Not a Blog

Jots and Niggles

September 9, 2009 at 4:09 pm
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Lots of stuff going on that warrants a brief mention, though there’s not enough on any of it to warrant a lengthy post.

NFL: The season begins Thursday. My season begins Sunday, when the Jets and Giants take the field. I’m excited. Will life be magical and full of joy, or meaningless and full of pain? Tune in here to find out.

HBO Pilot: D&D have cast one more role and have an offer out to a wonderful actor on another. Sorry, no clues, I’m clued out for the present. One of the roles that was yet to be filled has been written out of the pilot. No huge thing, he wasn’t in that part of the book in any case… though we did have a world-class thespian lined up to play the part. Character and actor will both be back if we go to series.

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS: I took a good hard swack at the Meereenese knot. The sword bounced off and cut my nose off. Bugger.

MOVIE NEWS: My werewolf novella “The Skin Trade,” originally published way back when in NIGHT VISIONS 5, has been optioned for film by Mike the Pike Productions. You can read some of the details here: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Mike-The-Pike-Productions-Inc-1042223.html And about time. I’ve always thought there was a terrific movie in “The Skin Trade,” but somehow no one has ever optioned it till now. The novella is a horror/ mystery cross set in a decaying rustbelt city and featuring a hot young female private eye and a hypochondriac lycanthrope, how that for high concept? Randi and Willie are still favorites of mine. The novella won the World Fantasy Award too, which is how I got that head of H.P. Lovecraft that looks down over my living room. I hope that Mike the Pike does a kickass job with it.

FUNNY BOOK NEWS: And whattaya know, “The Skin Trade” will also be a comic book miniseries and graphic novel. Avatar Press will publish the book. Daniel Abraham did the adaptation and script. The pencils will be done by talented Polish artist Marek Oleksicki.

MORE MOVIE NEWS: Three of my short stories have also been optioned for film of late. The stories are the fantasies “In the Lost Lands” and “The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr” and the science fiction story “Bitterblooms.” Film rights have been optioned by producer / director Constantin Werner, who has a website at http://www.constantinwerner.com

MORE FUNNY BOOK NEWS: Avatar Press is also adapting my novella “In the House of the Worm” as a comic book miniseries. The adaptation on this one was done by John Jos. Miller. Ivan Rodriguez is doing the pencils. I am told he has finished the first two issues.

NO FUNNY BOOK NEWS: The last issue of WILD CARDS: THE HARD CALL from the Dabel Brothers remains undrawn as I write, alas. We hope to have news… ah… eventually…

ANTHOLOGIES: Well, let’s see. SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH is sold out from Subterranean, but the British edition should be out next month from HarperCollins Voyager. WARRIORS will be released next March in hardcover from Tor. Stories have started to come in for STAR-CROSSED LOVERS, the most recent being a Kushiel tale from Jacqueline Carey. Already on hand are the contributions from Robin Hobb, Cecelia Holland, Yasmine Galenorn, and Carrie Vaughn. And Gardner Dozois and I have just sold another original crossgenre anthology, this time to Penguin/ Ace. DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS will blend the classic private eye story with fantasy and science fiction… sort of like I did in “The Skin Trade,” actually, or like Robert A. Heinlein once did in his classic “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag.” We have a terrific lineup of contributors, as usual, including… well, that would be telling.

I am probably forgetting stuff. Life is busy.

That will do for now.

The bird is cruel.

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Goodbye and Good Luck, David

September 6, 2009 at 12:40 pm
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David Tyree has been released by the Giants.

It was no surprise. He had a bad camp, and the Giants are heavily stocked with young receivers… but even so, it is sad to see him go. Tyree was always a lion on special teams, and whenever he did get into a game as a wide receiver, he exceeded expectations. He was never as gifted as Plaxico or Randy Moss or TO or the like, but he had more heart than any of them.

And of course he will live forever in the hearts of every Giants fan.

Some other team will pick him up, no doubt. I wish him luck, wherever he ends up.

