Not a Blog

Report from Santa Fe

February 15, 2014 at 1:17 pm
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Last month I did a local television interview with Lorene Mills, of REPORT FROM SANTA FE.

For those of you who cannot get enough of me talking, here's the link:

http://reportfromsantafe.com/episodes/view/211/george-r-r-martin-author-game-of-thrones/

Lorene has had a very eclectic guest list over the years.  A lot of New Mexico politicians, to be sure, but also artists, writers, and even stranger types.

She's a big Peter S. Beagle fan as well, and interviewed him when he was here a few weeks back with THE LAST UNICORN.

Speaking of which:

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After the Final Curtain

February 13, 2014 at 5:53 pm
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Movies, music, and booksignings aren't the only things we offer at the Jean Cocteau in Santa Fe.

The theatre lobby also doubles as a small art gallery.  Every month or so we mount another exhibition… of painting, photography, mixed media, what have you.  As with our movies, we strive to be eclectic in the art we show.

Up to now, we've displayed the work of local artists, some very talented painters and photographers based in Santa Fe and vicinity.  But next week we'll be offering something a little bit different — a display of photographs by Matt Lambros, an amazing photographer from New York who has spent the last several years travelling around the country photographing abandoned and decaying theatres and movie palaces.

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The moment I saw Lambros's work, I knew I wanted to show it at the Jean Cocteau.  What better venue, than the lobby of a theatre that has returned from the dead?  I find Matt's photographs very powerful and very sad.  These dream palaces had a brief heydey compared to the great cathedrals and castles of the middle ages, but they share the same sort of grandeur, even in decay.  There's a strange beauty here.  By rights, all these theatres should be haunted, and maybe they are… by the ghosts of all the kings and queens, heroes and villains, lovers and louts who strolled across these stages.

Lambros displays his photographs on his amazing website, AFTER THE FINAL CURTAIN, which you can check out for yourself here:
http://afterthefinalcurtain.net/

There's far more on his website than can be exhibited in the Cocteau's small gallery area, so in addition to the exhibition, Matt Lambros will be doing a lecture and slide show on Monday, February 17, starting at 6:20pm.  Tickets are available at the Cocteau website.  http://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/

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I am really looking forward to hearing Matt Lambros, and seeing some of his work up close and in the original.  The exhibition will run from tomorrow through March 17.  If you get the chance, come see it.  And if you're in town Monday night, join us for the lecture and slide show.

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Dunk & Egg Conquer Kindle

February 12, 2014 at 1:42 pm
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THE SWORN SWORD is back.

The graphic novel, that is.  Scripted by Ben Avery, illustrated by Mike S. Miller, it has been out of print for years in its original editions from Marvel and DBPro, and fetching ever higher prices on ebay, but now at last there is a brand new edition for those who want to read Dunk & Egg's second adventure without paying collector's prices for it.  Jet City Comics released their own edition of THE HEDGE KNIGHT II: THE SWORN SWORD on January 22, in both digital and print formats.   You'll find the paper editions on sale at your favorite local bookstore or comics shop.  The electronic version is available for Kindle from Amazon at

http://www.amazon.com/Sworn-Sword-Graphic-Novel-Thrones/dp/1477849297/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392582991&sr=1-1

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So far, the response has been great.  Both the physical and digital editions debuted on Amazon as #1 in Comics & Graphic Novels: Fantasy, ahead of many great works.  And the physical edition rose to the Top 600 in Books.

The graphic novel of THE HEDGE KNIGHT also saw a boost, rising to #2 in Comics & Graphic Novels: Fantasy.

And Jet City published a new interview with Mike S. Miller about his experience working on both projects.

 Meanwhile, over at Random House, Ben Avery and Mike S. Miller are reportedly hard at work on a graphic novel adaptation of the third Dunk & Egg novella, "The Mystery Knight."  More on that one down the line.

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This Weekend at the Jean Cocteau

February 12, 2014 at 11:10 am
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Something for all tastes, I think.

See you at the movies.

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The Jokers Are Back

February 11, 2014 at 11:01 pm
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September 15, 1946 was the first Wild Cards Day, the day that Jetboy met Dr. Tod in the skies over Manhattan, and the wild card virus was released onto an unsuspecting world.

September 15, 1986 was the 40th anniversary of that fateful day, and a pretty eventful 24 hours in its own right.  The triumphs and tragedies of that day were chronicled in JOKERS WILD, the third volume of the Wild Cards series… and the first of our "full mosaics."  Back in 1986, when we wrote the book, we were experimenting with a form that no one had ever attempted in SF and fantasy before.  Seven writers, seven characters, seven stories… all woven together into a fully collaborative novel, wherein the whole (we hoped) was more than the sum of its parts.

And let me you, editing this one was a bitch and a half.  But well worth it.   My writers complained a lot, as did I, but the readers love the result… and so did we, after a bit of time to reflect.  So the Wild Cards series has continued to feature fully-interwoven mosaic novels ever since, albeit usually only once every three books or so, since the process of hammering these out is exhausting for all concerned.

February 11, 2014 is the day that JOKERS WILD, first of the full mosaics, was reissued by Tor books in trade paperback.  It's been out of print and unavailable for longer than I care to think about, but now once more it is available at your local bookstore, or from your favorite online bookseller.  Never looked better either, dressed up as it is in a spectacular new cover from Michael Komarck.

