Grab Bag Sweepstakes

Our bookshelves are a little overcrowded right now and we need to make room for new books arriving soon. So, we thought we’d make room by offering up books and more to you! Comment below to enter for a chance to win this prize pack:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins April 25, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. ET. and ends April 30, 2013, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Computers Made It Easier

Written by Harriet McDougal

Computers made it easier. Actually, first an electric typewriter made it easier. Robert Jordan was an engineer by training, and he really liked a clean typescript. He had begun by writing by hand on yellow legal pads, and when he switched to a typewriter he called his work “typing” rather than “writing.” This lasted for a while. He said, at one point, “The only difference between my work and that of a typist is that I have to make up what I type.” But of course he loved it.

And then computers entered our lives. I worked on a TRS-80, eventually adding an external drive; he cleverly bought an Apple III – a dog of a machine, which still contains some files we have never been able to access. Now that his papers and that machine are in the Addlestone Library of the College of Charleston, the archivists may be able to pry the information out.

Then there came the days of compatible laptops, so that he could finish a chapter in his machine and give me the disk to read in my machine. I recall one book we finished this way in the Murray Hill Hotel, an easy jump from Tor’s offices in the Flatiron building. When the chapter was ready I would jump in a taxi with my laptop to turn it in to Tor – then gallop back to the hotel for more editing.

We were doing that because the book was late. Weren’t they all? Tom Doherty performed miracles in getting the books produced in no time at all. But what Robert Jordan did under the pressure of deadlines – even if he missed them, the pressure was THERE – seems, as I look back, to be little short of miraculous, too.

He began all his books with the wind blowing. Breath, to instill life into his characters. In the Bible, Job 33:4 says, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” When other writers would talk of their characters taking on life of their own, and controlling the story, he said, “I am an Old Testament creator: My fist is in the middle of my characters’ lives.”

Oh, dear, dear man. And what a creator he was! And, as Scott Card said of The Eye of the World, what a powerful vision of good and evil.

On January 8 you will see the final turning of his powerful vision. It comes to you with his love. And mine.

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From the Tor/Forge January Wheel of Time newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

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More from the January Wheel of Time Tor/Forge newsletter:

• Reading the Final Scene of The Wheel of Time by Brandon Sanderson
• The Wheel of Time: Legacy
• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: The Eye of the World Graphic Novels by Melissa Ann Singer
• The Turning of an Age, plus… Haiku by Jason Denzel
• Channelling Saidar by Jennifer Liang
• A Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

The Week in Review

Welcome to the week in review! Every Friday, we comb through the links and images we found and shared this week, and pull the very best for this post. Consider it concentrated genre goodness from all around the web.
 

 

• Want to know more about Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time? Tor and Rock Soup Productions have put together a series of videos with Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, Tom Doherty, Jason Denzel, and more. You can see the first two on Tor.com now!.)

• John Scalzi returns to the Old Man’s War universe on January 15th, with the debut of The Human Division!

• Jim C. Hines, the fantasy author famous for striking a pose, has decided to do it again – this time for charity. And he’s challenged John Scalzi to a pose-off!

• There are some truly beautiful images in Tor.com’s Picturing the Hobbit.

• This week was Hobbit Week on The Colbert Report. Did you watch?

• Tor.com is collecting some of their favorite stories from the year, and the ebook is now available for pre-order.

• io9 has a new glimpse behind the scenes of Season 3 of Game of Thrones!

• Last but not least, here’s the first look at Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff, yelling at Ender and his fellow launchies. We can’t wait for this movie to come out.
   
  And, just to make Friday that much sweeter, here’s a list of sweepstakes and sales we have going on!
  • Goodreads Giveaway: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Ends 12/14)
  • Newsletter Sweepstakes: Big Fat Books for the Holidays (Ends 12/16)
  • Goodreads First Reads: Impulse by Steven Gould (Ends 12/18)
  • Goodreads First Reads: The Sixth Station by Linda Stasi (Ends 12/19)
  • eBook Sale: People of the Earth by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear is on sale for $2.99 (Ends 1/2)
  • eBook Sale: Count to a Trillion by John C. Wright is on sale for $2.99 (Ends 1/2)
  • eBook Sale: Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Edge of War by Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice is on sale for $2.99 (Ends 1/2)
  • eBook Sale: Imager by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. is on sale for $2.99 (Ends 1/2)
  • Goodreads First Reads: Homeland by Cory Doctorow (Ends 1/9)
  • Goodreads First Reads: Kalimpura by Jay Lake (Ends 1/9)
  • Goodreads First Reads: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Ends 1/9)

The Week in Review

Welcome to the week in review! Every Friday, we comb through the links and images we found and shared this week, and pull the very best for this post. Consider it concentrated genre goodness from all around the web.

