We'll let Terry Pratchett tell you.

Folks,

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s, which lay behind this year’s phantom “stroke”.

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there’s time for at least a few more books yet :o)

Terry Pratchett

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as ‘I am not dead’. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it’s too soon to tell. I know it’s a very human thing to say “Is there anything I can do”, but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

Terry Pratchett News Update for October 28, 2007

More coverage is available of Terry Pratchett’s appearance at the National Book Festival, here on the National Book Festival website. (See the October 19 edition for special coverage of Pratchett’s speech.) Pratchett spent two entire hours signing books, but made a great speech as well, as the Library of Congress Gazette says:

If Terry Pratchett ever hangs up his novelist gig, he might have a career as a
standup comedian. The award-winning British writer kept his Fiction &
Fantasy audience in stitches with his wicked wit … As his 30-minute presentation
showed, Pratchett’s humor extends well beyond the printed page. He told of
winning the Carnegie Medal for children’s literature in 2002. “I like working on
the children’s books,” he said. “Adult books give you money; children’s books
give you prestige.”

Terry Pratchett News Update for October 27, 2007

The National Book Festival website, as part of their podcast series, have interviewed Terry Pratchett. The interviewer asked about everything from his early reading habits to “the genesis of Discworld,” to which Pratchett replied “because I take the fantasy seriously, by some strange alchemy, it then becomes funny.” To quote the podcast description:

Science fiction and fantasy author Terry Pratchett talks about his best-selling
books and how he made “Death” one of his most popular characters.

The podcast is about half an hour long and was released September 13.

Terry Pratchett News Update for September 19, 2007

Terry Pratchett’s daughter, Rhianna Pratchett, has recently given an interview in which she talks about her work in scripting video games. She mentions Terry Pratchett’s effect on her as a writer and how her interest in computer games began. To quote Rhianna Pratchett:

My dad was very techy and into computers, electronics, robots and that kind of thing. He'd bring something that clicked and whirred home and I was an only child so, of course, I was fascinated with whatever my dad was doing. Games were only really becoming commercial then and maybe he thought it was quite cute to get his six year old daughter playing a game where she would run around with a sword killing giant bugs. I asked him about Mazogs the other day and he said that he remembers me being rather frightened of the bug creatures, at first. Although once I found I could kill them, I was much happier!

I got hooked from that and I would get all his hand-me-down machines. We would play lots of games together, mainly isometric adventure games. Or rather, he would play them and I would sit beside him drawing all the maps for him.

Terry Pratchett’s input into the old Discworld games is mentioned, too, as well as his personal gaming preferences:

My dad is a big gamer himself, but he doesn't have very much interest in point-and-click adventure games, like the Discworld titles. He had input into them, of course, and played and enjoyed them when they came out, but he much prefers first person shooters and stealth games. He was very into Half Life 2, Farcry and the Thief games. He also loves Oblivion and I just got him the expansion pack for his birthday.
...

We kind of keep our writing separate really. We occasionally talk about writing in general, the things he's doing and the things I'm doing. Having someone there that's writing so much and so often is both a blessing and a curse, really.

Here's to hoping the writing continues!

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 22, 2007

Some of you may remember the e-petition to knight Terry Pratchett from a few months ago. The promised response from the government has been posted:

Thank you for taking the trouble to sign this e-petition.

The Prime Minister recognises the achievements of Terry Pratchet [sic] and the widespread regard in which he is held. But it is of course the case that only about 60 Knighthoods are granted each year and there are many deserving candidates for each honour.

However, the government can assure you that your support for this suggestion will be taken fully into account.

The petition garnered a total of 2,143 signatures before the deadline on June 11, 2007.

