Category Archives: Worldbuilders 2011

Published: December 12, 2011

Books From DAW

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

DAW is my publisher, and understandably close to my heart. They’re the ones that took a risk on me back in the day, and decided to print The Name of the Wind. That also means, in a roundabout way, that if not for DAW, Worldbuilders wouldn’t exist, either.

As if that weren’t enough, they’ve also donated boxes of lovely books to the fundraiser as well….

  • A first edition, hardcover set of Shadowmarch by Tad Williams: Shadowmarch, Shadowplay, Shadowrise and Shadowheart.

“Tad Williams is already regarded as one of fantasy’s most skilled practitioners, and this latest work more than confirms that status.” – Amazing Stories

  • Two sets of Sorrow, Memory and Thorn by Tad Williams: The Dragonbone Chair, Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower.

Pat’s Note: Back when I was working on the early drafts of what would become the Kingkiller Chronicle, these books had a huge impact on me. They were huge, complex books, and seeing them in print gave me hope that someday I might actually be able to publish my book too….

“Epic fantasy you can get lost in for days, not just hours” – Locus

  • One first edition hardcover copy of This Alien Shore by C. S. Friedman.

“C. S. Friedman makes fantastic things — and frightening things — seem very real. Her characters are people, not just place-holders, and the worlds she creates are as tangible as a live feed from the battlefront or a crash-landing in a savage and unfamiliar wilderness. ” – Tad Williams

“Space opera with brains.” – Locus

  • A first edition hardcover set of Fool’s Gold by Jude Fisher: Sorcery Rising, Wild Magic, and The Rose of the World.

“The nerve-wracking, intoxicating conclusion of the Fool’s Gold series is the fabulous, multilayered, poetic story of a world, full of complex, painfully real, endearingly vulnerable characters, on the very brink of either enlightenment or extinction.” – Booklist (starred Review)

  • A first edition hardcover set of The Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey: The Serpent’s Shadow, Phoenix and Ashes, The Wizard of London, and Reserved for the Cat.

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

“… blends historical fiction with folklore and mythology to create a fantasy suitable for all ages.” – The Barnes & Noble Review

  • A hardcover set of The Mage Winds Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey: Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, and Winds of Fury.

“Lackey’s talent for world building comes to the fore in her vivid description of the Hawkbrothers’ culture, while her strength of characterization remains constant. Fans of the popular Valdemar series will create a demand for this solid fantasy.” – Library Journal

  • A first edition hardcover set of Valdemar: Darian’s Tale by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon: Owlsight, Owlflight and Owlknight.

“[Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon are] an unbeatable team in fantastic magic and adventure.” – Kliatt

“Prolific writer Lackey tackles the complex legend of King Arthur’s queens in this compelling and heart-wrenching retelling… Lackey reweaves old tales to create something new and powerful, with a compelling and sympathetic heroine, is this retelling’s strength.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Made with the active assistance of Mercedes Lackey, creator of the fantasy kingdom of Valdemar, and DAW editor Betsy Wollheim, this is about as official a companion as there could be. It is high time, too, since Valdemar is beginning to rival Darkover in the number of stories set there and in the multitude of its fans. ” – Booklist

  • A set of the collected volumes of The Novels of Tiger and Del by Jennifer Roberson: Sword-Dancer & Sword-Singer, Sword-Maker & Sword-Breaker, and Sword-Born & Sword-Sworn.

“Sword-Dancer is an admirable introduction to the six-volume adventures of Tiger and Del, one of fantasy’s more popular and appealing odd couples…. Roberson comes out swinging and delivers some dramatically powerful sequences.” – SF Reviews.net

Original Stories Based on the Song of Janis Ian.

“This dazzling, highly original anthology, ignited by the meeting of songwriter Ian and a host of SF writers affected by her music at the 2001 Worldcon, showcases 30 mostly superior stories, each based on one of her songs.” – Publisher’s Weekly

  • One first edition hardcover set and one trade paperback set of the Coldfire trilogy by C. S. Friedman: Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls and Crown of Shadows.

“Some of the best writing I have seen in quite a while, and the ending is excellent. Very highly recommended.” – Science Fiction Review

  • One first edition hardcover copy of The Collected Short Fiction of C. J. Cherryh.

“This massive and valuable collection reprints all of Cherryh’s short fiction, beginning with the contents of two out-of-print theme collections […] Cherryh crafts even less impressive stories well enough to verify her reputation for brilliance and versatility.” – Booklist

“Lackey’s latest juices up the plot of the ballet Swan Lake… This is well-crafted Lackey, which means well-crafted period, fully appreciable without any prior knowledge… Heartily recommended.” – Booklist

  • A hardcover set of the Smoke series  by Tanya Huff: Smoke and Shadows, Smoke and Mirrors, and Smoke and Ashes.

