DRAGONMOUNT

I'm afraid it's been a hectic week, so the best I can do is feature the best anonymous Wheel of Time painting I've ever accidentally stumbled across. Have you seen it before?       I found an unattributed thumbnail of this emotionally charged depiction of Rand while reading the post on angreal in the Wheel of Time wiki earlier this week. It took me a while to puzzle out the signature, which just says "SCRAPS." It took me a bit longer to hunt down the artist's blog, which appears to be entirely anonymous.   As of the time I am writing this, the blog has been visited only 183 times since 2008, and a handful of those visits are mine. The painting itself, which has been online since 2010, only has one comment, which (startling to me, but then again I'm not one to split hairs about canon) is only lukewarm. Since I've dedicated this entire week to this single painting, you can probably guess my opinions on it. Basically, I think it's genius. Also, it gives me the willies.   With a little help from Google, I actually did manage to find out more about the artist. However, the fact that I had to go digging in the first place suggests he has an interest in keeping his professional and Internet personas separate, so I think I'll play it safe and keep mum on that topic. Besides, it adds to the mystery, doesn't it?   Speaking of impressive artists that are virtually unknown in the Wheel of Time fan art community, I'd like to thank everyone for your enthusiastic reception of Josh Hass's amazing painting of the Myrddraal. Your praise has inspired him to do a second Wheel of Time piece, which I will undoubtedly feature when (and if--no pressure, Josh!) it is finished (for details, see the comments from that post). It's extremely exciting to see Dragonmount and Fan Art Friday foster the creation of new art.   If you know of other paintings like this one or the one by Josh Hass (i.e. those by stunningly talented artists on the edges of the Wheel of Time fanverse), please leave a comment with a link!   Lastly, I apologize for my brevity (by which I am of course referring to the lack of images, not a lack of words). Next week, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Welcome back, everyone!  Things seem a little quieter than usual because it's exam and graduation season, but we still have plenty for you to do around here. The famous science fiction writer Ray Bradbury sadly passed away on June 6th.  Come pay your respects in our General Discussion forum here. I was shocked to find there was no thread in our Entertainment Discussion area of the boards for the recent Tony Awards show, so I just started one.  Surely I'm not the only Broadway geek here! The Black Tower Social Group has posted the June edition of their newsletter, the Tainted Times.  I haven't seen one of these in awhile, and they have lots to report, so be sure to check it out. The Ogier Social Group recently posted their June literary topic.  Who do you think is the best support character for a protagonist? The Wolfkin Social Group is playing a game of Caption This!  The rules are simple:  for each picture posted, come up with a funny, silly, or otherwise amusing caption.  Wolfkin members who post the best ones can earn points for them. Our friend and fellow Wheel of Time fan Kristen Nedopak is still seeking funding for her Skyrim video parodies.  Go here to read more about these awesome videos and donate!

While I applaud the Wheel of Time art community for its inexhaustible creativity, the pace with which it produces works that reduce me to a doe-eyed fangirl does hamper my plan to eventually feature every great Wheel of Time fan artist out there. For this very reason, I have not yet had the pleasure of featuring any art by Tanya Wagemann, a.k.a. fee-absinthe. Stumbling across one of this Chilean artist's perky, colorful character studies always brightens my day.   Since yinz don't read the Fan Art Friday blog to hear me wax poetic, I'll go ahead and (mostly) let her work speak for itself!     1. Wonder Trio These portraits really highlight the artist's ability to capture the essence of each character. I'm also impressed by her attention to detail in the costuming.       2. Leane This one stands out for me because of its use of textures and patterns.       3. Elayne doodles What can I say? All these expressions are just so Elayne.       4. Hedonism This is the first of two depictions she's done of Graendal. I can't feature the second because it contains mature content, but if you're curious and are not put off by busty-yet-tastefully-rendered women in diaphanous gowns, you can find it here (You may need a deviantART account to view it. Go ahead and sign up! It's easily worth the cost, which is nothing at all ).       Not only is fee-absinthe actively producing fan art for the series (something that sadly cannot be said of many of my other favorite Wheel of Time artists), she also takes commissions. Unfortunately, her journal on deviantART indicates she currently has tendonitis and has had to take a break from new commissions. We hope she gets better soon! If you have an original character you've invented and would like to see painted, be sure to keep an eye on her journal for updates.

It's time for another audiobook giveaway! Here are the rules again for those who aren't familiar with our giveaways: This month, we will be giving away a copy of The Shadow Rising. Click here for a clip from the audiobook.   This month's question is: How did you discover the Wheel of Time series?  You have until Wednesday, June 13th to answer in the comments section. Good luck!  

