Monday, September 17, 2007

Author Robert Jordan, R.I.P.

Just read the news, via AoSHQ.

James Oliver Rigney Jr., known to science fiction/fantasy readers as Robert Jordan, died of complications from a rare blood disease he had long suffered.

I had the pleasure of helping the book store I worked at, on the west side of Puget Sound, to earn a book-signing session with him. Our staff worked diligently to inform all his fans in the region that, if we were the store to have the most people reserve to buy his upcoming "Wheel of Time" book, they'd send him out for a day, to meet and greet. It would seem that Jordan has had a lot of hardcore readers in the navy. Guys (and a few goils) made the trip up from Bremerton and down from Bangor to join in the effort, and it paid off.

Jordan had had a long flight, and there had been some difficulties in his making certain connections, so he arrived tired and a little out of sorts, but covered it well for nearly four hours sitting at a desk and scrawling his name in book after book after book. He was gracious to all the kids in uniform (as well as those in regular street clothes), and left the crowd wanting more.

It appears he has done the same, again.

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