Not A Blog

Here in Helsinki

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:52:49 GMT

So we're here in Helsinki, me from Santa Fe and Phipps by way of Ireland. Grey skies and rain, but the people are warm and friendly. Yesterday we visited Sveaborg, the great island fortress that I've written two stories about. "Gibraltar of the North," it was dubbed by John Quincy Adams. I can only conclude that JQA had never actually seen the Gibraltar of the south, since the resemblence between the two is nonexistent. Sveaborg is pretty cool in its own right, however, and I'm glad to have seen it.

The con proper starts tomorrow. Some come to Finncon if you can. It's free!

Finncon Approaches

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:57:39 GMT

I am closing down book sales for a while, since I leave for Finland on July 5. Reopen in late July or August. If there's a signed book you want, please wait till then.

Big Sale at Subterranean

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:15:29 GMT

If you've been wanting to order a copy of our forthcoming Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH, but haven't gotten around to it just yet, here's your chance to save some bucks. Subterranean Press is offering 50% off (!!!) on SONGS and many of their other forthcoming titles for those who place their orders between now and July 3.

For details, and a list of the books on sale, check out the SubPress website at:

http://subterraneanpress.com/index.php/2009/06/29/50-off-sale-on-subpress-forthcoming-titles/#more-1611

This is a chance to pick up some great books at bargain prices, so I thought I would pass it along. Act now, or pay full price later.

Stick Them With the Pointy End

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:38:17 GMT

Just got word from the good folks at Valyrian Steel. They are now taking preorders for their full-size replica of Needle. (Arya not included).

To place an order or get more details, visit their website at http://www.valyriansteel.com/shop/swords/needle-sword-of-arya-stark/prod_3.html

And if you want be the first kid on your block to collect the complete armory, copies of Jon Snow's Longclaw are still available as well.

Don't be fooled by the pictures, the two swords are nowhere near the same size.

Guarded Optimism

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:08:42 GMT

I almost hate to say anything here, for fear of jinxing it... but for what it's worth, the last six weeks or so have been the most productive period I've had on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS in... well... a year at least, maybe several. In the last three days I've completed three new chapters. Not from scratch, mind you, these were all chapters that had been partially written, and in some cases rewritten, for months if not years. But they're finally done, and I've just reread them, and I'm almost convinced that they're Not Crap.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Anyway, I know I don't talk about DANCE frequently here, and that's not going to change. Sorry, but I'm never going to be one of these writers who blogs daily about how many words they produced today. I don't like to talk about the good days for fear of jinxing myself (all writers are superstitious at heart, just like baseball players), and I don't like to talk about the bad days... well, just because. Writing is like sausage making in my view; you'll all be happier in the end if you just eat the final product without knowing what's gone into it.

But I am making a small exception now because... well, I'm feeling rather jazzed right now, and for the first time in a very long while, I think I can see a glimmering that might just be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Now if I can only slash through the Meereenese knot that I've been worrying at since 2005, I may actually start to get excited.

A Star from LIBRARY JOURNAL

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:35:38 GMT

A very nice starred review from LIBRARY JOURNAL for our Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH. Check it out:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6664389.html?industryid=47120

Copies of the illustrated trade hardcover of the book are still available from Subterranean Press via their website.

SUICIDE KINGS Sample

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:22:15 GMT

For all you Wild Cards fans out there, I've changed the WC sample on my website, replacing the BUSTED FLUSH scene with a cool one from SUICIDE KINGS, written by Ian Tregillis (look for his his novel next year from Tor!) and featuring Rustbelt.

You can check it out at http://www.georgerrmartin.com/wc-s.html

SUICIDE KINGS will be published at the end of the year. This is the concluding volume of the Committee triad. Besides Ian T, the writers are Caroline Spector, Melinda M. Snodgrass, S.L. Farrell, Daniel Abraham, and Victor W. Milan. Featured viewpoint characters will be Rustbelt, the Amazing Bubbles, Double Helix, Gardener, Bugsy, and the Radical, but the rest of the gang will be on hand as well.

