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Talking to Canadians

March 17, 2012 at 1:30 pm
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And for those of you for whom that long interview on Strombo’s show was not enough, here’s even more footage of me talking (and talking, and talking, an even reading a bit) on my recent visit to Toronto.

These are from my appearance at the TIFF Lightbox, where I was interviewed by the delightful Terry Hart. I yakked so much we had to break this down into three parts.

Part, the First
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Part, the Second
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The final third also contains a taste of what’s to come in the form of a short (very short) reading from THE WINDS OF WINTER. However, if you have not read up through A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, you may want to skip this. Spoilers lurk ahead.

Part, the Third
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Enjoy.

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Home Again

March 15, 2012 at 10:48 am
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Got back from my latest trip to Toronto yesterday afternoon.

(The avatar pic here is from my FIRST visit to Toronto, in 1973, for Torcon 2. My second worldcon, and first trip ever outside the United States. Yes, I was that young once. Yes, there was a time before the beard.)

A fun four days, albeit frantic. The signing at Indigo Books drew a huge crowd, with a line that snaked out the store and way, way, down the block. They told me afterwards that it was the biggest signing the store has ever hosted, breaking the record previously established by Bill Clinton. Hey, cool! That 1996 encounter with Clifford the Big Red Dog still rankles, but I outdrew the Big Dog Bill, so…

It really was great to meet so many of my Canadian readers, and I am sorry that our meetings were of necessity so very short. That would not be my choice, by any means, but when the line is so long you need to keep it moving. As it is, some people got there that morning before the shop opened, and were waiting all day… my hat’s off to them, and also to those brave fen who drove all the way in from Montreal just to get my illegible scrawl.

I hope everyone also managed to drop in on the GAME OF THRONES exhibit at TIFF Lightbox, and get your photo taken on the Iron Throne. The exhibition was a hoot and a half, with one piece that… well, let us say, it startled even me.

Besides the signing, and a couple of presentations at TIFF (one open to the general public, one for film and television students from the TIFF ‘master class’ program), HBO Canada and Random House Canada also set me up for lots and lots of interviews, so I’ve been popping up all over Canadian television and radio these past few days.

Here’s one, for those who missed it: my guest shot on Canada’s late night talk show TONIGHT, with George Stroumboulopolous.

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I will embed and/or link to some of the other interviews when and if they go up on the net. Meanwhile, it’s back to work for me. As usual when I travel, I have lots of catching up to do.

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Oh, Canada

March 10, 2012 at 11:23 am
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Off to Toronto tomorrow morning.

See you all at TIFF.

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Spain!!

March 10, 2012 at 10:06 am
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I love the fans in Spain.

FNAC had a midnight sale for the release of the first season DVD and Blue-Ray:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqv65US1_pM&feature=youtu.be

(Though I must admit, I am glad I was not at the front of that queue, signing books for all those people. Now I growing deeply afraid of what may await me this summer at Celsius 232).

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Now On Sale

March 7, 2012 at 11:26 am
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What else is there to say?

The DVD and Blu-Ray of the first season of GAME OF THRONES is now on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and hundreds of others retailers, both on-line and brick-and-mortar.

Go. Buy. Enjoy.

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April is Coming

March 3, 2012 at 10:52 pm
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The hits just keep on coming.

HBO has rolled out yet another season two trailer.

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Some of the clips in this one look to be from my own episode, “Blackwater.” First time I’ve seen them. Exciting stuff,

Of course, I’m prejudiced as hell.

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Hugo Nominations Due Soon

March 2, 2012 at 11:37 am
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Just a reminder…

Nominations for this year’s Hugo awards are due by MARCH 11.

To nominate, you must be a member of last year’s worldcon (Renovation), this year’s worldcon (Chicon 7), or next year’s worldcon (LoneStarCon). Not all three; membership is any one of those is sufficient for nominating.

The nominating ballot can be found at:

https://chicon.org/hugo/nominate.php

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Game of Thrones MMORPG

March 1, 2012 at 3:22 pm
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Yes, Virginia, it’s true… there is going to be a GAME OF THRONES MMORPG. And that’s in addition to the two previously announced videogames from Cyanide, the real-time strategy game GENESIS and the forthcoming Cyanide RPG.