“A wild romp, full of dark humor, a delightfully twisted version of the usual haunted house story.” – Locus

“A master of urban fantasy.” – Library Journal.

  • A hardcover set of Green Rider, First Rider’s Call and The High King’s Tomb by Kristen Britain.

“Green Rider is a stunning first novel for what I hope will be a long career of story-telling and suspenseful intrigue. You’ve a really talented new writer here.” – Anne McCaffrey

*     *     *

Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others.

What’s more, Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donations. So if you chip in before January 31st of 2012, you get a bigger bang for your buck.

To see the other books folks have donated, as well as our auctions, and the items we’re selling in the store, you can head over to our main page HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat21 Responses
Published: December 9, 2011

Signed Books From Ireland

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

As you know, most of the books donated to Worldbuilders come from publishers, authors, and the occasional cool bookstore.

Last year that changed a bit when I mentioned that Worldbuilders would be happy to accept cool books from just about anyone.

When I did that, a lot of folks contacted us, pitching in cool books and other assorted geekery (Parts of which we’ll be seeing soon.)

But one person from Ireland went above and beyond. For the last year, Keith Brunkard has been sending a steady stream of signed books to us. Many of them from Irish and English authors.

When we asked him why he was so cool, Keith’s explained that he’s sending books to:

1. Help raise money for Worldbuilders.
2. Give people signed books they might not otherwise have a chance at.
3. Promote writers that he particularly likes.

.

In other news, Keith and his master goldsmith friend Doug have been working with Vincent Chong (who has donated some lovely art prints which we will see later in the blog) and have produced a bookmarker in silver based off of Vincent Chong’s artwork for The Damnation Game by Clive Barker.

Keith would also like to thank The Loft Bookshop, Dubray Books and The Gutter Bookshop in Dublin, Ireland for connecting him with so many of these authors. Hurray for local bookstores!

And now, the books:

  • Limited edition hardcover copy of Down These Green Streets edited by Declan Burke. Signed by many of the authors.

This book is one of 200 limited edition copies of ‘Down These Green Streets’ that were signed by the following authors at the book’s launch on 8th June 2011 at the Gutter Bookshop in Dublin: Alex Barclay, Ingrid Black, Gerard Brennan, Ken Bruen, Declan Burke, Jane Casey, John Connolly, Alan Glynn, Declan Hughes, Arlene Hunt, Sara Keating, Gene Kerrigan, Kevin McCarthy, Cormac Millar, and Ian Campbell Ross.

“Down These Green Streets is an excellent, varied collection of essays and short stories, looking at Irish crime fiction in both its historical and present day context, with much of interest to anyone interested in modern day Ireland and its cultural life. It is very much a book to dip into, rather than to read straight through in one setting.” – Laura Root of Euro Crime

  • Hardcover books by Trudi Canavan: Last of the Wilds, The Magician’s Apprentice, The Magicians’ Guild & The High Lord, and The Ambassador’s Mission & The Rogue. All signed by the author.

“Canavan’s Black Magician trilogy took the fantasy world by storm a few years ago, turning her into a Sunday Times best-selling author in almost record time. This prequel, set several hundred years before the events in the The Magician’s Guild, should please her legions of fans, and doubtless add to their ranks.” – Deathray about The Magician’s Apprentice

  • One copy of Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders by Gyles Brandreth. Signed by the author.

“Brandreth and Wilde seem made for one another… the complex and nicely structured plot zips along.” – Daily Telegraph

  • One hardcover copy of The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. Signed by the author.

“Another masterpiece… How is it possible to read Howard Jacobson and not lose oneself in admiration for the music of his language, the power of his characterization and the penetration of his insight?” – The Times

  • One copy of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Signed by the author.

“This is what fiction is supposed to do: introduce you to the minds of those you wouldn’t ordinarily meet.”  – Guardian

  • One copy of Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. Signed by the author.

“Fun and quirky with lots of humor.” – Locus

  • Two first edition hardcover copies of A Monsters Calls by Patrick Ness. Signed by the author.

“A nuanced tale that draws on elements of classic horror stories to delve into the terrifying terrain of loss. . . . In an ideal pairing of text and illustration, the novel is liberally laced with Kay’s evocatively textured pen-and-ink artwork, which surrounds the text, softly caressing it in quiet moments and in others rushing toward the viewer with a nightmarish intensity. A poignant tribute to the life and talent of Siobhan Dowd and an astonishing exploration of fear.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

  • One copy of The Burning Soul by John Connolly. Signed by the author.