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 18, 2007

The Terry Pratchett’s Making Money signing tour has been announced by his American publisher, Harper Collins. The full tour, to include stops in California, Oregon, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New York state, is posted here:

Monday, September 24, 2007
07:00 PM
BORDERS #86
3700 Torrance Blvd Torrance, CA 90503

Tuesday, September 25, 2007
07:30 PM
KEPLER’S BOOKS
STE 200 1010 El Camino Menlo Park, CA 94025

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
07:00 PM
POWELL’S BOOKSTORE
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd Beaverton, OR 97005

Thursday, September 27, 2007
07:30 PM
TATTERED COVER BOOK STORE
1628 16th St. Denver, CO 80202

Sunday, September 30, 2007
01:00 PM
CHESTER COUNTY BOOK COMPANY
975 Paoli Pike West Chester, PA 19380

Monday, October 01, 2007
07:00 PM
BARNES & NOBLE/Union Square
33 E 17th ST New York, NY 10003.

Please note that Terry Pratchett will also be appearing at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. on September 29, 2007.

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 15, 2007

The Cheltenham Literature Festival will include an hour-long session with Terry Pratchett on the 6^th of October. The event, to take place at Everyman Theatre, will be “a celebration of nearly 25 years of magical fantasy as he reveals the secret of his success,” according to the website, here. Use the website to reserve your seat if you are interested.

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 14, 2007

Colin Smythe, Terry Pratchett’s agent, posted more casting information for the Color of Magic TV adaptation this August on his site. Several actors are returning from Hogfather, including Nigel Planer (previously Mr. Sideney) as the Arch-Astronomer, Marnix Van Den Broeke again as Death (the guy in the costume), Nicholas Tennant (previously Nobby Nobbs) as the pre-orangutan Librarian, and of course Terry Pratchett, again in a cameo. New cast members include David Bradley (Argus Filch in the Harry Potter movies) as Cohen, Laura Haddock as Bethan, and Liz May Brice as Herrena.

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 13, 2007

A new, much longer and more detailed synopsis (scroll down) for Making Money has turned up on amazon.com. The synopsis:

The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is running like . . . well, not at all like a government office. The mail is delivered promptly; meetings start and end on time; five out of six letters relegated to the Blind Letter Office ultimately wend their way to the correct addresses. Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig, former arch-swindler and confidence man, has exceeded all expectations—including his own. So it’s somewhat disconcerting when Lord Vetinari summons Moist to the palace and asks, “Tell me, Mr. Lipwig, would you like to make some real money?”

Vetinari isn’t talking about wages, of course. He’s referring, rather, to the Royal Mint of Ankh-Morpork, a venerable institution that haas run for centuries on the hereditary employment of the Men of the Sheds and their loyal outworkers, who do make money in their spare time. Unfortunately, it costs more than a penny to make a penny, so the whole process seems somewhat counterintuitive.

Next door, at the Royal Bank, the Glooper, an “analogy machine,” has scientifically established that one never has quite as much money at the end of the week as one thinks one should, and the bank’s chairman, one elderly Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish, keeps two loaded crossbows at her desk. Oh, and the chief clerk is probably a vampire.

But before Moist has time to fully consider Vetinari’s question, fate answers it for him. Now he’s not only making money, but enemies too; he’s got to spring a prisoner from jail, break into his own bank vault, stop the new manager from licking his face, and, above all, find out where all the gold has gone—otherwise, his life in banking, while very exciting, is going to be really, really short. . . .

Making Money is set to come out this September, according to Amazon.

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 12, 2007

Forbidden Planet has announced an October signing with Terry Pratchett at their London Megastore (179 Shaftesbury Ave., London WC2H 8JR) on Saturday, October 13. He will be signing copies of Making Money, which comes out September 24 in the U.K. Go to Forbidden Planet’s signings page and scroll down to pre-order a signed copy.

Terry Pratchett News Update for August 11, 2007

Four major characters in the forthcoming Color of Magic and Light Fantastic TV adaptations have been cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sean Astin, who played Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, is cast for Twoflower, confirming earlier speculation that David Jason (Rincewind) would co-star with an American actor. Says Astin in the article:

"I'm honored to be given the chance to make the part of Twoflower my own, starring in a fantasy tale that has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world."

