The random number generator has spoken, and the winner of two signed books by the awesome MUR LAFFERTY is...

apocalypticbob!

Please send me an email via my website contact form, so that I can pass it off to Mur and get this party started.

Thanks to everyone who entered. If you've been looking for some summer reading, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Shambling Guide to New York City. It's a heck of a lot of fun, and it's always nice to discover a new author with an awesome body of work.

Go forth, and read!

LJ Messenger.

So I've been experiencing a real uptick recently in people using LJ's internal messaging system to reach me. I don't know why? I don't know if this is a societal switch toward "let's use one site for absolutely everything, always, and if you ever have to switch tags, that's bad," or if LJ has started giving out free kittens with every message sent, or what, but I am here to beg you to please not do that.

One of the functions of my OCD is that I feel compelled to answer all comments that are not somehow covered by comment amnesty, such as being second-level (a reply to one of my replies) or on a post that's connected to the RNG. This can take a long time. I have over 1,300 unanswered comments right now. I do not mind this! Comments are very rarely time-sensitive, and when they are, such as with the WG orders, I either get help or I leave myself a post-it. But this means that anything that's not on those entries just gets buried. Your message can wait up to a year for me to notice it.

Please, if you need to reach me privately, use my website contact form. That's what my website contact form is for. I get all that mail. I read all that mail. I answer most of that mail (some things do not require an answer). I do not overlook that mail for a year. Please, do not message me here, or on Tumblr, or on Facebook. Use my contact form. Please.

Slasher Chicks shirts.

I have answered all currently outstanding inquires, and I still have pretty, pretty Slasher Chicks shirts for sale. So pretty! So totally random in terms of color and size! It's an adventure every time I have to look up a size/color combo, and the adventure can be yours.

Old ARCs.

I have two ARCs of Half-Off Ragnarok left over, and I would like to see them go to a good home where they will be turned into art. People periodically need books for art projects, so...anyone out there looking to do some fun papercrafts and need an ARC or two? Please do not ask if you want to keep the ARCs in book form for reading purposes; I'm looking for people who are looking to make things. US addresses only, since postage is expensive and I'd need to ask you to pay it and ARCs aren't worth it (unless you're emulating a friend of mine and making something like a bridal bouquet out of ARCs, because that's a really important and long-term papercraft, and justifies you paying for postage).

Go ahead and comment on this post if you're interested, so other people can see that the ARCs may have been claimed. Again, please, crafters only.

Media stuff.

Surprisingly good: the movie Big Ass Spider.

Also surprisingly good: Girl Meets World.

...and thus do I summarize my entire experience with media in two three-word titles.

More later, but these are the things that mattered right now!

Nothing says "big American holiday" like planning a trip to a city you've never seen before, right? And what better way to start your trip planning than with a pair of travel guides showing two famous American cities from a...different...point of view?

I'm giving away two signed Mur Lafferty books: The Shambling Guide to New York City and Ghost Train to New Orleans. These fun, fascinating, unique urban fantasies follow the adventures of a travel guide publishing house for, well, monsters.

Yes.

One part urban fantasy awesome, one part Travel Channel enthralling, and all Mur Lafferty snark, these books make me happy. And now they can make you happy! (Although they could also make you happy if you bought them, so remember, all books are available through other means.) To enter...

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Name a city you've always wanted to see.
3. Identify your country of origin.

That's it! The winner will be chosen from qualifying entries via RNG on Thursday, July 10th, so you have a week.

Game on!

The bad news: I leave for New York first thing tomorrow. I can leave books with my mother to be mailed while I'm away, but they will only be signed, not personalized, and I will need mailing addresses (via my contact form) by 10pm PST tonight. I'm so sorry. This was always going to be a tight turn, and time just got away from me.

The winner of the RNG/art giveaway is...AKinzelman.

The winner of the RNG/poetry giveaway is...thedragonweaver.

Please, visit my website ASAP and send me your addresses. If I get them soon enough, I may have time to personalize before I shove things into envelopes.

Thanks, all.

As promised, here is the Half-Off Ragnarok poetry giveaway!

