More Convention News: Worldcon and PAX….

So earlier in the year, I annouced my current con schedule. On that schedule, I mentioned that I’d be hitting Worldcon, just like I do every year…

But about a month ago, the folks from Penny Arcade contacted me and asked if I’d like to come out to PAX.

I said I would like to come, I’ve wanted to hit PAX for *years*, but PAX overlaps Worldcon, and I already had plans.

Then they clarified, they wanted me to come out to PAX and play some D&D.

I told them it was tempting, as I do love me some tabletop. But, y’know, Worldcon….

But wait, they said. This isn’t just *any* D&D. You’d be be playing with Mike, Jerry, and Scott. You’d be the fourth member of Acquisitions Incorporated.

“…” I said eloquently. “But… I should really….”

Then they mentioned that they’d be willing to donate some money to Worldbuilders if I came out.

And that, as they say, was that.

I contacted Worldcon as soon as I knew. I had them pull me from the website and made sure they didn’t put me on any programming. I also went back and edited the blog I wrote about my 2013 appearances, and removed the Con from my tour schedule page.

But I couldn’t make an announcement on the blog until Penny Arcade made the news public that I was going to be involved this year.

Which they just did.

Acquisitions Incorporated announced that they were looking for a new intern a little while back: They had the first audition. Then a second one.

And now this:

So the bad news is that I’m bowing out of Worldcon this year. I’m sorry for the folks that were hoping to catch me there.

But the good news is that there will be a series of podcasts that everyone can listen to, and they’ll lead up to the main event at PAX, where I will D&D it up live onstage with Jerry, Mike, and Scott. That event will be recorded so there will be video footage of me making an idiot out of myself for y’all to share and enjoy.

I’ll also have a reading in Seattle at the University Bookstore when I’m out there, for those in the area who won’t be able to go to PAX.  There’s more information on my Tour Page, and on the Facebook Event.

Later, space cowboys…

pat

 

This entry was posted in appearances, conventions, cool news. By Pat98 Responses

98 Comments

  1. anne_a_belle6
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 2:33 PM | Permalink
    • gilgamesh
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 2:37 PM | Permalink

      Is this real or is this a fake and you are just getting my hopes up?

      • anne_a_belle6
        Posted July 18, 2013 at 2:46 PM | Permalink

        This is real.

    • pentjak
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 3:07 PM | Permalink

      I hope that if the series gets made Pat will retain super-executive-world-eating veto powers over how the story is told..

      • Posted July 18, 2013 at 5:04 PM | Permalink

        I am with you. If Pat makes the calls I have faith. LOL.

        I’m super nervous about this. On one side its exciting, because I have a lot of respect for Pat and this is super validating for him (go you) also, think it will be exciting to hopefully get a bunch of new fans in the KKC forums that are active, plus mainstream attention is always cool because it usually leads to some really cool merchandise, which admittedly, I enjoy purchasing. LOL.

        On the other hand – the last season of GOT left me very wary and kind of “meh” feeling toward the medium crossover.

        Then again, I’m kind’ve a purist when it comes to this sort of thing – soooooooooo it’s a bit my own fault for being such a critical a-hole.

        • chaelek
          Posted July 18, 2013 at 9:26 PM | Permalink

          Pat’s only licensed out to exactly two companies, and both are ones that did excellent work and were willing to work with him to create something of unsurpassing loveliness. I can only imagine he will follow the same MO here. The Rothfuss is above reproach. Reproach not the Rothfuss.

          • Posted July 19, 2013 at 11:37 AM | Permalink

            You are right, I’ve yet to be dissapointed with anything Pat has put out there for us fans, so this is more on the exciting side.

        • rmcphail
          Posted July 19, 2013 at 3:46 PM | Permalink

          I am also ambivalent at the prospect of televised Kingkiller. On one hand, awesome. On the other hand, while the surface story is fantastic by itself, the great thing about the series is the many many layers of meta text that not only weave together but somehow do a textual wormhole and touch ends. Argh. Fully explaining that is like trying to write about a pencil on itself.

          Anyway its what sets the series apart and gets the readers as close are we are ever likely to get to being Bastion eating an apple and reading a living book in a thunderstorm.

          I just don’t see how a TV series can capture that. But, hopefully that just means I lack the appropriate genius and not that it cannot be done.

