A Literary Pursuit

Cover Reveal - Courtship and the Kremlin!

2012-01-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

Courtship and the Kremlin, a novelette, will be available this Spring! And I just had to share the cover with you early. I think it's lovely. :) It will be available in ebook format.

I hope you enjoy it!

Courtship and the Kremlin

~A Novelette~

When seventeen year old Karina is forced to pledge her hand in marriage to Prince Vladimir, she fears all hope at true love is lost. Her dreams of joining 1800’s Russian Society, and having her pick of eligible suitors, are only for the lucky few.

Prince Vladimir has no romantic intentions toward Karina, only a deep seeded revenge against his rival, Prince Andrei - Karina’s true love. But Prince Vladimir is a man who gets exactly what he wants and precisely whom he wants.

And Karina has fallen in his path of conquest.

The battle between the two princes will leave only one man standing and one princess waiting to see if true love will prevail after all.

***

Coming Spring 2012

Compass eBooks (16)

2012-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 16th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook!

***

C.A. Freeburn
2.99

Two bullets in the back give PI Callous Demar an address change to Limbo, and life after death takes on a whole new meaning. Not wanting to indulge in his forced early retirement, Callous opens shop to help the recently murdered.

When a dame walks into his office, he thinks solving her murder will be a piece of cake, as his two prime suspects are the butler and the husband. He soon discovers the case is far more complicated than he suspected.

Callous finds his carefree attitude further challenged when he must also find the killer of his grandniece, whose murder might be tied to his own.

Mike Dennis
3.99

"THE GHOSTS OF HAVANA opens on a chill winter night in Key West, where blood runs thick on the floor of a Duval Street nightclub. From that noir beginning, Mike Dennis takes us on a thrill ride to uncover a long hidden secret, a race against death. Dennis’ staccato prose keeps the pages turning to the surprising ending. Unputdownable." --- Jonathan Woods, author of BAD JUJU & OTHER TALES OF MAYHEM AND MADNESS

"A relentlessly fast-paced conspiracy thriller…Mike Dennis does a terrific job of revealing the seamy side of Key West." -- Heath Lowrance, author of THE BASTARD HAND

The second exciting novel in Mike Dennis' Key West Nocturnes series, THE GHOSTS OF HAVANA is a tale of old vendettas that will not die. Mike Dennis continues to lift the veil off Key West, revealing it as a true noir city, on a par with Los Angeles, New Orleans, or Miami.

C.S. Einfeld
2.99

The Faeries of Southnut are in big trouble. Lord Darkwater is up to no good.

The White Castle of Doru is under attack by the greatest army Princess Fiera's ever seen. Lord Darkwater is poised to crush her tiny kingdom unless the king gives Fiera up to become his wife.

Well, fffungus! She's having none of that!

The race is on for Fiera to outwit Lord Darkwater's Dragonfly Riders, Bat Brigades, and even a giant, faerie - eating Spider to save herself and, before it's too late, her whole world.
***
As reviewed by HarperCollins:
NEVERDARK is a charming fairytale - adventure for children of all ages. It is a traditional tale, but it certainly doesn’t feel old-fashioned. This is in large part due to the vivacious writing and the very engaging authorial voice.

I found NEVERDARK a really enjoyable read. The writing style feels quite effortless, and the story romps along at a fantastic pace. Princess Fiera’s world really came to life.

One of the key strengths of the book is Princess Fiera herself. The princess is a really fresh character. She is no hackneyed fairy - princess! She is a fantastic, hugely appealing heroine who I think readers will relate to and care about.

Ernie Lindsey
1.99

Have you ever closed your eyes, taken a deep breath, and asked, "Why me?" The Two Crosses takes that question to a place that we can't even imagine.

Jay Cross is just trying to get home to Atlanta after a long cross-country trip with his deaf fiance Pattie. David Kreutzer just wants his wife's vision to stop failing before she goes blind. And then one day, they are shocked to find out that they suddenly have the ability to heal the sick with a single touch. No fanfare, no trumpets. It's simply...a miracle. While they learn to deal with this overwhelming ability to change the entire world, both men are unknowingly pursued by a mysterious stranger named Conner Joseph who claims to be a righteous man and is intent on destroying these abominations. Over the course of a few tense months, Jay and David have to find the answer to these inconceivable questions: What happens when you're supernatural? What would you do with the power to change the world? Would you embrace it or run from it?

You won't be able to put down this gripping, breakthrough novel from the newest voice in metaphysical fiction. Get some extra light bulbs, because you're going to be up for awhile.

J.R. Pennstroke
2.99

What if the Air Force had to hold bake sales? But students had all the supplies they needed and college graduates weren't saddled with tens of thousands in debt?

What if millions were imprisoned for alcohol, but not weed?

What if financial service commercials actually told the truth? And the 1% were staging an Occupy Cubicle movement.

What if media companies _didn't_ try to censor the Internet, through bills like SOPA?

What if every teacher could afford a shiny new Lexus, but hedge fund managers had to take the bus?

Peace in the middle east? Famine vanquished in Africa?

This is the world of Opposite Day: A Political Satire. It all starts with a third-grader named Billy Simmons. Oh, and has a little something to do with a mysterious council of twelve dolphins. Also--a mystical raccoon named Ralphy.

Tim Kizer
.99

A paranormal horror novel, about 106,000 words or 424 pages; DRM free.

For the fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz...

With the last six years of his life wiped out of his memory, Frank suspects he may have murdered his wife Kelly, who vanished three days before the car crash that caused his amnesia. While struggling to remember Kelly and the events surrounding her disappearance, Frank is shocked to find out that his wife's family has the same suspicions as he does.

As memories trickle back to him, Frank is still unable to figure out why he slaughtered Kelly and what happened to his accomplice. He is not even sure he has nothing to do with the disappearance of his young daughter, who went missing a few months earlier.

Things take a darker turn when Frank realizes that his vindictive in-laws will stop at nothing to make him remember what he has done to their beloved sister. The situation gets even more complicated as an anonymous blackmailer accuses Frank of the murder and demands money to keep his mouth shut.

Frank's search for answers becomes a fight for survival after he rediscovers that his wife's relatives are a clique of bloodthirsty serial kidnappers serving a mysterious one-legged man. His chances of prevailing are slim: one of the in-laws is a cop and another is a multimillionaire.

However, the question still remains: Why are these people so hell-bent on getting hold of Kelly's dead body?

His options are limited: he either finds his wife--dead or alive--or dies. In his race against time Frank has all the clues to the puzzle, he just needs to remember them before it’s too late.

Unfortunately, Frank has no idea that he is in for the biggest shock of his life...

Ruth Cardello
Free

Dominic Corisi knew instantly that Abigail Dartley was just the distraction he was looking for, especially since having her took a bit more persuading than he was used to. So when business forces him to fly to China, he decides to take her with him, but on his terms. No promises. No complications. Just sex.

Abby has always been the responsible one. She doesn’t believe in taking risks; especially when it comes to men - until she meets Dominic. He’s both infuriating and intoxicating, a heady combination. Their trip to China revives a long forgotten side of Abby, but also reveals a threat to bring down Dominic’s company. With no time to explain her actions, Abby must either influence the outcome of his latest venture and save his company or accept her role as his mistress and leave his fate to chance. Does she love him enough to risk losing him for good?

Steve Thomas
2.99

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

When an assassination attempt goes awry, Jeshu is forced into the service of the empire he was sworn to destroy. His target: a woman searching for ancient knowledge that would save her people, but throw the world's balance of power into chaos. He must travel to the land of the sorcerers, where unlimited magic reigns and a bloodthirsty goddess lurks in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.

"Harbingers of Mortality" is a stand-alone novel in The Histories of Atreus.

William Woodall
1.97

What would you do, if the people you loved wanted you to do something you hated? What if they wouldn't take no for an answer? Those are the questions Zach has to ask himself, in this highly unusual variation on the traditional werewolf tale.

The choice that Zach makes will lead him on a harrowing journey from Tennessee to Texas, facing fear, loneliness, and danger along the way as he struggles desperately to be true to what he believes in, no matter what the cost.

Nominated for the 2010 Texas Lone Star Reading List for excellence in young adult literature, this book will touch your heart long after the final page. It's a frequently humorous, sometimes inspirational, and always thought-provoking tale of what it means to be human.

"Cry for the Moon" is the first novel in The Last Werewolf Hunter series, followed by "Behind Blue Eyes", and concluding with "More Golden Than Day".

Barry Napier
.99

There is a powerful secret waiting in the forests of Moore’s Hollow. Buried in myths and ignored by history, there are dark things in the woods that laid claim to the land many years ago.

Jason Melhor heard about this secret around summer campfires as a boy. As a child, he came to know the legends well. But as he grew older, these fables disappeared with other childhood things.

Now, as a man unable to escape a past marred by an alcoholic father and his mother’s suicide, Jason has returned to Moore’s Hollow to bring his sordid family tragedy to a close. He has packed only a pistol and a single bullet.

But the secrets of Moore’s Hollow that Jason passed off as myths over the years are still lurking in the forests.

Something knows Jason has returned...and he has returned at the worst possible time.

***

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Compass eBooks (15)

2012-01-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 15th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook!

***

Howard McEwen
2.99

In 1895 Kentucky State Senator William Goebel shot John Sanford in broad daylight. Five years later he was being sworn in as the Governor of Kentucky while laying on his death bed with an assassins bullet in his chest. He remains the only sitting governor of a U.S. state to die by an assassin's hand.

At the dawn of the twentieth century his will brought the Commonwealth of Kentucky to the edge of civil war. He was a man unafraid to turn the Bluegrass blood red in pursuit of his ideals and personal power.

Bryan Healey
2.99

Kevin is a depressed executive living a predictable life. When he unexpectedly deviates from his paralyzing routine to be with another woman, he finds himself risking everything for redemption. Kylie, his frustrated and defeated wife, finds solace in a flirtatious encounter with a younger man that sparks a dangerous relationship. Both unable to pull themselves from their newfound happiness, they rationalize their actions to satisfy their guilt, coming ever closer to an emotionally shattering end for both themselves and their children, who are unwillingly swept into their downward spiral.

A.C. Ellis
2.99

In a newspaper obituary, Brad Carpenter, a San Diego homicide detective, recognizes the North Vietnamese army officer who killed his best friend thirty years ago. Somehow, that enemy soldier has come to the U.S.when he should not have been able to, and has established himself as a respected businessman.

What is he doing here? When did he arrive? How did he die?

Driven by his past, Brad must find the answers to these questions. His unauthorized investigation takes him away from his family and his official duties, to Denver, Colorado, where both the killer and the police relentlessly stalk him.

Elisabeth Grace Foley
2.99

Suspense, humor and a touch of romance await in seven short stories of the American West. In the title story, "The Ranch Next Door," a cattleman's young son dreads breaking the news to his family that he has fallen in love with the daughter of a neighboring sheep rancher despite an ancient feud between the two families. In "Cross My Heart," a boy is torn between betraying his conscience or a fugitive friend, and in "Delayed Deposit," five people are taken hostage during a bank robbery that turns into a tense standoff. The collection also includes the award-winning "Disturbing the Peace," honorable mention in the 2010 Rope and Wire short story competition. These seven stories total approximately 40,330 words or 161 book pages.