“In The Burning Soul, John Connolly has delivered a cracking good tale that seamlessly blends suspense, mystery and just the lightest touch of his signature supernatural ambiance.” – Irish Independent News

“Barry’s famed lyricism generates such emotional engagement that to come away dry-eyed from one of his novels would surely be proof of a stony heart.” – The Telegraph

  • One first edition hardcover of Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper. Signed by the author.

“The novel possesses a compelling, action-packed narrative sweep all its own, an emotional catharsis at once shocking and convincing, and one of the most unsentimental, yet tender, erotic romances to grace the genre.” – Fortean Times

  • One copy of City of Bohane by Kevin Barry. Signed by the author.

“Kevin Barry is unique, a one-man school. His work is hilarious and unpredictable – and always brilliant.” – Roddy Doyle

  • One first edition hardcover copy of The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright. Signed by the author.

“…Enright has established herself as one of the most grown-up of contemporary novelists, one of the few to pay attention to the messiness of ordinary lives, even at the expense of narrative shape. Her new novel is her most mature yet in this respect.” – The Telegraph

  • One copy of The Chosen by Arlene Hunt. Signed by the author.

“A taut, sharp, gripping re-imagining of the serial-killer novel.” – Tana French

“Kiernan shows an acute sense of how to build tension and when to twist the knife.” – SFX Magazine

  • One first edition hardcover copy of Aloha from Hell by Richard Kadrey. Signed by the author.

“As a previous escapee from its infernal regions, James William Butler Stark has had enough of hell, but in this new Sandman Slim novel, this sardonic half-angel decides that he must return to that fiery place to stop an insane serial killer and throw steaming water on a cosmic battle between Good and Evil. Biting humor; an over-the-top antihero and plots to keep you riveted.” – Barnes & Noble

  • One first edition hardcover copy of The Bleeding Horse and Other Stories by Brian J. Showers. Signed by the author.

“Was up late reading The Bleeding Horse, and when it came time to walk around the house checking doors and turning out lights . . . I had to keep nervously looking over my shoulder. So I guess that means the stories work.” -Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy

  • One copy of The Horse Girl by Mary Finn. Signed by the author.

“Mary Finn has written a beautiful tale of an English boy who falls in love with a French girl. It is indeed beautifully written. In addition to being such a great read, The Horse Girl is educational. Do yourself a favor and read this book.” – Teen Reads

  • One numbered first edition hardcover copy of The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Signed by the author.

“Zafón adeptly establishes his characters (including some fun and believable teenage repartee) and makes good use of his setting. His Calcutta has many of the mystical elements that many writers associate with the city, but it also shows the political strain of a city subject to years of hostile colonization and ready to break free. Just as importantly, Zafón delivers moments of genuine horror, as well as expert plot twists that move the story along.” – Publishers Weekly

  • One copy of A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black. Signed by the author.

“Black’s drab Dublin streets are full of perplexing figures, archetypes, as if the characters were stalking through some Jungian map of the unconscious: weakened, dying fathers, good mothers, bad mothers, twins, ‘dark doubles,’ ghosts surging up from the past… His narratives are loaded with poetic devices.” – The New Yorker

  • One limited edition hardcover of Futile Efforts by Tom Piccirilli. Signed by the author.

This special signed edition is limited to 1,000 copies.

“In this disturbing, often grotesque and ultimately mesmerizing collection, Piccirilli reprints 17 stories and 45 poems. Although the star-studded introductions are a nice bonus, Piccirilli’s stories are the selling point, and all are standouts… Piccirilli’s unique mix of gore, violence and a literate style bordering on the lyrical help make this collection one that horror fans will relish.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  • One first edition hardcover of Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie. Signed by the author.

“Luka and the Fire of Life zings along with a palpable sense of Otter-like excess: its exuberance is inextricably linked to its profligacy with puns, rhymes, one-liners and snippets of nonsense. And although one would be amazed at the prodigious child who could follow to the letter its snaky progress, it captures brilliantly that moment when adults enrapture children by behaving like children themselves.” – The Guardian

*     *     *

Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others.

What’s more, Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donations. So if you chip in before January 31st of 2012, you get a bigger bang for your buck.

To see the other books folks have donated, as well as our auctions, and the items we’re selling in the store, you can head over to our main page HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat31 Responses
Published: December 5, 2011

Signed Books

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Here’s our first batch of author-donated books, all of them lovingly signed by the authors themselves.

  • A first edition, hardcover set of books from the Black Jewels World: Tangled Webs, The Shadow Queen, Twilight’s Dawn, and Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop. All signed by the author.

“Anne Bishop does not disappoint. I have not read a book of hers that did not immediately captivate me and draw me immediately back into her world….[She] waves her spell so well…. Her characters seem so real and engaging.” – SFRevu

  • One set of Shadows and Light & The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop. Signed by the author.

