Journal 12/2/25
Am back home from a week of traveling, and sitting sequestered in my office with a cup of coffee in hand and Howard Stern on in the background. Feels good to be back home. I’m a week behind on work though, so expect radio silence for a day or two. The first draft of FALLING ANGELS: THE LABYRINTH Book 1 (which is being serialized live on Patreon) is nearing completion. Officially at the 3/4 mark now, and I am anxious to complete it. So I’ll be heavily focused on making some headway on that.
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Last Wednesday I drove to New Jersey, to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Mary’s extended family. Friday, I drove back to Pennsylvania. Saturday, my ex-wife Cassandra and I drove south. She came along because she wanted to visit with my grandmother, whom you may remember turned 100 last month. We stopped at the Doubletree By Hilton in Williamsburg, VA — home of many various Scares That Care charity events over the past 15 years — so I could get some stuff done for next February’s Women’s Writing Symposium and AuthorCon VI. Red Lagoe, who has volunteered to run AuthorCon VI’s brand-new Art Show and Artists Reception, met up with me there, as well.
Brian, Red’s pen, and Red Lagoe (Photo by Red Lagoe 2025)
I may have also stolen Red’s pen, since Todd Keisling and his pens weren’t on hand.
We then headed on to West Virginia, and had a lovely visit with grandma. Long-time readers might remember that my grandmother is very religious. She has been unable to physically attend a church service in a little over three years, so she hasn’t had communion in a long time. Cassandra was recently certified to give holy communion, so we decided grandma should be her first official visit in that capacity. It was a special moment for them both, and I was glad to witness it.
Got back home yesterday afternoon, spent some time with Mary (who got home Sunday), and decompressed from the trip. Now, today, hitting the ground running — or perhaps hitting the keyboard like a howler monkey hopped up on meth might be more accurate.
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The November Pandi Packs, featuring THE BEST OF BRIAN KEENE and FOUR PAST MEAT NIGHT, have shipped, and they are sold out. I will be the November 2026 box next year — it will feature a book by me and a book by Wesley Southard (whom more of you should be reading). They are offering a limited number of 2026 monthly Pandi Pack subscriptions here.
