March Madness

March 1, 2012 at 12:17 pm

Somehow it has become March already. Where did January and February go?

Two months of the year are gone, and already I feel as if I’m two months behind.

And things only get crazier from here.

CANADIANS, take note! I am heading up to Toronto in less than two weeks. I’ll be speaking and reading at the Toronto International Film Festival (sorry, they tell me the event is already sold out), and the signing at Indigo Books. Dates, times, and other details available on my website, so go check there for links.

Back home after that, and back at work, but then at month’s end I am off again, this time to the UK, where I will be Guest of Honor at Eastercon, this year at Heathrow. I will also be doing a couple of signings, one in Bath and one in London. From the UK, I head to Portugal, and events in Lisbon and Porto. Back home again just in time for the NFL Draft (didn’t think I’d miss THAT, didja?).

In between all this, I have, hmmmmm, lemme see, one two three four FIVE projects that I am currently working on, four of which were due months ago… but it’s the fifth that has all my attention now, that I absolutely must finish and deliver before the trip to the UK.

(Oh, and somewhere in there me and my assistants and my accountant must find time to prepare my taxes, so I can write the IRS the biggest check that I have written in my life. I am going to be much, much poorer by month’s end)

Busy, busy, busy.

I love the work, actually. I just hate the deadlines.

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Tags: conventions, travels, writing

Westeros in Italy

November 15, 2011 at 12:10 am

Just wanted to share this great picture from this year’s Lucca Games and Comics Show in Italy.

Wonderful costumes… you guys are great… I’m sorry I wasn’t there to party with you.

The Lucca Show is the San Diego Comicon of Europe, held in a walled medieval city midway between Florence and Pisa. A great event. I attended once, back in 2005, and I mean to get back there one of these days. It just wasn’t possible this year.

But it’s nice to see that Westeros was so well represented.

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Tags: conventions

Bubonicon

August 25, 2011 at 7:37 pm

Great worldcon. Best in several years.

Great wedding. Best ever.

Great road trip. DEath Valley, Grand Canyon, WInslow, Pie Town.

But now I’m back in the Land o’ Enchantment, and just in time for Bubonicon.

See you at the Sheraton!

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Tags: conventions, travels

Worldcon Looms

August 14, 2011 at 8:46 pm

Tomorrow morning it’s off to Reno for worldcon.

Worldcon is my favorite con, and Reno promises to be an especially good one. They have a very experienced committee and, by all reports, a great facility. If the fannish ghods are good (and I sure hope they are), we will not be vexed by any of the hotel problems that troubled the recent worldcons in Melbourne and Montreal.

All that being said… I sure wish Renovation was being held on Labor Day weekend.

Two reasons:
(1) Labor Day weekend is the perfect worldcon weekend, hallowed by decades of tradition (yes, I know the con originally started on July 4th weekend, but that was before I was born, and not relevant), and worldcon (and worldcon alone) belongs on that weekend,
(2) it would give me more time to rest. It seems as though I just got back from San Diego Comicon and my nine-city book tour (maybe because I DID) and now I’m on the road again. It’s too damn soon. San Diego has become an increasingly important part of the annual con circuit for any professional writer; worldcon needs more distance from it, to give us poor pros a chance to catch our breath, unpack our suitcases, maybe do a laundry.

But Renovation is when it is, and I’m not about to miss it.

So off I go, weary or no. See you there.

The road goes ever on and on…

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Tags: conventions

Speaking of Cons…

August 10, 2011 at 1:52 pm

… I wanted to give a shout out to a convention that I won’t (alas) be attending — TITANCON, the one-day GAME OF THRONES convention being held in Belfast on September 24.

This one is fan-organized, fan-run, and not for profit. It’s being held in the city where the HBO series is filming, and (depending on shooting schedules) several of the cast members are likely to show up to sign your autographs and let you buy them drinks.

((Actors, like writers, like it when you buy them adult refreshments)).

Here’s the dope: http://www.titancon.com/

Like I said, I can’t be there myself. Wish I could, but the dates don’t work with my schedule, alas. But if this Titancon succeeds, maybe there will be more in future.

And Joe will be there:

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So for those of you over in the UK and Europe who can’t find your way across the pond for Renovation, consider attending Titancon instead. A weekend in Belfast and the company of your fellow Ice & Fire fans and Hodor too. What could be better?

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Tags: conventions, game of thrones

Renovation Schedule

August 10, 2011 at 11:25 am

It seems as though San Diego Comicon and my nine-city book tour just ended yesterday, and yet here comes worldcon, bearing down on me like a wedge of charging knights.

As I said at every one of my tour appearances, the BEST place to meet your favorite writers (including me, if I’m one of them) is not at a bookstore signing, but at a con. And there’s no con like worldcon. Yes, comicon is bigger. So is Gencon, Dragoncon, and many more. But worldcon is the source from whence they all sprang, the granddaddy of them all, and still the center of the SF/ fantasy universe.

And hey, they give the HUGOs there!

Here’s my schedule for Reno:

THURSDAY, August 18
1:00 pm A reading, from THE WINDS OF WINTER (AO1+6, RSCC)
3:00 pm autographing (Hall 2, RSCC)

FRIDAY August 19
11:00 am The Art of Ice & Fire, with John Picacio and Martina Pilcerova

SATURDAY August 20
11:00 am – 1:00 pm “The Pointy End” – a special screening of my episode from
the first season of the HBO series, with commentary

4:00 pm The Ethics of Adaptation, a debate/ dialogue w/ Melinda Snodgrass

8:00 pm HUGO AWARDS (Peppermill, Tuscany Ballroom) I will be presenting.

