Free Audiobook - Forgotten God

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit ($6.49 Kindle), by Francis Chan & Danae Yankoski, narrated by Francis Chan, is free to download at ChristianAudio.

A follow up to the profound message of Crazy Love, Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit's direction in our lives. In the name of the Father, the Son, and ... the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit--the Helper--so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today's church has admired the gift but neglected to open it. Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church's power--the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we've ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough scriptural support and compelling narrative form Chan's invitation to stop and remember the One we've forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.

Get your free audio download HERE; enter the coupon code JUN2010 during checkout. After you finishing your order, you will be asked which format you prefer to download - select MP3 if you want to be able to play the book on your Kindle.

There is a bonus download, as well, A free author interview with Francis Chan & Wayne Shepherd. Add it to your cart in addition to the main audiobook, at no extra charge. Lower down on the order page, you'll find discounted ($4.98) downloads for a few related titles, including Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God ($6.49 Kindle). One item you won't find there, that may be useful to those who want to use this free download as part of a church study group is Remembering the Forgotten God: An Interactive Workbook for Individual and Small Group Study, which is $9.99 on Kindle.

Free Book (DRM) - Winter's Passage

Winter's Passage ($2.39 Kindle), by Julie Kagawa, is free from Barnes and Noble and direct from Harlequin, in multiple formats, but all with DRM and not Kindle compatible. Rumor has it that this will be free in the Kindle store as well, but I've been watching it for several days now and it hasn't dropped, despite being free elsewhere. This is an eBook only release in her Iron Fey series and is targeted at the young adult/older teen market.

Book Description
Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

Click Winter's Passage for the free download from B&N

Click HERE to purchase one of the formats available direct from Harlequin.

Game of the Day - Westward II

If you missed the free download from Sandlot Games a couple of months back, but want more after completing the free version of Westward that you can get this week, then you' may want to check out Westward II at Amazon today, as it is $2.99 for today only (normally $6.99).

Game Description

• Over 20 unique buildings
• Awards for in-game accomplishments
• All-new Sandbox mode
• Beautiful 3-D graphics

Navigate uncharted territories, build prosperous settlements and bring the dangerously elusive Copperhead Gang to justice in Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier®, an exciting real-time strategy adventure from Sandlot Games! Download Game and Play for Free!

Steer the fortunes of three distinctly different pioneers as they establish Oxbow Bend, a new outpost in the unexplored Wild West, and work to uncover the Mad Russian's base of operations. Gather resources, overcome natural disasters and plot a course through new terrain as you guide your settlers to safety and success.

Customize your towns with over 20 unique buildings, more than 30 luxury items and upgrades, and attempt to deliver justice in this all-new frontier adventure. Stake your claim in Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier today!

Free Book (nook) - Siren of the Waters

Siren of the Waters ($9.99 Kindle), by Michael Genelin, is free to download today at Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
Jana Matinova entered the Czechoslovak police force as a young woman, married an actor, and became a mother. The regime destroyed her husband, their love for one another, and her daughter’s respect for her. But she has never stopped being a seeker of justice.

Now, as a commander in the Slovak police force, she liaises with colleagues across Europe as they track the mastermind of an international criminal operation involved in, among other crimes, human trafficking. Her investigation takes her from Ukraine to Strasbourg, from Vienna to Nice, in a hunt for a ruthless killer and the beautiful young Russian woman he is determined either to capture or destroy.

Michael Genelin, a graduate of UCLA and the UCLA Law School, has served in the LA District Attorney’s Office and the US Department of Justice in Central Europe. He has written for film and has been an adviser to television series. He now lives with his wife and daughter in Paris.

Click HERE for the free download from B&N.

Kindle 2.5 Update has been Updated

Amazon has released an updated version of the 2.5 update, according to the Kindle Software Updates page this morning, although there is still no link for a manual download:

We know Kindle customers are anxious to receive the 2.5 software update, so we wanted to provide you with some details about its status. We've rolled out the 2.5 software release to a set of Kindle customers and have received great feedback from these early customers. Based on this feedback, we are making some small adjustments to improve the experience further. We will be rolling out the 2.5 software update to more users over the coming weeks.

Hmmmm... Does that mean that those of us who received 2.5 earlier have a less than desirable update and need to install this one also? Or is this really a 2.5.1 update? Is more "testing" and tweaking is in store for this update, since there is no download link for those not on Whispernet (releasing that would greatly decrease bandwidth usage, so you would think that Amazon would post it as soon as feasible).

