Harper Voyager Books

New Video Interview from Vicki Pettersson

 Click on the player below to check out Vicki Pettersson's latest video interview about her Signs of the Zodiac series. 

10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways--"Guys vs. Gals"

  Everybody knows the famous Irving Berlin lyrics to "Anything You Can Do" (You know how it goes...Anything you can do I can do better...I can do anything better than you...) from Annie Get Your Gun, but this week for our 10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways celebration we're offering a special twist on the infamous guys vs .gals competition. 

And you've got choices!

The guys book bundle includes EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD by Adam-Troy Castro, NEW SPACE OPERA edited by Gardner Dozois and Johanthan Strahan, UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA by Mario Acevedo,DREAMING AGAIN edited by Jack Dann, a galley of BLOOD BLADE by Marcus Pelegrimas, and YEAR'S BEST SF 13 edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. 

The gals book bundle includes OUTLAW DEMON WAILS by Kim Harrison, ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost, THE ROGUE HUNTER by Lynsay Sands, THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT by Vicki Pettersson, NIGHTWALKER by Jocelynn Drake, and a galley of SPIRAL HUNT by Margaret Ronald.

To win one of these awesome book bundles, send us your name, email address (to be used only to contact the winner), and which grouping of books that you prefer (guys or gals) to [email protected].

10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways--GAIMAN and PRATCHETT

  Thanks to every who responded to our fourth giveaway in 10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways!

Congratulations to this week's winner, Jana B.--who will receive a Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman combo set, including GOOD OMENS by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, a signed copy of THIEF OF TIME by Terry Pratchett, a signed copy of ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman, NATIONby Terry Pratchett, and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman.

Check back in for more great prizes!

Ask an Editor

We'll be fielding questions from Eos fans over the next few weeks, so if you have a question for an Eos editor that you would like to have answered on the Eos blog, send us an email!  All you have to do is send an email to [email protected] with "ASK AN EDITOR" in the subject field. 

Author Guest Blog-- James Reese

  From New York Times bestselling author, James Reese. 

As I’m out on the road promoting THE DRACULA DOSSIER, which imagines a run-in between Bram Stoker and Jack the Ripper, I’m hearing the same question during the post-reading Q&As (which are by far my favorite part of a writer’s “night out”). It has to do with research. Maybe my answer will be of interest to some of you. Hope so.

More to the point, the question I get is this: Have you been to the places in your book?

It’s a question that stems, I think, from people’s preoccupation with the imagination. Readers wonder how a writer makes up a setting. Or are they really making it up at all? Maybe they’re up to something else entirely. …This notion of imagination is a slippery slope for many folks, writers and readers alike.

In the case of THE DRACULA DOSSIER, I’m lucky to be able to say, Yes, I’ve been to all the main locales of the story. These include Bram Stoker’s former homes in Chelsea, in London, as well as those of his neighbors, Hall Caine and Lady Wilde. I’ve been on the infamous Ripper walks through the East End, And I’ve even been under the city of Edinburgh, in its warren of wynds and closes. On the other hand, I’ve not yet been to the Havannah of THE BOOK OF SPIRITS. And you know what? It doesn’t make a whole lot of difference whether I visit the places I write about or not. Here’s why:

First off, much of the “historical” in any given place is gone. (On the Ripper walks, for example, you’ve told a scary story while standing in front of an office building built in the ‘50s – the 1950s!) Much of the time spent traveling to do such research is spent trying to block out the yellow Hyundai stalled at the light, or the satellite dishes atop the rare house you find that might actually date to your period of research. On the other hand, proper research gets you to those imagined yet historical places much faster (and at a fraction of the price!).

Some of my preferred resources for researching a setting are travel books of the period. They’re incredibly rich in their descriptions of places, particularly if they date from the pre-photographic era: the early parts of the 19^th c. Back then, you couldn’t just pop a photo into a travel guide and be done with it; the writer had to work to make the locale come alive. Great resources, those old guides (if you can find them).

So, my short answer: I don’t have to go to the places I write about; but given my druthers, I still will. It’s nice to get away from the keyboard for a while, even if the trip makes you long for home and your stack of musty old travel guides.

10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways!

It's week four of 10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways! And this week we're offering a Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman combo set, including GOOD OMENS by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, a signed copy of THIEF OF TIME by Terry Pratchett, a signed copy of ANANSI BOYSby Neil Gaiman, NATION by Terry Pratchett, and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman. 

To win, all you have to do is send your name and email address (to be used only to contact the winner) to [email protected].

10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways--Chris Moore

  Thanks to every who responded to our third giveaway in 10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways! According to all of you, your favorite Chris Moore novel is YOU SUCK: A Love Story. 

And, congratulations to our winner--Adam L.-- who will receive a Bible edition of LAMB, an advance reader copy of FOOL (Moore's newest book, to be published February 2009), and a FOOL baseball cap!

Check back in for more great opportunities and prizes!

Reminder--10 years, 10 weeks, 10 giveaways!

  Don't forget to send in your name and your favorite Chris Moore book to [email protected] to win a chance to receive a Bible edition of LAMB, an advance reader copy of FOOL (on sale 2/10/2009), and a FOOL baseball cap. 

The winner will be chosen on Moday morning!

FREE E-BOOK!

For November and December only, click to download a free eBook of Adam Troy Castro's EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD.

Two murders have occurred on One One One, an artificial ecosystem created by the universe's dominant AIs to house several engineered species, including a violent, sentient race of sloth-like creatures. Under order from the Diplomatic Corps, Counselor Andrea Cort has come to this cylinder world where an indentured human community hangs suspended high above a poisoned, acid atmosphere. Her assignment is to choose a suitable homicide suspect from among those who have sold their futures to escape existences even worse than this one. And no matter where the trail leads her she must do nothing to implicate the hosts, who hold the power to obliterate humankind in an instant.

But Andrea Cort is not about to hold back in her hunt for a killer. For she has nothing to lose and harbors no love for her masters or fellow indentures. And she herself has felt the terrible exhilaration of taking life . . . .

To download your free e-book of EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD, click here.  (As always you do not need to give your credit card information or pay anything.)

Adam-Troy Castro's next book, THE THIRD CLAW OF GOD will be on sale 2/24/09!  

* Please note this offer applies to US residents only.

Friday Fun!

Yep.  It has been another long week, so we thought you could use a bit of distraction and fun to help brighten your day.  This one's close to my heart--courtesy of io9,the fascinating news that tequila is the perfect medium to grow diamonds!

Forget body shots--this is more reason to drink the Centenario (or whatever your choice is), and keep the Cuervo for jewelry... (Although it makes you wonder, will the better tequila create better diamonds?)

Full link is here.

-- Diana