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We’re in there someplace. Photo via NY Daily Photo.

As I write this, several Quirk Books employees are busy chatting it up with folks at the New York International Gift Fair.

That’s right, we’re there right now and we’ll stay through February 2nd, meeting and greeting people at booth #7549, 9am to 6pm (except Thursday when the show is only open until noon). We’re showing off some hot-off-the-press Spring 2012 titles and previewing selections from the just announced Fall 2012 list.

And for those of you eager for giveaways and swag (because why else would you come to a convention?), we’ve brought a number of the infamously cute Quirk tote bags with us.

Swing by and make sure you say hi to our fabulous in-house sales duo, Moneka and Mia!

Muggles Are Our Friends by Kate Moore

I love the look of reimagined World War II propoganda art. Unsure of what they look like? ThinkGeek has an awesome selection of them, with artwork depicting the fictional worlds of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and video games.

Kate Moore, a favorite printmaker of mine known as Blimpcat on Etsy, has created a number of WWII propoganga posters inspired by the universe of Harry Potter. “I like to imagine what it would look like if both sides had their say (rather than just He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s people),” says Kate on the Etsy pages for the prints.

The prints are 11×17″ and “digitally printed on heavy, high-quality glossy cardstock.” She stamps and numbers all of her prints individually, so you know you’re getting something special.

Have a look at some more of the prints after the break, and be sure to visit Kate’s Etsy shop. I own all of her Portal 2 prints, and she does great work.

BlimpCat [Etsy.com]

On the evening of Tuesday, January 17th, I gathered at the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver to celebrate the release of my debut novel, Taft 2012.

Tattered Cover is a Denver institution as well as being one of the finest booksellers in America, and it was an honor to be their guest. The crowd was amazing–must have been at least a hundred people there, and not even all of them were my family!–and despite my nervousness I was somehow able to keep people from fleeing.

But in all seriousness, I couldn’t have imagined a better book launch. Thanks to everyone who came!

When Stacia Kuceyeski of the Ohio Historical Society reached out regarding Taft 2012 campaign materials, she included photos of her adorable pug-chihuahua mix… President William Howard Taft, or just "Taft" to his friends.

These, of course, had to be posted on the blog immediately.

The photos are of Taft posing at the McKinley Memorial in Canton, Ohio. Please take note of the sassy Taft tag on his collar and the scarlet carnation, which is Ohio's state flower. According to Stacia, McKinley always wore one.

There are a few more photos below after the jump. Take a look. Thanks for sending these in, Stacia! Taft sure is cute.

Do the books in your local bookshop come alive once the store closes, much like the toys in Toy Story? After watching this video, I sure like to think so.

Watch and enjoy. Thanks for sending the link over, Jane!

Contest Closed! Thank you!

Well, this is the last holiday giveaway. Today we're giving you a chance to win all our fiction titles, including our mashups and Taft 2012, which isn't due out until January. I'm also tossing in some posters with a couple of the books… which includes a special, limited edition signed Miss Peregrine poster.

Now, you might notice us go quiet over the next week or so here on the website, Twitter, Facebook… but we'll be back! We're all taking a nice holiday break and returning January 2nd.

See you next year, book lovers!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: The New York Times bestselling YA smash. I'll include a signed poster with this!

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies by Seth Graham Smith: The original mashup that helped usher in a new literary genre.

Bedbugs by Ben Winters: A young couple's dream home is crawling with bedbugs… or is it? Rosemary's Baby meets the Amityville Horror in Ben Winters' horror story of supernatural bedbugs.

Taft 2012 by Jason Heller: A Rip Van Winkle-esque tale of William Howard Taft. Reawakening in our time and thrust into the primaries, Taft adjusts to our world with hilarious and often times heartwarming results.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steven Hockensmith: The New York Times bestselling prequel to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. How did the Bennett sisters become such fierce warriors? Hockensmith tells their story.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith: When Mr. Darcy is bitten by a dreadful, Lizzy goes on an epic quest to find a cure for her beloved.

Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters by Ben Winters: What happens when the Dashwood sisters run into giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, and two-headed sea serpents? Ben Winters' New York Times bestselling Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters does.

Android Karenina by Ben Winters: An enhanced edition of the literary classic… with robots, cyborgs, and interstellar space travel.

The Meowmorphosis by Coleridge Cook: "One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that he had been changed into an adorable kitten." That's all you need to know.

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson & Sam Stall: A rag-tag team of Star Trek fans get caught up in a zombie attack at a Trekkie convention.

How can you win? Leave a comment that either 1.) Details how you would survive in a zombie uprising or 2.) What your 'peculiar' superpower would be. You can also simply retweet this post while mentioning @quirkbooks. I'll select one of you at random for a bag full of Quirk fiction goodness.

Note: Make sure you leave your email so I can contact you!

Good luck, and happy holidays everyone!