George R.R. Martin's Blog, page 197

Invitation to Westeros

Here's the latest treat from the good folks at HBO.

This one is called "Invitation to Westeros."

Big, Big, BIG News

So… back in 1981, Parris left Portland, Oregon for Santa Fe, and moved in with me in my old house on Declovina Street. We've been together ever since, for good times and bad, a move or two, more cons and road trips and adventures than either of us can remember now in our advanced old age.

After thirty years, we finally decided that maybe this relationship was going to work out after all.

So on the evening of February 15, we finally made it official, and married in front of our hearth at our home here in Santa Fe. The hearth is Lannister red, but the bride wore Tyrell colors. Unlike most Westerosi weddings, no one was killed and only tears of joy were shed.

(I can hear some of you saying 'What took you so long?' What can I say? I'm slow. With writing and with… ah… other things. )



Parris and I have been very very lucky. In each other, in our friends, and in the prosperity we've enjoyed over the past few years. There's very little we need in the way of gifts, flowers, etc. So if you would like to give us a wedding gift, please consider making a donation to the one of these charities. They all do good work, and have more need of your largesse than we do.

http://www.wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/

http://www.shelterbox.org/

http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html

http://www.zoo.org.au/HealesvilleSanctuary/

A small (very small, our living room is not that big) group of friends and loved ones bore witness to the nuptials, and joined us afterwards for a celebratory feast.




Here's a few more pix from the event.





IN BRIGHTEST DAY, IN BLACKEST NIGHT?








More can be found on Parris's LJ at http://parrismcb.livejournal.com and Raya's at http://rayagolden.livejournal.com

(We respectfully ask those who would like to spread this news to link back
to our LJs and photos rather than lifting the text and pix and using them elsewhere).

We are so happy to share the news with all our friends, old and new, the friends we have yet to meet, and with all of my (George's) readers. And now we've off for a six-month Honeymoon trip around the world. See you when we get back.



(no, no, no, just kidding. GRRM will be honeymooning on Skull Island, I promise)

Snowstorm on Skull Island

Will this damned snow ever cease?

Might be, might be. Saw a sliver of sun last night.

(Oh, it's a gorgeous sunny happy day in Santa Fe. Just not out on Skull Island).

Wrestling with a pair of krakens. One almost subdued, t'other still writhing and twisting and slapping me alongside the head with her tenatcles. After them, I've got a wolf to face.

One More Green

Tom Meier is really sclupting up a storm for Dark Sword Miniatures. Here's a peek at his latest green, an awesome Maester Luwin.



Purists should take special note of the maester's chain about Luwin's neck. Tom's is the most accurate visualization of the chain-of-many-metals I have seen to date. This is how I have always pictured these chains, and how I described them in my books. (though I should mention that Pycelle's chain is much grander, larger, and more ostentatious, him being the GRAND Maester and all).

Next up from Tom and Dark Sword: Young Robert at the Trident. Watch this space. (And Dark Sword's website).

Some Odds, Some Ends

I miss football already. Looking forward to the draft. Not looking forward to months of fighting between the owners and players, and maybe a lockout/ strike.

Things are rolling along nicely on the Ice & Fire comic book. Check out the new interview with Daniel Abraham on Suvudu:

http://graphic-novels-manga.suvudu.com/2011/02/interview-daniel-abraham-on-grrm-comics.html

Suvudu also informs me of a new round of Cage Matches, wherein Jon Snow will be one of the contestants. Details here: http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/02/cage-match-2011-its-coming.html

I never had the chance to talk about their "Villains" Cage Match (too busy), in which Ser Gregor Clegane emerged victorious over a murderer's rows of nasties and narsties from screen and page. Congratulations to the Mountain That Rides, and thanks to all of you who voted!

There's been lots of talk about ebooks and digital publishing swirling around me of late. It's a brave new world for this old dinosaur. Kindles, Nooks, iPads, iPods, ebooks, PODs, all confusing as hell. But it is something that I am looking into for some of my backlist titles... some of the out of print Wild Cards books might be well received in such formats, I think. So expect news on that front eventually, though maybe not soon. I have this other book I'm writing, you know, and that comes first. I can deal with putting the old wine in new bottles when that's done.

That being said, y'know, I DO have some stuff available as ebooks and downloads, for all of you who have been asking. Check out my listings on Fictionwise and Electric Story if you would like to sample some of it:

http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/GeorgeRRMartineBooks.htm



https://www.electricstory.com/authors/author.aspx?authorid=78



Meanwhile, over in miniature town, the good folks at Dark Sword are rolling out four great new Tom Meier sculpts in their Ice & Fire range: the Reed siblings, Meera and Jojen, and a double of Hodor (HODOR!) with Bran riding on his back. Have a look at the greens.





The new minis should be available soon from the Dark Sword website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/ Along with the rest of the range, of course.

Should also mention that Hugo nominations are now open, for members of the current worldcon (Reno) and the last one (Melbourne). I did not have a novel out last year (some of you might have noticed that), but I am eligible to be nominated in Best Editor/ Short Form for my anthology work with Gardner Dozois, and in the novella category for "The Mystery Knight" from WARRIORS. All the other stories in WARRIORS and SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH are eligible as well. I hope you will consider some of them when filling out your ballot; I think there was some fine work in both books, worthy of recognition. And let me once again suggest that it is long past time that MICHAEL KOMARCK was nominated as Best Pro Artist. His cover art for Wild Cards has been extraordinary, and he's done amazing work for other books as well.

