Letters From the Labyrinth 360

"And the old man, is down by the river..." - Monster Magnet

I’m feeling very old this week.

Every time I say that, my older friends — folks like Chet Williamson, David J. Schow, Gene O’Neill, etc. — say, “Stop saying you’re old. If you’re old, then what does that make us?” But, it can’t be helped, because I am feeling very old. I recognize and understand that 56 is not very old, but neither is it youth.

I am feeling old for four reasons.

The first reason, is because I had the audacity to move incorrectly and, as a result, I’ve jacked up my lower back. I was shaving on Friday. Nothing exotic. Just the simple act of shaving. See, I’d grown my hair and beard out to the point where everyone from my parents to Christopher Golden were commenting on it. I asked Mary if I should keep growing it or go back to the Bruce Willis look. She asked me what my end goal was, if it kept growing. I told her I wanted to look like Reggie Bannister in the Phantasm movies. She said, “I adore Reggie. He’s a sweet, sweet man. But I fell in love with Bruce Willis Keene.”

So, Friday morning, I grab the trimmers and shave my head down to stubble. Then I start trimming the beard down to stubble, as well. At one point, I leaned in closer to the mirror to see what I was doing and my lower back yelled “SNAP” and now I’ve been in agony for the last 24 hours. It hurts when I sit. it hurts when I stand. It hurts when I lay down.

At 56, if you move incorrectly, you pay the price.

The second reason I feel old is Stephen Kozeniewski’s New Year’s Eve party. Long before I was ever a writer, I was a pretty successful DJ. Indeed, there are three things I’ve been pretty good at in life: 1. Being a father. 2. Being a writer. 3. Being a DJ. Back in the day, I used to pack any club I played at, and my weekends were quadruple booked with events. There used to be people who would crash weddings and other private functions because they wanted to hear me DJ. An in the years since, friends often ask me to DJ their parties and other events. Last New Year’s Eve, Stephen and his partner had me DJ their party. This week, when I inquired about DJing it again this year, Stephen told me, “She’s been listening to modern music on Spotify so we’ll probably just play that.”

At 56, your younger friends don’t want to hear your old man music.

The third reason I feel old is because of the letter from Richard Laymon that I posted on Patreon earlier this week. (In case you missed it, it’s a seven page letter written in 2000 in which Dick gives me his feedback on the then-unpublished THE RISING and teaches me all about how to self-edit a novel). I realized that — in my career — I am now exactly where he was in his career when he wrote me that. He was beginning his third act, with publishers in the United States finally acknowledging that he sold as well as Stephen King and Dean Koontz overseas, and maybe they should publish him here in his home country. He was finally getting the critical acclaim he deserved. He’d become President of the HWA. Hollywood was finally interested in his stuff. He had a massive backlist of work. And then… poof. Heart attack.

He was 54.

At 56, you realize you’re standing at the same metaphorical spot your mentor was standing in when he passed. And that you’re two years older than he was. And you hear a clock ticking somewhere…

The fourth reason I feel old is because Weston’s viewing was yesterday. (His funeral will take place at Arlington National Cemetery early next year).

At 56, you raise a glass to your departed friend, and try to tally the other departed friends, and numbly realize you’ve lost count.

Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is the 360th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth — a long-running weekly newsletter for the fans, friends, and family who are left.

Something just occurred to me, as I was writing this. Weston was a big fan of Keith Giffen, and Keith was a big fan of Weston. One of the happiest times I’ve ever seen Weston was when Keith got him a gig writing Shazam for DC HOUSE OF HORROR.

Now they’re both gone, almost exactly a month apart.

You lose count, indeed…

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We had a great first week of sales for SPLINTERED: THE LABYRINTH Book 3. I appreciate everyone who has purchased a copy, and I hope that you enjoy it. It is available in paperback and for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple. (Audiobook forthcoming).

You can also order autographed paperbacks directly from Manhattan On Mars. Please note: While paperbacks ordered from Amazon ship immediately, there will be a delay for copies ordered from Manhattan On Mars. We expect them to arrive in our warehouse next week, and we will begin shipping them then.

Those of you who purchased a copy of the signed limited edition hardcover from Thunderstorm Books shouldn’t have much longer to wait. They are in production at the bindery now.

