Here's an interesting question from the Waygate Foundation:

See today’s Q&A Answer below! Topic - Darkfriend Oaths

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions for our Team Jordan Q&A during the A Memory of Light tour. We were excited to see the questions, and even more excited to share the answers!

 

Warning - a lot of these answers contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk! Each answer has been supplied by Team Jordan, and was written by Maria Simons, continuity editor of the Wheel of Time. Maria and the Team have been very generous with their time, and will provide as many answers as they can.

 

Q: What are the three oaths which bind Darkfriends?

 

A:

1) I shall obey all commands given by those placed above me in service to the Great Lord.

2) I shall prepare for the day of the Great Lord's return.

3) I swear not to betray the Great Lord, to keep my secrets until the hour of my death.

 

It should be noted that these were taken straight from Robert Jordan’s notes, where he had added “May vary the wording a little.”

More questions and answers can be found on their Facebook page.

The Waygate Foundation has posted another answer from Team Jordan.

See today’s Q&A Answer below! Topic - Character appearances in Memory of Light

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions for our Team Jordan Q&A during the A Memory of Light tour. We were excited to see the questions, and even more excited to share the answers!

 

Warning - a lot of these answers contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk! Each answer has been supplied by Team Jordan, and was written by Maria Simons, continuity editor of the Wheel of Time. Maria and the Team have been very generous with their time, and will provide as many answers as they can.

 

Q: Given Elayne's involvement with the Last Battle, why didn't we see anything of Morgase (or Tallanvor...or Lini) at all in the last book?

 

A: Well, Lini is mentioned (page 230), and we see Morgase (page 767). But we couldn’t shoehorn in a scene for every character; it would have read very awkwardly.

More answers can be found on their Facebook page.

The Waygate Foundation is updating their Facebook page with answers to questions submitted to Team Jordan.  Here's today's entry.

 

See today’s Q&A Answer below! Topic - Three-for-one! Sword Forms, Olver, and Elayne's double!

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions for our Team Jordan Q&A during the A Memory of Light tour. We were excited to see the questions, and even more excited to share the answers!

 

Warning - a lot of these answers contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk! Each answer has been supplied by Team Jordan, and was written by Maria Simons, continuity editor of the Wheel of Time. Maria and the Team have been very generous with their time, and will provide as many answers as they can.

 

Q: Will there be any picture-type guides to known Sword-Forms? (Cat Crosses the Courtyard etc)?

A: At this time, there are no plans to include picture guides for the sword forms.

 

Q: Was Olver actually Gaidal Cain? Follow up: Who was Gaidal Cain?

A: Olver was not Gaidal Cain. Gaidal Cain was a baby/toddler.

 

Q: Was Elayne's double during the Last Battle Morgase?

A: No.

The Waygate Foundation has released the latest question answered by Team Jordan.

 

See today’s Q&A Answer below! Topic - Maiden Handtalk

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions for our Team Jordan Q&A during the A Memory of Light tour. We were excited to see the questions, and even more excited to share the answers!

 

Warning - a lot of these answers contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk! Each answer has been supplied by Team Jordan, and was written by Maria Simons, continuity editor of the Wheel of Time. Maria and the Team have been very generous with their time, and will provide as many answers as they can.

 

Q: What information did RJ specify about Maiden handtalk?

 

A: There is not a lot to be found in his notes, unfortunately. He does say, “Each society has its secret hand-signals, in addition to those known to all algai'd'siswai , but only the Maidens have evolved their signs far enough to be able to carry on normal, everyday conversations in it. In Maiden handtalk, a hooked little finger makes a term mocking or sarcastic. For example, it is used in ‘spearsister’ when applied to women who have given up the spear and then try to behave as if they had not.”

You can find other answers on their website or Facebook page.

In May, Brandon Sanderson was a guest at the Phoenix Comicon and had a panel that focused exclusively on The Wheel of Time.  During the panel, Brandon shared the story of how he was chosen to finish the series, and then did a Q&A with the other panelist and the audience.  I'm very please to say that I was asked to join this panel, along with Nadine Armstrong and Patrick Young.

The Waygate Foundation, whose mission is to "support and engage science fiction and fantasy authors and fans in global philanthropic endeavors," has joined forces with Team Jordan to get a sneak peek to the anticipated Wheel of Time encyclopedia!

 

Q&A Answers!

 

Thanks again for everyone who submitted questions for our Team Jordan Q&A during the A Memory of Light tour. We were excited to see the questions, and even more excited to share the answers!

 

We’ll be posting new answers individually through the month of April. Warning - a lot of these answers contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk! Each answer has been supplied by Team Jordan, and was written by Maria Simons, continuity editor of the Wheel of Time. Maria and the Team have been very generous with their time, and will provide as many answers as they can.

For the past month, several questions have been answered, and posted, on The Waygate Foundations' website and Facebook page. Here's the latest, but beware of spoilers!

 

See today’s Q&A Answer below! Topic - Outrigger novels

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions for our Team Jordan Q&A during the A Memory of Light tour. We were excited to see the questions, and even more excited to share the answers!

 

Warning - a lot of these answers contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk! Each answer has been supplied by Team Jordan, and was written by Maria Simons, continuity editor of the Wheel of Time. Maria and the Team have been very generous with their time, and will provide as many answers as they can.

 

Q: I realize that the two outrigger novels that Jim had planned won't be published, but I'm still curious about the story that would take place in them. I'm hoping that the history that would have been contained within those stories (Tam's life while he was away from The Two Rivers and what led Moiraine and Lan to the Two Rivers) will come to light in the Encyclopedia. Not really a question, but a comment nonetheless!

 

A: There is a little confusion here: there were two more prequels planned (with the subjects mentioned here), and three outriggers taking place after the Last Battle. We have about two sentences regarding the outriggers. While I promise that the encyclopedia will contain all we know about Moiraine and Tam from Robert Jordan’s notes, he did not leave fleshed-out outlines for the prequels, either, so we can’t promise too much.

A Game of Stones, an online Wheel of Time Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), is launching a new version.  Version 10, with all the new updates, goes live June 8th.

 

So it's about 5 months later than I planned, but it's finally upon us. V10 is going to launch next Saturday, June 8th at 10PM CDT (that's Sunday morning at 3AM GMT for those bad at time zones). I feel bad about it taking so much longer than planned, but 1) I wanted this version to be big and 2) I assume most of you are Wheel of Time fans so you should be used to waiting. :P

 

I know it's not the normal time, but it's easier after the kids are in bed. Starting turns are still staggered so any characters started within the first 20 hours after the site is open will have the the same number of turns. Characters started within the first hour will start with 30 turns, with other characters starting with 2 additional turn each hour later until 20 hours later. All characters started after that will have 70 turns.

 

Official Site:

gos.talij.com/

 

New features to this version:

- Characters are now aligned with either the Light or the Shadow based on their actions. Work for the Light or serve the Shadow.

 

- Track the Ji you earn in each City. Open personal offices and influence the city based on how much Ji you have there.

 

- Cities now have NPC armies to protect them from Hordes. Help protect the city or weaken the defenses to make it easier for the horde!

 

- Let the Lord of Chaos rule! Order and Chaos are now tracked in each city, with the Dark One having more influence over cities with less Order.

 

- Bubbles of Evil have spread across the Pattern. Players can battle smaller Bubbles on their own, while larger Bubbles cause havoc in the cities!

 

- The 7 Seals of the Dark One's Prison are available to be found. Hold one for yourself, protect it in your clan's cities, but it's only a matter of time before they start to break...

 

- ...and once they all break, it's time for the end. Tarmon Gai'don is upon us. Strap yourself in for a week long event with the fate of the Pattern at stake. Cities will be destroyed. Allies will become enemies and enemies will fight side by side as the hordes of the Shadow battle the guardians of the Light. Who will prevail?

 

- Once the Last Battle is over, the Heroes page will freeze and the Light or the Shadow will be declared the winner of the Age. Players can still do battles and run their remaining businesses, but the Age will official be done. Estimate time from start of the Age to end will be about 3 months.

 

- Evolving Avatars! As your character progresses through the game, the default avatars will change based your nationality, gender, and net worth.

To honor Robert Jordan's military service, Ta'veren Tees is donating 10% of its new Challenge Coin proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project.

 

Along with several other new products, Ta’veren Tees has released The Wheel of Time® Challenge Coin. The bronze plated coin, measuring 2” in diameter, features the iconic snake and wheel symbol on one side and the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai on the other. Each is packaged individually and sold for $12.00 at www.TaverenTees.com/wotcoin.

 

In honor of Robert Jordan’s military service in Vietnam, Ta’veren Tees will donate 10% of proceeds from coin sales to the Wounded Warrior Project. A portion of the proceeds from all Mat Cauthon related shirts will also be donated, as he is, after all, the Son of Battles. Those include the ladies’ and men’s styles of the “Toss the Dice” and “Ravens” tees, as well as the “Mat Cauthon by Seamas” tee available at www.TaverenTees.com.

 

Challenge coins in general have a militaristic background. Among soldiers, a challenger would ask a fellow to see the medallion. If the challenged could not show his, he had to buy a drink for the one who challenged him. For Memorial Day, Ta’veren Tees would like to honor Jim Rigney and the countless others willing to serve, and would like to thank customers in advance for being a part of the donation when they purchase these items.

 

In addition to the coin, new items also include six vinyl stickers, bookmarks, and five character posters by Ariel Burgess. To see these products visit www.TaverenTees.com/novelties.

 

About Wounded Warriors Project

 

Wounded Warriors Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that raises awareness and enlists the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members. To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project visit: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

 

Robert Jordan’s (Jim Rigney) Military Background

 

Many WoT fans might not realize that before Jim Rigney was a writer, he was a soldier in the U.S. Army and fought in Vietnam – an experience that affected his life, and eventually the story he would tell.

 

Rigney grew up wanting to attend West Point, but at sixteen learned his eyes were too bad for admission. He instead went to Clemson University, but ran into trouble because he was on a football scholarship, had chosen a major in electrical engineering, and was discovering girls and beer.  He then joined the army “because that is what men do in my family. That is simply the way it has always been done . . . the Rigneys have joined the U.S. Army to go where the shooting takes place.” He went on to complete two tours in Vietnam, serving as a helicopter door gunner. It affected him profoundly. In his blog, he wrote:

 

“I have, or used to have, a photo of a young man sitting on a log eating C-rations with a pair of chopsticks. There are three dead NVA laid out in a line just beside him. He didn't kill them. He didn't choose to sit there because of the bodies. It was just the most convenient place to sit. The bodies don't bother him. He doesn't care. They're just part of the landscape. The young man is glancing at the camera, and you know in one look that you aren't going to take this guy home to meet your parents. Back in the world, you wouldn't want him in your neighborhood, because he is cold, cold, cold. I strangled that SOB, drove a stake through his heart, and buried him face down under a crossroad outside Saigon before coming home, because I knew that guy wasn't made to survive in a civilian environment. I think he's gone. All of him. I hope so.”

 

Jim came home with a number of decorations, and went on to become a best-selling fantasy writer. He always had a great deal of appreciation and respect for every man and woman who was willing to serve his or her country.

 

Jim Rigney (Robert Jordan), Soldier in uniform

Paul Bielaczyc, co-owner of Aradani Studios and well-known within the fandom for his Rand al'Thor costume, recently had another photoshoot featuring a new Trolloc costume.  These photos were taken by Dim Horizon Studio.

The entire gallery can be viewed here.  And last year's photoshoot can be found here.

Paul has also added a tutorial on how to make the Trolloc helmet on Aradani Studios' website.

Along with its newly launched Epic Fantasy mobile alerts, Tor is currently running a sweepstakes to win advanced copies of Brandon Sanderson's soon-to-be-released YA novel, The Rithmatist.

Join Tor's Epic Fantasy mobile alert list and enter a sweepstakes to win a Rithmatist prize pack and a Memory of Light messenger bag!

New York, NY - May 1, 2013 - Last month, Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC-the largest publisher of science fiction in the world-announced a new mobile campaign for fans of the Wheel of Time® series and Tor author Brandon Sanderson.

 

Tor's Epic Fantasy mobile alert list is still going strong. Fans can sign up to receive The Wheel of Time®, Rithmatist chalkling drawings, and special Brandon Sanderson content sent right to their phones.

In order to promote the Epic Fantasy mobile campaign, Tor is sponsoring a sweepstakes for a Brandon Sanderson prize package. Three grand prize winners will receive one advance reading copy of The Rithmatist - Brandon Sanderson's YA debut - a Rithmatist chalk bag, and a Memory of Light messenger bag. Quantities of these bags are limited, so it's a very special sweepstakes.

 

To sign up for mobile trivia alerts and to enter the sweepstakes (and for full details and official rules) visit www.tor-forge.com/epicrithmatist beginning May 1, 2013. Sweepstakes ends at 11:59 p.m. ET May 15th, 2013. No purchase necessary to win. Message and data rates may apply. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 or older. Void outside of the 50 US, and DC where prohibited by law. Sponsor: Tor Books, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.

And for those of you who still haven't signed up for Tor's Epic Fantasy mobile alerts, it's not too late.

Join the Tor Mobile Elite

 

Brandon Sanderson and Wheel of Time® fans can participate in this mobile campaign by texting "EPIC" to 555111 to receive facts, trivia, and more. Message & Data Rates May Apply. To enter online, visit epicmobilealerts.com. For SMS terms and conditions, visit http://us.macmillan.com/smshelp.

Dragonmount's very own Co-Webmasters, Jason Denzel and Jennifer Liang, have been honored recently for their tireless contributions to the Wheel of Time fandom.  Both are extremely deserving of this recognition, and we are proud to have them at the helm of this website.

