Tag Archives: Marie brennan

Cool Things from Awesome Supporters

It’s been a great couple of days of fundraising here, and with less than a week left, we have a little bit of business to attend to.

  • Odds of winning a prize

First of all, yesterday, someone asked what their odds of winning a prize in the lottery were. What a fantastic question! we thought to ourselves. Surely it’ll take us ages to do such a difficult calculation, so alas, we won’t be able to answer it.

At least, that’s what we’ve said in years past. We’ve proven that we really shouldn’t be the ones trusted to do the math for odds, as evidenced by the multiple fundraiser blogs where we tried and and got the math wrong. That’s why we brought in a pro last year.

Vi Hart did the math, and we used that to create this little widget. Put in your donation, and it will tell you what the odds are that you win at least one prize.

Right now if you donate $20, enough for a flock of chickens, you have a 6% (ish) chance of winning something. (Better odds that rolling a 1 on your saving throw, and we all know how often *that* happens.)

If you donate $120, enough for a goat, you have a 34% chance of winning.

Donate enough to bring clean water to a village ($250) you have a 55% chance.

Donate enough for a Heifer ($500)  and you have a 78% chance of winning.

Keep in mind that the widget doesn’t tell you how likely you are to win multiple prizes. And some prizes contain multiple books.

What’s more, the odds will shimmy around a bit. As more people donate, the odds go down. But the more prizes we post, the odds go up. It’s also worthwhile to note that some people opt out of the prize draw, and as a result, your odds are actually a little *better* than what the widget tells you.

There is one slight flaw. If you donate enter more than 2700 dollars, the widget will show a 100% chance of winning a prize. This isn’t really true. But the widget can’t show 99.999999999%, so it rounds up.

These are amazingly good odds, folks. And We’re still got an entire weeks worth of material to add to the pot.

  • Holiday Shipping Times

If you’re like me, you’re probably *just* starting to think about doing your Holiday shopping. Luckily for you, you can do some of your shopping in The Tinker’s Packs whereas I’m denied that joy, because it’s considered tacky to give your family and friends your own merch as presents.

If you *are* considering making a few purchaces for time-sensitive holidays, you might want to check the data below. Because shipping times can be pretty brutal this time of year….

2015 Holiday Shipping Dates (1)

The international times, as always, are hard to guess and highly variable. We give a rough estimate of 2-8 weeks, not because it’ll take that long to get to your country, but because we have no way of knowing how long customs might take to get your package processed. We don’t want to make promises at this point, but it’s likely you’re still safe for another few days.

But as you can see, the last day to get the cheapest domestic shipping and be sure it’ll be there in time for Christmas is today. Every day you wait after today is going to cost you more money in shipping, so I advise at least checking things out to make sure you’re not missing out on something you desperately want.

Or, if you don’t want to worry about shipping times, get them a Gift Card. Ships to your email inbox in a matter of seconds with no risk of embarrassingly choosing the wrong size t-shirt! This is a service we provide to the community out of the love of our hearts.

* * *

The authors, publishers, and game companies that donate to us get a lot of glory, and rightfully so. They donate thousands of dollars worth of prizes to the fundraiser. They make a huge impact on things here.

But there are always people supporting the cause in their own way. Lots of our team pages are made by people asking their families to contribute to the fundraiser instead of giving Christmas gifts. There’s people holding bake sales, or their own little mini fundraisers, in honor of Worldbuilders.

And there are people sending us their own treasured possessions. Books from their personal collections, some of them signed, limited, or rare.

Today’s blog is made up entirely of these. Books that our supporters gave, a few at a time, out of the goodness of their own hearts.

We have the best supporters.

Almost all of the books in today’s blog are signed, which is an added bonus. If not by the author, then perhaps by the illustrator…

necronomicon

This is a hefty tome. It has some of Lovecraft’s best-known work, including the entire Cthulu Mythos. The illustrator, Les Edwards, doodled a full page in the front, making it particularly valuable.

If you want to add this to your collection, you can bid right here.

  • Lovecraft Library Bundle: Six Lovecraft Books.

lovecraft

If that Necronomicon is a little outside of your price range, you can make a contribution of $10 or more to the team page to be entered to win one of thousands of prizes, including this six-pack of Lovecraft stories.

First Editions

A surprising number of signed first edition books made their way to us this year, and we knew they’d be loved if we put them into the lottery.

  • First edition copy of Lock In. Signed by John Scalzi.

scalzi

Lock In is one of Amanda’s favorite books, and getting a signed first edition is extra cool. But you don’t have to take our word for it.

“The novel–which contains plenty of action, great character development, vivid and believable worldbuilding and a thought-provoking examination of disability culture and politics–is definitely worth the ride.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

  • First edition copy of The Boy with the Porcelain Blade. Signed by Den Patrick.

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“The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is an intriguing novel that opens like a flower to reveal all to those who choose to read it” –Fantasy Book Review

This is the first book in a new dark fantasy series, and we’re really excited to have one to show off in the fundraiser. The signature is even dated with March 21, 2014, so it’s got some bonus value to it. It’s going right into the lottery, so a lucky donor is going to win it…

dying

“A beautiful story, honestly told.”―Neil Gaiman

Honestly, we’re all willing to pick up any book with a blurb like that from Neil Gaiman, and this one is particularly beautiful.

moore

“Moore is endlessly inventive … This cetacean picaresque is no fluke – it is a sure winner” —Publishers Weekly

A lot of us in the office are big Chrsitopher Moore fans, so this first edition is particularly lusted after here at Worldbuilders HQ.

  • A set of first edition copies of Echopraxia and Blindsight. Both signed by Peter Watts.

watts

“A paranoid tale that would make Philip K. Dick proud, told in a literary style that should seduce readers who don’t typically enjoy science fiction.” ―Kirkus Reviews

  • Auction: First edition copy of The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Signed by me, signed and remarqued by Nate Taylor.

srost

This is a lovely donation from a supporter, who wanted to remain anonymous. Nate did a gorgeous remarque of Auri and Foxen on the dedication page, and I haven’t seen many with such extensive art before.

This one is up for auction, so if you’re interested, you can bid right here.

Otherwise Awesome Books

First editions are great, but we have a lot more signed, doodled, and otherwise awesome books we’re adding to the fundraiser, as well.

  • Auction: Collector’s edition of The Gormenghast Novels two-volume set, by Mervyn Peake.

gormenghast

This is super cool. The Gormenghast novels are a huge part of the history of fantasy, and they’ve all been compiled into two beautiful leatherbound volumes. One of our supporters, Jill, sent it along, and we knew we had to make sure it went to a home that would love it deeply.

If you can provide that home, bid here.

mccammon

“This story blends the gripping horror and action of McCammon’s earliest novels with the empathy of his more recent work, making it one of his finest.” –Publishers Weekly

This is one of Subterranean Press’s beautiful books, and it’s been all signed up to make it that much cooler.

