Yearly Archives: 2013

Published: January 15, 2013

$300K Bonus: A Favor From Pat (and more)

As I write this blog, our donation total stands at $308,000. So today we’re doing a few things.

1. Adding the 300K bonus to the fundraiser.

2. Announcing the 350K stretch goal.

3. Adding a few other cool pieces of miscellany to the fundraiser.

4. Extending the end date of the Worldbuilders until January 21st at Midnight.

The main reason for #4 is that part of the 300K bonus is going to be an auction, and I wanted to be able to run it for a full seven days.

This is the last extension, so make the most of it.

  • Two (2) Favors from Patrick Rothfuss.

For the last several fundraisers, I’ve given away a favor. I used to refer to this as “The Golden Ticket.” But I realized that I should probably do something more fitting to my own idiom, rather than keep ripping off Roald Dahl.

So now we have a gold ring, designed by Badali Jewelry. In the fine traditions of the Maer’s court, it has my name inscribed on it.

Here’s the deal. I’m giving away two of these. One is going into an auction. The other is going into the lottery.

Details as follows.

The winner of this item will receive a gold ring redeemable for one (1) favor from Patrick Rothfuss.

Possible uses for the favor include:

Asking Pat to insert your name/likeness into a future book or story.
Asking Pat’s assistance in wooing the object of your affection, preferably from under a balcony at night.
Asking Pat to read and critique your unpublished manuscript (or your published one, if you really want.)
Asking Pat give a reading/workshop at your local library or University.
Asking Pat to give a reading/workshop at your house.
Asking Pat to give a reading/workshop in your bedroom.
Asking Pat to help you move a particularly heavy couch.
Etc.

This favor has no expiration date. It can be traded, transferred, sold, or lost. In essence, the ring *is* the favor. You give the ring back when you cash in your favor. So if you lose it, you’ve kinda fucked yourself.

The nature of this favor is fairly open-ended, though some negotiation may be necessary depending on the nature of the favor. Certain ethical or legal restrictions may apply (though not as many as you might expect.) Under no circumstances will Patrick dance for you. Carnal favors must be approved by Pat’s girlfriend in advance. If you won this favor in the auction, and for any reason Pat cannot fulfill his obligation to you, he will personally refund your winning bid in exchange for the ring.

As a side note, let me add that recently, I attended the Child’s Play charity dinner out in Seattle. Partly because I love the folks at PA with a fierce love, and partly because I like to wear a tuxedo.

(I look like I’m about to start a railroad monopoly.)

And, since I was in town, I offered up a favor just like this one for the Child’s Play Auction.

It sold for over 9000 dollars.

Admittedly, at least a couple grand of that was probably due to the tux. But still, it gives you some perspective.

So. One favor is going into the lottery where anyone can win it by donating to Heifer International on our team page.

The second one is being auctioned OVER HERE.

*     *     *

  • 350k Stretch Goal: The Lockless Box. 

This year while at Origins, I had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Robert Gifford.

What transpired between us is a subject that deserves an entire blog itself. Suffice it to say that since then our relationship has burgeoned into something magical. Something that lies somewhere in-between bromance and the love that dare not speak its name.

Robert runs Geek Chic, a confederation of woodworking artisans and geeks par-excellence. They make bespoke furniture for geeks. They make furniture so beautiful that even a rough-hewn Visigoth like myself who sleeps on a mattress on the floor cannot help but crave it. 

If Worldbuilders hits 350K before January 21st, Robert has agreed to put his carpentary artificers to the task of creating the lockless box from The Wise Man’s Fear.

It will be a functional puzzle box designed by a consortium of the most profoundly crafty fuckers in existence.

If we hit 350K, Geek Chic will design the box. They will make the box. And you will be able to buy the box or win it as part of future Worldbuilders festivities.

But only if we hit 350K before January 21st.

And remember, if we hit $400,000 before January 21st, Worldbuilders will donate an extra $100,000 dollars to Heifer International.

So there’s your motivation. We’ve got one week left. Let’s spread the word.

*     *     *

And finally, a few more geeky items. Some for the lottery, some for auction.

  • Copper Knife.

Esoteric Garage made a second copper knife after the great reaction they got from me and everyone on the blog.

We’re auctioning it off here.

  • Discreet Lady’s Knife.

Since not everyone is going to need to kill something mythic. Tait and Loren designed a more practical knife for the lady who likes to be prepared for the worse.

They specifically asked that this lady’s knife be put into the lottery. As with some other items, we want to make sure that this goes to someone who really wants it, so we’ll call and ask the winner before mailing them this prize. If they don’t want it, we’ll pick names until we find someone that does.

We do this because we care. And also because we don’t want to be sued.

  • Copper Batarang.

This year we received a letter from Wayne Enterprises.

In a separate package, we also received two copper Batarangs. The perfect gift for the sociopathic billionaire in your life. Also perfect for that hard-to-shop-for confused fanboy.

Edit: We’ve run into a couple of snags with the batarang, and have taken it down.

*     *     *

Fair warning: Worldbuilders is ending soon, so if you want in on the lottery make sure to donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page before January 21st. For every $10 you pitch in, you get another chance to win thousands of books, DVD’s, knives, favors, and other mythic goodies.

Also, be warned that many auctions will be ending soon. You can view all the current auctions over here.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to our main page.

Posted in a few words you're probably going to have to look up, Geek Chic, geeking out, Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat43 Responses
Published: January 14, 2013

More Signed Books from Amazing Authors

Heya everybody. No long preamble today, just a picture from one of Heifer International’s projects.

This is Gabriela. She lives in Bolivia, and the fruit she’s holding is a cacao pod.

I thought I’d mention that Heifer doesn’t just give out chickens to people who need eggs. They also help farmers increase crop yields through sustainable agriculture. Sometimes that means teaching folks in developing countries about new farming techniques. Other times they might bring in a hive of honeybees to help pollinate crops. (And produce honey, of course.)

Other times they might give them a goat. Why? Well, in addition to producing milk, a goat produces… well, let’s just call it “organic fertilizer.” And not to put too fine a point on it, but that shit is really important if you’re a farmer.

This is what your money does when you donate to Heifer International on the Worldbuilders team page. It doesn’t just feed a kid for a week, or a month. It improves a family’s life forever. It makes a lasting impact in an entire community.

Oh yeah, if you donate, your name also goes into the lottery so you have the chance to win thousands of books.