Marie Symeou
2.99

Set in Ancient Greece, at the time of Alexander the Great, a time when the spirit world of gods and goddesses and other immortal beings bleeds into the world of mortals, Frozen in Time is an engaging story of a love that can transcend anything. Even death or banishment to otherworldly realms, or the transformation of the lovers into immortal beings.

After the death of his wife in childbirth, Philip, grief stricken and suicidal, joins the army of his half brother Alexander, with whom he has a very uneasy relationship. But the world of immortals has other plans for him and the vampiric monster, Scylla, plays on his grief by seducing him in the form of his dead wife. Horrified when he discovers the truth and that he too is now one of the immortals, it becomes his life’s quest to escape Scylla, find a way of destroying her forever and also reunite himself with his beloved wife in one way or another.

Thea Atkinson
2.99
Luke MacIsaac is dead, and not restfully dead. His death has come the way he always feared it would: in the claustrophobic, underground heat of a Cape Breton coal mine. He had suspected it would end this way, had embraced it even, so while his body is buried, his soul settles into a watery existence of endless waiting.

But in short order the placid waters of his afterlife turn to rolling seas of time and memory as his violent past plays out again for him. Images of war, childhood abuse, and the tortured life of a brother he loved and failed threaten to inundate him.

More than anything, he wants to escape.

In his confusion and pain, he senses a kindred spirit in Astrid, a newborn struggling to stay alive. Luke helps her in hopes she may one day be the one who brings him out of his purgatory and into a new incarnation.

He discovers too late that Astrid's soul is linked to his hellish past life. Now he must experience all the anguish they went through together, and watch helplessly as Astrid goes through sorrows of her own, before the two of them can finally meet in this world and find peace together.

Christine Pope
2.99

Anika Jespers, a homesteader’s daughter on a Gaian colony, thinks she’s destined for a dull existence on her family’s farm. But when her father makes an impossible bargain with their neighbor, one of the alien Zhore, she faces a future different from anything she could have possibly imagined.

The familiar story of Beauty and the Beast takes on new life in this inventive SF romance novella, with the Beauty a homesteader's daughter and the Beast an alien on a faraway colony world.

Novella length: 32,000 words, or approximately 120 pages long

Adam graham
1.99

“Murder mysteries are, among other things, our most moral form of entertainment.”
--Orson Welles

Detective stories are fun and interesting, but as Adam Graham writes, they also have a lot to teach us about life..

Join podcaster Adam Graham on this fun journey through the annals of detective fiction as he examines the history and career of seven of the greatest detectives from literature, radio, and television. Along the way, he stops to point to the sometime surprising insights that these detectives teach such as:

-How to avoid cluttering your brain from Sherlock Holmes.
-How to form valuable opinions from Nero Wolfe.
-The importance of character from Dan Holiday.
-The proper use of anger from Columbo
-How to find courage from Adrian Monk

These detectives provide twelve timeless life lessons in a fresh and entertaining way. All I Needed to Know I Learned From Columbo is a must-read for any fan of detective fiction.

Rebecca Lochlann
2.99

Crete: A place of magic, of mystery, where violence and sacrifice meet courage and hope.

Aridela: Wrapped in legend, beloved of the people. An extraordinary woman who dances with bulls.

The north wind brings a swift ship and two brothers who plot Crete’s overthrow. Desire for this woman will propel their long rivalry into hatred so murderous it hurtles all three into an unimaginable future, and sparks the immortal rage of the Erinyes.

A woman of keen instinct and unshakeable loyalty. A proud warrior prince and his wounded half-brother. Glory, passion, treachery and conspiracy on the grandest scale.

What seems the end is only the beginning.

Michelle Scott
.99

In Mira Meadowmarsh's world, Magicians have complete control over ordinary people like herself. Magicians rule with iron fists, levying taxes, seizing property, and meting out harsh punishment to those who break the rules. But while the un-magical commons cannot defend themselves against the Magician's magic, there is one thing that Magicians fear: inventions. So when rumors spread that the un-magical are building machines and planning an uprising, the Magicians retaliate with even harsher laws.
At first, all of this means nothing to Mira who doesn't give a fig about politics. She's in love, and life is sweet. But when she discovers that her brother is an inventor who's suddenly the most wanted man in the country and that the boy she loves, her companion since childhood, is really a Magician, Mira finds herself in the middle of a brewing revolution.

****

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Partners In Print Is (almost) Open!

2012-01-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

Partners In Print is almost ready to open its doors! It's been a long road to get here, but it's finally happening and I'm almost ready to welcome in the first group of foster children!

You may remember my posts several months ago and you may remember the pictures of the building we were promised for Partners In Print. If not, that's okay, because that whole deal fell through. I was so disappointed, too. I thought it would have been the perfect spot for us.

However, our new headquarters is just as good and I'm thrilled with how it's turning out. And we'll be here until we get a building we own. (Yes, I'm aiming big!) :)

Look closely at this bookshelf because these are the books so many of you have sent to me for Partners In Print! Yes, your books are gracing the shelves for kids to browse. I can't thank all of you enough!

I have it set up with a section for young adult books, middle grade books, children's books, nonfiction books, and 'special' books (the books you sent). I will continue to stock the shelves and fill them up.

It's so exciting to see it coming together and I wanted to share the big news with all of you. After all, without your help and support we wouldn't be reaching kids around the world!

In the coming weeks I'll post more pictures (these were taken with a phone so they're not that great) and I'll update you on our big opening day. Exciting!

To find out more about Partners In Print please visit our website and find out how you can be a part of reaching children in the foster care system. ( Or our mailing address is PO Box 82432 Bakersfield CA 93380)

Thank you!

[EDIT: To those of you who have tried to leave comments or have left comments, I'm sorry but with Blogger's new feature I'm unable to respond. I hope they have it figured out soon!]

The Writer's Resource Directory Needs Your Links!

2012-01-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

With a new year comes a need for new links!

I'm continually updating The Writer's Resource Directory with new links about writing, publishing, editing... basically just about everything writing or book related, but it's time to add some new ones. And I need your help!

What am I looking for? Well, I'll check out any link you send my way, but I'm particularly looking for great websites for the following:

ebook formatting, cover design, services, reviewers, etc.

Conferences for 2012

Writing contests

Marketing (articles, websites, etc.)

Featured articles (by you!)

Also, any article, blog, website, or service that would benefit other writers would be great. Please leave a comment here with the web address or use TWRD's contact page.

Thanks for helping me build this directory and sharing resources with the writing community!

Compass eBooks (14)

2012-01-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 14th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook!

***

Elmore Hammes
1.99

Kevin and Ginny are best friends. They enjoy spending their summer vacations exploring Sharper's Woods, coming up with neat experiments, pretending to be Sherlock Holmes and Mister Watson, and sometimes just sitting in the clubhouse of The Holmes and Watson Mysterious Events and Objects Consortium. They are the only members of the club, but that doesn't stop them from having fun.

Sometimes their exploring gets them into trouble, either for going somewhere they shouldn't have or by finding something that was better left unfound. In this case, it is a strange metal object, a talisman, which calls forth, unbeknownst to Kevin and Ginny, a powerful witch. The kids do know that weird events have been happening in their small town. Animals have been found dead, and then they disappear. The metal object they found has a strange effect on Ginny when she touches it. It will take all their detective skills and courage to solve the mystery, and to defeat the witch once they realize who they are up against.

Michael Galloway
2.99

In a matter of minutes, thousands of checking accounts across America go empty. Caught up in the theft is Alex Poole, a software engineer who works on house arrest and prisoner tracking systems. As a result, he switches his account to Aspirizon Bank--an institution well known for its friendly tellers, futuristic branches, and the ever-popular "Liberty Card".

But when he finds the bank is run by a notorious ex-coworker and strange visitors start arriving at his door, he realizes the bank's vision of the future may come at a price few are willing to pay.

Shiromi Arserio
.99

Alone on a spaceship for two years, it is up to Becca to discover a new Earth and save the human race from destruction. However, when a geomagnetic storm arrives, Becca, reaching her breaking point, must choose between abandoning a potential Goldilocks world, and jeopardising the entire mission.

Length: 7 Pages. Includes bonus 3 page excerpt from upcoming serial novel "Shatterer of Worlds".

Jonathon D. Allen
.99

In a time long before humans walked the Earth, a mysterious being known only as The Lost Aetelia crafted an elaborate series of Watchtowers, along with their resident guardians, the Aetelia, to watch over the operations of the Universe. In time, a rebellious group of these Aetelia came to Earth in an attempt to challenge the established structure of the Universe. A bitter war ensued, and these rebels, who had come to be known as Watchers, disappeared from human history.

The time of the Aetelia - now known as angels - is returning. After a fateful night of violence, Artist Matty DiCamillo finds herself drawn into this world by a mysterious savior, who becomes a driving force in Matty's new life.

Both driven by and fighting the words of prophecy that lay out her destiny, Matty, her lover Kristy, and her best friend Daniel, follow this mysterious savior on a journey from Northern California to Las Vegas on a path that crosses through the boundaries of time and space.

As Matty struggles to understand her new destiny, she discovers that her mysterious savior may not be who she seems to be, and that even the denizens of the twilight world that she has entered have no idea what lurks behind the stage dressing of their reality. Matty finds herself not only racing to rescue the woman she loves, but learning that she herself could be the cause of the Universe's day of reckoning.

Martin Gibbs
.99

Three strangers find themselves together on a strange adventure-though not to find a magic ring or save the world. One is desperate to learn magic from an exiled and dangerous warlock in the far north. Unknown to them, an idiot man-child is close behind them, guided by the spirits of the dead. All fight desperately to survive the wilderness, demonic bats, elite assassins, and their own bumbling in this dark yet off-beat fantasy adventure.

J M Winspear
.99

Torn from the bosom of his family by a bitter betrayal, the young Aelfric is thrust into a world twisted upon the rack of war. Sold into the service of King Elenim’s army, he must fight or die on the field of Cremen.
The time of manhood has arrived for him.
Yet all is not as it seems, for the dark and bloody hand of a sorceress moves pieces upon the board, and Aelfric finds himself an unwitting pawn in a much larger game.
Torn between the sweet charms of the Queen Amnura and the peril of his sister Aelfwen; it is time for him to raise shield and strike out for vengeance with a bloodied spear.
Aelfric – Bloodied Spears, is the first volume of the Aelfric saga.

Tim C. Taylor
1.35

Codrin has money, even status. A professor, no less. Not bad considering he’s only a Shreb. Until one day he loses it all, and has no choice but to gamble his family’s fate on a one-way ticket across the Gate. On the other side, in another world, he'll build a new life.

Except there is something wrong with the Gate…

Steampunk collides with time-travel to inspire this story of isolation, hope, and revelation.

