Come to the Forbidden City

March 1, 2015 at 12:56 pm

We have another great author event at the Jean Cocteau this Monday, March 9.

Bestselling novelist LISA SEE will be joining us, to talk about her new novel CHINA DOLLS.

SEE_ChinaDolls Lisa See Â© Patricia Williams

CHINA DOLLS tells the story of three young women who meet at the glamorous and exclusive Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco in 1938.

SOME REVIEWS FOR CHINA DOLLS:

!œA spellbinding portrait of a time burning with opportunity and mystery.! !”O Magazine

!œIn her impeccably researched and distinctive historical saga of desire and ambition, betrayal and revenge set amid the glitz and debauchery of burlesque entertainment on the !˜chop suey circuit,’ See again lavishly explores the thorny intricacies of female friendships.!!”Booklist

!œ[S]tellar. . . .The depth of See’s characters and her winning prose makes this book a wonderful journey through love and loss.! !”Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

!œA welcome spotlight on an overlooked segment of showbiz history.!!”Kirkus Reviews

!œThe Chinese American nightclub era comes to life in See’s latest novel. . . . colorful and fascinating historical touches tie the story together perfectly and form an exquisite backdrop for the adventures of three friends.!!”Library Journal

“Engaging!¦ China Dolls is blessed with characters and story lines that are interesting indeed.”!”USA Today

!œ[A] captivating, profoundly American story!!”Miami Herald

!œ[A] fascinating portrait of life as a Chinese-American woman in the 1930s and !˜40s.!
!”New York Times Book Review

!œ[S]uperb. . . . this emotional, informative and brilliant page-turner resonates with resilience and humanity.! !”Washington Post,

!œSee offers the perfect summer read in this flamboyant, historical novel. “China Dolls” is packed with engaging period details about fashion, food, film and music and also addresses serious gender and geopolitical issues. . . . a sweeping, turbulent tale of passion, friendship, good fortune, bad fortune, perfidy and the hope of reconciliation.!
!”Los Angeles Times

!œLisa See’s latest novel, China Dolls, is her most penetrating since Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.!!”Seattle Times

“China Dolls plunges us into a fascinating history and offers an accessible meditation on themes that are still urgent in our contemporary world. The women’s story explores burning questions about the possibilities of friendship, the profound effects of betrayal, the horrors of prejudice and the nature of ambition – especially female ambition. . . . These Asian artists were true pioneers, breaking ground, chasing vast dreams, subverting stereotypes simply by appearing onstage against the odds. Here, in China Dolls, they have found another stage of sorts, another place to rightfully shine.!!”San Francisco Chronicle

!œLisa See loves discovering people and stories that have been forgotten, lost or deliberately hidden away. Through memoir and historical fiction, she recovers those lost stories and breathes new life into them.!!”Orange County Register

The event starts at 7:00 pm. Admission is FREE with the purchase of a hardcover book, $5 with the purchase of a paperback, and $10 without book purchase. In honor of the occasion, our bar will be serving some authentic period cocktails from the Chinese cabarets of San Francisco between the wars.

For more about Lisa See and her work, visit her website at http://www.lisasee.com/

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Tags: jean cocteau, signings

Rules for Creepy Dolls

February 26, 2015 at 9:58 am

As promised, here are the rules for the Jean Cocteau’s Creepy Doll Contest:

Creepy dolls will be judged based on originality, creativity, characterization, artistic quality, and the ability to be inventive. Voting by the Queen of Creepy, Ellen Datlow, on Sunday, March 15, at 6:30 pm when winners will be announced.

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Submission Rules

Each participant may submit 1 doll each

Size limits: 6 to 24 inches tall

Dolls must be supported for display

Antique or dolls ravaged by weather and/or time are acceptable for submissions

Entry dolls must be named and have a place card attached to support for display

Contest Timeline

Submissions Begin: Monday, February 23, 2015

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Email your image to Sam Haozous at deadmartyr@yahoo.com (subject to approval) Dolls may be sold on consignment at the Jean Cocteau Cinema should artist choose to do so. Dolls must be shipped and arrive at the Jean Cocteau Cinema no later than Friday, March 13, 2015. Any entries arriving after deadline date will be disqualified. Any further questions, contact Sam Haozous at the email provided.

Submissions End: Saturday, March 14, 2015

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((The creepy two-headed doll above is by Sam himself, and will be on hand to welcome the competitors… but as Sam is on our Cocteau staff, his little boy/girl is not eligible)).

