190 Comments on “Whatever Holiday Shopping Guide 2012, Day One: Traditionally Published Books”

1. Again: This thread is for authors/editors of traditionally published books only. Any other comments, including questions or comments about the books in the thread, will be deleted (and unlike I usually do, there will be no trace it ever existed). This is to keep the thread clear for its sole purpose: Giving readers here a list of cool, traditionally-published books to consider for gifts this holiday season.

   Reminder also that there will also be threads for other works and recommendations:

   Tomorrow: Non-traditionally published books
   Wednesday: Other creative works (music, crafts, art, etc)
   Thursday: Fan recommendations
   Friday: Charities

   So there will almost certainly be a chance for you to promote yourself and/or the work of someone who makes cool gifts.

   Oh, and, guys? I have a book called Redshirts out now. Just in case you didn’t know.

2. Over the Darkened Landscape, my new short fiction collection, is now available in print and ebook from Fairwood Press (http://www.fairwoodpress.com/catalog/item/7650566/9490213.htm), and continues my winning streak for excellent cover art. Inside you’ll find my four published “Magic Canada” stories and a whole bunch more, SF and fantasy and even something that looks a bit like horror.

   Also, don’t forget that my Aurora Award-nominated mathematics-as-magic novel Napier’s Bones is still available, in print or ebook (http://chizinepub.com/books/napiers_bones.php) and also now as an audiobook from Audible (http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B0081HQYV8&qid=1337100867&sr=1-1).

   I’ve linked to my publisher’s pages, but of course these books are available from Amazon and other major retailers.

3. My latest novel, THE MIRAGE, is a post-9/11 thriller set in an alternate reality where the U.S. and the Middle East have traded places. After Christian fundamentalists fly hijacked planes into buildings in Baghdad and Riyadh, the president of the United Arab States declares a War on Terror and launches an invasion of Washington, D.C. Six years into the occupation, Homeland Security agent Mustafa al Baghdadi interrogates a captured suicide bomber, who claims that the world they are living in is a mirage—in the real world, he says, America is a superpower, and the terrorists are Arab Muslims. When Mustafa uncovers evidence that appears to support this story and launches an investigation, he finds himself caught in a struggle between the Americans, the gangster Saddam Hussein, and a powerful senator named Osama bin Laden.

   To learn more about THE MIRAGE, visit my website (where you can read an excerpt of the novel) or check out the Big Idea essay I wrote for Whatever back in February.

4. I’m Carrie Vaughn, author of some 14 published novels and a couple of short story collections. I’ve got a lot of books that appeal to a lot of readers, check them out on my website (http://www.carrievaughn.com.)

   But the one I’m going to push on this thread is “Straying From the Path,” my limited edition short story collection put out by WFSA Press. (http://www.wsfapressbooks.org/?wpsc-product=straying-from-the-path) I’m proud of it because it’s got some of my favorite stories, and it’s also a really lovely, well-done little hardcover that I think would make a nice gift. There’s also an e-book version available.

   Thanks!

5. First things first: Thank you John, for the prime book-pimpage space. Happy hols to you and yours.

   And second things, well, second:

   To the pimpage.

   Thought I’d bend your ears about my great big novel of psychic spies, the Cold War, giant squid and outdoor sporting equipment, Rasputin’s Bastards, released this past summer from ChiZine Publications.

   Peter Watts characterizes it thus: “Part Bioshock, part X-Files, part Sopranos—and 100% , uncut Nickle—Rasputin’s Bastards is a glorious, sprawling, chaotic delight. I wish I’d written it…” Library Journal calls it “supernatural eeriness at its best” and suggests that if you like Stephen King’s longer books, you might like this one too. I call it “Gravity’s Rainbow without the literary merit” (which may be why my publisher doesn’t let me blurb any of their other books).

   We’ve got a website, with trailers and blurbs and so forth, at rasputinsbastards.com. Or if you’re convinced, you can get the book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters-Indigo and other online and brick-and-mortar books. If you want to buy straight from ChiZine (and get a 30 per cent discount), here’s the link: http://chizinepub.com/books/rasputins_bastards.php

6. For this year’s book shoppers, I have a new(ish) duology available — both books available! A complete epic fantasy series in only two novels! no waiting! — called The Dreamblood. Book 1, The Killing Moon, was only $1.99 for awhile, but alas the price has gone back up to normal. Book 2 is The Shadowed Sun. They should be available in all English-language markets by now, and also in audio. (I quite like the reading, BTW.) They’ll be out in places like Poland next year.

   As for what it’s about: ninja priests, I said. Seriously, do I have to repeat that? And the second book is about killer healers. ::throws down mike, walks off stage::

7. For the Whovians in your lives, allow me to recommend two non-fiction books that just came out last month in which I happen to have essays:

   Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who (Mad Norwegian Press)
   Edited by Deborah Stanish and LM Myles
   – a sister anthology to the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, this anthology takes on every season of Doctor Who from William Hartnell to Matt Smith in a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey fashion. :)
   http://madnorwegian.com/624/books/essays/chicks-unravel-time-women-journey-through-every-season-of-doctor-who/

   Outside In: 160 New Perspectives on 160 Classic Doctor Who Stories by 160 Writers (ATB Publishing)
   Edited by Robert Smith?
   – unconventional “reviews” of all 160 stories of Doctor Who
   http://www.alienentertainmentstore.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=A&Product_Code=OUTSIDE-IN-1&Category_Code=DW-BOOKS

8. War! History! Mystical cults! China! The United States! A Big Idea!

   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-boxer-rebellion-and-the-great-game-in-china-david-j-silbey/1104154768

9. Thank you, John!

   Where’s My Shoggoth?

   A quick plug for a traditional festive Cthulhu children’s picture book, as scribed by me, and lavishly illustrated by Adam Bolton. Seuss meets Lovecraft, if you like… suitable for pretty much any age (I’ve had parents reading it to their 3-year-olds).

   Published by Archaia (of MouseGuard fame), available from most places comics are sold. Hardback, and of course most importantly of all, the cover glows in the dark. ;-)

   There is a free sfx-laden audiobook of it here: wheresmyshoggoth.com/audiobook. The whole thing. It’s about 10 minutes long. For free. And doesn’t spoil the Shoggoth’s location. Worth a listen if your kid can’t pronounce Nyarlathotep.

   wheresmyshoggoth.com for many more details, and some pictures of Nightgaunts to colour in.

   Cheers!

10. Looking for some superhero loving? Check out the “Blaze of Glory” series from Samhain Publishing!

    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.

    There are three books in the series and two are currently available in paperback – all three are out in ebook form!

    http://store.samhainpublishing.com/sheryl-nantus-pa-1421.html

    “Nantus has crafted a superhero novel for the 21st century with a spunky, stubborn heroine…”

    From RT Book Reviews

    http://www.sherylnantus.com

11. My novel, Mark II is available in print from Tindal Street Press: http://www.tindalstreet.co.uk/books/mark-ii

    Blurb: “Phil still calls for his best friend every day on his way to school, despite Mark’s recent death. Then one morning Mark is back: a clone created by Laz-R-Us™. Without Phil to teach Mark II the basics of life – the proper way to wear a school shirt and tie, why it’s best not to back-chat playground bullies, that perhaps he’s not good enough for footy practice – he seems unlikely to survive, let alone convince anyone he really is Mark. But soon they feel like best mates again, hanging out doing everyday stuff together . . . until an awful accident makes us realise that no one’s heard the last of Mark I, or the odd circumstances behind his death.”

    It’s been a little while since I wrote this one, but I’ve still got a lot of love for Mark and Phil, and the clone’s way of taking all the little rituals and unsaid rules that dominate teenage friendships and just picking them apart piece by piece. Good for teenagers who don’t mind a bit of colourful swearing.

12. My latest novel is a middle grade reader (targeting ages 9-12) fantasy called “The Sword of Six Worlds.”

    Here’s the jacket copy:

    Validus Smith has three goals. Stay alive. Save the world. Finish her homework.

    For centuries the paladins protected the Earth from a creeping darkness known as the Blight. That all changed when a new enemy destroyed the paladins, plunging the free worlds into danger. Validus Smith—an ordinary girl in an ordinary town—is next in line to become the paladin. Untrained, unsure of her destiny, and hunted by monstrous forces, she must recover the fabled Sword of Six Worlds, the only weapon capable of defeating the Blight. The Sword, however, is not on Earth, but in a strange fantasy world connected to her own. In an unfamiliar world of monsters, talking animals and living rocks, can an ordinary girl like Validus survive?

    And here’s my “Favorite Bit” post over at Mary Robinette Kowal’s blog!

    Physical copies come out next week (my publisher released the ebook earlier).

13. I’m Victoria Schwab, that author of several upcoming books, and one already on shelves.

    THE NEAR WITCH is a dark fairy tale about a village called Near, where a stranger appears one night, and then the children all begin to disappear.

    It’s now out in paperback. Here’s a link to the book online : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/near-witch-victoria-schwab/1100211043?ean=9781423142423

    To learn more about me/my books, check out my website : http://www.victoriaschwab.com

14. New author here. Vodnik, by Bryce Moore. YA fantasy with a Slovak twist. When Tomas was six, someone–something–tried to drown him. And burn him to a crisp. Tomas survived, but whatever was trying to kill him freaked out his parents enough to convince them to move from Slovakia to the United States. Now sixteen-year-old Tomas and his family are back in Slovakia, and that something still lurks somewhere. Nearby. Ready to drown him again and imprison his soul in a teacup. Then there’s the fire víla, the water ghost, the pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are all after him. All this sounds a bit comical, unless the one haunted by water ghosts and fire vílas or doing time in a cramped, internet-deprived teacup is you.

    It’s folklore fantasy without the werewolves or vampires. If you’ve never heard of a vodnik before, now’s an excellent time to find out why in the world you should beware of tea cups. Here’s the Amazon link: Vodnik

15. Fans of Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne and Kat Richardson might enjoy KING OF THE DEAD, the second book in my Jeremiah Hunt series released just last week in hardcover and non-DRM ebook editions by Tor Books…

    In a devil’s deal, Jeremiah Hunt sacrificed his human sight in exchange for the power to see the hidden world of ghosts and all of the darker spirits that prowl the streets. Hunt uncovered a world of murder and magic that took his daughter from him and nearly cost him his life, but that was only the beginning…

    Now, Hunt is on the run from the FBI, who have pegged him as a mass-murdering dark sorcerer. His flight from the law is diverted to New Orleans when his companion, a potent witch, has a horrific vision of the city under magical siege. When they arrive, they realize that the situation is more dire than they could have imagined: the world of the living faces a terrifying attack by forces from beyond the grave.

    http://www.amazon.com/King-Dead-Jeremiah-Hunt-Chronicle/dp/0765327198/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1354549610&sr=8-5&keywords=Nassise

16. What a very generous offer. Thank you. Why not then? My new book, The Rise Of Ransom City, came out last week. It’s a sort of fantastic-western-genius-inventor-rags to riches-war story epic, told by Harry Ransom, Professor and Lightbringer, on the run from the law and headed out west to build his utopian city of the Future. It has wolves and explosions and patent litigation and a mammoth, kind of. It follows on from my last book, The Half Made World, but should work as a standalone too.

    Amazon link here

    Here’s a somewhat related story on Tor.com, featuring an early adventure of Harry Ransom.

17. Crossed Blades, the latest book in my Fallen Blade series came out Nov 27th. The series is a high fantasy/detective noir hybrid with assassins—sort of Dashiell Hammett meets the Lord of the Rings, only more backstabby. Or, if you’re in the mood for hybrids, just not that one, you could try my WebMage books which are a contemporary fantasy/cyberpunk mix—adventure fiction with a strong flavoring of snark. All out from ACE. Sample chapters for all of my books can be found at http:www.kellymccullough.com

18. I’m Christopher Turkel and my book is “Ouroboros”.

    Do you like Steven brust? Then chances are good you’ll like my short novel “Ouroboros”.

    Thomas is an assassin who is about to fall into a trap ten years in the making by someone he thought long dead. “Ouroboros” has magic, sword fights, humor and undead. All in one book!

    You can find it on Amazon for a mere $9.99:
    http://www.amazon.com/Ouroboros-Thomas-Xuelition-Volume-1/dp/1935961373/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354549599&sr=8-2&keywords=Christopher+Turkel

    Or ebook for a measley .99 cents.
    http://www.amazon.com/Ouroboros-Thomas-Xuelition-Volume-1/dp/1935961373/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354549599&sr=8-2&keywords=Christopher+Turkel

19. My first mystery COLLARED (under the name L.A. Kornetsky) is now available in both trade paperback and ebook. It’s a cozy mystery set in Seattle, featuring Ginny Mallard, a personal concierge who takes on an odd assignment: find a missing businessman who has gone AWOL with important papers. She cons local bartender and verbal sparring partner Teddy Tonica into helping her when things get complicated…but neither of them are prepared for what happens.

    As suggested by the title, there are animals involved: specifically, a dog and a cat, who get their paws involved in their humans’ lives. But no, this isn’t a talking-animal mystery…

    Barnes & Noble

    Amazon

    Simon & Schuster Direct

20. My duology, consisting of Fair Coin and Quantum Coin, was released this year from Pyr Books. The two books involve a boy with a coin that seems to grant his wishes when he flips it–if it lands on heads. But of course, there’s much more going on than that! If you like young adult books and/or science fiction shows like FRINGE, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy the series. Also, my editor describes it as “SLIDERS if it were good,” and io9 called Fair Coin “pure awesome crack,” so maybe that gives you a better idea of what to expect.

    Buy links for book stores in the US and Canada and eBooks are available at quantumcoin.com, and you can check out the trailer for the first book here.

21. My husband Sean Westcott and I would like to introduce you to the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Electronics 101, non-fiction to help you go out and make something.
    http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Electronics-101/dp/1615640959/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354549834&sr=1-1&keywords=complete+idiots+guide+to+electronics+101

    We walk you through the theory behind the topic, show you how to get started with a few basic labs and tips on equipping your workstation, and then introduce you to the possibilities available by combining traditional electronics, sensors and embedded computers called microprocessors.

    Fun for makers of all ages, it is written to be accessible from high school on up. This time next year you can be giving gifts of automation, creating robot armies or starting your own hardware business. At least you can be making your own LED light shows!

22. Thanks for this open thread, John. Very kind of you.

    EDGE OF BLACK is my second Dr. Samantha Owens novel, following on to A DEEPER DARKNESS. An unknown pathogen released into the Washington Metro has caused nationwide panic. Three people died—just three. A miracle and a puzzle… Amid the media frenzy and Homeland Security alarm bells, Sam painstakingly dissects the lives of those three victims and makes an unsettling conclusion. This is no textbook terrorist causing mayhem with broad strokes, but an artist wielding a much finer, more pointed instrument of destruction. An assassin, whose motive is deeply personal and far from understandable.

    EDGE OF BLACK officially released yesterday. Check it out wherever books are sold, or consider a signed copy from Parnassus Books in Nashville – http://www.parnassusbooks.net/book/9780778313724. Thanks for reading!

23. My debut novel, HENRY FRANKS (Young Adult ‘horror’), was released back in September. Booklist called it ‘the thinking teen’s horror choice of the year’ and it was spotlighted here on Whatever’s Big Idea (for which I will always be eternally grateful: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/09/11/the-big-idea-peter-adam-salomon/). Here is the blurb about the book:

    One year ago, a terrible accident robbed Henry Franks of his mother and his memories. The past sixteen years have vanished. All he has now are scars and a distant father—the only one who can tell Henry who he is.
    If he could trust his father.
    Can his nightmares—a sweet little girl calling him Daddy, murderous urges, dead bodies—help him remember?
    While a serial killer stalks their small Georgia town, Henry unearths the bitter truth behind his mother’s death—and the terrifying secrets of his own dark past.
    Sometimes, the only thing worse than forgetting is remembering.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and, no matter what book(s) they give and receive this year (and there are a number of great gift ideas here in the comments!), a wonderfully well-read 2013!

24. Thanks, John!

    In DARKBEAST, every child is bonded to an animal that takes away dark deeds and emotions like anger, pride, and rebellion. Keara is bound to kill her darkbeast, Caw, on her twelfth birthday. Instead, she runs away from home and joins up with a troupe of traveling actors — and that’s when the adventure begins!

    Darkbeast is available in bricks-and-mortar and online bookstores; more information (including how to get a signed copy in time for the holidays) is at http://www.morgankeyes.com.

25. My debut novel, The Dead Women of Juárez, is currently available pretty much everywhere in the United States and in the UK, both in print and ebook formats. It’s a hard-edged crime thriller about two men affected by the female homicides of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association New Blood Dagger in 2011, though it was only released in the US just a couple of months ago.

    Unfortunately my second book is available only in ebook in the United States, though print copies can be bought from the UK. Entitled Tequila Sunset, it returns to the Juárez/El Paso area and tells the story of three individuals wrapped in tight orbit around the bloodthirsty Barrio Azteca gang that terrorizes the border.

    If you’re interested in gritty crime fiction, you may enjoy my work. Or, at least, I hope you will. Good reading.

26. BAD BLOOD (1st of the Latter-Day Olympians series) by Lucienne Diver
    A novel of murder, myth and mayhem

    Tori Karacis is a little more than your average private eye. Among other things, her family line may trace back to a drunken liaison between the god Pan and one of the gorgons. Then again, it might be a coincidence that her gaze can literally stop men in their tracks. But when she witnesses the murder of brass-bra’d Hollywood agent Circe Holland by something that looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, she starts to believe that the family tall tales may be something more…like dark and all kinds of deadly.

