Martha Wells's Blog, page 169

Drawing for Free Copy of The Cloud Roads or The Serpent Sea

What this is:

This is a drawing for your choice of either a free signed trade paperback copy of The Cloud Roads or its sequel The Serpent Sea, which will be out in late December/January.

Note that The Cloud Roads as of this morning is still being offered as a free promo on Amazon Kindle US here. I don't know how long it will be free.



Rules, such as they are:

* Comment on this post with some indication that you want to enter the drawing. You have until Friday December 16 at about mid-morning or so CST to enter. At that point I'll call a halt and randomly draw at least three winners. The winners will have to provide me with a mailing address and let me know if they want the book just signed, or personalized with their name (or someone else's name if it's a gift).

* I will pay for the shipping, and yes, entries with international shipping addresses are fine.

* Only one entry per person, please. You can enter either on Live Journal or on Dreamwidth, but not both.


If for some reason there are tons of entries, I may add a couple more copies. If you don't want to enter but you know someone who might, please let them know about it.

The jury duty I was supposed to have today was canceled. ...

The jury duty I was supposed to have today was canceled. This makes me very happy! I'll spend that time at the post office (I'm mailing the winners' books from Sunday's giveaway) and the grocery store. I'm also pretty much done with holiday shopping. I've only got about three presents left to get.

Next week on campus is not going to be fun. The heat for most of the buildings is provided by steam that travels through underground pipes. Last week, facilities tried to test the system by turning it up high, some pipes burst (causing some fire alarms and water outages) and incidentally melting the fiber optic cables for the campus internet backbone and taking out AT&T. AT&T brought in portable units to keep the cell phone coverage going, but the internet cables are literally held together by threads at this point, and they're hoping it stays that way until after graduation this weekend, then they're going in to fix it. Hopefully it won't affect the internet in town. Troyce is calling it Fibergeddon.

***

Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilders Fundraiser for Heifer International is still going. A donation puts you into the drawing for many fabulous prizes.

The fundraiser for writer/artist/editor Terri Windling and her family's medical bills is magick4terri and it ends on the 15th. Just looking through some of the incredible art, jewelry, food, books, stories, etc that have been donated is incredible. My auction is here.

N.K. Jemisin's post on the Book Smugglers Smugglivus book rec fest. She recs some great books, and says very nice things about The Cloud Roads and The Serpent Sea and that I make her think of LL Cool J, which is AWESOME.

Book Signing

I am doing a book signing on Saturday, January 7, 4:30, at Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas, with Kimberly Frost and Jaye Wells, and if you can't go you can order signed books from it here. The Serpent Sea isn't showing as available yet because it's not out yet, but I'll keep an eye on it and post again when it is.

The Cloud Roads free on Kindle plus winners

Got a surprise this morning: It looks like the kindle version of The Cloud Roads is FREE on Amazon this morning, so if you have an eReader and haven't already got it, this might be a good time. I didn't know the publisher was going to do this as a promo, or I would have given you guys a head's up.


The winners of the hardcover signed copies of Wheel of the Infinite are: odo, tingler, fantasycafe, avidreadergirl, drstur, ladyjax. (I decided to throw in an extra copy, so there were six winners.) I'll comment to the winners to make sure they know. Thanks to all the Sunday readers who entered!

I should be able to mail the books in the next couple of days. I need to get to the office store and buy more shipping supplies, and I've got some things to mail for the holidays too.

Links and Book Giveaway

I feel like I got zero sleep last night, though I'm mostly conscious now so I must have gotten some. At some point I was woken up by a loud noise that sounded like it was inside the house. It sounded like a cabinet door slamming closed. I got up, walked around, didn't find anything. Troyce didn't hear it, though he did hear mysterious noises (talking and music) early this morning that I didn't hear. Clearly, the house is haunted and we just didn't notice before. Or something.

Links:

The Night Shade Books Holiday Countdown has an excerpt of The Serpent Sea on the Fantasy Book Critic Blog. It's chapter 7 so if you don't like spoilers, don't read it. It does have a brief three paragraph introduction that isn't spoilery, though.

Over 1000 books donated to Bastrop Friends of the Library in a drive to try to help replace some of the over 10,000 books from the library collections that were lost in summer wildfires.

Book Giveaway:

This book giveaway is for five autographed hardcover copies of Wheel of the Infinite. Comment on this post between now and 10:00pm (CST) or so tonight and I'll draw five winners tomorrow. (Winners will have to email me their shipping address so I can mail you the books.) This book is out of print, though it is still available in ebook (Barnes and Noble NookBook, Amazon US, Kindle UK, Kindle De, Kindle ES)

I'll do another giveaway later in the week for The Cloud Roads/The Serpent Sea.

Report on the State of Me

I got some holiday stuff done so I don't feel quite so behind now, plus I made my word count goal yesterday. Today I'm going to try to continue those two trends plus get Something Done to my hair. It's been a while, so I hope the stylist doesn't judge me.