Jason will be a Guest of Honor at Penguicon this year.  Penguicon is a science fiction convention that has a strong focus on computer-related topics.  It will be held in Pontiac, Michigan from April 26-28, 2013.  When he is not on Dragonmount or engaging in other hobbies, Jason works on Linux projects for a network technology company.  He will be the first notable Wheel of Time fan to be a Guest of Honor at a convention.      

Jennifer was elected President of the Southern Fandom Confederation last weekend at JordanCon.  The Southern Fandom Confederation is an organization dedicated to celebrating science fiction and fantasy fandom in the Southern United States.  It is affiliated with DeepSouthCon, which is a traveling Southern convention that JordanCon hosted this year.  Jennifer's work as both the Chair of JordanCon and Director of the former Wheel of Time track at Dragon*Con made her an ideal candidate for the position.  When she is not working on conventions or on Dragonmount, Jennifer works as a special education teacher.

Earlier this month we posted on Facebook about 16-year-old Ben Wolverton, son of fantasy author David Wolverton (aka David Farland).  Ben was in a terrible long boarding accident which left him with severe brain trauma and other serious injuries.  Unfortunately his family doesn't have health insurance and the medical bills are stacking up. 

Dragonmount, along with several other websites and authors, are trying to spread the word about ways you can help Ben and his family. Please join us in contributing in one or more ways.

Book Bomb

A "book bomb" is where we encourage as many people as possible to buy a specific book in a short period of time. Not only does this provide money via direct sales, but it also helps push the book up the charts, thereby increasing exposure to as many people as possible.  The authors and fans organizing this event have chosen David Farland's Nightingale. Please go to Amazon and purchase a copy. Not only will you help the Wolverton family, but you'll get a fantastic novel.

Direct Donation

If you would prefer to make a direct donation to Ben's recovery, you can do so here.

Spread the Word

Whether you're able to help financially or not, we ask that you consider sharing news about Ben's accident on your Facebook, twitter, email, or just word of mouth. 

The Wheel of Time community is large and has always proven to be generous. By helping the Wolverton family, you will be upholding Robert Jodan's legacy of charity and kindness.  

Thank you for joining us to help. 

Calling all Perrin fans!  Our friends at Ta'veren Tees have a great new shirt for you.  It features artwork from popular artist Seamas Gallagher.  Check out the press release:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW PERRIN AYBARA SHIRT WITH ART BY SEAMAS GALLAGHER AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER

The trio of ta’veren shirts by The Wheel of Time^® artist Seamas Gallagher is finally complete with the addition of the “Perrin Aybara by Seamas” tee, now available for preorder at www.TaverenTees.com/perrinbyseamas.  Preordering this shirt ensures it will be shipped as soon as it is in stock on April 11. In addition, this shirt will be on sale for $26 during the pre-order period.

“Perrin Aybara by Seamas” is available in sizes S-5XL on an adult tee shirt.

Until now, only Gallagher’s versions of Rand (www.taverentees.com/randbyseamas) and Mat (www.taverentees.com/matbyseamas) were available for purchase, and fans of the blacksmith-turned-wolfbrother have been anticipating the release of the final ta’veren. Ta’veren Tees is happy to release this homage to the Wolf King at last. Why the wait? This shirt features updates to the art that cannot be found elsewhere. Older versions of Gallagher’s Perrin depict him with an ax. Ta’veren Tees, along with Seamas, decided it was time for this Perrin to give up the ax and take up the hammer.

The back of the shirt reads “If you could see through these golden eyes of mine, you’d find the world a different place.”

This shirt is available through 5XL on a forest green, adult, cotton tee. All “Special Edition” designs have the snake/wheel logo on the left sleeve.

Seamas Gallagher

Seamas Gallagher started working on The Wheel of Time^® as a personal side project. However, he was able to contribute art for The Wheel of Time^® graphic novel, and is excited to have his art on Ta’veren Tees, as well. Seamas is an officially licensed WoT artist, whose art can be found at: www.seamasgallagher.com. To read more about Seamas, visit www.taverentees.com/artists.

Tor Books launched a Wheel of Time mobile text campaign today.  If you text the word Epic to 555111, you'll receive 3-5 trivia alerts per week. Here's the press release:

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—is excited to announce a new mobile campaign for fans of the Wheel of Time series and Tor author Brandon Sanderson.

 

This January and February, Wheel of Time® fans who were able to attend a Brandon Sanderson book signing event for A MEMORY OF LIGHT, the final book in the series, were offered a complimentary booklet of Wheel of Time trivia, conceived with the help of Dragonmount.com, a Wheel of Time® fansite. While that booklet was a fun collectible for fans, it was of a limited quantity and many fans were unable to acquire one of their own.

 

Now, Wheel of Time® fans who weren’t able to meet Brandon on tour can sign up for Tor’s Epic Fantasy mobile alerts and get fun series facts sent right to their phones. In addition, signing up will give fans special access to content for Sanderson’s forthcoming YA book, THE RITHMATIST (which adults have also been raving about), including the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win an advance review copy of the book, a gift bag, and quirky little-known facts about the exciting, complex magic system found in The Rithmatist.

 

Beginning April 1, 2013, Brandon Sanderson and Wheel of Time® fans can take participate in this mobile campaign by texting “EPIC” to 555111 to receive facts, trivia, and more. Message & Data Rates May Apply. To enter online, visit epicmobilealerts.com. For SMS terms and conditions, visit http://link.me/smshelp.html

I see you, Dragonmount.

Thanks for checking out the following recap of the Los
Angeles (Huntington Beach) book signing of A
Memory of Light with Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal. My fellow
Memory Keepers and I were happier than a Brown in a library to be chosen to
help out and make this signing awesome. We started arriving at around 3 pm and
were surprised to find that not a few avid fans had already arrived, eagerly
awaiting the start of the event.

Our Memory Keepers were a diverse group comprised of Rebecca,
our “First Among Equals,” Nathan, Ken, Joe, Rob, Carlos, and Kyle. Since Barnes
&Noble took care of all of the setting up, we were able to focus on games
and projects to keep everyone occupied while they were waiting. We had both
drawing and sculpting setups, as well as extremely challenging trivia sheets
for people to test their Wheel of Time knowledge. Want to take the challenge? You
can find a copy here:

View attachment: Wheel of Time Trivia Questions Only.pdf

Stumped? No worries, the answers are posted here:

View attachment: Wheel of Time Trivia Questions.pdf

Those who participated in our sometimes fun, sometimes
diabolical diversions were rewarded with various swag items including The Way of Kings in paperback, WoT phone
cases, backpacks, and “Tai’shar Malkier” bumper stickers.

Right around 6:15 pm, we received word that Brandon and
Harriet had arrived, and were smuggled into a back conference room to get our
books signed and questions answered. An interesting outcome from our questions
was that Brandon asked us to get people to compile a list of characters whose
outcome was left out of the final book for potential inclusion in the upcoming
encyclopedia.

You can add to the discussion here:

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/79423-list-of-characters-fates/
 

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Upon our return from the back room, we chose a winner of the
costume contest we hosted, but since we only had one participant, the choice
was pretty easy. He looked really good though.

View attachment: _MG_4857.jpg
 

Brandon and Harriet arrived upstairs and took a moment to
admire everyone’s handiwork…. and promptly asked us to get it off of their
table. They were thoroughly impressed, I’m sure.

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View attachment: _MG_4923.jpg

View attachment: _MG_4976.jpg

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View attachment: _MG_4982.jpg

At this point, we were well past standing room only.
Introductions were made, and Brandon reminded everyone to stay away from
spoilers, especially since about 2/3 of the crowd had not yet finished AMoL.
From there, the Q&A began:

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Q for
Brandon: Loial is my favorite character in the series.  Are his scenes in AMoL written more by Brandon Sanderson or by Robert Jordan?

A:  Brandon replies by
saying he will need to keep this vague due to not wanting to reveal spoilers to
those who have not finished reading.  He
will answer this individually when the person comes up to him in line.  He is against readers “looking” for him or
for Robert Jordan in the books.  The
epilogue was entirely written by Robert Jordan, except for one portion that
Brandon wrote.

Q for
Brandon: Is there anyone Brandon wanted to include in AMoL but didn’t get to?

A:  No, he was able to
get to everyone.  There were two major
sequences cut from the book.  One of
these will appear in the charity anthology Unfettered.  The other character POV just didn’t work.

Q  for Harriet: What are the top three
characters in which her personality dominated that character’s personality?

A:  (joking) Graendal,
Moghedian, …. (lots of laughter). 
Probably Nynaeve.  Harriet remarks
that she has several home remedies for any ailment.  She states that Robert Jordan said all of the
women characters stem from her and makes a comment about nagging Robert Jordan
to take out the trash.

Q for
Harriet: When editing both Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, were there any
scenes that needed to be cut because they were “too ridiculous”?

A:  No, for either of
them.  They are fabulous storytellers and
did not show her ridiculous scenes.  One
scene of Brandon’s she cut for pacing reasons. 
She did have some disagreements with Robert Jordan, different opinions.  Some scenes that he absolutely loved, she did
not like, and vice versa.  She emphasized
the importance of having your editor as a trusted first reader.  Brandon mentions Dannil, the fourth Two
Rivers boy, and Harriet explains that he was cut because he had nothing to do
in Eye of the World and he was
boring.  Robert Jordan said that he had
big plans for him in the fourth book, and Harriet’s response was that if you
bore your readers now, there won’t be a fourth book.  Later, Robert Jordan admitted “how easily he
[Dannil] unzipped out of the book.”

Q for
Brandon: Did he get to include anything from his “Cool Stuff” list in the
series?

A:  A few things did
end up in the book, but he won’t expand due to spoilers.  He did say that he had ideas about Gateways
long before he was selected to finish the series.  He wanted to include some of these ideas in
his own work but he was too worried about copying Robert Jordan, so they just
stayed in his file.  He was able to pull
these ideas out and use them with Androl in AMoL.

Q for
Brandon: How did reading The Wheel of
Time inspire his magic systems?

A:  The first influence
was Robert Jordan’s focus on human characters over fantastical ones.  He felt that Jordan’s concept of weaving was
complex and interesting, as opposed to magic systems of authors such as David
Eddings.  With the Wheel of Time, the rules and restrictions on magic made characters
more clever and interesting.  He didn’t
want to modify the WoT magic system
but he did explore two aspects of it using ideas he had as a teenager:  the World of Dreams and Gateways.  He avoided adding new weaves because the
series was coming to a close.

Q for
Brandon: Who was his favorite character to write and who does he see himself
the most in?

A:  Perrin was his
favorite.  Even though Perrin went
through “a slump” in the series in order to build tension, Brandon always
stayed “Team Perrin.”  Perrin was the
most natural.  Mat was tough and thus a
cooler character to write.  Brandon
enjoyed writing Mat, especially in AMoL.  Mat challenged his skills more than anyone
else.  The saddest part for him with
finishing the series is that he can’t write Mat anymore.  Harriet added that there will not be anymore WoT books (other than the
encyclopedia).  She said that Robert
Jordan hated the idea of someone taking his material, although he did want the
series finished.  He stated he would run
over his hard drive before allowing others to “sharecrop.”  Harriet stated that the two sentences about
the outriggers that Robert Jordan left behind will be released in April or
May.  She said that with the encyclopedia
there is “the work of at least a year.”

Q for
Harriet: Did Robert Jordan have a favorite character? 

A:  Yes – the one that
he was writing that day.  She said that
some days after writing he would come into the kitchen slouching and sidling up
against the wall, and she would say, “Have you been writing Padan Fain
today?”  She went on to say that he
always wrote from “a position of love” for every character.  Brandon tells about one of the editing notes
that he received from Harriet which read “Padan Fain needs more crazy.”

Q:  Do Robert Jordan’s notes state who killed
Asmodean?

A:  Brandon states that
at the top of a large stack of Robert Jordan’s notes that he received, there
was a print-out of a fan’s theory about the killer of Asmodean.  Stuck to it was a post-it note from Jordan
that read, “this is right.”  Harriet
commented about the importance of glossaries.

Q  for Brandon: Is the dialogue between Rand and
Mat in AMoL more Robert Jordan or
Brandon?

A:  Brandon does not
want to answer that publically due to the potential for spoilers.

Q:  Will the encyclopedia have illustrations?

A:  Yes.  Much more time will be given to the
illustrator than with the earlier book (the Big White Book).  He stated that the BWB illustrator is very
talented but was rushed.

Q for
Brandon: Will you share the story of the day you got the phone call from
Harriet about completing the series?

A:  Here, Brandon
reviewed the story, remarking that he was more nervous than on his wedding
day.  Harriet added that she told Brandon
that he was on her short list, but didn’t reveal at the time that it really was
a list with just one name.  She said that
she knew that he was a good writer but she didn’t know just how superb he was
going to be.  He was “a great choice” to
finish the series.

Q for
Brandon: Why do the Shardblades in The
Stormlight Archive have the effect on flesh (human tissue) that they do?

A:  He originally wrote
the scene in the prologue with the assassin Szeth using a traditional sword,
but it was so bloody and gruesome that Brandon was actually disgusted.  He had to find a way to avoid that and so he
came up with a new way for the swords to behave.

Q for
Harriet: What were Robert Jordan’s influences for the creature that Padan Fain
became?

A:  Just his own work
and imagination.  There were no outside
influences that she knows of.

Q for
Brandon: Who was his favorite villain to write?

A:  Demandred

Q for
Brandon:  Could you elaborate on some of
your recent comments about the difficulty of writing shorter books?