        • Andrew Bedoy
          Posted July 19, 2013 at 4:48 PM | Permalink

          See know while others might be expressing their doubt I think the series could work out very well for t.v. while it would have been disastrous for a movie this is mainly because of the way the book is set up, it’s a story about stories. It’s one large story Kvothe trying to find the Chandrian/Amyr inside of smaller stories Kvothe attending the university, trying to gain Alvernons favor. inside of smaller stories Kvothe getting into the university, finding the schema and making the gram, saving Alvernons life, the bandit hunt in the Eld. this makes it great for an episodic series with self contained arcs that slot into bigger arcs which is the way nearly all television is done. I would imagine season one ending with the burning of Trebon (the most action packed part of book one) season two with either Kvothe’s arrival at Severen or depending if they decide to skip or show the scenes in between it should end with the pirates, mutiny, or shipwreck whichever came first. season three would most likely begin with his return to Severen (this would mean the battle with the bandits being the mid season climax and the season ending with the killing of the fake troopers) or his return to the university ( the season end would then be Kvothe forced leave of Severen) although of the two i like the first end better from a dramatic stand point. the next seasons would then depend on book 3 and depending on length and assuming it to be the most action packed the end of season 3, start of season 4 end of season 4 and start and end of season 5 would take place there. although they might decide to do book one in a whole season and the split books two and three in half for seasons 2,3 the 4,5 the reason i wouldn’t do this is because the most dramatic or interesting scenes that happen in Newarre aren’t at the beginning or end of the books they’re in between. this all depends on how much of the books are carried over. as a side note it will certainly be interesting to see how the decide to handle the huge portions of the book that are all Kvothe thoughts the simplest answer would be to have “Kote” narrate them but we’ll have to wait and see.

          • Andrew Bedoy
            Posted July 19, 2013 at 4:49 PM | Permalink

            oh hell I forgot to break up my paragraphs.

          • Posted July 19, 2013 at 5:59 PM | Permalink

            I like your positive attitude. An awesome boardie over on Goodreads inspired to me to give this more of a chance and have a lighter perspective.
            So I am.

            Screw it. I’m excited now. Lets face it, it’s not going to be a spot on rendition that would be absolutely outrageous. But you know they will do at least some things good. I can imagine that someone like Haliax could be done amazing with the special effects we have today and that alone will be really awesome.

            I’m also curious to see some Auri hair and what can I say, I forsee me falling in love with Bast. How can I not, when he has already won me over so well in the books.
            XD

            Also – you never know, I personally could use some visual perspective on the creation war, if they do some flash backs maybe or visual accompaniment (sorry bad spelling) to Skarpi’s story, that would get me really excited as I always had a rough time visualizing that anyway.

      • court88
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 2:18 AM | Permalink

        Im scared!! but excited! but worried ! oh gosh. I always worry when books get made into movies/tv shows..I agree that if Pat gets to have a say in the outcome and scripting then we can rest easy..ooh gosh!

    • Posted July 18, 2013 at 5:25 PM | Permalink

      Also Thanks for this link Anne!!

      XXXXX

      (thats a super hug for being so cool and researching this all on your own!)

      • anne_a_belle6
        Posted July 18, 2013 at 5:28 PM | Permalink

        You’re quite welcome. I intern at a studio so I follow this kind of stuff at nearly every moment throughout the day. :)

    • rayffis
      Posted July 19, 2013 at 3:26 AM | Permalink

      I’m very sceptical about TV adaptation. But we will see

    • ScarletBea
      Posted July 19, 2013 at 12:24 PM | Permalink

      No no no no! Another case of great books being ruined by the screen!
      I have never understood why writers want to do this, it can’t be just for the money…. :(

      A Song of Ice and Fire was ruined by TV (just look at how many people call it “Game of Thrones” now *roll eyes*), and now we’ll have the same happening here…

      • ScarletBea
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 12:35 PM | Permalink

        Sorry, forgot 2 things:
        This is the link to the UK publisher’s announcement:
        Gollancz.co.uk link

        and…
        Tell me that the cover shown on Anne’s link above is a joke… is it? It can’t be a real cover? Is it really the american cover? Really? It makes the book seem like a cheap bodice-ripping awful book!!!
        (see english cover on the my link – much classier!)

        • Posted July 19, 2013 at 1:41 PM | Permalink

          It’s an old cover. It hasn’t been in print since 2007. I don’t know why they used it either….

        • justajenjen
          Posted August 4, 2013 at 4:13 AM | Permalink

          I like my naked man chest covered book, thank you very much. :)

    • Torsailr
      Posted July 19, 2013 at 5:46 PM | Permalink

      Doesn’t optioning just mean Pat has given permission to the studio to put a team together to find out if it’s even worthwhile to do and not an actual license to develop a series?

      Am I wrong in this Pat? Or does anyone else know the intricacies of optioning/licensing IP?

  2. ICANHASBOOKTHREE
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 3:07 PM | Permalink

    Pat blew off a commitment? Big surprise.

    Get your shit together and write your third book. That should take priority over all your other side charities and projects.

    Book Three. Nao.

    ***

    Heya Sam, this is Pat.

    I’m taking advantage of my seldom used moderator powers here so that I can comment up here close to your post and not get lost in the comments below.

    I’d just like to say that it’s fine to be upset about book three taking longer than you’d like. That’s fair. I’ve felt that way before too. We all get where you’re coming from.

    Asking for updates is fine too. Though I do actually give updates fairly regularly, in nearly every interview and appearance that I make.

    Expressing disappointment/impatience is fine too.

    But I would ask that you not be rude. And that you not troll here. If you really feel the need to do that stuff, there’s plenty of internet out there that will welcome that behavior.

    You see, this blog is kinda like my house. It’s the corner of the internet where I invite friends and aquaintences over so we can hang out. I tell stories, talk about my kid, and generally chat about what’s going on in my life, both professionally and non.

