Dark Sword Miniatures have just rolled out five new figures in their Ice & Fire range, all sculpted by the incomparable Tom Meier. I thought I’d give you guys a peek.

First off we have Benjen Stark, younger brother of Lord Eddard, and First Ranger of the Night’s Watch.

Next up is Bronn, sellsword, sometime companion to Chiggen, occasional henchman of a certain Imp of House Lannister.

Then there’s Young Robert: which is to say, Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm’s End, wielding his warhammer at the Battle of the Trident.

Next, Lady Lysa Arryn, sister to Catelyn and Edmure, wife to Jon Arryn, mother of Sweetrobin.

And finally (for now), Maester Luwin, tutor, healer, and counselor to House Stark of Winterfell.

What you’re seeing here are Tom’s original sculpts, done in the sculpting medium called “greenstuff.” When cast, all these miniatures will be in pewter, in 32mm scale.

For more information about these, and the rest of Dark Sword’s figures, check out their website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

More figures are already in the works, from both Tom Meier and Jeff Grace.

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Two more [short] chapters done. More to come.

Kong grows bigger and bigger. Past 1600 pp in manuscript now. Oy.

Certainly the biggest monkey ever to climb on my back.

(Okay, okay, the biggest ape).

Keep climbing, Kong. The biplanes are on their way. Listen? Is that their engines?

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Just a reminder. Today is the last day to nominate for this year’s Hugo Awards.

The Hugo is the oldest of the (now myriad) SF and fantasy awards, and for my money, it is still the most meaningful and prestigious. Where the Nebula is a peer award, given by the members of the SFWA, and the World Fantasy Award is decided by a jury, the Hugo is given by the fans.

By you guys, in other words. By the readers. No one matters more.

To be eligible to nominate, you must be a member of either last year’s worldcon (Aussiecon IV, in Melbourne, Australia) or this year’s (Renovation, to be held in Reno, Nevada in August). Membership in both is not required, please note. Either one will do. And if you can’t make the Reno convention, you can still nominate and vote. Only a supporting membership is required, not the more expensive attending membership.

I urge everyone to support worldcon every year, whether you can attend or not. Other cons have become much larger (see Dragoncon, or just about any comicon or gaming con), but worldcon is the original, the one where it all began, where all the traditions started. It remains the single most important SF and fantasy con, just as the Hugo is the most important award.

What’s one more Hugo nomination worth, you may ask? Quite a lot, actually. Hundreds of people vote for the Hugos every year, but far fewer take the time to nominate. In some categories, fifteen nominations are all it takes to make the ballot. In many categories, a single nomination may make the difference between being one of the final five, the shortlist, and just being another also-ran listed on the nomination sheet they hand out on Hugo night. Do you want your favorite story or book to miss out by a single vote? No? So NOMINATE.

Nominations can be made online here: http://hugos.renovationsf.org/nominate/

You will need your worldcon membership number and a PIN.

What’s worthy of nomination this year? That, of course, is something each individual voter needs to decide for himself.

Moi? Well, I did not publish a novel last year (you may have noticed). But I did have “The Mystery Knight” in WARRIORS, which is eligible in the Novella category. And Gardner Dozois and I co-edited two original anthologies, WARRIORS and SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH, which means both of us are eligible in Best Editor/ Short Form.

All of the contents of WARRIORS and SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH are eligible in one or the other of three short fiction categories (Novella, Novelette, and Short Story). I’m very proud of both anthologies and think there’s some terrific award-calibre work in both books. I would mention my own particular favorites… but as editor, I really can’t. Editors, like parents, must pretend to love all their children equally. But please read both books, make up your own minds, and keep your particular favorites in mind when filling out your nominations ballot. `

Enough about my stuff. What about the other categories?

Let me mount some of the same pet hobbyhorses I ride every year around this time.

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST. Every year we seem to get the same five or six usual suspects nominated in this category. They are all very talented artists, mind you… but there are other artists, equally gifted, who NEVER seem to get a nod. MICHAEL KOMARCK is one newer artist who is screamingly overdue for nomination, I think. And how about the great trio of Tolkien artists, John Howe, Alan Lee, and Ted Nasmith? I don’t think any of them has ever been nominated. Nasmith did the 2011 Ice & Fire calendar, published last year, so this would be an especially apt year to put him on the ballot. And Lee and Howe have been overdue for decades.

BEST EDITOR/ LONG FORM. Another usual suspects category. Let me recommend my own editor, Anne Groell, to your attention. She’s just as good as some of last year’s final five, and better than others. As fine an editor as I have ever worked with.

BEST FANZINE. Blogs and efanzines are supposedly eligible in this category, but none of them ever actually seem to get nominated. Instead the five slots are inevitably filled by old style paper fanzines, which have a tenth of their readership. I’d love to see some recognition for PAT’S FANTASY HOTLIST, for the WERTZONE, and, yes, for WINTER IS COMING and WESTEROS in this category. They’re just as fannish as anything done on a mimeo, full of e-versions of reviews, locs, trip reports, humor, SF/ fantasy news, and other faanish staples.