My DX updated itself a couple of weeks ago and I did play with collections quite a bit, sorting a number of books and personal docs into categories to reduce the clutter on my home page. Besides being slow and tedious, one big problem is that I don't have a copy of every one of my books on that Kindle and don't want to download them all there, as it would use up another license (since I read mostly on my original Kindle). What I really want is the ability to update my collections on the My Kindle web page.

Here's a list of the enhancements in this update:

• Collections: Organize your books and documents into one or more collections.
• PDF Pan and Zoom: Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics.
• Password Protection: Password protect your Kindle when you're not using it.
• More Fonts & Improved Clarity: Enjoy two new larger font sizes and sharper fonts for an even more comfortable reading experience.
• Facebook & Twitter Posts: Share book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle.
• Popular Highlights: See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you're reading.

Of these, I've only played with collections. I'll probably add a password, though (but not one with numbers, as they are too hard to input on the DX: are you listening Amazon? Give us back a dedicated row of number keys!). I also look forward to using the PDF enhancements, but suspect they'll be fairly slow, due to the nature of eInk. It's a nice option, though, for those PDF's with tables or graphics that are too small to read, even in landscape mode on the DX.

The bigger fonts don't interest me much (and I wonder if you get more than a couple of words on a page if you use them on a K2) and neither does the Facebook or Twitter integration (I can see it being slightly useful for bookclubs, though, if you set up a separate account for those). Popular Highlights, are just annoying and I had to turn them off first thing -- too bad they can't be turned off on the web page where you manage your own notes, as I now can't find my own notes for all the noise, rendering the info there practically useless; even worse is the ever-annoying "Daily Refresh" that is now the default landing site when I log in. (Want to make this useful, Amazon? Add the ability to flag a book for inclusion in the Daily Refresh View, so it will remind me of the books I want to be reminded of, not just those that have a note added.)

Free Book (nook) - Shakespeare In an Hour

Shakespeare In an Hour, by Christopher Baker, is free in the Barnes & Noble ebookstore.

Book Description
In 1587, when William Shakespeare was twenty-three, the acting troupe Queen's Men played in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon with one player short. Shakespeare's childhood fascination with theater suddenly found a perfect outlet — he joined the Queen's Men and replaced the missing actor. Shortly thereafter young William traveled to London in pursuit of an acting career. But acting soon gave way to an even more glorious adventure when Shakespeare realized that he might have a talent for writing plays.

Setting the playwright in context to his personal life, social, historical and political events, other writers of influence, and more, you will quickly gain a deep understanding of Shakespeare and the plays he wrote. Read Shakespeare in an Hour and experience his plays like never before. Know the playwright, love the play!

The book features:

• Shakespeare in an Hour, the main essay of the book
• Shakespeare In a Minute, a snapshot chronology
• A complete listing of Shakespeare's work
• A list of Shakespeare's contemporaries in all fields
• Excerpts from Shakespeare's significant works
• An extensive bibliography grouped according to type of reader
• An index of the main essay.

Playwrights in an Hour is a series devoted to the most produced and studied playwrights in the English language, from the Greek masters to contemporary writers, and written by leading authorities in the field. Each short book places the playwright and his or her work in historical, social, and literary context.

HERE for the free download.

Buy a nook, Get $50 in Free Books

Barnes and Noble has issued a preemptive strike against Amazon in the eReader wars this month. Both the nook and the Kindle are priced at $259 and on June 6, Target will be selling the Kindle in all of it's physical stores, following their successful test last month in selected markets. Both stores have a number of free books available to download, with most of the titles overlapping, but a few unique ones in each. B&N is going one step farther, though, and will give every new nook purchaser a free $50 gift card to use in the bookstore (and there does not appear to be any requirement to use it only on ebooks). This offer is valid both for store purchases and those direct from B&N and expires either at the end of the month or when they meet some (super-secret) number of units sold. If you've bought a nook within the last two weeks, you should be able to get a gift certificate, as well, according to reports from those who have contacted B&N (although there is nothing in the written details to confirm, so your mileage may vary).

Free Book (ADE-DRM) - Freaks Talk Back

Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity ($30.00 paperback), by Joshua Gamson, is free this month from the University of Chicago Press.

