Curated by Kevin J. Anderson

Grandma gives a sweater she knitted, Dad receives a necktie he doesn't really like, the kids get toys that make a variety of noises, most of them loud, all of them annoying.

What do writers give for the holiday season? They give the gift of stories that take the reader away to fantastical times or places, tales that can be blood-curdling or heartwarming, adventures that capture the heart of the season.

As curator for storybundle.com, I put together nine books for your holiday reading cheer, from Mardi Gras to Thanksgiving, to Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, New Years—who knows, there may even be a Boxing Day story in there somewhere. They are all in the Holiday Fantasy Bundle.

If you want short stories to sample one at a time, like taking candy out of a Christmas stocking, we have plenty of those, four anthologies with remarkable tales by Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Jonathan Maberry, Mercedes Lackey, Patricia Briggs, Heather Graham, David Farland, Larry Correia, Carole Nelson Douglas, Mary Jo Putney, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Dean Wesley Smith, M.L. Buchman, and others. Your brain will be as stuffed as the family after a Thanksgiving feast.

If you want to sink your teeth into a longer work, try the epic Silver and Gold by David Sakmyster, set in the gold and silver rushes of California and Nevada, with dogsled races and arctic monsters, vile industrialists and noble heroes. Or for lighter fare, Mark Teppo's Rudolph is a first-person account of the behind-the-scenes workings of the North Pole, told by one of Santa's elves. Carole Nelson Douglas reinvents A Christmas Carol in A Wall $treet Christmas Carol, but don't be scrooged! Kristine Grayson's Visions of Sugar Plums is a charming romantic fantasy about an image specialist with the assignment of handling Santa's "brand" in the face of an anti-obesity campaign. And Dean Wesley Smith presents his popular series character Poker Boy in a dire caper to save Christmas in Heaven Painted as a Christmas Gift.

That's enough great books to pile up under your electronic Christmas tree. In StoryBundle, you can get these Holiday Fantasy books for whatever price you name, and a portion of the proceeds goes to charity. For a minimum bid of $5, you'll get the first four books; if you pay $12 or more, you get all nine. All ebook formats, and available worldwide. – Kevin J. Anderson

The initial titles in the bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:

• A Wall Street Christmas Carol by Carole Nelson Douglas
• Silver and Gold by David Sakmyster
• Christmas Ghosts editedby Kristine Grayson
• A Fantastic Holiday Season edited by Kevin J. Anderson

If you pay more than the bonus price of just $12, you'll get another five books:

• A Circle of Celebrations by Jody Lynn Nye
• Heaven Painted as a Christmas Gift by Dean Wesley Smith
• Rudolph! by Mark Teppo
• Visions of Sugar Plums by Kristine Grayson
• A Fantastic Holiday Season: The Gift of Stories edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Keith J. Olexa

The bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, and .mobi) for all books—but after the three weeks are over, the bundle is gone forever!

It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

• Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
• Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
• Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
• Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. We're currently featuring Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now.
• Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you're not just getting four books, you're getting nine!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, Twitter us at @storybundle, Like us on Facebook, and Plus us on Google Plus. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.