Yes, they have been, and yours should have been in contact with you at this point. Though if it's a much later signing, they may be waiting until you get a little closer.

I have continued to follow and read this thread since my first response some time ago. For the most part, I have to say that I'm glad to see that it has managed to (generally speaking) maintain a high level of civility. People have different opinions and don't always like what has happened, but for the most part, everyone has behaved rationally and respectfully. Except for one...

I really always try to avoid situations like this online. I've been in a few over the years, and while it's been a very, very long time since I allowed myself to go into a discussion like this with all of the inflammatory material being strewn about, I did so here because I felt it was important to show other sides of the issue as well as defend something I believed was worth defending. I'd like to think that I maintained good decorum in my previous post and hopefully helped keep things on topic and civil. Wintersong, you on the other hand, don't seem to have any desire to do that. Since I feel that I have been somewhat personally disparaged by you, I feel the need to respond. I hope others don't think less of me for not completely turning the other cheek.

This may seem pedantic, but I have to start by saying, what's with all the exclamation points? Is that your way of screaming at us instead of GOING WITH THE ALL CAPS METHOD OMGWTFINF!?!?!? Reading what you wrote makes my eyes hurt, as well as my heart and mind. 

As for your actual points on the matter - I'll say first, regarding your assertion that this 'contest was rigged'. That is ludicrous. I know Jason and Jennifer from the Wheel of Time community, which we are all a part of. The fact that I have been a part of it for a very long time, and was involved with this website from near the beginning, in no way shows anything to have been rigged. Why was I chosen? I'd like to think that it was because of all the work I've put into the community over the years, including here at this website. The fact that those making the decision know my work makes it easier for them to evaluate me as a candidate than they might others. That doesn't make it rigged, and I promise I was as nervous and anxious as anyone else waiting to hear who had been chosen as Memory Keeper.

Also, I'd like to mention that your lack of patience and understanding is really quite incredible. It seems quite clear that you are one of those people who believe that the customer is ALWAYS right. I'm sorry to inform you that that is in fact not correct. Customers are wrong all the time.

You claim that you have never been late for anything since you were 12 years old. Good for you! You are probably the only person out of over 6 billion on this planet that can claim that. You should be genuinely and sincerely proud of the accomplishment. However, most mortals are unable to accomplish such a Herculean feat, so please, take it easy on us for it. Also, I think we all know what the date for Christmas is. That doesn't mean that someone just coming back from the holiday is going to be able to do everything they want to do immediately upon their return. However, as you have never been late for anything, I imagine you would find it difficult to understand this.

I will say this, you are correct that it would have been better for them to have made a more generic declaration about when they would have decisions made and people would be notified. That mistake does not however excuse your incredibly poor and disrespectful behavior here in this post.

Finally, regarding me personally. I don't and didn't "slack off" at my job. Not on December 26, nor any other day. But was I as focused as normal? No, I really wasn't. And I think I can safely say that many other people were the same. If you weren't, good for you and good for your employer. Your comment tries to imply that I am some kind of lazy layabout not working which could not be more incorrect. I find it offensive as well as wildly inaccurate. 

Also, I'd like to respond to your assertion that you are somehow being lied to about the site being down. It was earlier in December that it happened, I believe on December 2 or December 3, and didn't become fully operational again until close to December 7. I actually posted on Twitter asking if it meant that the applications submitted would have to be done again, and was told no, they would not. But that happening while they were trying to deal with the applications is a massive undertaking.

I should stop now, because I feel as though my response is becoming more and more disjointed and possibly incoherent. Wintersong, best of luck to you in life. What I will say, with no irony whatsoever, is that I at least will not miss you not being here. People who behave as you have done are not the kind that I want in my community personally. I hope you find one that better suits you. May you always find water and shade.

Part of me understands that it's a really, REALLY bad idea to respond to the criticism here being leveled at Jenn, Jason, and Dragonmount in general. That's the left side of my brain talking, and ordinarily, it gets what it wants. But not today. 

(Full disclaimer: I am NOT on staff at Dragonmount.com. I was, a long time ago, the leader of the Aiel Org [i think they're called social groups here now] and as such have some idea of what goes on behind the scenes. My experience is old here however, and I'm sure a lot has changed since I was last part of that structure. Also, I count Jennifer and James L. and Jason as personal friends, even if I haven't been able to see them in a decade.)

I'll start with responding to what Big_Boppa wrote, as I feel s/he was respectful and made good points. I'm sorry you weren't chosen, and you feel like you might not be able to ask your question. If you send me a private message here at DM, I will ask it for you, and let you know what the response is by January 10. Would it have helped if communication regarding the situation were better, more transparent? Sure, it probably would have. But we have to understand a few things when we consider this.

First, the timing. With the book being released in early January, that always meant the timing of organizing the Memory Keepers was going to be difficult. The holidays are busy for people. You want to spend time with your families and loved ones. Often people will go out of town to celebrate, much like you did. Going through what I imagine were hundreds of applications if not thousands is an arduous process. Doing this so close to a holiday just adds to that. Doing this while dealing with Dragonmount being attacked with a DDOS...Well, that makes things exponentially more difficult in my opinion.  

