Today's Deals

Repeats of Christian publisher freebies:

• Diagnosis Death (K/N/E)
• The Dead Saint (K/N/E)
• Wildflowers of Terezin (K/N/E)
• The Narrow Path (K/N/E)
• Gone to Green (K/N/E)

All About Steve: The Story of Steve Jobs and Apple from the Pages of Fortune ($1.99), by The Editors of Fortune, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.

Book Description
Steve Jobs’ legacy is clear: The most innovative business leader of our time, the man FORTUNE named CEO of the Decade in 2009. Now from the pages of FORTUNE comes an anthology of 17 classic stories spanning the years 1983 to 2011 about the cultural icon who revolutionized computing, telephones, movies, music, retailing, and product design. The stories lay out in unparalleled detail the career of a man with relentless drive and a single underlying passion—to carry out his vision of how all of us would use technology. Writes managing editor Andy Serwer in the book’s foreword: “In the end he was proved right a billion times over, and his company Apple became one of the most successful enterprises on the planet.” All these stories are the product of deep reporting. In many cases FORTUNE’s writers spent hours interviewing Jobs and delving into his mind. The result is a singular journalistic collection, which will leave you with a comprehensive picture of Steve Jobs and Apple, a picture that is complex in the making yet simple in its triumph.

Before Hiroshima: The Confession of Murayama Kazuo and Other Stories ($1.56 / £0.99 UK), by Josh Barkan, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is also on sale at $1.99, so not a bad deal here, either).

Book Description
As death approaches, an old Japanese man finds it necessary to clean his soul, to confront the mistakes of his youth, and to confess about a time when he might have been able to save the thousands who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.The title novella is complemented by Suspended: Five Stories.In the rest of the collection, through Barkan's beautifully direct style and canny ability to enter the mind, the reader gets to know a wide range of characters intimately. In Forty, a man from Boston travels to a wildlife refuge in Uganda, seeking to overcome a personal crisis. In Suspended, an amnesiac in Hawaii attempts to discover his real identity. Shanghaied features two lonely co-workers searching for love and excitement while on vacation. Banana Bat tells of a newlywed couple, honeymooning in Costa Rica, working to patch up an already faltering marriage. And in The Warrior, a young man falls in love with a woman whose fiancé committed suicide following the Gulf War.

Wuthering Heights The Wild and Wanton Edition ($3.50 Kindle, B&N), by Emily Bronte and Annabella Bloom, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Catherine and Heathcliff may have been doomed sweethearts from the start, but that's no reason to keep them from consummating their desperate desire for one another.

In this smoldering, expanded edition of the brooding masterpiece, you'll discover the star-crossed lovers seal their fiery fate with lovemaking as wild as the moors. In this unexpurgated version of the steamy classic, literature's most libidinous couple unleashes the sexual obsession that marks their lives forever--in and out of the bedroom.

From the first time the rough-and-tumble Heathcliff takes the haughty young Catherine in his arms, to their final lingering embrace beyond the grave, Wuthering Heights: The Wild and Wanton Edition reveals the true depth of the ruinous passion that has always haunted you, with all the sultry, sensual, satisfying sex scenes you always secretly knew you missed!

About the Authors
Nineteenth-century writer Emily Bronte wrote only one novel in her short lifetime--but it was the tragic tour de force Wuthering Heights, a work of such power and force that it endures to this day. As far as we know, she died a virgin. Here's hoping that she got laid in heaven.

Annabella Bloom is the pseudonym of Beth Williamson, author of The Stranger's Secrets, a multipublished, award-winning author known mostly for her historical and contemporary romance. She writes steamy cowboy romances--"Read a book, ride a cowboy!"--under her own name as well as the pseudonym Emma Lang. She was named a 2009 Career Achievement Award Nominee by Romantic Times magazine.

Get $2 off an award-nominated film (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers:

Get $2 off an award-nominated film at Amazon Instant Video

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page to receive an email with the promo code. Sign-up for this offer expires on February 26.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the redemption page. This one works like a gift card and you need to apply the credit to your account first, before going shopping. Once you have entered the promotional code, you have until March 26, 2012. to complete your purchases.

I recommend that you apply the credit right away, since it works on any qualifying video purchase or rental - then you can shop on the web, from your Kindle Fire or your Roku (the XD and LT are currently $10 off, but the XS includes Angry Birds) and it will be used automatically.

