Today's Deals

The Giver ($0.99), by Lois Lowry, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.

Book Description
Since winning the Newbery Medal in 1994, Lois Lowry’s The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. This stunning redesign of The Giver Quartet presents a fresh, cohesive package that ties The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son together.

The story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.

The Giver is the first book in The Giver Quartet, which also includes Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Lois Lowry's latest return to Jona's world, Son, available September 2012.

The Eagle of the Ninth ($1.54 / £0.99 UK), by Rosemary Sutcliff, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.99). It's a young adult title, but at over 300 pages, it's longer than most you might have read (and from the reviews, it has a wide appeal to an adult audience).

Book Description
The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of Northern Britain—and they were never seen again. Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It’s a mystery that’s never been solved, until now . . .

Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who led the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest so dangerous that nobody expects him to return.

Rosemary Sutcliff is the acknowledged master of children's historical storytelling, she was awarded the OBE for her services to children's literature in 1975. She died in 1992.

Luring a Lady ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the second in the Stanislaski Family series by Nora Roberts, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Nothing in Sydney Hayward's background of wealth and privilege had prepared her to take the helm of her family's corporation. Her overflowing new responsibilities left no room for complications--and Mikhail Stanislaski was definitely a complication. Sydney had learned the hard way that she could never love anyone--least of all, this earthy, disturbingly masculine stranger who came from a world so different from her own.

Still, the way she felt when he put his hands on her--strong, work-hardened hands--made her doubt her resolve to remain alone. This gifted man seemed to have a rare talent for luring a lady, even a very reluctant lady, into his arms....

Free Book - Daily Light on the Daily Path (K/N/E)

Daily Light on the Daily Path: Morning and Evening Devotionals from God's Word is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble and ChristianBook, courtesy of Christian publisher Baker Publishing Group.

Book Description
Refresh your spirit every day

What would happen if you began and ended each day in Scripture? Undoubtedly you would grow closer to God. But what Scriptures should you read?

For years, Christians have found inspiration, encouragement, and hope through Daily Light on the Daily Path. Now this devotional classic that has filled readers with the joy that comes from being immersed in the Scriptures is available in GOD'S WORD Translation (GW). Readable and reliable, GW accurately translates the meaning of the original texts into clear, everyday language. Each of the 366 daily entries contains two carefully selected Bible readings, one for morning and one for evening.

Discover what happens when you start and end your day with God.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from ChristianBook.

Free & Bargain Book / Game Roundup

I'm just getting back in from the puppy's training class, so I'm tossing a few things into the same post - should be something for everyone, with free books, bargain books and games for Kindle and nook. If you are doing any shopping at Carina Press, be sure to use coupon code CARSP1011 to save $5 on purchase of $10 or more (expires 1/4/12; can be used more than once) and check out their 40% off Hidden Gems of 2011. For those of you who get audiobooks, Tantor Audio is having a 70% off sale on all of their MP3 downloads, thru Jan 2, 2012, as well as having a New Year, New You sale with 50% off selected CD's.

Get a free Kate Daniels novella, Magic Gift, from the Ilona Andrews' website and consider a second one on Kindle in the $2.99 anthology Magic Graves. The free one is DRM-free and in multiple formats (and even now in multiple fonts for PDF, as those getting a free book complained about the PDF).

Magic Gift
A dinner date after a hard day at work sounds heavenly. Of course, when that date is between the Beast Lord and Kate Daniels, things don’t go as planned. Before you know it, undead are running amok, heads are being chopped off, lawyers are deployed and used with extereme prejudice, and drunk vikings are calling people out.

Magic Graves
Jeaniene Frost's story, One for the Money, features vampires Cat and Bones trying to protect a spoiled heiress with a price on her head and an undead hitman on her trail. Previously published in Death's Excellent Vacation. Also includes the first three chapters from Jeaniene's story in The Bite Before Christmas anthology, as well as a sneak peek at ONCE BURNED, the first novel in the new Night Prince series.

Ilona Andrews' story, A Questionable Client, is a prequel to her award-winning Kate Daniels series. In a world beset by magic waves, Kate Daniels works as a mercenary. She is tired, hungry, and there is foul-smelling blood on her boots. All she wants to do is to go home, but when Mercenary Guild offers her a job she can't refuse, she finds herself protecting a man against Russian wizards. Previously published in Dark and Stormy Knights. Also includes first two chapters of FATE'S EDGE, book 3 in the Edge series, and first two chapters of Magic Grieves, a Kate Daniels novella.

SETUP ON FRONT STREET (Key West Nocturnes series), a self-published novel by Mike Dennis, looks interesting and has good reviews (and he did everything right to get a mention - he let me know ahead of time and made sure he has a number of solid looking reviews before attempting to offer the book for free at Amazon; I generally don't even look at the KDP books with no reviews or a single glowing one that looks like it was written by the author's parents). I won't guarantee it's a great read, but it's at least worth downloading to take a look.

Book Description
Key West, 1991. Don Roy Doyle is back in town. Tough and quick-witted, he's fresh out of prison, where he served three years for a diamond swindle. Now he's back to collect his share of the proceeds, about $200,000, but the money has vanished.

A local family dynasty which has controlled the island's politics for generations, a cop with a grudge, the FBI, and the Russian mob all have a stake in the action. They're convinced Cuba is on the verge of "opening up", and they all want Doyle gone.

In this tightly-knit town, who can be trusted? And how long can Doyle stay alive?

SETUP ON FRONT STREET is the first novel in Mike Dennis' Key West Nocturnes series. It takes you deep inside the world of Key West noir, a world tucked way back in the shadows, where the tourists never go.

It probably seems like you already have everything that Jack Kilborn/J.A. Konrath has written, but it turns out there are still a few more that he has to offer for free; this time, the list includes two short stories and a short novels with Ann Voss Peterson as co-author and two additional novellas.

Babe on Board - A Harry McGlade/Jack Daniels Mystery
Private detective Harry McGlade is on the prowl, looking for a one-night stand. Or, in McGlade's case, a five-minute stand.

When he finds a sexy lady at his local bar, he thinks he has a chance with her.

But she isn't alone. There's a guy with her. A guy with a gun whom she's desperately trying to get away from.

When the local mafia becomes involved with McGlade's tryst, things start going bad.

Then they go really bad when a baby comes into the picture. And the only one McGlade can turn to for help is his old partner, Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels.

Babe on Board is an 11,000 word novella (about 50 pages long), written by bestselling Kindle author J.A. Konrath, and romantic suspense author Ann Voss Peterson (who has over 3 million books in print.)

