Brian Keene's Blog, page 140

Cold Business

My friend M.J. Withers has a new album out. COLD BUSINESS is available for free download in just about every format imaginable. I’m listening to it right now (because I have insomnia, which is how I seem to get work done these days, but that’s a subject for another Blog). If you’re a zombie fan, “Unwritten Laws” has a sample you might recognize.

This is real rap – not that processed bubblegum bullshit they play on the radio these days. DOWNLOAD HERE.

Save The Sixth Gun

No, not the comic book. We’re talking about the TV show (based on the comic book).

Here’s friend and The Sixth Gun creator Cullen Bunn to explain how you can help. 

A fan has created a petition to “urge a TV network to take a close look at THE SIXTH GUN.” (Full disclosure: we thought about doing something like this, but someone beat us to it.)

Personally, I’d love to see this thing reach its goal of 1000 signatures. And it could definitely help support the idea that there is interest in the show. We have a couple of networks interested, and you never know if something like this could move the show into a better position.

How can you help?

1 – Sign the petition. It takes two minutes max.

2 – Tweet, facebook, tumble or talk about the petition with your family, friends, fans, and anyone else who will listen.

It would mean a lot to me, folks!

Just Waiting On You

The new forum saw 262 members register in the first two weeks and over 1,871 posts. Join the conversation.

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I’m still in the middle of moving (as previously noted), so here’s a picture from earlier this week of the Raven Banner booth at Cannes. You’ll notice the Dark Hollow movie poster to the left.

I expect to be finished by this weekend, but as I haven’t written, edited, checked email, or gone to the post office in over a week, I’ll probably be MIA for at least another week or so. Please standby…

Delivering a Beat Down to Diabetes

This is Sara. She loves horror (as does her Dad, long-time reader Ron Clinton). Sara is participating in the 31st annual Beat the Bridge run to help the fight against juvenile diabetes. She’ll be running five miles.

You can show your support with a tax-deductible donation HERE. Her goal is $1,000. Let’s help her reach that. Even a dollar will help, so please contribute!

Click here for complete details.

How My Hell Benefits You

As part of my continuing efforts to completely remove myself from humanity, I’m moving this month. It’s not a far move. I live at the bottom of a mountain in a remote rural area along the Susquehanna River bottoms. I’m moving to the top of that same geographical feature, except that it’s even more remote and more rural. I have 21 days to accomplish this. 

In those same 21 days, I also have to finish a novel (The Lost Level), a novella (Last of the Albatwitches), edit the final five manuscripts of the folks who sent manuscripts (if you didn’t get yours, you’re one of the final five, and I’m basically just waiting to hear back from some possible publishers as to whether or not they’ll take a look at it for you). In addition to all that, I’ve got my fatherly duties to attend to.

This is all a very long-winded way of saying I won’t be around nearly as much. I’ll pretty much be ignoring all email and phone calls, even the important ones. The plus side for you, the reader, is that I’m selling a bunch of stuff from my archives because I don’t feel like moving it. Click here to see the items. I’ll be adding more each day. And yes, there will be some very rare items offered for sale. Some will be expensive. Some won’t. (Note: If you want an item, don’t post here or on other social media. I won’t see it. Instead, inform me the proper way by signing up for the forum and posting a response in the appropriate thread).

See you in 21 days (although I’m sure I’ll check in from time to time…)

Last of the Albatwitches

As previously announced, the next Levi Stoltzfus book is called Last of the Albatwitches. Now that I’m actually knee-deep in writing it, I know that it is going to tie heavily into Castaways, and also feature connections to Scratch and An Occurrence In Crazy-Bear Valley. So, if you haven’t read them yet, there’s no time like the present. Click the covers below to order.

In Honor of J.F. Gonzalez’s Birthday…

Available in paperback, Kindle, or Nook. Click cover to purchase.

The Labyrinth’s End

Yesterday, I talked about making a new, permanent, final forum, reminiscent of the old Keenedom forums, but without some of the nonsense that ultimately led to that one’s closure. Last night, we built you one. Presenting… The Labyrinth’s End. All your old friends are already there waiting on you.

End of the Road

That’s me setting up about an hour before last Saturday’s FCBD signing at Comix Connection in York, PA. Although you can’t tell it, I am smiling. 

I’ve been writing professionally for over fifteen years now, and I’ve spent a good chunk of each of those years on the road — book signing tours, convention appearances, speaking engagements, charity events, store openings, store closings, etc. Hell, the majority of Running With The Devil detailed the 2005 summer-long ‘Terminal Cities’ book-signing tour, when I spent three solid months on the road, from Canada to Florida and Seattle to San Diego and everywhere in-between. I’ve done a lot of tours like that.

I’m not going to anymore. I’ve said that before, but then restlessness sets in and I begin to wonder what’s over the horizon. I’ve always been that way. When I was a kid, I’d hop on my BMX Mongoose bike at 8am and my parents wouldn’t see me again until dinnertime. I’ve always been an explorer and a traveler. That was why I joined the Navy, rather than one of the other military branches. And it’s why I’ve always enjoyed touring. It’s fun and exciting to go to new places, and meet new fans and readers, and enjoy good conversations and unfamiliar beers and local cuisine.

But… I’m 45. I’ve got two sons, one of whom graduates college next year and the other of whom starts first grade this August. They are my only responsibilities, other than the responsibility I have to you, my audience, but they are a responsibility I intend to focus more on. Also, to be blunt, gallivanting around the world at 45 is a lot more exhausting than it was at 25 or 35. And since my post-Dorchester heart attack two (or is it three) years ago, I seem to require more sleep at night, and more quiet time to myself. I’ve noticed this during the last four or five conventions I’ve attended as a Guest-of-Honor. Used to be I’d sleep 3 or 4 hours a night at those things, and loved the party scene and hanging out with everybody. I still love those things, but now I sneak out early so I can go to bed and get away from the noise levels. And then I end up feeling guilty about it later.

So expect to see less of me in your town these next few years. Oh, I’ll still make the occasional appearance. I’ll be in New Zealand, for instance, when Dark Hollow starts filming. And I’m slated as a guest at next year’s Scares That Care convention in Williamsburg, VA. BizarroCon is a given since that’s the only time of year I can sit down with my main publisher and hatch plans for the next year. And there’s also KeeneCon in 2014 (but in the case of that last one, you’ll all be traveling to me). And there are conventions I want to attend again in the future — CONvergence, VisionCon, etc.

But they won’t be as many. For example, there are no further appearances slated for this year. Which means I’ll have more time with my sons, and more time for writing (which I haven’t had much of for many, many months now, as evidenced by the number of deadlines which have zipped by my head with a SWOOSHING sound). Indeed, although I’m sad and despondent over the fact that my little guy starts first grade this year, I’m also looking forward to the fact that I’ll be able to return to normal 8-hour writing days — something I haven’t had in the last five years (again, as evidenced by the number of deadlines which have zipped by my head with a SWOOSHING sound).

Hopefully, you can dig that. But I figured y’all ought to know. And it’s not like I’m unavailable. You can talk to me on Twitter and Facebook anytime you want. And although that experiment with Branch was a failure (simply because Branch got rid of the Group Discussion option) I’m toying with the idea of bringing back The Keenedom as a new forum, but in a way that will prevent the problems that led to the destruction of the previous version. But… those are thoughts I best keep to myself for now, to be mulled over late at night with bourbon.