On George R R Martin Signing Books

[dolorous_ett]

This isn't going to be a long entry. Because the GRRM signing in Glasgow was just that - a signing. A queue of people waiting for the Great Man to sign his name. All the other signings I've been to involved the writer actually giving a talk. Sometimes even glasses of wine or cheap orange juice heave been involved. But this one was just a queue.

A very long queue. It says a lot for the regard in which this man is held that it was so long, as the shop in question did shamefully little in the article of publicity (perhaps they feared an even longer queue on a busy Saturday afternoon?). But there we all were, snaking round the top of the shop - and some people had come much further than me - the record was a bloke from Finland, with a heavy carrier bag of books in each hand.

I must say, in some ways this served to remind me that I really need to get out more - especially when fans just behind me started comparing who'd got into the series first, waited the longest for this book etc etc. But it was a feast for my inner nerd as well, to be able to talk to real enthusiasts. And of course, to get to see the great man himself, for about a minute as he signed two books for me.

GRRM is a big, fat man (I suspect his training programme has been more of the Robert Baratheon school than that of Samwell Tarly), with a frizzy grey beard, very clean airline-style glasses (not a combination you see much) and cloth cap. Although he wasn't giving a talk, he seemed to be making a concentrated effort to speak kindly to each fan in turn, and put a few extra words in each book - as well as putting up with photos with commendable good humour.

What did surprise me about him was his accent - a pleasant, non-standard American voice - south somewhere? I shouldn't react in this way, but it really threw me to hear someone who writes stories about knights and castles talking in an American accent - in my head, the characters all have British accents, and it's rather headbending for me to think of - say - Cersei or Dolorous Edd, Theon Greyjoy or Samwell Tarly talking American! I can imagine the child Tyrion trying an American accent once, though, and getting fearsomely punished by his father for disgracing Casterly Rock (again).

I of course completely panicked when my audience with the great man came - though I confined myself to gabbling, rather than fainting or squeeing. So all my questions - is there a tune to "The Bear and the Maiden Fair"? How do you actually say Daenerys? Once they've delivered a message, how do the maesters' ravens know to come back? Is long-lost Uncle Gerion Lannister lost for good? (plus other spoilery questions) - they all went unanswered, anyway. But I am now the proud owner of a Signed First Edition - and it's sitting on my bookshelf, looking very fine indeed.

By way of a sop to non-Martin fans (most of my f-list, I think), here is a meme I pinched from captainjames :

Comment and I'll tell you the following:
1. My first impression of you.
2. Where I met you, if I can remember.
3. One (or more) thing I always associate with you.