It's a hysterically funny, and sometimes poignant, look at sex, relationships, pregnancy, and fatherhood. It also has guns and violence and criminals and double-crosses and twists. Ann and J.A. are confident that it will appeal to fans of mysteries, thrillers, and even romance (as long as the reader keeps tongue firmly in cheek.)

Wild Night Is Calling
Wisconsin. Summer. Late at night.

Two teenage girls are picked up by two boys, who invite them back to their place to party.

But an innocent mistake turns the party into a nightmare, where nothing is what it seems...

Wild Night Is Calling is a 6000 word short story by thriller writer J.A. Konrath (Shaken, Trapped) and romantic suspense writer Ann Voss Peterson (A Cop in Her Stocking, Seized By The Sheik).

Exposed - A Thriller (Chandler Series)
She's an elite spy, working for an agency so secret only three people know it exists. Trained by the best of the best, she has honed her body, her instincts, and her intellect to become the perfect weapon.

CODENAME: CHANDLER

Before special operative Chandler was forced to FLEE, she executed the most difficult missions—and most dangerous people—for the government. So when she’s tasked with saving a VIP’s daughter from human traffickers, Chandler expects the operation to be by the numbers…until she uncovers a secret that will endanger the entire population of New York City, and possibly the world.

EXPOSED

Death is in her blood.

KILLERS - A Psycho Thriller
Guess who’s back?

A sequel two years in the making...

First there was SERIAL...

Acclaimed thriller writers Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn pitted their skills against each other in a psychotic game of serial murder. Crouch wrote about Lucy, a hitchhiker who killed drivers. Kilborn wrote about Donaldson, a driver who killed hitchhikers. Then they brought their characters together and tried to slaughter one another on the page.

SERIAL has been downloaded over 350,000 times. The film rights have been optioned, and it is currently available as an ebook, in print in various collections, and forthcoming in audio.

Now comes KILLERS...

At the end of SERIAL, Donaldson and Lucy didn't die. When they each wake up in a hospital, under arrest for their crimes and guarded by the police, each burns with a single, overwhelming desire:

To escape and finish what they started.

The Screaming
Liverpool.

The 1960s.

Vampires.

An addict in need of a score decided to rob a house.

He picked the wrong house...

Gordon Ryan has both To Faithfully Execute (A Pug Connor Novel #3) and Destiny: The Callahans Book One free in the Kindle store.

To Faithfully Execute (A Pug Connor Novel #3)
Election Day is looming and the fate of a united America lies in the hands of its citizens. States are threatening to secede, politicians have their own agendas, and as rumors of treason rumble throughout the land, Pug Connor has a decision to make. He can continue to serve the country he loves and watch it break apart, or he can take matters into his own hands and change the course of history. He hates the man he is forced to become, but with stakes this high, he forges on, regardless the cost. His growing love for Senator Rachel McKenzie--and his fear regarding the possible loss of her respect--make his decisions much harder.

Pug's deputy director, Carlos Castro, faces no such conflict. He fully understands his nature: he is a stone-cold, instinctive killer, single-handedly seeking to rid the world of evil one terrorist at a time.

Destiny: The Callahans Book One
Fleeing an abusive father and a hopeless life in Ireland in 1895, nineteen-year-old Tom Callahan takes passage on a ship bound for America. On board, he meets Katrina Hansen, a young Norwegian woman traveling to Utah. It's not a likely match. The brash Irishman is a Catholic, a brawler and a young man without prospects. Katrina is a refined young woman, yet naive in the ways of the world. Lured into a polygamous marriage, she finds herself abandoned on a remote Mexican beach as the man she loves, unaware of her status, seeks his fortune in Alaska. Destiny is a sprawling historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century, played out in such far-flung places as New York City, the gold fields of Alaska and Old Mexico.

Saints Preserve Us, a Cozy Mystery (A Ronnie Lord Mystery, #1), by L.K. Ellwood, is free in the Kindle store, as is a short story, Seeking Cygnus.

Book Description
Winner of the Florida Writer’s Association Royal Palm Award for Best Mystery.

Where’s Lorena Alger? This is what everyone in Ash Lake, Florida is asking about their most famous resident…a young girl about to be canonized as a saint, a young girl who hasn’t moved from her grave in over 150 years. Now she is gone, and her grave is now occupied by the fresher corpse of the cemetery caretaker.

Great grandniece Ronnie Lord is determined to aid the town sheriff in Lorena’s safe return. She finds it isn’t an easy task when obstacles like a nosy reporter and stubborn relatives get in the way. Meanwhile, as an object of ransom tucked away in a single-wide trailer belonging to two petty thieves, Lorena is in for the adventure of her…well, death.

If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out the sequel, Pray for Us Sinners.

If you have an eInk Kindle, be sure to check out the Best Kindle Games & Active Content of 2011, as all 25 titles are currently marke down to 99 cents each.

1. Jewels, by Mobigloo
2. EA Solitaire, by Electronic Arts Inc.
3. SCRABBLE, by Electronic Arts Inc.
4. Mahjong Solitaire, by Mobigloo
5. Word Search, by Oak Systems Leisure Software
6. YAHTZEE, by Electronic Arts Inc
7. MONOPOLY, by Electronic Arts Inc
8. Slingo, by Gameblend Studios
9. Calendar, by 7 Dragons
10. Notepad, by 7 Dragons
11. Sudoku Unbound #1, by Puzzazz
12. Easy Calculator, by Mobigloo
13. EA Texas Hold'em, by Electronic Arts Inc.
14. SpongeBob's Treasure Quest, by Mobigloo
15. Hangman 4 Kids, by Sonic Boom
16. Maze A Thon, by A Gamz
17. NY Times Crosswords Vol. 1, by The New York Times
18. EA Sudoku, by Electronic Arts Inc
19. KenKen Vol. 1 Presented by Will Shortz, by Gameblend Studios
20. Jewel Quest Solitaire, by iWin
21. Choice of Broadsides, by Choice of Games
22. My Yoga Studio, by Nickel Buddy
23. Peg Solitaire, by Compulab
24. Wordoku Unbound #1, by Puzzazz
25. Strimko, by Braintonik Games

For those of you with a nookColor or nookTablet, you have an exclusive app available, Stroke Your Genius. This free app is a promotional gimick for a Showtime Networks show that's starting soon; the reviews are mixed - it's either love it or hate it, but it won't cost you anything to give it a try.