Also cast is Tim Curry as Ymper Trymon, and Christopher Lee reprises his 1997 role as the voice of Death.

Things look hopeful for further adaptations, as Sky director of programs Richard Woolfe called Hogfather an “unparalleled success in every way we could have imagined” and the cast for The Color of Magic “unbelievable”—though expectations for the adaptations seem high.

The Color of Magic team, with Vadim Jean directing and RHI Entertainment, the Mob Film Co. and Sky One all on board, has stayed pretty constant from Hogfather, though David Jason is now also an executive producer.

Exciting news for American fans: Hogfather may make its U.S. debut as part of RHI Movie Weekend on Ion Television.

Terry Pratchett News Update for July 16, 2007

The people at Black Phoenix Alchemical Laboratory (“purveyors of fine esoteric goods perfumes and potions”) have released a Good Omens collection of perfumes, “based on the characters, locations, and concepts squished within the pages of Good Omens, an apocalyptic comedy by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.” Such perfumes as “Agnes Nutter” (with gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails) and “Crowley” (musk, patchouli, lilac cologne, lemon rind, and so on) are included in the line.

Also, in case perfume is not in your line, maybe acting is:

The Mob Film Company is looking for costumed Discworld fans to become extras in the coming Discworld TV adaptation, based on the first two novels in the series. In a letter to various Discworld-related sites, the company says:

When we were planning the movie of Hogfather we met a lot of Discworld fans and admired their enthusiasm for costuming. That led to us inviting fans to join the extras in some of the scenes of that movie.

Boy, was that a high speed learning process. We had not realised that the history of fan involvement with movies was so chequered.

Since then we have learned more about fandom. We went along to the Discworld Convention and had a great time. We made certain that fans got more than half the tickets for the Hogfather premiere. And now, with the Colour of Magic / Light Fantastic movie in production we are going to extend the offer of (minor) participation again - and this time you know who we are. Many of you have already met us.

On August 1st and 2nd the magic of the movies will be strained to its utmost to turn part of Guildford into Ankh-Morpork (no jokes, please). We need Ankh-Morpork citizens. We would very much like to have citizens on both days to a maximum of 50 people. Ideally we would like the same faces on both days, because that helps with the continuity of the filming. We can accommodate some one day only visitors, but two days is really what we are looking for.

Regrettably, we don’t need wizards. We have nothing against wizards. We like wizards. However, since the crowd will be demonstrating against the wizards of Unseen University, having wizards taking part in the demonstration as well would be silly. Apart from that, anyone who could be legitimately part of of an Ankh-Morpork crowd would be acceptable. We know there are some wonderful Discworld costumes out there and we can help out somewhat from the wardrobe department on the day, perhaps in order to enforce the fact that Discworld as yet does not have trainers or lurex or much in the way of bright colours. You will find styles from late Tudor to early Victorian to generic Fantasy, but you won’t find much glitter. And remember: most citizens in Ankh-Morpork probably think soap is bad for you.

This is not a way of doing without extras. We will have lots of extras. God help us, we have reason to believe that fans would actually enjoy taking part.

The fine detail: We could accomodate around 50 of you. We will pay you £25 a day towards your expenses, we will feed you, you will get priority tickets to the premiere, a very limited edition cast & crew T-shirt and an Ankh-Morpork Access All Areas laminated pass. We will also give an additional award for the best costume.

To get the ball rolling, e-mail a photo of yourself in costume to

extras@colourofmagicthemovie.com

as soon as possible, remembering to include your name and contact details. We understand that you will have to make plans and so we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Letter courtesy pjsmprints.com.

