Brian Keene's Blog, page 86

A WEIRDISH WILD SPACE

I wrote the Introduction for A WEIRDISH WILD SPACE — Mary SanGiovanni’s first non-fiction collection (which includes some great essays on Charles Grant, J.F. Gonzalez, Women In Horror, and much more). The limited edition is up for pre-order from Thunderstorm Books right now. Click here to get your copy.

THE LOST LEVEL Audiobook On Sale

The audiobook edition of THE LOST LEVEL is on sale now! Click here to purchase.

When modern-day occultist Aaron Pace discovers the secrets of inter-dimensional travel via a mystical pathway called The Labyrinth, he wastes no time in exploring a multitude of strange new worlds and alternate realities. But then, Aaron finds himself trapped in the most bizarre dimension of all – a place where dinosaurs coexist with giant robots, where cowboys fight reptilian lizard people, and where even the grass can kill you. This is a world populated by the missing and the disappeared, a world where myth is reality and where the extinct is reborn. Now, side-by-side with his new companions Kasheena and Bloop, Aaron must learn to navigate its dangers and survive long enough to escape…The Lost Level.

Apex is proud to present the first book in Grand Master Award winner Brian Keene’s long-awaited new series, a loving ode to lost world classics like Burroughs’s Pellucidar, Howard’s Almuric, and Lansdale’s The Drive-In, but with a thoroughly modern twist that only Brian Keene could conceive.

Scares That Care Weekend Author Programming Track

The annual Scares That Care Weekend Charity Event (taking place this July in Williamsburg, VA) brings together movie stars, directors, authors, publishers, cosplayers, and fans to raise money for three needy families facing the real monsters of cancer, childhood illness, and burns. One of my responsibilities as a member of the Board of Directors for the convention, is to organize the author programming track. If you are a fan of horror prose, here is this year’s programming track. You will note that, unlike previous years, I am not participating in programming. I feel that as my role with the charity has expanded, it would be unfair to others if I were to continue to do so. However, if you are attending the con and bring books or comics with you, I will be happy to sign them for you, in passing.:

2017 AUTHOR PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

5:45pm to 6:15pm: Wesley Southard and Kyle Lybeck: Reading and Q&A

6:30pm to 7:30pm – Writing and Relationships: A Discussion on Finding Balance with Jonathan Janz, Armand Rosamilia (moderator), Amber Fallon, Stuart West, Jay Wilburn, Ralph Bieber, and Chris Philbrook

7:45pm to 8:30pm – Kristopher Rufty and Adam Cesare: Reading and Q&A

8:45pm to 9:30pm – Tom Monteleone and Robert Ford: Reading and Q&A

9:45pm to 10:45pm – Silent Screams: A Discussion on Quiet Horror with Paul Tremblay, Mary SanGiovanni, Ronald Malfi, Damien Angelica Walters, John Maclay, and Matt Serafini (moderator)

11:00pm to Midnight: The Witching Hour with Kelli Owen, John Boden, and Jacob Haddon: Reading and Q&A

SATURDAY

10:00am to 11:00am – Roots: A Discussion on Author’s Influences with Matt Hayward, Russell James, David Bernstein, Patrick Lacey, Michael M. Hughes and Tim Meyer (moderator)

11:15am to 11:45pm – T.J. O’Conner: Dying Is Overrated. Murder Is Not: Presentation and Q&A

Noon to 12:45pm: Joe R. Lansdale and Chet Williamson: Reading and Q&A

12:30pm to 4:30pm – Writer’s Workshop: Ticketed Classroom Event with Tom Monteleone and John Maclay

1:00pm to 1:45pm – Tim McWhorter and Brent Abell: Reading and Q&A

2:00pm to 3:00pm – The Ties That Bind: A Discussion on Splatterpunk, Extreme Horror, and Bizarro with John Skipp (moderator), Edward Lee, Wrath James White, Bryan Smith, C.V. Hunt, Eric Hendrixson, and Scott Cole.

3:15pm to 3:45pm – Barbarian Tea Time with Steven L. Shrewsbury: Reading and Q&A

4:00pm to 4:45pm – Jay Wilburn and Clay Astroman: Reading and Q&A

5:00pm to 5:45pm –  Paul Tremblay and Damien Angelica Walters: Reading and Q&A

6:00pm to 7:00pm – So You Want to Start A Publishing Company: A Discussion with Apokrupha’s Jacob Haddon (moderator), Olivia Monteleone of Borderlands Press, Bailey Hunter of Dark Recesses Press, Eric Beebe of Post Mortem Press, and Christina Smith of Optimus Maximus Publishing

7:15pm to 8:15pm – Devil Dog Press Meet & Greet: Come meet the authors of Devil Dog Press and learn more about their books.

8:30pm to 9:30pm – HWA Virginia Meet & Greet: Come meet the members of the Virginia Chapter of the Horror Writer’s Association and learn more about their organization.

9:45pm to 10:45pm – This Is How We Do It: A Discussion on Self-Publishing with Rachel Autumn Deering, Stephen Kozeniewski (moderator), William Bozarth, E.L. Jefferson, Phil Budahn, Amber Fallon, and David A. Simpson.

