Brent Weeks's Blog, page 14
June 25, 2019
Real Life Fantasy: Hemocyanin, and the colors of blood
So we’ve been talking about the history of the color blue, and one shade in particular: murex purple. Turns out that [anthropologists and archaeologists believe] blue was the last color category to enter the human lexicon, and was likely the last color to be distinguished/perceived by human eyes.
“Tangerine Moon and Wine Dark Sea,” Milton Avery, 1959.
PLUS, there’s one particular shade of blue (or indigo, depending) that is derived by extracting the blood from thousands of little ocean snails, oxidizing it, and dyeing fabric with it to create a mystical hue known as tekhelet, Tyrian purple, or (as mentioned above) murex purple, which was once more valuable than gold–partially because it became brighter when exposed to sunlight and weathering.
In the beautiful mosaic of 20th-century art and science, it was discovered how and why the blood of many earth critters can manifest so many beautiful hues.
Hemoglobin is what we humans (and most mammals) have as a means to carry oxygen to the cells in our bodies. It uses iron molecules to get the job done.
Hemocyanin, on the other hand, uses copper to do this same job in many sea creatures, including crabs, lobsters, and of course, sea snails.
Wait, copper? Like, the stuff pennies were made of?
Yep.
So how do we get blue dye from copper? I bet you’re asking.
Oxygen, and sunlight. Really! When copper oxidizes*, it turns a greenish-bluish shade.
What do you mean, you don’t believe me? You’ve seen the Statue of Liberty, right?
That French beaut is made of 3/32 in copper, protected by a lovely patina. Totally rockin’ that look, Lady Liberty!
But here’s the part that was news to me: some animals have green blood! Others have purple blood! This Vox article explains this phenomenon well.
Thanks Compound Interest for the graphic!
There’s no mention of animals being able to draft, though. I thought for sure there would be some mention that dissection revealed these creatures were packing luxin… Huh, I just realized sub-red drafters give whole new meaning to “packing heat”!
Okay, I’m gonna stop there.
*Thanks for making us do all those redox equations in AP Chem, Ms. Johnson! That knowledge finally came in handy!
June 15, 2019
THE BLACK PRISM is a Kindle Daily Deal today
Amazon is offering THE BLACK PRISM as a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99. A steal at twice the price! (This is also Brent’s affiliate link.)
This smokin’ hot deal won’t last long–open up that Amazon app and buy a copy! Your brain will thank you.
Reasons to buy a(nother) copy of Lightbringer #1 for Kindle:
You want to protect your [signed] hardback copy
Your friend/parent/coworker/cousin/roommate/sibling borrowed it months ago & refuses to return it
It’s your bookworm friend’s/parent’s/coworker’s/cousin’s/roommate’s/sibling’s/partner’s birthday
Someone you care about/random stranger asked for a book recommendation
You’ve read Night Angel 500 times and need a new series to get into
You want to read along while you listen to the dulcet tones of Simon Vance narrating the audiobook
You’re welcome!
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June 14, 2019
June FB Q&R video
Check out this month’s Question & Response (Q&R) video, from Brent’s official Facebook page:
Also, in case you haven’t already heard, Orbit is hosting a Lightbringer Series reread in anticipation of the October 22 (October 24 UK) release of THE BURNING WHITE. They’ve kicked things off with YouTube vlogger Daniel Greene, who is taking on Book 1, THE BLACK PRISM.
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May 28, 2019
Fan Art Tuesday: Lightbringer vs. Night Angel Tattoo
Holy crow! Fan Even Ennis commissioned this ASTONISHING Lightbringer v. Night Angel tattoo, featuring Kip and Kylar:
Evan says it took an entire YEAR to complete (uh, not in one sitting, but you get the idea). Major props to Evan and his tattoo artist for having the patience, pain tolerance, and perseverance to make this beauty!
If you’re in Maryland, USA, you can tell Rob Zeinog at Evolved Body Arts that he does spectacular work.
The post Fan Art Tuesday: Lightbringer vs. Night Angel Tattoo appeared first on Brent Weeks.
May 21, 2019
Real Life Fantasy: Prussian Blue & Murex Purple
In our last installment of RLF, we talked about the history of the color blue, which hopefully was enjoyed by my fellow art history enthusiasts out there.
If you were not one of those fine folks… You may not find this one intriguing either. It’s more about the color blue, along with how artists have procured and created it.
The first link is from Fast Company, specifically focusing on Prussian Blue (HERE). It is considered the first synthetic color, in that it wasn’t extracted from minerals or plants (or animals, as we’ll discuss in a bit). Prussian Blue was discovered in 1704 by German chemist Heinrich Diesbach; it’s cochineal + iron sulfate + cyanide = C18Fe7N18. (The Wiki page on Prussian Blue is a fun little rabbit hole for chemists out there.) As the article points out, this new shade of cerulean meant that the ultra-expensive ultramarine was no longer necessary for painting with blue. Which basically means without Diesbach, Picasso would probably have been some schlub painting everything Rose.
thank you pablopicasso.net
“Wait,” you may be thinking, “What does this have to do with chromaturgy, or the Seven Satrapies?”
