Letters From the Labyrinth 289
“We were working like that And then who should come up But the cat in the hat!”
— Dr. Seuss
Josie Wales came back this week, to let me know that she was alive and well. Then she took off once again into the badlands. She’s popped back in a few times since then, but only for a few minutes. We’ve had sightings from other neighbors. The above pic is from one of their porches. Near as I can figure, she is either A) still pissed off at me that I let the roofers come disturb her tranquility for a week, or, B) She is staying away from the kittens, all of whom are weaned now. We have four left to adopt out. Sadly, our local no kill shelter is currently full, so it is slow going in finding them homes.
Good morning. 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.
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Thanks for a great first week of sales for CURSE OF THE BASTARDS!
Shrews and I did an interview about the book here.
And myself, Shrews and editor Lesley Conner did a livestream last Tuesday night to celebrate the release of the book. Click here to watch it. Thanks to everyone who showed up to that and asked questions. There are a couple pretty big surprise reveals during the stream, as well, including some Levi Stoltzfus news.
And if you haven’t yet gotten a copy, CURSE OF THE BASTARDS is available in the following formats: Paperback - Kindle - Nook - Kobo - Apple
(Audiobook forthcoming)
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THINGS LEFT BEHIND is in route from the printer to Thunderstorm Books, as per the freight company, which means they should begin shipping to you next week.
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And speaking of Thunderstorm Books, I signed the signature sheets for SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2 this week. They are now in route to the printer. So guess what went up for pre-order this morning?
The Seven have won the first battle against the Thirteen, but it cost them one of their number. Now Frankie, Teddy, LeHorn, Tony, Bloom, and the Exit they find themselves in the middle of a global superstorm on a flooded Earth, reunited with old friends and facing off against familiar threats, including the terrifying titanic might of Behemoth and Leviathan, and the machinations of Ob, Lord of the Siqqusim. In a fight that spans from a sodden landscape to the very heart of ancient R’lyeh, only one thing is certain. Even if they win, it will be at an unimaginable cost. The storm is here… and the end continues.
SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book Two continues Brian Keene’s magnum opus, featuring characters, locations, and situations from throughout his vast literary universe in a multi-volume epic saga that will thrill both new readers and long-time fans.
SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book Two — It’s raining again…
Pre-orders will be available until July 18th, however — this pre-order period is for fans and customers who purchased the Thunderstorm Books edition of Book 1. If you own a Thunderstorm signed limited of THE SEVEN, click here to reserve your copy of SUBMERGED.
If you do not have Book 1, we ask that you refrain from preordering. Unspoken for copies will be available for sale to you after the preorder period. SUBMERGED should be released in September. Paperback, ebook and audiobook should be available in December.
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I taught my 14-year old how to drive last week. Not on the roads, of course. That would be illegal. No, we took my car into the big hayfield out back (with permission, now that the farmer has cut all the hay) and he did fantastic. Much better than I did at his age. When he was 5, I used to sit him in my lap and let him turn the steering wheel while I worked the gas and the brake (and also secretly helped guide the steering wheel). Now, he’s old enough to do it on his own.
My productive streak continued this past week. Worked on first drafts of GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX, ISLAND OF THE DEAD, and SPLINTERED: THE LABYRINTH Book 3. Worked on edits on the second draft of INVISIBLE MONSTERS. Signed a lot of books for Lifetime Subscribers. And worked on Scares that Care charity stuff.
Mary and I went to dinner with author Wesley Southard, his son Meatball, and Wes’s parents on Saturday night. And on Friday, author Bob Ford stopped by for a visit. Was nice to see them all. Bob and I did the math while he was here. We’ve known each other over 20 years now. And Wes? Hell, I remember signing books for Wes when he was barely out of high school. And now he signs books for me.
If you’ve never read either of them, you really should. If you’re new to Bob, I recommend Burner, which I think is one of his best. Sort of Jack Ketchum meets Laird Barron. Available in hardcover, paperback and for Kindle here.
And if you’re new to Wes, try his latest novella, Try Again, which is sort of Bentley Little meets Brian Keene. It’s available in paperback and for Kindle here.
