James Gandolfini RIP

1 Reply

It’s no secret that I feel an affinity for Tony Soprano more than any other fictional character ever. My closest friends and peers agree on that, as well. I know this because in the first five minutes after news of his death broke this evening, I received 16 texts from them asking if I’d heard. My friends understand that I identify with Tony because, behind the scenes, in many ways, I am Tony. Replace “mob” with “publishing” and “Italian” with “Irish” and there are countless times that character’s personal struggles mirrored my own. And yes, I know how fucked up it is to identify that closely with a sociopath mob boss who constantly questions his identity and purpose. My therapist and I have discussed it many times. And I’ll tell you what I told her. Part of it was great writing. But another part was what James Gandolfini put into the role. Rest In Peace…

THE LAST ZOMBIE: THE END #2 On Sale Now

Book Terminology 101

4 Replies

I’m often asked: “What’s the difference between a trade paperback and a mass market paperback? A limited edition hardcover and a lettered edition? Why does this copy cost $7 and this one $700?” So, via the power of YouTube, I answer these questions and more.

To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before

12 Replies

That’s me, age 19, somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.

I’ve been with a lot of women in my life, and by “been with” I think you all know what I mean, and by “a lot” I mean over a hundred. This is not something a man should be proud of, as I’ve tried to explain to my oldest son, in the hopes that he’ll do better. But it is a fact of my past, and one that informs my present, and makes up just another facet of who I am. Continue reading →

Week in Review 6-16-13

2 Replies

The big news this week was, of course, the paperback release of the uncut, Author’s Preferred Edition of THE RISING (which you can buy here). It contains over 30,000 words worth of material not included in previous editions, along with a lengthy brand-new introduction by me in which I talk about the novel’s creation, history, impact, and controversy. I’ve seen many critics saying that the introduction is worth the book in and of itself, and that makes me happy.

Kindle and Nook editions on sale later this Summer. A signed, limited edition hardcover will be published as part of this Fall’s Maelstrom series.

Also on sale this week was MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: THE ORIGIN OF HORDAK, which you can buy here. This is my latest comic, but most definitely not my last. It’s strange. With THE LAST ZOMBIE series coming to a conclusion, I’d thought I might be done with comics for a while. But at least part of last week’s business trip to New York was comics related, and though I can’t say anything more, expect to see a lot of them from me in 2014. A lot…

Something else that happened during last week’s business trip was an interesting conversation with the drummer for one of my absolute favorite bands of all-time. Going to be talking to him again later this week, and expect some exciting things to come from that.

So, yeah, basically I went to New York, which inspired me to write this essay about traveling and what to expect when you’re traveling in my line of work, but now I’m back home and I can’t tell you about anything that happened there — except that Thursday morning found my head so full of ideas that I was wandering Times Square at 3am, looking for coffee and a place to write, and snapping this photo. And don’t forget to check out my friend Joseph Scrimshaw’s Kickstarter! Details here.

Zedlacher’s 4th CCA and Scrimshaw’s FLAW FEST

1 Reply

You’ve probably heard me mention Joseph Scrimshaw and Pete Zedlacher before. Both are dear friends of mine, and both are excellent stand-up comics — comedians for our people — the people who watch zombie movies and read comic books and play too many video games and know that Han Solo shot first. Joe and Pete have always been supportive of me over the years, and I to them. I hope you’ll consider supporting them, too.

Pete has just been nominated AGAIN for Best Male Standup in the Canadian Comedy Awards. I’m told this is a record. He’s also up for a few other categories, including Best TV Show. Here’s how you can help him: Follow Pete on Facebook or Twitter. He’ll let you know there when it’s time to start voting.

Meanwhile, Joe is doing a Kickstarter for a double live album called Flaw Fest. I’m a backer, and I think you should be, too. With six days left to go, he’s halfway toward his goal. I’d really like to see this one happen. CLICK HERE to learn more about the project or to make your pledge.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: ORIGIN OF HORDAK

1 Reply

On sale today in all good comic stores – MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: ORIGIN OF HORDAK. Written by me and Keith Giffen. Illustrated by Keith and Scott Koblish. Stand-alone, single issue. $2.99.

How does one go about becoming a demigod? And, what the heck is a demigod anyway? These questions and more will be answered in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: THE ORIGIN OF HORDAK!

