Archive for February, 2012
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Copies of Subterranean’s The Inheritance hardback
Shawn Speakman and I finally managed to get together! Shawn operates a website called The Signed Page. Via his site, readers all over the world are able to order personalized siged first edition books from some of their favorite authors. I regularly visit Shawn after the release of each hardback to personalize and sign books for him to ship out. To get in on this, all you have to do is visit his website, pre-order the book and tell him how you would like it signed.
Right now, Shawn has a few copies of Subterranean Press’s hardcover edition of my story collection The Inheritance. This was a limited edition, so when they are gone, they are gone!
He has upcoming signing dates with Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison! Act fast if you want to pre-order A Perfect Blood or Fair Game, or Indomitable from Terry Brooks!
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Blood of Dragons is Book Four!
I am being asked about this so often that I think it deserves a post of its own!
YES! There is a fourth books that concludes the Rain Wilds Chronicles. It is called Blood of Dragons and is currently making its way through the editorial process, to emerge in 2013. Yes, it will feature a Jackie Morris cover!
To recap: I intended to write one stand alone book about the dragons in the Rain Wilds. When I turned in Dragon Keeper, I was very late and the manuscript was very long. Rather than hack the story down to size, we opted to release one book as two volumes. Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven make up one story.
Then, I resolved to try again to write a third book that would tie up any loose ends about the Dragons, the keepers and Kelsingra. That time, I did manage to turn it in on time! But again, it was far too long. So, once more, we cut one book into two volumes. City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons make up on story from the Rain Wilds, and conclude my Rain Wilds Chronicles.
I am so sorry for any confusion and to any readers who bought City of Dragons expecting it to conclude a ‘trilogy’, my heartfelt apologies!
Oh, and that new link on City of Dragons goes to a SUVUDU interview I just completed!
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Adding Events to the Schedule
Sometimes when I’m doing these updates, I’m put in mind of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” My calendar is so written over that it’s hard to tell what is coming up next!
Two things I’ll be adding to my schedule today are a definite drop in at the Chicago Comic Con. It’s the same weekend and the same city as RT Booklovers convention, where I’ll be spending most of my weekend.
For Comic Con, I’m on a panel called Modern Dragon Lore, a tribute to Anne McCaffrey, on Friday, April 13 from 2:30 to 3:30.
For RT itself, I’ve a panel called Fantasy : Beyond Unicorns and Elves. That will also be on Friday, but earlier, at 11:15. And with many thanks to Linnea Sinclair, I’ll be at the Intergalactic Bar as well!
Then, of course, there’s a signing party there on Saturday from 10:30 to 2. So I think there will be lots of opportunities for me to meet Chicago readers.
New on the horizon is that I will be at DragonCon! It’s August 31 to September 3rd in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ll put up more about that as I know it! It’s the biggest multimedia pop culture convention in the universe!
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BookPeople in Austin
Hm. Somehow this post vanished, so I’m adding it back!
I had a lovely evening in BookPeople in Austin. It’s a huge bookstore, much larger than I expected, and the reading area is well lit and welcoming. The bookstore staff was very friendly and welcoming.
But the best part came after I’d done my read and signed the books. I adjourned with a number of readers/writers/attendees to the bookstore cafe, where we sat and drank coffee and talked books until closing time. It was a very pleasant experience and a wonderful way to wrap up my Texas visit!
Karen, thanks so much for the ride back to the hotel on such a rainy night!
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Murder by the Book
Last night was a great experience. Murder by the Book is a well lit and organized and friendly place. I had a warm welcome there, with a great reading area full of waiting readers. John had met me first at the airport, and then to give me a lift to my reading. As I often find with bookstores, he was exceptionally knowledgeable about the books, and not just within the genre. So I had a great evening, and then a nice dinner with friends afterward at Houston’s Hobbit Cafe. It was another friendly and welcoming place, and the good food definitely came in Hobbit size portions.
Tonight I’ll be at Bookpeople in Austin! Looking forward to it!
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Packing for Texas!
I’ll leave Tacoma early tomorrow morning!
My first stop is Houston, where I’ll sign at Murder by the Book at 6:30 PM on Thursday night. They’re at 2342 Bissonnet St, Houston, 77005. The main phone there is 713-524-8597 for any last minute questions.
The next day, Friday, I’ll be in Austin. I’ll sign at Bookpeople at 7 PM 603 N. Lamar, Austin, 78704. The main phone there is 512-472-4288.