I also want to tell you about a first novel by Tom Duffy. It’s called Zodiac. He pitched me the idea at a convention last summer, and I immediately fell in love with it. Seriously, it was one of the best pitches I’ve ever heard, after 25+ years in this business. In fact, the pitch was pretty much the book’s back cover ad copy, which reads:
Meet Irving Stark. Bird lover. Canasta master. Retired serial killer.
After spending decades murdering based on astrological signs and transcriptions from a strange tome found in the desert, Irv was tired. Now, almost in his nineties, he spends his days in an assisted living home playing cards, taking care of his canary, and being a general menace.
After watching a broadcast about the possibility of a thirteenth zodiac sign, he realizes he may still have a chance at immortality. Maybe the rituals weren’t wrong. Maybe his mentor, Jack the Rocket Scientist, wasn’t wrong. There was only one way to find out.
Irving Stark, bird and oxygen tank in hand, takes off on a quest for eternal life. One last kill. But will he be able to achieve his life-long goal when he runs into a rag-tag occult group searching for the same thing, authorities on his trail, and a body too old to care?
Are you sold? Because I sure was. Anyway, I encouraged Tom to write the book, and now he has, and it’s available in paperback and Kindle here.
So, there ya go. Buy those three books — Burner, Try Again, and Zodiac — and you’ll have your summer reading sorted.
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Currently Reading: Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Currently Listening: 1984, Fair Warning, Women and Children First, and Diver Down all by Van Halen
Currently Watching: The Boys (Prime), Beavis and Butthead Do The Universe (Paramount Plus), Stranger Things (Netflix) and After The End (Prime)
I’m a big fan of Mike Judge. Office Space is one of my all-time favorite films, and indeed, my favorite comedy, hands down. Silicon Valley and King of the Hill were delightful. Idiocracy is brilliant. And Beavis and Butthead used to make me laugh so hard back in the day. So…how does their return hold up? Amazingly! The trailer left me ambivalent, but the movie itself had Mary and I laughing harder than we have in a long, long time. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed these two. Favorite part of the film? When Beavis and Butthead learn about white privilege and things go terribly awry.
After The End is a neat little post-apocalyptic coming-of-age movie. Nothing new or groundbreaking, but definitely a good pick if you want a movie to watch with your kid (I’d recommend 14 or older, due to some mature themes).
Stranger Things… I said in a previous newsletter that this season has been a mixed bag for me. It felt drawn out and ponderous in places. But the finale made up for that with Eddie’s big scene. If you told me back in 1986 that one day Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” would be used in one of the most frenetic, intense, ass-kicking moments in television history, I wouldn’t have believed you. I mean, we used to get teased and made fun of for listening to Metallica (and for playing D&D and reading comic books and Stephen King novels). Eddie has been a joy for this old metal head to watch. I just love him. Plain and simple. And yeah, if your mission is to distract thousands of demonic bat monsters in an alternate dimension, I can’t think of anything better to shred to than “Master of Puppets”. That whole segment made me deliriously happy. Here’s a spoiler free version so you can see what I’m talking about.
It may sound trite, but Eddie’s entire story arc this season felt very authentic to this 1980s metalhead/role-playing gamer/ comic book geek/ horror fan. I still have very mixed feelings about the season overall, but I loved every second of him.
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My friend Erica (I won’t use her last name here to protect her privacy), whom I’ve known since first grade, asked me why I didn’t talk about the recent SCOTUS decision in last week’s newsletter. At the time, I didn’t think I had anything to say that would make anyone feel any better. But I did end up writing about it, although in a place that surprised me. ISLAND OF THE DEAD (which is a serialized novel about a shipwrecked barbarian, his friends, and the last remnants of sunken Atlantis all fighting zombies, that you can read here) is where my subconscious decided to talk about everything, in the following two passages.
“We wield the law,” Chinsalel argued. “You wield a sword. Is there really any difference?”
“Indeed,” Lodrovull agreed. “Both are simply tools. They can be used for good or for ill.”
“I disagree,” said Einar. “You can kill or oppress far more people with the law than I can with a sword.”
And then later
Einar shrugged. “You shall have to battle with weapons other than politics and voting. Pray to your gods that you are as good a warrior as you are a politician.”
So, I guess I talked about it after all, albeit through the mouth of a barbarian. That’s the way the muse works, sometimes.