At 22,000 words, this Greyhart Press novella would be about 90 pages in paperback.

“Like some hybrid of Van Vogt and Charles Harness, Tim C. Taylor surprises us with worlds at strange angles to ours, and to each other, in a delicious piece of writing which ramps up excitingly through time distortions, grief, conflict, and peril, to paradoxical revelation. An excellent and provocative read.” — Ian Watson on Last Man Through the Gate

Dennis Yates
.99
Stephen King and Dean Koontz fans will find much to like in Yates’ debut thriller about a man searching to find his wife and son.

Robert Crain’s life has just been shattered. While recuperating at home from a car accident, men in ski masks break into his house and render him unconscious. When he awakens he is confronted by nightmarish truth -- that the men have taken his wife and son with them.
These aren’t ordinary kidnappers. They aren’t demanding Robert to come up with ransom money. No, what they’re asking him to do is unthinkable.

As he descends into the darkest journey of his life, Robert must revisit a violent period he’d put behind him, a place he’d hoped to never return to again. But if he wants to see his family alive he will have no choice but to play the kidnapper’s bloody game… A game whose grand purpose he does not understand.

Robert has always had questions about his family. About a ghost who once stalked him in the forest when he was a boy and a mysterious oblong box he’d found in his grandmother’s attic. For years he’s had the uneasy feeling that some force from the distant past would one day rise up and call to him…

Joined by his best friend Will, Robert will stop at nothing to find his wife and son. After uncovering where they are being held, the men drive to a remote desert farmhouse to rescue them from the hands of a psychopath.
Heart-pounding and unpredictable, RED MOUNTAIN takes the reader on a suspenseful adventure like no other.

Philip Chen
.99

Only One Man Can Save the Planet - But He Just Died.

Mysterious but silent objects have been found buried deep in the murky depths of the ocean. Dormant for decades, they are now awake and sending messages to outer space. Mike, pulled back into a clandestine world to finish a job he started as a young Navy Ensign and help decipher these strange messages, is attacked by gangs of ordinary Americans and must fight for his very life.

As he struggles through these challenges, Mike also learns that a revered friend has died. With the death of this friend, is mankind's last hope for understanding the signals lost forever in the silt and muck of the ocean bottom?

From the deepest reaches of the abyssal plains to the arid but mystically beautiful deserts of the American Southwest, Falling Star takes you on a journey through the darkest aspects of human existence to enlightenment of mankind's soul. It is a realistically written novel and contains scenes of graphic violence and strong language.

Thriller/Techno-Thriller/Science Fiction. 98,250+ words, 354 pages.

Yusufu Shehu
Free

Hhaam is the world torn apart by war. Hhaam is the world of the Bladesmen and the warrior class. Hhaam is the world where only the ruthless and murderous survive. Within Hhaam you either cloak yourself in the garb of the soldier or fall to the ever present predators; those eternally seeking blood and power. Amo and Suun are two rustic, young boys in this haphazard realm, sons of a father who is an alleged legendary soldier and a mother with an impenetrable mystery. They set out on the path of the soldier and train in the esoteric ways of the Bladesmen; but as they develop, the border between their idyllic childhood and the nightmarish reality begins to dissolve. Will Amo and Suun have the strength to rise above, conquering their fears and deflecting the threat of insanity, and become top soldiers? Will they truly master the mind? Follow their journey in this tale of pain, power and perseverance that marks the beginning of the epic - Drawn Breath

***

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Compass eBooks (13)

2012-01-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 13th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook!

***

Declan Conner
1.29

There is a fine dividing line between sanity and insanity. Tiffany Morgan can't be sure if she has stepped over that line.

A mysterious driver of an SUV mows down a young woman. Accident, or deliberate hit and run, she cannot be sure. In fact, she can't be sure about anything in her life. She awakes in the hospital, only to realize she has no memory of her former life. The contents of her wallet draw her on a journey of discovery, together with a handwritten note, signed “D” and inviting her to a meeting.

The journey she takes leads to a bizarre turn of events on the information-super-highway and unexplained visions that lead her to think she is losing her mind.

Tiffany's past contains a dark secret that is haunting her. She is desperate to find the key to unlock her memory. Maybe “D” has the answers to end her nightmare.

Approx 50 pages in a printed book. Novelette, 10700 words.

Cheri Lasota
4.99

On the voyage home to the Azores Islands, Eva accepts the pagan name of Arethusa but learns too late that her life will mirror the Greek nymph's tragic end. Her mother reveals that her destiny lies with Diogo, the shipowner's volatile son. But Eva has a vision of another...

When the ship founders in a storm off the coast, Tristan, a local boy, saves her life and steals her heart. Destined to be with Diogo yet aching for Tristan's forbidden love, Eva must somehow choose between them, or fate will choose for her.

This is an engrossing novel in which several strands of myth combine to create a complex yet beautifully simple romance. It is at its highest level an exploration of fundamental philosophical questions--the debate between fate and choice, the nature of love and desire, the tenacious and often dangerous hold of belief on the human psyche. At bottom, and the reason why you will love it, this is a bildungsroman about a girl finding her way to adulthood and a story about two lovers both separated and entwined by their beliefs.

* Includes a BONUS EXCERPT from Winnemucca by YA author Laura A. H. Elliott!

Kim Aleksander
6.99

With the Government’s over-reliance on technology in the high-stakes game of counterterrorism, it’s only a matter of time before human reason is replaced by computer-based decision systems.

In 1972, a gifted student at Berkeley writes the first computer virus. When it’s run on the university mainframe it simply vanishes. Thirty-five years later, a government computer system issues ostensibly baseless assassination orders, and its creator goes in search of the ghost in the machine. What she discovers is a legacy black-ops program from the Vietnam Era that is alive and killing today. As she fights to prevent her brainchild from becoming a weapon for government-sanctioned murder, the protagonist is pitted against adversaries hell-bent on wielding the machine with Machiavellian ruthlessness to achieve their political ambitions. Joined by an eclectic band of characters, she plots to bring down the system before it is used to start a war of biblical proportions, and in doing so, she becomes marked for termination by her own creation.

Phoenix Sullivan
2.99

A rise in stroke-like cases has CDC analyst Mike Shafer on alert. Patients in every demographic in the Great Plains area, from toddlers to healthy adults to the elderly, are succumbing to rapid deterioration - and death.

Veterinarian Donna Bailey, meanwhile, is dealing with an outbreak of her own. It looks like mad cow disease. But to be affecting so many species? Impossible.

Whatever it is, it's spreading. Fast.

As state and federal agencies race to contain the growing threats, Mike and Donna's searches for Patient Zero intersect at a big-game compound in a remote corner of North Dakota. There they find their answer buried in a secret thought extinct for 10,000 years. A secret entrepreneur Walt Thurman will kill to protect.

But even if Mike and Donna can escape the compound with the secret of Sector C, it may already be too late.

Because after today, extinct no longer means forever.
___________________

Ripped from today's research and tomorrow's headlines, SECTOR C is a near-future medical thriller fans of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook are sure to enjoy.
___________________

Art Epstein
2.99

A young T-Rex Chak Chak has mysteriously lost his small clan. Surrounded by rival gangs of dinosaurs, his duty must be to hold out until his mother and aunts return before the rivals discover he is alone in his valley.

Into this a team of NASA scientists from the year 2069 a.d. have gotten more than they'd bargained for when testing an experimental space engine. Not only do they arrive on earth millions of years in the past but have managed to drag an unknown object into the space wormhole with them.

They crash land into Chak Chak's valley, unarmed, just as a hunt has begun from a rival gang of Nano Tyrannus wanting their ancenstral valley back. War is about to break out when the marauding theropod Blood Knife clan decide to join in on the Hunt.

Meantime the NASA team are having to repair their ship just to make earth orbit, not to mention getting back to their own time.

***

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Compass eBooks (12)

2012-01-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

And since it's right after Christmas and you may be holding a brand new Kindle in your hand, this extra edition of Compass eBooks may be just what you need to fill that new ereader with great books!

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook!

****

Matthew Schick
2.99

In the desert land of Turuna, every child possesses powerful magic, and only an ancient treaty prevents the clans from recruiting them as soldiers. Now, rumors swirl that an artifact has appeared that grants childlike magic to an adult, and some clans will stop at nothing to seize its power.

In the tiny Ahjea clan, Butu has had no time to listen to rumors. His childhood sweetheart has caught the eye of the most powerful man in Turuna. Even worse, his magic has suddenly become unreliable, failing him at the most embarrassing moments. The only good news he's had all day is he's being allowed to join his clan's army despite his youth.

When his squad of young recruits is sent on a mission they can't complete without magic, Butu begins to grow suspicious. It soon becomes clear that if he doesn't figure out the truth and find the artifact first, an all-powerful tyrant will rise up and conquer Turuna.

86,000 words

Tallulah Grace
6.97

The good things in life are coming together for Kristina Collins. She’s found her ideal home, her career is on track for mega success and the man of her dreams has finally come back into her life.

In Fate, Kris discovers the benefits and risks of having precognitive visions while being stalked by a serial killer. Her friends can’t help her, the FBI can’t save her; she must save herself.

Timeless Trilogy, Book Two, Spellbound
A Magickal Journey of Self-Discovery

What would you do if you discovered that you’re a witch? Not just any witch, but a powerful enchantress descended from a line of impressive magickal healers. Roni Myers, beautiful, talented and passionate about finding natural remedies from herbal mixtures hides her insecurities behind a charming, gregarious façade.

Follow Roni’s journey as she learns secrets that she never before imagined were possible and finds love in the most unexpected place.

Can she learn to trust the magick of her birthright before evil claims it as its own? Will she open her mind and her spirit to the power of three in time to save her legacy and her life? Acceptance, faith and love are the keys to her salvation, if she can only believe.

Lauren Sweet
2.99

A nice, normal, boring life—that’s all Amber Polaski ever wanted. One where she’s not unchaining her flaky New Age mom from endangered trees, bailing her out of jail, or getting dragged to naked pagan rituals. But when Amber finds a sexy genie in her antique brass samovar, any hope of normal goes up in smoke.

It’s just one tiny little wish—to find her long-lost father. What could go wrong?

Plenty. Dad shows up, all right—with a computer drive full of stolen data and angry mobsters hot on his trail. Now Amber has Fugitive Dad holed up in her Manville, NJ duplex, fending off the Mafia on one side and the FBI on the other. And she has Jasper the genie lounging in her blue plush recliner, conjuring chocolate chip cookies and passing himself off as her boyfriend. While Jasper is trying to tempt Amber with more disastrous wishes—and his seriously hot thousand-year-old body—Amber and her mom are forced to fight off Mafia assassins with nothing but chutzpah and household appliances.

It’s time for Amber to call in the B-team: Iggy the homeless dwarf, Tim the ecoterrorist, and Wanda the Fairy Dogmother with her pack of Happy Puppies. Together, they need to save Dad before the Mob makes him disappear again—permanently!