    It’s sort of like this: let’s say your friend pisses you off. He borrowed your lawnmower that once and didn’t put any gas in it before returning it, and he parks his car in front of your house even though you’ve asked him to park across the street so his car doesn’t block the view of your azalea bushes, and the last time you were watching football together he *totally* ate more than half of the Funions even though he knows that Funions are your favorite.

    If you go to the local coffeeshop and bitch about these things to a mutual aquaintance, or even to a stranger, that’s fine. That’s fairly acceptable social behavior.

    But if, say, he has a bunch of friends over to his house, and you go *there* and say these things, it’s not really the same. If you are bitchy to someone in their own house then you are a dick.

    I figured I’d mention this here on the off chance that you didn’t know. I’m well aware that this behavior is completely acceptable, if not entirely expected, in 98% of the internet.

    But this particular corner of the internet is different. It’s my house.

    As for everyone else leaping to my defense. I appreciate the impulse, but let’s be sure to be polite ourselves.

    pat

    • Treggar
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 3:30 PM | Permalink

      Pat Rothfuss is not your bitch. #entitlement_issues

      http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html

      • ICANHASBOOKTHREE
        Posted July 18, 2013 at 3:59 PM | Permalink

        I took a minute and read the entire thing, then gave it some thought. This is what I came up with.

        While Pat does not work for only me, his audience does support his way of life by purchasing his books. In a way, he works for us, but more accurately he works for his publisher. I’m sure they were even less thrilled than I was when he was, what, two years late on the delivery of his second book?

        • elizabethh
          Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:04 PM | Permalink
          • ICANHASBOOKTHREE
            Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:05 PM | Permalink

            Please refer to my reply to your “Grow up. Nao.” comment.

        • dash2481
          Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:58 PM | Permalink

          Since he works for all of us collectively, my vote for him taking however much time he wants so that he can enjoy time with his family and do cool stuff cancels out your vote. So you can shut your cake-hole now.

    • elizabethh
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 3:37 PM | Permalink
      • ICANHASBOOKTHREE
        Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:04 PM | Permalink

        Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want him to release his book within a month or anything crazy. But I do think that, since his fans buy his books which gives him a paycheck, I think we are entitled to an update now and then.

        Rothfuss is like the master of breaking commitments, and I guess, knowing that, he just decided to stop making them. What a bitch. I never would have imagined that such a fantastic author could be such a lazy human being.

        • Treggar
          Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:09 PM | Permalink

          In short, you are wrong. If Rothfuss chose to abandon the story right now, he is perfectly justified in doing so. You paid money for a single book, you did not pay money for a future book. He owes you nothing.

          And if you think he’s being lazy show us how to write faster. I see nothing out of you so I name you the lazier person.

        • dash2481
          Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:54 PM | Permalink

          Can we vote people off the comments section? My vote is to drop the Benevolent Banhammer on ICANHASBOOKTHREE.

          People are entitled to their opinions and all, but I would rather not have douchebags foul up this nice little corner of the internet.

          • christie
            Posted July 18, 2013 at 6:56 PM | Permalink

            I AGREE

            AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE AREN’T WORTHY TO READ BOOK THREE.

            NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION. IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, DON’T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.

        • Posted July 18, 2013 at 5:21 PM | Permalink

          He just gave you an update on Triangulation not all that long ago. What was that? Less than 2 months ago? Did you even bother to watch it?
          He affirmed it won’t be 2013, he’s hoping for 2014, latest 2015.

          If you read the link in the first comment, you would know though, that it is now being publicized for next year, 2014, tentatively.

          It seems to me that you are ignorant to this information because you were to lazy to click on some links. So pull it together and pay attention man. If all you want is updates, as you claim, you got them.

          • Soren
            Posted July 19, 2013 at 1:07 AM | Permalink

            I don’t want to say anything, but you, Ivory, said something at least similar to what ICANHASBOOKTHREE has said.

          • Posted July 19, 2013 at 11:54 AM | Permalink

            I won’t deny ever having asked for an update, or whats up, but never have I been so insulting.
            That’s the problem here.

            Asking for an update is one thing, and maybe a bit annoying – but being straight up rude is a whole other thing, especially when the information is out there.
            Which anytime I ever asked, it surely, was not.

            But thanks for pointing it out, we can all use a bit of humbling and I’ll definitely take that into consideration for the future. I’m always up for coming off in a more polite manner and I hope I haven’t offended you. I admit ICANHAS got on my nerves a little, which is a bit silly in retrospect. LOL.

            Cheers!

        • Posted July 19, 2013 at 9:10 PM | Permalink

          Have you ever tried writing a novel before, or have any idea whatsoever what it takes to write one? Of course you don’t.

          Your average novel is about 100,000 words. At that length, an author might be lucky to release a book a year. Now take for example MWF, which is four times that length, essentially four novels in one. It took four years to release MWF after NOTW. So that’s a perfectly acceptable amount of time to release a book of that size. Add to that the extreme complexity of the novel and series, and the fact that his mother got cancer and passed away, well, I think it’s quite impressive that it only took four years to get the second book out.