You do have to be a bit careful - the link at the top of the redemption page sends you to the main Amazon Instant Video page; however, only those listed on the eligible titles will get the credit applied.

Free and Bargain Book Roundup

For those buying EPUB books, don't forget, to enter the Kobo daily contest.

The Boy at the End of the World ($1.99 Kindle; Kobo - coupon eligible), by Greg van Eekhout, has been nominated for this year's Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book. It's aimed a the tween to teen audience (and mostly boys, I suspect), but looks like it could a fun read.

Book Description
This is what he knew:

His name was Fisher.

The world was dangerous.

And he was alone.

Fisher is the last boy on Earth - and things are not looking good for the human race. The carefully crafted survival dome where Fisher and dozens of other humans have been sleeping for millenia has been destroyed. Through a lucky accident, only Fisher survived.

The world Fisher wakes up in is a lot like ours - but it's changed, too. After the human race wiped itself out, nature took over, and wild creatures evolved into barely familiar beasts. Fisher must face them all as they set off on a journey that seems hopeless - at first. Then Fisher uncovers evidence that there may be a second survival dome far to the west. What was once a struggle for one boy's survival becomes a journey of hope.

With a broken robot and a friendly mammoth as his only companions, Fisher heads West. But something is watching them... something that wants to find the second survival dome just as badly as they do.

I ran into Proust Was a Neuroscientist ($3.03), by Jonah Lehrer, when looking at today's Kindle Deal of the Day title.

Book Description
In this technology-driven age, it’s tempting to believe that science can solve every mystery. After all, science has cured countless diseases and even sent humans into space. But as Jonah Lehrer argues in this sparkling debut, science is not the only path to knowledge. In fact, when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first.

Taking a group of artists — a painter, a poet, a chef, a composer, and a handful of novelists — Lehrer shows how each one discovered an essential truth about the mind that science is only now rediscovering. We learn, for example, how Proust first revealed the fallibility of memory; how George Eliot discovered the brain’s malleability; how the French chef Escoffier discovered umami (the fifth taste); how Cézanne worked out the subtleties of vision; and how Gertrude Stein exposed the deep structure of language — a full half-century before the work of Noam Chomsky and other linguists. It’s the ultimate tale of art trumping science.

More broadly, Lehrer shows that there’s a cost to reducing everything to atoms and acronyms and genes. Measurement is not the same as understanding, and art knows this better than science does. An ingenious blend of biography, criticism, and first-rate science writing, Proust Was a Neuroscientist urges science and art to listen more closely to each other, for willing minds can combine the best of both, to brilliant effect.

Dangerous Race ($1.99 Kindle or Carina Press - DRM-free), the first title in the Adrenaline Highs series by Dee J. Adams, is on sale as a promotion for the newly released second in the series, Danger Zone ($4.79 Kindle). Although you can't use Carina Press' 15% off coupon code (EX15CPB) for the one that is on sale, you can use it for nearly anything else you put into a cart and check out as a single order there (thru Feb 29).

Book Description
Four years ago, race car driver Tracey Bradshaw almost died in a horrific crash. Now scarred inside and out, she's making a comeback, but her team is plagued by a series of "accidents".

When the team leader dies under mysterious circumstances, former driver Mac Reynolds takes charge. The pair clash as Trace resents his high-handed attempts to control her, while Mac fears Trace's recklessness will get her killed. Neither can throttle back the desire that spins out of control whenever they touch. Trace lets herself be seduced when Mac convinces her he finds her beautiful despite her scars, and she begins to hope for more. But Mac knows he's not nearly good enough for Trace...

Don't miss the sequel, Danger Zone, coming out in February 2012.

Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure ($2.99) is the first in the Tara Holloway series by Diane Kelly; the pre-order for the second title, Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte, is now up and it should be released at the end of the month.

Book Description
Tara Holloway has got your number. A special agent on the IRS’s payroll, she’s dead-set on making sure that money crimes don’t pay…

Tax cheats, beware: The Treasury Department’s Criminal Investigations Division has a new special agent on its payroll. A recovering tomboy with a head for numbers, Tara’s fast becoming the Annie Oakley of the IRS—kicking ass, taking social security numbers, and keeping the world safe for honest taxpayers. Or else.

