Your Holiday Gift Suggestion List (Everything Else)
Posted on December 7, 2010 Posted by John Scalzi 118 Comments
The other day I promised a thread for gift suggestions for everything else not covered in the book suggestion thread. Here it is. In this one, you’re free to tell readers here (up to 45,000 of them each day!) about the really cool things you are making and selling (or giving away) that would be perfect for holiday gift giving.
That said, to keep things orderly, here are rules and notes:
1. Creators only. To promote your work, it needs to be your work. I may run a more general pimp thread later for anyone to participate in, but this thread is for creators. Any creative product can be promoted: Books (not already promoted in the previous thread), music, art, crafty things and so on. If you made it and want to sell it or give it away, it’s fair to post it here.
2. It needs to be for sale (or being given away). The idea here is stuff people can give as gifts, so what you’re linking too needs to be something people are able to take with them and give to others. Downloads count with this, although there should be a clear download method (i.e., a button for the purpose, etc).
3. One post per creator. In that post, you can list whatever creations of yours you like (as long as it meets the criteria in point 2), but allow me to suggest you focus on your most recent work. Note also that the majority of Whatever’s readership is in the US/Canada, so I suggest focusing on works available in North America.
4. Keep your description of your creation brief (there will be a lot of posts, I’m guessing) and entertaining. Imagine the person is in front of you as you tell them about your book and is interested but easily distracted.
5. You may include a link to what you’re selling/giving away if you like by using standard HTML link scripting. Be warned that if you include too many links (typically three or more) your post may get sent to the moderating queue. If this happens, don’t panic: I’ll be going in through the day to release moderated posts. Note that posts will occasionally go into the moderation queue semi-randomly; Don’t panic about that either.
6. Comment posts that are not from creators promoting their works as specified above will be deleted, in order to keep the comment thread useful for people looking to find interesting stuff.
In other words, just like the book promotion thread, just with, you know, other stuff.
I’ll start this one off by promoting something which I partially had a hand in: Cory Doctorow is self-publishing a collection of stories called With a Little Help, which he’s offering in a variety of formats ranging from free (for the electronic version) to a $275 limited hardcover with some extra special bits:
Each book has original paper ephemera (see Flickr set) donated by various writer friends to the project, and comes with a SD card bearing the full text of the book as well as the full audiobook.
I’m happy to say I’m one of those various writer friends, and what I contributed to the project was a hand-written version of the first chapter of The Sagan Diary (you can see what it looks like starting with this picture and scrolling through the next several pictures). I’m not planning to do that again, so this is very likely to be a one of kind thing from me. I was delighted to give it to Cory for this special edition of his work.
But whatever edition you get, you’ll get great stories from Cory. Perfect for gift giving! See? See how it all comes together?
Your turn. Tell us about your creative work that people can give as gifts this holiday season.
Reminder: This comment thread is for creators only, promoting their works only, as specified in the entry. Any other sorts of comments will be deleted, not because I don’t like you, but so that people looking for cool gifts can find them. Thanks.
If you’re looking to support a struggling author who is 25-years-old, in Grad School, otherwise unemployed, and lives geographically closest to Mr. Scalzi, then I am probably your man.
P.S. If you’d also like to purchase 2000 copies so I can move out of my parent’s basement, that would also be encouraged. I would owe you a giant hug, redeemable at any time.
I have recently finished writing my first book, Ray’s Recourse, and would love to continue writing. Without any form of income, my dream will likely perish, because spending 9-months on projects that result in zero income is probably not very fiscally responsible.
Ray’s Recourse is a coming of age story for the main character. After moving back into his empty, childhood home, Ray tries to determine what he should do next, all while reliving what he had done then. Ray’s journey leads him on a path of reconnection with his childhood friends, some of whom are still in his hometown and others sprinkled throughout the Midwest. Ray tries to make sense of the paths his friends are now and and also tries to reconcile his estranged family. The reader may draw comparisons to Holden Caulfield, but Ray, is active in his need to solve his own problems. Through sarcasm, Ray is able to keep a somewhat sunny disposition, but how long can he really fool himself? Be sure to watch the dates.
Since I finished writing/revising the book within the past couple weeks I have only sold 2 copies (one was to myself). I would love any feedback one might be able to give me on my work.
Here is the link:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/rays-recourse/13993575
This is in fact my work, I used the Penname Hamilton Zissou
“It always feels like Christmas when a new Howard Waldrop collection arrives, and this one is as crammed with wonderful presents as Santa’s sack. This is even better than getting a BB gun!” — Connie Willis
THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME: Selected Short Fiction, 1980 – 2005
OTHER WORLDS, BETTER LIVES: Selected Long Fiction, 1989 – 2003
http://www.oldearthbooks.com/howard_waldrop.htm
Until Earthset is a science-fiction murder mystery, available on Amazon and through Lulu. It’s received two unsolicited five-star reviews on Amazon — a whole nano-Rowling of fame! — so it has to be good.
Hi folks! If you are looking for a gift for a child this holiday season, I have two handmade fleece blankets up for sale at: http://stores.ebay.com/Kids-Need-to-Read/Handmade-Gifts-/_i.html?_fsub=2068042012&_sid=732157992&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
Purchases benefit the Kids Need to Read organization, which is dedicated to placing books in the hands of disadvantaged children and underfunded libraries.
There is one available with some Dr. Seuss-ish fish and a red-orange underside, and one with a sailboat theme and a red underside. This is a gift that serves to warm the body and the heart all at the same time!
I thought the “true” ghost stories they tell tourists in Nashville were too heavy on Hank Williams and depressed Civil War women so I wrote a book full of the ghost stories I think Nashville should have.
I think it’s good even if you’ve never been to Nashville, kind of like an inside-out version of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities.
http://acityofghosts.com/
Hey folks, sorry, no books in this comment. Instead, I make and sell art: digital works, masks, props, and other bits, all of which you can get at from the website link up at the top of this comment.
In the meantime, though, let me talk about one specific part of my stuff I’d like you all to come and see- The Windrow-Ravenswood Deck. This is a playing card deck with all-new artwork that I created at the beginning of the year. The deck’s a bit interesting, as instead of the standard four suits, I ended up replacing them with four suits of my own: Bones, Cogs, Circles (occult symbology), and The Sea. The deck itself is limited to a run of 500 copies, and, well, it makes for a great stoking stuffer for those of a steampunkish or Lovecratian bent. Anyways, go here to check it out: http://www.tormentedartifacts.com/deck.html
Anyways, that’s the major one- as for the rest, go check out tormentedartifacts.com in general- there’s a bunch of stuff in there that may be the perfect gift for someone on your list.
I make jewelry. Basically, I noodle around with glass beads, gemstones, pieces of old jewelry, and create something new. I have a tendency to make earrings, but I make necklaces and bracelets as well.
I sell on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cassowaryjewelry
You can enjoy my not very jewelry related twitter as well:
http://twitter.com/randomjeweler
Schlock Mercenary is a comic space opera available online. You can read for free at schlockmercenary.com, and collections of comics and lots of related goodies are available at store.schlockmercenary.com. We ship anywhere in the world, and offer gift wrapping, which I will personally scribble on.
My latest Sci-Fi novel – TYRMIA, is now available in e-book format from Amazon to Smashwords for $2.99. You can even gift it on Amazon!
“Stranded on a jungle world where the native aliens are being hunted to extinction by descendants of her ancestors, Szeredy must protect the tribe that befriends her or suffer their fate. Leading her adopted tribe against the technologically advanced Votains is an impossible task that she refuses to accept until they leave her no choice.
Matching wits and military prowess with a powerful Votain Commander, Szeredy sets off to a distant land to try and end the violence against her new found Tyrmian friends. What she finds in the sophisticated and cruel society of the Votains pushes her to her breaking point. If she doesn’t survive to return to the jungle, her hopes for saving the Tyrmian natives perish with her.”
If you like your Space Opera set on alien worlds with a strong female protagonist, this book is for you.
Tyrmia by Ken McConnell
Thanks John!
