Now would be a great time to pick up a copy of the hottest science fiction novel of 2009, Paolo Bacigalupi’s Nebula Award-finalist The Windup Girl. Get it now while we’ve still got some hardcovers in stock!

You’ll also want to consider pre-ordering what’s sure to be one of the most talked about books this year, Amelia Beamer’s debut novel The Loving Dead, the zombie-comedy-romance that authors such as Connie Willis, John Skipp, and Christopher Moore are all raving about. And don’t forget, we’ve also got the brand new novel by Hard SF-master Greg Egan, Zendegi, which is sure to end up on the major award ballots next year.

Or maybe you’re an aficionado of fine short fiction? If so, we have many fine selections for you to choose from, whether it be currently available titles like the bestselling anthology The Living Dead, or the critically-acclaimed Eclipse series, or legendary editor Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year, Volume Two. If you’ve got all of those already, be sure to check out this year’s newcomers to our stable: Sympathy for the Devil edited by Tim Pratt, Wings of Fire edited by Jonathan Strahan, or The Living Dead 2 edited by John Joseph Adams. See below for a more extensive list of our forthcoming 2010 titles, all of which are eligible for this sale!

Order up, so that we can keep bringing you the best in SF, Fantasy and Horror! Once again, just enter the coupon code 50NSB2010 at checkout, and we’ll take 50% off your order of any four or more Night Shade Books!

* Preorders will ship as published. Estimated publication dates are subject to change. Subscriptions to Electric Velocipede are not eligible for this discount promotion.

The Loving Dead by debut novelist Amelia Beamer is a zombie-comedy-romance that reads like the zombie love-child of Chuck Palahniuk and Christopher Moore. It tells the story of Kate and Michael, twenty-something housemates working at the same Trader Joe’s supermarket, who are thoroughly screwed when people start turning into zombies at their house party in the Oakland hills. The zombie plague is a sexually transmitted disease, turning its victims into shambling, horny, voracious killers after an incubation period where they become increasingly promiscuous. Thrust into extremes by the unfolding tragedy, Kate and Michael are forced to confront the decisions they’ve made, and their fears of commitment, while trying to stay alive. Kate tries to escape on a Zeppelin ride with her secret sugar daddy — but people keep turning into zombies, forcing her to fight for her life, never mind the avalanche of trouble that develops from a few too many innocent lies. Michael convinces Kate to meet him in the one place in the Bay Area that’s likely to be safe and secure from the zombie hordes: Alcatraz. But can they stay human long enough?

Named one of the “20 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2010″ by science fiction blog io9, The Loving Dead will be published in July, butio9 doesn’t have to wait till then to read it, and neither do you!

Starting today, we’ll be serializing the complete text of The Loving Dead on ameliabeamer.com. We’ll start off with the first four chapters, then will be releasing one chapter a week thereafter, leading up to the publication of the novel in July.

Still not convinced? Check out some advance praise for The Loving Dead:

• “Zombies are all over the place right now, but trust me, you’ve never read a zombie novel like this! Amelia Beamer’s The Loving Dead is about zombies, all right, but it’s zombies with Xanax, zeppelins, Trader Joe’s, iPhone apps, sex, humor, adventure, NPR, Ikea, and Indiana Jones! It’s a rollercoaster ride of a read and a true original!” –Connie Willis, Hugo Award-winning author of Doomsday Book and Blackout
• “The Loving Dead is really kind of hot, in a very creepy way. Read it. You know you’d love you some sweet zombie sumpin’ sumpin’. Buy it, bitches! Ride this zombie zeppelin of love like there’s no tomorrow.” –Christopher Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Lamb and A Dirty Job
• “Amelia Beamer’s The Loving Dead is strange, sick, sexy and scary. It’s also wickedly funny and a damn good read.” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Dragon Factory and Patient Zero
• “If you like raunchy comedy with whips, brains, and zombies, this is the book for you.” –Mario Acevedo, author of Werewolf Smackdown
• “Promising young writer Amelia Beamer delivers plenty of requisite zombie gore and sex, but adds well-observed characters you get involved with, plus a kink ending that makes you glad she did.” –Cecelia Holland, author of The Witches’ Kitchen and Varanger

And over at Fantasy Magazine, Jonathan Wood interviews Mark, taking an in-depth look at Lightbreaker: Mark Teppo: Of Men and Magick…