Not a Blog

Kristian Is Coming

October 29, 2024 at 8:15 am
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Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and this year it will be more exciting than ever.

Kristian Nairn is coming to Santa Fe.

He’ll be signing his book, BEYOND THE THRONE, at Beastly Books.

And afterward, he will DJing our Halloween Party at the Jean Cocteau Next Door.

The signing is free and open to all.

Tickets to the party can be purchased from the Jean Cocteau website.

We’ll hold the door for you.

Current Mood: excited excited

Come to The Thicket

August 29, 2024 at 12:02 pm
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THE THICKET is one of Joe Lansdale’s best books — and believe me, that’s saying something, since the Sage of Nacodoches has written a lot of them.  Science fiction, mystery, horror, fantasy, humor, westerns, Joe can do it all.

And now THE THICKET is a major motion picture as well, starring the one and only Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis.

We’ll be premiering THE THICKET this Saturday at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe.

And Joe Lansdale, His Own Self, will be on hand in person to join us, and answer questions afterward.

Don’t miss it.

 

 

San Diego, Here I Come

July 14, 2022 at 9:29 am
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Yes, it’s true.   I will be heading to San Diego for Comicon at the end of the month, for the first time in… ah… a bunch of years.

That’s not news to most of you, I know.   There have already been a raft of stories out there about HBO’s plans for promoting HOUSE OF THE DRAGON at Comicon  (which plans are pretty mind-boggling, by the way), and my name has popped up in a good many of them.   So I’m not revealing any secrets here, but I can confirm.   I’ll be joining the HOUSE OF THE DRAGON panel  in Hall H, together with showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik and eleven of our cast members.   I will be as excited to meet them as you are.   I was not able to visit the Hot D sets, so this will be the first time I have met any of them… well, aside from Matt Smith, who I did meet for about two minutes in the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel at a previous Comicon, but he was the Doctor at the time, not Daemon Targaryen, and that’s not at all the same.

I will also be doing a couple of signings at San Diego.   One for my publisher, Bantam Spectra/ Random House.   I will be signing copies of FIRE & BLOOD and my other novels.   And one for Marvel Comics, with Paul Cornell, to promote the new Wild Cards graphic novels that Paul has scripted.   Raya Golden, ace minion, art director, and illustrator, will be travelling with me, and she’ll be on hand to sign copies of STARPORT, the graphic novel she adapted and illustrated from an old unproduced television pilot of mine (which may come back to life as a feature film, but that’s a tale for another day).   This being Comicon, where the crowds are immense,  all these signings will be capped and strictly limited, so if you want me to scrawl on one of your books, join the queue early.

(Sorry, I will NOT sign while walking the floor, eating lunch, or taking a piss in the men’s room.   Don’t ask, okay?)

In June 2021, I went to Chicago for a week to accept an honorary doctorate from Northwestern.   Aside from that, this will be the first time I have left home since the pandemic struck in March 2020.   I am looking forward to it… but, truth be told, I am also a tad anxious.   I have managed to avoid getting covid so far, knock wood… but if this Comicon is like the last one I went to, I am going to be in one big room with 150,000 other people, some of whom may not have been as careful as we have.  That could be a challenge.   Yes, I am fully vaccinated and double boosted, but that’s true of a number of friends of mine, who have still contracted omnicron despite that.   (Mild cases, mostly, but still).

I do not want covid, not even a mild case, so please be advised, I will be doing all I can to prevent that.   I will be masked almost all the time.   I will not be shaking hands, sorry.   Or even bumping fists.    You can take my picture when I am signing your book, but stay on your side of the table, please.   No selfies.   No hugs.   In past years, I was always glad to do all that, to make myself available to my readers, but these are not normal times.    Once covid goes away for good — if it ever does — perhaps I will be able to do all that again.   But not now.   I cannot get sick.   I have too much work to do.

I ask for your understanding.

And I hope all of us have a great time in San Diego, regardless of these challenges.

Current Mood: anxious anxious

Wild Days Are Come Again

November 11, 2021 at 8:11 am
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It will be a wild weekend at Beastly Books and the Jean Cocteau… a WILD CARDS weekend, that is.