A:  One of Brandon’s
favorite stories is “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and it’s only five
pages long, but he has struggled with writing shorter works.  He’s tried, but he has felt bad at it and
it’s not something he’s ever been trained in. 
He realized that he was trying to write shorter fiction for the wrong
reasons – he was doing it for New York and not because he wanted to do it.  He feels that his best short work is Emperor’s Soul.  He goes on to praise Harriet for her
remarkable career, specifically pointing out her role in Ender’s Game and Eye of the
World, two of the greats in sci-fi/fantasy. 
Harriet modestly says, “I put my shoes on one foot at a time.”

Q for
Brandon:  Who was the most challenging WoT character to write?

A:  Mat was the most
challenging, the second most was Aviendha. 
He explains that it is hard to write about someone so different than
yourself and the Aiel culture seemed the most unique in the series.  Of Rand’s three women, Avi is Brandon’s
favorite.  He recalls that after writing
his first Aviendha scene, Harriet read it and then told him that it was a
“picture perfect Elayne.”  Brandon went
on to discuss how he has to write his way into his characters.  Vin, in Mistborn,
was originally a boy.  Lots of his early
work on The Gathering Storm was
scrapped by Harriet because Brandon wasn’t “there yet” with the
characters.  He then goes on to discuss
the volume of notes left by Robert Jordan. 
There are about 200 pages for AMoL
and then there is roughly 32,000 pages of other notes for the series, three
times as large as the entire series put together.  Brandon tells of how he tried to open it once
and it crashed his computer because the file was so large.  He also wants to commend the enormous efforts
of Alan and Maria for their help in managing all of the details of the series.

At this point, in the interest of time, the Q&A ended so
that, as Brandon said, "We can do a reading. We meaning Harriet."She read the opening paragraph of the wind rose chapter, and it was magical.

View attachment: _MG_4920.jpg

Following that, the signing began. As Harriet said, “I love you all, but I hate
midnight.” In consideration of that, everyone was allowed 3 books their first
time through the line, and anyone who wanted additional books signed or any
personalization had to go through the line a second time after Harriet left.
Before that could happen though, they had the daunting task of signing books
for approximately 500 people! Here are some cool things that happened as people
made their way to the front of the line:

View attachment: _MG_4923.jpg

View attachment: _MG_4932.jpg

Brandon getting a picture and signed card:

View attachment: _MG_4951.jpg

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An awesome tattoo:

View attachment: _MG_4966.jpg

One hardcore fan with equally hardcore shoes:

View attachment: _MG_4975.jpg

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Fan Art:

View attachment: _MG_4988.jpg

These girls had a little fun with the trivia sheet giving spoof answers such as the Dark One's real name was Voldermort. Brandon found it so amusing that he posted it to his Twitter. He also signed a poster for them.

View attachment: _MG_4997.jpg

View attachment: _MG_5003.jpg

This couple came all the way from Australia to be at the signing. Now that's dedication.

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Familiar faces:

View attachment: _MG_5013.jpg

With all of these awesome and interesting things happening,
the highlight for me was when out of the blue, Harriet poked me in the ribs and
said, “He looks like Perrin! Doesn’t he look just like Perrin?” I was so
surprised that of course I immediately agreed, and that is forever more what
I’ll remember when I think of Perrin Aybara. Not that I even saw the guy. Sorry Harriet.

All too soon, it was time for Harriet to say goodnight. The
Memory Keepers then enlisted Brandon’s help to give out the last of our
remaining swag to the die-hards who remained for personalization.

View attachment: _MG_5032.jpg

Then we breathed a collective sigh of relief, watched the line dwindle down to the last
person (a B&N employee who just got off of work), took a moment for one last picture, and made our exit.

View attachment: _MG_5036.jpg

View attachment: _MG_5039.jpg

We hope you enjoyed this brief recap of the awesome night we

had here in Huntington Beach. We are incredibly grateful to Dragonmount for
choosing us to be a part of the Memory of Light Tour, Barnes & Noble, and
of course to Brandon and Harriet for making all of this possible. Thank you all
for checking out our event. May you always find water and shade.

<p>

Most all forces of the light were present to welcome Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal and Jason Denzel to the Sacramento area signing at Barnes and Noble in Citrus Heights, CA. Represented were Aes Sedai, the Red Band, Whitecloaks and the Traveling People among others. Birgitte, Aviendha, Mat and Thom even decided to join in as Memory Keepers on this stop. Mat, the group's "first among equals", had a three hour drive and was first on scene to start answering questions and handing out wrist bands. 50 wrist bands had already been handed out by noon, a sign of things to come - by the end of the night nearly 400 would be given out.<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_3525759.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_3525759.jpg" />

<br />

As the majority of the Memory Keepers filtered in around 4 the store was already filling with fans. After setting up "green screen” backdrops for Wheel of Time commemorative photos and lining the path with Wheel of Time themed signs (Bela is a darkfriend, I Killed Asmodean, etc) we hung a poster on the front of the signing table in memoriam of a family member of one of the Memory Keepers who was also a fan of the series and was killed in August of 2012. Brandon and Harriet both signed the poster and it will be presented to the family member's parents (Memoriam picture at the end of this post).<br />

<br />

Next we set up for trivia. Unfortunately the store hadn't received one of the boxes containing the Way of Kings paperbacks, so we ended up winging it a little on the giveaways. This consisted of WOT trivia and quotes, with winners being given the choice between the AMoL messenger bag or the iPhone case, with a few front of the line passes thrown in for harder questions. To pass the time a WOT word search and a WOT crossword were handed out (thanks to the Seattle Memory Keepers for sharing their crossword with us).<br />

<br />

Trivia:<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_2395758.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_2395758.jpg" /><br />

<br />

At this point there were only two customers in costume, both beautiful Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. One even made her own teardrop Aes Sedai hand bags (Brandon later signed these for her). Both were given prizes for their costumes. The crowd then chose to hold their own best costume contest for the Memory Keepers. By crowd noise they chose Mat, to which Thom said, “Bloody Ta’veren.” Birgette agreed with the decision though she thought his face too pretty and Aviendha just shook her head at wetlander ways.<br />

<br />

Costume contest:<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_3119043.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_3119043.jpg" /><br />

<br />

We were lucky enough to have Dragonmount.com founder and webmaster Jason Denzel join us for this stop and he was the first to arrive and check in with us. Even after all the events he's been to, he seemed just as glad to be there as we did. When it was time to greet Brandon and Harriet, Mat, Birgette and Thom headed outside. After 10 minutes or so talking with the 20 or 30 fans waiting outside the store, Brandon arrived. Mat and Birgette escorted him in while Thom stayed behind to play some songs for the crowd and keep a lookout for Harriet.</p>

<p>

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Py5Dsm3eNJo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<br />

Harriet arrived shortly and Thom got the distinct honor of offering his arm to escort her inside. Once inside, he quickly got lost and Harriet was kind enough to point out the way to go ("that door, the one that says 'Employee's only?'"). She was still kinder to make a point to mention that she'd been inside many book stores in her time.<br />

<br />

Once in the back she joined Brandon signing some book stock and the memory keepers were called in to spend some time, ask questions and get signatures. They were both very gracious with the little amount of time they had and we were joined by Jason and his writing group, so many were able to get Jason's signature on Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light. There were a couple of those present who hadn't read the book, so we kept it spoiler-free. Brandon mentioned during this time that the pacing of the final book was the most difficult part to get right and was behind most of the revision work. He said he wrote the POVs separately for the first part of the book but as the pacing picked up he had to abandon that approach. Harriet was asked about the movie/series with NBC Universal and said it is a movie that's in development, not a series, but she hasn't been involved. They retain the right to consult with her, which means they could ask her out to consult and subsequently ignore whatever she says (paraphrased). Brandon was also asked if he knew how Stormlight would end, which he said he did, that he hadn't written it yet but he knew how it would end. When asked he said he had about a page outline for each of the books after four, that he adds and modifies them as events in the first books get fleshed out.<br />

<br />

From the start of the actual signing it was obvious Brandon knew what he was doing. He had specific jobs for a few of us, while telling the crowd there wouldn't be a Q/A due to space limitations, but that he'd be glad to answer any questions anyone had while he signed their books. Several of the less common questions are included at the end of this writing, including a link to some spoiler questions that were asked. First though, some impressions we Memory Keepers were left with of the evening.<br />

<br />

<strong>The crowd</strong> was impressive in both size and passion. There were many more costumes that came through, the first of which was a family of four dressed as Lan, Nynaeve and their two kids - a wolf sister and blade master. Brandon was very impressed and immediately jumped up to give them the cardboard poster of Way of Kings.<br />

<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_258927.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_258927.jpg" /><br />

<br />

Some other costumes seen:<br />

<br />

White Cloak/Aes Sedai/Red Band<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_185823.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_185823.jpg" /><br />

<br />

Three Aes Sedai:<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_2686697.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_2686697.jpg" /><br />

<br />

Tinkers:<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_1485830.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_1485830.jpg" /><br />

<br />

Beyond the costumes there were fathers and sons, entire families, brothers and friends as well as many military personnel. Brandon and Harriet did signings only for everybody else their first time through, though they wrote "thank you for your service" in more than one service member's book. As Harriet explained her father was in the Navy and she has a special place in her heart for the military.<br />

<br />

It can't be said enough how great these fans are. There was a pile of gifts for Brandon and Harriet by the end of the night and one fan - a leather worker whose name wasn't given - actually gave Memory Keeper Mat an extra dice cup he'd made (since Mat was without one). It was very cool for us Memory Keepers to talk to so many people who were just as excited as we were to stand for hours on a Friday night and share in the experience of books, Wheel of Time and otherwise. Also amazing was how many people approached Brandon and said they hated reading until they'd picked up one of his books. In the age of cinema and TV, it's a blessing to see such electricity generated in a book store.<br />

<br />

<strong>Harriet </strong>was an absolute gem. She is a very sweet lady and she smiled nearly the whole night long. She just seemed genuinely proud of the work her husband and her were able to accomplish and graciously answered all questions, and even checked on our Memory Keeper Aviendha several times to see if she needed anything (since she was stuck between Brandon and Harriet the whole night). Harriet also thanked more than one employee for working with books and was glad to sign any books she worked on which included Ender's Game and the Way of Kings (guest editor). Even though she started to look a little tired she still smiled and stayed until each of those nearly 400 people got through to get their books signed before leaving (probably 10:00 PM).<br />

<br />

One more note on Harriet. When the Aes Sedai in the below picture came through Harriet noticed her nail polish. She said she loved the color, leaned back and proceeded to kick her shoe off then lifted a toenail painted with a similar color and said, "the color's called 'Rage'" with a mischievous grin.<br />

<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_2399915.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_2399915.jpg" /><br />

<br />

<br />

<strong>Brandon </strong>was the embodiment of humility. For each thank you he got for finishing the series, he gave a thank you in return to the fan for reading - and it was genuine thanks. He told several people they were his boss, so if they didn't buy his books he wouldn't be able to write them. He fist bumped one long time WOT fan saying that he was right there with him as a long-time fan himself. He has an avid fan base outside the Wheel of Time series, many had gotten into those books because of Brandon's other works. There were also several writers given encouraging words (including at least one Memory Keeper) - he really does support those trying to learn the craft.<br />

<br />

Beyond that, he's just about as close as you can get to being a rock star and still play Magic the Gathering. He signed at least one deck box, one homemade Magic card and one of the Memory Keepers Fireball cards, making it a Bale-fireball. Memory Keeper Mat gave him a framed and signed “Hyrdroblast” #40 of 500 art print by the artist Kaja Foglio from the Magic the Gathering card game. Brandon was very excited that he knew artist but hadn't seen that specific piece.<br />

<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_2652.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_2652.jpg" /><br />

<br />

When Brandon left it felt to us Memory Keepers like saying goodbye to someone we'd known for some time, not a well-known author we'd just met a few hours before.<br />

<br />

<br />

<strong>Jason </strong>had lines of people waiting to talk to him as well, just people grateful for everything he's done for the fan community. He still managed to get out and mingle with the crowd and us Memory Keepers and jumped in to help wherever he thought it needed. He also got into a commemorative Wheel of Time photo. At the end of the night he mentioned to Brandon that, of all the tours they have done for books 12, 13 and 14, the Sacramento Memory Keepers were the first ones to think of something like that. Brandon got excited and wanted to do one, but we'd already taken the backdrops down and the store was closing so weren't able to get one in. It just speaks volumes for the man that at the end of such a long day of taking in so many interactions he was ready to hang out later to take part in the full experience.<br />

<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_1709.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_1709.jpg" /><br />

<br />

If you were present at the signing and got a commemorative picture taken, head on over to the <a href="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/gallery/album/270-sacramento-california-282013/">full gallery</a> to download a copy.<br />

<em>Please note: If you do not see your photo please check back in a few days. Some of the green screen photos are being touched up to fix a few small issues with the backgrounds.</em><br />

<br />

<strong>And for the rest of you who came out, thank you so much for making it such a memorable occasion. It is because of fans like each of you that events like this are possible. From all seven Memory Keepers - Deanna Butler (Aviendha), Jim Firanzi, Julie Kuhn (Birgette), Adam Matthews, Jason Rapp, DJ Stipe (Thom) and Jeff Wakefield (Mat and our first among equals) - a sincere thanks to each of you who attended or watched the live stream for making this stop one to remember.</strong><br />

<br />

<br />

<u>WOT Questions (paraphrased from notes while also taking fan pictures):</u><br />

<br />

When asked how hard the pacing was to get right on AMoL he said that was the most difficult part of the book and that's where most of the revision came in. Follow-up question was asked if he'd written each perspective individually like he had other books and he said that he started out doing that, but as the perspectives began to switch more frequently he stopped.<br />

<br />

The Dark One seems to be conscious and aware of the events in the world. Is the creator also conscious of world events? Brandon said that's left up to the reader. He then said that many people think the voice in all caps in the Eye of the World is the creator, which might indicate the creator was, but stated it really wasn't know even in-world.<br />

