Adam here. I just wanted to give all of you a little reminder that the Hugo Award voting deadline is tomorrow (July, 31st). Voting is open to all supporting and attending members of Worldcon 76. If you’re wanting to cast your vote but aren’t a Worlcon member, it’s not too late. You can still register and vote online.

I have some exciting news for Audible members: The Emperor’s Soul, Steelheart, Elantris, and Warbreaker are all part of Audible’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy Sale and are only $4.95 (at least in the U.S.) each! So, if you’ve been tinkering with the idea of trying a new book or series, this is the perfect opportunity.

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Project in Depth, THE CALCULATING STARS, with Kjell Lindgren, Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Kjell Lindgren—who is a current NASA astronaut and one of Mary’s consultant readers on The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel. If you haven’t read it yet, you may wish to rectify that prior to listening.

Like most of their project-in-depth episodes, this one runs long. Longer still because we were at JPL in Houston, which was incredibly cool for all of us, so nobody was watching the clock.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread of Oathbringer, we were able to follow Puuli, Ellista, and Venli in the first three interludes. This week, in chapter thirty-three, Shallan makes her way to the room where she scared off the Midnight Mother, looking for Jasnah. She finds her and the two have a brief conversation about why Jasnah didn’t contact anyone to let them know she was still alive.

The Twitter Archive for July is up to date.

I found this week’s featured cosplay of a Shallan Davar, by lyra256, on reddit.

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 21^st and 22^nd. They will also be active for any B&N online purchases through July 27^th. 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.

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.

Adam here. I saw a ton of questions about Subterranean Press doing a limited edition hardcover printing of the final Stephen Leeds book, Legion: Lies of the Beholder, that would match the first two Legion books. In case you missed the announcement that went out earlier this week, Subterranean Press has started taking pre-orders on the 2,500 signed and numbered hardcover copies. This edition of Legion: Lies of the Beholder will feature a full-color dust jacket, and two full-page, full-color interior illustrations by Jon Foster–who also did the illustrations on the first two Subterranean Press Legion books.

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Character Voice, Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard discuss how the flow, order, and feel of words that are unique to a particular character. This “character voice” is extremely useful in defining characters for the reader. In this episode they discuss their tools for shaping character voices, and the ways in which they make sure each one is unique.

Last week, we again join Kaladin on his search for Voidbringers, while Sylphrena makes awkward suggestions for his happiness, and Adolin visits his father’s Ryshadium. This week, in chapter eleven, 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.

The Twitter Archive for March is up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay is of Syl and Kaladin from Emerald City Comic Con.

Dragonsteel art director Isaac here. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me post about the maps for the latest Osten Ard books by Tad Williams: The Heart of What Was Lost and The Witchwood Crown. The original trilogy was what hooked me on epic fantasy in the late 80s/early 90s, and the maps for the series were part of what got me into cartography. So to be able to create new maps of Osten Ard has been something of a dream project.

These books were also foundational in Brandon’s early reading in the genre. He gave the newest books this quote:

“Tad Williams is a master storyteller, and the Osten Ard books are his masterpiece. Williams’ return to Osten Ard is every bit as compelling, deep, and fully-rendered as the first trilogy, and he continues to write with the experience and polish of an author at the top of his game.”

I was thrilled when Brandon supported the Indiegogo campaign for merchandise based on Tad’s worlds by buying the map of Osten Ard. I’ve tried to make this the essential map for the series. Remember those foil Middle Earth maps from when the movies were big? Well, I was able to get a hold of the original supplier, and that’s who’s printing the Osten Ard map. It’s going to be gorgeous, and the only way to get it is through Tad’s Indiegogo campaign. We might have a few left over after that, but I wouldn’t risk it if you really want one. There’s only a little over a week left.

For those of you waiting for a foil version of the latest Roshar map found on the back of the dustjacket for Oathbringer, keep an eye on the store over the next month or two. I hope you’ll enjoy these, as I’m quite excited for them. Thank you for reading the books. Thank you for enjoying the maps in them. You make it possible for me to do something I absolutely love.

Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Q&A on Heroes, Villains, and Main Characters, Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard answer your questions about heroes, villains, and main characters. Here are the questions:

• How do you make planned power increases not seem like an ass-pull¹?
• What do you do when your villain is more interesting/engaging than your hero?
• How do you know when a character is unnecessary and needs to be removed from the story, or killed off in the story?
• What tricks do you use when you want the reader to mistakenly believe a character is a hero, rather than a villain?
• Which is more fun for you: creating a villain, or creating a hero?
• How many side characters can you reasonably juggle in a novel?
• What are the drawbacks to making your villain a POV character?
• If your villain doesn’t show up until late in the story, how do you make their eventual appearance seem justified?
• How do you get readers to like a character who is a jerk?

Last week, we continued on with Kaladin’s heart-wrenching homecoming before he headed off to hunt Voidbringers. This week, in chapters eight and nine, we return to Urithiru for disturbing drawings, cooperative cartography, international intrigue, and mystifying murder.

The Twitter Archive for March is up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay is of Syl and Kaladin from Emerald City Comic Con.

Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Handling a Large Cast, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice discuss their favorite techniques for managing large casts of characters, and how their processes differ from when writing small casts. What does “large” and “Small” mean?

Last week, we looked at foolish oaths, broken oaths, and the necessity of oaths to the fabric of society. This week, in chapters five and six, we’ll walk the last few miles with our favorite (only?) Windrunner and his lovely spren while they journey to Hearthstone to protect his family from the Everstorm.

Brandon recently had a signing for his newly released White Sand Vol. 2 graphic novel at Dragons Keep in Orem, Utah. He was able to sign and number some extra copies for them. If you’re wanting signed/numbered copies for your collection, that is the only place to get numbered copies–and they ship! Give them a call at 801.225.7623.

With just under three days to go on Nauvoo Games Kickstarter for the cooperative board game based on The Reckoners has reached well beyond their goal. If you haven’t had a chance to give it a look, you can check out their Kickstarter page, or give this post from a few months ago a look and check out the trailer and gameplay overview.

There are a few sales going on this week for some of Brandon’s books. If you’ve been wanting a hardcover edition of Oathbringer but haven’t purchased one yet, Barnes & Noble currently has them for 37% off list price. If audiobooks are more your style, you can get The Rithmatist and Firefight are being featured in Audible‘s “Listens you Love Sale” for only $6.95 each.

The Twitter Archives for February and March are up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay is Vin (actual size) from Emerald City Comic Con.

Adam here. If you’ve been following Brandon’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you will know that it’s been quite the exciting week for us here at Dragonsteel Headquarters. For those who haven’t, here’s a quick rundown.

In a previous post we showed you you a bit about the cooperative board game from Nauvoo Games based on The Reckoners series, including a video that shows gameplay mechanics. The Kickstarter launched yesterday and within 12 hours had already been funded and is now at 123%!

On Monday, we were given this sneak peak of Escape the Shattered Plains VR Experience from Arcturus XR and we’ve been told to expect something even bigger tomorrow, so tune in to Brandon’s social media channels around 12:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Brandon has several events coming up in the next few weeks. You can see full details for these events as well as his other future events at his Upcoming Events page but here is a quick look at the next few weeks.

Saturday, February 17th – Provo, UT

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Crafting Good Subplots
Time: 1:00–1:45 p.m.
Location: Zion
David Farland, Kathryn Purdie, Renee Collins (M), Charlie N. Holmberg
A discussion about using subplots to add nuance to your story without derailing your main plot entirely.

What It’s Like: Writing In Somebody Else’s Milieu
Time: 2:00–2:45 p.m.
Location: Canyon
Karen Evans, Sarah E. Seeley, Todd McCaffrey, Brad R. Torgersen (M)
This is NOT a “how to write in somebody else’s milieu”; this is “what is it like?” Did you still like the milieu afterwards? We want stories from those invited to write.

Prologues and Epilogues
Time: 3:00–3:45 p.m.
Location: Canyon
Lisa Mangum, Myke Cole, Todd McCaffrey, Jason King (M)
Find out what sets prologues and epilogues apart from ordinary chapters, and learn when and how to use them to enhance your story.

Kaffeeklatsch
Time: 5:00–5:45 p.m.
Location: Boardroom
Kaffeeklatsch: From the German for “coffee” and “gossip”, an informal social gathering at which coffee and other beverages are served while chatting. Join your favorite presenter for all their insights. Seats are very limited so sign up outside the Boardroom ASAP.

Friday, February 23rd – Provo, UT

English Reading Series at the Harold B. Lee Library

The Brigham Young University English Department Reading Series began in 1999. The program continues to expand, solidify, and gain a stronger audience. Each Friday at noon a writer, visiting or local to BYU, reads his or her work in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. Writers from Pulitzer Prize winners Marilynne Robinson, Maxine Kumin, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Charles Simic to editors such as Peter Davison and Helen Handley Houghton to faculty and students have shared their work in the last decade.