And don’t forget — you can get Books 1 and 2 in the series for just 99 cents for a limited time!

The first draft serialization of FALLING ANGELS: THE LABYRINTH Book 4 will begin on Patreon in January.

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A reminder that myself and Christopher Golden are giving horror fiction fans a FREE horror convention next month.

Christopher Golden's House of Last Resort Weekend (hosted by Brian Keene) is January 18 - 21st at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel in New Hampshire.

It's 100% free to attend (you just pay for your room, food, and travel) but you need to register with us and reserve your room.

Attending authors include Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, Mary SanGiovanni, Joe Hill, Owen King, Jennifer McMahon, Ronald Malfi, Paul Tremblay, Victor LaValle, Eric LaRocca, V. Castro, Maurice Broaddus, Clay McLeod Chapman, Philip Fracassi, Cassandra Khaw and many more.

Click here to register for the convention and also to reserve your hotel room.

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Currently Playing: Clash of Clans

Currently Listening: Brian Keene Radio

Currently Watching: Wu-Tang: An American Saga season 2 (Hulu), Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount Plus), Survivor season 45 (Paramount Plus), Family Guy season 22 (Hulu), Fargo season 5 (Hulu), Nefarious (Prime), and rewatches of YellowBrickRoad and The Harbinger (Prime).

Currently Reading: The Killing Room by Robert Swartwood and Silent Key by Laurel Hightower.

It seems like here at the end of the year, I’m reading some of the best novels of 2023. In last week’s newsletter, I raved about The Militia House. I can equally rave about The Killing Room and Silent Key, as well.

Robert Swartwood might very well be the best kept secret in the thriller genre. That’s not to say he doesn’t have his fans. he does, and deservedly so, and they are fervent and loyal. But he should be breathlessly mentioned in the same sentence as Harlan Coben and Lee Child. I always enjoy Rob’s books, but The Killing Room is a new level and progression — just absolutely ruthless. Easily the best thriller I’ve read this year. It’s a fast book. I bet you’ll finish it in a day. Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook here.

Laurel Hightower has quickly become a must-read for me, meaning when she has a new book come out, it gets moved to the top of my TBR-pile. I raved about Below, and now I want to rave about Silent Key. This would have perfectly fit in with the Dell-Abyss and Leisure Books lines back in the day. If you like supernatural detective novels like Mary’s Kathy Ryan or F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack then you’ll dig this. Wonderful characterization and genuinely creepy. Available in hardcover, paperback and for Kindle here.

Also, we need to talk about YellowBrickRoad (yes, the title is all run together like that) because it came out in 2010 and some of you still haven’t seen it.

Absolutely one of the creepiest surreal horror films of the last twenty years. A masterclass in that type of writing and filmmaking, and a wonderful example of cosmic horror that has nothing to do with Cthulhu or tentacles. There are a couple different movies with the same title.

You want the one that looks like these (depending on which version your streaming service has).

Nefarious is fantastic if you stop watching it before the final five minutes. Seriously. For 99.9% of its run time, it’s one of the best psychological and demonic possession movies of the last decade. Then, at the very, very end, they tack on one of the most inane things I’ve ever seen done in a horror film. So, my advice is watch it up until the last five minutes. As soon as the title card flashed ‘ONE YEAR LATER’ stop the film and go watch something else.

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Work this past week was focused on short stories (one for Apex and one of the commissioned LOST LEVEL stories) and House of Last Resort Weekend. This week will be more of the same. It is my hope to have most of the LOST LEVEL stories done by December 31st.

Folks are starting to ask me about conventions and signings for next year. I’m only doing three: House of Last Resort Weekend, Scares That Care AuthorCon III and Scares That Care AuthorCon IV. That’s it. That’s all. For the rest of the year, if you want me to sign your books, I’ll be very easy to find, so come to Vortex Books & Comics (but wait until we open in March or April, please).

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Mary, my youngest son and I visited author Somer Canon and her famiy yesterday. Author Matt Wildasin and his family were also in attendance. We had a lovely time. Today, the three of us and my oldest son are all heading over to my parent’s home, so I’m gonna end this here, I suppose.

Thanks, as always, for spending a little bit of your Sunday with me. I appreciate you all. See you back here next weekend.

— Brian Keene