Friday, August 31, 2012

Magic with Brandon at Dragon*Con + LEGION out now

Hey, all! This is kind of late and all, but here are the details on this year's Dragon*Con Magic draft.

I think we'll go ahead and go with the 8:30 time on Friday. The location is the WoT track room—Roswell 1–2 in the Westin. (Same place as Are You a Darkfriend.) I'm going to pick up cards earlier in the day. I'm not sure what the price exactly will be—depends on how much the boxes are selling for—but I'm going to say $15 to be safe. I have room for fifteen players or so.

I was toying with doing the draft at $20, having bigger prizes, and giving the proceeds to charity. We'll probably do this at JordanCon next year—but Dragon*Con has some understandably strict rules on trying to do things for charity under their roof, so I think it will just be easier to do this at cost for now.

As always, you will keep what you draft, and the extra packs in the boxes will be used for prizes. If you want in for sure, find me today and give me the money to reserve a spot. (I'll be visiting the WoT track off and on and I have one panel, so find me before or after.) Otherwise show up at 8:30; I'm betting there will be plenty of space, as this is kind of last minute, but I can't say for certain.

Brandon

And a note from Assistant Peter: Brandon's novella LEGION is out now, and you can read an excerpt at Tor.com. We think we've come up with a way for everyone who buys the hardcover to get a free copy of the ebook, which will be coming in a couple of weeks (Brandon is releasing the ebook himself). And the Audible version will be released on October 2nd.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

My Dragon*Con Schedule

This week's Writing Excuses episode was recorded live at Gen Con and features Monte Cook talking with Mary, Howard, and me about writing gaming fiction. On a related topic, this weekend we will learn the fate of the two awards Writing Excuses has been nominated for: the Hugo Award in the Best Related Work category, and the Parsec Award in the Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation category. Mary and Howard will be at the Hugo Awards ceremony at Worldcon in Chicago, and I will attend the Parsec Awards ceremony at Dragon*Con in Atlanta.

My complete Dragon*Con schedule is below, but the event many people are looking forward to is the A MEMORY OF LIGHT preview on Sunday, where I will read a new section from the final book. And speaking of the book, Team Jordan sent the approved copyedit changes to Tor yesterday, so it continues to be on track for its January 8th release.

My novella LEGION from Subterranean Press should also make its debut at the convention, at a Saturday signing in the Missing Volume booth in the dealers' room. That depends on whether the books ship from the printer on time. We're crossing our fingers!

Ta'veren Tees will also make an appearance at the convention dealers' room. Unfortunately, they won't have these Servants of All shirts:

but you can preorder them at the con or at this link, and 10% of the preorder sales will go to support the Waygate Foundation. Ta'veren Tees' booth will be selling other Wheel of Time shirts and a MISTBORN and THE WAY OF KINGS shirt from Inkwing. They'll also have free Mistborn and WoT tattoos, bookmarks, and badge ribbons at the table as well. They're sharing the Planet Comics booth at A23–A26 in the International Ballroom.

Brandon's complete schedule:

FRIDAY

Fri 04:00 p.m., 209 / 210 / 211 - Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
Infinity Blade: Dungeons
Come learn the future of iPhone/iPad standout Infinity Blade, with lead designer Frazier and world-renowned fantasy author Sanderson.

Fri probably starting at 9:30 p.m., Roswell 1–2 - Westin (Length: hours and hours)
Magic the Gathering with Brandon
Details are still in flux. There might be a draft buy-in, or maybe you should bring your own cards. It could even start earlier, at 8:30, or slightly later than 9:30. Watch Brandon's twitter feed for details as the time approaches.

SATURDAY

Sat 12:00 noon, Marquis Ballroom booth 614–615 against the back wall - Marriott. (Length: 1 Hour)
Autograph Session at The Missing Volume booth
With any luck, this will be the first signing for Brandon's novella LEGION.