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Tags: contest, jean cocteau, signings

Gone to Texas

February 25, 2015 at 8:53 pm

I am off to the Lone Star State tomorrow for a whirlwind visit… no, not to Dallas, or Fort Worth, or Austin, or Houston, or San Antonio.

I am going to College Station for a very special presentation at the library.

And thence to Nacogdoches for the Nacogdoches Film Festival.

I will be doing a signing at the Hastings in Nacogdoches, for those who want your books defaced. Well, a book, anyway… only one to a customer. We will also be screening a couple of my episodes of GAME OF THRONES (“Blackwater” and “The Lion and the Rose”), and I’ll be doing some stuff with my friends Howard Waldrop, Michael Cassutt, and Joe R. Lansdale.

So come see me, y’all. (I won’t be there long).

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Tags: appearances, signings, travels

Carrie Is Coming

January 8, 2015 at 11:55 am

We have another cool author event Monday night at the Jean Cocteau.

CARRIE VAUGHN will be driving down to Denver to join us for the evening. We'll be having an hour of conversation and taking some questions from the audience, after which we'll adjourn to the lobby so Carrie can sign books.

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Carrie is best known as the author of the bestselling urban fantasy series KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR and its many sequels, about the adventures of a werewolf talk show host. LOW MIDNIGHT, her newest book, is a spinoff of sorts from the Kitty series, featuring one of the most popular of Kitty's supporting cast.

She has also been one of the mainstays of the revived Wild Cards series, creator of Earth Witch and Curveball and the whole American Hero concept that launched the "next generation" WC books in INSIDE STRAIGHT. If you haven't sampled any of her Wild Cards work, check out her Earth Witch story on Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/10/nuestra-senora-de-la-esperanza-carrie-vaughn

She also has her own "superpowers" universe, as seem in AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE and DREAMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE, and has written some terrific stand-alone historicals for my anthologies DANGEROUS WOMEN and ROGUES.

An amazing writer, an amazing person. Come meet her Monday night at 7pm, at the Jean Cocteau.

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Tags: fantasy, jean cocteau, signed books, signings, wild cards

This Week at the Cocteau

December 5, 2014 at 3:26 pm

We have a big weekend coming up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

We're extending the runs of both INTERSTELLAR and HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, so you'll be able to catch both of those off and on during the week. Check the showtimes on our website for dates and details. But we're also opening a new film tonight. It's called BEFORE I DISAPPEAR. Check outthe trailer, looks like fun:

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Tomorrow morning, Saturday, we launch another one of our television marathons. We'll be screening the entire first season of the new WGN dramatic series MANHATTAN, which is filmed right here in Santa Fe on the replica of 1943 Los Alamos that they built back of the College of Santa Fe. If you haven't seen MANHATTAN yet, you should. It's terrific, and if there's any justice it will competing with GAME OF THRONES next year when the Emmys roll around. (And no, it's not set in New York, it's about the Manhattan Project).

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Keep a sharp eye out and you'll spot GAME OF THRONES alumnus Harry Lloyd, the late great Viserys Targaryen, at the Lab, part of the induction team. Harry's in London just now, and won't be able to join us for the marathon, but other members of the cast and crew may be on hand.

Best of all: admission to all the MANHATTAN screenings will be FREE. So come and enjoy the show, and be sure to buy plenty of radioactive popcorn and glow-in-the-dark cocktails.

That's not all, either. Come Sunday, December 7, the Cocteau will sponsor another of its famous author events. HAMPTON SIDES, the author of the bestselling novel of Arctic exploration, IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE, will be here to talk with me about his book, his career, the Arctic, James Gordon Bennett, and anything else that come to mind.

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Admission is free with the purchase of a hardcover book, $5 with the purchase of a paperback, and $10 without book purchase.

Speaking of books… the Cocteau still has a huge stock of autographed books if you're looking for a Christmas present for that reader in the family. Junot Diaz, Anne Perry, Melinda Snodgrass, Pat Conroy, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Lehane, and many more are all available. And of course we have lots and lots of my own titles, including the brand new worldbook, THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE. If you're in the neighborhood, stop on by, catch a show, have a popcorn or a beer, and peruse the shelves.

See you at the movies.

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Tags: jean cocteau, movie theatre, signed books, signings, television

Lehane Drops By

September 11, 2014 at 12:24 am

If you love great writing… great movies… great books… you'll want to be at the Jean Cocteau Cinema this Saturday. We've got another amazing event lined up for those of you in Santa Fe and its suburbs (you know, Los Alamos, Espanola, Bernalillo, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque), and any lucky tourists passing through. DENNIS LEHANE will be here, and he's bringing THE DROP.