  • 3 copies of Diary of a Mad Brownie. Signed by the illustrator, Paul Kidby, one also signed by  Bruce Coville.

coville

“It’s not easy to merge such disparate elements as traditional Scottish lore and modern American life, but Coville brings it off with wit, style, and respect. The first volume of the Enchanted Files series is smart, amusing, and a lot of fun” —Booklist (starred review)

This is a particular treat. Not only do we have three copies to put into the lottery, but they’re all signed by both the author and illustrator, making them extra special.

conquest

“Densely plotted and decidedly grown-up, this is YA fiction for readers who are bored of fluff and sparkles.” –SFX Magazine

demons

“Whelan juggles wisecracking demons, Wicca, a World of Warcraft-style game, and even a sly Morrissey quote […] It’s a hoot.” –The Guardian

hegarty

“Hegarty’s debut and the first of a projected series is Ghostbusters meets Percy Jackson as written by Terry Pratchett. Readers will be hunting for the sequel in short order.” –Kirkus Reviews

brennan

“Full of vivid characters and terrific world building, Generation V is a fun, fast-packed romp of a story that kept me glued tot he pages to the very last word. Loved it! Bravo, M.L. Brennan, bravo!”–Devon Monk

I love seeing inscriptions like this, because the winner of this in the lottery is going to be able to look back on it for a long time, brag to their friends, and show it off as something cool they got for doing something cool. It’s a win-win-win.

  • 3 copies of A Study In Scarlet. Signed by the illustrator, Gris Grimly.

scarlet

I think we all know a Sherlock Holmes story or two, but an illustrated version signed by the illustrator would be a good addition to your collection. And the quick doodle with the signature is pretty awesome. We had a copy of Neil Gaiman’s The Dangerous Alphabet last year, illustrated by Gris Grimly, and everyone crowded around it for a while, pointing out all the brilliant details he adds to his art.

got

This is a pretty rare book. Subterranean Press doesn’t even allow people to order more than one, and it was limited to only 500 copies. This particular copy is number 331, and includes roughly 70 black and white interior illustrations, including chapter heads, full page illustrations, and vignettes, as well as three full-color interior illustrations.

It’s signed by both Martin and the artist, Ted Nasmith, and it’s already being bid on pretty ferociously over on ebay. If you want it, get in on it quick.

  • A Buttload of ARCs from Shane.

arcs

One of our supporters, Shane, runs a book review blog and ends up with a lot of ARCs because of it. He sent us “a giant Target diaper box” (his words) full of ARCs, and rather than keep all the coolness for people who can afford to bid, we’re putting them all into the lottery.

There are ARCs from authors like Neal StephesonKen Liu, Chris Beckett, David Weber, and a lot, lot more. And yes, they arrived taped safely inside a Target diaper box. Size 6.

Since they’re all in the lottery, every $10 you donate gets you another chance to win some of these ARCs. If you’ve been holding back, the fundraiser has less than a week left at this point, so you might want to jump in soon…

* * *

Don’t forget to check out the store if you’re shopping for holiday gifts. You’re kind of late for Hanukkah, but maybe that’s an endearing trait to your loved ones. Like we said, today’s the last day for cheap shipping for Christmas, and it’s only going to get riskier the longer you wait.

There are lots more auctions up right now, too, and we haven’t even featured most of them yet. If you want to get a jump on the bidding, you can check them out right here.

And, as always, you can get your name in the hat for one of the thousands of prizes in the lottery, and help make the world a better place at the same time, by making a donation to our fundraiser page. The entire Worldbuilders Team will grin like idiots if you do. It’s been a pretty goofy looking office for a while now.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2015 | By Pat11 Responses

So, SO Many Signed Books from Authors

Over the weekend, while I was in the middle of a livestream, this year’s fundraiser quietly ticked past $886,000.

That might seem like an oddly specific number to be excited about, but as everyone who happened to be watching me at that particular moment knows, $886,000 is the amount of money we raised in last year’s fundraiser. It’s a big deal for team Worldbuilders that we’ve managed to beat last year’s total.

As I write this, we’re at $910,000. We have a week to go, and it looks like we’re on track to hit a million dollars. In fact, it looks like we might smash through a million and carry on out the other side.

Every year you all impress me with your generosity. And let me assure you, your generosity is having a big impact. You see, Heifer International does a lot more than just give livestock to people.

In Bangladesh, for example, the village of Bhairav is flooded every year, making it impossible for children to travel to schools that are far away.

This problem is bigger than it might look at first glance. You see, if children miss out on a good education, it effectively cripples them for the rest of their lives. Without a good education, you can’t get a good job. Without a good job, you can’t make good money. Without money, your children end up hungry and they can’t get decent medical attention, a good education….

To fix this problem, Heifer teamed up with a local women’s group to open the Bhawanipur education center so children have a school that’s closer to home. But that’s only half the battle. You see, a school needs money to run…

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Heifer worked with the women’s group to set up a rice bank where donations of rice are sold and the money is put into a group fund that covers expenses like rent and the teacher’s salary.

The beauty of this system is that it’s self sustaining. Now that it’s set up, they no longer need Heifer’s support. They’re taking care of themselves.

And that’s part of what our money is doing. We’re not just buying livestock, we’re changing lives. And we’re changing them in a sustainable, long-term way.

* * *

Authors always stomp out in a big way by sending us signed copies of their books, or full series, or sometimes rare books from their own collections.

For every $10 you donate on our team page, you have the chance to win these books as well as thousands of others we’re giving out at the end of the lottery.

  • First edition copies of The Bassoon King. Signed by Rainn Wilson. 5 in the lottery and 1 up for auction.

bassoon

We met Rainn Wilson when we were in Los Angeles for Beyond Hunger. He’s a huge supporter of Heifer International, and that’s enough to make him cool in my book. But it turns out he’s also a delightfully gracious person, and offered to send along some signed copies of his new memoir for us to use for the fundraiser.

There are a few in the lottery, but we also have a first edition/first printing signed copy up for auction right here.

  • Copies of Zombie Baseball BeatdownPump SixShip Breaker, and The Water Knife. All signed by Paolo Bacigalupi, and one of each available as an auction.

bacigalupi2

Paolo sent us a LOT of books this year, and we were all too happy to put them to good use.

Amanda has a particular fondness for this edition of Ship Breaker, because it was one of the books that Subterranean sent many of during her first year working at Worldbuilders. It’s a beautiful edition, and it’s one of the first books she really lusted after in the fundraiser.

Paolo has signed them all, and in addition to the ones in the lottery, we’re putting one of each title up for auction. If you want Zombie Baseball Beatdown, bid here. If you want Pump Six, bid here. If you want Ship Breaker, bid here, and if you want The Water Knife, bid here.

  • Copies of Windup Girl and Drowned Cities. All signed by Paolo Bacigalupi, limited edition versions up for auction.

bacigalupi

We have a couple of different versions of these up for grabs. There are hardcover and trade copies of Windup Girl and trade copies of Drowned Cities in the lottery, both signed and definitely cool.

But we also got two out of the 300 limited edition Subterranean Press copies for each one, so we’ve got one of each in the lottery, and one of each up for auction. If you want a seriously-collectible version of Windup Girl you can bid here, and you can go here to bid on the limited edition Drowned Cities.

  • Copies of the Forbidden Library series, The Shadow Campaigns Series, and John Golden & The Heroes of Mazaroth. All signed by Django Wexler. Forbidden Library and Shadow Campaigns also up in auction.

django_square

Django Wexler just did an awesome stretch goal for us, sending over a video of him painting 3 random miniatures, including a thief giving someone the finger. In addition to that stretch goal, though, he sent over a lot of books. We put one of each into the lottery, and we have the two series sets up for auction as well.

If you want a signed set of Forbidden Library books, you can bid on those here, and if you want the signed Shadow Campaigns books you can bid here.

  • A copy of Dust and Light, and Sets of the Collegia Magica series. All signed by Carol Berg. 4 sets in the lottery and 1 up for auction.

berg

“An absolutely gorgeous writer…[who] does incredible worldbuilding.” —C. E. Murphy

Authors are always so generous with their books, and this is another prime example of that. Carol gave us a copy of the first book of her new series, as well as 5 sets of the Collegia Magica series. We’ve put 4 sets into the lottery, and the last one is available for auction right here.

  • Copies of the Delia Martin series, including a coverplate. All signed by Jaime Lee Moyer. One for lottery and a set of ARCs for auction.

moyer

Jaime sent us more than one set of her books, and we put one in the lottery, but when we realized the second set was entirely made up of signed ARCs, we knew we had to auction it off.

  • Copies of Armada audiobook and first edition hardcover. All signed by Ernest Cline. One of each up for auction.

cline

I have a lot of love for Ernest Cline, and he’s always been a wonderful supporter of the charity. This year he passed along multiple versions of Armada, so we put some in the lottery, but a few up for auction. Because really, who doesn’t love signed first editions?

You can bid on the signed audiobook edition here, and the signed first edition right here.

  • Set of the Lightbringer series. Signed by Brent Weeks.

weeks

This is one of my favorite blurbs I’ve ever seen for a book. Ever.

“Brent Weeks is so good it’s starting to tick me off.”―Peter V. Brett

  • Copies of Servants of the Storm, Hit, and Wake of Vultures, each with a temporary tattoo and bookmark. All signed and doodled by Delilah S. Dawson.

dawson

Let me tell you, Delilah S. Dawson writes a great story if you put her on a stage at the same time as Chuck Wendig, Sam Sykes, and Stephen Blackmore. She’s been a supporter of the charity in a variety of ways, and adding to the lottery is no exception.

“Dawson’s latest is a raw, gritty near-future dystopian tale with noir undertones . . . Thought-provoking, disturbing, and suspenseful.” –Booklist

  • ARCs of A Raven’s Shadow series. Signed by Anthony Ryan.

ryan

“[L]eaves you both satisfied and on the edge of your seat for what happens next. Loved it.”—Tenacious Reader

This is one of a few sets of a series where the author sent us all ARCs. It’s not easy to get your hands on a signed copy of an ARC, so they’re pretty valuable. A lot of times we auction things like this off, but we wanted to give someone the chance to win this coolness in the lottery, where even a donation of $10 gets you the chance to win it.

clone

This is something extra cool. Not only is it buy Zach Weinersmight of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (which, if you aren’t already familiar with, you should take the time to peruse), but it’s a choose your own adventure book.

Those two things are enough to make it awesome, but this copy in particular is signed, and going into the lottery for anyone to win.

  • William Shakespeare’s The Phantom of Menace. Signed by Ian Doescher.

menace

“Enjoy this tale in iambic pentameter, for it has all the necessary aspects of any Shakespeare play – the betrayal, the hope, the tragedy…This book is necessary for any Star Wars fan’s collection.”—Geeks of Doom

thorn

“…a spectacular novel that pulled me in from the first page and refused to let me go till I turned the last page.” –I Heart Reading

martinez

Michael has been donating a read-and-critique for years now, but this year, in addition to donating TWO critiques (one of which can be won by donating to the WriMos page), Michael also sent along a set of his series for the lottery.

“This is a fast-paced and smooth read from the very beginning, and towards the end Martinez builds up the suspense and urgency like a pro….adventurous, original, and a blast to read.” –Tor.com

  • A set of the Immortal Descendants series. Signed by April White.

white

April White has been contributing for a while, including tuckerizations and and special stuff from her desk, but that stuff was all auctioned off, so we’re glad to have a full signed set of her books to put into the lottery.

  • A set of The Others series. Auctions: ARC of Marked in Flesh (to be relased in March) and Murder of Crows audiobook. All signed by Anne Bishop.

bishop

Anne Bishiop sent us signed copies of the first three books The Others series, and we put that into the lottery, but we couldn’t pass up on auctioning the other stuff she sent us. One is a signed audiobook copy of Murder of Crows, the second book, which deserves a loving home. If you can provide that loving home, you should bid right here.

The other is an ARC of Marked in Flesh, which won’t be released until March 8, 2016. If you want to get a sneak peek at the fourth book in The Others series, you should bid on it right here and have months of bragging rights.

  • A set of The Borden Dispatches, I am Princess X, and a limited edition copy of Jacaranda. All signed by Cherie Priest.

priest

Cherie Priest sent over a lot of books this year, and they’re all going into the lottery. There’s a set of The Borden Dispatches, all signed, and then there’s a copy of I am Princess X, a YA cyberthriller mystery. All of these are likely to make anyone happy, but there’s something extra special going in, too.

The copy of Jacaranda she sent along is a Subterranean Press limited edition, which was limited to 250. It’s beautiful, and rather than auctioning off we put it into the lottery, because we think everyone who donates should have the chance to win this beauty.

orullian

We passed Peter’s stretch goal recently, and we’re all eagerly anticipating the video of him singing a Worldbuilders-themed cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. If his past videos are any kind of example, this is going to be amazing.

On top of being a fantastic musician, Peter’s a great author, and he sent us a set of his series, which is in the lottery just for you. Well, possibly for you. If you donate at least $10.

little

This book’s premise was enough to make Amanda interested. In this world, the gods have been imprisoned after they had attempted to enslave all of humankind. The protagonist, Ses, is raised to forge wrightings, the tools that are used to maintain that prison and imbued with soul energy.

Seriously cool. Gregory sent along 4 copies, and we’re putting them all in to the lottery.

fixer

“Seriously, if you’re looking for a solid plot with characters you can relate to, this book is for you. It was easy to read, easy to follow, and even easier to enjoy. Don’t let this one slip through your fingers.” –Amazon.com

  • Copies of The Dragons of Heaven. Signed by Alyc Helms.

helms

“All the fun of pulp adventure, filtered through a twenty-first century lens. Helms isn’t content simply to play in the genre; she questions it, complicates it, adds layers it didn’t have eighty years ago. Missy’s journey to become Mr. Mystic isn’t the usual heroic training montage – but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.” –Marie Brennan

oconnell

Bishop was hugely generous, and matched what his tuckerization this year raised as a donation to Worldbuilders. On top of what was already an awesome donation, he sent us the two books currently in the American Faerie Tale series for us to share with our lovely donors.

  • Copies of Cracking the Sky and Edge of Dark. Signed by Brenda Cooper.

cooper

“Brenda Cooper’s universe is detailed, inventive, and ultimately dazzling.  I will remember Chrystal for a very long time.” –Nancy Kress

  • Auction: First edition copy of Voyage of the Basilisk. Signed by Marie Brennan.

brennan

If you love Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent series, this might pique your interest. If you didn’t already know, Marie Brennan started her own team page on the Worldbuilders fundraiser, where you can make contributions, as well as directly buy copies of her books, and books by other authors, all in honor of Worldbuilders.

This particular book, though, since it’s a first edition, first printing, is up for auction for the collectors out there. You can bid on it right here.

  • Copies of Star Wars: Razor’s Edge, a set of the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, a set of the Books of the Raksura series, and audiobooks of City of Bones and Wheel of the Infinite. All signed by Martha Wells.

wells

“Wells…merrily ignores genre conventions as she spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with.” –Publishers Weekly

Martha Wells does not mess around. She’s got so many different types of books out there, and she sent us a smattering of all of them, including her Star Wars novel, and they’re all signed.

  • Goblin Secrets and Ghoulish Song, and Ambassador and Nomad. All signed by William Alexander.

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“The mythic resonance in Alexander’s storytelling, coupled with his smart, graceful writing, make this novel feel both pleasantly old and thoroughly new.” –Locus Magazine

  • Auction: Your own personalized, annotated copy of any Sherwood Smith book.

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This is a first of its kind for Worldbuidlers. Sherwood Smith contacted us, and she didn’t want to send a specific book. Instead, she wanted us to auction off the opportunity to get any book of hers, signed, doodled, personalized, and annotated as the winner sees fit. Here’s exactly what she said:

I wanted to offer any of my books, which the person could name. I would personalize it for them–maps, drawings, marginal comments, footnotes, whatever they want. Anything over [a final bid of], say, $250 I would handwrite a between-the-scenes story, according to a prompt by the auction winner.

That’s right. Your own, hand-written, bonus scene in the book if it goes for more than $250. This is a huge deal, you guys. If you want to have this for your very own, bid right here, early and often.

  • Auction: ARC of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Signed by Neil Gaiman.

gaiman

I’m not sure if I need to tell you how cool this is. It’s an ARC, numbered 18 out of only 500 ever made available. It’s signed by Neil Gaiman. In a cursory search online, I can’t even find one of these available to tell you how valuable it is. Richard Kadrey sent us this from his personal collection, and the whole Worldbuilders team has been coveting it ever since.

There’s already been a lot said about this book, both here on the blog and on Goodreads. Suffice it to say, you should read it if you haven’t. And if collectible rarities are a thing you’re interested in. you should bid on it right here.

  • Numbered, leather-bound 10th Anniversary edition of Elantris. Signed by Brandon Sanderson. One in the lottery and one up for auction.

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Brandon Sanderson sent us some seriously impressive editions of Elantris. In honor of the 10th anniversary, he’s had a gorgeous leather-bound edition printed, including a 16-page full-color insert at the beginning of the book highlighting some of the beautiful Elantris covers from around the world.

These are numbered 209 and 210. We put number 209 into the lottery, and number 210 is up for auction right here. If you love beautiful books, this is for you. And honestly, who doesn’t love beautiful books?

* * *

For those of you keeping track at home, this brings us to over 2,000 prizes in the lottery (2015 to be precise), worth about $66,000. The lottery is jam packed with goodies for you to win if you donate $10 or more to the fundraiser, and we have auctions for people who don’t love leaving things to chance.

We’ve got 8 days left, folks, and I’m excited to see how far we can go in the next week.

If you want to do something to help, share us around. Tell our story, point people to the fundraiser page, and explain the impact Heifer International can have. Because the more people who know, the bigger impact we’ll all have.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2015 | By Pat13 Responses

Tuckerizations from Authors

Hey everyone! Today’s blog comes to you courtesy of The Worldbuilders Team. There’s a lot of cool stuff to share with you, and we’re really excited about it.

Honestly we’re kind of excited in general. Worldbuilders is doing amazingly well this year, and everything we raise is making a big difference. There is so much that Heifer does for the communities they work in. For example…

Over the last 3 years, the average income per person in Hebei province in China has increased from 900 yuan to 10,900 yuan per year (over 1000% increase). When Heifer arrived they helped form Self Help Groups and gifted cows to a number of families while teaching them how to take care of their new livestock (meaning food and basic care as well as veterinary techniques).

Meigu Project (22-0017-72)

These families have seen vast improvements in their lives. They have milk to drink, make into cheese, and sell. These cows will have babies, which can be passed on to other members of the community.

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A heifer costs $500, and we’ve already raised enough for more than 630 cows, just between our fundraising page and the Cards Against Humanity donation.

We’re all making a big difference together. Let’s keep rocking.

* * *

Tuckerizations are a fun way for authors to help out with the fundraiser, and for supporters to get a real once-in-a-lifetime perk.

Except it’s not just once-in-a-lifetime. We offer Tuckerizations almost every year, and many authors have offered them this time around, more than any previous year.

What is a Tuckerization, you may ask? Well, it means different things to different people. Historically, it’s called a Tuckerization because Wilson Tucker used so many of his friends’ names as characters in his stories that it became something of an in-joke. Nowadays, it’s the chance to make a cameo appearance in a story. An author will take your name, or maybe your personality, or your physical description, and use it for a character in their story.

Maybe it’s not your name. Maybe it’s a sister’s, or a friend’s, or that kid you spent a lot of time with in kindergarten before he moved away. Maybe you only *start* with your name, but the author changes it a bit to fit in with the culture of the world you’re being put into. If that happens, you collaborate with the author and reach a solution you both like.

Whatever the case, it’s a chance to be a part of something really cool. It’s a chance, in some ways, at literary immortality.

As with the critiques of manuscripts we recently auctioned off, everyone is offering something a little different, so be sure to read carefully.

  • AuctionMary Robinette Kowal will write you into an upcoming piece of fiction, plus send you a signed manuscript before publication!