          And what in the world makes you think he’s the master of breaking commitments? Because book two was released later than what he had initially thought? Give me a break.

          Pat is working hard on a masterpiece series that is complex, beautifully written, and masterfully insightful, just to name a few. He is also raising a child, running an amazing charity, and doing all kinds of stuff for his fans all over the world. So I say you’re a complete moron to make any of your comments, especially the fact that he is a lazy human being. You should also be ashamed of yourself.

    • pacifist
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:44 PM | Permalink

      I liked your last trollpost better than this one, that one actually made me laugh a bit

      • ICANHASBOOKTHREE
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 7:30 AM | Permalink

        I got lazy.

    • Posted July 18, 2013 at 6:19 PM | Permalink

      Why would you want a rushed book? Do you want there to be problems?

      I am actually guessing you would like that, as it seems you just want something to complain about.

      Go back under your bridge child.

    • chaelek
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 9:32 PM | Permalink

      Really dude? First off, does yelling “Do it faster” at ANYONE get any results? Seriously? Does it do anything but piss them off and create problems? Second, the man creates an amazing story by just this long and time consuming product you seem to hate. It don’t work both ways, sir. Not with him. If you want someone who produces good books to help ease the wait, I can offer several suggestions, as has Pat himself. I understand your sentiment, but please, such posts do nothing but make you look bad and make Pat lose a little faith in his readership.

  3. The Signpost
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 3:34 PM | Permalink

    I feel bad to the fans headed to WorldCon. I got to meet him and have my picture taken with him when he was here at Conquest 44 in Kansas City. Very nice man and accommodating to his many fans who attended.
    To all the people hating him for this, have none of you ever backed out of anything?
    I’d be upset as well but we all done it, cut him at little slack. Easy for me to say, admittedly, but it’s what I’d try to do, and most likely I’d fail as well.

    Cheers Pat, looking forward to the video.

    • Posted July 19, 2013 at 2:41 PM | Permalink

      Yeah. I feel bad too. But there are a ton of other cool authors there. And I’ve hit Worldcon the last three years in a row. I’m old hat to people who hit that convention…

      But I’ve never hit PAX before. That means I get to make myself available to a bunch of readers who haven’t had a chance before….

      • nbcaffeine
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 2:57 PM | Permalink

        Kinda fitting, I know a lot of people that came to your first book via Mike’s recommendation. I also came to D&D based on AI. So, they’re like super influential. Looking forward to the new guy!

  4. sayonion
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:03 PM | Permalink

    I’m happy for you that you get to do something you’re so excited about! I hope you have a wonderful time and win all the dungeonz! :D

    • sayonion
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:42 PM | Permalink

      On the theory that it never hurts to say something nice, I wanted to say: I bet most of your fans are glad you get to go do fun stuff, and don’t think that the $18 or whatever we spent on your two books means we OWN YOUR SOUL. Gogo Viari!

  5. tapley
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 4:45 PM | Permalink

    Thanks for the update, Pat! I still hope you make it to San Antonio someday, but I hope you have a great time in Seattle. :)

  6. knightoftruth
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 5:12 PM | Permalink

    please Pat! dont accept make a tv series with FOX, your story need an epic movie like TLOTR

    • anne_a_belle6
      Posted July 18, 2013 at 5:24 PM | Permalink

      If you really think about it, you’ll see that TV is better. So much room for character development – and every incredible, memorable scene can be included. And even expanded upon. In a movie, you don’t have that option. Trust me – TV is better for us fans. It gives the series a longer life. Think about Game of Thrones.

  7. ericturner29
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 7:53 PM | Permalink

    A reasonable take on writer’s block from the mouth of the man himself:

    The myth stems from the belief that writing is some mystical process. That it’s magical. That it abides by its own set of rules different from all other forms of work, art, or play.

    But that’s bullshit. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block. Teachers don’t get teacher’s block. Soccer players don’t get soccer block. What makes writing different?

    Nothing. The only difference is that writers feel they have a free pass to give up when writing is hard.

    As for the second part of your question, asking how it surfaces in my writing habits is like saying. “So, you’ve said that Bigfoot doesn’t exist…. When’s the last time you saw him?”

    When writing is hard, I grit my teeth and I do it anyway. Because it’s my job.

    Or sometimes I don’t. Sometimes its hard and I quit and go home and play video games.

    But let’s be clear. When that happens, it’s not because I’ve lost some mystical connection with my muse. It’s because I’m being a slacker. There’s nothing magical about that.

    I respect the hell out of the guy because he’s willing to admit he’s not perfect and doesn’t hide behind bullshit excuses.

  8. ericturner29
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 7:54 PM | Permalink

    Also, congrats on the series getting optioned and sorry that you got scooped on your own news and didn’t get to do the Big Reveal.

  9. duke7883
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 8:02 PM | Permalink

    I just saw this on Reddit and thought I’d share over here:

    No idea what truth there is to this but it is very exciting.

  10. dankinney
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 9:39 PM | Permalink

    I think we can all agree that ICANHASBOOKTHREE is basically acting like a big bag of douchery.

    Seriously.

