Free Book - On Writing Fiction (K)

On Writing Fiction: Rethinking conventional wisdom about the craft, by David Jauss, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Possibilities and Paradoxes in the Craft of Fiction

The pieces of a satisfying novel or story seem to fit together so effortlessly, so seamlessly, that it's easy to find yourself wondering, "how on earth did the author do this?" The answer is simple: He sat alone at his desk, considered an array of options, and made smart, careful choices.

In On Writing Fiction, award-winning author and respected creative writing professor David Jauss offers practical information and advice that will help you make smart creative and technical decisions about such topics as:

• Writing prose with syntax and rhythm to create a "soundtrack" for the narrative
• Choosing the right point of view to create the appropriate degree of "distance" between your characters and the reader
• Harnessing the power of contradiction in the creative process

In one thought-provoking essay after another, Jauss sorts through unique fiction-writing conundrums, including how to create those exquisite intersections between truth and fabrication that make all great works of fiction so much more resonant than fiction that follows the "write what you know" approach that's so often used.

Free Book - Healer (K/N/E/DF)

Healer, the first novel in the Brides of Alba series by Linda Windsor, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, Kobo and ChristianBook, courtesy of Christian publisher David C. Cook.

Book Description
Sixth-century Scotland—in the time of Arthur….

“The Gowrys’ seed shall divide your mighty house and bring a peace beyond the ken of your wicked soul.”

Her mother’s dying prophecy to the chieftain Tarlach O’Byrne sentenced Brenna of Gowrys to twenty years of hiding. Twenty years of being hunted—by the O’Byrnes, who fear the prophecy, and by her kinsmen, who expect her to lead them against their oppressors. But Brenna is a trained and gifted healer, not a warrior queen. So she lives alone in the wilderness with only her pet wolf for company. When she rescues a man badly wounded from an ambush, she believes he may be the answer to her deep loneliness. Healing him comes as easy as loving him. But can their love overcome years of bitterness and greed…and bring peace and renewed faith to the shattered kingdom?

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from ChristianBook (DRM-free).
Get the free ebook from Kobo.

Free Book - The Truth About Better Decision-Making (K/N)

Update: 3/13/12 Now free from Barnes & Noble.

The Truth About Better Decision-Making, a collection of titles by Robert E. Gunther, William Kane and Leigh L. Thompson, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
150 powerful bite-size solutions for improving every decision you make!

Three full books of practical guidance for making smarter, better decisions – in business, and in life! Discover how to learn and profit from your mistakes… minimize your risks, and act more decisively… make choices that help your organization thrive in change… make negotiating decisions that lead to win-win solutions and enduring business relationships… and much more!

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Free Book - How to Keep Score in Business (K/N)

Update: 3/13/12 Now free from Barnes & Noble.

How to Keep Score in Business: Accounting and Financial Analysis for the Non-Accountant, by Robert Follett, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
In How to Keep Score in Business, Second Edition, long-time CEO Robert Follett shows you exactly how to "keep score" in business by reading and interpreting company financials. Step by step, Follett helps you capture crucial insights buried in balance sheets, income statements, and other key reports. Follett shows how to apply core tools for analyzing financial reports and investment opportunities, and demystifies key accounting terms every business decision-maker and investor needs to know. You'll learn how to uncover a company's true financial position through its balance sheet and income statements–and identify crucial information those documents may not be showing. Follett demonstrates how to use modern ROI tools to evaluate performance or analyze potential investments; how to track ongoing changes in a company's financial position; how to build cash flow budgets for more effective planning; and how to use common analysis ratios (without misusing them). Practical from start to finish, this fully updated book won't transform you into an accountant–but it will help you work more confidently with financial professionals, make smarter business decisions, and choose better investments.

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Free Book - Evolution (K/N)

Update: 3/13/12 Now free from Barnes & Noble.

Evolution: A View from the 21st Century, by James A. Shapiro, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store.

Book Description
James A. Shapiro's proposes an important new paradigm for understanding biological evolution, the core organizing principle of biology. Shapiro introduces crucial new molecular evidence that tests the conventional scientific view of evolution based on the neo-Darwinian synthesis, and shows why this view is inadequate to today's evidence. He then presents a compelling alternative view of the evolutionary process that reflects the shift in life sciences towards a more information- and systems-based approach.

Shapiro integrates advances in symbiogenesis, epigenetics, and saltationism into a unified approach that views evolutionary change as an active cell process, regulated epigenetically and capable of making rapid large changes by horizontal DNA transfer, inter-specific hybridization, whole genome doubling, symbiogenesis, or massive genome restructuring.

Evolution: A View from the 21st Century marshals extensive evidence in support of a fundamental reinterpretation of evolutionary processes, including more than 1,100 references to the scientific literature. Shapiro's work will generate extensive discussion throughout the biological community, and may significantly change your own thinking about how life has evolved. It also has major implications for evolutionary computation, information science, and the growing synthesis of the physical and biological sciences.

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