Letters From the Labyrinth 237 - Brian Keene

Hey there. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 237th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
I'm typing this on Saturday afternoon, as I normally do. You're reading it on Sunday (unless you're in some weird place like Australia, where time is different, and it's either Monday already or perhaps 2022). Regardless, I'm glad you're here.
I mentioned in last week's newsletter that I hadn't gotten much writing done the week before, due to a combination of family obligations and writing business stuff (the latter, while related to writing, does not constitute actual writing). I'm afraid this past week was even worse. Very little actual writing got accomplished, other than a few pages on "Past The End of The Boardwalk, Out Where The Water Meets The Sky", a chapter of MONSTERS OF SAIPAN, and this newsletter. Otherwise, personal obligations dominated the week. But the good news is that my youngest son now how his second vaccine dose, which means that all of us are vaccinated now, and can proceed with caution out into the world.
Why with caution? Because there's still whole swaths of our population who are not vaccinated, either because they are not yet eligible (children under 12) or because they choose not to get it. And also because my youngest son's mother is vaxxed but immunocompromised. Current science data says people in that category produce few to no antibodies in response to a vaccine. So yes, we are proceeding with caution until herd immunity can be reached among the species, or until the virus tuckers itself out and becomes less lethal.
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Back in 2005, a videogame based on my novel THE RISING was in development. Unfortunately, it got stuck in development hell (as these things so often do) and eventually, the option expired and the videogame rights reverted back to me. Here is a playthrough of the prototype, so you can see what might have been.

J. F. Gonzalez's FETISH is back in print and available now in both paperback and for Kindle. The new cover is by Kealan Patrick Burke and ElderLemon Design. Click here to purchase your copy!
That means only there are only 2 remaining out of print novels that still need to be republished -- VOYEUR and CONVERSION. Look for VOYEUR later this year and CONVERSION in 2022.
There are also two novels Jesus was working on when he died -- THE CROSSROADS and FINAL RETREAT. The plan is still for Gabino Iglesias and I to complete them, respectively, but neither of us is rushing those because we want to do them right.
There are enough uncollected & unpublished short stories to fill 4 or 5 more collections, and two novellas - IT DRINKS BLOOD and MATERNAL INSTINCT - that need to be reprinted. (The latter formed the basis for SURVIVOR).
There are also enough articles and essays for probably 2 or 3 non-fiction collections. I say probably because I won't know for sure until Jacob Haddon and I rescue a ton of material from over 25 dusty 3.5 computer discs later this summer.
So, to summarize: 4 more novels, 4 or 5 more short story collections, 2 or 3 non-fiction collections, and then we're done. I know that sounds like a lot of material still, but from where I'm sitting, it's not. I'm just glad Kealan Patrick Burke, Robert Swartwood, and I got to help his voice live on a little longer.
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I only just learned this past week that actor Gary Klahr (Day of the Dead, etc) passed away, back on New Year's Eve. I'm guessing I missed that given that long time reader Chris hansen also passed away right around then, and we were all pretty trn up about that.
I was hoping to run into Gary again this year, now that the con circuit is opening back up. Great, great guy -- full of laughter and kindness. Here we are in 2004, along with Lori Cardille.

