Although this isn’t directly related to The Wheel of Time, I wanted this call to go out as many people as possible to take advantage of the wide diversity of fan skill sets out there.

About
Dragonmount.com is currently in the early stages of a major site overhaul. For nearly 12 years we have existed by using our own homebrewed HTML and design. While the site has never been unpleasant to visit (I hope!), it could use the touch of a professional designer with experience in crafting dynamic web site experiences. Therefore, we are inviting professional web designers to submit quotes for this job. A list of the requested services is as follows:

• Design a clean, consistent, and familiar look-and-feel for the entire web site based on flexible guidelines
• Develop PHP templates for each section of our website to be consistent with this new look
• Develop matching themes (with artwork) for multiple web applications such as Wordpress, MyBB, Coppermine, ZenCart, Amazon aStore, as well as possibly Drupal, MediaWiki, and a unique third-party application still in development
• Work with specific artists we’ve chosen to incorporate various WoT-themed art into the design
• Develop and help implement a mobile version of the website

About our site
Dragonmount.com is self-hosted on a collection of dedicated Linux servers. We have a volunteer staff which maintains these servers and will continue to do so. While we can (and will) apply routine updates and patches to software applications, we would prefer if the vendor we select (you) would be available to do semi-annual upgrades or future feature enhancements.

Deadlines
The deadline for quotes is February 28th. We would like to have the new site implemented and live to the public by Fall of this year (September / October timeframe) at the latest.

Budget
Negotiable. Please include a quote for both the site redesign, as well as potential semi-annual updates. Email webmaster@dragonmount.com for ball-park figures on our budget.

Tor Books has released the cover art for the upcoming ebook release of THE FIRES OF HEAVEN, the fifth book in the Wheel of Time series. Each month, beginning this past October, Tor will release the next book in the series in a variety of electronic formats. See below for a full list of links to the released books, as well as a schedule of the upcoming releases.

With each eBook, Tor is including brand new artwork for the “cover”. A different artist has been selected for each one, giving the art team at Tor a chance to provide us fans with a variety of styles.

This month, the artwork is by Dan Dos Santos. The ebook will be released on February 16th.

Click to enlarge

As with the previous covers that were released for the ebooks, Tor Art Director Irene Gallo has done a write up about the process behind creating this image. Be sure to check out the full article. Here’s an excerpt:

The trick, it turned out, was showing a lead character in an atypical moment: a fight scene. Dan’s answer was to go beyond the actual fight and into Moiraine’s thoughts prior the sequence — where she envisions placing several key elements into play that aid other characters in their journey.

Wheel of Time eBook News and release schedule
Tor Books plans to re-release each one of the Wheel of Time novels as ebooks according to the schedule below. Each will have new cover art, specially commissioned for the eBook format. Each will feature a different artist.

• The Eye of the World: DM News | Tor.com feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Great Hunt: DM News | Tor.com Feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Dragon Reborn: DM News | Tor.com Feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Shadow Rising: Tor.com Feature

| DM news

• The Fires of Heaven:DM News | Tor.com feature
• Lord of Chaos – 03/16/10
• A Crown of Swords – 04/20/10
• The Path of Daggers – 05/18/10
• Winter’s Heart – 06/22/10
• Crossroads of Twilight – 07/20/10
• Knife of Dreams – 08/24/10
• New Spring – 09/28/10
• The Gathering Storm – 11/2/10
• From Two Rivers – 11/16/10
• To The Blight – 11/16/10
• The Hunt Begins – 11/16/10
• New Threads in the Pattern- 11/16/10

So what do you think of this new image? Leave your comments below. Remember, we’ll have a more detailed report on the overall future of the Wheel of Time print-edition covers at a later time.

A beautiful new video interview has been posted online by Mythmaker Films, a production company based in southern California.

You can view it below, or click over to this link to see it in full High Definition.

