Archive of Past Site News

9/5/03	Wow, two years have passed since my last major site update. I knew I had slacked off since volunteering at Anne's official site, but I guess I didn't realize just how much! I had a very enjoyable couple of years working on her site, first as a host for the bulletin board and chat room, and later as the administrator in charge of the rest of the volunteer hosts. That changed in early Feb 2003 when I found myself pregnant with twins and completely sapped of energy. Eight months later I finally seem to have a bit of free time, being on full-time leave from work. I hope to get a few long-overdue updates done to this site before the babies make their appearance. After they're born, I'm hoping to at least manage quarterly updates, but I know I may just be kidding myself!. Major updates have been made to: Book News. Minor updates have been made to: Introduction to Pern, Game News, Dragon/Pern Merchandise More updates will hopefully follow, as I know there are many broken links that need to be changed or deleted, as well as other updates needed due to Pern books/stories published in the last couple of years.
9/16/01	Two announcements added to the welcome page, about the new home of Elrhan's Pern Museum and Archives and about an upcoming trivia event called Pern Quest. Also my pictures from DragonCon 2001 are now up for all to see!
7/19/01	There is a new biography of Anne published recently, which is easily ordered online and also could be ordered by your local bookstore (I don't know if stores will stock it, as it seems intended more for school library collections). More details are on by Book News page. I did think it was a great read, and I'm not just saying that cause this here website was one of four listed in the back of the book! I'm going to be moving in one week (into my very first home, which is awesome!), and won't have internet access from home for an undetermined amount of time. I will however have access through work and will be just three minutes from the office, so I'll by no means be unavailable!
7/4/01	I've finished a long-overdue overhaul of all the links on my site, deleting ones to defunct sites and adding in new ones. Poke around and see if you can figure out what's changed -- I didn't manage to keep track myself! I have also updated the Book, TV, and Game news, all of which needed it. I have more work that needs to be done, updates to content and other links to add; hopefully time and inspiration to work on it will follow shortly. Dreams of Dragons should soon have another sculpture, this time of Menolly and her firelizard fair.
3/3/01	Updated news on the Pern TV show, and new links in and about my site. Skies of Pern is available now in the UK and I got my copy a week ago. It's great!!!
1/6/01	Big news about the Pern TV show, and an update about the cover art for the upcoming Skies of Pern book.
11/14/00	I've got some new information from Todd Cameron Hamilton, the main artist for the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern. I've added a two new notes on my DLG Errata page, under p95, 2nd col, first full para & second full para (thanks to Kevin for pointing them out!).
11/5/00	I've added some new information to the book news page, stuff I've learned chatting with Anne! I've also finally started a new poll question. Congratulations to my friend and helper Anneli, who won a statue of Ramoth Hatching for the Pern slogan she submitted to the contest on Anne's site. Dreams of Dragons has released a third sculpture, also of Ramoth. She's gorgeous but expensive!
10/15/00	I've become a host for the Kitchen Table Live now too! Just look for my Zoey icon! I've made a couple minor changes to the Rukbat page and DLG errata page. I still need to change my poll, should happen in just a few more days.
10/8/00	I've made a few minor updates here, mostly to the various other news sections (book, tv, and game). I've become a host over at the new Kitchen Table message board on Anne's site, and it's keeping me busier than ever. But I'm going to try to make steady - if slow - progress on this site. Dreams of Dragons has released its second sculpture, Ramoth Hatching.
9/5/00	Anne's new website grows by leaps and bounds. Alec has added a message board, to which he and occasionally even Anne respond to questions. There's also a periodic survey question, the news section is updated at least once a week, and they're working up some great ideas for merchandise to sell. So if you haven't visited yet, or haven't been there for a while, it's time to go! My site on the other hand, has been languishing of late. I'm starting to find a balance between working, household chores, and 'play' time, so I hope to start making additions again soon. I have added a new section to the Organized Link List, listing the many message boards that are now available online. Also there's a new McCaffrey interview online.
8/13/00	I've done a bit of maintenance work, adding a link or two and someone new to the character bases list (you can't miss him, he's first on it). In other news I've finally started a full-time job and my time to "Pernate" (another great term Elrhan thought up) has been significantly reduced once again. That means work on summaries from DragonCon is not likely to progress, though I am under orders to get a few particular ones; if there's any you're particularly interested in then bug me and I might get around to them. On the plus side with my new job, I'm learning some interesting web stuff like cascading style sheets which I might someday put to work on my site!
