Letters From the Labyrinth 285
Yes, this normally arrives on Sunday morning, and yes, today it is arriving on Sunday afternoon instead. That’s because Mary and I had our annual backyard bash here at Casa Keenegiovanni yesterday (after a two-year pandemic-related hiatus) and our backyard, front porch and dock were filled with 54 people — writers, editors, artists, publishers, Scares That Care board members, and all of their significant others and (in some cases) children.
Good afternoon! I’m Brian Keene, and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for friends, family and fans of my work. Previous issues can be read here. You can also leave comments, which I’ll read and answer as time allows.
Here are a few more pics from the party.
There are a bunch more photos on people’s various social media feeds if you want to see more. (See if you can spot the common denominator in almost all of the pics…)
It was so great to see everyone. You might think that with 54 people, it becomes like a convention and you don’t get to spend time with each person. But that’s not so. Conventions are great, but the older I get, the more I enjoy these type of private gatherings. As Lynne Hansen and Joe Ripple both put it, it’s nice to see each other outside of professional settings, and not have to be “on”, and just hang out. And there were some neat moments, like the fact that Samantha Kolesnik and Hailey Piper — who have been online friends for years — finally got to meet in person. Or the absolute side-splitting laughter coming from Coop, Rio, and Christian jensen over at one of the picnic tables. Or the expression on Candace Nola’s face when Mary invited her to write something for the Tempest imprint at Thunderstorm Books. Or Mike Lombardo’s decision to releasing a short story collection before he begins filming his next movie. Or eavesdropping on the kids’ D&D game (which my youngest son was running for all the kids in our library) and hearing their laughter and flashing back to when my friends and I sounded the same way at that age with our D&D games.
Good weekend, for sure. Miss them all already.
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The Lifetime Subscription Plan is something J.F. Gonzalez and I started many years ago. A select, limited number of readers could pay a one-time premium fee, and would then receive signed copies of all our works until either we died or the reader died.
Due to the pandemic, a death, and other factors, I’ve had three slots open over the last two years. I am now making those three slots available to the public on a first come, first serve basis. The subscription fee is a one-time flat payment of $1,000. (You can pay it in two installments if you like).
For that one-time price you will receive a SIGNED copy of every paperback, trade paperback, trade hardcover, comic book, graphic novel, and chapbook that I write (including collaborations) until either my death or yours. It may also include other items such as DVDs, promotional materials, etc.
Subscriptions are non-transferable. Subscriptions do not include signed limited edition hardcovers, lettered editions,foreign language translations, anthologies, or magazines (unless the magazine is all me). Lifetime Subscriptions are limited to United States customers ONLY. You are responsible for updating your mailing address with us should you move.
To subscribe, please inform me either via Twitter or by replying to this newsletter’s email address that you wish to subscribe. I will then DM you PayPal instructions and get your informations (mailing address, etc).
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Out-of-print for over a decade, my third non-fiction collection is available once again for a new generation of readers.
THE NEW FEAR is an unvarnished, no-holds-barred story of a writer at the height of his fame, and the inevitable burn-out that soon follows. It is also a chronicle of a pre-social media internet, and what horror fiction, politics, entertainment, celebrity, and writing were like at that specific moment in time.
Featuring such classics as "Zombie Manilow", "Of Dragonflies and Other Spies" (originally censored by the U.S. government), and the epic "Five Hundred Words in Five Days" saga, as well as the origins of the novel Ghoul, a cross-country book tour gone terribly awry, writing advice, social commentary, and guest appearances by J.F. Gonzalez, Dave Thomas, and others, THE NEW FEAR is equally heartbreaking and hilarious.
THE NEW FEAR: THE BEST OF HAIL SATEN Vol. 3 — The only thing we have to fear is... everything.
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After a slight delay, both THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1 and the Author’s Preferred Edition of TERMINAL are now available on Nook and Kobo devices, joining the already available audiobooks, Kindle and paperback editions.
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A reminder that I’ll be a guest at Tremendicon, taking place June 17th – 19th at 2456N Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO 65803. I’ll be available to sign books all weekend long. You can bring books from home or buy them from me there (while supplies last). Full details can be found here.
I’ll alo be at Camp Necon, taking place July 21 to the 24 at at UMass-Lowell. Mary is a Guest of Honor and I’ll be selling books from Dave Thomas’s estate in the dealer room. Details on the event can be found here.
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And that’s it for this week. Sorry this was so short, but I’ve got to clean up the aftermath of the party. We’ll return to the regular newsletter next Sunday. As always, thanks for reading. I’m grateful to you.
— Brian Keene
I am glad that you were able to get back a taste of the normalcy. Being surrounded by the people that we love and care about is one of the best feelings.
Epic! :)