Brian Keene's Blog, page 186

Changes

There are going to be some changes around here over the next month, so if you're just waking up, grab a cup of coffee and read this carefully.

At this stage in my life, I want to do less, not more. And yet, due to a number of factors, most of them financial and most of them caused by the aftermath of the Dorchester meltdown, I find myself back to writing two-books at a time, plus comic scripts, and having very little free time for my sons, my fiancee, or my friends. That sort of output was a lot easier when I was 30 than it is at 43.

Years ago, I switched from the Blog format of Hail Saten to this website. Since then, I've endeavored to have new content here almost every single day. Starting next week, that will change. I'll be taking a page from the Neil Gaiman, Nick Mamatas, and Warren Ellis handbook, and posting a more journal-like entry a few times a week that will include updates on various things (new releases, writing, genre news, links, Deluge, etc.) Basically, the amount of content you see here won't change, but how it gets posted will. This will free up a lot of my time.

The second thing that will free up a lot of my time (and this is the part that will undoubtedly piss off some folks) is that I've decided to shut The Keenedom down for good. See the poll over there to your right? If there's one common theme in the poll, and the thread on Facebook (which as of this writing has 115 comments), and the responses on Twitter, it's that the vast majority of my audience is no longer using the forum. This stands to reason, since research has shown that social media is pretty much turning message boards into dinosaurs. I don't have time to devote to the forum the way I'd like to. I shut it down once before for that, and thought it would be easier now, but as I said, in the aftermath of Dorchester, I'm writing more than ever, just to make ends meet. Something's got to give. I've decided it will be the forum.

Several publishers have stepped forward to offer forums to Keenedom regulars. Cemetery Dance will be hosting an official forum for James A. Moore and several of their other authors on their new message board. Deadite Press will be launching a new forum that will be the official home for Bryan Smith, Carlton Mellick, J.F. Gonzalez, Wrath James White, etc. And if you are a reader or fan looking for a good forum to just talk about books and movies and things, I highly recommend The Horror Drive-In. Just be respectful there, if you sign up. It's a nice place, and they'd like to keep it that way. And although most of Horror World is dead and could use a good culling, The Cellar portion is still fairly active and provides a home for those readers and fans who fled the old Dorchester forums. You might enjoy it, as well.

How will this impact Facebook and Twitter? Well, again, look at the poll. Twitter works as far as getting my news out, so you won't see any changes there. And I'm still reading through all the comments in that long discussion on Facebook, so it's too early to say how that will be utilized going forward.

So, to recap – a more Blog-like approach to this site again starting next week (except on Deluge days and days when a new book goes on sale), and the Keenedom to close its doors forever within a month or so.

As always, thanks for your support and understanding. And I'd like to especially thank Val, Dezm, Noige, Mark, and Brandon, as well as Kent, Deb, and Zombielover, all of whom have kept that forum running over the years, in all of its various incarnations, and who all deserve a big standing ovation.

All Your Questions Answered

Il Posto Nero has posted the English version of a recent interview I did for Italian readers, in which I talk about zombies, success, writing for a living, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, George Romero, the inspiration for The Conqueror Worms, Castaways' move to film, Ghoul, and much more. Click here to read it for free.

Final Appearances of 2011

I've got three more appearances this year:

September 2 – 4

Horrorfind Weekend 13

Wyndham Gettysburg

95 Presidential Circle

Gettysburg, PA 17325

November 11 – 13

AnthoCon

Best Western Wynwood Hotel

580 US Route 1,

Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

Nov 17 – 20

Bizarro Con

Edgefield Manor

2126 S.W. Halsey St.

Troutdale, OR 97060

When The Rain Stops: The end of DELUGE

That's my new backyard. For those who missed it, I've moved into a house on the banks of the Susquehanna River (I'm not saying where, exactly, because I don't want all of you showing up and drinking my whiskey). I walk down to the water's edge every day. Monday through Thursday, my three-year old son and I go there to feed the ducks. On weekends, Mary and I go there to do the same. And when neither of them are with me, I go there to think.

