It’s May, and this should be my last post about the 2009 calendars. Les Dabel tells me that all of them have now been shipped. Yes, even the autographed ones I signed in March. Yes, every single last one. He also tells me that they sent out some scarce HEDGE KNIGHT comic books, to help make up for the delay. The promised “extra content” — samples from the 2010 calendar — obviously could not be included, since the 2010 calendar has been cancelled.

No, it’s not the ending we would have wished for, but it is an ending. Everyone who paid for a calendar should have one soon, if you do not have one already.

(Yes, I am aware there is still an issue about the prints. Sorry, I cannot help you with the prints. I had nothing whatsover to do with those; that matter is between the Dabels and their customers.)

Meanwhile… hell, it’s May, time is rushing by again. Where do the months go?

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I regret to announce that Michael Kaluta will not be illustrating the 2010 Ice & Fire calendar for DB Productions. I’ve seen some of the work Mike had done on the calendar to date, and it was gorgeous… but he’s pulled out, and his reasons for doing so are good and sufficient. I am in complete support of his decision to wash his hands of this, and regret all the problems that his involvement in this project has caused him.

I have reached the end of my patience as well. I have instructed my agent to ask the Dabel Brothers for an immediate termination of our contract.

Unless another publisher suddenly hoves into sight, the problem-plagued 2009 Ice & Fire calendar may be the only one there ever is.

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Three huge boxes of signed calendars have been picked up, and are on their way back to the Dabels at DBPro. Everyone who paid for an autographed calendar should have it soon.

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I’ve defaced ’em all. (See? Sometimes I finish SOONER than I estimate!!!)

The calendars are all signed, packed up in three big boxes, and waiting for UPS to come by, pick them up, and return them to DBPro for distribution.

Me, I’m going back to DANCE. Maybe I can even finish that bloody Tyrion chapter today…

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FYI, the Ice & Fire calendars have just arrived here from DBPro for signing. The huge boxes in which they came had both pretty well disintegrated in transit, which gave me some worry, but the calendars themselves seem unharmed.

All of them appear to have the Jon Snow cover.

There are quite a lot of them. I will get to signing ASAP, and it may take me a few days to deface them all. I need to get some silver markers too. That should show up best on the black, glossy covers.

As promised, I’ll post here as soon as the job’s done and the calendars are on their way back to the Dabels.

Thanks for all your patience.

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It’s now March, and I think… hope… that we are almost done with the calendar business.

Les Dabel has assured me that everyone who bought and paid for a calendar has now been sent one (some have been sent two, or even three, he says, in cases where the first one never arrived). The international shipments may not yet have been delivered in all cases, overseas airmail being what it is, but all of them are on the way.

This leaves only the signed calendars. And no, those have not yet arrived here for signing. Let me say once again that the minute they turn up, I will post it here.

(Let me also say, once again, that I will NOT be signing any 2010 calendars. Les, Ernst, please do not offer any 2010 signed versions, I do not want to go through this again)

(And that’s March, FWIW. Arya and the dragon skulls. Komarck is amazing. I do hope enough of you nominated him for that Hugo, he deserves a spot on the ballot).

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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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