[Letters From the Labyrinth] Official Brian Keene Newsletter

My name is Brian Keene, and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. If you're a new subscriber, previous issues are archived here.

There was no newsletter last week, because (as listeners of my podcast know) I was at Cub Scout camp with my youngest son. To make up for that, this issue is double-sized.

Shall we begin?

THE RISING was not my not my first published book (that was NO REST FOR THE WICKED), but it was my first published novel. THE RISING, about a divorced father who embarks on a cross-country trip to find his son in the midst of an intelligent zombie apocalypse, came out in hardcover in 2003 and paperback in 2004. It surprised both myself and my publishers by being a genuine best-seller, with -- over time -- an estimated 250,000 copies in print in several different languages (English, German, Polish, Spanish, etc). It won the 2003 Bram Stoker Award, and is considered by fans to be a seminal work of modern horror and a true cult classic. It is regularly cited by critics and academics as inspiring modern pop culture’s interest in zombies (along with the 28 Days Later film and The Walking Dead comic book). Not bad for a book that is now almost fifteen years old.

This week, Deadite Press made the Kindle and Nook editions of THE RISING available for just 99 cents. That limited time sale lasts until the 23rd. This is the Author's Preferred Edition of the book, and contains nearly 30,000 words that were cut from the original Delirium and Leisure Books/Dorchester editions. We're talking entire chapters, here.

Also this week, Crossroads Press released an audiobook of the Author's Preferred Edition, as well. This is the first time that edition has ever been released on audio.

As a result of these two things, THE RISING is once again a genuine best-seller, fourteen years after its initial release. And that is very surreal for me. I find it intriguing that, after so many years, there are still people discovering it for the first time, or revisiting it for the fifth time.

Although it has never made me a wealthy man, THE RISING has, over time, bought me two automobiles, a new roof, a downpayment on a house, and has paid the utility bills when nothing else was coming in. (And that's not counting the German royalties my ex-agent never paid me, or the unpaid royalties from previous audiobook publisher and all around malfeasant company AudioRealms).

THE RISING is not my favorite of my novels, but it is the favorite of many of my fans, and it has, over the years, been a reliable old friend that I can always count on to provide. It has come through for me when nothing else seemed to. It is an Intellectual Property that will provide for both my sons, and their children, long after I am gone. And all of that is because of you, my readers.

I am grateful to all who have read it, and to those who are now discovering it for the first time, as well.

If you're one of the folks who never read it, or you read the old edition and haven't read this preferred version, remember that this 99 cent Kindle and Nook sale lasts only until the 23rd.

Thanks.

THE RISING wasn't the only audiobook released by Crossroads Press last week.

A GATHERING OF CROWS also came out. Narrated by Chet Williamson, this release completes the audio adaptations of the entire Levi Stoltzfus series (thus far): DARK HOLLOW, GHOST WALK, A GATHERING OF CROWS, and LAST OF THE ALBATWITCHES.

I was in talks with a network earlier this year about a television series based on Levi. That failed to materialize, but now there's another network interested. There are also three more Levi novels forthcoming -- INVISIBLE MONSTERS, the penultimate BAD GROUND, and HOMECOMING.

Folks keep asking me if he'll show up in later installments of THE LABYRINTH serial. Without spoilers, i'll just say that series takes place after the final book in the Levi series...

Of course, the big news this week was that myself, Edward Lee, Mary SanGiovanni, Nick Cutter, Bryan Smith, Wrath James White, Ronald Malfi, and Weston Ochse are all writing for DC Comics.

DC HOUSE OF HORROR #1 — in comic shops October 25th — is an all-new, all-creepy one-shot set in the DC Universe, featuring the contributions of some of the most exciting voices in contemporary horror fiction, partnered up with artists Rags Morales, Bilquis Evely, Howard Porter, Scott Kolins, Dale Eaglesham and others.

Martha Kent fights for her life against a creature from a spacecraft that lands in front of her farmhouse! A young woman is possessed by the spirit of a murderous Amazon warrior! The last surviving member of the Justice League faces down a horror beyond imagining! Those are only a few of the tales within, but if they’re not enough to get you screaming like you’d just been hit by Scarecrow toxin, well, Keith Giffen is involved with this bad boy, too.

On sale October 25th. Pre-ordering info coming soon.

Also released this week was NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD, an anthology -- edited by Jonathan Maberry -- that takes in the world of George Romero's zombie films. It contains a brand new short story by me -- the first zombie story I've written in quite some time. You can order it here.

I know it seems like this week is nothing but "Buy, Buy, Buy" -- and I hate that. I don't like newsletters that are simply product pitches. But this is what happens when you skip a week for Cub Scout camp and a whole bunch of new stuff gets announced all at once.

CURRENTLY WATCHING: Twin Peaks season 3 and the Police Academy movies.
CURRENTLY LISTENING: Various 2Pac albums.
CURRENTLY READING: See below

I read two absolutely phenomenal books over the past week -- THE HEMATOPHAGES by Stephen Kozeniewski and THE FORGOTTEN GIRL by Rio Youers.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRL is a fantastic thriller along the lines of Joe Hill, Paul Tremblay, Christopher Golden and Sarah Pinborough. I've seen others comparing it to early Stephen King (particularly THE DEAD ZONE) and while I think that's fair, I also think Rio's voice is absolutely unique.

THE HEMATOPHAGES is a horror/sci-fi masher with an all-female cast that will have you reluctant to put it down for any reason. I blew through it in two days, and loved every page. It evokes ALIEN, EVENT HORIZON and my very own THE RISING. Which is cool...and brings us round to the beginning of this week's newsletter. Fourteen years later, and we still see echoes of THE RISING's influence on the genre. I'm honored to see those echoes in fine works like this one.

HOLE IN THE WORLD is finished. I'm sending it to pre-readers tomorrow (as well as boxing up some stuff for my Lifetime Subscribers).

I won't get much writing done over the next few weeks (which bums me out, because I'm itching to finish THE MOTEL AT THE END OF THE WORLD and INVISIBLE MONSTERS).

I will be at the 4th annual SCARES THAT CARE CHARITY WEEKEND in Williamsburg, VA on July 21st – 23rd, and at the GHOST TOWN WRITERS RETREAT in Georgetown, CO on August 3rd – 6th. Here is what you need to know if you are attending either event.

Due to my increased involvement with the Scares That Care charity, and my promotion within the organization, I will not be sitting behind an autograph table all weekend (unlike previous years). While I am certainly willing and happy to sign your books, I will not have books for sale, and can only sign what you bring from home or what you purchase from one of our vendors. Also, as I am overseeing three different areas of the convention, as well as our celebrity guests, authors, and podcasters, my interaction time will be limited. Please don’t bring me a box of twenty books to sign, because I won’t have time for that. I am, however, happy to sign two or three for you.

No such restrictions apply at the Ghost Town Writers Retreat. I will be available all weekend, and will be happy to sign as many books as you want. However, I will not have books for sale, so again, please bring books from home or buy them from one of the convention’s vendors.

I hope to see some of you at these two events!

That's it for this week. Reminders:

PATREON - Where I post new short stories, a serialized ongoing novel, and behind-the-scenes stuff.

TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.

Take care. See you back here next Sunday, post Scares That Care.