Tag: robin hobb

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Happy New Year & New Items Available

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and received wonderful books. We all need more books despite the height of our TBR pile. But what we really need is time to read them, of course. That’s my one resolution for 2023… to make that time. Why? Well, I became terribly ill — along with my family — right before Christmas at the same time Terry Brooks sent me not one but two new Brooks novels for me to read. Sadly, I couldn’t read them because I was so sick. I realized I need to slow down a bit in my life. And that’s what I’ve already begun doing. On Chapter 4 of Terry’s new book and loving it. Can’t wait to talk more about these.

But do not fear, The Signed Page must go on. 24 years and counting. To that end, 2023 is here and with it the first new signed books and comic books. I think this year is going to be filled with magical books and I hope to convince the publishers to send as many of those authors to the Pacific Northwest. If you know of a book publishing this year that you want featured here, do share your thoughts in the comments below. Will help me reach out and try to get those authors to visit.

For today, I have two great books and a continuation of the the Robin Hobb comic books publishing from Dark Horse. Here are some links:

The comic books are self-explanatory. Robin Hobb will be signing them as they publish. I’ve already shipped out copies of Issue #1 to those who did not order it with other items still waiting to be signed. Issue #2 should arrive in the next two weeks. More on that once I have them and Robin signs.

The Deluxe Edition of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is a rare signing. I’m lucky Neal lives in the Pacific Northwest and he signed about 90 copies. This is a gorgeous edition of the bestselling novel. When they are gone, they are gone.

The King Must Fall edited by Adrian Collins is the interesting one. At least I think it is. Then again, I’m biased. You see, Adrian invited me to write a short story for the anthology and I was happy to do so. It turned into a novella. Then the novella caught the attention of Skybound Entertainment (The Walking Dead, Invincible), and they asked me if I could expand it into a novel. Me being no dummy, I obliged. In mid-March, Skybound and I will launch a Kickstarter for regular and limited editions of the book (sign up here NOW to not miss out). Along with a graphic novel. And other goodies. But the first appearance of The King-Killing Queen will forever be in The King Must Fall anthology, and Adrian only produced so many Kickstarter hardcovers of the anthology. I managed to get 75 copies or so thanks to Adrian. I will sign/personalize as well as number them for posterity, if you like.

There it is. More books for you. I think this is a great beginning to 2023! As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out. I’m always around. More news soon later this week — especially about The Druid of Shannara Anniversary Edition.

Best 2023 Wishes,
Shawn

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Dragonlance & Assassin’s Apprentice Comic Book

Hi Everyone,

Two new items that may interest some of you.

The first is the new Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Deceit. Co-author Tracy Hickman signed copies of the book at Emerald City Comic Con. I managed to get 40 copies that are in wonderful condition and they are now available HERE. When gone, they are gone.

The next item(s) is a comic book adaptation of one of the most beloved SF&F books of all time: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Dark Horse Comics bought the rights to adapt the book into a series of comic book issues. They are starting with the first six issues and, if they do well, they will continue to adapt the full novel at 18 issues.

There are two ways to order these comic books signed by Robin Hobb. Since some people just like to order issue #1 of a series, you can do that. Assassin’s Apprentice Issue #1 is $15 on its own. It will ship in late December. You can also order Issues #1-3 combined and shipped after Issue #3 publishes in February 2023 to help save on shipping. The cost is $36 for the three issues. Issues #4-6 will be made available early next year. All of these comic books will come bagged and boarded to help protect them.

I’ll be placing my order for the comic books in early November. Be sure to place your order soon to ensure you get the copies you want.

Happy Weekend!

Shawn

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Schedule: Rose City Comic Con 2022

The Signed Page is the official bookstore for 2022’s Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon!

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, a Bucket List item I will soon check off. I love Portland. I love comic cons. And I love the authors we’ve invited. The convention begins Friday, September 9th at the Oregon Convention Center and runs through Sunday, September 11th. The Signed Page bookstore booth will be in Hall A, near the celebrity area, I do believe.