<br />

Brandon was asked one question he’d never been asked before. What would he ask the Aelfinn? He didn't know, but said he'd think about it and tweet it...so watch his twitter feed (@BrandSanderson) for that.<br />

<br />

<br />

<u>Non-WOT Questions:</u><br />

<br />

Asked what their favorite animal was, Harriet said an Elephant, Brandon a Dragon (he then revised to say the family dog).<br />

<br />

Someone asked if Brandon intended to write anymore science fiction books. He indicated first that <a href="http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Steelheart">the upcoming Steelheart</a> (available September 2013) is a sci-fi, though it's superhero sci-fi. He then said the third trilogy in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistborn_series">Mistborn series</a> would be science fiction. He explained that built into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allomancer">allomancy</a> is the ability for faster-than-light-speed travel and that the final trilogy would involve space travel.<br />

<br />

Since many asked this, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stormlight_Archive">Stormlight 2</a> will be out in Christmas 2013 if lucky, otherwise Spring 2014.<br />

<br />

A couple people asked about <a href="http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2012/04/alloy-of-law-and-the-gemmell-award/">the Patrick Rothfuss blog</a> and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/315662446">Goodreads review</a> that mention adding Brandon to a short list of "authors [Patrick wishes] to kill so that [he] might eat their livers and thereby gain their power." Brandon said he wished he could get some of Patrick's powers, that his prose is absolutely beautiful. (Check out Patrick's work here: <a href="http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/">http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/</a>)<br />

<br />

When asked if he ever thought about working a magic card game into one of his book he admitted that he'd toyed with the idea and might like to.<br />

<br />

An entire writer's group (besides Jason Denzel's group, who were also there) came through the line and talked to Brandon together. When he found out they were an unpublished writing group he told the story about how, shortly after having books published, he was at a friend of a friend's house and was introduced as a writer to the host. The host responded, "So you're unemployed." Brandon was excited to be able to tell him "No, I actually get paid for it now." He is very supportive of aspiring writers (if you don't know about it, check out his weekly writing podcast here: www.writingexcuses.com).<br />

<br />

At the end of the night, a store employee was brought over and told a touching story through tears. Her Mother had had some health issues and her younger brother and sister both had a low-performing form of Autism. She said that her brother was inspired by Brandon to become a writer and she thanked him for bringing that to her family - it was very touching.<br />

<br />

<br />

SPOILERS:<br />

If you have read the book there are more questions that involve spoilers <a href="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/79242-ask-simple-questions-get-simple-answers-amol-version-covering-the-entire-series/?p=2791218">we posted over here.</a><br />

<br />

<br />

Our photo in memorium:<br />

<img alt="gallery_28279_270_13242.jpg" src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_270/gallery_28279_270_13242.jpg" /></p>

Tai’shar Dragonmount!

Herein is the Memory Keeper report from the San Diego visit on the A Memory of Light

book-signing tour, 6 February, 2013.

Faithfully submitted by Freelancer.

Before getting to the event itself, a little bit about the location.
 

Mysterious Galaxy is a wonderful independent bookstore in the heart of San
Diego, focusing on Sci-fi, Fantasy, Mystery and Horror literature, run by a
dedicated and knowledgeable staff of fantasy fans. The store manager, Patrick
Heffernan, coordinates author signing events each and every week, as many
popular authors wouldn’t consider a promotional tour complete without a visit
there. You can learn more at http://www.mystgalaxy.com/

As for the Memory Keepers, there were eight selected by the
Dragonmount staff, but unfortunately one, Eric, was transferred by his military
command prior to the event. There rest of us included Justin, our “First Among
Equals”, Alexei, Chris, Christopher, Lindsey, Manuel, and Tim. All were able to
be on hand early and assist the store with rearranging bookshelves, setting
chairs, and whatever other setup needs the store required.

Fans began arriving as much as an hour and a half prior to
the scheduled start time of 7PM, and not long after 6PM all of the chairs were
occupied. The mingling crowd wasted no time in chatting each other up about the
series, speculating on what questions would and would not be asked or answered.
At that time we began passing out copies of a fan-created Wheel of Time
crossword puzzle (thank you, Wetlandernw!), and a logic puzzle designed by
Memory Keeper Justin. Attendees dove right into these while waiting, and in
spite of our best attempts to keep folks “honest”, many smart phones and
tablets were put into action hunting answers from numerous Wheel of Time
resource sites.

Brandon and Harriet arrived around 6:15 and went directly to
work signing store stock books for almost twenty minutes. Brandon then broke
away and pulled the Memory Keepers outside of the store while Harriet
continued. He greeted us all, thanked us for volunteering and offered his
congratulations on being selected. He then explained that Harriet’s travel
schedule still had her on Eastern Time, and she wouldn’t be able to remain for
the entire event, so the sequence would have to be adjusted, and the usual
sit-down time with the Memory Keepers would unfortunately fall victim, but that
Harriet would spend some time with us on site before leaving. Next he asked if
we had all finished A Memory of Light, and with seven nodding heads, said that
we were free to ask any questions, even AMoL spoilers, before going back in
with the crowd. The non-spoiler questions will be included at the end of this report.

After we re-entered the store, Harriet turned around while
in the midst of signing books, and got the crowd’s attention. She pointed out a
photo of Robert Jordan which has hung on the wall of the store for as long as
I’ve known of the place(and is the feature photo on his Wikipedia page), and
said that it was taken in this very store during the 2005 tour for Knife of
Dreams, his last book release tour. She asked if anybody there might know who
took the photo, for she had always treasured it. Lo and behold, two hands shot
up, belonging to people known to the tor.com re-read as BaboKathy and
insectoid. A close family friend had taken the photo, and they were there as
well at that time. Harriet then produced a DVD of photos from that day’s event,
and asked if they would get it to the woman who had taken the photo. It was a very
lovely gesture, and a moving moment.

A bit after this, a few moments of getting people and things
settled, and Christine, one of the store employees, delivered a formal
introduction for Brandon and Harriet. Harriet expressed her thanks for the
great support of the fandom, and then began stating numbers:

23 ~ Years since the publication of The Eye of the World.
Brandon broke in on this and asked how many others began reading the series in
1990 as he had. Still a fanboy after all these years! There were more than a
handful, and more on that later.

9,995 ~ Pages in the first edition hardcovers of the series
proper (excludes New Spring)

14 ~ Volumes in the main series

Brandon spoke briefly about finishing the series, and then
began the Q & A session.

Q:  About Androl and Pevara, the dynamic and internal dialogues were right on, and his
unique skills made for some of the most remarkable scenes since the cleansing.
I know that RJ had some things lined out for many of the characters, but you
sort of took Androl on as your guy, can you speak to that?

Brandon:  (Prefaced his answer by reminding everyone to avoid spoiler questions, and made it clear that
this one did not cross that line) When I began to work on the books, I felt
that with each book, it seemed that Robert Jordan usually took a side character
and made them more of a main character. As I was outlining the series, I
decided I wanted to take a side character and make them into more of a main
character, but there wasn’t a specific person in the notes designated to do
that with. But I felt that we really needed somebody at the Black Tower,
because of all the things going on at that time in the notes, and we needed
another viewpoint there. During my second trip to Charleston, this would be
April/May of 2008, we used big sheets of butcher paper, outlining what was
going on with these as a visual aid. I wanted an Asha’man to have a sequence of
major viewpoints. Maria and Alan, who were Robert Jordan’s assistants, and are
now Harriet’s assistants, chatted about it a moment and said you should use
Androl, because there’s not a lot about him, he’s pretty much a blank slate and
you can go wherever you want with him, which was really exciting for me. I then
pitched the Talent of gateways for him, and they liked that. Shortly after I
got home, I got in the mail a printout or photocopies, of magazine or book
pages from Harriet about leatherworking, and she had written on it, “I know
that Jim had planned to use this in the book somewhere, is there anywhere that
you can fit it in”. Well I’m developing this character, let’s make him a
leatherworker. So I used that in building the personality of who this character
was, and in that way, there was some of Robert Jordan in the character, even
though I was taking a blank slate and going my own way with him. And that’s
where Androl came from for the last three books.

Q:  Did the Dark One make the True Power available to Rand, or did he find it himself?

Brandon:  (After staring at me for several seconds (long story) and taking a sip of water,

he pulled out a RAFO card) First RAFO of the night, and it’s yours! It might be in the encyclopedia.

Yes, I can still RAFO.

Q:  Which character’s contribution to A Memory of Light did you enjoy most?

Brandon:  This book was supposed to be about Rand, and so Rand’s contribution is the most important to
me. So much so, that in the revising process we felt several times we needed to
bring out more. One of the big elements of revision was, we needed to make sure
that Rand remains the focus of this book, and even though things are going
where there are lots of different sections and regions where Rand is not
involved, we needed Rand to be at least the heart of the book.

Q:  Harriet, will you speak to how you came to choose Brandon to finish the series,

and Brandon, how it was to be selected?

Harriet:  Well, I don’t know that this isn’t all over the Web, so most of you probably

already know the story. (In the interest of space, I agree, and the details of this

can be found among Brandon’s own blog entries on www.brandonsanderson.com,
an interview on tor.com, and other places. I feel Compelled, however, to
provide a verbatim transcript of a piece of her commentary)

Harriet:  (After having read Mistborn and feeling that Brandon
was the right fit for the work) And then, in a very unprofessional way, I
called information for Provo, Utah, and asked for Brandon Sanderson’s phone
number. And I got it!. So a woman picked up the phone, and I said “Hello, is
this Brandon Sanderson’s number?”, she said “Yes it is”. And I said “Well, I’m
the widow of Robert Jordan, and I’m calling to ask whether Brandon Sanderson
would like to be considered on the short list we’re compiling”, and it was a
short list (holding up a single finger) “to finish Robert Jordan’s fantasy
series.” She said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” And guess what?
Provo, Utah has at least two Brandon Sandersons. So then I remembered that I
was a publishing professional, called Tor, and said “what is Brandon’s number?”

Q:  Can you talk a little bit about the River of Souls sequence?

Brandon:  Yeah, I can totally talk about this. So, River of Souls is about a specific

character, and in the drafting process this is not something I actually pitched

to Harriet early on, but in the later meetings I got together with them and pitched
something which was a deviation from things Robert Jordan had said. Harriet
told me from the get-go, Look you’ve got the notes, you’ve got the outline,
you’ve got to be a writer, not a transcriber. Robert Jordan would not have kept
this the way it is, that’s not how we work, and in a lot of places he said I’m
thinking of doing this, OR this, and you’ll have to decide which of those to
do, or to do a third. And so I pitched one of these kind of audacious sequences
to her; sometimes these work, sometimes they don’t. It’s the sort of thing you
need to do to create fiction, that I feel is daring, and you need to take these
chances. But a lot of times you don’t know if it’s going to work until the book
is done, and you can look at it together. And this was taking place in a region
of the Wheel of Time world that Robert Jordan said I really don’t think we’re
ever going to visit. Which is the part that was deviated, by doing this
sequence. And it’s not that long, only about 7,000 words, so it’s like a
novelette. I sent it to Harriet, and she said “I really like this, but we’re
going to cut it”. The reason being, that it broke up the flow of the novel, and
it was introducing too many new elements at the beginning of the volume that
was supposed to be wrapping up elements. And those who do storytelling know
that can be a really dangerous thing to do.

Harriet:  That was the reason. It was a big additional segment, and this is not what

you call a slim volume anyway. So as a reader, it was not fun. Not that there was

anything wrong with the sequence, but it was not what my antennae said we needed.

We needed to get on with it.

Brandon:  Yes, instead of going sideways, when we needed to go forward.

Q:  I was wondering what inspired you to write your own things, and what were

some of the first steps you took?

Brandon:  That’s an enormous question. Listen to Writing Excuses, I’ll talk about that

later. What started me? I was kind of a lost boy in school in middle school. I didn’t do
bad, I got Bs and Cs. I didn’t have passion about anything, I was just kind of
wandering. And then, I discovered fantasy novels. And it’s dumb to say, but
fantasy novels changed my life. I don’t know why. Now, as a 37-year-old, I can
look back and say “Well, obviously, it was THIS” But I don’t know what it was.
I discovered specifically Dragonsbane, the works of Anne McCaffrey, and the
works of Melanie Rawn. Which were right after one another in the card catalog,
and they all three had Michael Whelan covers. And I don’t know why, but those
three things grabbed me, and then I realized this is what I wanted to do. I
realized this is a job people do, and it’s awesome. So I told my Mom, and she
said “Well, you better get better grades, then.” That’s what my Mom does, she’s
an accountant. And I got straight A’s in 9^th grade. I did. Because
I’m like, I now know why I’m doing this, and I have to be literate if I’m going
to be an author. So it’s hokey to say “Fantasy novels saved my life”. They
didn’t save my life, but they sure changed my life.

Q:  Of Rand’s three girls, who is your favorite?

Brandon:  Aviendha. Easy answer there, definitely Aviendha.

Q:  Can you talk more about (deleted) in the Blight?

Harriet:  No.

Brandon:  No. Spoiler! No spoilers please.

Q:  Two  questions. One, who killed Asmodean? And the second one,

the Aviendha scene with the rings (sic), going back in time, and then into

the future, was that part of the original intention with Robert Jordan, or is

that something you kind of improvised.

Harriet:  Can I take the first question?

Brandon:  Yes, go for the first one.

Here's a youtube clip of Harriet's answer:

Harriet:  The first question, simply illustrates the importance, as every

sister of the Brown Ajah knows, of reading the glossaries.

Brandon:  I’m not going to give you a very good answer on the other one either.