    BAD BLOOD link: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Latter-Day-Olympians-Lucienne-Diver/dp/1609285948/

    CRAZY IN THE BLOOD (sequel) link: http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Blood-Latter-Day-Olympians-Lucienne/dp/1619212684/

    Quotes for BAD BLOOD
    “Bad Blood is a delightful urban fantasy, a clever mix of Janet Evanovich and Rick Riordan, and a true Lucienne Diver original.” —Long and Short Reviews

    “Tori Karacis in Bad Blood is sharp, sexy, and wickedly funny. I adored this book!” —Faith Hunter, author of the NYT bestselling Jane Yellowrock series

    “BAD BLOOD is a wonderful read. The mystery keeps the reader engaged, the action makes the reader want to roll with the punches, and the romance makes the senses tingle. This is a great book to coil up with on a lazy Sunday afternoon.” —Fresh Fiction

    “This was just an entertaining read, and one of the rare books where I liked the heroine, villain, and the love interests. It’s one of my favorite novellas of the year…. This is just one great read.” —A Buckeye Girl Reads

    “There are plenty of twists and turns, lots of action, a couple of near-death experiences, several threats, n and a mystery to solve as Tori and Nick try to save the city from being destroyed…. It’s all added together into a fast paced, complicated plot that makes for an entertaining read.” —Literary Nymphs Reviews

27. First of all, thank you John for giving all of us this opportunity. I really appreciate it!

    My first collection of dark fiction, Every House Is Haunted, is available from ChiZine Publications. Here’s the description from the back of the book:

    “There are haunted places in the world, all existing in reality and every bit as tangible and accessible as the house next door. Sometimes it is the house next door.”

    In this brilliant debut collection, Ian Rogers explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural. The landscape of death becomes the new frontier for scientific exploration. A honeymoon cabin with an unspeakable appetite finally meets its match. A suburban home is transformed into the hunting ground for a new breed of spider. A nightmarish jazz club at the crossroads of reality plays host to those who can break a deal with the devil…for a price. With remarkable deftness, Rogers draws together the disturbing and the diverting in twenty-two showcase stories that will guide you through terrain at once familiar and startlingly fresh.

    With an introduction by Paul G. Tremblay.

    Here’s what some people have been saying about the book:

    “…the 22 stories in Rogers’s debut collection demonstrate the author’s talent for finding the terrifying in the seemingly ordinary… This work of classic horror in the style of Shirley Jackson, Richard Matheson, and early Stephen King should attract fans of a more refined kind of horror.”
    – Library Journal

    “…an imaginative and original writer with the skill to fully execute his plots.”
    – Publishers Weekly

    The book is available in stores and at all the usual online outlets, but since I’m a web developer by day, I created a website for the book, with reviews, extras, and all the ordering links in one spot. You can find it at EveryHouseIsHaunted.com.

28. Tornadoes! Tornadoes ripping through fields, tornadoes tearing up houses, tornadoes being chased and tornadoes doing the chasing. My young-adult novel, THE WAITING SKY, has severe weather coupled with a rotating vortex of family dysfunction, all swirling around an alcoholic mom. It’s the holiday upper you were waiting for! Okay, maybe not. But it’s real stuff. So there’s that: http://bit.ly/THocBy

    If you need more convincing, here’s the Big Idea essay I did about THE WAITING SKY this summer:
    http://bit.ly/Qfkxbv

    Happy stormy holidays!

29. Thanks for the opportunity, John!

    My first two novels both came out in 2012 from Angry Robot books.

    EMPIRE STATE is a science fiction detective story about Rad Bradley, a down-at-heel gumshoe living in the fog-shrouded city of (you guessed it!) the Empire State. Rad is hired to find a missing woman but ends up finding an alternate universe, a strange place called… New York. As Rad uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the existence of both worlds, he discovers that there is more than one of everything…

    Empire State was recently named the Best Book of 2012 by SciFiNow magazine, and was also included in the list of books of the year by the Financial Times newspaper.

    My second novel, SEVEN WONDERS, is a superhero epic set in the city of San Ventura, the home of the world’s last super team, the Seven Wonders, and the world’s last super villain, The Cowl. The two sides have been locked in a stalemate for years, until one day, an ordinary guy called Tony wakes up with superpowers of his own, and decides that perhaps he can take down the Cowl himself once and for all. Only… the Seven Wonders aren’t as grateful as he thought they would be.

    Both books are available from all the usual retailers – the Amazon.com links are here for Empire State and here for Seven Wonders.

    Thanks again!

30. Thanks so much for doing this John.
    I’ve got 5 great picture books for the youngest readers on your holiday list.

    TOO PURPLEY! “This fun book has lots of descriptive words that tickle the ear, great colors and patterns, and a charming protagonist.” School Library Journal
    http://www.amazon.com/Too-Purpley-Jean-Reidy/dp/1599903075/ref=pd_sim_b_2

    TOO PICKLEY! “Rejoice, gleeful mealtime fussbudgets: Too Purpley! has a sibling, and it’s called Too Pickley! Reidy’s pithy, energetic text…scans and rhymes so exuberantly that it feels joyful even though it’s about revulsion. The verse is so satisfying that young listeners will recite along and demand seconds.” Kirkus Reviews
    http://www.amazon.com/Too-Pickley-Jean-Reidy/dp/1599903091/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

    TOO PRINCESSY! “This high-energy outing sends a clear message: sometimes the simplest toy is the best one.” Ages 3–5. Publishers Weekly
    http://www.amazon.com/Too-Princessy-Jean-Reidy/dp/1599907224/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

    LIGHT UP THE NIGHT “Something new to discover with each reading. A dreamy-yet-instructive ode to the universe.” Kirkus Starred Review, Winner of the Colorado Book Award
    http://www.amazon.com/Light-Up-Night-Jean-Reidy/dp/1423120248/ref=pd_sim_b_6

    TIME OUT FOR MONSTERS! A subversive look at what might happen when a kid with a big imagination is stuck in time out. “Energetic and appealing to young artists everywhere, this one is a winner.” School Library Journal
    http://www.amazon.com/Time-Out-Monsters-Jean-Reidy/dp/1423131274/ref=pd_sim_b_3

31. Thanks, John! :-)
    “Silver Moon” (Lethe Press, 2012) – Becca Thornton just found out she’s going to celebrate turning 50 by turning into a werewolf. And she’s not the only one. Wolf’s Point has its own Pack, all women of a “certain age,” and they want to claim her for their own. Then there’s the werewolf hunters, come to town with a cure for lycanthropy. Add to that her newfound feelings for the Pack’s Beta, and Becca Thornton is in for a wild ride.
    Indiebound – http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781590213797
    Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Moon-Catherine-Lundoff/dp/1590213793

32. I have two published books, from Blackwyrm Press. I checked with my editor to be sure Blackwyrm meets all of the qualification for posting here. (I also have some gaming books with them, which I’ll hype on the appropriate date.)

    The oldest, The Rainbow Connection (http://www.blackwyrm.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=31&osCsid=66fe90faa0997122178c25a1dc10b82f), is, I like to think, the funniest book about interdimensional copyright violation you’ll read this week. It also has flying monkeys with machineguns, dead munchkins, steampunk cyborgs, and as many semi-obscure sci-fi references as I could work in.

    The newer one is Medic (http://www.blackwyrm.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=127&osCsid=66fe90faa0997122178c25a1dc10b82f), a post-apocalyptic saga written from the first-person point of view of a sapient ambulance. It alternates between “stuff blowin’ up real good” and ruminations on the nature of self-awareness, and has highly buzzword-compliant technological references, some of which are coming into reality a lot faster than I’d imagined. I hate it when my books get outdated faster than I can write them.

    The first one is short, sarcastic, and mostly humorous; the second is longer, equally sarcastic, and generally not humorous.

33. Hi all. I’m J. Anderson Coats, and my YA historical, THE WICKED AND THE JUST, is about medieval teenagers behaving badly in thirteenth-century Wales.

    http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547688374/j-anderson-coats/wicked-and-just

    Thanks, John, and happy holidays to everyone!

34. Thanks, John, for the opportunity to tell people about Oddly Normal, my memoir of raising a gay son in the age of Glee and Tyler Clementi. Our youngest child, Joseph, came out to us at the young age of 13, though we’d figured his sexual orientation out a long time before. When he came out to friends, though, it didn’t go well and he took an overdose of pills. The heart of the story is our effort as parents to get Joe to a happier place, and to find the organizations and services, including a week-long summer camp for gay teens, and letting him dye his hair purple
    It’s the only book I know that’s gotten a good review from both Queerty and People magazine. BoingBoing.net put the book on its 2012 gift guide, and the New York Times Book Review named it as one of 50 notable works of nonfiction for the year. (And in case you’re wondering, you cynic, NYT employees don’t automatically get their works on that list.)
    Even more important than the reviews are the emails I get. Moms and dads write to say that – even though it’s not a how-to guide – they see themselves and their own family issues in the story. Even if their children aren’t gay, they say they’ve been through many of the same issues with the things that make their own kids different. Gay adult readers that it’s a book they’ve hoped to read for years; tell me this is the family they’d wanted to have, and this is the book they wish their own parents had read.
    You can find our more here here, with links to online purchase options at Amazon and Indiebound; the Amazon link is here.

35. John, you’re a gentleman and a scholar. And now for the plugs:
    First a fantasy novel, my debut: BABYLON STEEL.
    (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Babylon-Steel-Gaie-Sebold/dp/1907992375/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354549981&sr=8-1)
    Babylon Steel, ex-sword-for-hire, ex… other things, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; city of many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, and religions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock. She’s not having a good week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, women in the trade are being attacked, it’s tax time, and there’s not enough money to pay the bill. So when the mysterious Darask Fain offers her a job finding a missing girl, Babylon decides to take it. But the missing girl is not what she seems, and neither is Darask Fain. In the meantime twomoon is approaching, and more than just a few night’s takings are at risk when Babylon’s hidden past reaches out to grab her by the throat.
    BABYLON STEEL is the first in a new fantasy series; the second, DANGEROUS GIFTS, is coming out in February.
    And for chill-lovers; The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mammoth-Ghost-Stories-Women-Books/dp/1780330243/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354550190&sr=1-1) which features, among stories by such notable authors as Kim Lakin-Smith, Lilith Saintcrow and Elizabeth Gaskell, my own A Silver Music.
    Hope this isn’t too long, and thanks again.

36. Thanks Mr. Scalzi!

    My first novel, KNIGHT OF THE BLAZING SUN, came out this year from Black Library. Here’s the blurb: ‘The Knights of the Blazing Sun are a noble and venerable order of templars dedicated to the warrior-goddess Myrmidia. The young knight Hector Goetz is sent to the distant island of Svunum to investigate the disappearance of a group of knights. Reunited with his comrades, he battles vicious pirates and bloodthirsty raiders, but from his increasingly disturbing nightmares Goetz realises that there is more to the place than meets the eye. As northern savages lay siege to the island, a deadly secret is revealed that threatens to damn his order for all eternity!’

    It’s a fantasy-mystery-political thriller sort of thing, with pirates, explosions, Vikings, mutants and explosions. Did I mention explosions? Also? Ninjas. It’s available (in both print and electronic versions) from the usual retailers (online and otherwise), as well as from the publisher HERE: http://www.blacklibrary.com/Warhammer/knight-of-the-blazing-sun.html

    And thanks again, Mr. Scalzi!

37. I’ve often described my two-volume fantasy series LONGING FOR YOUNT as the love-child of Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien. Reviewers describe it as “Gulliver’s Travels crossed with The Golden Compass and a dollop of Pride and Prejudice”, and “a muscular, Napoleonic-era fantasy that, like Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials series, will appeal to both adult and young adult readers.”

    Published in October 2012 by ChiZine Publications, THE INDIGO PHEASANT, Volume 2 of Longing for Yount, concludes the exciting story begun in THE CHOIR BOATS.

    Says Delia Sherman: “The Indigo Pheasant is Dickens by way of C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen, set in a London where literature, history, science, and magic are all real. The world is fascinating, the language is stunning, and the plot is beautifully maze-like, but it’s the diverse and skillfully drawn cast of characters that really make it come alive. I liked it even better than The Choir Boats, and that’s saying something.”

    Both books are available as paperback and ebooks, from Powells, B&N, Amazon, or your favorite independant bookstore (and if you order from the publisher, ChiZine, you get 30% off AND the ebook free): http://chizinepub.com/books/indigo-pheasant.php

    My website: http://www.DanielARabuzzi.com

    Here’s the Amazon page: http://tinyurl.com/br6yd9q

38. Shopping for a fantasy fan who likes a story full of adventure, intrigue, magic, spies, betrayals, narrow escapes, reluctant friendships…and the chance to experience the joy of the mountains through the eyes of a climber? Consider my novels THE WHITEFIRE CROSSING and THE TAINTED CITY, the first two books in my Shattered Sigil series.

    Fantasy Book Critic says: “It’s not very often that I get to say this, but Courtney Schafer’s THE WHITEFIRE CROSSING is the complete package. Fully developed characters. Engaging storytelling. Thrilling adventure… Add it all up and there’s no doubt in my mind that THE WHITEFIRE CROSSING is not only one of the best fantasy debuts of 2011, but it’s also one of the year’s best fantasy novels period.”

    Tor.com (Liz Bourke) says: “In every way more robust and assured, [THE TAINTED CITY] doubles down on grand stakes while keeping the pressure on personal ones. And yes, I’ll admit it: the tension was such that I checked the final pages in advance, to spare my stomach some clenching.”

    Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and Audible. US Kindle version of THE WHITEFIRE CROSSING is currently only $3.99 on Amazon. Want a DRM-free version? Everyone, including international folks, can buy my novels DRM-free in the format of their choice for only $6 each through Baen’s ebook store.

    Alternatively, if you’d like your money go to a great cause, a signed set of WHITEFIRE CROSSING and TAINTED CITY are up for auction as part of Pat Rothfuss’s Worldbuilders charity fundraiser. (Act fast if interested – the auction ends soon!)

39. Right, so, last year I wrote The Strange Talent of Luther Strode (the collected edition was a Big Idea here), a hyper violent graphic novel that’s about, well, violence.

    Luther Strode was your typical nerd until he sent away for a Charles Atlas style bodybuilding course, which worked waaaaay better than expected, granting Luther superpowers.

    Unfortunately it also brought him to the attention of a murder cult as old as mankind itself. Which is bad. Merriment (and blood loss) ensues.

    The collected edition is available at your local bookstore, your finer comic shops and, of course, at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Talent-Luther-Strode-TP/dp/1607065312

    Or, if you like to read them on your iPad or other future device, you can buy it digitally here: http://www.comixology.com/The-Strange-Talent-of-Luther-Strode-Vol-1/digital-comic/FEB120467

    The sequel, The Legend of Luther Strode, debuts on Wednesday from Image comics. I’m also writing a bunch of other comics, but this is getting long already.

40. Thanks John!

    Were you a fan of Bewitched or Sabrina the Teenaged Witch? Ever wish you had magic? Me too. So I had a lot of fun writing the Salem Witch series, featuring a teenage cheerleader witch. Prudence Stewart isn’t happy to find out her parents have not only lifted the ban on magic in their household, but moved them from L.A. to Salem, Massachusetts so she can go to a school for witches. Turns out that not being allowed to practice magic means she’s not very good at it. Yet. But Pru has no intention of staying in remedial magic forever.

    There are three books in the series: THE SALEM WITCH TRYOUTS, COMPETITION’S A WITCH, and SHE’S A WITCH GIRL. Readers tell me they are perfect for younger teens who love humor and teen angst over things like schoolwork, boys, and winning the national cheerleading competition.

    Until December 7th, you can get all three and benefit victims of Sandy at the YA for NJ auction on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AN-AUTOGRAPHED-SET-of-the-SALEM-WITCH-SERIES-by-AUTHOR-KELLY-MCCLYMER-/330836892330?pt=US_Childrens_Books&hash=item4d076a5aaa

    After that, you can get one (or all three) from the bookseller of your choice.

41. Thanks for this post, John!

    I’m Malinda Lo, author of various YA novels and short stories. Read my version of a fairy tale (complete with prophecies and cross-dressing) in “One True Love,” which is included in FORETOLD: 14 Stories of Prophecy and Prediction” edited by Carrie Ryan (Delacorte). Or find out what a “Good Girl” does in my tale of post-apocalyptic New York City in DIVERSE ENERGIES edited by Joe Monti and Tobias Buckell (Tu Books).

    For a longer read, my latest novel, ADAPTATION (Little, Brown) an X-Files inspired sci-fi thriller that begins when massive numbers of birds start flying directly into airplanes, causing them to crash. Two teens, stranded far from home, decide to rent a car to drive back to San Francisco. Their route takes them through Nevada. You all know what *could exist* in Nevada, don’t you?

    Details on all these and more can be found at my website, malindalo.com. Happy holidays!

42. QUEEN’S HUNT is the second book in my River of Souls series, published by Tor Books. It’s available in hardcover and e-book from Amazon, B&N, and Powells.

    Publishers Weekly has this to say about my book: The promise of Passion Play is realized in this complex sequel, a tale of intrigue among kingdoms on the brink of war. Ilse Zhalina and Raul Kosenmark pursue a dangerous game: Ilse is spying on the military and searching for the fabled magical gems called Lir’s jewels, while Raul is collecting information with his shadow court…Meanwhile, the cousin of Raul’s ex-lover sneaks into Raul’s household and joins his cause. Despite mutual mistrust, everyone works together in a masterful story of romance, honor, and a little bit of suspense, with plenty of history, geography, and mythology thrown in for good measure.

43. Great idea, John!
    “Some Nightmares Hide Inside a Dream-Come-True”
    Beautiful Monster, published by Damnation Books, LLC, is unique in that it explores first-hand the points of view of both the serial killer and his victim. It shows how even the most charming or seemingly ordinary person can hide a much darker side to him or herself than is visible on the surface. Beautiful Monster is a bold, unapologetic venture into the most profane corners of a corrupted psyche…and the effects that corruption has on a moral and innocent mind.
    Available in eBook and Paperback at Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615727742
    Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beautiful-monster-mimi-a-williams/1112783047?ean=9781615727759
    Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Monster-Mimi-A-Williams/dp/1615727752/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1354247199&sr=8-5&keywords=Beautiful+Monster
    and everywhere books are sold.

44. All 5 books in my Blood Lines series (Pocket Books) are available via brick & mortar/online bookstores. The first 2 books MATTERS OF THE BLOOD and BLOOD BARGAIN are also in audiobook (via audible.com). Book 3 BLOOD KIN, will be debuting as an audiobook within the next couple of weeks.

    Check out my website for more about each title.

