Category Archives: Worldbuilders 2013

Published: January 15, 2014

Worldbuilders Does Something for the Kids

Here at Worldbuilders, we work hard to help kids all over the world.

goat 1

In both senses of the word. Sometimes kids need a goat. Sometimes kids need a book.

Today’s blog features the awesome children’s books we’ve gotten for the fundraiser.  Some are lottery, a few are auction, and a couple are also available in The Tinker’s Packs.  But you’ll have to be quick – there are only a few of those.

Troubletwisters--the Magic

“[An] enjoyable romp… satisfying to a wide range of middle school readers.” – Publishers Weekly

These are signed by *both* Garth Nix and Sean Williams, so they’re extra cool….

  • Auction: A set of Troubletwisters: The Magic, signed by Garth Nix, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, signed and doodled by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Trouble Chitty - lying

For those of you who’d *really* love to get one of the above books, we’re pairing one up with a copy of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, also signed by the author.

“Ian Fleming”Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, would have been thrilled with this delightful sequel…Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again is a treat from start to finish and hopefully the beginning of many more adventures.”  – KidsReads.com

You can bid on the auction over here if you’re interested.

Jumanji

“Mr. Van Allsburg’s illustrations have a beautiful simplicity of design, balance, texture, and a subtle intelligence beyond the call of illustration.”  – The New York Times

I was really tempted to pull out the CD so I could hear Robin Williams reading it, but I restrained myself….

  • The Snow Merchant.  Signed, quoted, and dated by Sam Gayton.

Snow Merchant

“A hugely imaginative tale” – The Bookseller

This one’s a fast-paced, quirky, funny tale about an alchemist who plans to change the world – and the life of one Lettie Peppercorn – with his newest invention: snow. If you say you’re not even curious about this book, frankly no one here at Worldbuilders would believe you.

Demons Watch

“Judging by his debut novel, The Demon’s Watch, Conrad Mason is here to stay . . . Comparisons with Terry Pratchett are inevitable” – Carousel

Monsters, pirates, and great adventure are the start of this story. But Mason tops himself by pulling a brilliant switch – the good guys are goblins, ogres and trolls. The bad guys are the humans. By flipping the fairy tale traditions around, Mason slyly injects an interesting new dynamic into what could have been just a great fantasy adventure, elevating this book to a brilliant fantasy adventure.

Spiderwick Beyond

Spiderwick doodle

“Readers who enjoy fine fiction involving young heroes will love Nixie’s Song…but legions of Spiderwick fans may make finding the book a challenge by itself! Strongly recommended.” –SFRevu

The Grace kids aren’t the only kids to peer into the fairy realm. The Nixie’s Song is the first book in the second Spiderwick trilogy, featuring new protagonists, a new setting and a cameo by authors Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, as well as a familiar face from the first five books. Oh, and giants.

  • Victor’s Quest and Victor’s Challenge. Signed by Pamela Freeman.

Pamela Freeman set

“Pamela Freeman’s story is warm and engaging, and there are a few challenges in the text. As for the illustrations – well, its Kim Gamble of both Tashi and Minton fame. I can’t imagine a child not enjoying Victor’s Quest.” –Booktopia

Prince Victor isn’t very smart. His horse, however, has enough brains for both of them. Together they set out on a quest to find a princess for Victor to marry, and though things don’t always go as planned, Victor’s sunny outlook just might save the day.

Geared for younger readers. Many fans of this series cite it as their introduction to the wonderful world of fantasy, and still enjoy reading it today.

  • Copies of Benjamin Oliver Flanagan.  Inscribed and signed by A. Dale Triplett.

Benjamin Oliver Flanagan

This is a good story for younger kids (ages 4 and below) about patience and dealing with loss. The story is told in an easy-to-sing rhyme, so it should be fun for kids to hear and help with. The illustrations are in black and white, but one website we found mentioned it might be fun to give this book with a box of crayons to get kids more involved.

Unfortunate Fursey

“You’ll be spellbound by Mervyn Wall’s whimsical mixture of satire and fantasy.” – Books Ireland

  • The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket.  Signed by John Boyne.

Terrible Thing That Happened

“Unashamedly and often delightfully whimsical… It has much of the pell-mell what-the-hell-happens-nextness of Dahl and Ibbotson” – The Guardian

  • Auction: A set of Jackie Morris books: The Ice Bear, The Cat and the Fiddle, and I am Cat.  All signed and doodled by Jackie Morris.

Morris Books covers

The Ice Bear – “One of the most wonderful picture books of the year” – The Times

The Cat and the Fiddle – “This sumptuous collection is one to pore over, cherish and return to again and again.  A lovely book.” – The Bookseller

Jackie Morris’s beautiful books are a pure joy whether you read the story or just admire her illustrations. Ideally, you do both, but we’re not going to tell you how to read.  These books are a great addition to your collection, keepsakes to pass down to your children, or gifts for someone who needs them – and we can’t think of anyone who doesn’t need them.

Jackie signed all of these and included doodles in each one that are just as awesome as the artwork in the rest of the book.

morris bear sign

The other two books have cat doodles, but more cat photos might break the internet. You can see them on the auction page if you like. We know you want these books, so you can bid on them at your leisure.

Maggie-Stiefvater-duo

[About Lament] “Vibrant and potent, YA readers searching for faerie stories will be happy to find this accomplished debut novel.” – Publishers Weekly

Start with an intriguing plot, add some new twists on old Fairy lore and throw in a dash of romance, and there you have it: Lament, the first installment in Maggie Stiefvater’s Books of Faerie. If you liked the idea of Twilight but not necessarily the execution, you’ll have better luck with Lament.

The Raven Boys is a dark study of mortality and fraternity. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of a local private school whose students are known as the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. This is a signed audiobook of the first installment of Maggie’s Raven Cycle.