Mary Robinette Kowal

Hugo-award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal will tuckerize your name into a forthcoming piece of fiction. What does this mean? It means that she will work your name into a story or novel depending on what your name is and which project it seems to fit best into. She’ll also send you a signed manuscript before publication. So it’s like a literary twofer.

If you want this, you should bid on it right here.

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Here’s what Bishop said when we asked him to describe his auction:

I’m offering to name a character (first and last) in the fourth book in the American Faerie Tale series, The Returned, after the winner. This character will have some decent “screen time” meaning that it won’t just be a barista, and it’s very likely to be a recurring character. Oh, and the character won’t just be some run of the mill mortal, you’ll get powers, and they’ll be awesome!

Powers, you guys. Awesome powers. Bishop O’Connell is the author of the American Faerie Tale series, and a seriously cool guy. If you want your name in his book, bid on the auction here.

  • Auction: Become a character in April White‘s novel Cheating Death.

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The winning bidder can choose the name and a characteristic of a featured character in the epic conclusion to The Immortal Descendants series. That character will appear in book five, Cheating Death, in which Saira, its time-traveling heroine, confronts the greatest threat history has ever seen – the Immortal, War, himself.

You know you want it. Bid here.

  • AuctionCat Rambo will tuckerize you into either a steampunk, dark fantasy, secondary world fantasy, or sci-fi story, your choice.

Photos from the World Fantasy Convention 2011 in San Diego, CA

This is a really unique opportunity. Here’s what Cat told us about it:

I am offering my first Tuckerization ever in a short story, in your choice of one of the following genres: steampunk, dark fantasy, secondary world fantasy, or near SF.  The short story will appear on my website as part of my Patreon campaign and be somewhere between 1000-5000 words long. You may specify the character’s name and whether or not the character is alive at the end of a story. (I reserve the right to reject names that are inappropriate and ask for another choice.)

So yeah. Not only do you get your name in a story, you get it in whatever KIND of story you want, too–and a say in his/her/its ultimate fate. If that sounds right up your alley, you can bid on it here.

  • Auction: Make an appearance in Jeffe Kennedy’s next book, The Edge of the Blade.

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Jeffe Kennedy pitched in a chance to be featured as a named character in her award-winning Twelve Kingdoms series! In book 5, The Edge of the Blade, Jepp travels to the Dasnarian Empire where she will meet many new and interesting people (but hopefully won’t have to kill too many of them). Would you like one named after you? You and Jeffe can decide together who it might be. (Your name might have to be tweaked a bit, to fit the world, depending on what it is.)

You can bid on this one right here, and collaborate with Jeffe about who you’re going to be in her world.

  • Auction: Be a scholar, diplomat, mountaineer, or something else in Marie Brennan‘s next novel. Also includes copies of two of her novels, Doppelganger and Warrior and Witch.

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Bid on the chance to appear in the final book of Marie Brennan’s award-nominated Memoirs of Lady Trent series! One lucky winner will have a side character named after them or the individual of their choice. The identity of the character will depend on the gender and ethnicity of the name chosen; possibilities include a scholar of the mysterious Draconean language, an intrepid mountaineer, a foreign diplomat, and more.

How cool is that? If you want to be a Draconean scholar or the like, you can bid right here.

  • AuctionShawn Speakman will put you into his short story in Unfettered II.

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Shawn had a lot of nice things to say about Pat, Worldbuilders, and everyone else who helped put Unfettered out when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, and we posted all of his comments in the auction. But here’s the general idea of this specific tuckerization:

Next year, in July 2016, I will publish Unfettered II.  The follow-up anthology to Unfettered has a powerhouse line-up just like its predecessor but this time all monies raised in sales will go to alleviating medical debt for other authors and artists.  In this way, I can pay forward the help I received. But first, for this year’s Worldbuilders, I am offering a tuckerization for my Unfettered II short story, The Shadowed Flames! If you’d like to have your name and physical description written into the story and eventually published in Unfettered II, you have to bid and win this auction!

Want to know what kind of story you are getting yourself into? Here is a link featuring the first draft of the first 1/3 of The Shadowed Flames.

So yeah, it’s a pretty cool opportunity from a wonderful guy. If you want to be in this one, click here to bid.

  • AuctionTim Pratt will name a character, magic spell, whorehouse, or anything of your choice after you!

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Tim’s stuff is amazing, as is what he’s actually offering:

A tuckerization in an upcoming urban fantasy novel in my Marla Mason series, to be published in late 2016. I’ll name a character, magical spell, house of ill repute, boat that explodes, or something else equally wonderful after you, or use a name of your choice.

A house of ill repute. You could name a whorehouse after yourself. How do you pass that up?

You don’t. Bid here.

  • AuctionBradley P. Beaulieu will name a character after you, and the more you pay, the more important s/he will be to the series!

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Brad always does cool stuff for us, and this year is no exception.

He’s offering one Tuckerization for inclusion in his brand new epic fantasy series, The Song of the Shattered Sands. The character will appear in the second book, With Blood Upon the Sand, and may live beyond those pages.

But it’s more than just that.

Brad is offering to elevate the importance of this character based on how much money it raises. By default, it’s going to be a relatively small role. But if it raises $250, your character will have some importance in the story. Not just showing up, but interacting with the main characters. And Brad will try to adopt some personal details about you into the character.

If it raises $500, he will ensure that the character either dies in a spectacular way or performs some major, selfless, heroic act. You’ll get to tell Brad if you prefer to be a heroic ally or a villain, what ethnicity you’d prefer to be, and so on.

Plus, this is at least a 3 book series (and possibly as much as 6), so you might live on beyond the book this auction is technically for. This is a seriously hefty auction.

If you want to be immortalized in this cool of a way, you can bid here.

* * *

No one held back this year, and for that, we are thankful. It’s easy to forget about the good things in the world a lot of the time, but people like this remind us how much there is to be happy about.

The other cool thing is that a lot of stretch goals got updated yesterday after we were sort of surprised by how fast we reached them, thanks to Cards Against Humanity’s Fantasy Pack. If you want to watch them, you can head over to the Worldbuilders YouTube channel, or just click around on our lovely stretch goal page to your heart’s content.

Thanks for helping us make the world a better place, folks. Happy bidding.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2015 | By Amanda10 Responses

More Awesome Books

We’re winding down here, folks. As of  tonight (Tuesday, Dec 9th) all of this year’s auctions are live.

We haven’t talked about all of them yet in the blog, but they’re all posted up on e-bay in all their glory. So if you’d like a sneak peek of some things coming up, there you go.

A lot of stuff in today’s blog. Most of these books are signed, doodled in, and/or rare.

What’s more, we have several books in today’s blog that are Advance Reading Copies of books that won’t be hitting the shelves for months. That means you have unprecedented chances to get hold of books before your friends. so you can taunt them and post up teaser reviews on Goodreads.