We will only be carrying books for those writers attending. I tried to be aggressive in my ordering because I can always sell any remaining signed books online after the con is over.

Here is the schedule. There may be some late additions to this:

Challenge Extended: Writing Comics vs Writing Novels

Panel Details: What are some of the biggest differences when it comes to planning, writing, and editing a comic vs a novel? What key differences in word choice, details, verbosity, and word count present themselves? These questions and more will be addressed by both authors and comic writers as we tackle the topic of writing comic books vs writing books. 

Date: Friday, September 9th
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: D137-140
Panelists: David F. Walker, Chelsea Cain, Bethany C. Morrow, moderated by Douglas Wolk
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM

Creative Worldbuilding in Fiction

Panel Details: Building a fully fleshed out world is the first step in making your creation real to the reader. Unless you can fully understand the world in which your characters live, you won’t be able to effectively write about their experiences. Another incredible part of worldbuilding in fiction is taking your readers into a completely fantasical and magical place. Let’s explore how a fictitious world can seem completely real while overwhelmingly magical through excellent writing.

Date: Friday, September 9th
Time: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Location: D137-140
Panelists: John Scalzi, Robin Hobb, Amber Benson, Bethany C. Morrow, moderated by Colleen Lindsay
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

TERRY BROOKS SPOTLIGHT

Panel Details: Terry Brooks is one of the foundational fantasy authors of the SF&F world. Without him, the genre might look very, very different. This Spotlight panel is dedicated to his decades-long career and it’s your opportunity to ask him any questions you may have.

Date: Friday, September 9th
Time: 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM
Location: Main Stage – Portland Ballroom
Panelists: Terry Brooks, moderated by Shawn Speakman
Signing: Main Stage, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM

AUTHOR SIGNING: KEL MITCHELL

Date: Saturday, September 10th
Time: 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A
Note: Kel will only be signing copies of his new book, Prank Day. No other merchandise allowed.

SFF Authors and Real World Ideas

Panel Details: How do real world religious beliefs, political doctrines, and views on society impact science fiction/fantasy writers, and the direction they take in their novels? This panel will explore how personal beliefs and reality can become subtly infused into science fiction/fantasy works. Explore how the lines between SFF and reality become blurred in this can’t miss conversation among well-known authors.

Date: Saturday, September 10th
Time: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Location: D137-140
Panelists: John Scalzi, Wesley Chu, Josh Malerman, Mat Johnson, Robin Hobb, Brent Weeks, moderated by Colleen Lindsay
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

AUTHOR SIGNING: TERRY BROOKS

Date: Saturday, September 10th
Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A

Ask an Author

Panel Details: Interested in becoming an author? Curious what it takes to go the distance as a writer? Your burning and bookish questions will be answered during this Q&A session with a variety of established authors across various genres including fiction, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, YA, and more.

Date: Saturday, September 10th
Time: 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Location: D137-140
Panelists: John Scalzi, Robin Hobb, Wesley Chu, Bethany C. Morrow, moderated by Colleen Lindsay
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Learning to Write Books

Panel Details: Interested in the approach that well-known authors took when they were learning to write? What resources did they use to get from where they began to now? This conversation will help you in your quest to write, whether you’re just starting out, an experienced writer, or a published author.

Date: Sunday, September 11th
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Location: D137-140
Panelists: John Scalzi, Robin Hobb, Chelsea Cain, Josh Malerman, moderated Terry Brooks
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Size does matter: Short Fiction vs Novels

Panel Details: How do you decide whether to turn your book idea into a short story, a long novel, or even an entire series? Are the complexities of your subject matter able to be tackled in a truncated word count or is a verbose approach necessary? Dive into the topic of story length with well known authors as we answer the age-old question: does size matter?

Panelists: Robin Hobb, Chelsea Cain, Wesley Chu, Josh Malerman, Mat Johnson, moderated by Colleen Lindsay
Date: Sunday, September 11th
Time: 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: D137-140
Signing: RCCC Bookstore @ The Signed Page in Hall A, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM

For those of you attending the convention, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello!

With Magic,
Shawn