Brandon Sanderson's Blog, page 22
July 16, 2018
Signing near Idaho Falls this weekend + Updates
Adam here. I have some exciting news for those of you in driving distance of Idaho Falls, Idaho. This Saturday Brandon will be appearing at Iona Days just a few miles away. You can see his full schedule below, as well as on his Upcoming Events page, but it will include a reading, Q&A, and signing. Those who come to the reading will be given wristbands that will give them priority position in the signing that immediately follows the Q&A.
The Grand Teton Mall Barnes & Noble will also be on site, so if you’re looking for a book—including the leather bound editions of Elantris, Mistborn: The Final Empire, and The Well of Ascension—you can find them there. They are also (generously) donating 15% of their net sales to Brandon’s Lightweaver Foundation (more on this in a minute); donations that will be matched by Brandon.
If you’re not able to attend and still want to buy some books (not just Brandon’s) while supporting charity, you can use these vouchers in any B&N store on July 21st and 22nd. They will also be active for any B&N online purchases through July 27th. Some exclusions apply. Please see vouchers below for details.
Iona Days
Location: Iona Square on Main Street (park near the Iona City Building)
Reading and Q&A: 2:00 p.m.
Signing: 3:00 p.m.
In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, What Writers Get Wrong, with Wildstyle, Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard talk with special guest Wildstyle. Recorded live at GenCon Indy 2017.
Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread of Oathbringer, Shallan, as Veil, confronted the Midnight Mother in the depths of Urithiru. This week, in chapters thirty-one and thirty-two, Kaladin, near Revolar, upon seeing a group of human’s unprepared for an oncoming Highstorm somehow uses Windspren to create a windbreak that allows them get to safety.
The Twitter Archive for June is up to date.
I found this week’s featured cosplay of a Steel Inquisitor, by EHyde, on Brandon’s official fansite 17thshard.com. She wrote a little post if you want to know more about it.
July 9, 2018
New Writing Excuses episode + Update
Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Characters as Foils, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice talk about foils. A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character. The foil might be a sidekick, an antagonist, a romantic interest, or really any other character who gets enough focus for the contrast to be useful. They offer examples, and their approaches for writing foils in their own work.
Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread of Oathbringer, we followed Dalinar as he received Queen Fen of Thaylenah’s response, Oathbringer (the sword, not the book) was discovered and returned to Ialai, and Dalinar had a troubling conversation with Taravangian. This week, in chapters twenty-nine and thirty, the chapters begin with Shallan, as Veil, waiting for a copy-cat murder in the marketplace. When it occurs, she chases a man dressed all in black into the depths of Urithiru, all the way to a dark hole.
The Twitter Archive for June is up to date.
I found this week’s featured cosplay on the talented Kira Kelly’s Instagram page.
Weekly Update for July 9, 2018
Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Characters as Foils, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice talk about foils. A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character. The foil might be a sidekick, an antagonist, a romantic interest, or really any other character who gets enough focus for the contrast to be useful. They offer examples, and their approaches for writing foils in their own work.
Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread of Oathbringer, we followed Dalinar as he received Queen Fen of Thaylenah’s response, Oathbringer (the sword, not the book) was discovered and returned to Ialai, and Dalinar had a troubling conversation with Taravangian. This week, in chapters twenty-nine and thirty, the chapters begin with Shallan, as Veil, waiting for a copy-cat murder in the marketplace. When it occurs, she chases a man dressed all in black into the depths of Urithiru, all the way to a dark hole.
The Twitter Archive for June is up to date.
I found this week’s featured cosplay on the talented Kira Kelly’s Instagram page.
Tweets June 2018
BrandSanderson Fri Jun 01
I have two signings today at @BookExpoAmerica and @thebookcon in NYC today. The first is 2:00 pm in the autograph a… link
IckyMDem Fri Jun 01
@BrandSanderson My husband gave me this for my birthday today and I love it so much! I can’t express how much this… link
@IckyMDem Thanks. And happy birthday!
Eridinus Fri Jun 01
@BrandSanderson I always pictured Skullmoss looking a bit like the ash on these logs – would you say it’s an accura… link
@Eridinus That is pretty close.
BrandSanderson Fri Jun 01
My last signing of the day at BEA is at the Dynamite booth (1811). We have a hundred free copies of White Sand we a… link
BrandSanderson Sat Jun 02
BookCon! I have been told that if you bring proof that you have pre-ordered Skyward to the Random House booth (2121… link
BrandSanderson Sat Jun 02
A Mistborn is trying to infiltrate the Random House booth. pic
LawnGnomefromYT Sat Jun 02
Met @BrandSanderson @thebookcon . It is great to actually engage in a great conversation he also nodded at the idea… link
@LawnGnomefromYT I had never heard that suggestion, but as I think, it totally works.
willread4booze Sat Jun 02
Life goal met today. I met @BrandSanderson!!! He is the best.
It happened guys. It actually happened.
#BookCon… link
@willread4booze It was my pleasure. Thanks for stopping by!