45. DEADFALL HOTEL by Steve Rasnic Tem

    I’d describe my latest novel, DEADFALL HOTEL (Solaris), as a phantasmagoric amalgam of Edward Gorey and Mervyn Peake, with a pinch of Ray Bradbury thrown in. Deadfall Hotel guides you through a season spent in the ultimate haunted hotel. Told through the story of a widower who takes the manager’s job at a remote hotel where the guests are not quite like you and me, accompanied by his daughter and the ghost of his wife, this novel chronicles what happens when nightmares seek a place of sanctuary, where werewolves and vampires, cults and creatures which cannot be named take their holiday.

    http://www.amazon.com/Deadfall-Hotel-Steve-Rasnic-Tem/dp/1907992839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354517907&sr=8-1&keywords=deadfall+hotel

    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadfall-hotel-steve-rasnic-tem/1104277600?ean=9781907992834

46. In my YA mystery SUSPECT, Jen starts a summer job at her grandmother’s B&B where her duties include stepping into the role of the victim at the annual mystery weekend in a plot designed to unearth new clues about her mother’s long-ago disappearance. Kirkus Reviews wrote: Nitz intertwines and then untangles relationships among the teens and guests, weaving a credible mystery for a wide adolescent audience. With clues and red herrings neatly scattered throughout, the book scores as a darned good little mystery. Intriguing, suspenseful fun.

    http://www.amazon.com/Suspect-Kristin-Wolden-Nitz/dp/1561455431/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

    My middle grade fantasy, SAVING THE GRIFFIN, turned up on children’s choice lists in Georgia and Kentucky. Here’s part of the description and review from Booklist: On the Tuscany estate where their family is staying, two American children discover a baby griffin, which looks something like a kitten with feathers and a sharp, curved beak…The fantastic and realistic narrative strands merge in the satisfying conclusion. Small, attractive line drawings appear at chapter heads throughout the book, enhancing the appealing story. From the author of Defending Irene (2004), this child-centered fantasy is nicely grounded in reality and enhanced by its well-drawn Italian settings.

    http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Griffin-Kristen-Wolden-Nitz/dp/1561453803/ref=la_B001JRZSKA_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354551974&sr=1-1

47. My novel BURNING THE MIDDLE GROUND is a dark fantasy about small-town America that transforms readers’ fears about the country’s direction into a haunting tale of religious conspiracy and supernatural mind control. A character-driven sensibility like Stephen King’s and a flair for the bizarre like Bentley Little’s deliver as much appeal for dedicated fans of fantasy and horror as for mainstream readers looking for an exciting ride. You can learn more (or get a copy) via my Amazon author page, amazon.com/author/landrewcooper

    While on the Amazon author page, horror film fans might also want to take a look at my new nonfiction book DARIO ARGENTO, about the titular maestro’s many mind-blowing movies and the ways they’ve changed the world (the film world and the world in general).

48. My debut young adult novel has been out for a few months now from Henry Holt. It’s about Ricki, who goes to live with her bounty hunter father when her mother abandons her–only to develop a crush on the guy he’s chasing.

    I’ll link to Amazon here, but you should be able to find it all over. CHASING THE SKIP, by Janci Patterson.

    http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Skip-Christy-Ottaviano-Books/dp/0805093915/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354552041&sr=8-1&keywords=chasing+the+skip

49. Thanks, John!

    The Sixsmiths is a graphic novel about a family of suburban Satanists who’ve fallen prey to the Global Financial Crisis and it’s just the sort of thing that what your wicked brethren might like for the upcoming Antichristmas season.

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Sixsmiths-Volume-Jason-Franks/dp/1593622023/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354488723&sr=8-1&keywords=sixsmiths

    Volume 2. is in production for 2013.

50. Do you know someone who likes worldbuilding, culture, religion, and mythology? Do they also like werewolves? My debut urban fantasy novel SILVER delves into all of those things for my Were. Andrew Dare, the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, discovers Silver on a routine tracking job. She can no longer shift because someone injected silver into her veins and she claims to speak with Death and see the world of their goddess. Together, they must track down the one who tortured her, before any other Were fall victim.
    Learn more!

51. I SAW ZOMBIES EATING SANTA CLAUS is a heartwarming holiday tale for those who like a little dark comedy with their egg nog. It’s like Miracle on 34th Street, only with reanimated corpses.

    Andy Warner has just escaped from a zombie research facility in Portland, Oregon, where he’s been subjected to experimental testing for the past year. With Christmas just days away, Andy dons a Santa Claus costume to throw off his would-be captors. But he never expects to encounter a sweet, lonesome nine-year-old girl who thinks he’s the real Santa.

    Feel free to visit my website, where you can learn more about I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus and my other novels.

52. Thanks for this, John.

    The mass-market paperback edition of my novel THE LAST MINUTE (published by Grand Central) will be out in stores on December 18th and can fit easily in a stocking. Earlier this year it won a Thriller Award from the International Thriller Writers organization, and is a direct sequel to the New York Times bestseller ADRENALINE, the only novel chosen last year as a Great Summer Read by both The Today Show and Good Morning America.

    THE LAST MINUTE is the second novel starring Sam Capra, a former CIA agent who now owns bars around the world. Sam is desperately searching for his kidnapped infant son, when he receives an impossible offer from the kidnappers: find and kill the one man who can expose them, and he can have his son back. Teaming up with a desperate young mother whose daughter is also missing, Sam tracks his prey–and his son–across the country in a dangerous race against time, and must unravel a deadly conspiracy if he’s to rescue the only person in the world who matters to him.
    Available wherever books are sold.

    Thank you again for this, John.

53. John – thanks for the opportunity to advertise my book. Now, on to the advertisement!

    My novel Pirates of Mars would make a great Christmas / Hanukkah / Winter Solstice gift! It’s an action-packed space opera set (surprisingly) on Mars, and features pirates, those who fight pirates and those who get pirated. You can visit my site to read the first 3 chapters for free as well as purchase paper or ebook ($2.99!) editions. Astute readers of this site may remember that the book was featured on this site as a Big Idea posting.

54. My book Hunter and Fox, came out with Pyr books this year. A dark twisted epic fantasy novel that the Miami Herald said contains ‘mighty magics, pacts made and broken, betrayal, sacrifice and redemption.’ What more could you want for Christmas!

    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunter-and-fox-philippa-ballantine/1106752623?ean=9781616146238

55. No novels yet, but my short story “The New Tenant”, about life on the International Space Station after NASA sells it, is in the anthology Rocket Science: Science Fiction and Non-Fiction edited by Ian Sales. Rare to see near term solar system space SF, so if that interests you, check it out. Amazon has it listed as Out of Stock, but it is available directly from Mutation Press in the U.K. $14.00 + $7.30 shipping approx, depending on currency, airmail to the Americas. You can read Lois Tilton’s review on Locus Online.

    Thanks, John, for the space. And a HappyMerryBahHumbug to all!

    Dr. Phil

56. I’ve got several books out in 2012 that would make great gifts: including
    The Best Horror of the Year volume 4 featuring great stories by Stephen King, Peter Straub, Livia Llewellyn, Laird Barron, and a host of others: http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Horror-Year-Volume/dp/1597803995
    Of course, I’ve edited plenty of other horror anthologies over the year–many still in print. If you have BIG stockings they’d make great stocking stuffers.

    Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy with stories by the traditional urban fantastists such as John Crowley, Ellen Kushner, and Peter Beagle, the “new” urban fantasists like Holly Black, Jim Butcher, Melissa Marr, Patricia Briggs, and Naomi Novik plus wild cards like Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jeffrey Ford, Delia Sherman, Richard Bowes, Nathan Ballingrud, and Lucius Shepard: http://tinyurl.com/c7lv2mu

    Two recent YA anthologies edited by myself and Terri Windling:
    After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia with stories by Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Carrie Ryan, Carol Emshwiller, Steven Gould, Beth Revis, Jane Yolen, Jeffrey Ford, N.K. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, Richard Bowes, etc: http://www.amazon.com/After-Nineteen-Stories-Apocalypse-Dystopia/dp/1423146190/
    The stories are varied, and believe it or not-not all depressing. The stories are not about the causes of the traumatic events (although they are sometimes mentioned) but how life goes on afterward.

    Teeth: Vampire Tales (the anti Twilight) by Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Garth Nix, Melissa Marr, Tanith Lee: http://tinyurl.com/d7bpyt7
    These stories are not sparkly vampire stories although the Tanith Lee is gorgeously romantic and bittersweet.

    For more anthologies I’ve edited, you can check out my website:
    http://www.datlow.com/books.html

57. My novels:
    Hickey of the Beast is YA supernatural wackiness: Connie Perez is a freshman at the prep school her mom runs, trying to balance being a faculty brat with life as a student, when she starts having weird visions and students start getting mysteriously sick. http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/hickey-of-the-beast/

    No Proper Lady is Victorian paranormal romance: My Fair Lady meets Terminator meets Lovecraft. Gentleman occultist Simon Grenville teams up with Joan, an assassin from a post-apocalyptic future, to save the world via dancing lessons, magic, and the occasional throwing knife. Sourcebooks sells it here: http://www.sourcebooks.com/store/no-proper-lady.html and also sells Lessons After Dark, the sequel.

58. I’m Martha Wells, and The Siren Depths, the third in the Books of the Raksura series, has just come out in trade paperback. The first two books are The Cloud Roads and The Serpent Sea, which are currently available in trade paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

    The ebook for The Siren Depths has been slow to appear at some retailers, but it’s currently available DRM-free at the Baen Webscription site: http://www.baenebooks.com/s-262-martha-wells.aspx

    The Serpent Sea ebook is also on sale this month on Kindle US for a $1.99: http://www.amazon.com/The-Serpent-Sea-ebook/dp/B006QO1A6C/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1316547594&sr=1-46

59. My popular science book, Computing for Ordinary Mortals, introduces the conceptual side of computer science to readers who might not have a technical background but are curious about what makes the field interesting. That is, not “How can I get Windows to do this?” or “What’s CSS?” but rather “What’s a good way to think about computing in general?” and “What are the big ideas in the field?” (A Big Ideas post starts to answer the second question.)

    Online sellers, for mysterious reasons, have stopped discounting the hardback (though the Kindle and Nook editions are still reasonably priced, for non-fiction), so any hardback lovers might want to visit the book’s blog to find a promo code for ordering directly from Oxford, the publisher.

60. My name’s Vivian Murakami and I’m here to talk about my latest book “Eien No Ai – Eternal Love” (available in hardcover, softcover and e-book) which doesn’t fit quite into any of your typical categories. I let 2 of my readers do the talking. For additional comments pls visit amazon, Barnes & Noble, or AuthorHouse.
    1) “Definitely a page-turner! A love story with a lemon-turned-lemonade twist. I thoroughly enjoyed this book–from the first page, I was instantly drawn into a world where possibilities are golden, but when the moment comes to make a decision, hearts break either way.
    Vivi’s a tell-it-like-it-is narrator with an honest, stylish sense of humor. A chance meeting has paired her with someone who just might fill the empty space by her side, but before she can come to the conclusion that it’s the L-word, love and fate join forces to create an obstacle course worthy of an Olympian. Throw traditional out the window; it takes two to tango and three to make it interesting :) I recommend Eien No Ai to anyone who has a fondness for Hello Kitty, Doc Martens,Visual Kei and the occasional dry wittiness!”
    .2) “Once you start reading this novel, you will not be able to put it down. A riveting, fast paced read about relationships, family, the nature of love and life itself. It is fair to say that I experienced every emotion at least once while reading! I did not want it to end and cried when it did. Very much looking forward to the sequel.”
    My book is available worldwide. In addition to the three links listed, you can find more info about Eien No Ai on facebook. You’ll notice a lot of musicians, especially from Japan love it… =)
    http://www.amazon.com/Eien-No-Ai-Eternal-Love/dp/1467039837/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354552377&sr=8-2&keywords=eien+no+ai+vivian+murakami
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/eien-no-ai-vivian-murakami?store=ALLPRODUCTS&keyword=eien+no+ai+vivian+murakami
    http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000501804/Eien-No-Ai.aspx
    Authorhouse is the cheapest !

61. I teamed up with my pal, children’s book rock star Mo Willems, to make a sooper GIHOOGIC 270 page activity book starring Pigeon (of DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS fame) aptly titled:

    DON’T LET THE PIGEON FINISH THIS ACTIVITY BOOK!

    And to be honest…
    This is the activity book that all other activity books dream of growing up to be!
    Like, seriously.
    It’s chock full of games, puzzles, activities and has a sooper fun story running through the whole book.

    It makes the perfect gift for the holidays, birthday parties, boat christenings, tae kwon do award ceremonies, drug and alcohol interventions… whatever!

    Hope you like it!

    Some content was stripped by our security filters, but is should be possible for one of your Editors to embed the content for you.

62. My most recent book GIL MARSH is for the younger YA crowd. Based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, it tells the story of a boy who, after his best friend dies, goes on a quest to find immortality. Traveling from suburban Connecticut to the Quebec wilderness, it blends realistic fiction with some folktale, and a hint of fantasy.

    I also have two other books, for kids 8 and up: NO CASTLES HERE (which weaves fairy tales with a story set in Camden, NJ) and COME FALL (inspired by the changeling’s tale in A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

    All the books can be found both in print and in the ebook format of your choice; and there’s an audiobook version of NO CASTLES HERE as well. Links to descriptions, booksellers, Amazon, etc can be found on my website: http://acebauer.com

    Thanks John for allowing us to post this here.

63. John, what a cool idea – thanks.

    My name’s Charles Finch, and I’m the author of a series of Victorian mysteries featuring a gentleman-detective named Charles Lenox. They’re published by St. Martin’s Minotaur, and the most recent, A BURIAL AT SEA, was called “thrilling” and “so fascinating it’s a shame it has to end” by the New York Times Book Review. Perfect if you like Anne Perry or Anthony Trollope…

64. An ordinary man brings trouble to his family when he discovers a dark world inside a cardboard box. Type in the author AND book title in searches. The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy. Free to download till Wednesday.

    Think average family man meets Jurassic Park meets The Hunger Games. There’s something for everyone here.

65. If you only read one contemporary fantasy featuring a heroine with a tail this year, make it DARK CURRENTS! io9 calls it a frothy page-turner, and whose holiday couldn’t use a little more froth?

66. My novel, NINJA VERSUS PIRATE FEATURING ZOMBIES, published by ChiZine Publications, is part Napoleon Dynamite, part The Matrix, and all awesome.

    To learn more, visit http://www.howtoendhumansuffering.com

67. Thanks, John!

    This year you can find my nonfiction work in Chicks Dig Comics, published by Mad Norwegian Press, discussing comics and its fandom from a female point of view. That link will take you to the Big Idea entry about it for more information. I also have an essay about Doctor Who in Chicks Unravel Time, which Teresa Jusino mentioned upthread, in which I explain why I enjoy Time and the Rani, along with the rest of Sylvester McCoy’s first season.

    Mad Norwegian Press is also offering all 4 of the Geek Girl Chronicles books (Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, Chicks Dig Comics, and Chicks Unravel Time) as a discounted 4-pack on their website. :-)

68. The “Ellie McDoodle” series offers kids aged 7-12 an entertaining read, mixing art and text on each page of these highly illustrated middle grade novels. Great for reluctant readers, girls and boys, and fans of “Wimpy Kid” and “Dork Diaries”, Ellie’s sketch journals deliver games, crafts, jokes and fun.
    In “Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen Will Travel”, Ellie goes on a camping trip with relatives she’s not fond of. Can she keep her cousin “Er-ick the Enemy” from seeing what she’s written about him?
    In “New Kid In School”, Ellie’s family moves, and she finds herself in an unfamiliar environment. Can she find new friends, or will she forever be the butt of “New Kid Bingo”?
    In “Best Friends Fur-Ever”, Ellie discovers that bird sitting a neighbor’s parrot is complicated when the fowl flies the coop. How will she get him back, and what are all those other animals doing at her pet-less house?
    In “Most Valuable Player” Ellie joins the soccer team. Will having her Dad as the surprise coach make her a better player, and can she be a good teammate in all of her endeavors?
    “Ellie” is available wherever books are sold.
    Thanks, John, for this opportunity to introduce Ellie McDoodle to young readers.

69. First, a big thank you to John Scalzi!

    My latest novel, THE NEXT ONE TO FALL, is a thriller set in Peru. When travel journalist Lily Moore finds a badly injured woman lying at the bottom of an ancient stone staircase at Machu Picchu, her first instinct is to help. The woman tells Lily that her boyfriend tried to kill her; when the woman dies, the authorities swiftly write off her death as an accidental fall. As Lily starts to hunt down the missing boyfriend, she discovers a pattern of missing and dead women in his wake.

    THE NEXT ONE TO FALL was published by Forge in February 2012. If you’d like to see more about the book, including reviews and a video I made of my trip to Peru, please check out my site:

    http://blog.hilarydavidson.com/the-next-one-to-fall/

    Lily Moore first appeared in THE DAMAGE DONE, which won the 2011 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. I’ve been a travel writer myself for the past 12 years, and I discuss what inspired me to write this book in a post:
    
http://www.elizabethawhite.com/2012/02/13/the-ones-who-didnt-get-away-by-hilary-davidson/#.ULzbWaWK11A

    Thanks for reading!

70. Superheroes, pop culture references, parallel universes, and stuffy British butlers collide in I, Crimsonstreak, my take on the world of comic books and superheroes.

    Quick-witted super-speedster Christopher Fairborne AKA Crimsonstreak dresses in crimson and is totally not The Flash. Imprisoned by his superhero-turned-supervillian father for three years, Chris escapes captivity and emerges to find that Dear Old Dad has “united” the world by establishing a one-world government called the New World Common Wealth.

    With help at a premium, Chris teams up a with teenage superhero-to-be and the boy’s smarmy butler. Together, the trio must confront Chris’ dad and set the world right again. It should be easy enough for a guy whose only real power is looking good in spandex, right?

    You can find out more about the book from the website of my publisher, Candlemark & Gleam.

    If you’re more of the Kindle type, it’s on Amazon as well.

    For more information about the world of I, Crimsonstreak and its demented author, check out mattadamswriter.com.

    Happy holidays…and happy shopping!

71. My name is Teresa Milbrodt, and here’s a little bit about my slipstream/spec fic short short collection, Bearded Women: Stories:

    Welcome to the contemporary Freak Show. A woman trying to have a child has a parasitic twin, an extra lower torso, and set of legs named Bianca—should she have “Bianca’s Body” removed to improve her chances at conception? A bearded lady considers coming out of the closet about her hirsute nature, while carrying on a battle of wills with an overeating patron in “Mr. Chicken.” A woman with four ears gets a chance to make extra money as the mascot of a tattoo parlour, and encounters a middle-aged, cookie-baking stalker who believes she is a sign that the end of the world is nigh. Meet the “freaks”—they’re mothers, wives, and lovers: all of them trying negotiate a world that is quicker to stare than sympathize.