Stacy Juba
.99

Psychic chills and thrills in a deserted Maine beach town. When teen psychic Dawn Christian gets involved with a fortuneteller mentor and two girls who share her mysterious talents, she finally belongs after years of being a misfit. When she learns her new friends may be tied to freak "accidents" in town, Dawn has an important choice to make - continue developing the talent that makes her special or challenge the only people who have ever accepted her.

Thousands of readers have downloaded the books of Stacy Juba. She published her first book, a young adult novel, at age 18 and she hasn't stopped writing since. Her recent mystery novels for adults include Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim. Stacy is also the author of the patriotic children's picture book The Flag Keeper, which teaches children about U.S. flag etiquette, the children's picture book Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise, and the classic young adult family hockey novel Face-Off.

William G. Jones
.99

When Dale turned his back on his past, who could blame him? One brother is a jealous alcoholic who wants to kill him, the other is a manchild whose entire life revolves around getting high. Even the girl he wanted to marry chose the sleepy Indiana farm town where they grew up over him.

When he moved away, he never thought he'd see any of them again. Boy, was he wrong.

After his father dies, Dale returns home for what he thinks will be a speedy funeral. Instead, he's asked to go on a road trip with his brothers and his still-bitter ex-fiancé to scatter his father's ashes at the old BelAir resort in Florida. Tagging along are his high-maintenance girlfriend and a pee-happy poodle.

Everything that can go wrong does, sometimes tragically, sometimes hilariously.

Is it the road trip from hell? Or one last chance to make things right again?

Book Length: 41,500 words (approx. 200 pages).

Michelle Muto
1.99

When teen witch Ivy MacTavish changes a lizard into her date for a Halloween dance, everything turns to chaos. And when no one is powerful enough to transform him back except Ivy, it sparks the rumor: Like father, like daughter. Ivy has heard it all before - that her father, who left when she was seven - was involved with the darkest of magic.

Making the rumors worse, someone uses an evil spell book to bring back two of history's most nefarious killers. Ivy's got a simple plan to set things right: find the real dark spell caster, steal the book, and reverse the spell. No problem! But she'll have to deal with something more dangerous than murderous spirits that want her and her friends dead: the school's resident bad boy and hotter-than-brimstone demon, Nick Marcelli. Nick's offering Ivy more than his help with recovering the missing book - he's offering her a way to ditch her scaly reputation as a lizard-lover. Demons are about as hard to handle as black magic, and as Ivy soon discovers, it's going to take more than a lot of luck and a little charm if she wants to survive long enough to clear her status as a dark witch, get a warm-blooded boyfriend, and have her former date back to eating meal worms before the week's end.

Lee William Tisler
.99

Confidence is the backbone of positive and successful change. Any change you wish to make in your life will take confidence to some degree. Fear is the absence of confidence and fear fills in the space where confidence is lacking. By increasing your confidence you are better equipped to change, fix or resolve aspects of your life and issues will begin to resolve themselves more readily.
A lack of confidence can affect a large proportion of our lives in a negative way and people with low self confidence can suffer from being pushed around, difficulty talking with others, usually have a job that sucks and tend to have a manager that doesn’t treat them with respect, as well as having difficulty with public speaking all of which can cause anxiety.
With confidence you will be more assertive, able to talk with the opposite sex, find meaningful relationships, have better job options, and have a happier life.
This book is a practical course and as your confidence increases so will your self esteem.
Book includes -
-8 Layers of practical confidence building techniques.
-Explains each Layer and gives practical guide.
-Each Layer is easy to follow.

Robert E. Keller
2.99

SERIES INFORMATION:

Knights: The Eye of Divinity is part of a planned series that will be released book by book on the Kindle. However, it stands alone as a complete novel. None of the books in the Knights series will be left off abruptly at the end, but each will instead have a satisfying conclusion.

BOOK SUMMARY:

Strange and legendary Dremlock Kingdom is facing destruction from both within and beyond its stone walls in the form of goblins--creatures spawned by evil that come in all shapes and sizes--and the Deep Shadow, a hungry and spreading force of dark sorcery that infects people with madness.

To save their kingdom, the knights recruit a lonely and isolated boy named Lannon who lives in a wooded valley with his crazy father, who bears a dark illness of the soul, and his foul-tempered mother. Lannon is sought out because he possesses a rare power called the Eye of Divinity. The knights need Lannon's gift to see through the fog of evil that shrouds Dremlock Kingdom and give them the advantage they need to turn the tables on their ancient foe.

With the help of his friends, Lannon tries desperately to unlock the Eye of Divinity in time to save Dremlock Kingdom from otherwise certain doom. With the Deep Shadow creeping around the kingdom and infecting hearts and minds, Lannon isn't sure if anyone in Dremlock can even be trusted. Lannon finds himself, and his fellow squires, caught in a web of mystery and magic in a kingdom where anything can happen.

Jean Cross

Splickety Village is preparing for the Important Person From Far Away Festival which is but three days away. Everybody has their job to do, not least teenager Bernie Brownfeather and her friend Tawanda Millington. Bernie's Brother, Joxey, however, has become increasingly preoccupied with the fact that he is almost sixteen and about to lose his ability to fly. Not all village kids can fly and none retain that skill past their sixteenth birthdey. Seeking answers in the local bookshop, Joxey Brownfeather stumbles on a file containing two pictures. One is an aerial photograph of the valley, the other is of his mother who died five years previously while on an archaeological expedition in the local mountain. While the Brownfeathers struggle to figure out what this could possibly mean, events around them take a strange and dangerous turn. As the village fights for its very life, secrets are shared. Secrets which will change the very nature of the truth. Secrets, which were born deep in the mountain beneath the lowest of the low caves a long, long time ago.

Gerwin van der Velde
2.99

A fun picture book designed specifically for young children and Kindle.
View in full color for mobile devices and PC or Mac by downloading the free software for Kindle on Amazon.

Learn words & ABCs with koala and his funloving friends.

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When Disappointment Drives Your Writing

2011-12-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

Recently I went to see a much anticipated movie. I was so excited by the previews and thrilled with the cast. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see this movie.

Yes, my expectations were high.

The movie (which will remain nameless) was well reviewed. In fact, the reviews helped fuel my excitement.

First, I must admit that I'm not at all the best movie goer. I rarely go to the theater. I prefer to watch or rent movies from home. The truth is, it's extremely hard for me to sit through an entire movie. My attention always seems to drift to others things, and I can't tell you how many times I have to pause a movie and get up to 'do' something before sitting down to finish the whole thing. I guess you could call it watching a movie in pieces.

It's terrible for my family. They don't have the same issues as I do. :)

So, to actually go to a theater to watch a movie is a rarity for me. So much of a rarity that when I do go, my family is surprised. You can imagine all the funny comments I get from them before I leave. One remark was, "You know, Mom, they don't pause movies at a theater."

I had to reassure my daughter that I was fully aware of this fact.

Skip ahead to the big event - the movie I couldn't wait to see. The movie I would sit through from beginning to end. The movie that was so anticipated I endured the jokes from those closest to me.

I went to the theater, bought a large popcorn and a drink, and settled in for the movie of my dreams...

At first the movie was slow going. I get it, you have to build backstory, get to know the characters, etc.

But then... well, let's just say the rest of the movie just wasn't for me. The trailers were actually better and more exciting than the movie. The plot was good, but I expected so much more.

I'm the type of person that likes a lot of action, espionage, strong characters with flaws that are redeemable. I can get past certain scenes for the sake of a good story. But I want action, thrills, mystery, excitement and a good plot.

And I didn't get it.

I left the theater full of popcorn and disappointment. No, I'm not a movie critic. That's not my job. But I am a storyteller, and when you're promised the best story ever and leave a bit disappointed what's a writer to do?

I guess I learned a great lesson from this:

Write the type of books that I'd love to see on the screen. And, in fact, that's what I've tried to do.

What about you? Has disappointment ever fueled your writing? Do you like the same type of movies you read or write about?

Year End Wrap Up

2011-12-29T18:27:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of another year I'd like to take a look back and celebrate successes, failures, friends, family, and everything else that life holds.

I think for me this year has been one long stretch of writing and publishing. It's been very difficult at times and very rewarding. I've seen some successes and I've had my failures, too.

I think that's just part of life.

One thing that bothers me though is that I've been so busy with the actual writing (I wrote 4.5 books this year) is that I've missed blogging regularly and I've missed visiting your blogs even more.

But I hope to be in a better position next year and slow down a little. :) (We'll see how that goes.)

So, I wonder, how would you say your year went?

Did your reading list diminish by reading as much as you thought?

Did you write or finish your book?

Did you follow your plan and accomplish your goals, or are you nearing them?

As we get ready to say farewell to 2011 I'd just like to thank all of you for hanging in there, for commenting on my infrequent posts, and for being the best bloggie buddies out there.

*tossing confetti your way*

Happy New Year and may your book pile grow tall once again and your writing be blessed.

*****

We will open the book. Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Compass eBooks (11)

2011-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 11th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

And since it's right after Christmas and you may be holding a brand new Kindle in your hand, this extra edition of Compass eBooks may be just what you need to fill that new ereader with great books!

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

Happy reading!

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook!

***

Marilyn Peake
0.99

THE FISHERMAN’S SON is a middle grade fantasy novel about the adventures of Wiley O’Mara. On the back of a magical dolphin, the twelve-year-old rescues six boys trapped in an ancient city under the sea. Along the way, he fights both The Beast in the Forest and a Fire Beast guarding the city of old.

Joel Travis
0.99

From Publishers Weekly:
After his compact car is hit by a large truck, Brit Moran believes that his final moments are imminent, and makes a lengthy deathbed confession to operating an illegal sports gambling racket in Dallas for five years. Fortunately, Moran’s injuries are not fatal; unfortunately, his compromising admissions have been heard by a motley assortment of bedside visitors, including a local police detective and the younger brother of Cesar Hernandez, Moran’s backer in his bookmaking business. The book follows, courtesy of Moran’s often hilarious first-person narration, the consequences of his ill-timed frankness, which include assault, vandalism, theft and murder. When the police identify Moran as the prime suspect in the killing, he embarks on an amateurish and offbeat quest for the truth. Readers who like to smile while reading a whodunit should hope that the author manages to enmesh his creation in further investigations.

Benjamin Andrews
0.99

What seems true on the surface may be just an illusion. Nihlen Draven, First Prince and heir to the throne of the nation of Draven, has lived with undeniable truths his entire life. In an instant though, all those truths are shattered. After being kidnapped, and his kingdom subjugated by the neighboring nation of Rinh, Nihlen's life begins to spiral out of control. Every day becomes a battle for survival, even escape is nearly impossible. Searching for the answers he desperately needs may be pushing the limit.

In other lands, other changes are also taking place. For generations, people from one continent to another have thrived in an age of peace. Plans have been set into motion however, both by the hand of man, and fate itself, causing this peaceful age to come to an end. Each desires something different, but whether those moving the pieces know it or not, they all have one thing in common. Prince Nihlen, and a land that has become all but legend.

