118 Comments on “Whatever Holiday Shopping Guide 2015, Day One: Traditionally Published Books”

1. Hello, everyone! And big thanks to our host for providing this service to authors and readers.

   My new series Genrenauts just launched this month – it’s a bit like Leverage meets Jasper Fforde, where inter-dimensional travelers visit worlds inspired by narrative genres to find and fix broken stories.

   The first novella in the series, The Shootout Solution is available now on all platforms in paperback, ebook, and audio.

2. Thanks for this post!

   I have a new book that just came out…

   THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM is a fantasy novel for kids (ages 8-12) published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Clarion Books. It’s about a girl whose family owns a secret dream shop where they buy, bottle, and sell dreams, and the adventure that she and her best friend — a loyal and cupcake-loving monster named Monster — go on when someone starts kidnapping dreamers.

   If you’re interested, more information about THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM can be found on my website, including the first two chapters: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/Girl.htm

   Happy holidays, everyone!

3. I will do this thing! *pumps self up, runs screaming through the comment section, frothing*

   ZER0ES!

   It’s hackers versus an artificially-intelligent NSA surveillance program in this near-future almost-now cyberpunky wet-wired thriller. NPR said: “[A] high-octane blend of nervy characters, dark humor and bristling dialogue… smart, timely, electrifying.”

   It is a lovely hardcover, though for today the e-book is a wee $1.99.

   Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062351555

   Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IjDSKm

   iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/zeroes/id945048597?mt=11

   B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zeroes-chuck-wendig/1120611732?ean=9780062351555

   *explodes in a flurry of 1s and 0s*

4. New adult romance books about two ballet dancers 4 years after a car accident changes, and ends, careers. They are angsty, intense, includes therapy chapters, and readers most often say they’re different than any other romance book they picked up. First book is Second Position, available ebook only from Amazon, B&N, Kobo. Thank you so much! Link to Second Position on Amazon, if that’s your thing (Publisher: Carina Press, imprint of Harlequin)

5. DEAREST, released in February from Harcourt books, is the third in my BOOKS OF ARILLAND fairy tale series.

   This one is based on “The Wild Swans”, “The Goose Girl”, and the Armenian folktale “A Weave of Words”, among others.

   On a deeper level, DEAREST also deals with a refugee situation, which is both topical and appropriate for discussions with young teens.
   http://aletheakontis.com/2015/11/i-wrote-a-book-about-refugees-and-no-one-noticed/

   Links to DEAREST and all the Books of ARILLAND can be found here: http://aletheakontis.com/bibliography/books-of-arilland/

   Happy holidays! Xox Alethea Kontis

6. Looking for a great read to steam up your winter holidays?

   Check out Strictly Business, the first book of the Hooded Pleasures series from Samhain Publishing!

   You can lead a Domme to love…but you can’t make her fall.

   Hooded Pleasures, Book 1

   Kate Dubois is a Domme-for-hire for the highly exclusive Hooded Pleasures, a service offering private BDSM sessions to those who can’t—or won’t—risk appearing in an actual club.

   Lately, though, she wonders if professional burnout is causing her to have painful flashbacks to a past heartbreak. When her boss insists her next client will be a breath of fresh air, Kate reluctantly agrees to an interview.

   Alex Hanson dominates the world of computer game programming, but secretly he suspects he might be a sub in the bedroom. There’s only one good way to find out—hire a professional to show him the ropes.

   Their first meeting puts both of them to the test—Alex’s self-control, and Kate’s realization she might just like him a little too much. But there’s no denying their emotions are inextricably entangled…a dangerous step Kate’s not sure her heart is prepared to take.

   Warning: Contains a hard-core computer geek with a tender side, and a Domme who can’t afford to expose her greatest weakness—him. Geekery combined with flogging. Enjoy!

   Now on SUPERSALE at Amazon.com https://t.co/IqxmgQ8I3P
   and GooglePlay for under $2.00! Also available in print form for those of you who love to fondle your paperbacks!

7. Happy holidays! THE MAGICIAN’S LIE is historical fiction about the most famous and infamous female illusionist of 1905, and what happens when a dead body is found under the stage after her show, killed in a way that mimics her most famous trick, the Halved Man. Available in hardcover, paperback, e-book and audio — shop local or online. E-book and audio are both temporarily on sale for under $5! http://www.amazon.com/Magicians-Lie-Novel-Greer-Macallister-ebook/dp/B00JS4J852/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Magicians-Lie-Audiobook/B00QZ80HMC

8. Well, look: I’d like to tell you that it’s an epic fantasy Western series a la The Dark Tower, but there’s a crippling dearth of rugged white guys with guns.

   But in this notorious sundown town, I can promise you plenty of native folk, plus blood feuds, culture magic, some linguistic sleight-of-hand, two catastrophically dumb cowboys, one firebending science nun, and yes, fishmen.

   If that-all sounds agreeable, come get you some! Start with One Night in Sixes

   Check it out if you dig: a GoT-style ensemble cast with conflicting motives; crunchy-sharp dialogue; the vivaciously cracked multiculturalism of Firefly, Deep Space Nine, or the Discworld

   Do not expect: a beach read

9. John, you’re a true gent for allowing this.

   My first collection of short stories, Tall Tales of Gods, Demons and Superstitions is available from Antipodes Press (http://antipodespress.com/gods-demons-superstitions/). All purchase links can be found at that site.

   The Portland Book Review calls it “something new and exciting and not the same old mainstream horror”.

   Nick Antosca writer on NBC’s Hannibal says “I stayed up way past the time I usually go to sleep—amused, disturbed, puzzled, fascinated, and delighted”.

   Thanks all,
   Ari Abraham

10. Hi everybody! if you like urban fantasy, reincarnation, dark magic, hidden secrets, redemption, and underdogs standing up to the forces of evil, then The Memory Wars Trilogy is for you.

    Set in New York, The Memory Wars Trilogy sees Nathan Shepherd discover his past lives as a hunter of monsters and a champion of good. But there’s darkness to his past, as Nathan uncovers a plot by malicious gods, and an ancient enemy who continues to torment him, life after life.

    The Memory Wars books are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powell’s City of Books:

    Book 1: Locked Within
    Book 2: Silent Oath
    Book 3: Memory War

    To learn more, go to http://www.paulanthonyshortt.com

11. WAYWARD is a creator-owned comic series published by Image (publishers of the Walking Dead, Saga, and many more) that’s a bit like Buffy in Japan. Teenagers battle Japanese mythological monsters on the streets of modern Tokyo. We have two trade paperback collections out so far, collecting our first ten issues, and a new Deluxe hardcover that has the first teen issues and over 70 pages of back matter, including essays on Japanese culture and mythology.

    More info on the series, links to digital outlets to buy and more are available at my site:
    Jim Zub- Buy my books here

    Also, for Cyber Monday my publisher is offering digital versions of those first ten issues for only 99 cents a piece, so it’s a great time to get caught up with the series:
    WAYWARD digital sale on imagecomics.com

    Thanks for the opportunity to tell you about my books!
    Jim Zub

12. My latest American Faerie Tale book comes out 12/8. The cliff hanger from The Stolen is resolved. Ebook is only .99 http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062449849/three-promises
    The Stolen and The Forgotten also available.
    http://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/08/05/the-big-idea-bishop-oconnell/

    http://whatever.scalzi.com/2015/04/14/the-big-idea-bishop-oconnell-2/

13. As always, John, thanks for this.

    I’d like to recommend two of my recent professionally published books, as well as an anthology that I’m in.

    Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution is, so far, the only novel published that ties into the FOX TV show starring Nicole Beharie & Tom Mison. It takes place late in the first season (I wrote it during the interregnum between seasons 1 and 2) and has Crane and Mills trying to locate an award that Crane was issued during the Revolutionary War, but which he never received due to his apparent death on the battlefield at the hands of the Headless Horeseman. The trail leads to several grisly murders and a connection to the witch Serilda of Abaddon as well as the real reason why Washington crossed the Delaware…

    The book is available from the fine folks at Random House, as well as at bookstores and the like.

    The Klingon Art of War is a hard Star Trek book to categorize — fiction, nonfiction, philosophy, fictional history — it’s a guide to how to live your life as a proper warrior as laid out in ten precepts. Presented as a text published in the Klingon Empire a thousand years ago, with modern commentary by a 24th-century Klingon author, it’s kind of a violent self-help book. (Interestingly enough, this book was a major inspiration for David Silverman in constructing his new book Fighting God.) With lovely fully painted illustrations by Alan Brooks.

    It’s published by Simon & Schuster, and can be found in stores and online.

    Finally, Jonathan Maberry put together an X-Files anthology called Trust No One, the first of several anthos featuring stories throughout the run of that seminal 1990s TV show. One of the stories therein is my own “Back in El Paso My Life Will be Worthless,” in which we see Mulder and Scully through the eyes of a “normal” FBI agent who’s stuck working with them during a serial killer case that has gone pear-shaped. Other stories in the anthology are by Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Keene, Tim Lebbon, Aaron Rosenberg, Stefan Petrucha, Max Allan Collins, and bunches more.

    IDW published the anthology, and the second printing is now on sale in stores, and is available from the usual online retailers.

    To avoid link cluttering, you can find ordering links for all three at my web site: DeCandido.net.

    Thanks everyone, and have a great holiday!

    —Keith R.A. DeCandido

14. Thanks, John!

    Have a spooky holiday season with the Zombie Tarot; Haunted Stuff: Demonic Dolls, Screaming Skulls, and Other Creepy Collectibles; and the Girls’ Ghost Hunting Guide at Amazon!

    http://amazon.com/author/staceygraham

15. Why stick to just one apocalypse, when you can have all of them all at once? That was the thinking behind my most recent novel, Extinction Game. It’s the story of a group of men and women who are all – all – the last man and woman from not one, but a whole slew of different parallel Earths. They’ve been brought together by a civilisation, known to them only as the Authority, that has the technology to explore the Multiverse.

    And the reason? Well, even these survivors – who call themselves “Pathfinders” – don’t know, because the Authority won’t tell them.

    Of course, they’d really, really like to know why. They’d also like to know why the Authority is apparently only interested in exploring post-apocalyptic realities, especially given the Pathfinders are always the first to be sent in to investigate these parallels – frequently a dangerous and risky job. It’s obvious the Authority is looking for something – but what?

    And just how far are some of the Pathfinders prepared to go, to get the answers they need?

    Extinction Game is my ninth novel for Tor, with a follow-up coming in 2016. It’s out in paperback, both in the States and in the UK, and is of course available as a Kindle ebook and Audible audiobook pretty much everywhere. And if you happen to have a UK Amazon account, you might like to know the ebook edition has been temporarily knocked down to £2.45, so feel free to impulse-buy the shit out of it.

