I’ll give you the serious link first, because I want you to actually pay attention to it.

Jim Hines is auctioning off an ARC of his upcoming Charlie’s Angels-style fairy tale novel, The Stepsister Scheme. Which is fun news in and of itself; I very much enjoyed his goblin novels, and this one sounds even more my kind of thing. But much more important than the ARC is the reason it’s being auctioned: Jim will be donating the money to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The more people bid, the more NCADV benefits, and also the more Jim tosses up in the way of prizes; with the numbers up over $100, he’s already promised to include other signed books in the package. I know we live in cash-strapped times (at least those of us currently shackled to the American economy), but if you’re looking for an excuse to benefit a good cause, this is a fun one.

Speaking of fun, now the silly link: book covers, redesigned to be truthful. I can’t remember if this is the same guy that brought us the hilarious Choose Your Own Adventure covers — I think it might be — but anyway, go see staples of the genre advertised with honesty.