“Plenty of thrills, faerie magic, human nastiness, and romance.” – Locus

  • One set of Australia editions of The Invisible Ring & Twilight’s Dawn by Anne Bishop. Signed by the author.

“The Invisible Ring will serve as an enticement, whetting the appetite to explore more of the realms in the Black Jewels trilogy. It and its predecessors are genuine gems of fantasy much to be prized.” – The Zone

  • One copy of Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop. Signed by the author.

“Bishop’s talent brings the world to life and creates characters who will intrigue, outrage and captivate the reader.” – Romantic Times

  • Two copies of The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer. Signed by the author.

“It’s not very often that I get to say this, but Courtney Schafer’s The Whitefire Crossing is the complete package. Fully developed characters. Across the board world-building. Intriguing magic. Accomplished writing. Engaging storytelling. Thrilling adventure… Add it all up and there’s no doubt in my mind that The Whitefire Crossing is not only one of the best fantasy debuts of 2011, but it’s also one of the year’s best fantasy novels period.” – Robert Thompson of Fantasy Book Critic

Pat’s note: I’ll admit that after reading that blurb, I’ve added this one to my own mountainous to-be-read stack.

  • One copy of Wells of Sorrows by Benjamin Tate. Signed by the author.

“Brilliantly detailed worldbuilding and complicated characters makes this an engrossing read.” – Laura Anne Gilman.

  • One set of The Throne of Amenkor: The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, and The Vacant Throne by Joshua Palmatier. Signed by the author.

“A gritty, edgy, unsettling book. This tough young woman makes her choices in a world where good and evil often look like twins. I was riveted by her story!” – Tamora Pierce, author of Terrier

  • One copy of After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray and signed by Joshua Palmatier.

Science fiction and fantasy readers have long shown an affinity for a good “bar story”. Now some of today’s most inventive scriveners have decided to tell their own tall tales-from an alewife’s attempt to transfer the gods’ curse to Gilgamesh, to Odin’s decision to introduce Vikings to the Ur-Bar, from the Holy Roman Emperor’s barroom bargain, to a demon hunter who may just have met his match in the ultimate magic bar, to a bouncer who discovers you should never let anyone in after hours in a world terrorized by zombies.

“The Winds of Khalokovo is filled with clean prose, intelligent language, and brilliant imagination. Reading this fantasy was like sinking my teeth into a rich and exotic dessert.” – Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show

“The boldly imagined new world and sharply drawn characters will pull you into The Winds of Khalakovo and won’t let you go until the last page.” – Michael A. Stackpole, New York Times bestselling author of I, Jedi

Pat’s note: For those of you who aren’t familiar with publishing lingo, ARC stands for Advance Reader’s Copy. These are the sneak-preview books that a publisher gives to reviewers and booksellers. They don’t tend to print very many of them, so they’re kinda rare. What’s more, a lot of times they haven’t gone through final edits, so you get the chance to see a rough-hewn version of the story, and occasionally chuckle up your sleeve at the author’s typos.

Also, Bradley has gone out of his way to sign this one with extra panache, rubbing my nose in the fact that I have the handwriting of a 3rd grader.

  • One anthology of Stalking the Wild Hare edited by John Helfers, Chris Pierson, Marc Tassin, and Jean Rabe. Signed by Bradley P. Beaulieu.

Adventure . . . danger . . . romance . . . or maybe a good scare? Yearning to read some fantasy . . . science fiction . . . humor . . . urban fantasy . . . horror . . . or even a haunting Civil War tale? We’ve got what you’re looking for! The authors in Gen Con’s Writer’s Symposium have collected 22 of their favorite tales into this volume.

Pat’s note: I met John this year at World Fantasy. He was cool enough to donate some signed copies of his profoundly creepy Cthulhu/blues fusion debut novel.

(Say “Cthulhu/blues fusion debut” three times fast, I dare you. Now go say it in front of a mirror at midnight with all the lights off. No. Wait. Don’t do that….)

In addition to chipping in some books, John also went above and beyond the call of duty and helped us finally design a our webpage for the fundraiser: Worldbuilders.org.

“A sumptuous Southern Gothic thriller steeped in the distinct American mythologies of Cthulhu and the blues . . . Southern Gods beautifully probes the eerie, horror-infested underbelly of the South.” – The Onion AV

  • Three first edition hardcover copies of Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi. Signed by the author.

“Fuzzy Nation seeks to bring a 21st century storytelling sensibility to a half-century-old genre classic, and it succeeds far more wildly than I imagine even John Scalzi himself hoped. What began as an unabashed exercise in labor-of-love fanfic became not only excellent SF in its own right, but, incidentally, Scalzi’s best novel to date in a career that was already impressive and well above the bell curve.” – SF Reviews

Pat’s Note: I never read the original story Scalzi drew inspiration from (H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy). But that didn’t keep me from thoroughly enjoying the novel.