7/22/00	I've finally finished my site reorganization! It's been quite a long time coming: My contents list used to contain a smattering of outside links amongst the links to my own pages. Over time I grew increasingly dissatisfied with this awkward arrangement, but had a hard time deciding how separate out my pages from others and still have a nicely organized contents list. This past March I figured out how I wanted to do it, and began work on the project. Then, as many of you are already aware, all work on my site was interrupted by my cross-country move from Illinois to Maryland. Finally I've found time to work on this site again, and finished and implemented the changes I'd plotted for months. I welcome any comments you might have on this new organizational scheme, so feel free to contact me!
7/19/00	Anne McCaffrey's new website is up and running now!
7/16/00	I've put the majority of my DragonCon photos up now. I hope to start on panel summaries next week. Coelura's McCaffrey bibliography is back online now.
7/10/00	First of all, big congratulations go to Elrhan for the one year anniversary of his website and his promotion to Master Archivist. Visit his site and you'll see that he's earned it, and then perhaps drop him a note to tell him so! Second, you should all be happy to hear that I'm settled in Maryland now. It's been quite a long time since I've been able to edit this site, and I'm very happy to be back! The move went smoothly, and I'm reasonably unpacked. I returned from DragonCon*2000 a week ago, and have a lot of information & pictures from it to impart to everyone. I spent nearly all my time there at Weyrfest, but also did sneak off to see author Katherine Kurtz, who's new Deryni book King Kelson's Bride was just published by Ace. Besides the DragonCon 2000 news and some updated information on the Pern TV show, I have a major reorganization of this site in the works and also have a set of Pern webrings that need to be opened - big plans which will take some time to implement. I'll also be starting up my Pern poll again soon, thanks to a long list of question Elrhan suggested. Bear with me over the coming weeks and months as I find time to work on this site.
4/19/00	I have big news! I'm going to be moving cross-country from Illinois to Maryland sometime in June. Don't worry, this site's url won't change at all. All it means for you, my visitors, is that my computer access will be spotty in the weeks to come so I may be quite slow to respond to email, and slow to make some site change I've been plotting.
4/5/00	Anne's latest book, Pegasus in Space is in stores now. On my news page there's a link to an article at the Scifi Channel's website about the Dragonriders tv show; looks like bad news for a Fall 2000. I've been really busy lately with my real-life teaching duties, and not had time for major work on this site. I do have big plans to be implemented as soon as I find the time. Read more about them on my About Sariel page. I've just about run out of ideas for Sariel's Pern Poll. Unless I successfully brainstorm (or people email me a bunch of good ideas, hint, hint), I'll be closing down the poll in about a month.
3/13/00	I'm delighted and honored to have been asked to help announce a new website of interest to Pern fans everywhere: Dreams of Dragons is the home site of a new line of Pern sculptures created by British artist Bernard Pearson, and fully authorized by Anne McCaffrey. The first creation has been finished, a small coffer depicting Anne's home Dragonhold-Underhill. It can be seen and ordered online now. A second design, Ramoth, is under development. You might also want to visit Bernard's other site, The Cunning Artificer's Discworld Emporium, to see the work he's done for Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Sometime in the (near?) future, I should be holding a contest through my website, for which Bernard will kindly donate one of his Pern works as a prize. Once things are settled I'll announce the contest both here and in the alt.fan.pern newsgroup
2/2/00	I've got a bit of new news about the upcoming tv show, new publishing notes, and new link to an interview done by Grolier Interactive about the game. There's a new link to an old interview I've found posted on Sabria's Guide to Pern Online.
1/25/00	I've done a lot of site maintenance lately to clean up dead links. I was helped in this by a free trial of SEVENtwentyfour Inc. I've just finished work on a guide to the Pern Web Ring, as the descriptions people write about their own site in the ring index often doesn't tell you much about the site. I found that an astounding 77 of 336 sites break the ring--that's more than 1 in 5 and I think it's shameful. I'm trying to nag the ringmaster into correcting this, but considering setting up a rival webring if he does nothing. My current poll deals with this issue. On my trip around the ring I did find one new site that I thought was really well done; I encourage you all to visit Jillian's World of Pern Site.
1/12/00	Cast of Pern notes are up on The Masterharper of Pern. I hope to have notes on All the Weyrs done within a month. I'm also in the middle of working on a guide to the sites belonging to the Pern Web Ring.