Book Description
Using extensive interviews, hundreds of transcripts, focus-group discussions with viewers, and his own experiences as an audience member, Joshua Gamson argues that talk shows give much-needed, high-impact public visibility to sexual nonconformists while also exacerbating all sorts of political tensions among those becoming visible. With wit and passion, Freaks Talk Back illuminates the joys, dilemmas, and practicalities of media visibility.

Click HERE to sign up for the free book. You'll need to give them an email address and then check for their message to get the download link. The book is a DRM'd PDF and will requires Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) to download and read.

Video Game Magazines, One Year for Five Bucks

For this week only, expiring Saturday at 11:59pm, the magazines you see below have all been discounted to $5.00 for a one-year subscription! Use this offer to start a new subscription, or renew an existing one.

Official Xbox Magazine [with DVD] (1-year) List Price: $119.88 Price: $5.00 You Save: $114.88 (96%)		PlayStation: The Official Magazine (1-year) List Price: $71.88 Price: $5.00 You Save: $66.88 (93%)		Nintendo Power List Price: $59.88 Price: $5.00 You Save: $54.88 (92%)		PC Gamer (1-year) List Price: $107.88 Price: $5.00 You Save: $102.88 (95%)

Click HERE for more details or to get the auto-renewal versions of the magazines.

Free Game - Westward

The free game this week at Sandlot Games is Westward ($3.49 Amazon Game Download). They've previously had Westward II as a free game, so this one gives you a chance to play the one that started the series.

Game Description

• Buy, Sell & Trade To Build Your Fortune.
• Engaging Storyline.
• More Than 10 Playable Main Characters.
• Ever-Changing Scenarios.

Enter the rough and tumble world of Westward, where gold is there for the taking and bandits lurk around every turn. Control the fortunes of three vastly different towns as they rise from the dust of the frontier and grow into thriving boomtowns. Brave the dangers of the West and explore uncharted plains, dense forests and rocky canyons as you guide your settlers to safety and success. Stake your claim with a cast of hundreds, stunningly original graphics, hilarious dialogue and endless possibilities!

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

Free Book (Contest) - The Second Coming

If you missed getting a copy of The Second Coming, by David H. Burton, last month, you have a chance to get it free today. The first 10 commenters (and there are already a couple) on this blog post get it free (not here, click the link!).

Book Description
Five hundred years have passed since the Earth shifted on its axis - a catastrophic event that wiped out civilization and released the powers of the dead back to Earth. With technology long abandoned, a dark age has shrouded our world once more. Travel to a future of blood sacrifice, demons, witchcraft, and an immoral God that has returned to reclaim his former dominion.

The Second Coming is the first novel in the Words of the Prophecy series.

Free Book (nook) - If I Were You

If I Were You, by L. Ron Hubbard

Book Description
Circus midget Little Tom Little is the king of midgets, loved by crowds and carnival folk alike. Only he doesn't just want to be a bigger circus star, he wants to be just like the circus' tall and imposing leader.

Trouble begins the moment that a set of ancient books containing the secret of switching bodies finds its way into Tom Little's tiny hands. When he magically trades his small frame with that of the circus chief, he finds himself in a giant-sized heap of trouble - his craving for height has landed him smack in the center ring surrounded by forty savage cats!

Free Book (nook) - One Shot

One Shot ($6.39 Kindle), by Lee Child, the ninth book in his Jack Reacher series, is available free this week using a coupon you pick up in a physical Barnes and Noble store. Be sure to stop by early, as some people who have stopped by on a Sunday were reporting that their stores had run out.

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
Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, from the world he lives in—no phone, no address, no commitments–ex–military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. In Lee Child’s astonishing new thriller, Reacher’s arrival will change everything—about a case that isn’t what it seems, about lives tangled in baffling ways, about a killer who missed one shot–and by doing so give Jack Reacher one shot at the truth.…

The gunman worked from a parking structure just thirty yards away–point-blank range for a trained military sniper like James Barr. His victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But why does Barr want Reacher at his side? There are good reasons why Reacher is the last person Barr would want to see. But when Reacher hears Barr’s own words, he understands. And a slam-dunk case explodes. Soon Reacher is teamed with a young defense lawyer who is working against her D.A. father and dueling with a prosecution team that has an explosive secret of its own. Like most things Reacher has known in life, this case is a complex battlefield. But, as always, in battle, Reacher is at his best.

Moving in the shadows, picking his spots, Reacher gets closer and closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. And for Reacher, the only way to take him down is to know his ruthlessness and respect his cunning–and then match him shot for shot….

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.