Not a Blog

Stay on Topic, Please

February 19, 2009 at 1:01 pm
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I’m going to make a number of posts here today, on a variety of topics.

Some will be open for comments, and some won’t. (This won’t).

If you want to comment, great, but please stay on topic.

Off topic posts will be deleted by my diligent and tireless assistant, Ty, whose duties include policing this Not-A-Blog for such and stamping them out.<

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Calendar Update

February 19, 2009 at 11:53 am
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Here’s the latest on the ICE & FIRE calendars from Les Dabel, as of about five minutes ago. He writes:

“The printer is shipping your copies to you directly that need to be signed. You should receive them within 4-5 business days. As of Monday, all the calendars that needed to be reshipped will have been shipped. Once again sorry for this. We are using a mailing service for the next calendars. Thanks.”

I will announce it here as soon as those calendars arrive to be signed.

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One Monkey Off My Back

February 17, 2009 at 11:50 am
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The latest Wild Cards book, SUICIDE KINGS, is finished, and has just been delivered to our editor at Tor Books. Look for it in late 2009 or early 2010. For more details, check out the story on my News page.

It’s nice to have that one complete.

Alas, this does not mean my back is monkeyless. Couple more still sitting up there, including King Kong, the dragon monkey. But you guys know about him.

C’mon, ya filthy apes. Let’s all get back to work.

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Last Chance for FEVRE DREAM

February 16, 2009 at 2:16 pm
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The gorgeous Subterranean Press limited edition of my historical horror novel FEVRE DREAM was sold out many months ago, or so we thought… but Bill Schafer has just turned up another box of numbered copies, so the book is once again (briefly) available, so long as that supply lasts. It probably won’t be long.

This is a really stunning edition, with some magnificent artwork by Justin Sweet. If you’d like to snag one of these last few copies, order from the SubPress webpage at:

http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=martin2

And speaking of FEVRE DREAM, my own stock of the first edition Poseidon Press hardcover from 1982, which I’ve been offering autographed on my Signed Books page for, like, forever, is also running low. At this writing fewer than twenty copies remain, so if you want one of them, this is the time to act on that as well.

At $29, these are considerably cheaper than the $125 Subterranean edition, and they are firsts… but what few copies remain, alas, are remainder stamped, and the dustjackets of this last batch are pretty beat up, with various scuffings, tears, scrapes, chips, and the like. Copies are offered as is, so long as they last.

Whether Subterranean or Poseidon, if you want to voyage down into the heart of darkness on the fleet packet steamer Fevre Dream with Abner and Joshua, this is the time to board.

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Wild Cards Meets SPQR

February 15, 2009 at 5:55 pm
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Page One Bookstore in Albuquerque has scheduled a booksigning for BUSTED FLUSH, the latest Wild Cards mosaic novel from Tor.

The details:

PAGE ONE, 11018 Montgomery Blvd NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saturday, March 7, 2009
4:00-6:00 pm

This will be a joint signing with John Maddox Roberts, whose new SPQR mystery novel will just have been released. If you haven’t read John’s SPQR books, I recommend them. They’re set in the late Republic, and JMR evokes the time and characters vividly.

On the Wild Cards side, BUSTED FLUSH contributors Melinda M. Snodgrass, Ian Tregillis, John Jos. Miller, Caroline Spector, Walton (Bud) Simons, Carrie Vaughn, and Victor Milan have all confirmed their appearance… so Double Helix, the Genetrix, Carnifex, the Amazing Bubbles, Little Fat Boy, Curveball, and the Radical will all be represented by their creators. And I’ll be there signing too, of course. Several other Wild Carders should also be on hand to kibbitz, so you can get signatures on your INSIDE STRAIGHT paperbacks and even some of the earlier volumes as well.

Page One has promised to have good stocks of the other titles by all of the participating authors, so this will also be a great chance for you to get Carrie Vaughn to sign your Kitty books, Melinda to inscribe your copy of THE EDGE OF REASON, Vic to scrawl in his latest Rogue Angel title, John to autograph the Wild Cards RPG from Green Ronin, etc. And yes, of course, I’ll be glad to sign ICE & FIRE books.

So if you’re in New Mexico or environs that weekend, drop by Page One, meet John Maddox Roberts and the Busted Flushers, get your books defaced, and help support our local independent bookseller.

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Dear Dolphins

February 11, 2009 at 11:55 am
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Miami Dolphins,

Now that Brett Favre has retired, can we please have Chad Pennington back?

Mike Tannenbaum
New York Jets

Hmmmm. Wonder what Vinnie Testaverde is doing?

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Love Them Librarians

February 7, 2009 at 5:44 pm
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The American Library Association has named HUNTER’S RUN — the three-way collaboration between me, Gardner Dozois, and Daniel Abraham — as the outstanding SF novel of the year on their 2009 Reading List:

http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/february2009/rusareadinglist.cfm

Got some distinguished company there. We’re all delighted.

I love librarians. Smart, sexy, and they have such good taste in books.

(But who knew that “adrenaline” was a genre?)

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Reno in 2011

February 7, 2009 at 3:36 pm
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The news is all over the fannish grapevine — Seattle has withdrawn its bid to host the World Science Fiction Convention in 2011. Evidently they lost their facilities.

Reno was their only announced competition for the Seattle bid. Since the filing deadline has passed, and only Seattle and Reno had filed, it looks as though we’ll be going to Reno in 2011.

Works for me. I have never been to Reno, but they have a very experienced veteran committee, and facilities superior to those Seattle was offering, so it should be a good con. (Knock wood. One really never knows about these things).

I am less sanguine about this year’s Montreal worldcon. With their hotels scattered halfway to hell and gone, Montreal will be even more spread out than last year’s Denver con.
Wear comfortable shoes.

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Some Love For Longclaw

February 7, 2009 at 12:21 pm
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After all the complaints and problems with the calendar, let me take this opportunity to point out that most of the other licensed Ice & Fire products are going just fine, thank you.

Longclaw, for instance, the full-size replica of Jon Snow’s bastard sword, is drawing some rave reviews, and my readers and fans have had nothing but good things to say about the professionalism and customer service of Chris Beasley and his crew at Valyrian Steel. Check out some of the comments for yourself at:

http://www.valyriansteel.com/shop/swords/longclaw-sword-of-jon-snow/prod_2.html

Remember, Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. And nothing says love like Valyrian steel…

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CoSine podcast

February 5, 2009 at 6:18 pm
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The podcast I did at Cosine weekend before last, up in Colorado Springs, has now been posted at http://www.thacopodcast.com/

Check it out if you’re interested… but be warned, my interviewers run a gaming site, so there were only a few questions about A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, and a whole lot about WILD CARDS, my various games and miniatures and sub-licenses, and like subjects. If you’re interested in that stuff, you might enjoy a listen. If not, well, maybe not so much.

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