This legendary land is known as Askrah, and its secrets are slowly enveloping the world, threatening the safety and lives of people from every land. The history of this empire has touched every nation, in ways that have now been long forgotten. When something is forgotten though, it does not disappear, but waits only to be discovered once more. The Eye of Kings, a strange power that links Nihlen to the lost history of this once mighty empire, is only the beginning of the secrets hidden across the world. This power is the key to the end of one age, and the only chance for salvation in the next.

The forces moving across the world, and the ever increasing burden of destiny will push Nihlen to his limits. Without help, Nihlen may fall to the blade of any one of his growing list of enemies. There are those sympathetic to his cause though, and their help will be paramount to his success. War is rising off the horizon, and there is no way of knowing how long there is to prepare. Any one of the forces vying for supremacy may win out before Nihlen can even stand against them. The adventure is only beginning, and the prelude that ushers in the unknown now echoes across the world.

M.G. Scarsbrook
7.95

Lucrezia Borgia fights to save her husband from assasination by her powerful family...

1497, Renaissance Rome: As the teenage daughter of Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia Borgia is a young noblewoman immersed in all the glamor of the Vatican Palace.

Yet after a brutal killing shocks the city, Lucrezia learns that a dark truth lies beneath the surface of the Papal Court: in their ruthless quest for power, her father and brother are willing to poison their enemies.

Her family are murderers.

After discovering that her new husband is next to die, Lucrezia struggles to help him escape from Rome before the assassins strike.

Against a barrage of political intrigues, papal spies, and diabolical tricks, Lucrezia uses all her wits to defy her family and save her husband from assassination.

But as tragedy looms ever closer, and her plans gradually fail, she finds herself confronting an enemy far more sinister than she ever imagined…

Alan E. Parkinson
3.99

Get In Get Out and Get Away. This may sound strange but not for your uncles, brothers, fathers or grandads. They knew from an early age that one day they would be called up to do their two years National Service.

I am sure the countless millions of ex-National Servicemen will have many things in common in these memoirs, hopefully they are happy ones.
I was born in a small terraced house on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, England in 1938. In that era, the toilet was outside and the bath which was made of tin was kept in the backyard and brought into the house when needed.

Whilst growing up, the cloud above one's head of having to do National Service got closer and closer. I knew older lads who were getting called up on a regular basis. I was twenty one years old and had just finished my apprenticeship in 1960 when it was my turn. This was the last year of National Servicemen being called up for the services.

I served my two years National Service in the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment reporting to Fulwood Barracks, Preston. For ten weeks, the drill instructors shaped the platoon from a rag tag outfit to smart soldiers. From Fulwood the platoon was sent to Barnard Castle, County Durham and later to the British Cameroons, West Africa for ten months. The regiment was chosen to keep the peace and oversee a vote on the Cameroons future. There was a terrorist organisation on the French border that was intent on disrupting the process and the memoirs include numerous encounters and an eventful raid on a terrorist camp.

This true story is mixed with amusing anecdotes of growing up in post War Britain through the swinging sixties. I was given an eye opener in life then and I am sure when you read my detailed account, you will agree, and also see the parallels to the modern day operations undertaken by the American, British and United Nations military.

It is all history now but it has been a privilege on behalf of my fellow countrymen to put it all down on paper.
We all had one thing in common, that was to Get In Get Out and Get Away.

Sybil Hodge
3.49

Fourteen Days Later was short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008 and received a Highly Commended by the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009. It is a romantic comedy with a unique infusion of British and Turkish Cypriot culture. Written in a similar style to Marian Keyes, it is My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Bridget Jones.

When accident-prone Helen Grey finds a thong stuffed into the pocket of her boyfriend's best work trousers, it's time for her to move on. His excuse that he needed to dust the photocopier and just thought that it was a rag sounds like a lame excuse.

Helen's life is propelled in an unexpected direction after her best friend, Ayshe, sets her a fourteen-day, life-changing challenge. Helen receives a task everyday which she must complete without question. The tasks are designed to build her confidence and boost her self-esteem but all they seem to do is push her closer to Ayshe's brother, Kalem.

How will Kalem and Helen get together when she's too foolish to realize that she loves him? How can he fall for her when he is too busy falling prey to her mishaps and too in love with his own perfect girlfriend? How will Kalem's Turkish Cypriot family react when they find out?

Is it really possible to change your life in fourteen days?

Jen Wylie
2.99

When fate conspires against you and gives you three loves to choose from, what do you do? What if you make the wrong choice?

Shara is a Healer, raised and trained from childhood until her unique gift manifests itself. When she gains the rank Journeyman she is hired to serve as the court healer for the barbaric kingdom of Glendor.

Untrained for war, she is thrust unmercifully into its bloody arms when the kingdom is invaded. Ordered by her king to the front lines to tend the wounded, she is forced to flee when their camp is attacked. Happening upon a wounded soldier in the forest, every mile back to the capital is a struggle, and breaking the Healer's code, she falls in love with her charge.

If Shara thought that to be the least of her troubles, the appearance of a fierce warrior captain who appoints himself her protector, teaches her differently. Trouble comes in threes at the appearance of a former love and fellow healer. Faced with decisions of the heart and the sudden manifestation of her gift, there is little room for anything else to go wrong. Or at least that's what Shara thought.

Shannon Esposito
2.99

Fate seems to have mistaken Anne Serafini, a forensic photographer, for superwoman and she’s not amused. After being stabbed, witnessing a friend’s murder and shooting a man in self-defense, Anne realizes she’s been Fate’s puppet all along.
Now she’s chosen Anna Maria Island to try and take back control of her life. Unfortunately—when a murdered girl washes up on the beach—she understands, once again, Fate has chosen this place for her.
When Anne’s two eccentric aunts decide it’s time to let her in on the family secret, they tell Anne she is the latest fourth generation woman in her brown-eyed family to be born with green eyes and a paranormal gift. Anne’s gift is being in the wrong place at the right time. The gift of serendipity. But, the gift is also a curse. Each green-eyed woman has died before her twenty-eighth birthday.
Anne will turn twenty-eight in three weeks.
Can she embrace her gift and help stop this budding serial killer? Or is he the tool Fate will use to fulfill the family curse?

Laura Visika
2.99

Shawn Kleiner has it all: money, fame, a skyrocketing career as an international musical phenomenon, his beautiful girlfriend Amy, and all the women he wants-- until the night Amy has enough and leaves him stranded in a Scottish castle tower.

He wakes up to find himself mistaken for Niall Campbell, medieval Highland warrior. Soon after, he is sent shimmying down a wind-torn castle wall into a dangerous cross country trek with Niall's tempting, but knife-wielding fiancee. They are pursued by English soldiers and a Scottish traitor who want Niall dead.

Thrown forward in time, Niall learns history’s horrifying account of his own death, and of the Scots’ slaughter at Bannockburn. Undaunted, he navigates the roiled waters of Shawn’s life-- pregnant girlfriend, amorous fans, enemies, and gambling debts--- seeking a way to leap back across time to save his people, especially his beloved Allene. His growing fondness for Shawn’s life brings him face to face with his own weakness and teaches him the true meaning of faith.

Blue Bells of Scotland is both a historical adventure and a tale of redemption that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.

****

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Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

(photo from Google)

It's almost Christmas!

It's hard to believe that December has flown by and Santa will be here soon. I hope your Christmas shopping has gone well, the presents are wrapped, and the stocking are hung by the hearth.

Christmas is always such a special time and I love the preparations that go with it. I've made the fudge, baked apple and cherry tarts, and I can't forget to mention the trays of peppermint bark. I've shopped, wrapped, prepared, and now Christmas is right around the corner.

What a wonderful time of the year, isn't it?

I love having guests over, and enjoying my mother-in-law's cookie platters. Not to mention my mother's Christmas Eve party. She serves the sweetest delicacies. This year I've heard rumor that she will have sugar plums and my favorite Panettone (from Italy). I can hardly wait!

I hope your Christmas is filled with special people, special memories, and that we all remember the reason for this very special time of year. Yes, the celebration of the birth of our Lord.

Make each day count, and remember to count your blessings.

Merry Christmas!

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!
~Author Unknown

Compass eBooks (10)

2011-12-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 10th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

If you have a book you'd like to mention be sure to leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Happy reading!

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*****

Kira Saito
.99

Sixteen year old Arelia LaRue lives in New Orleans where the music is loud, voodoo queens inhabit every street corner, and the ghosts are alive and well. Despite her surroundings, all she wants is to help her Grand-mere Bea pay the rent and save up for college.

When her best friend Sabrina convinces her to take a well-paying summer job at the infamous Darkwood plantation, owned by the wealthy LaPlante family, Arelia agrees.

However, at Darkwood strange things start to happen, and gorgeous Lucus LaPlante insists that he needs her help. Soon, the powers that Arelia has been denying all her life, come out to play and she discovers mysteries about herself that she could have never imagined.

Look for Punished Book #2 in the Arelia LaRue Series, coming very soon!

Lisa Grace
$2.99

The difference between vampires and angels? Angels are real.
AOL recommends the Angel in the Shadows series as the alternative to the Twilight series on the "ALA's Top Ten Most Challenged Book List of 2010"
Fifteen-year-old Megan Laughlin has a gift--or what seems like a curse at times. Megan sees angels and demons.
Megan knows her destiny is to protect her friends against dark angels who try to sway them into situations that can destroy their lives, their souls, and their eternity.
At school, she recognizes Judas, an über popular boy, as an evil angel hell-bent on destroying her and everyone she loves. As Judas spreads horrible rumors and overdoses two of her classmates at a rave, Megan realizes the enormity of his power. While classmates die, Megan, with the help of an angel, Johnny, and a team of friends will face the fight of their lives as they battle Judas.

Megan thinks God hasn't given her any "special" powers, but discovers she has what she needs as she confronts Judas and his seemingly unconquerable power.

Lisa Grace
$2.99
Fifteen-year-old Megan's younger brother Max has been kidnapped by Judas, an evil angel, who has sold him to a human trafficking ring working out of New Orleans. Judas is determined to destroy Max’s soul.
Framed for Max's murder, Megan, along with the help of Johnny who is a good angel, and her friends, must stay one step ahead of the police and an approaching hurricane in an attempt to save Max before it's too late.
In his ultimate quest to conquer Megan, Judas leaves a trail of death and offers her an impossible choice. Will Megan sacrifice herself for those she loves?

AOL named "The Angel Series" the Christian alternative to "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyers.

Coming in November 2011 - Angel in the Ice, Book 3

Stephen England
.99

With fifteen years in the Clandestine Service, paramilitary operations officer Harry Nichols is unquestionably the man for the job. He's a tough, ruthless veteran operator. He's led his men into harm's way time and again. For him, it's all about the mission. It's all about the team. He's never seen anything like this before. . .

Drawn into a web of conspiracy that reaches half-way around the world and into the highest levels of the U.S. government, he soon finds that nothing is as it seems. The mission itself is suspect. His team can no longer be trusted. And a misstep means world war. . .