This video was created while Brandon was on tour for The Gathering Storm. One of the Storm Leader for the Los Angeles book signing event, Tess Ortbals, works with Mythmakers and took the time to gather her troops to make this awesome video. Thanks, guys!

In a strategic business move that has the whole publishing industry (not to mention the blogosphere and Twitter) on fire, Amazon.com intentionally de-listed all print and electronic books published by Macmillan, one of the country’s six largest book publishers. Tor Books, who publishes The Wheel of Time in the United States, is an imprint of Macmillan, which means that all of their books (including WoT) were taken offline.

The reason for the delisting is due to an on-going feud between Amazon and some publishers over eBook pricing. Amazon has always pushed for a strict $9.99 price cap on new releases, while publishers like Macmillan have been asking for more pricing flexibility. Now that Apple has announced its new iPad product– which will be a direct competitor to Amazon’s Kindle–, and also stated that they will allow publishers to set their own prices, Macmillan requested to Amazon that they do the same. Amazon’s response was to simply remove all of Macmillan’s books from their store, both print and electronic versions. (Third parties could still sell the print versions).

Amazon did the delisting this past Friday afternoon (Jan 29th), likely in the hopes that it would receive less media attention going into the weekend, and also minimize the losses it would have from sales. (The assumption being that people buy more less from them on the weekend?)

As of the time of this article, Amazon has conceded and says it will put Macmillan’s books back online in the near future.

This incident has been discussed by a huge assortment of bloggers and news media. If this is something you would like to comment on here, you are welcome to do so, but you are highly encouraged to “do your homework” and read both sides of the story before forming an opinion. Here are some links that can get you started:

• New York Times article (The Gathering Storm is specifically mentioned)
• Another NYT article, declaring Macmillan the winner of the feud
• A Message from Macmillan CEO John Sargent
• Amazon’s response
• Locus Magazine
• Wired.com
• Engadget
• John Scalzi’s Whatever blog
• Scott Westerfield’s blog
• Tobias Buckell’s blog
• Neth Space

What does this have to do with the Wheel of Time?

Well, quite simply, it means that right now, you cannot buy new copies of any WoT book from Amazon. And you can’t buy the Kindle edition of any of those fancy new eBooks we’ve been reporting about.

Why is everyone so mad at Amazon? Aren’t cheap eBooks the way things should be? Isn’t Macmillan just looking to make more money?

Educate yourself. Read all of the links above.

Finally… place nice with your responses, please.

JordanCon is the only fan run run Wheel of Time convention in the world. 2009 marked the very first one, with appearances by Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, Wilson Grooms, Tom Doherty and the rest of Team Jordan. Over 250 people attended, and more than $3,000 was raised on behalf of the Mayo Clinic. Programing included discussion panels, performances, and rare chance to listen to an audiotape of Robert Jordan dictating the prologue to what would become THE GATHERING STORM. You can read our complete coverage here.

We have recently passed our 100-day mark until JordanCon II: “The SeanCon Invasion.” As the staff finalizes the details, we’ve prepared a progress report of what is planned so far. We are really excited about how this year’s Con is pulling together; we’ve arranged a solid weekend of guests, programming, events, and charity fundraising.

This year you’ll hear from some returning guests from our inaugural year — including Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, and Wilson Grooms — as well as some new authors you really need to discover. As we begin expanding JordanCon to encompass the fantasy genre as a whole, we’ve invited our first two non-Wheel of Time authors: David Wong (John Dies at the End) and Jana G. Oliver (Time Rovers series). If you haven’t read any of their books yet, do it — you will be impressed.

We’ve expanded our track set up, and we’re proud to announce an entire track devoted to writers workshops led by our three authors. We’re also introducing a “World of the Wheel” track devoted to all things Wheel of Time, plus bringing back our workshop and forum tracks. Whether you’re interested in costuming, weapons, dance, creative writing, or just discussing books, you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained.