Have we mentioned that? I’m pretty sure we’ve mentioned that….

“A supporting cast of quirky characters fully rendered in quick strokes will hold readers as surely as the complex resolution in this cozy on the bleeding edge of noir.” – Booklist

  • Auction: A first edition set of Shakespeare’s Champion, Shakespeare’s Christmas, and Shakespeare’s Trollop.  All signed by Charlaine Harris.

These are beautiful, first edition copies of each of these books, AND they’re signed.  You could buy each of these online somewhere, but they’d cost you $150 a pop.

Charlaine was generous enough to take these out of her personal library, and we’re auctioning them off here.

  • Auction: A first edition set of A Fool and His Honey, Dead Over Heels, and Three Bedrooms, One Corpse.  All signed by Charlaine Harris. 

“Harris draws the guilty and the innocent into an engrossing tale while inventing a heroine as capable and potentially complex as P. D. James’s Cordelia Gray.” – Publishers Weekly

These are all first editions, too.  You can bid on the auction over here.

“With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque.” – Sidhe Vicious Reviews

We’re putting one of these in the lottery. And one up for auction. Click here to bid.

“A fun read, a satisfying Sookie fix, and a good resource…Consider The Sookie Stackhouse Companion a fun addition to your Sookie library.” – Tor.com

Charlaine sent us two copies of this as well. So one will go into the lottery, and you can bid on the other one over here.

  • A set of Dead in the Family, Dead Reckoning, and Deadlocked. Signed by Charlaine Harris.

I’m sure you guys know about True Blood, right? Well these are the books the series is based on. Signed by the Charlaine and up for grabs in the lottery to anyone who donates on to Heifer International on the Worldbuilders Team Page.

“The anthologies edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner combine top authors from many different genres with a specific paranormal theme. This time the theme was school and it produced some unique and interesting stories.” – BadAss Book Reviews

“Beaulieu skillfully juggles elements borrowed from familiar cultures (primarily Russian and Bedouin) as well as telepathy, airborne ships, and magical gems.” – Publishers Weekly

  • Auction: Doodled manuscript and First Edition Seawitch. Both Signed by Kat Richardson.

(Click to embiggen the awesome)

This is something you don’t see very often these days. An actual paper manuscript of a book. A lot of publishers are going digital these days.

This manuscript includes some line edits, notes in the margins, and even a geographically-questionable doodle of Rhode Island (among other doodles). Kat was even kind enough to send along the completed novel, so you can read it more easily.

To bid on the awesome, click here.

Chris contacted us to donate a copy of his book.  He said he actually found us because his audio book is read by the same guy who reads Name of the Wind and Wise Man’s Fear, Nick Podehl.

We’ve got one copy of the book that we’re putting in the auction. And we have a second copy he sent along with a USB drive containing the audiobook. So we’re auctioning that one off.

“Hair-raising escapes, flashy sword fights, and faithful friendship complete the formula for good old-fashioned escapist fun.” – Publishers Weekly

Mary has been my partner in crime a few times. She’s been on Storyboard a couple of times and done an interview with me here on the blog.

What’s more, she’s one of the people playing True Dungeon with us at GenCon. (Hint, each of those links goes to an auction, if you want to come play with us….)

“Simply enchanting, and another great advance in an already impressive literary career. You’re going to love this.” – John Scalzi

Fourteen copies of the book will go into the lottery. But for those of you who simply *MUST* have one, we’re auctioning one off, too.

Stormdancer is Jay’s Debut novel. It’s met with some good praise, including a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. But if you click on the picture above, you’ll be able to read the blurb that I gave it.

Ah hell, let’s just zoom in….

Three copies of this will go into the lottery.

The fourth, along with the hilariously sweet The Little Stormdancer book Jay printed himself as a promo, is going up for auction.

  • Auction: Rejection, Romance & Royalties.  Signed by Laura Resnick.

This is an awesome book for folks interested in writing romance, written by an author who has been through it.  We’re auctioning it since it could be extremely helpful for someone who is serious about getting into the business.

Click here if you’re that person.

I’ll be completely honest with you folks. When this book showed up, I honestly thought that this book was about how to cook with… well…. real poo.

I continued to think that until just a couple days ago, when I saw Amanda flipping through the book saying, “These are some really good recipes….”

Full of fatherly concern, I had sat down to have a talk with her. Only then did I learn that Poo is the name of the Taiwanese cook who wrote the cookbook.

Fun fact:  This book won “Oddest Book Title of the Year” last year.  I wonder why…

One copy will be in the lottery. The other copy with a “I cooked with POO and I liked it” apron are going into an auction.

The cover alone makes this book worth it.  Three people in the office now want to read it based on the cover.  But if that’s not enough for you…

“All told, Plaguewalker is one of the best novels I’ve read in years.” – Paul McComas

  • The Doppelganger novels and a signed ARC of A Natural History of Dragons. Signed by Marie Brennan.  

 

Something cool here. The ARC is for of A Natural History of Dragons, which isn’t even on the shelves yet. If you win this in the lottery, you can read it before your friends do, then mock them unmercifully.

“Lady Trent is the Jane Goodall of dragonkind, and I’m glad she’s finally sharing her story with the world. From her first sparkling encounter to her discoveries in Vystrana, her memoir is sure to inspire the next generation of naturalists and dragon aficionados. This book makes me want to dissect something. In a good way.” —Jim C. Hines, author of Libriomancer

“A complex tale of magic and destiny that won’t disappoint its readers.” – Terry Brooks

  • A set of Mirages, Too Late to Call Texas, Fractal Despondency, and Butterfly Potion.  All signed by Trent Zelazny.

Trent Zelazny is the son of the late, great Roger Zelazny. He was great to the fundraiser this year, by donating a set of his novels and some of his dad’s classic books as well.

“A powerful and good writer…someone who’s been through hell and come out, I hope, the other side.” –Neil Gaiman

If you read fantasy, you really shouldn’t need us to explain to you who Zelazny is. He’s one of the greats.

This is a first edition copy of Roadmarks in gorgeous condition, donated by his son.

We’re auctioning it off, so you can click here to bid.

  • Auction: First edition of The Gathering Storm. With extras. Signed by Brandon Sanderson.

This prize comes from a few different places, but any Wheel of Time fan would be lucky to have all of it.

Brandon sent us the signed, first edition copy of The Gathering Storm. Badali sent us an Asha’man Dragon pin and a Dedicated Sword Pin. And the folks over at Team Jordan donated a shirt of your choice from Taveren Tees.