As a result of audience enthusiasm and the excellent writing, BYU created a course associated with the weekly event; students study the writer’s work during the week before he or she reads, then students respond to what they learned.

The readings are open to the public. Today many students, faculty, and residents come to enjoy listening to quality literature and participating in question and answer sessions.

This site archives the recorded English Department Reading Series.

Signing
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: BYU Bookstore

Thursday, March 4th – Seattle, WA

Emerald City Comic Con

Writing Magical Stories That Make Sense
Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Location: WSCC 603
Magic can be one of the most memorable and fun components of a fantasy story, but it can also be destructive. In order for magic to “work,” what are the import…

Brandon’s booth will be in Artist Alley at table KK3. There will be swag and Dragonsteel published books (leatherbounds, con exclusive doubles, etc). All other titles will be sold at the UBookstore Booth.

We also have some exciting news coming out of Poland. Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians has been nominated by Lubimy Czytać (Polish Goodreads) for Best Children’s Book of 2017.

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, External Conflicts for Characters, Brandon, Mary, Amal, and Maurice discuss how external conflict is a story driver that originates outside the protagonist. In this episode a large part of what we’ll focus on is person-vs-environment as opposed to person-vs-person. PvE rather than PvP, if you will.

Last week, we took our third look at the fateful night of the treaty-turned-assassination, from the perspective of the young Listener scout who started it all. This week, we return to Urithiru, where Dalinar is facing a host of problems ranging from personal to global importance—not least of which is how to get anyone to believe him.

The Twitter Archive for February is up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay of Vin by Abigail (jedi_bria42) is from DragonCon 2016.

Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Villain, Antagonist, Obstacle, Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard breakdown (you guessed it) villains, antagonists, and obstacles. What’s the difference between villains and antagonists? How is an obstacle character different from those other two? How are they alike? And most importantly, how can we use this information to write effective opposition to our heroes, protagonists, and main characters?

Last week, Alice Arneson and Lyndsey Luther introduced themselves and the Oathbringer reread. This week, in the prologue, Eshonai arrives for the signing of the peace treaty between the humans and the listeners. She goes wandering and finds King Gavilar in council with some other Alethi, whom he sends away in order to speak with Eshonai privately. He reveals to her that he intends to bring back the old gods, in order to create an enemy against which the nations of the world are forced to unite. Eshonai brings this information to the Five, and they collectively decide to assassinate Gavilar rather than allow his plan to come to fruition.

The Twitter Archive for January is up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay “Mistborn Without Mistcloak” by EHyde.

Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Protagonists Who Aren’t Sympathetic, Brandon, Valynne, Dan, and Howard discuss protagonists who, per writer intent, do not engender audience sympathy.

Alice Arneson and Lyndsey Luther of Tor.com announced their new reread series for Oathbringer. This week they introduce themselves but next week they’ll launch into the actual reread.

Last week Brandon stopped by Top of the Mind on BYU Radio for a quick interview with Tennery Taylor. If you weren’t able to listen live, you can hear the whole interview here.

The Twitter Archive for January is up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay is of a Mistborn and Rosharan from Sasquan.

Adam here. In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, What Writers Get Wrong, with Aliette de Bodard, Dan, Mary, Aliette, and Howard discuss “What writers get wrong.” This year the third-week episodes will follow this theme and each of the episodes will feature an expert guest who will help us understand what writers get wrong about something in which they have expertise.

Aliette de Bodard will be co-hosting several of these week-three episodes, but this week her role is “subject matter expert.” She has several fields of expertise, and among the hats she expertly wears which writers often fail to correctly describe is a hat labeled “motherhood” (note: not an actual hat.)

Many of you may have already seen Brandon’s post yesterday regarding the board game based on his Reckoners books from Nauvoo Games, but if you haven’t, here is the game trailer which will begin its Kickstarter on February 13.

If you want a bit more detail about the game, you can watch the game overview with the design prototype.

There will be a special post tomorrow from Arcturus XR. The VR company that produced “Escape the Shattered Plains VR Experience” which is set to release next month, so keep your eyes open for that.

The Twitter Archive for January is up to date.

This week’s featured cosplay is of Shallan by Yashuntafun.