133 Comments on “Whatever Shopping Guide 2011, Day 1: Traditionally Published Books”

1. Once again, a quick reminder:

   This comment thread is for authors and editors of traditionally published books only — any other comments and posts will be snipped out to keep the thread uncluttered and easy for people to browse for books. Authors: Please remember this is a shopping guide: Only promote books that are available this holiday season, not books to be published in the future.

   If you have a question about a book, contact the author/editor directly, please.

   If you have a non-traditionally published book, wait until tomorrow, when I’ll have a shopping guide thread specifically for them.

   If you have a question for me, e-mail me.

   Thank you!

2. Okay, I’ll start. There’s this book. Magebane. I wrote it. Has an airship on the cover. Fantasy, though. MageLords have a hidden kingdom behind a great barrier, where they treat Commoners like crap.Different people would like to bring down the barrier, for different reasons. Then, out of the blue, here comes this kid in an airship: technology is advancing in the outside world. Things get complicated as a result. As Night Owl Reviews says, there are “evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, magic, hidden kingdoms, cruel tyrants, usurpers, and a hint of steampunk.” Publishers Weekly calls it “spectacular.” You might like it, too. It’s published by DAW Books. Amazon link. Merry Christmas!

3. Who says the alphabet has to be in order?
   ALPHAOOPS: THE DAY Z WENT FIRST
   ALPHAOOPS: H IS FOR HALLOWEEN

   Picture books for ages 4-8 by New York Times bestselling genre Princess Alethea Kontis. Purchase them from your favorite (preferably independent) bookstore today and have a HAPPY HOLIDAY! xox

4. Thanks for the opportunity, John!

   My debut novel, EMPIRE STATE, is out from Angry Robot on December 27th in the US (January 5th in the UK). Empire State is a science fiction noir – Raymond Chandler with robots, if you like. And superheroes. And airships. And parallel universe. And… well, without just repeating the back cover copy, here’s how I’d describe it:

   War. Prohibition. Murder. Life is tough in the Empire State, and private detective Rad Bradley is having a bad night. Rescued from masked agents by a dead superhero, Rad uncovers a conspiracy that crosses the dimensions and must race to save his city – and another, mysterious place called New York…

   I’m lucky enough to have had a host of my favourite writers enjoy and blurb the book, including Cory Doctorow, Lauren Beukes, Kurt Busiek, Paul Cornell, Diana Rowland, and many others.

   But I’ll be talking more about Empire State on The Big Idea after Christmas – in the meantime, if you’d like to know more about Empire State, and order yourself a copy, you can click here. My first copy from the warehouse actually arrived today – this is my debut novel, so you can probably understand that excitement levels are running pretty high in the house today!

5. Out on December 20th (still in time for Christmas): WEREling Blood Wolf by Steve Feasey. The third book in the YA series, WEREling, in which Trey Laporte finds out about a werewolf pack in Canada, and sets off alone to find the uncle who formed it. Demons, vamps and all manner off hellish creatures abound in this dark-fiction adventure.
   http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Wolf-Wereling-Book-3/dp/0312653522/ref=pd_sim_b_1
   or
   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-wolf-steve-feasey/1103015745?ean=9780312653521&itm=1&usri=steve+feasey

6. Animals. We think they’re so cute, so noble, so admirable. How have they figured out to get such good press? The better their public image, the worse their secrets: In my book Animals Behaving Badly, you’ll meet gang-rapist dolphins, lazy infanticidal lions, pandas who enjoy porn and bees that love alcohol – even more, says one researcher, than college students.

   If you’ve ever suspected that your dog’s adoring gaze really means ‘give me a cookie,’ that cats are an alien species that’s figured out how to get a free ride off of humans, then my book Animals Behaving Badly is for you. And if you’re shocked at those suggestions, then you need my book even more: you need to know the truth.

   You can find links to buy the book at my Animals Behaving Badly blog or heck, just go to Amazon, I guess there’s no point in resisting their world domination.

7. Looking for a kick-ass space opera with flying bullets, fancy schmancy armor, a deep hole maze filled with ravenous ferals, and a touch of romance, all on a terraformed future Mars? Of course you are!

   BLACK HOLE SUN is the perfect gift for gamers and comics fans! Published by Greenwillow/HarperCollins (its companion INVISIBLE SUN, will be out in March). Books of Wonder has signed copies at: http://www.booksofwonder.com/prodinfo.asp?number=105119

8. “Blaze of Glory” – first in the series, currently available from fine bookstores everywhere!

   Saving the world is easy for a superhero—unless you’re a fraud.

   Jo Tanis is a superhero, fighting evil on the city streets, using her ability to feed off electromagnetic energy and fire off charges—and it’s all just a show. The Agency captures her and others like her when their powers begin to manifest, pitting them against each other in staged, gladiatorial fights. An explosive implant on the back of her neck assures she’ll keep right on smiling for the camera and beating up the bad guys.

   When Earth comes under attack, suddenly the show becomes deadly real. Unable to deal with a real alien, the “supers” are falling in droves. Millions of innocent civilians are going to die…unless Jo can cobble together a team from among the fake heroes and villains the Agency enslaved. Including Hunter, who not only promises to show her how to deactivate the implants, but seems to know more than he should about how the mysterious Agency operates.

   Forcing a rag-tag bunch of former enemies to work together is the least of Jo’s problems. The trick is determining if Hunter is friend or foe—and becoming the hero everyone thought she was before the world is destroyed for real.

   The sequel, “Heroes Without, Monsters Within”, releases in ebook form in January – print in October 2012.

   and a steampunk romance!

   “Wild Cards and Iron Horses” – Their love rides on a spring and a prayer…
   During the recent Civil War, a soldier risked his life to save Jonathan Handleston—and lost. With the help of an advanced metal brace on his crippled hand, Jon now travels from one poker tournament to the next, determined to earn enough money to repay the man’s debt.

   Prosperity Ridge is supposed to be the last stop on his quest, but his brace is broken and he needs an engineer to repair the delicate mechanisms. The only one available is Samantha Weatherly, a beautiful anomaly in a world ruled by men.

   Sam is no fool. Jon is no different from any other gambler—except for his amazing prosthetic. Despite a demanding project to win a critical contract to develop an iron horse, she succumbs to the lure of working on the delicate mechanisms. And working with the handsome Englishman.

   Like a spring being coiled, Samantha and Jon are inexorably drawn together. Sam begins to realize honor wears many faces, and she becomes the light at the end of Jon’s journey to redemption. The only monkey wrench is Victor, a rival gambler who will stop at nothing to make sure Jon misses the tournament. Even destroy Jon’s and Sam’s lives.

   Thank you!

9. A young man descended from the Salem witches must use his supernatural talents to fight a demonic threat during the American Revolution in the Traitor To The Crown trilogy. The books are THE PATRIOT WITCH, following the minuteman/witch from the Battle of Lexington and Concord to the Battle of Bunker Hill; A SPELL FOR THE REVOLUTION, about the malicious spirits that haunt George Washington and the Continental Army from the horrible defeat at the Battle of Long Island to the victory at the crossing of the Delaware; and THE DEMON REDCOAT, in which the minuteman witch crosses the ocean to work as a spy with Ben Franklin in Paris and ends up imprisoned in the Tower of London. Perfect for anyone in your life who loves history and fantasy.

   If you want autographed copies, you can contact Cover-to-Cover Boooks in Columbus, Ohio, and we’ll make arrangements to have them inscribed any way you like and shipped to you. You can find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cover-to-Cover-Book-Store/111564195549828

10. I have two novels for kids ages 9 and up to plug:

    COME FALL tells the story of three kids on the fringe of the middle school social order who find each other and warily begin to bond. Unwittingly, they become pawns in a game of jealous one-upmanship between Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of Faery. Puck with the help of a crow, tries to keep the peace, but at what cost to the kids? Loosely based on the changeling’s tale in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this is a story of magical intervention in the least magical of settings: a public middle school. (A CCBC Choices Book; starred Publisher’s Weekly review.)

    NO CASTLES HERE is about Augie, a bullied eleven and a half-year old boy who finds respect with the help of the meanest 6th grade teacher in school, a Big Brother who is gay, and the last of the fairy godmothers. Forced to read fairy tales from a stolen book, Augie wonders what these make-believe stories have to do with the gritty reality of the inner city. (On the American Library Association’s 2009 Rainbow List; starred Kirkus Reviews review.)

    Thanks John!

11. My latest picture book, ¡VAMOS A VER A PAPÁ!, illustrated by Alba Marina Rivera, has been translated into English (by Elisa Amado) and published by Groundwood Books last month as LET’S GO SEE PAPÁ! It’s a long-ish picture book (48 pages) which tells the other side of the immigration story: not coming to a new country but the people left behind, in this case, a girl in Latin America whose father is abroad working and sending home money.

    And for adults, there’s my poetry chapbook FAIRY TALES FOR WRITERS (A Midsummer Night’s Press), a collection of cautionary tales about the writing world.

12. Elemental magic, genetic tampering with unborn children in a secret laboratory, and an ancient prohibition: when you put them together, the result is not what the scientists at the Gene-Tech Laboratory wanted. Twenty-three years later, when the project is restarted, they set in motion a string of events that could spell the end of the world. Nikki Jeffries must learn to control abilities she never knew she had while facing enemies she thought only existed in nightmares. Not Your Father’s Horseman and Dark Moon Seasons are available from Dragon Moon Press.

13. Ever want to learn about the scientific secrets of the universe, but think that most non-fiction science books are a bit over your head? Fear not! In String Theory For Dummies, string theorist Daniel Robbins and I lay out the cutting edge of theoretical physics in a plain-language guide for everyone. While I could say more, I’ll let Hugo- and Nebula-award-winner Robert J. Sawyer plead my case for me (from his Amazon.com review): “This is a first-rate introduction to the field. One would almost think it impossible to make something as recondite as string theory clear to laypeople, but Jones pulls it off with wit and panache.”

    The book is available in dead tree edition and various e-book formats from pretty much any bookseller, including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble

14. Blood. Bugs. Brutal women.

    All the best things in life.

    GOD’S WAR and INFIDEL, the first two books in the Bel Dame Apocrypha series, are out now in bookstores. Join former government assassin Nyxnissa so Dasheem and her ragtag crew of renegades as they take on bounties for interstellar gene pirates, rogue assassins, and the last honest politician on the planet. And if you like your settings gritty and post-apocalyptic, this contaminated world at perpetual war – driven by insect technology and fueled by an economy measured in blood and body parts – will be right up your alley.

    The third book, RAPTURE, is due out in 2012, so if you like what you read, you don’t have long to wait until the final volume…

15. Thanks John!

    I will be brief.

    My latest book is The Only Ones (Random House, 2011). It’s a science fiction fable about a boy who thinks he’s the last person left on Earth, until he comes upon a village of oddball children who drive monster trucks, rebuild the internet out of string and wood, and talk to Komodo dragons. It has received great reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, VOYA, BCCB and Booklist, and has been compared to everything from the works of H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury and Neil Gaiman, to Lord of the Flies, Lost and The Little Rascals. It’s spooky and weird and emotional and I think it’s wonderfully unique. I hope you do too.