Second, and this is something which I'll address more later, let's remember something here: Jason and Jenn do this essentially for free. DM staff has never, to my knowledge, been paid for their work here. They do it out of love. Love for this wonderful book series and love for the people that make up this amazing community. While I know that excuses line you quote quite well, having served in the USMC and hearing it for years, I don't feel it's really applicable here. These are volunteers trying to help organize something for a community which they have faithfully and with dedication served for over a decade. The most they get out of their work here is an early release copy of the book. That's it. For thousands of hours a year of work here. That, and a sense of satisfaction in helping to build this community.

Finally, let's consider the problems Jenn had with just sending out the acceptances. Several of these bounced back to her for whatever reason. While I don't know the total number of people that applied, if we assume she was likely to have the same issue, if not worse (because now her distribution list is probably close to a thousand, rather than just a hundred) then to me at least, it doesn't seem like a valuable use of time to send that, knowing how many bounces you're going to get. Also, just look at some of the vitriolic responses here - I can only imagine what they might look like going to emails...

So, with those points considered, I completely understand why it made more sense and ultimately seemed more prudent for Jenn and Jason to simply post the full list here rather than try to send out, for lack of a better term, condolences emails.

Wintersong...Oh, I really don't know precisely how to respond to you. You are new to this site, not a part of the community, but that doesn't mean you should be treated with less respect. Of course, you should offer that same respect to others. First, you seem to think that Dragonmount is somehow making money off of the Memory Keeper positions. That is simply not true at all. You should read the About page at the top, and go to the bottom, reading the Disclaimer of Interest. Yes, DM makes a bit off of selling licensed merchandise through the store, and some DRM-free ebooks as well. I know that they say "the vast majority of our website profits go to funding website upgrades, maintenance, and other projects related to the community" but my guess is that's probably pretty close to 99%. A website like this, with the incredible volume of traffic it receives, costs a LOT of money to maintain in good order. So the little bit of money they are receiving in sales goes to help keep this community alive and thriving, something I am personally eternally grateful for.

In your post, you spew quite a bit of vitriol at Jennifer in particular. Let me tell you something - she works her a** off here to help build this community and make events like this possible. Yes, she was hoping to post the full list on December 26. But she wasn't able to. It was the day after Christmas! Cut her some slack. I know I wasn't as productive at my paying job the day after Christmas as on a normal day, so I can only imagine how unproductive I might be regarding something which I am only volunteering with. You are NOT entitled to monopolize her time, or take away from the time she spends with her family on the holidays. If you want to start ponying up and paying her a salary to work here, then I'm sure she'd consider it (if it were high enough). But until then, you should show some respect. Most likely, you're going to want to respond with something along the lines of "well I'll show respect when it's shown to me". Guess what? It was. The fact that Jennifer and Jason offered Dragonmount to facilitate this process, to even make this process happen, is something HUGE for this entire community. And when I say that, I do not mean just the Dragonmount community, but all of WoT fandom. The fact that Brandon and Harriet are doing this show their immense respect for this community and all members of it. I have NEVER heard of another author doing something like this. Maybe someone can find one, but I've never heard of it. These things are absolutely unprecedented. For you to then behave like you are entitled to them makes me sick to my stomach.

As for complaining about the Baltimore group, well, several new Memory Keepers were chosen as well. Would it have been helpful to mention in the original post that those chosen as Tower Guards for this that are available would be getting to do this again? Sure, but it would have probably caused a lot more drama as well. 

If you don't want to go to a signing (which by the way, doesn't cost you anything other than buying the book, which pretty much all of us are going to do anyways) then great. That's one less person in line for others to wait behind. If you don't want to buy the book until it's available at a used bookstore, great, I am all for supporting used bookstores and small local businesses. My first copy of The Eye of the World came from a used bookstore. The author will have already been paid for that copy so it's no sweat off of his brow. 

Finally, I want to express sadness at your next to last line. You say you will never buy another book from James Oliver Rigney Jr. After A Memory of Light, neither will I, nor will anyone else. And that is horribly, terribly, tragically sad. This wonderful author, this visionary, left us far, far too early, and while I love the job Brandon has done in finishing this series, I wish every day that he didn't have to do it, as I'm quite certain he does as well. That comment from you shows ignorance and an incredible lack of sensitivity. Shame on you.

This series has helped bring families together, build relationships, and get people through some of the darkest of dark times. These books are a treasure, and am so incredibly grateful to have been a part of it since 1993. I was very fortunate and was chosen to be a Memory Keeper. I'm grateful for that opportunity, more than anything, because serving in that role I hope to give something back to this community. Yes, I get to meet with Brandon and Harriett, which will be great. First and last however, I will be trying to help facilitate this event for people to say goodbye to a series that has shaped so many of our lives. 

Not necessarily Githraine. Jenn still hasn't announced the full list yet and she mentioned that several people had the email bounce back. There's still quite a bit of time before the signings, almost 2 weeks until the first of them. But even if you didn't, you should still go to the signings, and be a part of what is going to be an amazing experience as we finish the final book of this series we all love.

There was a message posted by Jason on Tuesday via Twitter saying, "All other Memory Keeper positions have been selected. We will announce them soon. Jenn and I are both swamped. Thx for patience. -JD" So I expect something will come along fairly soon. The waiting is tough, but I understand how busy they are. 

Another impossible thing was him breaking free from the Domination Band, and using the TP.  Semirhage even uses those words, "But...that's impossible..." she said.  Not to mention destroying the item itself, as it was also made of some form of cuendillar.

I've been here since right near the start, even if not as present lately as I once was. Regardless, Dragonmount has been like a home to me and brought me some of the greatest memories of my life. Happy birthday!