Free Book (PDF) - The Painted Darkness

In case you missed The Painted Darkness ($2.99 Kindle), a novella by Brian James Freeman, when it was free direct from the publisher over the summer, you can pick it up as a free download from Wowio this month. In addition, the Wowio Edition contains some extras not found in the hardcover (no idea if they are in the Kindle version):

• A Wowio exclusive: a reading of the book’s first chapter by Pod of Horror host Mark Justice.
• An interview with Ray Bradbury: “We Have Too Many Inventions!”
• $5.00 discount coupon valid on an order for the trade hardcover edition of The Painted Darkness for a limited time only (presumably direct, not via Amazon).

Book Description
When Henry was a child, something terrible happened in the woods behind his home, something so shocking he could only express his grief by drawing pictures of what he had witnessed. Eventually Henry's mind blocked out the bad memories, but he continued to draw, often at night by the light of the moon.

Twenty years later, Henry makes his living by painting his disturbing works of art. He loves his wife and his son and life couldn't be better... except there's something not quite right about the old stone farmhouse his family now calls home. There's something strange living in the cramped cellar, in the maze of pipes that feed the ancient steam boiler.

A winter storm is brewing and soon Henry will learn the true nature of the monster waiting for him down in the darkness. He will battle this demon and, in the process, he may discover what really happened when he was a child and why, in times of trouble, he thinks: I paint against the darkness.

But will Henry learn the truth in time to avoid the terrible fate awaiting him... or will the thing in the cellar get him and his family first?

Written as both a meditation on the art of creation and as an examination of the secret fears we all share, The Painted Darkness is a terrifying look at the true cost we pay when we run from our grief—and what happens when we're finally forced to confront the monsters we know all too well.

Click HERE for the free download. It'll be a Secured PDF, but loads in Adobe Reader 9 (ADE isn't required).

Mini Shopaholic for $1.49 (EPUB)

I know that the lower price has been reported to Amazon (by at least two of us), but I somehow doubt that they will match the price on this one. Ereadable.com has Mini Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella, on sale for $1.49. It's selling at Amazon for $9.99 on Kindle and is still in hardcover, since it only released two weeks ago. It may be worth checking on an off the next few days, though, if you can't take advantage of this price on the EPUB edition.

I took a chance (I had not dealt with this company before), and have in ADE now (The only format available is EPUB with ADE-DRM), ready to load on one of my non-Kindle readers. I scanned thru the pages and checked first few against the Kindle for Web preview and it looks like the entire book at a bargain price. What with the big sale that Fictionwise has on these recently, that completes the series for me (now, to find time to read them).

Book Description
Sophie Kinsella has dazzled readers with her irresistible Shopaholic novels—sensational international bestsellers that have garnered millions of devoted fans and catapulted her into the first rank of contemporary storytellers. Now her beloved heroine Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) returns in a hilarious tale of married life, toddlerhood, and the perils of trying to give a fabulous surprise party—on a budget!

Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But it’s trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.

Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “Mine!” and she’s even trying to get into eBay! On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there’s a huge financial crisis.

With people having to “cut back,” Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up. But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source—and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves.

Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year? Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave? And . . . most important . . . will Becky’s secret wishes ever come true?

Click HERE to get the book from eReadable.com.

Amazon Game Deal of the Day - Lighted Controllers

I have an idea that if I ever the the free booklist for today finished, I'm going to need a break. I may even buy one of these Lighted Controllers that Amazon has on sale today - the blue one would perfectly match the WII (and it lights up when it vibrates, so you can see those fish strike, not just feel them in the fishing games!) and there are matching Lightchucks (rather than Nunchucks) with retractable cables, as well as controllers for the PS3 (which I am also considering) and 360. Reading the product description, I have to wonder if some of the people that write those oh-so-funny content warnings for Samhain are moonlighting with these guys (or, is that LEDlighting?). Even if you don't want these, go over and watch the two videos on this product page; they are hilarious.

