Free Book (Sony) - Bulls Island

Sony has a free version of Bulls Island ($7.99 Kindle), by Dorothea Benton Frank, which includes an an excerpt from her upcoming Lowcountry Summer ($12.99 pre-order).

Book Description
A satisfying tale of honor, chance, and star-crossed love infused with Southern wit, grace, and charm from the New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank

After twenty years, Elizabeth "Betts" McGee has finally managed to put her past behind her. She hasn't been home to beautiful South Carolina and untouched Bulls Island since the tragic night that ended her engagement to Charleston's golden boy, J. D. Langley.

And why is that? Really, this is the story of two old Southern families. The Langley family has more money than the Morgan Stanley Bank. And they think they have more class. The Barrett family made their nineteenth-century fortune in a less distinguished manner—corner grocery stores and liquor stores. It's no surprise that when J.D. and Betts fall in love and decide to marry their parents are none too pleased. And when the love affair comes to an end, everyone is ready to place blame.

Now twenty years have gone by and Betts, a top investment bank executive, must leave her comfortable life in New York City to return to the home she thought she'd left behind forever. But spearheading the most important project of her career puts her back in contact with everything she's tried so hard to forget: her estranged sister, her father, J.D., and her past.

Once she's home, can Betts keep the secret that threatens all she holds dear? Or will her fear of the past wreck her future happiness? And what about that crazy gator? All will be revealed on Bulls Island.

Click HERE to launch the Sony Library software and get the book.

End of Month Indie Specials

I know it's late, but for those looking for a late night read, here are some last minute deals from indie writers. Some of the deals expire at the end of the month, while a few others will continue for a bit. A lot of indie writers are talking about increasing their prices to $2.99 or higher on June 1, due to the new payment schedules at Amazon (a few are required to do so, as there will now be minimum pricing based on file sizes).

The Second Coming ($2.99), by David H. Burton, the first in the Words of the Prophecy series. An updated version is free at Smashwords using coupon code NQ83R.

Book Description
Travel to a future of blood sacrifice, demons, witchcraft, and an immoral God that has returned to reclaim his former dominion.

Firefly Island ($0.99), by Daniel Arenson, also 99 cents on Smashwords using coupon code GE47Y.

Book Description
Want to escape to a magical land? Discover a world at the edge of imagination. Visit Firefly Island. In Firefly Island, you'll meet Aeolia, a girl enslaved to an ogre on a faraway farm. With the magic of fireflies, she must escape the ogre, then journey to find her long-lost brother. Join Aeolia as she explores Firefly Island, a strange land of firefly magic. Her quest takes her from hills swarming with ogres, to jungles full of fierce tree warriors, to castles brimming with knights in armor, to an underworld of outlaws on dark city streets, to twisting dungeons, and into landscapes of flame and war.

Mighty Hammer Down ($0.99), by David J. Guyton, is free on Smashwords using coupon code MM75Y.

Book Description
A longstanding peace is about to be shattered by villains in the shadows of Medora. They conspire with distant nations to cripple the western Empire and spread their venom eastward. In their secretive attempt, they stumble across the power to slay Arius, the god of war, and replace him with a human puppet. That mission fails however, and they not only pave the path for the seven gods to walk the earth, but create a god of war who is bent on their destruction. He clumsily learns to use his powers and hones them into a powerful weapon to wield against the Mages and their twisted vision of society. In the chaos, a great war ignites and threatens all nations and cultures.

Rommus has no idea that he has become the new god of war. He also has no idea that his companion Alana is responsible for the assassination attempt on his father, the General of the Medoran army. While the Medoran Legions head east to aid the Vindyri in their battle against the oppressive Bhoors, Rommus follows the visions he sees in his dreams, pulling him north towards the Land of the Gods. Along the way they meet a strange man named Vohl who claims to be immortal, and the three of them end up before the golden throne of the great god Oderion. But Rommus refuses to be like the uncaring gods, and quickly makes six very powerful enemies.

In all of this mayhem, the small flames of the old magic roar to mighty infernos; burning some and lighting the way for others. Great beasts now walk the earth again, and the gods themselves have come down to influence the world of man once more. But the new god of war is not interested in their agenda, and instead joins the battle on the Vindyri planes. He fights with all his might for the freedom of mankind, struggling to bring light to the coming darkness.

The Losing Role ($0.99), by Steve Anderson, is free on Smashwords using coupon code CJ27G.

Book Description
At the end of WWII a failed German actor, Max Kaspar, is forced to join an absurdly desperate secret mission in which he must impersonate an enemy American officer. So Max cooks up his own fanatical plan — he'll use his false identity to escape tyranny and war and flee to the America he'd once abandoned.

Max the performer is hardly a soldier let alone a double-crossing commando, yet in the deadly Battle of the Bulge he has to fool battle-shocked American GIs as well as dodge discovery by his reckless German comrades. Belgium's Ardennes forest becomes a snowbound hell and the magical America he'd loved is lost to him, replaced by a somber invading juggernaut. In the end, Max's gambles will lead him to a grim but honest payoff.

Part espionage thriller, part expatriate noir and the first in a series, The Losing Role is based on an actual German false flag operation that's been made infamous in legend but in reality was a doomed farce. In all the tragic details and with some dark humor, this is the story of an aspiring talent who got in over his head and tried to break free.

Dead Forever: Awakening ($2.99), by William Campbell, is 99 cents on Smashwords. A sequel is due out June 14.

