Short Stories - Collections

As I look thru the Kindle store, I've noticed that the number of individual, stand-alone short stories being offered has really been taking off. The only problem is that the minimum price that can be charged is 99 cents and, although the authors may not all agree, that's a steep price per story, compared to traditional publishing. Most published short stories are purchased as a part of a collection or appear in a magazine, where the cost/story to a consumer is closer to 25 to 50 cents per story (Analog and Asimov's for example, are only $2.99 per issue in the Kindle store and even cheaper at other ebookstores). Were you to purchase a print collection, a 15 story compilation would be $15 (an average trade paperback price), but many compilations offer more than that for the same price (although novella length stories tend to be offered in collections of 4 to 6, but at paperback prices). Of course, with ebooks a lot of the delivery costs are missing and a lot of what is being offered is stories from authors that either could not find a publisher (the market for short stories tends to be quite small). Amazon has their Amazon Shorts program for short stories, but the standards there are just as high as with many other publishing houses (the prices, though, are 49 cents per story, not 99 cents as in the Kindle store). While I might be willing to pay the higher price for the Kurt Vonnegut stories being released as singles (but would prefer them in the actual book collection that they are being released in on paper), I'm not willing to do so for unknown authors or even many of the authors where I willingly purchase their books (just not at $10-15 prices). There are, however, a number of short story collections out there that do fit my budget. I've purchased a few of these, but not others, so (as always) sample first before committing to a purchase.

Strange Times ($0.99 Kindle), by Robert Williams, was originally released at a much higher price, reduced for a sale and is now stuck at 99 cents due to Amazon's scrutiny of Kindle books. Grab it at this price while it lasts, or check it out on Smashwords, where it is currently the same price.

Book Description
Written over a period of seven years, the dark, finely crafted stories of Robert Williams's first short story collection span the science fiction, horror, historical fiction and mystery genres, presented here exclusively for Kindle readers.

In the award-winning short story, "The Experiment," a young man is subjected to a deadly test: how much pressure will it take to force him to kill a stranger? "Graymalkin" tells the origin of the Weird Sisters from Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Edgar Allen Poe is involved in a real-life woman's mysterious disappearance in "Mary Rogers." A vampire of India struggles against his demonic creator in "Child of the Lamia," while a lonely man seeks a different kind of redemption in "The Man Upstairs."

Sage: Tales from a Magical Kingdom ($1.00 Kindle or Smashwords), by Maria E. Schneider, is a trio of novellas.

Book Description
Sword and Sorcery meets Agatha Christie. Three novellas introduce the Kingdom of Sage and those who protect its boundaries. Join Demetria and her husband Ward in their adventures as they protect Sage from evil: Rats, Snakes and perpetrators from within.

Sometimes it takes a more experienced hand to save an entire Kingdom.

The first of these stories, "Toil, Trouble and Rot," was published in "Coyote Wild Magazine." The other two are all new, original stories.

"Toil, Trouble and Rot" finds the Kingdom of Sage under attack from a deadly and mysterious enemy.

In "Dungeons and Decay" find out just how far a mother will go when her child is in danger--and how much magic it takes to keep him safe.

In "Call to Arms" every hand is needed when a ghost invades the kingdom demanding old wrongs be righted.

The Baum Plan for Financial Independence: and Other Stories, by John Kessel, is $9.99 in the Kindle store. But you can get the collection for free at Feedbooks.com.

Book Description
An ex-con finds himself falling, once more, under a seductive, amoral woman's spell. A hidden door in a summer house leads to a land of plenty. An inventor's life converges with the pulp fiction he reads. In "Pride and Prometheus," the Bennett sisters encounter Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. And, in his acclaimed and award-winning Lunar Quartet, Kessel explores the gender dynamics, politics, and long-term sustainability of a matriarchal lunar colony. This astonishing collection ranges from science fiction to the surreal while intersecting with Frank L. Baum's Oz and the characters of Flannery O'Connor, Mary Shelley, and Jane Austen. By turns satirical, horrific, funny, and generous, these stories showcase the manifold gifts of a modern-day master.

Carol's Aquarium ($0.99 Kindle; $1.50 Smashwords), by Kristen J. Tsetsi, contains a combination of published, unpublished, and award-winning fiction.

Book Description
Fish-in-a-box. A plane crash. A man losing control in one story, a woman taking control in another. Some love, some lust, some selfishness, some anger, and--tucked inside--an unexpected moment of uptight passion.

The stories in Carol's Aquarium vary widely in length, style, and voice, true to the many moods we all experience from one day to the next. One of the more enjoyable challenges of writing is in creating a unique world for each story, and in Carol's Aquarium, each of the stories (some just a single page long) invites you into a different world, a new relationship, a unique experience you might find feels strangely and uncomfortably familiar.

