FootBall…

September 9, 2025 at 3:19 am

Hope springs eternal, they say… especially for football fans.

I have not been paying much attention to the NFL during the offseason. Too many other things to do. Both of my teams did pretty well in the draft, though, so surely they would do better than they did last season, which was dismal to say the least. The Jets have a new coach in Aaron Glenn, the Giants have a couple of new quarterbacks (a couple old new quarterbacks and a new new one). Opening day, the G-Men were playing the Commanders from DC, and the Jets the Steelers. At least one of them would surely bring home a win.

Well, no.

Sigh.

The Giants looked absolutely dismal against Washingon. Defense was okay, but the offense did not exist. Could not run the ball, could not pass the ball. The game was not nearly as close as the final score suggested.

The Jets were much better. Scored first, led for much of the game, Justin Fields showed flashes as QB. Couple times it looked as if they had the game in hand. But no. Bad mistakes at key moments doomed them, and a long field goal at the end drove the knife through their hearts. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is something the Jets have a lot of practice at.

So there we are. 0-1 and 0-1. Another long season awaits.

Current Mood: morose morose

Tags: nfl

A Busy Month

September 8, 2025 at 8:20 pm

August was a busy month for me and mine, with two conventions on the schedule, a road trip in between, and a couple of guests afterward.

Worldcon was in Seattle this year. The Brotherhood Without Banners were there in force, which I always like to see. Caught up with some old fan friends, made some new ones. I did two panels, both of them emjoyable, and the autographing was well run, drew about three hundred. For me, the highlight of the con was our screening of the three Howard Waldrop short films — NIGHT OF THE COOTERS, MARY MARGARET ROAD GRADER, and THE UGLY CHICKENS. We had a full house for that, every seat occupied, people sitting in the aisles and standing in the back of the hall, and everyone seemed to enjoy the movies, which pleased me no end. I just wish Howard could have been there to see them.

When not signing books or doing a panel or showing a film, I mostly sat around in the bar with Parris and friends, chatting about everything and nothing. I have reached the point in life where that’s the best part of any con for me. It does bring back memories, though. Worldcons these days are filled with ghosts: Howard and Gardner, Ed Bryant and John Miller, so many more.

Drove home after the con, through Washington, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorad0, and New Mexico, before returning to the Land of Enchantment just in time for Bubonicon, which was its usual friendly local convention. Guests this year included two of my favorite Joes, Joe Lansdale and Joe Haldeman. It was great to see them both. And Gay as well, who is always a treat.

I’m home now, though, and back at it. New York City Comicon is next on the schedule, where I’ll be meeting up with the stars and showrunner of KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOM, and checking in with the family over in Bayonne. Maybe I will see some of you there.

Current Mood: busy busy

Tags: conventions

NYC Comic Con here we come!

August 14, 2025 at 6:45 am

We’re excited to announce GRRM will be headed to New York Comic Con this October to introduce the new HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

There will be a panel with Showrunner Ira Parker alongside Peter Claffey & Dexter Sol-Ansell who play Dunk & Egg. So keep your ears to the ground for more details on time and room information.

See you there on October 9th!

THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER

Howard Meets Hercules

May 28, 2025 at 8:14 am

For all you Howard Waldrop fans out there… if you enjoyed our short films, the adaptations of MARY-MARGARET ROAD-GRADER, NIGHT OF THE COOTERS, and THE UGLY CHICKENS that we’ve been showing at film festivals over the past couple of years, we have big news a-coming. A Waldrop feature is on the way. All animated, from Lion Forge.

It’s an adaptation of Howard’s novella A DOZEN TOUGH JOBS, his take on the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Joe Lansdale, the Sage of Nacogdoches, father of Hap and Leonard, and creator of Bubba Ho-Tep, did the screenplay, and no one could have done it better except maybe Howard His Own Self.

(I know, I know. Some of you will just be pissed off by this, as you are by everything I announce here that is not about Westeros or THE WINDS OF WINTER. You have given up on me, or on the book. I will never finish WINDS, If I do, I will never finish A DREAM OF SPRING. If I do, it won’t be any good. I ought to get some other writer to pinch hit for me… I am going to die soon anyway, because I am so old. I lost all interest in A Song of Ice and Fire decades ago. I don’t give a shit about writing any longer, I just sit around and spend my money. I edit the Wild Cards books too, but you hate Wild Cards. You may hate everything else I have ever written, the Hugo-winners and Hugo-losers, “A Song for Lya” and DYING OF THE LIGHT, “Sandkings” and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, “This Tower of Ashes” and “The Stone City,” OLD MARS and OLD VENUS and ROGUES and WARRIORS and DANGEROUS WOMEN and all the other anthologies I edited with my friend Gardner Dozois, You don’t care about any of those, I know. You don’t care about anything but WINDS OF WINTER. You’ve told me so often enough).