How to enter:

Post a comment either containing or linking to a poem inspired by or related to this series. Because LJ lists all links as spam, your comment may appear to disappear. I will be manually unspamming all these comments, have no fear.

All forms of poetry are accepted, including song lyrics, limericks, and other such silliness. Please indicate in the original comment whether you're in the US or international.

How to win:

I will be using the RNG to choose a winner at noon PST on Monday, February 10th. Please watch this space, as I will be requesting that you send me your address pretty quickly, so that your prize can be mailed before I fly to New York for the remainder of the month.

Game on!

As promised, here is the Half-Off Ragnarok art and pictures giveaway!

How to enter:

Post a comment either containing or linking to fan art, photography, or other visual awesomeness inspired by or related to this series. Because LJ lists all links as spam, your comment may appear to disappear. I will be manually unspamming all these comments, have no fear.

Please link only to your own work, not to Aly's awesome covers or to someone else's fan art (it does exist). Please indicate in the original comment whether you're in the US or international.

How to win:

I will be using the RNG to choose a winner at noon PST on Monday, February 10th. Please watch this space, as I will be requesting that you send me your address pretty quickly, so that your prize can be mailed before I fly to New York for the remainder of the month.

Game on!

And the winner of an ARC of Half-Off Ragnarok is...

readiness!

Please contact me via my website contact form by 11PM PST tonight. If I do not receive an address for your prize, it will not be awarded to you. Again, this is a tighter turn than normal, but that was in the original description of the drawing.

I will be opening two more giveaways next week: one will be art-based, and allow both photography and original drawings. The other will be our first poetry-based giveaway for the InCryptid universe. I'm really excited to see what you can all do!

Thanks for playing!

It's time to give away an ARC of Half-Off Ragnarok! This one is going to be both short and simple, because I'm going away for the weekend, so:

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please do not comment on other people's comments, as nested comments can confuse the random number generator. I will choose a winner at 12pm PST on Wednesday, January 22nd, and mail your prize first thing in the morning on Thursday, January 23rd. So more than ever, if you don't get me your address in a super-timely fashion, you won't receive your prize.

Game on!

Sorry about the delay on picking the last two Twelve Days of Hogswatch winners. To apologize, I picked two winners for day twelve. The winners are...

The RNG (and other sillinesses) has spoken, and the winners are...

On the eleventh day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to nimue_obscure a copy of the UK edition of Parasite.

On the twelfth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to tsukara and apocalypticbob the Seanan McGuire Random Crap Swag Pack.

If your name appears above, please proceed to my website contact form and send me your mailing address. I must receive this information within the next twenty-four hours. If I do not, a new winner or winners will be chosen. tsukara and apocalypticbob, please include your preferred shirt/tank top sizes, and whether you'd like a shirt or tank.

Happy Hogswatch, everyone, and to all, I wish you a happy new year.

The RNG (and other sillinesses) has spoken, and the winners are...

On the sixth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to boobook_owl copies of Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special.

On the seventh day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to antinomic the German editions of Deadline and Blackout.

On the eighth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to Art of Cheatery a copy of When Will You Rise.

On the ninth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to mearn4d10 a copy of Deadline.

On the tenth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to drpaisley a copy of Blackout.

If your name appears above, please proceed to my website contact form and send me your mailing address. I must receive this information within the next twenty-four hours. If I do not, a new winner or winners will be chosen.

There are two more drawings to come! Happy Hogswatch, everyone!

...a unique Seanan McGuire birthday swag pack, valued at we have no idea, half this stuff was never available for sale.

So Disneyland was a little more exhausting than anticipated, and the eleventh and twelfth days of Hogswatch got pushed back a bit. I'm sorry about that. This is the posting for the eleventh of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The final giveaway is for a birthday swag pack, assembled by yours truly. It will contain:

* A copy of the art bookmark I designed several years ago for Borderlands. These bookmarks have been gone for years, and have clownfish mermaids all over them. Super cute, and a rare example of my working in full color.
* A Slasher Chicks T-shirt. You get to pick the size, although sizes are limited (it was a very short run), so I can't promise I'll have the one you want. But hey, it would be a rockin' present for somebody else.
* A copy of your choice of Wicked Girls or Stars Fall Home, signed.
* One of the unique, never-for-sale "I'm with the band" passes we make for the Traveling Circus. I don't have passes from all events, but I can check to see if I have a specific title (Seanan books only).