    You can read a PDF of the story “Bianca’s Body” from the collection and buy the book at the ChiZine Publications link below:

    http://www2.chizinepub.com/books/bearded.php

72. Happiest of holidays to all! And many thanks, Kind Host, for the free place to hawk!

    A while back, McFarland published my book FAITH & CHOICE IN THE WORKS OF JOSS WHEDON. This was a project that began from my response to Whedon’s self-identification as an “angry, hard-core atheist.” While I certainly don’t say that Whedon is not what he says he is, I was fascinated by how often themes of faith and redemption crop up in his work, which includes BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, FIREFLY, and FRAY. One thing led to another and now there’s a great book (hey, the margins alone are astonishing!) for all on your holiday gift list!

    Available worldwide, but even better through this site: http://astore.amazon.com/slayagetheonl-20/detail/0786434767.

73. Thanks for this, John.

    My novel, HIDDEN THINGS, came out in August from Harper Voyager, and I’ve been really happy and gratified by the feedback from readers and reviewers; they call it “Agreeably creepy” (Kirkus), ““Reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasies and the early books of Stephen King” (Library Journal), “a modern rural fairytale […] a dustland fairytale, heartland noir” (Elitist Book Reviews). My personal favorite is the reader who called it “Neverwhere with a midwest sunburn.”

    If that sounds like your cup of tea, I’d love for you to check it out here, or look for me on Indiebound.org, Amazon, B&N, or Goodreads.

74. Hello! I am an Indie author and wondered if you’re looking for more donated books! I’d be happy to donate for your giveaways on your non-traditional days! Thanks! Catherine Converse http://www.catherineconversebooks.com

75. THE JULIET SPELL by me, Douglas Rees.
    When 16 year old Miranda Hoberman casts a spell in a desperate bid to improve her chances of being cast as Juliet, she makes a big mistake. Instead of saying “I want to be cast as Juliet.” she says “I want to be Juliet.” One unusual moment later, she is confronting a handsome young man in a renaissance costume who is just as confused as she is about why he’s standing on her kitchen table.
    It’s Edmund Shakespeare, Will’s teenage brother and the other actor in the family. Although he’s cut off from everything he’s ever known, he’s intrigued by the chance to play Romeo (he’s already been Juliet) and Miri’s spell starts its work … If you like magic, theatre, and the magic of the theatre, THE JULIET SPELL may be just your thing.

76. Thank you, John, for giving me this opportunity:-) Because I’m writing the third book in the Mystwalker series, and because you told us to keep it short, here it is:

    THE TROUBLE WITH FATE–Hedi Peacock has a secret. She’s not human, and she has the inner bitch and pointy-Fae ears to prove it.

    Coming to the stores December 24th, through MacMillan. Look for us if you like snark, action and romance. We’re the book with the bright and shiny amulet on the cover:-) And we’ll fit really, really well into a Christmas stocking!

77. I really should have mentioned: it’s published by Harlequin Teen and available through Amazon.com

78. My novel, NINJA VERSUS PIRATE FEATURING ZOMBIES, is part Napoleon Dynamite, part The Matrix, and all awesome.

    To learn more, visit http://www.howtoendhumansuffering.com

79. I’ve been doing a series of shopping list posts over on my own blog, which will continue throughout the week, so I urge folks to go there, but in addition, I want to pimp one work in particular….

    Jonathan Maberry conceived V-Wars as a shared-world anthology that would do something new with vampires by doing something old. The premise is that a virus gets loose that activates junk DNA. You see, it seems that vampires were real once, but they all died out. However, the genetic code is still there for them, and this virus kicks it back in.

    But people who get I1V1 don’t turn into the vampires of pop culture — no Bram Stoker vampires or Anne Rice vampires or Joss Whedon vampires or Stephenie Myers vampires. Instead they turn into whatever the vampire is from the folklore of their particular ethnic heritage. So a Chinese person might turn into a hopping ghost, a Greek person into a vyrkolatios, a Haitian into a loup garou, and so on.

    Besides Jonathan, the contributors include John Everson, Gregory Frost, Nancy Holder, James A. Moore, Yvonne Navarro, Scott Nicholson, and, well, me. My story is “The Ballad of Big Charlie,” and it’s about a Bronx district attorney who announces that he has I1VN — and is still running for reelection. It’s a story about how the growing antagonism between vampires and humans affects politics, and also about the difference between running for office locally and nationally.

    V-Wars is available from IDW Publishing, and is available in bookstores, comic shops, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon — you can get it as a hardcover, an eBook, or an unabridged audio. The latter is read by a bunch of neat folks, among them Arte Johnson and Wil Wheaton, who also did the audio for some obscure novel by some fella named Scalzi…..

    Do check it out!

80. I forgot that WordPress only identifies me by username — the above post is by Keith R.A. DeCandido, internationally best-selling award-winning author and long-haired hippie weirdo freak……

81. Jim Ottaviani here, for whom John hosted a Big Idea about Feynman just before the book came out. (Thanks again, JS.) That book, a graphic novel that’s not a novel, but is non-fiction/a biography of physicist Richard Feynman, will be out in paperback next year. It’s still available in its handsome hardcover incarnation this year, though. You can find out more about it, and my other graphic novels about scientists, at http://www.gt-labs.com.

82. Thanks, John! Below are two books, the first is an Urban Fantasy and the second is an Epic Fantasy, that Fantasy lovers from ages 10-110 will want to check out.

    THE MARKED SON is an action-packed story that’ll have you rooting for a guy who just wants to live a simple life, but finds out he’s destined for so much more.

    Seventeen-year-old Dylan Kennedy always knew something was different about him, but until his mother abandoned him in the middle of Oregon with grandparents he’s never met, he had no idea what. Then Dylan sees a girl in white in the woods. He knows he’s seen her before…in his dreams. He’s felt her fear. Heard her insistence that only he can save her world from an evil lord who uses magic and fear to feed his greed for power. Unable to shake the unearthly pull to Kera, Dylan takes her hand. Either he’s completely insane or he’s about to have the adventure of his life, because where they’re going is full of creatures he’s only read about in horror stories. Worse, the human blood in his veins has Dylan marked for death…

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Marked-Son-Keepers-Life/dp/1620612291/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1354554490&sr=8-3&keywords=shea+berkley

    If you like Epic Fantasy, try TORREIN: AGE OF FEAR.

    What if the only hope of saving a magical world depended on an ordinary boy? Peace is not easily found in the divided kingdom of Taelyon; its mortals distrust anything magical; its wizards are indifferent to the suffering of others. Hate infects everyone. Yet, there is hope. A boy named Torrein. When magic is denied him, he is chased from his own village by those he once called friends. Torrein doesn’t understand that his destiny is far greater than any he could have achieved if magic had been granted him. Who wants a destiny soaked in blood? All Torrein wants is what he can’t have – to be with his family and friends. To claim his rightful power, Torrein must calm his fears and reveal the real evil working to destroy Taelyon. It will be a fight till the end of the age to reclaim the freedom they’ve all been denied, and though it’s hard for him to accept, it’s up to Torrein to protect those who have been deceived, and to make sure the evil in their midst doesn’t kill them all.

    http://www.amazon.com/Torrein-Age-Fear-Shea-Berkley/dp/1935142526/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354554672&sr=8-2&keywords=torrein

83. For anyone with kids that likes superheroes and comic books, there’s Captain Awesome. Published by Simon & Schuster under their house name “Stan Kirby” (see what we did there?), my writing partner Dan Danko and I created the adventures of a somewhat delusional elementary school kid – Eugene McGillicudy. Thanks to the inspiration of his favorite comic books, Eugene believes he has the powers necessary to save the world from villainous teachers, nutty neighbors, and even his baby sister. There’s danger lurking in every classroom, on every field trip and all around town, even if his Mom has to drive him there. Fortunately, his best friend Charlie Thomas Jones is on hand to help, thanks to the power of canned spray cheese. Here’s a link to one of the latest books in the series. http://goo.gl/svJv9

    The first book in the series got a nice review from Publishers Weekly. http://goo.gl/1QpQq

    We’re turning in the manuscript for Book 10 later this week, so the series keeps rolling along. Thanks for the opportunity, John, and happy holidays to everyone!

84. Hi, I’m Walter Greatshell (XOMBIES; MAD SKILLS; ENORMITY), and my latest novel is TERMINAL ISLAND (Dec. 4, Night Shade Books), called “a spine-chilling tale of unspeakable terror,” (Library Journal) and “A psychedelic descent into madness and cultural insanity…a tale of ancient gods and nameless cults that practice their rites not in some wasted land far away, but right in our own backyard. This book never slows down until the high-energy climax. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” (Brett J. Talley, Bram Stoker nominated author of “That Which Should Not Be” and “The Void”).

    Thanks, John!

85. For gamers and software developers I’d like to recommend my first novel, “Constellation Games.” (Candlemark & Gleam). It’s a near-future comedy about a man whose reaction to first contact with aliens is to start a company to port their video games to human computers. It’s on Wired GeekDad’s holday gift guide this year, and Starburst Magazine said, “If Douglas Coupland wrote sci-fi this is the sort of novel he would produce.” (http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/constellation-games/)

86. I have a book out now called vN: The First Machine Dynasty. Here’s a summary: “Amy Peterson is a self-replicating humanoid robot known as a VonNeumann. For the past five years, she has been grown slowly as part of a mixed organic/synthetic family. She knows very little about her android mother’s past, so when her grandmother arrives and attacks her mother, Amy wastes no time: she eats her alive. Now she carries her malfunctioning granny as a partition on her memory drive, and she’s learning impossible things about her clade’s history – like the fact that she alone can kill humans without failsafing…”

    At BoingBoing, Cory Doctorow called it “a fantastic adventure story that carries a sly philosophical payload about power and privilege, gender and race,” and Charlie Jane Anders at io9 called it “the most messed up book about robot consciousness ever,” and it also made The Guardian Best of 2012 list (alongside our gracious host’s Redshirts, I might add).

87. John, thanks for doing this for your fellow authors. I have two traditionally published collections:

    CHIMERASCOPE (ChiZine Publications) is a collection of 16 short stories and novelettes in SF, fantasy, and supernatural horror. It was a finalist for the juried Sunburst Award, the fan voted Aurora Award, and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation’s Bookies Award. It contains an award winner, a Best New Horror selection, and eight award finalists. Quill & Quire gave it a starred review and called it “a massively enjoyable trek through the far-fetched, the horrifying, and the flat-out weird, all filtered through Smith’s remarkable imagination and prodigious talent.”
    Buying links:
    http://www.smithwriter.com/chimerascope_ebook
    http://www.amazon.com/Chimerascope-ebook/dp/B00AAMKO6I/ref=la_B0037JUXGM_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353965384&sr=1-4

    IMPOSSIBILIA (PS Publishing) is a mini collection of three novelettes, including an award winner and an award finalist. It was a finalist for the Aurora Award.
    Buying links:
    http://www.smithwriter.com/impossibilia_ebook
    http://www.amazon.com/Impossibilia-ebook/dp/B009PPODEU/ref=la_B0037JUXGM_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351115837&sr=1-4

88. I am a professional historian and a fan of old science fiction, and in my latest book I combine my professional training and my hobby. Fighting the Future War: An Anthology of Science War Stories, 1914-45 is published by Routledge http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415879514/
    In addition to providing historical conext for war stories written during the era of the two World Wars, the book also reproduces a number of stories that (with only a few exceptions) have not been republished since their original appearance. In addition to a chapter about Hugo Gernsback in World War I, the book also contains examples of some of the great pulp literature of the inter-war years by authors largely fogotten today (such as Nathan Schachner). The book also contains samples of some contemporary illustrations by artists such as Frank Paul.

89. I’m Deborah Underwood, and I’ve written a bunch of books for kids. The most holiday-appropriate is also the most recent: THE CHRISTMAS QUIET BOOK, a picture book with fabulous illustrations by Renata Liwska. You can see a gorgeous trailer and learn more at Houghton Mifflin’s microsite:
    http://hmhbooks.com/quietloudbooks/index.html

    Please purchase through your local indie store if you’re able!

90. THE STEEL SERAGLIO, by Mike, Louise and Linda Carey
    Available through Chizine Publications. http://chizinepub.com/books/seraglio.php As one of the CZP editing team, this is my current favorite. This is an amazing tale within a tale within a tale. Reminiscent of the Arabian Nights and the Canterbury Tales, The Steel Seraglio has been shaken in a djinni’s bottle with fanaticism, survival, passion, wit and wiles. It is both chilling and beautiful and filled with a world of wonders. It makes you ache for the people, hope the book never ends, yet feel satisfied as if you ate a full course meal at the best of restaurants.The chapters range from reports, mythic stories, recipes, council notes and journal entries to weave a world so complete that you will believe this caravan of characters truly existed.

91. Know someone who reads the HOLLOWS? Think they have everything that’s out there? Probably not.

    INTO THE WOODS collects all previously published Hollows shorts plus three new novellas that are outside of the Hollows and might be what comes next when the Hollows ends in 2015. http://www.kimharrison.net/BookPages/Anthologies/ITW.html

    THE HOLLOWS INSIDER is a coffee table book, full color, and glows in the dark, also not to be missed by the serious Hollows reader. http://www.kimharrison.net/BookPages/Hollows%20Insider/HI.html

    Both are available where books are sold, signed copies through the website.

92. What a great idea!!!

    I’m Lisa Kessler, and I’m a paranormal romance author. My debut novel, Night Walker is in stores now. The tagline is: He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…

    Here’s what others are saying:

    “…readers will sigh both in dreamy acceptance of a love that never dies…” RT Book Reviews Magazine

    “Hot romance and cool characters make Night Walker an all-night read.” – Kelley Armstrong, #1 NYT Best-Selling Author

    “A stellar first novel with heart-stopping suspense and a hero to die for.” – Angie Fox, NYT Bestselling author of THE LAST OF THE DEMON SLAYERS

    Thanks for checking it out! :)

    http://www.amazon.com/Night-Walker-The-Series-ebook/dp/B0083VMX9E
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/night-walker-lisa-kessler/1104527195?ean=9781620612316&format=paperback

    Happy Holidays everyone!

    Lisa :)

93. My latest novel — my 22nd — is TRIGGERS (Ace USA, Penguin Canada, Gollancz UK, Audible.com). Given all the new readers I gained from the FLASHFORWARD TV series (based on my novel of the same name), I wanted to do something that still had all the traditional Sawyer-esque big ideas, cool science, philosophy, and pop-culture references, but added the sorts of conspiracy theories and action-adventure that the TV series had.

    The result: TRIGGERS, an SF triller set in present-day Washington, DC. On the eve of a major US military operation, the president is shot. At the hospital he’s rushed to, a neuroscientist is working on ways to erase traumatic memories. But an explosion in DC scrambles his equipment, and leads to a groupof people being able to access each other’s memories in a chain. The Secret Service must race to discover who is reading the president’s memories, and determine whether the security of the military operation has been compromised.

    TRIGGERS was a top-ten national mainstream bestseller in Canada and hit #2 on the LOCUS bestsellers list.

    “TRIGGERS is is constantly gripping on the surface and seriously provocative deep down.” — Tom Shippey in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

    For more info, see this page about the book: TRIGGERS

94. UnCONventional:
    Twenty-Two Tales of Paranormal Gatherings Under the Guise of Conventions

    It’s about to get weird… okay, weirder in here.

    Alien ascensions in hotel ballrooms. Mermaids on cruise ships. Werewolves in dog shows. Steampunk fairy time travelers. A teenage superhero hitching a ride with a supervillain. Comic books that absorb their readers. Magical filk… and much more.

    With stories by: LJ Berger, Vikki Ciaffone, Daniel Cohen, Gordon Dupuis, Anthony G. Francis, Jr., Justine Graykin, Randy O. Green, Melina Gunnett, Kate Kaynak, Danielle M. LeFevre, Kimberley Long-Ewing, Lauren Marrero, Will Morton, LS Murphy, Ira Nayman, KT Pinto, Jennifer Allis Provost, Patricia Puckett, Keshia Swaim, Sherry Thompson, Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg, and Trisha Wooldridge

    Amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/UnCONventional-Kate-Kaynak/dp/1937053008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315697667&sr=1-1

    Barnes & Noble:
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unconventional-kate-kaynak/1030781900?ean=9781937053000&itm=1&usri=unconventional%2bkaynak

    Book Depository (free international shipping):
    http://www.bookdepository.com/Unconventional-Kate-Kaynak/9781937053000

95. Thanks for doing this.

    JANUS, my first novel, (http://chizinepub.com/books/janus.php) is a psychological drama set on colony planet in the near future. It is part love-story, part mystery, part quest for identity and was listed by Kirkus among “worthy runners-up” for the “can’t-miss” fantasy and science fiction books of October 2012. McNally-Robinson made it their Book of the Day on October 28.

    Paul Di Filippo gave it a wonderful review at Locus Online (http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2012/10/paul-di-filippo-reviews-john-park/) using words like “poetic”, “suspenseful and taut”, though my own favourite of his comments was “If this book were to be filmed, it would take a Tarkovsky or Gondry to do the job, not a Spielberg or Whedon.”

    JANUS is available from the publisher or the usual sources.

    —
    http://web.ncf.ca/af250/JMPHome.html

96. Alas, I must bite down on the urge to pimp my next series, since the first book won’t be out until February. I will instead list my most recent (and finished) series, the Onyx Court:

    The Onyx Hall is London’s shadow, a subterranean realm that protects its inhabitants from the powers of iron and Christian faith. The mortals above live their brief lives; kings and queens come and go; the fae of London are eternal.

    Midnight Never Come (Elizabethan faerie spy fantasy)
    In Ashes Lie (Stuart faerie disaster fantasy)
    A Star Shall Fall (Enlightenment faerie alchemical fantasy)
    With Fate Conspire (Victorian faerie steampunk fantasy)

    Since each of those books takes place in a different century, they don’t have to be read in order, though of course they benefit from doing so. The links take you to pages that include cover blurbs and a variety of booksellers, including some e-book sites.

97. I’m Delilah S. Dawson, author of the finest quasi-Victorian fantasy steampunk paranormal dark circus romance you’ll ever read. My Blud series is published by Pocket, and WICKED AS THEY COME (http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-as-They-Come-Blud/dp/1451657889) is available now, as well as a $0.99 e-novella, THE MYSTERIOUS MADAM MORPHO (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mysterious-Madam-Morpho-ebook/dp/B007EE56AY). Both include vampire rabbits.

    Thanks, Scalzi!

98. What happens when a four hundred year-old grudge against witches manifests in the heart of a major city like Calgary? Only a slew of off-the-scale supernatural activity and a mystery that leads to a paranormal battle between a teen witch and an entity whose hatred lives on in the after-life.

    I’m Sean Cummings and my debut YA urban fantasy POLTERGEEKS (Strange Chemistry Books 2012) hit bookstores this past October. It’s one of the few YA urban fantasy novels that takes place in Canada – in my hometown of Calgary and it features, among other things, a talking Great Dane, a little old lady in leopard skin outfit who pulls Jedi mind tricks on social workers, an oil company in bed with a minor deity and of course, teen romance of the awkward, non-sparkly vampire kind. Oh … and zombies, floating furniture and general bad juju.

    Starburst says of POLTERGEEKS – “It’s everything you could want in YA fantasy”

    You can order on Amazon: http://www.amazon.ca/Poltergeeks-Sean-Cummings/dp/1908844108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354563393&sr=8-1

    Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poltergeeks-sean-cummings/1108939528?ean=9781908844101

    Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Poltergeeks-Sean-Cummings/9781908844095

    And there’s an audiobook!: http://www.audiogo.com/us/poltergeeks-sean-cummings-gid-1012798

99. Hi John. Thanks for this thread.

    Jeremy Robinson and I recently put out the co-authored 4th book in his Jack Sigler/Chess Team series, RAGNAROK, which highlights a special ops team facing mythological creatures from the past like the Lernian Hydra. In this book, the team is scattered and needs to come together to combat a series of energy portals opening around the planet and unleashing wave after wave of creatures that abduct humans.

    Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Ragnarok-Sigler-Thriller-Jeremy-Robinson/dp/0983735093/ref=la_B006IS6HYQ_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354564313&sr=1-1

    And here’s the full description:

    It starts with a thunderous crack and a flash of light. Screams come next. Then the hunters. With a staccato flicker, the light disappears and everything within a hundred yard radius goes with it. A massive crater is all that remains where a chunk of the world has gone missing.

    As the deadly phenomenon repeats and expands amidst the world’s most densely populated cities–carving apartment buildings in half, scooping away entire city blocks, and claiming thousands of lives–Jack Sigler, Callsign: King and his black ops team take action. But the team is broken, spread across the globe and vulnerable. Scrambling to make sense of the violent disappearances and fighting to reunite, the team comes face-to-face with an otherworldly enemy capable of making the fearless…terrified.

    Taking the battle to the ends of the Earth–and beyond–the team combats a savage enemy whose centuries-old plan for mankind has nearly reached fruition. If they fail, the planet will become little more than a fully stocked food cache for a creature whose presence heralds the beginning of Ragnarök–and the extinction of the human race.

    Thanks,

    -Kane

100. I would love for anyone with young readers in their lives to consider my young teen novel NOWHERE GIRL, about a thirteen-year-old girl born in a Thai prison, trying to unravel the mystery of her mother’s life.

     And for up-and-coming sff readers, the young or the young at heart, you are welcome to check out my two picture books: THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING FAIRIES and THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING MERMAIDS, which are filled with photos and tips on how to put a little magic in your life, no matter where you are. See more at: http://ajpaquette.com/

101. Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred: Seriously Geeky Stuff to Make with Your Kids is filled with low-budget geeky DIY projects ranging from no-cost diversions like water rockets and boomerangs to low-cost projects like the one-stringed $10 Electric Guitar (which includes the most straightfroward instructions you’ll ever see for making a genuine wound magnetic pickup). A perfect Non-Denominational Gift Giving Holiday Season token for all the moms and dads and uncles and teachers and kids in your life. Available through Amazon (as well as B&N, the publisher, etc–google those if you so desire): http://www.amazon.com/Snip-Burn-Solder-Shred-Seriously/dp/1593272596/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354553896&sr=8-1&keywords=Snip+burn

     You can check out some free samples (and learn about my other writing–I have short steampunk and speculative stories in various anthologies) here: http://www.davideriknelson.com

     Thanks, John!

102. A SERIES OF ORDINARY ADVENTURES is my debut collection from Candlemark and Gleam, featuring five short stories and two novellas and covering a wide range of rather British contemporary fantasy settings: A wander down a country pathway, a cruise vacation in the Mediterranean, a school reunion, a sandwich eaten in the park – in these, the mundane becomes tantalisingly magical. A footballer’s mistress gets more than just an apartment when her lover tries to keep her in style; a rock-and-roll double-bass player finds out that second chances aren’t all they’re cracked up to be; something sinister lurks beneath the trappings of a travelling carnival. Ghosts, zombies, mythological creatures, and romance all feature for a very diverse range of characters.

     Published in print and digital formats, you can see the cover and buy the book at the publisher’s website here, or buy it wherever else good books are sold. Or if you want to know more about me first, go here

103. The Old Man and the Wasteland
     Forty years after the destruction of civilization… Man is reduced to salvaging the ruins of a broken world. One man’s most prized possession is Hemingway’s Classic ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’ With the words of the novel echoing across the wasteland, a survivor of the Nuclear Holocaust journeys into the unknown to break a curse.

     What follows is an incredible tale of survival and endurance.
     One man must survive the desert wilderness and mankind gone savage to discover the truth of Hemingway’s classic tale of man versus nature.
     Part Hemingway, part Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a suspenseful odyssey into the dark heart of the Post-Apocalyptic American southwest.

     A book lover’s action flick.
     http://goo.gl/odrn3

104. In Summoning, Book One of the Moon Wolf Saga Amber, a shape-changing wolf girl, has left her family — for good reasons! — but arrives in Los Angeles just when the World Snake is coming, and the local power raisers think she is key to saving the city. Landed with a demon boy who enters her service to gain her protection from his great enemy, the Eater of Souls, the two of them adventure to save the city, and each other.

     Playwriting: The Merciless Craft; Comprehensive Techniques for Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Playwriting will give you tools to hone your playwriting, novel writing and storytelling skills.

105. My YA Dystopian, STARTERS, takes place in a future L.A. where desperate teens rent out their bodies to seniors so they can enjoy being young again temporarily.

     Published by Random House Children’s Books, it’s my debut, published in over 30 countries. John was kind enough to present it here on The Big Idea. http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/03/13/the-big-idea-lissa-price/

     Visit me at http://www.LissaPrice.com. SFWA member. http://twitter.com/Lissa_Price

106. My book is a how-to guide to the art of looking super bad-ass on stage. In other words, it’s a stage combat manual. In it, I cover unarmed, tumbling, European and Asian sword styles, and rant a little about various things. My editor said she liked my “snarky voice” so any Scalzi fans should get a kick out of this book. Many pictures! In dazzling black and white! And the Kindle version is all, like, interactive and stuff.

     Here it is at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Combat-Fisticuffs-Swordplay-Theater/dp/1581154615
     Here it is at Barnes n Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stage-combat-jenn-boughn/1112191291?ean=9781581154610&itm=1&USRI=stage+combat+boughn&

     Here’s my facebook fan page for it: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stage-Combat/160109674012983

     Thanks! ~Jenn

107. Very gracious of you to do this, John–happy holidays to you and everyone else on Team Scalzi. Or Team Krissy, as it may be!

     I write the Lady Julia Grey books, a Victorian mystery series featuring an aristocratic sleuth and her private enquiry agent partner, Nicholas Brisbane. The latest full installment in the series, THE DARK ENQUIRY, is a NYT bestseller, and just last month I released a digital holiday novella, SILENT NIGHT.

     For readers who like to begin at the beginning, here are the first two lines of SILENT IN THE GRAVE, the first Lady Julia book: To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband’s dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching on the floor.

     In May 2013, I’ll be releasing A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS–a Kenyan novel set in 1923 with a disgraced flapper heroine who heads to Africa to forget her troubles and gets the adventure of a lifetime.

     All of my books are available at your local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Audible, and you can find me on Twitter, FB, and blogging three days a week at http://www.deannaraybourn.com/blog. Happy holidays, y’all!

108. My name is Gary Gibson and I’m the author of seven novels for Tor (UK) so far. I write space opera and high-tech futuristic thrillers, the most popular being Stealing Light and its sequels, Nova War and Empire of Light.

     In Stealing Light, only the Shoal Hegemony possess the secret of faster-than-light travel, a fact that gives them absolute control over all trade and exploration throughout the galaxy. Dakota Merrick, a former military pilot in possession of illegal machine-head implants and on the run from mobsters, grabs at the chance to ferry an exploration team to a star system containing a derelict starship. From its wreckage, her passengers hope to salvage a functioning FTL drive of mysteriously non-Shoal origin. But it soon becomes clear the Shoal are not yet ready to relinquish their monopoly over a technology they acquired through ancient genocide.

     Final Days, my sixth book, deals with the discovery of an alien network of wormholes leading billions of years into the future. When Mitchell Stone first appears to be killed by an artefact during a covert expedition into the network, only to be mysteriously resurrected, the authorities realise they’re dealing with something beyond their understanding.

     Meanwhile, a second expedition travels via the wormholes into the near future, only to discover a devastated, lifeless solar system – all except for Mitchell Stone, recovered from an experimental cryogenics facility in the ruins of a lunar city. Stone may be the only surviving witness to the coming destruction of the Earth. But why is he the only survivor – and once he’s brought back to the present, is there any way he and Saul can prevent the destruction that’s coming?

     There’s a loose sequel to Final Days as well, called The Thousand Emperors, which I happen to think is the best thing I’ve ever written. Thanks John!

109. Hello, and thank you to John for this opportunity for hawk my goodies, which sounds like a euphemism for something vile, but never mind.

     My name is Jonathan L. Howard, and I’m probably best known for the JOHANNES CABAL series. Today, however, I shall be presenting to you my newest published novel, KATYA’S WORLD.

     It’s a YA novel, the first in a series of three under the title THE RUSSALKA CHRONICLES. I shan’t run the back cover blurb past you — you can read that here, and order it, too, if the fancy takes you: http://www.robottradingcompany.com/katyas-world-jonathan-l-howard.html

     Suffice to say Charlie Higson said of it, “A really well imagined world, detailed and utterly believable, great mix of technical detail and breathless action,” Philip Reeve said, “It’s a highly effective, thought-provoking novel, and it left me looking forward to the next volume,” and any number of reviewers have said in their own ways that it kicks ass.

     Or, as I’m British, arse.

     So, if you want a science fiction novel with science in it, engaging characters, and some big, cinematic action, but without a romance inexplicably crowbarred into the plot, may I direct you to either the site above, or your particular favourite bookseller.

     KATYA’S WORLD, published by Strange Chemistry. Out now.

110. Thank you, John, for helping out your fellow authors like this!
     I currently have a YA fantasy out from Strange Chemistry called The Assassin’s Curse:

     Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.

     And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

     Tamora Pierce said that it was “unique, heart-wrenching, full of mysteries and twists!” It also received a starred review from Kirkus, who said, “Clarke’s debut harkens back to the best in fantasy/adventure, offering rock-solid worldbuilding, satisfyingly perilous obstacles and a protagonist whose charismatic ’tude goes way beyond spunk.”

     That link will take you to the book’s page on my website, which will in turn provide you with a plethora of shopping links. Thanks for reading!

111. Do you like your Urban Fantasy DARK?
     I mean no playing around, real deal, people get hurt and die dark? Where the action is nonstop, the monsters are terrifying, and love doesn’t come easy?
     Then you should be reading the Deacon Chalk series.
     Book 1 BLOOD AND BULLETS
     http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Bullets-Deacon-Chalk-ebook/dp/B005JSZPD0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1354568457&sr=8-5&keywords=james+r.+tuck

     Book 2 BLOOD AND SILVER
     http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Deacon-Occult-Bounty-Hunter/dp/0758271484/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1354568457&sr=8-4&keywords=james+r.+tuck
     Plus there are two e-novellas.

     Book 3 BLOOD AND MAGICK comes out in March!

112. Hi John,

     Thanks for opening up your blog to this. My latest novel is BULLETTIME. It’ll make a great gift, especially if you have an awkward teenage cousin or some other hard-to-shop for weirdo on your list. It’s about a school shooting; and parallel universes; and Eris, the Greek goddess of discord. Here’s a mixed-to-positive PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review of it:

     http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-92685-171-6

     You know, it’s for smarty-pants types.

113. I’ve got two books out explaining modern physics through imaginary conversations with my German Shepherd mix, Emmy: How to Teach Physics to Your Dog (which covers quantum mechanics; in the UK, it’s How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog) and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog (which ought to be self-explanatory). The key idea is that while these theories seem bizarre to humans with our many preconceptions about how the world should work, if you think like a dog, and approach the world as an endless source of wonder, the weird stuff is easier to roll with, and you can get some appreciation of the weirdest and most amazing theories in modern science.

     You can find more detailed information, blurb quotes from a wide range of authors (including a Nobel laureate!), sample chapters, and ordering links at dogphysics.com. There are also 10-12 international editions of the quantum book, if you prefer your canine physics in a language other than English; I need to put together a page showing all of them, but in the meantime, you can probably find them by searching on my name.

114. One of the creepiest settings I’ve ever experienced…DARLING is deeply unsettling, in your face horror. –Nate Kenyon, Award-winning author of SPARROW ROCK and DIABLO: THE ORDER

     My novel DARLING is now available!

     Raynham Place has been home to a number of mysterious occurrences. From its start as a battlefield through its current incarnation as an apartment complex, the grounds here have been awash in blood and instability. When two friends decide to move in to Raynham together, a wound that they share opens wide and threatens their sanity. But they’re not alone. Something is off here at Raynham, something that goes beyond the local legends of ghosts and serial killers and Black Hounds, something that gets inside of everyone who ever lives here. When a sacrifice is made, the first freely given in ages, the truth behind Raynham’s legends finally surfaces and the building fills to bursting with all the dreams of Hell…

     Check out a free preview of DARLING, as well as the book trailer and links to where you can purchase the print and ebooks, at http://www.darlingbook.com

115. GREEN LIGHT DELIVERY is a humorous sci-fi adventure inspired by the styles of Douglas Adams and Raymond Chandler. In the dirty city of Bargival on the planet Bexilla, a big, hairy lug named Webrid pushes a delivery cart for a living, just like his mother and grandpa before him. Then he gets mugged by a robot who tells him he’s “been called.” Now, with a strange green laser implanted in his skull and a small fortune deposited in his bank account, Webrid has to make the most difficult delivery of his life. He doesn’t know who his client is, or what he’s carrying, but he knows that a whole lot of very dangerous people are extremely interested in what’s in his head.

     GREEN LIGHT DELIVERY is published by Candlemark & Gleam, and you can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Light-Delivery-Anne-Johnson/dp/1936460289/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343573353&sr=1-1&keywords=green+light+delivery

116. Hi! My first novel, THREE PARTS DEAD, is available in beautiful Tor hardcover! io9’s reviewer called the book “the fantasy novel I was waiting for without ever knowing it,” so that’s cool. THREE PARTS DEAD follows Tara, a junior associate in an international necromancy firm. She’s been hired to resurrect a dead fire god, but as she investigates (with the help of a chain-smoking priest, who’s having an understandable crisis of faith), she learns the god may have been murdered. Skullduggery, calamity, and humor ensue.

     Here’s a link to buy the book! And here’s another!

117. This one’s for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation:

     Check out my brand-new Cold Equations trilogy. Set at the forefront of the books’ 24th-century, post-Nemesis literary continuity, this new trilogy is packed with epic-scale action, philosophical quandaries about the nature of artificial intelligence and whether one can synthesize a soul, and much more.

     Star Trek: The Next Generation – Cold Equations, Book I: The Persistence of Memory
                 Captain Picard and his crew on the Enterprise-E investigate a brazen heist, uncover a new threat to the safety of the Federation, and are reunited with a friend they’d thought lost forever.

     Star Trek: The Next Generation – Cold Equations, Book II: Silent Weapons
                 The Enterprise crew is targeted in a deadly game of deception. To protect a vital diplomatic mission, they must find a way to identify the spies hiding in their midst, before it’s too late.

     Star Trek: The Next Generation – Cold Equations, Book III: The Body Electric
                 At the center of our galaxy, a planet-sized Machine of terrifying power and unfathomable purpose hurls entire star systems into a supermassive black hole. To prevent a galactic cataclysm, the Enterprise crew seek help from their old friend, Wesley Crusher, now a full-fledged Traveler.

     Books One and Two (released in October and November, respectively) are currently available from most major retailers, and Book Three goes on sale Wednesday, December 26. All three books are available now via my Amazon Author Page.

118. I love weird true stories–tales they expose how strangely amazing our planet and universe are. If you (or someone you’re buying a present for) loves reading about things like about the appetites of cannibal stars, the compulsions of zombie ants, the entrance to the Maya underworld, and the secrets of the 2500-year-old brain, then NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TALES OF THE WEIRD is perfect for you.

     David Braun of National Geographic News and I edited this 500+ page reader filled with 100s of unbelievable true stories, each one stranger than the next, from vampire skulls and saber-toothed squirrels to Yoda bats and the world’s oldest mattress. The book was so much fun to edit (and it vastly improved my cocktail conversation: “Did you know that Transylvanian chickens have naked necks? True story.”)

     You can check it out here: http://amzn.com/1426209657

     Thanks for the space, john, and Happy Holidays to you!!

119. For fantasy lovers of all ages (especially fans of Narnia) look into the Legend of Gwerinatha series.

     Book 1: Branwen’s Garden

     http://www.amazon.com/Branwens-Garden-Brad-Parnell/dp/0982006764/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354574252&sr=1-1&keywords=branwen%27s+garden

     A 28 year old mystery of a missing boy leads Robert to reminisce about his journey to an other worldly dimension. With the help of of a young wolf named Louie, Robert is introduced to the wonders and perils of a strange land called Gwerinatha. There he comes of age amidst the backdrop of a feuding government, grotesque monsters, an ancient ancestor and a quest to help rescue a kidnapped girl.

     Book 2: Chaos’ Corner

     http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Gwerinatha-Chaos-Corner/dp/1613181116/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354574281&sr=1-1

     The second Legend of Gwerinatha is a fabulous twisting middle school coming of age fantasy starring a slacker who has the grow up fast to survive only to find himself caught in the crosshairs of a diabolical genocidal scheme. Action-packed yet character driven by Cameron, Seren and others, fans will relish Chaos’ Corner as the protagonist feels like Alice entering an eerie “Looking Glass” version of the Eagle’s “Hotel California”.

120. In my last novel, THE MADE-UP MAN, a woman sells her soul to the devil to be a man for the rest of her life. Was it a good move? Did she get what she expected? Does anyone really read all the small print?

     http://www.amazon.com/Made-Up-Man-Karen-Heuler/dp/1604890819/ref=la_B001K7LHJU_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354574411&sr=1-1

121. “I’ve never seen a person melt before.”

     That’s the first line of my hardcover novel, SECONDWORLD from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martins Press. And if that’s not enough to lure you in, here’s the full description:

     Lincoln Miller, an ex-Navy SEAL turned NCIS Special Agent is sent to Aquarius, the world’s only sub-oceanic research facility located off the Florida Keys, to investigate reports of ocean dumping. A week into his stay, strange red flakes descend from the surface. Scores of fish are dead and dying, poisoned by the debris that turns to powder in Miller’s fingers and tastes like blood.

     Miller heads for the surface, ready to fight whoever is polluting on his watch. But he finds nothing. No ships. No polluters.

     No oxygen.

     Instead, he finds a cloudless sky full of red particles dropping like snow and coating the ocean with a thick film that stretches to the horizon. When a dead blue whale collides with Aquarius, Miller begins a harrowing race to escape the affected area. Cut off from the rest of the world and surrounded by death, Miller makes his way to Miami where he discovers just one survivor, and the awful truth: the strange phenomenon that robbed the air of its life giving oxygen was an attack by an enemy reborn from the ashes of World War II. And they’re just getting started. Miami, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo have all been destroyed. Millions are dead.

     And if Miller can’t track down and stop those responsible in seven days, the rest of the world is next.

     At Amazon: http://amzn.to/Hk3IPc
     At B&N: http://bit.ly/UbYAvF

122. THE DEAD SHERIFF: ZOMBIE DAMNATION is the first volume of a supernatural western series, out now from Evileye Books.

     The legends say The Dead Sheriff is lawman who was murdered, along with his wife and child, only to claw his way out of the grave to avenge his family, and protect the oppressed and persecuted in the untamed and lawless west.

     The legends are wrong.

     A naive and idealistic reporter from Boston travels west, determined to write a dime novel about the mysterious Dead Sheriff, only to find reality is far more horrifying than the legend, as he discovers magic and madness, a less than faithful Indian companion, an apocalyptic nightmare and the truth about the reanimated, rotting lawman.

     Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Sheriff-Zombie-Damnation/dp/0984880011/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351367287&sr=1-1&keywords=the+dead+sheriff+zombie

     B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dead-sheriff-mark-justice/1113516901

123. By law, there are 8 insect parts allowed in every candybar

     It’s this man’s job to put them there.

     He works for every conspiracy, cult, and secret society in the world. And now one of them wants him dead. Check out the critically acknowledged noir comedy MR BLANK.

     http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/mr-blank/

124. Do you love books? Sure you do! Do you love giving books? Of course! Do you love GETTING books even more than that?

     Why, naturally, you greedy little bookworm, you.

     So it’s perfect that Candlemark & Gleam Publishing (Purveyors of Fine Fantastika) offers a free, non-DRM digital download with every paperback you buy direct from the publisher. Buy a paperback for your mom, your brother, your crazy Uncle Annabelle, your neighbour’s pet chupacabra – whoever you think will enjoy some noir space aliens, pop-culture-obsessed superheroes, poetically epic witches, gay YA space marines, or universe-travelling godlings – and keep the digital copy for yourself!

     It’s the gift that keeps on giving – to you!

     http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com

     (yes, I know this is about more than one book and I’m not the author of any of them. I’m the editor. They’re my stepchildren, not my babies. I still love them and want people to read them!)

125. Think Tank is my new graphic novel available this week published by Image Comics and Top Cow! Danger: Reading this book will make you smarter! All of the science is footnoted in the back of this fictional science thriller, so you just might learn something while hopefully being entertained.

     Dr. David Loren is many things: child prodigy, inventor, genius, slacker… mass murderer. When a military think tank’s smartest scientist decides he can no longer stomach creating weapons of destruction, will he be able to think his way out of his dilemma or find himself subject to the machinations of smaller men?

     Collecting the original series in its entirety, this trade paperback also is jam packed with a complete cover gallery, bonus articles, behind-the-scenes sketches, and more!

     You can read the first chapter for free here:
     http://issuu.com/bdisgusting/docs/thinktank01_no_ads/29

     Goodreads reviews:
     http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16176724-think-tank-vol-1

     Book Trailer:
     http://youtu.be/HmAVROoTozw

     You can order from Top Cow directly at:
     https://www.thetopcowstore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TTVOL1

     Or from Amazon:
     http://www.amazon.com/Think-Tank-TP-Matt-Hawkins/dp/1607066602/

126. Thanks for this opportunity, John!

     For the young child on your gift list, I’d like to suggest my three beautifully-illustrated (although not by me) picture books each presenting fictional, yet true-to-life adventures of young creatures native to Maine: A Loon Alone, A Cub Explores, and A Moose’s Morning. The final page includes fascinating facts about the “main(e) character” of the book. For example, did you know that the loon, although a skillful swimmer, diver, and flyer, can’t walk?

     Or are you lucky enough to have a future gardener to buy for? Then try Lighthouse Seeds, based on the true story of how lighthouse keepers managed to grow flowers on a barren rock in the late 1800’s.

     Here’s the link to their publisher, Down East Books:

     https://secure.downeast.com/books/maine/books/children-s-books/ages-4-to-8.html?p=4

127. Steve Miller here, with thanks to sharp-eyed Susan Baur for pointing out the opportunity to me as I’m in my end-this-book-RSN stage of the WIP, and to John for doing this sharing yet again. Sharon Lee and I have been writing in the same universe for quite awhile now (the silver anniversary of Agent of Change, the first Liaden Universe® novel, is coming right up) and it’s a space operatic universe with a touch of Regency Romance, lots of adventure, and some occasional whimsey and tomfoolery. Some of the books have won awards for Romance, one snagged the Hal Clement Award for YA, and altogether they’re the basis for our recent Skylark Award.

     I’m actually representing a *bunch* of Liaden Universe® books in a single post since Audible was good and kind to us and recently released fifteen Liaden novels — on the same day — in both US and UK editions. So if you’re a listening kind of reader, you can find our audiobooks at Audible US: http://www.audible.com/mt/Liaden or at Audible UK: http://www.audible.co.uk/search/ref=sr_ab_1_1_1?searchAuthor=Sharon+Lee&qid=1349985221&sr=1-1&source_code=ASRDG0019WS042012

     And hey, if you’re not sure if you’re a listening kind of reader, please, go back up to the links above — the folks at Audible have done a great job and they’ve included listening samples and excerpts — we hope you’ll give them a shot!

     Steve Miller (and for Sharon Lee)

     Sent at 6:40 PM on Monday

128. Here’s a book with heart, wrapped up in magic and adventure! For the romantic on your holiday gift list who needs a happy ending!

     CAPTURED HEART, a 16th century romance, was released in September.
     Fleeing with only her bow, horse, enormous pet wolf, and the cryptic clues hidden in her mother’s medicine journal, healer Meg Boswell gallops north toward freedom, running from the man who falsely accused her mother of witchcraft. Cursed with magical healing abilities, Meg knows that if she’s captured, she will die like her mother – atop a blazing pyre.

     Winter winds rip across the Highlands, pressing Chief Caden Macbain forward in his desperate plan to save his clan. He is not above using an innocent woman to bargain for peace if it keeps his clan from starving. But Meg isn’t who Caden thinks, and when she kills a man to save the clan, he must choose between duty and her life. For although he captured her to force a peace, Meg’s strength and courage have captured Caden’s heart.

     Reviews: “Captured Heart swept me away and made me smile!” Felicia at Goodreads

     “I don’t know if I was just in the mood for a really good historical romance or if it was the slight paranormal tinge that stole my heart BUT I loved this book. I literally read it in one night (staying up way past my bedtime).” Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

     http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Highland-Hearts-Heather-McCollum/dp/1620610574/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354581990&sr=8-2&keywords=captured+heart

129. Glad to have a chance to mention my new graphic novel, El Iluminado. It’s sort of a cross between Tintin and the Da Vinci Code, set in modern day Santa Fe and 16th century Mexico. I co-wrote the book with Ilan Stavans, a professor of Latin American literature, and we thought it would be kind of funny to make him the main character of the novel. So he shows up in Santa Fe to give a lecture, gets caught up in a mystery involving crypto-Jews and the Spanish Inquisition, and hilarity ensues – we hope. Lots more on the story, sample pages, reviews, etc. at:

     http://www.iluminadonovel.com/

130. Hi! Claudia Christian here, author of Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex & Addiction. This memoir covers my career in shows like Babylon 5, Disney’s Atlantis and Freaks and Geeks but also contains the story of my alcohol addiction, how it affected my life and how I beat it and got my life back on track. Sci-fi fans seem to be enjoying it based on the reviews and feedback I’m getting and people like Neil Gaiman, Walter Koenig, Kevin Anderson and Rebecca Moesta have offered some kinds words supporting the book. Most importantly, I hope my story will help others suffering from addiction or struggling with overcoming personal challenges. Please consider buying it as a holiday gift for yourself or for family and friends. Thanks! Claudia.

     You can learn more about the book (reviews, video, free chapters, etc…) here:
     http://www.babylonconfidential.com/

     Here’s the Amazon link, though it’s also available on B&N, IndieBound, Apple store, or from your local bookstore.
     http://www.amazon.com/Babylon-Confidential-Memoir-Love-Addiction/dp/1937856062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354574807&sr=8-1&keywords=babylon+confidential#productPromotions

131. Thank you, John! What an awesome thread. Is it bad that I want to buy these books for me, and not for other people?

     My first novel, Shade & Sorceress: The Last Days of Tian Di, is a fantasy tale for middle-grade and YA readers.

     Eliza is kidnapped by Mancers who believe she is a Sorceress. When it becomes clear she can’t do magic, she figures that will be the end of it and they’ll let her go home. But that’s just the beginning. A vast library hung with ropeways, shape-shifters, stolen books, mystical dungeons and ravenous forests, dragons and faeries, a white tiger roving through her dreams and a trove of family secrets are among the wonders and mysteries Eliza encounters in this fantasy-adventure. The story culminates in an arduous journey to the arctic and into the magical prison of an evil (but oh-so-charming) Sorceress who has plans of her own for Eliza.

     I hope it’s a fast-paced, fun adventure story, but it’s also about Love, of various kinds. ‘Cause I’m into that.

     More info on the book (and me, and blog, and links, and stuff) can be found on my website: http://www.catherineegan.com.

     Thanks and happy almost-holidays!

132. Many thanks to John for giving us all this opportunity!

     My latest novel is GETHSEMANE HALL. It’s my take on the traditional haunted house tale, and what could be better for Christmas than abyssal evil?

     Here’s the blurb:
     The skeptics think they know what’s going on at Gethsemane Hall. So do the religious. So do the spiritualists. They’re all wrong. Richard Gray, grieving over the loss of his wife and daughter, learns that his ancestral home holds the secret of what lies beyond the grave. And all of a sudden, everybody wants a piece of Gethsemane Hall.
     Louise Meacham wants in because a fellow CIA agent committed suicide there, and she has to put the ghost rumours to rest to get her career back. Anna Pertwee wants in because she’s determined to save the ghosts from the unbelievers and the debunkers. Patrick Hudson wants in because he has to save Gray’s soul.
     So Gray will let them all in, these people who think they’re coming for the truth. What they don’t know is that the truth is coming for them.

     And here is where to get it: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1459702255/?tag=dundpres-20

     Or, in the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gethsemane-Hall-David-Annandale/dp/1907777601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354588470&sr=8-1

     Thanks again, and all the best for the holidays!

133. My new novel, FOOD FOR THE GODS is an historical fantasy which riffs on the Greek myth of Tantalus (that less-than-loving father who chopped up his own son Pelops and served him to the gods for tea). In the actual myth cycle, Pelops is reconstituted by the gods and he goes on to other adventures, becoming the king of Pisa and founding the House of Atreus. But really, where’s the fun in that? In FOOD FOR THE GODS, there is no kingship for poor Pelops, no House of Atreus. Instead, he comes out of his rather unpleasant experience with a new talent for the culinary arts. So naturally, he heads for the bright lamps of Athens, culinary centre of the Classical world, to become a celebrity chef.

     FOOD FOR THE GODS is sort of like Xena meets Iron Chef. Great for all the foodies and fantasy-lovers on your gift list, it’s funny, bawdy, and best enjoyed with a warming drink and a largish snack. You can check out the first chapter under sneak peeks at http://www.karendudley.com

134. Thanks for allowing me to post about my newest middle-grade novel, PRETTIEST DOLL (Clarion, November 6, 2012) It’s about 13-year-old Olivia Jane Tatum, who has been participating in child beauty pageants since she was three. When she meets Danny Jacobson, a runaway with problems of his own, the two of them embark on a journey that will teach Liv what’s more important than being pretty.
     Here’s where you can buy PRETTIEST DOLL: http://www.amazon.com/Prettiest-Doll-Gina-Willner-Pardo/dp/0547681704
     Again, thanks so much!

135. I co-authored “The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song,” a new graphic novel which chronicles the career of the seminal country music group. Read an excerpt here:
     http://boingboing.net/2012/10/04/the-carter-family-dont-forg.html

136. If you’re looking for YA, Steampunk, A Coal fired submarine might take your fancy. Or if you lived in an alternate universe where coal is still king, (and just as dirty) and the world is flooded it might take a secret human cargo across the wild oceans.
     http://www.amazon.com/Cuttlefish-Dave-Freer/dp/1616146257/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354590490&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Cuttlefish

137. Thank you so very much for this, John!

     The Grigori Legacy series: A cop, an angel, and a world on the brink of Armageddon.

     Urban fantasy without the leather: “brilliant, awesome, and evil!”

     Books 1&2 out now: Sins of the Angels & Sins of the Son. http://www.thegrigorilegacy.com

138. Thank you for this thread, John!

     Chrysanthe, from Tor, is my eighteenth book, but only my second novel in English. It’s a big novel that Library Journal called “a sublime mix of fairy tale, political thriller, and military fantasy”. Jo Walton at Tor.com gave it a long and perceptive review, in which she points out: “Fantasy as a genre has a narrow center and lots of room at the edges for people doing things that are different. This is definitely different.” So be warned that this is a book on the margins of the genre, aimed at people who’ve read a lot of it and want something that doesn’t quite follow the usual formula. It’s definitely not a YA book.

     http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2012/03/books/genre-fiction/sf-fantasy/sffantasy/
     http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/03/the-highest-of-fantasy-yves-meynards-chrysanthe

139. John, thank you for this opportunity.

     I would like to present The Thirteenth Child by David Dean (which I edited and published through Genius Book Publishing).

     The Snow Boy is a phantom to be greatly feared—when he is known to be in the area, a child is sure to vanish.

     Police Chief Nick Catesby is haunted by the unsolved disappearance of a young boy from his small, peaceful New Jersey town seven years before. The nightmare begins anew when a little girl goes missing, followed quickly by two teenaged boys. Nick has only one suspect, disgraced professor and town drunk Preston Howard, whose arrogance has left him with nothing more than his pride, a sea of whiskey, and his only daughter, with whom Nick is falling in love. Preston insists that he is not a suspect but a witness to a strange and terrifying boy who only appears between dusk and dawn. Nick regards the story as the rantings of an alcoholic, but sightings of the boy lead to a trail of missing and murdered children going back three centuries, Nick and Preston are plunged into a race to save the children of Wessex Township—and the woman they both love.

     http://www.amazon.com/The-Thirteenth-Child-David-Dean/dp/0615709605

     Thank you.

140. Democracy Despite Itself, attempts to reconcile a fundamental paradox of democracy:

     1) Voters are typically uninformed and irrational in their voting, politicians
     aren’t particularly adept at understanding or implementing the will of their
     constituents, and elections are inherently biased.

     but

     2) The governments chosen by those flawed voters, in those flawed elections,
     and consisting of those flawed politicians consistently lead to better outcomes
     for their citizens than governments chosen any other way.

     Want to know why? Buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Despite-Itself-System-Shouldnt/dp/0262017237

     Democracy Despite Itself explains the psychology of democracy, and will make you rethink how democratic countries actually function.

141. John, thanks for the holiday pimpage!

     My debut novel THUNDER ROAD released in September from Ravenstone Books.

     Here’s the blurb:

     In a flash, Ted Callan’s world exploded. Now he’s on the road looking for a fresh start. What he finds is a mysterious young woman named Tilda who tells him he’s destined for more than an ordinary life. When three stout men assault Ted in his hotel room, ordinary starts to look very appealing. The next thing he knows, his body is covered in an elaborate Norse tattoo, complete with the power of the Gods.

     Accompanied by the trickster Loki and the beguiling Tilda, Ted wants nothing more than to have his old life back. No more tattoos. No more mystic powers. No more smart-ass Gods. The problem is, if he succeeds, it might just be the end of the world.

     You can find it here: http://www.amazon.ca/Thunder-Road-Chadwick-Ginther/dp/0888014007/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1354596213&sr=8-3
     And read the prologue here: http://chadwickginther.com/exerpts/

142. Hi John, thanks for the opportunity here.

     My novel, Major Karnage (http://www.chizinepub.com/books/major-karnage.php), is what would have happened if Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Harry Harrison had collaborated on a book that was destined to become a star vehicle for Bruce Campbell.

     It’s a “guilty pleasure” kind of read that your book-hating friends will love and your book-loving friends will also love, though they’ll hate themselves for it all the while.

     It’s available in bookstores and the usual online retailers (details on the publisher’s page). But if you buy the paperback from ChiZine Publications directly, they’ll bundle in the ebook for free and knock 30 per cent off the cover price. (Because they’re swell folks, and that’s just how they roll.)

     It’s also available as an audiobook from the fine folks at Audible. (You’ll find a link to it on the publisher’s site.)

143. Thanks, John!

     My YA thriller NERVE is about an online game of truth or dare, without the truth part.

     “[R]eaders will find themselves flipping madly to the very last page.” Kirkus Reviews

     “Ryan questions the nature of entertainment and explores the concept of privacy in a world of increasingly sophisticated social media. Teens will find themselves drawn in by the story’s possibilities, and unNERVEd by its outcome. Give this to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games fans.” School Library Journal

     Summary: When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it’s exhilarating–Vee and Ian’s fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn. Suddenly they’re playing all or nothing, and the prize may be their lives.

     You can learn more at http://www.jeanneryan.com Thanks!

144. Coming in a bit late (I could blame the time difference, but that wouldn’t be entirely true).

     I’m a British SF author of far future space opera and intrigue. For those who’ve not come across my work, you can get yourself a taster this festive season in the form of Downside Girls, a short collection of linked stories from my universe.

     I’ll be back in the hallowed halls of Whatever in the new year, when Mr S has been kind enough to let me have me a Big Idea slot for Queen of Nowhere, the next novel in my Hidden Empire series.

     You can pick up a copy of Downside Girls on you-know-where: http://www.amazon.com/Downside-Girls-Jaine-Fenn/dp/1909016179/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354607084&sr=8-2&keywords=Jaine+Fenn, where it’s also available as an e-book.

145. Thanks for the thoughtful opportunity, John! Hopefully squeaking in just under the wire:

     The first two books of my epic fantasy trilogy, THE HOUSE OF ARKHANGEL’SK, are available now from Entangled Publishing: THE FALLEN QUEEN and THE MIDNIGHT COURT. A dark retelling of THE SNOW QUEEN, war in Heaven, and the last days of Imperial Russia are blended with a modern, urban twist, and an unlikely pair of heroes: a leather daddy demon and his “boy” tasked with saving the last grand duchess of the supernal House of Arkhangel’sk.

     Alethea Kontis, New York Times bestselling author of ENCHANTED, calls THE FALLEN QUEEN “a romantic, mature, and lyrical collage of heaven, hell, and a magical royal legend. The combination is divinely—and demonically—inspired.”

     Both books are available in print and ebook and can be purchased everywhere books are sold online; THE MIDNIGHT COURT can also be found at select Barnes & Noble brick-and-mortar stores. Buy links and excerpts are available on my website: http://www.janekindred.com/books/

146. Great idea, John, and just in time for my latest release!
      
     “With a twisting plot, endearing characters, fast-paced action, and truly unique and alien “fey”, Lyle steps up and gives notice to the genre.”
      
     That’s what Douglas Hulick (author of “Among Thieves”) said about my debut novel THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS when it came out earlier this year, and I’m not about to argue with him – he’s a big guy who knows how to use a sword. A bit like my Elizabethan hero, Mal Catlyn, who finds himself out of his depth when he’s assigned as bodyguard to an ambassador from the New World.
      
     In two weeks’ time the sequel, THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS comes out, in which you can follow Mal and his friends to the beautiful, treacherous city of Venice. Expect more swashbuckling, intrigue and romance – and a guest appearance by one Sir Walter Raleigh…
      
     Both are available in paperback, ebook and audiobook from all good retailers, and you can read three sample chapters for free! http://www.annelyle.com/nightsmasque/the-books/the-alchemist-of-souls/
      
     You can also read about the inspiration behind the series on The Big Idea: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/03/27/the-big-idea-anne-lyle/

147. Robots! AI! Cyborgs! Mystery, murder and mayhem! Like those? Love Richards & Klein, my 22nd Century crime fighting duo – a mastermind emancipated AI and an German cyborg ex-soldier who, er, fight crime in the 22nd century! See them bicker, see them drink, see them fight robots, see them save the Earth! Expect awesome world building, and a light dosing of quippage. (Don’t just take my horribly unimpartial word for it, check out the Amazon reviews, people can be so nice). Interested? Please be. You can read their adventures in Reality 36 and Omega Point from Angry Robot.

     Want something a little different? A touch of melancholy and transhuman romance? Why good gentlefolks, try Champion of Mars, a multi-millennial love story that charts the decline and fall of human civilisation on the Red Planet. Rammed full of spectacular imagery inspired by the works Edgar Rice Burroughs, it’s out from Solaris.

     For free stories, more books, a ton of reviews, interviews and sundry other articles of diverse type and tone, plus a little bit about little old me, head over to http://guyhaley.wordpress.com

     Many thanks to Mr Scalzi, what a gentleman for providing us with this fine soapbox to stand upon.

148. Thanks, John!

     In Australia (where I’m from) Christmas is all Summery and hot, and the second book of my DEATH WORKS trilogy is set in December, and is kind of Christmassy despite all the death, and the heat and coming apocalypses and what not. You can get them all three novels in one volume through Orbit books it’s called THE BUSINESS OF DEATH and it’s nine hundred pages of the Grim Reaper in Australia with a little bit of Lovecraftian goodness stirred in. You have to read it in an Australian accent (well, not really, but I always imagine Hugh Jackman reading it). It’s over at Amazon and so on.
     *
     The second series is called the NIGHTBOUND LAND DUOLOGY and it’s sort of steampunk, but a bit sweatier. It’s sort of about global warming, and monsters and the end of the world. There’s great monsters, terrible villains, and heroes that aren’t all that heroic but may be what we would all be like if we were in that situation (or is it just me). Oh, and there’s a living airship called the Roslyn Dawn – I named it after my mother. It’s put out through Angry Robot books, both books are out in the duology so you can get a nice sense of closure.
     *
     ROIL, part one of the Nightbound Land, can be bought here DRM free http://www.robottradingcompany.com/roil-trent-jamieson.html
     *
     NIGHT’S ENGINES can be bought here http://www.robottradingcompany.com/nights-engines-trent-jamieson.html
     *
     My website is http://www.trentjamieson.com

     (I do a lot of Youtube videos featuring singing pies – it’s a thing.)

149. Thanks kindly, John, for the thread!

     This year saw the release of books one and two of my Collector series, which recasts the battle between heaven and hell as Golden Era crime pulp: DEAD HARVEST and THE WRONG GOODBYE. Locus called DEAD HARVEST “…a very promising first novel.” Library Journal recommended my series to fans of Jim Butcher, Tanya Huff, and Larry Correia. And the Los Angeles Review of Books said, “The only thing crazier than Holm’s vision is the fact that he actually pulls it off.” Very nice of ’em on all counts, says I.

     They’re available worldwide as ebooks, print books, and audio books (the latter read by Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe!) If you’d like to learn more, feel free to pop by my website or my author page at Angry Robot Books:

     http://www.chrisfholm.com
     http://angryrobotbooks.com/our-authors/chris-f-holm/

     Thanks, and have a very merry whatever…

150. Come to the SHADOWLANDS. Psychic Valory Martin finds out what the real relationship is between humans and the Fae. If you enjoyed my first novel in this series, The Mirror Prince, you’re to enjoy this follow-up.
     My books are published by the wonderful people over at DAW Bookss, and are available everywhere, online, and as e-books.
     Here’s my website: http://www.violettemalan.com

151. This is mighty kind of you, Herr Doktor. A round of applause for the Mighty Scalzi!

     Hi, Comment Section! I’m Chuck Wendig.

     I wrote a couple books featuring the cantankerous human-cup-of-vinegar, Miriam Black, a young woman who can see how people are going to die just by touching them. It’s a fate-versus-free-will story — will Miriam triumph over the reaper’s hand?

     These books, BLACKBIRDS and the follow-up, MOCKINGBIRD, are out now with Angry Robot. Are they urban fantasy? Maybe. Horror? Maybe. Noir? Maybe. Science-fiction? Not at all.

     I’ll link to the book trailer, which is also a piece of Miriam Black micro-fiction, animated:

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcR1B-48lK4

     Thanks again for the opportunity and for checking ’em out.

     May your holiday be filled with the liquor and pie of your choice.

152. My name is Saundra Mitchell, and I write historical YA with a twist. My latest book is THE SPRINGSWEET. Think Lonesome Dove meets magic. Or Hattie Big Sky with magic. Or insert your favorite Western– with magic!

     You can find out more about it here: http://elementals.saundramitchell.com/the-springsweet/the-details

     Happy holidays, and thank you for the opportunity!

153. Thanks so much, John!

     My name is Jackie Kessler, and I write urban fantasy, superhero fiction and paranormal romance. If you like sex, strippers and demons, check out my Hell on Earth series. If you’re into superheroes — or the supervillains who pound those heroes into pudding — read The Icarus Project duology I coauthored with Caitlin Kittredge. And if you like issue-oriented YA with a supernatural twist, read the Riders of the Apocalypse series, written under my sorta-pseudonym Jackie Morse Kessler. For more information, please visit my website: http://www.jackiekessler.com

154. Thanks, John, for this opportunity.

     My novel is Like Mayfies in a Stream, a feminist riff on the world’s first spec fic work, the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” My twist: The novel is told mostly from the viewpoint of the priestess sent to the wilderness to tame the wild man Enkidu.

     It’s fast-paced and has been lauded for its worldbuilding.

     Great news if you act this week: The Kindle and Nook ebook versions are on sale for 99¢. (The book is also available as a trade paperback and as a hardcover.) For blurbs, a summary, and links to buy at the publisher’s site, at Amazon.com, and at Barnes & Noble online, please visit http://www.hadleyrillebooks.com/mayflies.html.

     Thanks for looking!

     Best wishes for a great holiday season to everyone.

155. Hey! The name on the book is E.S. but call me Eric. I write urban fantasy with a bit of a horror/action twist. Kat Redding is a vampire who hunts others of her kind with swords and guns and lots of leather. Her life has always been complicated, but when the Luna Cult comes along asking for help, things only get crazier!

     You can find out more information on the series, including a few buy links at my website. http://esmoore.net/blog/books/

156. At Tu Books, we have a number of books you might want to try for yourself or the teens in your life, but our most recent are Diverse Energies, the dystopian anthology which Joe Monti just discussed in the Big Idea, and Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, a Mexican American magical realism retelling of The Odyssey which was just listed on SLJ’s Best Books of 2012 and received a starred review from them. All our books are available as e-books in all the major platforms. Links to where to buy the book online are on our site, or just go to your local bookstore.

157. My novel House of Cards went live October 15, 2012. It’s my first attempt at self-publishing (my other works are published with electronic publishers)
     This novel is a romantic suspense and you can pick it up here::http://tinyurl.com/d2trlkd for $3.99

     Blurb:
     A frantic phone call from her estranged sister sends Jesse Peña rushing home to Brownsville, Texas, only to find that Alicia –seven months pregnant– has vanished. Jesse is convinced her brother-in-law, Marcus Vega, is a killer but getting the police to listen isn’t easy, especially when Marcus announces that Jesse and her sister are borderline schizophrenic.
     Detective Michael Cisneros is reluctant to believe Jesse’s allegation. After all, Marcus Vega is a prominent citizen with a tight alibi, and this isn’t the first time she’s charged him with murder. When Michael is accused of allowing a personal relationship with her to cloud his judgment, he is forced to accept what Jesse cannot–Marcus Vega is innocent. Jesse’s refusal to give up will risk more than her life, it will test her sanity as well.

     Thank you.

158. Thanks, Scalzi!

     My latest traditionally published book is Carpathia, published by Angry Robot Books. The concept is all in the title, which is both the name of the ship that rescued the victims of the Titanic and that of the Transylvanian mountain range in which sits Castle Dracula. When the great ship goes down, the survivors discover that their rescuers are far more dangerous than the icy waters of the Atlantic.

     It’s available both in print and as an audiobook.

     Happy holidays and good reading to you all!

159. Cheers John, thanks for the opportunity (and a big “hello” to the authors and writers on here, some of whom I know and many others whom I don’t…)

     I’m non-fiction author Brian J. Robb and any of my three books published this year would make great gifts for the geek in your life.
     First up is STEAMPUNK: The Illustrated History, acclaimed by SFX Magazine, with 4.5 out of 5 stars: “As an introduction to the genre this book is highly recommended.”
     http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steampunk-Victorian-Visionaries-Scientific-Fantastic/dp/1781310262/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353586635&sr=1-1

     Next, I’ve have histories of both STAR TREK and STAR WARS, published this year in the BRIEF GUIDE series:
     http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Brief-Guide-Star-Trek/dp/1849015147/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1354638690&sr=8-4
     http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-Guide-Star-Wars-Inside/dp/1780333994/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354638807&sr=1-11
     These are Amazon UK links, but the books are also on Amazon US.

160. What a wonderful idea!!!

     I’m Ednah Walters, the author of the Guardian Legacy series, a series about teen demons hunters and the seniors who train them:

     The Guardians: They live among us, look like us and battle demons between classes. They are the human’s last defense against total annihilation. BETRAYED (book #1) continues where AWAKENED left as it follows the love story between Lil and Bran, and the exploits of her teen Guardian friends.

     http://www.amazon.com/Betrayed-Guardian-Legacy-ebook/dp/B00870FCC6/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2
     http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betrayed-ednah-walters/1100079599?ean=2940014355230

161. Thanks for the opportunity to post this information, John. Much appreciated, sir. Each of these are available at multiple places so I’ll just put the publisher’s link to keep the list short. I have a full list of links at http://www.bobbynash.com.

     Some traditionally published books featuring my work available now-
     Green Hornet Casefiles: http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=884
     Green Hornet Still at Large: http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=989
     Domino Lady: Sex as a Weapon: http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=103

     Audio-
     Nightbeat: Night Stories: http://www.radioarchives.com/Nightbeat_Audiobook_Night_Stories_p/ra420.htm

     Thanks again.

     Bobby
     http://www.bobbynash.com

162. John, Thanks for the opportunity to share my books with your readers.

     Do you love video games, ever wanted to make one of your own or know someone who does?
     Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design helps you take your great idea and turn it into a video game design. Level Up! is accessible to all ages and levels of experience, features tons of original illustrations and even has a kick-butt chili recipe!

     Swipe This! The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design is a companion to Level Up! that focuses specifically on games for mobile devices. Whether you’ve designed the next Angry Birds or want to learn more about touchscreen gaming, Swipe This! features tons of practical advice, hints and tips as well as lots of fun illustrations. It’s great for anyone who loves games.

     Both titles are published by Wiley and Sons and are available in all formats from paper to e-reader where ever books are sold.

     Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design: http://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-Guide-Great-Design/dp/047068867X

     Swipe This! The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design: http://www.amazon.com/Swipe-This-Guide-Touchscreen-Design/dp/1119966965

     Thanks again!
     Scott
     http://www.mrbossdesign.com

163. Jump/Drive by me, Rich Griffith available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009LBNY1Q is on kindle and paperback versions.

     It’s a YA (Young Adult) Adventure story in which a trio of teens (all boys) try and solve a mystery (Sort of a big ‘the mall fell into a giant hole in the ground’ type mystery.) and they talk, at night, about past sexual abuse and work through that as friends who’ve got different takes on what happened and why.

     It’s been well received by friends & strangers alike.

164. John, thanks for letting me promote my new trade paperback, Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984, which is available here:

     http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Home-Video-Games-1972-1984/dp/0786469382/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341094991&sr=1-4&keywords=classic+home+video+games

     The book covers video games of the 1970s and early 1980s–every official United States release for programmable home game consoles of the pre-Nintendo NES era. Included are the following systems: Adventure Vision, APF MP1000, Arcadia 2001, Astrocade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Fairchild Channel F, Intellivision, Microvision, Odyssey, Odyssey2, RCA Studio II, Telstar Arcade, and Vectrex.

     Review excerpts for Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984:

     “A labor of love…comprehensive…recommended–Library Journal

     “Thoroughly researched”–Game Informer

     “A must-read…both fun and informative, a highly recommended purchase.” –Video Game Collector

     “Weiss’s deep familiarity with his chosen subject matter is an asset of the text, and as a writer he conveys information clearly and without pretension…Weiss’s reviews of obscure games make the book a treasure…impressive and fun book…valuable…the breadth of coverage here is astounding…a fun read and a nostalgic trip supreme…undeniably smart, historically valuable and wide-ranging in coverage.”–GameCulture Journal

165. Thanks John!!

     Any rock and roll fans out there! If so, please check out my graphic novel published by (Animal Media Group LLC) titled “The Stereotypical Freaks”

     Its about4 disparate high school students who form a band to compete in their school’s Battle of the Bands and at its heart it is about friendship, sharing a common love of music and dealing with loss. Its recd rave reviews (over 30) from bloggers and reviewers such as Jessie Potts of the USA Today. Check it out on Amazon here in both paper and e-book versions:

     http://www.amazon.com/The-Stereotypical-Freaks-Howard-Shapiro/dp/0578112175/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_3

     http://www.amazon.com/The-Stereotypical-Freaks-ebook/dp/B00A8KGAQK/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_2

     Email me for more info – hockeyplayer4life@gmail.com

     Howard Shapiro
     http://www.howardshapiro.net

166. Do you like The Princess Bride? The Indiana Jones movies (not including the fourth one)?

     Check out the adventure-comedy DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE — the first in a trilogy, one of Amazon’s Best Middle Grade Books of 2012…and adults love it as much as the 12-year-olds it’s marketed to! Link and jacket copy follow:

     http://www.amazon.com/Deadweather-Sunrise-Chronicles-Egg-Book/dp/0399257853/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322909449&sr=8-1

     It’s tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody’s trying to kill you.

     Not that Egg’s life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.

     But when Egg’s father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.

     Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.

     Suddenly, Egg’s running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he’s been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.

     Come along for the ride. You’ll be glad you did.

     (Thanks for providing the space for a plug, Scalzi! I discovered you via REDSHIRTS and have become a big fan of both books and blog…)

167. My short story collection, HAIR SIDE, FLESH SIDE, would make the perfect gift for the underemployed English major! Available from all major retailers including Amazon and B&N.