We’re auctioning the whole lot off so it ends up in the hands of a true fan.

To bid, head over here.

*     *     *

Fair warning time: Worldbuilders is ending soon, so if you want in on the lottery make sure to make your donation on the Worldbuilders Team Page. For every $10 you pitch in, you get another chance to win thousands of books and DVD’s.

There were tons of auctions in this blog, and we have even more running. You can view all of them on our current auctions over here.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to our main page.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat13 Responses
Published: January 13, 2013

Signed Art and Awesome Miscellany

This is a Worldbuilders Blog.

Today we’ve got kind of a mixed bag of cool things, a lot of it is art-related. Some of it’s comic-related. It’s really kind of a big batch of cool hodgelany.

No big preamble today. Let’s just get right to the goods.

  • A copy of the Penny Arcade Kvothe strip, signed by Gabe and Tycho.

I got a ridiculous amount of geeky joy when Penny Arcade did a strip about The Wise Man’s Fear. I count it as one of my proudest geeky achievements so far in life.

This 12″ x 18″ print is on heavy cardstock, signed by both Gabe and Tycho. I can sign it too, if you like….

If you want to celebrate Kvothe having sex with two ninjas, you can bid on this lovely item here.

  • Original Name of the Wind cover art giclee, number 22 of 1000.  Signed by Donato.

For those of you who have never seen a first edition of Name of the Wind, you might have never seen the original cover art, done by the Hugo Award winning artist Donato.

Donato was nice enough to donate some smaller giclees for to us to sell in the Tinker’s Packs. But we also have one of the numbered, full size copies as well.

It’s a beautiful print in a plastic case. This isn’t just a poster, the paper and printing are much higher quality than that.

It’s signed by Donato, and if you want, I’ll happily sign it too. But only if you win the auction over here.

This is a really cool comic concept.  Here’s what Paul had to say on his website:

“The book is an experiment in visual storytelling that attempts to use comicbook visual language in a free-form way; a kind of ‘visual poem’ on the theme of the human search for knowledge and other life, inspired by SETI, and Carl Sagan’s series Cosmos.”

So yeah.  Pretty cool.

3 of these are going into the lottery, but one will be an auction.

  • 2 sets of Zed Vol. 1, Insanely Twisted Rabbits, Parables: An Anthology.  All signed by Michel Gagné.

(Click to embiggen)

The art here is really like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s some crazy stuff.

One set will be put into the lottery, and one set is an auction over here.

  • 4 copies of the Looking for Group Omnibus.  Signed by Ryan Sohmer.

Fuck yeah you want this.  Just look at it. Can’t you hear the 2001 music playing in the background?

3 of these are going into the lottery, but one will be an auction right here.

This book is so cool.  It was a Kickstarter that turned into an awesome project.  It’s about a first time parent’s relationship with their child, and it depicts it though some truly beautiful paintings.

As a dad myself, it makes me all misty. But then again, I get weepy at the drop of a hat these days.

24 of these are going into the lottery, but we thought we’d auction one off over here.

  • Auction: Bloom County Complete Vol 4.  Signed by Berke Breathed, #441 of 500

Bloom County was one of the top comics through the ’80s. It was crazy, topical and filled with social and political commentary. At this point, this book is almost a time capsule that reflects the me-decade. The brilliant part is that Breathed’s characters and humor are timeless, keeping most of the humor accessible. 

This numbered, limited edition is signed by Breathed himself. To bid click here.

  • Auction: The Art of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice & Fire 2005 Fantasy Flight edition.

This is the first edition of The Art of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire from Fantasy Flight Publishing. It came out *ages* before the HBO show back before Martin was more famous than the Beatles, so this edition is pretty rare.

This volume includes all kinds of illustrations from sketches to full paintings, all depicting your favorite characters and scenes from Martin’s epic series.

If you’re a Martin fan, you should go bid on this over here.

Priscilla and Jim have been great to us this year.  Jim was in the 2013 calendar with Priscilla as his model, and they’ve both been extremely supportive of the cause.

They both signed this awesome, heavy-duty map and sent it along for us. To bid on it, go to the e-bay listing here.

  • Auction: A poster for Legend of Neil.  Signed by the cast.  Includes the DVD.

Legend of Neil was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on the net. Written and Directed by Sandeep Parikh, it also features Felicia Day in the memorable role of a psychotic faerie. If you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out.

The DVD came out just this year and is packed with extra awesome. Bid now.

  • Auction: A collector’s edition of Faeries.  Signed by Brian Froud. Comes with 8 prints and a pullout poster.

Originally published in 1978, this collection of world famous fantasy illustrator Brian Froud’s faerie art has become something of a benchmark by which all other faerie art is measured.  It also features 8 frameable prints of some of the more popular images in the book, as well as a pull-out poster. We don’t know what the poster is, because we didn’t pull it out. That’s for you, if you want.

If you want to see the secret poster, click here to bid on it.

  • Auction: Dreamquests: the Art of Don Maitz.  Signed and doodled by Don Maitz.

If you’re not sure if you’ve ever seen Don’s work, assume you have. He’s been doing commercial art for years, running the gamut from book covers to commercial art. If you’ve ever poured a glass of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum, you’ve seen Don’s art.

He’s everywhere. Don’t even try to escape.

Click here to bid on the awesome.

  • Auction: A copy of Tell Me a Dragon.  Signed and doodled by Jackie Morris.

This book is about dragons. Specifically, the details that set one person’s dragon apart from the dragons of others: some are big, some are small, some breathe fire, some know the music of the wind… which sounds like a cool thing to know if you ask me.

The art is really beautiful, truly above and beyond. And the artist has done more than merely sign the book, she’s drawn a dragon on the title page.

Click here to bid.

  • Auction: A hardcover copy of the French edition of La Royaume Enchanté.  Signed by Paul Kidby with a bookmark and signed promo card.

This is a gorgeous hardcover edition of the French printing of Paul Kidby’s Le Royaume Enchanté, a collection of his non-Discworld art.  It’s gorgeous, even if it’s in French so I have no idea what it says.

To bid, head over to the auction here.

Last and sure as hell not least is this shiny print of Mal and Serenity.  Jason Palmer donated it, and signed it, but even cooler is that he got Nathan Fillion to sign it too.

