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Giant Robots!

December 20, 2015 at 6:09 pm
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Those kaiju better watch out before they come bothering our world. It appears that both the United States and Japan are ready with the first generation of jaegers.

The US has issued a challenge.

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The Japanese have accepted.

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I think it would be cool if they staged this at halftime at the next SuperBowl. They did have two giant robots fighting at the first SuperBowl, after all, so bringing them back for the fiftieth would be only appropriate. (And they did have a giant golden robot tiger last year).

Cmon, NFL, get on it.

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs

November 7, 2014 at 12:08 pm
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So, who likes dinosaurs?

What, all of you?  Well, of course.  I mean, who doesn't like dinosaurs!

I fell in love with them as a kid, on my first visit to the Museum of Natural History in New York City.  I had a great collection of toy dinosaurs back then (long since lost, alas — unlike my spacemen, who I hung onto).  I used to make them fight my toy knights.   I never thought to write up those adventures, however (I did write up stories about the space pirates, however — also lost, alack alas).

My friend Vic Milan was smarter.  His new novel, THE DINOSAUR LORDS, will be out next June.  First of a trilogy.  It's got dinosaurs, and it's got knights.  What more can you ask?  (And why the hell didn't I think of it first??)  For those of you who don't know him, Victor Milan has been one of my Wild Cards mainstays since the very beginning, back in 1987, the creator of Cap'n Trips, the Harlem Hammer, Mackie Messer. and more.   THE DINOSAUR LORDS is his best book yet… and damn, but Tor gave him a KICKASS cover:

DINOLORDS Cover

Be sure and check out DINOSAUR LORDS when it hits the shelves in June… or better yet, pre-order.

And speaking of dinosaurs, a couple of other friends also have a cool dinosaur Kickstarter going.  Tess Kissinger and Bob Walters , old friends from Philadelphia, have a great dinosaur book out as well.

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Bob Walters has been one of the world's leading dinosaur artists for decades, and the book is full of his gorgeous art.

(No knights, though).

And he and Tess have a new dream as well:  THE DINOSAUR CHANNEL.

But I will let them tell you all about it themselves, on their Kickstarter page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/210659515/dinosaurchanneltv

Cool cause, and some cool incentives as well.  Check it out.

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Wheels

October 4, 2014 at 8:27 pm
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Had a great time last weekend at the Santa Fe Concorso, the biggest auto show in the southwest. I love old cars (our family never had enough money to own a car when I was a kid, so I walked and rode the bus and assembled plastic models of cars when other kids were building fighter planes), and there were some amazing ones on display.

The best of show can be seen on the Concorso's website, here:

http://santafeconcorso.com/about.html

Beautiful cars, no doubt, though there were so many on display that I would have been hard pressed to pick if I had been a judge.

I did take pictures of some of my own personal favorites.

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Those were all cool — especially that 300SL Gullwing, a car I loved when it was only a plastic model on my desk in 1962. Got to love that Tucker too. I mean, hell, a Tucker.

The BEST part of the weekend, though, was the Concorso invited me to exhibit my own new wheels, a custom-painted Tesla Model S.

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I am pleased to say that my Tesla was the hit of the electric car division (not that the Volt and the Leaf that flanked me provided much competition), and always seemed to have a curious crowd around it.

FWIW, I bought the Tesla a couple of months ago, but with my recent trips to France, Switzerland, San Diego, Scotland, England, and LA, I have hardly had time to drive her. Something I am looking forward to doing over the next few months. But, yes, she's gorgeous, she's comfortable, and she goes like a bat out of hell.

(And yes, I still have my old Mazda RX-7 too. What can I say? I hang on to things. And it won't be long until that RX-7 is old enough to count as an antique too).

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Last Day for Pearl Auction

November 30, 2013 at 10:33 pm
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The auctions for Janis Ian's Pearl Foundation fund-raising drive, including those for the items I donated, have entered their final day.

There's some great stuff here, including items by Neil Gaiman, Pat Conroy, Harlan Ellison, Jane Yolen, Ray Bradbury, Orson Scott Card, and many others, and the Pearl Foundation is a terrific cause… so here's a great chance to add some wonderful books to your collection and do good at the same time.

