Free Ebook: When Graveyards Yawn

When Graveyards Yawn (The Apocalypse Trilogy - Book 1) by G. Wells Taylor is now out of print, a problem many independent authors with small press runs often face. It isn't out yet in the Kindle store, but the author has released it as a free ebook in many formats, including the AZW native Kindle format. Book 2 of the trilogy and some others are listed on his website, but he is selling those thru LuLu.com, so only PDF and paperbacks are currently available.

MURDER IS STILL MURDER IN GREASETOWN - Even if life has become a little complicated. Fifty years ago, at the end of the last Millennium we expected something bad to happen, but we never expected the Change. People stopped aging, the dead rose from their graves, it started raining and it’s been raining ever since.Things looked so bad that everyone thought it was the end of the world, but a guy’s still got to make a living doesn’t he?

A dead lawyer enters the office of Wildclown Investigations and hires the detective to find his killer. Wildclown and his dead sidekick Elmo soon find themselves entangled in a battle for control of a secret that offers either hope or doom for humanity. WHEN GRAVEYARDS YAWN takes the reader to a unique setting that mixes gothic horror with the two-fisted pragmatism of a hard-boiled detective novel.

Free Ebook: Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Dramatis Personae

Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, by Aaron Allston, is the start of a new nine-volume series, set 40 years after the end of Return of the Jedi, and Random House is giving away a PDF download of Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Dramatis Personae, a guide to what has been going on and who everyone is, so you don't have to reread all the original Star Wars volumes before starting the new series. The guide also includes an excerpt from Outcast.

THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE STAR WARS GALAXY BEGINS HERE. . . .

After a violent civil war and the devastation wrought by the now-fallen Darth Caedus, the Galactic Alliance is in crisis–and in need. From all corners, politicians, power brokers, and military leaders converge on Coruscant for a crucial summit to restore order, negotiate differences, and determine the future of their unified worlds. But even more critical, and far more uncertain, is the future of the Jedi.

In a shocking move, Chief of State Natasi Daala orders the arrest of Luke Skywalker for failing to prevent Jacen Solo’s turn to the dark side and his subsequent reign of terror as a Sith Lord. But it’s only the first blow in an anti-Jedi backlash fueled by a hostile government and suspicious public. When Jedi Knight Valin Horn, scion of a politically influential family, suffers a mysterious psychotic break and becomes a dangerous fugitive, the Jedi become the target of a media-driven witch hunt. Facing conviction on the damning charges, Luke must strike a bargain with the calculating Daala: his freedom in exchange for his exile from Coruscant and from the Jedi Order.

Though forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is determined to keep history from being repeated. With his son, Ben, at his side, Luke sets out to unravel the shocking truth behind Jacen Solo’s corruption and downfall. But the secrets he uncovers among the enigmatic Force mystics of the distant world Dorin may bring his quest–and life as he knows it–to a sudden end. And all the while, another Jedi Knight, consumed by the same madness as Valin Horn, is headed for Coruscant on a fearsome mission that could doom the Jedi Order . . . and devastate the entire galaxy.

Kindle Bargain: The Koran/Quran

Since there have been several Bibles highlighted today, I thought I would also point out that there is a translation of the Koran/Quran at a bargain price as well. The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation ($0.95) translated by The Monotheist Group, claims to be an unbiased, non-denominational, literal translation. Of course, literal translations often fail to convey the intended meaning, as even in the same culture there are cultural drifts and round-about ways of describing things can change (after all, how many of us have heard dozens of, often hilarious, guesses as to what ails those with "the vapors" in recent classical literature?). Nonetheless, the few reviews of this translation are mostly positive: one complained of the classification in Amazon's store, nothing to do with the book at all, which had not even been purchased or read by the "reviewer", while the only two-star review wanted to see the original arabic as well, while the remaining reviews are all five stars. If you just are curious as to the text of the Koran (after all, we see references in news stories daily) or want a translation for daily use, this one seems to fit the bill.

Synopsis
Over the course of centuries, Islam has undergone a process of sub-categorization into numerous denominations. As such, nearly all translators have belonged to one school of thought or another, allowing the influence of such denominations to come across in their interpretation of specific words or verses, and how they choose to translate them.
The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation is the result of a group effort by people who do not belong to any denomination, and for the first time in many centuries, are simply proud to call themselves Muslims as God had named us centuries ago.
The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation is also unique in the fact that it uses neither footnotes nor comments, letting the text speak for itself and delivering to the reader as close a rendition of the pure message of the Quran as physically possible.

About the Translators
The Monotheist Group is a pen name used by the Free-Minds Organization which is an Islamic reform movement that began in 1997, dedicated to the promotion of God alone. The movement seeks the abandonment of all sectarian innovations through a return to the principles of the Qur'an. The Free-Minds Organization has attracted the attention of a number of think tanks (namely the Rand Corporation in its Building Moderate Muslim Network report) as well as some noted authors in the field of Islamic Reform.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Afraid by Jack Kilborn has been marked down from the $5.59 initial price to $1.99.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? YOU WILL BE . . .

Welcome to Safe Haven, Wisconsin. Miles from everything, with one road in and out, this peaceful town has never needed a full-time police force. Until now . . .

A helicopter has crashed near Safe Haven and unleashed something horrifying. Now this merciless force is about to do what it does best. Isolate. Terrorize. Annihilate. As residents begin dying in a storm of gory violence, Safe Haven's only chance for survival will rest with an aging county sheriff, a firefighter, and a single mom. And each will have this harrowing thought: Maybe death hasn't come to their town by accident . . .

April Orbit Dollar Book: Winterbirth

Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

Synopsis
An uneasy truce exists between the thanes of the True Bloods.

Now, as another winter approaches, the armies of the Black Road march south, from their exile beyond the Vale of Stones. For some, war will bring a swift and violent death. Others will not hear the clash of swords or see the corpses strewn over the fields. They instead will see an opportunity to advance their own ambitions. But all, soon, will fall under the shadow that is descending.

For, while the storm of battle rages, one man is following a path that will awaken a terrible power in him -- and his legacy will be written in blood.

So far, the pricing has come down at Booksonboard (Adobe Digital Edition only) and Sony. It should drop soon also at Fictionwise (ereader) and Amazon. Amazon has been the latest with this promotion every month, so far. They've already announced the bargain pricing on their deals page, but the listing itself hasn't caught up, so just keep checking it.

Update: Amazon now has this listed at $1, so one-click away.