Book Description
Imagine a world where death is merely an inconvenience. A new body awaits, and we resume living, fully aware of the past. Every talent, love and distaste is retained, from one life to the next. But this immortal paradise has a price--eternal life as slaves, oppressed by masters who forbid individuality, creative expression, and free thinking. A band of rebels refuses to surrender their freedom, and these misfits have no place in a world that enforces social harmony. But for a population that reincarnates, the conformist rulers are powerless to eliminate insurgents. Putting them to death is useless. The rebels will return, again and again. The final solution is devised--perpetual amnesia. Kill all memory of past lives. Identity erased, origin unknown, and destiny uncertain, the rebels are banished to a lonely corner of the galaxy and left for dead, forever. Having suffered the enemy's amnesia by design, a reluctant hero awakens under a bridge, and without a past, he regards himself as insignificant. But he is not the loser he imagines, as he learns when agents in black come to collect him. His decision to flee begins a journey of rediscovery, but some of it he would rather leave buried. He must face his past, and take charge of the future, or the rest of his immortal kind are destined to share his fate--Dead Forever

The Scrubs ($0.99), by Simon Wood / Simon Janus (marked down from $1.99, apparently by Amazon).

Book Description
James Jeter, the notorious serial killer with a sixth sense, holds court inside London's Wormwood Scrubs Prison. He's the focus of the "North Wing Project." Under the influence of a hallucinogen, Jeter can create an alternative world known as "The Rift" containing the souls of his victims. Pardons are on offer to inmates who'll enter The Rift. Michael Keeler has nothing to lose and little to live for. He's sent into The Rift to learn the identity of Jeter's last victim.

It's a mission where the guilty can be redeemed, but at a price...

Simon Janus is the horror identity for the award winning thriller writer, Simon Wood. The Scrubs was first published in hardback and paperback in 2008.

The Quest For The Chalice ($0.99), by John Fitch V, the first book in The Obloeron Trilogy, which can be picked up for $4.99 (for right now, that's essentially the same prices as all three titles separately). He also has One Hero, A Savior currently at 99 cents (a Christian Fantasy).

Book Description
Radamuck Rosar, 24th King of the Labergator dwarves, is on a quest to find the Chalice of Obloeron, the most magical object in all the realms. Going along with him on this quest is his nephew, Idan Rosar, as well as his trusted halfling advisor, Yanos Kingsfoil. After coming across a defeated village, Radamuck has Yanos go off and scout the enemy's stronghold, located deep within Mount Bastine.

Once there, Yanos is captured by Hedli Givaronian, a Bastine elf. The halfling is taken to Dumathon, where Lord Baeron, lord of the elves, tells Yanos that he is an old friend of Radamuck's and that the elves would join the fight with the dwarves. After the battle, the dwarves leave Bastine and continue their search.

After a vision beheld by Hedli, Radamuck orders the dwarves to head toward Kayiko, a township located in the mountains. The township had been overrun by orcs and other minions of the evil wiard Viktaar Dramin. It is there that Radamuck is introduced to Grumpet T. Paddymeyer, the heir of Krampel Paddymeyer, who fought in the Great Imperial Wars with Radamuck 50 years prior. Grumpet now owns Flad-rul, the Sword of the South, and a legacy unknown to him.

Together, Grumpet and Radamuck go up against Dramin in his domain determined to end tyranny and oppression in the northlands.

New Zealand With a Hobbit Botherer ($16.86 paperback), by John Gisby and Annette Gisby, is half price on Smashwords, using coupon code PU67C ($2.99 instead of $5.99).

Book Description
What should you do if your spouse becomes addicted to the Lord of the Rings movies and swoons at the very mention of Orlando Bloom's name? (Thud. Quick, fetch the smelling salts.)

How about taking the advice of a strange apparition that reveals itself in a dream? An apparition that looks remarkably like the director of the movies, Peter Jackson, but not quite remarkably enough to prompt legal action.

An apparition that recommends touring New Zealand in an effort to prove that its sheep pastures aren't really filled by frolicking Hobbits. Just sheep and the occasional zorbing local.

This is the hilarious tale of such a tour, featuring snow capped mountains and turquoise lakes, flightless birds and flying cattle, bungy jumping grannies and the carrot mafia, strange yellow eyes peering up from a road map and hotel receptionists always desperate to know win you are living.

Free Book (nook) - God Don't Like Ugly

God Don't Like Ugly ($4.47 Kindle), by Mary Monroe, is free in the Barnes & Noble store. This is the second today from Kensington books (see this earlier post for Home To Italy, by Peter Pezzelli, which is free for the Kindle and the nook).

Book Description
In this richly drawn novel set on the streets, porches and in the parlors of 1960s Ohio, Mary Monroe brings to life the bond between two girls from opposite sides of the tracks--and the shattering event that changes their lives forever.

At the heart of the story is Annette Goode, a shy, awkward girl who keeps a terrible secret. Mr. Boatwright, the boarder her hardworking mother has taken in, abuses her daily. Frightened and ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food.

But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens: Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Rhoda, who is everything Annette is not--gorgeous, slim, and worldly--welcomes Annette into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and dignified father; her lovely, fragile, "Muh'Dear;" her brooding, dangerous brother Jock; and her colorful white relatives--half-crazy Uncle Johnny; sultry Aunt Lola; and scary, surly Granny Goose.

With Rhoda's help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms into a woman. But after her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a horrific childhood crime, Annette's world will never be the same.

Get the free download at B&N, HERE.

Game of the Day - Burger Shop

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a $3.49 download of Burger Shop, currently the #1 game download in the Action and Simulation categories.