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Mary wrote an excellent essay about everything that’s going on in the country right now. You can read it here.
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Here is the finalized, final draft of the Author Programming schedule for Scares That Care Weekend VIII, taking place at the end of this month. Full details on the charity event can be found here.
All author programming takes place in rooms A/B.
FRIDAY:
6:00pm to 7:00pm: Adam Cesare, Matt Serafini, Patrick Lacey, Scott Cole, and Aaron Dries – Reading and Q&A
7:15pm to 8:15pm Times of Trouble: How do creatives stay productive in times of stress, grief, or trauma? Panelists Jessica McHugh (moderator), Ronald Malfi, V. Castro, Stephen Graham Jones, Rio Youers, Briana Morgan, Nicole Wilson, and Dea Scholfield discuss.
8:30pm to 9:30pm: Ronald Kelly, Steven L. Shrewsbury, and Wile E. Young – Reading and Q&A
9:45pm to 10:45pm: Kristopher Triana, Thomas R. Clark, and Chase Will – Reading and Q&A
SATURDAY:
10:15am to 11:00am: Russel R. James and Tom Deady – Reading and Q&A
11:15am to 12:30pm: V Castro and John Edward Lawson – Reading and Q&A
12:45pm to 1:30pm: Cullen Bunn and Nicholas Kaufmann – Reading and Q&A
1:45pm to 2:30pm: Somer Canon and Laurel Hightower – Reading and Q&A
2:45pm to 3:30pm: Daniel Kraus and Stephen Kozeniewski – Reading and Q&A
3:45pm to 4:30pm: Stephen Graham Jones and Rio Youers – Reading and Q&A
4:45pm to 5:45pm: Wesley Southard, Tim Meyer, and Kenzie Jennings – Reading and Q&A
6:00pm to 7:00pm: The World’s Greatest Horror Novel: Panelists Lucas Milliron (moderator), Daniel Kraus, Shawn Burgess, James D. Dean, Holly Jennings, Bryan Nowak, Sheri White, and Kyle Lybeck share their picks for the greatest horror novel of all time.
7:15pm to 8:00pm: John C. Foster and Dacia M. Arnold – Reading and Q&A
9:00pm to 10:00pm: The Economics of Publishing: Representatives from Apokrupha (Moderator), Raw Dog Screaming Press, Stygian Sky/Death’s Head Press, Dark Recesses Press, Bleeding Edge Books and St Rooster Books discuss how they operate amidst today’s global financial uncertainty.
10:15pm to…: The Gross-Out Contest: Contestants who enter will have three minutes to tell their grossest, vilest, and maybe funniest stories to judges Kristopher Triana, Samantha Kolesnik, Candace Nola, Jay Wilburn, and John Wayne Comunale, emcee Brian Keene, and bouncer Steven L. Shrewsbury. Winners get prizes. Please Note: This is NC-17 content. Audience discretion is strongly advised.
SUNDAY:
11:15am to Noon: Amanda Headlee and Rachel Brune – Reading and Q&A
12:15pm to 1:15pm: Boom or Bust: Right now, horror is in a boom period. How will the festering global economic uncertainty impact the genre? Panelists Todd Keisling (moderator), Cullen Bunn, Ronald Kelly, Somer Canon, Laurel Hightower, Ronald Malfi, and Jeff Strand discuss what may happen.
1:30pm: to 2:30pm: Kenneth Cain, Nathan D. Ludwig, and JC Walsh – Reading and Q&A
2:45pm to 3:30pm: Brian Keene and Sonora Taylor – Reading and A Passing of the Torch.
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For this week’s installment of Brian Keene’s Time Machine, by request, we go back to 2000, and the World Horror Convention from that year. L to R: Michelle Scalise-Piccirilli, Geoff Cooper, Richard Laymon, me, and Mike Oliveri. Photo by James Futch.
I don’t remember why Dick Laymon and I were wearing purple ribbons. It might have been for the Gross-Out Contest?
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And that does it for this week. If you’re a Patreon subscriber, I’ll be doing another livestream exclusively for Patreon supporters this Wednesday night. (The initial one did not go well because Patreon and YouTube don’t get along). So, I’ll see some of you there. And if not, then I’ll see you back here next week.
— Brian Keene