Brian Keene

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Brian Keene

Brian Keene
Born 1967 (age 40)
Pennsylvania
Occupation Novelist, Public speaker
Nationality American
Writing period 2003- present
Genres Horror
Notable work(s) The Rising, The Conqueror Worms
Influences
Official website

Brian Keene is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winning horror author, first in 2001 for his non-fiction work Jobs In Hell and then again in 2003 for his debut novel, the post-apocalyptic zombie tale The Rising. In 2004, he won the Shocker Award for his non-fiction work Sympathy For the Devil. His other novels include Dead Sea, Ghoul, City of the Dead, Terminal, The Conqueror Worms, Fear Of Gravity, and more. Several of his books and stories have been optioned for film, video game and comic book adaptations.

Keene has often been credited (by the New York Times, Fangoria, the History Channel, and others) with ushering in the new era of zombie popularity in pop culture (along with filmmaker Danny Boyle).


Contents

[edit] Biography

(Much of this biographical information is taken from Keene's Sympathy for the Devil and Running With The Devil, as well as various interviews).

Brian Keene was born in 1967. He grew up in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and many of his books take place in these locales. After graduating high school, he served as a radioman in the U.S. Navy onboard an LPD. After his obligated enlistment ended, Keene worked a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer. Among them were stints as a foundry worker, truck driver, data entry clerk, dockworker, telemarketer, customer service representative, repo man, bouncer, disc jockey, salesman, store manager, daycare instructor, custodian, and more. In interviews, he credits this diverse background as the key to the three-dimensional characters that populate his books.

Keene has won two Bram Stoker Awards. One in 2001 for non-fiction Jobs In Hell and one in 2003 for first novel The Rising. He is also the recipient of the 2004 Shocker Award for non-fiction Sympathy for the Devil as well as many small and regional awards. He has been featured in the New York Times, The Village Voice, Publisher's Weekly, Rue Morgue magazine, Fangoria magazine, and participated in a documentary for the History Channel. David Letterman once based a skit on a party at Keene's home.

In addition to being a prolific writer, Keene is also a popular public speaker, and has been invited to speak at a number of libraries, high schools, bookstores, and conventions. He was also invited to speak at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in 2006.

In 2004, The Rising was optioned for film and videogame adaptations. In 2005, City of the Dead was optioned for the same. In 2006, Terminal was optioned for film. Also in 2006, three stories from Keene's Fear of Gravity were adapted in the graphic novel Brian Keene's FEAR. The stories were "Castaways", "Red Wood", and the award-winning "The King, in: Yellow".

Keene spearheaded a successful Books For Troops program, in which various horror authors supplied free, signed books to American troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world. Keene was honored for this in 2005 by the 509th Logistics Fuels Flight Squadron based at Whiteman A.F.B. in Missouri.

Keene currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Cassandra and his son.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Novels & short story collections

[edit] Audio books

  • 2002 Talking Smack CD (Medium Rare Books) (Out of Print)

[edit] Anthologies edited

  • 2001 Best Of Horrorfind Trade Paperback (Horrorfind.com L.L.C.)(Out of Print)
  • 2006 In Delirium Leather-Bound Hardcover Delirium Books).


[edit] External links

[edit] References

The Horror Review Horror Bob's Review of The Rising

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