Brent Weeks's Blog, page 15
April 22, 2019
Bid on Naming Rights in the JordanCon Silent Auction: Saturday, April 27
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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April 18, 2019
April Q&R video is live!
Just in case you hear screams in this episode, that is either Joe Abercrombie down in the basement… or it might be my children.
Show Notes below:
Which character do you relate most to in the Lightbringer series? – 0:51
How do you go about creating different emotional atmospheres for each character? – 2:33
Is there anything major in the Lightbringer series that you regret writing a certain way? – 4:15
How do you get the right dialog/action balance in your scenes? 7:13
What sort of conflicts inspire you the most? – 8:44
How do you approach writing female writers that are well-rounded and dynamic? – 10:07
Seriously, what’s the deal with the clock? – 12:18
Got more questions? Ask them in the comments below.
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April 9, 2019
Birthday Crossover Art!
Hi friends! Thanks for sending me your SPECTACULAR Hitchhiker’s Guide/Lightbringer or Night Angel fan art. You each made my 42nd birthday extra-special, and you managed to spark a little joy into our brittle, obsidian hearts.
This one is from Victoria, who asked: “[could Durzo] handle the best drink in existence? Or if the ka’kari would ruin the full experience? Maybe it’s just me.”
The next [delicious] one is from Deana, who said: “I hope you all enjoy Kip Guile in his Turtle-bear form holding Hellfang. He’s falling along with petunias made of various luxin colors, including white. I made the turtle-bear of 3 different icing colors, and 2 different fondant colors to make it more dynamic. I hope the Chromeria doesn’t knock me for this. The cake is Devil’s Food, with chocolate filling and luxin color sprinkles, covered in buttercream icing. The “Don’t Panic” letters were drawn freehand with melted candy. Turtleback and flower pot are made of rice-crispy treats covered in icing and fondant.”
This one is from Zsuzsi, who said: “So, did you guys know that under the RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE, there’s a blue cell with a prisoner inside? And there’s an android called MARVISIA, who has to throw a blue bread down a chute every single day? …It’s a diorama with some discussions. The dolls, the blue cell and the bread are planned and crocheted by me for this mission. But I have to say special thanks to my 4 year old daughter, who did not draw all over my notes. 
April 1, 2019
An Update re: Lightbringer
Got right to the point with this one.
….Yeah, I KNOW.
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March 26, 2019
Real Life Fantasy: A Brief History of Blue
The color blue has a pretty awesome place in human history. Many professional smartypantses [archaeologists, evolutionary biologists, historians, et al] believe humans evolved the ability to perceive the color, in a gradual shift from bichromatic to trichromatic vision. Last time we shared a bit of Real Life Fantasy, it was mentioned that there’s no word for the color blue in ancient languages (including Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, among others). The coolest evidence of this lack is in Homer’s version of The Odyssey, in which he describes the sea as “wine-red” rather than any shade of blue. And if our man Homer didn’t even have a word for blue, it seems safe to expect that none of his friends had the word either.
But luckily for Ironfist, and Cruxer, and Samila Sayeh, blue started showing up in Egyptian jewelry around 4,000 BCE, and in pigment (known now as “Egyptian Blue”) around 2,200 BCE.
Multiple shades of blue–including ultramarine and cobalt blue– were being used by artists centuries before the era of the Seven Satrapies. By the time Gollaïr and Solarch show up around 142 anno lucidonius, they have a full complement of blues from which to choose.
Okay, this is actually “Blue Morpho” from Windstone Editions. Link in photo.
ANY way, this entry into RLF canon is an article from My Modern Met–the website for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There they talk about blue’s place in art history (which is to say, human history). It’s brief, and beautiful.
Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring
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March 20, 2019
THE WAY OF SHADOWS is a Kindle Daily Deal
Amazon is offering THE WAY OF SHADOWS as a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99 today (US only). So open up that Amazon app and buy a copy before the deal vanishes into the night.
Reasons to buy a(nother) copy of Night Angel #1 for Kindle:
You want to protect your [signed] 10th Anniversary omnibus
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 Lightbringer 50 times and need a new series to get into
You want to read along while you listen to the dulcet tones of the audiobook narration
You’re welcome!
