Letters From the Labyrinth 406

Don't Blink

Winter is full upon us here along the Susquehanna River bottoms in the rural backwoods of Central Pennsylvania. It seems that I am never warm enough. Not at Vortex Books & Comics, which is an old, drafty building. Not in my truck, which has heated seats and a powerful heating system, but is not the most insulated thing on Earth. Not at home, where Mary keeps the heat in the 'OFF' position, unless I can sneak the thermostat a few clicks to the right when she's not looking. (I suspect this is some sort of genetic trait attributable to being of Irish-Italian New Jersey descent, since her mother also keeps their home like an icebox).

The only place I am warm is in my home office, and that's because my home office has taken over the entire second floor, and has a separate heating system than the rest of the house, and I can put the thermostat on a very comfortable 73 degrees and then me and the cats and the hermit crabs can enjoy life.

I love my home office. Among the times I am happiest is when I am in my home office.

I will be in it a lot next year, as I am taking time off from the road.

Oh, there will still be a few appearances. I'll be at the various Scares That Care events, and the Splatterpunk Awards, of course. I may do StokerCon. And I've been asked to come hang out at the Dark Drafts Festival in Mount Joy, PA on Friday January 25th. And I agreed to that because it's like 10 minutes from Vortex. And there will be some non-signing business travel. At some point next year, I'm sure I'll have to travel to either New York or California to give a deposition. And depending on how a co-writer and I want to tackle an upcoming project, I may travel a bit for that. But otherwise, I'm staying the hell home.

There are a few reasons for this. First of all is the above mentioned secret project, and I guess we should come up with a codename for it. For new readers who might be wondering why I'd need such a thing, I often use codenames to talk about things that I'm not yet legally allowed to talk about yet. For example, a year before THE END OF THE WORLD: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND was announced, I was referring to it here as OPERATION: WALKABOUT.

This new project? Let's call it... OPERATION: SERIOUS DICK. And that's all I can tell you about it for now. But it will take up some time early next year.

Another reason I'm curtailing the travel is because we'll be shooting the feature length DEAD FORMAT, and I'll need to be around for that. Hard to schedule a signing if you're required on set.

But the main reason is because next year my youngest son will be a senior in high school, and if I blink, he'll be out of the house and gone. Indeed, you may notice that the newsletter is a little late this morning. That’s because me and him and his mother were hanging out this morning, having coffee together, all three aware of us that things will change soon.

So, I intend to stay home and not blink.

And be warm, as well.

Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a long-running weekly newsletter for fans, friends, and family.

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Thanks to everyone who tuned in and supported last night’s ACLU benefit — Living the Scream. In just a few hours, we raised almost $2,000. It was a fantastic night of readings and commentary and more than a few belly laughs (including Mothman Santa Baby, Keenethulhu Burritos, and Batman/Joker Porn). It was also revealed that Laurel Hightower and I have a Top Secret novel coming out next year (which may or may not be the one I just gave a codename above). And — my favorite part of the evening — Bo Chappell’s closing reading, “I Hope This Letter Finds You…”

Sincerely, thanks again. It is important to remember that the ACLU fights for the civil liberties of ALL Americans, even the ones you don’t agree with. That is important and noble and must be supported.

If you missed the event, you can now watch the stream in its entirety here.

Keenthuhu Eating A Burrito

This hilarious piece was whipped up by the amazing A. A. Medina (whose work and portfolio you can check out here) in the immediate aftermath of the Burrito sacrifices. By some prints or hire A. A. for some design work while you’re there.

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On last week’s episode of HOW TO SURVIVE 2025, Jim, Dacia, and I discussed Doomscrolling. An important but often overlooked part of prepping is taking a break from prepping. We looked at the unhealthy impact "Doomscrolling" can have on your mental, physical, and emotional health and how that impacts your overall preparedness.

Listen free via: Web Browser ~ Spotify ~ iHeartRadio ~ Apple ~ Amazon/Audible ~ YouTube ~ Podbean ~ Player FM

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Currently Watching: Survivor Season 47 (Paramount Plus) and What We Do In The Shadows season 6 (Hulu)

Currently Reading: Wolves of the Calla: The Dark Tower V by Stephen King and Walk On The Wildside by Karl Edward Wagner

Currently Listening: Desert Oracle Radio

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And that does it for this week. Thanks, as always, for reading. I’ll see you back here again next Sunday.

— Brian Keene