Paperbacks Are Coming

September 14, 2013 at 5:21 pm

Yes, it's true. Your wait is over. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS will finally be published in paperback, next month.

(Have you guys really been waiting? Really truly?)

The paperback release has been delayed again and again, I know. (Believe me, I've received a lot of emails about it). This was done largely at the request of the bookstores. The hardcover was still selling strongly (still is, actually), so they wanted the paperback delayed.

But no longer. On October 29, Bantam Spectra will release DANCE simultaneously in trade and mass market paperback editions.

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And yes, the paperback will include a preview chapter from THE WINDS OF WINTER. (Though at this point it has been so long that I've forgotten which one it is).

October, by the way, looks to be a huge month for me. Besides the DANCE paperbacks, I also have OLD MARS coming out that month, and the MEATHOUSE MAN graphic novel, and a little Xmas book called THE WIT AND WISDOM OF TYRION LANNISTER. But more about that one later.

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Tags: a dance with dragons, a song of ice and fire, bantam spectra

At the Jean Cocteau

September 14, 2013 at 1:10 pm

We had a cool event at the Jean Cocteau last night… the Santa Fe premiere of a locally made independent film, BLAZE YOU OUT, filmed and set in Espanola, just a half hour north of the City Different. The producers, writers, directors, and several of the cast members attended the screenings and answered questions afterward, and we had a crowded and enthusiastic house.

Indy films don't get the nationwide multi-million dollar advertising campaigns of major studio releases, but the best of them are as good or better than most of what the majors churn out. You probably haven't heard of BLAZE YOU OUT, but it's a good one. Check out the trailer:

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BLAZE YOU OUT has three more screenings at the Cocteau, if you're in Santa Fe. If not, well, watch for it if it shows up at a theatre near you.

This week's other new offering at the Cocteau is I DECLARE WAR, another indy. This one I haven't seen myself yet, but I hope to catch it later this week.

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See you at the movies.

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Tags: jean cocteau, movie theatre, movies, santa fe

Jetting In the Rain

September 12, 2013 at 11:58 pm

Life is meaningless and full of pain.

The NFL is back. And with it, the weekly torment that is the lot of all New York Jets fans.

Gang Green has played two games now. They are 1-1. And they hung in with the Patriots until the last minute of tonight's game. Doesn't sound too bad.

Except it is. That record is deceptive. The Jets had lost that Tampa Bay game. The clock was running out, and the Bucs had the W safely in hand when a Tampa Bay linebacker gave the Jets an inexplicable gift, committing an egregious and entirely unnecessary out of bounds hit that moved Nick Folk into range for the winning field goal. Tampa had actually tried to give away the game half a dozen times before that, committing one blunder after another in the first quarter, but the Jets never cashed in… until the last second, and that was enough. "We'll take it," Rex said. Okay, I'll take it too. But I won't crow about it.

And tonight? Oh, god. What a wretched game. The Patriots looked as bad as I have ever seen them. Tom Brady has no wideouts but Edelman. His receivers were dropping balls all over the field. We should have been able to beat him tonight. We didn't. For every ball the Pats dropped, the Jets dropped two, and added a fumble and an interception.

The Jets have a new GM, a new offensive coordinator, and a new quarterback… but they're still the same team we saw last year. Staunch defense, one of the best in the league. Pathetic offense. Our RBs looked good… but the passing game isn't any better than it was when Mark Sanchez was under center and Tony Sparano was calling the plays. Geno Smith was 15 for 35 with 3 INTs. Those are grim numbers. Last year, Mark Sanchez led the NFL in turnovers. If Geno keeps throwing to the other team at the present rate, he may earn that same dubious honor. He was sacked three times as well. In at least two of those cases, it was because he held the ball way too long. The only bright spot was that Geno did not lose the ball when sacked, which is more than you can say about Mark.

I wish I could be more optimistic. But I fear this is going to be a long, painful season.

And the Giants?

No, please, don't ask me about the Giants.

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Tags: nfl

Michael Chabon Visits Santa Fe

September 9, 2013 at 1:52 pm

[Michael Chabon, the only writer ever to win both a Pulitzer Prize and a Hugo Award, will be visiting Santa Fe next weekend, and we have the honor of hosting him at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

He'll be here this Saturday, September 14. The event starts at 7:00 pm. He'll be reading from TELEGRAPH AVENUE, his latest novel. I'll be interviewing Michael as well, talking books and writing and life & times and such. Followed, of course, by a booksigning.

Admission is free with the purchase of a hardcover book, $5 with the purchase of a paperback.

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We have a goodly stock of Chabon titles in stock at the theatre — not only TELEGRAPH AVENUE (in both hardcover and paperback), but also his Hugo-winning YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION, his Pulitzer Prize-winning THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY, the marvelous swashbuckler GENTLEMAN OF THE ROAD (echoes of Fritz Leiber and Harold Lamb, illustrated by the incomparable Gary Gianni), his book of essays MAPS AND LEGENDS: READING AND WRITING ALONG THE BORDERLANDS, and other titles.

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The Cocteau only seats 120, and we're getting a lot of interest in this event, so if you'd like to come join us for an evening with Michael Chabon, phone the theatre at 505-466-5528 ASAP to order a book… and thereby reserve a seat.

