Letters From the Labyrinth 366

Faster Than the Speed Of Sleep

2024 has blessed me with a new schedule, in that a combination of stress and bladder pressure wake me every morning at 3 or 4am, and I answer email and verify Splatterpunk Award recs until 5:30am, then go make my son breakfast, pack his lunch for school, and have coffee with his mom until 7am, then head over to Vortex and work on set-up until 4 or 5pm, then come home and write until 9pm, then go to bed, sleep fitfully, and wake up at 3 or 4am to do it all over again.

Friday morning at 4:07am as I write this, and the only reason I know that it is Friday is because my mother informed me yesterday that today would be Friday — the day my father is delivering and installing the wheelchair ramp he made for the store.

I keep telling myself that once I get the store set up and open for business, much of this stress will evaporate. Then perhaps I will sleep again.

Thank you so much to everyone in our community and industry who donated to the fundraiser. The outpouring of support from our peers and readers is heartwarming, gratifying, and overwhelming. We hope to be open for business by mid-February, and hope that you'll make the trip to visit us. You may find me asleep behind the sales counter.

We’ve already opened the online component of the store for pre-orders of signed copies. Basically, I just retooled the Manhattan on Mars online store and switched it over to Vortex. That way, if you live in, say California or Australia, and your favorite author is signing at the store, you can still get your book signed. You will also, of course, be able to get signed books by Mary and I (but not yet, because all of our books are still strewn about the store all higgly-piggly). As of today, however, pre-order links for signed books by Somer Canon, Wesley Southard, Wile E. Young, and Stephen Kozeniewski are live! Check it out here. We’ll soon be posting pre-orders for Cynthia Pelayo, Todd Keisling, John Urbancik, Jessica Eppley, and Matt Wildasin, as well. And then more and more as other signings get closer.

At the physical store itself, we passed all of our inspections (building, fire marshal, etc). The shipping and receiving department is set up. The manga section and graphic novel sections are complete and ready to go. The comic book section should be finished by today or tomorrow. The books still need to be done, which I suspect will take a full week or perhaps longer. Mike Lombardo still has to repair the Hylinus statue, and Justin Lutz is very kindly installing some window signs at some point soon (earning both of them permanent reserved seats in the store). If I can keep up this pace, then, as I said, we should be open by mid-to-late February.

Other than the temporarily working two full-time jobs thing, however, I have slipped into a positive new schedule for 2024. You’ll have no doubt noticed I’m using social media FAR less than I ever have before. That’s by design. My primary forms of communication going forward are this newsletter and my Patreon. I’ve begun mini-Blogging each morning on Patreon — just a few brief paragraphs that act sort of as a mini-version of this newsletter. You don’t need to be a paid Patreon subscriber to read them. They are accessible to everyone who subscribes to my Patreon, paid or not. But this newsletter is now my primary source of communication and promotion. Social media in its current form is dying, and if it’s not dying in its current form, then it should be, and I’m happy to help hasten that along.

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Christopher Golden’s HOUSE OF LAST RESORT Weekend (hosted by me) was an absolute success. Rebecca Rowland wrote a nice article about it here. She opens with “Brian Keene knows how to throw a party.”

Thanks to each and every one of you who showed up for Chris. I guarantee you it meant the world to him, and it meant a lot to me, as well.

Special thanks to Tony Tremblay and John McIlveen for the rides; Mellisa Sherlin and Mike Burke for reinforcements; Errick Nunnally for the kind words about THE COMPLEX; Joe Hill and Rio Youers for the kind words about "Intersectionality"; Ron Malfi for things too numerous to mention; Maurice Broaddus for not letting me wear a kufi; Bracken MacLeod for the tactical stocking; Clay Chapman for being so kind; Paul Tremblay, Phillip Fracassi, and John Durgin for the books (and hello to John's wife whom I hope survived the weekend); Stephen Kozeniewski and Eric LaRocca for bravely taking their first few steps to the next stage (I'm proud of you both); and to Amanda Headlee, Millie Price, Tanya Pell, and Zach Rosenberg for following that blazed trail (proud of you, as well). 