 

• The final book of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, is off to the bindary! (Image via Patty Garcia.)

• We’re also excited to announce Brandon Sanderson’s tour for A Memory of Light! Check out Tor.com for initial dates, plus the ones that include Harriet McDougal.

• Planning on attending one of the event dates for the A Memory of Light tour? Why not apply to be a Memory Keeper? You can help out with the event and get to spend extra time with Brandon!

• Locus Magazine wants to know your opinion on the best novels and short fiction of the 20th and 21st centuries! It’s a tall order. What do you think should make the cut? (Found via io9 and Whatever.)

• The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) is now online. Fair warning: it’s as addiction and time-consuming as TV Tropes.

• Happy birthday, Madeleine L’Engle! Your books, especially A Wrinkle in Time, are a childhood staple. They helped me discover genre fiction, and I imagine they did the same for many, many others.

• One final Wheel of Time note. If you’re hating the wait for January 8th, sign up at Tor.com to receive daily snippets from A Memory of Light. Then join us on the spoiler thread for endless discussion and speculation!

 
And, just to make Friday that much sweeter, here’s a list of sweepstakes and sales we have going on!

• Goodreads Giveaway: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Ends 12/14)
• Newsletter Sweepstakes: Big Fat Books for the Holidays (Ends 12/16)
• Goodreads First Reads: Impulse by Steven Gould (Ends 12/18)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Sixth Station by Linda Stasi (Ends 12/19)

Goodreads Giveaway: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Every month leading up to the January 8, 2013 release of A Memory of Light, we will be offering the chance to win a copy of The Eye of the World on Goodreads. So if you’ve been waiting for the last book to come out to get started on the series, or if you just need to replace that well worn copy, here’s another chance to do just that.

Enter for a chance to win here!

(Ends December 14)

Also, don’t forget to check out our other sweepstakes!

The Week in Review

Welcome to the week in review! Every Friday, we comb through the links and images we found and shared this week, and pull the very best for this post. Consider it concentrated genre goodness from all around the web.

 

• There was a total solar eclipse earlier this week! Sadly, it was only visible from Australia. Luckily, NASA and National Geographic, among others, have us covered for images.

• Sir Terry Pratchett, the insanely prolific author behind the Discworld series, has decided to pass his world on to his daughter when he dies. May the Discworld live forever, trundling endlessly through space on the back of a giant turtle.

• Have you seen the first two episodes of BSG: Blood & Chrome? You should! The next webisodes will be available at some point today, if they aren’t already. Great way to waste some time this afternoon!

• Oxford Dictionaries has named a U.S. and U.K. word of the year. Any guesses? Well, the American Word of the Year is. . . GIF. (I know, right?) And the British Word of the Year is. . . omnishambles. Interesting.

• And last, but definitely not least, our sister site Tor.com is looking to hire an in-house publishing liaison. Follow the link for details of the position.

 
The Tor/Forge newsletter went out this week! Check out these fascinating articles from our authors:

• How Many Syllables Was That Again, or “Can I Buy a Vowel?” by Melissa Ann Singer, Senior Editor
• Living in a Real Teenage Dystopia: The Classroom by Isamu Fukui
• The Care and Feeding of a Villain by Joseph Nassise
• On Taking Risks and Being Dead by Sharon Lynn Fisher

 
And, just to make Friday that much sweeter, here’s a list of sweepstakes and sales we have going on!
 

• Goodreads First Reads: Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (Ends 11/18)
• November #TorChat Sweepstakes (Ends 11/21)
• A Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes (Ends 11/21)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: River Road by Suzanne Johnson (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Rise of Ransom City by Felix Gilman (Ends 11/27)
• Steampunk Collection Sweepstakes (Ends 11/30)

The Week in Review

Welcome to the week in review! Every Friday, we comb through the links and images we found and shared this week, and pull the very best for this post. Consider it concentrated genre goodness from all around the web.

• Deviant Art user (and Whovian!) crazyfoalrus built his own TARDIS control room in his home. This is absolutely insane, and I desperately want one in my apartment.

• In Clarkesworld Magazine, author Lev AC Rosen has a heartfelt plea for genre fiction to include more queer characters: “I’m not saying every story needs a queer character. Or that it’s a writer’s responsibility to do more than tell a great story. But I do think it’s time for all of us—straight folks included—to think more about where queer characters fit into SFF.”

• Want to tour the United States without ever leaving your couch? Now you can, with this list of 50 young adult books, one for each state.