*     *     *

Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others like them.

Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice, too.

And don’t forget, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations. So you get a bigger bang for your buck when you head over to our Team Heifer page and chip in.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for Worldbuilders, you can click HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat20 Responses
Published: December 2, 2011

Hundreds of Gorgeous Books from Subterranean Press

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Over the years, nobody has supported Worldbuilders as much as Subterranean Press.

Back in my first year, before the fundraiser even had a name, Subterranean called me up and asked if they could send me books.

And they did. They sent hundreds of gorgeous, signed, limited edition books. When that happened, it made me think that maybe I could do this fundraiser as a yearly thing.

What’s my point?

My point is that not only do the the folks at Subterranean Press publish absolutely gorgeous books, but they are profoundly lovely people as well.

This year Sub Press has stepped up again, donating over 300 lovely books, many of them rare, signed, limited edition, or out of print.

“Miéville’s slow-burn narrative is by turns amusing and horrifying, mixing Philip K. Dick-esque satirical banality with a mesmerizing vision of a society on the brink of apocalypse.” – Entertainment Weekly

“The Sagan Diary is a must-have book for just about any serious reader of science fiction and certainly for any serious collector of science fiction. It’s a gorgeous little hardcover with a golden-age worthy cover by no less than Bob Eggleton, and B&W interior B&W illustrations as well.” – The Agony Column

“These stories…chronicle the literary progress of one of the genre’s most remarkable and exciting voices… [They] display a unique, iconoclastic vision that celebrates language as well as story.” – Library Journal

(As an interesting aside, the cover of this book is by Lee Moyer who created our 2012 literary pin-up calendars…)

“Everyone who is fan of science fiction or just good writing needs to have Ellison on their shelf. That being said I can think of no finer example than Deathbird Stories as a best representation. Subterranean Press has put together a book worth owning and Harlan has given us content worth reading.” – SFRevu

“Science fiction Grand Master Silverberg explores the possibilities and pitfalls of time travel in this omnibus of three classic novels. […] These novels showcase not only the astounding challenges of time travel but the growth of a talented writer whose ideas and characters continue to entertain.” – Publishers Weekly

Pat’s note: Barry Hughart’s books are brilliantly good, and this is the nicest compilation of them that I’ve ever seen. I’ve bought more than 12 of them just to give away as gifts to friends and family.

“Reading Hughart’s endearing historical fantasy trilogy… is much like ‘wandering blindfolded through a myth devised by a maniac,’ in the words of Master Li, the greatest and most frequently intoxicated wise man in a colorful seventh century ‘China that never was.’ Their rollicking adventures pit them against everyone from murderers and thieves to emperors and gods. Numerous Chinese legends, filtered through Ox’s simple perspective, blend seamlessly into both lighthearted and heartrending.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“Zafón’s novel is detailed and vivid, and David’s narration is charming and funny, but suspect. Villain or victim, he is the hero of and the guide to this dark labyrinth that, by masterful design, remains thrilling and bewildering.” – Publishers Weeky (Starred Review)

“The Five isn’t just Robert McCammon’s best novel in years; it’s his best novel ever. Terrifying, suspenseful, unputdownable, and full of rock and roll energy. It’s also uplifting, a book you’ll finish feeling better about your world, your friends, and your music. Here’s one you’ll beg friends to read.” – Stephen King

“It is best not to come to Summer Morning, Summer Night expecting miracles. They’re here, of course, but tucked inside small pleasures and gossamer wisps of story, barely noticed until you’ve already read past them. Instead, it’s best read like an afternoon’s conversation over drinks with a long-lost friend, reveling in the individual moments and memories for their own sake.” – Green Man Review

“As intoxicating as Bradbury’s legendary Dandelion Wine, the 27 new and old stories in this potent collection resonate with timeless power. All set in Green Town, Ill., the vintage highlights include ‘Miss Bidwell,’ a sweet romance about a spinster and the delayed homecoming of her first love; the brilliant ‘The Screaming Woman,’ featuring the wide-eyed first person narration of a frantic 10-year-old who discovers a woman’s premature burial; and ‘At Midnight, in the Month of June,’ in which a killer plays a demented game of hide and seek.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Pat’s note: I read this earlier this year and really, really dug it. Very tight and well-written. Gritty without being bleak, and occasionally dark without being depressing. Good stuff.

“Bacigalupi makes a stellar YA debut with this futuristic tale of class imbalance on the Gulf Coast…Bacigalupi’s cast is ethnically and morally diverse, and the book’s message never overshadows the storytelling, action-packed pacing, or intricate world-building.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

*     *     *

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others like them. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice, too.