It was great to finally meet Olaf and Uta Buchheim, Victor LaValle, Diana Pho, and Owen King in person, and was great to see just how many hardcore fans Chris really has. So, again, thanks to each and every one of you who attended.

And, of course, thank you Chris for going along with my insanity.

I didn’t take any pictures, but here are a few by other folks (credited).

Paul Tremblay, Rio Youers, Chris Golden, me, Maurice Broaddus, and Victor LaValle (photo copyright Olaf Buchheim)

Rodney Carlstrom, Maurice, Stephen kozeniewski, Ronald Malfi, V Castro, Zachary Rosenburg, Mary, Chris (seated) and me (photo copyright Diana Pho)

V Castro, Emily Hughes, me, Eric LaRocca, and Joe Hill (photo copyright Olaf Buchheim)

Mary and me (photo copyright V Castro)

And if you enjoyed those photos, here is a brief video of some of the shenanigans.

As we discussed at the convention on Thursday and Saturday (and as I mentioned above), social media is fragmenting. Marketing budgets are shrinking. But this worked. This crazy idea worked. I hope that more of you will take the blueprint and do it for others, and for yourselves.

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Author Ronald Kelly (one of my faves) has started a GoFundMe for his son-in-law, Chase, whom is currently battling cancer. Ron says “These funds will go to help him financially while he is out of work for chemotherapy and to cover medical bills. All donations are greatly appreciated. Thanks!”

Amd I echo that thanks. Chase is a young man with a full life ahead of him. let’s help him beat this. Donate here.

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Housekeeping:

• Hoped to have Splatterpunk Ballot announced early next week, but I suspect it will be later. Wrath has so0me family stuff going on and I’m swamped. Still working on them every day, though. After that, look for a slew of final Scares That Care AuthorCon III and IV updates.

• Speaking of AuthorCon III, I’m pleased to announce that by popular request, we will have an interfaith service on Sunday morning of the convention. Maurice Broaddus has graciously volunteered to give the homily/sermon. I could use someone who can play guitar and sing to offer a song. If you are a person of faith (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) and you will be at AuthorCon and you will have a guitar with you and you would like to participate, reach out and let me know.

• I was a guest on episode 230 of Dead Headspace, along with Paul Tremblay, Gabino Iglesias, Mariana Enríquez, and Cynthia Pelayo. Listne for free wherever you get your podcasts or watch here.

• NEW DEMONS is a new anthology I’m going to be a part of, along with a veritable who’s who of veteran horror writers. More information can be found here.

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Currently Watching: Fargo (Hulu), True Detective season 4 and The Leftovers season 1 (Max), and The Score (ParamountPlus)

Currently Reading: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden and Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

Currently Listening: Various songs by The Who and Scissor Sisters.

This season of Fargo was the best in the series, and I would argue better than the movie, as well. Absolutely phenomenal.

Without spoilers, Chris has a scene in The House of Last Resort that involves rats and an altar, and it reminded me of being a kid and reading horror novels. Indeed, the entire novel reads like a better-written Zebra or Dell paperback (as featured in Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks From Hell) — an idea J.N. Williamson or Nick Sharman or Charles L. Grant might have come up with. Really excellent, fun stuff. I’m loving it. Get your copy here.

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And that does it for this week. You are reading this on Sunday, and it is Mary’s birthday. The best way to celebrate is to pick up one of her books here. Already have everything she’s written? Don’t worry. She recently finished a new solo cosmic horror novel called The Everywhere House, an untitled collaborative novel with Edward Lee, and an untitled collaborative novel with James A. Moore. So there will be plenty of new stuff to come.

Yes, you read that correctly. Mary and Edward Lee just finished a novel together. This is not a practical joke or a Midnight Pals story. I’ve read it, and it’s fantastic.

Thanks, as always, for spending some time with me this morning. I’ll see you every morning this coming week on Patreon, and see you back here again next Sunday.

— Brian Keene