Lately, what I've been thinking about is Deluge and what comes after. We are approximately six or seven chapters away from the end. I'm satisfied with how things have gone. I've enjoyed this little experiment, and I hope the experience has been enjoyable for you, as well. Deluge started back when the economy first went sour, as a thank you to everyone who has spent money on one of my books over the years. Sadly, although Deluge is reaching its end, the economic crisis that spawned it is not. So I imagine I'll have another free online serial to replace it. I think it will be called Dead Air. Not sure when that will start, though, because one thing this experience has taught me is that people get very cranky when a new chapter isn't posted every single week. So, before embarking on any new serial, I'll want to make sure I've got at least half of it written before the first chapter ever goes live.

Meanwhile, Deluge will be published next year in digital, trade paperback, and limited edition hardcover (via Deadite Press and Maelstrom/Thunderstorm, respectively). Deadite Press will also be publishing The Conqueror Worms (under it's original title Earthworm Gods) and the follow-up Earthworm Gods: Selected Scenes From the End of the World. Both of those will be available later this year.

I HATE BRIAN KEENE by Tim Wick

My good friend Tim Wick (member of The Dregs) participated in this year's CONvergence Con Iron Artist event. In Iron Artist, a group of artists have approximately half an hour to create an original composition (painting, sculpture, sequential comic page, etc) based on "ingredients" provided by a guest. This year, I was that guest, and the ingredients I provided were snippets from Castaways, Jack's Magic Beans, Doom Patrol #16, Clickers III: Dagon Rising, and a canker sore shaped like our good friend, DC Comics artist Christopher Jones.

As one of the contestants, Tim's art was the following beat poem, which incorporates ingredients from all of the books mentioned above, as well as the canker sore. It's called… I Hate Brian Keene*.

The monsters came from the woods

Like vegetable Natalie Wood

Their curved black talons coming out of the leaves

A zombie salad, if you can believe

Monkeys

Monkeys

Monkeys

These were not monkeys

They were like a steampunk Robotman

Monster Volkswagen man

Only made of lettuce

At the Save-A-Lot

Like monkeys but not

Their high-pitched voices

Crunching stupid boy's bones

Growing canker sores of Christopher Jones

Crabs, lobsters, and scorpions

What happened to the monkey?

The monkey

The monkey

The old bag with the lettuce

Does she have the monkey?

Blood, death, and Brian Keene

Does anyone understand what I mean?

Of course you do

You have taste

Like a girl trapped in a Volkswagon bug

Caught in a lobster-claw bear hug

Shocked by a spark plug

Death will take her soon

But not to Mars

Because there are no Volkswagen cars

Or monkeys

or death

or lettuce

with teeth

Life is pain

I hate Brian Keene

*The original poem included doodles, but I've yet to unpack the scanner since the move, so I cannot include them here.

Weekend Update

I'm signing with J.F. Gonzalez, Mike Hawthorne, and Dirk Shearer from noon until three today at the Fourth Annual Comix Connection Creator Cookout in Mechanicsburg, PA. Come help us raise donations for the local food bank!

Also, welcome The Keenedom's newest addition – author Kealan Patrick Burke.

Deluge returned, but apparently so did Leviathan. The big news this week was the upcoming movie adaptations of Castaways and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Here's the tentative Deadite Press release schedule for the rest of my back list. Overlook Connection has signed collector sets of The Last Zombie and The Last Zombie: Inferno. And five other things on the internet that you should read by Nick Mamatas, Mike Oliveri, Russell Dickerson, Wil Wheaton, and Tony Lee.

Don't forget, you can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, Blip.fm, and Google+. Links are over there to the right.

DELUGE (Part 80)

They sat in silence for a moment, pondering the ramifications of Simon's dire  pronouncement. Then, one by one, they turned to look at Sarah.

"Well," Gail asked, "how do we defeat this thing?"

"I don't know," Sarah said. "I honestly don't. When it attacked us in Baltimore, it left eventually."

She recounted her encounter with Leviathan, beginning with the cult on the nearby rooftop, the arrival of the vampire-like mermaid, the ill-fated rescue mission that Kevin and the others had launched in an attempt to disrupt the cult's sacrificial ceremony, how that – and the murder of the mermaid – had led to Leviathan's emergence, the creature's subsequent attack on their building, and how she, Salty, and Kevin had escaped.