    I also wrote a piece about the book for Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/2014/09/09/my-favourite-apocalypses/

    Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00M43ZZZG/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_hist_1

    Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Extinction-Game-Apocalypse-Duology-Book-ebook/dp/B00M43ZZZG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

16. I write nonfiction books about science, trying to make difficult subjects more comprehensible. My first two books explain modern physics through imaginary conversations with my German Shepherd: How to Teach [Quantum] Physics to Your Dog and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog. It turns out that if you look at the world from a canine perspective, you can duck around a lot of the human preconceptions that make exotic physics seem scary. Also, they’re funny.

    My third book is more general, in hopes of avoiding being typecast as just “that dude with the talking dog,” and discusses the connection between scientific thinking and everyday hobbies:
    Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist. Lots of people say they couldn’t possibly think the way scientists do, but it turns out that any number of basic hobbies– card games, crossword puzzles, even reading mysteries or SF– make use of the same mental processes that drive scientific progress. You might not realize it, but you think like a scientist all the time, often just for fun.

    Lots more information at the links.

17. My most recent book came out in June, from Night Shade Books.

    It’s “Stories of the Raksura: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below” and is the second novella collection for my Books of the Raksura series. It’s a secondary world fantasy about the Raksura, who are flying dragon-lion-ant-bee people who can shapeshift. It, and the whole series, is available in trade paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

    “The Dead City”
    A tale of Moon before he came to the Indigo Cloud Court. As Moon is fleeing the ruins of Saraseil, a groundling city destroyed by the Fell, he flies right into another potential disaster when a friendly caravanserai finds itself under attack by a strange force.

    “The Dark Earth Below”
    Moon and Jade face their biggest adventure yet; their first clutch. But even as Moon tries to prepare for impending fatherhood, members of the Kek village in the colony tree’s roots go missing, and searching for them only leads to more mysteries as the court is stalked by an unknown enemy.

    You can find more info and see the beautiful cover by Matthew Stewart here: http://www.marthawells.com/compendium/storiesvol2.htm

    I also have a story in the anthology “The Gods of Lovecraft” which is coming out in trade paper, hardcover, and ebook on December 11 from JournalStone Press, with a bunch of other cool people, like Joe Lansdale, Rachel Caine, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry.

    You can find more info here http://www.marthawells.com/compendium/storiesvol2.htm

18. Happy holidays, all! And thanks for this, Mr Scalzi!

    FINE DISTINCTIONS is the third in my Kevin Bryce crime series, available as an e-book through Orion’s The Murder Room. Ex-cop turned author Kevin Bryce and sculptress Katharine Craig now live in rural Ireland. After a row Katherine disappears and the next Bryce hears is that her car has been found, with bloodstains on the seat. With a psychopathic IRA renegade on the loose, Bryce and the Gardai embark on a desperate search for the missing woman. Meanwhile, in Dublin, Mick Cronin ponders the miseries of his existence. Embittered by life and love he is an unstable man with a grudge against women…

    Here’s the link to various buying options: http://www.themurderroom.com/books/f/fine-distinctions/

19. An infinite number of monkeys….

    MACAQUE ATTACK, the third and final instalment of the BSFA Award-winning Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy by Gareth L. Powell, is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in all good bricks and mortar outlets too. It’s published by Solaris Books.

    If you want an intelligent alt history thriller featuring a cigar-smoking monkey pilot, this is for you.

    (The first two parts of the trilogy are ACK-ACK MACAQUE and HIVE MONKEY.)

    The Guardian says, “Powell draws his characters with fine brushstrokes.” SF Book Reviews places him, “at the forefront of science fiction,” and Gutenberg’s Son writes that he, “has managed to find the balance between thoughtful existentialism and pulp adventure.”

    http://www.garethlpowell.com/books

20. My coming-of-age debut tells of the chaos that ensues when 15 year old Mandy Heath unwittingly reveals a famiky secret. bit.ly/ENDSLOOSE Funny, ironic–from two-time Erma Bombeck Award winner Molly D. Campbell. Published by The Story Plant.

21. My name is Jennifer Estep, and I write urban fantasy, young adult urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. My series are:

    Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series: About an assassin who runs a barbecue restaurant. The most recent book is Spider’s Trap — http://amzn.to/1IjGmbD

    Black Blade young adult series: About a thief who lives in a tourist town full of magic, mobsters, and monsters. The most recent book is Dark Heart of Magic — http://amzn.to/1lpN19v

    Happy reading, everyone!

22. THE MONEY MAKERS explains why we have money we can regulate in value, instead of based on shiny rocks. It’s said to be “economic and diplomatic history of the first order.” So for people who like this sort of thing, this is a thing they may like.

    Thanks to all, and especially our gracious host.

23. Invite THE GOOD NEIGHBOR home for the holidays!

    Things are a little rough for divorced mom, Izzy Lane. So she invents a boyfriend and blogs about him. What could possibly go wrong? FIND OUT!

    Booklist says THE GOOD NEIGHBOR is “humorous women’s fiction that explores deeper themes.”

    AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Neighbor-Amy-Sue-Nathan/dp/1250048583/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1444756021&sr=1-1

    BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-good-neighbor-amy-sue-nathan/1120919215?ean=9781250048585

24. In Operation Tree Roper, twelve-year-old Declan Parker plans to help his dad in the tree care business this summer so he can earn money toward the cosmetic surgery he needs before school starts in the fall. When his dad suffers a climbing accident, Declan recruits a neighbor girl and her uncle, a wounded army veteran, to help him save the tree care company – and his chance at surgery.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MWK8DYG/185-2264313-2290036?vs=1#featureBulletsAndDetailBullets_secondary_view_div_1448841768437

    Thanks to our blog host, John Scalzi, for this exposure!

25. Hooray! Thank you Mr. Scalzi for the opportunity to talk about our books.

    My science fiction novel Our Lady of the Ice was released in October from Saga Press. It received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and has been nominated for the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. Here’s the official blurb:

    Hope City, Antarctica. The southernmost city in the world, with only a glass dome and a faltering infrastructure to protect its citizens from the freezing, ceaseless winds of the Antarctic wilderness. Within this bell jar four people–some human, some not–will shape the future of the city forever:

    Eliana Gomez, a female PI looking for a way to the mainland.

    Diego Amitrano, the right-hand man to the gangster who controls the city’s food come winter.

    Marianella Luna, an aristocrat with a dangerous secret.

    Sofia, an android who has begun to evolve.

    But the city is evolving too, and in the heart of the perilous Antarctic winter, faction will clash, dreams will shatter, and that frozen metropolis just might boil over…

    You can find the purchase link of your choice over on the book’s page at my website: http://www.cassandraroseclarke.com/adult-novels/our-lady-of-the-ice/

26. The audiobook of my debut “Sea, Swallow Me & Other Stories” (a Lammy finalist in the SF/Horror category) was released this year.

    http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Swallow-Me-Other-Stories/dp/B00XUYR678/

    My limited edition weird fiction chapbook THE NECTAR OF NIGHTMARES was also out this year. It features gorgeous illustrations by Orion Zangara, and was listed in Weird Fiction’s End-of -Year list.

    http://dimshores.storenvy.com/products/14725500-the-nectar-of-nightmares

    Thanks

27. I am also looking for holiday gifts and making notes on this thread! Thanks so much for hosting it.

    My Regency fantasy trilogy for kids, KAT, INCORRIGIBLE, was published by Atheneum Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and it’s now available as A MOST IMPROPER BOXED SET: http://www.amazon.com/Most-Improper-Boxed-Set-Incorrigible/dp/1481411500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448892263&sr=8-1&keywords=stephanie+burgis+a+most+improper+boxed

    Forbidden magic, hopeless highwaymen, and impossibly interfering older sisters, oh my! :)

28. Ever notice how it’s always teenagers who get superpowers? It’s like they’re brought on by hormones. With great hormones come . . . great trouble? That’s the premise behind Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel, released by Curiosity Quills in April 2015 (sequel coming in April 2016!). Meet Patricia O’Neill whose thick skin became a little more literal; Helen Braeburn whose hot flashes can now be felt by everyone; Jessica Roark who has become a little flighty; and Linda Alvarez, whose inner strength came out, along with some additional, um, equipment.

    You can check it out at: http://bitly.com/face-the-change

    I’m also proud of my story “Smoke Scream” included in Selfies From the End of the World. Yosa isn’t much interested in people, but that doesn’t mean she wanted them all gone. Oops.

    http://www.amazon.com/Selfies-End-World-Historical-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B013MUS13W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448892479&sr=1-1&keywords=selfies+from+the+end+of+the+world

29. Hello all!

    The JINX trilogy, a fantasy series for ages 8 and up, tells the story of a boy abandoned in a vast, sentient forest and rescued by a possibly-evil wizard. As Jinx discovers his own magical powers and his ability to communicate with the forest, he must survive trolls, werewolves, and an encounter with the definitely-evil Bonemaster. But can he learn enough magic to save the forest and its people from destruction?

    JINX has received numerous best-of-year honors and has been purchased by the President. This series would make a great gift for a fantasy-loving reader.

    Independent bookstores:

    http://www.indiebound.org/search/book?searchfor=Blackwood%2C+Sage

    Amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/Sage-Blackwood/e/B00BJ6IWWW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1448892371&sr=8-2-ent

30. Thanks for the opportunity, John! I’m a British writer of gay (male) romance & mysteries, mostly contemporary with a dash of humour (and no tea). Here’s my latest contemporary rom-com:

    Played! – #2 in The Shamwell Tales

    All the world’s a stage…but real-life lessons are hidden in the heart

    Though Tristan must join his family’s New York firm at summer’s end—no more farting around on stage, as his father so bluntly puts it—he can’t resist when Shamwell’s local amateur dramatics society begs him to take a role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

    The bonus: giving private acting lessons to a local handyman who’s been curiously resistant to Tristan’s advances. Not only is Con delicious, there’s fifty pounds riding on Tristan getting him in his bed.

    A late-diagnosed dyslexic, Con’s never dared to act, convinced he’d never be able to learn his lines. But with Tristan’s help, he takes the chance. Trouble is, the last time Con fell for a guy, he ended up getting his heart broken. And with Tristan due to leave the country soon, Con is determined not to start anything that’s bound to finish badly.

    Just as Tristan thinks he’s finally won Con’s heart—and given his own in return—disaster strikes. And the curtain may have fallen forever on their chance for happiness.

    Warning: contains a surfeit of Bottoms and asses, together with enough mangled quotations to have the Bard of Avon gyrating in his grave.

    Now available in ebook and paperback: Amazon: http://mybook.to/PlayedMerrow

    Or for mystery lovers:

    Pressure Head – #1 in the Plumber’s Mate series (#4 due out in 2016)

    Some secrets are better left hidden.

