Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

Warning: Churchiness follows! Just saw Bruce R. McConkie's final testimony (from back in 1985) for the first time. Wow.

Howard Tayler

Amazing, isn't it? AMAZING. We watched it when I was in the MTC.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah. I'm surprised I missed it. 18 months of cancer, this, then dead in about a week. Gave me chills.

Melissa Hunt

Oh no, no church for me. I might fall asleep. Oh man, I'm horrible.

Brandon Sanderson

Lol. :)

Alan Horne

I'm super surprised you haven't heard it before. It's, like, everywhere in the Church.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, I've heard it mentioned—but just never watched/heard it.

Thanks, Brent. And congrats on making just about everyone's "best books of 2012" list. You deserve it.

Brandon Sanderson

Jumped on the internet on the plane flight. Thought "I'll check my email quickly." Ten billion new emails. Oh, right. New book out . . .

Marc Rivera

Sorry, I was overly excited about the book. My bad.

Brandon Sanderson

Ha. No, it makes me feel loved. Thanks! Unless you sent them all. Then you are scaring me.

Rob Houston

How do you handle that? Interns? You can't possibly read them all yourself.

Brandon Sanderson

I try to at least look all of them over. Most can be answered quickly with a pre-written email.

John Scalzi

HUMBLEBRAG SOME MORE, BRANDON.

Brandon Sanderson

WHAT DO YOU KNOW? YOU'RE JUST A DIRTY SELL-OUT! SCALZIIIII!!!! :)

Christopher Turkel

I am taking bets on the impending @scalzi and @BrandSanderson knife match.

Brandon Sanderson

Scalzi writes SF. He'd bring a laser rifle. This is why I only taunt him from 30k feet in the air.

John Scalzi

IT'S A COHERENT BEAM, FANTASY BOY. ONLY THE CURVE OF THE EARTH WILL SAVE YOU NOW

Brandon Sanderson

. . . Did you just call me your "fantasy boy?" I don't quite know how to take that.

Wow. That was fast. :)

Brandon Sanderson

You weren't at the signing last night, were you?

Chris Kluwe

Was doing the Colbert Report. :( And then I saw you posted the signed copies in the airport after I already flew back :(:(

Brandon Sanderson

Ha. Good. I'd hate to have you come & not have me recognize you. (Mark Tremonti did that to me.) PM if you want a signed copy.

Chris Kluwe

I'll catch you at another one so I can bring all the other books I need signed :p

Brandon Sanderson

Sounds good! Thanks.

So . . . While the plane was landing, I had a great idea for fixing Death By Pizza, a novel I abandoned a few years ago. NOT RIGHT NOW, BRAIN.

Peter Ahlstrom

Yay!

Brandon Sanderson

Lol. Have you even read that one?

Peter Ahlstrom

No. But I wanted to react anyway.

Vyrrk

You and your ideas on planes! Isn't that how Legion got started?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, traveling does that to me. Mistborn started while I was driving on a road trip.

Priscilla Anderson

Given I don't know anything about you besides the fact that you're a ridiculously talented writer, that title and you don't seem in-sync.

Brandon Sanderson

Heh. It was one of my "breather projects." Stories I free-write (rather than planning in detail) between larger books.

Traveling through Minneapolis/St Paul? I managed to visit and sign A Memory of Light at 3 of the 4 airport bookstores (Main concourse and C gates.)

nwash10

Always been curious about stealth signings. Do you say anything to bookstore employees or are you kind of sketchy about it?

Brandon Sanderson

Depends. I usually try to introduce myself, but if they are busy or don't look interested, I'll just sign and go.

Jamie Lloyd

Even though I don't live in the US, I love how you sign random copies of your books in airports. Shows you care! :)

Brandon Sanderson

I do this in the UK when I visit, but authors randomly stopping by happens less there, so I tend to get into more trouble. :)

Dayton airport has 6 Brandalized books in the bookstore on the way to the B gates. Bookseller was reading a magazine. Didn't even look up.

Mignon Fogarty

"Brandalized"? Nice!

Brandon Sanderson

I can't claim it. My fans invented it to describe my stealth signings.

Brandon Sanderson (14 January)

Ha! @GrammarGirl is awesome. Readers who coined "Brandalized," you have been given a shout-out.

Your website says at the Atlanta signing priority "may be" given to those who purchased the book from hosting store.

Closed Unsink

Seems silly to deny loyal fans a chance for lack of buying the book at one specific store.

I used to be pretty annoyed by these kinds of restrictions (which are placed by the store, not by me or the publisher.)

Brandon Sanderson

Then I attended a signing with well over a hundred people, for which the store had to hire extra staff, stay open late...

Brandon Sanderson

And rearrange their store to accommodate. They sold six copies and lost money since everyone brought their Amazon books.

Brandon Sanderson

I can see how stores get annoyed by such things. It didn't used to happen, but e-sales have changed the game.

Passing through Atlanta? Signed copies of A Memory of Light at the Buckhead books in the middle of the B terminal. (Look in new releases, not sf/f.)

Kevin J Anderson

I think the UNSIGNED copies are going to be a rare collectible item!

Brandon Sanderson

Ha. I've signed around 5k copies so far. So you aren't far off. Don't you still hold the one-day world record, though?

Kevin J Anderson

I think Dave Wolverton broke my record, and then Howard Stern. But I still have my Guinness World Record certificate.

Christopher Paolini

Hmm. Well I did do 9,400 in two days before the launch of Inheritance.

Kevin J Anderson

Next time have a Guinness official looking over your shoulder. I do NOT intend to break that record again.

Peter Orullian

Pretty sure Dave's got the record. Not sure on quantity.

Atlanta airport Simply Books in the A terminal center has signed books! (Same for the B terminal Buckhead books from yesterday.)

Jared Steward

That's cool. Have you ever gotten in trouble somewhere like that for signing your own books?

Brandon Sanderson

Once in a while, until I show the picture in the back. Never in a busy airport, though, where more authors visit.

When I was newer, it was visiting bookstores, giving free copies to their SF readers on staff.

Brandon Sanderson

These days, I'm honestly not sure. The momentum of it all has pretty much overwhelmed my individual efforts. :)