Goblin Secrets Ghoulish Song

We can’t say anything better than the professionals:

“Goblin Secrets is a knockout. It’s an original, owing absolutely nothing to Tolkien, or to any of his descendants, disciples or imitators. As a lifelong sucker for theatre and books about theatre, I don’t know a fantasy novel that’s used performing and maskmaking in just that way.” – Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

“Will Alexander’s books are a secret pleasure that are now revealed to the world. Funny, smart, and gorgeously written without sacrificing an ounce of forward-moving plot, they are both a pleasure and instructive. When I grow up, I want to be Will.” – Jane Yolen, author of The Pit Dragon Chronicles

Odd and the Frost Giants

“Since this is a story for younger readers, these gods aren’t as saucy as when Gaiman previously cast them in his Sandman graphic novel series. But their lusty undercurrents are still there, and they seem as alive and witty as ever. Almost as good as The Graveyard Book, and equally as good as Coraline.” – SF Signal

  • Instructions.  First edition, signed by Neil Gaiman.

Instructions - standing

Yes, you did see these instructions in Fragile Things. But here they are with breathtaking illustrations by the inimitable Charles Vess, perfect for reading to your kids or hoarding for yourself. It’s in the lottery in all its signed glory, because someone who donates as little as ten bucks deserves a chance at winning something this cool.

Auction: Instructions. First edition, signed by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.

Instructions - Both signatures

(Click to embiggen, so that you might bask in the glory.)

This copy is even cooler, as it’s signed by both Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.

Same lovely book, one extra signature. Feel free to head over and bid on the auction.

Curiosities

When I was at wondercon a year ago, a couple readers stopped by and gave me a copy of their book. I brought it home, read it to my boy, and enjoyed it so much that I made a point of talking about it on Goodreads.

The authors sent us some copies for Worldbuilders, so we’ve put 5 doodled copies into the lottery….

curiosities doodle

And five copies into our online store so you can head over and grab a copy if you like. Be warned though, there are only 5 for sale, so they’ll be gone soon.

This is the book that sold me on how cool Heifer International was.

I’m so fond of it, I recorded a video of reading it to Oot.

Beatrices Goat - stack

The books we have thrown into the lottery are extra-cool because they’re signed.

But wait. They’re even cooler than that. They’re not just signed by the author (Page McBrier) Not just signed by the illustrator (Lori Lohstoeter).

These copies are signed by Beatrice Biira herself, the woman the book was based on.

Beatrice_s_Goat_Signature_Page

Beatrice has grown up since the book was published in 2001, and she’s gone on to great things. She got her BA, then went on to get her Master’s degree. And I’m willing to bet she got better grades than I ever did in grad school…

For those of you who want to be sure you get this awesome ultra-signed book, we have a few up for sale in the The Tinker’s Packs as well. We don’t have a ton of them though, so you might want to grab them while you can.

*   *   *

That’s the exciting stuff for now. We’ll be back before you know it with more, so in the mean time, how about a shiny new navigation bar?  The images are all linky and clickable…

 

Also posted in Young Adult | By Pat3 Responses
Published: January 14, 2014

Stretch Goals Past and Stretch Goals Yet To Come….

Hey there everybody,

We’re entering the final stretch of the Worldbuilders. And in case you don’t make a habit of checking the Worldbuilders News page, or following us on facebook or twitter, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about one of the newer things we’ve been doing this year.

I’m talking about our Stretch Goals, of course.

As I write this, geeks of all creeds and nations have banded together to raise $274,000 dollars, which means we’ve unlocked ten Stretch Goals and we’re closing in fast on the eleventh.

In case you’ve missed  a few, I thought it would be a good idea to gather them all in one place for you to take a gander at.

We mentioned this one on the blog last month, but back then we didn’t have the terrifying video footage yet.

Since then, we’ve edited together this:

Honestly, this video kinda horrified everyone in the office, and the first time we watched it there was a lot of awkward laughter and cringing behind hands. But it definitely started us out in the right foot in terms of proper promotional Ballyhoo.

This one pretty much speaks for itself.

You don’t want to know how many times I’ve listened to that.

False Equivalency - Final

(Click to embiggen. If you dare….)

Jim did yet another of his cover pose parodies for our $75,000 fundraiser, and did a great write up about it over here.

If this intrigues, or even disturbs you, you can buy a calendar full of these over on The Tinker’s Packs.

This is a really cool one.  Brandon has agreed to write a story and broadcast the event live for everyone to see.

What’s more, the story will be based on ideas and suggestions from viewers turning in to watch.

BrandonGray

Afterward, he will be releasing the story into the Creative Commons, so anyone can download the story and finish it on their own.

If you want to be a part of it, keep your schedule open on January 17th from 2-7pm Mountain Time, and keep an eye out for the link to view it on the Worldbuilders Facebook Page.

I’ve talked about my love for the Doubleclicks before. And I’m pretty sure I’ve shared around their epic song Nothing To Prove, where they talk about the bullshittery inherent in the whole Fake Geek Girl movement.

So when they agreed to come in and help us spread the word about Worldbuilders by performing Moonlight Sonata on a pair of cat keyboards… Well, I couldn’t help but love them just a little bit more.

Epic and awesome.

Mary Robinette Kowal is a truly awesome person. Some of you might remember her as the person who beat me at being me in my twitter contest earlier this year.

Since Mary has proven that she can mimic me so well none of you can tell the difference, we were delighted when she offered to write some NOTW erotica fan fiction for us.

Yeah. You heard that right.

The Wind Comes - Cover

You can download it and read it over here.

You may have seen the recent blog on the subject, but if you haven’t, it’s over here.

We haven’t gotten the video for this yet, but it’s for a very legitimate reason:

So while we might not have this one yet, we’re pretty sure it’s going to be awesome.

  • $225,000 Patrick Rothfuss will reveal his first piece of fan fiction.

Once, years and miles away, I wrote out the lyrics to a song that gets mentioned in some of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.

Specifically, I wrote the lyrics to “A Wizard’s Staff Has a Knob on the End.”

This was long, long ago, you realize. Twenty years.

Neverthleless, because I’m a packrat, I managed to find an old copy tucked away in a folder. It was printed out on a dot-matrix printer, for those of you who even know what that is. In computer terms, it’s like finding something written on a papyrus scroll.

It was my first piece of fan fiction. And now that I’ve unearthed it, I’ll be doing a blog about it and posting a video very soon.