     “A child receives the body of Saint Lucia of Syracuse for her seventh birthday. A rebelling angel rewrites the Book of Judgement to protect the woman he loves. A young woman discovers the lost manuscript of Jane Austen written on the inside of her skin. A 747 populated by a dying pantheon makes the extraordinary journey to the beginning of the universe.

     Lyrical and tender, quirky and cutting. Helen Marshall’s exceptional debut collection weaves the fantastic and the horrific alongside the touchingly human in fifteen modern parables about history, memory and the cost of creating art.”

     “Stories subtle and unsettling: Helen Marshall clothes the uncanny in new flesh and then makes it bleed.” —Kelly Link, author of Pretty Monsters and Stranger Things Happen

168. Fun, Educational CHILDREN’S BOOKS titled “Search for the Hidden Clover”. Have adventures around the world finding 4-leaf clovers, meeting interesting animals, playing seek and find games, and learning scientific facts. Written in rhyme and great to grow with, for AGES 2-11.

     Found at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=julia+heckathorn as well as Barnes and Noble, and The Hidden Clover Website https://www.searchforthehiddenclover.com/store.htm

     All proceeds go to support our Hidden Clover lead Conservation effort to save the Critically endangered Pygmy Sloths of Escudo Island, Panama. https://www.searchforthehiddenclover.com/video.asp?ID=12

     Thanks for your support!
     Julia Heckathorn

169. My name is Jesse Bullington, and I’m the author of sundry fictions–a couple of historical/fantasy/horror/adventure/pulp/literary/who-the-hell-even-knows novels and a mess of short stories. My newest is also my third book through Orbit, titled The Folly of the World

     Folly is set shortly after a devastating flood struck 15th century Holland, and concerns the plot of three disparate confederates to con their way into the fortune of a noble family who drowned in the deluge. It’s a kinky medieval crime thriller with a vein of dark humor and spatterings of weird, Gothic elements that can be read as fantastical or not, depending on the reader’s interpretation. I flatter myself by imagining it kinda plays out like Werner Herzog, David Lynch, and the Coen Brothers teaming up to adapt a film from a Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting.

     Thanks, John!

170. Award-winning author Andrew Salmon here. Submitted for your consideration is my sci-fi detective novel. The year is 2049. Do you dare enter THE DARK LAND…

     The novel is available everywhere but is currently on sale at amazon.Thanks for looking! And Happy Holidays!

     http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Land-Andrew-Salmon/dp/1934935905/ref=la_B002NS5KR0_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354649921&sr=1-17

171. My name is James Clark and I have written a children’s book that comes with a 12-song music CD for the whole family. If you’re looking for a holiday gift for someone with kids, this might be a good choice.

     THE JUMPING FLEA CIRCUS is a new children’s storybook filled with joy, daring, and acrobatic bugs! Now arriving is a circus train filled with little insect performers with big talent, plus a soundtrack to accompany the show. Acrobatic fleas, dancing ladybugs, daredevil grasshoppers and musical beetles travel the world to entertain children and inspire dreams. THE JUMPING FLEA CIRCUS is a kids’ picture book about a little circus filled with big heart, written by James Clark (co-writer of “The Guns of Shadow Valley” webcomic) and illustrated by Patrick Scullin (creator of the “Super Siblings” webcomic).

     The book is available from Amazon, but if you want it in time for the holidays you’re better off ordering direct from me here: http://music.ukulelejim.net/merch/the-jumping-flea-circus-storybook-compact-disc-digital-album

     Thanks for looking!

     (And thank you, John, for the opportunity.)

172. THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!
     I hope you’ll enjoy my new original Thunderbirds™ novel, Arctic Adventure! from FTL Publications, based on the classic Supermarionation television series produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

     Brains is the genius behind International Rescue’s technology. Besides designing and upgrading all of their equipment, he constantly develops and tests new products and processes, sometimes in partnership with outside interests. Eager to try out a new stealth system of his invention, Brains teams up with Humboldt Aviation to install his system on their new aircraft, the V-17. On the first test flight, the V-17 is shot down over the arctic by agents of the outlaw state of Reznia. With the aircraft shattered and partly buried in the ice, Brains and the V-17 s pilot are injured and unable to free themselves. Although Brains is able to contact International Rescue for recovery, the Reznians are also converging on the crash site in order to claim the wreckage for their research. Can the rest of International Rescue find and retrieve Brains and the V-17 pilot before the Reznians can capture them and the crashed plane?

     It’s available now from Amazon:
     http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982523254
     Happy Holidays!

173. I wrote a book called Matchbox Girls! It’s about angels and monsters! And also about crippling anxiety and cute kids and figuring out who you are. People who have read it seem to really like it, sometimes despite themselves. “I was so afraid I’d hate this but it’s really good!” — MULTIPLE people. So if you know anybody who enjoys stories about angels and nephilim, and maybe won’t mind the fact that it’s not a romance (it’s not a romance! Non-romantic contemporary fantasy!), please check it out!

     Matchbox Girls:
     http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/matchbox-girls/

174. Hi All,
     Thanks for this post John.
     Third Place Press has published the revised versions of ON THE OVER GROWN PATH and THE LUMINOUS DEPTHS by David Herter (originally published in the UK by PS Publishing). We’re hoping to publish the third book in the trilogy ONE WHO DISAPPEARED, in early 2013. Cheers!

     ON THE OVERGROWN PATH:
     EN ROUTE FROM BRATISLAVA TO PRAGUE in the deceptive spring of the 1920s, Leoš Janáček, famed opera composer, ethnographer, and amateur psychologist, is stranded in an obscure and enigmatic mountain village, lured from his train by a song of blood. Here, Janáček must become a detective far from home. Attempting to solve a bizarre murder in which he himself is suspect — and whose perpetrator might be a wild animal, a jealous lover, or Nature unhinged — he brings to bear his singular skills of observation and poetic insight, and most importantly, his belief in the truthfulness of the “little melodies” heard in everyday life: the cry of a bird, the plash of snow from the eaves, the horrendous lie voiced with a smile. What he uncovers is a many-stranded aria of ravenous Nature and mischievous Time, threatening to consume his world.
     Newly revised and expanded, On the Overgrown Path inaugurates David Herter’s First Republic trilogy, an epic tale of death and rebirth set in the hinterlands of Europe between the World Wars, featuring a group of real-life artists who clash with the clockwork of Time.

     THE LUMINOUS DEPTHS:
     BRNO, CZECHOSLOVAK REPUBLIC, 1931. Eight years before the Nazi invasions …
     At the Theater on the Ramparts, a performance of the world-famous Robot play R.U.R is in rehearsal, attended grudgingly by its author, Karel Čapek. A former master of science fiction, Čapek now devotes himself to the here-and-now, writing small works vital to his beloved Republic. He finds little real pleasure in the proceedings but for the contributions of his brother Josef, a renowned avant-garde artist, and Pavel Haas, a disciple of the late eccentric composer, Maestro Leoš Janáček.

     Yet in the midnight streets of the city, Haas has found a luminous enigma; or rather, it has found him, floating down out of the starry sky. Once activated it carries Haas, as well as the Brothers Čapek, the actors, robots and musicians, into a nightmarish world of Occupation, of immense devastation and fecund marvels, of dire transport East, setting in motion a terrifying siege and a phantasmagorical night journey leading from the Theater on the Ramparts to the lonely and now-forgotten cottage of Leoš Janáček.

     Newly revised, The Luminous Depths is the second volume in the First Republic trilogy, an epic tale of death and rebirth set in the hinterlands of Europe between the World Wars, featuring a group of real-life artists who clash with the clockwork of Time.

     Available from Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/david-herter

     or directly:
     http://www.thirdplacebooks.com/overgrown-path-david-herter-first-republic-trilogy-book-1
     http://www.thirdplacebooks.com/luminous-depths-david-herter-first-republic-trilogy-book-2

175. Tired of waiting for the next James Bond novel? Looking for an American government agent to show we can still handle our business? Order or download your copy of my debut thriller, DEATH DEALT THE HAND, and meet Trevor Byrne.

     When a start-up genetics lab is approved to test on human subjects, Agent Byrne discovers a plot with worldwide implications. Plenty of death, sprinkled with a dash of destruction.

     Available in paperback, e-book, and an incredible audiobook, brought to life by James Conlan. http://www.amazon.com/Death-Dealt-Hand-John-Bailor/dp/0979573890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354660399&sr=8-1&keywords=death+dealt+the+hand

176. I’ll keep the sales pitch to a minimum. Here’s my book of pin-up girl art, entitled Hey, Ladies!

     http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/1076588

177. I’ll keep this simple. If you like YA fantasy, urban fantasy, or sci-fi, please check out my list of works. They’re available at Barnes and Noble as well as Smashwords too.

     amazon.com/J.F.-Jenkins/e/B004P3HB6O/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_3

178. The First Civilization’s Legacy Series, beginning with Flank Hawk, followed up by its sequel Blood Sword. Genre: Post Apocalyptic Fantasy released through Gryphonwood Press.

     Flank Hawk: What happens when fire-breathing dragons battle Stukas for aerial supremacy over a battlefield? Can an earth wizard’s magic defeat a panzer? Krish, a farmhand turned mercenary, witnesses this and much more as he confronts the Necromancer King’s new war machines resurrected from before the First Civilization’s fall. Worse yet, a wounded prince tasks Krish to find the fabled Colonel of the West and barter the royal family’s malevolent Blood Sword for a weapon to thwart the Necromancer King’s victory.

     Flank Hawk is set in the distant future where magic exists and brutish ogres are more than a child’s nightmare.

     Blood Sword as described by David Forbes: “Blood Sword continues the adventures started in Flank Hawk, in which Ervin created a unique and detailed post apocalyptic world where magic works but ancient technologies from the First Civilization–our world–still exist. You’ll cheer as they face off against griffins, fallen angels, gargoyles, and worse, in a fun, engaging adventure filled with wall to wall action.”
     — David Forbes, author of the Osserian Saga

     Follow this link for more information and direct links to where they’re available (Print, ebook and audio): http://ervin-author.com/flankhawkmainpage.htm

179. RealmShift – A race against time and the devil.

     Isiah is having a tough time. The Devil is making his job very difficult.

     Samuel Harrigan is a murdering lowlife. He used ancient blood magic to escape a deal with the Devil and now he’s on the trail of a crystal skull that he believes will complete his efforts to evade Lucifer. But Lucifer wants Samuel’s soul for eternity and refuses to wait a second longer for it. Isiah needs Samuel to keep looking for the crystal skull, so he has to protect Sam and keep the Devil at bay. Not for Samuel’s sake, but for all of humanity.

     Print and ebook at Amazon – or anywhere else you prefer to shop.

     And the sequel:

     MageSign – Believe in the blood.

     Three years have passed since Isiah’s run in with Samuel Harrigan and the Devil. He has some time on his hands – a perfect opportunity to track down the evil Sorcerer, Harrigan’s mentor. It should have been a simple enough task, but the Sorcerer has more followers than Isiah ever imagined, and a plan bigger than anyone could have dreamed.

     With the help of some powerful new friends Isiah desperately tries to track down the Sorcerer and his cult of blood before they manage to change the world forever.

     Also in print and ebook at Amazon – or anywhere else you prefer to shop.

180. A BOTTLE OF STORM CLOUDS

     Award-winning author Eliza Victoria mixes magic with the mundane in this special concoction of 16 short stories. A girl meets a young man with the legs of a chicken. A boy is employed by a goddess running a pawnshop. A group of teenagers are trapped in an enchanted forest for 900 days. A man finds himself in an MRT station beyond Taft, a station that was not supposed to exist. A student claims to have seen the last few digits of pi. Someone’s sister gets abducted by mermaids.

     Includes stories that have appeared in the critically acclaimed anthologies Philippine Speculative Fiction and Alternative Alamat, and stories that have won prizes in the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards and the Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Literary Contest.

     Available in the Philippines. Contact the publisher for deliveries and other queries: https://www.facebook.com/Visprint

     Thanks! <3

181. A perfect gift for mystery lovers is Stalking Season, the second book in the Seasons Series that debuted with Open Season.Publishers Weekly gave Stalking Season a starred review – ““ . . . gripping second mystery featuring Dallas, Tex., police detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson. . . . The relationship between the women is just as absorbing as the search for the killer. Few readers will anticipate the closing twist.”
     http://www.amazon.com/Stalking-Season-Five-Star-Mystery/dp/1432825984/

182. People with an interest in hard SF or YA might like to look at my attempt to introduce the hard stuff to the youths, LOSERS IN SPACE. Sort of a modern reality-show cast thrust into a Heinlein juvenile plot, with short articles about the real science (and not the real housewives) stuck into it, which readers seem to have found to be the best part, a deal breaker, insulting, fascinating, confusing, irrelevant, essential, and too elementary. (Not all readers had all those comments).
     http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670061565
     http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/losers-in-space-john-barnes/1103629280
     http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780670061563-1

183. Hi John :) Thanks for this opportunity (and for letting people post late). It’s much appreciated especially just before the holidays.

     So I’m Charles O’Keefe and this year I finally put out my first novel. It’s a vampire/horror/paranormal one where I couldn’t resist basing the main character on myself. I also tried very to make this a different take on the genre, my vampires certainly don’t sparkle :) Here’s a brief description:

     Like every other geek alive, Newfoundland native Joseph O’Reily secretly wants to be a superhero. At thirteen he fantasized about being a vampire, and ten years later he’s still fantasizing – but mostly about a beautiful redheaded woman who has eyes only for him. The one thing different about Joseph’s adult fantasy is that, amazingly, it comes true one night when he goes to a local university pub. Cassandra Snow, literally the woman of his dreams, invites him to her place for an evening of personal pleasure. Of course he’s not going to say no. But when strange things start happening afterward, Joseph quickly learns that not all dreams should come true.

     If this tickles your fancy all the links to buy it can be found on my website: http://www.charlesokeefe.com
     It is available in print as an ebook, also it is free for Amazon Prime members. I am also always happy to make arrangements to get you a signed copy. I should say my book does contain sex, violence and mature themes, if you’re giving this to someone I would recommend ages 17+. Thanks for reading this and have a great holiday season =)

     Charles

184. My sister Loretta Jackson and I have two new books out from Thomas & Mercer. Whispers of the Stones and Stealer of Horses are both mysteries set in Wyoming. They are available in paperback and on Kindle, and reasonably priced for Christmas.
     http://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Stones-High-Country-Mystery/dp/0803474741
     http://www.amazon.com/Stealer-Horses-High-Country-3/dp/1612186688

185. GOODBYE TO ALL THAT explores the ultimate women’s fantasy: walking away. No more taking care of everyone else, putting everyone else’s needs first, cleaning up after everyone else. Ruth Bendel has had enough of scrubbing her husband’s beard trimmings out of the sink. She loves him, but she wants her own place and her own life. Funny and poignant women’s fiction. “Simply one of the best books of the year. A must-read!” NY Times bestselling author Jill Barnett.
     Amazon: http://amzn.com/1611940931
     B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/goodbye-to-all-that-judith-arnold/1109825141?ean=9781611940930

186. Craving and its sequels
     The One We Feed and A Handful of Seeds were purchased by JournalStone, a small press focused on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Craving is now available on their website, Amazon, iTunes, and lots of other sites! Pick up a copy and stay tuned for more information regarding the other two books in the Apocalyptic Series.

     This series follows the evolution of Lilith Pierce from normal woman to the leader of a revolution, linking as many mythologies as possible, capitalizing on the idea that what scares one culture scares every culture, in an effort to create a unified theory of myth.

     Just a fancy way of saying that there are monsters, superpowers, historical figures, and philosophy. And loads of geek.

187. War and intrigue, sex and politics. So far, so what? Giant cats! Seriously, there are not enough giant cats in fantasy these days, or dinosaur-like beasts for that matter. My blood-and-sandals fantasy trilogy The Crown of the Blood has not only giant cats and dinosaurs, but also primordial interdimensional beings, strange priesthoods, landships and serpent-riders.

     Story? Okay, yes it has a story too. Told in only three books (just about the right length for a nice Christmas break), the epic saga of The Crown of the Blood follows the fortunes and misfortunes of Ullsaard, general of the Askhan Empire, as he becomes embroiled in a bid to wrest the crown from the reigning king. Acknowledging his own ambitions, Ullsaard must come to terms with his own hunger for power as well as defeating those that desire the throne for themselves.

     The Crown of the Blood is available direct from The Robot Trading Company and all good webstores (and Amazon too, but please don’t use them.)

     Thank You for paying attention,

     Gav Thorpe, writer of The Crown of the Blood and New York Times bestselling author.

188. Firstly, thank you for this wonderful space to do some pimping!

     To wit, my first ever published short story is in a fantastic Christmas anthology called “Deck the Halls: festive tales of fear and cheer” that has been launched world wide today (6 December 2012). The anthology is a great Christmas present for spec fic fans as the stories range from horror to fantasy to science fiction, with some non-genre in there too, and are by authors from Australia (like me), the UK, US and Canada. Each author was assigned a line from the Christmas carol “Deck the halls” and was instructed to write a 2000 word short story inspired by that line.

     My story is the first cab off the rank. It is inspired by the line ‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly’ and is called “Touched”. The story is a creeping one: a tale of a mannequin in love. It is one of which I am very proud and one which I hope will surprise you and leave you feeling uneasy.

     All the stories have been lovingly stewarded or beaten into shape (often both at the same time) by editor Jodi Cleghorn, who is also the publisher at eMergent Publishing, a small press publisher based in Brisbane, Australia and London, UK. The anthology is available in hard copy, pdf and ebook and there are a total of 30 stories so you get some bang for your buck.

     So, go on, buy some fresh Australian/UK/US/Canadian non-traditional Christmas spec fic for your book loving friend or family member! Do it! http://emergent-publishing.com/bookstore/deck-the-halls-festive-tales-of-fear-and-cheer/

189. Thank you very much for this opportunity!

     My debut horror/dark fantasy novel, Ink, was released last week from Samhain Publishing in trade paperbook and ebook. The Horror Fiction Review said, “… even when you might think you know where the story’s going, you’ll be in for some clever surprises.” and “Debut novels should not be this good.”

     A tattoo can be a work of art…or a curse.
     http://www.amazon.com/Ink-ebook/dp/B008QWCRGY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1355086927&sr=1-1

190. Appreciating the dedication you put into your site and detailed information you provide. It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Excellent read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.