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The featured writers (and their characters) this time around are yours truly (Hiram Worchester), Lewis Shiner (Fortunato), John Jos. Miller (Wraith, our new cover girl),  Edward Bryant (Sewerjack), Leanne C. Harper (Bagabond), Melinda M. Snodgrass (Roulette), and Walton Simons (Demise).

(I should mention: some Wild Cards books are good entry points to the series, but this is not one of them.  JOKERS WILD is the culmination of our first triad, so you probably read WILD CARDS and ACES HIGH before tackling this one).

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Lord Justin of Bieberland

February 10, 2014 at 5:27 pm
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Here's a real hoot from MTV:

http://www.mtv.co.uk/game-of-thrones/news/game-of-thrones-cast-discuss-if-justin-bieber-were-in-the-show-watch

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Coolest Dragons Ever

February 10, 2014 at 4:52 pm
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VERMITHRAX PERJORATIVE

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SMAUG

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DROGON

Gotta love them dragons.

I have long maintained that Vermithrax Perjorative was the coolest dragon ever put on film… but Peter Jackson's version of Smaug, from the second HOBBIT film, may have stolen his laurels.

And I gotta say, our own baby Drogon is growing up fast.

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New Mexico Film Foundation

February 9, 2014 at 11:13 pm
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Making movies is an art, a science, a business… but most of all it's a challenge, especially for young film makers, independents, minority members, and all those who find themselves outside Hollywood and the studio system.

The New Mexico Film Foundation is a brand-new non-profit organization whose goal it will be to help New Mexico film makers with a mutual support, education, networking… and grants.  It's headed by Dirk Norris, a former member of the state Film Commission, and a long time member of the local and state film community.

RIght now Dirk is trying to raise some start-up funds with an Indiegogo campaign.  You can find the details here:

http://igg.me/at/nmfilmfoundation/x/969552

Go check it out, and if you have a few bucks, give.  Robert A. Heinlein once said he could not possibly pay back all those who helped him when he was starting out, so he believed in paying forward, and helping those who came after him.  That's what the New Mexico Film Foundation is all about.

It's a good cause, and we may get some good films out of it.

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Season Four, Foreshadowed

February 9, 2014 at 10:41 pm
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For you poor benighted souls who do not [yet] have HBO, here's the Foreshadowing that was broadcast earlier tonight, just before the latest [terrific] episode of TRUE DETECTIVE:

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Enjoy.

But, as with past previews, please do not analyze or dissect or argue about the preview here.  That's what Tower of the Hand and Winter Is Coming and Westeros and Television Without Pity are for.  (And lots of other swell sites and blogs and bulletin boards as well, sorry I could not mention you all).

For more, alas, you will need to wait until season four debuts on April 6.  (Unless you happen to live in Santa Fe… )

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The Prince of Chaos is Coming…

February 6, 2014 at 2:11 pm
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 … to the Jean Cocteau.

And no, I don't mean the Roger Zelazny novel, I mean the one by Horatio King.  Who is me.  Sort of.  But not really.

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This PRINCE OF CHAOS is a fictional fantasy novel by a fictional author who is not me (not at all, no sir, definitely not), as seen in THE CALLBACK QUEEN, a new romantic comedy out of Ireland that debuts tomorrow at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

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How this came about?  Well…

Hundred of actors auditioned for roles both large and small in HBO’s Only a handful were cast. Thousands more tried to get auditions, but were never given the chance to read. In the old days, aspiring stars sent off resumes and 8×10 glossies to directors, producers, and casting directors. They still do that. . . but these days some also upload their own auditions on YouTube, Vimeo, and similar sites on the internet.

Amy-Joyce Hastings was one of those, as I discovered one day when dozens of my fans and readers began to send me emails with links to a reading by a lovely young red-haired Irish actress that I’d never heard of. They liked what she’d done, and so did I, when curiosity drove me to click on one of those links and take a look. So I dropped her a note, told her the name of our casting director, wished her luck. . . and thought no more of it, until I heard about The Callback Queen.

Amy-Joyce never got to audition for GAME OF THRONES. That’s something she has in common with thousands of other actors from all over the world. Unlike all the others, however, Amy-Joyce took life’s lemons and made lemonade; she shared her experiences with her friend Graham Cantwell, an Irish filmmaker, who took her tale about a young actress attempting to land a role in an epic fantasy, and turned it into a movie… a romantic comedy about moviemakers and aspiring actors that pokes fun at the whole casting carousel… starring Amy-Joyce Hastings.

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So now the tale comes full circle.  We're delighted to be able to present the North American Premiere of THE CALLBACK QUEEN right here in Santa Fe, tomorrow evening.  Amy-Joyce Hastings and writer-director Graham Cantwell are flying in from Ireland for the event, and will introduce the film and answer questions afterwards, and we'll also be having a small post-screening reception at the Cocteau's new bar, where you can meet Graham and Amy-Joyce and sample a "Call Me For Comfort," our special CALLBACK QUEEN cocktail.

So see you there.  But don't ask me to sign your copy of PRINCE OF CHAOS.  I am not Horatio King.  (They never even asked me to audition for the role).

((THE CALLBACK QUEEN will be playing for four days only, February 7 – 11.))

P.S.  And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, the role of the director in THE CALLBACK QUEEN is being played by Mero, the Titan's Bastard.  Someone must have sewed his head back on after Daario hacked it off.  It's a small world, it is, be it Hollywood or Westeros.

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