Have some news to share with fans of George R. R. Martin? Whether you are releasing a new product,
scheduling or commenting on a Gathering, or just have something to share with GRRM's fans;
e-mail the BwB and let us get the word out!
BwB Members – Welcome Back
September 26, 2007 —
We have received thousands of e-mails in the past two months for membership to the BwB —
an official GRRM Fan Club, and have had to qualify hundreds of these due to internet form spam,
and illegitimacy. We apologize for the delay to add your record as a fan into the White Book —
we want to make sure fans are represented, agree with the mission of the BwB and are counted in their fandom.
If anyone has a question or concern please contact me at dmccaman@comcast.net —
thank you for your support for the BwB and fandom.
Annual BwB Holiday Charity Drive — We Need Your Support!
December 4, 2006 —
Thanks to the efforts of Yagathai "Lord Mike the Hatted" the BwB’s Charity Fundraiser,
we are once again raising money in a Holiday Charity Drive to support Child’s Play —
who distributes games, books, and toys to hospitalized children around the world. We supported this charity last year
and have received great feedback from members for our support again this year. Our donation will be made to
Child’s Play in the name of the BwB, George and Parris. This has been a great tradition, and Yagathai has always done
a fantastic job in this area. Please help us in our support — go here
for all the details. Happy Holidays!
The BwB Turns 1000!
November 12, 2006 —
The BwB has recently passed the 1,000-member mark — a testament to the dedication of fans all around the world. Stay tuned for some exciting news in 2007 from the BwB, George and Parris!
The BwB is now represented in 44 countries around the world, and in 49 of the 50 U.S. states (missing Wyoming). Below is a breakdown of members from each country.
Andorra (1), Australia (37), Austria (1), Belgium (1), Bermuda (1), Bosnia & Herzegovina (1), Brazil (1), Canada (56) (with the most from Ontario (29) and British Columbia (15), Croatia (6), Denmark (5), Finland (2), France (3), Germany (10), Greece (1), Hungary (2), Iceland (4), India (2), Ireland (10), Israel (6), Italy (8), Japan (3), Lithuania (1), Macedonia (1), Mexico (1), New Zealand (7), Norway (8), Pakistan (1), Philippines (5), Poland (5), Portugal (2), Russia (3), Scotland (9), Serbia & Montenegro (4), Singapore (1), Slovenia (2), South Africa (5), Spain (13), Sweden (8), Taiwan (1), The Netherlands (3), Ukraine (1), United Arab Emirates (1), United Kingdom (64).
USA (739)
Alabama (9), Alaska (4), Arizona (17), Arkansas (2), California (117), Colorado (15), Connecticut (3), Washington D.C. (3), Delaware (4), Florida (34), Georgia (24), Hawaii (4), Idaho (6), Illinois (32), Indiana (15), Iowa (11), Kansas (4), Kentucky (6), Louisiana (8), Maine (4), Maryland (15), Massachusetts (14), Michigan (32), Minnesota (14), Mississippi (6), Missouri (16), Montana (4), Nebraska (6), Nevada (1), New Hampshire (6), New Jersey (26), New Mexico (8), New York (63), North Carolina (12), North Dakota (2), Ohio (20), Oklahoma (7), Oregon (16), Pennsylvania (32), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (2), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (11), Texas (35), Utah (6), Vermont (3), Virginia (15), Washington (21), West Virginia (3), Wisconsin (15).
2006 BwB RAVEN Recipients Chosen — We Need Your Support!
March 7, 2006 —
The Ravens have returned from the far reaches... It is my great pleasure to announce the two RAVEN winners for this coming year, 2006 - mormont and Skylark. CONGRATULATIONS! The first annual RAVENS, awarded in 2005, honoured Ran and Linda for their outstanding dedication, support, caretaking, and promotion of ASOIAF & GRRM.
We need your help in raising money to bring our 2006 RAVEN winners to Worldcon in LA. With over 700 registered BwB members and the thousands of fans on the ASOIAF Message Board, I am sure we can meet our goal. The RAVEN is something George and Parris both support (George donated many items to the cause for auction) and "fans supporting fans" is exactly the attitude they foster - this is a great chance to show your support and help out. Any contribution is welcome - $5, $10, $50 - whatever you can contribute.
Everyone who contributes will receive the following:
- Your White Book or board name will be listed in a special contributions section of the BwB Fan Club site forever.