New Figures From Dark Sword

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:14:44 GMT

Dark Sword has just released their long-awaited Tyrion Lannister miniature, previewed below. The figure is available in both 28mm and 54mm scales, unpainted. The new Theon Greyjoy figure and a couple of cool hedge knights sclupted by Jeff Grace have also been added to the 29mm range, along with lots of new additions from Dark Sword's other lines.

To order, visit Dark Sword's online store at http://darkswordminiatures.com/store.html

They take PayPal now as well.

Vance Tribute Available on Amazon UK

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:15:30 GMT

I should mention that the Subterranean Press editions of our Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH, are not the only versions. Luitingh will be offering a Dutch translation of the book in the Netherlands, Tor will be doing a trade hardback and trade paperback in 2010 and a mass market paperback the following year... and Harper Collins Voyager will be publishing the title in the UK, for all Jack's British and Australian fans.

The British version of SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH is now available for preorder from Amazon UK at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Dying-Earth-George-Martin/dp/product-description/0007277482

The stories, of course, will be exactly the same in all editions. Only the Subterranean Press editions will include Tom Kidd's interior illustrations, however.

Whichever version you buy, Gardner Dozois and I hope you will enjoy the read.

Lucius Shepard Visits Dying Earth

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:35:02 GMT

SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH, the big Jack Vance tribute anthology I edited with Gardner Dozois, is at the printers now, but you can get a free sample of the treats awaiting you therein, courtesy of Bill Schafer and the other good folks at Subterranean Press.

"Sylgarmo's Proclamation," Lucius Shepard's original novellette of the Dying Earth, is now available at Subterranean Online at http://subterraneanpress.com/index.php/magazine/spring-2009/

So take a look... and if you like what you see, copies of the illustrated trade hardcover are still available from Subterranean. But don't wait too long. The lettered and numbered editions are already sold out, and Tor's hardcover won't be published until 2010.

Videogame Rights Optioned

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:39:25 GMT

For years now fans of my epic fantasy series A Song of Ice & Fire have been writing and emailing me to suggest... ask... beg for the books to be made into a videogame. I'm thrilled to be able to announce that, at long last, those requests are being answered. Cyanide Studios, an independent videogame developer based in Nanterre, France, has acquired an exclusive option to develop Ice & Fire as both an RTS (Real Time Strategy) and RPG videogame for next generation consoles and PC.

Cyanide will begin development immediately, with an eye toward rolling out the games for release in the summer of 2011. "We are all huge fans of 'A Song of Ice and Fire', so it is a true honour for our teams to be entrusted with creating the first video games inspired by this masterpiece" said Patrick Pligersdorffer, Managing Director of Cyanide. "The twists and turns of the plot will allow us to deliver an experience which can be enjoyed by both long-time fans as well as gamers new to the series. Its rich web of characters, set in a universe where nothing is just black and white, make it an ideal background for both an RTS and an RPG."

Cyanide first approached me about videogame rights five years ago. No agreement was reached at that time, but Patrick and his colleague Joe Ryan have maintained their interest in the series over the years, impressing me with their doggedness and determination. Since that first contact, Cyanide has opened a studio in Montreal and more than doubled its headcount, and now have the resources to produce both RTS and RPG games that will, we hope, satisfy all my fans and readers, and gamers unfamiliar with the books as well. I am pleased to be in business with the Cyanide, and look forward to working with them on the games.

Cyanide was founded in 2000, and has developed and produced games in numerous genres, including sports management, real time strategy, fantasy, and action RPGs. More information is available through the company website at www.cyanide-studio.com

OK, OK, Not Really

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:19:06 GMT

Yes, I know, it wasn't even April 1st, but I couldn't resist.

Glad you folks enjoyed it.

I'd like to give credit to whoever created the South Park versions of my cast, but I'm afraid I don't know who it was. The pictures arrived some time ago -- last year, maybe even the year before -- and I meant to put them up on my From My Readers page. But then I had one of my periodic compuer glitches wherein all my email was eaten. I recovered most of it, but not all, and the letter that came with the cartoons was one of those lost. The pictures themselves, having been downloaded, were untouched.

So if the reader who created the pictures is out there reading this, please step up and take a bow. They're wonderful. Thank you.