Product Description
Back By Popular Demand! PDP's line of 2nd Gen. Afterglow Controllers will light the way to higher scores, unbeatable performance, and an enhanced sense of game play that only PDP can deliver. Each controller casing is built using the best available Poly Carbonate plastic to ensure extraordinary strength, crystal clear visibility to the internal LED's and color coded circuit boards. PDP's Controllers are tough as nails and as cool as the other side of the pillow. 3 LED modes let you choose your pleasure:

• "On" for constant glow effect
• "Off" for those of us with no sense of adventure - Why?
• Lastly, the ever popular acceleration and vibration mode

lighting the room with the vibrancy of a swarm of angry fireflies only when the controller is swung or shaken, or when the vibration motors are activated. Color coded circuit boards highlight the 3 currently available colors: Ruby Red, Blue Velvet and Green W/Envy - which is what all your friends will be when you mesmerize them with your Afterglow Controllers in action.

LED's A Plenty
Millions of LED's in each controller - Not really. Actually 6 vibrant LED's in each controller and that's a lot for one controller. They just seem like a million.

Enhanced Button Layout
The Wii Remote is a brilliant device incorporating several state of the art technologies - all working in concert to bring you the most fun, physically engaged game experience the World has ever known. Plus, PDP has a redesigned, ergonomic button layout. The (-) and (+) buttons, used to scroll through menus and place the game on pause, have been positioned on the controller shoulder for easier access.

The (1) & (2) buttons play an especially important role in most games the pinnacle of which is the ever popular "side scroller". You can't live without mastering the 1 and 2 buttons - PDP has positioned these buttons in a way that is suspiciously reminiscent of your favorite Super Nintendo Controller, staggered for intuitive button pressing - By mistake you ask? Uh, No - - Your jumping, blocking, crouching and all other Life Saving activities rely on your 1 and 2 button pressing prowess. Did I say you can't live without PDP's Afterglow Remote for Wii's button layout? Yes I did.

Color Coordinated Strap
A wise man once said, “you got to COORDINATE”. So we did. The high-tensile-strength straps are capable of stopping a steam locomotive sitting motionless at the Smithsonian for decades without even stretching. And it will keep the Afterglow Remote tethered to your wrist, too.

Free Book (nook) - Kell's Legend

Kell's Legend ($3.99), by Andy Remic, the first title in his The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles series, is free from Barnes and Noble today. These Free Friday books often turn up free later for the Kindle, but not always, so grab it while you can. It has good reviews, but is apparently fairly explicit for violence and language.

Book Description
Ferocious fantasy from a real-life hardman come to claim the post-Gemmell world.

THEY CAME FROM THE NORTH AND THE CITY FELL.

It is a time for warriors, a time for heroes. Kell's axe howls out for blood. The land of Falanor has been invaded by an albino army, the Army of Iron. A small group set off to warn the king: Kell, a magnificent and brutal hero; his granddaughter, Nienna and her friend, Katrina; and Saark, the ex-Sword Champion of King Leanoric, disgraced after his affair with the Queen.

Fighting their way south, betrayal follows battle, battle follows deviation, and they are attacked from all quarters by deadly warriors, monstrous harvesters who drain blood from their victims to feed their masters. As Falanor comes under heavy attack and invasion, only then does Nienna begin to learn the truth about grandfather Kell -- that he is anything but a hero. Ferocious fantasy from a real-life hardman come to claim the post-Gemmell world.

Click HERE for the free book.

Free Book (ADE/PDF) - Loving Little Egypt

You may have missed the one-day only free book yesterday from the University of Chicago yesterday, but you have most of the month to get Loving Little Egypt ($9.99 Kindle), by Thomas McMahon.

Book Description
In the early 1920s, nearly blind physics prodigy Mourly Vold finds out how to tap into the nation's long distance telephone lines. With the help of Alexander Graham Bell, Vold tries to warn the phone companies that would-be saboteurs could do the same thing, but they ignore him. Unfortunately, his taps do catch the notice of William Randolph Hearst, who hires Thomas Edison to get to the bottom of them—and the chase is on!

Click HERE to sign up for the free book. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds and it appears I have an entire year to download the book (you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the PDF book inside of Adobe ADE). This is a DRM'd PDF that is not compatible with the Kindle.