Tara’s latest mission finds her in hot pursuit of ice-cream vendor Joseph “Joe Cool” Cullen. Along with frozen treats he’s selling narcotics—and failing to report his ill-gotten gains on his tax returns. Over Tara’s dead body. Then there’s Michael Gryder, who appears to be operating a Ponzi scheme…with banker Stan Shelton…whose lake house is being landscaped by Brett Ellington…who happens to be dating Tara. If following that money trail isn’t tough enough, now Tara must face a new conundrum: Should she invest her trust in Brett—or put him behind bars? New love always comes at a cost but justice? Priceless.

Tumblehome: Meditations and Lore from a Canoeist's Life ($2.99), by James Raffan

Book Description
Tumblehome: a term to describe the way the side of a canoe arcs inward toward the center, toward home.

James Raffan has always followed his own arc in life. Like his mentor and friend Bill Mason, Raffan has taken his love of the wilderness and integrated it into his life and his work, becoming not just a master canoeist and outdoorsman, but an accomplished and thoughtful writer. In Tumblehome, Raffan explores the notion that canoeing has the power to teach and transform us, even if the closest we’ ve come to the wilderness is in front of the Discovery Channel.

Tumblehome is written in a series of vignettes that cover a breadth of wilderness experience and a wide-ranging timeline, from Raffan’ s early childhood to the present. Many of the essays are funny: in “ Wet Wellies and Frozen Drawers” Raffan discovers that compared to the lessons learned from riding floes of spring ice, school looks rather easy. Others are about connecting: in “ The Glow of Green Eyes” a chance encounter with an Arctic wolf engenders hope instead of fear. Some offer an epiphany: in “ River of Life” the migration of the magnificent caribou creates a sense of infinite wonder and comfort in the cyclical patterns underpinning both human and natural worlds.

In the tradition of Sharon Butala’ s Coyote’ s Morning Cry, Tumblehome is evocative and affirming, a testament to the power of nature and the author’ s gift of intelligent and lyrical interpretation. Packaged in a compact and artful hardcover format, this is a wonderful book for canoeists and outdoor enthusiasts, and an inspirational guide for all those who know that the world of natureis very much a part of their own spiritual landscape.

Flat-Out Sexy ($3.99) is the first title in the Fast Track series by Erin McCarthy.

Book Description
Independent single mother Tamara Briggs wanted to find a new, sexy, no-strings-attached man—just not one as young as NASCAR driver Elec Monroe. But he sure does get her heart racing. And after she’s tricked into a blind date with him, Tamara gives in to her passion. Things screech to a halt, though, when he asks to meet her children. Whatever happened to wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am? Suddenly Tamara has to decide how much risk she’s willing to take to experience the power of true love.

If you missed Crystal Rain ($2.99), by Tobias S. Buckell, when it was free in '08, then now is a good time to pick up the first title in his Xenowealth series.

Book Description
Long ago, so the stories say, the old-fathers came to Nanagada through a worm's hole in the sky. Looking for a new world to call their own, they brought with them a rich mélange of cultures, religions, and dialects from a far-off planet called Earth. Mighty were the old-fathers, with the power to shape the world to their liking---but that was many generations ago, and what was once known has long been lost. Steamboats and gas-filled blimps now traverse the planet, where people once looked up to see great silver cities in the sky.

Like his world, John deBrun has forgotten more than he remembers. Twenty-seven years ago, he washed up onto the shore of Nanagada with no memory of his past. Although he has made a new life for himself among the peaceful islanders, his soul remains haunted by unanswered questions about his own identity.

These mysteries take on new urgency when the fearsome Azteca storm over the Wicked High Mountains in search of fresh blood and hearts to feed their cruel, inhuman gods. Nanagada's only hope lies in a mythical artifact, the Ma Wi Jung, said to be hidden somewhere in the frozen north. And only John deBrun knows the device's secrets, even if he can't remember why or how!

Crystal Rain is the much-anticipated debut novel by one of science fiction's newest and most promising talents.