Note: This game qualifies to get a $5.00 credit on MP3 downloads from Amazon MP3, if you have not already received this on their current promotion. Essentially, pay $3.49 for the game and get $5 to spend on MP3's.

Game Description

• Burger Making Fun For Everyone.
• More Than 60 Upgrade Items.
• 96 Trophies To Collect.
• Play Story, Relaxed Or Challenge Mode.

After receiving a set of strange blueprints in the mail, you build an extraordinary food-making contraption and open a restaurant! Your goal? Make food and satisfy customers until you discover the truth behind the mysterious blueprints and the BurgerTron 2000! With several game play modes, more than 60 upgrades and 96 trophies to collect, there's never a dull moment as your kitchen sizzles with excitement! If you fry it, they will come...to your Burger Shop!

Free Book (limited time) - Live Forever

Live Forever ($4.95 Kindle), by Jacob Drake, is temporarily free to download at Smashwords, no coupon required. No reviews (or even a synopsis) at Amazon, but has a handful of five-star reviews on Smashwords. Originally planned to be a one-hour sale, the author was persuaded first to do two one-hour segments (to accommodate international readers) and now has simply set it up for free for the rest of Saturday (pacific time).

Book Description
When a family man finds his less-than-perfect life turned completely upside down by his becoming a vampire everything he knows and values is called into question, especially when other vampires expect him to assist them in staging a coup that will result in the ravaging and enslavement of all humans. He must then decide what it means for him to live forever.

Click HERE for the free download (while it lasts).

Ten Dollar Book Bundles

I've written about book bundles before and they continue to pop up now and then in the Kindle store. The two below are a good deal on three, four or five books by the same author (which works out to $2.00 to $3.33 per book).

Virgin River books 1-4 ($9.99), by Robyn Carr. Purchased individually, these run from $5.04 to $5.76 (although I did pick up a previous edition of the third in this series for just over $2 last year; still, the bundle is a better price and probably has an updated text). You can also still get her novella, Sheltering Hearts, for 99 cents.

Book Description
The tightly knit community of Virgin River has been a safe haven for more than a few lost souls over the years--and there's always room for more-

A recently widowed nurse thinks she's made a mistake coming to Virgin River--until an abandoned baby and former marine make her feel right at home. A marine who has seen his share of pain helps a woman in need, and discovers emotions he has never allowed himself to feel. A cop longs to settle down with the woman of his dreams--but must free her from a painful past first. And a woman tracks down the soldier who once saved her husband's life-and finds an emotionally wounded man who needs her help to open his heart.

Experience all the emotion, joy and romance as the residents and visitors of the small town of Virgin River find healing and love amongst the rugged beauty of the California mountains. Bundle includes the first four novels in Robyn Carr's beloved Virgin River series: Virgin River, Shelter Mountain, Whispering Rock and A Virgin River Christmas.

The Lady Julia Grey Bundle ($9.99), by Deanna Raybourn. The first one in this series was free in January 2009, but even if you already have that one, you get the other two in the series for the same price as Silent on the Moor alone.

Book Description
Starting with her husband's sudden death, Lady Julia Grey is swept into a world of mystery and deceit. It is also the world of the enigmatic and maddeningly attractive private investigator Nicholas Brisbane...

From the extravagant world of Victorian aristocrats to the wild moors of Yorkshire, experience the intrigue and romance of all three Lady Julia Grey mysteries by RITA Award-winning author Deanna Raybourn, now available in one convenient download. Bundle includes: Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary and Silent on the Moor.

Gena Showalter's Atlantis Series Bundle ($9.99), by Gena Showalter. She actually has three bundles in the Kindle store, with this one priced the lowest per book ($2).

Book Description
Discover New York Times bestselling Gena Showalter's mythical world of immortals, magic and dark seduction in the Atlantis series! Now, you can download all five stories in this sexy, supernatural series in one convenient download. Bundle includes Heart of the Dragon, Jewel of Atlantis, The Nymph King, The Vampire's Bride and The Amazon's Curse.

Lori Foster Bundle ($9.99), by Lori Foster. Due to a sale on a number of her books, the savings here are only a bit over $3.00 (but you only use up on slot on the home page and have the books clustered together).

Book Description
Sawyer. Morgan. Gabe. Jordan. Lori Foster's books sizzle with sexual tension and this quartet of hunky Buckhorn brothers is no exception!

Kindle/nook/Sony Covers Deals

CrazyOnDigital had a pretty good sale last month on accessories for your Kindle (and there are still some at very good prices, although the charging stand for the Kindle2 has gone up to $14.99; I heard back from one reader that snapped one up before they went out of stock during the sale and she loved it). Today, I found a few Kindle accessories from USA Gear that are tempting and a little more subdued (and suitable for taking to business meetings). First, a Protective Neoprene Hard Cover with Plush-Suede Interior for $9.99.

• Tough neoprene outer shell provides plenty of protection for your Kindle
• Scratch-resistant mount construction allows you to firmly secure your Kindle
• Accommodates all buttons, headphone and charging ports
• Makes your Kindle easier to hold and more BOOK-LIKE
• Guaranteed quality backed by a generous 3-year manufacturer's warranty

If you don't like the cover and prefer a sleeve, they have one of those also, the Neoprene CoverGuard for $8.99, which comes with a cleaning cloth for the screen and has a separate pocket that will hold a USB cable and/or some earbuds (another listing without the cleaning cloth, at the same price, says it will fit the nook and Sony readers, as well).