    To most of the world, Tom Paretski is just a plumber with a cheeky attitude and a dodgy hip, souvenir of a schoolboy accident. The local police keep his number on file for a different reason—his sixth sense for finding hidden things.

    When he’s called in to help locate the body of a missing woman up on Nomansland Common, he unexpectedly encounters someone who resurrects a host of complicated emotions. Phil Morrison, Tom’s old school crush, now a private investigator working the same case. And the former bully partly responsible for Tom’s injury.

    The shocks keep coming. Phil is now openly gay, and shows unmistakable signs of interest. Tom’s attraction to the big, blond investigator hasn’t changed—in fact, he’s even more desirable all grown up. But is Phil’s interest genuine, or does he only want to use Tom’s talent?

    As the pile of complicated evidence surrounding the woman’s murder grows higher, so does the heat between Tom and Phil. But opening himself to this degree exposes Tom’s heart in a way he’s not sure he’s ready for…while the murderer’s trigger finger is getting increasingly twitchy.

    Product Warnings

    Contains a flirtatious plumber with hidden talents, a cashmere-clad private investigator with hidden depths, and an English village chock full of colourful characters with plenty to hide.

    Now available in ebook and paperback: Amazon: http://mybook.to/PressureHeadPB

31. Thanks for this, John! I write and edit a line called “Manga Classics”, which are faithful adaptations of classic literary works into manga format. So far, we’ve released PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, LES MISERABLES, THE SCARLET LETTER, EMMA and GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

    They’d make a great gift for manga enthusiasts, fans of the original authors, and reluctant readers who might be overwhelmed by the original books. My goal is to open a gateway into these wonderful works for people who might have convinced themselves that classic literature is boring or “not for them” – my favorite feedback is when someone tells me that they enjoyed the manga version so much, they’ve started reading the original book!

    You can find out more about the Manga Classics books on Goodreads, where we’re averaging a 4-star rating! They can be ordered through all the usual online outlets, plus your local comic book shop. The publisher is UDON Entertainment, who also release a wide range of video game and anime-related art books and comics, such as Street Fighter, Dark Souls and Persona.

32. My magnum opus Pirates of Mars is available in audible, ebook and dead-tree format from the Big Brazilian River and other purveyors of fine books.

    It was the subject of a Big Idea Right Here On This Website. Quoting from the Big Idea, imagine “Mars as the Home for Wayward Earthlings.” These wayward people get into all sorts of trouble – entertaining trouble, at least to read about.

33. Thank you, John! I always love perusing these guides as well as posting! This year I have two books I want to mention.

    In EDGE OF DARK (Pyr), Charlie loves everything about his wild planet, Lym. As a ranger, his job is to protect it from human predators, and to care for the natural predators that live there. He cannot imagine ever leaving it. But when all that he loves is threatened by the appearance of an old, old enemy of his people, he must. EDGE OF DARK explores the collisions between the natural and the unnatural, man and machine, and fear and courage.

    Bibliosanctum listed EDGE OF DARK as one of the five books from 2015 that deserved more attention. Nancy Kress said, “Playing God is dangerous: Edge of Dark is an intelligent, thoughtful look at what it might mean to coexist with superior AIs that we ourselves have created. Brenda Cooper’s universe is detailed, inventive, and ultimately dazzling. I will remember Chrystal for a very long time.”

    For those who like short fiction, my first ever collection of all science fiction stories, CRACKING THE SKY, came out from Fairwood Press this year. SF Reader said, “A great collection…Each story here offers a confirmation of what, at our core, makes us human and how doing for others is not labor, but rather the way we feed and grow our humanity.”

    Both are trade paperback and ebook.

    A happy holiday season to everyone

34. In this realistic picture book, a loon chick encounters other animals on his pond after becoming separated from his mother. Now, night is coming—and whose red eyes are those, looking right at him?
    http://www.amazon.com/A-Loon-Alone-Pamela-Love/dp/0892725710
    Other books in the same vein are “A Cub Explores” (a bear cub) and “A Moose’s Morning”.
    My historical fiction picture book is “Lighthouse Seeds”, based on the true story of how lighthouse keepers on Mount Desert Rock, off the coast of Maine, made a barren rock bloom.

35. Thank you so much for this thread!

    I’m the author of the NIGHT OWLS urban fantasy series – a vampire and her team of smartass booksellers and monster hunters protect their (until recently) sleepy New England town from encroaching evil. The newest book, GRAVE MATTERS, came out from Ace Books in February.

    If YA fantasy is more your thing, THE FIRE CHILDREN came out from Ravenstone Press in June. When the solar eclipse comes, the people of Kaladim retreat to the caverns below the city, spending the days in total darkness while the sun’s children walk their world. Yulla just wants a teeny-tiny peek at one of them, and finds herself trapped aboveground with Ember, the last of the Fire Children. Together, the two must figure out how to thwart the Witch Women, who have captured his siblings and hope to bind Mother Sun herself.

    Links to Indiebound/B&N/Amazon for all of the titles can be found here: http://www.laurenmroy.com/my-works/

36. MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE is my latest novel from Penguin. Think WILD meets DELIVERANCE. “Adventure tale, love story, thriller–this novel has it all.” Here are all the links you’ll ever need: http://www.sonjayoerg.com/middle-of-somewhere/ Happy holidays and happy reading!

37. Thank you very much to Mr. Scalzi for opening his blog for this.

    ‘The King in Darkness’ is a supernatural thriller in which our hero is a former priest and current used book seller who doesn’t have faith in very much any more, least of all himself. By chance, he will be drawn into a struggle against a shadowy conspiracy with resources and powers he can’t understand, made up of people who have given up on humanity and believe that anything will be better than the world we live in today. To save himself, the people dearest to him, and perhaps all of civilization, Adam Godwinson will have to first figure out how to stop quitting on himself, before he can deal with those who have quit on the world.

    The King in Darkness is my first novel and is published by Renaissance Press, a small publisher from Ottawa, Ontario.

    Get it here:

    Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/King-Darkness-Evan-May/dp/0993657591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448894216&sr=8-1&keywords=king+in+darkness (They have it Kindle as well as dead tree)

    Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-king-in-darkness-evan-may/1122532412?ean=9780993657597

    Powell’s: http://www.powells.com/book/the-king-in-darkness-9780993657597/61-1

38. Thank you for lending us your blog-voice, John!

    I’m Seth, author of THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT, which one man described as “THE fantasy debut of 2015” and another man described as “that book with the creepy broken face on the front.”

    Baru Cormorant is a girl when the Empire of Masks colonizes her home — and like you do when an evil empire rolls in, Baru decides to join the Empire, prove herself their finest agent, work her way to the top, and destroy the Empire from within. (Imagine Star Wars, if Luke went ahead with his plan to join the Imperial Navy.)

    And it’s all going well until the Empire decides to test Baru’s loyalty — by sending her to another conquered province to crush the rebellion there. Her only weapons will be a secretary and a pen.

    And Baru can’t keep herself from falling for the woman she’s sure must be leading the rebels.

    NPR says:

    “Literally breathtaking….Baru Cormorant as a character is magnificent. I found it impossible not to root for her even amid horrors of her making, to grieve with her and for her at various points, to clench my fists in her defense and in desperate need for her to stay whole. There is so much to admire and so much to mourn throughout the building tragedy of this novel….A crucial, necessary book ― a book that looks unflinchingly into the self-replicating virus of empire, asks the hardest questions, and dares to answer them.” – NPR.org

    Here is the Amazon page!

    http://www.amazon.com/Traitor-Baru-Cormorant-Seth-Dickinson/dp/0765380722

39. My book The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century (typewriterrevolution.com) explores the creative ways people are using typewriters today and advises you on choosing, using, and maintaining a writing machine.

    Thanks, John!

40. Thank you Mr. Scalzi and Happy Holidays!

    DESERT RISING was released in April to a Publishers Weekly starred review. It is epic fantasy and follows twins Sulis and Kadar as they emerge from their desert home and navigate politics and intrigue in the northern territory. Sulis pledges to the capricious northern deities and bonds with a giant temple cat and Kadar falls in love with a woman of the Forsaken caste in this first book of a trilogy. The second book, THE OBSIDIAN TEMPLE has also been released.

    You can find it in paperback and digital at: http://www.amazon.com/Desert-Rising-Kelley-Grant-ebook/dp/B00M719VBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448895213&sr=1-1&keywords=desert+rising

41. A year ago a sky lantern crashed in my yard with the words, “Love you, Dad. Miss you so much, Steph” scrawled on it in magic marker.

    The search for Steph eventually led to this letter as well as the book. (If you enjoy the letter you’ll love the book.)

    It’s a book about love being as strong as death, about family, and the transformative power of small acts of kindness.

    If you’re looking for a gift that tells someone you love them, this book works great for that.

    P.S. A few people have asked me if this is a religious book. I’d say it’s spiritual, certainly, but it’s not religious (much like the letter). Steph is atheist, and she loves the book. It’s designed for anyone from any background to read and enjoy.

42. Hello Everyone and thank you, John!

    I write fast-paced historicals with tangible settings. My most recent is set during the Belle Époque era (1880s Paris) and is a mesmerizing tale of art, love, and madness called RODIN’S LOVER.

    BOOK BLURB:
    As a woman, aspiring sculptor Camille Claudel has plenty of critics, especially her ultra-traditional mother. But when Auguste Rodin makes Camille his apprentice—and his muse—their passion inspires groundbreaking works. Yet, Camille’s success is overshadowed by her lover’s rising star, and her obsessions cross the line into madness.

    AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1PnOwlN

    B&N: http://bit.ly/1xawlb9

    INDIEBOUND: http://bit.ly/1MZqcRn

    MY WEBSITE: http://www.HeatherWebb.net

43. What a cool idea! Thanks for hosting this.

    If you’re looking for some YA sci-fi full of spaceships, trash islands, sea monsters, broken hearts, and kidnapping, I have two books for you.

    SALVAGE follows Ava, a girl who has grown up on a deep-space merchant ship among a religious cult that believes Earth is impure. When she falls in love with the wrong person, though, she is forced to flee there and try to build a new life for herself. Available in both paperback and hardback! http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062220141/salvage

    SOUND is a stand-alone companion to SALVAGE. Sixteen year-old Miyole has finally achieved her dream – securing a spot on a deep-space research ship. Everything in her life is perfect until her ship runs across a group of pirates attacking another vessel. In the aftermath of the fight, Miyole meets a survivor named Cassia, and the two girls hatch a plan to save Cassia’s brother from slavers. Along the way, they meet smugglers and witches, scour abandoned space stations, and fall in love.
    http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062220172/sound

44. Need a new book series for kids age 8-12 that’s funny, contemporary, and great for both avid readers and reluctant ones?