"Has the making of another thriller series of political and international intrigue--with a hero as appealing as Scot Harvath or Mitch Rapp"--Mary Shlauter, Amazon reviewer

"You won't find a better Middle Eastern spy novel out there"--DEConservative, Amazon reviewer
"Pandora's Grave. . .will keep you turning the pages until you are done"--Douglas Dorow, author of The Ninth District

Pandora's Grave was chosen by GuysCanRead.com as the winner of their 2011 Independent Novel Contest

Pamela Davis
$4.99

When disasters begin occurring around the world, a widely-dispersed group of people begin to make their way to what they hope is a safe place. At the center of the safe zone lies a family trying to deal with the knowledge that their young daughter is having prophetic dreams of the disasters along with a new found psychic ability. What the family doesn’t realize is these dreams are also being experienced by others. They are the driving force leading them.

The dreams may mean the end of the world, or the beginning of something altogether different. As more disasters strike a new form of communication with the world begins to emerge around the dreamers, but will it be too late to listen?

Compass eBooks (9)

2011-12-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 9th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

If you have a book you'd like to mention be sure to leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Happy reading!

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

********

Ethan Cobb
$2.99

What is the price of eternity?

When Vespa’s father mysteriously dies, her family uproots and moves to a small coastal town in Oregon. Vespa yearns to disappear from the gawking stares of her new classmates, except one. She’s intrigued by Ember, a fashionable, and charming student. But the deeper Vespa involves herself in Ember’s life, the darker his secrets become. As Vespa unravels more about Ember, she suspects there may be more to her father’s death. Then she finds herself caught in Shadow Sport—a celebration that will answer all her questions and awaken new nightmares.

Shadow Sport is approximately 53,000 words long, and contains riveting action like the Hunger Games and chilling monsters like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Calee M. Lee
.99

What do caterpillars like? Carrots? Coffee?

When a caterpillar finds a little girl, she shares all of her favorite activities with it.
This fun little story features 16 full-color illustrations and lyric text suitable for toddlers and and beginning readers.

Karen Wojcik Berner
.99
Ovulation detectors. Hormone surges. Anxiety-ridden dreams. This is the world in which Annie Jacobs is thrust when she and her husband John receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. A 37-year old PR executive, Annie has wanted to be a mother since she first cuddled her Baby Tenderlove at age five. She is dreading another Christmas of relatives asking when they will be hearing the pitter patter of little feet, and Uncle Joe slapping John on the back, telling him to relax and take a cruise. Lots of people get pregnant on vacation, you know.

Across town, stay-at-home mom of two, Sarah Anderson, attempts grocery shopping with a toddler intent on hurling items from the cart at passersby. She notices a box of rice heading straight for a gray-haired head. Leaping across the aisle, Sarah grabs it, saving the woman from certain doom, or at least a minor head injury. Little Alex screams at being thwarted. The unknowing octogenarian shakes her head and admonishes Sarah for not knowing how to keep her child quiet in public.

"A Whisper to a Scream" is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

Natasha A. Salnikova
$2.99

Quiet River is a small town and people are friendly. But evil lives in quiet water, don't you know?

Lisa and Matt Collins spend a weekend in the town of Quiet River, Washington, where their son Evan meets a woman who says he looks like her son. She gives him cookies. The hotel clerk, an older woman, also gives him cookies, explaining to his mother that they came from the hotel's kitchen. Lisa ignores the clerk's strange behavior and forgets about her. The family goes back home to Seattle where Matt returns to his job as a magazine editor and Lisa finds out she is pregnant for the second time. Soon Matt's personal assistant dies in a car accident and he hires a new one: Kristine. One day Kristine presents Matt and Lisa with tickets to a ballet performance and that night their quiet lives change forever when they get involved in a violent store robbery and Lisa loses her unborn child.
Lisa and Matt think it is their worst nightmare, but how little did they know. They have to return to Quiet River to learn what the darkest dark is and what face it can wear.
(94 000 words)

Terry C. Simpson
$2.99

Death feeds life in the world of Denestia. The shade advances, bathing the land in blood as they massacre all before them. Magics and creatures long thought dead rise again.

To the east, in Ostania, an ancient clan re-emerges to begin their conquest anew, leaving carnage in their wake. To the west, the ruling Granadian Tribunal tries to maintain its stranglehold on its empire while expanding into Ostanian lands under the premise of converting the 'uncivilized' to the path of enlightenment.

Hope rests on the swords, intelligence, and power of four: Ryne, a living legend at the edge of madness, haunted by a murderous past, the voices of his power that whisper in his head, and hunted by the Tribunal, strives to defend a village he swore to protect. Ancel, a gifted student who has lost his way due to a love spurned, is stalked by the shade's minions and must learn to accept who he is or perish. Irmina, Ancel's former lover, and a Tribunal assassin sent to find Ryne, is mired in her quest for revenge on Ancel's parents, and must set aside her emotions or fail her final test. And Galiana Calestis, an old Matus whose greatest wish is to help her people survive, must manipulate whoever she needs to if she's to see the Chronicles come to pass.

Between warring nations, vengeful leaders, magic and steel, myth and men, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Who can unite the kingdoms against the encroaching darkness? Who shall bring the power that drives the world to heel? Who will walk the knife's edge of harmony? If none can, then Denestia is doomed.

Compass eBooks (8)

2011-12-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 8th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

If you have a book you'd like to mention be sure to leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Happy reading!

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

********

Judy Coltman
$4.99

Liz’s best friend rode off on the back of a motorcycle when she was 16 years old. Her body parts washed up on the shores of a Virginia beach community days later, prompting Liz’s parents to sequester her away to Richmond, far away from the vicious murder. Now on her own, Liz returns to take back that part of her life and make peace with the events of her 16th summer.

John Williams’ heart broke when, after being questioned in the grisly murder, Liz’s parents spirited her away for good, leaving him grieving for his forsaken love. With the guidance of his father, the community preacher, John moves on with a clear understanding of his life’s mission.

When another body turns up, savagely hacked-up on the side of the road, safety becomes elusive, even in the small community church where the answers are hidden. Liz and John have to face the truth that the killer is still out there. Watching. Waiting for them.

Edward G. Talbot
$2.99

Killing Kennedy was only the beginning. . .

In the nineteen-sixties, a group of wealthy men concludes that it's already too late to stop global warming from destroying the planet. But they have a plan to save themselves.

Twenty years later, Jack Crowley and Jim Patterson stumble onto the conspiracy, and every answer they find is accompanied by more questions - and more deaths.

Jack is a former idealist, turned cynical by his years working as a New York tabloid editor. But his enthusiasm returns as he looks into the work of a NASA scientist who tells Jack about cover-ups at the space agency. Jim is a detective with little patience for conspiracy nuts. But he hates loose ends, and is unable to let go of the inconsistencies in another suspicious NASA death. Soon, his investigation leads him to Jack, and they join forces.

As Jack and Jim dig deeper, they are targeted by the type of killers that don't usually miss. From Washington to Las Vegas to the Middle East, they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers in a race to expose the truth, and maybe, just maybe, save the world.

New World Orders is a novel of 98,000 words / 304 pages

James Everington
.99

It’s a long, drowsy summer at the end of the 1980s, and Alan Dean and three of his friends cross the fields behind their village to look for a rumoured WW2 air raid shelter. Only half believing that it even exists beyond schoolboy gossip, the four boys nevertheless feel an odd tension and unease. And when they do find the shelter, and go down inside it, the strange and horrifying events that follow will test their adolescent friendships to breaking point, and affect the rest of their lives...

A horror novella of 15.5k words, plus an author’s afterword.

Chrystalla Thoma
$2.99

In a world where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life -- until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels, he has but one thought: to stay alive. His pursuers aren't inclined to sit down and talk, although that's not the end of Elei's troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won't be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret - a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known - or die trying.
YA Science Fiction novel. 76 thousand words/approx. 300 pages

Amanda Leigh Cowley
.99

Soul Protector is a refreshingly different paranormal romance.

After being dragged on a night out to celebrate a friend’s birthday, Gracie discovers a rather unique talent. Doubting her sanity, she keeps it to herself until she can work why it's happening. What she doesn't realise is dabbling with her gift will put her life in danger.

A visible aura highlights her existence to others who share the same talent. Dan, a handsome 'monitor' intervenes and once he establishes Gracie had no idea what she was doing, he helps her; introducing her to the secret world of the Soul Protector.

Finally understanding the rules, Gracie finds the strength to embrace what she is to help someone in need. But a secret from the past is waiting to catch up with her, and a chain of events unfold which nobody could have predicted.

Imagine Is Available On Kindle

2011-12-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to let you know Imagine is now on Kindle (.99) and in paperback ($5.99).

I hope you enjoy it!

Product Description

(10,600 words in length)
These short stories are snapshots of life. It has been said a picture is worth a thousand words, but I believe a thousand words can create a picture so vivid, layers so complex, that it can be remembered long after the image has faded. As a writer, a storyteller, an addict of words, these stories and poems - all captured with the lens of my imagination - will hopefully resonate with you, the reader. I hope you enjoy them.

~History of the collection~

Many of these inspirational stories have been shared on my blog and were well received. In addition, new stories and poems have been added to the collection to create a lovely tapestry of life, people, ideas, and inspiration that will hopefully touch your heart, make you think, and possibly help you view the lens of your world with a deeper focus. Imagine what you'll see when you do.

~What people are saying about Imagine~

Your stories are so beautiful and your writing is simply magical.
~ Cat Woods, writer

Her prose is infectious...
~Edwin D. Ferretti, writer

[T.K. Richardson] has always leaned towards the more literary, and more serious, thought-provoking stories.
~Jean Oram, writer, freelance editor

2011 Inspirational Websites

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

The lovely and very talented author Jessica Kristie has awarded six people/websites with this lovely 2011 Inspirational Websites Award.

I am so honored to be among those who won.

I'd like to tell you about this wonderful author, too. She's an award winning poet and the author of Dreaming In Darkness. A beautifully written book. She also has a second book coming soon, Threads of Life. Her writing is powerful, beautiful, and lovely.

Thank you Jessica, for thinking of me. It's truly an honor.

Please visit Jessica Kristie's blog to view the other recipients of the award, and to learn more about Jessica.

I've Been Keeping a Little Secret!

2011-12-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

Love, Me
Anthology of Short Stories

A first kiss, a high school prom, the county fair, a tender embrace, finding true love, and coming of age are themes weaved into the stories found in Love, Me. From established YA authors comes this sweet and telling anthology of young love.

Authors Shana Norris, Sarah Tregay, T.K. Richardson, Ela Lond, Amy Kinzer, and Emily Ann Ward offer these exceptional tales of sweet romance.

With one voice these authors also join together to offer hope. The profits from this anthology will be donated to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for their work with children in the foster care system.

Please consider each short story in this anthology signed by the author Love, Me.

**********

That's right! An anthology of short stories will be out this February and includes some fabulous YA authors. I am so excited about this ebook and could hardly wait to share it with all of you!

Yes, I know it does seem like it's raining books, now doesn't it? With my cookbook being released in October, my short stories and poems just a few days ago, and Shield the Heart any day now, my bookcase is running over!