Terry Pratchett News Update for July 5, 2007

For those that don’t already know, the next Discworld novel is set to release in the U.K. (according to amazon.co.uk) September 24, 2007 and in the U.S. (according to amazon.com) October 1. To quote the synopsis:

It's an offer you can't refuse. Who would not to wish to be the man in charge of Ankh-Morpork's Royal Mint and the bank next door? It's a job for life. But, as former con-man Moist von Lipwig is learning, the life is not necessarily for long. The Chief Cashier is almost certainly a vampire. There's something nameless in the cellar (and the cellar itself is pretty nameless), it turns out that the Royal Mintruns at a loss. A 300 year old wizard is after his girlfriend, he's about to be exposed as a fraud, but the Assassins Guild might get him first. In fact lot of people want him dead Oh. And every day he has to take the Chairman for walkies. Everywhere he looks he's making enemies. What he should be doing is ...Making Money!

Editions in both countries (including the audio versions) are available for pre-order on Amazon.

Terry Pratchett News Update for July 4, 2007

The Walker Art Gallery, as part of its exhibition of Josh Kirby’s artwork, has published a series of webpages detailing Kirby’s career and progression as an artist. Kirby, who did the artwork for the British editions of many Discworld novels before his death in 2001, is iconic for his work as a science fiction and fantasy artist. Though many Discworld fans disagree with his portrayals of Discworld and its characters, it was at Terry Pratchett’s own request that Josh Kirby consistently painted Discworld covers for 26 novels over a period of fifteen years. To quote the article:
Kirby’s highly original, inventive paintings for Terry Pratchett’s novels are synonymous with the author’s work, capturing the frenetic pace of life in the Discworld. Pratchett has said: “I only invented the Discworld. Josh created it.” Reflecting on his enjoyment illustrating them, Kirby described the books as ‘Bruegel in literary form.’
Working so consistently on the Discworld covers helped promote Kirby’s own career, as the article writes:
The association between Kirby’s cover art and a rollicking good read, exemplified by the Discworld books, led to a growing number of commissions from publishers seeking his unique visual ‘brand’ for their own authors. Kirby, in turn, responded to the humour in much of this fantasy literature, since it enabled him to expand his already playful and distinctive approach.
The exhibition (titled Out of this world: the art of Josh Kirby) will run through September 30, 2007 at the Walker Art Gallery, and is free and open to the public. A complete list of special tours and events related can be found here.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 30, 2007

The press release of the 7th United States National Book Festival, to be held September 29 in Washington D.C., includes Terry Pratchett in its list of participating authors under the “Fiction and Fantasy” category. The free, open-to-the-public festival, organized by the Library of Congress and hosted by Laura Bush, is a “celebration of the joy of reading and the creativity of America’s writers and illustrators,” in the words of Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Terry Pratchett is among about 70 well-known writers and illustrators who will be participating, including Mercer Mayer, Rosemary Wells, Gail Carson Levine, Gene Luen Yang, Joyce Carol Oates, and Lalita Tademy. Participating writers will give presentations, sign books, read excerpts, and answer questions from audience members.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 29, 2007

Ian Stewart, co-author of the Science of Discworld books, has given the Guardian Unlimited an interesting insight into being a popular science writer. He says:

“If it so happens that on page 175 there is some statement which technically is actually incorrect,” he continues, “or it’s incorrect because it’s been simplified - and there’s a fine line between simplifying things and oversimplifying things - I honestly don’t mind that much, because I don’t think that has a big effect on getting the main message over.” Readers can always look it up on the internet or ask an expert. “When you unwrap some casual sentence in a popular science book you find hidden depths, which range from ‘everybody says this but it’s not true’ to ‘this is incredibly controversial and nobody knows what’s going on’.”

Additionally, Stewart lauds Terry Pratchett’s storytelling influence on his own writing. To quote the article:

His prose is gradually becoming more relaxed, with a chattier, dressed-down tone and wry asides, a development he puts down to his collaborations with Terry Pratchett and Jack Cohen on a series of books about science in Discworld.

