Just got my big box of “author’s copies” of the 2009 Ice and Fire calendar from the Dabel Brothers. Yes, I know, I’m prejudiced, but damn, this is gorgeous.

Michael Komarck just keeps getting better and better. I hope all you guys remember him and the incredible work he did on this calendar when it comes time to nominate for the Hugoes.

The calendar is shipping later than expected — there was a delay with the art, and another with the printer — but Les Dabel assures me that all the pre-orders are finally on the way.

I can’t explain the “out of stock” status of the calendar at Amazon, sorry. Very little of what Amazon does is comprehensible to me.

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Tom Kidd has finished the last of his wonderful interior illustrations for the Subterranean Press limited edition of the Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH. I love the work he’s been doing. We have twenty-two writers in the book, and each story will have its own full-page illustration.

Here’s what Tom did for my own yarn, “A Night at the Tarn House.”

All the stories are now in, and all the art as well. The last thing that remains are the signature pages, which are making the rounds to the final half-dozen contributors so they can affix their scrawls. After that the book will go to the printers. Look for the SubPress edition in the late spring or early summer, and the Tor edition six months later (the Tor edition will not have the artwork, however).

The lettered edition of SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH is sold out, but copies of the numbered edition (signed by Vance and all the authors) are still available through the SubPress website at http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=martin07&Category_Code=PRE&Product_Count=24

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Well, if you like defense, you had to like the Giants / Cowboys game. Two great defenses slugging it out, and throttling the offenses. Unfortunately the ending sucked.

Losing to the Cowboys is always painful.

The Giants look like a ghost of themselves without Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs. It’s becoming clear that the foundation of Earth, Wind, and Fire is Earth. I do wish Coughlin had gone to Fire in the third quarter, when it became clear that Wind wasn’t getting it done.

The other Giants receivers need to step up with Plax gone, but so far they haven’t. Eli got no help at all tonight, either from his receiving corps or his offensive line.

Sigh. And next Sunday, the Panthers come to down.

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Why must the Jets stop my heart beating every time they play a game?

Their season almost ended today with a horrendous loss to the Buffalo Bills. Then the football gods and Buffalo coach Dick Jauron give us an early Christmas present. Only seconds from the two minute warning, the Bills had the lead and the ball on a second-and-five. All they had to do was run out the clock and make the Jets burn their timeouts, and the game was over. The Jets had been unable to stop Bills RB Marshawn Lynch all day. So what does Buffalo do? They call a rollout play-action pass. Then comes a sack and a fumble, Jets recover, Sean Ellis runs it in for a TD and a miraculous victory. I am tempted to say the Jets snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, but really, it was the Bills who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Bad play by Losman, worse call by the Bills coaches.

It was the second huge freak play that turned the game. Back in the first quarter, the Jets were dominating. Up 14-3 and driving past midfield for a third score. Then a Favre pass bounces off the hands of Coles, off a Bills defender, off Coles’ foot, and into the hands of a second Bills defender. And suddenly all the momentum shifts. Very shortly thereafter, the Bills score and are right back in the game. It’s amazing how fast a football game can shift, but that’s why I love the sport.

I still don’t feel good about the Jets’ chances. They won, but they did not play well, and that season ending game against Miami looms large on the schedule. The whole situation smells as if it’s set up for a Hollywood ending, called “Chad’s Revenge.” And right now Pennington and the Fish are playing much better football than Brett and the Jets.

The Giants came is tonight. Let’s see how they do against the quarrelin’ Cowboys.

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For you Wild Cards fans out there, there’s a new interview with me and all the writers who contributed to BUSTED FLUSH up at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist:

http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/2008/12/interview-with-george-r-r-martin-and.html

Check it out… and check out BUSTED FLUSH and INSIDE STRAIGHT, if you haven’t done so yet.

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Here’s some cool stuff you can buy to stuff a stocking or slip under the tree.

The paperback of INSIDE STRAIGHT.

Or maybe the hardcover of BUSTED FLUSH, the sequel, which hits the stands on Tuesday.

Valyrian Resin is shipping their wonderful minibusts of Ned, Dany, and the Hound.

Here’s the variant version of Dany. To see the other busts or place an order, check out their website at http://yhst-59202637827545.stores.yahoo.net/

Or if you’d prefer figures in a smaller scale, that you can paint yourself, Dark Sword Miniatures have Melisandre, Jon Snow, Jaime and Cersei, the Knight of Flowers, and lots of other cool Ice & Fire pewter minis available at their online store at
http://darkswordminiatures.com/

The official 2009 SONG OF ICE AND FIRE calendar from the Dabel Brothers is now at the printers, Les Dabel tells me. It features wonderful art by Michael Komarck, and can be ordered from Amazon, or direct from the Dabels at

http://www.dabelbrothersstore.com/2009-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-cale2009.html

And then there’s Valyrian Steel, who are now shipping Longclaw, the first in their series of replica swords of the Seven Kingdoms.

Get your own bastard sword and give Santa a surprise when he comes squeezing down your chimney.

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I’ve been getting a lot of emails since the announcement that HBO has given the green light to film the pilot of A GAME OF THRONES. (Well, I get a lot of emails anyway, but I’ve been getting a lot MORE since the announcement).

To all those who wrote with congratulations and good wishes… thanks. I have high hopes for the pilot as well. I think we’re in good hands with David Benioff, Dan Weiss, HBO, and the BBC all involved, but of course nothing is certain.

Many of you have been sending casting suggestions. Thanks for that as well… but you’re sending them to the wrong place. Yes, I will have a voice, but ultimately these decisions will be made by Dan and Dave, the director (still to be named), HBO, the BBC, and our eventual casting director.

If you’d like to throw out some ideas for actors you’d like to see in the show, the place to do that is on the Westeros board, where Elio and Linda have established a new forum for the show. Dave and Dan are checking in there regularly, so they will see your suggestions. They welcome fan input, and the folks at Westeros have already come up with lots of good possibilities. Anyway, the address is:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?s=b6d13262e85650248daa79314a29e7cd&showforum=25

In addition to Westeros, there’s also a brand-new fan blog called Winter Is Coming that has been started up as “yoursource for news, speculation and discussion on HBO’s planned A Song of Ice and Fire television series.” No, it’s not an “official” site — should we make it to series, there will likely be one of those on the HBO website — but it looks like another lively place for discussion. You can find that one at:

http://winter-is-coming.blogspot.com/

Have fun, and keep thinking those good thoughts.

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