Hoping for a good turn out, so please come on by!
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How to come to a signing when you can’t come to a signing!
Gary recently had a conflict of schedule that prevented him from coming to my signing at University Book Store in Seattle.
What to do? He sent a friend, asking for a photo of her and me at the event, with room for him to join us later.
So, here is the ‘doctored’ photo, with Gary joining us at University Book Store:
Amazing what Photo Shop can do !
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Broaden Your Horizons!
I love watching kids get up and make things happen for themselves. It’s one huge reason I am such a fan of FIRST, the robotics program that encourages kids to get involved with engineering early and make it a part of their lives.
This weekend, at the Barnes and Noble store in Olympia, I encountered another worthy group. It’s called Broaden Your Horizons. The kids involved were in period dress, and fired up to answer questions about American History as part of their fund-raiser to go to Washington DC (That other Washington) and Boston and New York to visit historical sites and learn more. Barnes and Noble was donating a portion of sales that day to support these kids in their quest.
It was a pleasure to see the kids there and to discover how knowledgeable they already were! They were all middle school students from Komachin Middle School. Their fund raising efforts continue today, so if you are in Olympia and would like to donate painlessly to an excellent cause (as in, buy yourself coffee and a new book or two, and B&N will kick in to the goal) please do drop by the store on Black Lake Boulevard!
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Live From University Book Store Seattle!!!
Let’s see if I can do get these links right!
Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 7, I’ll be launching City of Dragons from the University Book Store in the U district of Seattle, Washington at 7PM. That’s at 4326 University Way NE. City of Dragons is the third volume in the Rain Wild Chronicles. I’d love to see lots of friendly faces there. But, if you can’t be there in person, you can still listen to the reading and maybe even ask a question. We will have a Livestream of the event.
To read about the Livestream in detail, please visit the HarperCollins Blog or the Eos Facebook page.
I’m really looking forward to this!
Robin
P.S. Today, Feb. 5 is the last day to get the e-book of Dragon Keeper at the reduced price! Don’t miss it.
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Superhero sighting
For real.
I was up in Seattle last Saturday for the Science Fiction and Fantasy film festival. It’s an annual event sponsored by the Science Fiction Museum. This year, Norwescon pitched some support to it, too. I’ve attended this festival for years, and I’ve seen it go from infancy to being a sophisticated collection of international films. This year we viewed films from Bangladesh, Spain, the UK and of coure the US and other locations. My enjoyment was substantially increased by the company I was keeping. I had with me Kat Ogden of Sabotage and Dialogue and Seattle AD Tony Becerra, currently working on season two of Journey-Quest for Zombie Orpheus Entertainment. Listening to them critique the films and discuss the finer points they noticed made me really think about how story translates to Film. And there were some amazing films! Visualize giant chickens, with ninja chefs defending the world from their attacks. A story of time travel that gives us a peek at obsession gone wrong. A startlingly beautiful stroll through the tale of Bluebeard. What would you do if you knew that despite your brilliance, you were doomed to die on your13th birthday. If you were a swan maiden captured by a hunter, could you truly live happily ever after? All these concepts and more were offered to us.
At the break, we wandered off for Thai food and then came back for the second round. Afterwards, we attended the mixer for the directors and producers (where I was a bit over my head! I’m a words on a screen person!) and then I carpooled home with Kat.
It had been a great evening with good friends, tasty food and wonderful entertainment. Nothing could make that better, could it?
Nothing except stopping at a light and glancing over to see that there, right THERE, in the lane next to me was THE PHOENIX! A black car emblazoned with his name idled next to us for a few moments. Seattle’s own crime-fighting costumed super hero!
Okay, just STOP! I know there is controversy over costumed super heroes in our cities, and that sometimes the police are less than thrilled with their efforts. I’m not advocating vigilantiism or anything that approaches it. I am saying that the idea of anyone who gives of his own time and resources to try to help people is a hero to me.
When I glanced over and saw his vehicle with the decals on it, my heart gave a little leap. And my faith in humanity, that has been a bit at a low ebb, was suddenly bolstered at the sight of someone who genuinely wants to fight on the side of right, and protect the average citizens of Seattle. And the fact that his headquarters are in a comic shop makes him a book person, too, and definitely my kind of hero.
So there it was. My great evening out. SF and fantasy films with good friends, great food, and a glimpse of a super hero cruising Seattle on my way home.
Go ahead. Just try to beat that for a night on the town!