- Everyone who contributes will be entered for a chance to win a personalized, signed specialty item from George and Parris
- Your White Book name will be added as a contributor on the actual RAVEN awards given to the winners and a copy given to George and Parris, listing the generous donators.
Let's show mormont and Skylark our support and show why George has the best fans around! I am confident we can meet our goal with your help.
See the official fund-raising thread here to see how close we are to achieving our goal.
You can paypal directly to: mccaman@comcast.net
or
You can send a check or money order to: David McCaman, 3347 Shasta Drive, San Mateo, CA 94403 U.S.
Mormont: What can you say about the guy? Responsible for pulling off perhaps the best BwB Gathering ever with incredible amounts of work, planning, and selfless giving in Glasgow this past year. With mormont's help, the BwB is able to go into this year UP $500 - something I, or anyone else, couldn't accomplish before. Great festivities, awards, one of the best parties ever - it was top notch all the way around. The RAVENS are here because of mormont, which says even more. All of this is just icing on the cake when you consider his long dedication at being a board moderator, working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. All speak highly of him, respect him, and praise his good character, dedication, and brotherhood. I am proud to know him, and call him my bro.
Skylark: Perhaps the hardest working BwBer around and she never offers a complaint. Skylark has the best attitude - and has long been a rock when it comes to helping make things happen for the BwB. Whether it is prepping for parties, working her ass off during parties, and even after the parties have finished. She keeps people positive, moving forward, and on the right track. From Toronto to Glasgow - the BwB would not be where it is today without her. Another BwBer I am honoured to call my friend and one that has all of our thanks, respect, and warmest regards.
Both RAVEN winners for 2006 will be the BwB's honoured guests at Worldcon in Anaheim (LACon 2006). Please join me in offering three-cheers to these two deserving, kick ass BwBers that we will be seeing and partying with in LA next August. Also thanks to George, Parris, and to everyone for your support and brotherhood!
Parris' gentle reminders for BosKone
February 15, 2006 —
2 hours.
That's all we ask that Bros attending Boskone contribute to the general volunteer pool for the convention. You can find out more about volunteering for the convention at the Boskone website. Coming in on Thursday? Help with setup. Staying over until Monday afternoon? Help with tear-down. Night or day, there's someplace, someway, you can help the convention, and that's one of the things we Bros do; we are a delight and a help to every convention we attend.
We are members of a convention of like-minded people. We treat one another with respect and kindness. By day or by night. Coming into panels on Satyrday, standing in line for a signing and at the dead-dog, we bring friendship and comradeship to all our interactions with fellow con members.
Let me repeat that: we are MEMBERS of a convention. We did not buy 'tickets', we are not in line for Space Mountain here, we're active participants in the culture of SF fandom. We're not here to be entertained, we're here to be part of an entertaining weekend experience. Hell, we are (sometimes) THE entertainment. So let your freak flag fly. If you want to come to the Satyrday party dressed as Rattlebones, start saving up those BBQ bones now.
We are a self-sustaining community. Donate to party funds support conventions bids, bring a bottle to the party, make a bid at the charity auctions, buy a print in the art show or a book or ten in the dealer's room. You will find rare delights and good bargains all around. Put aside $20 or more to help keep the wheels greased in goodwill contributions that fuel the larger communities abilities to throw parties and bids, bring fans from other countries to our conventions and to send out fans to conventions far way.
We come together to celebrate our friendships, our passions, our abilities and our common relationships as fans. There are never strangers at the door of the party, only people who could become our friends, given a chance.
We take care of each other. We clean up after each other. Each one of us represents the whole, the whole supports and broadens the aspects and strengths of each individual. Sometimes, the behavior we accept, even laugh at seeing, in a private room party is not acceptable down in the hotel bar, and we know the difference. We sometimes 'behave' because we know if the straight world found out how much fun we were having, we'd get arrested and hung at dawn.
And mostly, we come together to have a good time, to share and laugh and eat and drink and dance and celebrate, to learn and to teach, to give and to receive the gifts of our common humanness.
Now let's get to Boston and beyond, there's so much fun to be had!
BwB Reaches 500 Registered Members!