This is a random number drawing with a twist. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. Explain to me why YOU deserve this birthday gift.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you. I will be choosing three finalists, and then letting their arguments sway me to a final winner.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Wednesday, January 8th. I know that's super-tight, but I need to do the mailing.

Game on!

...a copy of Parasite, by Mira Grant (UK edition).

So Disneyland was a little more exhausting than anticipated, and the eleventh and twelfth days of Hogswatch got pushed back a bit. I'm sorry about that. This is the posting for the eleventh of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The eleventh giveaway is for a copy of the UK edition of Parasite. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Wednesday, January 8th. I know that's super-tight, but I need to do the mailing.

Game on!

...a copy of Blackout, by Mira Grant (US edition).

Welcome to the tenth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and my birthday. Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The tenth giveaway is for a copy of Blackout. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Tuesday, January 7th.

Game on!

...a copy of Deadline, by Mira Grant (US edition).

Welcome to the eighth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and my birthday. Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The ninth giveaway is for a copy of Deadline. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Tuesday, January 7th.

Game on!

...a copy of When Will You Rise, by Mira Grant.

Welcome to the eighth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and my birthday. Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The eighth giveaway is for a copy of When Will You Rise. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Tuesday, January 7th.

Game on!

...the German editions of Deadline and Blackout, by Mira Grant.

Welcome to the seventh of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and my birthday. Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The seventh giveaway is for the German mass-market paperbacks of Deadline and Blackout. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Tuesday, January 7th.

Game on!

...a pair of books! Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special could be yours!

Welcome to the sixth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The sixth giveaway is for the US mass-market paperbacks of Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are in Canada, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

This giveaway is for US and Canadian residents only. The cost of mailing two MMPs anywhere else is more than the cost of the books, which I just...I can't. I'm sorry, and I'm trying to keep these giveaways as open as possible, but I can't in good conscience do that, either to you (postage like whoa) or to me (you could have just bought the books for that price). Tomorrow's giveaway will be open to all.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Tuesday, January 7th.

Game on!

The RNG (and other sillinesses) has spoken, and the winners are...

On the first day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to cailleuch a copy of Half-Off Ragnarok.

On the second day of Hogswatch, after a vicious battle, apricot_tree and beccastareyes fought each other to a standstill, and both won a copy of Velveteen vs. The Multiverse. It's my giveaway, I can do that.

On the third day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to tiferet a copy of Chimes at Midnight.

On the fourth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to deire a copy of Carniepunk.

On the fifth day of Hogswatch, the RNG gave to kittylady a copy of Oz Reimagined.

If your name appears above, please proceed to my website contact form and send me your mailing address. I must receive this information within the next twenty-four hours. If I do not, a new winner or winners will be chosen.

As we continue into the Twelve Days of Hogswatch, please remember that the rules of each giveaway must be followed. I chose one winner who was then rejected because their comment did not follow instructions. Also, please do not ask questions or reply to other people's comments on giveaway posts, as this can confuse the RNG.

More fun to come!

...a copy of Oz Reimagined!

Welcome to the fifth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The fourth giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Oz Reimagined, an awesome anthology I participated in this summer. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th.

Game on!

...a copy of Carniepunk!

Welcome to the fourth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The fourth giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Carniepunk, an awesome anthology I participated in this summer. This is going to be a random number drawing with a twist, because I am sleepy (that's been happening a lot lately) but still silly. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. Tell me what position you are applying for on the Midway. Impress me.
4. That's it.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th.

Game on!

...a copy of Chimes at Midnight!

Welcome to the third of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The third giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Chimes at Midnight, the seventh October Daye adventure. This is going to be a random number drawing, because I am sleepy (that's been happening a lot lately). So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th.

Game on!

...a copy of Velveteen vs. The Multiverse!