The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings: A Five-Generation History of the Ultimate Irish-Catholic Family ($2.08), by Thomas Maier

Book Description
For 150 years, the story of the Kennedy family has been inextricably linked to their heritage as Irish-Catholic immigrants—from Patrick Kennedy’s 1848 arrival in Brahmin Boston from Country Wexford Ireland, to Joseph Kennedy’s Vatican ties and Jackie’s thoughts on faith and sorrow, to Kennedy-confidante Father McSorley’s religious counsel following the assassination of JFK. Through groundbreaking interviews with Senator Edward Kennedy and other Kennedy family and friends, acclaimed journalist Thomas Maier casts the Kennedy saga in an entirely new light, showing how their Irish catholic heritage influenced their public and private decisions. Released to coincide with a documentary adapted from the book, this edition features a new preface, in which Maier explores the dynamics of the three brothers, Ted Kennedy’s legacy, and the 2008 presidential elections that have been touched in so many ways by the Kennedy family.

Dust to Dust ($4.99) is the second in the Kovac/Liska series by Tami Hoag

Book Description
Sorry. The single word was written on a mirror. In front of it hung the Minneapolis Internal Affairs cop. Was it suicide? Or a kinky act turned tragic?

Either way, it wasn’t murder. At least not according to the powers that be. But veteran homicide detective Sam Kovac and his wisecracking, ambitious partner Nikki Liska think differently. Together they begin to dig at the too-neat edges of the young cop’s death, uncovering one motive and one suspect after another. The shadows of suspicion fall not only on the city’s elite, but into the very heart of the police department.

Someone wants the case closed–quickly and forever. But neither Kovac nor Liska will give up. Now both their careers and their lives are on the line. From a murder case two months old to another case closed for twenty years, Kovac and Liska must unearth a connection the killer wants dead and buried. A killer who will stop at absolutely nothing to keep a dark and shattering secret . . .

Making Waves ($1.79) is by Tawna Fenske, the author of the interactive fiction title Getting Dumped, which currently also on sale (at $1.99).

Book Description
When Alex Bradshaw's unscrupulous boss kicks him to the curb after 20 faithful years as an executive with the world's largest shipping company, he sets out to reclaim his dignity and his pension. Assembling a team of fellow corporate castoffs, he sails to the Caribbean to intercept an illegal diamond shipment. None of them counted on quirky blonde stowaway Juli Flynn, who has a perplexing array of talents, a few big secrets, and an intoxicating romantic chemistry with Alex...

Today's backlist/small press/indie, totally free, books for everyone on Kindle. These are are not likely to be free for long, so double check prices before one-clicking (genres are my best guess), as most of them go back up after a day or two (sometimes less), at which point most of them become eligible for the Kindle Lending Library.

• Amazon Lily, by Theresa Weir
• Graveyard Plots, by Bill Pronzini (Mystery/Thriller/short stories)
• Super Duper Totally Authorized Top Secret Recipes, by Todd Wilbur (definitely recommended, if anything like his website; he has several other traditionally published titles at $12.99)
• 53 Nutritious and Delicious Recipes for Gluten Free Appetizers, by Linda Williams
• Authentic Cuisine-East Indian Cooking at Home, by Jagi Egnell
• A Slice of Life, by Margaret Lake (romance, novella)
• Her Last Letter, by Nancy C. Johnson (Women Sleuths)
• Splintered Energy (The Colors), by Arlene Webb (SF)
• The Future is Now: An Alternate History, by Edwin Harkness Spina (SF)
• The Kennedy Rifle, by JK Brandon (thriller)
• Four Fantastic Bedtime Stories for Children 3-6! (My Little Pet Dragon, My Crazy Pet Frog, A Little Book About You and Pigtastic!), by Scott Gordon
• Orange as Marmalade (Biscuit McKee Mysteries), by Fran Stewart (a cat, a library and a body; what more does a book need?)
• A Heart Renewed (Prescott Pioneers #2), by Karen Baney (Historical Romance)
• Forged in Fire (The Forged Series), by Trish McCallan (Romantic Suspense; I'd buy it at the store, just based on the cover!)
• Where the Wind Blows, by Caroline Fyffe (Historical Romance)
• Never Smile at Strangers , by Jennifer Minar-Jaynes
• Build A Man, by Talli Roland (Contemporary Fiction)
• Animal ABC's, by Em Jade (just don't use letter V, as vulture is misspelled)
• Jungle Fun (Big Beak Books First Learners), by Peter Lawson
• The Big Book of Sight Words: Vocabulary Words for 2nd Grade and Vocabulary Words for 3rd Grade, by Suzy Morris
• Andrew Delaplaine's Guide to Key West & the Florida Keys and Fort Lauderdale and a screenplay, MIDNIGHT MASS
• Rogue: Awakenings (Cracked Earth Saga), by C. Arnold Brown
• Children of the Plantation, by Faith Mortimer (Women Sleuths)
• Murder Caribbean-Style (High Seas Mystery #1), by Diane Rapp
• The Hands of Time, by Irina Shapiro (time travel Romance)
• Secret Bodyguard, by Lori Crawford
• The Weight of a Crown (The Azhaion Saga), by Tavish Kaeden
• Iris Investigates: Beastly Goings On In Pelican Wharf, by David Jacks, Daniel Morrow and Stella Perrett (Jr. Detective)
• Finding Clarity: A Mom, A Dwarf and a Posh Private School in the People's Republic of Berkeley, by Laura Novak (Women Sleuths)
• The Weight of Glass, by Stuart Heatherington (Mystery/Thriller)
• Della, by Julie Michele Gettys (Romance)
• Samurai Pirates: Revenge of the Rat Bastard, by Jim Ollhoff (Action & Adventure)
• The Mutilation Machination, by Shaun Jeffrey (horror, short stories)
• Two books by David Rankine (Occult/Wicca)
• Six books by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (appears to be a small press; mostly religious)

I may try to post a few more, later tonight. Also, I see several repeats in the Christian Fiction category from the major publishers. I'll try to get a post together later for these, but you can use the link here to see the entire list and see if there is one you've missed.

Today's Deals

How We Decide ($0.99), by prominent science writer Johan Lehrer, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.

Book Description
The first book to use the unexpected discoveries of neuroscience to help us make the best decisions.

Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we blink and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind's black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they re discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason and the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, it's best to let our unconscious mull over the many variables. But when we're picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think.

Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of deciders from airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence. His goal is to answer two questions that are of interest to just about anyone, from CEOs to firefighters: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?

Blue Heaven ($1.56 / £0.99 UK), by C. J. Box, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.99). I'd be a bit jealous on this one, if I didn't already have it in my library.

Book Description
THEY WERE RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME, NOW THEY'RE RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES

If twelve-year-old Annie hadn't been angry with her mother, she would never have taken her younger brother William on a secret fishing trip deep into the North Idaho woods and they would never have witnessed the execution nor looked straight into the eyes of the four executioners.

Now they're running for their lives.

They can't go home: the killers know exactly who they are. And where they live.
They can't turn to the law: the killers are four respected Los Angeles policemen.
There's nowhere for William and Annie to hide. And no one they can trust.

Until they meet Jess Rawlins.

Rawlins, an old-school rancher, knows something is wrong with the law in Blue Heaven. But he is only one against four men who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses...

The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. I won a hardcover copy of this on a blog a couple of years ago and have been meaning to replace it as an ebook, the first time I saw it on sale (I gave the book away at a Christmas party). There's nothing mind-blowing in it, if you've been gluten free for a while, but for those who are newly diagnosed (or relatives who are clearly showing symptoms, but haven't been tested), this is a good introduction to living gluten free; unlike some TV shows that portray it as the end of the world (or eating out), she shows you that it is possible to manage (even without all of her resources). There aren't many recipes, though, which I was a bit disappointed in; she's now corrected that by releasing Deliciously G-Free: Food So Flavorful They'll Never Believe It's Gluten-Free, which I might have to get a sample of (then again, there are a LOT of foods people eat every day which should be gluten free, although they sometimes are not, if you get them in a restaurant or as a highly processed prepared food, including most of your Thanksgiving Dinner). Note that this isn't "the best" source of information on a gluten free life that is out there (although the latest edition seems to have less misinformation) and some people don't like that she calls it a 'gluten allergy' (then again, the broad definition of allergy does fit, it just isn't an iGE mediated allergy that will give you hives and send you into anaphylactic shock). A lot of it is about her life and symptoms and I don't agree with her (old-school) attitude towards eating out with others or attending a function/party with them (the old, "it's ok, I don't have to eat, I'm just there for the company" -- after all, if that were true for any of them, then they could make a choice to eat at a place where you can, too, instead of nibbling plain lettuce and passing out from starvation). If you have someone who won't read a dense textbook about celiac disease, but you'd like them to learn a bit about eating gluten free (coworkers, friends or family you wish would get tested), this can make an inexpensive gift that is easy to get thru.

If you are ready for something with a bit more depth (and more recipes), check out Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back...And How You Can Too, by Shauna James Ahern (this is an updated ASIN from the edition I purchased, so you may have to check your library to see if you already have it). I do know one I've already put on my wishlist and that's The Gluten-Free Table: The Lagasse Girls Share Their Favorite Meals, which is currently a pre-order for October. I may just go ahead and pre-order it, as I don't see any of his cookbooks from Hatchette in the e-libraries that I belong to and it doesn't appear that they go down much in price from where this one is listed.

Book Description
For years, Elisabeth Hasselbeck couldn't figure out what was making her sick. She asked doctors and consulted nutritionists, but no one seemed to have any answers. It wasn't until spending time in the Australian Outback, living off the land on the grueling Survivor TV show, that, ironically, her symptoms vanished. Returning home, she pinpointed the food that made her sick -- gluten, the binding element in wheat. By simply eliminating it from her diet, she was able to enjoy a completely normal, healthy life. But that wasn't all. Hasselbeck discovered the myriad benefits that anyone can enjoy from a gluten-free diet: from weight loss and increased energy to even the alleviation of the conditions of autism.

In this all-inclusive book, Hasselbeck shares her hard-earned wisdom on living life without gluten and loving it. She gives you everything you need to know to start living a gluten-free life, from defining gluten - where to find it, how to read food labels - to targeting gluten-free products, creating G-Free shopping lists, sharing recipes, and managing G-Free living with family and friends.

Interactive Fiction for $1.99 or Less

Amazon is having a sale on Kindle Interactive Fiction, with all included titles at $0.99 to $1.99. They've even separated the titles out by which Kindle devices they work on (as some of the titles don't work on the Kindle Touch), so you don't have to look thru the ones that your Kindle won't support. From what I can see, each of these is 50% off the regular price, or better (at least one at 99 cents, I paid $3.99 when it first came out). The first two, in particular, were priced much too high for me to consider them, before, but I may try one of them out with this sale.

The sale goes until the end of February, so you have all week to decide which one(s) to get (just bookmark this page and come back to make your choices), as I doubt these will go up in price early or disappear (although I wouldn't count on having Feb 29 as a sale day, just in case they didn't remember it was leap year when they set up their sale dates.

Please note: Many of the titles include a warning their their content may not be inappropriate for children.

