Category Archives: Charity

July 11, 2021 · 4:53 pm

Oh, hello there.

I suppose I should start by saying, to paraphrase Twain, reports of my demise from the Internet are greatly exaggerated. The 16-plus months of COVID have been extremely busy, somewhat strange and, personally, full of changes – the vast majority of which have been delightfully positive.

But one of the the things that has indeed slipped while locked down has been my blogging and “public” social media presence. (For friends and family, I’ve been much more active, as it’s really been a good way to keep in touch while the world churns.) I’m not going to try to give a massive update on all the things here, but I’ll at least recap some of the book-related happenings.

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April 24, 2020 · 7:48 pm

Join me for a livestream interview this Sunday, and donate to fight COVID-19!

geeks bannerSo proud to be working with the amazing Worldbuilders crew on a new initiative, #geeks4hope, an effort to raise money to benefit Project HOPE in the fight against COVID-19. And you can help! Yes, YOU!

I’ll be online at geeks4hope.com this Sunday, April 26, at 4 p.m. PT to talk all things geeky, including some potential questions about…milkshakes? Not sure, but I do have opinions on them. And other things. And we’ll talk about books and writing and other matters no doubt. Plus, there will be a big honkin’ DONATE button there, just waiting for you to get clicking.

There’s all kinds of other cool stuff as well, including virtual book signings, other author interviews, and the amazing Pat Rothfuss doing his Twitch gaming thing. The whole schedule is at either of the above links, so please do check it out.

Project HOPE is an amazing charity that’s been around a long time, helping to fight health crises around the world. #geeks4hope will help raise money to supply front-line health workers in their efforts to treat COVID-19, helping save their lives as they work to save others.

So there you go. Get you some entertainment this coming week, and make with the donations to help the good people helping others. See you Sunday!

#SFWApro

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November 27, 2018 · 7:09 pm

It’s Worldbuilders time! Bid on a critique (by me) on 25,000 words of your fictiony goodness.

It’s truly one of the best benefits of being a published author to be able to do stuff like this. Once again, I’m offering up a critique for auction to benefit Worldbuilders, one of the best charities around – and not just because it was founded by Pat Rothfuss and brings together so many great geeks. Though that helps.

For the fourth year running, I’m offering up a critique for bid, up to 25,000 words of your fiction. I’ll give it a good read and opine on everything I think might be useful, from the usual character/setting/plot stuff to word choice, voice, whatever jumps out at me. And I’m quite willing to entertain follow-up questions and generally make sure you get your money’s work. Because charity! Click here for my handy auction page. You have until Dec. 6 to bid.

For those of you who don’t know, the Worldbuilders campaign benefits Heifer International, an amazing charity that helps people become sustainable farmers all over the world. It answers a basic yet critical human need, and I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to help out.

If memory serves, my biggest single auction drew in about $450. Surely we can do better this year, right? RIGHT?

So if you’re in the market for some writing advice from a six-time published novelist (i.e., me), please consider putting in a bid. And if you’re not, well, go ahead and spread the word! Check out Worldbuilders’ other auctions, as well as the lottery and the store. Get signed books, swag, swords, jewelry, gaming dice, you name it.

All this stuff makes for great holiday gifts, by the way. (For real – one of my critiques was given as a gift to a teen writer who, as it happened, had some chops.) So get to clicking!

#SFWApro

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November 30, 2017 · 9:34 am

Support Worldbuilders! And let’s talk about beer at r/Fantasy today!

I’ve been involved with Worldbuilders now for…four years? Something like that. It’s an incredible charity that’s raised millions of dollars for Heifer International. And each year I offer up, among other things, a critique of your writing. This year, my critique is part of the Worldbuilders lottery, which means your $10 donation gives you a chance to win said critique, along with many other fantastic prizes.

Here’s the details on what I’m offering. Just click on the nice big DONATE button at the top right of the page to enter. And don’t be afraid to go for it — I’ve seen just about everything over the past four years, including a couple stories that pleasantly surprised me with their craft. Whether you’re starting out or just want another set of eyes, I’d be happy to help. And again, it goes to a great cause.

To help celebrate Worldbuilders, I’m participating in a “Ask You Anything” event over at Reddit’s r/Fantasy subreddit today. This is an opportunity for authors to ask YOU, the readers, what’s on your mind. And since this is me, I’m asking about beer and books. Here’s the thread — come say hello!