Book Description
STROKE YOUR GENIUS
MARTY'S GUIDE TO MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

In the management consulting biz, the currency is BS. Inspired by the new SHOWTIME® Original Series HOUSE OF LIES, this irreverent guide to the in-out-in-out of one of the business world's most lofty professions is sure to tickle all your bones. Ace consultant Marty Kaan packs the guide with flashy visuals, time-sucking games, and all the useless insight the field is known for. It's sure to be a worthy distraction from all your actual work.

Topics include:

• Selling Bulls**t to Bullsh**ters
• Those You F**k and Those You F**k Over
• Making the Unthinkable Billable
• Dressing to Kill It!
• My Way or the Unemployed Way
• And More!

With this handy guide at your fingertips, you'll be ready to take corporate America by storm, while taking them for all they're worth. It's business, grow a pair.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Sanction ($1.99), by Eric Van Lustbader

Book Description
Jason Bourne returns to Georgetown University and the mild world of his alter ego, David Webb, hoping for normalcy. But after so many adrenaline-soaked years of risking his life, Bourne finds himself chafing under the quiet life of a linguistics professor.

Aware of his frustrations, his academic mentor, Professor Specter, asks for help investigating the murder of a former student by a previously unknown Muslim extremist sect. The young man died carrying information about the group's terrorist activities, including an immediate plan to attack the United States.

The organization, the Black Legion, and its lethal plot have also popped up on the radar of Central Intelligence, where new director Veronica Hart is struggling to assert her authority. Sensing an opportunity to take control of CI by showing Hart's incompetence, National Security Agency operatives plan to accomplish what CI never could-hunt down and kill Bourne.

In Europe, Bourne's investigation into the Black Legion turns into one of the deadliest and most tangled operations of his double life-the pursuit of the leader of a murderous terrorist group with roots in the darkest days of World War II-all while an assassin as brilliant and damaged as himself is getting closer by the minute . . .

The Perfect Assassin ($0.99), by Ward Larsen

Book Description
One perfect shot will change the course of history. Christine Palmer, a young American doctor sailing solo across the Atlantic, makes an incredible discovery - a man narrowly clinging to his life in the frigid waters. But there is much more to this desperate survivor than meets the eye.David Slaton is a Kidon - a highly-trained, highly-precise, and highly-dangerous assassin. The Kidon is both the hunter and the hunted, and he and Christine are in grave danger. Will they win in this race against time?With the precision of a sharpshooter, author Ward Larsen weaves an intricate tale of espionage and intrigue.

Manhattan In Reverse: And Other Stories ($4.99), by Peter F. Hamilton, is now available to pre-order. You can still get the single story If at First . . . for free.

Book Description
A major collection of short fiction from Peter F. Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of Pandora’s Star, The Dreaming Void, and many other epic science fiction novels—including a brand-new novella starring detective Paula Myo

Fans of the Commonwealth Saga will enjoy the return of Paula Myo, the genetically engineered police investigator whose single-minded pursuit of justice runs up against a postwar citizenry eager to forget old crimes. In the all-new novella “Manhattan in Reverse,” Paula is dispatched to the backwoods planet of Menard after a docile, supposedly nonintelligent alien species attacks peaceful human settlers. Menard may have to be evacuated—something the planet’s corporate owners and human populace are prepared to resist . . . perhaps with targeted aggression.

Violence hits closer to home in “The Demon Trap” in which Paula’s investigation of a gruesome act of terrorism leads into unexpected political, technological, and philosophical waters, threatening the course of human evolution.

Time travel has never been so tricky—or so deadly—as it is in “If at First . . .,” in which Metropolitan Police detective David Lanson finds himself matching wits with a sociopath who might very well be from the future . . . or, at least, a future.

“Blessed by an Angel” is set in the Commonwealth Universe of the Void trilogy and features an alien visitor who offers the local human population a chance at paradise. But one species’ paradise may be another’s hell.

Three other thrilling pieces round out the collection—and showcase Peter F. Hamilton’s ability to weave scientific speculation into very human storytelling.

Publisher Angry Robot has 30 titles currently discounted to $2.99, including Embedded, by Dan Abnett and Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes.

Embedded
HE'D DO ANYTHING TO GET A STORY. When journalist Lex Falk gets himself chipped into the brain of a combat soldier, he thinks he has the ultimate scoop - a report from the forbidden front line of a distant planetary war, live to the living rooms of Earth. When the soldier is killed, however, Lex has to take over the body and somehow get himself back to safety once more... broadcasting all the way.

Heart-stopping combat science fiction from the million-selling Warhammer 40,000 author.

Zoo City
WHERE NO ONE ELSE DARE VENTURE…

Zinzi has a Sloth on her back, a dirty online 419 scam habit – and a talent for finding lost things. But when her latest client, a little old lady, turns up dead and the cops confiscate her lastpaycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job: missing persons

An astonishing second novel from the author of the highly-acclaimed Moxyland.

Today's Deals

The Handmaid's Tale ($1.49), by Margaret Atwood, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. This is a fairly new ASIN, as it looks like I have this one in my Kindle Library from a couple of years ago, but it doesn't show up on the product page for the new edition.

Book Description
The Handmaid's Tale is not only a radical and brilliant departure for Margaret Atwood, it is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

Into Thin Air ($1.54 / £0.99 UK), the first in the Kurt Muller mystery series by Thomas Zigal, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.99).

Book Description
Sheriff Kurt Muller, aging hippie, single father, and son of one of Aspen’s founders, finds himself confronted by more than the usual tensions between the chic international celebrity jet set and the local community fighting the resort’s enormous growth. A man is dead, his washed-out body found in the Roaring Fork with a bullet hole behind one ear. A woman is missing, her handbag still hidden under Kurt Muller’s Jeep seat. And the violence that is erupting around Aspen-—violence laced with kinky sex, international politics, and local power-—is leading Muller to the darkest truths a man can confront: about his past, about his family, and about another murder in the high Rocky Mountain air...

The Ghosts of Belfast (Jack Lennon Series #1) ($9.52 Kindle; $3.49 B&N), by Stuart Neville, is the Nook Daily Find; it's still full priced on Kindle.

Book Description
Fegan has been a “hard man,” an IRA killer in northern Ireland. Now that peace has come, he is being haunted day and night by twelve ghosts: a mother and infant, a schoolboy, a butcher, an RUC constable, and seven other of his innocent victims. In order to appease them, he’s going to have to kill the men who gave him orders.

