Horror Aficionados discussion

Brian Keene has offered to come do a Q and A with us towards the end of the month!

These can be questions or comments about the book we are currently reading, (or have read, if you're already done), Darkness on the Edge of Town, any other books of his, or questions about horror in general.

How exciting is that?

Please post your questions or comments below and Brian will do his best to answer them as time becomes available. Please help us to provide a welcoming space to Brian because we are so excited to have him here with us!

This is so exciting! Mr. Keene, you’re one of my favorite horror authors and I’ve been making my way through as many books as I can get my hands on!

I read “Darkness on the Edge of Town” a little while back and I love the very dark but creative ideas in most of your books.

My question has always been, how do you keep all the details and storylines “connected yet separate” with the lore you’ve built over the years? Do you ever worry about accidentally forgetting a loose end?

I appreciate the time and answers!

That's awesome! It's the next book I'm reading probably starting at the end of this week, very much looking forward to it :-)

I would like to know which author he finds the most inspiring these days and why. =)

Oooo, this is so exciting! I recently discovered my love for Mr. Keene's from the Conqueror Worms. I'm loving Darkness aat the Edge of Town (it's the one I voted for.)

So - for a new reader, what are your favorite of your books? Where do you recommend that I start?

Also - where did you come up with these amazing, spooky, fun ideas!!

Question: When you write Brian, what are the conditions like? Do you prefer silence, music, being outdoors, or what as you go through the ebb and flow of writing?

Welcome, Brian Keene. :)
I'd like to know which of your stories would you most like to see made into a movie?

Hey Brian, thank you for taking time to join us! And thank you for all you do for Scares That Care. I'm really hoping to make the April show.

Absolutely love earthworm gods! Do you plan on continuing any stories from that world?

Enjoy your wok. Looking forward to a Q&A.

welcome, mr. keene! i've only recently gotten into your work, but i really enjoyed darkness on the edge of town. i can't wait to check out more of your books.

could you hit us with a few of your essential horror reads?

thanks for taking the time to chat with us! :)

Wow this is such a cool opportunity! No questions from me, just a big thank you for taking the time and to those responsible for organising! :)

I woul like to thak you, Mr Keene, for your RISING books. They just blew me away.

Wow. I have enjoyed your work for a long time now and have read most of what is published. Loved everything from the fun stuff (Clicker,etc) to the more serious books. You have quite a range and a distinctive voice. Looking forward to the discussion.

Wow, I am 47 years old and feel like a kid in a candy store, or a 47 year old in a candy store, the statement still holds true. What a wonderful opportunity to talk to an author that I found by accident and love on purpose. I have read many books from most recent "Gathering of Crows", to the first "Ghoul". My question stems across almost all the books, but revolves around the book that roped me in first - Ghoul.

With most authors in the horror scene, gross and more gore can be king. But with your books, and especially true for Ghoul how do you master the horror as almost an afterthought to the struggles surrounding the daily lives of your main characters?

The characters are written so fantastic with their day to day struggles, that adding a monster under the ground (Ghoul) just becomes another struggle and catapults your books ahead of most modern day horror writers.

Big Fan

I'm sad for Brian today because I know his cohost, Dave, from The Horror Show podcast is in very poor health and they have have stopped his chemo treatments. On Twitter, I believe that I saw Brian was going to do one last podcast with Dave, and I assume that was a very emotional event.

I listened to the podcast for the last 3 years it was on and I enjoyed Dave's contributions, especially his hatred of grocery stores and people in general. I related to what he had to say.

If Brian ends up not making it here, I would understand.

Oh no! That's so unfortunate to hear and would also completely understand. I hope he's okay and send him good thoughts and positive vibes for them both.

I saw that as well, and as a long time fan, I also would understand. I was saddened of the news of Dave and all thoughts and prayers to him, his family and loved ones during this time. I know this is hard for Brian as well. I hope he is able to do a Q&A as I always love them with him … as well as his scathing comments to trolls on Twitter. Thanks for setting this up! 😊

Char wrote: "I'm sad for Brian today because I know his cohost, Dave, from The Horror Show podcast is in very poor health and they have have stopped his chemo treatments. On Twitter, I believe that I saw Brian ..."

Hey, Charlene. This is really sad news. I gathered things were piling up as Brian has been tough to get hold of lately, but this is a real shame.
Despite the Mr. Grumpy radio persona, on the few occasions I have interacted with Dave I have always found him to be a top bloke.
I loved The Horror Show, and I'm also a huge fan of (the soon to be gone) Defenders Dialogue. I don't do Twitter, but just like to say that my thoughts and best wishes go out to Meteor Notes. Stay strong, Dave.

Janet wrote: "I saw that as well, and as a long time fan, I also would understand. I was saddened of the news of Dave and all thoughts and prayers to him, his family and loved ones during this time. I know this ..."

I love those scathing comments too. When people start shit with him, I feel like saying "Don't you know who you're talking to?" because it always ends badly for them.

As another big fan of The Horror Show I would just like to add my love and best wishes to Dave and all of those around him. I always enjoyed Dave's input on the show, and I send my heartfelt prayers his way.

Olivia wrote: "This is so exciting! Mr. Keene, you’re one of my favorite horror authors and I’ve been making my way through as many books as I can get my hands on!

I read “Darkness on the Edge of Town” a little ..."

Great question. At first, with only a handful of books and short stories in print, it was easy. but it has gotten harder with now 70-ish books in print. The vast majority of the credit goes to my team of pre-readers. They know the continuity of my stuff better than I do, sometimes. Also, I've got 3 copies of everything I've written within reach in my office, so i can always pull a book down off the shelf real quick and double check things.

