Letters From the Labyrinth 334
Letters From the Labyrinth 334
A lot happened in the last 17 days...
Good morning. My name is Brian Keene, and this is Letters From the Labyrinth — a weekly newsletter for fans, friends, and family. It has been 17 days since we last spoke, and a few things have happened since then.
The wedding went off without a hitch. The weather was perfect. Mary was perfect. We had such a great two days with our family and closest friends. Truly one of the top three happiest days of my life. (The other two days being the births of my sons). Taking a cue from The Office, Mary and I both took little mental snapshots all day of our favorite memories. A few of mine:
Seeing Mary walk down the aisle in her dress. Mary has never not been beautiful to me, and she was never more beautiful than she was at that moment.
Rio Youers’ acoustic renditions of “Science Fiction - Double Feature” and “Born To Run”. He changed the lyrics to the former to make it about me and Mary. And I was still humming his version of the latter five days later on our honeymoon.
My old Navy buddy Dan Blumenthal helping me pin on my boutonnière.
Watching my parents and Mary’s parents dance together.
Watching my youngest son put aside his inhibitions and hit the dance floor. He had a blast, and so did the women he was dancing with.
Discovering that Paul Campion is an accomplished dancer, particularly if there’s 1970s disco or 1980s R&B playing.
Watching the absolute terror in Paul Tremblay’s eyes when I forcibly pulled him onto the dance floor.
My oldest son David and protege Wile E. Young both beating Maurice Broaddus at Magic the Gathering.
Maurice’s pre-wedding rant about white people and our tendency to play Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” at weddings. It was a much needed laugh for us both, and dispelled any jitters either of us had.
Son in spirit Mike Lombardo’s toast, which made me cry.
Mary’s daughter Ada’s toast, which also made me cry.
John Urbancik’s wonderful poem.
Racing Pam Blazi to refill the beer cooler because she was adamant that I wasn’t allowed to work on my wedding day.
Scott Edelman’s skeleton tuxedo.
A very nice moment in my office with all three of my sons, John Hale, and Maurice, while we tried to figure out tuxedos and a printer mishap simultaneously.
The reaction of Bear (Kristopher Triana’s dog) upon seeing me. Man, I love that dog. She’s just the best girl.
Blowing up a cupcake with Mary’s niece (and now my niece). There’s a story behind this. She suggested we should have a Minecraft-inspired wedding. I liked that idea, and further suggested that we could dress up like Creepers and blow up the wedding cake. (In Minecraft, Creepers are weird green monsters that explode when you kill them). Sadly, she and I were overruled, so I promised her we would blow up a cupcake instead. And we did — taking one of the cupcakes from the wedding and filling it with a pack of pennysticks and an M-80, and then lighting the fuse. There was cupcake everywhere.
The after-wedding party in our backyard, when Mary and I had changed clothes, and were standing arm-in-arm, talking with our friends, and looked at each other, and giggled, and said “We’re married now.”
A beautiful letter that my youngest son wrote to Mary and I at the reception.
The internet is full of wedding photos. You can find them on my social media, Mary’s social media, and the social media of everyone else who was there (Christopher Golden, Jonathan Janz, Cynthia Pelayo, Bracken MacLeod, Nickolaus Kaufmann, Wesley Southard, Scott Edelman, Rio Youers, Mike Oliveri, Michael T. Huyck, Regina Garza Mitchell, etc.) And Substack’s newsletters get wonky if you put too many photos in them. So here are two that haven’t been posted anywhere yet, and two that are among my favorites.
Again, if you want to see more, there are hundreds of them on various social media.
The honeymoon was fantastic. We spent the first day and night at McMenamins Edgefield in Portland, Oregon — one of our favorite hotels. There we looked at weird art, toured gardens, did some shopping in the nearby town, and spent lots and lots of time in their heated outdoor pool and spa. The next day we visited the North American Bigfoot Research Center in nearby Boring, Oregon. Then we went to Mount Rainier, where we spent three absolutely perfect days hiking and exploring North Pacific rainforests and the glacier atop the volcano. Then we headed back to civilization, and stayed at the Salish Spa, which Twin Peaks fans will know as The Great Northern. We did the Twin Peaks driving tour while there, ate at the diner, etc. Finally, we did two days in Seattle and saw all the sites there, as well.