December 1, 2005 —
Members, Knights, Dames, Lords, Ladies, and Prince… rejoice! The White Book has recorded over 500 names of BwB members; fans who have pledged their commitment to the BwB, the series, and George R. R. Martin. In just over 3 months, we have seen an incredible response, and incredible growth. Since our Lady Commander Caress announced the site launch at Glasgow’s fantastic Night’s Watch party we have received new friends and old, and the BwB has finally witnessed the publication of a GRRM ASOIAF novel! Three-cheers to the BwB, George, and the future of fandom.
We Need Your Help — BwB Annual Holiday Charity Drive
November 27, 2005 —
Big thanks to Yagathai for taking it upon himself to head up a charity drive for the BwB this holiday season. In lieu of purchasing a holiday gift for our favorite author, we are moving into the realm of raising money for worthy causes in our name, and for George and Parris. Big thanks to Subterranean Press for their generous $250 donation. Also, thank you to Odie who will be creating another great card from the BwB for George and Parris.
We need your support! Whether it is $5 or $500, anything will help. Find out all the details, and how to donate here.
We will be using a portion of the donations to sponsor Parris' wolf Sasquatch from the Candy Kitchen, Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, and make an additional donation to them. It has been a BwB tradition for three years now.
We are also choosing to support Child's Play with a generous holiday donation. Child's Play is an international effort to improve the quality of life for hospitalized children around the world, by providing them with books, music, games, toys, and more.
Thank you in advance to everyone for coming together to do some good. It is much appreciated!
George R. R. Martin — On Top of the World!
November 27, 2005 —
The cheers of fans and the slack-jawed, wide-eyed expressions of BwBers at the Petaluma, California signing on November 16 was the first echoed-response to the news that A Feast for Crows was going to debut at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list the week of November 27 for hardcover fiction. Also announced: TIME magazine had published an article by Lev Grossman heralding GRRM as the American Tolkien in their November 21st issue.
The BwB congratulates George for this amazing news, and for taking so much time with fans, signing books, visiting, and continuing to be a rock-star on his recent book tours. Those of us in the fan group, and fans around the world take great pride and appreciate George saying that the success of his series is not from his big name, Oprah, or millions of dollars in marketing capital, but from us fans, and the grass-roots evangelization of the series to others. For those of us that have always viewed GRRM as the best, it is also a pleasure to see the world share our POV. Congratulations George and Parris, and much continued success!
A Feast of Fantasy — Detroit Free Press article & interview
November 6, 2005 —
The Detroit Free Press has published an article on GRRM and A Feast for Crows, written by Marta Salij. Marta interviews three Michigan-based BwBers, including Toryx, Knight of the Gate, and Marcus Siralus, and provides great information on ASOIAF and George’s thoughts on dragons and how he wants readers to experience the series. The article starts with the lines, “Do you remember Harry Potter? I’ve got something better.” Many thanks to Marta for the BwB link and mentions, and to the BwBers who participated. You can read this fantastic article here or support the newspaper and go out and grab a copy off your local stand.
A Feast for Crows released! Top 10 Debut in U.K. – BwB Receives Acknowledgement
October 17, 2005 —
What has been a long journey for both fans and author, A Feast for Crows is now available from the U.K. and Australia and will soon be available in the U.S. and other countries.
Parris wants the BwB to know that the U.K. edition is already on to a third printing and the London Times is reporting that AFFC has debuted at #10
on the Hardback: Fiction bestseller list in the U.K. — only taking into account the first couple days of book sales for AFFC. If you’ve been under a rock for the last five years, or have yet to purchase the book, you can order it now from
Amazon (U.K.) or Amazon (U.S.) or purchase from other fine booksellers.
The BwB, specific members, and the BwB Worldcon parties were acknowledged in George’s latest release — and needless to say, we are all blown away. George never forgets his fans and to be acknowledged for doing what we all love, and to be a part of something so special leaves us humble, thankful, and grateful. Thanks for the love George!
BwB Celebrates George R. R. Martin’s 57th Birthday
September 20, 2005 —
Happy Birthday, George! The BwB wanted to do something special for both Parris and George for the final completion of A Feast for Crows. We knew what a long and tiring battle it was for George, and as before, we wanted to let him know how much we appreciated him taking the time to get his story right, even if we had to wait several years. Parris also had to endure George’s long battle, looking forward to having her man back from Westeros. We couldn’t agree on a good gift for both of them, and time rolled by. Another knight? Dinner and spa in Santa Fe for the two of them? Lots of ideas, but nothing seemed to fit just right. Parris always mentioned how fortunate they were and how she thought our contributions should “do some good.” With George’s birthday on the horizon, everyone around the world felt the pain for the victims of hurricane Katrina. Thanks to everyone in the BwB, we were able to raise and donate $1,350 to the Red Cross relief effort in George and Parris’ name, and odiedragon created a wonderful card with birthday wishes from members of the BwB. We know that this effort will mean as much to them as any knight or dinner, and the BwB is proud to have done some good in George and Parris’ name. Thanks need to go to all who contributed in this or any other effort to help others.