If you don't know Lehane… well, what rock have you been hiding under? He's the author of GONE BABY GONE, MYSTIC RIVER, and SHUTTER ISLAND, all of which have been made into terrific movies… but the novels are even better. He's also written some other novels that haven't been made into movies (yet), and those are just as good. My favorite is THE GIVEN DAY, a historical about the Boston Police Strike. He's also done screenplays and teleplays, including some great episodes of BOARDWALK EMPIRE and THE WIRE.

Dennis has a new novel just out: THE DROP. And the movie will soon follow. VERY soon, like this month. Simultaneous release, something I can't think I've ever seen before. THE DROP stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and the late great James Gandolfini. Here's a taste.

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Anyway, we'll have the book, the movie, AND the author.

Saturday 6:00 we'll have an author event with Dennis, the usual mix of reading, interview, Q&A, and booksigning. We'll talk about THE DROP, his other books, his TV work, whatever you want to talk about, and of course we'll have books for signing. Free admission with purchase of a hardcover, $5 with purchase of a paperback, $10 admission without a book purchase.

At 8:00 pm we'll have a sneak preview screening of the film. FREE, first come first seating.

And of course we'll have beer, wine, cocktails, and the best popcorn in the state, as ever.

I'll be there. Hope you will too.

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Tags: jean cocteau, movies, signings

Comicon Is Coming

July 21, 2014 at 10:43 am

It seems like I just got back from France and Switzerland… maybe because I just did… and now San Diego Comicon is on top of us.

I'll be there for the whole weekend, doing promotion for HBO, Bantam Spectra, and my various other publishers. Flying in Wednesday, departing on the following Monday, so if you're going to comicon, you should have plenty of chances to see me, hear me, and get me to scrawl illegibly on your book, graphic novel, Blu-Rays, or body parts.

My schedule:

Wednesday evening, 6pm to 7pm, I will be doing a signing at the AVATAR PRESS booth, autographing copies of the SKIN TRADE graphic novel and IN THE HOUSE OF THE WORM comic. (Only those, please. There will be other places and times to get my other stuff signined).

Thursday, 2:30 to 3:30, I will be appearing in the main autograph area (the Sails) at Table 3, with DONATO GIANCOLA. The two of us will be signing copies of the 2015 Ice & Fire calendar, which will be making its debut at the convention.

Thursday, 4:00 to 5:00 pm, you can catch me in the Indigo Room, where I'll be joining William Christensen of Avatar to talk about THE SKIN TRADE and IN THE HOUSE OF THE WORM. (No signing here, this is just a talk).

Friday, we have the GAME OF THRONES panel in Hall H. I'll be there, with showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss and various members of our cast. This year CRAIG FERGUSON will be moderating. Hall H seats 7,000 people… but of course 150,000 people attend comicon, so if you want to see the panel, best get in line… ah… now. Afterward I will join the cast for interviews and a poster signing and more interviews.

Saturday, 11:00 am to 12 noon, I return to the Sails for a Random House autograph session. This time I will be at Table 7. This is the time and place to get your books signed. Copies will be on sale in the autograph area, if you don't want to drag your old ones to San Diego.

Saturday, 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm, I'll be in Room 6A for a panel on epic fantasy, part of an all-star lineup of panelists with Patrick Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, and others.

Sunday, 12:30 to 1:30, back to the floor for another signing. This time I will be signing copies of the HEDGE KNIGHT and SWORN SWORD graphic novels at the ComiXology booth, on behalf of Jet City Comics.

Sunday, 2:00pm to 4:00pm, I will be judging a costume contest sponsored by Courtyard Marriott.

Monday I go home.

Given the sheer numbers of people in San Diego for comicon, I regret to say that I will sign autographs ONLY at the designated signings. There are, you will note, five of them, which means I'll be scrawling my name for five hours at various points through the weekend. That's about all I can manage. So if you should happen to see me walking the floor, riding a pedicab through the GasLamp, having a drink or eating my dinner, feel free to smile or wave or say hi, but PLEASE do not ask me to sign anything. I can only do so much, and I do need some time just to enjoy the con and chill with friends.

Thanks.

See you in San Diego.

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Tags: comic books, comicon, conventions, signings

GRRM is Coming to France & Switzerland

June 26, 2014 at 5:20 pm

Hey all you European Fans, GRRM is officially on his way to France tomorrow, he will be signing books at the lovely Librairier Grangier bookstore in Dijon from 2PM -6PM on Thursday July 3rd.

