Letters From the Labyrinth 241 - Brian Keene
Hey there. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 241st issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
As usual, it's Saturday morning as I write this. I got to bed late last night -- 2:30 this morning, to be accurate. Mary had dinner with John Urbancik and Cathy Gonzalez. I was supposed to go along, as well, but yesterday my arthritis and sciatica decided they'd have themselves an old fashioned super-villain team-up, and the pain was so bad that I got nauseous and also fell down the stairs. Don't worry. I'm fine. Nothing some CBD and whiskey couldn't cure. But I opted to stay home and read while Mary went to dinner with John and Cathy.
Anyway, around 11:30pm, just as I was finishing the book (a forthcoming title from Matt Cardin that I will blurb later this week) Mary called to let me know her car had broken down just off the exit ramp. So I pulled some jeans on over my pajama pants, double checked that the whiskey had worn off, and drove to where she was. Turned out it was the car's alternator, which is something far beyond my capabilities to repair.
And then we waited for two and a half hours for a tow truck -- the driver of which had just come from appearing in the latest Edward Lee novel. A local cop also showed up, and he and I chatted a while, and he wanted to know why I choose to still live here. And I told him it was because I'd already gotten six more story ideas from the evenings encounters, and I'd never get that in Los Angeles or New York.
Anyway, I got up at my usual time this morning, because my brain and my muse didn't care that I got to bed very late. I should be grumpy and exhausted and in terrible pain, but I'm actually feeling pretty great because it's only 73 degrees outside and the windows in my office are open, and the humidity is down and there is an absolutely gorgeous breeze blowing in off the river. It rustles the leaves on the kumquat and lime trees that stand on each side of my desk (which was J.F. Gonzalez's desk -- and I guess I should figure out who it goes to once I'm gone). I've got Sirius/XM's Channel 170 -- Yacht Rock Radio -- playing softly, and I'm looking forward to a full day of working once I finish this newsletter.
So, I suppose we should get on with that, right?
Okay, this is it. This is your absolute last chance to get a copy of the hardcover first edition of THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1 personally signed by me. Pre-orders end tomorrow! That means you have to reserve your copy today. The signature sheets are on their way to the printer and bindery. The book will ship next month.
It's not hyperbole to say that this is the most personally important book of my career. Yes, I acknowledge I've written books that were either important to readers (GHOUL, THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER) or important to the field of horror fiction (THE RISING, END OF THE ROAD). And by acknowledging those two factors, I also acknowledge that I'm leaving myself open to a handful of trolls who will bust my balls about my ego, but those people can go jump in the river....and...what was my point? Where was I going with this?
Oh, right. This is an important book for me. It is a story I have been building to since 1997. A story that the public got the first inklings of with 2003's debut of THE RISING. One cannot create a massive interconnected literary universe and not eventually write the uber-narrative that ties it all together. This is my Secret Wars. My Dark Tower. My Crisis On Infinite Earths. My Avengers: Endgame.
It's exactly what you long-time readers have been asking for since 2003.
And tomorrow is your last chance to get the first edition. Yes, there will be paperback and e-book and audiobook editions down the road, but... this is the signed first edition. If you have the means and ability, reserve your copy here.
And if you don't have the means and ability, that's okay. Believe me, I get it. Groceries and gas have gone up here, too.
Regardless, I'm glad all of you have stuck with me on this literary journey, and that you are still here as we approach the end of it.
After a month-long delay, DEFENDERS DIALOGUE is back, baby! On this week’s episode, it’s Spider-Man and The Vision versus the Puppet Master, and Captain America, Sharon Carter, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Thing take on the entire Badoon empire as Christopher Golden and I discuss the fifth issues of Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One. Plus...what Defenders villain had a cameo on Loki? Special guest appearance by The Horror Show's DungeonMaster 77.1!
Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Italian language editions of CITY OF THE DEAD and GHOUL are now available for pre-order direct from the publisher, Independent Legions. They will be released consecutively in August and September of this year.
Click here to pre-order CITY OF THE DEAD.
Click here to pre-order GHOUL.
Mailchimp is being wonky, and it took a ridiculous amount of time to get those images to work. If you see a big empty space above this sentence, then know that there are supposed to be the Italian covers for the books on display.
This Week's Progress Report:
* Wrote several chapters of INVISIBLE MONSTERS. Very much enjoying the interplay between Levi, Simon and Dez as they try to figure out what is really going on.
* Wrote a chapter of MONSTERS OF SAIPAN. Starting to have a lot of fun with this one, as well. I struggled at first, I think in part because these are characters Weston created, and I didn't know them yet. But as the serial has gone along, I'm finding their voices together with Weston. Plus, it's fun to throw stuff at each other and see what the other does in response.
* Conference call regarding a movie that I may Produce. A lot of that will depend on the shooting schedule versus my schedule, and the determination of the final budget. If I decide not to come on board as a Producer, then I'll at least serve as a consultant and Associate Producer, because it's a very cool film and something I am passionate about.
* Conference call about another movie project -- a potential adaptation of one of my older novels. Don't have a lot of hope for it, because the budget doesn't seem to match up with what they want to do, but we'll see.
* Direct Message flurry with Paul Campion about a third movie project -- an adaptation of one of my novellas. This one is in pre-production, and I have cautious hopes that we can actually get it into actual production.
* Made a lot of notes for the second half of PROJECT CASTLE. Next week, I need to go over the notes from the editor and the artist on the first half of the project, and then revise and rewrite accordingly. Will probably want to run it by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar at some point, too, just to make sure I can get away with what I want to get away with.
* Worked on edits for TERMINAL and SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2.
* Sundays are the day I work on J.F. Gonzalez's literary estate, so today, while you re reading this, I intend to start compiling another short story collection. This one will focus on his splatterpunk and extreme horror tales. There are a lot of those, and many of them have never been collected or reprinted outside of their original publication in magazines and anthologies.
My 13-year old son has film camp every day this coming week (he's super excited about it -- a 5-day online workshop with directors, actors, producers, FX folks, etc). So he'll be busy with that each day, which will free me up for more work hours, so I'm hoping to get ahead on things.
It’s been ten years since my buddy Robert Swartwood decided to self-publish some of his unsold novels as ebooks and, well, the rest is history. To celebrate, his first novel, The Calling, is currently 99 cents on Kindle.
Haven't read The Calling yet? Well, here's what some people have said:
“A powerful, gripping and terrifying novel.” —Tim Lebbon, New York Times bestselling author of The Silence
“A diabolical rocket sled of a psychological thriller.” —Jay Bonansinga, New York Times bestselling author of The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor
“Small town horror at its best.” —Hellnotes
And, of course, The Calling is also available as an audiobook.
And that's it for this week. And listen, seriously, I meant what I said above about being glad you are here. Whether you've been reading me since the 00's, or whether you've only recently discovered me via your parents -- however you found me and whenever you started reading me, I appreciate you.
And a final reminder about THE SEVEN. Today's the last day.
I'll see you back here next Sunday!
-- Brian Keene