I'm also trying to make three aerobics classes a week for this week and the next, to help offset the holiday eating. (Which started two weeks before Halloween.) I've been keeping up with it, but during busy weeks in the past couple of months I've only made two or at worst one, and I can feel the difference. My hurty knee still bothers me, but it is getting better. I really wish I hadn't done the physical therapy appointments which my insurance said it would partially cover (that turned out to be a lie and they were obscenely expensive, like buy a new kitchen appliance expensive) and just talked to one of the personal trainers at the gym.

I noticed there's been some new friended people, so hi, new friended people! There are excerpts from all my books plus free stories on my web site here. There are also two stories there set in the same world as The Cloud Roads and The Serpent Sea: The Forest Boy and The Almost Last Voyage of the Wind-ship Escarpment.

There is also a list of links to resources for beginning writers.

Smugglivus Post

Quickie post, for I have no time:

My guest post on the Books Smugglers Smugglivus Fest: Smugglivus 2011 Guest Author Martha Wells I listed some of the books I loved in 2011 and the ones I'm looking forward to in 2012.

Links

The holidays march on and I still haven't gotten much done as far as preparations go. No cards sent yet, a few gifts bought. I want to hermit up and write, but I need to get busy.

Links!

Jim Hines on Supporting Victims of Sexual Harassment

Crossed Genres: Subversion: Science Fiction & Fantasy tales of challenging the norm
an anthology of stories about striking back at the status quo – whatever that might be. The Authority can be real or perceived; the act of subversion subtle or overt; and the consequences minute yet significant, or immense and world-shaking. and here's a review.

The Book Smugglers: Smugglivus Guest Post by Kate Elliott, with book recs, a free short story, and a book giveaway.

Book View Cafe: Lord of Two Lands by Judith Tarr is now available as an ebook. I loved this book and still have it in hardcover. It was a World Fantasy award nominee in 1994.
In 336 B.C., Egypt lies under the yoke of Persia. But a spirit of fire has risen to blaze across the world. His name is Alexander, and he is the destined conqueror of the Persian Empire--and the king foretold of Egypt. Meriamon, daughter of the last Pharaoh, journeys out of the Two Lands to find him and bring him home. From the battlefield of Issus to the siege of Tyre, from the founding of Alexandria to the divine revelations of Siwah, Meriamon both leads and follows her divine charge, who becomes her friend and her chosen king.

More signed book prizes listed for the Worldbuilders fundraiser. The total raised for Heifer International is already over $28,000!

Author's Copies Plus Links

I got my author's copies of The Serpent Sea Friday, yay!

Here is the traditional cat picture to celebrate:


It can be preordered at Barnes and Noble,
Amazon US, Powell's, Mysterious Galaxy, The Tattered Cover, Books-a-Million, Book Depository.com (free shipping worldwide), Book Depository.uk, Amazon UK, Amazon.ca, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, or look for it it at an independent book store in the US through IndieBound. The ebook version should be available January 1, 2012 in Amazon Kindle Edition, Baen Webscription eBook, Barnes & Noble NookBook, and Kobo.

It also includes some pages of nice things people said about The Cloud Roads, which I am going to list in the cut:

Martha Wells' books always make me remember why I love to read. In The Cloud Roads, she invents yet another rich and astonishingly detailed setting, where many races and cultures uneasily co-exist in a world constantly threatened by soulless predators. But the vivid world-building and nonstop action really serve as a backdrop for the heart of the novel--the universal human themes of loneliness, loss, and the powerful drive to find somewhere to belong.
- Sharon Shinn

* I loved The Cloud Roads so much that I begged Ms. Wells and Nightshade Books to let me tell you--Yes! You! You, the one who is looking for a new book to start!--to read this marvelous science fantasy series. With excellent, inventive world building and wonderful characters I adored spending time with, it is completely fabulous.
- Kate Elliott

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

* Thus the world is made all the more convincing for the reader, and all the more alien, by Wells's finely tuned instinct for what to explain, and how, always in keeping with Moon's viewpoint, and what to simply show without further clarification; other species with blue skin or horns, treelings, skylings, and waterlings, some sentient, some not, some with magic... It reminds me of the SF/F fantasy I read as a teen, long before YA was categorized. Those books explored adult concepts without 'adult content'; the complexity of morality and the potential, uncaring harshness of life. This story's conclusion satisfies on all those counts as well as leaving me eager for the sequel.
- Interzone, Juliet E. McKenna

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

* Filled with vivid action and memorable characters, Cloud Roads is a terrific science fiction adventure story with a heart. I read it eagerly and look forward to its sequel with great anticipation.
- Sarah Prineas

* Wells...merrily ignores genre conventions as she spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with.
- Publishers Weekly starred review