“I learnt a lot of this from Terry Pratchett,” he says. Pratchett is a mine of information about how to tell stories, and in working with him you pick this stuff up. “If you get it wrong he will tell you,” Stewart laughs. “It changes your view of what you’re trying to do and how you’re trying to do it.” When starting a book he used to ask “What’s the interesting stuff I ought to be covering?”, now his question is “What’s the story?” The story comes first, and the mathematics is chosen to fit.

Ian Stewart has collaborated with Terry Pratchett and Jack Cohen on the Science of Discworld books (the most recent of which is the Science of Discworld III: Darwin’s Watch).

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 28, 2007

While Terry Pratchett has confirmed that one more Discworld TV dramatization is in the works, a Daily Mail article mentions that David Jason has “an existing commitment to appear in two more bigbudget Terry Pratchett dramatisations” (emphasis added). However exciting this news may be, readers should remember that the Daily Mail is a tabloid, and therefore can’t be wholly trusted.
Terry Pratchett has confirmed that he is now working on a TV script that combines stories from The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 26, 2007

As we reported earlier, the winners of the 2007 Locus Awards were announced June 16, in Seattle. Locus magazine readers, we’re proud to say, voted Wintersmith (third in the Tiffany Aching series) the best Young Adult Book. This is Terry Pratchett’s third award in the same category, as both of Wintersmith’s prequels received the same honor. Pratchett beat out two other well-known children’s fantasy authors, Garth Nix and Ursula K. Le Guin for the award.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 15, 2007

On the UK Government’s official e-petition site, the petition to award Terry Pratchett knighthood (for services to literature) has garnered 1, 361 signatures since we first told you about the petition. Today, at a total of 2, 142 signatures, we’re optimistic that Terry Pratchett will be awarded knighthood. Although it is too late to add your support, you can see the list of other signers here.

On another note, in a couple of days we will find out how Wintersmith (third in the Tiffany Aching series, by Terry Pratchett) fared in the 2007 Locus Awards, at the awards ceremony (to be held June 16 in Seattle). Readers should be reminded that the award was a voters’ choice award, though voting is closed and the winners in each category are already determined, though unannounced. The possible winners in the Young Adult Book category (for which Wintersmith is competing) include Sir Thursday (Garth Nix) and Voices (Ursula K. Le Guin).

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 14, 2007

Continuing it’s broadcasting of Terry Pratchett, BBC7 is now playing a dramatization of Only You Can Save Mankind, a Johnny Maxwell novel. The three half-hour episodes play 6:00 p.m. GMT (Monday through Wednesday) and 12:00 a.m. GMT (Tuesday through Thursday). Use BBC7’s Listen again feature if you miss the broadcast.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 12, 2007

The British Fantasy Society has announced the nominees for its British Fantasy Awards 2007, and among the nominees are the Ankh-Morpork Post Office Handbook Discworld Diary 2007 (Pratchett, Briggs, Kidby) and Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather: The Illustrated Screenplay (Pratchett, Jean), both in the Best Non Fiction Category.

The awards are given to voters’ choice literature and artists first published in 2006. To vote, however, one must be a member of the British Fantasy Society, and voting concludes August 1.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 10

The Mythopeic Society has released the finalists for the 2007 Mythopeic Awards. Wintersmith (third in the Tiffany Aching series) has a place on the Mythopeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature finalist list, along with Diana Wynne Jones’s The Pinhoe Egg and others. According to the site, the Children’s Literature award is given to books for younger readers “in the tradition of The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia.” The winners this year will be announced during MythCon XXXVIII (Aug. 3-6, 2007, in Berkeley, California). Good luck to Wintersmith in the final selection process!

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 8, 2007

Terry Pratchett will participate in a reading of his works tomorrow, June 9, at the Central house of artists, in Moscow, as part of the second Moscow International Book Fair. This is Russian fans’ last official chance to see Terry Pratchett on this tour, as he has already stopped at several St. Petersburg and Moscow bookshops.

On an additional note, this is a reminder to all British adult citizens to support the e-petition to award Terry Pratchett knighthood for services to literature. As of posting, the petition has a whopping 2, 314 signatures. The petition deadline is June 11, so fans have only a couple of days left to show their support!