Sat 02:30 p.m., Regency V - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Delphic Oracle (simulcast with Worldcon)
J. Nye, T. McCaffrey, B. Sanderson, C. Yarbro, [WC] E. Kollin, [WC] S. McGuire, [WC] D. Brin
Marvel as our select group of guests and an equally esteemed group of panelists at Chicon 7 meld to form the prophetic Delphic Oracle.

Sat 04:00 p.m., M301–M304 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
Autograph Session, Brandon Sanderson

Sat 04:30 p.m., International North room, Hyatt (Length: 2 Hours)
Parsec Awards Ceremony
Writing Excuses is nominated in the category Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation

Sat 10:00 p.m., Atlanta Ballroom - Westin (Length: 2.5 Hours)
An Evening at the Winespring Inn
It's time to party like it's 999 NE. (Brandon will put in an appearance, but then he'll go back to his hotel room and write, because that's his idea of fun.)

SUNDAY

Sun 10:00 a.m., 209 / 210 / 211 - Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
Writing for Videogames
D. Jolley, M. Lee, B. Sanderson, M. Capps, D. Gaider, S. Jaros
Dozens of endings! Hours of branching dialogue! Enjoy lively discussion of world-class writers of Dragon Age, Saint's Row, Infinity Blade, and more.

Sun 04:00 p.m., Atlanta Ballroom - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
A Memory of Light Preview
A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time novel, will be released January 8, 2013. Brandon will read a previously unreleased excerpt.

Sun 07:00 p.m., Roswell 1–2 - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Robert Jordan's Legacy
What impact did Jordan have on fantasy literature? Will his books still be popular 20 years from now? And what authors were influenced by his series?

Sun 08:30 p.m., Regency V - Hyatt (Length: hours)
Hugo Awards Viewing from the Chicon 7 Worldcon
Ever wonder what it meant when a book has "Hugo Award Winner" on the cover? Well, here they are! The Hugo is Science Fiction's Oscar Award!
I (assistant Peter) just found out about this simulcast yesterday and I'm not sure Brandon knows about it. Howard and Mary will be there in Chicago; Writing Excuses is nominated in the Best Related Work category.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

My Albuquerque Bubonicon Schedule

This week's Writing Excuses podcast episode is titled "How to Start the Next One." Dan, Mary, Howard, and I talk about how to move from writing one project to another, specifically something that's not a sequel or is very different in tone from your previous book.

Tomorrow I'm flying out to Albuquerque to be Guest of Honor at Bubonicon, which is a great small convention with a large number of big-name pros. My schedule is below. I'll be at Dragon*Con next week.

Dates: August 24–26, 2012
Place: Bubonicon 44
Address: Albuquerque Marriott Uptown
2101 Louisiana Blvd NE (Louisiana & I-40)
Albuquerque, NM 87110

Schedule:

FRIDAY

6:00–6:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Opening Ceremonies

7:30–8:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
The End of the World as the Fan Knows It: Series Endings
W Hammond, J Lindskold, B Sanderson, C Spector, C Vaughn

9:30–10:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Pump Up the Volume: Writing Big Science Fiction
D Abraham, M Cassutt, B Sanderson, WJ Williams, SM Stirling

SATURDAY

12:00 noon–1:00 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
YA*SF: Sci-Fi Isn't Just for Grown-Ups Anymore
S Gould, D Jones, J Lindskold, C Vaughn, B Sanderson

2:00–3:20 p.m., Acoma (by Art Show)
80 Minutes with Brandon Sanderson
Reading, Q&A

5:20–6:20 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Mass Autographing Session
Bubonicon Guests Sign Their Wares
(Brandon will personalize only three books per person per time through the line, but he can do signature only on more books if you like.)

8:00 p.m.–past midnight, Salon G–H (H.G. Wells)
Magic: The Gathering Tournament
Brandon Sanderson, Dan Cooper
Entry fee & signup required. See Dan at the Bubonicon Sales Table in the Dealers Room if you're interested.