Don’t forget, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations. So why not head over to the Team Heifer page and chip in. C’mon. All the cool kids are doing it…

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for Worldbuilders, you can click HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat10 Responses
Published: December 2, 2011

Worldbuilders 2011

(Edit: Are you looking for the current Worldbuilders fundraiser? If so, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place.

Click here for the current fundraiser.)

What’s that you say? You want to make the world a better place while simultaneously winning fabulous prizes?

Well today is your lucky day.

Heifer International is my favorite charity. It helps people raise themselves up out of poverty and starvation. All over the world Heifer promotes education, sustainable agriculture, and local industry.

They don’t just keep kids from starving, they make it so families can take care of themselves. They give goats, sheep, and chickens to families so their children have milk to drink, warm clothes to wear, and eggs to eat.

(Are you ready? I’m so ready. Let’s do it.)

This year we’ve got a couple different options for donating.

Option 1: The Lottery.

This is the option most people will want. It’s simple. You hop directly over to the page I’ve set up on Team Heifer, and donate.

When you donate on that page, two things happen.

1. Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donation. That means your ten-dollar donation becomes fifteen dollars. If you donate two goats, it becomes three goats. And so on.

2. You’ll be entered in the lottery.

After the fundraiser is over on February 7th, we’ll have a random drawing for all the swag that’s been donated. More than a thousand books, comics, DVD’s and other cool miscellany.

For every 10 bucks you donate, your name will get entered into the drawing once. If you donate thirty bucks, your name goes in three times. Think of it as buying tickets, if you like.

We’ve had *way* too many books donated for me to post them all up at once. So I’ll be putting up a blog full of donated books every few days, just to keep people from being overwhelmed with all the awesome.

Make sure to check back often to see the new cool.

Last year, readers and geeks of all creeds and nations donated over $190,000. It was a stunning display of generosity and goodwill.

Still, I think we can do even better this year.

But rather than set our goal too high, here’s what I’m going to do.

I’m going to set our initial donation goal at $50,000. As soon as we meet that goal, I’ll personally add a blog full of new stuff to the lottery. Then I’ll raise the bar to $100,000. We’ll repeat this in $50,000 increments until I am penniless, living on the street. Or until the end of the fundraiser on February 7th.

Link to the donation page is HERE.

Option 2: The Sure Thing.

Or, as I like to think of it, the Christmas Present Option.

For those of you who aren’t interested in the lottery, we have some stuff you can just buy.

Our store, lovingly named The Tinker’s Packs, has posters, signed books, and other delicious miscellany available for purchase. All proceeds go to Worldbuilders, of course.

Last year, we printed up some t-shirts and were amazed at how much people liked them.

So this year, we’re adding something new to the mix. In keeping with our bookish theme, we’ve teamed up with artist Lee Moyer to produce a pin-up calendar with a literary theme.

Here’s the picture for May:

You can read the blog I wrote about the calendar or head over and buy it on the store.

We’ll be posting new stuff in the store over the next couple months. So stay tuned….

Option 3: Auctions.

Last year we did a few auctions and they seemed to work out pretty well. So this year we’re continuing in that fine tradition, auctioning off some of the rarer and more specialized services people have donated.

This year we have professionals who are willing to read and critique your manuscripts. We have signed art and rare books. We have the chance to win guest appearances in comics and get your name into upcoming books.

Stay tuned, as we’ll be adding new auctions all the time.

For a full listing of all current Worldbuilders auctions, you can CLICK HERE.

A Plea For Sanity

Lastly, I’d like to ask everyone to please read the instructions/directions carefully before they donate.

I know you’re excited. I’m excited too. We’re going to raise some money, make the world a better place, and end up with big warm fuzzy feelings.

But here’s the problem. If you’re *too* excited, you’ll end up clicking buttons all higgledy-piggledy, forgetting vital steps and leaving things out. (Especially when buying things with Paypal) Then you’ll send me an e-mail that says something like: “I’m sorry, but I forgot to include my shipping address/t-shirt size/signing instructions. Could you please fix it for me?”

I know I’m bound to get one or two e-mails like this. No biggie. But each one is like a cold drop of water eroding my warm fuzzy feeling. If I get, say, a hundred of these e-mails, I’ll have no warm fuzzy left at all. I’ll be left with nothing but a cold prickly feeling.

You don’t want to give me a cold prickly, do you?

I’m sure you don’t. And I’m sure that you’ll read the instructions carefully.

FAQ.

Have questions? Most of them are probably answered over in the FAQ. (Even if your question isn’t answered, I talk about Batman a bit, so it won’t be a complete waste of your time.)

Lastly, just in case you missed it, here’s one more link to our Team Heifer donation page.