Tales of a Texas Boy ($1.99 Kindle or Smashwords), by Marva Dasef, is a cross between a memoir and a short story collection.

Book Description
How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.

Pip and Flinx - Alan Dean Foster

If you enjoyed For Love of Mother Not (Free Kindle), by Alan Dean Foster, you'll probably want to also pick up The End of the Matter ($1.80), is the third in the Pip and Flinx series.

Book Description
Accompanied by his faithful minidrag Pip and a most troublesome alien called Abalamahalamatandra--Ab for short--Flinx set out for Alaspin, the ruggedly primitive homeworld of his flying snake. There he hoped to find the giant man with the gold earring who somehow held the key to Flinx's mysterious past and to the strange powers he possessed. Chasing down his heritage was trouble enough, but Flinx didn't know what real trouble was until he realized that the Qwarm--a deadly assassin squad--were three steps behind him with a contract to kill. But the minidrag's homeworld did not offer safety and Flinx had a terrible time just staying alive ... a matter complicated to no mean degree by a collapsar already set on an unstoppable death course across the galaxy!

You can pick up some of the rest of the beginning of this series at a discount as well. Although the first in the series, The Tar-aiym Krang is $5.59, you can get it and the fourth bundled together at the same price: The Tar-aiym Krang/Orphan Star. Book six, Flinx in Flux, is $4.79 and that only leaves the second in the series, Bloodhype, missing - it's also supposed to be $4.79, but is currently marked unavailable (and like many other books with this status at Amazon, there is no clue as to why or when it will return). Of course, that's just the start of the series - there are eight more to go after Flinx in Flux.

Refurbished Kindle and Kindle 2 - as low as $150

Amazon has further reduced the price of a Refurbished Kindle to $149.99. This is the original Kindle (Kindle 1 or Kindle Klassic, as some call it), which has a bit touchier keys and is thicker than the current Kindle, but has a better keyboard (in my opinion), an SD card for expansion and a user-replaceable battery, in addition to switches for turning off wireless access (easier to show on a plane that the wireless is off).

New to the scene, you can now order a refurbished Kindle 2 for $219.00 (I've seen rumors that it was as low as $190, but that price must not have lasted). These are slightly longer than the original Kindles, but slimmer (same weight, though), have keys that require a more deliberate touch to activate, a higher graphics resolution, text-to-speech, a nicer interface for reading subscriptions and a wider Whispernet coverage than the original Kindle.

Both of the refurbished units have this info on the warranty:

All purchases eligible for Amazon customer service and 30 day return policy.

That's the same as when I purchased a refurbished Kindle nearly a year ago (the one that arrived did have a problem with one key; Amazon shipped a new one as soon as I reported it and that one has worked flawlessly since). What was explained to me and has been told to others that have called is that it is the same 30 days, no questions asked return policy and the same one year warranty as you would get on a new unit. I know that both of the refurbished units that arrived were indistinguishable from brand new units and their packaging - the only tell-tale was apparently a bright pink, round sticker on the outside shrink wrap.

It's not too early to be considering holiday gift ideas (or too late for back to school purchases). However, make sure you do take it out of the box and test it thoroughly during the 30 day return period, if it is going to be a gift at a later time. That gives you plenty of time to get it exchanged, if necessary.

Free Books - SciFi and Fantasy/Horror by Randolph Lalonde

Christine over at Finding Free Books has been having problems downloading from Smashwords*. Funny that one of her examples was a book by Randolph Lalonde, as I've been working on a post of his SciFi books for the last couple of days, since he stopped by Ebookgab.com. I picked up Freeground ($0.49 Kindle), the first in the First Light Chronicles trilogy, some time ago, when he first offered it for free (it's still on his website, in PDF and PRC/MOBI format). Now, you can get the entire trilogy free at Smashwords, along with several of his other books. For the non-free titles, prices are comparable to the Kindle store, all are DRM free and several formats are available.

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus ($7.99 Kindle) contains the entire First Light Chronicles Trilogy: Freeground ($0.49 Kindle), Limbo ($5.59 Kindle) and Starfree Port ($6.39 Kindle). This entire trilogy serves as a prequel to his Spinward Fringe series.

Book Description
In the middle of the darkest region of explored space sits one bright beacon; Freeground Station. Serving as a supply and trading post it is home to a select number of human beings that will take an unlikely chance to make a difference in their end of the galaxy.

Jonas and his friends spent their spare time in tactical simulations and drew the attention of Freeground Fleet Command when they hacked into restricted combat scenarios for elite trainees and defeated all comers.

Instead of punishing Jonas and his friends they offered them an opportunity to undertake a dangerous and exciting mission. They were to go out into the Galaxy and acquire any advantages that would improve life for Freegrounders.

This series is about their first voyage together, the challenges they face, and the relationships they forge with each other and the beings they meet along the way.

