Brian Keene's Blog, page 12

2021 Splatterpunk Awards - Press Release

For Immediate Release

Founders Wrath James White and Brian Keene announced the winners of the 4th annual Splatterpunk Awards — honoring honoring superior achievement in horror fictions’ Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror categories published in 2020 — on Saturday, August 21, 2021.

The Splatterpunk Award nominations are suggested by readers and fans. The final ballot is made up of the top seven nominations for each category. Then, a rotating jury of critics and academics read the works on the ballot and vote on the winners.

The winners for this year are:

Best Novel: The Magpie Coffin - Wile E. Young (Deaths Head Press)
Best Novella: True Crime - Samantha Kolesnik (Grindhouse Press)
Best Short Story: “My Body” - Wesley Southard (from Midnight In The Pentagram, Silver Shamrock Publishing)
Best Collection: The Essential Sick Stuff - Ronald Kelly (Silver Shamrock Publishing)
Best Anthology: Worst Laid Plans - Samantha Kolesnik (Grindhouse Press)

In addition, John Skipp was presented with the J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous LAA recipients are David J. Schow, David G. Barnett, and Edward Lee.

White and Keene also announced the formation of the Splatterpunk Awards Hall of Fame - a physical, traveling memorial and showcase honoring those who have left their mark on the fields of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. The initial Splatterpunk Award Hall of Fame Inductees will be: David J. Schow, David Barnett, Edward Lee, John Skipp. Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Charlee Jacob, John Pelan, and J.F. Gonzalez. The Hall of Fame will debut in Austin, Texas next August.

Creature Feature Weekend

I will be signing at Creature Feature Weekend, taking place at Wyndham Gettysburg 95 Presidential Circle, Gettysburg, PA, 17325 on Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29.

PLEASE NOTE: Although the convention runs Friday through Sunday, I will only be appearing Saturday and Sunday due to a family obligation.

I will have books for sale. You can also bring books from home to be signed.

All New Stories From The Rising - Starring *You*

Splatterpunk Award winning author Kristopher Triana’s constant companion is his dog, Bear. I have met Bear and she is not simply a good girl. She is one of the absolute best dogs I’ve ever known. Sweet and loving and smart. She is a joy to be around.

Bear has cancer, and chemotherapy to treat her is expensive. Rather than do a GoFundMe, Kris has a different kind of fundraiser for her. Yes, you can simply donate a few bucks if you so desire. But if you prefer, you can purchase signed books from Bryan Smith, Christine Morgan, Ryan Harding, and many others. Or — for $500 — you can purchase a brand new short story set in the world of THE RISING. The story will star you (or someone you love if you purchase it for them). You will receive the original manuscript, signed by me. And one hundred percent of the purchase will go directly to Bear’s chemotherapy.

Click here for full details, or to peruse the other offerings, or to simply donat, or to learn more about Bear.

Suburban Gothic - Now on Kindle

SUBURBAN GOTHIC — the sequel to URBAN GOTHIC — is now available on Kindle, as well as in paperback. Click here to download it.

Two titans of modern horror - Brian Keene and Bryan Smith - team up for the terrifying crossover sequel to both Keene's URBAN GOTHIC and Smith's THE FREAKSHOW.

The Westgate Galleria Mall was once a sprawling, shining monument to American consumerism and suburban growth. Now, it is a crumbling reminder of how both have fallen-an architectural ghost, haunting the outskirts of society. That makes it the perfect filming location for a YouTube channel devoted to the exploration of abandoned places. But the mall isn't as empty as it seems and the residents have sinister obscene plans for them. Now, with the daylight still hours away, both the hunters and the hunted will fight to stay alive...and desperately try to make it home.

SUBURBAN GOTHIC by Brian Keene and Bryan Smith-Home is where is the severed heart is...

Suburban Gothic - Now In Paperback

SUBURBAN GOTHIC - the long-awaited sequel to URBAN GOTHIC - is now available in paperback. Kindle editions should be available in a few days. Click here to order.

Two titans of modern horror-Brian Keene and Bryan Smith-team up for the terrifying crossover sequel to both Keene's URBAN GOTHIC and Smith's THE FREAKSHOW.

The Westgate Galleria Mall was once a sprawling, shining monument to American consumerism and suburban growth. Now, it is a crumbling reminder of how both have fallen-an architectural ghost, haunting the outskirts of society. That makes it the perfect filming location for a YouTube channel devoted to the exploration of abandoned places. But the mall isn't as empty as it seems and the residents have sinister obscene plans for them. Now, with the daylight still hours away, both the hunters and the hunted will fight to stay alive...and desperately try to make it home.