SUNDAY

11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Guest of Honor Presentation
Brandon Sanderson, introduced by Michael Cassutt, Toastmaster

12:15–1:00 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Additional Autographing Session
Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin

1:30–2:30 p.m., Con Suite
Authors Afternoon Tea
Authentic English tea service—Brandon is a host during this hour. Entry fee & signup required, at the Bubonicon Sales Table in the Dealers Room.

2:30–3:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Writing Lecture—Worldbuilding & Magic
Brandon Sanderson

4:30–5:10 p.m., Main Room—Salon E
Closing Ceremonies

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

My Gen Con Schedule

I'm heading to Indianapolis for Gen Con today, and my full schedule is below. This con runs quite a bit differently from other conventions I've been to. For one thing, each event or panel is individually ticketed (though the book signings are not ticketed). And since the panels I am on are popular ones, tickets for most of them have been sold out for weeks (not that those tickets actually cost anything). Right now, there are 29 ($0—free) tickets still available for the Passing the Torch panel, but I expect they'll sell out before the panel starts. I'm not sure if they turn people away at the doors if they don't have a ticket, or if there are a few extra seats in the room, or what.

You don't need an individual ticket (you just need to buy your registration to the con as a whole) if you want to go to one of my signings, of which there are three. See below. There is also a special "Play the Mistborn Adventure Game with Brandon" session on Sunday that five lucky people will have their names drawn to get into. To enter the drawing, pick up specific items at the Crafty Games booth (419 in the Exhibit Hall, with Studio 2).

  • Mistborn Premium Dice Set ($16.99, limited to 200 sets): Cast in a custom steel color, these beautiful 10-die sets replace each 6 face with a unique Allomantic symbol (Tin, Pewter, Iron, Steel, Copper, Bronze, Zinc, Brass, Gold, and Atium)
  • Mistborn Elite Dice Set ($29.99, limited to 50 sets): All 10 Premium dice plus a handsome dice bag large enough to hold all but the biggest gaming hoard
  • The Crafty Work of Ben McSweeney ($14.99, limited to 100 copies): This beautiful 64-page art book features the work of Mistborn Adventure Game and Fantasy Craft cover and interior illustrator Ben McSweeney, and includes development and behind-the-scenes pieces from many of Crafty Games' books, including the forthcoming Spellbound

Ben (who also did the illustrations for the Shallan's Sketchbook pages in THE WAY OF KINGS and the broadsheet in THE ALLOY OF LAW) will be there signing as well, Friday at noon (but I'll try to get him to come to my booth signing too).

For more details on how the drawing works, see Crafty's site.

Gen Con Indy 2012

Dates: August 16–19, 2012
Place: Gen Con Indy 2012
Address: Indiana Convention Center
100 S Capitol Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46225
Phone: (800) 529-EXPO
Schedule:

THURSDAY

3:00–4:00 p.m., Exhibit Hall : Authors' Avenue
Brandon Sanderson Signing
Brandon will sign any book you bring that he wrote. If there's a very long line, personalizations may be limited to three books per time through the line.

FRIDAY

11:00 a.m.–noon, Exhibit Hall : Authors' Avenue
Brandon Sanderson Signing

1:00–2:00 p.m., SEM1233549, ICC : 244 (SOLD OUT)
Reading: Brandon Sanderson and Michael A. Stackpole
Join us as New York Times Bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson and Michael A. Stackpole offer an unprecedented hour of entertainment as they read from their latest works.

2:00–3:00 p.m., SEM1233555, ICC : 244 (SOLD OUT)
Worldbuilding 101
Elizabeth Vaughan, Brandon Sanderson, James Sutter
When you create a world to set your story in, you have to do more than draw a map. Crafting a world that feels real is a tricky task. In this panel, we give you a crash course in world building.