"And it just left?" Novak asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

The others all began to talk at once, but Simon held up his hand, signaling silence.

"It makes perfect sense," he said. "The girl, Lori, was a sacrifice. Leviathan held Kevin responsible for killing one of its brides—the mermaid. In retaliation, it took Kevin's female. Sated, it then departed."

Caterina frowned. "But why wouldn't it kill the rest of them?"

"I've always wondered that myself," Sarah muttered.

"It's because we are insignificant to Leviathan," Simon said. "Normally, humanity is beneath his attention, other than as bothersome insects who must be destroyed. But we as individuals? Leviathan could care less. When we come across a nest of wasps, do we have a stronger loathing for one particular wasp from the hive more so than the others? No. All we know is that we want to destroy the entire nest. That's how Leviathan views us. He didn't bother with Sarah and her two friends because he figured they'd die anyway, sooner or later, once his ultimate goal was achieved."

"Then why is he after you?" Novak leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. "If we're nothing more than gnats to this thing, why is he now focused on you?"

"Because I am a particularly bothersome wasp," Simon said. "Leviathan senses my presence… and my power. He knows that I have abilities not shared by most of humanity. He thinks I have it in me to halt his destruction and reverse what has happened."

"Do you?" Henry asked.

Simon shook his head. "No. As I said, all I can do at this point is save our lives. I can't save our planet. But Leviathan doesn't know that."

Novak dropped his feet to the floor with a loud thud. His chair squeaked across the floor as he stood abruptly. "Then what the hell do we do, Simon?"

"Hope that we reach LeHorn's Hollow before Leviathan reaches us."

Novak opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly, the hull clanged like a bell, the sound deep and hollow and reverberating throughout the entire ship. The vessel lurched violently to one side, spilling the crew's gear and belongings onto the deck. Screaming, they held on tight as the ship rocked again.

"I reckon maybe it's too late," Henry said.

"Did we hit something?" Gail asked.

"No," said Novak, his face ashen. "Something hit us…"

THE LAST ZOMBIE Signed Sets

Reminder that Overlook Connection has exclusive signed sets of The Last Zombie and The Last Zombie: Inferno. Each set is limited to 150 copies. Each set features a signed (by me) and numbered first issue. All comics are shipped in acid-free plastic sleeves with an acid-free backing board. Click here for the first series and here for the second.

Overlook also features a number of my out-of-print books, many of which are signed by me. Click here for their complete inventory.

"And now, our feature presentation…"

Being an update on the various film adaptations of my work:

1. DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN has been optioned, with Scott Derrikson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still) and C. Robert Cargill attached.

2. CASTAWAYS has been optioned by Drive-In Films (Joe R. Lansdale's new film company) with Jon Wagner (Anniversary at Shallow Creek) and Damian Maffei (Closed For the Season) attached.

3. GHOUL, directed by Gregory Wilson (The Girl Next Door) and starring Nolan Gould (Modern Family), debuts on Chiller later this year, followed by an eventual DVD and Blu-Ray release. At this point, I am limited on what I can say about the movie, as it is now the domain of Chiller/NBC/Universal. Here is the official Facebook page and the official website. Full cast and crew details here.

4. DARK HOLLOW remains in development, with Paul Finch scripting. Director Paul Campion posted an update earlier this week in this thread at The Keenedom.

5. THE TIES THAT BIND: It's been a few years since this short film, set in the world of The Rising, debuted on DVD and made the indie-film festival rounds. The DVD's are long-since sold out (but you can find them on eBay). No plans at this time to re-release it, but Director Jeff Heimbuch's next project is an adaptation of one of Mary SanGiovanni's stories, so stay tuned for that!

4th Annual Comix Connection Creator Cookout

J.F. Gonzalez, me, and Mike Hawthorne at the 2009 cookout.

This Saturday, August 13th, is the 4th annual Creator Cookout from Noon until 3pm at Comix Connection, 6200 Carlisle Pike,  Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. Come meet myself, J.F. Gonzalez, Mike Hawthorne, and Dirk Shearer as we cook for you, sign things, and talk about whatever you'd like in this relaxed, informal setting. We'll be taking donations once again for the Central PA Food Bank. Click here for complete details.