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Earlier in the fundraiser, when we ran our auctions for Professional Manuscript Critiques, we told the story of Gabriel Squailia. Back in 2010, he won a read-and-critique in a Worldbuilders auction from my agent, Matt Bialer. Matt liked it enough to offer to represent Gabriel, and this spring, Gabriel’s book is going to be published.

We were really excited to hear about it, and asked Gabriel if we could talk about his success story. He was more than happy to let us, and sent over two ARCs of the upcoming book as well. A few people on Goodreads have had the good luck to get a copy from Gabriel in person, and they seem to like it quite a bit.

We’ve thrown one into the lottery, and we’ve also got one up for auction. Bid on it over here.

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Sherwood Smith has been a fantastic supporter over the years. This donation is particularly awesome, mostly because it’s one of only three that exist in the entire world.

This is a special reprinting of her 2002 YA fantasy novel Crown Duel, containing the corrected ebook text, the short story “Vidanric’s Birthday Surprise,” and several scenes from Vidanric’s point of view. Sherwood has lovingly decorated this book for us, including detailing the first letter of every chapter with calligraphy. It’s truly a beautiful thing.

To see more pictures, or to place a bid, head over here.

  • Copies of The Fault in Our Stars. Signed by John Green.

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Amanda told me once that John Green was her favorite author.

That’s right. She said it right to my face. She didn’t even pretend to feel bad about it. I took it as a challenge, and started reading his books, convinced that she was crazy. But I ended up really enjoying them. I wrote up a Goodreads Review of Looking for Alaska, which mostly features me feeling guilty about all of the pain I’ve caused my readers.

John sent over some signed copies The Fault in Our Stars. We’ve put all of them into the lottery except for one, and that one’s going up for auction and you can bid on it over here.

  • Copies of Indigo Heartfire. Signed by Jo Marryat.

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These books were printed specially just for Worldbuilders. They even say so right on the cover, so whoever wins this knows that they’ve got one out of 10 copies in the world. They’re really cool, and all going into the lottery.

  • Auction: ARC of Mirror Sight. Signed, inscribed, and doodled by Kristen Britain.

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Last year, Kristen Britain donated a signed dust jacket and doodled page of the rough draft of the book. Now that it’s been published, we’ve got a great, signed ARC of the book, and so we’re auctioning it off just for you. It includes a doodle of the most determined-looking hummingbird I’ve ever seen.

Bid on it here.

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“Catherynne Valente writes in the language of dreams, which is not rational and yet always makes sense. I could read the poems in this book a hundred times and find new meanings, new pleasures in them. It is an astonishingly beautiful and deeply satisfying accomplishment … A brilliant, beautiful book.” – Theodora Goss

Catherynne Valente has a way of taking beautiful words and twining them together to make them stronger, bolder, and more delicate, all at once. I enjoyed her longer fiction quite a bit, particularly The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland…, and this book of her shorter work is just as lovely.

  • Auction: A set of The Others Series: Written in Red, Murder of Crows, and an ARC of Vision in Silver. All signed by Anne Bishop.

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Anne sent over a complete set of The Others, including an ARC of the 3rd book in the series, Vision in Silver, which doesn’t come out until March. Fans of the series could get an early read of the book, and folks who know fans can lord it over them for the next few months.

Bid here to do just that.

“A stunningly original yarn, deeply imagined, beautifully articulated and set forth in clean, limpid, sensual prose.” – Kirkus Reviews

  • Hardcover copies of the Memoirs of Lady Trent: A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents. Signed and inscribed to Worldbuilders by Marie Brennan.

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My new favorite thing authors are doing is inscribing their books to Worldbuilders. Marie Brennan sent these along and we’re happy to be putting these gorgeous books up into the lottery.

“Saturated with the joy and urgency of discovery and scientific curiosity.” – Publishers Weekly

  • Auction: Lettered, slipcased, and leatherbound edition of The Asimov Chronicles. Signed by Isaac Asimov and illustrators Ron Lindhan and Val Lakey Lindhan.

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This, my friends, is something extremely rare.

Those of you watching the early part of the Worldbuilders Livestream yesterday may have seen a few of us smelling the book, since it smells like its beautiful wood slipcase and leather. This book was severely limited, and features one story from each of Asimov’s 50 years writing them.

It’s a beautiful, signed edition. It’s lettered SS out of 52 lettered copies, very hard to track down, and it’s up for auction over here.

  • The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold and Messenger’s Legacy. Both signed by Peter V. Brett and include a signed bookplate.

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We love Peter V. Brett around here, and these are seriously gorgeous editions of his novellas. They’re from the UK, so they’re extra posh.

We’ve thrown a set into the lottery, including the first three books in the seriesThe Warded ManThe Desert Spear, and The Daylight War.

There’s also a set of the two novellas up for auctionfor those of you who know how badly you need them.

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This is a Subterranean Press publication, so you know it’s going to be beautiful. Vincent Chong did the cover art as well as the interior illustrations, and for this specific copy he’s signed it and doodled it beautifully. (Embiggen the above picture to see the beautiful illustration.)

Even more, it’s completely sold out, so if you want to grab it, you’re going to have to get it here.

  • Auction: An ARC of Trial of Intentions . Signed by Peter Orullian, won’t be out until May of 2015.

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Some of you may remember Peter’s musical support of Worldbuilders the last few years. This year he’s sent us a very early copy of his upcoming novel, so we’re auctioning it off. Whosoever wins this auction will get a great treat in getting to read this five months early…

“An ambitious story in the mold of Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind.” – Kevin J. Anderson.

If you want that chance, bid here.

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I love Terry Pratchett, and this collection of short stories would be a great way to be introduced to his work, if you live under a rock and have never read any before. Not only is this book signed by him, but it has his cool holographic seal as well.

“Clever, neatly constructed and funny. Pratchett is one of the great comic writers and storytellers of our time.” – Guardian

  • A hardcover set of Discworld novels: Reaper ManMortHogfather, and Soul Music by Terry Pratchett.

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These are particularly beautiful. Gollancz wanted to print nice, affordable hardcover editions of the Discworld books, and the ones they’ve done so far have knocked it out of the park. We’ve got four of them collected here, each one featuring fan-favorite anthropomorphic personification Death, and we’ve put them into the lottery.

  • Auction: A first edition hardcover copy of The Illustrated Eric. Signed by Terry Pratchett.

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“A hearty dose of comedy and genuine slapstick humor.” – Library Journal

This awesome hardcover sendup of the Faust story has a built-in bookmark, as well as plenty of illustrations by Josh Kirby. Not only is it a first edition, but it’s signed by Pratchett himself. Any collector should be excited to grab this, and so if you want it, it’s up for auction over here.

  • First edition copies of The Art of Asking. Signed by Amanda Palmer.