Welcome to the second of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I will be starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway will have different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

This giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Velveteen vs. The Multiverse, the second volume in the adventures of Velma "Velveteen" Martinez, crankiest superheroine this side of the Mississippi. This is going to be a random number drawing with a twist, because I am silly. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. Explain your superpower. What is it? How does it work? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th, by randomly selecting two heroes and deciding the outcome of a fight. (Note: "my superpower is I can do anything" means you will inevitably be defeated by Squirrel Girl. That's what she's for. Remember that in the Velveteen-verse, cunning and treachery often defeats raw strength.)

Game on!

...an ARC of Half-Off Ragnarok!

Welcome to the first of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I will be starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway will have different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The first giveaway is for a shiny new ARC of Half-Off Ragnarok, the third InCryptid adventure and the first starring Alex Price as our narrator. This is going to be a random number drawing, because I am sleepy. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th.

Game on!

1. So I already wrote this entry once, and it was long and chatty and fun, and then I hit a button I didn't even realize existed and it all went away. I am thus suddenly grumpy, and my original tone may have changed a bit. Stupid buttons.

2. Amy Mebberson made a thing and you should all go admire it. I ordered mine so fast when it went up for sale that I actually got #1 of 50. That is love.

3. If you don't have a budget line item for Amy's art (which, let's face it, is a weird line item to have in a budget, and yet), take a look at Renee Nault's incredible watercolor mermaids. She has prints and calendars for sale, and has an incredibly diverse undersea world waiting for you to dive in. So pretty. So cool.

4. Starting Christmas Day, and continuing all the way through my birthday festivities, I will be doing a chain of twelve giveaways, for everything from ARCs and printed books to cover flats, posters, and special surprises. Each giveaway will have its own rules; watch this space for details.

5. Omnivoracious posted a super-fun thing about books at San Diego Comic-Con, including a picture of me in my Umbrella Corporation blue dress, standing in front of the Umbrella Corporation red cover for Parasite. I look very smug. You would, too, if that were your cover.

6. Alice and I did the Macarena this morning. I enjoyed it more than she did.

7. The year is almost over, but there are still some fun surprises to come: watch this space for details, and watch the sky for alien invasions. Darn those alien invasions.

8. Zombies are love.

9. I will be making my last pre-Christmas stop at Borderlands Books this afternoon. At this point, anything ordered won't reach you before the holidays, but you can still get signed and personalized books if you contact them before 2pm PST. After that, I don't guarantee another swing-through until sometime in January.

10. Finally for right now, Jill is still accepting donations to fund her surgery. As I said when she first started this campaign, we could buy her a future for Christmas, and that's amazing. If you've been looking for a tip jar to shove a couple of dollars into as a karmic investment for the year to come, please swing by and take a look at her plea.

I hope that you're all having the merriest holiday possible; I hope you're warm and safe and content, even if you're not in a place where you can be happy; I hope you're taking care of yourselves.

Let's get through these holidays together.

Our winners have been selected—all three of them! Yes, three: my agent very kindly contributed a second ARC to the hardship giveaway. That means that whomever receives the ARC not from me will get it unsigned, but they will get it, which is fabulous. Our winners are...

tsgeisel
silvertwi
darkangel_wings

Please contact me by 9am PST tomorrow morning, via my website contact form, with your mailing information. Thanks to everyone who entered; more to come.

I am opening two Parasite giveaways this week, for the last two precious ARCs in my possession! This is the second, and it's a short one, because I want to send out the ARC on Thursday before I leave for Denver. The rules are a little different this time. Specifically...

This is a giveaway for people who know that they cannot afford the book right now. Times are tight, and sometimes we loose the luxuries, like new books, first. I don't need to know everything about your situation (although feel free to vent if it makes you feel better); everyone is being taken at their word. To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this entry.
2. This giveaway is US-only: the cost of mailing the book Internationally is more than the cost of the book, which cancels out the "can't afford" aspect of things. I'm sorry.
3. That's all.

A winner will be chosen tomorrow afternoon at 6pm PST. Time is short! Sound off now!

I will be opening two Parasite giveaways this week, for the last two precious ARCs in my possession! This is the first, and it's a short one, because I want to send out the ARC on Thursday before I leave for Denver. To enter...

