Just a reminder that today is the last day for books priced under a dollar in the Kindle store (or, at least, that is what Amazon has announced to authors). A few books on this list
have already been increased to the new 99 cent minimum list price. I suspect this new rule has been put in place in order to accommodate titles from Smashwords, where many authors do list their books for free (resulting in free books in the B&N store, so far, as well). A partnership between Smashwords and Amazon has been announced by Smashwords, but the books have yet to make an appearance. With the new rule in place, the way is clear for them to be introduced without flooding the store with free entries that are not either public domain (as controlled by Amazon) or larger publishing house promotions.
The Big Love ($1.99), by Sarah DunnBook Description
Alison Hopkins isn't just looking for Mr. Right . . . or even Mr. Big. She's holding out for the Big Love.
When 32-year-old Alison's first real boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her - he steps out to buy mustard for a dinner party and never returns - it's time for Alison to reassess her lifelong search for romantic fulfillment. Does true love even exist? Is every romantic involvement with a coworker inevitably doomed? Does sex without commitment always lead to disaster? Is a girl's evangelical Christian upbringing an impediment to her finding true happiness?
Funnier than any "chick-lit," as poised and accomplished as any literary debut this year, The Big Love is a big-hearted, hilariously entertaining novel that readers all across America are falling for.
Seven Loves ($1.99), by Valerie TruebloodBook Description
Who most deeply affects our lives? Sometimes it is those who touch us briefly, even unexpectedly. For May Nilsson, these include the lover she takes in her forties; the handsome, troubled young rebel she is determined to rescue; the police officer who inadvertently plays a major role in her greatest catastrophe.
Moving back and forth in time, from May's childhood to her eighth decade, SEVEN LOVES weaves together the strands of an ordinary life made extraordinary by the complex passions that drive it.
The Second Coming ($1.99), by David H. Burton, the first in the Words of the Prophecy series, is free in PDF form at the author's website thru March 2.Book Description
Travel to a future of blood sacrifice, demons, witchcraft, and an immoral God that has returned to reclaim his former dominion.
When Do I See God? ($0.99), by Jeff Inlo, is free to download at the author's website, on Smashwords and on Feedbooks, in various formats.Book Description
When a flash flood claims Steven Drilach's life, he finds that existence does not end with the death of the body. He steps into an afterlife where all his dreams can come true and anything he imagines can be his. Following the lead of his afterlife guide, he learns of the connections between the physical world he left behind and the spiritual realm where he now resides. During his journeys back to earth, he discovers lost souls unwilling to accept their own death and unable to move on to a spiritual existence. Through their experiences, he learns to face his own personal doubts and to understand what truly separates him from God.
For Sale in Palm Springs ($0.99), by Albert Simon, the first in the Henry Wright Mystery series is free on Smashwords.Book Description
A murdered real estate agent. Unsatisfied home buyers. A possible celebrity scam. A secret society!
Retired police chief Henry Wright is now living in Palm Springs and is asked by his friend Wayne Johnson, a detective in the Palm Springs Police department to help solve a crime: who killed Palm Springs real estate mogul Rex Thornbird. Henry has been living as somewhat of a recluse since his wife passed away, but tracking down this killer brings him back to life.
Follow his adventures as he travels from Palm Springs to the Silicon Valley to find the killer!
Sin And Vengeance ($0.99), by CJ West, the first in the Randy Black series, has been optioned for a movie. The series also includes A Demon Awaits and Gretchen Greene ($1.99 each).Book Description
When his knee shatters on the playing field, Charlie Marston is plunged into turmoil. The fallen college superstar joins the family winemaking business, but working alongside his parents is not the future he had planned. He escapes work whenever he can and soon finds a new friend named Randy Black. Randy is part stunt-pilot, part Casanova, and part drunken Pied Piper. Randy introduces Charlie to Deirdre Deudon, the provocative wife of a French farmer. They come together in an ill-conceived stunt that explodes into consequences that chase Charlie and Randy back home to Massachusetts and change Deirdre's life forever. The after-effects of this tragic mistake bind the three of them together and threaten everything they hold dear.
Taking Stock ($1.99), also by CJ West, is a stand-alone novel not connected to the above series.Book Description
Tiny magnetic dots locked deep in Boston's financial district hold the keys to $44 billion. The massive fortune is spread among seventy-five thousand customers and only the computers know exactly how the shares are divided at any given time. Millions are spent to keep the systems safe in their temperature controlled room and keep Internet-based hackers at bay. No one knows this better than the people assigned to safeguard this fortune. Erica Fletcher is one such guardian, buried by an insurmountable workload, precisely how she likes it. Beautiful, smart, tough, nothing can knock her off course and nothing penetrates her defenses. She's locked her emotions away and poured her life into her career. She's a superstar among her peers and a nightmare to any man who tries to control her. Erica's boss wants her out and their confrontation wakes Erica to a stark reality. She's traded her life for success and security, forever running from her mother's mistakes. Her roommate convinces her to slow down and just as her first real romance blooms, her life is thrown into chaos. Two hundred million has disappeared from the firm and the evidence all points to Erica. She fights for her life as she struggles to hold on to the new woman she's become.