The second link is from the LA Times, about Murex Purple (HERE).
“Wait!” you say. “I recognize that phrase… Isn’t it the color
Show Spoilers
Liv wears to signify herself as a superviolet drafter once she joins the Color Prince? *shakes fist at our favorite misunderstood traitor* And then becomes her signature color once she becomes Ferrilux?”
Yes. Yes it is.
Murex purple, or tekhelet in Hebrew, is created–long story short–by extracting the blood from thousands of Murex trunculus snails, then exposing it to full-spectrum sunlight. Without the sunlight, the purplish “ink” turns fabric yellow. We know that this is because the blood contains hemocyanin, a respiratory protein that delivers oxygen to organs in many species of mollusk, including Murex trunculus.
(c) Aleksander Golemaj
Astute readers will notice the similarity of the word “hemocyanin” to “hemoglobin”… and will recognize that “cyan” in the middle is also the name of a shade of blue.
“WAIT!” you shout to your screen. “What is hemocyanin again?”
Ah ha! Patience, grasshopper. We are building the foundation for that.
Next time.
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May 15, 2019
Realm Makers Writers Conference 2019
Hi friends,
As you may already know, I’m scheduled to be this year’s keynote speaker at the 2019 Realm Makers Writing Conference in St Louis, Missouri. The conference will be held July 18-20 at the Sheraton Westport Chalet, with Terry Brooks as the Guest of Honor.
TODAY is the last day for Early Bird prices, so if you’re planning to go and haven’t yet bought your ticket, now is the time to bite the bullet!
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May 14, 2019
Fan Art Tuesday: Lloyd Bussio
Lloyd Bussio, artist and Lightbringer fan hailing from South Africa, shared the video below a while back. It shows his process in creating Andross Guile’s Nine Kings card, The Master:
We also featured the finished product here in 2016, when we only knew Lloyd as AceManOntheScene.
You can see more of his work on Instagram, or on YouTube.
Keep up the great work Lloyd!
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May 2, 2019
ICYMI: Facebook Q&R
Brent took a LIVE Q&R video while he was attending JordanCon in Atlanta last week.
We’re sharing it here, just in case you missed it!
The post ICYMI: Facebook Q&R appeared first on Brent Weeks.
April 23, 2019
Real Life Fantasy: Murex Purple, Hemocyanin, and the Statue of Liberty
Murex purple, and a Biblical history of the color blue: http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-is...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemocyanin
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April 22, 2019
UPDATE: Naming Rights Winner!
UPDATE: The JordanCon Silent Auction was a HUGE success this year! The naming rights went to Sam Baskin, and the $750 bid will benefit the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Iowa. Thanks so much Sam! His character will make an appearance in THE BURNING WHITE as Rivvyn Shmuel; the book is available for pre-order NOW, and is set to be released on October 22!
__________
Here’s your chance to become a character in an upcoming novel by New York Times Bestselling author & 2019 JordanCon Guest of Honor Brent Weeks!
Brent has very kindly donated the rights to name a minor character in one of his upcoming works. The stunning conclusion to the Lightbringer Series, THE BURNING WHITE, set to be released in late 2019, and will go into production in a few weeks. As the winner of this auction, you can submit a name (or variation thereof) that may appear in that book, or another upcoming project of Brent’s choosing. There is no guarantee that the name will be used in a specific book, but it will be used somewhere, and whatever he does is bound to be great. The character named will play a minor role in the work; there is no promise of dialogue or impact on the plot, but Brent will do his best to make the appearance a memorable one.
All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Hospice of Mercy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Rules and Conditions:
If you participate, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms and conditions below.
You must be present at JordanCon in Atlanta on Saturday, April 27, to bid in the auction.
Brent will adapt the winning bidder’s submitted name to fit the world of the Seven Satrapies or Midcyru. Usually,
this means altering the spelling/pronunciation to fit the culture of the fictional world.
If the winning bidder chooses to submit the name of someone else, the winning bidder must submit a written release
from this other person giving permission to use their name.
This auction is for the name only. The winning bidder may not dictate the character’s personality, description, or role in
the story. Any such ideas become the sole property of Brent Weeks with no further compensation or acknowledgment.
If you are the winning bidder, you must provide contact information (Full name, proposed character name, email address,
physical address, and telephone number)
Finally, we hope it goes without saying, but: the submitted name will be rejected if Brent feels that it is in any way
offensive, ill-intentioned, or disruptive to the story.
The Release Date for THE BURNING WHITE is October 22, 2019. However, publication dates are naturally subject to change. The winning bidder may receive an email with updates regarding the actual release date.
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