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I've moved!

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Free ebook for Kindle - Talking With The Dead


Talking With The Dead by Shiloh Walker

Free download for the Kindle today.

Product Description via Amazon.com:

Surrounded by death, a man with a terrible gift reaches for life.

A horrific tragedy blasted open a door in young Michael O'Rourke's mind-cursing him with the ability to talk with the Dead. Nearly two decades later, Michael has moved from victim to survivor, using his abilities to seek out those who would go unjudged.

With his gift, he talks to those who've died violently and seeks out their killers. Only once he's found the murderer, can the victims be at rest. After his last case, the only thing he wants is peace and he hopes to find it in the small town of Mitchell, Indiana.
But something is horribly wrong-the dead are waiting for him there, as well.

Small town sheriff Daisy Crandall is frustrated. The murder investigation she's leading is going nowhere, the few leads she's had haven't panned out. She needs a break-this case is personal and when a stranger arrives, turning up where he shouldn't be, she's suspicious. Finding out that he is more than what he appears to b, should shock her but doesn't. The fact she's highly attracted to him at the worst possible time is a hindrance.

Unfortunately, teaming up with Michael is the only way.

Now it's a race against time before the killer destroys the life of his next victim...

This book has been previously published and expanded for Samhain Publishing.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence

Friday, October 24, 2008

Kindle: Oprah's Favorite New Gadget and a $50 Coupon

On today's Oprah she will reveal that she received a Kindle this summer and it "changed her life". I do know it will change how you read (and probably how much you read), as well as reducing your footprint and costs for books.

Thru November 1st, get $50 off the Kindle by using the code OPRAHWINFREY when you check out at Amazon, bringing your total cost to $309. But you may want to order soon, before the Oprah nation follows her lead and creates a waiting list; currently the Kindle ships within a day of ordering, with free SuperSaver shipping (or upgrade to overnight shipping to be reading the next day).

Monday, October 20, 2008

Free ebook for Kindle - The Reincarnationist


M.J. Rose has placed her book, The Reincarnationist, up as a limited time free download at Amazon.com, for those who have a Kindle. Unlike several authors that have put up free downloads to promote a new book, Rose explains it thus:

"So why is my book free? It's because as a reader I'm suffering along with every other reader by a wealth of books but not a wealth of wallet, and every time I come to Amazon to buy a new book I'm confronted with more titles that I want to read than I have money to buy....[W]e all have limited funds these days, and so faced with dozens of books I want to buy, I've wound up with choice fatigue and so all too often end up buying the safe bet--the book by the author I've read before who I'm sure will offer a satisfying read and passing over new authors and new books that look interesting and exciting, because I just can't buy everything. That's why I asked my publisher and Amazon if they would give The Reincarnationist away for free so readers like me could take a chance on... well... me."

Best known for her erotic thrillers, The Reincarnationist is a departure from that genre, instead exlporing religious myth and past-life discovery. Synopsis from her website:

"THE REINCARNATIONIST is equal parts modern-day thriller, historical fiction and love story. With one foot in present-day Rome and New York and another in Rome some 1,600 years ago, ... [the]story is about two worlds consumed by the fires of intrigue and passion. "

Better buy it quick - there is no telling how long the deal will last.

Update:
She is also giving away her book on her website - use the discount code: FREEREINCARNATIONIST during checkout). Also, there is a definite time limit -
Valid from October 20 - 31, 2008, 11:59 p.m. EST. One-time use only. Not to be used with other offers or coupons.
Also, November 1st is the release of The Memorist - part 2 in the Reincarnationist series. Which explains the free book better.

Contest: Flat Out Sexy


Buy a Contemporary Romance, Save the World!

Or at least help save a small piece of the genre: the contemporary that doesn't feature the paranormal. Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Berkeley and Erin McCarthy are co-sponsoring a contest that is giving away 20 copies of the book Flat-Out Sexy, by Erin McCarthy.

Read the review and leave a comment on each site's blog about the contest for a chance to win (each site is giving away 10 books) and mention it on your own blog to increase your chances even more. And if you don't win, check out the book on Amazon.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Dark Rain

Dark Rain by Tony Richards

No, this post isn't about the rain or lack thereof, as our drought continues. Instead, I bring you a free peak at a new dark fantasy from Harper-Collins' Eos Books, set in a New England town where the descendants of the Salem witches have lived in secrecy for centuries. Fans of Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison and Simon Green won't want to miss this one. Available in print and for the Kindle, you can read the first seven and half chapters here!