While the donation was given in the name of all BwBers, we give a special thanks to all those who contributed: Aoife Snow, Amok, AryaSwordMaiden, AshaShan, Banipal, Blackfyre Heir, Bronn Stone, Cerys the patryn, Coyotes Daughter, CryFenril, Dajamieson and Ghost of Nymeria, Davos and Odiedragon, DolByc, Edd Tollett, Filippa Eilhart, Frisco, Gina, GFoylle, Ishtar_NZ, Jaehaerys, Jest Me, kalbear, King Jon Targaryen, leylok, Lilith of Tarth, Lodengarl & Kristin, Maester Lupo Nero, Marc B., mormont, NorseAngel, Padraig, patrynspencer, Plunja of Braavos, Ran and Linda, RemX, Rhelle, Riskbreaker007, Ser Ronald, SirRots, StegoKing and Lady Stego, Sugarcrum, TeriPettit, Terser, The Humble Asskicker, The Iceman of the North, The Sea King’s Daughter, Toryx, and Zollo.
ASOIAF Art Book Details Announced
September 14, 2005 — A Song of Ice and Fire Art Book – by Fantasy Flight Games
We received some information from FFG on their upcoming art book scheduled to be released in November, 2005.
The art book will be hardcover, 8.5" by 11" with dust jacket. There will be
a limited edition that will have a faux leather gold embossed cover, gilded
edges, silk bookmark, and slipcase — and will be signed by George R. R. Martin.
The book is organized into twelve sections, generally based on the original seven kingdoms of Westeros. These sections are: history, the North, the Wall & the Lands Beyond, the Iron Islands, The Kingdom of Mountain and Vale, Riverlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, King's Landing, The Reach, Dorne, and the East. Each section has a short introduction, and quotes from the novels are included in the book, similar to the quotes that appear on the CCG cards. There are four pages of artist bios.
Most of the artwork comes from the CCG. FFG has over thirty new pieces of art, plus the entire Targaryen succession from Aegon the Conquerer to Daenerys Targaryen. They also have art from the covers of the books, both American and international editions, art from The Hedge Knight comics, concept art from the upcoming miniature game, and art from the Meisha Merlin and Subterranean Press illustrated editions of the books.
The Quest of Thrones Online Adventure — Sign Up Now!
August 4, 2005 — With collaboration from GRRM, Bantam has created an intriguing online adventure for fans of ASOIAF to herald the launch of A Feast for Crows. The Quest of Thrones is now open for sign-ups, and involves fans taking part in an online hunt to find their sworn swords and companions, hidden across the Internet. The Quest is set to start on September 19, 2005, and successful players will be eligible for a chance to win one of twenty grand prize packs. In addition, twenty additional prizes will be awarded in a random drawing of the successful players from the kingdom with the most winning entries. Prize packs include: copies of AFFC, autographed book-plate, The Hedge Knight paperback from the Dabel Brothers, Winter Edition starter deck for the AGOT CCG from Fantasy Flight Games, one-of-six limited edition resign ASOIAF figures from Testors, a free issue of Locus magazine, and a commemorative coin from the Shire Post Mint.
Join the Quest of Thrones here.
A Feast For Crows is FINISHED!
May 29, 2005 — Read George R. R. Martin's announcement here for all the details.
BwB Efforts for Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow - We Need Your Support
May 27, 2005 — Headed by Mormont and Dajamieson, Interaction will feature the
first BwB Worldcon Gathering outside of the U.S. or Canada. As the biggest Gathering of the year
for the BwB, Worldcon takes a tremendous effort to both plan and fund, and we need your support!
You can donate items
for the BwB Raffle, or you can contribute funds directly to the cause. Any support is appreciated!