Dark Arts: Rising ($3.99 Kindle) is shorter than most of his other novels (about 16,000 words or 160K in size) and is also the only I see that doesn't fit into his Spinward Fringe series in some way.

Book Description
The resurrection of Zachary Ellison has brought on a series of events that are changing the world forever. Maxwell, one of the last surviving members of a secret Order of occultists, has failed to catch him in time and is tasked to begin reviving the Order while attempting to minimize the damage his old foe is set to cause. Terrors unseen for thousands of years threaten to emerge if he fails.

Spinward Fringe: Strange Horizons and Close Encounters is only available at Smashwords or on Lalonde's website. It's basically a guide to the characters and events of the universe for the series and is periodically updated, something that isn't possible in the Kindle store.

Book Description
This book chronicles events that take place in the universe first developed in the Spinward Fringe series and focuses on characters that deal with problems from a perspective separate from the characters central to the Spinward Fringe books. This is a living document and stories are added to the anthology regularly. It's suggested that readers engage in this anthology after reading the regular Spinward Fringe series.

For the free Smashwords versions:
Click HERE to get First Light Chronicles: Omnibus.
Click HERE to get Dark Arts: Rising .
Click HERE to get Spinward Fringe: Strange Horizons and Close Encounters.

Once you've finished the free titles, you can continue with the Spinward Fringe series on Kindle or at Smashwords. If you want to try his fantasy series, The Fate Cycle, that one is only in the Kindle store, for now. Here's the reading order for the Spinward Fringe series (the first two are available as a combined volume):

Spinward Fringe: Resurrection
Captain Jacob Valance has no memory. Left on a strange ship on the fringe of the galaxy, he was forced to begin a new life. Years pass. He’s been joined by a ragtag crew of fringers and become a man who can recover lost property, hunt down hardened criminals and go where others fear to tread. Little does he know his search for clues to his past is about to bear fruit.

Spinward Fringe: Awakening
The Samson crew are caught in their Captain’s problems as his past catches up with him. As new allies start to fall in line old enemies come out of the shadows. While they struggle to deal with their own problems, Regent Galactic starts putting a plan in motion that could bring about the fourth fall of man and position themselves as the saviors. Their ambition could spell disaster for the entire galactic fringe.

Spinward Fringe: Triton
After narrowly escaping a brush with an old enemy Captain Valance and his crew reach out to their allies for help. Meanwhile, allies and enemies from his past are set to reveal themselves in unexpected ways, changing his life and the galaxy forever.

Spinward Fringe: Frontline
Captain Valance and his crew are finally learning to work as a unit. Oblivious to the grander designs of the Order of Eden, they are drawn into a brutal conflict over a planet the Order is depopulating so they can use it for themselves. Who will survive the Front line?

Spinward Fringe: Fracture
Part One Of The Rogue Element Trilogy
The crew of the Triton is making their way to Ossimi Station, a safe haven for independent ships and traders. In a galaxy gripped by conflict and teetering on the verge of chaos, Captain Jacob Valance and his crew will be faced with the unexpected, the unknown, and an opportunity to save thousands of lives. Will their sympathy be their undoing?


*All fixed now: she has an older download manager that interfered with site and has some side effects with others; now that she knows, she can disable it when it causes problems.

Free Business Book (PDF) - Rip-Off! by David Craig

Rip-Off! The Scandalous Inside Story of the Management Consulting Money Machine ($19.62 paperback), by David Craig, is available as a free PDF download from the Simple-Talk website. I did wonder if it is an abridged edition, as the paperback says it has 320 pages, while the PDF has 167, but it appears to just be a formatting issue due to page size differences. David Craig is a UK author and the book concerns UK (and EU) business practices, but is relevant in the states as well (years ago I worked with a local television station - they had new managment consultants at least each year and the only sure thing is that current one's advice would contradict whatever the last one told them).

Book Description
Who are management consultants? What power do they have? How can they charge so many millions for their services? Do they really deliver any value? Why do organisations use them? * Every single working day, British companies and the government pay over GBP30million for management consultants' advice * Each year Management Consultancy creates more millionaires than the National Lottery * A leading consultancy recently repaid USD54million to a client after allegedly defrauding that client * Confidential surveys show consultants believe that about half the work they do is of little value to clients and a further 20 per cent is "junk" At last, an insider takes the lid off Management Consulting and reveals how too often this vast and secretive business has become a licence to siphon off almost unlimited quantities of clients' money. In Rip-Off! the author shows that there can sometimes be truly great management consultancy. However, he also reveals how most of the world's major management consultancies have become vast and incredibly profitable factories churning out thousands of almost identical "warm bodies", whose time must be sold to clients, whether clients have problems to be solved or not.

Click HERE for the download.