Over the last several months, there have been many exciting announcements about A Memory of Light, the highly anticipated final volume in The Wheel of Time series. In case you've missed our previous coverage, here's what we know so far.   Brandon Sanderson finished the first draft of the book on December 21st, 2011. It was immediately turned over to Team Jordan for review. Brandon anticipates needing at least a dozen drafts before the book is ready for publication.   Tor announced that the hardcover and audiobook releases will be on January 8th, 2013. The eBook release will be April 9th. If Tor follows their usual pattern, the paperback mass market release will be approximately one year after the hardcover release.   We anticipate that Brandon and Harriet McDougal will both go on a signing tour for the hardcover release, however no cities have been announced yet.   Also in December, series artist Darrell K. Sweet passed away, leaving the cover art for A Memory of Light unfinished. You can view his draft on our A Memory of Light info page.   Michael Whelan was announced as Mr. Sweet's replacement. More info about Mr. Whelan's cover can be found here. Tor.com has posted the full cover, as well as notes from Whelan on the process and some of his rough sketches.   Orbit Books, the UK publisher who publishes the WoT books, has also released their cover.   At this year's JordanCon, Harriet read to us a portion of the prologue of A Memory of Light. While no recordings were allowed, Tor and the Jordan estate have graciously allowed us to reprint the text of the preview. If Tor follows their usual pattern, there will be an eBook version of the complete prologue available for purchase sometime between now and the release date. Orbit has also released the jacket text for the book. We believe the same text will appear on the US editions as well. We have reprinted the text here for your convenience:       A Memory of Light information and discussion A Memory of Light discussion forum. (Beware, some threads have prologue spoilers!) A Memory of Light info page Listen to or read Chapter One of A Memory of Light Our friends at TarValon.net are re-reading the series and giving away free audio books in preparation for the release. Follow us on Twitter: @dragonmount or "Like" us on Facebook.Please consider pre-ordering the book through one of our international Amazon affiliates, and help support our website.

I hope everyone is doing well this week.  I just celebrated my birthday, so I'm feeling great!  Let's see how the various sections of our site are kicking off the month of June. I just posted a call for applications for two new bloggers, so if you haven't seen it yet, take a look.  I'm looking forward to seeing lots of you applying! As a person who enjoys mythology, I just have to pimp out this thread in the Structured Wheel of Time Discussion forum.  Robert Jordan wove threads of numerous mythological traditions into his books.  Come discuss those mythological inspirations here.  Remember, this particular forum has rules that you need to read before posting. The June Challenge in the Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild is Exploration.  Whether you're exploring a new geographical location, an area of space, a new career, or yourself, they'd like you to share it using your favorite artistic medium. Speaking of exploring, the Aiel Social Group would like to explore the topic of religion for their June discussion.  If you want to join in, be sure to read the rules listed in the first post of this thread, and don't forget to be respectful of others. June is the Kin Social Group's birthday month!  They have parties and exchanges going on already, and the month has barely begun.  Check out this handy guide to the month's events and come party with them! If you want more menagerie madness, check out the role play Trouble in Paradise.  This role play has just started, so I'm eager to see how it unfolds. Alright, it's time for me to eat more birthday cake and time for you to fill up my inbox with blogger applications.  I look forward to hearing from many of you!

I am calling for applications for two people to join my staff as bloggers. Applications for these positions will be open until Friday, June 15th.   Description of the Job Positions:   1. The first open position is for a new Theory Blogger to take over for Despothera, who sadly no longer has time for this position. This person will be responsible for a short weekly column about WoT theories. You can read Despothera's old articles here if you need to see examples. You do not need to make the blogs as long or detailed as he did, but you can if you wish.   2. The second open position is for a WoT Humor Blogger. This blog is brand new and will be a regular feature on Wednesdays. This person will be responsible for a short weekly column featuring a combination of existing WoT humor from around the Internet (e.g. Mat's Inbox, the WoT lightbulb jokes, the WoT Lolcats) and creating their own WoT humor content.   Job Duties for Both Front Page Blogger Positions:   1. Bloggers are expected to produce content in their respective areas for the front page once per week. They must be able to meet deadlines in a timely manner.   2. Bloggers occasionally will be called upon to assist the Front Page Admin with brainstorming new ideas for features.   3. Bloggers are expected to dedicate time each week to the Front Page Bloggers Staff Board and the DM Staff Board. As members of DM Staff, they act as representatives of the members of DM and their input is vital in the decision making process. Bloggers should be actively engaged in discussions on staff boards.   4. Bloggers must be able to give at least a 6 month commitment of approximately 5 hours per week. LOAs will come up, of course.   Anyone who thinks they can fulfill the requirements may apply. Strong candidates are people who possess the following qualities: efficiency, writing ability, organizational skills, creativity, maturity, and the ability to work well with others.   The Application Process:   If you are interested, please send an email to frontpage@dragonmount.com.   In each application, please include:   * Your DM Handle. * Some details about who you are in real life, including anything you think will have prepared you for leadership (including past online leadership experience). * A sample of your writing consisting of at least three short paragraphs. This can be in the form of a brief essay, a blog, a school paper, a newspaper article, a forum post, a short story, or a role play. You do not have to write something new for this application; in fact, many of you already have forum posts that are long enough to count. I mainly want to get an idea of your writing style. * Anything else that you think would set you apart from other applicants.   Note: Please specify the position for which you are applying (Theory Blogger or Humor Blogger) in your application.   If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.   --Dwyn