(And by the way, people continue to send me pictures of their dogs, cats, babies, and tattoos for my fan page, along with original artwork and all sorts of other things. And I do mean to post 'em there, really... but I'm about a hundred pictures behind. Eventually I should get it all up, but I can't swear as to when. I'm kinda busy).

From now on I'll be good, I will, I will.

A Change of Plans

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:14:40 GMT

Yes, HBO has been holding auditions for the pilot of A GAME OF THRONES. In London, in Ireland, even in LA. It's been tough finding the right actors for the roles, however, so we've decided to take a different approach. We're scrapping the whole live action thing, and we'll be doing the show as an animated cartoon. And who better to take charge of that than the guys who have done such a great job with SOUTH PARK lo these many seasons?

They've jumped right into it, and we've already got our characters:

HOUSE STARK

HOUSE LANNISTER

HOUSE BARATHEON

HOUSE GREYJOY

HOUSE TYRELL

Can you dig it?

All together now. "You killed Ned. You BASTARDS!"

My Fans Are Pretty Odd...

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:22:37 GMT

... but this is amusing.

Some More Cool Miniatures

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:24:39 GMT

Just because.

Here's another one from Jen Haley. This is the Night's Watch raven keeper figure from Dark Sword, but since I've already got several examples of him in NW black, I had her do this one as a Stark retainer. Not quite how I picture Maester Luwin, but maybe his predecessor.

And here is Jen's take on Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, one of Tom Meier's most spectacular sculpts.

Jen is not the only painter I use (I no longer seem to have the time or energy to paint myself, but even when I did, I was nowhere in the class of the "hired brushes" I employ).

Here's a piece by Matt Verzani, Dark Sword's official house painter. It's the archer figure from the Night's Watch, another great Tom Meier piece, but in this case we've painted him as Theon Greyjoy. (We have an actual Theon figure coming, sculpted by Jeff Grace, and greens can be seen on the Dark Sword website, but that one hasn't been released yet).

Next we have another Verzani, this one his paint of Rattleshirt, the Lord o' Bones. This time the sculpt is by Jeff Grace.

Another fine painter that I commission from time to time is Dave Gulczynski of WarPaint Miniatures. Here's his version of the lady of the court.

And finally this one, Dave's version of one of Jeff Grace's wildling figures, the spearwife with the sword.

There's lots more, but that should hold you for now. Enjoy.

Tyrion in Pewter

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:22:42 GMT

Here's something cool: the new miniature of Tyrion Lannister, soon to be rolling out from Dark Sword Miniatures.

The mini hasn't been released yet. This is a prototype, painted by the amazing Jen Haley in a color scheme to match her gorgeous versions of Jaime and Cersei, which can be seen below.

You can order your own Dark Sword miniatures at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

And Jen has her own website at http://www.paintrix-miniatures.com/ where you can see a lot more of astonishing brushwork. She takes commissions, too.

Comments welcome, but only about miniatures, painting, and Tyrion. Please stay on topic.

June???

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:13:31 GMT

It can't be June already. It really can't.

Where have the months gone?

I am so depressed.

Accept No Substitutes

Thu, 28 May 2009 21:14:40 GMT

Ty has just informed me that there's someone impersonating me on Twitter, using my name as their handle.

For the record, I'm not on Twitter and don't intend to be on Twitter. Live Journal and my website are as much as I can handle. So whatever this clown says or does, 'tain't me.

I am also not on My Space, Facebook, or any of the other usual internet watering holes.

Just here.

Buried Treasures

Wed, 27 May 2009 01:43:28 GMT

With my library tower complete at last, we've finally started moving things out of storage. We were actually able to give up one of our three lockers, and get down to two. Some of the stuff has been in storage so long that we'd forgotten that we owned it, so finding it again is like bumping into an old friend you haven't seen in years.

And some buried treasures are coming to light as well. To start with, we found another box of the deluxe limited edition hardcover of the GAME OF THRONES rpg from Guardians of Order. And since they were safe in storage, these copies are NOT horribly water-damaged.

I know that there more of you who wanted to get your hands on one of these, so I am pleased to offer autographed copies once again. Details can be found on my website at:

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/books-limited.html

So far we have only found one box, so it will be first come, first served for as long as copies last. I do think there are more out there in the two remaining storage lockers, but I don't know how long it will take us to uncover them. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next year.