For those of you who attended JordanCon last year, you know how successful our inaugural Con was. We had a great turnout, we sat in awe of Team Jordan, and we had a lot of fun. But one thing that I think stands out is the fact that we raised over $3,000 for amyloidosis research in memory of Robert Jordan. For the size of the crowd and the conditions of the economy, that is a seriously impressive amount. I can’t think of a better way to honor Robert Jordan and his idea of being a “servant of all” than to live out that concept. This year’s JordanCon is bringing back the poker tournament Friday night and the silent auction at Saturday’s ball. I hope you can be a part of these charity events, which will again benefit amyloidosis research at the Mayo Clinic.

We hope you enjoy the progress report — it not only gives an overview of what you’ll experience at JordanCon, but you’ll find details on the hotel, travel, and registration.

We hope to see you in April!

~Padra, Director of Marketing

P.S. — Wilson Grooms just gave us a great plug on his latest post on the Robert Jordan blog. Check it out over at Dragonmount. (Thank you Wilson!)

JordanCon II Progress Report:
http://www.ageoflegends.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/JordanCon-Progress-Report-2010-01-19.pdf

Article revised since original posting.
For the last several years, Dabel Brothers Publishing has been the company behind the creation of various Wheel of Time comic books. They have produced six issues which collectively tell the story of New Spring. There are two more as-of-yet unpublished issues which will complete New Spring. In addition, they have released two issues for The Eye of the World.

Over the course of these past years, there have been production halts, artist changes, and rumors of lawsuits and poor business decisions made. Despite this, each issue of their Wheel of Time comics has proven to be a quality product that was well-received by fans. Some fans have become disgruntled by this, and certainly not without cause in some cases.

Dragonmount recently had a chance to talk to the Dabel Brothers, in order to figure out what was going on.

In December 2009, a press release was put out which stated that a company called Dynamite would be acquiring the rights to most of the Dabel Brother’s licenses. The Wheel of Time was not mentioned anywhere in the press release.

We heard from the Dabels that Dynamite has not acquired the rights to The Wheel of Time. Those rights remain with the Dabel Brothers. As a matter of fact, the WoT comics are going to be the flagship series for the Dabels, and they say they are going to increase the rate of production immediately. The next issue of The Eye of the World should be out sometime in Spring, 2010. After that, they will come out on a regular monthly basis.

Currently, issue #0 (“Dragonmount”) and issue #1 of The Eye of the World are available for purchase through our online store. Orders are now shipping.

   

In 2009 Tor Books–who owns the distribution rights to the New Spring comics– announced that they will be releasing all six issues at once as a single graphic novel. No release date is available at this time, but it looks like it will be in Fall, 2010 or early 2011. (Probably around the time book 13, Towers of Midnight is released) We will, of course, keep you posted. This graphic novel should include the final 2 issues which will complete the New Spring story.

Finally, here are some black and white preview images from the upcoming Eye of the World issue #2. (Spring, 2010)

Tor Books has released the cover art for the upcoming ebook release of THE SHADOW RISING, the fourth book in the Wheel of Time series. Each month, beginning this past October, Tor will release the next book in the series in a variety of electronic formats. See below for a full list of links to the released books, as well as a schedule of the upcoming releases.

With each eBook, Tor is including brand new artwork for the “cover”. A different artist has been selected for each one, giving the art team at Tor a chance to provide us fans with a variety of styles.

This month, the artwork is by Sam Weber. The ebook will be released on January 19th.

As with the previous covers that were released for the ebooks, Tor Art Director Irene Gallo has done a write up about the process behind creating this image. Be sure to check out the full article. Here’s an excerpt:

I knew that Sam is a huge Robert Jordan fan. Huge fan. I knew he would approach the assignment with unparalleled dedication and understanding.

There’s also a YouTube Video of Sam talking about this piece of art.

Wheel of Time eBook News and release schedule
Tor Books plans to re-release each one of the Wheel of Time novels as ebooks according to the schedule below. Each will have new cover art, specially commissioned for the eBook format. Each will feature a different artist.

