Letters From the Labyrinth 315
Strange weather here along the Susquehanna River in January — a deep freeze that blockaded the riverbanks, docks, and boathouses with ice that threatened to spill into the roads, followed by a speedy warm-up and Spring-like temperatures. Of course, I say it’s strange, but strange is a relative term. The weather is strange when I compare it to the Januarys of my childhood, but pretty much the norm when I consider the last decade of Januarys spent here. Indeed, strange January weather has informed several short stories of mine written in the last few years, including “To All Things An Ending” (the original art for which hangs to my immediate right). In it, the main character marvels over the Spring-like temperatures in January. That scene was inspired by my own doing of the same. Whether you believe global warming or not (I do, personally) I think we can all agree that weather patterns are changing — changing in our living memory. The record of it can be found in our fiction.
At least the sunrises are still relatively normal and beautiful. Here is one from my dock, earlier in the week before all the ice melted.
Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is the 315th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for friends, family and fans of my work.
Writing-wise, it was a very productive first week of the new year here. Some of that was because the rest of my industry hadn’t yet come back to work, so the emails, text messages, phone calls and other distractions were at a glorious minimum. But another major contributor was a new daily schedule I began trying out this past week. I was able to adhere to it, and as a result, as I said above, I had one of my most productive weeks in years. I’m sure that life will intrude at some point and knock that schedule off the rails. but so far, it’s been great.
Cartons of Lifetime Subscriber books ship to the fulfillment destination next week. Signature sheets for THE DRIVE-IN: MULTIPLEX have begun making the rounds. (I’d intended to hand deliver the sheets to Chet Williamson last Friday, over lunch, but he’s currently recovering from Covid — get well soon, Chet!) The final draft for the script of GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX is so close to being finished that I can taste it. The trade edition of THINGS LEFT BEHIND (the next Manhattan On Mars Press release) is in production, as is a new edition of J.F. Gonzalez’s SHAPESHIFTER. I’ve received ISLAND OF THE DEAD pre-reader edits from Tod Clark and Stephen McDornell, which means I’m just waiting on Mark Sylva’s, and then that will go into production soon after, as well. Work continues on the first drafts of SPLINTERED: THE LABYRINTH Book 3 and BENEATH THE LOST LEVEL, and work has begun on an END OF THE ROAD sequel called AFTER WORD. Work also continues on the Splatterpunk Awards, Scares That Care Authorcon II, and Borderlands Boot Camp 2023.
Speaking of Borderlands Boot Camp 2023, the deadline for enrolling in this writer’s retreat is January 31. After that, no new students will be accepted. Full details can be found here.
And speaking of Scares That Care Authorcon II, here is the complete Guest of Honor line-up. Next, we’ll be putting up a list of everyone else who will be appearing, as well as the programming schedule for the event.
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PFAD DES UNHEILS - the German language edition of GHOST WALK - is now available for pre-order from Amazon and the publisher, Festa Verlag.
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Author Ronald Kelly asked me to tell you folks about his new online bookstore. Check it out here.
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The Kindle edition of Wesley Southard’s brand new short story collection They Mostly Come Out At Night, which features an Introduction written by me, is on sale for just 99 cents until tomorrow (Monday the 9th).
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I’ve launched a new weekly show called BRIAN KEENE LIVE. If you were a fan of the interview segments on THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE then you’ll enjoy this. Episodes air live every Wednesday at 8pm (EST). My guest last week was Splatterpunk Award nominated-author Stephen Kozeniewski. We had a discussion discussion about our experiences with Amazon's Kindle Vella, our military service, the CLICKERS franchise, and more. Watch here.
Next week’s guest will be Paul Tremblay. Also coming soon to the show — Samantha Kolesnik, and The Newlywed Game with myself and Mary.
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With Manhattan On Mars Press editions of THINGS LEFT BEHIND, ISLAND OF THE DEAD, OTHER WORDS, and AN OCCURRENCE IN CRAZY BEAR VALLEY all coming out soon (in that order, most likely) I want to remind you of the latest two releases from Manhattan On Mars, since my promotional efforts will soon turn to those other four books.