Two new Wild Cards books are being released this week by our friends at Tor… or rather, two old Wild Cards books, unavailable for decades, are being re-released with smashing new covers.   Looking to complete your Wild Cards collections?   Your days of searching for old used copies on ebay are over.   Pick up the new editions, and enjoy the read.

Both of these new/old books are solo novels.

DEATH DRAWS FIVE, by John Jos. Miller, was volume seventeen in the series, the second (and last) of the two originals published by iBooks, released a bare week before iBooks went under.   Very few copies were ever distributed back then.    John’s novel features the return of Fortunato,  star turns from Billy Ray (Carnifex) and Jerry Strauss (Mr. Nobody), and introduces John Nighthawk and the unforgettable Midnight Angel (that’s her on the cover).  The fate of John Fortune… and the world… hangs in the balance.

The new Tor edition is a hardcover.

TURN OF THE CARDS, by the late great Victor Milan, is the other novel to return this week.  Volume twelve in the series, this globe-trotting adventure features Mark Meadows… aka Cap’n Trips… and all of his “friends,” including an old friend and a brand new one.   It’s Vic at his finest, and it’s another volume that has been very hard to find since its original publication.   The Tor edition is a trade paperback.

It goes without saying… we are celebrating the release of these two favorites with a cool event this Saturday (NOVEMBER 13) at the Jean Cocteau Cinema and Beastly Books, on Montezuma Street in scenic Santa Fe.

The festivities will start at 4:00 pm with a Happy Hour.   Come meet the writers and your fellow Wild Cards fans.

At 5:00 we will shuffle into the JCC auditorium, where John Miller will talk about DEATH DRAWS FIVE, his Wild Cards characters, and his other work.   After that we will have a panel, “Remembering Vic Milan,” wherein John and I and Melinda M. Snodgrass will share some memories of our lost friend and the stories he left behind him.

Finally, at 6:00 PM, we will adjourn next door to Beastly Books for the booksigning.   John and I and Melinda will all be on hand, and there’s a chance a few more of your favorite Wild Cards writers may also swing by.   Cross your fingers.

Come join us if you can.   And if you can’t, well, signed copies of all the Wild Cards books, old and new, are always available via mail order from Beastly Books in Santa Fe.   And hey, Christmas is coming up soon … autographed books make GREAT gifts.

https://jccwildcards.eventbrite.com/

Current Mood: pleased pleased

Railroad Wars!

November 9, 2021 at 2:11 pm
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Bestselling author JOHN SEDGWICK is coming to Santa Fe.

Beastly Books will be hosting a mixer and booksigning for him on Friday (November 12) from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.

John’s latest book is FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, a riveting account of the railroad wars of the nineteenth century, when the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe battled the Denver & Rio Grande for control of the Raton Pass, New Mexico, Santa Fe (Lamy!), and the road to California and the sea.   It’s a great read, full of colorful characters and outrageous confrontations back when the west was still wild.

And we’ll have signed copies at Beastly.

ALL ABOARD!

https://jsedgwicksigning.eventbrite.com/

Current Mood: busy busy

Pablito Is Coming

November 2, 2021 at 8:51 am
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And who is Pablito, I hear you asking?

He’s a dragon.   A friendly purple dragon who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

And he’s also the hero of SANTA’S DRAGON, a lovely new children’s book by Douglas Preston, the New York Times bestselling author of numerous mysteries and thrillers, including (with Lincoln Child) the Agent Pendergast series, the latest installment of which just debuted at #1 on the Times list.   This is Doug’s first children’s book.

His partner is this endeavor is the amazing Raya Golden, whose illustrations were last seen in the STARPORT graphic novel and before that in the Hugo-nominated MEATHOUSE MAN, both adapated from my work.

SANTA’S DRAGON will be going on sale for the first time on Saturday, November 6, at Beastly Books at 418 Montezuma Street in Santa Fe.  Raya and Douglas will both be on hand from 1:00 to 3:00 pm to meet you and sign your copies.   And for those who cannot make it, signed copies will of course be available afterward from Da Beast, via mail order.

 

If you’re in the neighborhood, do come by next Saturday to find out how Pablito helped Santa save Christmas for all the children of New Mexico.   And bring the kids!

