Good morning. It is 3:49am on Sunday and I am typing this from the Doubletree By Hilton in Williamsburg, VA, host of many Scares That Care charity events, including our upcoming Holiday Dance, Borderlands Boot Camp 2023, and AuthorCon II convention.
I am here in town because I spent the weekend signing at the Barnes & Noble Libbie Place store in nearby Richmond. And I am typing this from the lobby at 3:49 in the morning because Mary and I are sharing a room with author Wesley Southard, and I didn’t want to wake the two of them up while typing you this letter. I’m Brian Keene, and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for friends, family and fans of my work.
The Bells Palsy is bad this morning (because I am tired), and my left eye is a slit, so this will be a very short letter. There may also be typos, although I will do my best to catch them.
The signing was FANTASTIC. Sold and signed lots and lots and lots of books, and had a great time meeting readers both old and new. I moderated a panel on Splatterpunk, which was a lot of fun. By Saturday afternoon, I was pretty exhausted, but it was sooooo worth it. Thanks to all the readers and fans who came out, and thanks to the store and our hosts. It was a big success. I didn’t take any pics, but my Twitter feed is full of other people’s pictures if you’d like to see how things went.
This morning Mary, Wesley and I will drive home, making a stop in West Virginia to visit for an hour with Scott Edelman.
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We are excited to announce that Paul Campion and Ted Rypel’s screenplay for the forthcoming feature film adaptation of my novella THE CAGE is the winner of the 2022 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon Best Screenplay Award!
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I completely revamped the shopping experience at Brian Keene Dot Com. All items are now gathered together into a single storefront — all books, eBooks, audiobooks, comic books, movies, foreign editions, t-shirts and everything else. To check them out, click here.
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SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2 is on sale now! Dig this amazing cover by Ben Baldwin and Elderlemon Design.
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 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.
Continuing 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...
Paperback - Kindle - Nook - Kobo - Apple (Audiobook edition will follow shortly).
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Currently Reading: Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro and After the Bombs by Richard Chizmar
Currently Watching: Swingers (HBO Max), Survivor (Paramount Plus) and Avenue 5 (HBO Max)
Currently Listening: Brian Keene Radio
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A cat update for both Irene (whose husband, Mike, I met this weekend) and for author Christine Morgan (for whom there will be a quiz).
I had to go to Petco this past week for cat food. Our local shelter often temporarily displays kittens and dogs there for adoption. I found Josei’s babies there, grouped together in pairs of two and in very nice enclosures. They recognized my voice and my scent, and were very happy to see me. I then learned that all seven of them had been successfully adopted to permanent homes, and would be being picked up by their families throughout the day. While I was there, i got to meet the lady who was adopting my favorite from this bunch. She was excited to learn that I was the person who had rescued them. I asked her if she’d like to see some baby pictures, so I showed her these two.
Of all the kittens in this most recent litter, he was my favorite. The lady adopting him was so loving and so enamored with him, and I am so happy I got to meet her.
I said goodbye to each of them, and wished them well in their lives, and then I bought my cat food, returned to my car, and sat there and cried for a good ten minutes or so. I suspect I needed that cry. I have probably been carrying it inside of me for a while. I suspect they were tears of both sadness and joy. Of grief and relief. I suspect that I cried not only for this litter of kittens, but for the two that came before them. I suspect I cried over the until now unrealized and unspoken worries that my children are getting older (my oldest son is 32 and my youngest is 14) and so is their father. I suspect that I cried for the passing of Dave and for Jay. I suspect I cried for family members recovering from very serious health problems, and for a friend who is finally free of a toxic relationship after far too long, and for another friend whom has finally begun to find peace and happiness. I suspect that I cried about the fraying of this country that I dearly love, and the slow-motion collapse of a society that I am reluctantly still a member of, and an industry and genre that are currently experiencing a wonderful resurgence even as the shadow of an economic recession looms over them. I suspect I cried for a lot of other reasons, as well, because it is not often that I cry at all, and there was a lot of stuff to flush out of my system.
When I was done, I felt like I had lost twenty pounds of anger and grief and dread an fear, and replaced them with some happiness and hope. I’m sure the engagement helped in that regard, as well. (Speaking of which, we’ve set the date — May 27th, which is a holiday weekend, so it will be easier for our friends and family traveling from long distances. And also because that’s the only date the venue had available).
I’m going to be volunteering at the shelter starting in January. They seem to think that I’ll be good at working with feral dogs and cats that are untrusting of humans and need socialization. Mary often says the same thing about me. I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be good for both the ferals and myself.
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Anyway, that does it for this week. I know there are a lot of folks filled with dread about what may happen here in America in the week ahead. A recent poll says that 9 out of 10 Americans from both sides of the political aisle fear that there will be violence. It may sound trite to say that there is comfort in horror fiction, but there’s also a lot of truth in it. Since the time of cave paintings and oral storytelling, humankind has always shared stories of things that scared them. When there are very real monsters at loose in the world, it is comforting to curl up with fictional monsters instead. If my monsters have brought you a few minutes of escapism or peace or distraction, then I have done my job.
I am grateful for each of you. hang in there. We’ll get through it. And I will see you back here next week.
— Brian Keene
Thank you for your willingness to put so much of yourself into this, Brian. That same vulnerability is IMO what makes your books cook and what immediately yanked me into THE COMPLEX, which I blew through this weekend.
😢 Now don't you feel better? Good for you for being able to do this and share it. So many can't.
You are gonna be a great feral animal keeper. The cats were training for what you were meant to do aside from writing. I don't know about anyone else but I am looking forward to all the stories you carve out from the experience.
Thanks for everything you do for all of us.