• The Eye of the World: DM News | Tor.com feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Great Hunt: DM News | Tor.com Feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Dragon Reborn: DM News | Tor.com Feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Shadow Rising – Tor.com Feature | Available for purchase 1/19/2010
• The Fires of Heaven – 02/16/10
• Lord of Chaos – 03/16/10
• A Crown of Swords – 04/20/10
• The Path of Daggers – 05/18/10
• Winter’s Heart – 06/22/10
• Crossroads of Twilight – 07/20/10
• Knife of Dreams – 08/24/10
• New Spring – 09/28/10
• The Gathering Storm – 11/2/10
• From Two Rivers – 11/16/10
• To The Blight – 11/16/10
• The Hunt Begins – 11/16/10
• New Threads in the Pattern- 11/16/10

So what do you think of this new image? Leave your comments below. Remember, we’ll have a more detailed report on the overall future of the Wheel of Time print-edition covers at a later time.

Tor Books has released the cover art for the upcoming ebook release of THE DRAGON REBORN, the third book in the Wheel of Time series. Each month, beginning this past October, Tor will release the next book in the series in a variety of electronic formats. See below for a full list of links to the released books, as well as a schedule of the upcoming releases.

With each eBook, Tor is including brand new artwork for the “cover”. A different artist has been selected for each one, giving the art team at Tor a chance to provide us fans with a variety of styles.

This month, the artwork is by Donato Giancola. The ebook will be released on December 15th.

Be sure to read the full feature on this artwork on Tor.com from Irene Gallo, the art director at Tor. Here’s a portion of what she had to say about this piece:

Donato is great at, well, just about any kind of picture making, but among them he is particularly good at creating compelling quiet moments that get into the psychology of the characters. With plenty of battle sequences to come (*ahem* Dumai’s Wells *coughcough*) Donato decided to take on a contemplative emblematic moment rather than a literal page from the book.

Wheel of Time eBook News and release schedule
Tor Books plans to re-release each one of the Wheel of Time novels as ebooks according to the schedule below. Each will have new cover art, specially commissioned for the eBook format. Each will feature a different artist.

• The Eye of the World: DM News | Tor.com feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Great Hunt: DM News | Tor.com Feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Dragon Reborn: DM News | Tor.com Feature | Buy from Amazon
• The Shadow Rising – 01/ 19/10
• The Fires of Heaven – 02/16/10
• Lord of Chaos – 03/16/10
• A Crown of Swords – 04/20/10
• The Path of Daggers – 05/18/10
• Winter’s Heart – 06/22/10
• Crossroads of Twilight – 07/20/10
• Knife of Dreams – 08/24/10
• New Spring – 09/28/10
• The Gathering Storm – 11/2/10
• From Two Rivers – 11/16/10
• To The Blight – 11/16/10
• The Hunt Begins – 11/16/10
• New Threads in the Pattern- 11/16/10

So what do you think of this new image? Leave your comments below. Remember, we’ll have a more detailed report on the overall future of the Wheel of Time print-edition covers at a later time.

This is the seventeenth of our Storm Leader reports we’ll be posting throughout the U.S. book tour for THE GATHERING STORM. At each tour location, Dragonmount and Tor Books recruited a select group of volunteer fans to help run the event, hand out promotional materials, and represent us to the fans. In return, they were given the opportunity to meet with Brandon Sanderson and (if present for their event) Robert Jordan’s wife Harriet. We will have a full report with photos and possibly video for each one of the tour stops. Prior Storm Leader reports can be found here.

Ushered into Tor headquarters at four, Storm Leaders were treated to their pick of Tor books, Wheel of Time comics, and attendant paraphernalia. Kids in a candy store aptly describe the way we felt surrounded by such wondrous works of science fiction and fantasy. Then, backpacks stuffed to the brim, we descended on the conference room where light refreshments and snacks awaited.
After a brief and boisterous welcome for Team Jordan, Storm Leaders moseyed around the conference room, meeting the human cogs in the magical process that produces some of our favorite books. As the champagne flowed freely, Brandon and Harriet caught up with all the people that went into making the Wheel of Time, chatting with agents, editors, and publicists alike.