As he’s working his way down the list he encounters a woman who may offer him redemption; she has borne a child to an RUC officer and is an outsider too. Now he has given Fate—and his quarry—a hostage. Is this Fegan’s ultimate mistake?

Stuart Neville is a partner in a multimedia design business based in Armagh, northern Ireland. This novel, also known as The Twelve in the UK and Ireland, is the first in a series.

Free Audiobook - Stories I Only Tell My Friends

I've been listening to the audiobook version of Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography ($12.99 Kindle), by Rob Lowe, and today everyone can get a free copy of it from Audible. This showed up today as a Kindle Special Offer, but there isn't a promo code and no claim is necessary, so all you need is an Audible account (use your Amazon login for this one); I suspect the offer is geographically limited to those in the US and possibly Canada. You can still get the backstory free on Kindle, Socs and Greasers: Behind The Scenes of The Outsiders from Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

While you are at Audible, you may also be able to take advantage of their Holiday Relief Sale (some of their sales are limited to those with a subscription plan), which features over 100 audiobooks at $9.95 each, which is less than most of their plan credits. If you don't have a subscription and were thinking of getting one (or were planning on getting a new Kindle Fire or other qualifying device, anyway), you can't go wrong with their $100 Promotion deal; you sign up via the link and within a couple of hours, usually, you get an email with a promotion code that you use during checkout (no one-clicking) on any device listed (which includes Kindles, MP3 players, GPS's, headphones/speakers and even laptops and tablets).

Book Description
A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye. A teen idol at 15, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at 20, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio who was uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-70s Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood. The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics, both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the 80s, leading to his quest for family and sobriety.

Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last 25 years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Free Book - Changeling Moon (K/N)

Changeling Moon, the first in the Changeling series by Dani Harper, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Kensington Books.

Book Description
He roams the moonlit wilderness, his every sense and instinct on high alert. Changeling wolf Connor Macleod and his Pack have never feared anything-until the night human Zoey Tyler barely escapes a rogue werewolf’s vicious attack.

As the full moon approaches, Zoey has no idea of the changes that are coming, and only Connor can show her what she is, and help her master the wildness inside. With her initiation into the Pack just days away and a terrifying predator on the loose, the tentative bonds of trust and tenderness are their only weapons against a force red in tooth, claw…and ultimate evil.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Free Book - The Deadliest Sin (K/N)

The Deadliest Sin, by Caroline Richards, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Kensington Books.

Book Description
Dark Dreams
They had haunted Julia Woolcott all her life, but the strangest of all began with an invitation to a scandalous house party, and a game more dangerously arousing than any she’d ever imagined.

Unbound Desires
Driven by his ruthless ambition, Alexander Strathmore would do anything to come face to face with the mystery man who’d challenged him to first debauch Julia, then destroy her.

Deadly Sins
A wild shot…a frantic carriage ride through the night…a forbidden seduction. Rakehell adventurer and sheltered spinster, Alexander and Julia will break every rule of propriety to chase down their nemesis and consummate their unlikely passion.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Free Book - Drawing Closer to God (K/N/E)

Update: Now free from ChristianBook and Sony; not likely to still be free tomorrow.

Drawing Closer to God: 365 Daily Meditations on Questions from Scripture, by Dianne Neal Matthews, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of Christian publisher Baker Books.

Book Description
A fascinating devotional journey through a year of questions

The Bible is full of questions asked by God, Jesus, ordinary people, Satan, and even a donkey. Some are questions that we wrestle with but are reluctant to voice. Others are asked to comfort, to convict, or to reinforce spiritual principles.

With Drawing Closer to God, you'll uncover amazing and insightful spiritual truths from 365 of these questions. Each devotional includes Scripture and a question designed to encourage reflection and prayer, leaving you with practical takeaway for your day and a renewed appreciation for God's Word.

Join author Dianne Neal Matthews on this eye-opening journey into the heart of God.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from ChristianBook.
Get the free ebook from Sony.

Free Book Roundup

More free books today, mostly on Kindle, that looked interesting.

First up, Jon F. Merz has a free short story, Frosty The Hitman, as a DRM-free download for either your Kindle or nook/EPUB ereader or as a PDF to read on your computer. This is the same author (and same series) as the still free Dead Drop: A Lawson Vampire Bonus Story.

Book Description
It’s the day before Christmas and Lawson’s spending it with his least favorite person in the world: Ava, a wealthy Council member who has always hated him. But Ava’s in trouble and Lawson is the only person standing between her and a deadly assassin named Frost.

Robert W. Walker has seven books free on Kindle today, including Grave Instinct (which I picked out solely because some of the other covers are creepy/scary/disturbing). His author bio mentions over 40 books and I've managed to pick up 10 of them this week (to go with the ones I already had).

Book Description
A horrifying series of murders has shocked a stretch of America's southern heartland. Not only are women turning up dead, but the killer has removed their brains with chilling surgical precision.

A new murder has sent FBI medical examiner Jessica Coran to Jacksonville, Florida, on a search for answers to the most appalling murder spree she has ever encountered.

But even she can't anticipate the twist her investigation is about to take--one that will give millions of people a front-row seat for the next victim's death.
　
(This book is tenth in Robert W. Walker's Instinct series, and is approximately 105,000 words. It was originally published in hardcover.)

J.R. Rain has five books free today on Kindle, of which I've selected Elvis Has Not Left the Building, the first in his Elvis Mystery series, to highlight.

Book Description
It's tough being the King.

Which is why in 1977 Elvis faked his own death and endured massive facial reconstruction surgery, and disappeared from the limelight to live a normal life as the unassuming Aaron King. Unfortunately, leaving fame behind also meant leaving his fortune behind, too, and now Elvis finds himself broke and living in near poverty in a small apartment in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, it turns out he's a pretty good private investigator.

Now in his seventies and contemplating a return to music (discreetly, of course), Elvis is hired to solve a baffling missing person case. The King digs deeper, and soon finds himself surrounded by the seedier elements of Los Angeles, from nefarious Hollywood producers who prey upon the young, to twin brothers with a very dark secret.

And as Elvis pieces the bizarre puzzle together, he slowly makes his singing comeback—and will be reunited on stage with someone even the King himself never dreamed possible.

Scott Nicholson has another pair of free titles for you today: October Girls (An urban fantasy / paranormal romance) and The Harvest.

October Girls (An urban fantasy / paranormal romance)
Five days until Halloween and all hell is about to break loose.

And it’s all Crystal’s fault.

Momma warned her not to consort with the dead and tried to teach her the magic spells that would close the portal to the afterlife. But Crystal doesn’t want to be a trailer-trash witch like Momma. She has dreams of going to community college and escaping the Appalachian town of Parson’s Ford.

Her best friend Bone is only too happy to escape the afterlife and help Crystal break the rules. Bone died too young, and she’ll do whatever it takes to remain among the living.

Then a teen movie maker comes to Parson’s Ford, and he has a very special project in mind: a horror movie starring a real ghost. The kids who watch his movies turn into brainwashed zombies. And to totally complicate matters, Crystal thinks he’s kind of a hunk, and she’s afraid her boyfriend Pettigrew only loves her because of Momma’s magic spells.

Now it’s Halloween, the night when the portal to the afterlife is widest, and somebody’s been messing with Momma’s potions. The fate of the world is in Crystal’s hands, but she hasn’t been paying attention to her lessons. And a mysterious figure in the afterlife is urging Bone to stay loyal to her own kind instead of to Crystal.

The movie is rolling, the creatures are stirring, and the brainwashed teenagers are ready to welcome a new star from the other side of the grave.

Crystal and Bone must overcome drama queens, coffin cuties, and mangled magic if they want to remain best friends forever—but at this rate, forever may not last much longer.

The Harvest
For fans of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Scott Sigler ... from the author's preferred edition, published in 2003 by Kensington Books.

An infection that consumes and changes people...

When an alien entity lands in the remote Appalachian Mountains, a clairvoyant psychology professor, a drunken dirt farmer, and a disillusioned tycoon must team up to stop it before the infection spreads.

But with Windshake's annual spring festival coming, the town is full of visitors, unaware of the unnatural menace creeping toward them from the woods...

RIPTIDE fits into Paul Levine's Jake Lassiter series (it was written first, apparently, but was published much later and looks to be about the fifth in chronology, with a previous publication title of Slashback). Levine is a winner of the John D. MacDonald fiction award and has been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber prizes. A former trial lawyer, he wrote more than 20 episodes of the CBS military drama "JAG." It looks like the series is very reasonably priced right now, at $2.99/title.

Book Description
Jake Lassiter chases a beautiful woman and stolen bonds from Miami to Maui, where in an explosive finale, he learns lessons never taught on the football field or in the courtroom.

Night Corridor, by Joan Hall Hovey, has managed to get some very good reviews, which isn't surprising for this award-winning author

Book Description
After nine years in Bayshore mental institution, once called the lunatic asylum, Caroline Hill is finally being released.

There will be no one to meet her. Her parents who brought her here…are dead.

They have found her a room in a rooming house, a job washing dishes in a restaurant. She will do fine, they said. But no one told that women in St. Simeon are already dying at the hands of a vicious predator. One, an actress who lived previously in her building.

And others.
And now, as Caroline struggles to survive on the outside, she realizes someone is stalking her.

But who will believe her? She's a crazy woman after all.

Then, one cold winter's night on her way home from her job, a man follows and is about to assault her when a stranger intercedes.

A stranger who hides his face and whispers her name.

Since the Kindle Lending Library opened up to KDP authors, there are too many free books daily to list them all. In addition to the ones above, these are a few that caught my eye today and that had good reviews (listed in no particular order):

• A Devil Singing Small, by Karen Charbonneau
• Stay Tuned, by Lauren Clark
• Thicker Than Water (Blood Brothers), by Greg Sisco
• Rex Rising (Elei's Chronicles), by Chrystalla Thoma (also, the short story Hera)
• Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon), by SM Reine
• On Berryhill Road, by Tommie Lyn
• Borrowed Time, by CJ Lyons (New York Times Bestseller with several titles published via Penguin and co-authored on both of Erin Brockovich's books)
• It's A Dog's Life (A DI Lorne Simpkins novellette), by Mel Comley

As always, prices can change at any time, so be sure to confirm that the book has "Kindle Price: $0.00" and that no price is listed on the Buy with One-Click button. If you do make a mistake, you can easily request a refund (and return the book) with just a few clicks from the Manage Your Kindle page. Look under Actions or click the "+" sign next to the title and look for "Return for Refund" below the price paid.

Win a copy of the Out of Time Series Omnibus

I won a copy of the Out of Time Series Omnibus ($5.99 Kindle), by Monique Martin, which contains the first two novels in the Out of Time Series: Out of Time & When the Walls Fell.

 Since I already had copies of both titles, I've arranged with the author to give it away to a lucky reader, instead.

Book Description
BOOK 1: OUT OF TIME
Professor Simon Cross has spent his life searching for evidence of vampires and avoiding emotional entanglements. When a mysterious accident transports Simon and his new assistant, Elizabeth West, back in time, Simon finally finds both the proof that he's been looking for, and the romance that he hasn't.



In 1920s Manhattan, they find that are more than mobsters vying for power in the city's speakeasies. Will Simon and Elizabeth's developing relationship survive the vampires' teeth? Will they survive to make it back? Or will they be forever out of time?

BOOK 2: WHEN THE WALLS FELL
Professor Simon Cross and his assistant Elizabeth West have returned from their accidental journey into the past and are adjusting to their new life together as a couple. But an unwanted visit from the Council for Temporal Studies could change everything.



A murder in the past is changing the future, and if the killing isn't stopped, Simon Cross might never be born.



When they arrive in 1906 San Francisco, Elizabeth and Simon have no idea who wants Victor Graham dead or how it will happen. With the earthquake that leveled most of the city just days away, the race to save Graham thrusts them into a complex mystery of jealousy and revenge where murder might be the least of their worries.


Out of Time and When the Walls Fell are time travel adventures filled with suspense, mystery, romance and a dash of the paranormal.



If you want to be entered into the drawing, leave a comment here (those who read via email or the Kindle will need to visit the web site to enter), along with an email address I can use to get in touch with you. For an additional entry, let others know about the contest using Twitter, Facebook or your own blog and post here to let me know about it (don't forget to include your email address there, too). I'll let the contest run until the end of the year (which is only three days from now), then generate a random number to pick a winner. I'll confirm with the winner and then send their contact info to Monique and she will gift you the book on Amazon.

Free Book - His Hearth (DF)

His Hearth ($3.82 ), the first title in the LGBT Warder series by Mary Calmes, is free direct from the publisher, Dreamspinner Press.

Book Description
Julian Nash should be excited: he’s just earned a huge promotion at work and is going out to celebrate. But his happiness fades when he discovers his date cheating on him an hour before. Suddenly alone when everyone knows he’s supposed to have a plus one, Julian is set for a long night until longtime acquaintance Ryan Dean bails him out of the embarrassing situation. During dinner, they discover they have more than just friendship between them: there is mutual admiration and heated attraction. But getting to know Ryan better—and finding a place in his life—will bring Julian frightening surprises and supernatural danger he never expected or dreamed existed.

Get the free ebook from Dreamspinner Press. The novella length book is DRM-free, so download and/or convert for any ereader. If you want additional titles, try using coupon code Gratitude2011 for 20% off (and watch for 30% off some categories of historical Bittersweet Dreams/Timeless Dreams titles tomorrow and 30% off all Science Fiction and Steampunk e-books on the 30th.

Free Book - Blame It on the Mistletoe (N/E)

Blame It on the Mistletoe ($9.99 Kindle), the fourth and latest title in the Bright's Pond series by Joyce Magnin, is free from Barnes & Noble and ChristianBook, courtesy of Christian publisher Abingdon Press.

Book Description
Is There Really a Fountain of Youth in Paradise?

Welcome back to Bright 's Pond, where strange happenings are afoot at the Greenbrier Nursing Home. Strange even for Bright 's Pond. The residents suddenly act like kids again riding trikes, climbing trees, and of all things falling in love. Some of the townsfolk blame it on the crooked new gazebo, or its builder, a quirky little man who quotes Don Quixote, collects water from the fountain at the Paradise trailer park, and disappears on a regular basis.

While Chief of Police Mildred Blessing investigates the mystery, Griselda and her friends deal with a luau Thanksgiving, preparations for the Christmas pageant, and maybe even an upcoming wedding. Only, in Bright 's Pond, nothing ever really goes as planned . . .

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from ChristianBook.

Free Book - One Year Alone with God (K)

One Year Alone with God: 366 Devotions on the Names of God, by Ava Pennington, is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of Christian publisher Revell.

Book Description
Perfect. Almighty. The One Who Sees. Jealous. Forgiver.

Every name of God revealed in the Bible shows us something about his character and his ways. As the facets of a diamond combine to reflect its brilliance, the names and attributes of God combine to reveal the transcendence of his nature and the glory of his ways. One Year Alone with God offers readers a wonderful opportunity to spend time each day getting to know God more intimately. At the end of a year, they'll be able to say they know him better than they did a year ago.

This insightful guide to the names of God provides 366 life-changing, personal devotions for new Christians and longtime believers. As readers explore 122 names and attributes of God, they will discover something special about who God is, who they are, and how they relate to others. Includes a Scripture and name index for easy navigation to favorite verses.

Today's Deals

Additional formats on one free book is now available and three recent freebies are repeating (on Kindle and elsewhere).

• The Pawn (K/N/E)
• Medical Error (K/N/E)
• One Imperfect Christmas (K/N/E)
• A Simple Amish Christmas (K/N/E)

Pictures of You ($0.99), by Caroline Leavitt, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.

Book Description
Two women running away from their marriages collide on a foggy highway, killing one of them. The survivor, Isabelle, is left to pick up the pieces, not only of her own life, but of the lives of the devastated husband and fragile son that the other woman, April, has left behind. Together, they try to solve the mystery of where April was running to, and why. As these three lives intersect, the book asks, How well do we really know those we love—and how do we forgive the unforgivable?

Drowning Rose ($2.01 / £1.29 UK), by Marika Cobbold, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition). It's also the third day of the 12 Days of Christmas in the UK, so you might want to check ou the newly added titles (it appears that the previous days' titles stay on sale throughout).

Book Description
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself…

It is winter in London. Eliza Cummings, a ceramics restorer at the V&A Museum, is leaving work when she receives an unexpected phone call. Standing in the haze of the Christmas lights she hears a voice which draws her back twenty-five years - to the night Rose died.

But why does Rose's father want her to visit him? Why now? And why is he killing her with kindness when they both know that he blames her for what happened to his daughter?

Grief and guilt cast terrible shadows, but as this beautifully wrought story unfolds and the scene shifts from London to the fairy tale landscape of the Swedish countryside - and back in time to Eliza's school days - we learn that generosity, humour and friendship can smooth over and restore even the most broken lives, and that some secrets just can't be kept hidden…

Free-Range Knitter ($2.49 Kindle, B&N), by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again reminds us of the joy we felt upon first encountering her hilarious and poignant collection of essays surrounding her favorite topics: knitting, knitters, and what happens when you get those two things anywhere near ordinary people.

For the 60 million knitters in America, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (a.k.a. the Yarn Harlot) shares stories of knitting horrors and triumphs, knitting successes and defeats, but, mostly, stories about the human condition that ring true for everyone--especially if you happen to have a rather large amount of yarn in your house.

Funny, unique, and gleeful in her obsession, Pearl-McPhee speaks to knitters of all skill levels in this delightful celebration of craft and creativity.

Be sure to get today's free Android App, MONOPOLY, by Electronic Arts Inc. The version currently at Amazon can be played on both your Kindle Fire and on most tablets and smart phones (even your computer, using an Android simulator (see this post on installing one, if you don't yet have an Android device). This is one of the few Electronic Arts games that I hadn't picked up in their 99 cent Android Game sale, which you'll also want to check before it ends. Several of them have "(Kindle Fire Edition)" in their title - these will install only on the Kindle Fire, but it's worth a buck to get a nice version of Scrabble, even if you don't want The Game of Life or Madden NFL 12 or one of the others.

Game Description
Legend has it that the modern version of the MONOPOLY board game was invented during the Depression by an unemployed man named Charles Darrow. Rebuffed by the major game companies of the time, he published it himself--and it went on to become perhaps the world's most popular board game.

Now, in the 21st century, you can play the same classic game of MONOPOLY on your Kindle Fire. And it's a ton of fun.

So, do you like to buy Boardwalk and Park Place and hope to make it big on a few unlucky rolls by your opponent? Or is your strategy to go with the Green, Red, or Yellow properties and slowly bleed your adversaries dry? However you like to play MONOPOLY, you'll love playing the Android version.

One of the great things about playing the digital version of MONOPOLY is that you don't have to track down someone willing to take you on--you can match your business acumen against the computer any time you feel like it. Set the AI opponent at three levels of difficulty, so you'll always get a challenge (or if you prefer, an easy win). Of course, it's much more fun to switch to Pass 'N Play mode, just so you can see your rivals' faces when you crush them.

More Free on Kindle - Backlist and Self-Pubbed

My fingers are getting a bit sore from one-clicking this morning, but I've found a few more for you to grab today, while they are free.

First up, two free books from Scott Nicholson, who runs the small press Haunted Computer Books: The Skull Ring (Julia Stone) and As I Die Lying. Scott has been kind enough to send me review copies of his books from time to time, but I didn't have either of these in my library. His children's book, Duncan the Punkin, is still free today and you'll find a number of titles at 99 cents if you look thru his catalog.

The Skull Ring (Julia Stone)
Julia Stone's past comes creeping back when she discovers a strange silver ring, and three men want to help her--but choosing the wrong one could cost not only her heart but her soul.

THE SKULL RING

Dr. Pamela Forrest is determined to bring Julia's memories to the surface, hoping to heal Julia's panic disorder. The therapist keeps returning Julia to a night twenty-three years ago when Julia was four. A night of hooded figures, strange chants, pain, and blood. The night her father disappeared from the face of the earth.

But the line between the past and the present begins to blur when Julia finds a silver skull ring that bears the name "Judas Stone." Someone is leaving strange messages inside her house, even though the door is locked. The handyman, who has a key, spends a lot of time in the woods behind her house. Her boyfriend Mitchell becomes distant and violent. And the cop who investigated her father's disappearance has followed her to the small Appalachian town of Elkwood.

Now she has a head full of memories, but she doesn't know which are real and which are the creations of Dr. Forrest. The shadows of Julia's panic are growing larger and darker. But succumbing to madness seems safer than heeding the whispers that claim ownership of her body and soul.

As I Die Lying
Richard's life is a horror story. And it's all the fault of that evil, soul-hopping spirit that took over his head. Or maybe the other four people in there.

Richard Coldiron journeys through a troubled childhood, where he meets his invisible friend, his other invisible friend...and then some who aren’t so friendly.

There’s Mister Milktoast, the protective punster; Little Hitler, who leers from the shadows; Loverboy, the lusty bastard; and Bookworm, who is thoughtful, introspective, and determined to solve the riddle of Richard’s disintegration into either madness or genius, and of course only makes things worse. They reside in the various rooms of his skull, a place known as the Bone House. And the people outside his head aren't so comforting, either--little Sally, his hapless mother, his cruel dad, and a misfit teen named Virginia who also hears voices.

Richard keeps his cool despite the voices in his head, but he’s about to get a new tenant: the Insider, a malevolent soul-hopping spirit that may or may not be born from Richard’s nightmares and demands a co-writing credit and a little bit of foot-kissing dark worship.

Now Richard doesn’t know which voice to trust. The book’s been rejected 117 times. The people he loves keep turning up dead. And here comes the woman of his dreams.

I do have a review copy of Steven Konkoly's The Jakarta Pandemic floating around on my Kindle, but haven't managed to start reading it yet (past the sample, anyway). Today, you can all get a copy and see if you can beat me to finishing it. If you are into military fiction, you might also check out his other title, Black Flagged, currently $2.99 (and in the KLL).

Book Description
THE DEADLIEST PANDEMIC FLU IN HISTORY IS BEARING DOWN ON NEW ENGLAND, AND ALEX FLETCHER HAS A BIG PROBLEM...

HIS FAMILY IS PREPARED, BUT NOBODY ELSE IS.

AS THE FLU SPREADS, AND THE WINTER INTENSIFIES...

THE FOOD TRUCKS STOP, HOSPITALS TURN AWAY THE SICK, AND RIOTS ROCK THE CITIES. POWER PLANTS WILL START TO TRIP OFFLINE WITHIN DAYS.

EVERYONE IS DESPERATE...

ALEX'S PROBLEM IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!

In the late fall of 2013, a lethal pandemic virus emerges from the Islamic Republic of Indonesia and rages unchecked across every continent. When the Jakarta Flu threatens his picture perfect Maine neighborhood, Alex Fletcher, Iraq War veteran, is ready to do whatever it takes to keep his family safe. As a seasoned sales representative for Biosphere Pharmaceuticals, makers of a leading flu virus treatment, Alex understands what a deadly pandemic means for all of them. He particularly knows that strict isolation is the only guaranteed way to protect his family from the new disease.

With his family and home prepared for an extended period of seclusion, Alex has few real concerns about the growing pandemic. But as the deadliest pandemic in human history ravages northern New England, and starts to unravel the fabric of their Maine neighborhood, he starts to realize that the flu itself is the least of his problems. A mounting scarcity of food and critical supplies turns most of the neighbors against him, and Alex is forced to confront their unexpected hostility before it goes too far. Just when he thinks it can’t get any worse, the very face of human evil arrives on Durham Rd. and threatens to destroy them all. Alex and his few remaining friends band together to protect the neighborhood from a threat far deadlier than the flu, as they edge closer to the inevitable confrontation that will test the limits of their humanity.

Doranna Durgin has another title free today, Making the Rules, a stand-alone action romance, previously published by Silhouette .

Book Description
Kimmer Reed is a Hunter Agency operative, a street foundling escaped from an abusive family and raised to be code-name Chimera--a fierce, savvy loner with a natural gift for reading people. Now on her first assignment with the one man she trusts--the one man she can't read--she finds herself overseas in the Basque countryside, framed for the theft of the very antiquity she has been sent to guard and doubting her ability to work with a partner at all--never mind the man she loves.

Rio Carlsen, former CIA field officer who left the agency with scars both physical and emotional, joins Hunter Agency field operations with reservations--and only because his partner is Kimmer. Now he's caught in the schemes of a woman from Kimmer's past. Political terrorism, antiquities theft, and revenge--this woman wants it all, and she's on her way to getting it.

Framed, cut off from the agency, and tangled in Basque Nationalist splinter terrorist groups, the biggest challenge Kimmer and Rio face is coming to terms with their pasts and with each other--so they can live through the day on the way to saving it.

My Lord Viking was originally published by ImaJinn Books under the pen name J A Ferguson in 2001, then reprinted in 2007 under Jo Ann Ferguson as part of their Forever Romance line.

Book Description
Viking Nils Bjornsson turns his back on a warrior's reward to find his chieftain's stolen knife and erase the dishonor brought upon Nils's family. When he appeals to the Norse gods to send him a handmaiden to help him fulfill his pledge to bring the knife to his chieftain, he forgets how the old gods like to meddle in the lives of mortals.

Lady Linnea Sutherland knows her father wishes her to marry their neighbor Lord Tuthill. It is certain to be the perfect match for a Regency miss. But Linnea is looking for a hero, a man who excites her heart as boring Lord Tuthill does not. When she discovers Nils injured on the shore, she is caught up in the adventure of helping this handsome, dangerous man complete the vow he made nearly a millennium before. But first she must teach this Viking how to act like a Regency gentleman.

To help Nils means that Linnea must dare the ancient ways of his past and risk her future. In a game played in the Norse gods' hall of Asgard, two human hearts are of little consequence and love can become an ally or a foe.

Speaking of Imajinn Books, you'll find fifteen of their books free in the Kindle store today, including The Sea Star, by Jean Nash.

Book Description
When Susanna Sterling's brother loses his half interest in the Sea Star to Jay Grainger, a powerful hotel magnate, she fears that Grainger will ultimately gain full control of her beloved hotel.

As she battles to regain her birthright, Susanna finds herself falling in love with her irresistible adversary. Meanwhile, her mother, who abandoned the family years ago, returns to the Sea Star to further complicate Susanna's life.

In time, duplicity, a tragic secret, and a devastating fire threaten to destroy Susanna's love for Jay and all that she holds dear.

If your reading tastes lean more towards erotica, author Selena Kitt has a half-dozen of her titles for free, including Foreign Exchange (An Erotica / Erotica Coming of Age Romance).

Book Description
David has been brightening up his gray Surrey, England days with the porn collection hidden in his parents' shed, but when he finds that their American foreign exchange student, Dawn, has discovered his magazines, things really begin to heat up. David’s parents insist that he look for a job, but Dawn has the week off and is determined to work on her tan. Distracted David finds himself increasingly tempted by their seductive, older foreign exchange student, who makes it very clear what she wants. In spite of the Study Abroad program’s policy that no “relations” are allowed between a student and anyone in their host family--not to mention David’s mother’s insistence that they treat each other as “brother and sister,”--Dawn’s teasing ways slowly break down the barrier between them until they both give in to their lust. But what are they going to do about the feelings that have developed between them in the meantime?

Author's Note: This story appeared in another, now rather infamous book of mine titled NAUGHTY BITS. Foreign Exchange is a slightly less naughty, but no less sexy re-telling of those events--updated and redressed for your reading pleasure.

$3 Instant Video Credit at Amazon (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers. This is a very limited time offer and must be claimed by tomorrow.

Get $3 off Amazon Instant Videos

Click on the offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and you'll get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on December 28.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Instant Video page, a promotion code and 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(s), you have until January 31, 2012. to complete your purchases. I'd recommend that you apply the credit right away, since it works on any video purchase - then you can shop on the web, from your Kindle Fire or your Roku (currently $10 off, if you don't have one yet) and it will be used automatically.

You can use this credit on a rental or to purchase single items or entire television seasons. I'll probably use mine for the occasional 99 cent movie rental; if you have multiple KSO's, be sure you have them registered to different accounts before you try to claim this one or they'll all end up with the same code. With different accounts, each KSO can claim and use the code (three $1 rentals each should be enough to keep you in movies for the month, if you have 2 or 3 KSO's!).

Dozens of Free Books from Konrath/Kilborn and Crouch (K)

It may be a glitch or it may be a promotion, but if you act fast, you'll find plenty of free reading from these horror/thriller authors:

• Blake Crouch
• Jack Kilborn
• J.A. Konrath

Free Short Stories by Howard Fast (K/N/I/E)

There are several republished short stories by Howard Fast that are currently free in the main ebookstores, courtesy of Open Road (who hopes you'll look at his recently released backlist). But, the best bargain amongst his novels is one published by Sourcebooks, Immigrants (Lavette Family), currently on sale for $1.79 on Kindle ($1.99 elsewhere, coupon eligible).

The Art of Zen Meditation (Kindle/B&N/iTunes/Sony)
Howard Fast began to formally practice Zen meditation after turning away from communism in 1956. The Art of Zen Meditation, originally published by the antiwar political collective Peace Press in 1977, is the fruit of Fast’s study: a brief and instructive history of Zen Buddhism and its tenets, written with a simplicity that is emblematic of the philosophy itself. Fast’s study of Zen also inspired his popular Masao Masuto mystery series about a Zen Buddhist detective in Beverly Hills, which he published under the pseudonym E. V. Cunningham.

The Art of Zen Meditation is illustrated with twenty-three beautiful photographs.

Spain and Peace (Kindle/iTunes/Kobo/Sony)
Howard Fast was a longtime proponent of the antifascist movement in Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, Fast supported a hospital for Popular Front forces, and in 1950 he was sentenced to three months in jail for refusing to give the names of other supporters of that hospital to the House Un-American Activities Committee. In this pamphlet, published in 1951, Fast gives an overview of Spain under the rule of General Francisco Franco, including the mass strikes that were organized to weaken him. Fast’s fervent appeals to readers to reject American military agreements with Spain demonstrate his passionate opposition to fascism. As Fast writes, “Spain fights on, and in those three words there is a miracle. . . . There is no Spanish worker, professional, intellectual or peasant who strikes a blow for freedom without our being intimately concerned.”

The Incredible Tito: Man of the Hour (Kindle/B&N/iTunes/Kobo/Sony)
The world was mired in the Second World War when Howard Fast wrote The Incredible Tito. Upon the book’s publication in 1944, there was still no united Yugoslavia, the Axis controlled most of Europe, and D-Day was only in the planning stages. In the Balkans, Tito was a beacon of hope against the advancing Nazis. He led a force of resistance fighters that bedeviled the occupying German army throughout Slavic regions and empowered people’s committees to act as local government in all liberated areas. For observers on the political left, Tito seemed uniquely poised to unite the East and West against fascism—once and for all.

Immigrants (Lavette Family) ($1.79 Kindle; $1.99 B&N/iTunes/Kobo/Sony)
In this sweeping journey of love and fortune, master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the rise and fall of a family of roughneck immigrants determined to make their way in America at the turn of the century. Quick to ascend from the tragic depths of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Dan Lavette becomes the head of a powerful shipping empire and establishes himself among the city's cultural elite. But when he finds himself caught in a loveless marriage to the daughter of San Francisco's richest family, a scandalous love affair threatens to destroy the empire Dan has built for himself.

The first of a compelling family saga, The Immigrants is a fast-paced, emotional novel that captures the wide range of relationships among immigrant families during the tumultuous events that defined the early twentieth century in America.