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Calendar Update

September 5, 2009 at 3:09 pm
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Sorry, there will be no 2010 Ice & Fire calendar. After our deal with DBPro was terminated, there was simply not enough time to find a new publisher, negotiate a contract, hire an artist, and get twelve paintings done so the calendar could be released on schedule. A calendar really needs to be released by Halloween at the latest… some 2010 calendars are already in the stores now, in early September… so….

However, I do expect to have some exciting news about the 2011 calendar Real Soon Now. And that one WILL be released on schedule.

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Dancing

September 3, 2009 at 12:35 pm
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Taking another whack at the Meereenese knot today. I’m going to try breaking two largish chapters into four smallish ones, changing the order of events somewhat, and weaving them all together. Maybe that will work a little better.

Can it really be September?? Ack. I can feel the heat of those flames…

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As Cersei Lannister…

September 2, 2009 at 12:49 pm
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… yes, we have the superb British actress Lena Headey.

That’s not news, I know. The CHICAGO TRIBUNE broke the story, and the casting has been confirmed by the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Reuters, and numerous other blogs and websites. But just in case there were any doubts, this should put ’em to rest.

Lena is best known among genre fans for playing Sarah Connor in the recently cancelled Fox show THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Sarah, of course, was played in the TERMINATOR films by Linda Hamilton, who was also Catherine on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Yes, that was the “Six Degrees” clue, with Sarah Connor as the link.

Lena also starred as Queen Gorgo of Sparta in the film 300, whence came my two “Gorgo” clues, one playing off the old monster movie GORGO (see below), the other off the actual historical Queen Gorgo, as chronicled by Herodotus, Father of History.

(Some folks have complained that the clues were too hard. Maybe so. Hard to judge these things. Originally I had intended to write that the search for our queen had been terminated after looking at three hundred actresses, but Parris convinced me that you lot would have solved that one in about six seconds. So blame her.)

Lena Headey has played all sorts of other roles besides Queen Gorgo and Sarah Connor, of course. Check out her credits on IMDB. She’s even worked with Jennifer Ehle (our Catelyn) in POSSESSION, she played Guinevere in MERLIN, she’s appeared in many period pieces and even a few set during the medieval period. Her range was one of the things that impressed us most about her; Cersei is a character with many colors, and Lena will be able to give us all of them. Her readings were wonderful… and of course she’s beautiful and sexy as hell.

Yes, it’s true, she’s not a blonde, but she has played one on TV (and in films). Seriously, guys. This is HBO. They know about wigs and hair dyes and stuff like that.

Lena should be amazing as the queen you love to hate. I’m thrilled to have her aboard.

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More Casting to Come

September 1, 2009 at 7:57 pm
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Glad to see everyone so excited about the casting.

We’re not done yet by any means. Roles still to be filled for the pilot include Bran, Jory, Hullen, Jeyne Poole, Septa Mordane, Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrik, Grand Maester Pycelle, Khal Drogo, Magister Illyrio, and the threesome from the prologue, Gared, Will, and Waymar Royce.
And the ever-popular Red-Headed Whore and Nameless Eunuch.

Rickon, Tommen, Myrcella, and Beth will be non-speaking parts.

People are getting way ahead of themselves with suggestions for Varys, Littlefinger, Lord Tywin, Ser Barristan, Renly, Stannis, Melisandre, etc. None of those characters appear in the pilot, and some won’t appear until the second season.

Assuming, of course, that we get that far.

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Mommy Comes to London Town

September 1, 2009 at 6:40 pm
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Gorgo’s mother meets Big Ben.

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Our Queen Is Cast…

August 31, 2009 at 11:50 pm
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… but I can’t tell you who she is.

Only who she isn’t.

She has no lines in common with Mr. Miyagi, but maybe she should. If we were playing “Six Degrees,” there would only be one link between us. Her mother and Big Ben are strangers.

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Report from Abq

August 30, 2009 at 10:42 am
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A good Bubonicon. Mike Cassutt gives his GOH speech in a couple minutes. And we had the usual raucous time at the Pope Room last night.

The dog is green. Just sayin’

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I’ll Be Good, I will, I will

August 30, 2009 at 1:01 am
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Eat your porage and you’ll grow up big and strong.

Just sayin’

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