9:00 p.m.–3:00 a.m., TCG1237843, ICC : VIG Lounge (SOLD OUT)
Magic the Gathering Draft with Author Guest of Honor Brandon Sanderson—VIG only
Come play MTG Avacyn Restored with the Gen Con Author of Honor Brandon Sanderson! This event is for VIGs and VIG Companions only.

SATURDAY

1:00–2:00 p.m., SEM1233609, ICC : 244 (29 tickets available as of this posting)
Passing the Torch
Matt Forbeck, Dave Gross, John Helfers, Brandon Sanderson
Every author has her own voice, but what happens when you need to write in someone else's? From ghost writing to co-authoring to inheriting an series, learn how to write with another writer's voice.

2:00–4:00 p.m., SEM1233612, ICC : 244 (SOLD OUT)
Writing Excuses Recorded Live
Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Jordan Sanderson & Guests
Join us for a live recording of Writing Excuses, the Hugo-nominated, Parsec-award-winning podcast. The hosts will take your questions and cover everything from world-building to character conflicts.

4:30–6:00 p.m., Exhibit Hall : Crafty Games booth 419 with Studio 2
Brandon Sanderson Signing

9:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m., TCG1238412, ICC : Hall F : Green : 31–36 (SOLD OUT)
Multiplayer Magic: The Gathering with Brandon Sanderson
Bring your own deck. Brandon will organize the format of the games at the time the event starts, based on the number of participants. Game possibilities include Commander, Archenemy, or anything else.

SUNDAY

11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., RPG1233547, JW Marriott : 304 : 1
Celebrity Session of the Mistborn Adventure Game
Play the game with the author himself! Stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall (419, with Studio 2) to learn how you could win a seat at this exclusive event.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Feruchemical Table Prints Wednesday

Isaac and Kara at InkWing have news about the Feruchemical Table prints and Szeth shirts. I'll just quote from their blog post here.

First, and most important: The Feruchemical Fine Art Print will be available for Pre-order WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012 AT NOON (MST). Things to be aware of and excited about:

  • This is a limited run of 300 prints MINUS what was sold at Comic-Con (many of the numbers between 101 and 200). A smaller version fine art print and/or 4-color offset poster will be made available at a later date along with desktop wallpaper images.
  • Each is numbered and signed by Brandon and Isaac. Numbers are given in the order they're sold. The first order on Wednesday will get #1, and so on.
  • Printed with archival inks on archival Ultrasmooth fine art paper. If framed correctly, it might outlast your great-grandkids!
  • Each print has been inspected and approved by the artist.
  • Measurements: 24"H x 26"W paper size, 18"H x 24.5"W print size (this is larger than the Allomantic Table).
  • Prints will be sent out mid to late September (some possibly sooner); this gives us time to prepare, package, and post each print.
  • Cost $75 plus shipping. Prints can be ordered here.

Second, Szeth shirts are now available! Check it out here.

Third, August Contest details: This month we will be giving away ONE Feruchemical Fine Art Print Prototype. This one is not numbered, but it is still signed. Same paper and ink as the other prints. To be entered in the drawing just comment [at this link] with a suggestion of another art print you would like to see us produce from existing interior art in Brandon's books. We are excited to do more! The winner will be picked randomly.

We will announce the winner a 1/2 hour before the Pre-Sale starts!!! Good Luck!

Monday, August 13, 2012

THE WAY OF KINGS Deleted Scene + Updates

This week's Writing Excuses podcast episode with Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, and me focuses on writing authentic emotion. Give it a listen.

Since the ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotations are all posted now, I'm running out of bonus content to show you. If you aren't aware, my website also has chapter-by-chapter annotations of ELANTRIS, the Mistborn trilogy, WARBREAKER, and "Defending Elysium." Additionally, the Library page has lots of sample chapters, the entire text of WARBREAKER, and deleted scenes from ELANTRIS, MISTBORN 1 and 2, WARBREAKER, and ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS.