11:00pm to Midnight – After Dark with Wrath James White, Christian Jensen, and David Barbee: Adults Only Reading and Q&A

SUNDAY

11:15am to 11:45am – Stephen Kozeniewski and Ralph Bieber: Reading and Q&A

Noon to 12:45pm – Jonathan Janz and Mary SanGiovanni: Reading and Q&A

1:00pm to 1:45pm – Edward Lee and Bryan Smith: Q&A (Moderated by Chuck Buda)

2:00pm to Close – Scream For Me: A Discussion on Music and Horror, Including A Live Jam Session with John Skipp, Ronald Malfi, Rachel Autumn Deering, and Matt Hayward

EATING THE FANTASTIC

I was recently a guest on Scott Edelman’s podcast, EATING THE FANTASTIC. It’s an extremely in-depth, career-spanning interview. Among the topics discussed — the origins of THE RISING, GHOUL, THE COMPLEX, and THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER; collaborations; my moonshiner roots; transitioning from ‘Angry Young Man’ to ‘Elder Statesman’; the search for spirituality; the toxic culture of comic books, and much, much, MUCH more. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN FOR FREE

THE NAUGHTY LIST Nominated

THE NAUGHTY LIST, a short film by Paul Campion, based on my short story “The Siqqusim Who Stole Christmas” has received three nominations in the Austin Comedy Short Film Festival — Best Short Film, Best Ensemble Cast, and Best Music Score (for our super-talented Andrea Possee).

THE NAUGHTY LIST is currently playing at festivals all over the globe. It’s also playing in your home, via YouTube. Watch it for free, and be sure to Like and comment.

GHOST WALK Audiobook On Sale

The audiobook adaptation of GHOST WALK (narrated by Chet Williamson) is on sale now! Click here to purchase.

There are all kinds of legends about the forests of Central Pennsylvania, and in this sequel to DARK HOLLOW, the truth about those legends is finally revealed.

Halloween is coming, and a new haunted attraction is open for business in LeHorn’s Hollow. Folks will come from miles around to walk down the spooky trail and get scared witless. But there’s one thing the owners of the ghost walk haven’t counted on. There really is something waiting in the woods – a vast, ancient evil whose hunger threatens to consume all life on Earth. Soon, the unsuspecting customers will pay their money and get in line…to die. And only one man, occult detective Levi Stoltzfus, can save them and stop the evil before it is unleashed.

RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL – – Pre-Order Hardcover Now!

The signed, limited edition hardcover of RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL is now available for pre-order from Thunderstorm Books. CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR COPY

War has come in this sequel to the best-selling novel THE LOST LEVEL. The snake-like Anunnaki have always been a blight for the people living in the hidden dimension known as the Lost Level, but now, the denizens are fighting back. After their community is decimated and their loved ones are enslaved in the aftermath of a devastating Anunnaki attack, Aaron Pace leads a diverse group of warriors — including the bowwoman Tolia, the mighty Karenk, a baby Triceratops, and a time-displaced Ambrose Bierce — on a trek through primordial jungles, dark forests, and a sun-blasted desert while battling pterodactyls, man-eating worms, and other dangers. Can their small band lay siege to the Anunnaki city and rescue their friends, or will they suffer the same cruel fate so many others have before them? Find out in Brian Keene’s RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL. (Includes a bonus short story!)

Note to book collectors: In order to match numbers from book 1, your order must be completed by 4/16/17.

RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL is scheduled to start shipping in May 2017. CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR COPY

Also, if you missed out on the Thunderstorm Books limited edition of the first novel and would like to get on-board with this series, the publisher has a very small handful of numbered editions left over. Email him at thunderstormbooks@gmail.com if interested.

Back Cover Copy for RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL

‘War has come in this sequel to the best-selling novel THE LOST LEVEL. The snake-like Anunnaki have always been a blight for the people living in the hidden dimension known as the Lost Level, but now, the denizens are fighting back. After their community is decimated and their loved ones are enslaved in the aftermath of a devastating Anunnaki attack, Aaron Pace leads a diverse group of warriors — including the bowwoman Tolia, the mighty Karenk, a baby Triceratops, and a time-displaced Ambrose Bierce — on a trek through primordial jungles, dark forests, and a sun-blasted desert while battling pterodactyls, man-eating worms, and other dangers. Can their small band lay siege to the Anunnaki city and rescue their friends, or will they suffer the same cruel fate so many others have before them? Find out in Brian Keene’s RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL. (Includes a bonus short story!)’

The signed, limited edition hardcover of RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL goes on sale next month from Thunderstorm Books. Paperback and ebook editions go on sale later this year (Fall) from Apex Book Company.

ALIENS: BUG HUNT

ALIENS: BUG HUNT will be available next month in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

I have a story in it called “Empty Nest”. It also includes stories by a number of other amazing horror and science fiction writers. It is edited by Jonathan Maberry.

Click here to pre-order.

LIARS, FAKERS, AND THE DEAD WHO EAT THEM

“Had it not been for Scott Edelman and the other comic book storytellers of that time, I would have never wanted to become a writer, I would have never persisted until I actually became a writer, and I would certainly have never written The Rising, which means that zombie literature might not have enjoyed this new heyday.”

That’s a brief excerpt from the Introduction I wrote for Scott Edelman’s new zombie collection LIARS, FAKERS AND THE DEAD WHO EAT THEM — which features two brand-new zombie novellas and is on sale right now in paperback for just $8.95. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE