Con Or Bust: Helping Fans of Color Attend SFF Cons

Item Name/Description: An in-depth short story critique (for a story up to 7500 words).

Starting Bid: $10

Auction Ending: April 13, 2009, midnight EST.

Notes: A professional, in-depth critique on a piece of original short fiction, including availability for follow-up questions and whatsoever else you choose. Credentials so you know it'll possibly be worthwhile: I'm the editor and new publisher of Ideomancer Speculative Fiction, work as Support Monkey at the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy, and have had my own work reprinted in several Year's Best anthologies.

Time permitting, there may be two or three of these available.

Thanks, folks!

Offer: Research Assistance
Item name/description: 1 hour of professional research time
Starting bid: $5

Need help researching the history of pocket knives/petits fours/the anti-Chinese riots in the 1880s in Washington State/Shirley Chisholm for your latest book?
Want to find ten books your nine-year-old would love?
Curious what other published Cinderella retellings are out there?
Looking for a song/book/movie/article, and you can't remember the title/author/performer/topic?
Working on your list of 52 books by People of Color to read in 2009, and want even more titles?
Or, do you want tips, ideas, and sources to improve your own research?

I have a Master's degree in Library and Information Science and I'm not afraid to use it!

Auction ending: April 13, midnight, EST (sorry, should be EDT, or the current type of Eastern time!)

Notes:
1. The top three bidders will each win one hour of research time at their bid price.
2. Your bid commits you to one hour only. However, if any of the winning bidders wish to request more hours (up to five each) at the same winning price they bid (payable to the con_or_bust WisCon FOC Assistance Program, of course), they may contact me.
3. Research request(s) must be made by 12/31/09.
4. One-week turnaround from time of research request, though I'll do my best to finish them more quickly.
5. I cannot guarantee an answer to every research question in an hour. If your request seems too complex for the time, I'll discuss it with you when you make the research request. If I still can't find the answer, I'll contact you with the information I did find and the sources I checked.

Item Name/Description: One pair of fingerless gloves, done using the Pomatomus (scalloped) style

Starting Bid: $25

Auction Ending: April 13, 2009, midnight EST.

Notes: The Pomatomus sock pattern has always intrigued me. But I want to first try out the pattern making fingerless mittens.



This is the pattern that I would be using. Let me know what colors you'd like, I'd work with you to find the right yarn. Delivery date TBD.


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Item Name/Description: A custom wire-bound 8x8" book for journalling, scrapbooking, art and more.
Starting bid: $20
Auction ending: April 13, Midnight EST
Notes:  I will create and bind (wire-bound with Bind-it-All) a custom journal filled with 50 pages of acid-free paper (in white or color of your choice).  Winning bidder please specify your preferred style.  For example: distressed vintage, steampunk, feminine, fandom of choice, pairing of choice.  It will take approximately 1-2 weeks to make.  (I apologize I do not have any pictures of completed journals handy, but if you would like pictures of my work feel free to message me).  I will be using a lot of embellishments and other materials to make a very lovely journal. All materials acid-free.

Item Name/Description: A custom doll-size hand-bound (with glue) book.
Starting bid: $10
Auction ending: April 13, Midnight EST
Notes: A handmade book sized for BJD (ball jointed dolls), in whatever style requested.  These are mostly decorative/props, as they do not open as well as normal hardback books, but they can be written in.  Book cover is made from Tim Holtz's grungeboard for durability.  All materials acid-free. (I apologize I don't have any photos of my own books handy, but they are made following directions here, and others' results can be seen in the discussion: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147608&highlight=book+binding ) (ETA: Sorry, I completely forgot that forum was for members only. I have finally gotten a couple pictures of books I have done, see below.)

If no one here collects BJD's, I will also make this to any other small scale. Easiest and best-looking is approx 2.75" x 2" (for SD size doll).  Winner please specify either size of doll or desired size of book.
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Item Name/Description: Lush visual elements for your blog, commerce, or standard site
Starting bid: $40
Auction ending: April 13, Midnight EDT
Notes: I create visually rich skins, with a lot of color-- quite over-the-top. neobaroque, grunge lux, and steampunk are my faves.

The fine print: You and I will work together to evolve your theme, and I will require that you nag me regularly to get the work finished! I use photoshop manipulative techniques on scavenged images, original art produced for the purpose, or scanned physical art. On commercial sites, it's imperative that all the images I use be copyright free. I can take a copyright image for a sample, however, and find similar or reproduce the essentials in a new entity.

One auction only... It's all I have time for!

Examples;
dharma_slut impofperversity my fiction archive, probablepossible.com (do click on the enter link after the warning to see the big picture)
I don't want to link to my current os commerce examples, they are all on the old OSc software-- which is broken by the new php standards  and shows it... I'm looking forward to replacing those!

Item Name/Description: One skein of hand-dyed yarn, 462 yards, fingering weight, superwash Merino w/25% nylon

Starting Bid: $10

Auction Ending: April 13, 11pm Central

Notes: One individually hand-dyed and irreproducible skein of yarn suitable for making a pair of adult-sized socks (or whatever else one wants to make with 462 yards of machine-washable fingering-weight yarn, I'm not the Yarn Police :) ). This is the actual skein in all its glory, click for larger view:



I'll ship anywhere (although outside the US it'll go parcel post instead of Priority), and I'll get it into the mail as soon as I get the word everything's final.


(Full Disclosure Disclaimer: yes, I am a professional dyer, so go ye forth and bid in confidence that this yarn will be A) dyefast and B) not smell like orange Kool-Aid. ;) )

Item Name/Description: Podfic recording of a story up to 8,000 words in length

Starting Bid: $10

Auction Ending: 13 April 2009, noon Eastern

Notes: I will read the story of your choice, up to roughly 8,000 words, any fandom, any pairing. The recording will be completed by the opening date of Wiscon.

The Fine Print: Please acquire author permission for the recording. The recording will be archived at the audiofic archive unless stipulated otherwise.

Try before you buy: My podfic readings in a variety of fandoms are archived and available for download here.

Item Name/Description: Podfic recording of a story up to 25,000 words in length

Starting Bid: $40

Auction Ending: 13 April 2009, noon Eastern

Notes: I will read the story of your choice, up to roughly 25,000 words, any fandom, any pairing. The recording will be completed by the opening date of Wiscon.

The Fine Print: Please acquire author permission for the recording. The recording will be archived at the audiofic archive unless stipulated otherwise.

Try before you buy: My podfic readings in a variety of fandoms are archived and available for download here.

Item Name/Description: Podfic recording of an epic length story

Starting Bid: $100

Auction Ending: 13 April 2009, noon Eastern

Notes: I will read the story of your choice, any length, any fandom, any pairing. Completion date kind of depends on the word count - I'll do my best.

The Fine Print: Please acquire author permission for the recording. The recording will be archived at the audiofic archive unless stipulated otherwise.

Try before you buy: My podfic readings in a variety of fandoms are archived and available for download here.

Item Name/Description: one custom handbound blank book (small)
Starting Bid: $25
Auction Ending: April 1st, noon, Eastern Daylight Time

Notes: I will make you a custom handmade blank book/journal with your choice of colors for the covers. You can select from several binding styles. The book will be about 5" tall and 3.5" wide. The text block will have at least 112 pages of fine writing paper. I will mail the finished book before I leave for WisCon or deliver it in person at WisCon. A photo of some of my small books is below the cut to give you an idea of what I make. If you win the auction, I'll provide you with photos of different binding styles and decorative options.

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Item Name/Description: one custom handbound blank book (large)
Starting Bid: $50
Auction Ending: April 1st, noon, Eastern Daylight Time

Notes: I will make you a custom handmade blank book/journal with your choice of colors for the covers. You can select from several binding styles. The book will be at least 8" tall and 6" wide. The text block will have at least 56 pages of watercolor paper or at least 128 pages of fine writing paper. I will mail the finished book before I leave for WisCon or deliver it in person at WisCon. Photos of two of my books are below the cut to give you an idea of what I make. If you win the auction, I'll provide you with photos of different binding styles and decorative options to choose from.

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1. SNARE by Katharine Kerr, Tor hardback. Starting bid: $15 This is a far-future science fiction novel, featuring a lot of world-building. Some reviewers called it "fantasy", probably because there are horses in it and I'm female, but it's nothing of the sort.

2. FREEZEFRAMES by Katharine Kerr, Tor hardback. Starting bid: $10 This book, however, is a near-future SF with definite fantasy elements. Its structure is what Ursula Le Guin calls a "cranford," a set of shorter pieces that together tell an over-story.

I'll sign these (being as I am Katharine Kerr)and add a personal note if there's something you'd like me to say.

The auction on these items will end April 1st, 9 pm Pacific Daylight Time.

CLOSED!

Item Name/Description: A paperback copy of Christopher Moore's Lamb, signed by the author
Starting Bid: $10
Auction Ending: April 1st, noon, Pacific Daylight Time

Notes: I bought it at WisCon, and now you can buy it to send someone else to WisCon. I can mail the finished book as soon as the auction ends, or I can have a friend deliver it in person at WisCon. (I am not going this year. Alas.)

Paperback. Perfect condition. May be considered blasphemous in some jurisdictions.