The reason being, we try to keep away from saying too much about what Robert

Jordan did, and what I did. Particularly while there are people who haven’t read the

books yet. Maybe in a year or two we can start being more open about these things,

but right now, I don’t want people reading the books and focusing on “Was this

Jim, was that Brandon?” and things like that. The only answer I can give to questions
like that is every scene is 100% Robert Jordan, and 100% me.

Q:  Are Robert Jordan’s notes going to be included in that encyclopedia/anthology

you’re working on?

Harriet:  The notes? The notes are more words than have been published in the

entire series.

Brandon:  Harriet, did you hear that I tried to make one file out
of the notes? Did Maria tell you? Earlier this week, I actually said people ask
this all the time, I’m going to have an exact word count for them. So I took
every one of the notes, and I compiled them into one Word document. It got to
32,000 pages, and Microsoft Word said ‘I can’t count any further’, and my
computer crashed. Thirty-two thousand pages.

Harriet:  So the answer is no!

Brandon:  The whole series is ten thousand, ok? And this was thirty two thousands

pages. It crashed my computer, Harriet, it was hilarious. It was at four million words

plus counting, it was continuing to go, and then it couldn’t go any further.

Q:  A compliment to you, Harriet and the entire team that put this together, but the
really stunning thing about the last book was how many characters had a role in
this book, down to multiple dozens of people, secondary characters and below.
How did one do that? How does one create that continuity? Obviously some of it
comes from Jordan’s original work, but how does one pull that all together?

Harriet:  Someone in the audience said “magic”. I don’t know that there’s a better answer.

Brandon:  It was the biggest challenge of this last book. I’ve said for years, even before I was
involved in the project, once you hit book seven in the Wheel of Time as a reader,

you have to realize something that I realized. The series itself is not about Rand.

The series is about all of these people facing the end of the world. Rand of course is at

the center, and there are other figures close to the center, but the series is about all of

these people. And going into the last book we all felt that the last book needed to evoke

that. Rand needed to be the heart, but it needed to be about the world, all of these people

facing the end of times. That was something we struggled with, went back and forth on. The
creative process is a mysterious thing, even to us involved. I’m glad that you
felt that, because when I went into it that was one of the things I said, this
is what we need to do, it needs to feel like this, and if we are successful,
that’s what it will feel like.

Q:  There was some little inconsistencies in the lengths of chapters, especially kind of in
the last book…

Brandon:  Oh, you’re talking about the several hundred page chapter, and then the five page

chapter?

Q (cont’d):  …was that sort of picked to try to break up things specifically, or was that

more in how it fell out?

Brandon:  The chapter lengths, in this book in particular, were
very consciously chosen. Under Harriet’s direction, through the first two books
Harriet came to me a lot and said “No, this chapter needs to be these
viewpoints, and this chapter needs to be those viewpoints”, and she actually
taught me, I don’t know if she realized that she was doing it, and then in the
last book, she didn’t have to do any of that. There was no changing of
viewpoints between chapters. (Meaning via revision) Harriet had trained me
better in chapter breaks and things like that, so I broke up the chapters. (To
Harriet) I don’t know if you even noticed that, in the previous two you did a
lot of that, and this one you didn’t.

The very long chapter, a very, very long chapter, you can see
it in the Table of Contents, the purpose of that is, I wanted you to feel like
the characters do in that chapter. They can’t put down their weapons and go to
sleep. I don’t want you to be able to put down the book and go to sleep. I want
you to hit that chapter at 1AM, and be like “I gotta to be at work at seven,
and I’ll read just one more chapter”. One of the things Harriet unconsciously
showed me that I picked up on, was the use of chapters for that kind of
narrative structure in a better way, so that was done very intentionally.

Q:  I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve read book twelve and thirteen, it’s always kind of
difficult to get a transition between voices of different authors, but I’ve
really enjoyed the last two books. Was there a particular character that was
difficult for you to write? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.

Brandon:  No, no, I can answer, I’ve answered this before. I would say that the

toughest character to get right was Mat. His voice, he has the most distinctive

voice in the entire Wheel of Time. Robert Jordan had perfected that voice,

and if you read the series, Mat as a character evolves to the point that in book

ten he’s just this majestic  . . . piece of work. Piece of work used as, yeah.

And he’s just amazing, and to go from like book ten and eleven, Robert Jordan

at the height of his skill, telling of this character that’s very difficult to tell, and

me then trying to do it, I think is also the most jarring. So he was tough, and

I’d say the other tough one was Aviendha. Getting the Aiel right, because

Robert Jordan had a lot of experience with the cultures he was basing the Aiel

off of, and I don’t have much experience with them, I have experience with the

Aiel only, if that makes any sense. And the first time I wrote Aviendha, Harriet

sent me the chapter back and said “You’ve written an almost perfect Elayne”.

And I’m like “Oh, great!” Well, I know I’ve got Elayne down then. I got her on

the third try, and she said “Ahh, you’ve got it”. But it took me several tries to

get Avi right.

Q:  In the Mistborn series, I read on one of your posts online that you had a

rough outline of how the series would have gone if a major death in the first

book hadn’t happened? I was just curious how that would have progressed if

he was still alive?

Brandon:  He would have taken over, because that character doesn’t not take

over. And it would have been a very different series, it would have been more

heist focused, and not so much epic fantasy focused.

Q:  Would he have finished everything up a heck of a lot faster than Vin and

Elend did?

Brandon:  Worse, but yes. Things would have gone very differently, how about

that? The reason I decided it couldn’t go that way was because I think the

series just wouldn’t have worked.

Q:  Are there any discussions in place to convert these books to audio books?

Brandon:  They are already all on audio book.

(The man was actually standing very close to the rack full of audio volumes)

Q:  So you don’t want to answer questions about which scenes you wrote and

what scenes Robert Jordan wrote, but has anybody come up to you and said like

“I think you wrote this scene”, but actually Robert Jordan wrote that?

Brandon:  All the time. And it’s awesome. I’ve released a few things, and if you come

up to me later I’ll tell you exactly what scene it is, so I’m not spoiling it for others.

But there’s one that everyone’s like “I can so see Sanderson’s hand in this, look
at this and look at this” and one of the things they say is “Sanderson uses
contractions, and Robert Jordan doesn’t use contractions, for the character POVs”.

But Robert Jordan did in his notes, he just took out the contractions later on.

And that was a scene I posted in exactly out of the notes, and it was hilarious to me.

That was all the time available for questions. Brandon then said “We are going to

do a very short reading, and what we’re going to do is have Harriet read to you one

paragraph.” To which Harriet replied “I was afraid that’s what ‘we’ meant”.

 So Harriet read the first paragraph of the first chapter of
the last volume of the Wheel of Time. It is verbatim identical to the same
paragraph in the Eye of the World, because the wind rises out of the Mountains
of Mist. When she came to the final phrase, she invited the crowd to recite
with her, “But it was a beginning”,
which drew a huge ovation.

And with that, we finally arrived at the book signing
portion of the event. Brandon gave instructions, that with the first pass
through the line no personalizations would be done, only basic signatures on no
more than three books. Any more books, or any personalizations, meant waiting
for a second pass through the line. This was primarily so that Harriet wouldn’t
be kept there any later than necessary.

A fair estimate is that around 350 people were in
attendance, with 214 ticket numbers issued by the store for the purchase of A
Memory of Light. While the signing line progressed, the Memory Keepers got busy
again, handing out WoT postcards and pamphlets, as well as games of hangman and
asking random trivia questions of the fans, and offering the nifty WoT swag
provided by Tor for the event. Everyone was patient, kind, and enjoyable. Folks
with high numbers left to grab a meal instead of standing still, and some of
the folks with low numbers just hung around awhile longer chatting and checking
out all of our various trivia items.

Once the first pass through the line was completed, the
Memory Keepers got a turn. First for a group photo with Harriet and Brandon,
and then to get our books signed, and to ask a few more questions, including
AMoL spoilers, as long as nobody else was able to hear. Harriet was gracious,
funny, and effervescent, in spite of the time (about 10:15PM by then, or 1:15AM
in Charleston). Then off she went back to the hotel, while the die-hards came
back through the line to get more books signed or personalized.

Well, that was about it. Brandon stayed until just after
11:30PM, signing personal and store books, including some bought online or over
the phone while he was there. He was, as always, just as happy to be around the
fans as we are to be around him.

On behalf of the San Diego Memory Keepers, special thanks to
Dragonmount for selecting us, Mysterious Galaxy for hosting another excellent
event, Tor books for sponsoring the tour. We had a blast.

Following are some questions asked and answered at the
signing line, and from the Memory Keepers.

Q:  Regarding the cache of ter’angreal recovered from Ebou Dar, and

identified by Aviendha, were no more of them employed than we’d seen due

to space or continuity constraints, or were they never intended to be used?

Brandon:  We used what was given to be used in Robert Jordan's outline and notes. It may be

that he would have found a use for more of them, but we stuck to what he had prepared.

Q:  Was Verin involved in the attack on Demira Sedai in Caemlyn? If not, was it on

orders from the Tower Aes Sedai, or Daved Hanlon, or??

Brandon:  RAFO. There are plenty of “loose ends” that may end up in the encyclopedia, and this is
just the sort that I don’t want to spoil. There will certainly be some details about Verin in there.

Q:  In The Shadow Rising, in the Stone of Tear, Moiraine tells Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne
that she knows the face of her husband. She hasn’t been to Rhuidean, or even to visit the

Aelfinn yet. Does she have this knowledge from a vision of Min’s, and if not, where?

Brandon: No, she had been through the twisted doorway, hadn’t she? You’re sure? Then I don’t

know, perhaps that one can be asked of Maria.

Q:  Regarding Gawyn and Elayne, among many readers they are two of the least liked

characters on the Light side. Do you believe that Robert Jordan intended for them to be viewed

with such negative reactions?

Brandon:  Elayne, no not really. Gawyn, though, he’s the Fallen Prince archetype. Everything he
does comes up short, which leads him to just be trying too hard.

Hello, everyone! Below is the report and Q&A from the Salt Lake City Signing!

February 1, 2013 was a rare sunny winter day in Salt Lake City when we assembled at Weller Book Works to meet Brandon Sanderson and more than 150 of his amazing fans.  Brandon has often shared that the owners of this bookstore were so supportive in his early years as an author, before most Wheel of Time fans even knew his name, that it was terrific to have such a large crowd, especially with the January 8th Midnight Release Party in Provo having happened only about 45 minutes away from Salt Lake.

The gathering crowd included people of all ages, young and old. There were even infants and children hanging out–-future fans, their parents called them. Soon the seating section was overflowing, and people started staking out spots in the mezzanine, the stairs, and anywhere they could get a good view of the as yet empty lectern bearing a wonderfully large poster of the A Memory of Light cover.

We Memory Keepers handed out a variety of games and trivia to entertain the fans while they waited (some almost three hours) for their chance to get the book signed. Memory Keeper Marc T. went around taking photos of the whole event. Many of the pictures are here in the report, and the rest are in the Dragonmount Gallery. We shared four different sets of trivia questions, a quote match, and a crossword (thanks, Wetlander!). We thought we’d made a good sampling of easy and tough questions, and we were right about the tough ones–-we didn’t see any (that I know of) completely correct answer sheets. But people tried and worked together and we gave them hints, and eventually we started seeing completed trivia come back. We gave out extra raffle tickets to anyone who turned in the sheets, which meant some people ended up with lots of extra tickets for doing all that fun “work.”

 

 

The crowd was nice and thick even before the scheduled start time of 7:00 p.m., so Memory Keeper Deb N. went around with an activity she created. People pulled out a random slip of paper that contained their Wheel of Time “profession”. There were Gleemen and Aes Sedai, Atha’an Miere and Darkfriends–-fans had a lot of fun finding out the role the Pattern wove for them.

Finally, after we Memory Keepers had a few private minutes with Brandon to get our own books signed, the man himself appeared to thunderous applause. He wore his signature leather jacket and looked surprisingly well rested considering he has a newborn at home! He jumped right in with the reading and Q&A, which is included below as recorded by Memory Keeper Chris W.:

********************************************************************
 

Brandon started the event by reading the scene of Talmanes riding to the rescue of Caemlyn. He mentioned that he has always appreciated the relationship between Talmanes and Mat, and so he was excited to see so much from Talmanes in Robert Jordan's prologue. He said Talmanes' prologue appearance is one of his favorites.

 

 

He chose to read the Wind scene at the beginning of Chapter One as well, because the wind followed the route of the three ta’veren on their journey. It is a scene that is symbolic of the series, and very special to him just as it is to the fans.

After the short reading, we moved on to the Q&A.

Q: If Gaidal Cain is born again and it isn’t Olver, who is it?

A: It’s not Olver. I know who it is, but I’m not allowed to tell you. (paraphrased)

Q: First, how do you feel doing this, and finishing it? Is there going to be a followup?

A: It’s hard to pin it down to one emotion, there were so many. RJ’s books were among my favorites growing up, books I studied teaching myself how to write. In a lot of ways, it was just a deep honor. My favorite author, finishing his journey, and I got to walk along supporting him. That’s how I regard it. It’s been amazing. Me being the journeyman writer, being able to apprentice under RJ, in his workshop, looking at his things and taking them, working with them, polishing them, finishing the last sequence, has been incredible for me as an artist to gain an understanding of the writer that he was. For the second question, there will be no more. He’d planned to write two more prequels and then a trilogy of outriggers, but we can’t do them. One reason is because he didn’t leave enough notes about them. As I wrote these, I had specific direction in the notes and could relay everything back to RJ. In the outriggers, I wouldn’t be able to do that. It would be more me than him. I don’t think he would’ve wanted any more to be done, so out of respect for him, even though many would like to see these, I think we need to say “let’s let it end where he wanted it to end”. If we keep going, where do we stop? Do we want 80 more Wheel of Time books? I think we’re better off just saying “we know he wanted this done, let’s end on a high note”.