  • $250,000 Peter Orullian will perform a heavy metal version of Joss Whedon’s “Ballad of Serenity” theme with lyrics retooled for Worldbuilders.

This also got a lot of laughs in the office.

Future Stretch Goals

We’ve got some awesome stuff lined up for the next two weeks as well:

$275,000 Trey Ratcliff, internationally renowned photographer, will take an “ill-advised” bathroom selfie.
$300,000 Scott Lynch & Elizabeth Bear will give a drunken review of the second Hobbit film.
$325,000 John Scalzi will perform “But Not Tonight” on either ukulele or tenor guitar.
$350,000 Hank Green will seduce a particularly nice-looking tree.
$375,000 Patrick Rothfuss will team up with Mary Robinette Kowal to read the NOTW erotica she wrote.
$400,000 Sandeep Parikh will drink Capri Sun while doing a handstand with other members of The Guild.
$425,000 Bradley P. Beaulieu will read an excerpt from The Hobbit while enjoying the Wisconsin weather.
$433,420 Molly Lewis will perform The Greatest Adventure on various silly instruments.
$475,000 Pat Rothfuss and Amber Benson will write urban fantasy erotica together.
$500,000 Neil Gaiman will read you Green Eggs and Ham.

Now I hear the more observant of you saying, “What’s up with that $433,420 stretch goal?”

Well you see, that’s how much money Worldbuilders managed to raise last year: $433,420.

That is my personal goal for this year’s fundraiser. I would very much like to beat that. If you’d like to see that happen as well, there’s a few things you can do to help.

1. You can donate here.

This one’s obvious. If you donate to Heifer on our Team page, you’re not only making the world a better place, but you can win some of the thousands of books donated by generous authors and publishers.

ShelfJanuary

2. You can help us spread the word.

Share the videos. Tell your friends. Makes some noise on twitter or your blog. (If you’d like to contact us for a more traditional interview, or would like to help out in some other way, here’s our e-mail: questions [@] worldbuilders.org)

3. Let us know what you’d like to see.

If you have any suggestions for future stretch goals, I’d love to see those too. I’m hoping we’ll need to add a few more before we’re done this year….

Thanks for tuning in folks, and thanks for being awesome,

pat

Also posted in a few words you're probably going to have to look up, Acts of Whimsy | By Pat24 Responses
Published: January 11, 2014

Valyrian Steel – Westeros Weaponry

Worldbuilders-Logo_Web_Smaller

 This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Well folks, today we’re launching a handful of charity auctions that are designed to appeal to all you George R. R. Martin fans out there…

You see, the folks over at Valyrian Steel have stepped up to the plate and donated a bunch of offical Game of Thrones swag: collectible swords, shields, and statues.

Nearly everything here is limited edition. And some of the items have as few as 500 available in the world. Because of this, we’re auctioning off everything in this blog, rather than putting it into our general prize lottery.

So if you, or someone you love, is a fan of Game of Thrones, read on….

  • Auction: The Stark Infantry Shield.

Stark Shield

This shield is epic. It’s both wearable, or easily mountable on a wall. Even cooler, the wall mount has slots to accept swords, meaning you could display up to three swords behind the shield.

If you want to bid on this sweet piece of Stark armament, or to see more pictures of it, head over here.

  • Auction: A Tyrion Lannister Statue. Limited edition of 3,000.

Tyrion

 

Everyone loves Tyrion.

And here’s a limited edition statue they made of him before the second season of Game of Thrones. They asked for ideas of what to create a statue of, and were told that the moment Tyrion charges into the Battle of Blackwater would be awesome.

The producers even provided photographs that were taken during filming, expressly as sculpture reference for this piece.

If you want this one-in-3,000 piece, head over here to bid.

Auctions:  Daenerys Busts.  Limited edition of 2,000.

Daenerys Bust

This bust was created to recall the closing scene of season 1 of Game of Thrones.

Due to the fact that this auction for this item took off before we managed to officially announce it, we will have two of these up for auction.

To bid on the first one, head over here.  The other is up over here.

Auction: Catspaw Blade.  Limited edition of 2,500.

catspaw-main

This is the blade that was meant to assassinate Bran Stark, and was recovered by Catelyn.

The blade is made of high carbon damascus steel, and has a faux dragon bone grip with 24k gold plated metal parts. It also comes with a plaque of silkscreened wood with the Game of Thrones motif.

If you want a chance to own this while helping out charity, head over here and bid.

  • Auction: The Hound’s Helm. Limited edition of 2,500.

hound-main

This is the helm of the Hound. Not only does it come with a display stand, but it’s also completely wearable.

The jaw opens and closes too, which shows that the folks at Valerian steel have a nice attention to detail.

You can bid and see more pictures over here.

Auction: The Loras Tyrell Helm. Limited edition of 1,000.

loras1

This is the beautifully crafted helm of the equally beautiful Ser Loras.

It comes with a display stand, and is also wearable.  The visor is operable (and detachable!), and it’s somewhat more rare than some of these other pieces. As they only made 1000 of them.

You can bid and see more pictures over here.

  • Auction: Robb Stark’s Sword.  Limited edition of 2,500.

robbsword1

Here we have the epic sword of the Lord of Winterfell and King in the North, Robb Stark.

The blade is 33 inches long, and is made of 1060 high carbon steel. It also comes with a plaque silkscreened with the Direwolf sigil.

Head over here to bid.

  • Auction: Robb Stark’s Scabbard.  Limited edition of 500.

SCABBARD front-with scale

Here we have something extra special.  This is the scabbard for Robb Stark’s sword. There’s a lot of fine metalwork along the scabbard and belt.

There were only 500 of these made.

Note that, while it is pictured with a sword for the sake of scale and form, it will not come with the sword. The banana is also for scale, but we’re not sending that, either, because gross. Just the scabbard.

If you’d like this to be a part of your awesome Game of Thrones collection, be sure to go bid on it, and bid early. You don’t want to miss out. In the mean time, we’ll eat the banana.

As always, all the money from the auctions goes to charity. Worldbuilders, to be specific.

