You might remember the picture of the sunrise in last week’s newsletter. Here is that same location, but taken during Friday night’s moonrise. It’s been windy here at Casa Keengiovanni the last few days. The wind knocked over my neighbor’s fence last night, and several trees back in the forest have come crashing down. But you wouldn’t know it from this picture.
Good morning. My name is Brian Keene and this is the 272nd issue of Letters From the Labyrinth — a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues can be found here.
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Dave passed away last Sunday, about five hours after I sent out the newsletter. He got to see the dedication page of the new edition of Silver Scream. He got to talk to his friends Della and Geoff Cooper (he couldn’t speak, but he could hear and acknowledge them through eye and facial movements). Deena and I gave him some bourbon with his last dose of morphine — a little Knob Creek on a Q-tip, rubbed over his tongue and gums. One last drink. Shortly after he got to hear from Coop, he got very still. Deena and I told him to look for Jesus (J.F. Gonzalez). His favorite cat, Bert, hopped up on the bed by his side. His breathing dropped down to around 6 respirations per minute. He went a few minutes after that. His former wife and long time friend Mare arrived just after, but he knew she was on the way, so that’s okay. All in all, it was the most peaceful death I’ve ever been witness to. We can all be grateful and envious of how he passed.
I spent much of this week writing about Dave — the family asked me to write his official obituary, and the HWA asked me to write an In Memoriam for the StokerCon Souvenir Book — so I’m not going to eulogize him here. If you listened to The Horror Show with Brian Keene or The Ghost Writers Podcast, or you were a reader of Theme Park Review, or you attended ProgPower over the years, then you already know him. So, instead of writing up yet another piece, I’d like to post a few pics instead. Some of these you may have seen before. Some you probably haven’t.



Apologies if these images overloaded your inbox. Believe me, I’ve got 100 more pics I could post, but I won’t.
Anyway… I’ll miss him. Right now, he and the fellas are in that hotel convention bar in the sky. It continues to fill up, but I know they’ll save me a seat for when I eventually join them.
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Currently Reading: Dreadful Tales by Richard Laymon
Currently Listening: Skyscraper by David Lee Roth, The Years of Decay by Overkill, and The Endless River by Pink Floyd
Currently Watching: The Deep House (Hulu), 1883 (Paramount+), and South Park (HBO Max).
I enjoyed The Deep House despite its flaws. It is a clever twist on not only the haunted house genre, but also the found footage genre, and does some neat things with the tropes from both. It also has a few genuine scares. Indeed, without spoilers, there’s a scene involving a snake that made me cover my eyes — not something I am prone to do.
Meanwhile, 1883 is the best western series since Lonesome Dove. My mother tells me that I’ve set a very high bar with that statement, and I know I have, and I stand by it. It’s the best western series since Lonesome Dove, and indeed, if the quality continues, it will surpass that seminal favorite. Stellar performances from the entire cast, Sam Elliot and Faith Hill in particular. Fantastic cinematography, well-researched and true to life historical facts, and multi-layered writing, plotting and characterization. It’s just great, all around. I could do without Elsa’s plodding voiceovers, and I think the opening scene of the pilot episode was a mistake, but these are very minor nitpicks. It is a tremendous show, and if you like the western genre at all, you need to watch this. Apparently, it is a prequel to Yellowstone, but I have never watched Yellowstone, and I enjoyed 1883 just fine, so you don’t need to watch one to understand the other.
The new season of South Park continues to be outstanding. “Tolkien” is the greatest trolling of the audience in the history of trolling the audience, and they got us all.
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I posted a new video on my YouTube Channel, in which I read my short story “Keepsakes”. Click here to watch it.
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Jay Wilburn’s #BrianKeeneRevisited continues this week with his re-read of DARK HOLLOW.
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The Author’s Preferred Edition of TERMINAL is now available in audiobook, narrated by Chet Williamson.
For over two decades, fans of Brian Keene’s cult-classic novel Terminal have heard rumors of an uncut version that was never published. Now, for the first time anywhere, here is that version, as the author originally intended.
Tommy O’Brien once hoped to leave his run-down industrial hometown. But marriage and fatherhood have kept him running in place, working a job that doesn’t even pay the bills. And now he seems fated to stay for the rest of his life. Tommy has just learned he’s going to die young — and soon. But he refuses to leave his family with less than nothing–especially now that he has nothing to lose. Over a couple of beers with his best friends, John and Sherm, Tommy launches a bold scheme to provide for his family’s future. And though his plan will spin shockingly out of control, it will throw him together with a child whose touch can heal — and whose ultimate lesson is that there are far worse things than dying. Now, one man’s war with God may impact us all.
“A powerful, unique novel with a fascinating plot and characters, and echoes of Stephen King’s working-class voice.” — Ed Gorman
““If Brian Keene’s books were music, they would occupy a working class, hard-earned space between Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, and Johnny Cash.” — John Skipp
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Work this week mostly got waylaid so that I could take care of Dave’s stuff. Much of my actual writing time was spent writing the obituary and the In Memoriam, but I did bang out some pages on both PROJECT CASTLE and INVISIBLE MONSTERS (after doing some research on Jonestown for the former and Nazis post-World War two for the latter). And I know now how the third book in the Labyrinth series is going to start, progress and end. Soon as I finish one of the other two, I’ll start that.
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We’ve announced some professional workshops and seminars for Scares That Care AuthorCon. If you’re interested in writing for video games, writing police procedurals, or improving your live readings, then check these out.
To reserve your seat for any of these workshops, or for all the other details on Scares That Care AuthorCon, please visit our website.
Writing the Badge
A one hour Q&A/seminar with former Police Officer and Detective Joe Ripple. Find the correct way to write police procedures,
tactics and operations.
Price: FREE!
Day & Time: Friday, April 1, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Upping Your Game: How To Deliver A Memorable Live Reading
Author Robert Ford - one of the best live readers in the business - leads this interactive workshop on ways to improve your own live reading. Attendees will participate with live readings of their own work (please come prepared) and receive practical developmental feedback.
Price: $35
Day & Time: Saturday, April 2, Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Maximum Capacity: 12 attendees
Writing For Video Games: What You Need To Know
Red Storm/Ubisoft’s Richard Dansky leads this highly interactive seminar (including exercises and feedback) that will teach you ever you need to know about writing for video games.
Price: $100
Day & Time: Saturday, April 2, 4:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Maximum Capacity: 20 participants
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Chris Golden and I will record the next episode of DEFENDERS DIALOGUE next Thursday. We’ll be covering Marvel’s Frankenstein, issue number 11, in case you want to do the homework.
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And that does it for this week. As always, I’m glad you’re here. The train is leaving the station now, and I’m happy to have you aboard.
“This train carries saints and sinners
This train carries losers and winners
This train carries whores and gamblers
This train carries lost souls
This train carries broken-hearted
This train, thieves and sweet souls departed
This train carries fools and kings
This train, all aboard…”
— Bruce Springsteen, Land of Hope and Dreams
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See you next Sunday.
— Brian Keene
I'm so sorry about Dave. You've lost a wonderful friend. I'll have a shot of Knob Creek in his honor, and one day I hope to hear the reason behind his intense dislike of supermarkets. My condolences to you, Mary, Deena, and everyone else who knew and loved him.
Wonderful pictures! Thank you for sharing! And once again, my condolences for your loss.