 

Q: Is there a confirmed killer for Asmodean?

 

A: It’s listed in the Appendix of Towers of Midnight. It’s in there. Go find it. I found it by way of a post-it note listed on top of the notes. I don’t know any more than who did it, as far as why or how. There’s only a name.

Q: Is the Flame of Tar Valon weave going to be learned by others?

 

A: It was witnessed. That’s it.
 

Note: There was a little more to the question above, but I left it out of this log for two reasons: One, I had a really hard time keeping up with the person asking the question, not to mention Brandon trying to answer, and two, the guy who asked the question broke the “no spoilers in the Q&A rule”.

 

Q: What about the encyclopedia?

A: They’re looking to turn it in about a year from now and have it come out that fall. It’s an alphabetical encyclopedia where you can look up a character and learn a lot about them.
 

Q: What kind of research did you have to do to make the battle tactics so believable?

A: The AMoL tactics were the things I was most worried about getting right. RJ was more of a military historian than me and he was a soldier, so we went looking for help. Harriet knows a man named Bernard Cornwall who writes a lot of military fiction, so he helped us, and Alan Fermachna is a war historian who was able to help us a lot. He built the battle plan for the entire war, as far as troop movements and the tactical portion of the Last Battle. Connecting them and making it meld into the story with the characters was my job. We went rounds about “this is tactically sound” or “no, it’s not”, so Alan was a big help making it believable. I did research, but my feeling is that I can get to 70-80% of knowledge on a subject pretty quickly through a month or two of research, but getting that last 20% is something that takes 10 years of work. My goal is to get to 70-80, and then give it to someone who knows their stuff and have them help me from there.

Note: The names of the people Brandon referenced here were probably butchered. I was just trying to keep up with him so I could record the main parts of his response instead of focusing on the names of his references.

Q: What happens with the Green Man?

A: I have no answer for you. It is not spoken of by RJ, so you will have to extrapolate yourself. I could make something up, but I don’t do that anymore. If it was for the books, I could say “this needs to happen” with my creative freedom I was given, but at this point, with it done, that’s no longer my job. So my answer is, I don’t know! We know that the Nym must come back as the Ages turn, but we don’t know when they will be “reinvented”.

Q: So what were some of the holes that you filled in with that creative freedom?

A: I tried to avoid talking about this much before because I don’t want you to focus on what’s Brandon and what’s RJ, but now that it’s all out, I do have a little more freedom. One thing is that early when I went to Charleston, I felt RJ was always adding characters, so I didn’t want to add too many. I wanted to show something happening at the Black Tower, so Androl became my character that I took and expanded on from minor to main character. Androl himself and his relationship with Pevara was me. I felt the series needed it, and I’ve always wanted an Asha’man to play with, so to speak. More generally, for TGS I have said RJ worked a lot on Egwene’s viewpoints. Not as much on Rand. Rand was more me, Elayne was more RJ. In ToM, RJ worked a lot on Mat and not much on Perrin. So if it’s Mat, it’s more likely to be RJ. If it’s Perrin, it’s more likely to be me. In AMoL he worked mostly on beginning and end, not much on the middle. Merrilor and the last few chapters are a lot of RJ. In between, it’s a lot more me.

 

Q: You work on four or five series at a time; how do you keep them from leaking?

 

A: It’s a challenge. Being a writer is a lot like a juggler, keeping the balls in the air. One of the things I worry about is repeating myself. It’s a valid thing, making sure you don’t do that and keep them separate. I use an extensive wiki for myself and my books. A lot of my children's series are breather novels, and things I do between big epics where I don’t have to worry so much about continuity. There’s a lot of continuity with The Way of Kings and books like that, so it can be very in depth and intensive, so to keep my sanity, every once in a while I’ll take a breather.

At this point,Brandon took a moment to introduce Badali Jewelry. He mentioned that though there were tons of knockoffs of The One Ring from Lord of the Rings, Badali was the first jeweler to actually license an official One Ring. They had been doing Wheel of Time since before Brandon got involved, and have now expanded on his

own books as well.

 

 

Q: What was the hardest part about writing in RJ’s universe?

A: Probably keeping track of all the side characters. There were so many. I’d be reading a scene and be like “there’s seven wise ones, now who are they again?” Now, as the writer, I need to know who they are exactly, as well as each of their distinct voices. When I get them wrong, people notice and I hear about it.

Q: When you read the books, did you have an affinity for a character, and as you wrote, did you

change?

 

A: When I read it was mostly Perrin. I’ll admit I had a fondness for Mat later on, but it never became my supportive Perrin, even when he was down in the dumps. I didn’t stop being a Perrin fan because he moped a little. He was my favorite all along. When it came time to write the books, Perrin remained my favorite. He was among my favorite viewpoints to write as well. I was very excited by the prospect of being able to do a lot of Perrin in ToM, and having a lot of freedom with his sequences was a real pleasure. When I finished the rough draft of AMoL, there was a lot of, like 20% more Perrin than Rand, so that didn’t turn out right. It’s really Rand’s series, it needs more Rand, so when I sent it to Team Jordan, they said there was a lot of Perrin, so we upped the Rand count. There was a Perrin sequence that didn’t really feel right for the book that was about 20,000 words, so we cut that out and added a Rand sequence that was about the same length which I had already been working on, and that helped restore the balance. When I started AMoL I was fresh off ToM and in a Perrin mindset, so I was like PERRIN IS AWESOME, did his stuff, then moved on to the other characters’ arcs in succession.

Q: How do you think finishing the RJ series will affect the Stormlight Archive?

A: One of the things is that it has influenced and taught me to juggle viewpoints much better. When I first tried to write Way of Kings, the viewpoint juggling was off and when I rewrote it, it was better. I also really liked RJ’s subtlety. His foreshadowing has a light, gentle touch and I’m not always so light. I kinda punch you in the face with it. So those two things are something I learned a lot of. In general, something a lot of fantasy writers have problems with is side characters going out of control. It happens to about everyone. I have the advantage that I got to read RJ. He said he wouldn’t do it again if he had to do it over, so I can learn from that and be able to keep the tighter focus for the story. I like The Wheel of Time and the side characters, but RJ said he wished he did Book 10 differently than he did.

 

Q: Do you know what the Tinkers meant in the third book, as they were dying and they said “tell the Dragon Reborn”?

 

A: I don’t know. It might be in the notes. When I say “RJ’s notes”, it means one of two things. It is either a pile that his assistants collected, or the things he wrote for himself about the world. I’d ask Harriet and Maria a question, and they’d act like Google. Reading it all myself would’ve taken months, and the majority is about stuff already written and known. But really, I have no idea what you’re talking about.

 

Q: Androl is like your character, so as far as that, how much of that was kinda fought by the rest of Team Jordan as far as his gateway talent and stuff?

 

A: Let me start by saying that if they hadn’t been happy, it wouldn’t be in the book. But anything where you work with an editorial team, you’d show them a scene, and they may say that’s great, or they may say that it doesn’t feel right or wouldn’t be a good fit for the story. And sometimes you’ll say “I’ll change it” or “let me finish this draft, and we’ll see what it looks like at the end”. As far as the gateways, I felt it wouldn’t be realistic
otherwise. I’ve wanted to do things with gateways since I was a kid, doing things like I showed in the book. If I had them, what would I do with them? I asked this when I was a kid, so there was a lot that I wanted to do with gateways that were in my own notes that I wanted to do that I couldn’t do in my own books, so I stayed away from things that the WoT had done. So when I got to write WoT I broke out those files. The gloves were off, it’s time to do things that I wanted to do but didn’t want to rip off The Wheel of Time. At the end of the day, I convinced them to do it. They kept saying ‘they’re all over the place!” so I said “if you could use them, you’d use them a lot”.  I didn’t intend it to be a shout out of any kind, it’s things I’ve wanted to do with gateways for like 15 years. It wasn’t a shout out to the fandom. It’s been an interesting experience. A lot of people think that I just wrote what the fans thought, but it’s things that I felt the characters and the world would do, and if the fans happened to have talked about it, it’s because it’s what I thought would happen. In fact, as I wrote the books, I read very little of the fandom in order to prevent those exact thoughts from taking root.

 

During and after the signing, we had the discussion with Brandon about Dannil Lewin. Originally, Dannil had actually gone with Rand, Perrin, and Mat from the Two Rivers on their journey, and played a major role in events of book three or four. In the end, Harriet convinced RJ that it may be better without Dannil, so some of Dannil’s comments in AMoL are a shout out to that of sorts. Just a fun story I thought you all might find interesting.

********************************************************************

 

 

The signing line wrapped around the perimeter of the bookstore, which gave fans the chance to peruse Weller Book Works' amazing and unique collection of books. Seriously, if you’re ever in Salt Lake, go to this store. Brandon, in his remarks, reminded everyone to support bookstores like these; there would be no good place to have book signings without bookstores, and it’s a bit difficult to sign books at the web stores.

 

Memory Keeper Brigitte went through the line playing WoT Hangman with fans who were waiting. Brandon took his time with each fan answering their unique (or spoilery) questions.  One guy, who is a shoe-in for Perrin’s body double, asked Brandon to sign his bicep. That happened.

 

 

As a special treat for all of us, the fantastic folks from Badali Jewelry were also at the signing, and they brought great serpent rings, WoT character signet rings, a couple fox head medallions, and much more. They sold more than just WoT items; they also sold items inspired by some of Tor's other series. We saw jewelry from Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller series and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. They also generously donated an Asha'man dragon pin, which we auctioned off benefiting the Waygate Foundation, and gave us two items to give away: Moiraine's headpiece and a Mistborn metal alphabet.

 

 

Thanks to Tor Books and Badali Jewelry, the giveaways were really stellar. We paired AMoL messenger bags with a WoT trivia booklet and a paperback of Way of Kings or AMoL iPhone case. We had so much to share with fans that if we had done it all separately, we wouldn't have gotten through it all! Everyone had raffle tickets, and many people stuck around for the giveaways after their books were signed, which created a nice cluster of excited fans getting to know each other while they waited. We were raffling off every five minutes or so, and kept going until 10:00 p.m. The bookstore let us take that large book cover poster from the lectern, and we gave that away too with
Brandon's signature on it. The fans were thrilled at that one.

 

The evening drew to a close and we Memory Keepers stuck around to visit and help Brandon as he signed and personalized pre-ordered books for the store. We had all wished for a little more time with him (who wouldn’t?), so used the time to pester him with more questions in between books.  We had a discussion about the swords of WoT and learned that most blademaster swords in the books were katanas, much to our surprise, as many of us had imagined them being larger weapons.

 

We all had an amazing time being part of this experience, this moment in WoT history, and it’s not an event we’ll soon forget. Our sincere thanks to Dragonmount for giving us this opportunity!

 

Signed,

The SLC Memory Keepers: Marc, Brigitte, Michael, Charlotte, Chris, Deb and Taylor

Artist Paul Bielaczyc has already amazed fans with his artwork for the Special Edition "Ravens" and "Wolf King" shirts from Ta'veren Tees.  Now, the ta'veren trio is complete, and you can wear the stunning "Dragon Reborn" tee as well.  Check out the press release:

DRAGON REBORN SHIRT AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Thank you to Lara, one of my fellow Memory Keepers, for writing this post!

Book Signing Lexington, KY with Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal Rigney

January 11, 2013

As I was talking with fans as they were waiting to have their books signed, one of them asked me if I was the Loial of the Memory Keepers. I liked it, so I said yes. So consider this Loial’s report of the signing.

The Wheel of Time books were front and center as one entered Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington. The barista at Bronte’s Bistro said the managers were worried about running out of everything with the volume of people they were expecting. People began to file in, one or two in costume or pieces of costume, several in Ta’veren Tees t-shirts. There were whole families with small children in hand. One proud father said all of his children were “future fans” (he hoped).

By the time Brandon and Harriet appeared, there was standing room only. The bookstore was still open for regular business, but the top floor was filled with people holding A Memory of Light. There’s one fantastic picture in particular that you should be sure to check out on www.josephbeth.com (the Lexington Store). You’ll know it when you see it, I promise.

The Q&A Session was as follows (as I have not yet read The Book, I guarantee that this will be spoiler free):

Question: If there are three people, and person 1 balefires person 2, then person 3 balefires person 1, does person 2 come back to life?

Answer: Brandon reminded the fan that when someone asked Robert Jordan this question, Mr. Jordan responded by saying the asker needed the love of a man, woman, or schnauzer of his choice. There is actually a correct answer: balefire removes a thread from the Pattern, and, once removed, that thread cannot be replaced.

Question: How did Brandon feel when he was chosen to complete the work?

Answer: “Dumbfounded stupefaction.” Brandon repeated the story of how Harriet found Brandon and hired him to finish the series. It’s been stated several times, so I won’t repeat it here.

Question: Which character is most like you?

Answer: Brandon said he identified with Perrin. Harriet stated, “Verin, minus her wrong turn, but I still want her owl.”

Question: There was a new weave used by someone in book 14; did anyone else see it?

Answer: Yes, and that’s all that was spoken about it, since it contained spoilers.

Question: Did Brandon question himself when he was chosen?

Answer: Apparently, Brandon was unable to sleep that night after saying yes, because he knew that he would fail. Anyone who took on this project would fail, because no one could tell the story as good as Robert Jordan would have. Brandon had only published two novels at the time, so it was a huge risk for him, and it was a risk for Harriet to ask him. However, he knew that he was a fan of the series, and that, if he didn’t say yes, and it went to someone who wasn’t a fan of the series and they messed it up, it would be his fault. He decided that in the Venn Diagram that consists of Wheel of Time fans in one circle, and pretty good writers in another circle, he was the person in the middle. “I’ll screw it up the least,” he said.