    Buy it here.

    Read more about it here.

    Scratch your head here.

    Many thanks,

    Aaron Starmer

16. Myths. Magic. Monsters. KISS OF FROST, the second book in my Mythos Academy young adult series, is available now. The book focuses on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more.

    You can read an excerpt here: http://www.jenniferestep.com/excerpts-short-stories/kiss-of-frost/. Happy reading, everyone!

17. My new book is a fantasy novel, The Cloud Roads, and I got to do a Big Idea post on it way back in February when it came out. Since then, people have said very nice things about it:

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

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

    Steven Gould (Jumper, 7th Sigma) said: “There’s so much to like here: multiple sapient species sharing a world (or NOT sharing) with complex gender roles, wildly differing societies, and varying technologies. This is rigorous fantasy without the trappings of European medievalism. And most of all, it’s riveting storytelling.”

    The link on Amazon is here, and the sequel, The Serpent Sea, is up for preorder now and should be out in the next couple of weeks.

18. Thanks, John! My latest book is THE SNOW QUEEN’S SHADOW, the fourth and final book in a series about kick-ass fairy tale heroines, including Sleeping Beauty as a ninja and Snow White as a witch. The first book is THE STEPSISTER SCHEME, and is probably a good place to start.

    I’ve also got the GOBLIN QUEST trilogy, which is lighter humorous fantasy, and should be suitable for all ages. (Book two starts with a nose-picking injury, so I’d recommend them for anyone who appreciates that kind of thing.)

    All are available in print and e-book, with purchase links here.

19. Magic, intrigue, and mountaineering: The Whitefire Crossing

    In the frontier city of Ninavel, haunt of dark mages and Tainted children, a young mountain guide desperate for money agrees to sneak a wealthy youth across the spell-protected border of a neighboring country – and finds himself caught up in a deadly game of intrigue between rival mages that will decide the city’s fate.

    For more info:
    My Big Idea post here on Whatever
    Read reviews of the book
    Free 6-chapter excerpt from Night Shade Books

    Thanks for the opportunity, John! From comments above, I’ve already got a few new titles to add to my own shopping list.

20. LUMINOUS, Dutton Juvenile
    ISBN13: 9780525422471
    Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy

    Great for strong, smart girls who love fantasy, folklore and passionate prose!
    An edgy, modern fantasy with a strong Latina heroine.

    As reality slips and time stands still, Consuela finds herself thrust into the world of the Flow. Removed from all she loves into this shifting world overlapping our own, Consuela quickly discovers she has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones—skins made from the world around her, crafted from air, water, butterflies, fire. She is joined by other teens with extraordinary abilities, bound together to safeguard a world they can affect, but where they no longer belong. Yet when murder threatens to undo the Flow, the Watcher charges Consuela and elusive, attractive V to stop the killer. But the psychopath who threatens her new world may also hold the only key to Consuela’s way home.

    News, blog, details, and links to signed copies available at: http://www.dawnmetcalf.com.
    Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound independent bookstores now!

21. Thanks, John! KILLER ROUTINE is the first in the Last Laff mystery series, featuring Channing Hayes, a stand-up comic with a tragic past (because don’t all stand-up comics have tragic pasts and solve mysteries?). In this book, Channing must find his missing mentee (protegee), before something really bad happens to her. The second book in the series DEADLY CAMPAIGN, will be released in January. (I’m also the author of the Agatha-nominated DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD.) Okay, enough BSP. (But if you want more, visit http://www.alanorloff.com)

22. Broken Blade. New series, first book. Gritty traditional fantasy published on a six month schedule, with Bared Blade coming out in June 2012 and Crossed Blades in Dec 2012. I’m hoping that reader will find it to be the readily available noir fantasy methadone to the harder to score fantasy heroin of Rothfuss and Lynch. First chapter available for perusal at my website here with links for buying it from there. Opening line: “Trouble wore a red dress.”

    Or, if you prefer something more modern, my WebMage series is a cyberpunk/fantasy hybrid, and complete, so you’re in no danger of me leaving you hanging. The opening chapter of book one can be found here, with links to some of its reviews for those who wish to see what others have said about the book.

23. Thanks, John. My latest novel, Scored, was featured here on The Big Idea: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/10/25/the-big-idea-lauren-mclaughlin-2/

    Everyone is a number in this dystopian near-future where cameras track your every move while a super-intelligent software program scores you on your mental fitness. Score above 90 and your set for life. Score below 75 and you’re on your own, kid.

    It’s already been chosen for the BoingBoing Christmas list as well as being named by the Louisville Courier-Journals’s round up of great fiction.

    People have said it’s spookily relevant. Available in print and e-book form everywhere. Enjoy! And thanks, everyone else, for all the great suggestions!

24. Thanks, John! My latest traditionally published book (nontrad tomorrow) is CHRONICLES OF WAR, from Pocket/Gallery. This is a World of WarCraft collection, including four separate WoW novels: Christie Golden’s Rise of the Horde, Jeff Grubb’s The Last Guardian, my Tides of Darkness, and mine and Christie’s Beyond the Dark Portal. As one reviewer commented, “This is the book a Warcraft fan would recommend to someone who knew nothing about Warcraft.” It’s also great for anyone who already knows and loves WarCraft, of course. :) It’s a massive tome about orcs and humans and epic battle, and right now Amazon has it on sale for only eight bucks! http://tinyurl.com/6oy4ujs

25. Folks, please don’t promote books that are not available right now: The idea here is a shopping guide for the holidays. People aren’t going to buy gifts they can’t wrap and give to people immediately. I’ll update the top comment to remind people of this.

26. If you like to laugh – or know someone who does – then may I suggest WRECK THE HALLS, my new holiday-themed collection of Cake Wrecks? It’s over 230 pages of great goofy fun for any age group, and it’s a hardcover, so it makes a great gift.

    My fellow geeks will also appreciate the Star Wars vs Star Trek mini-chapter, plus all the references to Ghostbusters, Princess Bride, Big Bang Theory, and whatever else popped into my sugar-addled brain at the time. Even better: it’s less than $10 right now on Amazon!

    (P.S. – Thanks for letting us do this, John!)

27. Thanks for doing this, John! My MG novel Kat, Incorrigible was published this April.

    Magic may be the greatest scandal in Regency England. But that’s not going to stop Kat Stephenson when there are highwaymen to foil, sinister aristocrats to defeat…and true loves to capture for her two older sisters.

    You can read the first three chapters on my website, or buy it from any bookstore.

28. Thanks for always doing this, John. I know several people who look for recommendations here. The first three books from my new SFF imprint at Lee & Low Books, Tu Books, are out and getting great reviews. Quick synopses:

    Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg Fishbone: Olympics in space, with manga-esque comedy elements. Tyler Sato inadvertently gets a killer asteroid named after him–but it’s not a killer asteroid after all, it’s aliens coming to recruit kids for the Galaxy Games. Middle Grade science fiction/comedy, 8 to 12

    Tankborn by Karen Sandler: futuristic dystopia set on another planet (with science fiction elements) in which Kayla, a Genetically Engineered Nonhuman (in other words, a slave), discovers what it means to be human and the dark secrets behind her strictly ordered world. YA dystopia/SF, 12 and up

    Wolf Mark by Joseph Bruchac: Burn Notice with werewolves (only the werewolves are Abenaki skinwalkers). Luke’s dad is a spy. When Dad is kidnapped, Luke must rescue him while figuring out his identity as a skinwalker. YA paranormal, 12 and up

    And of course when I give age ranges it’s just as a guideline for if you’re buying for a child or teen, but for adults, who cares about age ranges? If you like a good story, you’ll find one in plenty of middle grade and YA books.

29. Tomorrow is the official release date for Ian McDonald’s first YA novel, Planesrunner, which has already gotten two starred reviews and created a bit of a buzz. “When Everett Singh’s scientist father is kidnapped from the streets of London, he leaves young Everett a mysterious app on his computer. Suddenly, this teenager has become the owner of the most valuable object in the multiverse—the Infundibulum—the map of all the parallel earths, and there are dark forces in the Ten Known Worlds who will stop at nothing to get it. They’ve got power, authority, the might of ten planets—some of them more technologically advanced than our Earth—at their fingertips. He’s got wits, intelligence, and a knack for Indian cooking.”

30. An additional reminder to people that if they have a question for me specifically to send it to e-mail and not clutter up the thread. As noted in the first comment in the thread. Thank you!

31. Thanks for starting this thread, John.

    My debut Miserere: An Autumn Tale is an adult fantasy set in the parallel dimension of Woerld, Heaven’s frontline of defense between Earth and Hell. Exiled exorcist, Lucian Negru, deserted his lover in Hell in exchange for saving his sister Catarina’s soul, but Catarina doesn’t want salvation. Catarina needs Lucian’s power to open the Hell Gates between Woerld and Earth.

    When Lucian refuses to help her, she imprisons and cripples him, but Lucian learns that Rachael, the lover he betrayed and abandoned in Hell, is dying from a demonic possession. Determined to rescue Rachael from the demon he unleashed on her soul, Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina’s wrath isn’t so easy to escape. In the end, she will force him once more to choose between losing Rachael or opening the Hell Gates so the Fallen’s hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven’s Gates.

    Published July 2011 by Night Shade Books, you can read an excerpt here.

32. Thanks, John!!!
    My YA dystopian novel is XVI.
    Nina Oberon’s life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she’ll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world – even the most predatory of men – that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a “sex-teen” is Nina’s worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina’s mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past – one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother’s killer.
    http://www.amazon.com/XVI-Julia-Karr/dp/0142417718/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323097259&sr=1-1
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/xvi-julia-karr/1100154926?ean=9780142417713&format=paperback
    http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780142417713

33. The Strange Talent of Luther Strode a full color comic from Image Comics, publishers of The Walking Dead.

    On a whim, average geek Luther Strode sends for an exercise course he saw in the back of an old comic book. The course promises to turn him into the kind of man that can kick sand right back in the bully’s face, but all Luther expects is, at best, a corny old book.

    What he gets is the instruction manual and prime recruiting tool of a murder cult as old as mankind, and it does everything that it promised and much, much more. You can have everything you want, as long as you’re willing to pay the price, and Luther is about to find out just how a price that can be.

    Warning: It’s hyperviolent (and awesome)

    Available at finer comic book shops and bookstores or, if you’re into the future, digitally:

    Issue One

    Issue Two

34. My debut novel A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend is a contemporary YA about a nerdy lesbian cyclist who is trying to come to terms with her best friend’s death and her worst enemy getting the lead role in the ninja musical her best friend wrote. It made the Rainbow List of the ALA’s top ten books for LGBT books of 2010.

