Hey, listen up, true believers.

GAME OF THRONES won the Stan Lee Award for Best Television Program.

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/05/scott-snyder-and-sara-pichelli-dominate-stan-lee-awards/

It's not a No-Prize, but it's pretty cool.

'Nuff said.

I don't know much about social media. I don't have a facebook or twitter account. But I've been told a few people have them, and that some of those people like to play social media games. I'm told the biggest social media game involves running a farm.

Surely, I thought, there must be something one could do on social media that would be more fun that growing turnips and feeding chickens. Like, say, scheming and plotting, murders and marriages, contesting for power.

HBO shared the feeling, and together we have granted the license for a social media game based on GAME OF THRONES to a great new start-up company called Disruptor Beam ((http://disruptorbeam.com/ )) Game development is already well under way.

Jon Radoff, CEO of Disruptor Beam, says:

"This will be the first Facebook game based on the TV series and books and, trust me, this game isn’t just going to be another Farmville! George RR Martin is working very closely with Disruptor Beam to ensure the game will deliver an authentic experience. I can tell you that it will not only be highly story and character-driven, but Game of Thrones Ascent will give you the chance to experience the world from your own perspective and with your own friends."

"Sounds fun, right!? Want to know more? Well, additional information about the game will be released in the coming months, including details about how to participate in a pre-release beta program. To follow its progress, be sure to “like” Game of Thrones Ascent on Facebook (http://facebook.com/gameofthronesascent) or follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/GoTAscent)."



I saw several early versions of the game demonstrated, and Jon and his designers took great pains to make sure the flavor of the novels is here. I saw alliance building, treachery, marriages, murders, and most of all the constant struggle to be the greatest house in Westeros.

So create a character, pick a liege lord to swear to, and start playing the game the way Tyrion would, because in this game you win or you die.

(No turnips will be involved).

Coming next Sunday, to a television near you.



I'll be watching from Montana.

Just got a note from Chris Beasley at Valyrian Steel.

He writes, "Just wanted to let you know that Longclaw is almost permanently sold out. I do not expect it to last through the month of June."

So if perchance you're one of the folks who has been saving your dimes and nickles to pick up one of the Longclaw replicas, act now, or you may soon be out of luck. These swords are limited editions, so once they are gone, they are gone. Valyrian Steel will not be making any more.



(I should add that Valyrian Steel has obtained a license from HBO to produce replicas of the weapons seen on the TV series, so they will be producing a "show Longclaw" at some point down the line. I don't believe that one will be a limited run. This post relates only to their current version of Jon Snow's blade, produced under a direct license from me -- the "book Longclaw," that is. That's the one that is almost sold out).

To order, head over to the Valyrian Steel website at
http://www.valyriansteel.com/shop/

I had a really nice time out today. I went over to the Disney store in the mall and there were so many cute things there! ...Of course, the mild deterent to me spending copious amounts of money there is that there are so many cute things FOR SEVEN YEAR OLDs. They have some adult T's in the back, but they're just not as cute. WHY NO ELABORATE DISNEY PRINCESS BALLGOWNS IN MY SIZE?! I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ADULT THAT SHOPS HERE. They had a bunch of stuff out for Brave already and practically a whole wall dedicated to Avengers stuff. I ended up breaking down and getting one of the princess dolls since it looks pretty cute and the price is right--and it was on sale so I paid even less than I expected. I got Rapunzel and here's a picture:



Later I went to a tea shop that's apparently been in town for over a year, but I haven't noticed it. It was great! They have a whole bunch of different kinds of tea and tea cookies and really cute tea cups and tea pots. They also have a bunch of samples out and will make a sample batch of any tea you want to try. I tried Dewey Cherry and it was delicious so I ended up getting some. The woman at the counter said it's really good iced too. Needless to say, I'm on their e-mail list now.

When I was at the mall I was also very pleased to note that there's going to be a tea shop opening there too. It seems like I'm seeing a lot more tea shops opening up in places... I think Filia would approve!

I get emails all the time from fans who want to be on GAME OF THRONES.

Here's your chance. The call has gone out for extras for season three.

https://www.extrasni.com/news

Of course, it helps if you actually live in Northern Ireland.

Or the Republic of Ireland.

Or Scotland or England or the Isle of Man... y'know, someplace where you can actually get to the shoot. If you're in South Africa, Brazil, or Japan, your chances of getting a call are not good, alas.

On the other hand, if you're a bearded long-haired amputee from Derry, you should be gold.