But there is something a little special about this book.

Love, Me has a special purpose. You all know how I advocate for children in foster care, right? Well, I'm so pleased to announce that all of the profits from this anthology will be donated to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).

I am so thrilled!

And the authors contributing to the anthology are none other than Shana Norris, Sarah Tregay, Ela Lond, Amy Kinzer, Emily Ann Ward, and me.

Needless to say I'm honored to be a part of this anthology.

I hope you'll get a copy when it's out!

Compass eBooks Friday Edition (7)

2011-12-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 7th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

If you have a book you'd like to mention be sure to leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Happy reading!

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

********

Austin Briggs
$2.99

In the days before the Conquistadors, Angry Wasp is fighting to keep his family and his small Aztec nation alive.

Slavers have kidnapped his daughter. His wife has turned to powerful sorcery. His people have challenged Montezuma's dominance and now face extinction. And the Spaniards have begun their march inland.

Now Wasp must rely on his military prowess, wit and even dark magic to regain his family and protect the independence of his nation, as he begins a desperate journey that will forever change the fate of the Aztec people.

Lisa Lim
Free

Bridget Jones's Diary meets The Office. Madison Lee is a fresh college grad, ready to take on the world of print media. But she has zero luck landing a job. Unemployment is at ten percent and on the rise. Desperate and left with no other options, she accepts a position as a service rep at a call center in Pocatello, Idaho. At the Lightning Speed call center in Spudsville, Maddy plunges into the wild and dysfunctional world of customer service where Sales is prided over Service and an eight hour shift is equivalent to eight hours of callers bashing her over the phone. Oh sure, the calls are bad. But Maddy manages to find humor on the phone and off the phone. And with all the salacious drama behind the calls, there is never a dull moment at the Lightning Speed call center.
Lately . . . Maddy has been pining for her smolderingly gorgeous co-worker Mika Harket. Now things are heating up on the phone--and elsewhere. Don't hang up on this novel. Working at a call center has never been this garish . . . or this delightful.

Linda Wilcox
$2.99

In his Woodland home, where everyone has the ability to blendwith their surroundings and disappear from sight, only Kel has evolved to do so with every background. Recruited as a spy when his country comes under threat from the evil Grey Lord, Kel and Rostyn, the king's messenger, are sent on a perilous mission north into the mountains. There, Kel must infiltrate the forbidding Grey Keep and destroy a deadly new weapon, but when Rostyn disappears Kel's finds his talents are stretched to their limits in a race against time to rescue his friend and complete his mission.
Set in a mediaeval world where old and new technologies combine and swords arre pitted against lasers, Chamaeleon The Secret Spy is a fast-paced, exciting adventure story that will keep you entertained until the last page.

Phoenix Sullivan
0.99

A rise in stroke-like cases has CDC analyst Mike Shafer on alert. Patients in every demographic in the Great Plains area, from toddlers to healthy adults to the elderly, are succumbing to rapid deterioration - and death.

Veterinarian Donna Bailey, meanwhile, is dealing with an outbreak of her own. It looks like mad cow disease. But to be affecting so many species? Impossible.

Whatever it is, it's spreading. Fast.

As state and federal agencies race to contain the growing threats, Mike and Donna's searches for Patient Zero intersect at a big-game compound in a remote corner of North Dakota. There they find their answer buried in a secret thought extinct for 10,000 years. A secret entrepreneur Walt Thurman will kill to protect.

But even if Mike and Donna can escape the compound with the secret of Sector C, it may already be too late.

Because after today, extinct no longer means forever.

R.H. Russell
$4.99

Venture Delving is a bonded servant, a member of the lowest class in the world. Already fatherless, when he loses his mother, he veers from energetic to out of control. But when Venture's rage saves the life of Jade, his best friend and his master's daughter, Venture finds himself in the last place he ever expected—a center renowned for training young boys to be professional fighters.

When Venture realizes he's fallen in love with Jade, he knows that the only way he'll ever have her, the only way he'll ever be free to live the life he's meant to live, is to defy convention, common sense, the trust of those he cares about most—and sometimes the law—and become the best fighter in the world, the Champion of All Richland. Venture must battle not only rival fighters, but the ghosts of his past and the members of a privileged warrior class who stand between him and his dream.

Book one of the Venture series. Approximately 60,000 words (About 240 standard pages). Ages thirteen and up.

Compass eBooks (6)

2011-12-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 6th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

If you have a book you'd like to mention be sure to leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Happy reading!

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

****

Ami Blackwelder
Free

Inspired by a dream....A love story pre-holocaust in Munich, 1930.

82,000 words

SUMMARY:

An historical fiction set in Munich, Germany in the early 1930’s before the outbreak of War World II. Eli Levin and Rebecca Baum fall passionately in love and while their differences should have separated them, they instead forged a passionate bond that would change their lives forever.

While religious and social differences weigh heavily on their families in an increasingly tense Germany, the lovers remain unadulterated in spite of the prejudices. After overcoming family issues and social pressures, the two must sustain under a growing violent governmental regime. When the Nazi party heightens in popularity and the party’s ideas influence law, they must face the harsh reality of life and death.

Poetry used in this novel by Heinrich Heine.

Stuart Jaffe
$4.95

Malja wants answers. She wants to know why the two most powerful magicians in all of Corlin ripped her from her mother's arms, raised her only to fight, and then tossed her away to die at age ten. She wants to know why they are trying to recreate the spells which caused the Devastation that wiped out most of the world's population, leaving behind skeletal cities and abandoned technology. And she wants to kill them.

With Tommy, an orphan bearing the tattoos of a sorcerer, she crosses this shattered land. Despite the challenges they face -- crazed magicians, guitar-playing assassins, mutated beasts -- Malja pursues her vengeance with a single-mindedness that may destroy all she holds dear, forcing her to make a terrible choice between the family she lost and the one she has built.

"...an unusual and powerful novel of betrayal and revenge, loss and redemption. With a unique and compelling protagonist, a world of darkness and wonders, and a narrative that is both swiftly-paced and unpredictable, THE WAY OF THE BLACK BEAST is sure to entertain." -- David B. Coe, Crawford Award-winning author of the LonTobyn Chronicle, Winds of the Forelands, and Blood of the Southlands

Jack Blaine
$6.99

Helper12 works as a Baby Helper in Pre Ward, the place where babies spend their first six months of life before they’re tracked for vocations and sent to training. She does her job well, and she stays out of trouble. But one day, the Sloanes, Society members who enjoy all the privileges of their station—family unit clearance, a private dwelling, access to good food and good schools—come to “adopt” one of the Pre Ward babies. The Director makes a deal and the Sloanes walk out with a brand new child.

They also walk out owning Helper12—the Director sells her to them, and there’s nothing she can do but go. At the Sloanes, Helper12 enters a world where people should be able to enjoy life—with high position and riches come the opportunity for individual freedom, even the chance to love—but that’s not what she finds. The Sloanes are keeping secrets. So is their biological son, Thomas.

Helper12 has some secrets of her own; she’s drawing, which is a violation, since Baby Helpers aren’t tracked for Art. And she’s growing to love the child she was bought to care for—at the same time that Ms. Sloane is becoming disenchanted with her impulse baby buy.

When all your choices are made for you, how do you make some for yourself? Helper12 is about to find out.

Bryan Dunn
$2.99

Arctic bush pilot Harry McNills is minding his own business and dreaming of retiring to the Caribbean--when two scientists from Cryolabs Corporation charter his plane for a scientific expedition. The beautiful young biologist Amy Tyler and her boss, the avaricious Hayden Lockwood, want to explore for freeze-tolerant organisms. Harry gets more than he bargained for when he falls for Amy and discovers an ancient terror entombed in an iceberg. A Navy team is assembled to exhume the remarkable find. But before the job is completed, something goes horribly wrong...and Harry and Amy find themselves trapped in a desperate struggle for survival.

Laura Lond
0.99

The old legend says that a merman’s kiss will make a girl pretty and bring her luck. One poor working girl is desperate enough to try it. She is warned that she must do everything exactly as she is told… but never warned about the effect it might have on the merman.

A Merman's Kiss is a novella of approximately 14,500 words (75 pages in the printed edition).

*****

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

Celebrating Imagine!

2011-12-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

Today I'm celebrating Imagine!

My new book is now available for preorder at both Barnes and Noble ($5.39) and on Amazon ($5.99)!

It will also be available as an ebook within the next couple of days and is listed at .99. (I tried to list it for free, but retailers won't allow it.)

I hope you enjoy my collection of short stories and poems!

***

About the book:

These short stories are snapshots of life. It has been said a picture is worth a thousand words, but I believe a thousand words can create a picture so vivid, layers so complex, that it can be remembered long after the image has faded. As a writer, a storyteller, an addict of words, these stories and poems - all captured with the lens of my imagination - will hopefully resonate with you, the reader. I hope you enjoy them.

History of the collection~

Many of these inspirational stories have been shared on my blog and were well received. In addition, new stories and poems have been added to the collection to create a lovely tapestry of life, people, ideas, and inspiration that will hopefully touch your heart, make you think, and possibly help you view the lens of your world with a deeper focus. Imagine what you'll see when you do.

~What people are saying about Imagine~

Your stories are so beautiful and your writing is simply magical.
~ Cat Woods, writer

Her prose is infectious...
~Edwin D. Ferretti, writer

[T.K. Richardson] has always leaned towards the more literary, and more serious, thought-provoking stories.
~Jean Oram, writer, freelance editor

Compass eBooks (5)

2011-12-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 5th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about.

I hope you find something you may enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

If you have a book you'd like to mention be sure to leave a comment and I'll check it out.

Happy reading!

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

Michael Scott Miller
$0.99

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers tells the story of Bert Ingram, once a successful rep in the music industry, who has lost his way. Desperate for redemption, the perpetual dreamer decides to put together a band, recruiting musicians who have only one thing in common: the need to overcome a significant obstacle in their lives. The volatile mix of the musicians' personalities and backgrounds threatens to derail the band at every opportunity, but in time, the Redeemers begin to realize they have more to gain from one another than they ever could have imagined.

Diana Estill
$2.99

Pregnant at 16, Renee Goodchild drops out of school and marries. Now she’s trapped in rural Texas with Kenny, her violent, garbage-collecting husband. A bleak future seems assured until she meets self-appointed relationship guru, Pearly.

“That’s why you don’t let ‘em rule the roost. ’Cause you can’t count on ‘em to be there the next mornin’ when it’s time to crow,” the worldly Pearly advises.

Renee narrates this tale of ruin and redemption where the damaged and downtrodden lead each other to unintended, sometimes heartbreaking, and often bittersweet outcomes. When Horses Had Wings examines the lives of broken people competing for the most basic needs: the primal urge for affection and the eternal search for acceptance.