You can also order a book, and a seat, through the Cocteau website at
http://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/

See you at the show!

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Tags: interviews, jean cocteau, signings, writing

Podcast Honored

September 8, 2013 at 1:18 am

A somewhat belated congratulations to Kyle, Mimi, Ashley, Amin, and the many other co-hosts, guests, and visitors at A Podcast of Ice and Fire, who just won the "Geekie Award" for Best Podcast.

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I've never actually met the folks from the Podcast of Ice & Fire… well, most of them, anyway, I may have run into one or two on book tours… but I have listened to them from time to time, and they seem to have a lot of fun. They are not always right, but they are [almost] always interesting, and worth the listen. So give them a try, if you're a fan of podcasts. You can find them at http://podcastoficeandfire.com/ talking about the show, the books, and… for reasons I am not entirely clear on… House Manwoody.

Congrats on the honor, guys. Take a bow.

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Tags: awards, fandom, podcasts, song of ice and fire

Somewhat Surreal Department

September 8, 2013 at 1:12 am

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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Tags: cool stuff, game of thrones, hbo

Mr. Potatohead at Jean Cocteau

September 7, 2013 at 2:19 pm

Those of you in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, come join me tonight at the Jean Cocteau (418 Montezuma) for our first live performance.

We want the Cocteau to offer more than just films. In the months and years to come, we will also showcase author readings and interviews and signings, magic, comedy, and… live music. And tonight will be our first concert. The Jean Cocteau Cinema was a Santa Fe icon, so to help us launch its second life, we're featuring two other iconic local performers — Gregg Turner, late of the Angry Samoans, and the Wolf Boy himself, Stephen W. Terrell, performing selections from the Pandemonium Jukebox.

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The show starts at 9 pm. Admission only $5. We do not, alas, have our liquor license yet (though we're working on it)… but we will have plenty of pizza, popcorn, pastries, soft drinks to accompany the music.

And for those whose mommies let them stay out late, after Turner and Terrell we have our midnight show (which actually starts at 11pm), V/H/S 2.

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((The midnight movie is a separate admission)).

See you at the show.

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Tags: jean cocteau, music, santa fe

Yadda Yadda Y’All

September 7, 2013 at 12:42 pm

For those of you who cannot get enough of me pontificating, here's a new interview from LoneStarCon, and the AUSTIN CHRONICLE:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/books/2013-08-29/lonestarcon-3-the-george-r-r-martin-interview/

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Tags: interviews

Back From Texas

September 6, 2013 at 11:43 pm

… with a little friend.

His name is Hugo.

Thanks to all of you who gave "Blackwater" your vote. We're thrilled that you enjoyed the episode enough to vote it our genre's greatest honor.

Thanks to Rory, for coming all the way from Glasgow to help me accept the award. He's just as tough as advertised; not only did he survive a Hugo ceremony, he downed TWO ghost pepper shots at the BWB party. And thanks to HBO for sending him, with a special tip o' the hat to Mara and Stephanie, who made it happen.

Thanks to David Benioff and Dan Weiss, world's greatest showrunners. My name is on the "Blackwater" script, but there's an awful lot of their writing in there as well, including that amazing original scene between Bronn and the Hound (I wanted to show that at the Hugos as our clip, but, er, LoneStarCon was concerned about the young lady sitting in Bronn's lap, so we went another way).

Thanks to Neil Marshall, who directed the hell out of "Blackwater," stepping in with barely a week's notice to make the episode everything we dreamed that it could be. (And he's back this year for another battle! There's a brave, brave man).

Thanks to our amazing cast and incredible crew. The wildfire explosion was a thing of beauty, truly, but it's the performances of Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Conleth Hill, Jerome Flynn, Rory McCann, Sophie Turner, Jack Gleeson, Sibel Kekilli, Eugene Simon, Roy Dotrice, Stephen Dillane, Liam Cunningham, Finn Jones, Charles Dance, and the rest of our company that made "Blackwater" what it was, bringing the words to life, and creating scenes that will linger in memory long after the green fire has faded. The SFX were great, but without characters to love and hate and fear for, the big explosion is just a light show.

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And yes, I was surprised when Paul Cornell called out our name. I had hopes, of course, but DOCTOR WHO has taken this category in six of the past seven years, and we were up against not one Doctor, but three. For those who care about such things, "Blackwater" had the most first place votes, but the Doctor was closing in on us as the lower ranked DR. WHO episodes were eliminated and their votes cascaded into the others. It was only when the episode of FRINGE dropped out and their votes moved to us that "Blackwater" went over the top. Ah, the complexities of the Australian ballot…

FWIW, this was the second Hugo for GAME OF THRONES, and the sixth for me. I've won in five different categories now. And no, it never gets old.

So once more, to all of you:

THANKS!

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Tags: game of thrones, hugo awards, worldcon

Not a Blog

Paperbacks Are Coming

At the Jean Cocteau

Jetting In the Rain

Michael Chabon Visits Santa Fe

Podcast Honored

Somewhat Surreal Department

Mr. Potatohead at Jean Cocteau

Yadda Yadda Y’All

Back From Texas

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