    Check out The Tapper Twins: http://tappertwins.com

    Book #1, THE TAPPER TWINS GO TO WAR (WITH EACH OTHER) is a New York Times bestseller with a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly: http://publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-29779-0.

    Book #2, THE TAPPER TWINS TEAR UP NEW YORK, is even funnier — and the photo illustrations that are a hallmark of the series reach new heights (depths?) with a staged fistfight in Times Square between two guys in Cookie Monster costumes. (fight pics and more info here: https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/tapper-twins-tales-from-times-square-by-geoff-rodkey/ ).

    Also: by “funny,” I mean “funny for everybody.” These aren’t the kind of middle-grade humor books that your kids might laugh at, but that make you want to shoot yourself. They’re designed to be equally entertaining to both kids and adults.

    Book #3, THE TAPPER TWINS RUN FOR PRESIDENT, comes out next year.

    Thanks, John! And happy holidays, everybody!

    -geoff rodkey

45. Much appreciated, John. Thanks and Happy Holidays.

    Alex and Bengt are back. The second book in the Santuario series (queer SF, culture clash, law enforcement) is out this year:
    The Other Side of Winter
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1626492670/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1448895595&sr=8-4&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=g.b.gordon
    The first one, Santuario, can be found here:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1937551652/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1448895595&sr=8-1&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=g.b.gordon

46. After years of reading this feature, I can finally take part! Thanks, Mr Scalzi!

    My middle-grade WWI Scottish spy adventure was published at the end of September. Here’s the blurb:

    Dundee, 1915. Twelve-year-old Nancy Caird is desperate to do her bit for the war. So when she suspects one of her teachers of being a German spy, she’s determined to foil his plans, and ropes in the reluctant Jamie Balfour to help her uncover the scheme.

    Midshipman Harry Melville is on his first voyage aboard HMS Argyll as it forges through the black and stormy North Sea, unaware of both hidden rocks and German plots that threaten the ship.

    When Nancy and Jamie’s suspicions are confirmed, and they discover HMS Argyll is in deadly danger, they’re drawn into a web of espionage, secrets, and betrayal, where no-one is as they seem and no-one can be trusted.

    Winner of the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize.

    More information on my website.

    (Going cheap on Kindle at the moment, too.)

47. Hi Everyone! Thanks so much, John, for hosting this! You’re a v. good egg.

    UPDRAFT (Tor 2015): A city of living bone, high above the clouds • A young woman who breaks a law and must deal with the consequences • Songs and silence, wind and secrets • Giant invisible carnivorous flying squid.

    Amazon | B&N | More Links Here

    NPR: “One of the most original fantasy novels I’ve read this year.” • Publisher’s Weekly: “Extraordinary worldbuilding and cascading levels of intrigue make Wilde’s debut fantasy novel soar.” • B&N: “…an absolute delight to read, a coming of age story set in a truly original world, blending romance, conspiracy, awesome training montages, and some good-old-fashioned adventure to create a book that’s impossible to put down.”

    Happy holidays!

48. And now for something completely different — a crime novel set in a small Texas town. The title is Between the Living and the Dead, and there’s a skeleton, a guy who wears a tinfoil hat, and meth dealers, and maybe even a ghost. This happens to be book #22 in a series, but you can start here and go backward if you get hooked. You can find it on Amazon (http://goo.gl/S4CL4N) or at your favorite independent bookseller (mine is Murder by the Book in Houston).

49. Hi all,

    The final book in my Golden City trilogy came out this year–The Shores of Spain.

    In this final installment, Oriana and Duilio arrive on the islands of the seriea, hoping to learn who murdered her mother fourteen years before. Things go awry when her mother’s secret journal is stolen before they can decipher its contents, and thus they enlist the aid of Joaquim and Marina to track down the thief. But what Joaquim and Marina find when they journey into Spain isn’t at all what they’d expected, unveiling a much bigger conspiracy than anyone guessed.

    I’m hoping that’s not giving away too much ;o)

50. Thanks John, and greetings of the season to all! Set over the course of just twelve hours, THE FAR END OF HAPPY is a tense family drama based on the true events of my first husband’s suicide standoff against a massive police presence on our idyllic Pennsylvania farm. The story offers the perspectives of the three women closest to the despondent man as they make tough choices, reveal shameful secrets, and try to sustain hope. Available in paperback and audio and on sale for $3.99 across all digital platforms through December 7! Many links at http://www.kathryncraft.com/the-far-end-of-happy.html

51. Called a “revelation of a book, disturbing and exciting,” Air is the second in the award-winning Elemental Journey Series. Released late October, it is already garnering strong ratings (4.88 Goodreads/4.8 Amazon) and praise from critics, including Emily Monaco of EcoSalon. As one reader who purchased Air put it, “I devoured (Air). The end of it left me sobbing. I feel broken open and ready to reconnect with all the gifts I’ve kept hidden inside.”

    Young American mystic Pearl Swinton leaves the Midwest, moves to Tokyo, and befriends a homeless Jesuit missionary. Pearl is drawn deep into Japan’s homeless underworld and is challenged to come to terms with her own loss of home and to own her inner power.

    You can learn more about the Elemental Journey Series(http://goo.gl/Jjj8Cs and author Caroline Allen at http://www.carolineallen.com

52. VEDA: ASSEMBLY REQUIRED is a creator-owned, all-ages graphic novel written by Samuel Teer, drawn by Hyeondo Park, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick and published by Dark Horse Comics.

    Veda is an orphaned girl that lives beneath the factory floor. She’s watched over by Assembly, a robot that works the production line. Veda discovers that she has a unique talent — she can speak and understand machines! Under the tutelage of Assembly, she learns the three laws of the machines . . . But it’s the unspoken secret fourth law—avoid the Gremlin—that piques young Veda’s interest and leads her down a dangerous and compromising path on a journey of self-discovery.

    You can read the first 24 pages here: http://icv2.com/articles/previews/view/32219/preview-exclusive-veda-assembly-required-tp

    We The Nerdy says :“It feels fresh and new while simultaneously paying homage to some of the all-time great all ages storytellers. It captures the uniqueness of the medium and shows how you can use different tools of comics to tell a story.”

    It’s available for purchase basically everywhere that you can buy physical or digital books or comics. http://www.crapcatch.com/purchase/ (I would highly recommend buying it from you local comic book retailer, if you are able to.)

53. [Fellow Tor author here. Thanks for this opportunity to plug THE BIG FIX, the latest in my Ciel Halligan series! You rock.]

    Aura adaptor extraordinaire Ciel Halligan, who uses her chameleon-like abilities to fix her clients’ problems—as them—is filling in for action superstar Jackson Gunn, whose snake phobia is standing in the way of his completing his latest mega-millions Hollywood blockbuster. Seems like a simple enough job … until Gunn’s wife is murdered while Ciel is on set. Big fat coincidence, or has Ciel been set up as an alibi? And will she be able to nail the real murderer without giving away the existence of adaptors? You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (possibly at the same time), you’ll snort and exclaim, “I can’t believe the author did that!”

    Available from these fine book vendors (as well as most…well, many…okay, maybe–no, definitely–some) brick-and-mortar bookstores everywhere):

    http://www.amazon.com/Big-Fix-Novel-Ciel-Halligan/dp/0765376385/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1448899264&sr=1-1

    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-big-fix-linda-grimes/1120327538?ean=9780765376381

    http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765376381

54. I’d like to recommend my latest anthology with Masumi Washington, HANZAI JAPAN. Hanzai means crime, and HANZAI JAPAN is just that: crime fiction, with science fictional or fantastical themes, from and about Japan. We have stories from SF/F writers including Carrie Vaughn and Genevieve Valentine, mystery/crime writers S.J. Rozan (with a new Chin/Smith story), Ray Banks, and Naomi Hirahara. Japanese authors involved include Hiroshi Sakurazaka, whose Scalzi-lauded novel ALL YOU NEED IS KILL formed the basis for the Hugo-nominated EDGE OF TOMORROW, Yumeaki Hirayama, Kaori Fujino, and more.

    We’ve gotten some excellent reviews. Karen Burnham called HANZAI JAPAN “another triumph” in the October LOCUS, and we’ve also gotten raves from:

    Otaku USA http://bit.ly/1kL6TV3
    Dirge Magazine http://bit.ly/1PZ9i9H
    @Spinetingler Mag (doing one of its famous story-by-story reviews) http://bit.ly/1XqYbqJ

    And just now I found a good one from crime fiction blog Deadend Follies:
    http://www.deadendfollies.com/2015/11/book-review-hanzai-japan-fantastical.html

    HANZAI JAPAN is at all e-tailers and in better bookstores everywhere.

55. Hi everyone!

    Seriously Wicked is my latest, a lighthearted YA from Tor Teen, about a 10th grade girl who lives with a *seriously wicked* witch. School Library Journal called it “witty and effervescent” and said that “Readers, especially those who are fans of fantasy and YA romance will adore this clever genre mash-up.” It’s a particularly good fit for the middle schooler on your list.

    Read the first chapter and find links here on my website: http://www.tinaconnolly.com/books/seriously-wicked

    Thanks to our host for the post, and to everyone else for sharing your books!

56. Greetings! I’m Beth Cato, author of the steampunk fantasy Clockwork Dagger series published by HarperVoyager. Kevin Hearne blurbed the first book, saying, “The Clockwork Dagger was just what I needed: A steampunk adventure with an uncommon heroine, a fascinating magic system, and a young gremlin! I’m hooked and can’t wait for more Octavia and Leaf!”

    Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Po3YhR
    B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-clockwork-dagger-beth-cato/1117907062

    Also, the second book of the duology, The Clockwork Crown, is nearing the end of a $1.99 ebook sale!

    Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WrF7NL
    B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-clockwork-crown-beth-cato/1120357019

57. No Horns On These Helmets
    Short story anthology with the theme of Vikings and heathen culture.
    Genres: fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, and retold folktales.

    20 authors, 20 stories. Edited by Erin Lale (me– I also have 1 story in it, the retold folktale Woodencloak.) Authors include Cynthia Ward, Gerri Leen, Robert Lusch Schreiwer, Garman Lord, and many others.

    Horns? We don’t need no stinkin’ horns.

