RIP ROBERT JORDAN

Status: Currently writing on The Price of Freedom

Doing: Writing this blog; surfing the net; working out

Watching: KIRO 7 News

Listening to: Nothing at the moment

Reading: Resistance by J.M. Dillard (ST-TNG)

TOPIC: ROBERT JORDAN DIES AT THE AGE OF 58

This shocked me. I mean, I haven't read the Wheel of Time since 1993. But this bit of news had me stunned.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Author Robert Jordan, whose "Wheel of Time" series of fantasy novels sold millions of copies, died Sunday of a rare blood disease. He was 58.

Jordan, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., was born and lived in this southern city most of his life. He died at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston of complications from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, his personal assistant, Maria Simons, said Monday. The blood disease caused the walls of Rigney's heart to thicken.

He wrote a trilogy of historical novels set in Charleston under the pen name Reagan O'Neal in the early 1980s. Then he turned his attention to fantasy and the first volume in his Wheel of Time epic, "The Eye of the World," was published in 1990 under the name Robert Jordan.

Jordan's books tells of Rand al'Thor, who is destined to become the champion who will battle ultimate evil in a mythical land.

Book 11, "Knife of Dreams," came out in 2005; there was also a prequel, "New Spring: The Novel," in 2004. The other titles in the series include "The Great Hunt," "Lord of Chaos" and "The Path of Daggers."

Jordan was working on a 12th volume at the time of his death, Simons said.*

"The younger devotees of the series, who seem to be legion, have a habit of dutifully rereading the complete gospel before each addition. ... (Jordan) creates a universe simple enough to master and then challenges the characters to do the same in meticulously choreographed battles against chaos and dissolution."

In a 2004 online chat on the USA Today Web site, Jordan said he hoped to finish the main "Wheel" series in two more books. "It's not an absolute promise, but I'm very much hoping for it and I think I can do it," he wrote.

Most of the books made The New York Times list of best sellers.

In an interview with The Associated Press in 2003, Jordan discussed having a best seller. The first time it happens "you go out in the middle of the floor and you do a little dance. Then you go someplace booze is being served and buy a drink for everybody in the house.

"You have to have talent to some extent — I certainly hope I have talent — but you have to have luck as well," Jordan said. "Once you get that first shot, that will get you noticed for the rest of your books and that will give the rest of your books a better chance."

He said in the interview that his Southern background came through in his work, even though it is set in a fantasy world.

"What I write is certainly not set in South Carolina, but I have had a number of reviewers comment on the fact that I write with a distinctly Southern voice," he said.

"It goes beyond more than simply where the story is set. I believe it is something we take in in the air and the water. It's a matter of word choices — of the rhythms of sentences and the rhythm of speech in particular."

A graduate of The Citadel, South Carolina's state military college, Rigney worked as a nuclear engineer at the old Charleston Naval Shipyard before taking up writing full time in 1977. He served two tours of duty with the Army in Vietnam. He was decorated several times, including winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star.

He is survived by his wife, Harriet McDougal Rigney.

*EDIT:

There are indications that his 12th and final volume will be completed from the notes Robert Jordan left behind--prior to his death.

TUESDAY RUMBLINGS

Status: On vacation

Doing: Writing this blog

Watching: PBS's Rick Steve's Europe series (TV's on mute)

Listening to: "Emotional" by Falco; Final Fantasy 7 JENOVAD Trance OC Remix

State of Office: Worse than New Orleans is at the moment; expect a cleanup on Aisle 4 later tonight.



TOPIC: Author Introductions


Oh god! What have I done?!?

Created another blog using one of my other Yahoo! accounts. (It seems as though blogger doesn't want me to use the same account for a different blog. I'll have to talk to them about that--whenever they get off their butts to...you know...do something about it.)

Had to use my Foundation Aerospace one to get this thing to work. (lol)

Yeah...this could be a bad idea. I mean think about it: There's hundreds of thousands of blogs already created and I just went and created hundreds of thousands plus one.

Sigh...

You think that people like me would learn by now that most readers and visitors barely have time to glimpse a blog entry these days--let alone read one.

By and far, I'm not a newbie to this. I have a ton of blogs and websites out there--but nothing dedicated to me. The reason why I haven't done that is because I value my privacy.

I'm not talking about internet privacy because that's been pretty much blown out of the water. But the privacy at home and locally. I can tell you pretty much anything going on in my life on the internet--but at home?

Don't expect a miracle. It ain't going to happen. I'm simply too busy at the moment--consumed by chaos and other happenstance stuff--to stop for a moment to entertain people.

I just don't see the real point.

Don't get me wrong: I plan on becoming a successful writer.

I'm just not that much of a traditionalist--outside of roughing it. (I can create an impressive lean-two using a hack-saw, brush clippers, and about 2 rolls of rope twine.)

I don't go out there to seek a name for myself.

I hate advertising myself so openly and blatantly. (Sounds a bit fake if you ask me.)

I have my own methods. They may seem off kilter and not going according to Emily Post, but they work for me.

I just don't actively seek the limelight, the media attention, or whatever it is that drives most Hollywood powerhouses out there in the world today to severe alcoholism and prescription drugs these days.

Why? I want to be well known, but I don't be another Paris Hilton.

Her recent exploits completely turned me off to any potential media exposure for myself. If this is what it means to be part of the limelight--well, Fay Wray can have it!

I may be another Thomas Pynchon-style author whom seems to be hell bent on keeping himself out of the public eye, but this is the way that I am.

I use what resources I have afforded to me and I expect people to understand that--and be patient.

My books will come out when they are good and ready. Not when some mainstream hack demands that I write till my fingers bleed, or my head falls off.

I spent a long time on some of my books, but it wasn't because I was slow at it.

I just didn't see the need to rush.

I know the mainstream is in the business of rushing things and they are good at it--I'll grant them that--but for me, the art of writing isn't to rush. It's to tell a story in the only way that I can.

And it does take awhile to work the bugs out.

In the meantime, I plan on writing, promoting and advertising, and just going the way that's been pointed to me all these years.

Sometimes, you have a live a little bit before you can sit down and write about what you've seen.