Well, there went my Christmas money...

Mail Call! Closing the gap on my REH pastiches with a pair of Witches.

Got this for Christmas. I'll have to get back to writing that Western now.

Tucked away in one of my Carcosa books that belonged to Karl Edward Wagner's father, Red Wagner.

Gorgeous Swanderson original.

A thoughtful and Gothic gift I received today was this matched set of JANE EYRE and WUTHERING HEIGHTS, from 1945, with engraved illustrations by Fritz Eichenberg. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

"Mr. Gruber? Would you care to step outside?"

And once, I shared a publisher with Fritz Leiber, Same cover artist too, Alex McVey.

It is the birthday of Fritz Leiber, (pronounced Lie-ber) the man who coined the term sword & sorcery and who wrote some of the best work in the genre. I actually read Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser in prose before I read Conan.He was also a fantastic author of horror and fantasy.Just a wonderful writer.

Stuff I'm reading. I think CONAN THE SWORDSMAN has some of the best writing by the de Camp/Carter team. I can always tell when Sprague comes in because of his vast knowledge of history. He knows what things are and how they work from ancient civilizations.

The second issue of ALIEN/CAPTAIN AMERICA was my favorite comic this week. This issue makes it clear this is an alternate reality, and the lore of comics and movies isn't in effect, which probably works best for both. 1/2

Attack of the Clonans! I've misplaced one of my Kothar books, but I did find a stray Brak and a standalone by Quinn Reade, who is actually Ben Haas, aka my favorite Western writer John Benteen. A lot of Jeff Jones covers and a guest shot by Harryhausen's Ymir.

HOLIDAY CLEARANCE 2025 (NOW 'TIL NEW YEARS DAY) 50% Off all premade covers in my gallery!

This week's episode of Keeneversations is now live. Available on Spotify, Apple, and Patreon www.patreon.com/posts/fail-l...

Worst Elf on the Shelf, ever.

I like the cut of this one's jib. @spookhouse.bsky.social www.kickstarter.com/projects/dee...

I am Sam. Samarcand. Reading some selections form this book tonight. A bunch of Robert E. Howard's historical adventure fiction and some nifty extras including fragments, unfinished tales, drafts, synopses, etc. Enjoyable and instructive.

Looked over at some books on top of a shelf and thought, "Gee I read some varied stuff."

This week's comics with @jimzub.bsky.social , @markwaid.bsky.social and Fernando Dagnino.

It's the Birthday of Michael Moorcock, legendary author and cool guy. Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today only! Grab my story “Lenora” and so many others for only 4.99.

Shelving my Bernie Wrightson FRANKENSTEIN book between @realgdt.bsky.social and friends Kelley Jones and Steve Niles, who finished Bernie's last Frankenstein work.

Next day's function is a high class luncheon.

Saddened to hear of the passing of Bob Burns, the Monster Kid of Monster Kids. I never met Bob, but I've been aware of him my whole life. Historian, collector, and preserver of props from fantastic movies, lifelong fan. Thank you, Bob, for all your years of dedication to the macabre and fantastic.

Hello ladies....

I haven't mentioned today is Jane Austen's birthday, but I've been reading a non-fiction book about her this evening. She remains a favorite of mine, and I always enjoy revisiting her books and the various movies made from them. Happy Birthday, Jane. Thanks for the years of reading enjoyment.

@briankeene.bsky.social is sharing pictures from Necon on his Patreon this week. Here's a pic from my first Necon, with Brian, @marysangiovanni.bsky.social @jeffstrand.bsky.social @cgolden.bsky.social James A. Moore and many other friends, at The Lobster Pot in Bristol RI.

Figured you'd get a kick out of this callback, @briankeene.bsky.social

Amazingly, a Jack Kirby Conan sketch I'd never seen.

I used to have stacks of these DC Comics digests, but I think this is all I have now. Fun little packages of great comics.

While I'm known now for my Gothic fiction & non-fiction, I began my professional career as a classically-trained actress, mostly in 19th C. period pieces. I deeply, dearly miss the stage, so when @swsworlds.bsky.social offered a Ghost Séance, I simply HAD to channel foremother Charlotte Brontë.

One of those whimsical little incidents which will happen when you collect old books, I pulled this paperback off the shelf and a little photo of Louis B. Mayer fell out of it. What was it doing there? No way of knowing. Came with the book when I bought it.

Something you may not know about me is I read a lot of history. Like a LOT. This doesn't include my main areas of interest, Victorian and Regency England, Vikings, etc.

Signed first edition Darkness Weaves. This is signed to Karl's nephew.

Some random S&S books.

Last night's reading included selections from these books. A fun coincidence when I bought the set of Weird Tales paperbacks, was I found out the seller was a favorite fantasy writer, James Stoddard, author of The High House.

Good morning. This week's newsletter is live. open.substack.com/pub/briankee...

50 Years! @briankeene.bsky.social 50yearoldcomics.com/2025/12/13/d...

Extremely Gothic Stephen Fabian Ravenloft art.

How about eerie vibes in a Gothic, Gaslamp Fantasy second-chance Romance (Romantasy before that was a word), check out A CHRISTMAS CARROLL: A STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL Novella. Series favorites Vicar Carroll & Headmistress Thompson are put through Dickensian paces: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-christma...

Today's movie was DESK SET from 1957, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. An absolute delight. I can see why both actors were stars, and they have such charming chemistry together. Really enjoyed it. Not exactly a Christmas movie, but it has some memorable scenes set at the holiday.

"Not More Lovely Than Full of Glee" first appeared in the @crutledge.bsky.social-edited A WINTERS TALE: HORROR STORIES FOR THE YULETIDE anthology! I love this anthology and the follow-up, LONELY HOLLOWS: 15 TALES OF FOLK HORROR, which is also a great end-of-year read. www.amazon.com/Winters-Tale...

It is the Birthday of Karl Edward Wagner. It was my discovery of Wagner's Kane which led me to his horror fiction, which led me to Manly Wade Wellman, which put me on the path I'm currently on. Karl's essays led me to read the Gothic novels, to discover Hugh B. cave and Joseph Payne Brennan, 1/2

A lesson I have learned from reading British Ghost Stories,is if a relative who didn't like you leaves you a house, just don't ever go there.Hire a real estate company and have them sell it. It's either haunted, cursed, or your dead relative still lives there as some sort of horrible zombie Revenant

Me too, sir.

This is my only piece of John Buscema artwork. A Conan layout on paper Big John would later lightbox to a sheet of Bristol board for an inker to finish.

It is the Birthday of Big John Buscema, my favorite Conan artist, and the man who set the house style at Marvel for decades. A huge influence on my own art and one of the top comic book artists of all time.

Kicked off my Holiday viewing last night with 'Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank' from 1957. It's wild. There's a very 'Twilight Zone" sequence where the boys travel back in time to Victorian England and go Wassailing with a bunch of folks. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

I've recently discovered the Horror work of writer Frederick Cowles. Basically, if M. R. James had written for the pulps, he'd have been Cowles. He was an admirer of MRJ and while his stories are often structured in a similar fashion, Cowles is much more about visceral horror.