BrandSanderson Sat Jun 02
Thanks to all who came to see me at BookCon today! If you missed me, I signed some books for the Strand bookstore t… link
BrandSanderson Mon Jun 04
We are having a summer sale on my website and even have a few hardcovers for just $10!
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Wubdor Mon Jun 04
@BrandSanderson $245 shipping to Europe for 4 posters as the cheapest option. Surely that can’t be correct. Right?
@Wubdor Huh. That does seem odd. @PeterAhlstrom, could you look into this?
SDancause Mon Jun 04
@BrandSanderson 26$ to ship to canada for a single book ?
@SDancause Sorry. We don’t set those prices.
Tweets May 2018
BrandSanderson Fri May 04
Over 20 official Brandon Sanderson T-shirts are now available on Amazon. We’ll be adding more from time to time, so… link
BrandSanderson Sat May 05
Brandon’s assistant Adam here. I will be at the Saturday session of the 2018 Storymakers conference in Provo and I… link
BrandSanderson Tue May 08
Sins of Empire, book one of Gods of Blood and Powder, by @BrianTMcClellan is currently on sale in the US for just $… link
BrandSanderson Wed May 09
My charitable foundation is looking for 10 volunteers in the SLC area to help with a little project this Saturday.… link
BrandSanderson Thu May 10
Without further ado here is the amazing cover of Skyward (by @charliebowater and @reginaflath). You can also see th… link
BrandSanderson Sat May 12
Thank you to all the volunteers who came to help us at @TheRoadHomeUT today! If you have interest in volunteering a… link
BrandSanderson Tue May 15
Gods of Blood and Powder book 2, Wrath of Empire, from my former student @BrianTMcClellan is out today! He will be… link
BrandSanderson Wed May 16
The copyedit review for Legion: Lies of the Beholder is done! You can preorder your signed limited edition copy fro… link
GabySpartz Wed May 16
Words fail me when trying to sum up this stream. Thank you @BrandSanderson, @direwolfdigital & GrootGroot for the i… link
@GabySpartz @direwolfdigital @lsv @wrapter @thepchapin @MatthewNass @abaeckst It was my pleasure! Thank you for or… link
HeatherReinblat Sat May 19
Incredibly depressed that the only reason I bought tickets to @thebookcon was to get an autograph from… link
@HeatherReinblat Huh. That’s annoying. Drop me an email through my website, mention this exchange, and I will try… link
BookBuddyLin Sat May 19
@BrandSanderson I managed to get an autographing ticket for you at #bookcon! So excited to finally meet you!!!!!
@BookBuddyLin Cool! See you there!
ericpeters Sat May 19
@BrandSanderson @PeterAhlstrom big day for me, I just added a 1st/1st signed The Great Hunt I now have a complete s… link
PeterAhlstrom Sat May 19
@ericpeters @BrandSanderson Wow!
@PeterAhlstrom @ericpeters That is incredible.
MrOrpin Sun May 20
Excuse me mr @BrandSanderson, I’m just reading Words of Radiance & something struck me. Is Bridge Four’s salute any… link
@MrOrpin Very close. It isn’t done across the chest though, but with the hands held out.
BrandSanderson Mon May 21
“Blood Bath” by 0oSquallo0 (Rafael Arnaud). #MistbornMonday
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JemmaMYoung Tue May 22
“Unite Them!” A preview of a piece I’m working on of Dalinar Kholin from the #stormlightArchive by @BrandSanderson… link
@JemmaMYoung That’s a great scene to choose. I’m eager to see how it turns out.
jeff_swarts Tue May 22
@BrandSanderson WOR, why can no one hear/see Sylphrena but they can see Pattern?
@jeff_swarts Different spren have different properties. They talk about this in the series at some point, I believe.
WordsOfBA Wed May 23
@BrandSanderson PLEASEE tell me you’re already in talks to turn the Stormlight Archive into a big screen fantasy extravaganza??!!
@WordsOfBA These days, I’m pretty sure small screen is more likely, considering the size of the books. But we’re trying.
TyGannWildMan Wed May 23
@BrandSanderson dude. I gotta hand it to you. You’re one of the best fantasy authors I’ve ever read. I’ve finished… link
@Copenhagann Thanks! And I’m quite a fan of Audible myself, and Michael/Kate (the readers of Stormlight) are incre… link
h1brd Wed May 23
Finally finished “The Way of Kings” by @BrandSanderson – absolutely EPIC! On to the next one in the series 
May 29, 2018
Harassment at FanX
All,
I don’t normally discuss charged issues on my social media, but I do find harassment at science fiction conventions a topic that is very important to discuss. It is also very relevant to my fans, as conventions are often how they interact with me.
Recently, Salt Lake City’s biggest media convention (FanX, formerly called Salt Lake Comic Con) has made some troubling missteps. First, it grossly mishandled harassment claims—then it doubled down on its mistakes, bungling interactions with voices that have called for reform.