 

Current Mood: cheerful cheerful

THE EXPANSE Rules

August 24, 2020 at 10:34 am
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Jimmy Corey — aka James S.A. Corey — aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck — is another friend(s) who kicked ass and took names at CoNZealand’s Hugo Awards, taking home the rocket ship for BEST SERIES over some very worthy competitors.

Maybe you’ve seen the TV show.   It’s great.   But the books are even better…

… and we have signed copies of all of them at Beastly Books, beside the Jean Cocteau.

To order yourself a set head over the the Beastly Books website at  https://jeancocteaucinema.com/beastlybooks/

And take a look at our other offerings while you are there.   The Jean Cocteau has hosted author events with some amazing writers, and ALL our books are autographed.

Current Mood: pleased pleased

The Amazing Ellen

August 22, 2020 at 8:23 am
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Ellen Datlow won another Hugo at the Virtual Worldcon that was supposed to be in New Zealand, but wasn’t.   For Best Editor, Short Form.    I have lost track of how many rockets Ellen has racked up at this point, but it’s a hell of a lot, and all very well deserved.  She’s an amazing editor and anthologist.

If you want to see her editing prowess at work, check out our selections at Beastly Books.   We’ve had the honor of hosting Ms. Datlow on several occasions, and we still have a few AUTOGRAPHED copies of some of her anthologies in stock.

Mad hats and creepy dolls, what could be more fun!  Both terrific books, and signed.

For those, and many many many more titles, check out the Beastly Books website at https://jeancocteaucinema.com/beastlybooks/

We have a fabulous selection of titles, and almost ALL our books are autographed.

FIRE & BLOOD Comes to Paperback

August 17, 2020 at 8:59 am
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FIRE & BLOOD, the first volume of Archmaester Gyldayn’s history of the Targaryen kings of Westeros, has just been released in trade paperback by my friends at Random House.   If you missed the hardcover (shame on you), here’s your chance to catch up.

But let me say, as I have a hundred times before, this is not a novel.   It is an imaginary history.   If you like reading history, real or fantastic, you will probably enjoy it.   If you go in expecting a conventional novel, you won’t.

We have autographed copies of the new trade paperback edition available from Beastly Books.  We also have some stock of the hardcover, for those of you who would prefer that.   Check them out — with all our other offerings — at https://jeancocteaucinema.com/beastlybooks/

Of course, the book is also available from your favorite online bookseller and your local brick-and-mortar bookshop.  (If they are open).   Those guys don’t have the signed copies, though.

FIRE & BLOOD covers the Targaryens from Aegon’s Conquest through the regency of the boy king Aegon III.

And if you’re curious as to what the new HBO show HOUSE OF THE DRAGON will cover… yeah, you want to pick this one up.

Happy history.

Current Mood: satisfied satisfied

Two Fanboys

July 1, 2019 at 12:16 pm
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Leonard Maltin, a legend among film critics, and his daughter Jessie Maltin were in Santa Fe last week, for a visit to the Jean Cocteau Cinema.   I taped a segment with Leonard for his podcast, and afterward Leonard and Jessie did a talk, a Q&A, and a booksigning at the theatre.  Great fun.

We discovered that Leonard and I sprang from the same roots.   We were both Jersey boys who got involved in fanzine fandom at an early age.   While I was writing superhero stories (Manta Ray!  Dr. Weird!  Garizan the Mechanical Warrior!!!) for the comic fanzines of the 60s, he started his own film fanzine.

You can hear our whole conversation on his podcast, Maltin On Movies http://maltinonmovies.libsyn.com/george-rr-martin

Leonard also blogged about his fanzine days and his visit to the JCC.   You can read the full text here:

We filmed the talk by Leonard and Jessie as well, and will be uploading that to the JCC website soon.

Meanwhile, for all you Leonard Maltin fans out there, we have autographed copies of four of his books available from the Jean Cocteau website — along with signed books by Alan Brennert, Neil Gaiman, Lee Child, Marlon James, John Hodgman, Lisa See, Diana Gabaldon, Carrie Vaughn, Melinda Snodgrass, Robert Jackson Bennett, Rebecca Roanhorse, Daniel Abraham, and many many more… along with yours truly.  Check out the full listings at:

https://jeancocteaucinema.com/shop/

Current Mood: geeky geeky