    Published by Sky Warrior Books in 2015.
    Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Horns-these-Helmets-Erin-Lale-ebook/dp/B00U3BF9GQ/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

58. For steampunk fans of all ages, my recent young adult release, Rebel Mechanics, offers magic and adventure in an alt-history setting. It was recently named to the Texas Library Association’s Lonestar List as recommended for encouraging pleasure reading for pre-teens, but it’s also adult-friendly (I think most of my fan mail has been from adults). Available in a very pretty hardcover, e-book, and audio. Here’s the Amazon link, but it’s available from all the usual suspects: http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Mechanics-Fair-Love-Revolution/dp/0374300097/

59. Back when I was a wee undergraduate physics major discovering wave-particle duality for the first time, I asked my professor, “But WHY do electrons act like waves in this experiment and particles in that one, instead of the other way around?” Off the top of his head, he didn’t have a very satisfying answer. Fast forward five years, however, and that professor (Dr. Dan Fleisch, of the Student’s Guide to Maxwell’s Equations fame) and I sat down to write a book together that answered that question and many others.

    A Student’s Guide to Waves is perfect for physics and engineering students struggling to understand mechanical, E&M, or quantum waves–and it’s also great for people out of school who just want to better understand those cool aspects of our universe.

60. I’m an editor with Regan Arts, which launched its first books earlier this year. These are some of the novels I’ve had the pleasure of working on that I think would make great holiday gifts.

    For science fiction readers, Lev AC Rosen’s Depth is a noir mystery set in the flooded Manhattan of tomorrow, which NPR’s reviewer called “a breathtaking backdrop that’s equally fearsome and decadently alluring.” It’s also been selected by Amazon as one of the best SF titles of the year!

    If you know someone who likes historical fiction or thrillers, Kermit Roosevelt’s Allegiance is a powerful story about a young law school graduate who, unable to enlist in the army after the attack on Pearl Harbor, winds up clerking for Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black and is caught up in the internal government debates about the Japanese-American internment camps.

    And for fans of contemporary fiction, Karolina Waclawiak’s The Invaders and Lisa Glatt’s The Nakeds are both great novels. The Invaders is sort of a feminist variation on American Beauty set in a wealthy Connecticut seashore community, while The Nakeds is about a young girl coming of age in 1970s California, while her parents are sorting out their own lives through the upheavals of feminism and the sexual revolution.

    I hope you (or the people for whom you’re shopping) enjoy these novels as much as I have!

61. DRAGONS ARE PEOPLE, TOO “is an adrenaline rush-inducing action-filled adventure of an urban fantasy where the were-dragon characters are really just like normal teenagers, except for the scales, the flying, the hard-to-control transformations”

    http://amzn.to/1PoeXrq

62. Ninja Turtles!

    Now that I’ve got your attention: Ninja Turtles! I wrote a book called “Raise Some Shell,” celebrating the persistence of Turtle Power. It’s part of ECW Press’s great Pop Classics line. Here’s the back-cover copy:

    Raise Some Shell critically and cleverly examines the origins, evolution, and impact of the Ninja Turtles phenomenon — from its beginning as a self-published black-and-white comic book in 1984, through its transformation into a worldwide transmedia phenomenon by the middle of the 1990s, and up to the sale of the property to Nickelodeon in 2009 and relaunch of the Turtles with new comics, cartoons, and a big-budget Hollywood film. With the eye of contemporary cultural studies and the voice of a true lifelong Turtles fan, Rosenbaum argues that the Turtles’ continuing success isn’t mere nostalgia, but rather the result of characters, and a franchise, that mutated in a way that allowed them to survive and thrive in a post-modern world.

    If you’re into Ninja Turtles at all, I think you’ll probably like this.

    You can buy it from Amazon here:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1770411798/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1770411798&linkCode=as2&tag=help0cf-20

    Or direct from the publisher here:

    http://ecwpress.com/products/raise-some-shell

    P.S. Thanks for this, John – what a great holiday gift to authors!!

63. So happy to have met you at Nerdcon: Stories, John!
    “Fairmount,” my photo history book in the Arcadia Publishing “Images of America” series, features many vintage photos of the Indiana hometown of American Movie Icon James Dean, as well as Jim Davis, who created Garfield the cat. It also offers photos and insights into the Quaker community that raised those two public figures, and includes info. on the Gas Boom era, the Underground Railroad, and the finding of mastodon bones which are displayed in the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.

    Whether in print or e-book, it’s a great gift book for history lovers and is available at all booksellers, including Amazon and iBooks, as well as at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com

64. My debut novel is An Exaggerated Murder.

    An Exaggerated Murder starts with the bloodied carpet of a hard-boiled detective story and follows Trike, the hard-drinking PI with a perfect memory and less-than-perfect social skills, his radical feminist research assistant Lola, and former FBI agent Max, as they try to find a vanished billionaire through a labyrinth that looks less and less like crime and more and more mysterious. Data is missing. All the honest cops in the police department are removed from the case. There should be money, but there isn’t. The FBI know something but don’t care enough to do anything. And everyday the case goes unsolved, the badly needed reward money diminishes.

    A few blurbs if that’s what you’re into:
    If Sherlock Holmes and Ignatius J. Reilly had a baby, that child would be Trike Augustine, private investigator. Rude, slobby, irritatingly brilliant, quick-witted — that’s Trike. With the help of his saner, more reasonable employees, Trike has been tasked with finding a missing billionaire, but will the stupid clues stump the smart man, or will Trike manage to keep himself and his associates out of harm’s way and solve the case before it’s too late? An Exaggerated Murder is a fantastic, funny, smart debut, and I eagerly await more from Cook.”
    — Liberty Hardy, RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH

    “One of the most high-minded detective stories in years… Meticulously planned and content-rich, this sophisticated, variegated study…ranks with the best upmarket mysteries by Iain Pears and Umberto Eco.”
    —Bookslut

    “A comedic mystery, filled with the sorts of digressions and lunacy that will entertain readers wondering what an episode of Benedict Cumberbatch’s ’Sherlock’ series might be like if it were written by Quentin Tarantino.”
    —The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

65. MYSTIC: A YA-friendly crossover fantasy novel about a young girl seeking to become an apprentice to a reclusive Mystic. Inspired by Celtic myth and yogic philosophy. It’s part Hunger Games, part A Wizard of Earthsea. The audiobook is narrated by the amazing Mary Robinette Kowal.

    Happy Holidays, and thank you for your support.

    Read the Big Idea entry here
    Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Powell’s | Audible

66. Hi, everyone! My debut epic fantasy of poets and dark enchantments, LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT, is out two months today from Tor Books. I’ve previously written about books at the Huffington Post, the Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon.

    NPR praises LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT for its “breathtaking, beautifully orchestrated sense of adventure and mystery…LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT is about music, but it’s also a work of music itself: Lyrical, dynamic, and winningly melodic.”

    Reviewer Aidan Moher wrote, “LAST SONG BEFORE NIGHT will toy with your emotions from its first page to its last, and you’ll love every minute of it.”

    You can read more about it at The Big Idea: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2015/09/29/the-big-idea-ilana-c-meyer/

    The hardcover is more than 30% off on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Song-Before-Night-Ilana/dp/0765378302/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448906254&sr=8-1&keywords=last+song+before+night

    Happy holidays to all.

67. My debut mystery, Idyll Threats, came out in September. The book features a police chief in 1997 small-town Connecticut withholding evidence on a murder investigation because it threatens to expose he’s gay.

    Perhaps your progressive parents who love mysteries would like a copy??

    Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1633880788?keywords=IDYLL%20THREATS&qid=1448907701&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

    IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781633880788?aff=stephgayle@gmail.com

    Happy holidays!

68. Thanks for this, John.”
    I’m an sf/f/h editor and most of my anthologies are horror. The first two below are horror. The third is dark fantasy and horror.
    Out this year: The Best Horror of the Year volume Seven ed Ellen Datlow (Night Shade)-all reprints
    trade paperback

    The Monstrous ed. Ellen Datlow (Tachyon) all but one reprints (original by John Langan)
    -about monstrosity in many of its forms–not just monster stories. Illustrated by John Coulthart
    trade paperback

    The Doll Collection ed. Ellen Datlow (Tor)-this has all new stories of doll horror. With photographs of creepy dolls by me, Richard Bowes, and Ellen Klages.
    Hardcover
    They’re available in print and as ebooks.

69. All my stories to date (some pro sales, most not), available free for the reading:
    http://www.geoff-hart.com/fiction/
    If you like ’em, refer a friend. If you hate ’em, refer an enemy or three.

70. Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany is full of brilliant stories and essays inspired by this man of genius. New fiction by Geoff Ryman, Nick Harkaway, Nalo Hopkinson (in collaboration with me); new nonfiction by Michael Swanwick, reprints by the redoubtable Eileen Gunn and L. Timmel Duchamp. Order from its publisher Rosarium, if you like (http://rosariumpublishing.com/rosarium-books.html#stories-for-chip).

    These stories are delicious! Everyone really wants this book.

71. Hi folks! The Annihilation Score is out in hardcover and ebook from Ace; it’s the latest instalment in the bestselling, multi-Hugo-award-winning Laundry Files, which are also available as an ebook bundle from Amazon and other booksellers. (If you want a free taster, here’s Equoid—winner of the 2014 Hugo award for best novella—from earlier in the series.)

    Take a universe full of Lovecraftian horrors, add secret government agencies tasked with planning for the worst, then view through a very dark lens tinted with dead-pan comic horror:

    Dominique O’Brien—her friends call her Mo—lives a curious double life with her husband, Bob Howard. To the average civilian, they’re boring middle-aged civil servants. But within the secret circles of Her Majesty’s government, they’re operatives working for the nation’s occult security service known as the Laundry, charged with defending Britain against dark supernatural forces threatening humanity.

    Mo’s latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the super-powered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing super-pranks instead of super-heroics. The Mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they’re currently separated because something’s come between them—something evil.

    An antique violin, an Erich Zann original, made of human white bone, was designed to produce music capable of slaughtering demons. Mo is the custodian of this unholy instrument. It invades her dreams and yearns for the blood of her colleagues—and her husband. And despite Mo’s proficiency as a world class violinist, it cannot be controlled…

72. Wow, some great books already on this thread. Enough to bankrupt me.
    Although… maybe if enough people bought my GIDEON SMITH series of alternate-history Victorian fantasies from Tor Books… I could buy ALL THE BOOKS IN THE WORLD.
    The latest one came out in October and I made this handy page of links. Thanks for your time.
    https://davidbarnett.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/gimme-gideon/

73. Thank you for this opportunity, John.

    My newest novel, THE RISING, comes out tomorrow (12/1) from Orbit Books. (It is the second volume of the Alchemy Wars trilogy, which debuted with THE MECHANICAL to great reviews.) It’s an action adventure story with clockpunk robots, spies, explosions, narrow escapes, and ruminations on the nature of free will. (My favorite description calls the series “a mashup of I, Robot and Les Mis.”)

    Kirkus gave THE RISING a starred review, saying in part, “As always, Tregillis offers richly textured and genuinely likable personalities with shades-of-gray morality… Part 3 can’t come too soon.”