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November 14, 2017 · 5:30 pm

Less than 24 hours to go to get the Night Shade Books Humble Bundle with The Daedalus Incident

Really excited to see that the Night Shade Books Humble Bundle has sold more than 8,000 bundles — that’s a lot of money for charity. And if you haven’t gotten it yet, you have less than a day to do so.

The premise is simple — for at least $1, you get six books, including The Daedalus Incident. Pay $8 or more to unlock another seven titles. Pay $15 in total (or more) and you get another seven — a total of 23 ebooks, including works by John Hornor Jacobs, Nick Mamatas, Martha Wells and Paolo Bacigalupi and me, along with anthologies edited by Paula Guran, John Joseph Adams, Neil Clarke and Ellen Datlow.

That’s a serious bunch of books. And not only does the money go to charity, but you get to choose which charity when you make your purchase. Good stuff all around.

It looks like this bundle closes down at 2 p.m. EDT tomorrow, so click here to get started. And if you’ve already taken the plunge — thank you!

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November 3, 2017 · 3:51 pm

Hello from World Fantasy 2017 in San Antonio!

A nice big Lone Star howdy to everyone at the World Fantasy Convention 2017 here in San Antonio! Got in yesterday, and have been playing tourist for much of today. But I have some things coming up that I want to get out there, so here goes:

  • I will be at the mass autograph session tonight at 8 p.m. in the Fiesta Paviliion here at the Wyndham Riverwalk. I know the good folks at Night Shade Books sent over a bunch of paperback copies of MJ-12: Inception to put in the swag bags, so I’ll happily sign them there.
  • Tomorrow at 8 p.m. in  Executive Salon 3 on the third floor, I’ll be doing a reading, most likely from MJ-12: Shadows. I also have a couple extra copies to give away for those attending.

Also worth noting: Larry Smith Booksellers now has signed paperbacks of all my books. They have the entire Daedalus trilogy as well as MJ-12: Inception and MJ-12: Shadows. So if you’ve not gotten a copy in your swag bag and miss out on freebies, please go visit them and pick ’em up. Larry himself is no longer with us, having passed away in January, but his legacy lives on in one of the finest booksellers on the conventions circuit. Please support this excellent seller!

Finally, I’m pleased as punch to report that the Night Shade Books Bundle over at Humble Bundle is doing really well — more than 3,000 bundles sold since Wednesday afternoon, roughly 48 hours. This is amazing and, dare I say it, humbling. The Daedalus Incident is one of the books available in the bundles, and the proceeds to go charity, so if you want a whole heap of great books, go check it out.

And if you’re at World Fantasy and have picked up a Humble Bundle, come find me at one of the events above and show me the receipts, so to speak. I have something special for the first person to do so. First come, first served.

#SFWApro

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November 1, 2017 · 2:15 pm

Get The Daedalus Incident in the latest Humble Bundle!

The good folks at Night Shade Books are the sponsors of the latest Humble Bundle Book Bundle, and The Daedalus Incident is one of six titles you can get for just…

…wait for it…

one dollar. That’s a pretty sweet price, y’all. With that single buck, you also get Jeff Salyards’ Scourge of the Betrayer, Pete Rawlik’s Reanimatrix, Will McIntosh’s Hitchers, and anthologies edited by two of the best editors around, John Joseph Adams and Ellen Datlow.

But wait there’s more. 

A measly $8 gets you seven more titles, including the most excellent Book of Cthulhu II edited by the incomparable Ross Lockhart, and more anthologies edited by Adams, Paula Guran and Neil Clarke.

And yet there’s still more. 

For just $15 — and you’ve spent more on less, let’s face it — you get a collection of Paolo Baciagalupi’s short stories, Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs, I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas, and four more books on top of that.

Seriously, $15 can feed your brain for months, y’all.

The best part? Humble Bundle supports charities around the world, so your dollars are going to a good cause. The current Humble Bundle spotlight charity is Special Effect, which is focused on helping people with disabilities enjoy video games. You can also choose your charity, and how much of your purchase price goes to said charity. I believe the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America is one such option, and that would be a lovely choice as well.