    You know what? It’s people like you that make me *abhorrently* wish that the third one NEVER comes out. At least that way, you wouldn’t be able to keep the mindset that Pat actually needs to care or even know what you think.

    Kvothe’s story belongs to Pat. If he decides to not share all of it with the public, then so be it; that’s his right, and you have no say in whether or not he should. Sure, you can wish and hope, but beyond that you’re overstepping your actual realm of authority (which is pretty much very, very small, if even nonexistent in this entire matter).

    So, please, do every single one of Pat’s fans (and Pat himself) a favor, and NEVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN.

    • ICANHASBOOKTHREE
      Posted July 19, 2013 at 9:30 AM | Permalink

      Unless he’s under contract with his publisher to produce a third book, which seems extremely likely. So he has a legal obligation to release his third book. But that’s neither here nor there. Every seems to confuse the problem I have with Rothfuss, and that’s this: He invests great time and energy into inconsequential side projects, like that Worldbuilders nonsense, in the wake of being a few years late with Book Two.

      Rather than get his shit together and honor his commitments to his publisher and his fans, he just pretends they don’t exist. He’s a brat.

      • JeremyM
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 10:57 AM | Permalink

        I don’t normally fray into internet fights and feed trolls, but am I understanding you correctly when you call Worldbuilders inconsequential? So in your eyes, raising millions of dollars for a charity that helps clothe, feed and teach people how to sustain themselves is a less worthy goal and is less important than a book? I may have my priorities backwards when I value that more in a human being rather than that they can tell a great story. Other than that it’s hard to say that Mr. Rothfuss is late with his book when has never given us a release date (unless I missed something). I honestly can’t fathom the audacity it takes to come to an author’s website and be this big of an ass. As others have said Pat is not your bitch so stop treating him like he is. Please go somewhere else to spew your hatred if you can’t control yourself and leave this site to the people who care about more things in life than when the next book is coming out.

        • Anna
          Posted July 19, 2013 at 3:08 PM | Permalink

          JeremyM I don’t know you, but I kind of love you right now. I think that’s the best reply to a troll I’ve ever seen and I thank you for posting it.

      • dankinney
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 3:02 PM | Permalink

        Wow.

        Clearly, if ICANHASBOOKTHREE’s heart and compassion was gasoline, then he’d/she’d barely have enough to power a motorcycle around the outside edge of a penny.

      • Geflin
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 3:21 PM | Permalink

        Wow. Just wow. You know, I get the whole full of hate and vitriol thing because book three isn’t out. Or maybe you really have nothing else better to do and really like to troll decent human beings who just check in here to see what one of their favorite authors is up to. And I can understand that. I don’t like it, but I can understand it.

        But to blow off all the good that Worldbuilders does as ‘inconsequential’ and ‘nonsense’ shows that your really just out of touch and ignorant.

        This was the third time I attempted to write this. I was so spitting mad that you would dismiss the work of so many good individuals that I was headed down the same road that you inhabit. Then I kept remembering what Pat said in his initial reply to you, and I erased everything bad that I was going to say and started over. Because Pat IS a good person (albeit one, much like me, with a heavy ADD problem). SO. I listened to him and took the high road.

        So in the vein of politeness… PLEASE take your ignorant ass elsewhere.

      • rmcphail
        Posted July 19, 2013 at 3:37 PM | Permalink

        Guys, the dude is clearly a troll. Ignore now I think. He created a specific wordpress account as a not subtle jab at Pat and now has called charity work for starving children in Africa inconsequential. Textbook trolling. Stop feeding the troll and it will go back to ranting on political stories on MSN where it belongs.

        • Little My
          Posted July 22, 2013 at 5:07 PM | Permalink

          Amen to that.

  11. nomoremonkeys
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 9:54 PM | Permalink

    In an all together more pleasant stream…thanks Pat for the Bebop reference. Even better than the Inigo Montoya quote. It’s always fun to find a little easter egg in a post.

  12. Wensleydale
    Posted July 18, 2013 at 11:47 PM | Permalink

    Hi Pat,

    Super excited to see you at PAX this year! Do you know which day the D&D game will be on? I only managed to get a Sunday badge this year so I hope that’s the day!

  13. Posted July 19, 2013 at 1:13 AM | Permalink

    Hi, Pat.

    So, first, congrats on all the super awesome con news. More success and exposure for you and for Worldbuilders can only ever be a good thing.

    With that said, and understanding that what comes next comes from a place only of love and a desire for your further success…

    FOX?? I mean, sure, money talks and all that, but… of all the networks/studios I could ever imagine you allowing to take hold of the license for your books, that would have been THE last one. This studio has a history — a history very well known to you — of killing sci-fi/fantasy shows in the crib, either through behind the scenes meddling, or just plain premature cancellation.

    I just can’t get excited about the network who managed to smother two Joss Whedon shows and the brilliant Sarah Connor Chronicles now holding the license to my favorite fantasy series. I want to be. I want to be thrilled.

    Please tell me something that will make me thrilled? Tell me they’ve promised it to FX or something… on FX it at least has a chance.