    It’s available everywhere, including Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

74. Greetings & Salutations,

    My latest is a collection of stories with three other amazing authors entitled Joy to the Worlds: Mysterious Speculative Fiction for the Holidays. (We’re also doing a PNW tour for it so feel free to check that out on any of our websites.)

    “What do you get when you mix mystery and speculative fiction, then toss in the holidays for good measure? A mobster Santa, genetic hanky-panky, Victorian villages, time-travelling detectives, Krampus, eerie bell spirits, and more–this collection of short cross-genre fiction is the perfect counterpoint to traditional holiday reading!”

    “Eight short stories by four authors glisten with holiday wonder, each one decorated in hues of legend, myth, SF, and quirky, joyful fun.” -Publisher’s Weekly review

    It’s available at all the usual book sellers, but here are two links:
    Amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Worlds-Mysterious-Speculative-Holidays-ebook/dp/B014RK5UX0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1448909035&sr=1-1&keywords=Joy+to+the+Worlds
    B&N:
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/joy-to-the-worlds-maia-chance/1122609365?ean=9780990815761

75. Thanks so much for the platform, John!

    THE BLOODFORGED (Ace 2015). Epic quest, military fantasy, espionage thriller. Sex, swordfighting, and cavalry charges – not necessarily in that order. Oh, and some very dark magic indeed. RT reviewer’s choice nominee for Best Epic Fantasy of 2015.

    “Lindsey’s mostly balanced mix of romance and heroic fantasy will [capture] readers’ hearts.” Publisher’s Weekly

    “Lindsey’s fabulous, descriptive storytelling, coupled with high-stakes conflict and distinctive characters, is guaranteed to draw readers in from the first page. Alix is a fierce, compassionate heroine … and the intricately woven, battle-filled plot is deeply impressive. The story’s ending is both complete and intriguing enough to have readers wishing for more. A stellar fantasy!” Romantic Times

    Amazon
    Barnes and Noble
    Powell’s
    Etc.

76. The American Slave Coast: A History of the Slave-Breeding History, by Ned and Constance Sublette (Lawrence Hill Books); pub date: October 1, 2015. Launched at Brown University, though Chicago Review Press, of which Lawrence Hill is their African American history imprint, is not an academic publisher, but one of the few remaining indie trade publishers.

    We’ve been on tour with it from New England, down into the deep South, the Gulf and over into Texas for two months including the bookstore in Charlottesville, the heart of Jefferson Landia brand.

    Now that we’re home for the holidays, we continue to do media, however.. Today we’re on Tell Me Everything on Sirius Radio</a<, for a half hour, sometime between 2 PM and 5 PM, for just one example. We've done as lot of radio, and also were on the Melissa Harris Perry show back on October 11.

    Books available at B&N, etc. and all the other usual places including online.

    This is a history of the U.S. from the earliest colonial era up to 1865, that puts slavery, the slave industry and slave breeding to feed that industry — i.e. the capitalized womb — front and center. This drove both economic and territorial expansion.

    The book went back to print within a month of publication. It's been classed as #1 in African American history since it came out on amazon — whatever, if anything, that means. A friend reported seeing a fine display of The American Slave Coast at his book store in Annapolis over the weekend.

77. Thanks, John! AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN, the first book in my series from Tor, is now available in paperback, and the second book, THE LEFT-HAND WAY, is now available in hardcover (both are also available in e-versions). They are stories of modern-day magician soldiers and psychic spies fighting against undying evils from the pages of Poe and Hawthorne. They’re available everywhere:
    http://www.amazon.com/American-Craftsmen-Novel-Craft/dp/076537692X/
    http://www.amazon.com/Left-Hand-Way-Novel-American-Craft/dp/0765337525/

78. The Memoirs of Lady Trent: the tale of Isabella, Lady Trent, Scirland’s foremost lady adventurer and dragon naturalist, and her journey from a youth as a bookish young girl obsessed with dragons to adulthood as one of the most famous scientists in the world, with pulp adventure aplenty along the way. The individual titles so far are A Natural History of Dragons (nominated for a World Fantasy Award!), The Tropic of Serpents, and Voyage of the Basilisk, with two more finishing out the series.

    For the sake of avoiding too many links, I’ll just say that all my buy links are here, and if you click on the book titles it will take you through to individual pages for each volume, with cover copy, background information, and so on to whet your appetite.

    Thanks for doing this, John!

79. DON’T PUSH THE BUTTON! starring Larry the friendly purple monster is the perfect picture book for the toddler in your life.

    Whatever you do, do NOT push the button! This award-winning interactive children’s book will engage even the youngest of readers. What happens when you push the button? Read and find out!

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402287461/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i2_r?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0M614JN9NRX6695MJNNN&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

80. My book is for all the makers out there, or, more specifically, for all of you who want to get into making stuff but don’t know where to start. It’s called MAKE IT MIGHTY UGLY, and people seem to really be digging it. Thanks to a gorgeous review in Library Journal, it’s widely available in libraries, and of course it’s also in all the major bookstores and plenty of local indies.

    I’ve got signed copies on sale: http://www.kimwerker.com/shop/signed-copy-make-mighty-ugly/

    And here it is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Mighty-Ugly-Exercises-Creative/dp/157061914X

    Thanks for this annual plug-fest, John!

81. WEIGHING SHADOWS is about a woman who’s recruited by a time-traveling organization to go back in time and make changes, and who discovers that the organization may be more sinister than it seems. Jo Walton said, “It’s so rare to see somebody doing something really interesting and different with time travel. Goldstein always impresses me, and Weighing Shadows is one of her best.” Recommended for people who like historical novels (Ancient Crete! The Library of Alexandria! Medieval France!), time travel books, and/or smart woman characters.

82. Thank you, John, so being so generous. Two of my picture books are especially good holiday gifts.

    The Magic Nesting Doll, illustrated by Laurel Long, is an original fairy tale with a Russian setting, where the magical objects is a nesting doll that helps Katya break the spell over the kingdom where it is always winter, and always dusk and the prince has been turned into living ice. Equally magical are the lavish illustrations, with rich jewel tones inspired by Russian lacquer art. http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Nesting-Doll-Jacqueline-Ogburn/dp/0803724144/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

    Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World is a collection of sweet and silly names that parents call children in 13 different languages. In America, a child might be called “sweet pea” or “babycakes,” in Hindi, they say “mera chandra (sweet little moon) or in Chinese “bao bei” (precious or treasure,) but all these endearments mean the same thing “O, my beloved child.” Also great for baby showers. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Treasures-Endearments-Around-World/dp/0547428626/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

    Available from Amazon, and if you are lucky enough to have one, can be ordered from your local bookstore.

83. PRODIGIES explores the story of the poet Novalis’s birthplace in the German town of Weissenfels after it is converted into a boarding house. Moving, subtle, and full of wit, irony, and dreams, this novel fills the house with the women who lived there throughout the nineteenth century, and across the flow of history constructs the secret drama of their destinies.

    “If you are ready for the experience of Prodigies, it is definitely ready for you.” — NPR

    Written by Angélica Gorodischer, translated by me, Sue Burke, and available here:

    http://www.amazon.com/Prodigies-novel-Ang%C3%A9lica-Gorodischer-ebook/dp/B011OQAM5Q

    http://smallbeerpress.com/books/2015/08/14/prodigies/

84. Thanks for this Mr Scalzi! My new sci-fi PLANETFALL came out recently from Roc. The Washington Post said “Planetfall is an exceptionally engaging novel that explores the complex relationship between mythology and science. In a kind of pilgrimage, a group of people had left Earth to colonize another planet. Ren Ghali, the group’s chief engineer, has now helped ensure the survival of her fellow humans in this foreign world for the past 22 years. But it’s come at an unspeakable cost as she guards the secrets in the City of God, an alien structure with living, plantlike architecture that supposedly houses the colony’s leader (and Ren’s lover). When a young man appears on the edge of the settlement one day, asking for sanctuary, the lies spun by Ren and her co-leader begin to unravel, threatening the unity — and survival — of the colony. Surprising plot turns and richly developed characters make for a vivid, riveting read.” I was quite delighted by that! There is also an audiobook version available that I narrated myself. All of the relevant links can be found here: http://www.enewman.co.uk/book-details/planetfall – thanks!

85. Thanks for the awesome offer, Scalzi!

    My book is called The Unnoticeables, and it’s the first book in a trilogy of supernatural thrillers. Here’s the synopsis:

    There are angels, and they do watch over us. They watch our lives unfold, analyzing us for repeating patterns and redundancies. When they find them, the angels simplify those patterns and remove the redundancies, and the problem that is “you” gets solved.

    Carey doesn’t much like that idea. As a punk living in New York City, 1977, Carey is sick and tired of watching strange kids with unnoticeable faces abduct his friends. He doesn’t care about the rumors of tar-monsters in the sewers or unkillable psychopaths invading the punk scene―all he wants is to drink cheap beer and dispense ass-kickings.

    Kaitlyn isn’t sure what she’s doing with her life. She came to Hollywood in 2013 to be a stunt woman, but last night a former teen heartthrob tried to eat her, her best friend has just gone missing, and there’s an angel outside her apartment. Whatever she plans on doing with her life, it should probably happen in the few remaining minutes she has left.

    There are angels. There are demons. They are the same thing. It’s up to Carey and Kaitlyn to stop them. The survival of the human race is in their hands.

    We are, all of us, well and truly screwed.

    David Wong, author of John Dies At The End, says it’s “a nightmarish and hilarious tour through modern day Hollywood, the 1970s New York Punk scene and Robert Brockway’s own diseased mind.” Kirkus Reviews calls it “A nasty, freaky, and haphazardly funny horror story.” And Publisher’s Weekly made me blush like a little schoolgirl when they said it’s “Like Hunter S. Thompson went drinking with Stephen King.”

    Check it out here!

86. Many thanks, John! I can’t do better at summing up my new novel Season of the Cats than Michael Bishop did in his comment: “Pamela Sargent’s Season of the Cats opens the door on what seems a quiet domestic drama and then draws us in by giving an odd psychological turn to the surface ordinariness of her main characters…who, we learn, have more going on in their lives than their unique personal quirks, their unsatisfying day jobs, or their shared fondness for cats. Indeed, Sargent’s novel qualifies as an eerie entry in the Alfred Hitchcock suspense sweepstakes. It stalks its readers from first page to last with a self-possessed feline single-mindedness that brooks no resistance and affords little respite….A deliciously unsettling performance.” It’s available from booksellers everywhere and from the publisher at http://wildsidepress.com/season-of-the-cats-by-pamela-sargent-hardcover/.

