[Letters From the Labyrinth] Official Brian Keene Newsletter 10/23/16

Hello. My name is Brian Keene and I have just driven eight and a half hours today so that I could get home and send you this weekly email newsletter.

Thanks for not unsubscribing.

Many of you have asked me, "When are you doing another appearance in New York City?" Well, I'm doing it next Wednesday, the 26th. I'll be at the KGB Bar located at 85th East 4th Street from 7pm to 9pm.

I'll be doing a reading, along with authors Mary SanGiovanni, Adam Cesare, Christoph Paul, and Nick Cato. Although I will not have books for sale at the venue, I will be happy to sign whatever books your bring from home.

If this is your first visit to the KGB Bar, be aware that the readings take place upstairs on the second floor. Also be aware that we usually PACK the place, so I recommend getting there early and having a drink or two.

Dave Thomas (who co-hosts The Horror Show with me) and I drove up to Massachusetts this weekend.

On Friday, we recorded a crossover between our own podcast and Jonathan Maberry, Christopher Golden, and James A. Moore's podcast, Three Guys with Beards. Author Rio Youers was also in attendance. Halfway through recording, that cyberattack you've heard about on the news happened, and fucked with our equipment. Luckily, we had a back-up recorder running.

It was a wonderful conversation. We didn't really plan or script anything. It was more just six old friends sitting down and talking about the last twenty years together -- all captured for posterity. The crossover will air during both of our shows later this week.

After recording, all of us went out to dinner together (except for Maberry, who had called in from the West Coast). Artist Glenn Chadbourne (who did the cover to my book AN OCCURRENCE IN CRAZY BEAR VALLEY), author Josh Malerman (whose novel BIRD BOX has been earning tons of well-deserved praise), and his fiancee Allison joined us. I was delighted and humbled to learn that Josh is a big fan. He told me nice things about GHOUL and THE RISING and my podcast. It really made my evening. Nice to know that I've helped to inspire such a promising up-and-coming talent.

After dinner, Dave and I went back to Jim Moore's house, and the three of us talked and reminisced until bed.

The next day, everyone mentioned above and a whole bunch of other authors signed books all day at the Haverhill Public Library. I had a great time meeting all of you who showed up, and seeing old friends like Jack Haringa, John McIlveen, Craig Shaw Gardner, and Nicholas Kaufmann, and newer friends like Bracken MacLeod, Izzy Lee, Errick Nunnally, Amber Fallon, and Jonathan Goodrich. I shared a table with promising up-and-comer Asher Ellis, and was very happy to see him completely sell out of books by the time the event was over.

During the event, Dave and I also recorded a second podcast interview with author Dan Padavona. It will air in a few weeks, and will be our last interview of the year. It's also one of our best of the year, I think. Dan talked about his father (heavy metal legend Ronny James Dio), his love of Richard Laymon and Jack Ketchum, and even did some freestyle rap for us.

After the signing, all of the people mentioned above plus about fifty others went to dinner together. I sat with Dave, Jack, Nicholas, and his partner Alexa, and had the best time catching up with old friends that I don't get to see in person nearly as much as I'd like to.

We went back to Jim's and went to sleep, and then woke up and drove home and now I'm typing this.

I won't lie. I'm fucking tired of touring. I've been on the road since June, and I'm really looking forward to being a hermit next year -- but I also really enjoy seeing my friends and seeing all of you who come out to these events and support me.

Thank you.

I didn't get a chance to take any photos from the signing, but here are a few, courtesy of Phillip Perron and Tony Tremblay. All rights reserved by them, etc. etc.

Here's Phillip, me, and Bracken.

Here's me, Dave,and Rio, before the event opened (with John McIlveen in the foreground)

And finally, here's me and Jack at dinner (with Nick's head in the foreground)

RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL has two more pages to be written. I'm going to go finish them now.

After that, I'll finish up SCHOOL'S OUT and then later this week turn my attention back to HOLE IN THE GROUND.

Currently Reading: JERUSALEM by Alan Moore
Currently Listening: AWAKE by Dream Theater
Currently Watching: JAWS

I picked up Izzy Lee's short film, INNSMOUTH, on DVD over the weekend. It's a delightful, delirious, X-rated, matriarchal reversal of H.P. Lovecraft's tropes. Definitely not-safe-for-work. Rue Morgue Magazine says "Lee’s horror is filtered through a definitive (and unabashedly so) feminist perspective, something that makes INNSMOUTH’s take on Lovecraft’s mythos that much more subversive." I agree wholeheartedly. You can get it on DVD here.

See some of you in New York City on Wednesday night! Se the rest of you back here next Sunday.