I’ll guess that there might be a few writers hanging around. Now, probably, most of them are using those new-fangled things – computers- to write the Great Centaurian Novel. But, if there happen to be any who still use paper and pen to, uh, put pen to paper, I’ve got a number of handmade pens ideal for that purpose!
Take a look at them here:
http://madmoravian.artfire.com
Do remember Joss Whedon’s short lived Firefly series with a bittersweet taste in your mouth?
Were you one of the fans lined up for Serenity at the box office and still pine away for your Big Damn Trilogy?
Do you still call yourself a Browncoat?
A group of independent film makers and Browncoats based out of Maryland have done the impossible and made what many consider the closest thing to a sequel to Serenity that we’re going to see anytime soon. Set on the other side Joss Whedon’s post-Serenity universe, three months after the events on Miranda, Captain Laura Matthews and her crew find themselves thrust headlong toward the clutches of the Alliance and an overzealous Lieutenant Colonel Thadeus Stevens looking for a Independent crew to make an example of for all the ‘Verse to see.
It’s a whole new ship, a whole new crew, in the same old ‘Verse. Joss Whedon has given his blessing to our project, in part, because, outside of covering the cost of production, this project will be 100% non-profit. Our goal is to have our proceeds go, as an equal donation, to 5 amazing charities founded or heavily supported by Joss and the original crew:
Equality Now
Kids Need to Read
Dyslexia Foundation
the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center
the Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation
We released the movie to a packed hall of over 1,100 at Dragon Con in Atlanta, GA in September. The film is available now from our website! I am the Second Unit Director and board member of the non-profit Browncoat Big Damn Fan Films which created this project.
Visit the link below to view our trailers, our store, or learn more about the project!
http://browncoatsmovie.com
Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books?
Choose Your Doom: Zombie Apocalypse is a path-based book for YA and up that your character won’t survive.*
You can buy it from various online booksellers; check out a sample at http://www.doompress.com.
*Admittedly, sometimes he comes back as a zombie, but then I just gank him again. Sometimes using ducks.
ISFiC Press, of which I’m publisher, issued Steve Barnes’s collection Assassin and Other Stories in November and the book is available through our website, Amazon, B&N, etc. It includes an original novel, a previously unpublished teleplay, and four reprint short stories, two written with Tananarive Due and one written with Larry Niven, the last a Hugo nominee.
And today, my short story “In the Night” is being published in the DAW December anthology Love and Rockets, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes. The anthology includes an introduction by Lois McMaster Bujold and stories by Brenda Cooper, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Jay Lake, Dean Wesley Smith, Jody Lynn Nye, Tim Waggoner, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, among others.
I make literary themed jewelry!! I have about 7 lines mostly with dark overtones.. Lovecraft, steampunk, sabina Kane, Jane True as well as being the originator of The Richelle Mead Vampire Academy line…
Check it out…www.etsy.com/shop/psynde
First of all, thanks to Prof. Scalzi for the opportunity to pimp things. When not writing as Widgett Walls on Need Coffee, I use my other name to write books. There are three in all:
1. Mystics on the Road to Vanishing Point. A coming-of-age novel for people who wouldn’t consider themselves the “I read coming-of-age novels” type.
2. Magnificent Desolation. Short story collection for people who like a buffet containing elements of dark fantasy and horror, influenced by Roald Dahl and Stephen King.
3. There’s a Zombie in My Treehouse! Co-written by myself with Ken Plume with art by Len Peralta, it’s a children’s book for kids who have very cool, slightly deranged-in-the-best-way parents.
The first two are also available in scandalously inexpensive Kindle editions. All three are available at Amazon. Thank you for your attention. Hugs and espresso to all in this festive holiday something.
My band’s new release “Studebaker Love Story” is a cool original blender full of roots rock, surf, blues, Chuck Berry, Link Wray and the Rolling Stones. You can listen to it
free at Bandcamp (you can also
buy a digital copy there). Or physical CD’s are available at CDBaby. We are a truly independent
band from songwriting to recording to mastering and artwork, we did it all! Thanks
for listening….
Turtleduck Press is a new indie publishing label commited to putting out quality works that don’t fall into definite commercial categories. We just launched on the first of December and we’ve got a variety of launch products available in both paperback and ebook forms with samples available on the site. We also have a blog and will be releasing short fiction each month in between our longer works.
Come check us out! You get awesome things to read and the added benefit of supporting new authors!
Yes, also:
An eclectic single-author anthology of short fiction running the gamut from detective fiction and robot fiction to magical realism, with several stop in between: Cheeseburger Brown’s ‘Sensible Flying Shoes’ is available via Lulu – http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/sensible-flying-shoes-collected-stories-volume-ii/6368407
Thank you for your attention. You may now resume skimming.
Hi! My new sci-fi book “Typhoon” is out and is four kinds of fun. Maybe five. Depends on your latitude. The blurb is as follows:
Kani isn’t Tundra. Tundra is a dustrunner: a ruthless space pirate, flying dangerous missions in low Earth orbit, risking the lives of millions of people below. Kani is just a regular teenager, and she wants absolutely nothing to do with that. Unfortunately, she has no choice. Now, thrown into a world of deception and betrayal, Kani must fight to keep herself alive as she s hunted by law enforcement, spies, mobsters, and even her so-called teammates, none of whom want to see her survive another day. All she needs to do is make one fatal mistake: tell them who she really is.
I just livewrote the sequel a week ago, so there’s more to see soon. It’s a tense, crazy thriller set in the near future, so if you’re keen on any of those words, this will be for you.
You can buy Typhoon from Amazon (or on Kindle), and look for it on other bookstores in the new year.
Thank you kindly, Mr Scalzi!
It’s Christmas, so you need Christmas cards, right? Please consider my holiday tree design from cafe press. Also available at that site you’ll find t’s and gifts with my original Mythic Firebird illustration.
I also have photo prints and cards available via RedBubble–most photos from my website are available as prints. Just drop me a note to let me know your interest!
I’ve been out of a job for nearly two years–anything you purchase will bring some much needed holiday cheer!
If you’d like to promote a small independent zine, one that leans heavily towards science fiction and fantasy and has featured the work of talented writers like Bruce Boston, Rachel Swirsky, Genevieve Valentine, Jenny Blackford and many more — then now is a great time to do so! Four-issue subscriptions to Kaleidotrope are half-price, between now and December 31. Just use the coupon code “HOLIDAYS2010” and apply it towards your online order. You can buy a subscription as a gift for yourself, for someone else, or you can just buy one to get a taste of the sort of quirky stories that Kaleidotrope publishes twice (sometimes thrice) a year — all the while passing along a little money to the people who really make it possible, writers like the ones mentioned above.
I write knitting patterns, patterns that make great gifts for the knitters you love!
You can find my patterns on my blog’s Patterns page, and they’re also purchasable through Ravelry, if you’re into that sort of thing. There’s a tutorial-based pattern for a stripey yoked sweater (suitable even for beginners, provided they’re the adventurous sort), an über-geeky knee-high sock with a cabled neuron running down the back, and a cardigan with lace maple leaves adorning the yoke (the latter two patterns are better suited to intermediate/advanced knitters).
Not sure whether there are many knitterly-inclined folks here, but I figure it’s worth mentioning. Thanks for the pimp-thread!
This time of year when everything is brown and cold and, well, dead-looking, bring some color and life into your loved-ones Holidays! My nature photography is available for purchase at: http://teenolan.imagekind.com/
Check out the moon section. Seriously, if you buy a print and hang it on your wall, you will have a perpetual ‘window’ looking out at a mysterious, magical full moon every day & night! There are 13 moons to choose from!
A few other customer favorites are “Dew Drop Universe”, “Northern Harrier Hawk” and “Unrealized.”
Photography is my way of sharing my unique perspective of the natural world. Whether you purchase or not, I hope you enjoy my gallery!
