Golden Dragons From the Shire

September 30, 2013 at 9:19 am

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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Tags: a song of ice and fire, coins, collectibles, cool stuff, game of thrones, shire post mint

More Midnight Madness

September 29, 2013 at 9:37 am

Midnight starts at 11 pm every Friday and Saturday night at the Jean Cocteau.

This week we have another horror… ah… "classic"… coming up, for all of you who loved PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILLS.

Yes, it's SPIDER BABY!

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See you at the movies!

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Tags: jean cocteau, midnight madness, movie theatre, movies

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

September 23, 2013 at 11:55 am

My NY Giants got skunked, and so did GAME OF THRONES. Thank god for the Jets.

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Tags: emmy awards, game of thrones, hbo, nfl

Skins for Capclave

September 20, 2013 at 1:20 am

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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Tags: conventions, cool stuff, limited editions

Emmy Loves Us. Twice.

September 18, 2013 at 6:59 pm

The Emmy Awards are starting off nicely for GAME OF THRONES this year, and fabulously for HBO.

In the Creative Arts Awards given on Sunday (sometimes called the 'technical Emmys'), GAME OF THRONES took two awards.

In Outstanding Special Visual Effects, GOT beat out DEFIANCE, FALLING SKIES, HEMLOCK GROVE, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD & CHROME. Our Emmy winners were

For Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic), the series finished on top of BOARDWALK EMPIRE, THE BORGIAS, GLEE, MAD MEN, and ONCE UPON A TIME. They won for the episode "Kissed By Fire." The Emmys went to Paul Engelen (Department Head Makeup Artist), Melissa Lackersteen ( Key Makeup Artist), Daniel Lawson Johnston ( Makeup Artist), and Martina Byrne (Makeup Artist).

My heartfelt congratulations to our world-class SFX team and makeup artists. Well deserved.

It takes a lot of people to make a quality show, and the craftsmen and artists who do all the 'below the line' jobs contribute just as much as the 'above the line' talent like the directors, actors, and writers, though they seldom receive the recognition they deserve. So hats off to our terrific crew… not only Sunday's winners, but also all the other nominees from GAME OF THRONES, who lost out to other worthy shows. (You wuz robbed, as we used to say in Bayonne)

emmy-statuette

HBO as a whole did even better, completely dominating the awards with 20 wins, way more than any other network. CBS was a distant second with 15, and the totals plunged sharply after that.

For a full list of the winners and nominees:

http://www.hitfix.com/news/creative-arts-emmys-2013-complete-winners-list/1

http://www.eonline.com/news/459135/creative-arts-emmys-2013-complete-list-of-winners

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Tags: awards, emmy awards, game of thrones, hbo, television

Emergo Is Coming

September 16, 2013 at 7:34 pm

… to the Jean Cocteau.

Our midnight show (starting at 11pm) this Friday and Saturday will be William Castle's HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

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Do you dare enter?

(I would, but I have to go to the Emmys. Darn).

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Tags: horror, jean cocteau, movie theatre

Breaking Bad

September 16, 2013 at 3:29 pm

Amazing series. Amazing episode last night. Talk about a gut punch.

Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros.

(I need to do something about that).

This is the final season of BREAKING BAD. I think GAME OF THRONES may have a shot at upsetting BB for this year's Emmy (only a shot, though, I think they are the clear favorite), which pits us against their previous season… but there's no way in hell that anyone is going to defeat BREAKING BAD next year, when their last season is the one in contention.

Admittedly, trying to handicap the Emmys is a mug's game. You never know. But for what it's worth, I think this year is our best chance of actually winning one. Given the splash the Red Wedding made, our profile is likely as high as it is ever going to be. We had a great season. If the Academy is ever going to give their ultimate accolade to a fantasy show (something that is by no means certain), it's going to be this year, I think.

But we'll see. BREAKING BAD, MAD MEN, DOWNTON ABBEY, HOMELAND, and HOUSE OF CARDS will have something to say about that as well. All good shows, I think. A couple are great shows. HOMELAND is the defending champ, MAD MEN's won four, and HOUSE OF CARDS has that whole "gamechanger" thing going for it. Should be an interesting race. We'll all know on September 22.

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Tags: emmy awards, game of thrones, hbo, television

Manning Bowl 3

September 15, 2013 at 6:32 pm

Life is meaningless and full of pain.

And interceptions.

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Tags: nfl

Next Up: Neil and Amanda

September 15, 2013 at 2:06 pm

Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer are coming to Santa Fe, and we've got them!

neil2 Amanda3

What actually goes on during the Neil and Amanda Show, you may ask? Well, there will be music, stories, autographing, and… you'll need to come and find out.

That's Sunday, September 29, starting at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale RIGHT NOW.

Admission will be $75, except for the nine (9) seats in our front row, which will go for $100.

This is a charity event, and one hundred per cent of the box office will be split between two worthy causes: Warehouse 21 and its youth programs http://www.warehouse21.org/ , and the Food Depot, which helps feed hungry New Mexicans http://www.thefooddepot.org/ So help us raise some much-needed funds for these great causes, and spend a Sunday evening with Neil and Amanda.

(Yes, they will gladly sign your books and CDs, and we'll have lots of both for sale on site).

We expect another sellout for this one, so if you'd like to attend, get your seats early. You can get a ticket via the Jean Cocteau website, or by calling us at 505-466-5528. (Have your credit card ready). No more than four (4) tickets per customer, please.

Remember, the Cocteau only seats 120.

See you at the show.

UPDATE: We've sold seventy tickets since I posted this, just a few hours ago. If you want one, buy now.

SECOND UPDATE: I left the theatre a couple of hours ago. At that time we had sold one hundred twelve tickets. Leaving… uh… eight. We can squeeze in a few temp seats as well, maybe… but I expect by now the regular seating is all sold out. I need a bigger theatre.

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Tags: jean cocteau, music, reading

Great Night at the Cocteau

September 15, 2013 at 1:44 pm

We had a great time last night at the Jean Cocteau with the first of our author events.

Hugo-, Nebula-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon was on hand to sign books and read from his latest, TELEGRAPH AVENUE. Before that part of the program, however, I inteviewed Michael for ninety minutes or so about his life, career, books, and views on writing and literature. The Cocteau was packed, our first "sell out" crowd since we stopped giving away free tickets. We had to turn away about twenty people, sad to say (next time, guys and gals, get those tickets in advance). Those who got in were glad they did. Popcorn, pizza, and talk about books, can't beat it.

Michael is a great guy and a great writer, and a delightful conversationalist. We were thrilled to have him. He's on his way to Pittsburgh right now, and will be reading and signing at a B&N tonight, so if you're in the Pittsburgh area, still time to attend. In subsequent days he'll be appearing in Cleveland, St. Louis, and Kansas City as well. Be sure to see him if you get a chance… and snatch up a copy or three of TELEGRAPH AVENUE, KAVALIER & CLAY, GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD, or one of his other titles.

Oh, and I also wanted to mention Michael's limited edition Brokeland t-shirts. You can snag one of them here:

http://teespring.com/brokeland

All the money raised by the t-shirt sales is going to 826 National and their youth literacy programs (http://826national.org/ ) and the McDowell Colony and their writers' retreats (http://www.macdowellcolony.org/ ), both worthy causes.

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Tags: charity, good causes, jean cocteau

Not a Blog

Golden Dragons From the Shire

More Midnight Madness

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Skins for Capclave

Emmy Loves Us. Twice.

Emergo Is Coming

Breaking Bad

Manning Bowl 3

Next Up: Neil and Amanda

Great Night at the Cocteau

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