Letters From the Labyrinth 461
A View From the Overlook
Let’s start things off with a call: if you are a reader or a writer or an artist who enjoys the work of Sandy DeLuca or were perhaps influenced by her, and you’d be willing to offer some thoughts on her work or her impact on you, please reply in the comments of this newsletter. If you are uncomfortable posting your thought publicly, let me know and I’ll reach out in private. This is for a time sensitive project, so we’d appreciate some quick responses.
Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a long-running weekly newsletter for friends, fans, and family. It’s good to be back with you after two weeks. Last Sunday I was finishing up Scares That Care’s AuthorCon VI, so there was no newsletter.
I posted a recap of my AuthorCon VI experience (along with photos) on my Blog, if you are interested. The only photo I didn’t post there, because I hadn’t seen it yet, was this picture of Candace Nola and I immediately after we presented her with this year’s Wilburn-Thomas Award.
Both the Women’s Writing Symposium and AuthorCon VI were very successful fundraisers for the charity, and I am pleased to let you know they’ll both be back again next year.
The Women’s Writing Symposium will take place Thursday March 4, 2027. And AuthorCon VII will take place March 5 through 7, 2027.
As always, they will be in Williamsburg, VA. Vendor tables for AuthorCon VII will go on sale in a few months — Saturday, May 23, at 6:00pm EST.
And we’re bringing back Killer Pride for a second go-around, as well! It will take place in Williamsburg September 24 through the 26th, 2027.
To learn more about the Scares That Care 501c3 charity, our 2026 beneficiaries, our upcoming events, or our Board of Directors, click here.
I’m typing this Friday morning on the set of DEAD FORMAT. We are very, very close to finishing. After this weekend’s shoot, we’ll have a few pick-ups with a secondary unit, and one final scene to shoot in Delaware with a reduced crew. The current edit runs 105 minutes, which is a problem, and it is going to be agonizing to cut things out of it. We had the exact opposite problem on Mike’s previous film, I’M DREAMING OF A WHITE DOOMSDAY, which at one point we were concerned wouldn’t be long enough to qualify as a feature length film.
Did you know that you can still back DEAD FORMAT here?
With this production drawing to a close, I’ve been mulling over what I’d like to do next. A dinner conversation at AuthorCon last weekend has my brain buzzing, but before I make an offer to the folks involved, I need to take a serious look at myself and my skills and decide whether or not it’s something I could deliver on. I am usually pretty confident when it comes to writing. I may not always knock it out of the park, but at the very least I can probably keep the reader entertained for a bit. But producing is a completely different skill set. It’s one I’m getting good at, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for prime time yet.
I am happy to report that Italy’s Plutonia Publications will be publishing an Italian language edition of NEMESAI by myself and John Urbancik later this year. The English language version can be found in the following places: Paperback: Amazon - B&N - BAM - Waterstones eBook: Kindle
Great first two weeks of sales for the the 20th anniversary edition of TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME. Sincere thanks to each and every one of you. I appreciate it!
Signed Paperback: Vortex Books (they will begin shipping tomorrow)
Paperback: Amazon eBook: Kindle - Apple - Kobo Audiobook: Audible - Apple
Manhattan On Mars Press presents a special twentieth-anniversary edition of Brian Keene’s classic secular tale of Biblical apocalyptic horror.
All across the world, people suddenly vanish in the blink of an eye. From their cars during the rush hour commute. From shopping malls. Their homes. Their beds. Even from the arms of their loved ones. Airline pilots. World leaders. Teachers. Parents. Children. Gone.
Steve, Charlie, and Frank were just trying to get home when it happened. Now they find themselves left behind and wishing they’d disappeared, too. Trapped in the ultimate traffic jam, they watch as civilization collapses, claiming the souls of those around them. God has called his faithful home, but the invitations for Steve, Charlie, and Frank got lost. Now they must set off on foot through a nightmarish post-apocalyptic landscape in search of answers. In search of God. In search of their loved ones. And in search of home.
This special edition includes a brand-new Afterword by the author, looking back on the novella’s history.