Thanks & Happy Holidays to all!
http://teenolan.imagekind.com/
Tee
My husband and take turns doing household chores, and one thing we found rather frustrating involved our dishwasher: is it clean, or dirty? Sometimes you just can’t tell! Because of this, I started making dirty/clean ceramic dishwasher plaques, to sell in my Etsy shop (shop name: branwen71). I either affix a heavy-duty magnet, or velcro squares for non-magnetic dishwashers. All it takes is one little flip from dirty to clean, or vice versa, and this kitchen conundrum is gone!
Why thank you Mr. Scalzi and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Tag (The Zumar Chronicles)
On 15 March 2110, 6.3 billion people will die.
One man’s vision to make the world a better place.
From a world where the concept of violence has changed, and where personal privacy has been forsaken, comes a tale of conspiracy, love and murder – and the bond shared by brothers.
You know how it sucks when a story ends with “…and it was all just a dream”? Well, what if it was the middle? That’s the premise of my comic series “YU+ME: dream”.
Fiona was a loner, without a whole lot going on for her at West Catholic High School. Until she meets the girl of her dreams – literally.
It’s aimed at older teens, but has been enjoyed by people of all ages. If you couldn’t already tell, it does have LGBT characters, but it appeals to anyone who likes adventure, psychology, comedy, and yes, romance.
It can be read online or it can be purchased in paperback form (scroll to the bottom of that page). We’re even having a Christmas sale!
(And though I didn’t 100% create all the other books on that page, I did publish them and they’re all fantastic, too.)
Tired of ironing? So am I, so much so that I invented a cool little device so that I would never have to iron again, Try Magic Crease for all of your ironing needs. Except tablecloths, But I never iron those anyway.
Go to and take a look!
“Once upon a time, in the Known Galaxy, a bunch of aliens escaped from an Intergalactic Zoo run by Lizards…”
Xeno’s Arrow Book 1, the graphic novel collecting the first ten issues of my comic book series (co-written and with art by Greg Beettam) is now available via Lulu for only $20 (plus shipping and taxes).
Xeno’s Arrow was self-published from 1999-2000 and has never been collected in a single volume before. If you missed the comic when it first appeared, you can also read the entire series as a webcomic at http://xenosarrowcomics.com
This 270-page book reprints all ten isssues of Volume 1 of the acclaimed science fiction series that helped establish the Toronto indie comics scene! It includes an introduction by the talented graphic novelist and Tor.com contributor Jim Ottaviani, and features supplemental material from the comic that has never appeared online.
(A final note that in our experience, Lulu’s turnaround time is excellent, and an order placed this week, at least within North America, should arrive in time for the holidays.)
I make chocolate and candy! Fancy beautifully decorated filled chocolates, and more casual things like pecan-dried cherry bark, and peppermint marshmallows and espresso caramels. Oh, and as readers of Mr. Bacon Cat, you might especially appreciate the milk chocolate-smoked almond-bacon bark!
Thank you for considering, and thanks Scalzi for the promo platform!
For anyone who has visited or would like to visit the Socialist Workers Paradise that is BC (you know Vancouver, Whistler and a whole lotta scenery) there are now T-shirts and bags for your bourgeois gift giving. Support British Canuckistan and the Glorious Revolution that threatens the latte-drinking reactionaries of Seattle and the Left Coast of Colonial America.
Imagine giving your loved ones a one of a kind, personalized gift that will last forever. Photographs are wonderful, but a photograph turned into a stunning lithophane will
really warm their heart.
http://www.coriannslithos.com
Give the gift of a different kind of Apocalypse. The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse and The Four Redheads: Apocalypse Now! from YardDog Press – I write Zoe – who’s now Death – tell them Death sent you.These books are also available through Baen’s Electronic Library
Also at http://rhondaeudaly.com – If you think Jack got off light or the wicked Stepmothers needed to get theirs. Check out my independent project: When the Party’s Over – Fairy Tale Reality endings. Currently up for download, will be available for print orders in the next 24 hours.
If you have friends who like singer/songwriters with more Who and Kinks in their blood, and far less Fogelberg, may I humbly suggest my new CD, “Acrophobe“?
The CD is $6 plus shipping, downloads are pay-what-you-like. Yes, including free.
Here, a nice little rocking chair, with special needs:
Or a painting in an unusual frame: Here
Bron
Ah, what the heck. Signed copies of A Very Fast Descent into Hell by Simon Drax, 5.25″ X 8″, matte finish, 256 pages, $10 including P+H. “A demon, an evil priest, immortal beings, unrequited love at the end of the world.” Please don’t order copies from amazon. Thanks, Mister Scalzi.
http://simondrax.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/descent_order_info_ichiban1.jpg
My Jason Dark: Ghost Hunter series of supernatural mystery dime novels makes for a great stocking stuffer, especially since we’re running a promo right now. If you buy the print version of a volume in the series you will get the eBook version free! It is perfect to use the print version as a gift for someone and then using the ebook version for yourself.
Check out the series at http://www.jasondarkseries.com It is a series of supernatural mysteries where Jason Dark, a fearless and resourceful ghost hunter, follows in the mold of a Sherlock Holmes combined with Randall Garrett’s Lord D’Arcy. The series is filled with enough mystery, drama and suspenseful action to transport you to the sinister, fogshrouded streets of Victorian England. Your encounter with the extraordinary awaits!
Hey! I create, and sell (and give away) gaming products for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying game. Most of what I’ve created is zombie apocalypse related, with a few extra magic items thrown in for good measure.
If you enjoy RPGs and are looking for a a great high fantasy, zombie apocalypse setting, I’d love it if you check out what I have available at DriveThru RPG.. If you like what you see there, all 15 of my products are available for under four bucks with the Everything Troll in the Corner & Aruneus bundle
They are all PDFs and have been well received by the RPG community.
Thanks! And thanks to John for doing this for all of us!
Just a fan who enjoys reading this blog and never comments, well until now. Anyway, my day job is making and selling wine. It’s my winery in the Sierra Nevada mountains and we make some pretty good juice. And we can ship to most states. We have some Twisted “shipping included” specials for the most important holidays you might enjoy. Thanks!
Twisted Oak Winery
Pound Lit Press presents their inaugural offering: Terminal Earth, edited by Neil Thomas and Michael Stewart and containing my short story “Fields”.
What will you be doing when the shadows fall and the clocks stop?
Some of the most talented new voices in short fiction from around the world offer their takes on the end of the planet as we know it.
Man-made, geological, biblical, extraterrestrial – the nature of the end of days is imagined in many ways but they all have one thing in common.
Humanity.
From lovers watching firestorms in exotic island locales to strangers playing a last game of baseball in abandoned America; through the eyes of sentient robot hunters or businessman suicide bombers; in the strongholds of alien-built bases and across the body-strewn beaches of Asia; looking down from spacecraft and peering up from bunkers, the only certainty is that our Earth is terminal and we will look for a way to continue, somehow, somewhere.
Available right now for the Kindle at Amazon or in an epub version at Smashwords.
Scion of the Zodiac is a SF novel, currently available through Smashwords and Lulu, and coming to more outlets soon.
In a future where people reincarnate by downloading themselves into cloned bodies, Kane Azeka is the victim of a botched installation. In his previous incarnation, he was a survey biologist, exploring the alien moon Nysus. Uploaded following a tragic accident, he awakens inside the head of teenaged Dana Hallis. He should have been activated in Dana’s infancy, but something went wrong, and Dana developed into his own, separate person.
Someone, or something, wants Dana’s memories, and they have re-installed Kane to get them. But centuries have elapsed since Kane’s last existence, and he doesn’t speak Dana’s language or understand the strange, low-tech society in which Dana lives.
Human survival on Nysus is precarious, as even the soil has to be cultured to grow Gaian plants. Nysian life finds plastic and other industrial materials delicious, and unprotected equipment rots quickly in the alien jungle. Yet Dana’s people have good reason to fear the machines that still descend from the skies.
Kane is safe, protected inside Dana’s body, but only so long as they do not suspect his existence. All he and Dana have to do is survive. Together.
The hero was inspired by The Old Man’s War. I started wondering what would happen if the hero’s installation was botched. Why would someone come along years later and reinstall him? Thanks for the inspiration, John!
Also, I’m a professional biologist. This is hard science fiction with a lot of life in it, and if you like alien worlds where the ecology matters, this is a book for you.
If you’re looking for an ancient-themed epic fantasy, give my novel NECROPOLIS a shot. It’s available for $2.99 as an ebook in Kindle and other ebook formats through Smashwords. Here’s the description:
In an ancient desert city where the spirits of long dead rulers rustle through the winding streets, a prison guard is forced to save the life of a young priest whose lost memory holds the key to the fate of two cities. Become entangled in the web of political rivalries, sorcerous intrigues, headlong adventure and deep emotion that is . . . . Necropolis!
Thanks for your support!
Thanks for the pimp opportunity, John.
So I’m going to go out out on a limb and assume a fair number of readers here enjoy geeky toys. If that’s the case, you should check out Hypnocube. Blinky, Shiny things for the masses!
Seriously, that’s all it is. Blinky LED lights. But it’s tough to understand the power of the blinky lights. They’ll draw you in and… What was I talking about? It’s called *hypno*cube for a reason.
Hypnocube is available in both kit form (Lots of soldering required) and finished form (Hand assembled by yours truly). There’s also an 8×8 version semi-available that’s not listed on the website. Put one of these bad boys under the tree and use the distraction power to steal all the candy from people’s stockings. :)
(The website is currently kinda sucky. We’re working on that.)
Oh, wow, thank you so much for the opportunity, Mr. Scalzi! My sister and I run an Etsy shop, BlazingLily. It’s a bit eclectic, because so are we, and we tend to bounce happily between different types of projects. Jewelry is probably our biggest category; we have a lot of earrings, and my sister’s beautiful puzzle piece necklaces are popular. We also have canvas panels with hand-drawn Chinese characters, some knitted items, and some fairly random things. We’re always making new stuff for the store, so please feel free to bookmark and check back with us!
The rest of Etsy is definitely worth checking out, as well—there are so many independent artisans there who make simply beautiful items of every type you can imagine.
You can also follow our Twitter account, run by my tremendously entertaining sister.
If you’re into female singer/songwriters in the Norah Jones/Brandi Carlile/Laura Marling vein, you might enjoy my new EP that I released a couple months ago on an indie label. It’s a cheap gift at $5.94 for six songs. Listen to clips and buy it on iTunes. Hope you enjoy.
If you want to give something homemade this year, take a look at the free stuff on my blog, The Crafty Cattery. I’ve got free patterns and instructions for things like amigurumi (crocheted) Nativity figures, a felt Advent calendar, a felt tree skirt, and a Christmas card holder. I also have non-Christmas things like an amigurumi wolf pattern and a few printable paper dolls. Again, all free! :)
Woops. Added an extra digit to that link. Try thisinstead.
Thanks for this thread, John.
If you guys ever need a break from reading–I know, it’s unthinkable, right?–I’ve opened a studio on ArtFire called Daly Art Works that sells some fine landscape photography and handmade jewelry. So you can pause from reading to contemplate distant scenes outside your head or gaze adoringly at the recipient of your jewelry largesse. Even if that person is you.
Thanks for the promotional space, John!
Vassily Primakov is a World-class young Russian pianist. His disc of Mozart concertos with the Odense Symphony Orchestra will make a great stocking stuffer!
It’s available directly from Amazon, iTunes, and directly from Bridge Records here: http://www.bridgerecords.com/catpage.php?call=9328a/b
Beautiful handmade fantasy-themed jewelry at Anapurna Fantasy Jewelry. Mostly semi-precious stones and sterling silver, but I also work with copper, brass, and other lovelies. There’s some steampunk stuff over there as well and a couple of stunning bridal pieces. I also do a lot of semi-custom (“can I have this in a different color?”) and custom (“I have this idea…”) work around the holidays, so if you see something that’s not quite what you want, we can fix that. ;)
Best of all, Whatever readers can get 10% off any order using the coupon code SCALZI!
Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Scalzi!
I write genre (scifi, etc) romances, and have published a few stories some of your readers might be interested in:
“Brown: Grisaille in Sand and Sunset”, “Pentimento: Poppy”, and “Gray: Grisaille in Stone and Sky” are a short series of standalone stories. They are probably about a 3 on the Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness (warning! That’s a tvtropes link!), so quite soft, but hopefully enjoyable for of all that.
They tell the story of Corvo and Ardan, two young men who meet when Corvo, a historian working for his government’s diplomatic service is sent to the planet Biryan, Ardan’s homeworld, to finalize a peace treaty; cultural differences and brutal political necessity effectively render both men hostages of the armistice. Over the course of the series, Corvo and Ardan’s relationship evolves, as do their public/political roles.
They are available here from Torquere Press.
Also available, for a few more days (the 17th or 18th I believe… after that it goes out of ‘print’) is “A Hope in Hell”, which was my first published work, and contains two linked short stories. Given a certain degree of genre flexibility it could probably be called horror or paranormal romance, but I suspect dark fantasy is the best description. It tells the story of the meeting and beginning of the love affair of Yare’ach, an angel trapped in Hell, and the demon Lord Ayve. While the story assumes a certain amount of common cultural knowledge about angel and demon mythos, “A Hope in Hell” attempts to creature a unique and plausible vision of Hell, and sympathetic but strong characters who, in trying circumstances, find a way to reach out to each other.
Kind regards,
Molly Church: putting the ‘er’ in erotica!
iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads are remarkable technology that may transform our society, but we use them to smash nitro-burning monster trucks into piles of laughing skulls.
You should, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Rclqs4b6o&feature=player_embedded
Correction from Molly Church @51
My apologies! I had too many links open. All of my stories are available here. The link I posted previously goes to only one of the stories.
I know you said only one post, but I can’t seem to edit or delete my previous post, so this seemed like a reasonable alternative. I hope I have not been too forward.
If you like sci fi, check out our anthology, Stupefying Stories. Hand-picked and edited by Bruce Bethke, it includes several stories by new authors and the classic “It Came from the Slushpile.”
I’ve got original, one-of-a-kind steampunk, spacepunk, Firefly/Serenity cosplay replica and other jewelry, and the home of the ever popular, amazing, spectacular tiny Gnome Terrarium. Click “freebies” for links to my short stories, Firefly fanfic scripts, printable Firefly valentines and more. Thanks much! – Jen Hilton, featured in the book “Steampunk Style Jewelry” available at Amazon, B&N, and craft stores everywhere.
Hi John,
I’ve designed a series of shirts for SF&F nerds inspired by a variety of novels (Foundation, Neuromancer, Perdido Street Station, etc.) based around the NYC and SF Subway shirts.
I have them up on my flickr site and you can click through to cafepress. http://www.flickr.com/photos/natsudesign/sets/72157625338224613/
Cheers.
I’m selling the last of the copies of my little book called Ruin Your Life. It’s like a self-help book, but the opposite. It’s a step by step self-destruction book. The idea behind it is if you’re going to do something wrong, do it RIGHT.
If you or someone you’re buying a gift for are looking to misbehave, but want to avoid jail or death, this is the book for you.
I’ve discontinued printing of it and only have a few left. I’m selling them for $5.00 plus shipping at my site:
http://www.jackcameron.com/ryl
Thanks.
-Jack
I have co-authored a book that has come out to universally tremendous reviews, called How To Be Rich and Happy. The rights to the book were immediately bought by publishers in Holland, Germany and France with an offer from the UK pending. However, we are not selling the intellectual rights in the US as we are looking to giveaway 1,000,000 copies to good causes.
We are already at almost $100k worth of books shipped to charities.
90% of every sale from the How To Be Rich and Happy site goes straight back into printing more copies of the book, so if you buy a copy you put approx 10 more into the hands of people that can’t afford it.
Far from being a book on wealth creation the title is provocative and really looks to help the reader understand what will make them feel rich. If you want to know what really drives and motivates you, then this book will show you how to find that out.
The book is only available from How To Be Rich and Happy as unfortunately Amazon want 55% of each sale and that really is unacceptable to a charitable project.
I am an established professional Life Coach and write a popular (in my mind) self development blog with humor at A Daring Adventure. My co-author John P Strelecky is a self development author and public speaker with 3 best sellers to his name.
PS. We offer a 100% full guarantee, if you buy and don’t like the book, we’ll give you your money back, no questions asked.
I produce fantasy, steampunk and mythological artwork. My work is mostly in watercolor, pen and ink, and digital media.
I offer prints, originals and personal commissions, including character art and story illustrations. Email me at gracedpalmer(at)gmail(dot)com to buy any piece. I am willing to figure out a payment plan for larger pieces or complicated commissions.
Thanks for your visit!
Addendum: The direct link for my webpage is http://gracedpalmer.necropolisstudios.net.
Turtleduck Press ( http://www.turtleduckpress.com ) is an alliance of writers, including me, committed to bringing our quality but less-commercial works to the public. Each work has been read and approved by at least three members in a decision process designed to bring our offerings to their highest quality before release. Our website has just gone live with our first three projects for sale:
– Hidden Worlds by Kit Campbell, a novella about writers, doors to secret worlds, and sporks;
– Knight Errant by KD Sarge, a space opera novel about a young man with a secret;
– Life as a Moving Target by Erin Zarro, a poetry chapbook exploring chronic illness and the strength of the human spirit.
You can read excerpts on the site. The books are available in print as well as a variety of electronic formats.
in addition to the usual comics on my website, i’m having a holiday sale on portrait commissions! more details with examples on my blog.
my work is lush & fairly realistic, with a cartoony edge… it’s probably best if you click through & see for yourself. order in the next week & i can guarantee shipping in time for christmas to the us & canada!
A couple of my t-shirts are for sale at Shirt.Woot:
– If you like Pi (not pie), check out: http://shirt.woot.com/friends.aspx?k=16901
– If you like meat but aren’t that selective of where it comes from, check out: http://shirt.woot.com/friends.aspx?k=16288
Thanks for the opportunity to pimp stuff here!
Earlier this year, some friends and I started a scifi / fantasy magazine that’s available for e-readers and in audio called FlagShip. We’re three issues in, release about every other month, and offer individual issues and annual subscriptions at our website – http://www.flyingislandpress.com/flagship. Individual text issues are also available via Amazon and barnesandnoble.com – just search the Kindle / Nook stores for “FlagShip”.
Hurm – that link didn’t resolve right – let’s try that again. FlagShip is available at http://flyingislandpress.com/flagship/.
Hemlock and the Wizard Tower is an epic swords and sorcery e-book that is inspired by the works of Michael Moorcock, Tolkien and Frank Herbert.
In a magical city that travels through multiple dimensions, a young girl named Hemlock has risen from being a lowly cutpurse to discovering that she is a powerful fighter. Under the guidance of an aging freedom fighter named Safreon, Hemlock battles to keep the peace in her run down district, while across the City the upper class Elites enjoy peace, prosperity and freedom.
The Wizard Tower looms in the center of the City, casting a long shadow over its affairs. The Wizards rule behind the scenes, dictating and controlling the use of magic. Hemlock instinctively feels that the Wizards are her enemies, but Safreon will not discuss openly opposing them, as he seeks to methodically mentor Hemlock, and advance his own cryptic plans for the City.
Hemlock makes a decision to make a bold attack on the Wizard Tower alone, convinced that she can destroy or undo whatever method the Wizards are using to control and ration magic. As the novel opens, we join Hemlock just after she has infiltrated the Wizard Tower, learning what happens through a narrative interspersed with flashbacks to events leading up to the attack.
It is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
Review excerpt: “I enjoyed this story tremendously – it’s filled with great detail and descriptions, contrasted wonderfully with a sweeping scope and epic adventure, painted with human and not-so-human emotional challenges and growth, all in a structure of logically evolving plots, conflicts, and resolutions.”
And for something completely different: A science fiction novel!
HEIRS OF MARS
The dream that was Mars has become a nightmare for the children born there.
To save New Troy from falling birth rates, Asher Radescu secretly clones people in the back of his old truck. To save New Troy from despair, Claudia Cruz hosts the most popular racing show on two worlds. And to save the city from destruction, they’ll rally persecuted cloners, resurrected colonists, and racing celebrities to fight homicidal AIs.
HEIRS OF MARS follows the lives of six men and women through the final days of the first war on Mars, a war between humans, machines, and the resurrected souls who aren’t truly one or the other.
But even if they survive the war, there is no escape from the red planet.
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads
I think this is my first comment here because most of the time I’m just so overwhelmed by all the other comments here that my thoughts simply scatter like a herd of goats left unattended in a garden. I can sometimes hear them munch on new words and ideas, but I cannot really get them to line up and form coherent sentences.
I make drawings and I have an Animal Alphabet (where, surprisingly, each letter and number is represented by an animal) and a couple of days ago I made all the individual letters/numbers available as mugs in my deviantart page. Black mugs, white letters, slight art nouveau vibe. I think they just look amazing and I’m really proud of them (well perhaps I wouldn’t recommend them if I was ashamed). So here’s the link: http://tapsiful.deviantart.com/prints/?itemtypeids=13
And of course, THANK YOU SO MUCH for this opportunity! (That thought was one goat that went off looking for cabbages.)
You are a wonderful person, always thinking about what to give everyone else, but what about getting something just for yourself.
I can do that for you. I’ll send you a gift from me, just for being such a wonderful person.
I will make you a postcard and mail it to you, anywhere in the world, just because you asked and I like you so much.
You really are great you know.
http://web.me.com/kathleen.ralph/www.CalliopesMusing.com/Postcard_Project.html
Hey, how about a gift that is nice and tangible under the tree, and keeps on giving around New Year’s? You can order a back-dated subscription to the speculative fiction zine I publish, Bull Spec, starting with Spring 2010’s issue 1, with issues 1-3 arriving in time for the holidays, and issue 4 coming after the unwrapping is all done and accounted for; maybe about when your giftee is recovering from New Year’s and needs some more stories to read.
http://www.bullspec.com/sub?issue_choice=1
Fiction from C.S. Fuqua, Natania Barron, Peter Wood; Melissa Mead, Gwendolyn Clare, Kaolin Fire, Uri Kurlianchuk, Paul Celmer; Lavie Tidhar, Katherine Sparrow, David Steffen, Melinda Thielbar, Denali Hyatt; Nick Mamatas, David Tallerman, James Maxey, Andrew Magowan, Donald Norum; and more.
Poetry from Ralan Conley, Kaolin Fire; David M. Harris, Helen R. Peterson, Reggie Lutz, J.P. Wickware; Deborah Walker, David Sklar, Rob Elkind, Matt Ronquillo, Robert Laughlin; Rose Lemberg, and more.
Interviews with D. Harlan Wilson, Lee Hammock; John Kessel, Dexter Palmer, Richard Dansky; David Drake, Paul T. Riddell, Joe Haldeman, Brandon Sanderson, William Gibson; and more.
The whole 4-issue run of Mike Gallagher’s graphic short story “Closed System”.
Hooray, open pimp thread!
I could have put this in the last thread, but since the book won’t be out until March that didn’t seem quite right. Napier’s Bones is coming out from ChiZine Publications, and will be available from all of your favorite bookstores as a trade paperback or (this part online only, obviously) as a non-DRM ebook. As a matter of fact, I see that all of the major online book retailers seem to have it up and orderable right now.
Until January 2, though, you can also order the special edition hardcover here. This special edition will also include a new short story by me and – better, as far as I’m concerned – a color frontispiece and a couple of pieces of B&W interior art by Martin Springett, the man who did the cover art for the first editions of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry as well as Richard Grant’s Views From the Oldest House. To see some of Martin’s artwork we aren’t using, check out my blog.
I know, this means you have to give someone a promissory note for Christmas, but it’ll be worth it, I think. The book has already started to generate, if not some buzz, at least a distant hum.