87. Thanks, John. I’m Stephen of Satalyte Publishing, an Australian independent publishing house. We have published some great novels this year, including:
    – Jack Dann’s The Rebel: Second Chance, which explores the life of James Dean if he had survived the car crash.
    – Gillian Polack’s The Time of the Ghosts, which is a novel about elderly women who are secretly superheroes and fight ghosts and things. It even has a Jewish fairy.
    – Robert N Stephenson’s Life Light, which explores the concept of matter transmitters with a great twist.
    – T. B. McKenzie’s The Dragon and the Crow, which is a novel about the one boy who is magickless in a kingdom full of powers. A great YA read.

    We have published about 36 titles now, including Kevin J. Anderson’s Dan Shamble novels. We have a great 2016 in store. Look out for us at http://satalyte.com.au.

    PS: If they mention that Scalzi sent them, we may even offer a discount!

88. Hey, folks!

    Check out the novel I co-authored with John Sandford, SATURN RUN.

    I wrote about the genesis of this New York Times Bestseller (yup we dun it!) in a Big idea column, here:

    http://whatever.scalzi.com/2015/10/08/the-big-idea-ctein/

    You can read the first two chapters here:

    http://ctein.com/

    And if you’re wondering what some guys you never heard of thought of it, there’s this:

    “When two highly creative minds combine forces, the fusing of their unique and complementary strengths can create a new voice different from any you’ve heard before. That’s what happens in _Saturn Run_, a high-tech, politically tangled thriller that will sweep you along from here to Saturn and make you truly feel the immensity, complexity, dangers, and promise of such a mission.”
    — Stan Schmidt (who edited Analog for three decades)

    “SATURN RUN by John Sanford and Ctein. Wow! What a ride. This is a hard-science adventure that reads like something Arthur C. Clarke might have written, but grittier. The prose is clean, the science is impeccable, the characters are vivid, and the payoff is satisfying. (And the best thing about it is that there’s a lot to argue about.) No spoilers, just read it. Definitely going on my Hugo nomination ballot.”
    — David Gerrold (like, tribbles, man)

    Views expressed in this infomercial do not necessarily reflect those of the management. We now return you to the program in progress.

    pax / Ctein

89. You can grab the first two books in my Thomas of Xuelition before #3 comes out in 2016. What are they about? Assassins! Magic! Cool stuff! And they are short novels so if you don’t need another doorstop, here is your chance!

    http://booktrope.com/book_authors/christopher-turkel/

90. For adults only, BDSM Space Opera: Book 1 in the Lady & the Spyder series — Spyder’s Truth, published by Circlet Press.

    Spyder, captain of the spaceship Trouble, ignores threats from the owner of his cargo and the anger of his influential and overdue passenger to rescue the Dominatrix Lady Cassandra. The delay forces him to risk Trouble, his life and that of his crew when a notorious criminal chases the ship from one end of the system to another.

    Available at online and brick & mortar bookstores: http://transgressivewriter.com/spyder.php#trouble

91. Wonderful thread, and thanks for the oppourtunity to get our books out there.

    My novella, ‘Welcome To Orphancorp’ won the Seizure Viva La Novella Prize for 2015 and was published in August.

    A sharp-edged semi-futuristic riff about a rebellious teenager’s last week at an industrial orphanage. Welcome To Orphancorp is a heartfelt, brutal, funny, and diverse story about when corporate interests overwhelm human rights, and what happens to children when they bloom in the darkest of places.

    ‘Takes all of your dystopian nightmares and connects them to a mother lode of pure emotional intensity. There’s so much keen detail here about the cruel logic of oppressive institutions, you’ll feel Mirii’s yearning for freedom in your bones – and you’ll rejoice at every tiny moment of escape that she achieves. Welcome to Orphancorp is harrowing, scarily real, and ultimately super moving.’ – Charlie Jane Anders (i09)

    ‘Punchy, crunchy, sexy and smart, Welcome to Orphancorp is a short, sharp shock of a story with bruised-but-not-broken characters and a bonsai dystopia you can actually believe in. Marlee Jane Ward is a writer of heart and passion, muscle and slow-burning anger.’ – Ian McDonald

    ‘Welcome to Orphancorp is an intimate, heartfelt story set in the darkest of places. I can’t stop thinking about these characters.’ – Kij Johnson

    ‘An object lesson in how to dehumanise young people by locking them up and depriving them of all warmth and care – has never been more timely. This gritty, greasy story is peppered with violence and lit with the slenderest shafts of affection and hope. It will make your jaw clench with fear for the indomitable Mirii Mahoney, and your fist punch the air at her every tiny victory.’ – Margo Lanagan

    You can find it all over (maybe check out your local indie bookstore and ask them to get it in), but here are some links:

    http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Orphancorp-Marlee-Jane-Ward/dp/1921134585
    http://www.powells.com/book/welcome-to-orphancorp-9781921134586/61-1

    And check out the reviews on Goodreads:

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26162179-welcome-to-orphancorp

92. For fiction writers seeking to develop or improve their skills in writing about characters whose racial heritage, sexual orientation, religion, or other significant status differs from their own, I’m recommending the diversity writing handbook, Writing the Other: A Practical Approach (Aqueduct Press) by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward.

    Available in print book and eBook from:

    Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Other-Conversation-Pieces-Book-ebook/dp/B0065MZ26O

    Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/writing-the-other-nisi-shawl/1007750250?ean=2940149018826

    Directly from the publisher, Aqueduct Press: http://www.aqueductpress.com/books/978-1-933500-00-3.php

93. Hallo, lovely folks! Both these books are new for the holiday season.

    FOR THE KIDLETS: Strictly No Elephants (Paula Wiseman/S&S, illustrated by the lovely Taeeun Yoo) is a picture book that addresses being “the other,” bullying, diversity, and inclusion. It was just awarded a 2016 NCTE Charlotte Huck Honorable Mention.

    http://books.simonandschuster.com/Strictly-No-Elephants/Lisa-Mantchev/9781481416474

    FOR OLDER TEENS: Sugar Skulls (Skyscape, collaboration with Glenn Dallas) is a New Adult near-future not-dystopian, sex, drugs, rock-and-roll romp. Free on Kindle Unlimited, but I will also *highly* recommend the audio version which has dual narration and is available through Audible as well as MP3 CD.

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZIJNMTY

94. Thanks John. Great idea and great thread.

    My writing partner Elisabeth and I just released the second novel in our YA superhero trilogy, The Misshapes. We wrote about the first book in the Big Idea last year – http://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/10/22/the-big-idea-alex-flynn/
    -and are excited that book 2, Annihilation Day, is out in time for the holidays.

    The Misshapes: The Coming Storm introduced us to Sarah Robertson, the girl whose less-than-super powers relegated her to a group of misfit heroes known as ‘Misshapes’, who banded together to save their town of Doolittle Falls. Now, after an exciting summer fighting storms, Sarah returns home. Doolittle Falls is in chaos, and with the election of a new President, things take a dark turn. Heroes are given extraordinary freedom with results that are less than super — and certain people in the administration have a vendetta against Sarah’s mom, aka Lady Oblivion, and the entire Robertson family. Johnny and Alice are too preoccupied with their band to help, Freedom Boy is off shooting a movie, and Butters is in a Karaoke battle of epic proportions, so Sarah takes the investigation into her own hands, and must uncover the true reason behind her mother’s turn from Hero to villain. Soon Sarah discovers a devastating secret that could topple the nation, and if Sarah and the rest of the Misshapes don’t stop this looming threat, the world as they know it faces annihilation.

    You can purchase the hardcover or e-book of Annihilation here http://www.amazon.com/The-Misshapes-Annihilation-Alex-Flynn/dp/194061015X or find it and the first book at many online retailers http://www.themisshapes.net/buy/

95. “You don’t run across a whole lot of books where the talking severed head of a rock and roll legend serves as a weapon and isn’t even the strangest part of the story. Rock N Roll Head Case is such a book. It also features Andre the Giant, Charles Manson, and a man with an eyeball for a head. Interested yet?”
    – Dangerous Dan’s Book Blog

    Rock N Roll Head Case is part of the annual New Bizarro Author Series from Eraserhead Press. Perfect book for the weirdo in your group- or yourself, if you happen to be that weirdo!

    http://www.amazon.com/RocknRoll-Head-Case-Lee-Widener/dp/1621052044/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

96. Two books this year:

    The Thorn of Dentonhill
    A Murder of Mages

    Praise for Maresca’s Maradaine universe:

    “Maresca’s debut is smart, fast, and engaging fantasy crime in the mold of Brent Weeks and Harry Harrison. Just perfect.” —Kat Richardson, national bestselling author of Revenant

    “Maresca brings the whole package, complete and well-constructed. If you’re looking for something fun and adventurous for your next fantasy read, look no further than The Thorn of Dentonhill, an incredible start to a new series, from an author who is clearly on his way to great things.” —Bibliosanctum

    “Definitely a fun read, and one classic fantasy fans will likely enjoy.” —Bibliotropic

    “So much of it is terribly exciting and fun…. What I really liked about the ending was how it set up relationships and possibilities for the next book (which I definitely plan on reading).” —Tenacious Reader

97. Thanks for the opportunity to spruik our stuff, John.

    LINESMAN (Ace 2015). The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy …

    A fun space opera to settle down with after Christmas lunch, when you’re too full to move, and have had enough talking, and just want to get lost in a story.

    It featured on the Big Idea back in July. Available in paperback, eBook and audio. Buying information is here.

98. I’ve contributed to two anthologies as Sarah Ellis:

    Spellbinding: Tales from the Magic University, ed. Cecilia Tan – tasty erotica set in Cecilia Tan’s Magic University series, about the magical school that co-exists with Harvard. Students there learn enchantment, divination, and the power that comes from tapping the human impulse toward sex…and love.

    Charming: Modern Gay Erotic Fairy Tales, ed. Rian Darcy and Jennifer Levine – what happens when sea fairies steal a vacationing man? A dispirited actor meets a supernatural lover? This collection of modern erotic gay fairy tales will answer these questions and so many more!.

99. My name is Patricia Abbott. Thanks for the opportunity to mention my first novel, CONCRETE ANGEL (Polis Books, June 2015), the story of a woman who cannot stop stealing, hoarding and eventually murdering, and the daughter who is dragged along for the ride. Book List compared it to GIRL ON A TRAIN and LIBRARY JOURNAL awarded it a starred review. It has also been compared to MOMMY DEAREST and THE GLASS CASTLE by other reviewers.

100. Want to read fun speculative fiction and support homeless animals? Try Hadkey Rille Book’s just released A QUIET SHELTER THERE edited by me. Includes stories and poems about service or companion animals by authors both well known and unknown. 70% of the profits go to the Friends of Homeless Animals rescue in Northern Virginia, and other shelters can buy it at a discount and use for fundraising.