35. Thanks John, for the opportunity.

    For some crazy reason I have 4 original anthologies out this year–hopefully one for every taste:
    Teeth edited by me and Terri Windling (HarperCollins) is a young adult non-sparkly vampire anthology with writers in it ranging from ya writers Cassandra Clare & Holly Black (collaborating), Melissa Marr, and Garth Nix, to Tanith Lee, Jeffrey Ford, Kathe Koja, and Catherynne M. Valente.

    Supernatural Noir edited by me (Dark Horse books) is exactly what it says it is with horror by Nick Mamatas, John Langan, Laird Barron, Joe Lansdale, Melanie Tem, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and a load of other great writers,

    Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy (St Martin’s Press) provides a wide range of types of urban fantasy from Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Ellen Kushner, John Crowley, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Lucius Shepard, Melissa Marr and others.

    Finally, another vampirism anthology in the tradition of my earlier Blood is not Enough and A Whisper of Blood (still available at B&N). Blood and Other Cravings from Tor is NOT your traditional vampire anthology although it’s got plenty of scares by the likes of Kaaron Warren, Laird Barron, Carol Emshwiller, (yes), Richard Bowes, Elizabeth Bear, Reggie Oliver, and more

36. My young adult fantasy novel, Nightspell — which was Big Idea’ed here back in June – is out now in hardcover. It’s set in a kingdom where murder victims regularly come back from the dead to take vengeance on their killers… except for those who have decided they’d rather skip vengeance and hang around pretending to be alive. A barbarian princess has come to this haunted land to rescue her sister, but it turns out her sister is keeping some dangerous secrets of her own.

    Kirkus gave Nightspell a starred review and called it “transcendent”; Booklist also recommended it as full of “swordfights, blood, and double-dealing.”

37. What a great idea! Thanks
    Winds of L’Acadie is a fast-paced story of how Sarah and her soon-to-be-friend Luke travel back in time to 1755 as the Acadians are being deported from Nova Scotia, Canada. They are desperate to save their friends from this horrific fate. will they be successful?

38. The 3-in-1 compilation of my teen romantic comedy trilogy, called STRUCK, releases tomorrow from Simon & Schuster’s Pulse imprint–it’s only $9.99 for three novels! Here’s the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Struck-Stupid-Flirting-Disaster-Pucker/dp/1442428627

    Here’s the blurb:

    Felicity Walker believes in true love. That’s why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid’s Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn’t just a matchmaker…she’s a cupid! (There’s more than one of them, you know.)
    Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But the path to love is not always a straight shot…

39. Thanks, John!

    My first sci fi (or is it?) YA novel FIRST DAY ON EARTH just came out a few weeks ago. It’s about a boy named Mal who believes that he’s been abducted by aliens and starts going to an alien abduction support group where he meets Hooper, a strange man who may or may not be from the stars.

    you can go get it online here! Indiebound Amazon
    B&N Powell’s!

    FYI you can get signed copies of any of my books from Skylight Books in Los Angeles or Mables Fables in Toronto

40. Thanks John!

    My middle grade science fiction novel CIRCUS GALACTICUS was published in November. It’s the story of an Earth girl who runs away to join an intergalactic circus, and features acrobatics, danger, exploding desserts, and ancient alien technology. There’s an excerpt, book trailer, character art gallery and links to booksellers available at my website: http://devafagan.com/circus-galacticus/

41. Thanks, John!

    Looking for a gift for the Joss Whedon fan in your life? They might be interested in Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Deborah Stanish. This book is a follow-up to the Hugo Award-winning book Chicks Dig Time Lords.

    In Whedonistas, a host of award-winning female writers and fans come together to celebrate the works of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Doctor Horrible s Sing-Along Blog). By discussing the impact of Whedon’s work, their involvement with his shows fandoms and why they adore the worlds he’s created, these essayists aim to misbehave in Whedon’s rich, fantastical worlds. Essay topics include Sharon Shinn (Samaria series) and Emma Bull (Territory) elaborating on the perfection of Firefly, Jeanne Stein (the Anna Strong Chronicles) revealing Buffy’s influence on Anna Strong, and Nancy Holder (October Rain, The Watcher s Guide) relating on-the-set tales of Spike menacing her baby daughter while Riley made her hot chocolate. Other contributors include Seanan McGuire (October Daye series), Elizabeth Bear (Chill), Catherynne M. Valente (Palimpsest), Maria Lima (Blood Lines), Jackie Kessler (Black and White), Mariah Huehner (IDW Comics), Sarah Monette (Corambis), and Lyda Morehouse (AngeLINK Series). Also featured is an exclusive interview with television writer and producer Jane Espenson.

42. Discover a war-torn world where healing is dangerous, and those with the best intentions often do the most harm…

    Nya is a Shifter, someone who can heal by shifting pain from person to person.She’s hunted by those eager to exploit her ability for their own purposes, determined to make her a weapon, a killer, even a symbol for the war that’s brewing.

    All Nya wants is to protect her family and regain her people’s freedom, but the more she’s drawn into the plans of others, the more she realizes how key to everyone’s victory she really is.

    And how much she’ll have to sacrifice just to survive.

    A fantasy adventure for ages 10 and up, The Healing Wars trilogy follows Nya, a war orphan with the unique ability to heal—or destroy—with her touch.

    Book One: The Shifter: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shifter-janice-hardy/1103176719?ean=9780061747083&itm=2&usri=the+shifter

    Book Two: Blue Fire: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-fire-janice-hardy/1102212177?ean=9780061747410&itm=3&usri=janice+hardy

    Book Three: Darkfall: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/darkfall-janice-hardy/1030527012?ean=9780061747502&itm=1&usri=janice+hardy

    Thanks John!

43. Thanks for the opportunity to talk up my book!

    Did you learn in school that 8,000 African American women were in the European Theater during WWII? Neither did Tali and Octavia – and one of the women was their embarrassing, opinionated grandmother, Mare. In alternating chapters you’ll follow Mare’s WAC service adventures and her present-day interactions with her granddaughters and enjoy a soupçon of an America you’ve perhaps never discovered. From Knopf Books for Young Readers, and now out in paperback, MARE’S WAR is a 2010 Coretta Scott King Honor book, and according to a starred Kirkus Review, “absolutely essential reading.” Hope you’ll enjoy it too, and that you’ll have a fabulous reading holiday.

44. How would you spend your days if you excelled at safecracking, computation, figure drawing, writing best selling non-fiction, bongo playing, lecturing in physics, and reinventing the field of quantum electrodynamics? Find out in FEYNMAN, the graphic novel by me and Leland Myrick, published in August by First Second books. It spent a couple of months on the 2011 bestseller list itself, and Freeman Dyson called it “the best example of this genre [graphic novels] that I have yet seen.”

    Find out more at http://www.gt-labs.com/feynman.html . Thanks!

45. I encourage you to take a fling at THE FALLEN or THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS by Mark Terry (Moi). Both are available in hardcover and as e-books. THE FALLEN also is out in trade paperback by Oceanview Publishing. This month THE FALLEN is supposed to be free on Kindle, although to-date Amazon brought the price down to 99 cents. THE FALLEN, by the way, is the winner of The National Best Book 2010 Award for Adventure/Thriller by USA Book News.

46. The blurbs, for books by me (Carrie Vaughn):

    After the Golden Age: Celia West is the daughter of the city’s greatest superheroes, but has no powers of her own. Can she save the city…with *accounting*???

    Kitty’s Greatest Hits: A collection of short stories from the world of Kitty, a werewolf who hosts a talk radio show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. A good introduction to the series if you don’t know what book to start with (or for the urban fantasy fan in your life who may not have tried the series yet).

    Steel: Jill, a teenage fencer suffering confidence issues, gets whisked back in time to an 18th century pirate ship and has to learn to fight for real. Young adult, adventure story featuring a girl hero. Woo!

    Thanks for the bandwidth!

47. Shopping for someone who loves fairy tales? Suspense? Magic? Mystery? THE NEAR WITCH (Disney*Hyperion) might be just the thing. Part fairy tale, part love story, THE NEAR WITCH is the story of the village of Near, where a stranger appears one night, and the next night the children begin to vanish one by one by one.

    “This highly atmospheric debut crackles with tension and has a shivery horror tang.” – Kirkus

    “A story of forbidden love, ancient magic, and unearthed secrets…Word of advice: allot enough time to read this in one sitting.” – Booklist

    “Splendidly imagined and delightfully spooky.” – BCCB

48. What a great opportunity! Thank you! I am an editor with Charisma House Book Group (wwwcharismahouse.com), and these are three titles I edited that I think will encourage and inspire people this holiday season.

    Prayers That Bring Healing and Activate Blessing by John Eckhardt
    Combines scriptural promises and powerful prayers to help you press through to the promises of God for your health and prosperity in life. Move from the mundane into the supernatural favor of God. Ask God to bless you—He will always hear and answer!

    A Softer Strength by Dondi Scumaci
    Shows you how to live a life that is motivating, inspiring, and that brings you into a full realization of God’s purpose and plan for you. You were designed for success in all of your roles. Your work as a mother, mentor, professional, leader, or volunteer should be challenging and inspiring. Start now; your opportunities are waiting!

    Recession-Proof Living by Bill Wiese (New York Times best-selling author of 23 Minutes in Hell)
    Bill Wiese had a successful real estate career spanning over thirty-five years—through both good and tough economic times. Early in his career, he made the decision to carefully study the Bible and apply God’s methods to every move that he made. As a result, he attained success that was unheard of for many other agents, simply because he adhered to God’s plan. In Recession-Proof Living, he shares these biblical principles along with true stories of his experiences to demonstrate how anyone can achieve success—spiritually, financially, physically, and corporately—by living according to God’s economic system.Even if every effort and method you’ve tried has failed, living by God’s standard won’t.

    All books are available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Christianbook.com, Walmart.com, and other major booksellers. Also available in all digital ebook formats.

49. Should you eat sushi while pregnant? Would learning to play a musical instrument make your child smarter? Why can’t you get your teenager out of bed? Call us geeks, but when we hear such concerns, we think about neuroscience. Together, Sam Wang and I have over forty years of experience as neuroscientists. For our second book, Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College, we read hundreds of research papers to bring parents the most up-to-date understanding of how children’s brains develop. We also debunk myths and include practical tips for parents. Our first instruction: take a deep breath and relax. To a surprisingly large extent, your child’s brain builds itself.

    “a smart, funny, accessible, and supremely sane book”
    – Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers

    Also check out our award-winning first book, Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life, published in 21 languages and named the Young Adult Science Book of the Year in 2009 by AAAS.

50. If you’ve got a kid on your Christmas list who thinks reading is boring, may I suggest the Dragonbreath series. by Ursula Vernon? Available from Dial Books, these middle-grade books are a hybrid comic/chapter format, featuring Danny Dragonbreath, a dragon who attends a school for reptiles, where nobody believes he’s a real honest-to-go fire-breathing dragon. The format is very approachable and they come highly recommended for reluctant readers. (Mind you, if you’ve got a young and precocious reader, they tend to go over well there, too…)

51. Thanks for this, John!

    Our esteemed host didn’t say anything about comic books, so I won’t mention the Farscape graphic novels, instead focusing on my most recent novel, which is a Dungeons & Dragons novel called Under the Crimson Sun. After playing D&D through high school, college, and my 20s, it was an absolute thrill to get to finally write in that universe. Wizards of the Coast recently revived the “Dark Sun” world, a nasty desert world where people live hard, the magic is based on telepathy, and the biggest sport is arena fighting.

    I thought it would be fun to do a Leverage/Hustle style D&D story, as Dark Sun is perfectly suited to grifters and thieves and con artists, so the novel gives us the Serthlara Emporium, a group of travelling merchants who also run cons on people. But when the brother of one of the emporium members is captured by slavers, they have to go rescue him and his friend…

    …who may be beyond rescuing. See, UtCS is also part of the “Abyssal Plague” crossover, the first time WotC has done a D&D crossover among their various worlds: the mainline D&D universe, Dark Sun, and Forgotten Realms, all of which get affected by the attempted escape of Tharizdun, an ancient god, from being imprisoned in a dead universe. And much wackiness ensues. Because if much wackiness didn’t ensue, you wouldn’t want to read a novel (or six) about it.

    Anyhow, I’m quite pleased with how the book came out, so do check it out. (The link above is to Amazon, but it’s also available from B&N, Powell’s, other bookstores, and directly through me, if you want an autographed copy — e-mail me at keith at decandido dot net for specifics.)

    But hey, don’t take my word for it. New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry said: “Keith DeCandido spins a powerful tale of fantastical creatures, filled with devious plot twists and enough action to leave a jaded reader breathless. Fun, fast and furious. I’ll be back for more.”

    If D&D isn’t to your liking, most of my Star Trek fiction, particularly the Next Generation novel Q & A, which finally explains what Q’s really been up to all these years (yes, it all had a purpose — mostly), and A Singular Destiny, my followup to David Mack’s epic Destiny trilogy, are both available.

    And if you’re a Supernatural fan, I’ve written three of the novels based on that CW TV series: Nevermore — the boys solve an Edgar Allen Poe-based series of murders in the Bronx — Bone Key — two demons super-charge the ghosts in Key West, Florida, only to discover that the collective spirit of the extinct Calusa tribe probably should not be messed with — and Heart of the Dragon — a three-generation adventure as the Campbell family, John Winchester, and Sam & Dean each have to deal with a spirit that returns every twenty years.

    Thanks! Happy holidays, everyone!

    —Keith R.A. DeCandido

52. Thanks, John!

    My novel CLARITY (Scholastic, 3/1/11) features a family of freaks–all with their own psychic ability–who live in a beach town on Cape Cod and make their living doing readings for tourists. Until one of those tourists turns up dead and the Fern family gets pulled into the investigation.

    The book got a starred review from Publishers Weekly and the sequel, PERCEPTION, releases from Scholastic in March.
    http://www.amazon.com/Clarity-Kim-Harrington/dp/0545230500/

53. Actually comic books/graphic novels are perfectly good to note, as long as they are available in bookstores on a returnable basis (this may limit them to bound compilations; I don’t know the specifics of that market). But in case of doubt, they will definitely be notable tomorrow.

54. Thanks, John. This level of free publicity is hard to come by without a sextape.
    Picking Up the Ghost is a dark fantasy about ghosts, voodoo and lies. Cinque Williams is a 14 year old boy living in a 110 year old town dying on the Mississippi. A curse meant for his deceased father condemns Cinque to a slow death even as it opens his eyes to the strange otherworld around him. With help from the ghost Willy T, an enigmatic White Woman named Iku, an African Loa, and a devious shape-shifter, Cinque gathers the tools to confront the ghost of his dead father. But he will learn that sometimes too much knowledge can be dangerous – and the people he trusts most are those poised to betray him.
    First four chapters at the official site Amazon

55. Thanks for this terrific opportunity.

    I have so many wonderful books and authors that it’s hard to narrow the list, but, in the interests of moving things along, I’m going for two.

    The first is BALLISTIC by Mark Greaney. This is his third Gray Man novel and continues the story of Court Gentry, former CIA agent and current professional assassin, who is being hunted by just about everyone under the sun. This time around he’s trying to protect the family of an old comrade from a Mexican drug cartel.

    James Rollins calls the Gray Man series, “Bourne for the new millenium.”

    The second is THOSE ACROSS THE RIVER by Christopher Buehlman, a genuinely creepy horror novel that stands out because of the evocative writing. It’s a phenomenal debut from a very talented new author. I can honestly say that I would have been very happy reading this story if no supernatural elements had ever come up, but, boy, am I glad they did.

    Reviews have been glowing. The Boston Herald called it a “beautifully written story.” Romantic Times made it a Top Pick and described it as a “staggering debut novel.” There are many others, but I don’t want to take up too much of everyone’s time.

    So, buy these for yourself or for someone else. If you love them, tell everyone you know. If you don’t like them, feel free to berate me on Twitter @TomColgan14.

    Thanks again to John Scalzi for this exciting opportunity.

56. My name is Tee Morris and I am one of the two authors behind Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel. It’s the first in a new steampunk series from Harper Voyager, and is available at bookstores everywhere:

    http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Rising-Ministry-Peculiar-Occurrences/dp/0062049763/ref=as_li_wdgt_js_ex?&camp=212361&linkCode=wey&tag=theofficiw092-20&creative=380725

    Phoenix Rising is best described as a “steampunk X-Files” with a bit of the BBC’s Avengers thrown in for good measure. It won the 2011 Airship Award for Best Steampunk Literature, is a finalist for Goodreads’ 2011 Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction, and described by the blog Geek Life as “…a fun, well paced book that does Steampunk right. This book combines aspects of the The Odd Couple, the first three Indiana Jones movies, any good detective novel and the TV show, Cold Case…”

    Thanks for this opportunity, John. Much appreciated. :^)

57. The Boy at the End of the World
    Bloomsbury Children’s USA
    ISBN-13: 9781599905242

    The Boy at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure aimed at readers aged 10-14. My hope when writing it was to appeal to any readers who like giant killer death parrots, broken robots, ruined cities, long-empty shopping malls, and weaponized prairie dogs. I wanted it to have scary bits, funny bits, and maybe a bit or two to make readers sniffly.

    From the publisher’s copy: This is the story of the last boy on Earth, born from a survival pod long after human kind has ceased to exist. With only a broken robot named Click for a friend, Fisher sets out to discover if he is truly alone. But first, he must learn to survive. With lively humor and a thrilling sense of adventure, Greg van Eekhout takes readers along on Fisher’s wild ride — a journey that might just save the world.

    And this is what Paolo Bacigalupi (The Windup Girl, Ship Breaker) had to say: “Fisher’s survivalist journey through the ruins of our future is both funny and affecting, full of transformed creatures, broken cities, and mad robots. Amid desperate escapes, explosive battles and piles of mammoth dung, The Boy at the End of the World also manages to ask interesting questions about our place in the world, and where we’re headed as a species. Thanks to Greg van Eekhout, I’ll never look at prairie dogs the same way again.”

    More blurbs and reviews and links to booksellers.

    Thanks much for opening your blog to us, Scalzi Claus!

58. My book is called Stage Combat–Fisticuffs, Stunts, and Swordplay for Theatre and Film. It’s a how-to book that details the basics of illusions of violence for the stage. It’s available at B&N and Amazon, as well as all over the place.
    http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Combat-Fisticuffs-Swordplay-Theater/dp/1581154615
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stage-combat-jenn-boughn/1100393237?ean=9781581154610&itm=3&

59. My new novel, Aloha From Hell, is the third book in the Sandman Sim series. In it James Stark, who escaped from Hell in book one, has to return to the Underworld to save his lost love and stop new wars in Heaven and Hell. The book is dark, funny, violent, full of bad words and people who smoke and drink too much. The perfect combination for the holidays.

    You can find Aloha From Hell here on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Aloha-Hell-Sandman-Slim-Novel/dp/0061714321/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323103447&sr=8-1

    Aloha From Hell is also featured in the LA Times 2011 book gift guide in the Thrillers, Fantasy and Science Fiction section. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-bk-holiday-books-gift-ideas-20111204,0,85064.htmlstory

    Thanks to Scalzi for the pimping and thanks to any of you who are fun seeking, reckless and/or liquored up enough to hit the Buy button.

60. My book, Bead Tube Jewelry, takes it to the limit with this utterly original bead tube book. Using a simple peyote or brick-stitched tube, I show how to create more than 30 projects ranging in style from elegant to funky, and with colors spanning from subtle to brilliant, all from tiny, colorful, easy-to-find seed beads. Readers are able to see how changing colors and designs create new and exciting beaded beads. There is range of bracelets, earrings, and necklaces will delight the aspiring artist and the more accomplished beader looking for a quick project or gift. Available at bookstores, Amazon.com and local bead/craft stores. Or my website http://www.nzbeads.com

61. If you or someone you knows what I mean when I say, “Tinks’ Panties, Rache! That’s tighter than a straight man’s butt cheeks in prison,” I have something you have got to consider putting under your tree. (Or in your own stocking if you go the Hollows alone at your house.) THE HOLLOWS INSIDER by Kim Harrison is a full color, illustration rich world book that I put together to help the new initiate to the Hollows as well as answer a few lingering questions the Hollows junkie might have. You will find it wherever they shelve the Hollows, which can be anywhere from SF/Fantasy, Horror, to Fiction. I’ve got one link to send you for a look at some full color sample pages, but if you scroll down the page, there are links to major booksellers to order it online. http://www.kimharrison.net/BookPages/Hollows%20Insider/HI.html
    It even has Jenks’s 12 days of Pixy Christmas in there. . . . five trolls in drag . . .
    –Kim

62. Thanks, John!

    My debut novel, MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE, (ages 9+) was just published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. What’s it about? Glad you asked!

    Is your magical kingdom falling apart? Twelve-year-old Jenny is on the case, whether she likes it or not. Saving the world might sound exciting, but for Jenny it’s starting to get old — even staying in the real world long enough to take a math test would be a dream come true! And when you throw in bloodthirsty unicorns, psychotic clowns, and the most useless gnome sidekick ever, Jenny decides that enough is enough. She’s leaving the adventuring business and not looking back. Or…is she?

    The book is available in paperback and as an e-book anywhere books are sold. Read the first chapter on Amazon.

63. Thanks, John! My most recent novel is HUNTRESS, which is a YA hero’s quest about two girls who journey to the land of the Fairy Queen to save their Kingdom … and fall in love (with each other) along the way. It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which said:

    “Lo’s storytelling and prose are masterful, and her protagonists will fascinate … . As with Ash, Lo’s characters are emotionally reserved, which makes the unfolding of romance between Kaede and Taisin all the more satisfying. Fans of Garth Nix’s Abhorsen trilogy will love this.”

    For more on the book and where to buy it (including signed copies), go here: http://www.malindalo.com/fiction/huntress/

64. It’s winter. Head for the tropics. Don’t worry about the monsters. They probably won’t eat you. If you’re lucky.

    Gods and Monsters, the third book in my urban fantasy series about an unlicensed PI with a serious habit for getting in over her head, pits Sylvie and her crew against a dangerous necromancer, a crazy god, and a battle that has been brewing for more than a century.

    If you like your heroines human, hot-tempered, and quick with a gun, if you like your magic dark and dirty, give the Shadows Inquiries series a try. Gods & Monsters even comes in Holiday colors, thanks to beautiful cover art by Shane Rebenschied–all green, gold, and red.

    Lyn Benedict, aka Lane Robins

65. Joining the swarm, just to join it: at the moment my definitely-in-print (as opposed to strange halflife in print) works are DIRECTIVE 51 and DAYBREAK ZERO (first two of my Daybreak series) and TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND (which is mainstream YA). I’m going to make a slightly odd recommendation. If you’re not an SF reader, much, you may like the Daybreak books better, for a bunch of reasons; and a surprising number of SF fans who tell me they “never” read mainstream said they liked MADMAN. Apparently I just never write anything that fits.

66. Thanks, John. My fantasy trilogy, The Ancient Blades, is available now.
    The first volume, “Den of Thieves” is a fantasy heist novel.
    The second volume, “A Thief in the Night” is a classic dungeon crawl. But, you know, with real characters and a plot.
    The third volume, “Honor Among Thieves”, wraps things up with a full-scale barbarian invasion, to keep things interesting.
    The best part? All three are available right now in stores everywhere. No need to wait years to find out what happens–get ’em all today wherever books are sold!
    -David Chandler

67. Thanks for the opportunity, John.

    My award-nominated Blood Lines series (Pocket Books), a contemporary/urban fantasy set in the Texas Hill Country is available at all major booksellers.
    * Matters of the Blood
    * Blood Bargain
    * Blood Kin
    * Blood Heat
    * Blood Sacrifice

    Thanks for your support!

68. Thanks, John!

    A Quill & Quire starred review had this to say about my new YA time travel adventure-romance, ONCE EVERY NEVER – “the author of the Wondrous Strange trilogy has done something that goes beyond magical – in fact, it may just be miraculous. In Once Every Never, the first in a planned trilogy, Livingston has combined the worlds of chick lit and Druid blood curses. And it works.”

    Clarinet Reid is a pretty typical teenager. On the surface. She’s smart, but a bit of slacker; outgoing, but just a little insecure; not exactly a mischief-maker … but trouble tends to find her wherever she goes. Also? She unwittingly carries a centuries-old Druid Blood Curse running through her veins.
    Now, with a single thoughtless act, what started off as the Summer Vacation in Dullsville suddenly spirals into a deadly race to find a stolen artifact, avert an explosive catastrophe, save a Celtic warrior princess, right a dreadful wrong that happened centuries before Clare was even born, and if there’s still time— literally—maybe even get a date.
    This is the kind of adventure that happens to a girl once every … never.

    No longer just available in Canada!! You can now get it everywhere books are sold. For example:
    http://www.amazon.com/Once-Every-Never-Lesley-Livingston/dp/0143177958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323108956&sr=8-1

69. I have two books available this gift season:

    “Thornspell” (Knopf) is a Kids/YA (11-14 years) retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the prince that has been described as “a very human and nonetheless magical drama” by Kirkus and “probably the best book I’ve gotten from Flamingnet” by a Flamingnet teen reviewer.

    “The Heir of Night” is the first in my epic “The Wall of Night” quartet and has been published for adult readers although it would crossover well. ‘Classic epic’ in approach, “The Heir of Night” is about a people who believe themselves to be the champions of good but are divided by prejudice, suspicion and fear. It’s also a story of honor, ambition, and duty, as well as about responsibility: to each other, to the world in which they live, to their communities, whether of blood or friendship. Specifically, it’s about Malian, the Heir to the House of Night, who must find a way to resolve her people’s legacy of conflict and bitterness, and Kalan, a young man thrust into a hateful life who is striving to break free. And of course it’s also about fantastic worlds, deeds of magic and feats of arms, alarms and flights by night, mystery and adventure–and the second-in-series, “The Gathering of the Lost” will be out on 27 March!

    Both books have been described as “crossover” fiction, suitable for genre lovers of all ages.

    Thank you for the opportunity, John.

70. What a wonderful opportunity – thank you! My latest historical novel is THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB, about 32 inch tall Lavinia Warren Stratton, whose marriage to General Tom Thumb, or Charles Stratton, was the most talked-about event in 1863. She refused to settle for the sheltered life expected of one her size, instead using her stature to become one of the “biggest” entertainers in the 19th century. My previous historical is ALICE I HAVE BEEN, about the little girl who inspired ALICE IN WONDERLAND; both books are available everywhere and more can be found out here – http://www.melaniebenjamin.com

71. My book, SOUTHERN GODS, has crime noir mashed up with southern gothic with a smidge of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. It’s available at most brick and mortar stores or at the ‘Zon. I appeared here, on Mr. Scalzi’s wonderful blog, on the Big Idea series this summer. You can learn more about the book at that post – http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/08/11/the-big-idea-john-hornor-jacobs/

    Or go to http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Gods-John-Hornor-Jacobs/dp/1597802859 and buy that mama-jama.

    Hoppy holidays, folks! And thank you, John, for hosting this shindig.

72. Thanks John,

    My novel Scarecrow Gods won the Bram Stoker Award for First Novel in 2005 and has been in print ever siince. It recently became available as an eBook too. Scarecrow Gods is the coming of age tale of a young boy, who must befriend a disfigured black man in the American South, in order to save his sister from a cult. My favorite character from a writer’s perspective was the homeless rocket scientist who has to communicate in palindrome, anagram and metaphor to confuse the spirits living in his head. For instance, did you know that ‘Evil’s Agent’ is an anagram for ‘Evangelist?’ How ironic is that!

    “Although Ochse’s writing is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury, F. Paul Wilson, and even Ed Lee, among others, he has his own strong, unique, and distinctive style – one that is irresistibly appealing to readers.” –Fearzone

    You can grab a copy or look inside the book at a sample here

    PS. Sliders are too hamburgers

73. DOGSLED DREAMS (4RV Publishing 2010) available at all major book-type places. Middle grade outdoor adventure.

    Sled dogs. Blizzards. Puppies. Flying poo missiles.

    Selected as a Recommended Read by the Iditarod Education Department.
    http://www.amazon.com/Dogsled-Dreams-Terry-Lynn-Johnson/dp/0982642342

74. (Great idea, John – thanks for this opportunity!)

    TRIPTYCH by J.M. Frey

    Part ‘District 9’, part ‘Lost in Translation’, part ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’, Triptych is a poignant, character-driven science fiction story about tolerance, love and loss.

    When the aliens come to Earth, there’s nothing we can do but take them in. Engineer Basil Grey and his taciturn girlfriend Gwen take in Kalp, a widower, and try to weather the public backlash when the three fall in love.

    “Debut author Frey knocks it out of the park with a remarkable tale of alien refugees, time travel, intrigue, the pervasive madness of grief, and love that transcends culture, gender, and species. Classic science fiction elements are smoothly updated for a modern audience.”
    –#3 on Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011, Scifi, Fantasy & Horror list.

    “This book has aliens, time travel, queer polyamorous romance that feels absolutely real, loss and grief and soldiering on, languages, family… in short, it was written for me. I haven’t felt this loved and acknowledged by a book in a very long time.”
    –Genreville, Rose Fox

75. Evenfall (Penguin/Berkley 2011) Cross a Murphy woman and she’ll haunt you the rest of your life. No one knows this better than Frank Wildermuth, who fell in love with one Murphy woman, married his sister, and spent the rest of his life — and now his afterlife — trying to make amends.

    You can find more about the book (and read the first chapter) here.

    Or purchase it here.

    And thanks for opportunity!

76. Happy Holidays from the great [not so white yet, thankfully] north!

    My most recent books are A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW and FACING FIRE, both published by Doubleday Canada. If you’ve got a teen or older reader on your list who is looking for time travel stories about how families made their way to North America — the choices they faced and the sacrifices made — these books are for you! Darby Christopher is one experimental skateboarder, too — so those that like their time travel on four wheels might like to give these a read, too. Find out about these books and more at my website: http://www.kcdyer.com
    Thanks, Scalzi!

    ~kc

77. Hello!

    I’m especially keen to promote two of my most recent books…
    They are:
    THE BROTHEL CREEPER — Tales of Spiritual and Sexual Tension,
    &
    LINK ARMS WITH TOADS! — A showcase of Romanti-Cynical Stories.

    Both are available from Amazon and elsewhere… If you are interested in learning more about them, why not check out my blog at the following address: http://rhyshughes.blogspot.com

    Thanks for listening, folks!

78. Thanks, John!

    My MG/YA novel, Fox & Phoenix, is the story of what comes after the fairy tale.

    Kai Zōu thought he had it made when he and his friends won a contest held by the king of Lóng City. But now Kai’s working for his mother, his one true love turned out to have other ideas, and all his friends are growing apart. Then the king falls deathly ill, Kai’s mother disappears, and the ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. In a court filled with intrigue, Kai and his best friend Yún must work together to help the princess escape and return to Lóng City.

    From School Library Journal’s review: “Drawing on Chinese language and mythology, Bernobich has created a new and exciting fantasy world.”

    And from the teen review site Genrefluent: “This uniquely original tale inspired by Chinese myth is a terrific blend of magic and technology, adventure and romance, science fiction and fantasy.”

    You can read a sample chapter here:

    http://www.beth-bernobich.com/Books/FoxPhoenixExcerpt.html

79. Looking for a gift for a special teen girl? My debut YA novel, FLYAWAY, releases from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on December 20, just in time for the holidays. FLYAWAY is set in Seattle and centers around 15-year-old Stevie, a spunky girl who knows how to take care of herself. But when Stevie’s mom disappears and she has to go live with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy, her world turns upside down. During the summer at Mindy’s she volunteers at a bird rescue center, gets to know a troubled boy from school…and finds out the truth about Mom.

    Learn more about FLYAWAY at http://www.helenlandalf.com. It’s already up for preorder on Amazon!
    .

80. Many thanks for the invitation to toot my own horn, John. The third novel in my fantasy trilogy of DARKBORN, LIGHTBORN, and SHADOWBORN (all published by ROC), appeared this year. In the city of Minhorne, Darkborn and Lightborn live side by side, never meeting, divided by a powerful mages’ curse that makes daylight lethal to the Darkborn and darkness lethal to the Lightborn. A deadly third force has set Darkborn against Lightborn, mage against non-mage, before declaring itself in the form of sorcery and invasion.

    The publisher’s page for Shadowborn (with links to previous books).

81. I have another Archonate novel out: The Other, from Underland Press. Think Jack Vance space opera with a noir tone.

    The first chapter is here: http://www.archonate.com/other

82. THE WINTER SEA was, quite simply, the book of my heart. A story within a story, it follows a modern-day woman who, while writing her latest historical novel about the little-known Jacobite invasion attempt of 1708 in Scotland, comes to realize that the words she’s writing are more fact than fiction, and that she might just be drawing inspiration from ancestral memories, Winning praise from Bernard Cornwell, THE WINTER SEA made the shortlist for both the UK’s Romantic Novel of the Year and the RWA’s RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, won the award for Best Historical Fiction from RT Book Reviews, and spent four weeks on the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists. You can read the first chapter here: http://www.susannakearsley.com/wintersea.html

    My latest book, THE ROSE GARDEN, crosses times as well, when a young woman comes to the south coast of Cornwall to stay at the manor house where she spent most of her childhood summers, and finds herself sharing the rooms with the people who lived in that house nearly 300 years ago, finding both romance and danger as she struggles to find a place to belong. The first chapter’s a little sad, so I have the first two chapters posted up here: http://www.susannakearsley.com/therosegarden.html

    And thanks, John, for doing this. I’ve found some great gift ideas here!

83. My debut anthology is When the Hero Comes Home, co-edited with Ed Greenwood and published by Dragon Moon Press. It features 19 powerful genre stories (fantasy, science fiction, and some genre-crossers) all with different takes on the aftermath of the epic adventure, and the difference between the homecoming the hero expects and the reality awaiting them. It’s available as a trade paperback and ebook, at Amazon, B&N, Powell’s, and on dragonmoonpress.com.

    Contributing authors range from New York Times Bestsellers to new voices. Stories by Jay Lake, Jim C. Hines, Todd McCaffrey, Julie Kagawa, Tony Pi, J.M. Frey, Phil Rossi, J.P. Moore, Brian Cortijo, Xander Briggs, Erik Buchanan, Rosemary Jones, Marie Bilodeau, Steve Bornstein, Peadar Ó Guilín, Chris A. Jackson, Gabrielle Harbowy, Ed Greenwood, Erik Scott de Bie.

    -Gabrielle Harbowy (@gabrielle_h)

84. My debut trilogy begins with State of Decay – it’s a science fiction mystery/thriller that takes place in a world where citizens donate their bodies to the military for reanimation to gain benefits in life, and the strange conspiracy this policy uncovers. State of Decay won the Compton Crook Award and was nominated for the Philip K Dick Award. A good blend of explosions, mystery, and social commentary, it’s the perfect read for when you’re holed up during the horrible, horrible winter…

    Check out sample chapters and more at my website: http://www.james-knapp.com/books.aspx

    The entire series is out, so no waiting to find out how it ends!

85. I recently completed a four-book series of historical fantasies, each one set in London, in a different century of the city’s history. Their connecting thread is the Onyx Court, the faerie society that exists in secret under the city, which interferes from time to time with mortal doings. The four books are:

    Midnight Never Come (16th century Elizabethan)
    In Ashes Lie (17th century English Civil War)
    A Star Shall Fall (18th century Enlightenment)
    With Fate Conspire (19th century Industrial Revolution)

    And now this will get shunted off to the moderation queue, because of the four links. :-) Might as well add one more, which is that you can read samples of the books and other information about them on my website (which has buy links for non-Amazon sites, if you would prefer to avoid them).

86. Here’s a truly Christmas book from my backlist –Winter Fire, a historical romance set in 1763 with Yule logs, sugar plums, evergreens and mistletoe. A hot love story that weaves in the story of Loki and the mistletoe. http://www.jobev.com/malloren.html#WINFIR

    For something tamer, I have a story in Jane Austen Made Me Do It. Great stocking stuffers, both of them! http://janeaustenmademedoit.com/

87. THE SIXSMITHS are a family of suburban Satanists who have fallen prey tot he Global Financial Crisis. Matriarch Annie has to keep the family together while Ralf looks for a new job and the twins, Cain and Lilith, are enrolled in a secular public school. Meanwhile, their estranged eldest daughter, Jezabelle, is having a crisis of the faith. Hinjinks ensue.

    A graphic novel published by SLG. Written by me, art by J. Marc Schmidt. Available in all of the usual places online, or in any good book store.

88. I have a tiny recommendation for a long-running comics series. We’re up to the sixth volume in tpb, but I’m linking the first: http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=10941
    It’s one of the very few books that truly earns its E for Everyone rating.

    And a reminder: TOP10: The Forty-Niners is still in print, and it’s awesome. http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=5031

    Kristy (current editor TINY TITANS, assistant editor for the 49ers!)

89. (You’re the best, Scalzi. I’ve always thought so.)
    Some years back I wrote four novels in a series — VAMPIRE novels — because as a reader, I’d grown weary of what vampire novels DIDN’T do: provide a feminist viewpoint; have strong, intelligent, and believable female characters; a sense of genuine realism and visceral terror combined with a dose of cynical humor; and by George let the characters have SEX. Actual, dirty, confusing, awesome, strange and incredible sex like actual creatures do, with real-world stakes and real-world consequences, but just enough superhuman abilities to keep things deeply strange.
    This year all four books came back into print and I recommend you give them a try; they’re the perfect antidote to vampire burnout.
    Voice of the Blood – https://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781428511156-0
    Wounds – https://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781428511828-0
    Fiend – https://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780843964837-1
    A Drop of Scarlet – https://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780843964844-1

90. Tired of glittery blood-sipping teen nonsense? Us, too. So we published Richard Harlan Miller’s debut novel, All You Can Eat. When our distributor put a gun to our head to categorize it, we labeled it “literary fiction,” though it could also be called humorous, urban fantasy, or “Thank God somebody wrote a book where people don’t chew their lips so much.”

    Darius is content to wander the downtown skywalk system, drink expensive wine, play the stock market, and wonder what people put in all those cargo short pockets. He finds women through a dating website, and occasionally kills them. When he needs to. There’s a scene in a leather bar, some hippies in Montana, a road trip in a Volkswagen van, talk about Nietzsche’s sex life and Abe Lincoln’s nose. (Oh, and a couple characters subsist on human bodily fluids. But that’s totally not what it’s about.) Like it’s secondary protagonist, the writing is intelligent, sometimes snarky, more complex even than it at first seems. I won’t say it’s my favorite book I’ve edited, because that wouldn’t be polite to the other good ones we’ve put out. But, you know.

    You can get your hands on it at the places John mentions above, but our royalty structure is such that authors get more money from direct sales from us (because we make more on those sales, so why shouldn’t the author?). So: graydogpress.com or check out the first few chapters free via this PDF link.

    (Thanks, John!)

91. [Deleted because this book was published via Createspace, which does not offer books on a returnable basis to bookstores. David, return tomorrow to post if you like; that when I’m offering space to non-traditionally published books, for which Createspace qualifies — JS]

92. The Bloodlight Chronicles: Retribution is now available from ECW Press in Canada! Set in a world where global economic activity is carried out in a virtual-gaming realm, a new blood-transmitted virus has become a black-market staple due to its temporary rejuvenating effects, forcing infected “Eternals” into tightly knit underground communities where they must hack the V-net for basic food and shelter. This is Book 2 of the Bloodlight Chronicles trilogy, an “elegantly written sf series,” according to Library Journal, “that revitalizes the cyber-fiction genre with its vivid prose and believable characters.” http://www.ecwpress.com/books/bloodlight-chronicles-retribution

93. Thanks so much for this great opportunity, Scalzi!
    Do you know someone who loves vampires? And I mean the dark, violent, rip-your-head-off-and-dance-in-your-blood-fountain kind. Then you need to introduce them to the Dark Days series by Jocelynn Drake. The Dark Days series follows a 600-year-old vampire named Mira and her vampire-hunting companion Danaus as they track down a dark race that is trying to kill off the human race while trying not to be killed by their so-called allies. The series is now complete with the last book, Burn the Night, being released in summer 2011. The series consists of: Nightwalker, Dayhunter, Dawnbreaker, Pray for Dawn, Wait for Dusk, and Burn the Night.

    Check it out at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jocelynn-Drake/e/B001RXUEXW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1323121382&sr=1-1

    Check it out at Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jocelynn-drake

    Check it out at Powells: http://www.powells.com/s?kw=Jocelynn+drake&class=

94. [Also deleted because is a publisher via Createspace. Come back tomorrow please — JS]

95. Thanks for this, John. I’ve talked up Napier’s Bones in a Big Idea column, and here I am again to remind you all about it. In a Tim Powers-esque world where mathematics can work as magic, the book has been called a cross between urban fantasy and hard science fiction and is currently on Boing Boing’s list of gift suggestions for this holiday season. Don’t let the word mathematics scare you, though; you don’t need to be a math fan to read it. Napier’s Bones, a gorgeous trade paperback from ChiZine Publications, can be had at all online retailers and at brick and mortar stores, and can also be purchased as an ebook in pretty much every format available.

    As a side note, let me tell you all that my 12-year-old son read Greg van Eekhout’s The Boy at the End of the World and he loved it.

96. Folks:

    Remember that today is for books that are offered to bookstores on a returnable basis. If you are being published via CreateSpace (or a publisher which uses CreateSpace), your books are not returnable.

    If you are being being published by a publisher who does not offer books on a returnable basis, wait until tomorrow to post in the upcoming “non-traditionally published books” thread.

    If you’re not sure your publisher offers books to bookstores on a returnable basis, wait until tomorrow (or post in the “non-traditionally published books” thread, if you’re reading this after Monday).

97. Thanks, John, for this opportunity!

    For teen readers who like humor and hijinks–or anyone who might like to read about a social uprising that’s not quite as serious as the Occupy movement–my first novel THE LATTE REBELLION was published in January by Flux. High school senior Asha Jamison is an honor student whose moneymaking scheme spins hilariously out of control. Ostensibly a fictitious club for students of mixed ethnicity, the Latte Rebellion starts as a plan to raise money for a post-graduation vacation by selling t-shirts. But their tongue-in-cheek idea to raise the profile of “lattes” catches on as a serious movement. Asha gets caught up in it all, and before long, she’s facing friendship angst, not-so-great grades, and (gasp) expulsion.

    To make the gift even sweeter, I also have Latte Rebellion t-shirts and mugs available at http://zazzle.com/latterebellion – $1 of each purchase goes to Reading Is Fundamental.

    Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Latte-Rebellion-Sarah-Jamila-Stevenson/dp/0738722782/
    IndieBound link: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780738722788

98. Hey kids, it’s always the season to enjoy MYSTERIUS the Unfathomable (as featured in the rambliest rambles by me on this very site!). Written by Jeff Parker, drawn by me, it’s our love letter to Douglas Adams, EC Comics, and large menacingly fluffy squealing things. An arrogant, unbalanced, hedonistic, opportunistic, prideful, spiteful, and charming magician takes on a new, conveniently available, assistant, renames her, and takes her on a mad journey chock full of magic, mystery, devil worship, angry ghosts, prostitutes, Faustian children’s literature, ghouls, infernal caterpillars, and giant fraggles that eat burning man. Buy a couple won’t you?

    http://www.amazon.com/Mysterius-Jeff-Parker/dp/1401226701/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323122905&sr=1-1

    cheers.

    (and thanks, john!)

99. Thanks John!

    My first horror novel, The Trail, was just released on December 1st, 2011!

    Here’s a two-sentence synopsis: A college reunion camping trip turns deadly when a deranged mountain man stalks the Appalachian Trail. As two young couples struggle for survival, they encounter the bizarre rituals of a backwoods cult and confront the consequences of their own dark secrets.

    Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=brian+francis+the+trail&sprefix=brian+francis

    Brian Francis website: http://www.brianfrancis.info

    Happy Holidays!

100. Thanks for the opportunity, John!

     My debut dark fantasy novel, SHADOW KIN was published by Roc in September. It’s about a half-Fae assassin whose life takes a whole new turn when she botches a job and has to deal with the consequences.

     “Exciting and rife with political intrigue and magic, Shadow Kin is hard to put down right from the start. Magic, faeries, vampires, werewolves and Templar knights all come together to create an intriguing story with a unique take on all these fantasy tropes..the lore and history of Scott’s world is well fleshed out and the action scenes are exhilarating and fast.” — RT Book Reviews

     More information and excerpts on my site http://www.mjscott.net/books/shadow-kin/.

101. The last book of the STORMLORD trilogy is now out from Orbit books, so you can get all three: The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising and Stormlord’s Exile. The trilogy has been described as SF disguised as fantasy.

     Thanks John!

102. For teen readers, my third YA novel is contemporary. Drummer Girl tells the story of Sid, who more than anything wants to be a drummer in a band. How far will she go to get the gig?
     Available at Barnes & Noble.

103. The Verb ‘To Bird’: Sightings of an Avid Birder is the perfect book for that friend or relative who occasionally baffles you with his/her bewildering obsession regarding birds, squirrels, and binoculars. Combining elements of natural history, memoir, and pop-culture commentary, the book guides the reader to a greater understanding of birding as a cultural, medical, and even religious phenomenon, with extra attention paid to the problems of venomous insects, non-lending libraries, and animated Christmas specials. Chosen as a Barnes and Noble DISCOVER! title, a BookSense 76 Selection, and one of Martha’s Favorite Books on Martha Stewart Living Television–yes, really, and I was as surprised as you by that–The Verb ‘To Bird’ makes a great gift, and will even fit into most oversized stockings.

104. “Prisons, poisons, and passions combine in a gripping fantasy noir.”
     Now featured on the New Teen shelf at your local Barnes & Noble: LIAR’S MOON, Book 2 in the Thief Errant series about Digger, a young pickpocket and sneakthief who keeps getting mixed up in royal conspiracies, political rebellions, and now, apparently, murder plots. Shelf Awareness says the Thief Errant series “features one of the strongest female characters to ever scale a wall in a skirt.”

     A trailer for LIAR’S MOON can be seen here:
     http://www.youtube.com/user/MirthAndMatter

     Also available is Book 1, STARCROSSED. A bonus for ebook fans: For a limited time, the STARCROSSED ebook is promotionally priced at just $2.99 and contains a whopping big sample of LIAR’S MOON, to boot!

     My award-winning debut novel, A CURSE DARK AS GOLD is now also available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio. This is a dark retelling of “Rumpelstiltskin” sure to appeal to the fans of “Grimm” and “Once Upon a Time” on your list.

     See http://www.elizabethcbunce.com for more details.

105. 1. My short story collection, Somewhere Beneath Those Waves from Prime Books, has a little bit of everything for the genre reader–fencing! fighting! torture! revenge! . . . no, wait. That’s somebody else’s book. However, SBTW does contain a wide range of stories, fantasy, horror, science fiction, flash fiction to novelettes. Publishers Weekly‘s starred review says: “Though the tales vary in theme and tone, there is not a weak note in the collection, and both fans and new readers will be drawn into Monette’s strange and imaginative worlds. ”

     2. The Bone Key (2007), a collection of ten ghost stories about Kyle Murchison Booth, has a beautiful new edition, also from Prime Books.

     3. And if you, or someone on your list, are a fan of A Companion to Wolves (cowritten by Elizabeth Bear and me in 2007), the sequel, The Tempering of Men (also by Bear and me), came out this year, too, from Tor Books.

106. Thank you, John! My novel, Freefall,, was published by Simon Pulse in 2010.

     “Freefall is a great story about growing up, facing your fears, and learning to communicate. Set to a background of rock music, beer, and magic eight balls, Seth McCoy is a modern day Lloyd Dobbler without Lloyd’s creep-factor.” – Shaun David Hutchinson, author of The Deathday Letter

     Based on the emails I get, teen boys seem to really identify with the protagonist while many adult women find him dreamy. :-)

107. For the software or hardware engineer on your list, consider my Making Embedded Systems from O’Reilly:
     http://www.amazon.com/Making-Embedded-Systems-Patterns-Software/dp/1449302149

     It is a technical book for software engineers who want to get closer to the hardware or electrical engineers who want to write good software. It covers all sorts of embedded information: hardware, software design patterns, interview questions and lots of real world wisdom about shipping products.

     Elecia

108. Actually comic books/graphic novels are perfectly good to note, as long as they are available in bookstores on a returnable basis (this may limit them to bound compilations; I don’t know the specifics of that market).

     Just a quick note: most comics and graphic novels are not sold on a returnable basis. Most of the books sold to comic book stores are sold direct for a deeper discount to the store. Just to confuse the matter, some may be sold returnable to some outlets (Amazon, B&N) on a smaller wholesale discount.

109. Looking at all the YA books, I feel like all I can say is: ‘Zombie Erotica’, lest I permanently scar someone. Or is even that too much?

     However, I can also say: be careful what you joke about on Twitter. But if you’re feeling adventurous, we have gourmet dinners in post-apocalyptic cafes, beyond ‘death do us part’, Victorian comedy and much, much more.

     http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rigor-amortis-edge/1030149510?ean=9781894063630&itm=1&usri=rigor+amortis

110. For all of you who’ve said you won’t start an epic fantasy series until it’s complete… well, my Inheritance Trilogy is now complete. NO MORE EXCUSES.

     I mean, c’mon! Don’t you want to know what happens to a world whose people have enslaved their own gods? Or what happens when those gods break free and live among mortals, contemplating revenge? Or how gods and mortals come to terms with each other (hint: smiting is involved)?

     Don’t you want to find out? Don’t you care about the people involved in these terrible events? Don’t you care about anything?!?!?! ::sob, sob::

     Yeah, OK, it’s been a rough week. But anyway, seriously, check ’em out. Note that mass markets are only out so far for the first two books, so if you’d like to give a “box set” (er, sans box) for the hols, it will have to be the trade paperbacks, or hardcover from the Science Fiction Book Club. But those are worth it, because the cover art is AWESOME, if I may say so myself. And I didn’t design them — because I can’t draw — so I can.

     (These guys can draw, though: the artist is Cliff Nielsen, the designer/art director is Orbit’s Lauren Panepinto. They did a brilliant job, so I get to brag.)

     Thanks, John!

111. My sixth hard(ish) sf book, Final Days, has been out for a couple of months now in hardback in the UK from Tor UK. I usually get favourably compared to authors like Peter Hamilton and Alistair Reynolds. It’s about wormhole technology, time travel and twisty paradoxes.

     My books aren’t published in the US, which means it’s not always so easy to get them via Amazon. Same goes for Kindle. It is, however, available through sellers like Bookdepository.com and Aphrohead.com, which will ship physical books pretty much anywhere in the world, postage free (to my knowledge). Here’s a link: http://www.bookdepository.com/Final-Days-Gary-Gibson/9780230748774.

112. The Devil Stood Up
     will change you. Read a review here: http://dreadfultales.com/2011/11/20/the-devil-stood-up-by-christine-dougherty/
     Available on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, etc…

113. For everyone who loves a twisted fairy tale, CINDER AND ELLA is now available in stores and on Amazon in hardback and kindle. Middle grade reading level, so kids as young as 9ish can read it, but it is also a great read-aloud book for kids even younger (and the kid in all of us).
     Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h74Rx1MeFBI
     Here are some reviews: http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/blog-tour-cinder-and-ella/

114. Thanks, John!

     My newest YA novel is DRINK, SLAY, LOVE.

     Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire, fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil… until the night a were-unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn.

     DRINK, SLAY, LOVE is from Simon & Schuster / McElderry. You can read the first chapter here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/DrinkSlayLoveexcerpt.htm

     Signed copies are available from Books of Wonder: http://www.booksofwonder.com/prodinfo.asp?number=430627

115. BREATH OF ANGEL
     WaterBrook/Random House

     “This lusciously written fantasy has it all: epic batles, earthbound angels, immortal humans, and a bright, engaging heroine.” – Louise Hawes, AAUW Juvenile Lit Award nominee

     “– music, magic, and mystery . . . destined to become a classic.” – Kathi Appelt, National Book Award

     A young priestess, Melaia, finds herself in the middle of a blood feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the earthly realm. When the feud turns violent and Melaia becomes a target, she finds refuge with a band of wandering angels attempting to restore the stairway. But the restoration is impossible without the repayment of an ancient debt, the “breath of angel, blood of man,” a payment that involves Melaia’s heart, soul, and destiny.

     ISBN: 978-0-307-73012-1

116. We’ve got some great stuff over at ChiZine Publications (http://chizinepub.com). And their covers are shiny! Dark literary SF, fantasy & horror, with titles like Michael Rowe’s ENTER, NIGHT; Caitlin Sweet’s THE PATTERN SCARS; Gemma Files’ “Hexslinger” series; Teresa Milbrodt’s BEARDED WOMEN; Carolyn Ives Gilman’s ISLES OF THE FORSAKEN; David Nickle’s EUTOPIA; Derryl Murphy’s NAPIER’S BONES; Tim Pratt’s BRIARPATCH; and Tone Milazzo’s PICKING UP THE GHOST. And more of course. Come check us out. Oh, and, er, I wrote this little book called THE ANIMAL BRIDEGROOM, which you can get from Amazon or directly from Tightrope Books: http://tightropebooks.com/category/a/ (scroll down to bottom). Thanks, John, and happy reading, everyone!!

117. My name is Dietrich Stogner, and my novel “72 Hours” was published on November 1.

     Michael Whiting is fresh out of the US Navy, and brought with him no direction, no purpose, and not a shred of motivation. His days are filled with pointless hobbies, his neurotic basset hound, and hanging out with his brilliant/insane friend Dave Lopez. But when Lopez volunteers their services in tracking down a rebellious 18-year-old girl, Whiting finds himself on a path he never could have imagined.

     In the span of 72 hours, Whiting and Lopez spiral deep into a world of ruthless police and dangerous criminals. With blood on their hands and a price on their heads, the pair must decide how far they are willing to go to do what’s right.

     A thrilling neo-noir in the vein of Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly, 72 Hours is an intense and shocking look at the darkness that lives inside all of us.

     Plus, there’s not a single sparkling vampire in the entire damn book.

     You can read the first ten chapters at http://www.dietrichstogner.com.

     Thanks!

118. My collection of essays “JAR JAR BINKS MUST DIE… and other observations about science fiction movies” is out from Fantastic Books. I’d love to go about how wonderful it is, but I’ll leave that to others:

     “A spirited explanation of the role of science fiction films in our culture. Any serious fan of the cinema must read this book.” —Michael A. Burstein, John W. Campbell Award-winning author of I Remember the Future

     “…the leading film voice in fandom today… Dan’s look at all the SF Films of the previous century-plus is powerful and serious and smart and even sassy at points.… His look at Metropolis and Things to Come are both brilliant and much deeper and broader than mine in these pages.… I thought it was the best written look at Destination Moon I’ve ever read.… I could spend a day heaping praise on the essay ‘Our Batman’.… So many great pieces in here that I should just say this is the best book of essays about film of any nature that I’ve read in ages.… the best pieces of writing on SF Film you’ll ever see!” —Chris Garcia, in The Drink Tank, #280 (April 2011).

     “[Kimmel’s] writing is intelligent and entertaining.… his knowledge of SF movies is encyclopedic.… This is the guy you want sitting next to you when Channel 45 has a weekend ‘sci-fi’ movie marathon.… For anyone who likes SF movies, this volume is worth the price of admission.” —Don Sakers, “The Reference Library”, in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July/August 2011.

     “Kimmel’s a terrific guide to classic though underappreciated works such as Things to Come, and is especially sharp on 1950s sf movies, David Cronenberg, and the art (or lack of same) of movie remakes.… his brief essays are addictively readable and yes, a lot more fun than watching Revenge of the Sith.” —Elizabeth Hand, “Books”, in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2011

     Well, I’m a movie critic. Of course I’m going to go with blurbs. :)

119. Thanks John! So nice of you to do this.
     “Don’t Expect Magic” by Kathy McCullough (that’s me!) was published last month by Random House. It’s the story of a teen fairy godmother who discovers that it takes more than magic to make wishes come true. It’s for ages 12 and up and is a nice holiday gift for the teens and tweens in your life!
     It’s available on Amazon and at B&N and Powell’s, as well as in ebook form. Links to the major booksellers are all listed at http://kathymcculloughbooks.weebly.com/find-the-book.html where there is also a limited time offer for a free signed bookplate by the author (again, that would be me).

120. My debut novel is called ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by me, Beth Revis, and was published January 2011 by Penguin/Razorbill. You can find out more info and buying info from: http://bethrevis.com/books

     Short description: it’s a murder mystery…IN SPACE.

121. Jane Austen with magic!

     Shades of Milk and Honey is a historical fantasy set in 1814. I wrote it because it was a book I wanted to read. A small scale family drama set in a version of the Regency where magic is considered a womanly art. No evil overlords. The fate of the world does not hang in balance. But matrimony ensues.

122. This is Brian Duren. My novel, Whiteout, was untraditionally published in 2009. It won several awards. The book critic of the St. Paul Pioneer Press opened her review of the novel with the statement, “‘Whiteout’ is a stunning debut novel worthy of national recognition. . . ” While it never received national recognition, it did get a lot of recognition in Minnesota and surrounding states and by book clubs, libraries, and local book festivals. You can check it out at my website: brianduren.com.

123. Please consider Mayan December, a story of a two timelines and a girl and her mother who can travel both.
     Here is what Nancy Kress had to say: “A fresh, inventive look at the 2012 end of the world. Whatever you’re expecting, this will be different, including a rich portrayal of vanished Mayan culture and wonderfully extravagant ending. Journey with Alice and Nixie and Ah Bahlam to places we would all like to go; the journey will repay you tenfold.”
     Visit http://www.mayan-december.com to sample first chapters and read a little bit about the book. Available as a print trade paper book, and also at a great special December price for Kindle and Nook.

124. Thanks so much for this opportunity!

     My debut YA, RIVAL, is a high-stakes duet between two seniors–once friends, now enemies–who are preparing to go up against each other in a major singing competition. To Brooke, winning means escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional musician. Kathryn, meanwhile, sees victory as the key to a much-needed college scholarship. As the big day nears, each girl must face her fears about the future, her scars from the past, and the fact that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had.

     RIVAL is published by HarperTeen. Learn more about it at http://www.sarabennettwealer.com

125. I’m late to this but if you’re interested in an alternative world where the Roman Empire never fell, check out the ROMANITAS trilogy. It’s published by Gollancz in the UK, doesn’t sadly, yet have a US publisher but arrives pretty promptly if you order it online.

     Mechanised crucifixes stand along the banks of the Thames. Magnetic railways span the globe and slaves are constructing a giant bridge across the Persian Gulf. A desperate young girl with strange abilities stalks through the streets of London, a gang of fugitives hides out in the Pyrenees, while on giant screens in every city, the world watches the funeral of the Imperial Family’s most glamorous couple.

     The first two were re-released in new editions this year, so make sure you get the ones with the big scary

126. (Damn it, sorry)

     …the ones with the big scary eagles on the covers.

127. Foster family togetherness by sewing sock squids, launching DIY water rockets, and rocking out on homemade $10 electric guitars–three of the 24 projects in ” SNIP, BURN, SOLDER, SHRED: Seriously Geeky Stuff to Make with Your Kids.” My book’s for sale at Amazon, B&N.com, and many physical book/geek stores, but if you order directly from the publisher and use the coupon code “SHRED” you’ll save 35% and get DRM-free versions of the ebook for *free*: No Starch Press: Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred (free sample chapters–including the Sock Squid/Sock Cthulhu project–available at that link, too)

128. Just launched yesterday! My short story collection, TO UNIMAGINED SHORES. Seventeen science fiction and fantasy short stories, and available at the usual online sellers in trade print and various eformats, as well as signed copies direct from the publisher at http://www.thirdpersonpress.com.

     “Sherry D. Ramsey’s short stories are filled with vibrant characters, good writing, and thrum with humanity, even when there aren’t many actual humans in the story. Fans of speculative fiction should definitely check out To Unimagined Shores.” ~ Mark A. Rayner, author of The Amadeus Net and Marvellous Hairy.

     Like to win a copy? Contest is running now, details at http://www.sherrydramsey.com/?p=1273

129. THEATRE OF CURIOUS ACTS by Cate Gardner, published by Hadley Rille Books. Released date: 12/22/2011. Available when released from amazon.com and .uk, bn.com, powells.com, kindle, nook, and selected bookstores.

     “Gardner, a rising purveyor of high literary strangeness, offers a fresh slice of phantasmagoria densely packed with striking images…tight narrative with lush prose”
     –PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

     “Richly textured…a good, gripping, satisfyingly-shaped story”
     –Cat Rambo

     Returned home from the Great War, his parents and brother in their graves, Daniel walks a ghost world. When players in a theatre show lure Daniel and his friends, fellow soldiers, into a surreal otherworld they find themselves trapped on an apocalyptic path. A pirate ship waits to ferry some of them to the end of the world, helmed by Death. Already broken by war, these men are now the world’s only hope in the greatest battle of all.

     Author’s website: http://www.categardner.net/

     (Posted by Editor, Hadley Rille Books)

130. Finder, by Terri-Lynne DeFino, published by Hadley Rille Books
     “DeFino’s first novel creates an exotic desert environment as a backdrop to the
     story of a young man’s coming-of-age and a young woman’s search for the only
     family she has left. VERDICT Compelling characters and a fascinating world
     background make this a good addition to most fantasy collections.”
     – Library Journal

     Survival along Therk’s seedy coast is precarious. Hounds rule the streets with
     fear and fists. Former highwaymen now call themselves Merchants. Spices, rare
     since the desert swallowed the Spice Way, are forbidden to all but the wealthy
     and powerful.
     Ethen’s ability to Find lost objects has helped him survive in this world; now, it’s
     going to make him rich. The Merchant Juddah Luash has offered him a fortune,
     but not for an object he wants Found. Juddah wants Ethen to Find a person, the
     escaped slave, Zihariel.

     Available through Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Powells, booksamillion. Hardcover, trade paperback, Nook and Kindle.

     (Can be ordered through most local bookstores)

131. A Day at the Inn, A Night at the Palace and Other Stories, published by Lethe Press, 2011.
     Single author collection, mixed genre (fantasy and historical fiction with lesbian/bi female protagonists).
     “Ranging far in setting and time, these stories showcase an imagination that delights in the exotic, the unlikely and the adventurous escapade.” Kate Genet, Kissed by Venus.
     “Readers will find themselves thinking about gender as a social construct, and hear the voices of strong and powerful women, queer voices that have long needed hearing.” Warren Rochelle

     Follow Shakespeare’s sister, Judith, and solve the question of who really authored the plays. Consort with highwaymen (who are more than what they seem), private eyes, bards, spies and even the fey Queen of Air and Darkness. Thrilling adventures await in these ten previously uncollected stories about magic, laughter, love, loss and second chances.

     Available at all online and brick and mortar outlets, as well at at Lethe Press in all formats – http://www.lethepressbooks.com/lesbian.htm

132. The second book in The Demon Cycle series, The Desert Spear immerses its readers in a world plagued by demons. The human race, divided by strong cultural barriers, struggles to unite against the demons and fight for the first time since the Return. But can they settle their differences without going to war against each other?

     An epic fantasy full of intricate relationships and hair-raising battle scenes, The Desert Spear is a thrilling and emotional ride that will not disappoint. Begin your journey with the first book in The Demon Cycle: The Warded Man.

     You can find both The Warded Man and The Desert Spear at your local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, or on Amazon:

     http://amzn.to/v2Thh7

133. *Ghosts by Gaslight*, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers, published by Harper Voyager, September 2011. A big original anthology of high-quality ghost stories set in the steampunk era, by a mighty array of bestselling and critically acclaimed writers: Garth Nix, Sean Williams, Robert Silverberg, Peter S. Beagle, Margo Lanagan, Jeffrey Ford, Lucius Shepard, Gene Wolfe, Paul Park, Laird Barron, Theodora Goss, Richard Harland, Terry Dowling, Marly Youmans, John Harwood, John Langan, and James Morrow.

     Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places, Here’s the Starred *Publisher’s Weekly* review:

     ‘Devotees of M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft, and Algernon Blackwood will relish this superior anthology of original stories reflecting what the editors call the “paradox of Victorian superstition-amidst-enlightenment.” From the haunting opening of James Morrow’s “The Iron Shroud” to the grim conclusion of Jeffrey Ford’s “The Summer Palace,” seductive, evocative writing demonstrates that the tradition of literate horror is alive and well. Laird Barron’s “Blackwood’s Baby” perfectly balances suggestion and revelation. John Langan’s “The Unbearable Proximity of Mr. Dunn’s Balloons” is both Lovecraftian and impressively original. Margo Lanagan’s “The Proving of Smollett Standforth” delicately touches on the classic Victorian themes of class differences and family love. It seems almost unfair to single out individual works when all 17 are superb and will be cherished by steampunk and horror fans alike.’