Letters From the Labyrinth 462
I intended to stay home this year. Indeed, last year, when Chris Golden suggested that we do a big cross-country signing tour together, I asked him tol hold off until 2027. I’ve got a lot of balls up in the air for 2026, not the least of which is my youngest graduating high school and heading off to college. “Next year,” I said, “I’ll have more time. But I’m staying close to home in 2026.”
But… this year’s signing schedule has sort of crept up on me when I wasn’t looking, and while it is definitely not those mammoth tours I used to be known for, it’s not exactly light, either.
As things stand, here’s where you can find me this year:
March 20 - 22
Creature Feature Weekend
Gettysburg, PA
April 11
Ashland Public Library
Ashland, MA
Admission is free but reserve a seat here.
April 25
Ephrata Public Library
Ephrata, PA
June 6
Bram Stoker Awards
Pittsburgh, PA
June 10 -13
Private Event (with possibility of a pop-up signing)
Los Angeles, CA
July 30 - August 2
GenCon Indy
Indianapolis, IN
August 21 - 22
Dark Ink
Doylestown, PA
October 22 - 24
KingCon
Atlantic City, NJ
November 6 - 8
KillerCon
Austin, TX
So, let’s kick things off with Gettysburg next weekend! See you there.
Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a long-running weekly newsletter for friends, fans, and family.
A reminder that vendor table for Scares That Care’s AuthorCon VII will go on sale Saturday, May 23 at 6:00pm EST
Scares That Care’s Women’s Writing Symposium II, hosted by Mary SanGiovanni and Gemma Amor, and featuring (so far) V. Castro and Erin Louis, will take place Thursday March 4, 2027. Tickets will go on sale soon.
Scares That Care’s AuthorCon VII, hosted by me, and featuring (so far) Eric LaRocca, John Skipp, V. Castro, and Erin Louis, will take place March 5 through 7, 2027. Tickets will go on sale soon.
To learn more about the Scares That Care 501c3 charity, click here.
Ts week on my podcast, KEENEVERSATIONS.
For paid subscribers, we have:
Stoker Award Psychology - Keeneversations - Ep 36
Brian, Mary, and Dave resurrect a fan-favorite segment from The Horror Show with Brian Keene, and try to analyze the psychology and subconscious of the voting members for the 2025 Bram Stoker Awards. Listen now via Patreon or Spotify.
And for non-paying listeners we have:
The Dark - Keeneversations - Ep 11 (Original air date July 2025)
Why are we afraid of the dark? Brian Keene discusses humankind's evolutionary and psychological fears, and how that primal emotion has informed his books. Listen free via Patreon, Spotify, or YouTube.
As I wrote on my Blog earlier this past week, KEENEVERSATIONS really is just THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE 2.0 now. Adding Dave’s ashes and cremation urn as the third mic was meant to be just a one-time funny bit, but it has infused Mary and I both with an energy and enthusiasm that I think was lacking before. So, Dave will remain on the show. It took THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE about a year to find its voice and footing. As KEENEVERSATIONS is now in its second year, the same seems to be holding true.
Currently Watching: Survivor season 50, The Office: Superfan Episodes season 9, Family Guy season 24, Friday the 13th parts 1, 2 and 3 (a rewatch), Paul McCartney: Man On The Run, and When Evil Lurks.
Currently Reading: Wretch by Eric LaRocca, Preppers Home Defense by Jim Cobb (a reread), and The Stand by Stephen King (because it’s time for my annual reread).
Currently Listening: Sirius/XM’s Howard 100, Howard 101, Outlaw Country, Ozzy’s Boneyard, Willie’s Roadhouse, Shade45, and Rock The Bells.
I liked the McCartney documentary, although I wish it had focused on the entirety of his post-Beatles life, rather than just Wings.
If you’re tired of waiting for Hollywood to adapt THE RISING, then 2023’s When Evil Lurks should satisfy your itch in theme, tone, villain, stakes, and ending. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Mary and I watched the first three Friday the 13th movies because it had been a very long time since either of us had seen them. Here’s a thing most people don’t know about me. I’m not a huge fan of slasher pics. (If you think about it, I’ve only ever written one slasher novel — KILL WHITEY — and that book only exists to drive a forklift through all the slasher tropes). The ones I like the most are the ones that try to do something crazy, new, or inventive with the genre, which Friday the 13th does later with Jason Goes To Hell (the idea of the military wanting to make super soldiers based on jason’s DNA) or Jason X (Jason in space. Nuff said). I’m the same with the Halloween franchise. I prefer the third movie, which has nothing to do with Michael Myers at all. My favorites of the genre are easily those first two A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, because they absolutely did something crazy, new, and inventive with the genre.
Wretch is Eric LaRocca’s best work to date — his voice is fully his own with this one, but you (like me) will smile at the subtle influence of Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, and David J. Schow, in particular. It’s an uncomfortable, emotional powerhouse and I read it in two sittings. Available for preorder here.
And that does it for this week. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my free daily journal, Algorithm Zero.
You know I'll be there if you do!
Is AuthorCon still coming back to St. Louis?