Full review to follow.

Free ebook for Kindle - Truth And Consequences

(see bolded warning at end of message)

Truth and Consequences


From Amazon:

"When deceit and desire collide, the results can be deadly-

Book One of the Hearts of the South series.

For undercover FBI agent Jason Harding, coming face to face with the grown-up version of his adolescent dreams is a nightmare. Kathleen Palmer sees him as a despicably corrupt small-town law officer and a murder suspect. Trapped in a web of his own making, he must see his mission through to the end and bring down the crooked cops who've run Haynes County for decades. To do so, he must betray the only family he-s ever known and fight his growing love for Kathleen, a relationship that could get one, or both of them, killed.

Determined to uncover the truth, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Kathleen struggles with her attraction to the one person who-s awakened her since she buried her heart and emotions in her son's tiny grave. Listening to her heart could destroy all she has left in life-her career and reputation. When the truth about Jason-s identity surfaces, they both face unimaginable consequences: Jason may lose his life and Kathleen the man she loves.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, violence."

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Win a free ebook on Green Living



Courtesy of EcoBrain, the folk at My Readable Feast are giving away one free ebook copy of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel (also available at Amazon as a print book )!

To enter the contest, click here and leave a comment.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Book Review: Any Given Doomsday

Any Given Doomsday (The Phoenix Chronicles)
by Lori Handeland


Having read Lori Handeland's Crescent Moon (book 4 in the Nightcreature series), I was looking forward to reading the Advance Reader copy of Any Given Doomsday. The start of a new series , this one gets off to a slow start. The first half of the book is bogged down in background and setup and at times leaves the reader as confused about what is going on as the lead character, Liz Phoenix, a psychic ex-cop who has quit the force rather than try to explain where her knowledge of crimes comes from.

Her foster mother is brutally murdered and first she, then a former boyfriend, Jimmy, are suspected. The boyfriend tells her she is in danger, then locks her in an abandoned house, where she is attacked by a supernatural body-snatching creature. Once he has been dealt with (due to a lucky choice of jewelry and bad footing), she and the boyfriend plant evidence to make it appear the unlucky snatchee killed her foster mother, then the take off cross country to visit her psychic teacher from her teen years (who she has a crush on and is equally afraid of). More supernatural events occur on the trip (including period visits with the dead foster mother thru dreams).

Halfway through the book, she (and we) find she gains powers by sleeping with others (who have powers due to partial demonic genetics, but who fight on the side of good, killing off demons who are on the other side). First sleeping with the former teacher, she gains the ability to shapeshift, but only when touching his magical tattoos. This apparently also unlocks her ability to gain powers through sex, as she later has an encounter with Jimmy and gains his powers as well (despite having slept with him long before, she received no powers previously).

As the first in a series, the book seemed to have just taken off in plot and character development, when it suddenly ended. And, of course, many threads were left unexplored (often in a rather obvious manner), setting up the stage for further episodes: where did Jimmy go, will Sawyer find (and kill) his mother, will Liz decide sleeping with women is worth the increase in power ("magic make-me dust" might not be enough temptation to sleep with her ex's next lover, but who knows what the next temptation will be?).

The second half of the book was definitely a more engaging read and the book as a whole is not for those who don't tolerate explicit sexual content. This book joins the current torrent in the dark fantasy/erotic genre popularized by Laurell K. Hamilton. Hopefully now that all that pesky background and development work has been taken care of, the following books in the series will maintain the pace set near the end.

It's a Trifecta! Books On Board joins the eBook Bailout weekend!

From the Books on Board home page:

Save up to 61%! Now Thru Sunday Only

  • 51% Rewards Dollars - Spend $100 Get $51 Credited to your account towards future purchases
  • Rewards Dollars SPEND EXACTLY LIKE CASH ON AUDIO BOOKS AND eBOOKS WITH NO RESTRICTIONS
  • Rewards Dollars can be used in addition to other savings on any purchase - no weird rules or constraints
  • Rewards Dollars do not expire once you claim them
  • BooksOnBoard was the first eBook Shop to offer "Rewards Dollars," dollars you can use for eBooks and audio books without restrictions and complicated rules - Just Earn 'em and Spend 'em!