My own donations are a script from GAME OF THRONES, signed by the entire Stark family:

          http://www.ebay.com/itm/George-R-R-Martin-orig-pilot-script-GAME-THRONES-signed-all-Starks-/200988947831?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ecbdff577

Also, a presentation copy in slipcase of the Subterreanean Press limited edition of A DANCE WITH DRAGON, illustrated by Marc Fishman and signed by both of us:

       http://www.ebay.com/itm/George-R-R-Martin-signed-personal-presentation-copy-DANCE-DRAGONS-/200988953490?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item2ecbe00b92

And finally, a set of hardcovers for A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, all five volumes published to date, to be autographed and personalized on request:

      http://www.ebay.com/itm/George-R-R-Martin-signed-hardcovers-all-five-SONG-ICE-AND-FIRE-novels-/200988772976?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item2ecbdd4a70

So go ye forth and bid!  Bid often!  Bid high!! Come out, come out, you snipers, do your worst, and raise some pearls for Pearl.

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Golden Dragons From the Shire

September 30, 2013 at 9:19 am
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At worldcon this year, Tom Maringer and his bawdy band of coinsmiths debuted three new coins, the first "golden" dragons from Shire Post Mint.

They even did a video about it:

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These dragon coins bear the likenesses of Jaehaerys I Targaryen (the Old King), the pretender Daemon I Blackfyre, and Joffrey I Baratheon.

(No, silly, they're not made of real gold.  If they were, they would be considerably more expensive.  They look good, though; bright and shiny with a nice heft to them.  And if there is enough demand, Shire Post Mint might even do a short run in real gold for collectors willing to pay the price.)

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Skins for Capclave

September 20, 2013 at 1:20 am
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October is going to be an absolutely insane month for me.  I have so many things coming out, even I can't keep track of them all.

But I've just gotten the green light to announce one of the coolest.

Those of you who check out my Appearances list regularly know that I'll flying to Washington DC in a few weeks, to be Guest of Honor at Capclave.  Well, as it happens, WSFA Press likes to release a "Capclave book" every year, to honor the con's GOH.

This year, that book will be a new collector's edition of my novella "The Skin Trade" (a World Fantasy Award winner, donchaknow), illustrated by the amazing award-winning artist RICK BERRY.  You can check out the details here:

http://www.wsfapressbooks.org/?wpsc-product=the-skin-trade

CapClave attendees will get first crack at this book, after which unsold copies will be offered to the general public.  This illustrated SKIN TRADE will be limited to 1000 copies — 500 signed by me and Rick, and 500 unsigned.  (Must remember to bring my pen to Washington).

So add THE SKIN TRADE to the list of stuff I have coming out next month, along with OLD MARS, MEATHOUSE MAN, THE DANCE WITH DRAGONS paperbacks, and THE WIT AND WISDOM OF TYRION LANNISTER.

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Somewhat Surreal Department

September 8, 2013 at 1:12 am
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Given the popularity of HBO's GAME OF THRONES, it is only to be expected that various costume companies would be offering GOT-themed costumes for Halloween this year.  So, unsurprisingly, you can go trick-or-treating as Arya, Daenerys, Melisandre, Jon Snow, and sundry other characters from the show.

Rather more unusual, however, is the outfit selling grisly Red Wedding costimes, complete with buckets o' blood:

http://www.halloweencostumes.com/blog/p-420-diy-game-of-thrones-red-wedding-costumes-spoiler-alert-.aspx

Even those outfits are not the most surreal offering for All Hallow's, however.  Stranger still, you can also attend your favorite Halloween party as…

… me.

http://carboncostume.com/george-r-r-martin/

I am not entirely sure how I feel about being a Halloween costume.  It does suggest a plan, however.  Perhaps I should buy several of these outfits, and send forth my minions, appropriated costumed, to all my public appearances and booksignings for the next couple of years, while I stay home and write.

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Free Books! Free Books!!

October 19, 2012 at 5:49 pm
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Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is having another of their giveaways, and this time the prize is stack of the new trade paperbacks editions of some of my old books.

(Yes, I did write stuff before A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE).

You can find all about it from Pat at:

http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.ca/2012/10/mega-george-r-r-martin-giveaway.html

Go ye and enter, and good luck.

And if you don’t win… hey, you can still BUY the books, y’know.

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A Dragon for Knoxville

March 20, 2012 at 10:21 am
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Knoxvillians, you have a dragon in town.

http://www.wate.com/story/17194321/knoxville-zoo-gets-its-first-komodo-dragon

Really cool, I think.

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