Question: Will the prequels be written?

Answer: The answer, directly quoted from Harriet, is, “This is it. Except for the Encyclopedia, this is it.” There are not enough notes to write them, and Robert Jordan didn’t want any sharecropping, once stating he would “run over his hard disks three times in a semi” before he’d let that happen (which makes Tom Doherty sad). Robert Jordan left two sentences about the outriggers. Later, someone asked what the two sentences were. Harriet stated they contained spoilers, but they would be released at a later time, possibly six to seven months, possibly included in the Encyclopedia.

Question: With now having the new series on top of Brandon’s other work, is he concerned that he’s spreading himself too thin?

Answer: “That is a worry.” Brandon is a compulsive writer; he does side projects to keep himself fresh and able to write.

Question: Does he have any advice for new writers?

Answer: He suggests listening to his podcast, Writing Excuses, published weekly. In addition to this, someone recorded Brandon’s lectures in his writing Science Fiction and Fantasy class at BYU, and published them online at www.writeaboutdragons.com. It’s like taking his class. Harriet’s advice was to attend sci-fi conventions, which are quite frequent in this country. Editors and agents troll for talent, so attend often and collect as many business cards as you can.

Question: What is your writing regiment?

Answer: His goal is to write 2,000 words, but there are days when he writes a half a page, and days when he gets 20 pages. His biggest piece of advice: If it’s not flowing, work on it anyway. Do it wrong, commit it to the page poorly, and change it tomorrow.

Question: Are there any updates to a potential TV series or movie?

Answer: “It is, at present, under development at Universal Pictures, but the dates are mysterious to me.” --Harriet

Question: Will anything be done specially for those who won the contest to have their names in the book?

Answer: In The Gathering Storm, many fans stated that the names felt off, and Brandon agreed. Robert Jordan’s character names were inspired by the real world, such as Ogier St. in Charleston, his stove, medications he was taking, etc. There had been a fundraiser for one person to have his name included in one of the books, and that was being continued. Brandon decided to increase this, and put many people in the final two books. The short answer: Nope, the name in the book is the something special. (Note: Later, I happened to be sitting up front when the person who asked this question came to the front, with his wife and an absolutely adorable two-year-old little girl. Turns out, he had his daughter’s name placed in the book instead of his own. Brandon signed the book at the place where she was mentioned.)

Question: What was Brandon given to start his work?

Answer: He received one scene from each prologue--the first scene from The Gathering Storm that was dictated, the Kandori tower scene from Towers of Midnight, and one scene from A Memory of Light that I will not state since it contains a spoiler. There were large chunks of the ending, including the entire epilogue. He received fragments of Egwene’s visit from her “special visitor” in TGS, and a proposal at the end of ToM. There were also discussions of scenes, and answers from Team Jordan.

Either my hand was cramping up or I missed a segue, but somehow a discussion of Brandon’s writing style commenced. He stated that he works from an outline, and that Robert Jordan grew and nurtured scenes over time. Brandon did not try to imitate Robert Jordan’s writing style, and left the blending of the two writing styles up to Harriet. Harriet was Tor Books’ original editor, discovering Mr. Rigney and editing the two best-selling series in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Harriet was in charge of blending the voices together.

Harriet gave a shout-out to a relative of hers from Kentucky named Martha Bennet Styles (I hope this is spelled correctly), author of the book Sailing to Freedom. The state of Kentucky chose this book to be included on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Brandon and Harriet both thanked bookstores in general, saying that they provide a service that is difficult to find elsewhere. “Bookstores are a great treasure.”- Harriet

That concluded the Q&A portion, and they moved on to some housekeeping. While people were waiting in line to have their books signed, I began talking with the fans. I was curious to know what some favorite scenes were, how far they traveled, favorite characters, etc. One fan I met lived almost right across the street from the bookstore, while another family drove 5 hours. Most lived about 1.5-2 hours away.

One fan waited around for personalization for...I have no idea how long. The last book came out on his birthday, and he wanted Brandon to write Happy Birthday in it.

The question of favorite character came out overwhelmingly in favor of Mat, with one fan saying his favorite character was Noal. However, in the question of favorite scene, I figured Dumai’s Wells would be the overwhelming favorite (not my favorite part, but it seems to be quite popular). No one I asked said the same scene as another person. Dumai’s Wells, Rand’s bonding, Moiraine meeting Lan, Rand’s epiphany on Dragonmount, Lan admitting he loved Nynaeve, Lan finding Nynaeve after their separation, Moiraine describing the fall of Manetheren, even Mat cursing at Moiraine and Thom after leaving the Tower of Ghenjei were all mentioned as favorites, along with countless others.         

The most remarkable and heartwarming experience for me at this signing was that everyone had a story. Each person had a tale to tell about how this book changed and impacted their lives. Marriages have happened and babies have been born because of this series. We’re all sad to see its end. I started reading this series at 11 years old, and I am now 31. The past 20 years of my life have been, in part, defined by The Wheel of Time. I would turn to my friends Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene when I literally had no other friends, and many others I’ve met did the same thing. Many of us don’t know what to do next, but, there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel. This is a beginning.

Pictures of this event can be found here.

Bittersweet. That word seemed to be the common answer from Team Jordan as they talked about the completion of A Memory of Light. After 23 years since the first publishing of The Eye of the World in 1990, the long journey has come to a completion. Harriet McDougal, widow of the late Robert Jordan, and Brandon Sanderson, who has completed the last three books of the series with the help of notes, were joined by the other two members of Team Jordan, Maria Simons and Alan Romanczuk. While Harriet continued to edit the series as Brandon wrote it, Maria worked on continuity, and Alan worked on the great battles and commanders. The entire team was present for the Q&A and signing, and answered a number of questions for those present.

Truly, it was bittersweet, listening to Harriet reading the first paragraph of Chapter One in AMOL...or TEotW. That first paragraph, which has stayed with us for a generation, elicited silence from the entire crowd as they simply sat, watched, and listened. It was truly emotional, hearing those words.

Ta'veren Tees was on site, selling T-shirts, playing cards, posters, and giving away Wheel of Time and Dragon temporary tattoos. Across from them, the last three books of the series were for sale from Barnes & Noble. The entire event was hosted by the College of Charleston Addlestone Library. While most of the action was downstairs, Wheel of Timers flocked to all three levels to look down from the balcony at the Q&A and signing below. Special Collections for the College had a number of displays available, containing other works by Robert Jordan, the books in various languages, and even first draft copies of The Eye of the World, along with pencil markings.

Hunter Wentworth showed parts of his documentary on the life of Robert Jordan, The Wit of the Staircase, while also recording over three hours of video to help complete the work. Karen Campbell spoke about the Waygate Foundation, which brings together fantasy and science fiction authors and fans to help on global philanthropic endeavors. Jennifer Liang spoke about the upcoming JordanCon in Atlanta, which Brandon Sanderson will be attending this year. The theme is Tar VaCon.

Seventeen questions were asked at the Q&A from fans, eliciting a number of responses and laughter from the crowd. The entire event was a spoiler free zone, making it safe for anyone reading this report to continue reading and enjoying all of the Questions and Answers listed below. Around three hundred people participated in the signing, and the Team signed for almost three hours, including taking photos and personalizing books. Backpacks and paperback copies of The Way of Kings were given away to the crowd, along with some bumper stickers and iPhone covers.

Given that the doors to the library opened at 10:00 and the event didn't start until 3:00, the library was filled with fans reading their new copy of AMoL or just chit chatting with other fans. New friends were made, along with making plans for JordanCon. It was rather exciting and people enjoyed getting to hang out with other fans. All in all, it was a wonderfully successful event that went smoothly.

Each of the Memory Keepers wanted to share a few thoughts on what they loved the most about the day:

"Getting to listen to Harriet read [the first paragraph from the EotW/AMoL]" -Brandie

"Getting to see Team Jordan" -Suzanne
"Talking with Harriet [while she was signing books]" -Billie Jo
"The fan girl freakout" -Megan
"Meeting Christine [He was the serious one of the group]" -Perry
"Being the flapper... err...flapping for Brandon and Harriet..." -Kate

"Giving them a gift from the Wolfkin Social Group" -Christine

Jennifer Liang and Ta'veren Tees also had an exciting day, and shared their best moments:

"Brandon writing in my AMoL" -Jenn

"Selling the Loial shirts" -Kiley from Ta'veren Tees

Even Team Jordan had a little something to say to all of Dragonmount!
"My Love, Hugs, and Kisses" -Harriet
"Hi, Dragonmount!" -Maria
"Extra Extra! Read all about it! We love you guys! Thanks for your support over all the years." -Alan
*smiles* -Brandon

All in all, everyone was very happy! If you are interested in more pictures from the event, you can find them here in the Gallery. Listed below are all of the Questions (and Answers) from the signing.

Thanks everyone that attended and made our day awesome!
Signed, Christine - Memory Keeper and Wolfkin SGL

Q1 : What happened to the fourth boy from the Two Rivers?

• Harriet: Jim originally had good plans for him later on, but when convinced to eliminate him, he realized how easy it was to kill off that story line.

Q2: How does it feel now that you are done with the series?

• Brandon: Bittersweet. Has been reading the series longer than he has had some friends!
• Harriet: It was truly done well.
• Maria: Bittersweet. And wow!
• Alan: Brain Dead.

Q3: Writing Life: How did you sell Elantris?

• Brandon: It was hard, but it gets easier as you go. An editor can see in one page who has been training for years on their writing. You have to practice for years, and have good writing habits. For example, I was working on book 13 when I sold book 6. Just learn, adapt, and network.

Q4: How should a writer get their work in with an editor?

• Harriet: Turn off the mad pleasure of creation, and turn on the rational brain.

Q5: To Alan : Which of the great captains do you identify with?

• Alan : Bela (lots of laughter from everyone). They are all really great.

Q6: What is the official land name? Is there anything?

• Harriet: Nope.
• Maria: No real need.

Q7: Will you be continuing the comic books?

• Harriet: Yes!

Q8: What do you like most and least working on the novels?

• Brandon: Liked Perrin, and misses writing some of the PoVs. Had to constantly research things to make certain it was accurate, but won't miss fulfilling everything that was foreshadowed...lots of the foreshadowing will be mentioned in the encyclopedia in a year and a half.
• Harriet: Two years.

Q9: How many volumes will there be for the encyclopedia?

• Harriet: One, but it will be fat, and hoping for a disk.

Q10: Do pregnancies that occur in the dream world carry over?

• Maria: If injuries carry over, then why not?

Q11: Did Charleston have a lot of influence on the Ogier?

• Harriet: The Two Rivers? Ogier Street?
• Maria: Actually, it was later revealed that Ogier was a subconscious thing, as Jim wanted something close to the term "ogre".
• Harriet: And, Jim grew up in a small town, much the same as the Two Rivers in their treatment of strangers.

Q12: Will the encyclopedia include only facts, or also speculations?

• Maria: Everything will be things already known, or else more notes on the characters. And a few other goodies, like the Aes Sedai power scale.

Q13: Why is the Last Battle chapter so long?

• Brandon: It is two hundred pages, and takes place for almost 24 hours, but the goal was for the reader to feel as exhausted after as the characters themselves did.
• Fan: It worked!

Q14: Will more prequels happen?

• Harriet: No. One prequel is enough.

Q15: Any of the characters you got caught into?

• Brandon: Yes, so lots of trimming and pruning, and had to write some others back in.

Q16: Seems like RJ was a King Arthur fan? Names seem so familiar.

• Harriet: It was consciously done.

Q17: Do we find out who killed Asmodean?

• Brandon: *laughs* It is in the ToM glossary.

More Pictures : http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/gallery/album/281-charleston-amol-book-signing/

Interested in more random video?  Check Christine's Blog http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/blog/183/entry-1821-charleston-amol-video/

On Wednesday, January 9, 2013 in Chicago, we were lucky enough to have Brandon, Harriet, and Maria come to visit us, chat, answer questions, and of course sign A Memory of Light. For so many, it was a bittersweet moment, knowing that something we have been a part of for so long is now over. That said, this was an incredibly successful, simply wonderful event, and one in which I am incredibly proud to have taken part. 

With this signing taking place at the beginning of the tour only the day after release, it made things more interesting in a lot of ways. Of the Memory Keepers, I was only one to have finished the book upon arrival. Some had not yet even started. The group of Memory Keepers we had was also incredibly diverse, coming from all over. One came all the way from St. Louis, another from Milwaukee, and another from Indiana to go along with those who were closer. We had lots of different backgrounds, working experiences, and different experiences in reading The Wheel of Time. One first read the books in Turkish, some had only started recently, while some of us have been reading for over twenty years. They were all great to work with, and made the entire experience more enjoyable for me.

The event started for me when the other Memory Keepers began to trickle in around 3:00 p.m. By 5:30, four of the seven had arrived. We were expecting Brandon, Harriet, and Maria at 6:00, but Harriet and Maria decided to arrive a bit earlier (at 5:30), which ended up being an incredible gift for us. When the Barnes & Noble CRM told us that Harriet had arrived, I felt my heart start beating a little faster, and I remembered what it was like to be genuinely nervous for the first time in quite a while. I was about to meet the woman that helped guide the creation of one of my favorite things in the world! We met her at the top of the stairs, and then escorted her and Maria to the room where we would get to hang out. For the next hour and a half, that’s what we did. We really just hung out. There was a little talk about the book, but not much, since most people hadn’t finished reading yet. Harriet asked if any had finished, and when I said I had, she asked for my opinion. I gave it openly and honestly, telling her of my love for this book, as well as the entire series. I expressed my gratitude to her, Brandon, Maria, and of course forever to Robert Jordan, for what they brought to us. But most of the time, we just talked about life. Harriet talked about South Carolina. We heard stories about their lives there, about the “Night Hell Froze Over” as Harriet called it, and so much more. Brandon talked about what Magic decks he likes to play. We literally talked about the weather, comparing Chicago to Charleston. In so many ways I find myself grateful that we were so early and that most people hadn’t finished reading yet. If they had, the entire time would have been spent discussing specifics of the book. Instead, we were able to spend time with these three incredible and amazing people who have touched our lives, and to do so just as regular people, as friends, sitting around the table and trading stories. It was mesmerizing.

