Authors for Japan

The pictures and reports coming out of Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami are horrifying. When I read things like this:"In the town of Otsuchi, out of a population of 15,000 people, 12,000 people are missing," I want to cry. The thought of it is staggering.

A group of authors in the UK has organized an online auction to raise money to help the Japanese through the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. You can bid on 150 donated items and services, including things like autographed books, critiques, cover designs, and web site creation. All money raised goes directly to the British Red Cross. Bidding is open now, and continues until 8pm GMT on Sunday, March 20.

Although the auction is hosted in the UK, overseas bids are accepted as long as those bids are in UK pounds. This is a great opportunity for those of us in the US to get copies of books currently only available in the UK, and help the people of Japan at the same time.

I'd like to point out a couple of items that might be of particular interest to readers of this blog:

Signed first edition hardback of SCRIVENER’S MOON by Philip Reeve
Sequel to Fever Crumb and A Web of Air. I don't think that Web of Air is even available in the U.S. yet, and it looks like Scrivener's Moon isn't even available in the UK until April, so it'll probably be a while before there's a US edition. Reeve says, "...if the buyer wishes, I can do a drawing on the title page as well." Who wouldn't wish a Philip Reeve drawing on the title page? Bidding will probably go pretty high on this one, but it's for a good cause, right?

Signed copies of FIREBRAND and BAD FAITH by Gillian Philip + two signed FIREBRAND posters + character naming
Firebrand, by Gillian Philip, is an excellent UK fantasy that I read for the Cybils. I'm actually rereading it right now so that I can review it, and I'm enjoying it just as much the second time around. This one is not generally available in the US either, and I highly recommend it. It combines fey folk with medieval witch burnings and a strong narrative voice from an interesting POV character.

There are many other excellent items and services to bid on, so head on over to Authors for Japan and check it out.