Bid on it. Buy it, and hang it up in your living room. Brag about it.  Show it off.

Go on. Live the dream.

*     *     *

It’s crunch time, folks.  If you want to be in the lottery, go donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page. For every $10 you pitch in, you get another chance to win thousands of books and DVD’s.

There were tons of auctions in this blog, and we have even more running. You can view all of our current auctions over here.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to our main page.

Posted in hodgelany, Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat12 Responses
Published: January 13, 2013

My Terrible Surprise – The Dreaded High School Novel

A couple days ago, Mary Robinette Kowal asked if I’d care to donate an act of whimsy to a fundraiser she was planning to Sequence Jay Lake’s Cancer.

I said I’d be happy to, and she put me in as their $17,500 goal, tucked between Scalzi and Gaiman like the ham in a coolness sandwich.

I had a couple ideas for what I could do, but wasn’t sure what would sound best, so I told Mary to put me down for “A terrible surprise.”

I figured I’d have at least a week or two before I had to come up with anything. Plenty of time for me to wrap up my own fundraiser, finish a story I have due, and do my amazingly good Kermit the Frog impression singing Rainbow Connection.

Or maybe I’d dig out my Dr Horrible lab coat and engage in a little mad science on my webcam…

Then Mary launched her fundraiser raised more than 20,000 in a single day.

Which was cool. Don’t get me wrong. But it meant I owed them something whimsical NOW.

Unfortunately, I have a bit of a cold right now, so singing is out. And all my glassware is boxed up in the basement. So I decided I’d post up a poem I wrote twenty years ago when I’d first started reading Terry Pratchett. It was called “A Wizard’s Staff has a Knob on the End.”

Despite the fact that I wrote it ages ago, and I can still remember the first few lines:

Oh wizard’s staffs are long and hard and known throughout the land.
A sight to heed, and fear indeed, is a wizard, staff in hand.
 

It’s everything you’d expect, a long, metrical double entendre. Fanfic I wrote before I knew what fanfic was….

Here’s the problem. I can’t find it. Not in my computer files, and not in the hoarder-esque boxes of old writing I keep squirreled away. Not anywhere.

But I did find something else. A piece of the novel I wrote in high-school.

While it isn’t terribly whimsical in and of itself, I’ll post it up here in a whimsical way, laying open my secret shame for everyone to see.

For you youngsters out there, this is what a dot matrix printout looks like. It’s the closest thing to a cuneiform tablet you’ll ever see.

I started this novel when I was 15-16. It’s the characters are D&D characters created by me and my friends.

This is the start of chapter 4. Don’t worry about being brought into the middle of things. So far the novel has consisted of two flashbacks and a dream sequence. The only action has been our three intrepid adventurers (A barbarian, a dwarf, and a Cat-Man samurai) have moved from one bar to another and  been given a quest by a monk named Dron.

Brace yourselves….

*     *     *

     Lambernath, the all seeing, stood wiping his clean oak bar with his clean, white, linen cloth. As his hand continued it’s unceasing movement it’s owner watched the four figures at the bar and silently gave thanks that there was more to be seeing lately.

     His eyes slowly passed over them all in turn, first the self proclaimed monk, Dron, who had sat waiting at his bar for nearly a week for a band of adventurers to respond to the leaflets that he had posted all over the town. Lambernath knew how anxious he was for help after the many long hours slowly sipping wine in the Cask. Lambernath had known when the trio of adventurers came in that the monk would do everything he could to sign them up.

     Still polishing, Lambernath looked over the dwarf sitting next to Dron. He seemed to be the stereotypical dwarf, his beard was more jet than silver and bristled out from his face and hung down to his waist. His commonplace chain mail hauberk hung to his knees and hooded his head, nothing surprising, as a matter of fact he had seldom seen an adventuring dwarf clad in anything else. His weapons though smaller than the battle axes that so many dwarves preferred were axes nonetheless. His ruddy complexion, fondness of ale, long pointed nose, the swagger and boisterous manner all perfectly dwarven. ‘If I saw him in a room full of mercenaries I wouldn’t notice him at all.’ All of these things viewed together make what a dwarf is expected to be, but it was too perfect and thus suspect.

     Lambernath shook his head as if to clear it, and chastised himself for thinking too much. “Just a dwarf,” he though, “they’ve never been much for originality anyway.”

     Following in dwarven tradition, instead of hammering out the details of the deal Deverax preceded to get hammered.

     Dismissing the dwarf from his mind, the magic user turned his attention to the two oddly matched friends that sat, huddled together. One was dressed in simple leathers, unremarkable except for their size. Occasionally they creaked as Kahn’s muscles bulged when he gestured to emphasize something he was saying. Lambernath strained to hear what they were talking about, but their speech was nonsense, unlike any of the half dozen languages he was fluent in, or another dozen that he could recognize.

     The other’s garb was foreign, and though the eyes of Lambernath the all seeing had beheld many things, they had never seen anything like what the black cloth mask and half cloak hid. His curiosity piqued, he brought to memory every reference to human/animal crossbreeding he could. But nothing matched up. The magic required to make a mating between two different species would be enormous. And the result would probably be much more animal than human. Lycanthropy seemed out too, the change from human to animal was quick and at both human and animal stages the lycanthrope was virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

     After a long moment of deep thought on the subject Lambernath gave it up as another one of the many things that he would probably never know.
The three seemed to be well prepared on the physical side of the adventure, But it was always a good plan to have a cleric or a mage along on an adventure. Or, if you could manage it, both. This group had neither, and aside from the obvious magical benefits that come with a wizardly companion, it was good to have someone along to do the heavy thinking. Fighters never were much good at that.

     “Admit it.” Lambernath said to himself, “You want to go with them, you’ve tried the life of an innkeeper and it bores you!” But another part of him wanted to stay where he was, where it was safe. This part had been stung by the dwarf’s remarks about mages. Meant to goad Dron, the bars had hit home with Lambernath instead. Finally he decided on a course of action, he would make his availability known and wait to see what happened. But they would have to ask him, his wounded pride demanded that much.

     Lambernath turned to the dwarf, obviously the leader of the group. His mind working out the perfect thing to say to him. Something that would suggest his availability without making it seem as if they couldn’t handle the adventure themselves (even though they couldn’t) , something that wouldn’t make it seem as if he really wanted to go (even though he did), and most importantly something to appear to the dwarf’s rough nature. In the second that this took, Lambernath turned to Deverax to find that the dwarf was staring intently at him. Cool and calculating, the dwarf’s icy blue eyes showed no hint of the ale that Lambernath had seen him consume.

