[Letters From the Labyrinth] Official Brian Keene Newsletter

Hey there. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 219th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.

I'm writing this on Saturday. Later this afternoon, author Somer Canon and her oldest son are coming over for a playdate with Mary and my youngest son. Which is nice, because Somer and Mary are best friends and the boys are best friends, and Somer's family has been taking Covid quarantining as seriously as we have.

I say playdate jokingly, of course. In all seriousness, I'm glad that our families have each other. It makes quarantining a little less anxiety-inducing. Plus, both mary and Somer read this newsletter, so if I don't clarify that I'm joking, they'll both hit me.

This past week's workload was heavy, and consisted of the first draft of WITH TEETH (which should be finished this coming week) and editorial duties on THE DRIVE-IN: MULTIPLEX (which is starting to take shape, and is pretty great so far).

I was also doing some deep dive research on author, screenwriter, and legend David J. Schow because he'll be a guest on my next Livestream, taking place tomorrow (Monday the 25th) at 8pm Eastern time. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and tune in.

Author and former The Horror Show with Brian Keene co-host Geoff Cooper will be guest-hosting with me. I won't always have a co-host n these livestreams, but I wanted to bring Coop on for this, because he and I share a deep appreciation and admiration of Schow's work. Indeed, one of the first things Coop and I ever bonded over was Schow's short stories "Scoop Makes A Swirly" and "Jerry's Kids Meet Worm Boy". I would be a terrible friend if I didn't have Coop on for this conversation. He's got some great questions. Hopefully, I do, too. But one of the things I love about David is that he has no shortage of stories about this business, so we don't have a 'structured' Q&A. Coop and I both have some things we want David to touch on, but there's no set order. And of course, if there is time, folks watching the stream can ask questions as well. Hope to see you there!

On Friday, I was honored to learn that END OF THE ROAD has made the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards. Thanks to all who recommended it. A reminder that it is now available in both paperback and ebook. I continue to be very proud by how many people this book has touched. I'm glad it has helped so many.

There were two new interviews with me that came out last week.

The first one is available to read for free on LitReactor. In it, Sadie Hartmann asked me about what our industry went through in 2020, and what I think we can expect for 2021. Click here to read it.

The second is a two-hour appearance on the Dead Headspace podcast, in which I discuss everything from GHOUL to END OF THE ROAD to life post-The Horror Show with Brian Keene. Listen free on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple, your web browser and wherever else you listen to podcasts. If you prefer a visual interview, you can also view it here.

Speaking of podcasts, there was a new episode of DEFENDERS DIALOGUE last week. Two psychedelic stand-alone horror stories by Steve Gerber are spotlighted in this episode, as Christopher Golden and I discuss issues 15 and 16 of Marvel's Man-Thing. Plus, Moon Knight conquers the world! It is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Finally, the limited edition signed hardcover of SUBURBAN GOTHIC by myself and Bryan Smith is now shipping from Thunderstorm Books. It was sold out during the pre-order phase. Paperback and digital editions will follow later this year.

Readers have been posting pics online as they received it, which then led to a discussion of some of my rarer books. Filmmaker Jason Tostevin posted this short video displaying the ultimate edition of LIBRA NIGRUM SCIENTIA SECRETA by myself and J.F. Gonzalez. Mark 'Dezm' Sy;va posted this pic of my early zine appearances. And Rob D posted this pic of his collection of my Lettered editions. If you've never seen these, definitely worth clicking through and having a look.

THE DAMNED HIGHWAY: FEAR AND LOATHING IN ARKHAM by myself and Nick Mamatas is coming back into print. The new paperback and e-book editions are now available for pre-order.

Click here to pre-order the paperback.

Click here to pre-order the e-book.

If you've never read the book, and if 'Hunter S. Thompson versus Richard M. Nixon and the Cult of Cthulhu' is something you need in your life, then you'll definitely want this.

Currently Reading: ANTISOCIETIES by Michael Cisco and OTHER SANDBoXES by F. Paul Wilson. Both books are fantastic!

Currently Watching: COYOTE on CBS All Access. Really enjoying it. Lot of potential in this series, and easily Michael Chiklis's best role since The Shield. Plus, episode 1 has a death scene that most of my peers will be jealous they didn’t think of first. Myself included.

Currently Listening: The great 'Listen To All of My Vinyl In Alphabetical Order' project continues. This week, that entailed the following.

AEROSMITH -- Aerosmith
ROCKS -- Aerosmith
EVE -- The Alan Parsons Project
THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD -- The Alan Parsons Project
EYE IN THE SKY -- The Alan Parsons Project
AMMONIA AVENUE -- The Alan Parsons Project
VULTURE CULTURE -- The Alan Parsons Project
KILLER -- Alice Cooper
GREATEST HITS - Alice Cooper
WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE -- Alice Cooper
FLUSH THE FASHION -- Alice Cooper
SAP - Alice In Chains
JAR OF FLIES -- Alice In Chains
TTT - Andrew Coltrane
ANIMAL HOUSE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK -- Various Artists
ARMED AND DANGEROUS -- Anthrax
I'M THE MAN -- Anthrax

Back when the publishing industry imploded and Delirium Books and Dorchester/Leisure Books went under, I taught a college class for several semesters to get. Many students from those classes have since gone on to get published. (Indeed, I'm told the ratio was about 65%, which I'm also told is good. But then again, it was my college class that foisted Christian Jensen upon the world, so who can say, really? I'm kidding, Christian. You know I love you. And people love your Bigfoot erotica books).

I'm happy to announce that yet another of those students has now been published. Congrats to J.B. See on the publication of WHY YOUR SKY IS RED on both Kindle and in paperback. And if you're on Twitter, give J.B. a follow?

Thanks.

Okay, that's it for this week. I hope to see you tomorrow night for the livestream with David J. Schow!

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!