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Amanda Palmer is a rockstar in both the literal and figurative sense. This book is a great look at what it means to ask for help, and the ways that people can overcome their fears of doing so to have a more meaningful encounter with people.

As someone who lives in the midwest, where we could never ask for help even if we were dying, reading this is like delving into some arcane mystery. The thought of merely asking someone for help is utterly alien to most of us, and it’s a bit of an eye-opener.

We’re putting several signed copies of this into the lottery, and one up for auction over here.

  • First edition copies of Fortunately, the Milk. Signed by Neil Gaiman.

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Gaiman is a fantastic author, and we all know that, but he’s a particularly fantastic author of children’s books. This one came out last year, and it’s really wonderful. Oot really enjoyed it. So that’s some high praise there.

We’ve got two first editions, so we’re putting one in the lottery, and one up for auction right here.

  • First edition copies of The Graveyard Book. Signed by Neil Gaiman.

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I’ve listened to the audiobook version of this with Oot a while back. He really enjoyed it, and I wrote about his response to it in a Goodreads review. It was his first introduction to an audiobook, and I’m glad I started him out on Gaiman.

There are a few copies here, so again, we’ve got some in the lottery and we also have one up for auction which you can bid on here.

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Amanda lusts after this book like you wouldn’t believe. It’s number 10 of 250. When we had one back in 2010, Gaiman said this:

A note — the SNOW GLASS APPLES book is the text of the Play for Voices (as recorded by Seeing Ear Theatre, starring Bebe Neuwirth), with the Queen’s dialogue printed in red ink. (I only found one for sale online, for over $300.)

They only printed 250 of these, and even when you could buy them from Biting Dog Press they would cost you over a hundred bucks. But the book has been sold out for ages, of course.

Because the people here in the office knew I’d bid on it in an auction, we’ve decided to put this special book into the lottery. Something extra cool and rare that anyone can win so long as they donate $10 or more on the Worldbuilders home page.

Whoever wins it, I hope they give it a loving home.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who’s been pitching in. There are a lot of stretch goals being unlocked, including the newest Hank Green video, which Amanda described as, “impossible not to dance to.”

Speaking of dancing, if you haven’t seen Kevin Hearne’s Thriller Video, you are missing one of the finer things in life.

Continue being awesome, everyone.

Spread the word.

Six days left.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2014 | By Pat13 Responses

Novelties: Signed Books for July and August

As some of you who follow my facebook and twitter might have noticed, I’ve been traveling a lot lately.

That, combined with the fact that our Geeks Doing Good fundraiser went incredibly well, means that I, and the rest of the Worldbuilders Team, have been absolutely swamped the last few weeks.

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Well. *I’ve* been swamped. The worldbuilders team just seems to be lounging around on… oh. Wait. Those are packing peanuts, aren’t they?Like, a billion packing peanuts for the billion packages we’ll be sending out….

Never mind.

Anyway, between San Diego Comic Con and Spain, I’ve been on the road for more than two weeks. I’d thought to myself that I might be able to post a couple blogs while I was traveling, but apparently that was just my lightly repressed crazy talking, because no. When I’m traveling and I have to choose between blog and sleep, sleep wins every time.

Because of this terrible weakness on my part, I wasn’t able to post up the July Novelties in a timely fashion. So we’re going to combine July and August’s books into one great big super-bomb of delicious newly-released bookness.

As always, every one of these books is a first edition. All of them are signed. Many of them are doodled in or otherwise cool.

And all the money you spend in The Tinker’s Packs goes to charity.

  • Dust and Light. Doodled, signed, and dated by Carol Berg

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“A tale of magic and politics, of intrigue and betrayal.  Set in a rich world, told through the eyes of a compelling and sympathetic hero, [Berg’s] store twists and turns.” – D.B. Jackson

If you’re interested in this beautiful new book, grab it over here.

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“Told in a descriptive style that perfectly captures the changing settings, Durst’s novel is a page-turner.” – Booklist on Ice

This one is available right here.

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“Dellamonica’s tale is one of intrigue and power struggles, jealousy and competition, culture shock and the alienation of discovering your family is not what you thought.” – Marie Brennan

Grab your own copy over here.

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“If you’re ever secretly wished dragons were real, this story is for you.  Fans of Naomi Novik and Mary Robinette Kowal will especially enjoy this book.” – RT Book Reviews

This awesome book is available for you right here.

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“I’m having Max Gladtstone killed.  He’s too good already to be allowed to live.  If this is early work, the rest of us are out of a job.” – Elizabeth Bear

I kind of agree with Bear there. I just today posted up a review of Max’s first book in this series and I loved the second one just as much if not more. I’m currently halfway through this one, and it looks like he’s going to make the hat trick.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, get your copy here.

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“Challenging, invigorating, and unique.  If court intrigue is your wine of choice, The Goblin Emperor is the headiest vintage I’ve come across in years.” – Scott Lynch

Katherine Addison (aka Sarah Monette) went above and beyond for these, so if you want your own lovingly doodled copy, grab one here. The Tor logo never looked so good.

  • Elisha Barber and an ARC of Elisha Magus. Both Signed by E.C. Ambrose

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“Elisha Barber is an edgy, vivid story with engaging characters and a well-drawn setting that’s almost, but not quite, our own history.  I was drawn right in, quick as a slash of a barber’s razor.” – Kevin J. Anderson

This one is particularly cool because you’re getting a hardcover copy of the first book in the series, in addition to an ARC of the second book, which was just released.

We’ve only got two sets of these books, so get them while you can.

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We’re also throwing a new poster up in the store…

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Kvothe and the Scraeling was a piece of bonus art Shane did while working on the Name of the Wind playing cards.

You can buy a copy up over here, along some other cool posters….

That’s all for now, everybody. I’ll share some pictures and stories from Spain and Comic Con soon…

pat

Posted in Novelties, The Tinker's Packs | By Pat19 Responses

Even Yet More Author Donated Books

This is a Worldbuilders Blog.

Well folks, this is it. The final blog full of books. The final day of the fundraiser.

On January 21st at midnight, Worldbuilders will be over for another year.

We’ve had a really good week. Just to give y’all some perspective, Worldbuilders has raised more money in the last four days than we did in our our entire first year.

As I write this, our total is a little more than $392,000. So it looks like $400K is well within our grasp. When we hit that, I’m personally donating an extra $100,000 to Heifer International.

Our $450K goal is looking a little distant, though. Which is a shame, as I was really hoping to have an excuse to write a piece of erotica with Amber Benson.

Still, I’ve been surprised before in the final day of the fundraiser….

Remember that if you donate before midnight CST on Jan 21st, you’ve got really amazingly good odds of winning some cool books, including the new ones we’re listing below….

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Some of the coolest books Worldbuilders received this year came from the authors themselves. Today’s batch includes special editions, numbered editions, and a few copies of books that won’t even be hitting the shelves for a couple months.