     Lambernath started to wonder how long the dwarf had been watching him while he had been watching the dwarf’s friends. The carefully thought out words lay forgotten and unused, indeed useless under that gaze.

     They’ll do just fine without me, Lambernath though. He dropped his eyes to the hand that still polished the bar. He stopped the hand and turned his back on the bar. When he spoke his voice was oddly subdued.

     “More ale, anyone?”

*     *     *

Ahhh…. The terrible commas. The recurrent it’s ~ its mistakes. The obsessive internal monologue. The over-description. The cloying reek of cliche….

Best of all, you should know that Lambernath wasn’t a main character in the book. He wasn’t even a secondary character. He was just the innkeeper. The next day everyone left the inn and you never saw him again. He had no business being a POV character.

Simply said, it’s a train wreck.

Here’s the thing. Am I glad I wrote this book? Were the hundreds of hours I spent slaving away at it worthwhile?

Absolutely.

The whole purpose of your early writing is to make mistakes so you can get them out of your system. That’s what first novels are for.

You can see a few good ideas in there, desperately struggling to raise their heads out of the morass of mistake. I was trying to build mystery. (The cat man was actually a Kensai with a magical curse in his past.) I was trying (and failing) to figure out what a plot was.

And I was trying to show that while the dwarf *looked* cliche, there was something more to him that just a stereotype. It was my first fumbling attempt to twist a genre trope into something fresh and new. Not that I knew what the word “trope” meant back then….

And of course, you can see that Lambernath contains the seeds of a very, very early proto-Kvothe.

 (Photo Courtesy of Deviantart.)

If I hadn’t written that terrible book. If I hadn’t made the pointless decision to have the characters move from one bar to another. If I hadn’t foolishly switched POV to focus on a character that was utterly useless to the story, I might never have written Kvothe. Which pretty much means The Name of the Wind wouldn’t exist.

Anyway, I hope y’all have found this at least slightly amusing. Thanks so much for helping out Jay.

*     *     *

And if any of y’all are still feeling altruistic, you could always check out my fundraiser: Worldbuilders. We’re giving away thousands of books to encourage people to donate to charity.

You can click here if you’re interested in the details.

Posted in Dr. Horrible, fanfic, Fuck Cancer, My checkered past, Stories about stories., the craft of writing | By Pat25 Responses
Published: January 11, 2013

Signed Books by Gaiman and Pratchett

Those of you who have been following Worldbuilders for a couple years will probably recognize this book.

It’s a book with a story behind it. And the story goes like this.

2008: A Gift from Gaiman.

In 2008 I was still a newbie author, hardly published for more than a year. On a whim, I decided to try raising money for Heifer International on my blog. Things quickly spiraled out of control as other authors pitched in, spreading the word about the fundraiser and donating books.

The pinnacle of the coolness/madness came when Neil Gaiman mentioned us to his vast legion of readers. He also donated a rare ARC of Stardust to the cause.

Unfortunately, mail was slow around the holidays, so we couldn’t use the book until….

2009: Stardust for the people.

We had this beautiful book. This beautiful, *rare* book. And I was having a hard time deciding how best to use it. I knew we could auction it off and raise at least a thousand dollars, maybe a couple thousand dollars, but that didn’t seem right somehow.

So I decided to put it into the lottery, that way anyone who donated to Heifer on our team page would have a chance at winning it. That seemed fair to me, more egalitarian.

At the end of the fundraiser someone wins the book. And in an amazing fit of generosity, they donate it back to Worldbuilders. Their one stipulation is that we auction it off next year, so it will bring in more money for Heifer.

2010: Stardust on the Auction Block.

During year three of Worldbuilders, we auctioned off all manner of things. And, as the previous winner requested, we put Gaiman’s copy of the Stardust ARC up on e-bay too.

After some fierce bidding it sold for over $2500 to a lovely guy named Dan. There were many high-fives in Worldbuilders central. We were sad to see the book go, but $2500 bucks buys a lot of goats.

But when I e-mailed Dan to arrange shipping, he said he wanted to donate the book back to Worldbuilders.

I asked Dan if he was sure. He said he was sure. I asked Dan how he got to be so cool, and he said he was inspired by the story of how last year’s winner re-donated the book.

But most of the credit, he said, should go to his mom. She always made a point of donating to charity even though she never had a lot of money. Not only that, but she was a died-in-the-wool geek like the rest of us: she read fantasy and sci-fi, she played Infocom games…

From everything I’ve heard, she sounds like my kind of lady.

Dan told me she had passed away recently, and that most of the money he inherited from her went into buying this book. He thinks she would be proud and happy to know that the money will go to helping as many people as possible through Heifer.

Dan also said that he was a big Gaiman fan, and that he hoped that this whole exchange didn’t give Gaiman a complex because nobody would keep his book….

His only stipulation was that we put the book back into the lottery next year, so anyone can win it….

2011: Full Circle.

 

We put the ARC back in the lottery to much cheering. After picking the prizes, I call the winner, Maayan, to set up shipping (because you don’t want something like this to be a surprise on a doorstep).

Maayan tells me no.  She wants it back in the fundraiser.  It’s sort of a thing now.

So I send her a box of books as a “Thanks for being cool” present.

And now we go back to our roots. It’s back in the lottery, where anyone can win it.

  • A rare, numbered ARC of Stardust.  Signed by Neil Gaiman.

This beautiful book comes with its own slipcase.  Numbered 28 out of 250.  Signed.

Rest assured that the book is in immaculate shape. It’s been cocooned in bubble wrap for years. If you win it, you can finally give it a loving home, and Neil can sleep a little sounder knowing that someone out there has finally claimed his book.

All it takes is a donation chance of winning it if you donate at least $10 to Heifer International on our team page by January 21st.

*     *     *

Only one person can win the Stardust ARC, so this year we’re putting in some extra Gaiman items to spread the joy around. Some are auctions, some are in the lottery.

We have some books and posters signed by Pratchett, too. And this seems like a good place to put them, given that we’ve got a copy of Good Omens signed by both Pratchett *and* Gaiman up for grabs too.

  • Stardust, Fragile Things, and Neverwhere audio books by Neil Gaiman.

If you haven’t ever heard Neil Gaiman read his own work, you owe it to yourself to make that happen. Someday I hope to be half the narrator he is.