I’ll be a guest on the Night Worms Livestream June 18th, starting at 6pm (EST). I imagine this will be a long, broad, Q&A encompassing just about everything, (as is befitting for the release of THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1, which encompasses my entire bibliography). Make sure you’re subscribed to Night Worms here. For those of you unable to watch the Livestream, it will be rebroadcast later, as well.
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And yes, take that as a reminder that pre-orders for the hardcover of THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1 begin on the 13th of this month!
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Finished Regina Garza Mitchell's SHADOW OF THE VULTURE this past week. It is fantastic! If you're looking for a literate, atmospheric, poetic weird western (similar to those of Tom Piccirilli), then you really need to check this out. It's available in paperback and on Kindle here.
Gina is one of my longest and most trusted friends in this business. She's been doing this as long as I have, and I am absolutely delighted that there's a book length work by her that is readily available for all of you to read. So please do so.
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The programming schedule for Scares That Care Charity Weekend VII has been finalized. Below is a schedule of events pertaining strictly to authors. For the full programming schedule, including actors, costume contest, and other events, click here and scroll down to SHOW PROGRAM.
Please note, while I have done my best to accommodate all attending authors and their fans, we have scaled back capacity on some of these events, and as a result, there are no further openings, nor is there a waiting list as in previous years.
AUTHOR PROGRAMMING
FRIDAY
4:15pm to 5:00pm (Room A):
Todd Keisling and Bridgett Nelson – Reading and Q&A
5:15pm to 6:15pm (Room A):
MY FAVORITE HORROR HYBRID – Like peanut butter and chocolate, horror goes well with other genres. Gabino Iglesias, Adam Cesare, Stephen Kozeniewski, and Scott Baker (moderator) discuss some of their favorite cross-genre chillers.
6:30pm to 7:15pm (Room A):
Hunter Shea and Matt Serafini – Reading and Q&A
7:30pm to 8:30pm (Room A):
COLLECTING HORROR MOVIE NOVELIZATIONS – What’s your first edition paperback of John Carpenter’s Halloween worth? Where can you find a copy of Friday the 13th in print? Matt Serafini, Kristopher Triana, Wesley Southard, and Scott Cole (moderator) discuss collecting novelizations of your favorite horror films.
8:45pm to 9:30pm (Room A):
Kristopher Triana and John Wayne Comunale – Reading and Q&A
9:00pm until… (Auditorium):
HORROR TRIVIA THUNDERDOME II: Fans compete against their favorite actors and authors in a hilarious horror trivia deathmatch. Hosted by Brian Keene and featuring surprise guests.
SATURDAY
10:15am to 11:00am (Room A):
Jacob Haddon and Red Lagoe – Reading and Q&A
11:15am to Noon (Room A):
Scott Baker and Jay Wilburn –Reading and Q&A
Noon to 1:00pm (Rooms 2 & 3):
WRITING FOR VIDEO GAMES – Video game industry veteran Richard Dansky answers all of your questions about how to break into the field and how to write for video games.
12:15pm to 1:00pm (Room A):
Scott Cole and Christoph Paul – Reading and Q&A
1:15pm to 2:00pm (Room A):
Adam Cesare and Wesley Southard – Reading and Q&A
2:15pm to 3:00pm (Room A):
Jonathan Janz and Gabino Iglesias – Reading and Q&A
3:15pm to 4:00pm (Room A):
Laurel Hightower and Sonora Taylor – Reading and Q&A
4:15pm to 5:15pm (Room A):
I SURVIVED THE DEATH OF HORROR (AGAIN) – From Zebra Books and Dell/Abyss in the mid-1990s to Leisure Books and Samhain in the ‘00s, mainstream horror fiction has died and then clawed its way out of the grave time and time again. Ronald Kelly, Jeff Strand, Jonathan Janz, Hunter Shea, and Lynne Hansen (moderator) discuss what it was like to live through those times, and how they survived to scare again.
5:30pm to 6:30pm (Room A):
V. Castro, Cynthia Pelayo and Leza Cantoral – Reading and Q&A
SUNDAY
11:15am to Noon (Room A):
Kelli Owen and Lucas Milliron – Reading and Q&A
12:15pm to 1:00pm (Room A):
Kevin Lucia and Lindsay Lerman – Reading and Q&A
1:15pm to 2:00pm (Room A):
Jeff Strand and Stephen Kozeniewski – Reading and Q&A
2:15pm to 3:00pm (Room A):
Robert Ford and Brian Keene – Reading and Q&A

And that's it for this week! I'm going to make the most of this quiet afternoon and try to get some actual writing done. I hope that each of you are doing okay, and that we can meet up here again next week.
-- Brian Keene