We will be headed across the Atlantic in a week or so for the longest trip we’ve taken in a while, part business and part pleasure.<\/p>\n
First stop will be Belfast, where I am planning to visit Ashford Meadow, catch a little jousting and maybe a puppet show, meet a certain hedge knight and his squire, and the rest of the cast of the Dunk & Egg show.\u00a0\u00a0 And of course we’ll be having a meal or three with Ira Parker, Owen Harris, and their team.\u00a0\u00a0 Really looking forward to that.<\/p>\n
We have a few more stops planned after Belfast, including one in London, where I will be getting together with my British publishers from Harper Collins Voyager.<\/p>\n
Let me say a few words about that, though.\u00a0\u00a0 Last year, when I mentioned seeing my Voyager editor in London, the internet went nuts, throwing up all sorts of theories about how this meant that WINDS OF WINTER was done and a huge announcement was at hand.\u00a0\u00a0 Uhhhh… sorry guys, but no.\u00a0\u00a0 That’s not how it works.\u00a0 Making contacts… which often turn into friendships… is a huge part of publishing.\u00a0 Most of my communication with my editors and publishers is conducted via emails, phone calls, zooms, and texts (in the old days, we had letters written on paper too).\u00a0\u00a0 There’s not a lot of face to face, especially when we’re talking about people who live across an ocean… so when I travel, if I have a day or two to catch up with one of my editors or agents, I jump on it.\u00a0\u00a0 Every time I travel to NYC, I\u00a0 get together with my literary agents, and my editors at Bantam and Tor.. along with old friends, family, and the like.\u00a0\u00a0 That’s true everywhere I go.\u00a0\u00a0 If I fly to Germany for a con or book fair, I will see my German agents, publishers, and translators.\u00a0 If it’s Italy or Spain or Finland, same thing.\u00a0\u00a0 If I ever find myself in Brazil or Japan or Egypt, I’d try and connect with my Brazilian or Japanese or Egyptian publishers.\u00a0\u00a0 This is just the standard way of doing business, guys.\u00a0 It does NOT<\/strong><\/em> signify that some momentous announcement is at hand.\u00a0\u00a0 It doesn’t signify anything, actually… except a desire to touch base, catch up, renew old contacts or make some new ones… and enjoy a nice meal.\u00a0 So calm down, please.\u00a0\u00a0 When WINDS OF WINTER is done, the word will not trickle out, there WILL be a big announcement… where and when I cannot say.<\/p>\n But back to our road trip…<\/p>\n We will have a week or so in London.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides the visit with Harper Collins Voyage,\u00a0 I also hope to get together with the scriptwriter and director on our stage play… HARRENHAL was our first title, since it is set during the fateful Harrenhal tourney, but now we are leaning toward THE IRON THRONE. \u00a0 It’s coming along well, I am told. \u00a0 Young Ned, Young Robert, Lyanna, Rhaegar, Howland Reed… should be fun.\u00a0 And jousting. \u00a0 On stage. \u00a0 The dream is to open somewhere on London’s West End in 2025… but there’s still a lot of work to do.<\/p>\n The writers’ room for HOUSE OF THE DRAGON season 3 is also meeting in London, but I have no plans to attend.<\/p>\n I will\u00a0<\/em>he going to Oxford on August 2, for an appearance at Oxford Writer’s House.\u00a0 The topic will be “Writing Fantasy,” and I will be sharing the stage with Philip Pullman.\u00a0\u00a0 I am really looking forward to that.\u00a0\u00a0 I have never met Pullman, but I’m a huge fan of HIS DARK MATERIALS, so that will be a treat.\u00a0\u00a0 I have never been to Oxford either.\u00a0\u00a0 (I was especially eager to have a pint in the Eagle and Child, where Tolkien and the Inklings once drank, but alas, I read that it’s closed to renovations.\u00a0\u00a0 Guess I will need to come back again).\u00a0\u00a0 Was going to post a link to the event, but, alas, I see that it is already sold out.\u00a0 Sorry about that.<\/p>\n The last stop on my tour will be Glasgow, for the World Science Fiction Convention.\u00a0\u00a0 This will be the first worldcon I’ve attended in a number of years, since the ill-fated New Zealand con in 2020. \u00a0 I was toastmaster at that one, but covid descended on the world and the con was forced to go all virtual and… well, let’s just say things did not work out well. \u00a0 (No more virtual panels for me, thanks). \u00a0 Glasgow has hosted worldcons twice before, and we were at both of those and had a great time.\u00a0\u00a0 We are hoping this will be as good.<\/p>\n Anyway… I will be in Glasgow, attending the con, but whether you’ll see me, I don’t know.\u00a0\u00a0 I am not on any programming.\u00a0\u00a0 It is not for lack of trying, though.\u00a0\u00a0 I wrote the con’s programming chair back in January, and again in February, asking for his phone number so we could discuss the details.\u00a0 No phone number was forthcoming, alas, just a form letter with a link to an application and a warning that while I was welcome to apply, I could not be guaranteed a place on the programme.<\/p>\n I did not give up there, however.\u00a0\u00a0 Several months later, when I learned how many of my Wild Cards writers would be at the con (about a dozen, all told), I wrote again and offered to organize a Wild Cards event for them.\u00a0\u00a0 (We have done Wild Cards events at a dozen past worldcons, everything from traditional panels to trivia contests to cage matches and the like), and they have always drawn a big crowd.\u00a0\u00a0 I got no reply to that one.\u00a0\u00a0 A month or so after that, I tried again.\u00a0 Howard Waldrop died in January, and I thought it would be nice to do a memorial panel honoring the man and his work.\u00a0\u00a0 Several other friends of Howard will also be at Glasgow, and said they would be delighted to be part of such a panel.\u00a0\u00a0 Alas, no reply to that one either.<\/p>\n As regular readers of my Not A Blog know, I\u00a0 have also been producing a series of short films based on some of Howard’s classic short stories.\u00a0\u00a0 NIGHT OF THE COOTERS was the first done, and won prizes in half a dozen film fests.\u00a0\u00a0 MARY-MARGARET ROAD GRADER is hitting the festival circuit this year, and has already won its first prize.\u00a0\u00a0 THE UGLY CHICKENS, adapted by Michael Cassutt from Howard’s Nebula-winning short, and starring fan favorite Felicia Day, will follow this year.\u00a0\u00a0 Just saw the final cut, directed by Mark Raso, and it’s just lovely.\u00a0 The films are not in theatres yet, but I offered to screen them in Glasgow, as part of the film programme (if there is one) or that proposed Waldrop Memorial Panel.\u00a0\u00a0 No response to that offer either.<\/p>\n So… yes, I will be at Glasgow.\u00a0\u00a0 I will check out the art show, as I always do, maybe attend some bid parties, and I will be wandering the dealer’s room (the huckster’s room, as us old timers call it).\u00a0\u00a0 The rest of the time I guess I may hang out in the bar, drinking with friends both old and new,\u00a0 toasting Howard and Gardner and all the other friends we lost.<\/p>\n Maybe I’ll see you there.<\/p>\n