How good is he? Well, we listened to Neverwhere on the drive back from ChiCon last summer, and it kept Oot transfixed and quiet for hours.  So it’s practically magic.

  • Telling Tales and Speaking in Tongues audio CDs by Neil Gaiman.

These are a bit more rare.  They were published Dreamhaven Books, which makes them extra cool, and also means that’s really the only place you can get them easily.

Or, you could donate some money to the Team Page and have a chance to win them while making the world suck less.

  • Auction: Warning: Contains Language audio CD.  Signed by Neil Gaiman.

This CD was also published by Dreamhaven. It’s got a bunch of stuff from his Angels & Visitations collection, with music provided by illustrator/director/all around renaissance man Dave McKean. There’s even a hidden track, but don’t worry. It’s not too hidden.

To bid on this auction, head over here.

“Set in ancient Japan, this story is a haunting fable of ill-fated love and dream-eating monsters, told in an illustrated text format, and painted by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano.”

  • Auction: An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer poster.  Signed by Neil Gaiman.

(Lead weights not included.  Those are mine and I need them. Because.  Because reasons)

Here’s something cool.  It’s a promotional poster from the tour Neil and Amanda did. These weren’t easy to get at the time, and odds are if someone has one now, they’re probably going to keep it.

Added Bonus? It’s fuzzy.  I want to touch it, but Maria keeps slapping my hand away.

To bid, click here for the auction.

Gaiman has done some great kids books besides Coraline.  This is one of them.  It’s not quite as dark as Coraline, but Odd is no less clever.  Some day Oot will meat a bear, a fox and an eagle, and I know he’ll be prepared for his adventure because of this book.

“Using several figures from Norse mythology, Gaiman has written a thoughtful and quietly humorous fantasy that younger Percy Jackson fans will enjoy.” – Library Journal

  • The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish.  Signed and doodled by Neil Gaiman.

Kids trade the darndest things. I only hope that if Oot trades me off for something that he’s savvy enough to get more than a couple goldfish.  I’d like to think I’m worth at least an iguana or two.  Or one of those brightly colored, poisonous frogs, the kind you use for lickin’.

“A bittersweet, guffaw-out-loud story from the most distinctive partnership in picture books today.” – The Guardian

 

Blueberry Girl is an awesome children’s book that encourages unconventional girls to keep it up.  As usual, Gaiman manages to be relentlessly inspiring without being saccharine.  If you know anybody who happens to have a daughter, be a daughter, or be at all human, you may need to get this for them.  Crazy Hair is goofy and weird and awesome.  It involves hair, something I’m pretty familiar with.  It also must be read out loud, even if you’re by yourself.

“Fans of Gaiman and Vess will pounce on this creation; so too will readers who seek for their daughters affirmation that sidesteps traditional spiritual conventions.” – Publishers Weekly

“Provoking questions about what it is to be free in thought and form, this is a work of unique luminescence that may well change the way hair is looked at forever” – The Bookseller

The auction for Blueberry Girl is here.  The auction for Crazy Hair is here.

Here we have a children’s book from Discworld that Pratchett references in the book Snuff. I honestly didn’t know it even existed until it showed up for the fundraiser. I guess that makes me a bad fan.

Given how much I liked his other discworld children’s book: “Where is my Cow?” I’m eager to read this one, too.

Click here and bid on it.

Some of y’all may not have seen what Terry Pratchett does when he signs books.  He’s got a stamp AND a cool foil sticker.  I wish I had thought of something like this.

(Click to Embiggen)

This book is super awesome.  It’s rare, first edition, and double signed.  And it’s in the lottery. Only donors can win it.

This, however, is not in the lottery.  We got some really cool Pratchett/Kidby art this year, and this print is one of the coolest.

To bid on the print, click here.

Discworld is something everyone needs to read at some point.  If not all of them, at least a few.

A good place to start is here, with the first one that was published.  It even has a decent mini-series you can watch as well.  Though, as always, the book is better.

This copy is even the UK edition.  It has a “u” in “colour” so you know it’s fancy.

And here it is.  The big one.  A double signed, UK edition of Good Omens.  This has a beautiful dust jacket that represents both the angel and demon characters. Signed by Pratchett and Gaiman both.

If you want to bid on it, you should click here.

*     *     *

You should make sure to make your donation on the Worldbuilders Team Page by January 21st. For every $10 you pitch in, you get another chance to win thousands of books and DVD’s.

You can view all of our current auctions over here to check on all of our last-minute awesome that needed to get out.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to our main page.

Posted in Stardust ARC, Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat37 Responses
Published: January 9, 2013

Geekery for Gamers

This is a Worldbuilders Blog.

Today’s blog centers around one of my favorite types of geekery: Gaming.

It’s no secret that I’ve been a gamer from way back. I played PC games back when they were only text. I played D&D in the days of the red box and dice you had to color in yourself with crayon.

And, of course, my prowess in Catan is legendary. I have never been beaten at Catan.

*Note: Some people claim to have beaten me at Catan, but let me assure you that these are nothing more than fever dreams or elaborate fantasies constructed by sad individuals.

Here’s the tricky bit. Everyone has a particular flavor of game that they’re partial to.

For example, some people would love to win, a set of handmade copper dice. (Details below.) While other folks don’t really need to roll damage for a heavy flail very often and would much prefer to win the Collector’s edition of Mists of Pandera, signed by 40 members of the Blizzard development team.

So, rather than leave things to random chance, we’re auctioning off today’s items. That way everyone can have what they like best. (You can see a full listing of all current Worldbuilders auctions here.)

And, as time is tight, I’d take it as a great kindness if you helped spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested in the following.

Now, on to the show.

  • Play some Four Corners Tabletop with Pat Rothfuss at GenCon.

Last year, as an experiment, I ran a game at a small con and auctioned off the seats for Worldbuilders.

It went over surprisingly well. We had a good, geeky time and raised some money for charity.

But I also realized something. I’m not great at running a one-shot game. I’m more of a long-rambly-journey-of-self-discovery sort of GM.

Luckily, I happen to know someone who’s a much better GM than I am.

So this year I’ve roped my long time friend and gaming buddy Todd. He’s going to run a game at Gencon. It will be set in the University, and I’m going to play Kvothe.

You can and play too, if you like.

To our infinite delight, GenCon is giving Worldbuilders their official support. They’ve given us a room at the con, and will be giving away 4-day badges for the folks that win seats at the gaming table.