• Dense neoprene material protects your E-Reader from drops, bumps, scratches and scrapes
• Additional accessory pocket lets you store memory cards, card readers, charger and charging accessories
• Easy-to-grip handle makes it easier for you to bring around
• Comes with a free 3-Year Warranty

The third item from USA Gear is a more of a purse or netbook style carrying case, the E-Library Bag for $16.99, which mysteriously comes with a "Cleaning Blower Brush and Accessory Bag." This looks like a re-purposed camera bag and there are, again, two listings at the same price, with the second one HERE. Either should work fine for the Kindle or Kindle 2, and probably for the nook, Sony Reader or even a netbook or the iPad. In fact, a third listing is two dollars cheaper and is labeled as the iPad compatible version (and this one has free shipping as well, so a total of $14.99).

• Heavy Duty Zippered compartment pockets
• Interior Zippered Mesh Pockets
• Scratch resistant interior lining
• Made with Weather Resistant Nylon
• 3 Year Warranty & Package Includes: Scratch-Guard Protector Bag & Blower Brush

The last one I found is from M-Edge, the M-Edge Destination Bag for nook. The pictures show a fully clothed nook inside, so it should also fit a Kindle2 (and definitely the smaller Sony), but it is shorter than the M-Edge Journey Bag that I have for my original Kindle. Both bags are on sale for $29.99 right now, and give you completely different looks and both are a bit more feminine than the USA Gear bag.

• This sleek and sophisticated bag is crafted of leather in six vibrant colors, including marbled red, pebbled purple, jade green, smooth black, smooth mocha brown, and pebbled cream with saddle. (patent pending)
• Meticulous detailing and seamless stitching provide readers with superior protection and organization while traveling and on-the-go
• Soft grey microfiber interior provides maximum device protection while two interior elastic pockets allow for storage of charger, e-Luminator2, and other accessories
• Bag includes a specially designed zipper pocket perfectly sized to accommodate naked nook as well as an adjustable, removable shoulder strap
• Bag s interior contains two roomy compartments for storage of your nook device while in a jacket, nook accessories, and other personal items

The Girl Who Played with Fire $7.99

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson, is sale/promo priced at $7.99 in the Kindle and other ebookstores. The second in the Millennium Trilogy, which started with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ($7.16) and ends with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest ($9.99), has been premium priced until now. Each volume in this trilogy has been listed on Amazon's Best of the Month book list.

Book Description
Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander—the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire.

As Blomkvist, alone in his belief in Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the slayings, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all.

For those with other readers, you can get the same $7.99 pricing at Barnes and Noble (where all prices match Amazon's) and Kobo (higher on the first book, but only slightly), but not Sony, at least, not so far (all are $9.99 there).

Penguin Books now in Stock

I checked this morning and most of the Penguin books on my watch list are now in stock in the Kindle store and Publishers Weekly says that all titles should be available no longer than Monday. I still don't see Changes, by Jim Butcher, for example (then again, I gave up and bought it in hardcover, long ago). Prices, of course, are mostly up (although Bullet, by Laurell K. Hamilton, is down to $12.99), including the hardcovers that were temporarily lowered to $9.99 by Amazon to help prevent their customers leaving for another ebook platform; Bullet and Directive 51 by John Barnes, for example, were both $9.99 yesterday.

Here are a few of the imprints, sorted by publication date (funny how these seem to be most of my favorite authors), if you want to take a walk thru the New Books aisle at Amazon:

• Berkley
• Roc
• Ace
• Penguin
• Dutton
• Puffin
• Putnam
• Viking

Free Game - Pirate Island

The free game this week at Sandlot Games is Pirate Island.

Game Description

• 12 exciting chapters of high-seas adventure
• More than 100 levels of increasingly challenging game play
• 11 unique trophies awarded for in-game combinations
• 6 level-altering power-ups

Navigate buccaneer-infested waters in Pirate Island™, a thrilling Match 3 high seas adventure from Sandlot Games!

The Dread Captain Weevil, Scourge of the Seven Seas, has vowed revenge on the Twelve Islands if his golden peg-leg is not returned and it's up to you to collect enough gold to satisfy his demands before he unleashes his, and his skeleton army's, wrath.

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.

Free Book (PDF) - Mother's Milk

ENC Press, a small, independent publisher, is giving away a copy of Mother's Milk, by Andrew Thomas Breslin, thru July 15.

Book Description
Cindy Kichlklug, a young, emphatically non-idealistic attorney finds herself in Washington, DC, working for a group of radical nutrition advocates with a passionate distaste for cow milk. Little does she suspect that their militant intolerance for lactose is a reaction to a secret global conspiracy orchestrated by the dairy industry, itself a puppet of alien masters from a distant planet orbiting the star Vega.


These Vegans (the ones from Vega, not the other kind) have been running things on Earth for thousands of years through mind-controlling substances secreted by the cows they brought here long ago, but now one of Cindy’s colleagues, socially inept mathematician Eddie Fishman, has discovered an innovative analytical technique that may expose their nefarious schemes. When Eddie is captured, Cindy teams up with cranky old anti-conspiracy veteran Tom Logan and a host of other rabble-rousing extremists to rescue Eddie and put an end to the diabolical (albeit delicious) machinations, all the while pursued by the dapper but devious “milk thugs” and fighting her own overwhelming desire for lattes and cheesecake.

Click HERE to get the book. Thanks to an alert reader, who found this deal on their Facebook page.

Penguin and Amazon Reach Agreement - Books to Follow

An official Amazon Customer Service rep has announced that Amazon and Penguin have reached an agreement on ebook sales. The message is buried in one of the myriad of threads complaining about the lack of newer Penguin titles in the Amazon store.