1. Leave a comment on this entry.
2. If you are outside the US, indicate willingness to pay postage.
3. That's all.

A winner will be chosen tomorrow afternoon at 6pm PST. Time is short! Sound off now!

The results are in, and our winners are...

anna_sinistra
reinvent_love

Congratulations! Please send me an email via my website contact form within the next 24 hours. If I do not receive your contact information within the next 24 hours, I will choose another winner.

Thanks to everyone who participated: you took some incredible pictures, and I really enjoyed seeing how creative and fun you all could be. There's more to come on the horizon, and Chimes at Midnight will be on shelves September 2nd.

Whee!

It's August, and that means the seventh October Daye adventure, Chimes at Midnight, will be on shelves soon. But what if you don't want to wait?

That's where this entry comes in. I am giving away two copies, one purely by RNG (random number generator), and one by a slightly more stringent standard: pictures. I want to see pictures of you reading Toby in the strangest place you can think of or access easily. Museums. Hot air balloons. Your own bedroom only covered in Care Bears. Or pose the books with pets or toys, whatever suits your fancy.

To enter the RNG drawing:

1. Leave a comment on this entry.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's all.

To enter the photo drawing:

1. Leave a comment on this entry either including or linking to your photo. YOUR COMMENT MAY BE MARKED AS SPAM. I WILL MANUALLY UNSPAM ALL COMMENTS.
2. If you are international, indicate a willingness to pay postage.
3. That's all.

Yes, someone who posts a picture is automatically entered in both drawings, while someone who only leaves a comment is entered in only the RNG drawing. One entry per person, please—if you're planning to take a picture this weekend, please don't leave a comment without a picture. No matter how cool you think a picture is, please do not reply to other people's comments, as this confuses the RNG. Both winners will be chosen by RNG; if the RNG picks a non-picture entry for the second drawing, we will choose again.

Winners will be chosen on Wednesday, August 21st, and books will be mailed that Friday, getting them in your hands before the book comes out. So you've got the weekend to shutterbug!

GAME ON!

corucia, you are the winner of a shiny new autographed copy of Jim Hines's Codex Born!

Please email me via my website contact form inside of the next 24 hours. I will pass your mailing information on to Jim, and a glorious gift will appear in your mail within the next ten days! If I do not hear from you, I will sadly have to select a new winner.

Thanks to everyone for playing!

My dearly beloved friend Jim Hines (http://www.jimchines.com/) has a new book out today: Codex Born, the sequel to Libriomancer. The magic of books has never been so real, or so incredibly dangerous.

I really, really loved this book, which I felt expanded and improved upon the world of the original, so when Jim asked if I would be willing to host a giveaway, I was happy to oblige. This is that giveaway. The rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post, naming the first book that really changed your life.
2. Identify your location in the world (US, non-US).
3. If non-US, confirm that you are willing to pay postage (for we are poor writers).

The winner will be chosen by RNG on Friday, August 9th, and Jim himself will be sending a signed copy of Codex Born to the winner. If you're not familiar with the series, you're in luck: book one, Libriomancer, is out today in paperback, so you can get all caught up.

Books! Magic! Awesomeness!

GAME ON!

ETA: Guys, I know it's tempting to discuss people's awesome taste in books with them, but please DO NOT REPLY to comments on RNG giveaway posts! It confuses the RNG, and has resulted in people NOT getting the prizes that they should have received!

The random number generator has spoken, and the winners of three copies of Mike Underwood's Geekomancy are...

alumiere
fullcontactmuse
sleightedge

Please email me via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours to receive your download information and instructions. I can't trouble-shoot if there are any issues with this download, as it is not my website, but I'll get you as close to the castle as I can.

Thanks to everyone for playing!

I am a total geek. I have never tried to conceal my geekiness, choosing instead to embrace it for the wonderful thing that it is. Without my geeky pastimes, I wouldn't have the same friends, the same toys...the same life. I don't define myself by my geeky passions, but I can't pretend that they haven't defined me throughout my existence. Much like a bonsai is shaped by wire and scissors, I have been shaped by the X-Men and horror movies and roleplaying games and mythology, and I like me this way.