Travel to the distant past and learn how the old gods died and how Hordak went from being a conqueror of the cosmos to something very like a god.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

THE RISING: UNCUT – On Sale Now!

8 Replies

NOW IN PAPERBACK! (Digital forthcoming in August). The classic that helped start a pop culture phenomenon – back in print and UNCUT!

Since it’s 2003 debut, Brian Keene’s THE RISING is one of the best-selling zombie novels of all-time. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, inspired the works of other authors and filmmakers, and has become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of horror fans.

THE RISING is the story of Jim Thurmond, a determined father battling his way across a post-apocalyptic zombie landscape, to find his young son. Accompanied by Martin, a preacher still holding to his faith, and Frankie, a recovering heroin addict with an indomitable will to survive, Jim travels from state to state and town to town, facing an endless onslaught of undead hordes, and the evils perpetrated by his fellow man.

This brand-new, author’s preferred edition, restores nearly 30,000 words of material that was cut from the original edition. These new chapters, which have never been seen by anyone before now, expand the original story, adding new depths to characters and more horrific situations.

You may think you’ve read THE RISING, but you haven’t read it all until you read this edition!

Deadite Press is proud to present this uncut, author’s preferred edition, which also includes a lengthy essay by the author about the novel’s genesis and history.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

On the House

9 Replies

By the time you read this, I’ll be on a train to New York City, where I’m taking part in a Creative Summit for a top-secret project that I can’t tell you about. Since I’ll be there four days, the publisher is putting me (and others) up in the Dream New York, a midtown Manhattan luxury hotel. (I’m registered under a pseudonym, so please don’t plan on dropping by). I’ve never stayed there before, but judging by their website, it’s quite posh. Which is all very nice, but the only thing I care about is that my itinerary says my hotel room will have a ‘Stocked Private Bar’. Continue reading →

Week in Review 6-8-13

2 Replies

This week saw two new releases to the digital platform. The first was EARTHWORM GODS II: DELUGE. Previously only available in hardcover and paperback, it is now also available on Kindle and Nook, as well. This means that the entire Worms Trilogy is now available in both paperback and digital.

Deadite Press have done a remarkable job of making my former out of print titles available again, and with this publication, there are now only three left to go — THE RISING, CITY OF THE DEAD, and THE RISING: SELECTED SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (the first of which will be out in paperback in a few weeks).

The second book released digitally this week was BLOOD ON THE PAGE: THE COMPLETE SHORT FICTION OF BRIAN KEENE, Volume 1. It’s currently available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. Paperback editions are forthcoming.

This marks my fourth foray into self-publishing, following on the heels of ALONE, SCRATCH, and THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER. As you can tell by the title (and the book’s foreword) this is just the first volume in a series. As of right now, there are enough short stories for three more volumes. Unless I die, I imagine there will be one or two volumes more after those. And ‘complete’ means just that — it is my intent to collect all of them, even the bad ones and early ones. But only because you demanded it. The second volume in the series, OTHER WORLDS, will be published this Fall.

This week also gave us a great deal from Al Sarrantonio on PORTENTS, which features my short story “Johnstown” as well as stories by many other great authors. $20 for a limited edition hardcover. Hard to turn that down. Copies are going fast!

Earlier in the week, I got my Mark Twain groove on while musing about my youngest son’s pre-school graduation. Thanks to all of you for the nice comments. It’s always a good feeling when something you wrote touches others.

We took a look at an essay and two new books from Sarah Pinborough, Tim Waggoner, and Nick Mamatas.

MTV Geek has a free five-page preview of me and Keith Giffen’s MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: THE ORIGIN OF HORDAK, which is in comic shops next Wednesday. Yes, that’s one week later than originally announced. My buds over at The Outhousers have a theory about all this.

Some new pics were posted to my Instagram and WhoSay pages, including what happened when my 5-year old and I set up his Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway set and then decided to have Galactus and Godzilla drop by for the greatest fan fiction story plot ever.

I’ll be in New York City for most of this forthcoming week, taking part in a Creative Summit, followed by a special Thursday morning screening of Man of Steel. But expect a new essay on Monday, and the release of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: THE ORIGIN OF HORDAK on Wednesday. And at some point in-between them, a new video on my YouTube Channel.

As always, you can communicate with me via the forum, Twitter, Facebook, or right here.