Thing is, I do care about them.

And I care about Westeros and WINDS as well. The Starks and Lannisters and Targaryens, Tyrion and Asha, Dany and Daenerys, the dragons and the direwolves, I care about them all. More than you can ever imagine.

I loved “A Dozen Tough Jobs” the first time I read it, ages ago. I loved Howard too. It saddens me that he did not live long enough to see the film; I hope we do him justice. How can we not? Hercules, Howard, Joe, Lion Forge… I wish you all could share my excitement at the prospect of this movie.

For those who do, The Hollywood Reporter broke the story

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/george-r-r-martin-howard-waldrop-dozen-tough-jobs-film-1236223711/

Current Mood: determined

Tags: films, Howard Waldrop, joe lansdale

Me and Joe Down at the Kimo

May 26, 2025 at 5:54 pm

Joe Abercrombie has a new novel out: THE DEVILS, volume one in his latest fantasy trilogy.

Joe has crossed the pond to the US on a promotional tour, and one of his first stops was the historic Kimo Theatre in downtown Albuquerque, where I had the privilege of sitting down with him for an hour to talk writing, reading, fantasy, fandom, and all manner of other stuff. We answered a few questions from the audience as well.

Joe is a terrific writer and an even better guest.

We had a lot of fun, and I believe the audience did as well. The Kimo was full nearly to bursting.

After the talking Joe did a bit of signing. inscribing copies for Bookworks, the sponsoring bookshop. They may still have a left down there in Albquerque.

He signed some books for my own Beastly Books as well, and Twig and I lugged them back to Santa Fe. I would tell you how to write in and grab one, but alas, we sold out within two days of arrival. Plainly, we should have ordered more.

((We still have autographed copies of my own books, though. Hardcovers, softcovers, fantasy, science fiction, graphic novels, signed and unsigned, what have you. Lots of other good stuff as well)).

If you have not read any of Joe’s previous novels, you don’t know what you’re missing. He’s a powerful, evocative writer with a unique voice, one of the brightest fantasists on the current scene. He never disappoints. He writes a lot faster than I do too, so there won’t be nearly as much waiting.

I had thought the Kimo would be videotaping our talk, but, alas, there was some sort of mix-up and that did not happen. I am told some of fans present taped the discussion, but only on audio. You might be able to find that on the internet.

Meanwhile, Joe is off to Atlanta, Austin, Denver, and various other stops. Catch him if you can.

Current Mood: pleased pleased

Tags: signed books, signings, tor

Three Rockets From Miami

April 27, 2025 at 12:22 pm

The Miami Science Fiction Film Festival was held January 18-19, down in Florida (natch). Mike Cassutt and I were there… we had a series of meetings that week, and we’d enetered MARY-MARGARET ROAD-GRADER in the festival.

The film was well received, as I reported downstream in my post about the festival. We came away with four awards. Steven Paul Judd took two of them; he took Best Director, and also won the prestigious Russell Bates Award. MARY-MARGARET also won honors for its costuming and wardrobe… and Miami was kind enough to present me with a lifetime achievement award.

We were not able to attend the awards presentation at the festival, and I believe there were some delays with the trophies. They were finally completed, however, and the rockets arrived here in Santa Fe a couple of day ago.

The Bates Award was shipped directly to Steven Paul Judd; the other three turned up here, and will be distributed to the winners. (Steven’s when he returns to Santa Fe in a few weeks to direct his next episode of DARK WINDS. He has been doing an amazing job for us since he joined the show. Super talented guy. And DARK WINDS itself has been kicking ass and taking names. If you have not been watching it, you don’t know what you are missing).

And speaking of film festivals… if any of you are in Texas this weekend, do check out the schedule for the Dallas International Film Festival, to be held this weekend. Another of our Waldrop shorts, THE UGLY CHICKENS, is entered in the shorts competition. I am told it’s scheduled for Sunday. Sid Khalsa will be on hand to help present it. TUC was adapted by Michael Cassutt from Howard’s Nebula-winning short story, and was directed by Mark Raso. The one and only Felicia Day stars.

Current Mood: pleased pleased

Tags: awards, film festivals, films, Howard Waldrop

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