12/19/99	After months of sporadic minor site changes and no major site updates, I'm finally going to try to reorganize my schedule a bit to set aside time for site work. At the top of my list of projects to work on is the Cast of Pern and DragonCon notes, which were the top vote-getters in a poll I ran to find out what people were most interested in. Look for changes to start after the first of the new year. There is an update on my Merchandise of Pern page.
10/31/99	I've added a few new bits at the bottom of my tidbit's page, including one about the origin of the hatching candidates white robes.
10/12/99	Less than a month after having my computer relocated, I've had another interruption in my website work due to an ailing hard drive. The replacement has now arrived, and I will hopefully get all my software reinstalled within a week. Meanwhile, I can spend minor amounts of time using a different computer for site changes. I've got lots of news to share about things directly and indirectly affecting my site. Most notably I've been promoted to Master Archivist, which I'm delighted by. I did not just decide to promote myself on the one Turn anniversary of my site--sneaky Elrhan organized a group of notable Pern peers to vote on my mastery. I've posted some of the details on a separate Master page. On the indirect front, I am finally going to have a full-time job (I've been puttering around with part-time stuff before, during, and after college). It's a somewhat technical job that I was offered partially on the merits of this website, which I created by myself with very little formal training. I don't expect the job to significantly interfere with my continuing development of this site, but I can't say for sure until I've actually started the new job, which is at least a week away. Some more details about what I'll be doing both professionally and site-wise in the coming months can be found on the About Sariel page. Elrhan has defended and explained his sneaky actions in his Oct99 sitenews. I've added a separate awards page to my site, as I recently won a second award and my spot to post award graphics has been permanently usurped by my AMA (Accredited Master Archivist) graphic.
9/11/99	I researched the timeline for Dragonflight myself, and updated the listings in my Timeline. DragonCon notes about the Harper Hall Hour and Pern Gather have been added.
9/5/99	I'm back on-line after a long hiatus caused by "The Saga of the Desk," which I'll try to explain in a bit. I really need to finish off my DragonCon notes, and should have the time and technology to work on them now! I have updated my Pern news section to match what I learned at DragonCon.
8/3/99	I finally got a decent graphics program, which has led to my site redecoration! Hope y'all like it--it took me a while to change everything, but it's now set up so that any future changes are quite simple.
7/23/99	My write-ups of info learned at DragonCon about the upcoming Pern PC game and TV show are essentially complete--unless I remember anything else.
7/18/99	If I wasn't me, I'd shoot me for how slow my DragonCon updates have been! Many apologies, but I've had a lot of interruptions lately. And I spent time today on some general maintenance issues--changing how some links open, deleting dead links, and adding two new interview links I've found, with Albedo One, and W3M3.
7/13/99	A new website that you'll all want to visit--Atlantis TV's Dragonriders of Pern site. It's pretty darn cool. The intro page requires you to have or download 'shockwave flash;' if you don't want to or can't download it, then you can skip over the intro--but you'll miss hearing the voice of Anne!
7/12/99	Updates about DragonCon are going slow, unfortunately. I had time this weekend, but I burnt several fingertips (ovens are evil!) and couldn't type much. Links will slowly be added to my index page for DragonCon. On a different topic, my fellow journeyman archivist Elrhan has finally gone public with his website. His Pern Encyclopedia and Genealogy info are unique among Pern websites, plus he's got some great Fun Stuff and the start of a good quote collection. He's getting insecure about the site, because not many people have email him about it yet--so drop him a line to tell what you think of his site!
7/9/99	My picture gallery from DragonCon is now available for your perusal. Many photos will only be of interest to those who attended, but there are plenty of others that all should enjoy (I hope!).
7/8/99	I'm back from DragonCon. As I have time, I will writing up my notes (I took tons!) and sharing with you all the new info I know about the upcoming TV show and PC game, and everything else I learned about. Just try and be patient...
6/24/99	I'll be going to DragonCon in Atlanta, GA July 1-4th, and get to see the Dragonlady herself! Look for a summary of my experiences at the Con, to appear the following weekend (I hope--I'll have a lot of work to catch up on when I return home...).
6/14/99	I've got a new page in the art section, about Colin Saxton.
5/11/99	I'm starting a new feature--a weekly (or perhaps bi-weekly) poll! Be sure to cast your vote, and send me suggestions for new questions...