BEST FAN WRITER. Consider Adam ‘Wert’ Whitehead and Elio ‘Ran’ Garcia.

BEST NOVEL. If you don’t have your own favorites in this category, you’re not a fan.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION/ LONG FORM. Ditto.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION/ SHORT FORM. Double ditto.

So… who do YOU think deserves a nod this year?

Feel free to chime in with your own choices, for the consideration of your fellow readers.

But remember… there are only hours left before nominations close.

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… or at least to Northern Ireland, which is about the closest we can come in the real world.

Sky Television has just announced a contest to help promote the April 18 debut of GAME OF THRONES in the United Kingdom.

The grand prize winners gets a week in Northern Ireland, with accomodation at the Killyleagh Castle Towers as well as a trip to Castle Ward and Tollymore Forest Park, major locations while filming the show. “Rumour has it that it contains magical woodland and mysterious medieval ruins!” sayeth Sky. (And maybe you can wheedle a visit to Castle Black as well, though that doesn’t seem to be on the itinerary).

Five runners up will win a tie in edition of Game of Thrones book and a set of all four titles in the Song of Fire and Ice series.

To sign up for the contest, go to:

https://rewards.sky.com/skyloyalty/home/competitions/game-of-thrones-competition/?DCMP=snt-Games_of_Thrones_Sky_Twitter_Mar11

I suspect the contest is only open to SKY subscribers resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, but I haven’t looked closely at the rules, so maybe someone who has can confirm that.

I have never stayed at Killyleagh Castle Towers myself, but Parris and I both loved Belfast. Where they once built the TITANIC… and, as all the Belfast cabbies will tell you, a lot of ships that didn’t sink.

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The latest HBO trailer for GAME OF THRONES is titled “Power.”

It made its debut on Sunday, before the series finale of BIG LOVE. For those of you who missed it, here you go:

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So much is coming out of HBO these days that I can hardly keep up. Not and wrestle Kong into submission at the same time. For those of you who’d like more timely updates, and coverage of all the developments I never get to, check in regularly at Westeros ( http://asoiaf.westeros.org/ ), Winter Is Coming ( http://winter-is-coming.net/ ) and HBO’s own official GOT site ( http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/ )for more detailed discussions and reports on the series.

When you hear about some of the new stuff HBO is planning, it will just leave you hungry for more.

Back to Kong.

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Here’s a shout out to all my friends and readers in Spain.

I should really write this post in Spanish. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Spanish. Alas, I have always been crap with languages other than English (yes, even Dothraki and High Valyrian, and those are simple compared to Ghiscari). I blush to admit that after living in New Mexico for more than thirty years, all the Spanish I have picked up consists of words like “burrito” and “sopapilla” and “chimichanga.” Oh, and “farolito,” but only around Christmas.

But never mind about my personal failings. I may suck at Spanish, but I love Spain. Parris and I have visited twice, and always had such a wonderful time. The Semana Negra, held every summer in Gijon, is one of our favorite conventions/ festivals/ fairs/ carnivals/ literary gatherings in the whole world, and we hope to go back again. And the Spanish fans are amazing.

So… here’s various bits of news just for my Spanish readers.

The HBO series will be shown in Spain on Canal +. We do have an official premiere date from them, I’m pleased to say. They will be airing the first episode on May 9.

Canal + has set up a Spanish website for the series. You can find it at http://www.canalplus.es/juegodetronos.

They’re also been translating many of the HBO teasers and trailers, and adding some original content of their own, including introducing and commentary by the noted Spanish filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia. You can check out some of the Canal + videos at http://www.canalplus.es/juego-tronos/videos .

Finally, I wanted to give a shout-out to our friends at the Generacion X bookshop in Madrid, who hosted a wonderful signing for us the last time I visited Spain. ((My fingers are still cramped from that one.)) If you’re looking for an Ice & Fire t-shirt, Generacion X is the place to go. They are now carrying a full line of tees featuring the heraldry of some of the major houses of the Seven Kingdoms : Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Greyjoy, and Baratheon.

These are NOT the HBO designs, I should add. Those are available through HBO’s On-Line store athttp://store.hbo.com/ No, these are Generacion X’s own versions of the original line of t-shirts offered by Mystic Spiral Traders ( http://www.georgerrmartin.com/t-shirts.html ). The Mystic Spiral designs have been unavailable for some time (Parris lost her silk screener, is what happened, but does plan to reopen if she can ever find a new one half as good as the one she lost), but now, thanks to Generacion X, those great designs from Moria Peters and Raya Golden will once again be available.