From New York City

The first humorous moment of the evening came when we had to call our fellow Storm Leader and Tor.com contributor, Leigh, who was conspicuously absent from the event up till that point. Brandon caught on and proceeded to make light of her unexpected absence by Twittering about it from his blackberry! Suffice it to say a slightly winded Leigh arrived shortly after.
After things wound down a bit and the Wheel of Time themed deviled chocolate cake was safely stored in our stomachs, we were treated to our hour with Brandon, Harriet, and Maria. And what a wondrous time it was.

From New York City

After a brief explanation of RAFO, spoiler killer extraordinaire, we got down to the nitty-gritty business of trying to tease out threads from the pattern. The questions ranged from the deeply theoretical – these came mostly form our Theoryland Storm Leader’s – to the factual. For your convenience, bullet points:

- Which Ajah heads will stay in power? It will be dealt with traditional Aes Sedai quietness and generally default to those who were heads before the split.
- There are no tinker prophecies… as we would have seen them already if there were.
- The Dragon on RJ and Harriet’s gate was commissioned after the series began.
- We will most probably not be seeing any actual dragons in the series – the naming of Aludra’s cannons is not because of the shared fire breathing, but simply a general association with power.
- When asked about Harine, Brandon confirmed that Rand was not sticking to the bargain.
- It was mentioned that a fight between Eugene and Cadsuanne would be totally awesome. I concur.
- Brandon initially got hooked for the series because of the hero’s journey – and the size of the books (he was on a budget). It changed as he grew up, and he mentions how much he enjoyed the prologue by contrasting it with generic fantasy prologues that are long and drawn out. What kept him reading was the depth of world building and the secrets embedded within secrets.
- Brandon apparently likes writing so much he would continue putting out a book a year even if they went unpublished. He never even submitted his first five books and jokingly referred to them as sub par.
- He avoids bad reviews like the plague, but when he does stumble across them he then proceeds to read one star reviews of great works of literature, like Shakespeare.
- Writing the Gathering Storm, Brandon admits he received input from numerous sources. He was, however, uncomfortable discussing the amount of input and the amount of freedom he had in writing The Gathering Storm. He says maybe after A Memory of Light he will reveal a bit more about what specifically was RJ’s. Generally though, he was unrestricted in his writing, and Harriet, as editor, was there to perfect what he had done.
- When asked about the outriggers, Harriet responded with the famous line from Kenny Rogers: “Know when to hold-em, know when to fold-em.” It is something they will get into once the A Memory of Light is in the bag, but the tone of their replies seemed to suggest that is was not even close to a done deal.
- Rand and Egwene are in the same time zone, approximately, at the end of tGS.
- Tuon’s scene was 3-4 weeks after her last scene in the previous book. RJ was “crafty” with his use of timelines, but generally they were chronological within a viewpoint.
- When asked if the timeline will ever be published, Brandon referred to a couple admirable efforts by fans, and Maria added that she tracks it with an Excel spreadsheet, but it would take a lot of effort to get it into a publishable format. Also, RJ was uncomfortable showing anyone his unpublished work and would go through a number of drafts, even if it was just for Harriet.
- When asked about the number of years between the breaking and current day Brandon replied that it was well know and referred us to ewot, which is accurate except for a year here or there.
- Regarding the notorious clue that everyone has missed, Brandon pinned it down to somewhere between books 4-6 (reread time!). He reiterated how astonished we would be when we found it… but won’t get any more specific for fear of ruining our surprise. Also, the “never mentioned” aspect of the clue might not be entirely true, but Brandon himself has never come across it. Maria had a knowing smile at the time, suggesting maybe it has been mentioned. Time will tell.
- Brandon confirmed that the wolf dream / fortelling of Rand as a beggar and the one with bandages over his eyes is fulfilled with his visit to Ebou Dar.
- Brandon reiterate how satisfied he was with RJ’s ending to the series but danced around the question of what he imagined the ending to be before he read it. RJ’s ending “satisfied the promise of the books”.
- When the Internet was in its infancy, Brandon (before ever even using email) went to rec.arts.rj. It was the first site he ever visited online.
- RJ was surprised by the devoted fans of the WoT and always felt a bit egotistical when doing readings—hence his use of a pseudonym and bring “low profile”.