Shiny star earrings! (In silver tones or brass/copper tones.)
http://newroticgirl.etsy.com
And I’m running a 25/50/75 Sale until December 15th — everything in the shop is discounted 25%, 50%, or 75% off the normal price. Even the new stuff, like the shiny stars. :)
I have a novella perfect for that spooky kid on your shopping list, the one who already has all the Edward Gorey books in print and might be feeling forlorn because of it: The Machine of the World is a dark little fairy tale about death and fungus and hallucinogenic cheese, just the sort of thing to make anyone’s Christmas/Hanukkah/Yule/Kwanzaa bright and cheery by comparison.
I’m an artist and my art is mostly abstract. I’ve got watercolors, acrylics, encaustics, fractals and mixed media pieces, as well as some digital and traditional collages. All the originals will ship within 48 hours (though it’s usually within 24); reproductions pretty much depend on how much of what you’re ordering and from whom. You can find all this colorful goodness at Etsy or Art Fire or Zazzle. I’ve been adding new items to the Zazzle store daily because — boy howdy! — they have all kinds of fun things to make!
IN MAPS & LEGENDS is a 10-issue contemporary fantasy comic with hints of science fiction and steampunk. The comic won the Nov. 2009 competition hosted by DC Comics imprint Zuda Comics, where it ran in 2010 until the Zuda site closed.
In September 2010, we relaunched the comic with the help of some fine online distributors. We’re now uo toissue 3 — here’s a synopsis:
While her friends — along with an unexpected ally — face attackers from the sky, Kait devises a harsh solution to constantly being torn between worlds. But will this new and dying world hold together long enough for Kait to return?
Well, drat. The Zazzle link (my most favorite of links) isn’t linking. Try this: http://www.zazzle.com/aerten*
Haunting Alexandria
I can best describe it as a photocentric 32pp glossy magazine that ties into web content that extends the experience. At US$8 (on sale for $6.40!) I think it is a bargain for folks who want some nice pictures to look at and share with others.
I also created a T-Shirt design to benefit the Steve Biko Foundation (The entire $2 commission will go to them) at skreened.
Thanks, Mr. Scalzi!
Hi everyone.
My name is Ben, and I write occasionally award winning role-playing games. Right now, I’m selling eBooks of two of my best-received games, Polaris and Bliss Stage, for the price of “pay what you like, including free.” You can get them at my website, here. You can also buy copies of my newest game, The Drifter’s Escape, which combines short fiction and role-playing game in a way which I think is truly unique (it is an anthology of short fiction where some of the short fiction you read, and others you play.)
Thanks for the opportunity to plug.
If you’re a writer with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you might be interested in my submission tracking app, Story Tracker, available on the App Store now. It’s a universal app, so it’ll work on any of the above. There’s even a free version you can test drive. More info at my website: http://andrewnicolle.com
I’ll shortly be submitting my new app, Artwork Tracker. If you’re an artist or art collector, you’ll want to check that one out. Artwork Tracker should hit the App Store sometime in the next few weeks. More at http://artworktracker.com
Merry Christmas!
Check out my hand-turned pens. Each one custom made by me. If you like to write or know someone who does these make a great gifts!
http://www.signaturepenworks.com
I have many more pens than what is currently posted on the site. I also do custom orders.
Thanks!
Warren
My books — Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, Once Upon a More Enlightened Time, and Politically Correct Holiday Stories — were bestsellers when they came out, but have been out of print for more than a decade.
Now through the wonders of science, they are available again as e-books, for Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kobo and GPS (well, not really — that wouldn’t be very safe). I also included never-before-seen bonus stories and poems in each volume, including the long-suppressed classic, “The Duckling That Was Judged on its Personal Merits and Not on its Physical Appearance.”
Buy them from Amazon and Smashwords.
Each book also contains sample chapters from my upcoming opus, the clown-noir thriller Honk Honk, My Darling: A Rex Koko, Private Clown Mystery. This tale of intrigue, set in the sawdusty circus ghetto of Top Town, will be available in the New Year.
Thanks, John, for this pimping opportunity. Long may your bacon wave.
A wisp of silk that looks a mountain sunset…
An elegant swirl the color of a spring morning in the New England hills….
The dash of a watercolor scarf thrown over the shoulder…
Silk is the queen of fabrics, and it loves color. I’ve spent fifteen years learning the secrets of natural dyes like indigo, cochineal, osage orange, weld, woad, lac, and cutch, and now I’m making and selling uniquely beautiful tie-dyed silk scarves and shawls. All my dyes are natural and non-toxic, and I use only alum, the oldest and safest mordant, to fix the color into the cloth.
Come share the secrets of natural color. E-mail me at evansquilt@gmail.com for more details.
Thanks for the opportunity to post here, John!
I’m a creator of photographs – colorful photographs – and if anyone is looking for unique blank photo greeting cards, I have just started a store at Zazzle.com:
NanoTime Photography @ Zazzle
Thanks!
H.
Thank you for the opportunity!
I make fine art photographs (vivid abstract flower macros, tentacled goodness, and coastal landscapes) and slightly silly space art and fantasy photoillustrations, and I have them for sale at jeliza.artfire.com, along with some pendants made from the aforementioned photographs, for those that like their art portable. Proceeds from purchases this holiday season will go to the “buy my daughter more books about astronomy” fund. :)
You like art, right? And you like to read, too, right?
I make art you can read. You might need a magnifying glass to do it, but the words are 100% genuine and relatively coherent.
Click my name to get to wonderbink.com. Check the category ‘Word Art’ for examples. Originals on Etsy, prints on RedBubble. Custom work available, but not recommended for last-minute shoppers. I also have free .jpgs if you just want to download something, print it out and stick it on your wall.
Thanks for still reading this far down the thread. :)
Nerdy T-shirts. Practically a uniform in certain circles, right?
“Wanted: Dead or Alive: Schrodinger’s Cat” (with accompanying psuedo-woodcut picture of my cat Cordelia Naismith when she was a kitten).
http://www.cafepress.com/danemcg
Oh, and there are a few shirts with a cute dragon reading a book on ’em.
I posted above (#46). My link at the bottom of my comment didn’t go through and I didn’t want to break the rules by posting twice but I see others with bad links are posting again so I will go for it. My free craft patterns and instructions can be found at The Crafty Cattery: http://www.craftycattery.com/2010/12/free-christmas-craft-instructions.html
Thanks Mr. Scalzi! :)
Thank you for the opportunity!
I make jewelry and other shiny objects, which may be oogled and/or purchased at Wyrding Studios. Additionally, I do a thing called Instant Gratification wherein I take requests for simple custom work in real-time with a webcam running so you can watch your piece being made; the next and final session of that will be this coming Friday evening from 5 – 9 p.m. eastern time. I am told it is entertaining to watch even if you aren’t in the market for shiny objects, especially when my cat shows up to help.
New York said it couldn’t be done! New York insisted it had been too long since my last book! Bwahahahaha! Let’s prove New York wrong! Just in time for the holidays, two shiny new ebooks!
First: the long-awaited sequel to Ring of Destiny. Rings of Change: Alizant is a steam-age fantasy where magic takes on the electrical company…or is it the other way around?
Second: a different kind of urban fantasy. C.J. Cherryh calls Nights of the Blood Red Moon: Book One the “Starsky and Hutch of vampire books.” Ever read Dracula? It was written when the telegraph and steam locomotive were new. What if it was written yesterday? By a woman? Blood Red Moon takes the basic Dracula premise and addresses it with all the shifts of attitude and technology a century has made. It’s sexy, it’s quirky, and decidedly unpredictable.
NYT #1 bestselling author Patricia Briggs says: …Jane Fancher’s fantasy is multilayered, intricate, and unusual. Her characters walk out of the pages, grab you by the throat, and don’t let go. Hugo and Nebula winner Robert J. Sawyer says of my ‘NetWalkers: A big, meaty book that’s everything science fiction should be: a slam-bang adventure that leaves you thinking, a character story with a social conscience and stylish writing paired with brilliant plotting. Locus said of GroundTies“…no padding or wheelspinning here, just the genuine article.”