Odiedragon Contributes Brotherhood without Banner . . . Banner
December 25, 2004 — What a thrill it was at the 2004 Worldcon in Boston, to meet
Odiedragon. She brought all of us a wonderful surprise. She had taken it upon herself to make
an actual BwB crest, a standard to hang at BwB events. Everyone was blown away. It looked
professionally constructed, wonderfuly sewed, with beautiful material - felts and silks, and
all of the details in our sigil represented. It was a truly special, heart-felt contribution.
Hanging it at BwB events for years to come was enough, but we came up with the fantastic idea
to have knighted BwBers sign their name to the banner, immortalizing them on the sigil itself.
Everyone knighted from past years and newly made Knights of Ye Olde Roaste Beef stepped up and
signed the banner. Dajamieson took the banner to the United Kingdom where it will be displayed
at the 2005 Worldcon in Glasgow. Another memorable event for BwB lore. Thanks Odiedragon!
Brotherhood without Banners Returns the Gift of "Knighting" to GRRM
December 25, 2004 — Thanks to numerous contributions from members, a BwB tradition
has come once again. For holidays 2004, we returned the gift of "Knighting" to George in the form
of two 54mm toy knights, crafted and painted by Brian Rodden who has provided gifts for George
from the BwB in past years. Representing Lord Jason Mallister and Ser Lyle "Strongboar" Crakehall,
the knights turned out fantastic and I think it was the BwB's best gift yet. In addition to the
fabulous knights, BwBer Odiedragon designed an amazing holiday card and Gillian M. composed a
very humerous holiday parody of "Twas the Night Before Christmas..."
Despite assurances that we do not have to buy George and Parris gifts, the BwB continues to do so.
As one member stated so well, "I love contributing because it gives me a chance to give something back . . .
to express my thanks for all the enjoyment the series has given me over the years."
See the knights on George's site.
Guardians of Order Announce Pre-Order for Deluxe Limited Edition A Game of Thrones RPG
December 5, 2004 — For those GRRM collectors or fans of RPGs, this is a beauty
you won't want to miss. Guardians of Order (GOO)
are pre-selling only 500 Deluxe Limited Editions (signed by GRRM and numbered) of their A Game of Thrones
Role-Playing Game and Resource Book. Including two core rule systems, d20 and the Tri-Stat, this
book has some amazing features, including: over 450 full-color pages printed on premium paper,
full-sized color pull-out map of Westeros, foil-embossed leatherette hardcover with a durable Smyth
sewn binding, oversized cloth bookmark, and tons of artwork from top artists!
Fully endorsed and reviewed by GRRM, this is a MUST-OWN for collectors, fans, and gamers alike!
Deluxe Limited Edition owners will also receive their book months before the general d20 and Tri-Stat
books are released. If you want to role-play in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe, are dying to read
hundreds of pages of source-material on the novels, lands, and people, and want to own a beautifully
crafted book filled with art, order now!
Brotherhood without Banners Continues Gift of Wolf-Motherhood for Parris
December 1, 2004 — For the third year in a row, the Brotherhood without Banners has
sponsored the wolf, Sasquatch, a beautiful pure black phase, for Parris, at the Candy Kitchen Rescue
Ranch in Ramah, New Mexico. Sasquatch is a miracle animal that came down with parvo shortly after
coming to the ranch. After immediately receiving treatment, it still wasn't enough, and his
temperature soared to 107 degrees and he fell into a coma. He was rushed to the vet and it was
believed he wouldn't make it. However, through extraordinary care, he survives and flourishes at
the ranch. Stay well Shaggysquatch!
The Candy Kitchen Rescue Ranch survives on sponsorships and support. If you would like to donate
or sponsor a wolf, or want more information on the great work they do, please check out their website.
A Song of Ice and Fire Message Board Needs Your Support!
November 28, 2004 — The largest community of ASOIAF fans exists on the ASOIAF
ezBoard managed for many years by Ran (Elio) and Linda is the heart and soul of the BwB Fan Club.
With 4,000+ registered members, the board is an epicenter for communication, discussion,
and of course, ASOIAF. In order to secure a Gold Membership for another year, we need to raise
$2,000 by February 23. This will ensure that we see no ads on the boards, do not have thread counts
limited, no language filters, and other features. We have had Gold Membership status since it was
introduced in 2001 and need your support to make it happen again. If you have visited or are a
registered member of the boards, give a few dollars if you can. $500 has been collected so far, so
we are on our way. To make a contribution go here.