I'm already seeing signs of the logjam of titles clearing: you can now pre-order Bullet ($14.82), by Laurell K. Hamilton (although if you hurry, you can still get the Hardcover for $9.99, where it was marked down during the standoff). Interestingly enough, this title (and a couple of others from the Penguin imprint Berkley) isn't sold by the publisher, but by Amazon; it looks like the new agreement is NOT an Agency agreement at all, but the traditional retailer agreement that Random House and a few others have stuck with. I don't see any Roc or Ace titles yet, but the ones from Berkley are only starting to show availability in the states and not all of those (I suspect they have to be manually updated, one at a time).

Book Description
The music came back up and the next group of little girls, slightly older, came out. There was a lot of that in the next hour and change. I liked dance, and it was no reflection on the kids, but my will to live began to seep away on about the fifth group of sequined children...

Anita Blake is back in St. Louis and trying to live a normal life-as normal as possible for someone who is a legal vampire executioner and a U. S. Marshal. There are lovers, friends and their children, school programs to attend. In the midst of all the ordinary happiness a vampire from Anita's past reaches out. She was supposed to be dead, killed in an explosion, but the Mother of All Darkness is the first vampire, their dark creator. It's hard to kill a god. This dark goddess has reached out to her here-in St. Louis, home of everyone Anita loves most. The Mother of All Darkness has decided she has to act now or never, to control Anita, and all the vampires in America.

The Mother of All Darkness believes that the triumvirate created by master vampire Jean-Claude with Anita and the werewolf Richard Zeeman has enough power for her to regain a body and to immigrate to the New World. But the body she wants to possess is already taken. Anita is about to learn a whole new meaning to sharing her body, one that has nothing to do with the bedroom. And if the Mother of All Darkness can't succeed in taking over Anita's body for herself, she means to see that no one else has the use of it, ever again. Even Belle Morte, not always a friend to Anita, has sent word: "Run if you can..."

Update (12:42PM): Looks like all the Berkley titles that had shown up earlier today as available to order are now back to being unavailable in the US. Including Bullet, above. A lot more books are showing up in the Kindle store; however, they are unavailable to US customers (including several that were available earlier today). Here are a few of the imprints that are starting to show up:
Berkley
Roc
Ace
Penguin
Dutton
Puffin
Putnam
Viking

And there are others.... Looking thru the lists, there are several books that I want to order (and several where I am tempted to get the Hardcover instead, since they are down to $9.99).

Hugo Awards Packet

This year, the Hugo Awards are doing things a little differently. Rather than a physical packet of reading material, they are releasing the entire list electronically to members, including supporting members who are not able to attend the conference in Australia. What that means is that for $50US or $70AUD, you can get copies of six novels, six novellas, six novelettes, five short stories, four graphic stories (plus a couple to read online only), and a number of related works, fanzines and other writing excerpts in various categories, all of which were considered to be prize-worthy examples by the awards committee. I found a password on one PDF (and, yes, most of the packet is in PDF form, although there are a few with multiple formats and I saw at least one PRC/Mobi file on a quick look-thru), so that one will be a PC only read, rather than moving to my Kindle and there are a few that include links to online only reads (a few graphic/comics sites are online only publications, for example), but otherwise they should work well on an ereader.

If you don't want to join, a number of the short stories, novelettes, novellas and graphic stories are available online to read, for the duration of the voting period (yes, you are expected to vote, but there is little to stop you from skipping this part), which ends 31 July 2010 23:59 PDT. You can sign up online, HERE, but you will have a decision to make: let them process the charges in Australian dollars, which will mean possibly paying a small exchange fee to your bank or credit card company, and a total based on the current exchange rate (when I checked, it worked out to around $65US; PayPal tells you how much before you complete the transaction), OR you can use their manual registration and payment option via PayPal and pay a flat $50US (directions are on the registration page). If a bargain price is your main consideration, the latter is the way to go. However, you'll want to add to your PayPal message that you wish to get all your material via email, or they will send you everything via snail mail - adding at least a week to get anything, here in the States. In addition, rather than the automated system set up to issue registration info (which you need to download the books), your registration is handled manually, by a group of volunteers; even with several emails to them to check on status, mine took three weeks to complete and get my password via email. With only two months left in the voting period, that would not leave much time to read the entries if I chose that method today.

I'm listing below the complete packet contents, with links to the freely available items (many are only online until voting ends). I've included Kindle or Amazon book links to the novels (along with prices), so you can check out reviews or a few samples before deciding if you want to participate.

The 2010 Hugo and John W. Campbell Award Nominees

864 Total Ballots Cast

BEST NOVEL (699 nominating ballots)

Boneshaker ($9.99) by Cherie Priest (Tor)
The City & The City ($9.99) by China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America ($8.99) by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)
Palimpsest ($9.99) by Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Spectra)
WWW: Wake ($6.29) by Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Penguin; Gollancz; Analog)
The Windup Girl ($10.17 paperback) by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)


BEST NOVELLA (375 nominating ballots)

Act One ($4.99) by Nancy Kress (Asimov's 3/09) - Free Download (PDF)
The God Engines ($13.60 paperback) by John Scalzi (Subterranean)
"Palimpsest" by Charles Stross (Wireless ($10.79); Ace; Orbit) - Read Online
Shambling Towards Hiroshima ($10.17 paperback) by James Morrow (Tachyon)
"Vishnu at the Cat Circus" by Ian McDonald (Cyberabad Days ($9.59); Pyr; Gollancz)
The Women of Nell Gwynne's (hardcover) by Kage Baker (Subterranean)


BEST NOVELETTE (402 nominating ballots)