All things considered, it's probably not a surprise that when I was offered the chance to blurb Michael Underwood's Geekomancy, I said "sure, why not." A magic system based on and powered by the geeky joys that run my universe? Yes, please. And to no one's shock or amazement, I adored it. It's fun, it's peppy, it's about people I recognize, because they're the kind of people I voluntarily surround myself with every day of my life. The sequel, Celebromancy, came out recently, and is even more fun.

But here's the thing: these books are e-only, which means they miss out on bookstore browsers and surprise eyes, and too many of the awesome geeky people I know haven't encountered them or had the opportunity to give them a try. So I asked Michael's editor if I could do an e-book giveaway for the first book, to get people hooked on the series, and he said sure (after he finished blinking at me a great deal). And so I now present...

SEANAN GIVES AWAY SOMEONE ELSE'S BOOKS FOR A CHANGE!

This giveaway is for three electronic copies of Geekomancy by Michael Underwood. The limitations:

1. You will need to get the book through a specific channel (the publisher's website), because what I have are download codes.
2. The book is not going to be "Kindle ready," and may not be transferable onto a Kindle without evil magic.

To enter, leave a comment with your geekiest moment. No geek is too great! I, and the Random Number Generator, will select three winners on Friday, June 28th. Open to US residents only (sorry), please leave your comment on the entry itself; comments on comments will not be eligible to win.

Game on!

The winners of the first two ARCs of Chimes at Midnight are...

sassy_swan

...and...

last_archangel!

Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who entered! To our winners: I must receive an email from you, via my website contact form, within the next twenty-four hours. If I do not hear from you, another winner will be chosen in your place.

More giveaways to come!

And the winners are...


joecoustic

and

fr2day!

Please email me via my website contact form with your mailing information within the next twenty-four hours. If I do not hear from you inside of that time, a new winner or winners will be chosen.

Thank you all for playing, and see you next giveaway!

The ARCs of Chimes at Midnight arrived last night, and gosh and golly, they are amazing! So pretty. So real and in my hands. I am overcome with delight. And naturally, I am already starting to go "oh jeez get them out of my house, there are so many of them, get them out of my house."

So...

ARC giveaway! This first dance with the free stuff wolves will be the ART CHALLENGE. Post your Toby-inspired art (drawing, painting, manipulated photo, cosplay, animated .gif rendered funny by context, jewelry, anything that is visual and artsy) on this entry, or post links if your material is hosted elsewhere, and indicate whether you are in the US or international (and if international, whether you will pay postage).

On May 28th, having returned from the wilds of Disney World, I will select two winners: one via our old friend, the RNG, and one by going "that one is my favorite, it should have a book."

Game on!

I was looking at my room the other day, and I thought "Gosh, there sure are a lot of books in here." And then I was looking at my blog, and I thought "Gosh, it sure has been a while since I did a silly giveaway." Combine item #1 with item #2 and hey-presto! It's time to give shit away!!!

Specifically, it's time to give away two copies of Oz Reimagined, the anthology of Oz-inspired fiction assembled by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen, featuring my short story, "Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust." This is a lovely book, with some amazing and very different take on the wonderful Land of Oz.

The rules:

1. Comment on this post.
2. In your comment, indicate whether you are US or international.
2a. If international, indicate that you are willing to pay postage (since I still can't).
3. That's all.

I'll be selecting two winners on Friday, May 10th, thus allowing me to mail the books before I leave for Disney World. As always, you'll have twenty-four hours to respond to my "you've won" post before I select a new winner. So check back Friday, and...

...GAME ON!

Thanks to the efforts of my covers-and-conversion squad (Tara and Will), I have a new InCryptid short for your reading pleasure—and it's the longest one yet. "Sweet Poison Wine" is the story of Jonathan and Fran's honeymoon, which goes precisely as smoothly as you'd expect, given that it's the two of them.

You can download this, and earlier free stories, here:

http://seananmcguire.com/icshorts.php

Please download and read locally, for the sake of my server.

This post will also serve as the discussion post, if anyone wants to talk about the story once they're done. Thanks again to everyone for reading, and for those of you who were able to chip in to the recent tip jar. The prizes begin to flow!