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http://www.librairie-grangier.com

Then after a short visit in France, it's off to beautiful Switzerland and the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, or NIFFF, which GRRM will be attending from July 5th to July 12th. During this wonderfully weird event highlighting fantastic films from all over the world they will feature three movies personally picked by George, Hitchcock's PSYCHO, CASABLANCA and of course the forever classic FORBIDDEN PLANET. GRRM will be introducing all three of these features and giving a short speech as to the influence these particular films had on him.

GRRM will also be hosting a panel about being an author, working in television and the overall adaptation process. The Panel is listed as the Writer's Room at NIFFF and is being scheduled for Monday the 7th of July at 2PM.

There will also be a signing session for fans during NIFFF it beings at 2PM on Sunday July 12th.

Please visit NIFFFs website for more details on all the fun happening in Neuchâtel this July.

http://www.nifff.ch

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This Announcement has been brought to you by the Minions of Fevre River…. 🙂

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Tags: conventions, minion post, signings, travels

See You in Carolina

May 28, 2014 at 4:04 pm

Tomorrow morning my executive minion Raya and I will be off again, this time to ConCarolinas in Charlotte.

http://concarolinas.net/

If you're in the neighborhood, swing by the Charlotte Hilton and join the fun. Parties, panels, autographing, speeches… did I mention the parties? Sometime in there I hope to find some good barbeque.

And I'll be doing a reading. This time, I think, a selection from the forthcoming WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE, for all you fake history fans.

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Tags: conventions, signings, travels

Author, Author!

April 14, 2014 at 1:17 pm

We have a couple of really exciting author events scheduled for next week at the Jean Cocteau.

On Monday, April 21, we will be welcoming the Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist JUNOT DIAZ, author of THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER and THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, and other titles.

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The evening will start at 7:00 pm with a 90-minute interview of Junot, conducted by Doctors Shante Paradigm Smalls and Santiago Vaquera-Vasquez of the University of New Mexico. Dr. Smalls is a scholar and artist who works at the intersection of popular culture and critical theory. She is a professor at UNM in American Studies. Santiago Vaquera-Vasquez is "an unrepentant border crosser, ex-dj, writer, painter, and academic," and a professor at UNM in the department of Spanish and Portuguese. After the interview, we will adjoin to the lobby and bar, where Junot will sign copies of his books.

A few days later, on Thursday April 24, the bestselling mystery writer and historical novelist ANNE PERRY will arrive in Santa Fe, and the Cocteau will have the privilige of hosting her as well. Ms. Perry's awe-inspiring bibligraphy includes 19 volumes in her William Monk series, 28 in the Thomas Pitt series, as well as fantasies, YA novels, stand-alones, and Christmas books. Anne is on tour, promoting her lastest, DEATH ON BLACKHEATH.

The event will start at 7:00 with an interview and dialogue, as usual. This time I'll be doing the interview myself. That will be followed by an audience Q&A and a booksigning, and we expect to have a WIDE selection of Anne's novels on hand.

Admission to both events is FREE with the purchase of a hardcover book, $5 with the purchase of a paperback, $10 without a book purchase. Most of our past author events have been sold out, so if you'd like to hear Junot Diaz or Anne Perry, call the Cocteau at 444-5528 and reserve your place now.

Movies are the heart and soul of the Jean Cocteau Cinema… but we love books too, and our author evenings have been hugely popular and will continue to be an important part of our schedule. In the months to come, we will be hosting MELINDA M. SNODGRASS, comic book stars CULLEN BUNN and BRIAN HURTT of SIXTH GUN fame, mystery/ horror/ SF star JOE R. LANSDALE and his daughter KASEY, author, editor, and country-signing sensation, DANIEL ABRAHAM (who is also half of JAMES S.A. COREY), Hugo-winning novelist JO WALTON, CHERIE PRIEST, JOE ABERCROMBIE, DENNIS LEHANE, and NEIL GAIMAN & AMANDA PALMER. If you'd like to know the dates and details, go to our website at http://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/ and sign up for our email newsletter, to keep abreast of what's coming up on Montezuma Street. All of these events are first come, first seated, and we do tend to fill up quickly.

See you at the booksignings.

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Tags: jean cocteau, reading, signed books, signings

Not a Blog

Come to the Forbidden City

Rules for Creepy Dolls

Gone to Texas

Carrie Is Coming

This Week at the Cocteau

Lehane Drops By

Comicon Is Coming

GRRM is Coming to France & Switzerland

See You in Carolina

Author, Author!

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