This event recap was collectively written by the Storm Leaders, and in every submission I received (my job is to cobble them together), they mentioned how wonderful it was to meet both Harriet and Maria. And, indeed, their presence seemed to brighten the room and podium both. Their devotion and love for the series, and its author, shone through in their actions and conversations – the sincerity of their numerous thanks to fans did not go unnoticed. The following paragraphs are taken directly from the individual recaps sent to me, so excuse their slightly disjointed nature, but I unable to depersonalize such sincere words.

I want to talk about Miss Harriet. It is my sincere hope that every single one of you gets to meet her in person. Even if it’s just for a moment at a signing or a convention, if the opportunity arises, go say hello. Seeing her smile really lit up the room; she is one of the nicest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. In every way, it is in large part thanks to her that we now have The Gathering Storm, that we will have a conclusion to the series that is so near and dear to all of us. She thanked all of us, repeatedly, and I nearly laughed every time she did – it is to her that I wish to say thank you, not the other way around.

After Harriet, the next woman who deserves some mention is Maria Simons. If you don’t recognize the name and weren’t able to make it to the New York signing, Maria was one of Mr. Rigney’s assistants, and is the guru of all things tWoT. Flip open your copy of The Gathering Storm: she’s one of the two individuals that Brandon dedicated the book to, with good reason. She is a true sister of the Brown Ajah, and not just because of her shawl. Very much like Harriet, Maria was very easy to approach and talk to. Just don’t go up to her expecting to get secrets or tidbits out of this living Wheel of Time depository. She carried with her a hat that reads “RAFO: … it’s a way of life”, and she truly does live it.

From New York City

For me, these two ladies were the heroes of the hour, and I was honored to get to spend time with them. Brandon has done a magnificent and incredibly tough job-don’t get me wrong, but many of us tend to forget how much Harriet has invested in this on a personal level, and Maria as well. I think that deserves a very honorable mention, and for me, personally, these two amazing women made the whole evening and event that much more important to me than just a book signing.

The signing itself was, in my perhaps less than unbiased opinion, a complete success. I do not believe an accurate count was taken, but I estimate roughly three hundred to three hundred fifty or so fans were in attendance. Brandon’s speech had many of us both laughing and drying our suddenly moist eyes. I feel no shame in admitting that hearing Brandon speak of both Mr. Rigney’s death and how he himself was chosen to finish the series had brought tears to my eyes, and other fans confided the same in me.

That latter I think is what makes me claim that I had the best job of the night. Each of the Storm Leaders had a task, and I know several, perhaps all of us, think we had the best jobs. . . but seriously, I had the best job of the night: writing out the personalization’s on sticky-notes and bookmarking the pages to be signed. I got to speak with the vast majority of the fans who came to the signing. With some, it was only long enough to find out how they wanted their book personalized; but with others, I got to talk about how they were interested in the series, or other people they knew who read, other series they liked, other events they’d been to. A hundred different stories. Two in particular touched me, one man having his book dedicated to his mother, another to his children. I hope the latter will forgive me for sharing his dedication, anonymously: “May reading this bring you the peace of the stedding.” When he first said it, I thought it was cool, but when he explained that it was for his children reading the series, I damn near teared up again. It was an honor to get to speak to so many of you, every single bit as much as it was an honor to meet Team Jordan.

