Letters From the Labyrinth 296

The Cat of Amontillado

My neighbor down the road (he’s about a mile and a half away, but we know each other because we’re the only two households on our road with Fetterman and Shapiro signs in our yards) found a litter of kittens beneath his shed, so I was giving him pointers on how to tame them and round them up. Sadly, all of our local shelters are closed, so he’s going to have to do like we’ve done for these last three litters, and adopt them all out himself.

After helping him, I adopted out all but the last of our latest litter of strays. Temporarily-named Hissy McFurface went to author Matt Wildasin’s home. Temporarily-named Dallas Junior (not to be confused with my kitten Dallas from a previous litter) went to author Wesley Southard’s home (a surprise Wes’s wife Katie and I cooked up for him). Temporarily-named Runt was supposed to go to a nearby farm. The farmer’s wife thought that would be lovely, but her husband ultimately vetoed the idea, because his grain isn’t stored in a place where the cat can’t get into it and use it as a giant litterbox. As a former farm boy, I totally understand that. The sister of another friend of mine was also interested in Runt but they want a kitten who is a bit less timid.

I’m certain I can find Runt a good home. She’s extremely loving, but also shy and timid. But I’ll find her someone because I promised her I would. With that in mind, I felt a sense of relief that, with winter soon approaching, I had no more outside babies to care for and worry about, and that the rest of our local ecosystem was finally safe from an overabundance of cats. All I had to do now was find Runt a home, get Josie Wales fixed and all of her shots, and also keep her from getting pregnant until that happened (there’s a two month wait, locally, between all the vets and shelters).

Then… I found this.

The Cat of Amontillado.

And there are seven more just like it. I estimate them to be about three or four weeks old. Luckily, this batch have proven to be a lot more approachable than the last, so it shouldn’t be a problem catching them when they are old enough to adopt out.

This is my life now. This is how I will spend my retirement — occasionally writing a book, but mostly raising, protecting, and finding homes for endless litters of kittens that random feral mothers have delivered to my house because they know it’s a safe space. It’s simultaneously frustrating and heartwarming and stressful and joyful.

“For the love of God, Montresor!”

Good morning. My name is Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for friends, family and fans of my work. And also for people who like cats.

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Week 3 of my Reader Recession Relief program is in full swing. This week, the Author’s Preferred Edition of TERMINAL is on sale for just 99 cents on Kindle and Nook.

“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

“A powerful, unique novel with a fascinating plot and characters, and echoes of Stephen King’s working-class voice.” — Ed Gorman

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.

The sale price is good until next Tuesday, after which it will revert back to its normal price and a new book will take its place.

I’m really happy that so many folks have been taking advantage of these sales. I know financial times are tough right now for so many of you, and it gives me joy that this is making things a little better for you.

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A reminder that if you live in or near Baltimore, I'll be signing books on Saturday, September 10th from noon to 5pm at Protean Books & Records 836 Leadenhall Street, along with Mary SanGiovanni, Robert Swartwood, Hailey Piper, Wesley Southard, Mike Lombardo, Somer Canon, Stephen Kozeniewski, Sonora Taylor, Chris Enterline, and Matt Wildasin. Join us for this massive event!

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And another reminder for you kids on Twitch, MissyDaGreat’s live read of EARTHWORM GODS continues. Give her a follow so you don’t miss out.

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Jay Wilburn’s Brian Keene Revisited continues with this in-depth examination of DEAD SEA.

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There’s a new edition of Bryan Smith’s The Reborn forthcoming. I was honored to write the Introduction for it. You can pre-order it here.

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Currently Listening: Brian Keene Radio

Currently Reading: The Prince of the Air by Mason Winfield

Currently Watching: All Of Us Are Dead (Netflix)

I’m loving Mason’s latest novel, The Prince of the Air, so far, but it was an incredibly busy work week and family week, so I’ve only had about 10 minutes per day to read. But I’m really digging it. Sort of Algernon Blackwood meets Alan Moore.

All Of Us Are Dead is a respectable addition to the zombie canon - a fun mix of slow, mindless Romero zombies, fast rage-filled 28 Days zombies, and smart and cunning Keene zombies. Sort of Battle Royale meets THE RISING meets Dawson's Creek. Recommended!

Brian Keene Radio has pretty much developed a regular schedule now. Weekdays from 6am until around 10pm, it’s music (that’s because I like to have on music while I work, and those are the hours I’m most likely to be working). Then from 10pm until 6am, it’s spoken word.

I’ve taken to broadcasting live every morning around 8:30am, with a read of the day’s news and whatever else is going on. So, if you’re awake then, tune in and you’ll hear me telling you what’s happening around the world.

On weekends, the schedule becomes a bit more freewheeling, with a mix of music and spoken word throughout the entirety. The whole hobby brings me a lot of happiness, and it’s neat to see people tuning in from all around the world in real time.

There are four ways to listen for free:

Click here to access the media player on my website.
MP3 - Opens a link on your browser.
M3U - Download, compatible with most players.
PLS - Download, compatible with Windows Media Player, iTunes, VLC and WinAmp.

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Speaking of Brian Keene Radio, throughout this past year I’ve teased a new podcast called STORIES WITH BRIAN KEENE. It was supposed to launch this October. Sadly, I’m going to have to push that release date back until next year, because I am about to make the biggest move of my entire career, and I’m not going to have time to focus on launching a new podcast.

My 20+ year career has been marked by a series of moves — moves that I made with my gut, when I thought it was time to do so. Some of them, like my first multi-book deal, or my first cross-country promotional tour, or the Dorchester War or the launch of THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE or signing on as showrunner for SILVERWOOD: THE DOOR proved to be the right move. A few, like pivoting to writing comic books for the Big Two, turned out to be less so.

The move I am about to make is bigger than any of those. It will chart the course of my career for the rest of my remaining years. If I proceed carefully and as planned, it will prove fruitful for me and my heirs. If I make a miscalculation or a misstep, it will not be fruitful for anyone.

I’m launching a publishing imprint. It will encompass all of my works — a way to bring them all in-house, under my roof, so that the only entity that has control of my books is me — and eventually my kids. It will allow me to finally get everything in my backlist onto all platforms, including Kobo, Nook, and AppleBooks. It will allow me to finally get my backlist back into bookstores, with the ability to go to buyers for the big chains directly.

This is something that is going to happen very, very slowly. I am being mindful of my many current publishers. Me suddenly yanking my rights from them would be incredibly detrimental to their bottom line, and that’s the last thing I want. I’ve talked to each of them this past week, and all of them were gracious and kind and supportive of the plan I laid out.

How it will work is this — any new books I release from this point on will come out via the imprint. And slowly — I can’t stress that word “slowly” enough — I’ll begin releasing my backlist via the imprint, as well. There are a few things that won’t be included. Audiobooks, for example. Collaborations (because I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s money). Any media tie-in that I do, such as the forthcoming GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX adaptation. And signed limited editions. I’m focusing on mass market, trade and eBook editions and have no plans to start doing signed limited editions on my own, because that’s an entirely different publishing and marketing set-up. But most everything else will eventually be in house, controlled by me, and benefitting my heirs.

So… with that in mind, I’m tabling STORIES WITH BRIAN KEENE until next year. But it will happen.

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And that does it for this week. I appreciate your support these last twenty plus years, and I appreciate your support in the years ahead, as we slowly -- ever so slowly -- start down a new road together.

With an endless array of kittens, too, apparently…

— Brian Keene