The game will be Friday August 16th. It will start at 1pm and run for 4 hours. This auction does NOT include travel or hotel arrangements for the event.

Game system will be determined before Gen Con and pre-made characters will be provided so we can get to playing more quickly. (Rest assured, Todd and I will be in contact before the convention to find out what sort of character you’d like to play before generating the characters.)

For more information, or to bid on the chance to game in the Four Corners, auction 1 is here, auction 2 is here, auction 3 is here.

Last year when I was at GenCon, King of the Internet and all around hoopy frood Wil Wheaton introduced me to True Dungeon.

It was magical. I’ve been meaning to blog about it ever since, but I never got around to it. Suffice to say that it was among the coolest, most enjoyable gaming experiences of my entire life.

We went through with a team of other geeks, including John Scalzi, Brandon Sanderson, and Robert Gifford.

Okay. I don’t look like I’m loving it there.  That may be a bad example.  But we were running through the puzzle track, and honestly that room with the anvil puzzle fucking baffled me.

I can’t believe the other folks figured it out. Some of that shit was *hard.*

There.  That’s better.  You can see the awesome here. We’d just whooped ass all over a dragon.

After playing, I got in touch with the folks that run True Dungeon, mostly so I could gush about how much I loved it. And at the end of things, they offered to donate a dungeon run to Worldbuilders.

I’m filling up half the party with geeks I know and love, and we’re auctioning off the rest of the places in the party to you.

Right now, our celebrity geeks include authors Mary Robinette Kowal, (Who has been my guest on Storyboard.) and Jim Hines (Who wrote Libriomancer.) They’ve also both won Hugo Awards, now that I’m thinking of it, which makes me feel rather small.

Other geek guests will be added as I hear back from people about their schedules.

The game will be Saturday, August 17th 2013 at 2:00pm and last for 2 hours.  This auction does NOT include travel or hotel arrangements for the event. Unlike the last auction, this one does NOT come with badges to GenCon – you need to get those yourself!

You know you want this. Auction 1 is here, auction 2 is here, auction 3 is here, and auction 4 is here.

A while ago, we were contacted by a lovely lady named Jessica.  Here’s what she sent us:

“This  year PAX registration for 3 day passes sold out in a day. Luckily, I was alert and managed to register for 2 passes before this happened. Not so luckily I found out soon after that I would not be attending the convention. As I was about to login and cancel my registration it occurred to me that hey, maybe I can put these passes to good use!”

Jessica could have gone online and tried to sell them to the teaming masses trying to get into this fabulous sold-out event. But she didn’t. She donated them to Worldbuilders. Because she’s awesome.

Again, please note that this auction does not come with travel or hotel arrangements.

To bid, head over here.

  • Pathfinder Books: Core Rulebook & Inner Sea World Guide (both signed by Paizo staff), Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic, Nightglass, City of the Fallen Sky, and Death’s Heretic signed by James L. Sutter.

I’ve only recently started to dabble with Pathfinder, but I have to say that what I’ve seen has impressed me. A lot. Some of the advice in their books has changed the way I’ve thought about running a game, and even influenced my storytelling somewhat.

This pack has everything you need to get started and then some. PLUS, two of the books are signed by the folks at Paizo.

To see more pictures, or bid on the this auction click here.

  • Eclectic gamer pack: Millennium Falcon Haynes manual, signed Mistrunner Core Rulebook, Champions Complete rulebook, and a copy of the Dwarven Cookbook.

Here’s why you want this: 1. Millennium Falcon. 2. Mistrunner is post-apocalyptic steampunk fantasy. 3. Champions is HERO system, which also happens to be my favorite gaming system, which means it’s the best system. 4. This cookbook looks awesome.  Seriously.

We’ve got two of these sampler packs. You can bid on the first one here. Or the second one over here.

  • Auctions: Copper Dice: A set of three & a set of two.

Tait and Lorren, who made my copper knife I blogged about, sent us some cool stuff this year.  They sent the copper rings that sold out in the store, and they also sent us awesome gaming dice.

We’re auctioning off two different sets of these dice. We’ve got a  two-die set you can bid on if you’re a D&D type, and you need to roll damage for, say, flaming sphere.

Or, if you play in Hero system like me, then you can bid on the set of three.

  • Auction: World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Collector’s edition.  Signed by Blizzard staff. Also comes with Rise of the Horde by Christie Golden.

In addition to being hand-signed by over 40 members of the Blizzard Staff, this Collector’s Edition of Mists of Pandaria includes the full  version of the game on DVD-ROM and contains the following exclusive  bonus items:

  • Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray.
  • Collector’s Edition Soundtrack CD.
  • 208-page hardcover tome featuring never-before-seen art from the  expansion.

Also included is a copy of Rise of the Horde signed by the author.

To bid, head over to the auction here.

  • Auction: Diablo III collector’s edition and Moon of the Spider by Richard A. Knaak.

Pat’s note: I once played Diablo II for a month straight rather than prep for my GRE.

The auction is here.  Bid to your heart’s content.

  • Auction: Starcraft Battle Chest and the Wings of Liberty expansion pack.

Back in the day, I was able to beat the original Starcraft while playing against three computer AIs turned up to their highest difficulty setting. True story.

If you can’t say the same, you might want to Bid over here.

  • 5 copies of A Dwarven Cookbook.  Signed by Stephanie Drummonds and Daniel Meyers.

And, because I can’t let an entire blog go by without putting *something* into the lottery. We’re going to throw in five copies of the Dwarven Cookbook.

You have to read this book description:

“The Dwarven Cookbook: Recipes from the Kingdom of Kathaldum provides a look into the often ignored world of Dwarven cuisine. Carefully translated from the original manuscript, this book contains recipes interpreted for the modern kitchen. The editors have striven to remain true to the original intent, but some dishes have been updated to make them more accessible to the modern palate. While reflecting the traditions of Dwarven culture, the text also displays a rich diversity in flavors and spicing.”

*     *     *

Fair warning time: Worldbuilders ends January 18th, so if you want in on the lottery make sure to make your donation on the Worldbuilders Team Page. For every $10 you pitch in, you get another chance to win thousands of books and DVD’s.

There were tons of auctions in this blog, and we have even more running. You can view all of our current auctions over here.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to our main page.

If you have enjoyed the experience of this blog, why not share it with your friends?