If you’d like to learn more about our fundraiser, and how geeks are banding together to make the world a better place, you can check out our website or the hub blog.

*   *   *

Want to see all the auctions we’re currently running? Look over here.

If you haven’t been watching our Stretch Goals, you might want to check them out. The upshot is the more people that donate, the more cool things we’ll do.

And lastly, if you know of anyone that might be interested in these auctions, we’d appreciate if you’d help us spread the word.

Stay awesome everyone,

pat

Posted in Worldbuilders 2013 | By Pat17 Responses
Published: January 9, 2014

175K Stretch Goal – Music with Vi Hart

When I started Worldbuilders, my main goal was getting people to donate books. I’ve always considered that the heart of the fundraiser, and I spent a lot of time approaching authors and publishers, trying to bring them onboard.

But these days that’s not a problem any more. We’ve got a lot of authors who send us stuff every year. We’ve got publishers and collectors and bookstores that send us hundreds of books. Signed stuff. Rare stuff. Out of print stuff.

If I had to guess, I’d say this year we’re going to be giving away more than 50 or 60 thousand dollars worth of books to people who donate on our Team Heifer page.

That means these days, our problem isn’t getting more books (though more books is always nice). These days the challenge is getting the word out to people. Letting them know Worldbuilders exists. That’s why this year, we’ve been bringing in some geek celebrities to do some stretch goals

But here’s the thing, I know a lot of cool bookish geeks, because that’s the world I live in. But I don’t know many music-type geeks. And as for the video/youtube geeks… I know barely any at all.

So I called up Paul and Storm to see if they’d be willing to put me in contact with some folks who might be willing to help us spread the word. They agreed, and named a few names like The Doubleclicks and Molly Lewis.

“Is there anyone else you have in mind?” they asked.

“Well…” I said. “I know you’ve worked with Vi Hart in the past. If you’d be willing to introduce us….”

And I’ll be honest here. This last one wasn’t very much about Worldbuilders at all. It was more about the fact that I’ve had a huge geeky crush on Vi Hart for years now. Ever since I saw some of her videos….

So was I viciously exploiting my charity with the hope of making a connection with her? Yeah. A little bit. I’m not proud of the fact, but I won’t deny it either. I can occasionally be kind of an awful person.

Luckily Paul and Storm don’t know this. So they send a gracious e-mail introducing me to Vi. They briefly explain who I am, and mention Worldbuilders….

As soon as I read their introduction, I begin to obsess about my response. I start to think about how to be appropriately complimentary without coming across as a deranged fan. I start planning the tone of the e-mail, agonizing over how I will attempt to be enthusiastic about the fundraiser without being boring or self-indulgent.

But most of all, I’m desperately trying to think of something I can say that will make me look cool to Vi Hart.

Then, before I manage to write a single sentence, I see Vi has already replied to Paul and Storm’s e-mail. I click on the message, and it says:

Pat,

The yellow edition of The Name of the Wind that I won in the lottery a couple Worldbuilders ago is right here on my desk. I may have heard of you.

Vi

And I just sit there, stupefied. I think, “Wait. She knows who I am?”

And then I think, “Wait. She knows about Worldbuilders, too? She already knows about Worldbuilders and *donated* in the past? And won something?”

Then I think. “Hold on. Did she actually maybe just reference my book in her e-mail to me?”

And I am suddenly filled with a warm, glowy joy.

We’ve had several conversations since then, both on the phone and over e-mail. She is every bit as sharp and fun as I’d imagined. Simply said, even the few too-brief conversations I’ve had with her have changed the way I think about certain things. Which is about the nicest thing I can think to say about anyone.

To cut to the end of the story, Vi and I have decided to be bestest forever friends.

*     *     *

In the course of talking about stretch goal stuff, I mentioned to Vi that I had some lyrics lying around from the book. Songs that weren’t really songs, so to speak. Because a song without words is still music. But a song without music is just irritatingly formatted text.

I’d written the lyrics for Knackerman Knackerman a decade ago. It was kind of a round. Kind of dark with some layered meanings. I’d always thought of it as a duet for two female voices, and I remember the lyrics being pretty cool. Would she be interested in turning one of those into, y’know…. music?

She would.

So I went digging through my archives. And I found the lyrics. I remembered them being cool. They weren’t cool.

I e-mailed Vi and said I didn’t know if I’d be able to find them. Would she maybe be interested in taking a crack at Tinker Tanner?

She said she’d wait. She really liked the idea of Knackerman.

I e-mailed back and explained that I’d found the lyrics, but they weren’t any good. That they were, in fact, quite bad.

She said she’d still like to see them.

I explained I was afraid to send her these lyrics. I worried that they might make her lose respect for me. I worried that the lyrics might actually make her dumber. They might, in fact kill a piece of her brain. Maybe an important piece. Like the piece that stores the memory of fluffy kittens or the ability to taste pie.

She reminded me that we were best friends now, that it was okay.

I tidied up the lyrics a bit and sent them. I apologized for the fact that I shifted verse forms and pointed out the meter was uneven. I told her I was sorry for recklessly endangering her future ability to enjoy kittens and pie.

She replied:

Oh Rothfriend you lovely creature you don’t understand, this is a DUET, for two female voices, and it is a song, and songs that people sing do things, they grow their own special lumps and become unique, and what a lovely creature to wake up next to. Sometimes when I read a poem I can simply hear it in my head (I think I got this skill reading fantasy books. Hooray Tolkien!) and, well, ok, I’m just going to make a very quick recording so you get why the verse form isn’t a problem and then you can make edits if you want.

And the e-mail had an attachment. It was a song. She’d just… y’know… Done it.

And I thought. What the hell? What the serious hell?

About a year ago, I did a really bad magic trick for my 3 year old son. I used slight of hand and misdirection so clumsy that it would have made Pen and Teller weep tears of blood.

But it was enough to fool my son, and when he saw that I had made three blueberries disappear, he looked up at me with unalloyed awe in his expression. He looked at me and said, “Dad, you are quite a wizard!”

