Letters From the Labyrinth 239 - Brian Keene

Hey gang! I'm Brian Keene and this is the 239th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
Author and photographer John Urbancik moved to Central Pennsylvania this past week, joining the steadily growing crowd of horror writers, comic book writers, artists, screenwriters, and film directors who already live here, including myself, Mary SanGiovanni, Chet Williamson, Mike Hawthorne, Tim Truman, Stephen Kozeniewski, Wesley Southard, Somer Canon, Robert Ford, Geoff Cooper, J.F. Gonzalez (before he died), John Boden, Matt Wildasin, Jessica Eppley, Harrison Smith, Mike Lombardo, Chris Enterline and about a dozen and a half more.
I'm excited to have him here. John's one of my oldest and closest friends in this business. We wrote a book together that you might enjoy. Click here to check it out.
Thursday was spent helping John unload his U-Haul. But other than that, it was a very productive week, writing-wise.
I finished a new short story called "Past The End of the Boardwalk, Out Where The Water Meets The Sky", posted the first draft to Patreon, and sent the final draft off to the publisher.
I continued working on INVISIBLE MONSTERS (the new long-awaited Levi novel), and posted three new chapters to Patreon.
I wrote a chapter of MONSTERS OF SAIPAN, and posted it to Patreon.
I worked on some behind the scenes stuff for THE DRIVE-IN: MULTIPLEX.
I put the new edition of RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL: THE BEST OF HAIL SATEN Vol. 2 into production. Iit should be available in paperback and for Kindle later today, and for Nook next week, Watch my website or social media for the announcement when it's live.
I began edits on both SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2 and the new edition of TERMINAL. The latter should be available in hardcover just in time for the holiday shopping season this year. SUBMERGED, meanwhile, is going to need a lot of work. It also looks like it is the longest thing I've ever written, particularly after this round of edits are finished.
* * *
The first week of pre-orders on the signed, limited edition hardcover of THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1 went very, very, very well. I am so honored and pleased by the enthusiastic response from the audience.
Because of that response, and because every person's financial situation is different, we're going to keep pre-orders open until Fourth of July weekend. That way, every one of you who wants a copy of this book will be able to reserve one for yourselves. We heard a lot of "Oh God, I've waited 20 years for this book but I don't get paid until next week!" No worries. You've got some time yet.
On Fourth of July weekend, we'll cut off pre-orders. however many were purchased will constitute the print run. The book will ship in August. You can click here to reserve your copy.
* * *
Had a great time Friday night during the Q&A with Sadie and Ashley over on the Night Worms YouTube Channel. It lasted about an hour and there were a ton of great questions. If you missed it, no worries. You can watch it at your leisure via this link.
* * *
Been getting some questions lately about when and where I'll be doing signings again. Mary and I are in the early planning stages of doing a West Coast signing tour next year -- San Diego to Seattle. No dates yet, though.
In the meantime, here is where and when I will be:
Scares That Care VII
Doubletree by Hilton, Williamsburg VA
Fri, Jul 30 to Sun, Aug 1
Creature Feature Weekend
Wyndham Gettysburg, Gettysburg PA
Fri, Aug 27 to Sun, Aug 29
Harrisburg Comic & Pop Con
Harrisburg Mall, Harrisburg PA
Sat, Sep 18 to Sun, Sep 19
Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival
Haverhill Public Library, Haverhill MA
Sat, October 9, 10AM to 5PM
And next year I'll be a Guest of Honor at StokerCon 2022 in Denver, Colorado.
* * *
In preparation for all of this, I decided that I should make myself presentable, so I shaved my head and beard, and I bought myself two new pair of eyeglasses (progressive trifocal lenses). The photos below are as follows:
Photo 1: What I've looked like during the pandemic, when no one else had to see me.
Photo 2: What I look like now.
Photo 3: New glasses pair one.
Photo 4: new glasses pair two.
Now I'm ready to get back out on the road and sign things!




In other news, this year's garden is insane. I purposely tried to cut back, and I've still ended up growing enough vegetables to feed an army. This year I planted cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, green beans, and green peppers. All have done amazing. Mary is growing kale, spinach and various herbs, as well. And the blueberry bushes I planted three years ago are doing well.
Last year, we froze what we needed, and gave the rest to friends and to the local food shelter. This year, rather than freezing, I've decided to can everything. There's a shortage on mason jars and lids right now, at least in our rural area, but I lucked out on a supply. So all next week, rather than taking my usual late-afternoon hike through the woods after I've finished writing, I'll be harvesting from the garden and then canning late into the night. If that sounds like work, well...it is. But it is also fun and rewarding and I enjoy it. And it's nice in the winter when a storm has dumped twelve feet of snow and you can't get to the grocery store, or when pandemic panic sends everyone to the grocery store and when you arrive there's nothing left.
Right now, one of you is going "I don't subscribe to this newsletter for Brian Keene's gardening updates! Where the heck are the zombies, dude?"
Well, here's the thing, Chuckles. Chronic pain and I are old friends, but at age 52, I am starting to lose the battle. Now, I could deal with it by getting addicted to painkillers, or drinking every day, or smoking weed or popping a gallon of CBD every day, or doing what Hunter S. Thompson did, but fuck that noise. I'm pretty happy and content. I'm productive again, I'm in a good relationship, by kids are happy and healthy, and life -- for the most part -- is good. However, chronic pain is such that if I don't manage it, I shuffle around just like one of those zombies you mentioned, and my hands curl into claws just like theirs do, as well. So...I've found what works for me is to stay busy. I write. I hike. I swim. I fish. I target shoot. I read. And I garden. The more physical activities I engage in, the less pain I'm in. It's when I sit still and gestate that it really takes hold.
Mornings when I first wake up are the worst. I have to be very careful getting out of bed, or else my right foot will decide the floor is knives and then down I go. Bu by the time I've made coffee and said good morning to the cat and made my way up to my office, where I listen to the news and workout with my weights for 20 minutes, the pain has subsided. It also flares up after I've sat writing for a long time, but usually then it's in my fingers and hands. That's why I keep the coffee pot downstairs and on the opposite side of the house, rather than upstairs in my office. Every 45 minutes, I'm forced to get up and walk all that way to get another cup.
Find what works for you, and do it. Don't let anyone else tell you differently.
Anyway, next week, I'll be spending my evenings canning peas and green beans. The tomatoes aren't ready yet. The cucumbers, green peppers and blueberries will get eaten quick, so there won't be enough left over to give away or can.
* * *
Anyway, I think that's all I've got for this week. Be good to yourselves, and to each other. Don't forget to pre-order your copy of THE SEVEN and don't forget to keep an eye out for RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL (which I suspect will be live tomorrow). I'll see you back here next week!
-- Brian Keene