It's great to see you, Brian! I hope you're feeling better. :)

Ina wrote: "I would like to know which author he finds the most inspiring these days and why. =)"

Most inspiring *these* days?

I'd' say it's three-fold. The authors who inspired me when I was younger -- folks like Joe R. lansdale, David J. Schow, Stephen King, F. Paul Wilson, JM DeMatteis, etc -- still inspire me, because I love how they're still working, and still hustling. They still feel the writing bug after all these years, and are still passionate about it.

Secondly, friends from my "generation" -- people I've been in the trenches with the last 20+ years, all of whom have busted their butts just as much as I have. Writers like Paul Tremblay, Richard Chizmar, Stephen Graham Jones, Mary SanGiovanni, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, etc.

And thirdly, this new generation of writers. Of all three groups, they probably inspire me the most these days. But I'm not going to name names because the list would be too long and I know I'd forget someone.

Frances wrote: "So - for a new reader, what are your favorite of your books? Where do you recommend that I start?

Also - where did you come up with these amazing, spooky, fun ideas!!"

My Favorites of Mine: THE COMPLEX, GHOUL, END OF THE ROAD, THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER and DARK HOLLOW.

As for the ideas, I've just always been imaginative. Most of my life has been spent lost in my own head, thinking some variation of "Wouldn't it be cool if...?"

LTJ wrote: "Question: When you write Brian, what are the conditions like? Do you prefer silence, music, being outdoors, or what as you go through the ebb and flow of writing?"

Depends on what I'm doing. Today, I'm answering these questions and then doing edits on a novel called CURSE OF THE BASTARDS. So while I'm doing that, I've got The Many Saints of Newark on in the background.

As far as actual writing, it depends on the tone, my own mood, etc. Sometimes I write with music on. Sometimes I write in silence.

WendyB wrote: "Welcome, Brian Keene. :)
I'd like to know which of your stories would you most like to see made into a movie?"

Any of them! Lol.

I've been lucky enough to have had GHOUL, "The Ties That Bind", "Fast Zombies Suck", and "The Siqqusim Who Stole Christmas" all turned into films.

And TERMINAL, DARK HOLLOW, KILL WHITEY, THE CAGE, SCRATCH, and "Pages From A Notebook Found In An Abandoned House In The Woods" are all currently under option. Hopefully one of them gets made soon!

Marc wrote: "Absolutely love earthworm gods! Do you plan on continuing any stories from that world?"

Well, in addition to the three-book trilogy (EARTHWORM GODS, EARTHWORM GODS II: DELUGE, and EARTHWORM GODS: SELECTED SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD) several characters (including Teddy and Sarah) revisit that scenario in SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2 (which is currently available for five bucks on my Patreon, and will be out in book form next year). I don't know if there are any plans beyond that, but never say never. ;)

Rachel wrote: "welcome, mr. keene! i've only recently gotten into your work, but i really enjoyed darkness on the edge of town. i can't wait to check out more of your books.

could you hit us with a few of your e..."

I've got six years worth of a podcast that delves into the genre's essential reads, so I don't think I can re-type it all here. Lol.

But my absolute favorite all time Top 5 horror novels are:

1. THE STAND by Stephen King
2. THE DRIVE-IN by Joe R. Lansdale
3. SALEM'S LOT by Stephen King
4. THE KEEP by F. Paul Wilson
5. OFF SEASON by Jack Ketchum

So any of those are essential, in my opinion.

Giovanni wrote: "I woul like to thak you, Mr Keene, for your RISING books. They just blew me away."

Thanks! there's one more coming. It's called THE FALL. No idea when I'll finish it, though. And of course, Frankie just got a rematch with Ob in THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1.

Chris wrote: "Wow, I am 47 years old and feel like a kid in a candy store, or a 47 year old in a candy store, the statement still holds true. What a wonderful opportunity to talk to an author that I found by acc..."

Great question. My personal opinion is this -- readers come to different genres expecting different things. For the horror genre, a reader hopes to be made to feel scared or at the very least uncomfortable. And the best method for doing that is to create characters that they will empathize with. They don't necessarily need to 'like' the character (Breaking Bad's Walt or The Sopranos Tony are great examples of horrible human beings whom the audience still empathises with). But they do need to care about the character in order to feel those scares.

So...I always, always start with characterization.

I've written quiet horror. Extreme horror. Mainstream horror. Cosmic horror. Splatterpunk. I read it all and i've written it all. The book and the plot often dictate which direction I go. For GHOUL, it was a mainstream book so I walked down the middle of the road. For something like THE COMPLEX or THE RISING, the subject matter dictated I go heavy on the violence and gore. Conversely, something like ALONE or THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER would have never worked with those type of elements.

Char wrote: "I'm sad for Brian today because I know his cohost, Dave, from The Horror Show podcast is in very poor health and they have have stopped his chemo treatments. On Twitter, I believe that I saw Brian ..."

Thanks, for this, and my apologies to all of you for the delay. September was a hell of a month, for sure.

Janet wrote: "I saw that as well, and as a long time fan, I also would understand. I was saddened of the news of Dave and all thoughts and prayers to him, his family and loved ones during this time. I know this ..."

Exactly. Dave's podcast persona is exaggerated. In person, he's one of the sweetest, most affable people you'll ever meet.

What a treat to have you here Brian! You've been a staple on my shelves since forever, love your imagination.

Thanks!