That’s how I felt just then, as I opened the e-mail and listened to the song. I felt awe and confusion and an almost holy fear. What sort of person can do this? I thought. Who can just look at some words and then make music out of them? Who does that?

My new best friend, Vi Hart, that’s who.

We talked more, and it changed my understanding of music. And I tweaked the lyrics again, because I’m me.

And here we are.

Thanks so much, Vi. I can’t say that big enough or loud enough.

Your new bestie,

pat

*     *     *

Please remember that these stretch goals are designed to promote Worldbuilders.

If you liked this awesome thing, please consider donating on our Heifer International Team Page. The more money we raise, the more cool things we do.

For more details about Worldbuilders, including a list of our past and future stretch goals, you can head on over here.

Also posted in fanmail, geeking out, meeting famous people, music, Oot | By Pat42 Responses
Published: January 8, 2014

Even More Books from DAW

Worldbuilders-Logo_Web_Smaller

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Today’s blog is once again being brought to you by the Worldbuilders Team.  It’s gone so well the last few times, we thought we’d keep it up. Besides, Pat having more time to spend playing with his kids, catch up on email, and write is something I think we all can get behind.

We got so many books from DAW this year that, even though we already had a blog full of books from them, we’ve got another one just as full here.

This time around is extra cool, because almost every prize is a collection of books in a series.  DAW went out of their way to send along a bunch of these, so folks can have either the entire currently-published series, or at least a good start to it.  There are also a couple of ARCs for books that haven’t been released yet, for those of you who are interested.

Let’s get to it.

  • Sets of the Species Imperative series and Stratification series. All signed by Julie E. Czerneda.

Species - Stratification - COMBO

“Czerneda is a masterful storyteller and one of the best of the recent voices in science fiction. Her books deserve a place in just about any young adult collection.” – VOYA

Julie Czerneda’s writing has been praised across the board for her solid world building and believable alien biology. These sets are chock full of both.

  • Sets of the Cloudmages Series and the Nessantico Cycle series. All signed by S.L. Farrell.

Cloudmages - Nessantico Cycle - COMBO

“S.L. Farrell makes magic real with a story that encompasses the highest of classical high fantasy and the grittiest of real-world situations, told with never a misstep and never a pause. I read this in one sitting, breathing optional. It’s wonderful!” – Holly Lisle

  • Auction: Set of the Nessantico Cycle series.  All signed by S.L. Farrell.

MagicSeries-Standing

Since DAW was kind enough to send a couple of these sets, and get them signed none the less, we thought it’d be great to put up a set for auction, for someone who really wants it.

If that someone is you, be sure to go over here to bid.

  • Auction: An ARC of Immortal Muse.  Signed by Stephen Leigh. Due to be released in March 2014.

Immortal - Standing

S.L. Farrell is actually a pseudonym for Stephen Leigh, so we thought we’d show you some of his other work as well. This one looks pretty dark, but you have to love the concept–a couple manages to crack the code for immortality, but it comes with a hefty price tag that pits them against each other for centuries.

This signed ARC is for a novel that won’t be released until March, so head over here and bid on it if you want to read it early.

Willow Tate - Esther Diamon - GROUP

[About the Willow Tate series] “In fine, small-town mystery fashion, Paumanok Harbor is full of quirky people, many with odd little magic talents…. [A] charming series.” – Locus

“Fans of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series will appreciate [the Esther Diamond] series’ lively heroine and the appealing combination of humor, mystery, and romance.” – Library Journal

These two series meet the criteria for “fun mysteries with a supernatural bend and interesting characters.”  A little mystery, a quirky supporting cast, some creepy set pieces and baddies…and maybe a little romance. Because nothing brings people together like combustible bugs.

ForeignerSeries

“Veteran sf/fantasy author Cherryh plays her strongest suit in this exploration of human/alien contact, producing an incisive study-in-contrast of what it means to be human in a world where trust is nonexistent. A good purchase for most sf collections.” – Library Journal

The Foreigner series is an epic undertaking that explores politics, diplomacy and the day-to-day culture shock between radically different species as they grow, explore, and evolve (as people, you know, like you do). Cherryh’s exploration of the different cultures is so detailed and in-depth that we’re thinking if this stuff actually happens some time in the future, it’ll unfold exactly as it’s plotted out in these 14 books.  Prepare to have your mind expanded.

Collegium - House War - COMBO

[About the Collegium Chronicles] “A real page-turner…. Outstanding characters, especially Mags, will greatly please Valdemar fans.” – Booklist

[About the House War series] “This is a compelling story with riveting and finely wrought characters that will keep you up well into the night. This story will go down as one of the best novels in its genre, propelling West into the ranks of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin. It’s simply a great read; don’t miss it.” – The Maine Edge

Libriomancer-TurnOfTheLight-Silence-Lying-auction

This bundle of books was recommended by the folks over at DAW, and are a good sampler of a few new series you should consider picking up.  Pat reviewed Libriomancer over on Goodreads  back before it came out, which should be interesting enough, but the other two books are awesome as well.

All of the books in the bundle are signed, so they’re extra cool.  If it interests you, head over to the auction and bid.

AlienSeries

“Deliberately silly and derivative, the story turns into a hilarious romp in the vein of Men in Black or Ghostbusters.” – VOYA

Brett just started reading this series and said the concept is pretty slick, the dialogue (almost banter) is quick and witty, and it should be a fun ride.  That was enough to convince most of the rest of the office.

  • Sets of the Kara Gillian series and the White Trash Zombie series. Both by Diana Rowland.

Kara Gillian - White Trash Zombie - COMBO

The first two Kara Gillian books (Mark of the Demon and Blood of the Demon) haven’t arrived yet, but don’t worry – they’ll be included as well.

[About the Kara Gillian Series] “Rowland’s world of arcane magic and demons is fresh and original…[and her] characters are well-developed and distinct…. Dark, fast-paced, and gripping.” – SciFiChick

[About the White Trash Zombie series] “Not to be missed—all that’s required is a high tolerance for gray matter. For true zombiephiles, of course, that’s a no brainer.” – Library Journal

Brett also read the White Trash Zombie series and said he really enjoyed it: “Angel’s a strong, flawed, and completely endearing main character with a keen mind and an unfortunate knack for making bad decisions. You are always rooting for her.  The whole series works really well largely because it stays grounded–there’s something delightful about a zombie narrator doing battle with a zombie conspiracy while trying to hold down a job and earn her GED.”