• Mary Robinette Kowal, the author of Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass, is auctioning off a manuscript of her next novel, Without a Summer, for Hurricane Sandy relief. Check it out, and donate to a good cause. A lot of folks up here still need help.

• It’s time to start voting for your favorite books of 2012! Start with the Goodreads Choice Awards, a list of great 2012 titles to choose among, including several Tor titles, like Scalzi’s Redshirts and Card’s Shadows in Flight.

• Also announced are the nominees for RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Awards. In the science fiction category, we have Scalzi’s Redshirts; in fantasy, Tina Connolly’s Ironskin and Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamour in Glass; and in epic fantasy, Elizabeth Bear’s Range of Ghosts. Congratulations to all the authors nominated!

• Publishers Weekly and Booklist have also come out with the Best SF/F of 2012 lists, and they share a common book: Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Weird!

• Finally, you can now download free wallpaper of The Gathering Storm ebook cover.

And, just to make Friday that much sweeter, here’s a list of sweepstakes and sales we have going on!

• Goodreads First Reads: Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (Ends 11/18)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: River Road by Suzanne Johnson (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest (Ends 11/27)
• Goodreads First Reads: The Rise of Ransom City by Felix Gilman (Ends 11/27)
• Steampunk Collection Sweepstakes (Ends 11/30)

Goodreads Giveaway: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Every month leading up to the January 8, 2013 release of A Memory of Light, we will be offering the chance to win a copy of The Eye of the World on Goodreads. So if you’ve been waiting for the last book to come out to get started on the series, or if you just need to replace that well worn copy, here’s another chance to do just that.

Enter for a chance to win here!

(Ends November 27)

Also, don’t forget to check out our other sweepstakes!

The Week in Review

Welcome to the week in review! Every Friday, we comb through the links and images we found and shared this week, and pull the very best for this post. Consider it concentrated genre goodness from all around the web.

 

• On Sunday, Felix Baumgartner free falled from twenty four miles above the earth. In addition to the video above, io9 has first-person footage from his helmet or chest camera.

• Brandon Sanderson has confirmed the first event on the A Memory of Light tour: a midnight launch at the BYU Bookstore in Provo, Utah on January 8th! More details on the tour to come soon.

• Word Brooklyn hosted a Pirate Flix Video Remix contest for Cory Doctorow’s recent Pirate Cinema event. The winners were announced at the event, and you can watch them on BoingBoing.

• Tuesday was Ada Lovelace Day, remembering the famous computing pioneer. How did you celebrate?

• Barnes & Noble reviewer Paul Goat Allen thinks more men should paranormal romance. We absolutely agree!

• io9 has a wonderful time-lapse video of the space shuttle Endeavour as it travelled through Los Angeles, on its way to its new home.

• Korean artist Inshoo has some beautifully creepy re-imaginings of classic childhood heroines. My favorite is Dorothy, with her adorable little Toto hat.

 
And, just to make Friday that much sweeter, here’s a list of sweepstakes and sales we have going on!

• The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Ends 10/23)
• Waiting on Wednesday: Renegade, by J. A. Souders (Ends 10/24)
• #TorChat Sweepstakes (Ends 10/24)
• Bard’s Oath by Joanne Bertin (Ends 10/29)
• Ghost Collection Sweepstakes (Ends 10/31)
• The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Ends 11/8)
• Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (Ends 11/18)

The Week in Review

Welcome to the week in review! Every Friday, we comb through the links and images we found and shared this week, and pull the very best for this post. Consider it concentrated genre goodness from all around the web.

 

• It’s New York Comic-Con! If you’re heading to the convention, be sure to stop by our booth and check out what we have going on. If not, we have a consolation prize for you: it’s our annual Not at Comic-Con Sweepstakes!

• Over on Bad Astronomer, there’s a beautiful animated GIF of nebula IC 1396.

• Congratulations to author J. A. Pitts, whose book Honeyed Words just won the The 2012 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards!

• Some famous authors sound off about censorship, with hilarious results. Our favorites: Harper Lee and Kurt Vonnegut.

• The controversy has ended! The Mythbusters proved that Jack didn’t have to die in the movie Titanic.

• Celebrate All Hallow’s Read on October 31st! Neil Gaiman explains on GalleyCat.

• You can now get a PhD in comics. Yup, comics. Appropriate news for this weekend, right?

 
And, just to make Friday that much sweeter, here’s a list of sweepstakes and sales we have going on!

• Crown of Vengeance by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory (Ends 10/19)
• Renegade by J. A. Souders (Ends 10/19)
• The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Ends 10/23)
• Bard’s Oath by Joanne Bertin (Ends 10/29)
• Ghost Collection Sweepstakes (Ends 10/31)
• The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Ends 11/8)