TarValon.Net just announced that they have begun taking applications for the 2012 Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship!  This annual scholarship awards $500 to an undergraduate student at an accredited college or university.  This opportunity is open to all Wheel of Time fans, so you do not have to be a member of TarValon.Net or attend school in the USA to enter.   More information can be found in their site announcement and on the application form.  Applications are due July 6, 2012 and a recipient will be chosen by August 3, 2012.  Good luck!

Warning: This post contains significant spoilers up through and including Towers of Midnight.     We all remember the moment we discovered Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. I started reading the series in seventh grade, after I stumbled across a copy of From the Two Rivers: Part One of The Eye of the World in the young adult section of Barnes & Noble. I picked it up on a whim because I liked the cover art, which just goes to show that some things never change.   Still, just about everything else has changed since then. I'm married and in grad school. That old book is still on my shelf, but the pages have turned yellow and it smells like my version of heaven. And whether you started reading the series a year ago or in 1990, I'm willing to bet you've changed since then too.   The greatest thing is that the characters have changed right along with us. By the end of the thirteenth book, the three ta'veren are virtually unrecognizable as the country boys Moiraine convinced to run away from home. In hindsight, Egwene's characterization of the three in the prologue of From the Two Rivers ("Ravens") is brimming with sad irony:   "I'd like to be a king," Rand was saying. "That's what I'd like to be." He flourished his arm and made an awkward bow, laughing to show that he was joking. A good thing, too. Egwene grimaced. A king! … "A king of sheep!" Mat hooted. He was smaller than the others, always bouncing on his toes. One glance at his face, and you knew he was looking for mischief. He always looked for mischief. And usually found it. "Rand al'Thor, King of the Sheep." … "It's better than saying you want to run off and never have to work," Rand said mildly. He never seemed to get angry. Not that she'd seen, anyway. "How could you live without working, Mat?" … "I'll rescue an Aes Sedai, and she'll reward me," Mat shot back. "Anyway, I don't go around looking for work when there's more than work enough without looking." He grinned and poked Perrin's shoulder.   Perrin rubbed his nose, abashed. "Sometimes you have to be sensible, Mat," he said slowly. "Sometimes you have to think ahead." Perrin always talked slowly, when he talked at all. And he moved carefully, as if he was afraid he might break something.   Let's see how far the boys have come. The art on the left is from my copy of From the Two Rivers (illustrations by Sally Wern Comport and Wizards of the Coast, Inc.). On the right (scroll! -->) are recent fan interpretations of the characters.     Rand al'Thor: From shepherd to Dragon Reborn (and, as an afterthought, King of Illian). Not quite as mild-mannered as he used to be. Art on the right by Astriex.         Mat Cauthon: From the son of a horse trader to the Prince of the Ravens, commander of the Shen an Calhar, and sounder of the Horn of Valere. At this point, he may have saved one too many Aes Sedai for his own good. Art on the right by Swedish artist G-a-t-i-n-h-a.         Perrin Aybara: From blacksmith's apprentice to Wolfbrother and Steward of the Two Rivers. Art on the right by Bulgarian artist Lims-Kraghma.  

I hope Memorial Day has been going smoothly for everyone so far.  Things are a little quieter around here than usual because of the holiday, but we still have plenty for you to do.   First up, our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum residents have posed an interesting question.  If you could be any character from the Wheel of Time or any character from another book series, who would you be?   Do you know if your favorite television shows are returning in the fall?  If not, take a look at the list of 2012 tv show renewals and cancellations in our TV Show & Sports Discussion forum.   If you're familiar with the Eurovision Song Contest (or if you just like listening to Europeans belting out the occasional silly, strange, or sugary song), come discuss the contest in the Band of the Red Hand Social Group.  If you don't know what Eurovision is, it's sort of like American Idol, but with Europeans instead of Americans and the songs themselves being voted on instead of the singers.  Some well-known artists and groups, including Celine Dion and ABBA, were launched into the international spotlight after their songs won Eurovision.    The Ogier Social Group has started a series of monthly history topics.  May's topic is ancient coins.  It's amazing what you can learn about a civilization from one small coin.   It's been awhile since I've seen a role play set in the Threefold Land, so I was excited to stumble upon one today.    Rhuidean trips are quite intriguing, and this one is no exception.  Check out Would Have Never...   JordanCon has recently announced next year's Guests of Honor.  The author Guest of Honor will be Seanan McGuire.  The artist Guest of Honor will be Michael Whelan.  Go here for more information on these eminent guests.