    • strawberryjamm
      Posted July 19, 2013 at 4:51 PM | Permalink

      Joey pretty much sums up my own fears. I want to be ecstatic, but I’m too nervous about FOX to allow the ecstasy to reach the top of my bag of emotions.

  14. Jormungandr
    Posted July 19, 2013 at 8:00 AM | Permalink

    The first time you mention the members of Aquisitions, Inc, you mention Kris instead of Scott. Just FYI.

    Excited to see you on stage with PA playing D&D. Should be a lot of fun. Hopefully it’s one of the panels/events that’s streamed for those of us not making the trip.

    • Posted July 20, 2013 at 3:22 AM | Permalink

      Thanks. Fixed it. Kris did the video….

  15. rogers509
    Posted July 19, 2013 at 11:23 AM | Permalink

    Skipping all the angry. Because angry sucks.

    Yay PAX! Boo sold out PAX! :( Maybe if I just hang out outside the convention center, I might randomly see you walk out of the building, and I can pounce you. Like the creepy stalker I’ll never admit that I am. :D

  16. Posted July 19, 2013 at 12:53 PM | Permalink

    Awesome, looking forward to seeing you at PAX. But now for the important questions…

    What will you be rolling? Will you be replacing the ill-fated Aeofel as the newest AI intern? Is there acid in your future?! We need details, man!

  17. Posted July 19, 2013 at 1:06 PM | Permalink

    I’m so excited you’ll be coming to PAX! I’ve never caught this event before, but I’ll be on the lookout for it this year. :) See you there!

  18. Manwue
    Posted July 19, 2013 at 4:13 PM | Permalink

    Dear Pat,

    1st: Congratulations on being picked for television.
    BUT please PLEASE make sure that the series does not turn into another XENA clone, like the dreadfull business with “the legend of the seeker”. Your books deserve better than that. The fact that FOX’s name is used (that is the network that cancelled Firefly) is not very promising. Your stories deserve a high production value, and if HBO is not interested, then perhaps after the trilogy is completed a studio can make them into movies instead, ensuring they have the budget they need to be done right. In short, I am happy but sceptical.

    2nd: Conserning the release of book 3. Do NOT hurry. I mean this. Take your time. Then, when you feel you are done with it, take some more time. Book one was years in the making, and it shows. Every word is well placed, every sentence looks crafted with care. Book two in comparison is less musical, the sentences and words more rushed to tell the story than carefully placed to create a scene. I felt you could improve on book two some more. Chop some dead weight. Toy with the words, form sentences that sound what they mean, the same way Tolkien was crafting words. I want to see the perfection I saw in book one again. I really do not care if it takes you two, three, five, or ten more years. Sure I want to read the rest of the story as much as the next guy, but a book is not just about the story. They way you say the story is also important. And as a great man once said: “if you are going to do something, take the time to make it right”. In short, ignore the ones telling you to hurry, and focus on quality, not quantity or speed.

    Thank you for your time in reading this,
    I apologize for any spelling errors,

    Nikolas Michaelides.

  19. Posted July 19, 2013 at 8:52 PM | Permalink

    Hey Pat,

    I know this isn’t really relevant to this blog post, but I was wondering when you were planning on announcing (and giving us all the juicy details) about 20th Century Fox’s recent acquisition of our most beloved epic fantasy trilogy?

    ;-)

    p.s. It appears like I’m not the only one commenting on this recent announcement. And by the way, I think your books are better suited to a tv series than they are movies (so long as they are done with the appropriate budget of a big series such like Game of Thrones).

  20. thechessqueen
    Posted July 19, 2013 at 9:03 PM | Permalink

    I have to admit, I am pretty bummed out. I was really looking forward to meeting you at WorldCon (I was ecstatic about it being basically 10min from me). Any way you could plan a trip in the next year through San Antonio for those of us who miss you at WorldCon?

    Take your time with Book 3. :)

    • Seed
      Posted August 12, 2013 at 8:46 AM | Permalink

      Yeah I’m all of about 25 mins away. We need some Rothfuss up in San Antonio. We need it BAD.

  21. Boneman
    Posted July 20, 2013 at 5:48 AM | Permalink

    I’m very saddened by this. It doesn’t affect me, but I can’t begin to imagine the disappointment of the fans who bought tickets to Worldcon in order to see Pat, (sometimes people will attend JUST to see their favorite author, and the rest is icing on the cake) especially when he’s dipping out to play D&D. At least, that’s what comes over so strongly in the blog. Of course there’s a donation to Worldbuilders, probably the best charity in the world, that enables people to live better lives and help others. Many of those fans who would be attending Worldcon would also have contributed to Worldbuilders via this site, for all the right reasons, and if he lived in England, Pat would have a Knighthood for his services to Charity.

    But if you give your word, shouldn’t you keep it? Is that unreasonable?

  22. Jack Lancaster
    Posted July 20, 2013 at 7:20 AM | Permalink

    I’m glad I couldn’t afford tickets to WorldCon… it was really temping, what with me not being able to fly to America just to meet Mr. Rothfuss. At least he would have been in my country this time, which helps in the whole meeting thing… If I hadn’t had a couple of grands worth of commitments drop on my head, I’d be really upset right now, lol.