101. Hi there! My name is Kat Belledonne. My book is titled Right Here Waiting.

     Publisher’s Weekly calls it “Adorably guileless heart candy… The real story is an old-school one of a grand love and a whole community that comes together to support it, with a happy ending that gives the reader a moment of escapist grace.”

     In 1942, Ben Williams had it all — a fulfilling job, adoring friends and the love of his life, Pete Montgomery.

     But World War II looms over them. When Pete follows his conscience and joins the Army Air Forces as a bomber pilot, Ben must find the strength to stay behind without the love of his life, the dedication to stay true and the courage he never knew he’d need to discover his own place in the war effort.

     Good friends keep him afloat, until a chance meeting on the home front brings him an unexpected ally – one who will accompany him from the stages of New York City to the hell of the European warfront in search of his love.

     Written in the style of a 1940s film, Right Here Waiting pays homage to classic wartime romances from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It is available from your local bookseller, through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through my publisher, Interlude Press:
     http://store.interludepress.com/products/right-here-waiting-by-k-e-belledonne-ebook-package

102. UNBEARABLE CURVES: THE GRIZZLY NEXT DOOR by AYA MORNINGSTAR

     http://goo.gl/Zk0Z7y

     What if you go back to your hometown and run into the boy next door, but he isn’t a boy anymore. He’s a grizzly bear shape-shifting cop, rippling with muscles, and he knows as soon as he sees you again that you are his mate.

     This is the story of Effie and Abel, and though they fall for each other right away, a murderer is on the loose, and Effie is the next on his list. Abel will have to team up with a shape shifting dragon and take down a mysterious organization to protect his new-found mate.

     47 reviews on Amazon. 4.5 Stars. $0.99. FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

     http://goo.gl/Zk0Z7y

103. This is so generous and awesome of you… thank you!

     I’ve been writing stories since I was about 6 years old, and I learned how to cook from my mom (who won every cooking contest she ever entered) and my dad (who owned a roadside diner in rural PA from 1967 until 1987).

     A few years ago, my husband and I self published our cookbook ‘Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat’ (http://amzn.to/NGfMcv).We were fortunate to be able to get broad distribution, and it was a surprise hit — I was able to quit my corporate job and become a full-time author and blogger.

     Then we published ‘Well Fed 2: More Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat’ (http://amzn.to/GZDvq6). I’m currently working on our third cookbook — recipe testing wraps up in two weeks, then in the new year, I start writing. It’s exciting and overwhelming.

     You can get free samplers of both our previous books on my site:
     Well Fed – http://meljoulwan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wellfed_sampler3.pdf
     Well Fed 2 – http://meljoulwan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wellfed2_sampler.pdf

     Hope you enjoy the recipes.

104. Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless is a YA comedy that will put you in mind of the Breakfast Club. It is about a group of teens who work in a grocery store, and on Christmas Eve they are accused of stealing $10,000. Crazy customers, after-hours hijinks, and a rogue ham. What more do you need to put you in a holiday mood?

     Available at all major book retailers in paperback and ebook.
     Follow the link to the retailer of your choice here: http://lizczukas.com/top-ten-clues/

105. Fans of Regency-era Ruritanian fantasy, intricate adventures that center women’s lives and relationships, or any combination thereof may enjoy The Mystic Marriage, second book in the Alpennia series (after Daughter of Mystery). Antuniet Chazillen’s last hope of redeeming her family’s honor lies in an ancient book of alchemical secrets…if she can survive long enough to decipher them.

106. Thank you for hosting this, John!

     The Ultra Fabulous Glitter Squadron Saves the World Again is a collection of interlinked short stories about trans women, cis women, and queer women (with occasional scantily-clad cis men) saving the world from space eels, sea monsters, and various other threats while looking fabulous in glitter and high heels.

     It’s available directly from Lethe Press: http://www.lethepressbooks.com/store/p256/The_Ultra_Fabulous_Glitter_Squadron_Saves_the_World_Again.html, and can be found other places such as Amazon, Weightless, and in local bookstores through Indie Bound. An audio version is forthcoming.

107. As your attorney*, I strongly advise you to pick up DRAGON COAST, the conclusion of my Daniel Blackland trilogy. It’s about wizards who gain their powers by ingesting the bones of extinct magical creatures, many of which are found in Los Angeles’s La Brea Tar Pits.

     The trilogy begins with CALIFORNIA BONES. A certain John Scalzi said this about it: “I both love and am terrified by Greg van Eekhout’s vision of Los Angeles. I already want to go back.” And it continues with PACIFIC FIRE, which Kurt Busiek called “a real treasure, not to be missed.”

     Tor Books has a nice website devoted to the trilogy, with purchase links here.

     * I am not an attorney.

108. As Greg Van Eekhout’s attorney*, I want to thank Greg and everyone else for posting your books, thus keeping me from wondering what to read next.

     As an author, I’d like to thank John for giving me space to talk about my science fiction screwball noir, WINDSWEPT, now out from Angry Robot Books. It’s the story of Padma Mehta, a labor organizer on the edge of space and on the edge of burnout. When a ship she’s expecting goes down with all hands, Padma has to take a deal from the neighborhood scam artist so she can save her city, her planet, and her sanity–all before Happy Hour.

     You can buy WINDSWEPT (and pre-order its sequel, LIKE A BOSS) here.

     *I am less of an attorney than Greg.

109. I write books! Here’s the most recent one:

     NOMAD is the sequel to AMBASSADOR (winner of the Eleanor Cameron Award and finalist for the International Latino Book Award), and concludes the adventures of eleven-year-old planetary diplomat Gabe Fuentes.

     More details here:
     http://www.willalex.net/nomad/

110. Thanks for this, John. I’m gonna post on here, because, after three years in hardcover, this is the last Christmas you’ll have an opportunity to get my book in its lovely hardback edition. Ready?

     *ahem*

     JIM HENSON: THE BIOGRAPHY is the first-ever comprehensive biography of the iconic creator of The Muppets. The New York Times loved it. The Wall Street Journal loved it. The AV Club loved it. But more importantly, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS LOVED it. Come to think of it, so did Frank Oz. So there you go.

     It’s available in hardcover, as an e-book, or as an audiobook. The paperback comes out in May 2016, so this is the last time it’ll be available as a holiday hardback. Ask for it where fine books are sold.

     Happy Holidays to everyone! I now challenge Chuck Wendig to a thumb war.

111. If you are looking for a beautiful, oversized Graphic Novel as a gift, and you like the idea of super-heroes in the Old West, then have a look at THE GUNS OF SHADOW VALLEY.

     “Somewhere in Shadow Valley lies a secret that could forever change the frontier. Only a posse of gunmen with special abilities can defend that secret from a tribe of ghostly warriors, an advancing army led by a deranged Colonel, and the perils of the valley itself.”

     Nominated for the Eisner Award for ‘Best Digital Comic’ in 2010, and for the Harvey Award for ‘Best Online Comics Work’ in 2011, Dark Horse collects the supernatural webcomic into a 200+ page graphic novel.

     http://amzn.com/1616554355

112. Hey, your ol’ pal Jack here. I write novels that have been described as heartbreaking, mesmerizing, and bringing you closer to the edge. For what it’s worth, I say I write novels about the interesting lives of ordinary people.

     My latest is “A Company of Tatters” about six friends trying to survive their last year of high school, even as everything seems to be falling apart around them. Then this year my three previous novels were collected into a single volume, “The Toyland Tales”… and for good measure, I released a book of poetry called “Nightshade & Daylight” that explores themes of wistful melancholy and nostalgia (just like my novels).

     Hit me up at Amazon.com to find them in print or for Kindle:
     http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Beltane/e/B007S8X1BW

     And thanks a ton to Whatever for this great opportunity!

113. Oops, looks like I’m a bit late. Stupid surgery. Anyhow, thanks for providing this nice little forum for self-promoting.

     YOUNG-HEE & THE PULLOCHO is my debut novel, about Korean mythology, magic and monsters. It’s the story of a Korean girl whose brother gets kidnapped by a dokkaebi (Korean goblin), so she has to go on a dangerous journey through a world of Korean folktales to get him back.

     You can pick up a copy at Amazon and the usual websites: http://www.amazon.com/Young-hee-Pullocho-Mark-James-Russell/dp/0804844976

114. Please check out my self-published Kindle book of horror themed short stories:

     http://www.amazon.com/Graveyard-Other-Stories-Micah-Brown-ebook/dp/B00CGRQU68/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449066235&sr=8-1&keywords=the+graveyard+and+other+stories

115. The Night Charter is my latest novel, and my first from Mulholland Books. It’s a thriller releasing 12/8 (sales links below), and might appeal to you if you’re a fan of Lee Child or Jon Land. David Morrell and Craig Johnson have said nice things about it, if that helps!

     One year ago, Camaro Espinoza helped kill five men in New York City. She had her reasons. Now she runs a charter fishing boat in the Atlantic off the coast of Miami and the chaos of her past is slipping away, but a man comes calling with an offer that will turn Camaro’s world upside down.

     The ghosts of the Cuban Revolution do not rest easy in south Florida, and there are men who will kill in the name of politics… and money. Everything is at stake in a deadly game where the only rules are the rules of open war.

     You’ll find the book on all platforms at all stores, but I’ll link to the print book and ebook over at Amazon for convenience’s sake. Enjoy!

116. Hello! You should TOTALLY check out my novel “Abomination”, which was published earlier this years and has been described as “Game of Thrones meets HP Lovecraft”. It’s a gnarly mashup of medieval history, fantasy, and horror featuring horrible monsters, dark magic, sex, vikings, mad priests, lots of gore, and even real human emotions! And check out these gongs:

     *Publishers Weekly Starred Review
     *Goodreads Choice Awards 2015 official selection
     *4/5/5 average Amazon rating.

     “Abomination” is available from Amazon at this link:

     http://www.amazon.com/Abomination-Gary-Whitta/dp/1941758339

     ….as well as Barnes & Noble, Powell’s and independent bookstores!

117. 2015 WILL ROGERS MEDALLION gold level winner
     2015 WILLA LITERARY AWARD finalist
     Forced to leave behind everything familiar, is it possible for a company of New York City castoffs to learn to fight for their hopes in the raw new American West?
     Walls for the Wind, where an orphan train ends up in Hell on Wheels, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
     http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1611608627/

118. Gillian Polack and I wrote “The Middle Ages Unlocked” at the behest of writers and book fans who wanted the medieval matter in their books more accurate. Skiffy and Fanty has reviewed it, and you can buy it at my webshop (signed if you like), order it from the publisher, from the online bookseller of your choice, or get it from your friendly local bookstore.