Fear of Fighting
($15.56 paperback), by Stacey May Fowles (Author) & Marlena Zuber (Illustrator), is free from the publisher until April.Book Description
Through Marlena Zuber's whimsical and raw drawings and Stacey May Fowles’s humorous and biting prose, Fear of Fighting explores the conflict between the mundane details of daily life and a desperate need to find meaning. Set in the lonely, urban landscape of downtown Toronto, the story revolves around Marnie, a broken-hearted young woman fighting to find something more. Examining issues of loneliness, mental health, and the importance of human and community connection, Fear of Fighting reveals the stark contrast between the Marnie's inner dialogue and the invisibility and madness she feels daily.
The Third Kiss: Dorian's Dream ($1.00), by Heather Killough-Walden, has several 5-star reviews (one reviewer said "Hands down one of my favorite authors!").Book Description
An ancient Roma foretelling speaks of vampire kings one day dreaming of the women who could bear them children. These children would be powerful vampire warriors and treasures to their kingdoms. Their mothers would become queens. However, a thousand years have passed and not a single vampire has dreamt of anything at all, much less of salvation through companionship.
And then, in a massive master bedroom in a mansion upon sprawling estate grounds in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the French vampire king awakens from a slumber ripe with visions of a young American beauty. Julian Adalard, the ruthless ruler of his people, has dreamt of his queen. At once, he sends his bounty hunter to retriever her.
However, the bounty hunter is not only a skilled hunter and an unwilling servant to the king – he is also Julian’s brother, Dorian Adalard, and the prince of his people.
And he, too, has dreamt of the young woman.
Emma Rose Nekoda doesn't know she's been ear-marked as America's French vampire queen. She's a free-lance photographer, traveling from South West to Deep South for a long-awaited photo shoot.
However, the bayou has more in store for Emma Rose than she’d anticipated. Amidst the marshy swampland and sticky heat of an old world steeped in magic, she will fight for her freedom from one gorgeous vampire brother to another – and in the process, kick off a world-wide war between vampire factions striving to become the first to develop an army of warrior offspring.
Angela ($0.99), by Rex Kusler, is free on Smashwords. He has a second novel out, Punctured ($0.99 Kindle and on Smashwords), which is worth taking a look at for the cover alone.Book Description
Johnny Buck has a big heart, but it is so deeply hidden even he can’t seem to find it. One of his classmates, Julie Anderson knows it’s there and she’s attracted to his creative mind and part of his spunk—even though he ignores her because she isn’t a knockout.
Raised by a father who exhibits antisocial behavior, Johnny Buck struggles to overcome the traits he seems to have inherited with the indirect influence of three mysterious women who come into his life. They always seem to show up when he’s in danger. Although they all have the same name, Angela, and they’re all beautiful, they differ completely in appearance.
He also finds himself attracted to the writing of the mysterious and reclusive novelist Samantha Sommers. He’d like to meet her—but she thinks that’s a bad idea.
Book Description
When I left psychiatry five years ago to care for my children, I decided to write down the salient points from my years in practice. My hope was to capture the take-home lessons from my time in the trenches so I could share them with my kids as they grew older. What follows are the rules of the human condition as I've seen them. Take care.
Book Description
In this short story, Nicole is a divorced woman who tires of her employee, Brenda's meddlesome matchmaking. On Valentine's Day, the shoe ends up on the other foot when Brenda's husband leaves her, and Nicole suggests a girl's night out to console her.
God Helps Those... ($14.00 paperback), by Alan Cramer, is free on Smashwords.Book Description
The year is 1983, Marcus Dupree is on his way to the top. He has it all, the great job, the girl of his dreams and a chance to live the truly good life. But Marcus has a secret, a secret that soon becomes to big to hide. He struggles to keep his family together, but it looks like it's all about to come crashing down. Only God can save him...
In Her Name: Empire ($2.39), by Michael Hicks, is free on Smashwords. This is one I purchased when it first came out and promptly bought the rest of the trilogy. A second, prequel trilogy is now up to the second volume and I'm looking forward to it's completion as well.Book Description
In the first book of an epic futuristic fantasy trilogy, this is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.
Publisher's note: This book is the first section of the original novel IN HER NAME, which is now the omnibus edition containing three complete novels - Empire, Confederation, and Final Battle - under one cover.
Twenty Dollar Bill ($1.99), by Elmore Hammes, is free on Smashwords with this coupon code: JS98J, valid through March 31, 2010. To go along with this free offer, this book will be featured in a book/reading club thread over on NookBoards and the author will be participating in the discussion.Book Description
Follow the path of a twenty dollar bill as it is stolen, given, spent or otherwise passed from person to person, traveling from place to place.
No bombastic explosions, steamy sex scenes, political intrigue or cosmic encounters. Just slices of life from the people you walk by every day - glimpses into how ordinary people interact, how they think, how they feel and how they love.
A contemporary novel exploring every day interactions and relationships.
Surviving the Fog ($1.00), by Stan Morris, is free on Smashwords.Book Description
Have you ever been to summer camp? What would you do if almost all of the adults left “for a few hours” and they had not returned a week later? What would you do if no one’s cell phone worked and your parents never showed up to take you home? What would you do if you realized that the area was surrounded by a mysterious brown fog that was dangerous? How would you survive the winter? How would you get more to eat?
This is what Mike, John, Desi and the other campers have to contend with in Surviving the Fog.
Warning: sexual situations, cursing, brief violence