When Daniel Miller wakes up one morning, something has gone terribly wrong. The power is out. The phones are dead. The house is silent. The street is shrouded in fog. Both his partner and their adopted daughter are missing. So are their neighbors. And so is everyone else in the world. Daniel Miller is the last person left on Earth... or is he? From award-winning, best-selling horror writer Brian Keene comes this quiet, chilling, supernatural novella.
Paperback: Amazon (other booksellers should have it soon)
eBook: Kindle - Nook - Kobo - Apple
"I fear this story will end soon..."
Thus begins the final volume in Brian Keene's Hail Saten series, collecting non-fiction and essays that chronicle the horror genre's turbulent 2006 to 2008 period. As message boards gave way to social media, politics gave way to partisanship, and protest gave way to violence, LEADER OF THE BANNED offers an uncanny look at the world which would soon follow -- global recession, wars and rumors of wars, celebrity-driven news cycles, and great sweeping changes to how people would consume books and entertainment. Featuring fan-favorites such as "The Year of Scorched Earth", "Just Like Stephen King", Silver Bullets" and the controversial "If I Were President" (which landed Keene under investigation from the government), this fourth and final volume -- in paperback for the first time anywhere -- brings the Hail Saten series to an incendiary conclusion.
Paperback: Amazon (other booksellers should have it soon)
eBook: Kindle - Nook - Kobo - Apple
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Currently Listening: Believe it or not, not Brian Keene Radio. Instead, I was on a big Duran Duran and Cheap Trick kick this past week. I figured listeners to my pirate radio station wouldn’t want to hear Duran Duran and Cheap Trick 24/7.
Currently Reading: Them by William W. Johnstone and Red Axe of Pellucidar by John Eric Holmes.
Currently Watching: Shadowland (Peacock), Tulsa King (Paramount+), and WKRP In Cincinnati (DVD box set with original music).
As an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan, and particularly a fan of the Pellucidar series, it’s a treat to finally be able to read Red Axe of Pellucidar — one of two authorized sequels to Burroughs’s original novels, but one that has remained unpublished until now. It acts as a direct sequel to John Eric Holmes previous novel, Mahars of Pellucidar. However, unlike its predecessor, Red Axe of Pellucidar was shelved by the original publisher. Bootleg copies of the manuscript existed on the secondary market for years, as well as a very expensive and hard-to-find limited edition, but those were unedited first drafts rife with all kinds of mistakes.
William W. Johnstone’s horror novels are problematic in 2023, but let’s be honest here, folks. They were also problematic in the 1980s and early 1990s. The writing is pedestrian — bordering on cringe — and they’re littered with casual misogyny, casual racism, and a strange preponderance for deviant sexual activity no matter what the plot*. But… they’re also a part of our history, and the literary equivalent of all those terrible “so bad it’s good” horror movies people enjoy watching so much. Plus, if — like me — you are really in the mood to read about ambulatory disembodied alien brains invading the Earth, Them is — sadly — the only such contribution to our genre thus far.
*I’ve told the story on my Patreon before about how J.F. Gonzalez and I were supposed to ghost write a William W. Johnstone action-adventure novel (years after Johnstone’s death). It was a deal we ultimately walked away from, but one of the things he and I debated when the deal was still on was what kind of weird sex acts we’d include in the book.
Shadowland is a six-part documentary series focusing on the aftermath of the Qanon conspiracy, and it is excellent. The filmmakers offer a sympathetic look at the followers and true believers — letting them tell their stories in their own words. And they do the same for the charlatans and con artists who milked the conspiracy for social media clout and money — allowing them to damn themselves in their own words. The result is an absolutely heartbreaking, mesmerizing, engrossing series that is so very binge-worthy. Highly recommended if you have Peacock (where it is exclusive, I believe).
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Folks occasionally ask about how they can support me outside of buying books and Patreon. Here is my PayPal Tip Jar. You’re under no obligation, and I’m not asking. I just put the link out there on occasion because people inquire.
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And that does it for this week. I hope your new year is off to a good start. If not, well, it’s a new week, so you get another shot. Thanks for reading! I’ll see you back here next Sunday.
— Brian Keene