Some authors I respect deeply have composed an open letter to FanX, calling for them to do better—and I have co-signed it. Many of these authors have spoken better about this specific issue than I can, and I encourage you all to read what they have said. I believe that conventions like these (alongside the smaller literary conventions that were so instrumental in my road to publication) are important parts of our community—and it is essential that they provide a place where victims are not silenced and harassment is not tolerated.
For now, I am still scheduled to appear at FanX this fall. My team and I have been evaluating whether or not this is a position we can still take—and it will greatly depend on how FanX responds to this letter in the next few weeks. I will keep you informed of our decision—and if I do decide to bow out of FanX, I will try to schedule some replacement signings instead.
Best,
Brandon
May 25, 2018
MisCon 32 and BookCon 2018 Schedules
Adam here. I wanted to make you aware of Brandon’s travel plans over the next week or so, in case you might be in a position to say hello. Right now he is in Missoula, Montana for MisCon 32 and has several events during the event. You can see an abbreviated schedule below, but be sure to check out his upcoming events page for full details.
Following his trip to Montana, he will head out to New York City for BookCon 2018 next weekend. He has several signings scheduled as well as a panel on Saturday afternoon with authors: Marissa Meyer, Tomi Adeyemi, Cassandra Clare, and Daniel Jose Older on Magic and Power that you won’t want to miss. Again, you can see his schedule below or check out the upcoming events page.
MisCon 32
Friday, May 25th
Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic
Time: 6:00–6:50 p.m.
Saturday, May 26th
Retrofitting Structure into A First Draft
Time: 1:00–1:50 p.m.
Economics in Story
Time: 2:00–2:50 p.m.
Signing
Time: 3:00–4:50 p.m.
Creating Interesting Nations
Time: 6:00–6:50 p.m.
Magic Draft
Time: 8:00–11:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 27th
Tragic Heroes
Time: 2:00–2:50 p.m.
Brandon’s Book Guide
Time: 4:00–4:50 p.m.
Reading
Time: 5:00–5:50 p.m.
Suspicious Characters
Time: 6:00–6:50 p.m.
Monday, May 28th
Signing
Time: 11:00–11:50 a.m.
BookCon 2018
Friday, June 1st
Signing
Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Signing
Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 2nd
Magic And Power
Time: 2:15–3:15 p.m.
Signing
Time: 4:00–6:00 p.m.
May 10, 2018
Skyward Cover Reveal
Hey, all. If you’ve been following along, you know that my next big project is a book series called Skyward. This is my next YA project with Random House (though, like Steelheart, it walks the line between YA and adult–and is being published in my adult line with my other books in the UK.)
I am ridiculously excited about this book. It’s been on my “To Write” pile for years, and the opportunity finally arrived. It’s a little bit Star Wars, a little bit Ender’s Game. It involves a girl who wants to be a starfighter pilot who finds an old broken down ship that she decides to try repair in secret–while navigating flight school.
It’s being released November 6th. The official blurb follows, and the US cover reveal is happening right now on io9!
Spensa’s world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity’s only defense is to take to their ships and combat the Krell. Pilots are the heroes of what’s left of the human race.
Becoming a pilot has always been Spensa’s dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring above the earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with that of her father—a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa’s chances of attending Flight School at slim to none.
No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, but she is determined to fly. And the Krell just made that a possibility. They’ve doubled their fleet, which will make Spensa’s world twice as deadly… but just might take her skyward.
April 12, 2018
New Writing Excuses episode + update
Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Character Nuance, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice talk about characters who have conflict built right into them; characters whose attributes and attitudes might seem to contradict one another; characters who like, y’know… actual people.
Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread of Oathbringer, we jump back in time again, thirty-three years, as Dalinar shows what a warrior armed with Shardplate can do to… well, pretty much anyone without Shardplate. It does have a few disadvantages, though. This week, in chapter twelve, we get to watch Dalinar attempt to play politics, with careful guidance from his wife and various scribes. Why don’t people just say what they mean?
The Twitter Archive for April is up to date.
In honor of JordanCon next week, here is an excellent Aes Sedai cosplay from The Wheel of Time.
Tweets April 2018
BrandSanderson Mon Apr 02
This is for those of you who have been asking about a @SubPress edition of Legion: Lies of the Beholder.
link
BrandSanderson Mon Apr 02
“Sazed” by soyabeansoldier. #MistbornMonday
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BrandSanderson Tue Apr 03
I was able to have a quick sit-down with @SyfyWire at Emerald City Comic Con last month where we discussed video ga… link
BrandSanderson Wed Apr 04
Nine-year-old Grace P. sent me this series of pictures she drew after listening to #TheStormlightArchives. pic
BrandSanderson Thu Apr 05
Here are the Peoples of Roshar, at least in chibi form, by @BotanicaXu .
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BrandSanderson Thu Apr 05
Salt Lake Airport Simply Books (Gate C7) is restocked with signed Sanderson books! (Oathbringer and Edgedancer included.)
BrandSanderson Mon Apr 09
Great #MistbornMonday fan art by Brent Griffith.
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