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.

Virtual reality makes the viewer an active participant in the story, allowing them to step into the creator’s imagination and explore their world. You are fully immersed in the experience. And we can’t imagine a better world to enter than that of The Way of Kings. Arcturus has always been fans of the world that Brandon Sanderson created for the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive.

For those that are new to Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings is the first book in an epic series set in Roshar. A world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars are fought for them and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, a medical apprentice, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

It is the scale of the Shattered Plains, the creatures that roam them and the power of stormlight that all combine to create an amazing opportunity for VR. We have only taken a few steps with this adaptation but are so excited for you to join us.

In this short form adaptation (written by Joshua Rubin, known for his work on Destiny,
Assassin’s Creed 2, and Telltale’s Game of Thrones), you will experience the world of Roshar through the eyes of Kaladin. You will walk on the Shattered Plains during a high storm, learn to harness the power of stormlight, battle the Parshendi and encounter some surprises along the way. Throughout the experience, Syl will be there to guide and assist you in understanding your new powers.

In the spirit of the ancient oaths:

Journey before destination.

Join us on this exciting journey! Like the Arcturus Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube, and sign up for our mailing list.

Arcturus is an XR studio that creates stories, games, and live-action, immersive experiences. Compelling virtual and augmented reality content is driven by great narrative combined with interactivity; this combination requires a deep understanding of storytelling, play, and engineering. Our projects pioneer artistry and technology in this new entertainment format.