Obviously, the world isn’t in best shape, so you may decide to use your dollars for more pressing concerns. In that case, the American Red Cross, World Wildlife Federation and Save the Children are among your other options. It’s totally up to you.

So click here to get started on your Humble Bundle purchase, choose a charity to support, and get reading.  Also, given that it’s now November 1st, I would add that this massive pile of ebooks would make a great Christmas present for someone special. Just saying.

Oh, and you have two weeks to get on this — so don’t delay. Humble Bundle is standing by.

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October 3, 2017 · 5:36 pm

Like gaming? Check out Adirondicon on October 14!

If you’re a fan of table-top gaming — board games, card games, strategy, RPGs, the whole bit — and if you’ll be around the Albany, N.Y., area on Saturday, October 14, I have a good idea of what you should be doing.

The first annual Adirondacon is taking place that day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — that’s right, twelve straight hours of gaming goodness. The event is sponsored by First Stall Productions and the Adirondack Tabletop Gamers and Game Developers, and it’ll cost you just $5 for adults and $2 for kids. The proceeds go to the Bernard and Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center.

So it’s for charity, which means you get to play games all damn day for a good cause. This does not suck.

The convention will have a number of organized games throughout the day, as well as open gaming and a large lending library full of games to play on your own. We’re talking Magic: The Gathering, Settlers of Catan, Star Trek Attack Wing, Pathfinder, Arcadia Quest and a bunch of stuff I ain’t even heard of. Plus, I hear tell of food and prizes and swag for sale, too.

Sadly, I won’t be able to make it, but games are awesome and charity is even more awesome. So check out the Adirondacon website to get your badges and sign up for games. (You can also just wander in if you’re not sure of your plans yet or you’re just, you know, lazy.) They also have a Twitter and Facebook presence if you want to reach out to them. It’ll be at the Elks Lodge in Queensbury, N.Y., right near Glens Falls and about an hour north of Albany.

Have fun!

#SFWApro

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May 6, 2017 · 4:00 pm

Only one more day to bid on signed copies of the Daedalus and MAJESTIC-12 books

Here’s your obligatory time-is-running-out notice: The charity auctions to benefit Con or Bust — an organization that sends lots of awesome people of color to SF/F conventions — end tomorrow at 4 p.m. EDT. That means you have a little more than a day to bid on stuff, including signed copies of all my books to date, including a never-before-seen advance copy of MJ-12: Shadows.

I have two lots in the auction. The first is all three Daedalus paperbacks — The Daedalus Incident, The Enceladus Crisis and The Venusian Gambit — signed and sent to your door if you win. The other is a signed hardcover of MJ-12: Inception and, as previously mentioned, that signed advance copy of MJ-12: Shadows, which doesn’t come out until September.

So there you go. Click here to get bidding! As of this posting you have 24 hours — GO!

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April 24, 2017 · 8:30 am

Signed copies of all my books up for auction to benefit Con or Bust

Now you can get all my books — including an advance reader copy (ARC) of MJ-12: Shadows — via the charity auctions set up by Con or Bust starting today.

I’ve got two lots up for bid this year. The first consists of signed mass-market paperback copies of the full Daedalus trilogy — The Daedalus Incident, The Enceladus Crisis and The Venusian Gambit — which you can bid on here. The second is a hardcover copy of MJ-12: Inception and the ARC of MJ-12: Shadows, which you can bid on here. And yes, I’ll sign every book.

This is the first time anywhere you can get your hands on MJ-12: Shadows. We haven’t even released the cover images yet — though stay tuned for that soon — so you can get a good jump-start on the series before Shadows comes out in September. And of course, I remain super proud of the Daedalus trilogy and the reception it’s received over the years.

This is the fourth year I’ve supported the Con or Bust auctions. Con or Bust provides free SF/F convention passes to people of color, which is a beautiful thing indeed. Science fiction and fantasy needs more voices and different perspectives, and this is a really solid way of bringing more people into the fold.

The bidding started this morning and will last until Sunday, May 7 at 4 p.m. EDT. So you have some time. That said, the money goes to a most worthy cause, so bid early and often! There’s some super-cool stuff up for bid — lots of signed books, some manuscript critiques, jewelry, art, a signed Farscape script, delicious treats…just check it out. Support a great cause and maybe get some awesome SF/F swag!

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