Of course, the Generacion X shirts will not be exactly like Mystic Spiral’s versions. The text is all in Spanish, for a start, and our friends in Madrid have played with the colors some, and used their own inks, fabrics, etc. But they’ve sent us a big box of the shirts, and we think they’re nifty… so if you’d like a tee with a Spanish flair, give them a ring.

You can email the shop at gestion@generacionx.es or phone them in Madrid at 91-447-07-46. They have a website too, I believe, but just now I can’t seem to find it.

So… that’s the latest from Spain. Parris and I both hope to return for another Semana Negra soon. Until then, we send all our best to our friends at Generacion X, Canal +, Gigamesh, and of course the wild and wonderful fans of Asshai. Let’s have another chorus of “Un Oso…”

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Does anybody ever really know what day it is? Does anybody really care?

Well, you would… if you had an official SONG OF ICE AND FIRE CALENDAR.

Reports are in on the 2011 calendar, with Ted Nasmith’s gorgeous castle paintings. Looks like it did quite nicely, thank you. If you missed the chance to pick up one of these… well, hey, you can still pick up one on Amazon, I think. And it’s only March! Still lots of months left!

Meanwhile, John Picacio continues to paint up a storm on the 2012 calendar. At last report he had completed eight of the twelve paintings, with two more very close to completion and the last two roughed out. John’s approach is very different from Ted’s — characters rather than castles — but just as spectacular, I think.

The 2012 calendar should debut at the San Diego Comicon in July, but it is already available for preorder on Amazon. Check it out.

Random House and I share the same hope for these calendars: we want to make them an annual event, like the long-running Tolkien calendar, with each year featuring a new take on Westeros and its peoples by one of the world’s leading fantasy artists.

And with that in mind, we’re pleased to announce that we’re signed the artist for the 2013 calendar — the wonderful MARC SIMONETTI. Marc first came to our attention when he painted four stunning covers for the recent French reissues of the series from J’ai Lu, covers that have also been seen on the Brazilian editions. Here’s a look:

I hope you are all as excited as I am to see Marc return to the Seven Kingdoms with twelve new and original paintings. He’s already sent us his first color sketch, and it’s a stunner.

For more information about our amazing artists, I encourage you to visit their respective websites… and don’t forget Michael Komarck, who did the FIRST Ice & Fire calendar, the ill-fated 2009 calendar, which was (through no fault of Michael’s) gorgeous but cursed.

TED NASMITH: http://www.tednasmith.com/
JOHN PICACIO: http://www.johnpicacio.com/
MARC SIMONETTI: http://marcsimonetti.artworkfolio.com/
MICHAEL KOMARCK: http://www.komarckart.com/

I feel privileged to have my world brought to life by all these guys… and I hope we can keep doing calendars for twenty more years, since there’s a lot of other artists I’d love to turn loose on Westeros. (Yes, in case you haven’t guessed, I love great SF and fantasy art)

Oh… and I should also mention that there is a possibility that HBO may put out their own calendar as well. Nothing definite on that front yet, but it’s being talked about. If it does happen, of course, it will feature photographs of the actors, characters, and scenes from the television series, quite different from the “art” calendars Random House is doing.

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… I’d hammer some more on Kong, actually.

Hey, but I CAN have a hammer. And so can you, thanks to the good folks at Valyrian Steel, who have just unveiled their design for King Robert’s warhammer.

Alas, you can’t order the hammer just yet. We’re still in the design stage, but I have approved these drawings, so the next step is the prototype, which is now being made. Once I approve that, production can begin. And along about there somewhere, Valyrian Steel will begin taking orders.

For more details, check out their website at http://www.valyriansteel.com/

Yes, it is a big hammer. A very big hammer. Going to be heavy as well. I insisted on that. After all, it says right in the book that Robert’s warhammer was so huge and heavy that only someone with his own freakish strength could wield it. So I kept telling them, “bigger, bigger.”

Valyrian Steel has done some lovely versions of Longclaw, Needle, and Ice (all of which remain available from their store), but I think the hammer is my favorite to date.

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It’s a helluva town. The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down. The people all ride in a hole in the ground. Also, it’s the headquarters for all your GAME OF THRONES merchandising needs.

Just check out the HBO store at 1100 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue, for you out of towners). The shop was transformed last night into the official GAME OF THRONESD headquarters — the first and only one of its kind the world.

All of the merchandise from HBO’s on-line shop will be offered at the store. The shop has also gas props straight from the set on display, and GAME OF THRONES content running on the multimedia components. So it’s museum as well as a shop.

HBO plays to update continually over the next several months with rotating displays, official merchandiing and promotions.

So New Yorkers… get down into that hole in the ground. Visit early! Visit often! OOOOHHH and AAAHHHHH.

And while you’re in town, have a pizza for me at one of the many great NYC pizza places.

This is the best thing to happen to NYC since the Giants won the SuperBowl.

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