Vance Book Goes to Press

Tue, 19 May 2009 17:54:24 GMT

Subterranean Press has just announced that they've sent our Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH, (which I co-edited with Gardner Dozois) to the printers:

http://subterraneanpress.com/index.php/2009/05/19/just-sent-to-the-printer-jack-vance-china-mieville-and-more/

This is the illustrated edition, with gorgeous interior artwork by Tom Kidd. The lettered and numbered states are sold out, but copies of the trade remain available at the SubPress website.

It's going to be a real Jack Vance extravaganza over at Subterranean, since they are also rolling to press with his autobiography, IT'S ME, JACK VANCE, and the collection WILD THYME, GREEN MAGIC.

feeling feisty

Mon, 18 May 2009 05:54:00 GMT

Much improved these last two days. I've even been writing well.

But damn, even a few days of being laid low puts me so far behind...

My life and career have developed a frightening momentum. I remember once, when I was out in Hollywood, someone described working on a weekly television series as being akin to madly laying rails as the locomotive roars full steam up the tracks just behind you. I'm not in Hollywood anymore, but life still feels like that some days. Lose a day here and a week there, and suddenly that damn train is rolling over you.

fighting the crud

Thu, 14 May 2009 18:40:51 GMT

Still fighting the crud here. Feeling a little better this morning, but still not a hundred per cent. I did manage to stagger across to my office. We'll see how long I last. If I take off too long, the mountain of stuff becomes overwhelming by the time I get back.

And now it appears I've passed on this cold/ flu / whatever to my assistant Ty, who has passed it on to his wife. A plague sweeping through New Mexico.

I hate feeling sick.

Hoping to be my old self by the weekend... there's so much bloody work to do...

still sick

Thu, 14 May 2009 07:08:08 GMT

spent most of the last two days in bed, coughing and sleeping

Back to Jokertown

Tue, 12 May 2009 22:52:23 GMT

WILD CARDS is headed back to its roots.

The early volumes in our long-running shared-world anthology series largely centered around Manhattan, especially the parts of the Bowery and Lower East Side that became known as Jokertown. More recent entries, however, have been wider in scope, often international. But I've signed the contracts for another brand new, all-original Wild Cards mosaic novel, and I'm pleased to announce that with FORT FREAK the series is coming home again.

Manhattan’s 5th precinct has seen it all. Its historic precinct house on Elizabeth Street is the oldest in the New York City, and the cops and detectives based there are charged with keeping the peace in Chinatown, Little Italy, the Bowery, and parts of the Lower East Side.

In our alternate universe, the jokers – deformed, twisted victims of the alien virus known as the wild card – began moving into tenements of the Bowery and Lower East Side in the late 40s and early 50s, driving out the “nats” (naturals) and transforming the area into a colorful, dangerous, and often surreal slum district that soon became known as Jokertown. The 5th precinct became the Jokertown precinct. It did not take long before the city’s police began calling the precinct house “Fort Freak.”

Fort Freak and its cops and detectives have figured in many of our older Wild Cards stories, albeit usually in the background. But with this new volume, we're finally going to tell the stories of the brave men and women who walk the mean streets and strange alleys of Jokertown, and the unique and dangerous challenges that face.

FORT FREAK is the title, and Tor will once again be our publisher. The lineup of contributors for this one includes Cherie Priest, Melinda M. Snodgrass, David Anthony Durham, Stephen Leigh, Paul Cornell, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Victor Milan, and John Jos. Miller. The featured characters will be a mix of old favorite and new creations.

This will be the twenty-first volume in the Wild Cards series, first launched in 1987.

Look for FORT FREAK in your favorite bookstore in late 2010 or early 2011. We've just started work on this one.

Star Trek Made Me Sick

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:38:09 GMT

Literally. I have a cough that won't stop, and a chest that's so congested it feels like it's made of concrete. And the phlegm...

And the only time I've left the house and computer for weeks was to see that wretched Trek film, so I am blaming Kirk, Spock, and J.J. Abrams.

If I die of swine flu, you know who to hold responsible,