Item #19: Ellen Kushner’s Riverside Novels

All three of Ellen Kushner’s critically acclaimed Riverside novels, signed and personalized:

• Swordspoint
• The Privilege of the Sword
• The Fall of the Kings (with Delia Sherman)

Opening bid: $40

Ellen Kushner’s first novel, Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners, was hailed as the progenitor of the “Mannerpunk” (or “Fantasy of Manners”) school of urban fantasy. Her second novel, Thomas the Rhymer, won both the 1991 World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award. With Delia Sherman she co-wrote The Fall of the Kings. Her most recent novel, The Privilege of the Sword, was nominated for an eclectic range of honors, from New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, to the Nebula and Tiptree Awards (nominee), and won the Locus Award. Her work has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, German, Latvian and Finnish. A YA anthology, Welcome to Bordertown, which she co-edited with Holly Black, was published in May 2011.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #18: BONE AND JEWEL CREATURES by Elizabeth Bear

A signed copy of Bone and Jewel Creatures by Elizabeth Bear:

Dark magic is afoot in the City of Jackals…

Eighty years Bijou the Artificer has been a Wizard of Messaline, building her servants from precious scraps, living with the memory of a great love that betrayed her. She is ready to rest.

But now her former apprentice, Brazen the Enchanter, has brought her a speechless feral child poisoned by a sorcerous infection. Now, Messaline is swept by a mysterious plague. Now the seeping corpses of the dead stalk the streets.

Now, finally, Bijou’s old nemesis–Bijou’s old love–Kaulas the Necromancer is unleashing a reeking half-death on Bijou’s people. And only Bijou and her creatures wrought of bone and jewels can save the City of Jackals from his final revenge.

Opening bid: $35

Elizabeth Bear is a winner of the 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Short Story for “Tideline,” and the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette for “Shoggoths in Bloom.” She is one of only five writers who have gone on to win multiple Hugo Awards for fiction after winning the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #17: Donations from Catherine Asaro

Catherine Asaro, Diamond Star (signed, with soundtrack CD by Point Valid and Catherine Asaro):

Del Valdoria was an heir of the Ruby Dynasty, rulers of the interstellar empire called the Skolian Imperialate. But he had no interest in being associated with the draconian measures his brothers used to maintain power. He just wanted to sing holo-rock—not a respectable activity for a Ruby prince. To make things more complicated, he was on Earth, far from home, and the Earth government wasn’t willing to let such a potential source of information and valuable bargaining chip leave. And then a major entertainment corporation took an interest in his music…

Rosemary Edghill, Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Other Stories (donated by Catherine Asaro):

This collection of Edghill’s finest short fantasy works includes: “The Piper at the Gate” where Mary Frances Baynes longs all her life for Real Magic and finally achieves it . . . at a price; “The Intersection of Anastasia Yeoman and Light” where a midlist SF-writer-turned-successful-editor gets a glimpse of the way her life could have gone; and the story of Ator, Jannifer, Ancel, and the Grail, set in ancient Britain and told by the son that Ator tried to kill as an infant, is told in “Prince of Exiles.”

Opening bid: $35

Catherine Asaro is a scientist with a PhD from Harvard, a ballerina and jazz dancer who has performed on both coasts, and a bestselling, award-winning author of over 25 science fiction, fantasy, and near-future thrillers. She is acclaimed for her Skolian Empire series, which combines adventure, hard science, romance, themes that challenge the status quo and fast-paced action. Her stand-alone novel, The Quantum Rose, won the prestigious Nebula® Award, as did her novella, “The Spacetime Pool” (Analog 2008). She is a three-time winner of the Romantic Times BOOKClub award for “Best Science Fiction Novel” and has won numerous other distinctions, including the Sapphire Award and the AnLab from Analog magazine. In addition to her writing, Catherine is also a musician with two CDs to her credit. Her first, Diamond Star, serves as the soundtrack for her novel of the same name, cut by the rock band Point Valid, with Catherine as guest artist. Teaching is also a passion; she currently teaches physics at UMBC and has coached nationally ranked math teams.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #16: Critique of 10,000 Words by Theodora Goss

Theodora Goss is offering a critique of up to 10,000 words of fiction (either a short story or novel chapters). The critique will include a mark-up of the manuscript, a typed cover letter, and a conversation in person (if the person is in the Boston area) or over the phone (if not).

Opening bid: $30

Theodora Goss was born in Hungary and spent her childhood in various European countries before her family moved to the United States. Although she grew up on the classics of English literature, her writing has been influenced by an Eastern European literary tradition in which the boundaries between realism and the fantastic are often ambiguous. Her publications include the short story collection In the Forest of Forgetting (2006); Interfictions (2007), a short story anthology coedited with Delia Sherman; and Voices from Fairyland (2008), a poetry anthology with critical essays and a selection of her own poems. She has been a finalist for the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and Mythopoeic Awards, as well as on the Tiptree Award Honor List, and has won the World Fantasy and Rhysling Awards.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #15: MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT Anthology

A copy of Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller (signed by Michael A. Arnzen):

Romance. Fantasy. Mystery. Science Fiction. Young Adult. Horror. Picture Books. Suspense.

Many Genres, One Craft brings together award-winning authors, bestselling novelists, and hot new writers from all these genres to offer an amazing novel writing workshop in a book. Modeled on Seton Hill University’s acclaimed MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction–where all of its sixty contributors have taught, studied, or been a special guest–this stunningly comprehensive guide for writers offers insights into crafting effective genre fiction of any kind, and provides an array of practical advice on selling novels in today’s marketplace that you simply won’t find anywhere, short of enrolling in graduate school.