Postcards From A Dying World - Interview

I had the pleasure of appearing on David Agranoff’s Postcards From A Dying World podcast. In this lengthy interview, we talked about my career in whole, the factors that led me to end The Horror Show with Brian Keene, WITH TEETH, the “real” me, END OF THE ROAD, and much more. You can listen for free via Apple or watch for free on YouTube.

Defenders Dialogue 140

He Who Remains and The Tomorrow War! First, Iron Man and Spider-Man face off against Kang the Conqueror. Then, the thing is back for round two against The Thing and Thor. Chris and Brian discuss the ninth issues of Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One, plus Loki, Black Widow, and... Grizzly Adams? Free wherever you listen to podcasts, and also right here.

Scares That Care Charity Weekend VII - Author Programming Schedule

The 7th annual Scares That Care Charity Weekend begins in just ten days! For readers attending to meet their favorite authors,, here is the programming schedule (with a reminder that each of these authors will also be signing throughout the weekend).

* * *

AUTHOR PROGRAMMING

FRIDAY

4:15pm to 5:00pm (Room A): Todd Keisling and Bridgett Nelson – Reading and Q&A

 5:15pm to 6:15pm (Room A): MY FAVORITE HORROR HYBRID – Like peanut butter and chocolate, horror goes well with other genres. Gabino Iglesias, Adam Cesare, Stephen Kozeniewski, and Scott Baker (moderator) discuss some of their favorite cross-genre chillers.

 6:30pm to 7:15pm (Room A): Hunter Shea and Matt Serafini – Reading and Q&A

 7:30pm to 8:30pm (Room A): COLLECTING HORROR MOVIE NOVELIZATIONS – What’s your first edition paperback of John Carpenter’s Halloween worth? Where can you find a copy of Friday the 13th in print? Matt Serafini, Kristopher Triana, Wesley Southard, and Scott Cole (moderator) discuss collecting novelizations of your favorite horror films.  

8:45pm to 9:30pm (Room A): Kristopher Triana and John Wayne Comunale – Reading and Q&A

9:00pm until… (Auditorium): HORROR TRIVIA THUNDERDOME II: Fans compete against their favorite actors and authors in a hilarious horror trivia deathmatch. Hosted by Brian Keene and featuring surprise guests.
 

SATURDAY  

10:15am to 11:00am (Room A): Jacob Haddon and Red Lagoe – Reading and Q&A

 11:15am to Noon (Room A): Scott Baker and Jay Wilburn –Reading and Q&A

Noon to 1:00pm (Rooms 2 & 3): WRITING FOR VIDEO GAMES – Video game industry veteran Richard Dansky answers all of your questions about how to break into the field and how to write for video games.

 12:15pm to 1:00pm (Room A): Scott Cole and Christoph Paul – Reading and Q&A

 1:15pm to 2:00pm (Room A): Adam Cesare and Wesley Southard – Reading and Q&A

 2:15pm to 3:00pm (Room A): Jonathan Janz and Gabino Iglesias – Reading and Q&A

 3:15pm to 4:00pm (Room A): Laurel Hightower and Sonora Taylor – Reading and Q&A

 4:15pm to 5:15pm (Room A): I SURVIVED THE DEATH OF HORROR (AGAIN) – From Zebra Books and Dell/Abyss in the mid-1990s to Leisure Books and Samhain in the ‘00s, mainstream horror fiction has died and then clawed its way out of the grave time and time again. Ronald Kelly, Jeff Strand, Jonathan Janz, Hunter Shea, and Lynne Hansen (moderator) discuss what it was like to live through those times, and how they survived to scare again.

 5:30pm to 6:30pm (Room A): V. Castro, Cynthia Pelayo and Leza Cantoral – Reading and Q&A

  

SUNDAY

 11:15am to Noon (Room A): Kelli Owen and Lucas Milliron – Reading and Q&A

 12:15pm to 1:00pm (Room A): Kevin Lucia and Lindsay Lerman – Reading and Q&A

 1:15pm to 2:00pm (Room A): Jeff Strand and Stephen Kozeniewski – Reading and Q&A

 2:15pm to 3:00pm (Room A): Robert Ford and Brian Keene – Reading and Q&A

Suburban Gothic - Cover Reveal

SUBURBAN GOTHIC by myself and Bryan Smith is a sequel to my novel URBAN GOTHIC and also to Bryan's novel THE FREAKSHOW. It was released in hardcover back in January of this year, and now the paperback and Kindle editions are slated for release at the end of this month, via Deadite Press.

Here's a look at the cover of the paperback and Kindle edition, both of which should be available July 30th

Defenders Dialogue 139

In two of the silliest issues of the Bronze Age, Spider-Man and The Cat face off against radical feminism while Ghost Rider and The Thing celebrate a very weird Christmas. Christopher Golden and Brian Keene discuss the eighth issues of Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One. Available wherever you listen to podcasts, and also right here.