Remember to thank these authors if you get the chance.  They’re cool people, and they’re helping out Worldbuilders from the goodness of their hearts.

This is a publisher’s copy of the limited edition from Subterranean Press. There were less than 600 of these made, and they’ve  been sold out for some time, but Paolo sent us one of his personal copies for the fundraiser.

“Not since William Gibson’s pioneering cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer (1984), has a first novel excited science fiction readers as much as Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl…” – Washington Post

  • A set of The Dreamblood Series.  Signed by N.K. Jemisin.

“The world is so fully fleshed out that I could breathe its spices, while the story and characters are so much a part of the world that you could not pull this story or these people out and plug them into a different setting. Jemisin proves yet again that she is one of the important new writers in the sff scene.” – Kate Elliott

“Fuller rises to this challenge with great skill in this accomplished, atmospheric and thoughtful novel.” – Amazon.com

This won the National Book Award. And with quotes like this from Peter S. Beagle, you can see why….

Goblin Secrets is a knockout. It’s an original, owing absolutely nothing to Tolkien, or to any of his descendants, disciples or imitators.”  – Peter S. Beagle

“Red Moon is a serious, politically symbolic novel – a literary novel about lycanthropes. If George Orwell had imagined a future where the werewolf population had grown to the degree that they were colonized and drugged, this terrifying novel might be it.”  – John Irving

This one is a big deal, folks.  This is an ARC of a novel that doesn’t come out until May 2013.  He gets bonus points because he taught creative writing here at UWSP.

“Enchanting, fearsome faerie vistas and pinpoint character delineations make Galen’s absorbing quest one to savor and remember.” – Publishers Weekly

  • A set of Devil Said Bang and Aloha From Hell.  Signed by Richard Kadrey.

“Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series is one of my favorite sets of fantasy books from the last few years…” – John Scalzi

“While carefully piecing together the ravaged scraps of his life in a quiet suburb of LA, [Asher Blaine] is arrested for murder […] When he turns to the people he trusted most, he discovers he must convince them not only of his sobriety, but of his innocence.” – Book summary

  • A set of The Fall of Ile-Rien novels.  Signed by Martha Wells.

“Wells…has created a finely detailed world that echoes with not just one culture and people but many. …A story on many levels, part high adventure, part personal story. Tremaine is not a scream and clutch heroine; she is a fascinating character with many facets. Check it out.” – Tulsa World

  • 3 copies of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.  Signed by Jenny Lawson (aka The Blogess).

Amanda’s note: I’ll admit that I didn’t know who Jenny Lawson was a few months ago.  I’d vaguely heard the name “The Blogess” but hadn’t ever wandered over to check out her blog before.  Then Pat had her on Storyboard, and from then on, I was hooked.  She’s hilarious, and socially awkward in all the ways geeks like us can relate to.

We have 3 different copies of this book – two different paperbacks, and a CD audiobook, read by Jenny.  Each one will be put into the lottery as its own prize, and believe me: you won’t be disappointed.  Especially if you enjoy the F-word and stories about taxidermy.

  • A set of The Wild Side, Tales for the Dead of WinterCrimes by Moonlight, and Murder and Mayhem in Muskego.  All signed by Dana Cameron.

Dana sent over a bunch of anthologies she’s been featured in, and signed the title page of each of her stories.  It’s such a cool urban fantasy pack that we figured someone would appreciate having all four.

“This is a very good book, extremely engrossing and entertaining, including a couple of remarkable highlights of superior quality when compared with more celebrated anthologies.” – SF Site, about The Wild Side.

Here is a book that isn’t released until March.   Liesel was kind enough to send over some ARCs, so if you win one, you can read it before your friends do, then taunt them with the fact.

“Urban fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal romance: if you want them, you’ve got them in this charged debut.” – Library Journal

Another ARC, and this one doesn’t even come out until April.

“Promise of Blood is a hugely promising debut. Guns, swords, and magic together? What more could you want? How about tense action, memorable characters, rising stakes, and cool, cool magic? Not only the finest flintlock fantasy I’ve read, but also the most fun. Brian McClellan is the real thing.” – Brent Weeks

“Wholly immersive and enchanting…J.G. McKenney has written a gem.” HopelessBibliophile.com

Amanda’s note: It’s also worth noting that J.G. McKenney offers a free novel study unit for Eon’s Door on his website for middle school teachers, which makes him extra cool in my book.


“All writers believe in the magic of books; Jim Hines has created a system where that magic becomes real, usable, and very definitely not always safe.” – Tanya Huff

Amanda’s note: If that blurb isn’t reason enough to love Jim Hines, you may want to check out what he, Pat, and a bunch of our favorite authors did at ConFusion for Jim’s fundraiser.

Yeah.  You can never un-see that.  You’re welcome.

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

“For someone who likes reading historical fiction with an intent to learn a little while being entertained perhaps this review will encourage you to give it a try. The author is articulate, imaginative and I hope to see her write more.” – Amazon.com

  • 3 copies of Strangeness in the Proportion.  Signed by Joshua Alan Doetsch.  With toe tag bookmarks.

“Joshua Alan invites readers to the outer edge of surrealism where horror, mythology, stand-up, and Mother Angelica won’t agree to meet, but metabolize in a fantastical and satisfying gumbo. You don’t have a hair on your rumpus if you’re not hipwaggin’ it to be the first in line for the next ladleful.” – Joanna Beth Tweedy

Oathbreaker, Book 1: The Knight’s Tale … is a riveting debut fantasy from an author who knows what fantasy fans love (he wrote adventures for TSR, after all) – visceral prose; logically sound and creative world-building; and fascinating characters that do not follow genre conventions..” – The New Podler Review

“A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament…teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery.” – Dave Duncan

Some of you have been waiting a long time for this one.  There were only 1000 of these made, so we were excited when Brandon sent it, and we’re tossing it into the lottery where anyone who donates can win it.

“Reality and illusion, sanity and insanity, are but subjective labels in this thought-provoking foray into a world where ‘hallucinations’ abound like the Biblical demons the title evokes… The engaging if madcap events of this outre narrative unobtrusively prompt the reader to reflect on the nature of reality.” – Publishers Weekly

 *     *     *

And that’s it.  Our last blog of the fundraiser.  You’ve seen the books, DVDs, CDs, and comics that will be in the lottery, and you have the chance to win just by donating by January 21st at 11:59pm CST.

If you’d like to donate, head over to the Worldbuilders Team Page.

There are a couple of auctions left, including the Favor from Pat.  Check out our current auctions over here.

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

Posted in Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat30 Responses

More Signed Books from Amazing Authors

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Click to embiggen the awesome)

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

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

To bid on the awesome, click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ah hell, let’s just zoom in….

Three copies of this will go into the lottery.

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

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

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

Click here if you’re that person.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To bid, head over here.

*     *     *

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

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

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

Posted in Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat13 Responses
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