  • Auction: An ARC of Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman.  Due to be released in February 2014.

Dreamwalker-Lying

Fans of C.S. Friedman’s work should pay attention here.  This ARC is for the first book in a new series, which won’t be released for another month. It’s Friedman’s first foray into young adult fiction, and she’s bringing her entire arsenal with her. The buzz so far is that it’s darker and more mature than your average YA fiction, which tends to gets pretty dark and mature already.

We’re auctioning this one off so that the winner can still get it and read it before the book comes out, feeling all warm and special inside as they do so.  If you’d like that person to be you, head over here and bid.

IndaSeries

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

Our auction for this series last month went really well.  If you were as bummed as some of us were at missing out on it, we hope that this second set (sans awesome, hand stitched tapestry) being thrown into the lottery will raise your spirits. After all, since every $10 chipped in to the Team Page gets you another chance of getting it, it won’t take a huge investment.

Seven Petal - Mirrorlands - COMBO

“Rejoice…. Ross’s literary strength [is] her sensitivity to human needs and talents.” – Publishers Weekly

“Malan’s fantasy debut straddles two worlds, each detailed in vibrant colors and images. Believable characters and graceful storytelling make this a good addition to most fantasy collections.” – Library Journal

Tour of Merrimack - Karavans - COMBO

“[The Tour of the Merrimack series] is an amalgam of subgenres: military science fiction, space opera, time paradox, and alternate history…. This novel will prove thoroughly enjoyable to fans of military science fiction authors like David Weber and David Drake.” – The B&N Review

“What starts out as a simple tale of refugees escaping a war-torn land quickly becomes something more…. All the characters are beautifully drawn, and Roberson has uncannily lyrical phrasing.” – Book Critic

DragonNimbus - Princess - COMBO

“Radford’s considerable gifts as a mesmerizing storyteller shine with undeniable luster.” – RT Book Reviews

[About the Princess series] “…will appeal anyone who yearns for the heroines of their childhood-or just a witty, well-constructed adventure tale about powerful women stepping up with skill and cleverness. ” – Publishers Weekly

MagicExLibris - BobbyDollar - COMBO

“This quirky urban fantasy would appeal to science-fiction/fantasy readers, fans of the Dresden Files and the Inkheart series, or anyone looking for an adventure featuring a quirky cast.” – VOYA

“Part urban fantasy, part spy thriller, part hard-boiled adventure, The Dirty Streets of Heaven is a worthwhile and entertaining new addition to the genre.” – TOR.com

*  *  *

There you have it.  Another extraordinarily full blog of awesome books, the vast majority of which are all winnable by making a donation to the Team Page.

In case you’ve missed any of them, you should really check out our Stretch Goals to see what’s been achieved, and what’s on its way.  We just crossed a super cool one from Peter Orullian, and the next bunch of them look pretty awesome…

As usual, you can find more information about Worldbuilders at our website or in Pat’s blog.

If you want to see any of the other auctions we have going, you can check out our ebay page.

And if you’re curious about what other stuff we’ve posted so far, you can see it all in the Lottery Library.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2013 | By Amanda2 Responses
Published: January 6, 2014

A Cold Day, A Warm Fuzzy, and a Familiar Book….

Well folks, as many of you know, we’re having a bit of a cold snap here in Wisconsin.

It’s not the coldest weather I’ve ever seen. But it is cold. -20 something Fahrenheit. Or, if you’re part of the logistically consistent world, -30 degrees Celsius.

If you count the windchill, we’re closer to -40. Which, interestingly enough, is that magical place where both Celsius and Fahrenheit shake hands and agree on a number.

We’re no strangers to the cold here in Wisconsin, but this is enough to catch even our jaded attention. It’s cold enough that we’re having to make some concessions. For one thing, I actually put on gloves earlier this evening, and I buttoned up my coat.

The other thing I’ve done is to give everyone at Worldbuilders the day off. Some of them have to commute to work, and not to sound all sissy, but this *is* the sort of cold that can kill you pretty easily if your car quits on some back road.

You see, while I may be a tyrannical dictator of a boss, I like to think of myself as a benevolent tyrannical dictator. The sort that stops just short of risking my employees’ lives.

Lastly, something in the cold brings out the storyteller in me. So I’m going to tell you a story. A story about a book. Some of you might have heard it before, but it bears repeating.

And there’s a new chapter this year. Read on, my friend.

*     *     *

If you’ve been following Worldbuilders for the last couple years, you probably know about our now-mythical Stardust ARC. It’s a book that has been with the fundraiser since the beginning, since 2008….

2008: A Gift from Gaiman.

In 2008 I was still a newbie author, barely published for a year. On a whim, I decided to try raising money for Heifer International on my blog. As you can guess, things quickly spiraled out of control as other authors pitched in, helping spread the word and donating books for us to give away.

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 delayed because of the holidays, so we couldn’t use the book until….

2009: Stardust for the People.

So we had this book. 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, but that didn’t seem right somehow.

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

But then something strange happened. At the end of the fundraiser the person who won the book gave it back to us. Their one stipulation is that we auction it off next year, so it will bring in more money for Heifer. So….

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 Stardust ARC up on eBay 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 dyed-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: Stardust Full Circle.

We put the ARC back into the lottery with much cheering. After picking the prizes, I called 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.

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

And Stardust goes back on the shelf…

2012: Stardust as Statistical Anomaly.

In 2012, we put Stardust back in the lottery again. Mostly because I like the idea of this amazingly cool prize being something anyone can win.

At the end of the fundraiser, we run our numbers. We cross-reference our list of prizes with our list of winners.

Amanda ran through the house yelling, after she checked it three times.

When I’m told, I look at the assistant holding the handful of papers with grim, fatherly disapproval, telling them in the gentlest of terms that they’ve fucked up and are obviously using last year’s spreadsheets.

But no. The truth is, Maayan won it *again*. For the second year in row.

This is bizarre math, people. This is like Heart-of-Gold level improbability.

I called her. She was shocked, amused, and flustered. So we sent her the book.

And she sent us back a picture.

IMGP0664

Here’s what she had to say:

I was really extremely surprised to win the Stardust ARC two years ago, because I don’t think I’ve ever won any kind of online contest before. I was actually sitting in a hot tub on a ski trip to Colorado when Pat called, and my friends got to watch me make the craziest faces while on the phone. A few weeks later, Neil Gaiman sent me a little card with a picture he had drawn in it, which was so nice of him.

When Pat called me this year to say that I had won again, I’m pretty sure my first words were, “No, I did not!” Surprised doesn’t begin to describe it. If I win again this year, I’m going to start to be suspicious of your randomization algorithm.

Worldbuilders is such a great fundraiser, and Heifer International is an outstanding organization. I’m thrilled to take part. Thank you to Pat Rothfuss for putting it together, and thank you to all of the authors and artists who donate the prizes! I’ve enjoyed reading the fruits of your generosity.

That’s right, Maayan sent it back to us again.

Thanks so much, Maayan. We’re glad you at least got to touch the book that seems so desperate to meet you.

And without further ado, we’re putting it back in the lottery.

  • A numbered, limited edition ARC of Stardust in its own slipcase. Signed by Neil Gaiman.

Stardust (6)

Not much remains to be said here. It’s a beautiful book with its own slipcase. Numbered 28 out of 250. Signed by Gaiman.

If you donate to Heifer International on our team page, you have a chance of winning not only this book, but hundreds upon hundreds of other books donated by other authors, publishers, collectors and fans.

If you’d like to see some of the auctions we’re running, you can head over to our eBay page.

If you’d like more details about Worldbuilders itself, you can hit our Website, or read my blog.

You can also see all the items in the lottery here.

Stay warm everyone,

pat

Also posted in cool things, Neil Gaiman, Stardust ARC | By Pat61 Responses
Published: January 3, 2014

More Signed Books from Cool Authors

Worldbuilders-Logo_Web_Smaller

This is a  Worldbuilders blog.

Happy new year, everyone.  We hope you all had a night filled with love, laughter, warmth, and joy.  It’s time to start anew, and we’re happy to be a part of that for you.

Even though we took a break over the holidays, the donations kept rolling in. We hit more than a few stretch goals that we’ll be making available soon. What’s more, we’re already on the cusp of raising a quarter million dollars. We’re *way* ahead of last year, and we’ve got a lot of amazing stuff still to come.

If you can’t already tell, today’s blog is being merrily brought to you by the Worldbuilders team. Pat’s getting some writing done and spending time with his family, and we’re perfectly happy to be the ones gushing about today’s fundraiser items.

As you may have guessed from the title, this blog contains tons more books from some incredibly generous authors:

  • Auction: Awesome leather bound copy of Eulogy.  Signed by D.T. Conklin.

Eulogy - Coverr

“Conklin writes with a poet’s flair, using minimal words to deliver maximum dramatic impact. Visceral, shocking, and deeply imaginative, Eulogy pushes to the edge . . . and then dives right over it. An unapologetic, no-holds-barred descent into madness—yet there is method in it. Readers with the fortitude to take the plunge stand to be rewarded with what may go down as one of the most ambitious, redefining forays into epic fantasy of all time.” – Eldon Thompson, author of The Divine Talisman

We had a few copies of this in the lottery last year, but this is a special treat: a one-of-a-kind, leather bound copy.  There were twelve made total, but each one was hand-covered and bound.  It’s going up in an auction, so if it tickles your fancy, you should head over here and bid.

  • Set of Holder of Lightning, Mage of Clouds, and Heir of Stone.  All are first editions, signed by S.L. Farrell.

Cloudmages set - standing

“Farrell continues to shine as one of the strongest voices in the Celtic fantasy subgenre.” – Publishers Weekly

These are really awesome books, made all the more awesome by the fact that it includes the entire trilogy, and they’re all signed first editions.

  • Set of A Magic of Twilight, A Magic of Nightfall, and A Magic of Dawn.  All are first editions, signed by S.L. Farrell.

Magic Of standing

“Intriguing characters and a complex socio-political background make this a strong addition to most fantasy collections.” – Library Journal

Farrell also sent along his more-recent trilogy, the Nessantico Cycle.  This is another complete set, and again all signed first editions.

Ready Player One standing

“Ridiculously fun and large-hearted, and you don’t have to remember the Reagan administration to love it…[Cline] takes a far-out premise and engages the reader instantly…You’ll wish you could make it go on and on.” – NPR.org

This book will make geeks everywhere happy, and Ernest Cline has been donating copies for a few years now.  We’re throwing all of the copies that came into the lottery to help spread the geeky love.

Myths of Origin - standing

“Readers who luxuriate in the telling of a tale and savor phrases where every word has significance will enjoy the challenge of this fantasy.” – Publishers Weekly

  • Copy of Delia’s Shadow.  First edition, includes promotional postcard.  Signed by Jaime Lee Moyer.

Delias - lying

“Moyer creates a hauntingly real San Francisco, full of characters you can’t wait to get to know better. Delia’s Shadow is an engaging debut novel, one that cost me a good night’s sleep.” – Jim C. Hines

Jamie Lee Moyer is one of the awesome folks who has donated a critique of a manuscript this year and in the past.  This first edition copy of her first novel is going to be a great addition to one lucky lottery winner’s collection.  And if that’s too much chance for you…

  • Auction: Copy of Delia’s Shadow.  First edition, includes promotional postcard.  Signed by Jaime Lee Moyer.

Delias - Signature

We’ve got two of these, so for those of you who would rather be sure, you can bid on it here.

Laura Anne Gilman set - lying

“[Readers] will be seduced and enthralled by Gilman’s metaphysical thriller about wicked elves, shape-shifting supernaturals and portals to another dimension….melds magic with mayhem for a tale of bravery, friendship and devotion.” – Publishers Weekly

Laura Anne Gilman also donates a critique every year, and of your entire submission packet to boot.  We were all too excited to get some of her books in for this year’s fundraiser.