Must run now. Kong is calling.

Coming In October...

... is the latest crossgenre anthology from Gardner Dozois and yours truly. This one is called DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS, and in its pages you'll find another all star roster of writers, with a mixture of urban fantasy, science fiction, hardboiled mystery, noir, paranormal romance, historicals, and fantasy PI stories.

The lineup includes a Lord John novella from Diana Gabaldon, a SPQR story by John Maddox Roberts, a True Blood story by Charlaine Harris, a Garrett tale from Glen Cook, an Edge story from Melinda Snodgrass, a Gordianus yarn from Steven Saylor, an incredible WWII mystery novella by Bradley Denton, a Joe Lansdale story than can only be described as Gonzo Lovecraft, and wonderful contributions from Carrie Vaughn, Conn Iggulden, Simon R. Green, Laurie R. King, Lisa Tuttle, M.L.N. Hanover, Patricia Briggs,and S.M. Stirling.



The complete table of contents:

- "The Bastard Stepchild" (introduction), by George R.R. Martin
- "Death by Dahlia," by Charlaine Harris
- "The Bleeding Shadow," by Joe R. Lansdale
- "Hungry Heart," by Simon R. Green
- "Styx and Stones," by Steven Saylor
- "Pain and Suffering," by S.M. Stirling
- "It's Still the Same Old Story," by Carrie Vaughn
- "The Lady Is a Screamer," by Conn Iggulden
- "Hellbender,"by Laurie R. King
- "Shadow Thieves," by Glen Cook
- "No Mystery, No Miracle," by Melinda Snodgrass
- "The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery," by M.L.N. Hanover
- "The Curious Affair of the Deodand," by Lisa Tuttle
- "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies," by Diana Gabaldon
- "Beware the Snake," by John Maddox Roberts
- "In Red, With Pearls," by Patricia Briggs
- "The Adakian Eagle," by Bradley Denton

Look for DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS at your favorite bookstore this fall.

Stop the Spoilers!

Just a reminder... for me and Ty as much as for you folks...

With the HBO series scheduled to debut on April 17, a lot of new people may be finding their way here. People who have seen the show, but have never read the books.

With that in mind, I think we have to put a lid on all spoilers in the comments (and for that matter, in my own posts). Yes, I know that GAME OF THRONES was published fifteen years ago... but for those who have not read it, it will be brand new, and I want some of the twists and turns and deaths in the book to come as a surprise to new readers in 2011, just as they did for my original readership in 1996.

I have not been consistent about this in the past, I know, even the very recent past... but from this point on, Ty and I are going to try and be more vigilant. All comments that include even glancing references to deaths, maimings, and major plot twists will henceforth be removed without posting. I respectfully request your understanding and cooperation.

Thanks.

Two More Precincts Heard From

For my readers overseas...

The drumbeat for GAME OF THRONES has started on the other side of the pond.

Here's a Spanish translation of "Inside Game of Thrones" from Canal+, who'll be televising the series in Spain.



And for my friends and fans in the UK and Ireland, we have the first trailer from Sky Atlantic:



Enjoy.

They're Not Siblings...

... but they play them on TV.

Maisie Williams, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, and Sophie Turner were strangers when they were cast, respectively, as Arya, Bran, and Sansa Stark, but the three have since become fast friends, which I think is cool. They even like to hang when they're not working.

Anyway, Sophie Turner's mum Sally sent me this picture of their latest get-together, and I wanted to share it with my readers.



The fourth member of the quartet is the newest member of the Turner family -- Zunni, the dog who played Lady. Sophie and Sally adopted her after the show wrapped.

Yawn

Yes, of course I watched the Superbowl. I'm a football fan. Pro football, anyway. I always watch the Superbowl.

It wasn't a blowout, as so many Superbowls have been in the past. Looked like it might turn into that early on, when the Packers opened up a big early lead, but the Steelers came back in the second half and for a while it looked as though they might snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

It wasn't a thriller either. Not one of the great contests. Mediocre play, for the most part. The last few SBs have spoiled us. Kind of a yawner.

But maybe that's because I had no strong rooting interest. It's amazing how big a difference that can make. The games that involve me most are those featuring one of my teams, of course... but I can also get pretty worked up by a contest featuring one of the "bad guy" teams I love to hate, like the Cowboys or the Pats. In those, at least, I have someone to root against. The Steelers and the Pack, though... don't love 'em, don't hate 'em, so it's hard to stay emotionally involved.

I do like good play, no matter who's involved, but there weren't many spectacular plays in this SB either. Nothing to compare to the Tyree catch or the Santonio Holmes reception.

Even the commercials seemed kind of boring this year. I've already forgotten most of 'em.

That being said, I'm sure you Terrible Towel Wavers out there are crushed right now, and all you Cheeseheads are telling each other this was the best SB even. So condolences to the former, and congrats to the latter.

Next year I want Jets v, Giants. Sobway Superbowl!!!