I will have to check out "Spin", as I just finished re-reading ACOK and am in need of new fiction, and any book off your reccomend is worth the look-see.

Sorry to hear about you not winning, but the idea of loser ribbons is fantastic. I am once again in awe.

I'm sure you're tired of this question, but do you write each character's stories piece by piece (A Song of Ice and Fire), or do you write out each storyline and then weave them together? And do you have an overall plot already worked out and you sketch out the details as you write, or do you have very specific ideas for all of the characters already in your mind?

Thanks! I truly adore your books.

Good luck next year. :>

Egan

unlike, say, Philadelphia in 2001

That wasn't the one where John Norman won, was it?

*ducks*

I wish that I had known there was going to be a human chessmatch! I would have tried extra hard to make it out. :( We met last year when you were the guest of honor at Conestoga in Tulsa Oklahoma, I sold swords in the dealer's room, and My husband and I own a production company that does human chess matches at Ren fests. Now I am sad that you didn't get the Hugo AND that I missed a human chess match.

Glad you had a good time, you deserve some party time, with all the home improvement headaches and whatnot. Safe travels and good luck with the check points. BAH BAH BAH

Yeah, it was too bad you didn't win the Hugo (nor did Cheryl Morgan of Emerald City; we were rooting for her too). I saw you several times, but surrounded by the usual court, so I didn't stick my nose in to say hi. (the rabble of chicks with pirate hats perpetually changing heads - that was us)

And with all that fuss they've been making over security lately, they still let me get on the wrong plane in Denver. I landed in San Jose, not Santa Ana.

oops.

I blame having been awake for 24 hours, and San Jose sounds an awful lot like SNA at that point, but... wow.

Pity you didn't win the award - I'm sure you'll do for your next book, though :))

Btw, I'm your fan from Georgia (country, not a US state) - I bet you haven't met many people from here :)

You're gonna have to wait till the end of the series, i'm sure. something tells me you're almost sure to get your award then. Apprehension, kind of. Nothing is gonna beat your Song of Ice and Fire's coda novel.
Best wishes from Russia.

Sorry about the loss and I hope the flying was uneventful yet not boring.

I was sorry I couldn't be there. I always feel there in spirit, though, and I'm sure Yags did well reprezentin' for the Philly crew.

Hopefully next year!

You were missed Sunday night. I'll have to show you my tattoo at the signing in Dubuque. (God, that sounds like a come-on!)

It was my first Worldcon but its surely wont be my last. I had a great time, and here's hoping that Dance brings you the Hugo in Denver!

It'd be even nicer to see Beagle get a paycheck or two.

i've been wanting to read SPIN but haven't had a chance... Maybe i'll pick it up and give it a whirl. It sounds fantastic.

Good God, I had to look up who won that Hugo in 2001 (and my gut feeling was right) - I feel your pain! Bloody hell...

Glad you had fun with those crazy BwB bastards :P

Always good to see you, although it seems things get just a little bit more hectic every year and we have less time to just kick back. Hope to see you again soon. I'll have your drink in hand. :)

I regret to say I don't attend Cons, so I will most likely never meet you in person to ask these few questions. I just discovered this non-blog and thought I would ask them here instead. I have often wondered how it is that you make the chapters of your "A Song of Ice and Fire" books flow like scenes in a movie whilst jumping from character to character. It is perhaps my favorite style of chapter formatting I have read in the fantasy genre. I have often wondered how you make the broad stroke of the story and then decide to use certain characters to tell it. The deft technique of drawing many characters over many timelines and many miles (in the novel of course) into a nexus is what really blows me away every time I read the series (I reread it every time there is a new book...just to refresh my memory). In this post I noted that you work on/revise one character for a time and then move onto another. This confused me a bit because there is often a large gap in time between characters and their chapters. So I went over the first book and only read Eddard's chapters to see how you could possibly think out the chapters/timelines that far in advance. I cannot divine your method. Do you write a massive amount of material and then go back and remove bits? Do you actually write it out character/chapter by character/chapter and then fine tune the individual character entries later? Did you know what the endgame was going to be and who was going to be a major player or does it just come out organically and you work around a loose outline? Thanks for the brilliant novels and for your time.

As always, it was great seeing you, George. Had a blast, and the BWB represented at party time. (If not in the Hugo votes. Bad BWB!)

See you in Boston!

Lacking the abilities of a computer nerd, I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to spot a "contact" link on your website.....so I figured this would be as good a spot as any to ask what is probably a stupid question you are already sick and tired of answering, but.....here goes nothing.....where on earth (if indeed it is from earth) do you get your inspiration???? And because I know you are absolutely dying to find out why I am asking this inane question, I shall tell you. I'm a Brit ex-pat living in Denmark, I have been an avid SF&F reader since my parents presented me with the 7 books in the Narnia series at the (I think) precocious age of 6 3/4. Huge fan of yours, and tons of others: David Gemmell (ever read his stuff??) Stephen Donaldson, Terry Brooks, Robin Hobb to name but a few.....and why is she telling me this you may ask yourself, well, it's because, living in Denmark, a country supposedly steeped in ancient history and mystery....there is a positive dearth of anything remotely attuned to the fantasy world. I have to save money and buy all my reading materials from foreign countries when on holiday, usually takes up over half of my husband's luggage allowance. So back to the point in question, your inspiration...here's me living in a country with axe swinging viking skeletons waiting to be uncovered and written about.....and there's you, living in the US, but without the medieval period, the armour clad giants, the unsung dark age heroes etc etc etc (and I am in NO WAY belittling the great heritage that is in the US) but...well, I'm sure you get my procrastinating point.....and BTW you can add my name to the list of people waiting with baited breath for DANCE.....and then feel sorry for me, because I have to wait longer......

I picked up three fanzine Hugos for the PLOKTA cabal, which meant I had to do a speech in front of thousands, carry the damn thing around all evening explaining that it wasn't mine, but I had contributed a couple of articles to the fanzine, then arrange to get all three back to London - I'm carrying one, but the convention's shipping two, fortunately And then after all this, I don't even get to keep one, or a ribbon, or a pin.

So I'm losing three Hugos, after a lot of hard work :)

Did get a spare one of the Hugo Nominee Sake boxes though, so I'm not a complete loser...

1. What's your favorite spot in New Mexico?

2. Which of your books/short stories/etc is your favorite? (Aside from the one you're working on now, of course)

Apologies in advance if you've answered these elsewhere!

George, it was lovely to see you and Parris again as well as all my other Bros. Everyone did such a great job making this Con work out well. I look forward to seeing at least some of you on the Midwest tour. :)

In case some of you haven't seen Ran's wonderful site, I will throw out the link (lazy way since I am still so tired from the Con :p )

http://www.westeros.org/

and specifically,

http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/

Lots of good information there!

Sorry I missed this year's festivities. Rather than give condolences, I will wish you well with A Dance With Dragons:).

Sorry for the loss
Next time you'll surely win with
A Dance With Dragons

That sucked so I suppose I still owe you a haiku.:p