4/28/99	A quick note to let everyone know I'm still alive! I simply haven't had the time and inclination lately to add more the site. In a few more weeks the course I'm teaching will wrap up, and then I hope to get back to regular work on the site. My apologies to the people who have tried the trivia contest recently, whose names I haven't managed to post yet--I haven't forgotten you, and I will eventually add your scores. Sometime in the next few months I'm planning to add a page about collecting Pern books and miscellany, now that my collection is nicely filled out and I won't be giving advice to my competition...
3/30/99	I've removed a few pages and a few links, persuant to my site's review by Anne's lawyer. Eventually I'll explain the reasoning behind these changes, but I'm just too busy at the moment. I'll be leaving town for a while soon, so don't be surprised if it takes me longer to reply to emails.
3/21/99	I made a new page, about the real Rukbat, Pern's sun. I also fixed a number of typos in the Dragonsdawn cast listing. And there's a new listing on my Merchandise of Pern page--some Michael Whelan art can now be ordered directly from his site.
3/8/99	Just found another interview while poking around. An online chat sponsored by Barnes & Noble from 6/97.
3/7/99	News of Pern has been updated, and one new character has been added to Character Bases--can you find her? A new interview with Anne was done by Crescent Blues E-Zine.
2/28/99	I found time for a few minor changes: refinements to the Cast of Pern, and a short new section called Story & Name differences.
2/21/99	Lots of little changes have been made recently. Most notable changes are to my Disclaimer & Credits section.
2/14/99	As you can see, I've both redecorated and relocated! I have my own domain name now, so even if I need to relocate again in the future, this site's url should never change again! I redecorated so that my site finally has a nice, unified look. While it was hard to for me to axe some of my other, favorite backgrounds, I finally chose this lovely pink marble, and I think my new look does appear more professional. Now that the move has been accomplished, I hope to get back to more significant site additions! I have added Dragonsdawn to the Cast of Pern, and there's a few new people in Character Bases.
1/23/99	Site changes may slow down for a bit--I have a new job, which limits my free time.
1/15/99	I've added a few short stories to the Cast of Pern.
1/14/99	I'm starting a new feature: Cast of Pern. Includes only Dragonseye/Red Star Rising so far, but new additions will follow every few weeks. I've added several new people to Character Bases.
1/7/99	A few new links to bring to your attention: Anne's latest interview is in the Del Rey Newsletter; scroll down a ways to find it. Pern Demographics uses a fancy spreadsheet program to determine the population of modern Pern, with a discussion of variables. And I'm building a link to Jody Lynn Nye's site, because in her FAQ she discusses Pern and DLG a bit.
12/98	Yipee! As a member of the Pern Web Ring, I had the chance to enter a random drawing for an advanced copy of Anne's next book, Nimisha's Ship, and I was one of 10 winners! Find my review & the cover image on my Other Worlds of Anne site.
12/14/98	My list of corrections to the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern is now complete through the first edition (and all these corrections apply to the second as well). I've also added a few links, and done some other fiddling with my table of contents.
12/8/98	My review of the Masterharper of Pern CD is now up.
12/6/98	Lyrics from the Masterharper of Pern CD are now part of the Poetry & Songs of Pern page. Plus, I've made my own arrangement of the March of the Wings. [all pages removed as copyright infringing]
12/4/98	I've added a link to the Masterharper of Pern CD website, plus a bit of info about the cd and the upcoming Pern TV show.
11/20/98	I've revamped the trivia game to make it less tedious to try--now you just need to match a list of dragons to given descriptions.
12/6/98	The timeline now covers Dragonsdawn, Chronicles of Pern, Moreta, Masterharper of Pern, Dragonflight, Dragonquest, Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums, and The White Dragon.
	I've added some discussion threads to select afp discussions.
11/2/98	Yikes! I just discovered that my site's been screwed up for about a week! A big apology to anyone who tried visiting in that time.
	I've put up copies of all the poetry/songs found within the books, and listed it under Online Resources.
	I now have an image of the cover of The People of Pern.
	Info on the Planet Pirate/Dinosaur Planet series can now be found on my Other Worlds of Anne site.

Site created and maintained by Cheryl B. Miller, copyright © 1998-2007, all rights reserved.
All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey’s fiction are copyright © Anne McCaffrey 1967-2007,
all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author.