It's this last category that I'd like to add to today. This isn't so much a deleted scene from THE WAY OF KINGS as it is two scenes from the version of the book that I wrote in 2003, which feature Szeth's introduction--before I decided to call him Szeth.

One of the big differences between the 2003 version of THE WAY OF KINGS and the published version was a massive restructuring of timelines. With Szeth, where he began in the old version is a combination of what became the prologue and the epilogue of his storyline in the new version. This happened across the board—for instance, Taln showing up in the epilogue of the book used to happen in the prologue. What happens at the end of Kaladin's flashback sequences in the published version was right near the beginning of where his story began in the old version.

For many reasons, I felt the book needed to be restructured so that I could dig into the character personalities in a different way. So in these scenes you will see things that are reminiscent of the ending of THE WAY OF KINGS as it's published. I suggest perhaps staying away from this until you've read the book.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

August Conventions, LEGION & Updates

A reminder about the conventions I'll be attending this month. I'll be in Indianapolis for Gen Con August 16th through 19th, Albuquerque for Bubonicon the 24th through 26th, and Atlanta for Dragon*Con the 31st through September 3rd. I'll put up more details and my full schedule as each convention approaches.

My novella LEGION comes out from Subterranean Press at the end of this month. I've talked about this before, but if you want to have one of the leatherbound limited editions when the book comes out, now's a good time to order. I will also have a sample chapter up sometime later in August.

The final ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotation is up, and it covers the epilogue and everything else at the end of the book. This will be the last annotation posted for a while. I've written some for THE ALLOY OF LAW—but only for the middle chapters of the book, so my assistant can't start posting any until I get around to writing the others. It's also possible that I will write annotations for THE WAY OF KINGS as I gear up to write the second book...but that takes time, and I'm raring to just start writing the book, so I'm not sure annotations will happen soon. We'll see.

The most recent Writing Excuses podcast episode features Eric James Stone joining Dan, Howard, Mary, and me to talk about basic astronomy for writers. There are lots of things that writers can potentially get wrong about astronomy, so give this episode a listen.

The Galley Table Podcast from Flying Island Press did an interview with me while I was at BayCon back in May. I'm pretty sure I forgot to link to this episode before, but you can listen to it here.

Friday, August 03, 2012

Mistborn Adventure Game Release Event in Provo Saturday

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Game Den in Provo is going to throw a release event on August 4th (tomorrow) for the Mistborn Adventure Game from Crafty Games, and I will be there signing. Hopefully you called them to preorder a copy—they will only have a handful of extras for sale at the event.

Date: Saturday, August 4, 2012
Time: 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Place: Game Den
2255 N. University Parkway #43
Provo Utah 84604
Phone: 801-852-4123

I hope to see many of you at the release.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Today I got up, and I did not have a Wheel of Time book to work on.

I finished the final revision on A Memory of Light early in the morning Saturday, then sent it off to Team Jordan. And I was done. Team Jordan will handle the copyedits and proofreads; I might have a chime-in now and then on how a passage should be tweaked or how a continuity issue should be addressed, but essentially, my involvement as a writer in the Wheel of Time has come to an end.

Now, that doesn't mean my involvement with Wheel of Time fandom is over. I'll have my appearance at Dragon*Con this year, as well as the tour in January for A Memory of Light. Beyond that, I intend to frequently attend JordanCon and be available to WoT fans for years, even decades, to come. I intend to talk a great deal about the experience of writing these books, perhaps even post some blog entries about the subject.

But the writing is done. I'm still a little in shock about that.

Just about five years ago, I got that fateful call from Harriet. Since that time, I have always had a Wheel of Time book that I needed to be working on. Occasionally I would take breaks, as I did to write The Alloy of Law a couple years ago. However, the knowledge that I soon needed to be back to work on the Wheel of Time was always there.

That work has been my constant companion. For reference, when I got that call, I had only released a couple of books: the second Mistborn novel had come out the month before. I had written others that were awaiting publication—including several Alcatraz books, the last Mistborn book, and Warbreaker. I also had a draft done of The Way of Kings, another done of The Rithmatist, and some preliminary work done on a book called Steelheart.