The upcoming Game of Thrones MMORPG is currently being developed by BigPoint (http://www.bigpoint.com/) in collaboration with HBO. BigPoint is already one of the premier developers of online games, including Battlestar Galactica Online, and Lord of Ultima. Now, in partnership with HBO, and based on their award winning television series, BigPoint is working on a Massively Multiplayer Online version of Game of Thrones.

Venture Beat (http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/29/bigpoint-unveils-game-of-thrones-online-game-based-on-hbo-series-exclusive/) got an early look at the game, including a few screenshots and some discussion about the focus of game play, noting that both combat and politics will be vital to the players success.

To sign up for updates on the game, go to their official Game of Thrones website (http://gameofthronesmmo.com/).

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Five Days To GAME OF THRONES dvd and blu-ray

March 1, 2012 at 1:09 pm
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Your wait is almost over. Within the week you can own the first season of HBO’s GAME OF THRONES for yourself. DVDs and Blu-Rays of season one are now available for pre-order, and will be shipping on Tuesday, March 6. No wonder they’re calling it Super Tuesday!

Here’s a taste of the extras that you will be getting with the Blu-Rays and DVDs, a small portion of my own commentary from Episode 8, “The Pointy End.”

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You can purchase your own copy of the Blu Ray or DVD set of Season One, (including more commentary tracks from many of the people who worked on the show) from your favorite on-line retailer, or directly from the HBO Store.

Blu-ray:
http://store.hbo.com/game-of-thrones-season-1-blu-ray-with-free-exclusive-bonus-video-stream-instantly-or-receive-a-physical-disc/detail.php?p=361601&ecid=SMM-HBO-00231&pa=SMM-HBO-00231

DVD:
http://store.hbo.com/game-of-thrones-season-1-blu-ray-with-free-exclusive-bonus-video-stream-instantly-or-receive-a-physical-disc/detail.php?p=361601&ecid=SMM-HBO-00230&pa=SMM-HBO-00230

I’ve seen both DVD and Blu-Ray. The DVD is immensely cool, and the Blu-Ray is cooler. Incredible HD picture and sound, and the ‘extras’ are amazing. My favorites are the wonderfully drawn sidebars about Westerosi history, read by cast members and written by the multi-talented Brian Cogman. And somewhere on the Blu-Rays there are buried dragon eggs as well, though I haven’t found any yet (no, DON’T TELL, I want to find ’em for myself, the hunt is half the fun).

So go ye forth and grab a set or three, and let’s see if we can surprise and delight and astonish HBO and the industry with the number of DVDS sold on day one!

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March Madness

March 1, 2012 at 12:17 pm
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Somehow it has become March already. Where did January and February go?

Two months of the year are gone, and already I feel as if I’m two months behind.

And things only get crazier from here.

CANADIANS, take note! I am heading up to Toronto in less than two weeks. I’ll be speaking and reading at the Toronto International Film Festival (sorry, they tell me the event is already sold out), and the signing at Indigo Books. Dates, times, and other details available on my website, so go check there for links.

Back home after that, and back at work, but then at month’s end I am off again, this time to the UK, where I will be Guest of Honor at Eastercon, this year at Heathrow. I will also be doing a couple of signings, one in Bath and one in London. From the UK, I head to Portugal, and events in Lisbon and Porto. Back home again just in time for the NFL Draft (didn’t think I’d miss THAT, didja?).

In between all this, I have, hmmmmm, lemme see, one two three four FIVE projects that I am currently working on, four of which were due months ago… but it’s the fifth that has all my attention now, that I absolutely must finish and deliver before the trip to the UK.

(Oh, and somewhere in there me and my assistants and my accountant must find time to prepare my taxes, so I can write the IRS the biggest check that I have written in my life. I am going to be much, much poorer by month’s end)

Busy, busy, busy.

I love the work, actually. I just hate the deadlines.

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