"Eros, Philia, Agape" by Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com 3/09) - Read Online
"The Island" by Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2; Eos) - Read Online
"It Takes Two" by Nicola Griffith (Eclipse Three; Night Shade Books) - Free Download (PDF) or Audio
"One of Our Bastards is Missing" by Paul Cornell (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Three; Solaris) - Free Download (PDF)
"Overtime" by Charles Stross (Tor.com 12/09) - Read Online
"Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster (Interzone 2/09) - Read Online


BEST SHORT STORY (432 nominating ballots)

"The Bride of Frankenstein" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's 12/09) - Free Download (PDF)
"Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 1/09) - Free Download (PDF)
"The Moment" by Lawrence M. Schoen (Footprints; Hadley Rille Books) - Read Online
"Non-Zero Probabilities" by N.K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld 9/09) - Read Online
"Spar" by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld 10/09) - Read Online


BEST RELATED WORK (259 nominating ballots)

Canary Fever: Reviews ($30.40 paperback)by John Clute (Beccon)
Hope-In-The-Mist: The Extraordinary Career & Mysterious Life of Hope Mirrlees by Michael Swanwick (password protected; Temporary Culture)
The Inter-Galactic Playground: A Critical Study of Children's and Teens' Science Fiction (Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy) ($45.00 paperback) by Farah Mendlesohn (McFarland)
On Joanna Russ ($29.95 paperback) edited by Farah Mendlesohn (Wesleyan)
The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction Feminisms ($14.82 paperback) by Helen Merrick (Aqueduct)
This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is "I") ($29.20 paperback) by Jack Vance (Subterranean)


BEST GRAPHIC STORY (221 nominating ballots)

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? ($16.49 Deluxe Edition, Hardcover)Written by Neil Gaiman; Pencilled by Andy Kubert; Inked by Scott Williams (DC Comics)
Captain Britain And MI13 Volume 3: Vampire State ($14.99 paperback) Written by Paul Cornell; Pencilled by Leonard Kirk with Mike Collins, Adrian Alphona and Ardian Syaf (Marvel Comics) - Read Issues #10 and #11 Online
Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages ($12.23 paperback) Written by Bill Willingham; Pencilled by Mark Buckingham; Art by Peter Gross & Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn; Colour by Lee Loughridge & Laura Allred; Letters by Todd Klein (Vertigo Comics)
Girl Genius Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and The Heirs of the Storm ($15.61 paperback) Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment) - Read Online
Schlock Mercenary : The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse Written and Illustrated by Howard Tayler - Read Online


BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - LONG FORM (541 nominating ballots)

Avatar Screenplay and Directed by James Cameron (Twentieth Century Fox)
District 9 Screenplay by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell; Directed by Neill Blomkamp (TriStar Pictures)
Moon Screenplay by Nathan Parker; Story by Duncan Jones; Directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)
Star Trek Screenplay by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Directed by J.J. Abrams (Paramount)
Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter; Story by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, & Thomas McCarthy; Directed by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar)


BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - SHORT FORM (282 nominating ballots)

Doctor Who: "The Next Doctor" Written by Russell T Davies; Directed by Andy Goddard (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: "Planet of the Dead" Written by Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts; Directed by James Strong (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: "The Waters of Mars" Written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; Directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)
Dollhouse: "Epitaph 1" Story by Joss Whedon; Written by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon; Directed by David Solomon (Mutant Enemy)
FlashForward: "No More Good Days" Written by Brannon Braga & David S. Goyer; Directed by David S. Goyer; based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer (ABC)


BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM (289 nominating ballots)

Lou Anders
Ginjer Buchanan
Liz Gorinsky
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Juliet Ulman


BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM (419 nominating ballots)

Ellen Datlow
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Gordon Van Gelder
Sheila Williams


BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST (327 nominating ballots)

Bob Eggleton
Stephan Martiniere
John Picacio
Daniel Dos Santos
Shaun Tan


BEST SEMIPROZINE (377 nominating ballots)

Ansible edited by David Langford
Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan
Interzone edited by Andy Cox
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal


BEST FAN WRITER (319 nominating ballots)

Claire Brialey
Christopher J Garcia
James Nicoll
Lloyd Penney
Frederik Pohl


BEST FANZINE (298 nominating ballots)

Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
CHALLENGER edited by Guy H. Lillian III
Drink Tank edited by Christopher J Garcia, with guest editor James Bacon
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
StarShipSofa edited by Tony C. Smith


BEST FAN ARTIST (199 nominating ballots)

Brad W. Foster
Dave Howell
Sue Mason
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne


THE JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (NOT A HUGO AWARD) (356 nominating ballots)

Saladin Ahmed
Gail Carriger
Felix Gilman *
Seanan McGuire
Lezli Robyn *
* Second year of eligibility

Free Book (nook) - The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker ($6.99$2.99), by Leanna Renee Hieber, is free in the Barnes and Noble store (and discounted in the Kindle store). This is the first in her Strangely Beautiful series, was first published last year and recently was picked up on option for a musical production

Book Description
What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death…

Click HERE for the free download.

Free Mini-Games at Amazon

Many (if not most) of the games available as Game Downloads at Amazon include a free trial mode - you download the entire game and can play for a limited time (usually 30 minutes) before you must purchase the game in order to continue. A few of their games lack this feature, requiring you to pay up front (which means, for me, I skip their games entirely, as I've had too many games not work well on my computers, in the past). Now, they have a new type of sample, a Free Demo version, for a very limited number of titles (including one that ONLY has a Free Demo version available, with no Standard version to purchase).