Free samples, original E-books, backlist and cool goodies based on our covers! Closed Circle is a mini co-op comprised of Hugo award winning author C.J. Cherryh, co-creator of Thieves’ World, Lynn Abbey, and my humble self. We serve up DRM-free ebooks in ten different formats, graphic novels, and from our Closed Circle Bazaar, you can order nifty things like T-shirts and steins based on our cool covers and clever quotes from our characters. I particularly like the BRM ornaments. Every tree needs a black cat or two.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Have you been naughty? Do you want to be? Then I have just the thing for you.
Like a Sacred Desire: Tales of Sex Magick edited by yours truly. Think it’s not for Christmas? Think again. It includes a deliciously naughty story called St. Nicholas’ Eve by Angela Caperton that puts a whole new spin on the spirit of Christmas. Perfect for reading by firelight curled up next to your favorite partner (or two!).
http://www.amazon.com/Like-Sacred-Desire-Magick-ebook/dp/B003U8AG30
Why thank you, John.
Sounds like the perfect opportunity to pimp my ArtFire store, which has both artwork and jewelry for sale. The jewelry currently up tends towards the steampunk, although there are more items on the way in non-denominational beadwork as well. The artwork is SF/Fantasy prints.
Jewelry! Occasionally geeky/steampunky/full of hardware.
The Faultless Pajama Foundry
(Named for the defunct nightwear manufacturer in whose building (since converted to apartments) we live in.)
I’m bookmarking this page; though I’ve finished my holiday shopping, I’ve seen several listings that intrigue me for birthday gifts for 2011…thanks, everyone, for sharing your creativity!
Support the Arts !
In this very hard enconomique time, Artists are sruggling more and more,
I am no different, and In order to keep painting I do need to sell my art to ”survive ”
I am passing my passion to you…….opening up my soul with this painting called the ”solitaire ”
Inspired by the endangerd Mountain Zebras, and my passed depression ( due to lack of work )
The painting is part of both .
http://www.lucietheroux.com/page16.html
Thank you !
Lucie
Thank you very much for this thread John.
My anthology, The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 1: Protean Dimensions is a tour through SF Grand Master Philip José Farmer’s many creations, featuring essays by the likes of Paul Malmont, Randall Garrett, and James Gunn, interviews with Farmer, stories set in Farmer’s expanded worlds by Chris Roberson, David Bischoff, Rhys Hughes, and other SF/F talents, and previously unpublished fiction and more by Farmer himself.
This numbered limited edition trade paperback is only $20 plus shipping. But wait there’s more! Right now when you purchase a copy of the book, you can order issues of Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer for 50% off. While supplies last, and we’ve already sold out of three of the fifteen issues, so grab em’ you can!
I make steampunk and fantasy jewelry, especially wire wrapped antique keys. Mostly (but not entirely) pendants, my keys are decorated with watch gears and/or metal leaves, crystals, and other bits and pieces. I also make wire wrapped filigree, woven wire archways, swirly colorful earrings, and assorted other pieces of wire jewelry.
http://silverowlcreations.etsy.com (Etsy shop)
http://www.silverowlcreations.com (Photo galleries of past and current work)
I bet some of the wonderful, charming, good looking folks who read Whatever know kids. I produce blank notecards that are engaging to kids – spiders, kites, and crayons are a few of my key subjects. Also SQUIRRELS!
If the kid you know happens to be your own, you’ll find a printable letter that is perfect for pre-readers. Illustrations help your kid tell someone they love about their day – AND it has plenty of room on the back for their own artwork (surrounded by a star frame).
auntiecards.etsy.com
Here’s a non-fiction title for you all, my Rough Guide to the Future, published last month. Yes, it’s a Rough Guide. As I say in the intro, what else could it be? There’s stuff about futures past, as well as the joys and sorrows of century 21, and a bit of mind-expanding cosmology in there too. You can read more about it at
unreliablefutures.wordpress.com
Available from all the usual outlets, including Amazon. And thanks to a fellow Rough Guide author (several times) for this space.
Looking for a fun, lighthearted read that sparkles as much as the decorations on your tree? Project Renaissace is the perfect stocking stuffer to fill those new ereaders that will be unwrapped this year.
Here’s the blurb:
Emma Thomas absolutely, positively knows the secret to success. All she needs to do is discover her unique talent in life and her days of being plain old Emma are over.
Luckily, her modern-day dilemma can be solved with some surefire advice from the Renaissance. At least that’s what Cindy Lee Perkins’s latest self-help book promises. It’s just the thing to launch Emma on a Renaissance project of her own and she throws herself into following Cindy Lee’s best-selling (if slightly dubious) advice.
But the more Emma tries to reinvent herself the more she turns her world—and everyone else’s—upside down. From a disastrous cosmetics launch to a pet psychiatrist with quirks of his own (and a few more blunders along the way), Emma begins to suspect she’s not the only one who doesn’t have things figured out.
In spite of it all, she’s determined to see this journey through. But is she really ready for where it’s about to take her?
Preview chapters are here http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31197
and at my site http://www.sdlivingston.ca
Thanks for helping indie artists, John!
Trapped in the Tower of the Brain Thieves is a mildly interactive, densely illustrated story from my world of Retropolis, which is the world you get when you find out that the 1920s and 1930s were almost exactly right about the capital-f Future. It’s here:
http://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/buy_books.shtml
And since we’re not just talking books here, Retropolis has its very own web site where I try to shake all the change out of your pockets with my retro-futuristic posters, t-shirts, calendars, coffee mugs and other swell stuff that’s custom printed for you by a team of electrically motivated henchpersons in the Secret Laboratory. More or less. The Retropolis web site is here:
http://shop.webomator.com/retropolis/
You all have your Scalzi books for gift-giving, right? Okay — here’s some stuff to tuck around the corners.
Fans of my Alfreda novels who despair of ever seeing more about her — did you catch the chapbook Wings of Morning from Yard Dog Press? You can even buy this at Amazon.com, but since the small press loses money from those sales, I’m putting the link directly to Yard Dog:
http://www.yarddogpress.com/Wings%20of%20Morning.htm
Check out their Sales link, because they discount heavily if they change covers between editions, and you can pick up some great fiction that way. This Allie story hasn’t appeared anywhere else, and there’s also my story from the tribute anthology to Roger Zelazny.
For SF readers, I have two books back as e-books from Book View Cafe, Fires of Nuala and Hidden Fires. This co-op of award-nominated and -winning writers decided to stop waiting on NY publishing and got their own work back out there. This link will take you to buy buttons for both books, plus sample chapters of Hidden Fires: http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/Katharine-Eliska-Kimbriel/KE-Kimbriel-eBooks/ . And this button will take you to where Fires of Nuala is being serialized, if you want a bigger chunk before buying: http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/Katharine-Eliska-Kimbriel/Novels/Fires-of-Nuala-1
Important note: These books come as pdf, mobi, epub and prc — they are DRM-free at Book View Cafe, so once you register for a subscription, you may buy a pdf to read right now on the home machine, and come back after the holiday (at no extra charge) to pick up a version for a hand-held reader.
Come visit us at Book View Cafe! There’s something for almost everyone. (There’s even a silly book called International Kittens of Mystery by Chris Dolley, if you’re trying to convince an elderly relative that they’ll like a reader. Cute kitten photos with some plot! See? Something for everyone!)
Thanks, John! Good holidays to you!
Looking for a seriously geeky gift for a seriously geeky friend who likes flightsim and enjoys hands-on projects?
Well, there isn’t a better gift than Building Recreational Flight Simulators by Mike Powell.
Visit http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/upcoming_book.htm to read the book description, to download a sample chapter, and to order.Most orders are shipped within one business day.
Thanks
I make hand painted glass ornaments. They’re small and inexpensive and make a great gift. You can see them at my etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/saffronwalden
Some customers have found them in their school or team colors. And for the SF fans on your list, I have a couple in Star Trek uniform colors. (I made a batch at the request of a friend.) You can see one here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62600708/hand-painted-glass-ornament
Thanks for this opportunity! And for looking.