And the winners are...

bookwyrm86
professor

Please provide your mailing information via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours, so that I can get your books into the mail.

As a footnote, I am not always able to draw winners at exactly when the drawing is officially closed, but anyone submitting their name after that time is ineligible to win. If you're on the wire, feel free to put your name in—I try to be generous with my interpretation of the deadline—but if it's six hours after the fact, all you do is confuse the RNG. You can't win if you didn't follow the rules as written, and that includes time of submission.

Thanks for playing, and we'll have another giveaway soon.

It's time for another giveaway of Midnight Blue-Light Special, because I really and truly miss having a bedroom floor that I could sometimes see, rather than walking atop a tide of books and papers and heavily-armed dolls.

So it's time for a return of everybody's favorite, the random number drawing, because I am sleepy and still a little sick, which means all my creativity is being channeled into actually getting work done (a dangerous pastime, I know). So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate this, and your willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

I will choose two winners at 12noon PST on Monday, January 28th, so that we can see this month out with a bang (and yet another trip to the post office).

Game on!

First up, the winner of last week's good faith drawing for a copy of A Fantasy Medley 2 is...

bookblather!

Usual rules apply: you have twenty-four hours to get me your mailing information, after which I will select another winner if necessary. Thanks to all who entered, and all who offered to pay postage. You guys are amazing.

I'm going to be opening a few drawings for copies of Midnight Blue-Light Special this week, and try to finish mailing everything that sort of fell a few days behind while I was sick even unto death. Thank you all for your patience, and for your ongoing awesomeness.

This worked well last time, so here we go: it's time for another good faith drawing, this time for a copy of A Fantasy Medley 2.

Look. Times are tough right now, and a lot of us don't have a huge amount of disposable income. I know a $25 hardcover isn't always in my budget, even when I really really want it. So that is what this drawing is for. If you want a copy but can't afford it, please comment to let me know you'd like to be entered. I will select a winner on Thursday morning.

I don't need to know why you can't afford the book; I just ask that you only enter if you genuinely can't find the dollars right now. That way, we make things a little more level for everybody.

Same region rules as last time: US welcome, non-US only if you can pay postage. And because this has come up before, if you're in the US and would like to volunteer to pay postage for a non-US resident, you can. For this drawing, comment on the main entry if you can pay non-US postage, and while that comment won't win, I will be able to go back to it if someone from outside the US does.

I will be doing a more open giveaway later this week, I just need to take things slow while I get my footing back after the flu that kicked my butt for the last nine days.

Game on!

A wonderful fundraiser has been put together in the name of my beloved friend, Jay Lake, who is currently battling a recurrence of his cancer. The fundraiser is at http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/Sequence-a-Science-Fiction-Writer/38705

To quote the description text:

"Jay Lake is an award-winning American author of ten science fiction novels and over 300 short stories. He is also one of more than a million Americans who have colon cancer. Diagnosed in April, 2008, Jay's cancer has progressed from a single tumor to metastatic disease affecting the lung and liver, recurring after multiple surgeries and chemotherapy courses, and multiplying from single tumor presentations to multiple tumors presentations. Jay is now in his fourth round of chemotherapy, but it's not clear that it's working, and his doctors have little to go on in terms of advising further courses of treatment for him. In short, things are not looking good for Jay. Not at all.

However, a new technology is becoming available—one that may offer his doctors a better option for treating the cancer. We're trying to raise funds to allow Jay to have whole genome sequencing. There is a small possibility that the results of such a test, which is more comprehensive than conventional genetic testing of tumors, may suggest a treatment path that Jay's doctor's may not have considered, and that could be life saving. It's a really small chance, and Jay knows that.

For this fundraiser, we have asked some science fiction and fantasy writers to donate an "Act of Whimsy" which they will share with the community as we reach milestones in our fundraising."

My act of whimsy? DISNEY MAGIC, BITCHES. I have promised an undisclosed act of filking, and here it is: I, and an assortment of the ever-rotating members of my mix and match band, will perform and record a cover of the Disney song of your choice in honor of Jay Lake. Animated movie? Musical? Live action classic? Phineas and Ferb? The possibilities, and the horrors, are endless. "Wreck It Wreck-It Ralph," "Age of Not Believing," "Rollercoaster," "That's How You Know"...whatever.