*The Cloud Roads is an unconventional and genuinely fascinating fantasy book, because Martha Wells avoids clichés and writes fresh fantasy. The Cloud Roads is an interesting and beautiful tale of what it means to be different. It's also a fresh story about love, loss and loneliness. That's partly the reason why this book is charmingly irresistible (when you begin to read this book, you'll soon notice that it's impossible to put it down -- I read this book in one sitting, because I loved it).
- RisingShadow.net

* But this is still a rousing tale of a lost boy who finds his way home and discovers that he has a role to play in saving the world. High-octane fight scenes nicely contrast with Moon's emotional growth and developing romance. Genre fans looking for something different will find this just what they needed.
- School Library Journal Blog

* Part of the enjoyment of this novel was seeing how Wells unwrapped the culture of the colony, as well as the world, like an onion. The further I read, the more depth there was. There are enough characters for a Fat Fantasy. Martha Wells does more with character development in less than 300 pages than many other writers do in twice as many pages. Or even a thousand pages.
- Adventures Fantastic

*I loved this book. This has Wells' signature worldbuilding and wholly real character development, and her wry voice shines through. I can't even explain how real the world felt, in which each race and city and culture had such well-drawn back story that they lived on even outside the main plot.
- Patrice Sarath


***

Holiday Gift Recs: I did a post on collecting holiday gift recs of books and people's etsy and craft and small business shops, and it got caught in a DDoS attack. But there are now more comments with links to great shops and some YA and MG book recs that would make great presents, so please check it out and keep adding more, and I'll link back to it later this week to remind people it's there.

***

We had a cold front come in with some rain, which we very badly need. It really isn't enough to call the drought over though, since we're still 24 inches below normal for rainfall. They think the drought will continue through next year, and probably longer. Augh.

I didn't do much this weekend except work on the third Books of the Raksura. I did go to the farmers market Saturday and got a big bunch of spinach that got converted into a yummy spinach pie yesterday. Or, I used eggs, so I guess it's a quiche. But someone wanted the recipe so here's what I did:

Put about a teaspoon of olive oil in a small pot and cooked four pieces of bacon, removed bacon and put in chopped onions and mushrooms. Cooked those for a bit, then added the chopped spinach to wilt it down. Added some cheese and melted it in with the rest. Crumbled the bacon and added it back in. Turned off the heat, then in a separate bowl stirred up two eggs with some salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Added that to the pot, stirred everything together and poured it into a pie shell. Baked it for about 40 minutes at 350, with foil around the edge of the pie crust so it wouldn't burn.

Worldbuilders and Holiday Gift Recs Redux

I did a post yesterday on collecting holiday gift recs of books and people's etsy and craft and small business shops, but it tanked due to another DDoS attack. But there are a few comments with links to great shops and some YA and MG book recs that would make great presents, so please check it out and keep adding more, and I'll link back to it later this week to remind people it's there.

***

Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilders Fundraiser for Heifer International has started. Donating to Heifer International through Worldbuilders enters you into a lottery to win fabulous prizes, like tons of signed books and other items donated by authors, publishers, and fans, and Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donation. The fundraiser goes to January 31, and there will also be auctions and opportunities to donate to get specific items, like t-shirts, books, calendars, foreign editions, etc.

Last year this fundraiser raised $190,000. Yes, $190,000. It started like yesterday and it's already over $9000. Your small donation added in with everyone else's small donation can do an enormous amount of good, plus get you a chance for a nice prize. Check the blog for ongoing updates on prizes and other ways to donate.

Holiday Gift Recs

Still plugging away on third Books of the Raksura book, which really needs a title.

Wednesday night we went to see A Tuna Christmas on campus, performed by the two original actors/writers, and had a great time. I've seen all of the Tuna plays live now. It's neat that most of the main characters are women, and that Joe Sears is so good at playing them that I forget that Bertha and Pearl are not actually women.

***

This month The Book Smugglers review blog is doing Smugglivus, their annual holiday festival where guest posters talk about books and movies and other things they loved this year, and what they're looking forward to next year. The first few posts are already up. In this one, writer Meljean Brook talks about Wonder Woman, with illustrations.

I'll have a guest post there later in the month.

***

I usually do an annual book rec post for the holidays, where you guys rec books that would make great presents. This time I wanted to do that, plus also get recs of online craft/etsy shops, particularly small businesses/tiny businesses that could benefit from a little extra traffic during the holidays.

So in the comments, feel free to rec books and craft and etsy shops you think would make great gifts. Here's a few places I wanted to rec:

Jewelry: Dixie Dunbar Studio, By Lillian (this is lillian13 , and I've bought some of her jewelry and have been very happy with it), Belaurient Arts.

Art Photos: The Various Arts of Katie Cowden

Or if you want a signed book by me, I sell autographed hardcovers of Wheel of the Infinite through my web site here. (I can only take Paypal and checks, unfortunately.)