SUNDAY August 21

12:00 noon WILD CARDS panel (Ao1+6, RSCC)
1:00 pm autographing (Hall 2, RSCC)

Of course, the daytime programming is only a small part of what worldcon is all about. The other part is the room parties. And yes, I’ll be hitting those as well, partying every night — and you can expect that the Brotherhood Without Banners will once again throw the best, most kickass party at the con, as they’ve done for most of the past decade.

Unlike comicon, worldcon does not sell out. Full memberships and day passes will be available at the door. All you need do to attend is make it to Reno.

For most information, go to http://www.renovationsf.org/

See you in Reno!

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Tags: appearances, conventions, hugo awards

Coming to Comicon

July 19, 2011 at 4:19 pm

I’m off to San Diego tomorrow morning, for comicon.

Tickets have been sold out for months, alas. But for you lucky 150,000 who will be lucky enough to get in, here’s my current schedule of signings, panels, and other public events.

THURSDAY, JULY 21

10:00 am – 12 noon Daniel Abraham and I will be signing copies of the FEVRE DREAM graphic novel at the Avatar booth (#2701),

12 noon – 1:00 pm EPIC FANTASY panel, rm 6A

1:30pm – 2:30 pm The panelists from Epic Fantasy will be signing in autograph area AA1

3:00pm – 4:00 pm The GAME OF THRONES panel, an hour long discussion of the HB0 series with showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and actors Lena Headey (Cersei), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Nicolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime). I’ll be moderating.

4:30pm – 5:45pm The GAME OF THRONES cast and I will be signing posters at the Warner Brothers booth #4545.

FRIDAY JULY 22

10:00 am – 11:00 am I will be signing copies of the DOORWAYS graphic novel at the IDW
booth (#2643)

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm John Picacio and I will be signing copies of the 2012 Ice & Fire calendar in the autograph area, AA 21 I will also be signing A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and my other Ice & Fire books during this appearance.

SATURDAY JULY 23

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm I will be signing A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, the other Ice & Fire books, and anything else you care to bring in the autograph area, AA 18.

5:00pm – 6:00 pm Tor Books will be giving away complimentary copies of INSIDE STRAIGHT at their booth, and I’ll be on hand to sign them, along with Melinda Snodgrass, Daniel Abraham, Carrie Vaughn, and other members of the Wild Cards crew. We’ll also be glad to deface FORT FREAK and any other Wild Cards books you care to present to us.

SUNDAY JULY 24

10:30 am – 11:30 am WILD CARDS panel. Half a dozen of your favorite Wild Cards writers will assemble to talk about the past, present, and future of the long-running shared world series in the field.

12:00 noon – 1:00 pm The Wild Card panelists will adjourn to AA1 to sign your books.

Later that afternoon, I will heading over to Mysterious Galaxy for my signing there, but that’s offsite, and not an official part of the SDCC schedule.

A couple of notes about the signings:
1) as on my tour, I will be autographing your books, but I won’t be able to inscribe or personalize them (unless by some chance you catch me at a slow time when there’s no line),
2) many of these signings are keyed to particular books and projects. At Avatar, I’ll be signing FEVRE DREAM, at IDW it will be DOORWAYS, for Tor WILD CARDS. The place to get your DANCE WITH DRAGONS signed is at the big general signings on Friday and Saturday. We’ve scheduled me for four hours of signing between those two days… so please, respect my other publishers and DO NOT ask me to sign your Ice & Fire books at the booth signings. Those are meant to promote my other projects.

[[AFTER THE CUT IS NSFW. ]]

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Of course, there are certain things I am always willing to sign.

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Tags: a dance with dragons, appearances, avatar, calendar, conventions, game of thrones, hbo, idw, signings, tor, wild cards

Comicon Special

July 10, 2011 at 11:21 am

I’m heading off to the airport in about an hour…

Before I go, though, an advance peek at the cover for the FEVRE DREAM graphic novel, which will be released at the San Diego Comicon in a couple of weeks.

And we have a special offer from Avatar: if anyone pre-orders a copy of the FEVRE DREAM hardcover from them, at the normal cover price, they will be guaranteed a ticket to my signing at the Avatar booth (#2701) on Thursday at 10:00 am. Daniel Abraham, who scripted the adaptation, will be there signing with me. The ticket will allow each holder to get this item plus three of their own signed. (But again, JUST SIGNATURES, no personalizations).

To preorder and get your ticket, go to:

http://www.comcav.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=179_250&products_id=12036

See you in San Diego, true believers. Keep your steam up.

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Tags: comic books, conventions, fevre dream, signings

Dublin

October 13, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Well, I made it to Dublin. My hotel does not have a business center, so I am typing this at an internet cafe on the banks of the Liffey. BWB dinner tomorrow night, and Octocon this weekend.

The trip was gruelling, as ever. Where are the rocket planes I was promised in my youth?

Glad I’m here.

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Tags: conventions, travel

Made It to Melbourne

August 26, 2010 at 2:35 pm

We’re here, upside down and dangling off the bottom of the world. The change keeps falling out of our pockets.

The trip took forever was not without its stresses and unpleasantries. V-Australia was great, but United Airlines sucks sour weasels.

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Tags: conventions, travel

Not a Blog

March Madness

Westeros in Italy

Bubonicon

Worldcon Looms

Speaking of Cons…

Renovation Schedule

Coming to Comicon

Comicon Special

Dublin

Made It to Melbourne

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