections.
And then that will be it.
The plan was always to release these slowly. But I don't know...I find myself overwhelmed with an unexplainable urgency to get them all out as soon as possible now. Maybe that's the psychic fallout of the previous year (and this year, so far). But my gut tells me to get these done, and I always listen to my gut.
A reminder to check out the official J.F. Gonzalez website by clicking here.
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I'm not going to say much about last week's events, because what else is there to say? We all saw what happened. We all see where this is going.
But if you want a deeper, clear cut understanding of why this has happened, and how we got to this place, and what has happened to your family members and friends, I will urge you -- regardless of your political beliefs -- to go on Netflix and watch a documentary called THE SOCIAL DILEMMA. In fact, if you strongly adhere to any political beliefs at all, be they Right or Left, I doubly urge you to do so. It is the most terrifying film I have seen in a long, long time, and as I said, it's a documentary. It will chill you. It will frighten you. But it will also give you some major insight and understanding. I watched it last night with my youngest son, so yes, it is appropriate for kids -- however, you should be prepared to have a conversation with them after viewing it.
I had already mentioned last week that I intended to cut back on all social media this year, relying instead mainly on this newsletter. Watching THE SOCIAL DILEMMA merely cemented that notion for me. Truly eye-opening and frightening stuff.
Seriously. I know I recommend movies and books and music here all the time, but if you only follow one of those this year, make it THE SOCIAL DILEMMA. It's an important film.
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As discussed on previous occasions, I donate my full Poltergeist Press royalties to R.A.I.N.N., and each time I do, I give a public accounting. My royalties for this quarter (ending December 2020) were $95.19. My donation was $95.19. You can donate to R.A.I.N.N. as well, by clicking here.
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I’ve had work appear in a number of anthologies over the last few months. I thought it might be helpful to readers if I gathered them all here in one post.
“Delivery” appears in BLUDGEON TOOLS, available now in both paperback and for Kindle.
“The Hatching” appears in HALLDARK HOLIDAYS, available now in both paperback and for Kindle.
“I’ll Come Back To You” appears in 25 GATES OF HELL, available now in both paperback and for Kindle.
“In The Valley of the Ynuwi Tsundi” appears in CENTRALIA: EPICENTER, available now in both paperback and for Kindle.
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An update on Paul Goblirsch of Thunderstorm Books -- he is recovering after his trip to the ER. Some folks have gotten Covid and suffered nothing more than a runny nose or a headache. Paul was not ne of those folks. He had it bad. But as I said, he is recovering and resting. Thunderstorm has not resumed regular business -- shipments, etc. -- that will have to wait a while. The best thing you can cntinue to do to support him is to continue to let him rest up.
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There are three new books by other authors that are out this week, that I'd like to tell you about.
First up is CRUEL SUMMER by Wesley Southard. Wes is already on a lot of readers' radar after winning a Splatterpunk Award last year. His latest novel is the work of an author who is beginning to have a clear sense of his voice and just what he is capable of. If you're a fan of Graham Masterton, J.F. Gonzalez, or Bentley Little, I think you'll enjoy this. Available now in paperback and on Kindle.
Next up we have MAGE OF THE HELLMOUTH by John Wayne Comunale. Over the last couple of years, John Wayne has become one of my favorite Bizarro authors. If you've caught one of my public readings at Scares That Care or KillerCon, then you probably got a chance to hear his stuff, as well, as I've had him read with me on several occasions. If you're a fan of John Skipp, Danger Slater or Carlton Mellick III, then you'll dig this. Available now in paperback and for Kindle.
Finally, we have THE THIRTEENTH KOYOTE by Kristopher Triana -- the latest in a growing new literary sub-genre called 'Splatter Western', made popular by Wile E. Young's THE MAGPIE COFFIN and combining the Western genre with elements of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. At this point, Triana should be no stranger to fans of those latter two. He is the heir apparent to the no punches pulled stylings of Wrath James White and Rex Miller. THE THIRTEENTH KOYOTE is available now in paperback and for Kindle.
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It's okay to hibernate. I mean, it is winter, after all. It's okay to disconnect from social media for a day and crawl under a blanket and read a book or watch a movie or listen to music instead. It's okay to enjoy the silence, or to talk to someone sitting next to you, rather than someone online.
I don't have any words of wisdom or comfort for you this week, I'm afraid. I don't have them because...well, I'm afraid. My gut tells me that 2020 was just a dress rehearsal for 2021.
My gut is telling me a lot of things the last few days...
Escapism is a form of self care. Escape with a book this week. But make sure you check back in with the people you love, and make sure they know that you love them.
As Robert DeNiro says in Brazil, "We're all in this together."
And seriously, go watch THE SOCIAL DILEMMA.
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That's it for this week! As always, a reminder about PATREON, where I post new short stories, writing advice essays, three serialized ongoing novels, and behind-the-scenes stuff EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I'll see you back here next week!