Let’s do this thing.

pat

Also posted in calling on the legions, The Tinker's Packs | By Pat41 Responses
Published: November 15, 2011

Fanmail Q&A: Worldbuilders

Hey Pat,

Are you doing Worldbuilders again this year? I understand if you don’t have time, what with your dad an all….

But I will say that I’ll miss it if you don’t do it again. I usually ask my family to donate a goat to your fundraiser for Christmas, that way it’s really like I’m getting a goat and a half.

If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I only live 40 minutes away from you, and I can help lift boxes if nothing else.

Worldbuilders fan since 2009,

Brad

Those of you who have been following the blog for a while know that this is the time of year when we typically kick off Worldbuilders.

Well… actually, we tend to start up Worldbuilders a little earlier than this, which explains why over the last couple weeks I’ve been getting a slurry of e-mail asking about it.

We’ll be officially launching the fundraiser next week, but before we pull the trigger on that, I thought I’d take this chance to answer a few of the questions people have been asking in their e-mail.

  • Are you still doing Worldbuilders?

Yes. Very yes.

  • When are you starting it?

The official launch will be next week.

  • What is Worldbuilders? (For those of you that are new to the blog.)

Back in 2008, I thought it would be fun to see if I could raise some money for Heifer International. So I posted up a blog and told people if they donated to Heifer International, I’d match their donations. What’s more, I’d give away some free books to the winners, lottery style.

I was kinda hoping I could raise 5000 dollars, but things quickly spiraled out of control. Other authors donated books, people spread the word, and by the end of the fundraiser, we’d managed to raise more than 100,000 dollars.

I decided to make the fundraiser a yearly thing. I got more organized, hired an assistant, and had a friend make up a logo:

We got an office, ran some auctions, started running an online store, and last year we finally became an official not-for-profit charity.

Over the last three years we’ve raised more than $500,000 for Heifer.

(You can peek at last year’s fundraiser over here if you like.)

  • What’s going to be new this year?

Lots of stuff. One of our big projects this year is the literary pin-up calendar I already mentioned on the blog.

We’ve also got more publishers donating than ever, so that means more books this year. So many books we’ve had to put up new shelves just to hold them all.

I’ve got fun interviews scheduled with folks we’ve we’ve never seen on the blog before.

And more cool rare books. Some of them we’ll be auctioning off, others we’ll be giving away lottery style.

On top of that, this year the fans have really stepped up, donating cool collectibles and things they’ve made with their own, lovely geeky hands. Some of those things we’ll be auctioning off, some we’ll be selling in the store.

  • Where can I donate?

Hold your horses, buckaroo. You can’t donate quite yet. Like I said, we haven’t officially started this year’s fundraiser.

But we will be starting soon.

Soon…

  • What can I do to help?

There are two main things Worldbuilders needs to succeed.

1. People willing to donate. (See above.)

2. People willing to spread the word.

That means for now, the best thing you can do is wait.

If you’re exceptionally eager, you can go digging around in the sofa cushions to gather funds or talk to your family about maybe doing an animal exchange as part of your holiday festivities.

But for the most part, you can help by staying tuned to the blog and preparing to tweet to your friends when we launch the fundraiser in about a week.

  • I *really* want to help. Are you sure I can’t do anything?

If you *really* want to help, and you feel like you have a skill/cool book/rare collectible/mutant power that would be helpful to the cause, you can drop a line to: worldbuilders.2011 [squiggly at-sign thinger] gmail.com

  • I know I can help. Seriously. How can I send you something?

If you’re an author, publisher, comic artist, etc and you’d like to donate some books to the fundraiser, we would absolutely love to have them.

You can mail them to:

Worldbuilders
PO BOX 186
Stevens Point, WI 54481

Three things:

1. If you’re the author, we’d love if you signed the books before sending them to us.

2. If you’re thinking of sending a collectible of some kind, please contact us first.

3. Please package the books carefully. It breaks my heart when books arrive damaged.

If you’re a journalist, blogger, webcomic-er, a celeb with a huge twitter following, or just someone who has a cool idea about how to spread the word, drop us a line at the aforementioned e-mail: worldbuilders.2011 [squiggly at-sign thinger] gmail.com.

Pretty much if you have any questions about the fundraiser, that’s the e-mail to use. You’ll get a response much more quickly than if you use the contact form on my website.

  • You asked me to donate books last year. Why haven’t you invited me this year?

I should have said this first: Worldbuilders isn’t an invitation-only party. There is no velvet rope. No bouncer at the door. We welcome any authors, any books. (Though I will admit we have a definite lean toward fantasy and sci-fi going on here…)

So if you’re an author/publisher I know, and I haven’t sent you an e-mail asking if you’d like to donate, it’s not because I’m snubbing you, or because I don’t want your books in the fundraiser.