    In regards to the TV show… on the one hand, I know Mr. Rothfuss is all about fidelity to the text, so I can’t imagine him giving the nod without some hefty controls in place.
    On the other hand… Fox. They canceled Firefly and that shit is not okay.
    On the bionic hand, Pat knows that and probably has… something in place to stop them from stabbing the viewers in the face again.
    On Bigby’s Giant-Ass Hand, It’s FOX. And I can’t help but wonder if a lot of the subtlety I love in the books will be lost.

    FOX.

    FOX!!!

    • AlistairM
      Posted July 25, 2013 at 7:42 AM | Permalink

      Fox are probably wouldn’t cancel it… Not unless Joss Whedon was in charge, Fox loves to cancel his stuff.

      Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse.

      It’s lucky Agents of SHIELD will be made for ABC.

  23. frezzyisfuzzy
    Posted July 20, 2013 at 1:55 PM | Permalink

    There’s a big difference between Fox the broadcasting network and 20th Century Fox the production company. I had my mouth hanging open in surprise when I first heard the news too, but a friend who works in television explained this to me. It was the broadcasting network that ruined Firefly, not the production company. Also, the production company often produces shows for other networks, so there’s no reason to believe Kingkiller Chronicles will have the same fate as Firefly (yet).

  24. Katie
    Posted July 20, 2013 at 9:14 PM | Permalink

    This is SO COOL. I guess it’s not cool for your fans at Worldcon, but I remember sitting in a Mike and Jerry Q&A session at PAX East a couple years ago and hearing someone suggest you as the fourth member of a D&D party. I whooped (loudly) at the idea. I’m very glad to see it come to fruition.

    On the off chance that someone reads this comment and wants actual content rather than a gush of fangirl, according to the article I read, Pat’s books got optioned for TV by 20th Century Fox. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be made into a series, just that they took the first step in a very long and boring process. We can all chill for the next year or so.

    Also, I made a cake today.

    • DrFood
      Posted July 21, 2013 at 6:02 AM | Permalink

      What kind of cake??

      • AlistairM
        Posted July 25, 2013 at 8:02 AM | Permalink

        The cake is a lie!

  25. a_briggs2
    Posted July 21, 2013 at 3:40 PM | Permalink

    Pat, so excited that you’ll be in Seattle! Looks like PAX is sold out, so that just means I’ll have to come to your book signing! Hopefully I won’t be all heeled out and star-struck like I was when I met Ursula K. le Guin. (So embarrassing.)

    Congrats on the tv series! I trust you only agreed to sell FOX the rights if they brought back Firefly for at least 5 more seasons? ;)

    • a_briggs2
      Posted July 21, 2013 at 3:41 PM | Permalink

      *geeked out. Darn you, iPad autocorrect.

  26. Kyogi
    Posted July 21, 2013 at 4:02 PM | Permalink

    I think it’s great that you’re reaching out to fans that may not have had the chance to meet you before. I missed when you were in Indy because I was forced to work late. I’ll never forgive my boss for that, I bring it up regularly in fact.

    Since we’re on this topic, does anyone have advice for a PC MMORPG gamer looking to get started playing tabletops? I have owned Settler’s of Catan for years but can’t get anyone to play, and haven’t played a game of D&D since I was in the 6th grade and the DM was my neighbor who… made it an unpleasant experience for me. I was dead in about 5 minutes.

    Help me out y’all!

    • Posted July 22, 2013 at 11:02 AM | Permalink

      I’ve found Munchkin to be a fast and easy introduction to tabletop rpgs. Gets the basics to you right away and understandably, plus, people are more open to it I’ve found than actual pen and papers and I’ve after a few times playing it does generate more interest in playing the “real thing”

      Plus, if you don’t want to get down into the fullscale D&D campaign and just want to run a “kickdownthedoor” sorta thing, it’s much easier and less timeconsuming than making up a bunch of paper characters and dragging out all the books.

    • Posted July 22, 2013 at 3:14 PM | Permalink

      I’ll vote against Munchkins, as it doesn’t hit any of the things that make me love RPG’s. (I thoroughly enjoy Munchkins, mind you. Just not with the side of me that loves D&D.)

      If your town has a local nerdy game shop, I’d check there for a group to play with. Or if your friends are amenable, just try to start a game yourself.

      Also, if you have truly creative, storytelling-oriented friends, you might want to see if you can check out Minimus:

      http://www.adastragames.com/downloads/RPGs/Minimus.pdf

      The advantage of Minimus is that you can get a group of folk together, build interesting characters, and start telling a story. In short, it doesn’t have all the complex rules and lore of D&D, which means you won’t end up going “wait, so I also need to add Dex to my AC, but is my hide armor a medium or light armor and what does the +1 mean.” The disadvantage of Minimus is that it doesn’t have all the complex rules and lore of D&D, so that people who are trying to get used to character creation often find it daunting. At least in D&D you can start out with the idea “I want to play a human ranger like Aragorn,” and the game will tell you how to structure that character. Minimus is much better for “I want to play an angry one-legged Hobbit who is a master chef and fights with kitchen equipment (including knives, of course) and has a phobia of spiders and has an irrational hatred of dwarves because of how they eat.”