Our social media is full of honeymoon pictures, so again, here are a very few. If you want to see more, go to my Instagram.
Bottom line — we are ridiculously, deliriously happy. Thanks to all of you for your messages and well-wishes. We couldn’t respond to them all, but we did see them all. You are loved.
* * *
I did ZERO writing from May 26th until June 6th. First time in twenty-five years that I’ve gone without working for that long. (Even when I was in traction in the burn ward, I was dictating stuff into a recorder). Of course, this past week I have dived back in head first. The first draft of SPLINTERED: THE LABYRINTH Book 3 is finished. I need to tweak a few things and then I’ll send it off to my pre-readers.
All Lifetime Subscriber packages are now in route.
If you are one of the folks who purchased a personalized story set in THE LOST LEVEL, you should have an email from me asking for some information about yourself. Those emails were sent yesterday (Saturday). If you did not get that email, please let me know ASAP.
* * *
A few reminders, in case you missed them:
SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2 is now available in audiobook, narrated by Joshua Saxon. Currently on Audible and Apple.
The paperback version of THE DRIVE-IN: MULTIPLEX edited by myself and Christopher Golden is up for pre-order here.
* * *
StokerCon 2023 is almost upon us, taking place next weekend in Pittsburgh. You’ll find me in the dealer’s room all weekend, manning the Scares That Care table, where we’ll be holding a silent auction to benefit the charity. Among the items included in the auction is the late great author Jay Wilburn’s entire Brian Keene collection, most of which I’d signed to him. So, if you’re a fan of mine or a fan of Jay’s, don’t miss this opportunity to win this one-of-a-kind associational collection.
I will not have books for sale at the con, as I am representing STC and selling my own books would be a conflict of interest. But if you bring books from home, I am very happy to sign them for you. Just stop by the table.
When not behind the table, I will be participating in the following panel discussions:
Friday, June 16 • 11:00am - 11:50am — Military Service In Horror
Friday, June 16 • 2:30pm - 3:30pm — The Rising Popularity of Extreme and Erotic Horror
Saturday, June 17 • 11:00am - 11:50am — The Dead Don’t Die: Romero’s Enduring Legacy
See you there!
* * *
Currently Watching: Doctor Who (Max), Barry (Max), The Blues Brothers (Prime)
Currently Listening: Brian Keene Radio
Currently Reading: Dark Kin by Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale, Nameless Places edited by Gerald W. Page, Reincarnage by Ryan Harding and Jason Taverner, and The Appalachian Bigfoot by Dr. Russell Jones.
I keep my TBR pile in my bathroom. I’d recently purchased the second and third books in the Reincarnage trilogy, and wanted to re-read the first again before starting them. During the wedding, Regina Garza Mitchell or Jackie Mitchell (I can’t remember which one of them) took a picture of the books in my bathroom, situated as they were right above the toilet, and sent it to Ryan Harding (who, sadly, couldn’t attend due to other commitments). But look… I think keeping Ryan Harding in the bathroom is a very appropriate place. ;)
The series finale of Barry was absolute perfection. That is how you stick the landing. Just… wow. If you haven’t watched the series, it’s finished, so don’t put it off any longer. Truly one of the best shows on television in a very long time, and easily the best thing since Better Call Saul ended.
* * *
John Urbancik has a new novel, Echo, that came out from Eraserhead Press this past week.
A magician, Nicholas, steps through the mirror and into another world, a world of charcoal and chalk and neon, where things are not quite the same. His reflection, a thief, walks into his world. The two stories echo each other as they see the same people and places but with very different results until finally Nicholas and his echoes must come to a reckoning. A through-the-looking-glass story of magic and pathos.
It’s only available in paperback right now, but well worth it. Purchase your copy here.
* * *
Okay, that does it for this week. Good to back in the swing of things, and back here with you all again. I’ll see you next Sunday!
— Brian Keene
Congrats again on the wedding!
❤❤