No. Far from it. Of course I want your books in the fundraiser. It would fill me with joy to include them.

If you haven’t recieved a specific invite from me already, it’s probably because you’re way cooler than me, so I was embarrassed to bother you with an e-mail. Or it’s because I’m from the Midwest and asking for things makes me kinda uncomfortable. Or, you know, because with all the things going on in my life now, I’m kind of a disorganized idiot.

Seriously. If you don’t believe me, just look at this picture:

There. Anyone can see that I am clearly a fucking idiot. A person who wears this expression does not have the mental wherewithal to snub you or purposefully exclude you from any of his reindeer games. In fact, it’s quite possible that a person wearing this expression entirely lacks the capacity for intentionality, let alone rational thought.

That means if you haven’t recieved an invite from me, it was clearly an oversight firmly rooted in my own stupidity. Q.E.D.

So yeah. Books = Yes. Worldbuilders = Soon.

Me = Bed. I really shouldn’t be writing anything resembling a serious blog when I’m punchy like this.

Later space cowboys,

pat

Also posted in calling on the legions, Fanmail Q + A, FAQ | By Pat26 Responses
Published: November 2, 2011

The New Coolness or How I Accidentally Published a Calendar

So a couple months ago, I went to Worldcon in Reno. While I was there, I had dinner with some friends of friends. One of those people was artist and illustrator Lee Moyer.

I like graphic artists. I like them because they do something I can’t, which effectively makes them magicians.

They’re also fun to have dinner with. You can get them all worked up about the weirdest shit. They’ll get all frothy talking about color. They’ll doodle on napkins. They’ll criticize the layout of the menu.

Best of all, if they have an ipad with them, you can look at their stuff while you’re waiting for your food to show up. This is not something you can do if you are, say, an author who writes 400,000 word fantasy novels.

At that particular dinner in Reno, Lee did have his ipad on him. He showed me some of his work: book covers, posters, commissions….

“Hold on,” I said, pointing at a tiny thumbnail. “What’s that?”

“Oh,” he said, “That’s a project I’m working on. They’re pin-ups based on literary figures.”

He brought it up on the screen:

“That’s really cool,” I said.

He smiled and pulled up another one:

I had to look at this one for a while. The Twain reference was obvious, but this…

“Oh god,” I said. “That’s Hawthorne, isn’t it? It’s Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter. She’s got an A tattooed on her chest!”

He brought up another one:

“That’s got to be Dickens, right?”

Lee nodded.

“What are these for?” I asked.

“A calendar,” he explained. “Literary pin-ups.”

“That’s something I’d hang on my wall,” I said. “Sexy but not smutty. Clever. Bookish. Where can I buy one?”

“I’m having trouble finding someone to print it,” he admitted. “I think people would love it, but the big calendar companies don’t seem interested.”

“You have twelve of these?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s pretty much all ready to go.”

I looked at the sexy chimney sweep. She smiled at me.

“Hell,” I said. “I’ll print it.”

Lee looked at me oddly. This is not a thing authors normally say to illustrators.

“You see,” I said, “I run a charity called Worldbuilders….”

*     *     *

Fast forward to today.

The calendars are back from the printer and they’re gorgeous. We pulled out all the stops with satin finish and nice heavy paper. They really turned out nice.

I was going to wait until we officially started Worldbuilders to put them up in the store. But the truth is, I’m too excited to wait….

So instead, I’ve decided to give y’all a chance to order the calendar before the fundraiser officially starts up this year. Not only can you get some of your holiday shopping done a little early, but if you order now, we’ll be able to ship them out to you right away, before Worldbuilders starts making things crazy busy around here.

If you’re curious what some of the other months look like, here’s a peek at the back cover:

(Click to Embiggen)

A few additional notes:

1. As always, all the money you spend in The Tinker’s Packs goes directly to Worldbuilders.

2. If you order three calendars, you can get free shipping anywhere in the US. (Or 8 bucks off international shipping.) Just enter the code: LITERACY when you’re checking out.

3. You might want to order sooner rather than later. We’re probably not going to do a second print run of these, so when they’re gone, they’re gone….

4. [Edit 7:30 AM] Please be aware that there are two *different* calendar listings in the store. One of them is for art collectors. It’s signed by the artist, and it doesn’t have any holes punched in it. We’re only doing 50 of those, and we’re selling them for 75 dollars. The regular calendar is much more reasonably priced….

And one last time, just in case you missed the link to the store.

Share and enjoy, folks.

pat

P.S. If you don’t know what Worldbuilders is, you can take a peek at last year’s fundraiser over here.

Also posted in cool things, sexy, side projects, The Tinker's Packs, Things I Like | By Pat47 Responses

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