  27. wildnone
    Posted July 22, 2013 at 1:15 PM | Permalink

    UPDATE: 15yr young woman from B.C. Canada invents sympathy lamp!!!

    http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/flashlight-powered-by-hands-heat-130701.htm

  28. Posted July 22, 2013 at 3:07 PM | Permalink

    Sad to hear you aren’t coming to Worldcon–your presence was one of the potential highpoints.

    On the other hand, I’m happy to hear about the money going to Worldbuilders, which more than makes up for the decreased awesomeness of Worldcon.

    Still….come to Texas at some point, if possible! Some fans can’t afford airfare!

  29. hann1980
    Posted July 24, 2013 at 1:34 PM | Permalink

    Sweet! I will definitely be at your signing event (I cannot make PAX unfoturnately). I hope your transportation to the University Bookstore is a more pleasant experience this time. If you need a ride, just let me know.

    If traffic is bad I could always rickshaw you over there.

    • Little My
      Posted July 25, 2013 at 5:56 PM | Permalink

      He should totally take you up on this. Being rickshawed anywhere by a fan is traveling in style, traffic or no, IMO.

  30. AlistairM
    Posted July 25, 2013 at 7:36 AM | Permalink

    I’d like to listen to any podcasts Patrick has been in. Has anyone got any links to them?

  31. Brickles
    Posted July 26, 2013 at 12:07 PM | Permalink

    Pat,

    It has been said multiple times up above, but I’ll echo it again, please take all the time you need to feel good enough about your book to release it to us fans.

    There is nothing worse than falling in love with multiple characters/the setting of a series only to have the last book provide hasty fixes/closure to large story arcs. The one that comes to the forefront of my mind when speaking of this is the Paolini series. It seemed like it crossed from great fiction to commercialized fiction somewhere around book 3 and then died a horrible death in book 4.

    I love your series far more than I ever did the Inheritance cycle so to see your lovely creation go the way of that work would be truly sad.

    Ignore the trolls, live your life, and give us the glorious work that will be book 3 on whatever timeline you see fit.

    Cheers,

    Jeff

  32. RowdyTheDog
    Posted July 27, 2013 at 1:54 AM | Permalink

    Pat, I love your books. I love your blog. I love your short stories and videos and general beardy appearance. I can’t wait to meet you at PAX.
    Your devoted Canadian fan,
    James

  33. AbnerDoon
    Posted July 30, 2013 at 7:44 AM | Permalink

    After years of waiting, I have come to the conclusion that Pat has taken a job with Valve, and is developing the storyline for Half Life 3 concurrently with the 3rd book.

    Conclusion: Both will be released within the next 10 years, and will be chock-full of awesome. In the meantime, there’s no lack of other books to read and other games to play.

  34. paulbob
    Posted July 31, 2013 at 9:51 AM | Permalink

    This is not really related to the above issues but I saw that Name of the Wind was used as a demo to highlight kindle on iOS. So I thought I would post it because that is awesome!

    http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1616367

  35. Vera
    Posted August 1, 2013 at 2:07 AM | Permalink

    I MET PAT!!!

    If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Man, Pat’s a great author. His blog posts make him seem like a great guy…but there’s no way he can be that…nice, funny, entertaining, smart”…[you get the point here] I just want to assure you all – yes, he is all of those things and possibly more! I was fortunate enough to attend his panel and then get his autograph and a pic at SDCC. These were highlights of an amazing time. He spent time chatting with all his fans and seemed genuinely pleased to meet us during the signing. We shook hands and he made me feel like we were friends.

    If you get the chance, yes, it probably is worth a 10 hour drive to meet him. I’m not a betting gal, but I’d wager you won’t regret it.

  36. AmusedToDeath
    Posted August 2, 2013 at 4:13 AM | Permalink

    Soooo, you wouldn’t happen to have anything to say on the perils of fan fiction, Pat? :)

  37. whorrak
    Posted August 2, 2013 at 9:16 AM | Permalink

    I just listened to the first episode of the intro podcast for Acquisitions Incorporated. When V started questioning how the rest of the team was being paid and whatnot, I got the distinct feeling Pat that you were channeling Jayne’s hiring scene from the Firefly episode Out of Gas. Tell me I’m right, and I’ll love you even more.

  38. gilgamesh
    Posted August 7, 2013 at 4:20 PM | Permalink

    Patrick are you ok? It’s just been a long time since your last post and I just want to make sure everything is ok with you.

    Sincerely
    A huge fan

  39. Mephy
    Posted August 9, 2013 at 1:52 AM | Permalink

    “From the sound of it, I guessed it was a small piece of a larger argument that they had been having their entire lives.”

    Beautiful. Alas, I wouldn’t be able to use the ticket.

  40. Seed
    Posted August 12, 2013 at 8:40 AM | Permalink

    Oh man, Rothfuss. You’re the reason I got WorldCon tickets.

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