A Signature Event

If you went to the New York Comic Con (and, if my memory serves me correctly, half the population of the Earth did), then you might have received a Spectra Pulse magazine. Basically, this is science fiction and fantasy magazine that includes exclusive articles, interviews, excerpts, and short stories all written by our authors.

Well, a number of the authors featured in the Pulse were cool enough to sign a number of copies for us, leaving 5 magazines with the signatures of

• Jules Watson--The Swan Maiden, which went on sale yesterday, is the debut novel for Jules, and is an amazing re-telling of Diedre, known in mythology as "the Celtic Helen of Troy."

• Alan Campbell----God of Clocks, which is on sale April 28 in hardcover, is the third and final book of the Deepgate Codex trilogy that began with Scar Night and Iron Angel. It's a mix of steampunk and dark fantasy, and Campbell is one of the exciting new voices in fantasy.

• T.A. Pratt--Spell Games also went on sale yesterday, and it's the fourth book in the Marla Mason series. If you haven't read these books, and you want to read about a fun, smart heroine in an urban fantasy setting, check out Marla, chief sorcerer of Felport. (as an aside: I know some guys are wary of the urban fantasy genre, but I'm telling you, you're missing out on some great books by some great authors, and this is one them). These are stand alone books, with Spell Games story focusing on a magical con-job that goes awry.

• Robert Masello--Blood and Ice went on sale yesterday, and if you haven't already checked out the book trailer, do yourself a favor. If that doesn't get you excited to read the book, then I'm not sure if you and I can be friends. I'm sorry--that's just the way it is. This book has everything you want: historical fiction, romance, a "chilling" location (I haven't been able to get away from that pun since I first read it), and vampires--all wrapped into a fantastic thriller.

• David J. Williams--The Burning Skies goes on sale May 19, and is the second book in his Autumn Rain series, following The Mirrored Heavens. This is fast-paced, action-packed military SF with a touch of cyberpunk that is practically a breathless read. You've heard people say "it reads like a movie"? Well, this is one of those books.

• Kelley Armstrong--Best known for her bestselling Otherworld series (and Men of the Otherworld came out last month), Made to Be Broken, on sale March 10, is actually a departure from the paranormal, instead focusing on the assassin Nadia Stafford. As all her fans will tell you, Kelley is a truly gifted writer, and just because she isn't writing about werewolves doesn't mean you should pass her by. Oh, and by the way: the Pulse has a never-before-seen original short story by Kelley...about werewolves.

Well, those five magazines are burning a hole in our pockets,* and we figured what better way to prevent office fires than with a little giveaway.

Sorry, but this contest has ended. Now it's time for the drawing! And we're seriously doing a drawing: we're getting a psychic and a police sketch artist, and based on your names, we'll be "drawing" the winners.***

For complete information, please check out the rules.

In the meantime, happy reading!

*Not that we actually kept them in our pockets, because that would probably crease them. Unless we were kangaroos. But I think it's kind of sticky in there. And we're not kangaroos. **

**Also, the actual magazines are not so physically hot that they would burn holes in things. Because, then they would burn themselves. They're made of paper.

***This is not true. I really wish it was. We will be picking the winners randomly.