From New York City

To open the signing at the Union Square B&N, Brandon begun by describing how he had come to store, back in the day, with his agent, and signed the one copy of Elantris that was on the shelf. His agent promised that he would do a signing there one day, and lo and behold, it came to pass. Among other interesting tidbits in Brandon’s introduction was the story of how he came to write the Wheel of Time, his first incoherent conversation with Harriet, and his follow-up email where he assured her he was “not an idiot”.

The ebullient crowd was generous with both applause and laughs, and listened in rapt attention as Harriet read the Prophet’s passage from the prologue, which proceeded at a fairly brisk clip. Before she began, she thanked the crowd, saying, “It is because of you the series continues.” And she meant it.

From New York City

The Q&A that followed was filled with interesting tidbits from both Brandon’s work and the WoT series. More bullet points!
- When asked to briefly describe The Way of Kings (Brandon’s forthcoming epic fantasy series) he said he is not good at short descriptions. Harriet humorously interjected that is precisely the reason that he was hired. He went on for a bit about the Way of Kings (WoK?!). What sets it apart from other epic fantasy, which is done in a setting where magic is in decline and the world has lost much of the splendor it once held, is that WoK is about a “renaissance of magic”.
- Harriet commented that she browses fan boards sometimes and that she had looked at people saying: this part is Brandon and this part is RJ. She laughed and said that most of the time they were totally wrong.
- When asked if his religion played a part in his books, Brandon replied that it was a part of him, and that as a consequence it did.
- When asked if he knows who killed Asmodean, he replied, “Yes, I do.”
- When asked why Justice (AH’s sword) was introduced at this point in the series, Brandon refused to answer, saying it was not even certain that Justice had been introduced, and thus he could not say either way without spoilering.

To add to the fun during the signing Tor provided a bunch of awesome posters for giveaways, which we raffled off. Storm Leaders also conducted an informal survey of those waiting in line to get their books signed. The results might surprise you!

Who is your favorite character? (top three responses)
- Mat: 25 votes.
- Rand & Perrin: tied with 8 votes.
- Lan & Thom: tied with 4 votes.

How many times have you read the series?
- with 50 respondents answering, the average was 3.37!
- the most times was 14!

Who killed Asmodean?
- Lanfear with 10 votes.
- Graendal with 7 votes.
- Slayer & Morridin with 5 votes each.
- Tam with 1 vote…

And so, fellow fans, I hope you all get a chance to meet Team Jordan, for it is truly a memorable experience. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments, as we will endeavor to fill in anything we left out from this brief recap. Tai’shar New York, it was great meeting all of you! Oh, you can also check out the rest of the picks here.

This isn’t exactly one of our Storm Leader reports that we’ve been posting throughout the U.S. book tour for THE GATHERING STORM. At each tour location, Dragonmount and Tor Books recruited a select group of volunteer fans to help run the event, hand out promotional materials, and represent us to the fans. In return, they were given the opportunity to meet with Brandon Sanderson and (if present for their event) Robert Jordan’s wife Harriet. Sometimes, things got out of hand. We will have a full report with photos and possibly video for Brandon and Jason’s epic Magic battle later on. An explanation of what is going on can be found here, here and here. Prior Storm Leader reports can be found here.

News Flash: Apparently feeling a need to bring some excitement to our otherwise placid pre-signing dinner in Half Moon Bay last night, Jason Denzel suddenly smashed his water glass against the table we all shared and brandished it as a weapon, all too close to both Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal. Ever-heroic Brandon shielded serene and amused Harriet with his own body. Vigilant and brave Storm Leaders scribbled notes furiously. Jason and Brandon agreed to settle their dispute later in the evening at The Ritz Carleton over a potentially dangerous game of Magic. You see, myth becomes legend. . . .

From Half Moon Bay

From Half Moon Bay

From Half Moon Bay

From Half Moon Bay