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 6, 2007

Following the 4-part broadcast of Wyrd Sisters, BBC7 is again broadcasting a Pratchett audio adaptation, this time of Guards! Guards!. The first part was broadcast at 6 p.m. (GMT) on Friday, and broadcasts have continued on Monday and Tuesday at the same time. If you missed the broadcast, use BBC7s “Listen again” program (navigate to the day of broadcast near the top, and scroll down to Evening, 18:00), which will have audio files of each segment available for about a week after the broadcast.

Terry Pratchett News Update for June 2, 2007

BBC7 broadcast a 4-part radio version of Wyrd Sisters last Monday through Thursday at 6:00 p.m. (GMT). If you missed it, the site offers the audio files as part of the “listen again” program (First, navigate to the day of the broadcast you want, then scroll down to the evening broadcasts to 18:00-18:30). Last Monday’s broadcast will be available until Sunday (tomorrow), last Tuesday’s until next Monday, and so on.

Terry Pratchett News Update for May 25, 2007

As part of an effort to encourage reading in teenage boys, Education Secretary Alan Johnson of the UK released a list of the top books for boys to read May 16. Secondary schools have the chance to choose 20 books free from the 160-book list. At 103 on the list is Terry Pratchett’s A Hat Full of Sky, second in the Tiffany Aching series.

Terry Pratchett News Update for May 24, 2007

A chat transcript with Terry Pratchett on the Douglas Adams Continuum is online now (scroll down to the first post), where Pratchett (amidst complaints about the font) answers questions about everything – from the movies to the books to his meeting with Douglas Adams. The concise statements include:

I met DNA [note: DNA is Douglas Adams] only once, at a crowded party, where it as almost impossible to be heard, and I think we were almost immediately dragged in opposite directions by people who wanted us to meet interesting people. I have no idea if we would have got on. I was in a hotel in Chicago when I read that he had died, and I sang the Betelgeusian Death Anthem, all by myself. It was a shame.

I don't have a secret desire to write somthing else--if I did, I'd do it. There eill [sic] be a Y/A book that's non-DW next year, though. One book a year is not punishing, but life seems to fill up with other things, [sic]

To judge by the biographies [Douglas Adams] thought writing got in the way of having a good time. For me, it’s the other way round. I get a kick out of it, is the simple answer. When a book is going well, I’m on a high.

Among the interesting bits of news we get what seems to be a confirmation that The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are being adapted together by Sky after the tremendous success of Hogfather. Additionally, an illustrated Wee Free Men (of the YA Tiffany Aching series) is in the works, possibly in the style of The Last Hero.

Terry Pratchett News Update for May 23, 2007

At the BAFTA Television awards three days ago, the Hogfather team was honored with a second prestigious award. Beating out Dispatches – War Torn: Stories of Separation, Meltdown and the Big Climate Change Experiment, and The Secret Policeman’s Ball, the Terry Pratchett adaptation won the Best Interactivity BAFTA award. Aidan Conway, Giles Pooley, Rod Brown, and Ian Sharples were recognized especially. Congrats to them and the entire Hogfather team!

A Costa Book Awards 2006 survey named Terry Pratchett UK’s seventh favorite “literary guilty pleasure,” behind Stephen King (first), J. K. Rowling (second), John Grisham and Dan Brown (tied for third), and Danielle Steel and Catherine Cookson (tied for fourth). To quote this article on books.guardian.co.uk:
“It is commonly acknowledged that many of us want to be seen to be reading a book in public that makes us look good," commented Simon Trewin, a contributing author to The Encyclopaedia of Guilty Pleasures - 1001 Things You Hate to Love, "but as this survey demonstrates, most of us have an author we regularly turn to for an easy and enjoyable read."
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The VES (Visual Effects Society) has announced the nominations for its 5th Annual VES Awards, and episode 1 of Hogfather is nominated for “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special.”