Share and Enjoy,

pat

Posted in a billion links, Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat40 Responses
Published: January 8, 2013

So Many Signed Books from DAW

I’ve always been fond of DAW.

When I was a kid, DAW was one of the few publishers I recognized. I thought their logo was cool, and I remember spending an embarrassing amount of time time trying to get the initials of my name to fit together in some sort of artistic way….

Though part of that was Tolkien’s fault too.

Later in my life, after working on my fantasy trilogy for years and years, I was beginning to despair. My book was so big. Really big. Really kind of insanely big. Who would read this bloated monstrosity? Did anyone even print books this big?

Then I read The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. My first real exposure to the genre I now think of as BFF (Big Fat Fantasy.) It was a long fantasy book. It was huge.

And there, right on the spine, was DAW’s logo.

Since then my fondness for DAW has only grown. Not only do they publish some of my favorite authors. Not only do they publish some of my favorite books. They publish my books. Call me old fashioned, but I really appreciate that sort of behavior.

The cherry on top of my adoration sundae is the fact that DAW has always been a big supporter of Worldbuilders.

This year, when we announced Worldbuilders was taking on official sponsors, DAW jumped in with both feet. They sent us hundreds of books. So many books we can’t fit them into a single blog.

Today we’re showing off the series they’ve sent us, as you can see in the pictures below, most of these have signed bookplates.

We’re running a few auctions, but the vast majority of these are going into our  lottery where you can win them (and thousands of others) by donating directly to Heifer International over on our Worldbuilders Team Page.

Why would you want to donate to Heifer International, I hear you ask?

Because this.

Heifer International isn’t just about giving people goats and cows. They also train farmers to improve their crop yields, provide clean water to communities, and help little kids get an education.

That’s right folks. Your donation does all that *plus* you get a chance to win free books.

Let’s take a look….

  • Discount Armageddon and an ARC of Midnight Blue-Light Special. With bookplates from by Seanan Maguire.

Seanan Maguire won the Hugo award this year, so you know she’s cool.

What’s more, these copies of Midnight Blue-Light Special that DAW sent us are ARCs. They’re early copies. The book won’t be hitting the shelf until March…

That means if you win it, you get to read the book before your friends and gloat about it on Goodreads. Not that I condone that sort of behavior.

“Discount Armageddon is ultimately entertaining, light and fun. I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, but given McGuire’s popularity, I couldn’t resist trying this for myself and despite my reservations, was pleasantly surprised.” – SF Signal

We’ve one one of these in the lottery, and one in an auction. To bid head over here.

  • The October Daye series.  With bookplates signed by Seanan Maguire.

“Well researched, sharply told, highly atmospheric and as brutal as any pulp detective tale, this promising start to a new urban fantasy series is sure to appeal to fans of Jim Butcher or Kim Harrison.” – Publishers Weekly

  • Renevant Eve, Blood Spirits, and Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith.

“Recalling The Count of Monte Cristo and The Prisoner of Zenda in plot and theme, this cross-world fantasy/romance should appeal to YA and adult fans of the genre.” – Library Journal

Y’all may recall the beautiful hand-drawn map Sherwood sent along with her own donation of these books earlier.  She’s clearly willing to go the extra mile for the fundraiser, and that alone makes her cool.

“A fantasy world fit for the most discriminating medieval partisan.” – Publishers Weekly

  • My Life as a White  Trash Zombie and Even White  Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland.  

Pat’s note: This has to be one of my favorite titles for a book ever.

“I highly recommend this series for those looking for something different in that jam-packed field. I think you’ll love the character and the detail of the zombie worldbuilding.” – Joshua Palmatier

We’ve got one set of these in the lottery, and one in an auction. To bid click here.

  • The Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott.  One set in the lottery, one set (with signed bookplates) in an auction.

“Elliott demonstrates her talent for combining magic and intrigue.” – Library Journal

To bid on the set with the bookplates, head over here.

  • The Foreigner Series.  With signed bookplates by C.J. Cherryh.

“The Foreigner series is about as good as it gets… so finely and densely wrought that you may end up dreaming of sable-skinned giants with gold eyes, and the silver spun delicacy of interstellar politics.” – SF Site

“Messiah is an excellent conclusion to a consistently good series and proves that S. Andrew Swann is one of science fiction’s most underrated authors.” – SF Signal

“This is a book that you would want on your shelf, as it is a story that is both captivating, intelligent, and excellently wrought in the telling.” – Fantasy Book Review

We’ve put one of these in the lottery, and one in an auction over here.

“Gleeful, clever… [Resnick] spins a witty, fast-paced mystery around her convincingly self-absorbed chorus-girl heroine.” – Publishers Weekly

Fun fact: Jennifer Roberson is also a breeder of Cardigan Welsh Corgis.

And now you know.

“Some say Michelle West has been propelled into the ranks of George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb—I say that she’s been there all along and it’s about time she was noticed as such.” – Night Owl Reviews

  • The Mirror Lands series.  With signed bookplates by Violette Malan.

“Violette Malan has accomplished that most difficult fusions – she’s given a complex, high fantasy world a very readable contemporary voice.” – Tanya Huff

We’ve one one of these in the lottery, and one in an auction. Bidding happens over here.

  • The Magister Trilogy, the Braxi/Azea duology, The Madness Season, and This Alien Shore, by C.S. Friedman.

“This is space opera in the best sense: a combination of high-stakes adventure with a strong focus on ideas and characters whose fate an intelligent reader can care about.” – New York Newsday

  • The Elemental Masters series.  With signed bookplates by Mercedes Lackey.

“This is Lackey at her best, mixing whimsy and magic with a fast-paced plot.” – Publishers Weekly

  • The Collegium Chronicles series.  With signed bookplates by Mercedes Lackey.

“Lackey is a spellbinding storyteller who keeps your heart in your mouth as she spins her intricate webs of magical adventure.”  – Rave Reviews

  • A set of every single book released by DAW in 2012.

(If you click to embiggen, you can read every title)

This is something cool DAW came up with all on their own. They sent us one of every book that they published this year.

I *wish* we would have thought of something like that.

This is all one prize, folks. 52 books. One for every week of this next year. And we’re throwing it into the lottery, because we love you.

And remember, DAW loves you too.

*     *     *

Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on our Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and many, many more.

We have some auctions going on, including those here, so go over to the Worldbuilders eBay page and check them out.

Or, if you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to the main page here.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat17 Responses

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