Yes, I'd written a lot. I still had only a handful of books out in stores. It had been two years since Elantris was released. I was brand new at this.

I still feel brand new. Yet, oddly, I also feel weathered. Finishing the Wheel of Time has been a wonderful experience, but it has also been grueling. I have always respected Robert Jordan, but now I respect him even more—and for a multitude of reasons. One of those is the fact that during most of his career, he was able to release a Wheel of Time book every year or two. That's an awesome amount of work. Doing three books has worn me out.

For five years, whatever I've been doing—whether it be going out to dinner, sitting down to write, or checking my email—I've known that there was more to do on the Wheel of Time. I've known that I gave my word to Harriet and to the fans that I would work hard to get those books out quickly, and I carried a weight of responsibility for the book being split and people being forced to wait years beyond when they expected to get the ending. For five years, I have worked long hours because of those reasons. All the time I could find, I dedicated to the Wheel of Time in one way or another.

And then, today, I did not have a Wheel of Time book to work on.

I've reached the end of the journey and set down my burdens. It's wonderful, relaxing, and solemn all at once. I love the Wheel of Time. It's also great to be done.

And so, today, I officially take a step toward a line. I step away from being pilot of this series, and toward once again being just a fan. I will never cross back over that line—whatever else happens, I will have written three books in this series. I will continue to support and engage with Wheel of Time fandom. However, an ending has arrived for me, and it is time for my attention to be turned elsewhere.

Now I stroll back into my workshop and find that a little bit of dust has gathered. Out of necessity, the Stormlight Archive has been neglected. I am pleased I made the choice to work on A Memory of Light instead of Stormlight 2. However, it is time to pick up that story again and make this series all of the awesome things I've dreamed of it being for some twenty years.

The stories of Mat, Rand, Egwene, and Perrin are now done. Returning to the stories of Kaladin, Shallan, Jasnah, and Dalinar will be my next major project. You'll also see me doing revisions on both The Rithmatist and Steelheart this fall—as I've made arrangements for both to be published next year or the year after. You'll probably hear more about them in the days to come. And yes, I WILL be doing a sequel to The Alloy of Law.

It has been an incredible experience finishing the Wheel of Time. I hope that some of you who were with me on that journey will join me for the Stormlight books, but I want to note that I don't automatically assume that if someone reads the Wheel of Time they will read my other work. I occasionally have someone come through one of my signing lines who feels guilty for "only" having a Wheel of Time book. There is no need to feel guilty for this; I love the Wheel of Time as you do, and we share that. I'm glad you've enjoyed some of my writing, and I feel as close to those books as I do to any I've written. Yes, the Wheel of Time is not mine. But those three books are mine. I love them just as much as any I've worked on.

I look forward to continuing to meet many of you at conventions and signings as the years move forward. Thank you, Wheel of Time fandom, for accepting me in and putting up with my mistakes. (There have been many.) Thank you, Brandon Sanderson fandom, for putting up with my deviations in the Wheel of Time universe. I know it has slowed down you getting your books, but this was something very important for me to do.

Robert Jordan was a great man, and was the single greatest influence on my development as a writer. What I have done these last five years has been an attempt—a sometimes flawed but always earnest attempt—to show my appreciation. This entire genre owes him an enormous debt. My debt to him, and to Harriet, is greatest of all.

Mr. Jordan, may you rest in the Light. Everyone else, take a breath and get ready for the end. May you find his final words as satisfying to read as I did when I first picked them up five years ago. The very last scene is his, touched very little by me, as are significant chunks of the ending at large. I have achieved my goal in writing the books so that they pointed toward this ending he wrote, allowing us to include his words with as little alteration as possible.

Once again, thank you. May you always find water and shade.

Brandon Sanderson
Written July 30th, 2012
Posted August 1st, 2012