But first, we gotta pick a song. So! If you have donated ANY AMOUNT, go ahead and comment here with the name of the Disney song YOU want to hear. If the song you want has already been commented, do it again, as I will be using the random number generator to pick a song tomorrow afternoon at 5pm PST. I will NOT tell you what song has been chosen. ONLY TERROR WILL TELL. (Actual recording will have to wait until this cold gives me back my voice.)

This is honor system, guys; please only comment if you've donated, but I won't chase you down demanding proof.

GAME ON!

...and wow, are these not being mailed out before Christmas; the Post Office looks like a circle of Hell right now, and I can't imagine entering it for anything less than a little slip that says "We have your package, it's meowing and smells like candy corn, we can only guess that it is a genetically-engineered Maine Coon that never sheds, claws things, or makes unpleasant smells in the middle of the night while you're trying to sleep." So these beauties will be sent out after the new year.

With that, the two winners of our sponsored copies of Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots are:

greenman23
salexa

Please send your mailing information via my website contact form ASAP. Since I'm not promising quick postage, I'm going to be lenient this time; you have until Christmas to get it to me. If I do not receive your info by then, new winners will be chosen.

Thanks to everyone for playing, and big, big thanks to the generous sponsors of this giveaway. You make the holidays brighter.

Happy holidays!

Thanks to the great generosity of two anonymous fans, I have two more copies of Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots to send out into the world! For great justice! In an effort to keep things simple, we're going to do a random number drawing. So to enter...

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Identify your country of origin.

...and that's all. In this case, "identify your country of origin" is so I know if I need customs forms. The giveaway is open to all, and as this giveaway is being sponsored by wonderful, generous people, international postage is already covered.

I will select two winners on Friday, December 21st. I cannot guarantee that books will be mailed before Christmas, but I will try.

Game on!

The random number generator has spoken, and has selected resolute as our winner! resolute, please send me your contact information via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours, and I will get your book into the mail. If I do not hear from you within the next twenty-four hours, a new winner will be chosen from out the current pool.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated, and watch for a new giveaway opening later today.

Because I'd like to have my bedroom back someday, I'm going to kick off a second ARC giveaway for Midnight Blue-Light Special. This one will be open until Monday, and is one of the ones that requires actual effort (sorry about that). This time, we're going visual! Make icons, do a photo manip, draw a picture, grab some friends and pose, whatever makes you happy. The rules:

1. The image must relate directly in some way to one of my available works. Meaning that both Velveteen and the Rose Marshall stories are eligible. Stage a hitchhiking ghost! Draw a bunny superhero! Or stick with InCryptid, or Toby, and have a blast!

2. LOLcats are also eligible.

3. Once your submission is prepared, link or post it on this entry. Feel free to explain what's going on.

4. That's all.

The winner will be chosen Monday, December 17th, via random number generator.

And the winners of our first Midnight Blue-Light Special drawing are...

theironchocho

...and...

Glam Kitty!

Please email me via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours to have your prize sent to you. If I don't get an email within that time, a new winner or winners will be chosen.

More giveaways coming soon! Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winners!

It's here it's here it's here guys it's here! I finally finally finally have the ARCs of Midnight Blue-Light Special, and it's gorgeous and wonderful and amazing and oh my gosh it's here!

This means it's time for a GIVEAWAY! We're going to start with everybody's favorite, the random number drawing, because I am sleepy and lazy due to the obscene amounts of rain being dumped on me by the cranky sky gods. I am the Rain King and all, but come on. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate this, and your willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

I will choose two winners at 12noon PST on Friday, December 7th, to give the books a chance in hell of getting to their destination before the holidays hit. And that, as they say, is that.

Game on!

The random number generator has spoken, and the random number generator has selected...

corbeau

Please use my website contact form to submit your contact information within the next twenty-four hours, or I will have to pick another winner.

Thanks to everyone who played, and watch for additional giveaways coming soon!