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March 18, 2019
March Q&R video is live!
Well look at that–another Q&R video on Brent’s official Facebook page:
Show Notes:
.14: “What’s the deal with the clock, Brent?”
.42: “How often does a mirror like Janus Borig appear?”
1.03: “Do you have any idea where you’re going with your next series?”
1.28: “Are you playing D&D at the moment?”
2.44: “What is your background besides writing?”
2.55: “How long did you consider the concept of the Lightbringer series before writing it?”
5.08: “What was the biggest inspiration behind the drafters and their abilities?”
8.12: “Were the book four twists planned from the beginning?”
Additional Resources:
Home page for D&D online: http://ow.ly/dyea50nuof3
And speaking of D&D, here are Lightbringer Character Sheets: http://ow.ly/8UQG50nuof0
Gloomhaven: http://ow.ly/qJfF50nuof4
Further reading on The Medici Effect: http://ow.ly/LjB250nuof2
Further reading on Siddhartha: http://ow.ly/lllL50nuof1
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March 12, 2019
Fan Art Tuesday: A Turtle-Bear tattoo
Today we have a special edition of Fan Art Tuesday: Ben Crawford designed this Lightbringer tattoo, inspired by Kip’s turtle-bear.
Ben told us that he’s had to deal with a lot in the last couple of years, and seeing the turtle-bear helps him push through. Thanks for sharing the design with us, friend.
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March 1, 2019
Life, The Universe, and Brent Turning 42
Hi friends!
CAPSLOCK here to let y’all in on a fun project I’ve got going to celebrate Jefe turning 42 in March. Since it’s his Answer Birthday, I thought it appropriate to celebrate by giving away stuff!
Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to create a piece of hybrid art that celebrates NIGHT ANGEL or LIGHTBRINGER and THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE. Take your favorite bit from one of Brent’s stories (a character, or concept, or object) and add it to the HHGG Universe. Or vice versa.
Think whale and sea demon fighting over a pot of petunias. Andross playing Nine Kings against Marvin. Zaphod holding a ka’kari. Durzo stealing the Heart of Gold. Karris and Ford playing Krikket against Kylar and Arthur. Or keep it simple and come up with a quote that merges a line from each author.
Use whatever medium you love most: cross stitch, cookies, paintings, photography, cosplay, ceramics, woodworking, digital art, words… Heck, you wanna send us a [short] bit of hybrid fanfic? Have you often wondered how a conversation between Dorian and Zaphod would go? Make it happen!
The prize for FOUR lucky winners (other than knowing you’ve made your favorite author’s birthday super-duper-extra amazing) will be either a signed copy of one of Brent’s books, a t-shirt, and/or a bookmark made by none other than Instagram’s @kylarguile.
Send photos of your masterpiece to ME [admin@brentweeks.com] by March 31, 11:42pm PST. We’ll announce the winners on April 4, 2019.
And, as usual, you have to be at least 18 years old to win.
I’m so excited to see what y’all come up with!
P.S. If you are thoroughly confused by this, and you have no idea what the heck The Hitchhiker’s Guide is, it’s totally okay. Brent has still only read the first book in the series–and that was recently!–so you’re not alone. And if you’re a hoopy frood who had the words “DON’T PANIC” in friendly green wooden letters above their crib, NO SHAMING. We are all friends here.
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February 26, 2019
Real Life [and a tiny bit of] Fantasy: Colors, Seen and Heard
We’re a bit late on this one… But if you haven’t ever listened to the Radiolab podcast (produced by WNYC/NY Public Radio), let us recommend you start with one of their most popular episodes, about colors.
They talk a little bit about the history of color perception. They also dive into how different creatures perceive color (because some species have more receptors than we do, and some have less), and how they use that perception for more than just visual communication.
A mantis shrimp. These critters have SIXTEEN different light receptors in their eyes!
My favorite part of this episode is their use of choral music to represent rainbows! It’s a delightful way to spend an hour.
And while this particular entry isn’t relevant to Lightbringer by itself, it is the first of an ongoing series where we explore the history of color. Which is to say, the next few entries will build upon one another in some unexpected and lovely ways.
Take care, friends!
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