Collared lying

“Vivid descriptions of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood are a plus in a cozy tale that will draw in even those normally skeptical of animal-centered stories.” – Publishers Weekly

L.A. Korntesky is a psudonym for Laura Anne Gillman, so you know these will be good.  They’re in a series called  The Gin and Tonic Mysteries, and have an amazing number of pet-related puns on the covers alone.

  • Copy of Chicks Unravel Time anthology.  Signed by Martha Wells.

Chicks Unravel - standing

“It’s truly a delight to read smart words from smart people on a subject beloved and important to them. Chicks Unravel Time is a fantastic read that delves into why Doctor Whoholds such a dear place in the hearts of so many, and how it has impacted them.” – The Nerdist

Martha Wells is a great supporter of Worldbuidlers, and she kicked in this Dr. Who anthology for one lucky Whovian to get their hands on in the lottery.

  • Copy of Star Wars: Razor’s Edge.  First edition, signed by Martha Wells.

Star Wars standing

EMPIRE AND REBELLION is the title for a trio of stand alone Star Wars novels focusing on Leia, Han, and Luke. Martha Wells wrote the Leia novel, James S. A. Corey is writing the Han Solo novel (Honor Among Thieves, coming out in March), and Kevin Hearne is writing the Luke novel (untitled).

  • Copy of Wheel of the Infinite.  First edition, signed by Martha Wells.

Wheel of the Infinate - standing

“Wells spices her latest fantasy with exotic textures and colors reminiscent of India and the Far East, while mystery and court intrigue add depth to this tale of love and risk. Highly recommended for most fantasy collections.” – Library Journal

Martha sent along a huge sampling of her books.  This is one of her stand-alone fantasy novels, but she’s also got a couple of different fantasy series sets in here as well…

  • Set of The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths.  Signed by Martha Wells.

Cloud Roads set - lying

“The Cloud Roads has wildly original worldbuilding, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. It’s that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesn’t go where ten thousand others have gone before. I can’t wait for my next chance to visit the Three Worlds!” – N.K. Jemisin

Here we have a set of The Books of Raksura, lovingly signed and donated.  The most recent novel, The Siren Depths, came out a year ago, so the winner of these will be completely up to date.

  • Set of The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, and The Gate of Gods.  First is an audiobook. Last two are hardcovers, signed by Martha Wells.

Fall of Ile Rien - Standing

(Not picured: The Ships of Air, which is on its way)

“Wells’ first volume in this new trilogy features fine storytelling and a unique mixture of magic and early 20th century science. Her memorable tale is a good addition to most fantasy collections.” – Library Journal

This is the complete Fall of Ile-Rien Trilogy, including an audiobook copy of the first book.  I love listening to audiobooks, so if you haven’t tried before, this could be your opportunity to give them a chance.

  • Set of The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer audiobooks by Martha Wells.

Necromancer Element audiobooks

“A rich fantasy debut . . . Skillfully blending the fantastical and the mundane, Wells delights with deft and sympathetic characterization while demonstrating a fine touch for adventure.” – Publishers Weekly

These are two stand-alone novels from Ile-Rien, the world of the previous series. You don’t have to have read the other series to enjoy them, so the love is spread for more people to discover Martha’s coolness.

  • Copy of Emilie and the Hollow World.  Signed by Martha Wells.

Emilie Hollow World - standing

“A swashbuckling escape for avid readers that trades buttoned-up boundaries for unbridled adventure.” – Kirkus Reviews

This is the first book in Martha’s YA series.  It has a little bit of something for everyone, and the first chapter is available on Martha’s website.  If it intrigues you, be sure to head over to the Team Page and chip in what you can – as little as $10 will give you a chance to win this, or any of the other cool books listed.

Auction: An ARC of an ARC of Cast in Flame.  Signed by Michelle Sagara.

Michelle Sagara 1

This is ridiculously cool, and incredibly one-of-a-kind.  Michelle wrote up a good description of it herself, so I’m just going to quote her directly:

“I am just finishing CAST IN FLAME, the novel I owe HLQ for July 2014.

I asked my editor if it would be okay to offer an advanced, advanced ARC for Worldbuilders; as long as it’s printed (I’d print it), that would be more than fine with her. Given the end of the fundraising drive, this would be pre-editorial requested revisions, but in general, what this means for my Luna novels is: pre the 5k words we have to find to cut >.<.

Since the actual novel won’t be published until July 2014, this would be the only chance to actually read it before then. But it would *also* be the submission draft.”

Yeah.  Ridiculously cool.  If you want a super-early read of Michelle’s next novel, head over and bid on it here.

Awesome edit:

Michelle nudged us with a little bit more information about this auction:

“As an added bonus: I will dedicate the book to whoever is generous enough to win the auction (with a mention of Worldbuilders). I will dedicate the book to the person of your choice if you win and you don’t want your name in the dedication – but I reserve the right to refuse to dedicate the book to, say, myself or someone equally “funny” (I.e., no Hitler, no obvious political swipes). I would need this information by the end of January, 2014, in order to fulfill this part of the auction, because the front matter information (of which the dedication is part) is due in to production by the 31st of January.”

Yeah.  A book could be  dedicated to you.  If that doesn’t push you over the edge into bidding on it, I don’t know what will.

*     *     *

Thanks for all the kind words lately, everyone.  You warm our hearts and make all of us feel like we’re doing something really awesome with you.

We took a break from auctions over the holidays, but the auctions from this and the next couple of blogs are up.  If you want to get in on them early, head over to our eBay page to start bidding.

Be sure to keep up with the fundraiser on the blog, and get details about how to win thousands of lovely books donated by authors and publishers.

Want to see what other things you can win in the lottery?  Head over to the Lottery Library page to see everything we’ve posted so far.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2013 | By Amanda12 Responses

  • RSS info

  • Visit Worldbuilders!

  • Our Store

    The Store

  • Previous Posts

  • Archives



  • Bookmark this Blog!

    (IE and Firefox users only - Safari users, click Command-D)