I was given the go-ahead to let you know that I will be appearing in Views From the Overlook, an anthology of stories edited by Jamie Flanagan and set in the infamous hotel from Stephen King’s The Shining, to be published by Vintage Books in 2027. My story is called “Forty Miles West of Sidewinder, Right Next Door To Hell”, and without spoilers, it takes place in the immediate aftermath of America’s first Civil War, on the patch of ground where the Overlook will one day be built, and deals with PTSD and has some subtle Dark Tower stuff going on, as well.
I sent it to Chris Golden to read, because I was too embedded in the story to figure out if it was any good or not, and I trust Chris to tell me if something is crap. Luckily, he pronounced it one of the best things he’s ever read by me, and I believe him to be sincere in that assessment. Then Jamie said the same thing after I turned the story in, so I feel better about things.
It was a treat to play in that world. I suppose the feeling must be similar to how our contributors to THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT must have felt.
Turning to my podcast, KEENEVERSATIONS.
For paid subscribers, we have:
Pink Horror - Keeneversations - Ep 35
A challenge from Lisa Kroger and a post by CJ Leede sends Brian on a voyage of discovery regarding what -- exactly -- Pink Horror is. Luckily, Mary is on hand to explain it to him. Plus conversations on other topics with Aaron Beauregard, Wrath James White, and... the return of Dave Thomas?!
Listen now via Patreon or Spotify.
And for non-paying listeners we have:
Time And Balance For Writers - Keeneversations - Ep 10 (Original air date July 2025)
There is no such thing as "finding time to write". Writers -- particularly beginners -- must make time to write. Brian Keene offers tips and advice on how to do just that, as well as objective, no-nonsense truths about what it takes for a novice writer to improve their craft. He also discusses the flip side of making time to write -- making time for loved ones and support networks, and making sure writing doesn't get in the way of that.
Listen free via Patreon, Spotify, or YouTube.
Currently Watching: Survivor season 50, The Office: Superfan Episodes season 9, Family Guy season 24, Seven Psychopaths (a rewatch), Lake Mungo, Surviving the Game (a rewatch), and the first 20 minutes of Horror In The High Desert 2 which we ultimately turned off, angry that we’d spent money on it.
Currently Reading: To Cut A Man by Justin Holley, Extant by Michael McBride, and Comic Book Implosion (Expanded Edition): An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells
Currently Listening: Years ago, when Howard Stern first announced that he was moving to satellite radio, I was gifted a lifetime subscription to Sirius (now Sirius/XM). And I have used the heck out of that lifetime subscription gift throughout the decades that followed. I bought an indoor unit that still works fine to this day, but for whatever reason, never had a unit for my vehicle. Red Sonja (my Chevy truck) has Sirius/XM built in to her, and I wondered if that Lifetime Subscription would work on more than one unit.
Well, it turns out that it does, and that was fine with me because I’ve been making a concerted effort to stop streaming music via Spotify and other outlets. Why? Because I have enough musician friends to know what they are making, royalty-wise, from streaming. It’s more apt to say what they aren’t making, royalty-wise, because the amounts are laughable. You know it’s bad when horror writers are making more from royalties than musicians.
If you prefer your music digital, consider purchasing direct from the musician’s website / store, or their Bandcamp page (or similar). Of course, sales of physical media (vinyl, compact disc, etc) help the most.
Anyway, I’ve been listening to Sirius/XM for the past week: Howard 100, Howard 101, Yacht Rock Radio, Outlaw Country, Ozzy’s Boneyard, E Street Radio, and Hair Nation.
And that does it for this week. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my free daily journal, Algorithm Zero.
And again, please share your thoughts re: Sandy DeLuca in the comments. Thanks!
Leaving a plug for the Women’s Writing Symposium here — Mary SanGiovanni did a phenomenal job, and we’re so grateful to all the guests who shared their time and talent with us (especially Gemma Amor, who lectured us to stop apologizing, and very effectively!).
It was an amazing chance to talk in depth about issues facing women in horror. We had everyone from VERY seasoned veterans to brand-new writers, and everyone had something to contribute. A wonderful program. Can’t wait for next year, and can’t recommend it enough!
Very happy you went with your theme for The Overlook anthology. Can't wait to see what you cooked up.
Congrats to Candace, and I hope to be there for next year's AuthorCon and/or one of your other Scares That Care events.