Interactive Fiction for All Kindle E Ink Devices

• Witch's Brew - Spellspinners 1, by Heidi R. Kling/Coliloquy ($6.99 $1.99)
Spellspinners is an "Active Fiction" title, a new type of e-book from Coliloquy. In this Active Fiction series, your input influences future books from this author. Specifically, in Spellspinners, your input influences what happens to star-crossed lovers Logan & Lily. Spellspinners is a young adult series about a witch, a warlock & their forbidden love. Once soulmates, the witch & warlock covens have been estranged for a century. Twice a year, their teens meet in the Solstice Stones, a magical battleground, to draw energy from each other. Logan & Lily have trained their whole lives for the Stones. In Witch's Brew, Lily is torn between her feelings for Logan & her loyalty to her coven. The lovers race against time, their distrust for each other & their powerful elders to unravel the mystery of the past before their future is destroyed. While Lily & Logan's fate may be decided, the author explores several paths to get there. The author sees the aggregate statistics on what option gets picked the most, so the more you read, the more you influence what she writes!
• Dead Letter Office - Parish Mail 1, by Kira Snyder/Coliloquy ($4.99 $1.99)
When Celia's father is killed in Afghanistan, she moves to the city of his birth, New Orleans. Struggling to adjust and haunted by troubling dreams, Celia finds comfort in new friends like Tilly, a practicing witch, and Donovan, the son of a police detective. On Halloween, Celia meets the mysterious Luc and finds a hundred-year-old letter, seemingly addressed to her and describing a present-day murder. With help from her new friends, Celia races to solve the murder and the mystery of the letter using both magical and forensic clues. Parish Mail is written like a TV series, with over-arching storylines that tie together single-episode cases. The author sees the aggregate statistics on what option gets picked the most, so the more you read, the more you influence what she writes!
• Arcania - Trial By Fire 1, by Liz Maverick/Coliloquy ($3.99 $1.99)
Born without arcania in her blood, Adia has lived in the shadow of her magical twin, until the day she inherits her sister's spellcasting talents. As she leaves for the training academy, there are plenty of people to show her the ropes: Grey, the darkly passionate top shield, Seger, a swashbuckling rogue with a talent for daggers, and Finola, a clever and empathic healer. With a battle heating up, Adia must learn to master her magic and earn a spot on a fighting team before the ancient war between the forces of magic destroys her loved ones on Earth. The author sees the aggregate statistics on what option gets picked the most, so the more you read, the more you influence what she writes!
• Getting Dumped, by Tawna Fenske/Coliloquy ($4.99 $1.99)
Losing a cushy marketing job only to end up driving heavy equipment at the landfill would be a tough blow for most women, but JJ Schultz isn't most women. JJ gamely swaps office politics for a chance to crush garbage. The drama kicks into high gear when JJ and her sister, Lori, uncover a counterfeit handbag ring. JJ soon finds herself unraveling a sinister plot in the company of a tie-tugging accountant, a straight-to-video action hero/secretary, a suspicious but sneaky-hot engineer, and a host of other characters with questionable hygiene and morals. The author still isn't sure who JJ should end up with, so she's eager to see who her readers prefer. She sees the aggregate statistics on who gets picked the most, so the more you read, the more you influence what she writes.
• Choice of the Vampire, by Choice of Games ($1.99 $0.99)
Play as a newly created vampire, struggling to survive your first nights of immortality. Begin your two-hundred-year journey as a vampire in New Orleans of 1815, and choose whether to seek love, power, or redemption as you negotiate the growing pains of the young Republic. Throughout the game you'll choose between a set of options which decide the action your vampire will take next. Will you embroil yourself in the intrigues of elder vampires? Can an undead creature find true love? How will you balance your waning humanity against your thirst for blood? If you love gamebooks, you'll love Choice of the Vampire. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you discover all of the hidden endings?
• Choice of Broadsides, by Choice of Games ($1.99 $0.99)
On most pages, you'll choose between a set of options, determining which action you will take next as a young and promising naval officer. If you like gamebooks, you'll love Choice of Broadsides. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you discover all of the hidden endings? Will you become an admiral, or will you be court-martialed? When on shore, will you marry for love or for career advantage, or will you leave aside romance and spend your time gambling and dueling? The choice is up to you. The sails have been hoisted and the guns run out as the enemy ship approaches. Your country is counting on you!
• Choice of the Dragon, by Choice of Games ($1.99 $0.99)
On most pages, you'll get to choose between a set of options, deciding which action your dragon will take next. Choose between Brutality or Finesse, Cunning or Honor, Disdain or Vigilance. Or just try to gather as much wealth as you can! If you love gamebooks, you'll love Choice of the Dragon. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you discover all of the hidden endings? Dominate the local kingdom, loot and pillage, and inspire terror in the hearts of your enemies!
• Affairs of the Court, by Choice of Games ($1.99 $0.99)
Affairs of the Court is an interactive romance novel where you control the main character. In each chapter, you choose how the story proceeds, unlocking different endings. Play the role of a young noble who comes to court in search of love and power, and catches the sovereign's eye. Plunge into court politics and change the course of history, or pursue a love affair that rocks the kingdom to its foundations. Match wits with the schemers of the court, or play your suitors off each other. This omnibus edition for Kindle contains both Choice of Romance and its sequel, Choice of Intrigues. The mobile app review website AppSafari called Romance "... a wonderfully fascinating and addictive experience that will leave you playing it over and over again." If you like gamebooks, you'll love Affairs of the Court. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you find true love? Gain a crown? Lose your head? The choice is yours.
• The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (Fighting Fantasy #1), by Worldweaver ($0.99)
Deep in the caverns beneath Firetop Mountain lies an untold wealth of treasure, guarded by a powerful Warlock - or so the rumour goes. Many adventurers have set off in search of the Warlock's hoard. None has ever returned. Do you dare follow them? Enjoy this heroic solo adventure with classic role-playing and combat features. As you play you choose different paths to explore Firetop Mountain. Each room or cave brings choices, ensuring hours of entertainment as you play or replay the story. A convenient in-game map tracks places you have visited and monsters or items encountered. Intuitive dice-based combat and game mechanics simulate the pen-and-paper experience. You are the hero! You decide which route to take, which dangers to risk and which creatures to fight. But be warned - it will also be you who has to live or die by the consequences of your actions