Learn everything from beating writer’s block to building suspense, making monsters to marketing mysteries, approaching agents to writing romance…all from experts who have actually done it.

Opening bid: $30

Michael Arnzen has taught several times at the Alpha Workshop, where his dubious claim to fame is raising the body count in everyone’s stories.  When he’s not otherwise creeping people out, Arnzen mentors speculative fiction and horror/thriller novelists full time in the innovative MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University (http://fiction.setonhill.edu), where he is presently Chair of the Humanities Division.  His latest book is The Gorelets Omnibus — a collection of sudden horror poetry – which also includes a special “horror poetry writing workshop” in the hardcover edition.  The book Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction (which he co-edited with Heidi Ruby Miller) was recently listed by The Writer magazine as one of the year’s ten “most terrific books” for authors.  Arnzen has won the Bram Stoker award four times for his fiction, his poetry and his experiments in the horror genre.  Visit him online at http://gorelets.com or hook him into your social network via http://michaelarnzen.com

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #14: MASTIFF by Tamora Pierce

A signed and personalized copy of Mastiff by Tamora Pierce, including four Tortall pins:

The Legend of Beka Cooper gives Tamora Pierce’s fans exactly what they want—a smart and savvy heroine making a name for herself on the mean streets of Tortall’s Lower City—while offering plenty of appeal for new readers as well.

Opening bid: $30

Tamora Pierce is a perennial Alpha presenter and the New York Times bestselling author of 27 fantasy novels and one short story collection for teenagers.  She is best known for fantasy adventure in medieval settings featuring strong girl heroes, their clever and stubborn friends, mages with all kinds of talents, strange magical creatures, and opinionated animals.  She lives in Syracuse, NY, with her Spouse-Creature and a menagerie of cats, parakeets, and relaxed wildlife.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #13: SPACE MAGIC by David D. Levine

A signed copy of Space Magic by David D. Levine, part of a limited edition run of 100:

Space Magic is the first short story collection from David D. Levine. His “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. “The Tail of the Golden Eagle” was a previous Hugo nominee; it also appeared on the Nebula preliminary ballot and was a finalist for the Sturgeon Award and Locus Award.

Opening bid: $30

David D. Levine is a writer of science fiction and fantasy short stories. He has won the Hugo Award, Endeavour Award, and James White Award and has been nominated or shortlisted for the Nebula, John W. Campbell, and many others.  His stories can be found in all the
major markets, including Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF, and Realms of Fantasy, as well as anthologies including four Year’s Best volumes. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Kate Yule, where they produce the fanzine Bento.  Their website can be found at bentopress.com.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #12: CONTENT and CONTEXT by Cory Doctorow

Copies of Content (signed) and Context by Cory Doctorow (donated by Tachyon Publications):

Content: Hailed by Bruce Sterling as “a political activist, gizmo freak, junk collector, programmer, entrepreneur, and all-around Renaissance geek,” the Internet’s favorite high-tech culture maven is celebrated with the first collection of his infamous articles, essays, and polemics. Accessible to geeks and nontechies alike, this is a timely collection from an author who effortlessly surfs the zeitgeist while always generating his own wave.

Context: One of the internet’s most celebrated hi-tech culture mavens returns with this second collection of essays and polemics. Discussing complex topics in an accessible manner, Cory Doctorow shares visions of a future where artists control their own destinies and where freedom of expression is tempered with the view that creators need to benefit from their own creations. Now a stay-at-home dad as well as an international activist, Doctorow writes as eloquently about creating internet real-time theater with his daughter as he does in lambasting the corporations that want to limit and profit from inherent intellectual freedoms.

Opening bid: $30

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger — the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of Tor Teens/HarperCollins UK novels like FOR THE WIN and the bestselling LITTLE BROTHER. He is the former European director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in London.

Tachyon Publications is an independent press specializing in science fiction and fantasy books. Founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Jacob Weisman, Tachyon publishes high-end literary works, short story collections, and anthologies. Their award-winning authors include Peter S. Beagle, Charles de Lint, Michael Moorcock, Kage Baker, James Morrow, Tim Powers, Nancy Kress, Cory Doctorow, Carol Emshwiller, Thomas M. Disch, and many more.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #11: Short Story or Essay Critique by Leslie What

Leslie What is offering a critique of a short story (or essay) of up to 5000 words. The offer will expire at the end of 2012.

Opening bid: $25

Leslie What, MFA, is a Nebula Award-winning writer and the fiction editor of Phantom Drift: New Fabulism. Her story collection, “Crazy Love” was a finalist for the Ken Kesey Oregon Book Award. She has taught at Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers and at the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers’ Workshop and has been a writer-in-the-schools.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.

Item #10: Short Story or Novel Chapter Critique by Karen Healey

Karen Healey is offering a critique of a short story or the first chapter of a novel.

Opening bid: $25

Karen Healey is a young adult novelist. She is the author of the urban fantasies GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD and THE SHATTERING, both set in New Zealand, and the forthcoming sci-fi adventure WHEN WE WAKE. GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD won the 2010 Aurealis Award for Best YA Novel and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award. Karen can tell you a lot about baking, covers of “Hallelujah” and superhero comics.

Bidding ends January 20 at 11:59 pm. The rules for the auction are here.