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Phoenix, England and Atlanta
February 25, 2009
I just got back from being the guest author at the Arizona Renaissance Festival outside of Phoenix, AZ. My videoblog is a fun souvenir, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMxI2KP2MrE but it doesn’t begin to cover the size and excitement of such a big festival. This is my third year of guesting at Renaissance Festivals, and you get to know the regulars after a while. So it was always fun to be back with artist Ruth Thompson, entertainers Zilch the Torysteller, the Tortuga Twins, Hey Nunnie Nunnie, and the wandering performers of the Royal Court.
All jokes about the FreeCreditReport.com commercial aside, you actually do need good credit at a Ren Fest—at least if you want to buy the stuff and eat. Lots and lots of people were doing both. And, big surprise, many of the people who like to come out and enjoy a glimpse of the best of the Middle Ages also read fantasy, which meant I met a lot of wonderful readers.
I also had the privilege of hanging out after hours with some of the performers for a birthday party and general good time. Good company, good food and the wide open Arizona night sky.
When I wasn’t signing books and meeting readers, I had the chance to explore on my own. The music is one of the highlights, and it always gives me ideas for the books. If you want to hear a sample of the siege drums from Dark Haven, check out Tartanic, which isn’t kidding about being “combustible bagpipes and drums” (www.Tartanic.net). The Medieval Baebes were special guests, and they put their own spin on songs in Old English with killer drums. Cast in Bronze (www.CastInBronze.com) also provided inspiration, with its ghostly musician and its otherworldly carillon. And of course, I’m a sucker for hammered dulcimer, drums, drones, lutes and harps, of which there were plenty. Carroway would have been pleased.
I came home to find my official invitation to be a guest at DragonCon in my email. Don’t know what panels yet, but look for me in Atlanta on Labor Day Weekend.
And now that the British Fantasy Society has broken the news, I can announce it here. I’ve been invited to be a Guest of Honour at FantasyCon in Nottingham, England in September. I’m really excited, and glad that I’ll finally be able to say ‘hello’ in person to some of the English readers who have been kind enough to drop me a note about the books.
Speaking of which….Dark Lady’s Chosen (book four—due out in 2010) is in the very final editing tweaks before I send it off to Solaris for more final editing tweaks. Meanwhile, ideas are coming together for books 5 and 6, so it will be a while before things settle down in the Winter Kingdoms.
I’ve still got several more store signings in the Charlotte, NC area coming up, then in March look for me at StellarCon (Greensboro, NC) and LunaCon (Hamptons, NY).
I’m always happy to hear from readers, so please drop me an email or better yet, post a comment to your favorite online book seller, blog or web site to help others discover the series! There are also several active discussion threads on my site as well as a guest book. And you can also friend me on Facebook or MySpace.
Time to get back to work!
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