From what I can tell, these demo versions have an unlimited time for play (but not all are compatible with 64-bit Windows 7), albeit with a limited scope: for example, one includes only seven levels, but still includes an online multiplayer mode. Another difference between these games and the ones with free trials: the downloads are very large in size, ranging from one to two GB in size (and take 1/2 hour to a full hour to download, using broadband). For each of the Free Demos, I've also included the price and link for the full game, in case you end up addicted and want more. In either case, the demo is yours to keep and continue playing, unlike the trial versions that self-destruct after a set period of time.

Mount & Blade: Warband ($29.99 Standard version)

Game Description
Mount & Blade: Warband is the eagerly anticipated standalone expansion to the original PC role-playing game (RPG), Mount & Blade. Revolving around true-to-life medieval combat, action in Warband utilizes realistic mounted combat and era specific weapons and armor, not magic. It also features a detailed fighting system, user generated content and mods, the ability to command units in single player and multiplayer, up to 64-player support online and multiple online multiplayer modes.

• Fully playable demo up to level 7
• Multiplayer battles with up to 64 players. Multiplayer modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Conquest, Battle, and Siege.
• New models with greater detail and high-quality textures.
• A campaign allowing you to become the ruler of a faction and convince lords to become your vassals.

In a land torn asunder by incessant warfare, it is time to assemble your own band of hardened warriors and enter the fray. Lead your men into battle, expand your realm, and claim the ultimate prize: the throne of Calradia!

AIM 2 ($19.99 Standard version)

Game Description
A.I.M. 2 is the sequel to the epic science fiction first-person action RPG developed by SkyRiver Studios. Its compelling story and unique look lift off exactly where the original ended.

Changes in the control system have led to new opportunities for the inhabitants of the Polygon planet. Mechminds, advanced robots, opened new sectors and have started exploring them. With the course of time Mechminds and their culture have altered greatly with some old clans fading away as new ones evolved.

New clans led by Mechminds of the Fifth Generation are powerful and well-organized formations with far-reaching plans. Powerful groups have different interests that often crossed, war broke out again. However this time it is the struggle not for mere control, this is struggle for survival. The clans want to eliminate the weaker ones standing in their way and will stop at nothing to dominate their enemies. To achieve their goals they use not only military means, but economic ones as well. As of now none of the clans has managed to achieve complete victory.

You are a part of the oldest clan called the Reckoners, a dedicated group looking for the firstborn Mechmind of the Fifth Generation. This could be a chance to restore former might for your clan which has lost its power and even be victorious in the war.

Cryostasis ($12.99 Standard version)

Game Description
The Arctic Circle, Russian North Pole station ‘Pole 21’, 1968 - Alexander Nesterov is a meteorologist sent to investigate the final hours of the North Wind, an old nuclear ice-breaker trapped in an icy grave. This steel beast once fought for its country, but during a dangerous mission it drifted into an ice trap slowly freezing to death every living thing on board.

Alex must fight against the intense cold by finding any remaining heat sources as he investigates the final days of the North Wind and unlocks the mysteries within. However, Alex is no ordinary meteorologist as he possesses a unique ‘Mental Echo’ ability that allows him to relive the final memories of the dead and change their actions in the past, changing their future. Nothing can prepare Alex for the truth he uncovers as he digs deeper into the history of the ship.

Cryostasis takes players on a terrifying trip into the unknown as they explore the dark, frozen, claustrophobic corridors and unlock the shocking secrets of the North Wind.

Achtung Panzer Kharkov 1943 ($19.99 Standard version)

Game Description
Want to step into the role of a commander in the very heart of Kharkov's defense? You'll have everything the officers had back then: tanks, guns, and fearless soldiers. The success of each opposing force hangs in the balance every day. Your decisions will determine who wins the Battle of Kharkov.

• High replayability and flexible AI: "smart" AI analyzes the players' tactical movements and chooses the best strategy based on behavior rather than a script. Scenarios can be replayed using different tactics, as though playing against a human opponent.
• Painstaking reconstruction of Kharko in scope and size.
• Detailed recreation of weapons, artillery, and vehicles: all battle characteristics, including missile trajectories and crew numbers, have been modelled according to archived military records and WW2 chronicles.
• Dynamic day, night and weather effects, all of which affect combat through terrain traversability, battlefield visibility, hidden force capabilities, and more.
• Destructible environment: nearly everything can be blasted and destroyed, from ground terrain to houses and enemy defenses. All traces of previous battles (shell holes, broken vehicles, corpses, etc.) remain on the battlefield.

East India Company Collection ($29.99 Standard version)

Game Description
In East India Company, you assume the role of Governor Director and seek to ship precious cargo to Europe in order to amass vast wealth. Build your fleets, establish connections to distant countries and dominate the other rival empires.