 

Q: How do you keep track of all those characters?

A: Lots of use of online resources. Also, Maria and Alan are invaluable assets for that. Brandon told a funny story about trying to figure out who was with Perrin, and Maria pulled out some notes from Robert Jordan that had a list of every single person from the Two Rivers that came with Perrin! Brandon also said he thinks there are more than 2800 named characters throughout the entire series.

Q: Is there a character you took in a different direction from what Jordan had intended?

A: In terms of a character, and what would happen to them ultimately, no, not really. However, there were times when some things had to be adjusted, specifically some plot points, in order to make the narrative as a whole flow better. Brandon did mention that he wanted a character that he felt was his own, which he got to do the most development on. That character became Androl. A lot of what Androl did were things which Jordan said had to happen. Brandon picked Androl to do them, and gave the character his own touch more than any other.

Q: Did Brandon insert a character in the story based on himself?

A: No. He did however mention two items, one for Robert Jordan, one for him. In the ter'angreal cache found in Ebou Dar, there is a man with a beard statue. The power of the item is to be like an easily movable library. [MY NOTE: We see this in AMoL.] This was Robert Jordan. Brandon then told the story of how he got his sword, with the dragon scabbard, while in Mr. Jordan's home in South Carolina, and meeting with Wilson. That sword appears in the book, and is the one which Rand gives to Tam in AMoL. So Brandon's sword is in the book, but not Brandon himself.

Q: [side note: One person almost got himself lynched by asking a somewhat spoilery question, regardless of what people had been instructed...] Some characters die in AMoL. How do you choose which characters to kill and which to keep alive?

A: [My note: Brandon tried to keep this out of spoilers and make it more general about writing and dealing with killing characters off in general.] In this book, Robert Jordan had left very specific instructions regarding the fates of some characters. He left a lot of notes, and some of those determined their fate. In general, characters have to be allowed to take risks in order to create a compelling story. There has to be a real danger for them, or the characters fall flat. Sometimes, that means characters are going to die. (Brandon added a nice bit that made the crowd laugh: "Which character can I kill off that will really piss everyone off and which no one expects?")

Q: We know the Aes Sedai don't use a lot of the ter'angreal they have in their possession in the manner in which they are meant to be used. Specifically, what are the correct uses for the ter'angreal used to raise a novice to Accepted and an Accepted to Aes Sedai?

A: I have no idea.

Q: Who was the Aiel woman that Aviendha met on her trip to Rhuidean?

A: Nakomi. Also, RAFO, there's a hint in AMoL. (Later in the evening, he said that hint can be found between the chapter "The Last Battle" and the end of the book. He also said she came from deep in Jordan's notes, and he did not feel like he could give more information than that. Also, she might be explained in the encyclopedia, but no promises regarding that.)

Q: How much was already completed when you took over the series?

A: Brandon referred to what Tom Doherty had previously said on the issue. He said there were about 200 pages when he took over. Also, the Epilogue in AMoL was almost entirely written by Jordan with Brandon trying to bring everything else to that point.

Q: How was the Old Tongue created?

A: Harriet: Jim had books on almost every language in the world in his study. He drew inspiration from those. Maria: A lot of it comes from those and at the same time a lot was just his own creativity in adapting that into this world which he has created.

Q: In a charity drive, a lot of people were chosen to have their names inserted into AMoL; specifically, we were told a large group would consist of these people. Who are they in the book? 

A: The Dragonsworn. Aes Sedai have joined this group, and many others. That's where they were added.

Q: Harriet: How did you choose Brandon to finish this series?

A: A friend had provided the eulogy which Brandon wrote for Robert Jordan on his website, and it was moving. So, Harriet called Tom Doherty and asked for one of Brandon's books. He sent her the first Mistborn book. She then told how she can't stop reading a book, can't fall asleep if she starts, if she doesn't know yet if those characters are "in good hands". After 47 pages, she fell asleep, not because she was bored, but because she knew that Brandon's characters were in good hands. She called Tom Doherty and told him this was the man to finish The Wheel of Time.

There was just the one semi-spoiler question, and Brandon did a masterful job of side-stepping it.

After the Q&A, it was a rush to get people in line and start the signing. With that many people, we knew it was going to take a lot of time and work to make things run smoothly. Thankfully, the staff at Barnes & Noble was very well organized, and we were able to help with flapping book covers and taking pictures for people, as well as moving through the crowd, talking with people, getting to know them, and sharing our love for this world.

Tor had also very kindly provided us and the store with lots of great swag to give away. We wanted to come up with something that would be fair to everyone, while not being totally random. We decided on a trivia contest. Ticket numbers were drawn, and those people had a chance to answer a trivia question and win a messenger bag, iPhone case, and a paperback copy of The Way of Kings. Some thought some of our questions were too difficult, but when it was all said and done, all the prizes were given out, and those who won them seemed pleased not only with having gotten something extra, but also satisfied at having been able to answer their question. After the giveaways were done, a group of ten or fifteen people hung out and wanted me to go through more trivia with them. This was one of the coolest parts of the evening for me. I was brought back to my days at Dragon*Con just going through random pieces of WoT trivia with a group of people just as deeply passionate about it as I am.

As the line continued to shrink and the clock drew closer to midnight, we all withdrew together to the signing area. We had more discussions with fans about the series, making certain to keep the conversation spoiler-free. Brandon talked about the other things he has coming out, including Steelheart, and the new Stormlight Archive book (due in November!). We named the AMAZING Trolloc doll he was given (Narg Jr.) and congratulated him on the upcoming birth of his third child. We watched people come through the line with nearly thirty books to be signed (this was at the end, when Brandon would sign any number), and the joy on their faces was great.

I’d like to close with something one of the other Memory Keepers sent to me. It was very touching and a feeling that I personally share:

“I am not the oldest of the series, or the youngest one. I wasn’t the first to read it and sure as sky I won’t be the last. What I am is your average Wheel of Time fan. And I had a bittersweet taste in my mouth after the event. I didn’t know what it was at first but it was a realization that I was with hundreds of people who waited just as I waited for this day, to finally get closure to a story that we love so much, to finally finish what I have started nine years ago. And during all that time, never once I needed a fake smile. I was happy. The drive home, however, was sad for the very same reason. Knowing that this was it. Wheel of Time. No more. In the Wheel of Time there are no beginnings or endings, but this is an end.”  

~I will do my best not to turn this into a novel~

I was the “First Among Equals” at the Dayton signing. I was the second Memory Keeper to arrive at the store. We were shown to the back room where we could stash our stuff, and then the first problem arose. While all of the prizes had arrived, the box of the Memory Keeper t-shirts never had, though the latest communications had said they would be shipped with the prizes. As the other Memory Keepers arrived, it was decided that to distinguish ourselves from the other Wheel of Time fans, we would wear “badges” taped to our shirts or necklaces (which were all later signed by Harriet).

While this problem was solved, the line of other Wheel of Time fans waiting to have their books signed was growing longer. Three of us set about condensing the line by winding it through the rows of bookshelves, which worked pretty well. We would split the line, lead a “follow the leader” around a bookshelf, then lead them back to the rest of the line, then go to split at the next spot. 

The final Memory Keepers arrived shortly before Brandon and Harriet were set, which was also around the time that line numbers were to be handed out. The Memory Keepers helped guide those who had gotten their line numbers to the place where the Q&A session was to take place. A few Memory Keepers went around handing out Mad Libs and “Autographs” to pass the time. 

While that was going on, I was telling another Memory Keeper that we needed to watch out for Brandon and Harriet, and behold, they walked in the door. We showed them to our little hiding place, where a couple of the Memory Keepers helped them as they pre-signed some stock books. The rest of us helped with the prizes of the games (the “Bela is a Darkfriend” bumper stickers were gone almost instantly). Towards the end of this time, we rotated in to have our time with Brandon and Harriet to ask a couple of questions and get our books signed.

Then the big moment arrived: it was time for the Q&A! The Memory Keepers kept to the back, while Brandon directed which sections he’d take questions from when, and repeated the questions back for all of us to hear. I don’t specifically remember many of the questions, but I certainly learned a lot about Brandon, Harriet, and the Wheel of Time project as a whole. 

At the end of this time, Harriet read the first two paragraphs of the first chapter of A Memory of Light (

Then, the store supervisor in charge of this event auctioned off the A Memory of Light poster that they had put on display. It sold for over $200, and the money went towards a local program which taught reading to at-risk children and adults who also needed help reading.

About half of the Memory Keepers helped out with the signing process, making sure the flaps were in the right place, helping out with keeping the right books with the right people, giving the books back, and calling out the numbers. 

The rest were leading games in a different area of the store. For a short time, we had three different trivia games going, but eventually those combined into one and a hangman game started. We had other games planned, but those two lasted us through the night. There were new people that came around for trivia after the first group had ended, and so we got to “recycle” questions. The hangman was also fun--especially when the phrase was in Old Tongue. I enjoyed floating through these games as I dashed about.

One of the trivia games:

The hangman game (fuzzified):

There were nearly three hundred people at this event, and though the Q&A had started at 7:00, we were able to make it through the first round of numbers around 10:00. We said our goodbyes to Harriet, and after a few more autographs and pictures, she departed for the hotel. 

I had to leave partway through the second round, but it seemed like it would be done well before midnight--perhaps even by 11:00. 

I am very proud of the Memory Keepers that volunteered at this event. Each of them did their part and contributed many ideas and smiles to the night, helping it be a success. I doubt any of us will forget it any time soon. 

The official Wheel of Time playing cards you have eagerly anticipated are finally here! Our pals at Ta'veren Tees have these cards, plus a lovely "Tarmon Gai'don" poster for sale. Both the cards and the poster feature the spectacular artwork of Ariel Burgess. Check out the press release below for complete information:

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“3 Editions of Wheel of Time Playing Cards Decks now available for Pre-Order and never before seen ‘Tarmon Gai’don’ Poster by Ariel Burgess”

Ta’veren Tees is excited to announce the “Wheel of Time Playing Cards Decks”, featuring the artwork of Ariel Burgess, are available as of December 25 for pre-order at www.TaverenTees.com/novelties.

For The Wheel of Time^®, Robert Jordan created thousands of unforgettable characters – both good and evil – that fans have come to know and love. The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards bring over 60 characters to life through the breathtaking art of Ariel Burgess and are an essential addition to any WoT fan’s collection. Every card features a different character or characters from the series.

A portion of the proceeds from each edition sold will be donated to Mayo Clinic to fund research on Amyloidosis, the rare blood disease that claimed Robert Jordan’s life in 2007.

A complete list of characters included in the deck can be found at www.TaverenTees.com/cardlist

Pre-orders begin shipping January 10^th, 2013. All items purchased in the same order as the “Wheel of Time Playing Card Decks” will be held and shipped at the same time.

Ta’veren Tees is pleased to offer 3 Editions of the Wheel of Time playing cards.

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Standard Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Card”

The “Standard Edition: The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards” contains 54 cards, including two jokers, in a single deck box.
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“Collector's Edition: The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards”


The “Collector's Edition: The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards” comes in a double deck box, with a character list and two individually wrapped 54-card decks, so you can play with one and display the other! The Collector’s Edition is limited to 500 units.
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“Limited Edition: The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards”
The “Limited Edition: The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards” includes:
· 1 Standard Edition single deck box.
· 1 Collector’s Edition double deck box (with two 54-card decks and a character list)
· 1 Autographed 11 X 17 one of a kind character portrait.
The autographed character portraits are not available for sale except with the “Limited Edition:The Wheel of Time^® Playing Cards.” Each of the 54 cards in the deck has been made into an 11 x 17 character portrait. There are exactly 54 of these portraits created and all have been signed by:
1. Ariel Burgess, Artist
2. Harriet McDougal Rigney, Robert Jordan's editor and widow
3. Maria Simons and Alan Romanczuk, Robert Jordan's assistants
Robert Jordan was a poker enthusiast, and in the spirit of poker, when you order a “Limited Edition” version of the playing cards, one of the 54 posters will be randomly selected and shipped to you separate from the rest of your order. You cannot specify which character you receive.

The Limited Edition is limited to 54 units.
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"Tarmon Gai'don" by Ariel Burgess.

Just in time for the Last Battle, Ta'veren Tees is excited to provide this stunning piece of new, NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED artwork by Ariel Burgess titled “Tarmon Gai’don”. This 16" x 20" poster features Perrin, Rand and Mat as they are before A Memory of Light and the Last Battle. Add it to your art collection today!
To read more about Ariel Burgess, visit our Guest Artist page.


Ta’veren Tees is an officially licensed creator of Wheel of Time® merchandise. Find them online at www.TaverenTees.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/taverentees, and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/taverentees.

Here's the last of the eBook wallpapers that Tor is making available before the release of the last book. This time, the featured eBook wallpaper is for Towers of Midnight. The artwork is by Raymond Swanland. Here is the image:

Go here to download different sizes of the wallpaper and to read more about how this art was created. How do you like the art for this eBook?