Build a book "nest egg" at BooksOnBoard
    ...Rewards Dollars work exactly like cash in our bookshop

Note that last bit -- at Books on Board, unlike Fictionwise and eReader, reward dollars act just like cash. This means you can use them to purchase books that offer 100% rewards without spending any more money (just use your current rewards balance) and you get the entire amount credited back to your account. This lets you buy hundreds of dollars in books with the same $20 to $50 in rewards (it's easier with a larger rewards balance, as you can buy more than one book at a time). New rewards books go up on the site every Monday evening (same as at Fictionwise - but there you must pay by credit card or paypal for 100% rewards books). Like Fictionwise, Books on Board supports several e-reading formats, including mobi formats that work on the Kindle. Often books are priced similarly on the two sites, but available in different formats, so be sure to check both sites on this sale weekend.

eBook Bailout expands!

The eBook Bailout has expanded to eReader.com, where all books are now yielding 50% Rewards (which go into a store credit account). No word on their site as to how long this will last, but suspect it is the same Nov. 12 deadline that is over at Fictionwise.

This site is now owned by Fictionwise, but offers books in only the eReader format, which can be read on your computer, iphone and several other mobile devices, but not on the Amazon Kindle (at least, not without some manipulation of the format and removal of the copy protection on the file). They also have a store credit program, although it is both separate from your Fictionwise MicroPay account and works in a different manner (their rebates are only on the portion of a book not paid by store credit, for example, but can be used on any book, not just those with lower rebate percentages).

If you've been wanting some books to read, but holding off due to the cost or have a lot less to spend due to the stock market slump, both of these sites will let you get more reading time for your dollar.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

eBook Bailout at Fictionwise

Wondering whether you'll be able to keep supporting your reading habit, now that your retirement plan has tanked and you've been saddled with several thousand in debt due to the financial bailout (your share of the bailout, to be paid via taxes)? Over at Fictionwise, they feel your pain and want to help. For a limited time, they have effectively slashed the price of all their books in half, provided you pay via credit card or paypal. You get a rebate of 50 cents for every dollar spent, credited to a store credit account, called Micropay. The money in your Micropay account may then be used later to purchase other books (which can also have rebates, up to 30%) or be refunded if you decide you no longer wish to shop at fictionwise (see their micropay FAQ for details).

Just be sure to act fast - this offer is only valid for the first $700 billion in sales (or until this Sunday, which ever comes first)!


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Presidential Cadidate eBook Battle
eRook Bailout Plan: 50% Rebates on Every Title! (Limit: $700 Billion) The Feds bailed out Wall Street last week to the tune of $700 Billion, and here at Fictionwise we say: why let the fat cat CEO's have all the fun? So starting now, every single title in our store sports a massive 50% Micropay Rebate when paying by credit or PayPal! But hurry: we will run this insane eBook Bailout Package either through Sunday October 12, or until we give away $700 Billion worth of Rebates, whichever comes first!
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Sunday, October 5, 2008

Free eBooks on Garden Design, by English Author

Two eBooks by Tom Turner are available for free digital download in October, 2008 - to celebrate the 10th birthday of the Gardenvisit.com website, in return for your email address. The first is in pdf format (presumably the second will be as well). There are other online ebooks on their website, which may be read for free, but only a page at a time while online, not as a download. The pricing below is taken from the site's info - neither title is available at Amazon.com at the current time.

The free eBooks are:

The Principles of Garden Design by Tom Turner

(ISBN 978-0-9542306-2-3, 45 pages, 130 illustrations, 2008, normal price $15.00)

The eBook explains the 3 classic design principles: gardens should be useful, gardens should be well-made and gardens should be beautiful. The principles come from Vitruvius. They have influenced the design of gardens since ancient times and are as important today as they have always been.

24 Historic Styles of Garden Design by Tom Turner

(ISBN 978-0-9542306-3-0, 84 pages, 230 illustrations, 2008, normal price $19.00)

Giving simple and clear explanations of the use and form of the 24 best-known historic styles of garden design in the west. The period covered extends from the temples and courtyards of Ancient Egypt to the Modern and Postmodern styles of the 21st century, including recent gardens from the Chelsea Flower Show.