• East India Company: Spectacularly cinematic and epic naval battles, Two Command Modes: Give orders to all your ships in Real-Time Strategy Mode or take the helm of a single ship in Direct Command Mode; Choose from over 10 realistic ship types, from small sloops and cutters to warships and East Indiamen; Take over ports and protect your shipping routes to create the largest trading empire.
• East India Company: Pirate Bay: Play as a pirate captain; Attack trade ships to loot their cargo or commandeer whole ships; Add more and larger ships to your fleet; Choose new skills for your captain as he levels up; Hoard as much money as you can in 30 years time; Upload your campaign result to your gamer profile and compete for the title of the best pirate ever.
• East India Company: Privateer: Two Privateer campaigns set in different time periods; Two new multi-player modes: Breakthrough and Beehive; New goal-oriented gameplay with several new mission types: locate and either sink or capture enemy ships, blockade enemy ports, or escort friendly fleets, New commander skills to fit the life of a privateer, such as "False Colors", which allows the player to get close, enough to ambush the victim, and "Critical Hit", which gives the player a chance to hit an enemy ship's magazine, causing the vessel to explode; New specialists, such as the surgeon, cook, constable, and marine officer, who can be used to boost the abilities of your fleets.
• East India Company: Battle of Trafalgar: A re-enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar from both the British and Franco-Spanish perspective; Historically accurate ships from all three Navies; Five real-life naval commanders from the era, including Admiral Lord Nelson, French Admiral Pierre Villeneuve and Spanish Admiral Federico Gravina, Take control of naval battle groups comprising of the greatest warships of the Napoleonic era; Real-world naval strategy of the era accurately recreated in the battle AI
• East India Company Collection bounds together this trade oriented strategy game and its add-ons. This is the definitive collection of 17th century trade and naval battles!

UFO Aftermath ($6.99 Standard version)

Game Description
Combining a global strategy with small squad tactical combat, the challenge offered is to fight against an alien invasion. Featuring run time generated tactical missions with innovative simultaneous combat action; the genre is also enhanced with strong RPG elements, offering a quite unique mix of strategic ideas.

• RPG - Your soldiers will improve as they gain more experience. Their skills are derived from these statistics, and each point that you put into any one of these attributes will have a noticeable effect on that soldier's skills. These attributes are: Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Willpower, Intelligence, and Perception
• Strategy - You must manage your bases, interceptions, and squads. Territory is equal to power in the game - the more you control, the better your interceptor coverage. Also, the faster you research, the better things could be.
• Tactics - Fighting on the ground against aliens and mutants for the control of territories. Once you control a territory, you can decide what type of base you want there: Research, Military, Manufacture or Biomass repulsion.
• Combat - Unique combat system features all of the best elements of both turn-based and real-time combat systems. You give orders while the game is paused to avoid the frantic rush of a real time system. While in pause you can give your troops very detailed orders taking as much time as you like. Once you are finished you simply start the game and continue playing. Once the game is underway you can pause the game at any point to update or change your orders and the game will automatically pause when important events occur, so that you may modify your plans accordingly. This combat is combining the finely grained tactics of a turn-based game with the realism of a real time system.
• Randomly generated tactical missions - each playing field will be unique meaning no two games are the same.

Europa Universalis Rome Gold ($19.99 Standard version; $5.99 PC Edition)

Game Description
Europa Universalis Rome Gold combines the epic strategy title Europa Universalis Rome with the expansion pack Vae Victis. Experience one of the most defining periods in world history in this game with great strategic and tactical depth.

• Europa Universalis Rome: Start at any date between 280 B.C. and 27 B.C.; choose between 10 different cultures, including the Roman, Celtic, Greek and Egyptian civilizations, with more than 53 playable factions on a map spanning hundreds of provinces; Watch your characters develop new traits through political intrigue and various interactions with thousands of other characters; Robust multiplayer allows you to challenge up to 32 players either competitively or in coop mode.
• Europa Universalis Vae Victis: Completely revised military AI, particularly in the area of military campaigns; Dynamics of the characters that live in the Republic will come to life as the men & women have their own personal goals and agendas; As a republic you will now need to take the Senate into the account. Characters will belong to various parties depending on their goals, values, and ambitions.
• Fully 3D map with integrated graphics and detailed topography
• Monarchies & Tribes will have their own courts, beware of bootlickers & sycophants who will stop at nothing to replace your divinely appointed ruler
• Europa Universalis is Paradox Interactive's historical franchise with close to 1 million units sold worldwide. The franchise includes titles like Europa Universalis I - III and expansions such as Napoleon's Ambition

Rise of Prussia (Demo only)

Game Description
Rise of Prussia is the latest release from AGEOD, and is a follow-up to their successful historical strategy games Birth of America, American Civil War, Napoleon's Campaigns, and Wars in America. Rise of Prussia covers the European campaigns of the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763).

• Over 100 new leaders with individual portraits, and 300 units.
• 10 Scenarios: 1 Battle Scenario Saxony 1756 to enter the game; 6 Annual Campaigns Scenarios, for each year between 1757 and 1763; 1 Grand Campaign Scenario 1756-1763; 2 Tutorial Scenarios.
• Map covering all of Germany and surrounding vicinity, with over 1,000 different regions offering plenty of room for manoeuvering.
• New events and a wide set of options for you to customize your strategy.
• Streamlined command system based on the hierarchy system seen in American Civil War and Napoleon’s Campaigns, allowing for historical army command, organization, and structure.

Free Book (nook) - Storm Front

Storm Front ($6.29 Kindle), by Jim Butcher, the first book in the excellent series The Dresden Files, is available free this week using a coupon you pick up in a physical Barnes and Noble store. Last week, I didn't even have to show a device to get the free coupon, but be sure to stop by early, as some people who stopped by on Sunday were reporting that their stores had run out (luckily, a few were at least able to get an early coupon for this week, so it wasn't a wasted trip).

Once you have your coupon, log onto bn.com/redeem and enter the coupon code to add the book to your account. I don't know how you'll do this with a nook (and didn't try with my Kindle, as the book doesn't work there, anyway), but on the iPhone, I used the free internet service and Safari to enter the code, then opened the B&N reader and started reading the book within about a minute or so.

Book Description
Harry Dresden--Wizard
Lost items found. Paranormal investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things--and most of them don't play too well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a--well, whatever.

There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get... interesting.

Magic. It can get a guy killed.