Interactive Fiction for Kindle, Kindle Keyboard, and Kindle DX

• All three volumes of Wizard's Choice, by Sam Landstrom ($0.99/ea)
Fortune and glory or death? Your decisions make the difference in Wizard's Choice, a text-based adventure for Kindle. Stay alive, manage your spell power, find treasure, and smite evil. Wizard's Choice is an adventure that will engross you in a storyline while allowing you to make the decisions that will determine your fate. Decisions you make early in the game will affect what happens to you and the choices you get to make later in the game. Wizards Choice will track your health, manna, gold, and morale, so you should take care to manage each well. Your score and rank will be shown at the end, and you can replay as many times as you like to try and improve your rank and score. So what will it be? Glory? Fortune? Death? (two out of three, perhaps?) Try making the Wizard's Choice today!
• Matches & Matrimony, by Amazon ($1.99 $0.99)
Matches & Matrimony is an interactive novel where you take the starring role in Jane Austen's realm as one of the Bennet sisters in search of a husband. The narrative of the game comes from the combination of 3 popular books by Jane Austen: Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. The choices that you make allow you to create your own unique storyline inside the world created from Miss Austen's works. As you play, you will pick out your daily routine to improve your in-game characteristics, such as Wit and Sensibility, and then select your own path through the intersecting stories. Will you choose to pursue Mr. Bingley, whose good nature quickly endears him to your sister, Colonel Brandon, the heartbroken bachelor, or perhaps Mr. Darcy, the famous protagonist from Pride and Prejudice? In all there are 6 suitors to pursue and 9 endings to discover. If you enjoy thought-provoking dialogue and meaningful game play, you will love creating your own storied romance in Matches & Matrimony.
• The second, third and fourth installments in the Fighting Fantasy series, The Citadel of Chaos, Deathtrap Dungeon and City of Thieves, by Worldweaver ($3.99 $1.99/ea)
Inside the Citadel of Chaos the dread sorcerer, Balthus Dire, plots the downfall of the good folk of the Vale of Willow. His battle plans are laid, his army equipped, and attack is imminent. As an aspiring wizard, you undertake a mission to strike at the heart of Balthus. Winning your battles may grant you valuable prizes to help on your quest, but failure... well, the skeletons on the floor have to come from somewhere! A convenient in-game map tracks places you have visited, items, or monsters encountered. In Deathtrap Dungeon, you adventure in the medieval fantasy land of Allansia, where a twisted Baron has set up a great contest which consists primarily of trying to survive the diabolical traps and vicious monsters in the deadly labyrinth, Deathtrap Dungeon. So far, none have survived to lay claim to the prize, but that was before you came along. In City of Thieves, terror stalks the night as Zanbar Bone and his bloodthirsty Moon Dogs hold the prosperous town of Silverton to ransom. The merchants of Silverton turn to you in their hour of need.
• Flight From The Dark (Lone Wolf #1) and Fire On The Water (Lone Wolf #2), by Worldweaver ($3.99 $1.99/ea)
This is a game book, or interactive story. As you read you will make decisions as to where to go, what to say to other characters, and what to do with items you might find. The Lone Wolf adventures are a unique interactive fantasy series - each episode can be played separately or you can combine them all to create a fantastic role-playing epic. You are Lone Wolf. In a devastating attack the Darklords have destroyed the monastery where you were learning the skills of the Kai Lords. You are the sole survivor. You swear revenge. But first you must reach Holmgard to warn the King of Sommerlund of the gathering evil. The servants of darkness relentlessly hunt you and every turn of the page presents a new challenge. This Kindle active content includes additional bonus content included in Flight from the Dark's Collector's Edition. Choose your skills and your weapons carefully - for they can help