Meateatersaurus is my CafePress store featuring goods with my artwork not related to the Middle Ages, such as the Steampunk Bee and Saturday Night in the Mesozoic
Also visit Commonplace Goods, my CafePress store for goods related to the Middle Ages and medieval recreation. Your only source for the Last Days of the Norsemen in Greenland T-shirt, the Bascinet Faced Pig throw-pillow, and other finest quality goods. Kettlehats has the Kettle Hat design on a wider array of products.
Find out more here:
http://willscommonplacebook.blogspot.com/2010/04/steampunk-bee.html
The latest release from Wyrm Publishing is a signed limited edition of TOAST by Charles Stross. We’re running a holiday sale at the moment, so you can get it for 25% off.
Visit us at wyrmpublishing.com.
I’m a watercolorist and this is my official blurb:
New Paintings
Fly Away Home
Livia Loves to Paint the Breeze
Winter Roses
Trio for Rabbits
Follow Margaret Organ-Kean on Twitter blank space Facebook Page
Welcome to the bright, watercolor world of Margaret Organ-Kean. When her first color illustrations appeared in the wildly popular trading card game, Magic: the Gathering®, fans couldn’t get enough of her extraordinary vision. Her cards continue to be some of the most popular among collectors. Her artwork has also appeared in the Wizards of the Coast game, The Great Dalmuti, where her characters spring to vivid life. Here Organ-Kean shares new artwork featuring whimsical faeries, chess-playing elephants, resolute penguins and so much more. Often cleverly titled and always beautifully realized, Margaret Organ-Kean’s paintings delight the fantasy lover—and the child—inside us all.
which appears on my website and in my book, “Don’t Pick Up What You Can’t Put Down”.
You can buy prints and originals through my website – http://www.organ-kean.com
You can buy t-shirts at http://www.zazzle.com/rubyredmagpie+gifts
and you can buy my book by emailing me at the address on my website.
Thank you!
Do you like Star Wars? Or at least know somebody who does? I’m the writer of the holiday release The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force. This is a combination book and collectible in which we tried to make it feel as if an artifact had fallen from the Star Wars universe into our own. The book has removable souvenirs tucked into its pages and features the handwritten graffiti of its previous owners, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
Are you frustrated with the quality of TV programs? Do you have a documentary or reality TV idea that you are dying to pitch, but don’t know where to start? Are you a larger-than-life character with a business that would be perfect for a TV show (like in Ace of Cakes, Monster Garage, Pawn Stars or Say Yes to The Dress)? Have you tried pitching your idea/talent/business and had the door slammed in your face (several times)? Are you frustrated with being fobbed off? Are you losing confidence in your idea, even though deep down you know it’s a great concept? Is is something you did? Or said? Why are the buyers just not that into you?
Greenlit: Developing Factual / Reality TV Ideas From Concept to Pitch is the first book to reveal, step-by-step, how to originate, develop and pitch your factual/non-scripted TV ideas in a global market. It offers you a masterclass packed with down to earth advice, tips, resources, case studies and sample proposals that you can use to develop, write and pitch your own proposals.
Candid and revealing interviews with top channel executives – the people to whom you could be pitching your idea – give you a priceless insight into the business and psychology of buying and selling TV programmes and documentaries such as Deadliest Catch, Supernanny, The Apprentice, Touching the Void and The September Issue.
You will learn valuable insider secrets – information that no-one will ever voluntarily tell you – and tips and techniques that really work.
You’ll also see four examples of successful written proposals that you can use as a template for your own proposal. A seriously flawed example shows you where people usually go wrong.
Written by a TV industry veteran with more than a decade’s experience of developing and pitching ideas, and 80 commissions from channels such as the BBC, Discovery, TLC, National Geographic and the Travel Channel, Greenlit takes you behind the scenes to see how the broadcasting industry REALLY works. It shows you how to use the secrets of professional – and successful – TV developers to make YOUR idea a must-buy proposition.
Available now from # Amazon.com and all other good bookstores.
Marco and the Red Granny: Patronage. Arts. Blood Sports.
By bringing back the patronage system, a new alien species has transformed the moon into the new artistic center of the universe, and Sally Ride Lunar Base soon gains the nickname “Mollywood.” These aliens can do amazing things with art and the senses, allowing a painting, for example, to stimulate other senses than simply sight. When someone asks a starlet, “Who are you wearing?” she could as easily say “J.K. Rowling” as she could “Gucci.”
Every creative person in the world wishes for a patronage. It’s quite competitive.
Marco wanted one, once. But then his girlfriend got one and shuttled off to Mollywood for fame and fortune, and Marco stayed home, waiting for his own patron. After several years, he gave up entirely. His career faltered. His agent dumped him. And then, one morning, he gets a call. At last he has a patron, at last the aliens want him. But he’s about to find out that an artistic patronage isn’t what it was in the good old days, and that the only friend he’s made, a tiny old woman who’s the star of a blood sports reality series called The Most Dangerous Game, has secrets of her own.
Marco and the Red Granny is a novella currently being serialized in audio at Hub Magazine, but you can purchase the ebook via Smashwords and Kindle, and if you donate at my site, you can get a limited edition copy of the print book. Links to all formats are at: http://www.murverse.com/marco
OK, this isn’t me, but it is my wife. She makes hand crafted wire and precious medal clay jewelry. Check out her work at her web site. The items are limited right now, but we will be adding items constantly through the holidays.
You want some great short stories? You got ’em.
If you just want to dip your toes in to my writing, try out this dark SF flash fiction free!
Preemptive Mercy
A father fights to save his daughter from a gruesome fate on an alien world
If you liked that, check out this short story:
Deep Sleep
A teenage psion wakes up alone on a failing colony ship. As her memory returns, she struggles to survive and escape to the planet’s surface
And if the flash fiction got you down, try this short story:
Time Travel…Laterally!
A hot summer day, a group of bored teenagers, and a time machine that runs on pure bull turns out to be the recipe for a disastrous trip past the future. If by “disastrous trip”, you mean “Adventure!”
And more! (Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and B&N)
by David Barron
Go on, admit it. You loved them. Yes you did. One of the most popular searches on YouTube is TV Westerns. Now, if you want to read western ebooks on your Kindle, iPad or even as an iPhone app, you can visit my website which will tell you all you need to know about how to get them. There are many links on the home page for my newest book Double Mountain Crossing, then on the Westerns page there are links to my publisher Boson Books where you can read sample chapters free. You can even leave me a message to say you dropped by!
http://chrisscottwilson.co.uk
Feel free to give somebody my NaNoWriMo failure novella as an eBook:
http://sexyredheadednuns.org/ToInfinityAndBehind/
It’s good for a giggle or two. Maybe three, at most. It’s nominally scifi.
If anyone is still checking this thread, I have another geeky t-shirt for sale at Shirt.Woot.
This time a Monty Python’s Holy Grail reference: http://shirt.woot.com/friends.aspx?k=16954
Here is a link to a childrens story I wrote. It is called Leo’s Balloon and it is available from Lulu.com. If you like it please pass the word. Thanks!
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/leos-balloon/4792137?showPreview
Seems reasonably likely that some of the people reading this are sci-fi gamers.Full Thrust: Cross Dimensions is an updated version of the classic Full Thrust spaceship combat tabletop game, produced with the permission of GZG. Free download as US letter or A4 PDF>. Take it to a printer and create a nice new rulebook for your gamer friend.
I have to promote a book that I edited and designed, Erekos.
It’s available as an eBook, in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats from the publisher, and also on Amazon as a Kindle-ready download…and it’s only $5.
Erekos is a pretty darn fantastic mythic fantasy epic – although I’d almost call it “literary fantasy.” It’s melancholy, thoughtful, lyrical…and utterly gorgeous. If you like Cat Valente’s work, things like Palimpsest and Habitation of the Blessed, you’ll probably love it.
There’s an excerpt up on the site.
Do yourself a favour – read this book!