Holly Hook
$0.99

Book 1 of the Destroyers Series

Sixteen-year-old Janelle never thought the gray spiral birthmark on her arm meant anything special. That is, until she meets Gary, a boy her age with a birthmark exactly like hers. Gary’s attractive, brooding, and perfectly normal…except for the fact that he materialized out of a dangerous hurricane right in front of her. Janelle’s certain of only one thing. Gary’s mark—and hers, too—mean something, but he’s reluctant to tell her what.

At last she squeezes the truth from Gary about their markings. And the truth is utterly terrifying: Janelle and Gary are more connected to the destructive power of nature than she ever dreamed possible. And learning the truth about herself is only the start of her nightmare.

2010 Amazon Breatkthrough Novel Awards Semifinalist

"Meteorology may seem an odd literary motivation, but this novel puts weather at the center of a solid fantasy-adventure."--Publishers Weekly

Book 2 of the Destroyers Series, Inferno, is now available.

Kelly Riad
$0.99

By the summer, Tatiana “Nicky” Roman must learn to trust Xander Day if she’s ever going to discover the origin of her violent hallucinations. But centuries of being repeatedly murdered by him on July 17th are a little hard to forgive.

Over four hundred years ago, Xander thought the holy man’s prophetic words were as crazy as his eyes—that Alexander and Tatiana were destined to be together forever. But Xander misunderstood the mystic. He knew now forever meant forever taking the other’s life. If they never break the bloody curse holding them prisoners of fate, there will be only one outcome: death.

Melissa F. Miller
$1.99

There's a smartphone app that can crash a plane. And it's for sale to the highest bidder . . .

Attorney Sasha McCandless is closing in on the prize after eight long years: she's months away from being made partner at a prestigious law firm. All she has to do is keep her head down and her billable hours up. Then a plane operated by her client slams into the side of a mountain, killing everyone aboard. Sasha gears up to prepare a defense to the inevitable civil lawsuits.

She quickly realizes the crash was no accident: a developer has created an application that can control a commercial plane's onboard computer from a smartphone. Sasha joins forces with a federal air marshal who's investigating the crash. As they race to prevent another disaster, people close to the matter start to die. And she's next on the list. Sasha will need to rely on her legal training and her Krav Maga training in equal measure to find and stop a madman before he strikes again.

Irreparable Harm is a taut introduction to an unforgettable protagonist.

Approximate word count: 80,000 words, 414 pages (print version)

Sheila Horgan
$0.99

The characters in Hot Tea are people you'd like to know and part of a family that welcomes you with open arms. Almost 70,000 copies have been sold. You will find that the 'Tea' series is a fast fun read.

Cara O'Flynn finds herself in an unusual position. She's quit her job and can afford to take a few weeks to find a new career. Plus, her roommate has run off and left her with an empty room to fill. If she can just accomplish those two tasks before her mother finds out she has no income and no one to help pay bills, she's in good shape.

The problem - Cara didn't plan for three careers in as many days, nor did she anticipate the new guys that dropped in her lap. And then there's her sister Teagan, while always helpful and funny, she can be a bit annoying at times.

When you're Irish, all things (good and bad) come in threes. It's inevitable. Cara should have remembered not to forget that part.

Cara and Teagan bring laughter, intelligence and family tradition to every experience they encounter.

$5.99

101 tips on getting worse at Call of Duty online multiplayer.

(And of course detail on how you can avoid these and improve your game)

101 individual tips on how you can stay away from bad game play and see yourself rise up the leaderboards.

Soon you'll be owning the lobbies whilst laughing at others making the same mistakes you used to.

INCLUDES MW3 tips and tricks. VERY POPULAR e-book.

19738 Words (approximate) of top quality content.

The perfect gift to go along with the release of MW3, or as a simple but effective festive gift

Artemis Hunt
$2.99

PROPHECIES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN . . . WITHIN 7 DAYS.

All 16-year-old Billy wants is a foster parent who doesn’t

1. run off with the maître d’,
2. get torched by lightning, or
3. feed him soup with arsenic.

Enter beautiful Mrs. Night, who seems as eager to foster Billy as he is to gaze upon her creamy skin . . . until he discovers the tattoos that cover every inch of her absolutely hot body are for summoning demons. His new home in the First Demon Realm is filled with harpies, trees with Gorgon heads and Japanese ghost children who scribble on writing pads.

But why is everyone – demon, human and superhuman – suddenly after Billy? Why does Mrs. Night’s husband, the most powerful telekinetic alive, insist that Billy is the fabled and much prophesied ‘Catalyst’? What does a ‘Catalyst’ do and, more importantly, does he survive doing it?

Billy has 7 days to find out.

THE HUNT FOR THE CATALYST is a contemporary fantasy (85,000 words) filled with humor, angst, hope, terror, joy, and young people who just want to belong – no matter what worlds they are from.

This is BOOK ONE of THE ETHER WORLD CHRONICLES.

Artemis Hunt’s other books:

THE ETHER WORLD CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS
SNOW WHITE AND THE ALIEN
THE BODY SNATCHER WEARS LIPSTICK

Stan Morris
$2.99

When Sarah sneaks out of her house to go joyriding in her boyfriend's space yacht, she expects to be back before dawn. But her boyfriend is not as swift as she had thought, and now she's in real trouble. A chance encounter with some space junk and then with a young spacer sends Sarah off to the Hoop on the adventure of a lifetime.

Melaine Ryther
$2.99

St. John Bosco's assumed the form of a large dog and protected him on numerous occasions from bloodthirsty assailants.

St. Frances of Rome's helped her to read at night by the light of his hair.

St. Lydwine's "flew" her to faraway places in the heavens and on earth.

And St. Gemma Galgani's graced her with constant visible companionship for most of her short life.

Everyone has an angel story, or so it seems, but the Catholic Church has some pretty spectacular ones, especially those that are found in the lives and legends of the saints. Starting in earliest Christian times with Gregory the Great and finishing in the 20th century with one of the Church's newest saints, Padre Pio, Partners in Holiness tells the stories of nine men and women who grew in virtue and holiness with the assistance of their angels. Sometimes the help was sublime; sometimes it was stunning.

Written in a manner friendly to the young adult reader but easily enjoyed by all age groups, these accounts recreate the times and settings in which they occurred. But always at their core is the message that the friendship of an angel is not just for a canonized saint, but is a gift to each of us, saint or sinner.

Woven throughout the book are teachings and anecdotes about the angels from a Catholic perspective. For anyone interested in angelology, hagiography, history, theology, or just an inspiring read, Partners in Holiness satisfies on many levels.

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10,000 Words A Day?

2011-11-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

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I ran across this article the other day and wanted to pass it on to all of you.

The title is 'How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day'.

It sounds far fetched, but really the information contained in the article made a lot of sense, and I just might try my hand at implementing these ideas.

After all, I've got so many stories and characters floating around inside my head, this just might help me out.

But I wonder, do you even keep track of how many words you write a day? Am I the only one who just goes with the flow?

Maybe this is one of my 'problems' and perhaps I should be tracking my word count...

What about you? Do you track your daily word count? Would you like to churn out 10k a day? Are you concerned this formula could squash the creativity part of writing? Or do you plan on trying it?

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if
you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
~Sylvia Plath

Shop Your Local Indie Book Store On

2011-11-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of supporting local businesses and since today is Small Business Saturday I've joined in and went to my local indie book shop. I love Russo's Book Store and dropped in today and bought not one, but 4 books.

It's so easy to shop online, but really sometimes it is so much better to go in and wander the aisles. In addition to getting another great book to read, you'll be helping your local economy, too.

And since books are the things we pine for, search for, yes - the very things we write ourselves, I thought being an active participant in Small Business Saturday was as easy as pie.

So, are you wondering which books I bought? If so I'll list them below. :)

The Resurrection of the Romonovs by Greg King and Penny Wilson
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (I already own it, but bought a spare.:D)
The Italians of Kern County by Donna Tessandori Weeks
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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Did you shop at your local indie book shop today? What books did you buy? Did you intend to get 1 book but ended up with more like me?

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan

Compass eBooks (4) Black Friday Edition!

2011-11-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 4th edition of Compass eBooks where I like to feature books you may not know about. I hope you find something you may enjoy and that this new feature will lead the way to your next great read.

I also hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have enjoyed your Black Friday shopping! I know I did, but that's another post in itself. :)

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

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Jason G. Anderson
$2.99

"Anderson stays true to Lewis Carol's world and characters, but adds so many of his own ideas that Wonderland feels, well, wondrous again." - Heather Blackwood, Amazon review

James Riggs lives a normal life with a mind-numbing job, an overbearing boss, and a demanding fiancée. Then he witnesses the murder of his best friend. Saved from the murderer by a strange man in a white suit, James is cast down a hole and into a world he always believed was a kid’s story. Wonderland.

But things have changed since Alice’s visit. The Knave of Hearts has seized the Heart throne, conquered all of Wonderland with his steam-powered technological marvels, and rules the land with an iron fist.

Aided by the Mad Hatter's daughter, James journeys to discover why he has been brought to Wonderland and how the tattoo on his arm could be the key to Wonderland’s salvation—or its destruction.

Edited by Lynn O'Dell (Red Adept Reviews).

Steve Vernon
$3.99

The roots of evil run deeper than you can ever imagine.

Lucas Sawyer and his wife Tamsen find themselves marooned in the heart of a mid-nineteenth century wilderness forest. They are rescued by Jonah Duvall, a mysterious woodsman abiding in this strange valley with his wife Jezebel and thier son Cord. Brooding over all stands the Devil Tree - a huge evil jackpine that has summoned them to this valley to feed upon their collective emotions and their unnatural offspring. Part earth spirit, part elder demon - the tree is farming them.

The characters are bound in a tightening noose of of undeniable fate. As winter sets in they must face the tree's unholy fury in an utterly horrific finale.

Devil-Tree is a story that will take you further into the heart of unimaginable horror.

Les Turner
$2.99

In the small farming town of Brereton in the Australian Snowy River Mountains, something is killing the livestock in the dead of night.

Sydney journalist, Beth Margraves, is at a turning point in her career when she is asked to cover the Brereton mystery for her newspaper.

Beth is reluctant to return to the small town she left soon after high school, leaving behind her widowed Father, and an unanswered marriage proposal from her then boyfriend.

Is the town really being terrorised by a pack of dogs, hiding in the national park that surrounds it? Or something far worse?

Returning to Brereton, Beth will come face to face with not just the town’s demons, but her own.

A quarterfinalist for the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough novel Award and inspired by actual events, ‘The Pack’ offers thrills and chills for all readers.

Annette Lyon
$2.99

Will Brooke be safe from her unbalanced ex-boyfriend? And can Greg Stevens ever heal from the death of his wife and open his heart again? A delightfully gripping novel about the occasionally treacherous path to true love, and one woman's unexpected journey along it.

Katherine Amt Hanna
$2.99

Six years after a pandemic devastates the human population, and the subsequent loss of much of the world's technology, Chris Price finally makes it from New York to Britain to reunite with his brother. But unresolved grief over his dead wife and baby and the horrors he witnessed as he traveled through a changed world have damaged him. He struggles to let go of his past, accept the healing kindness of those around him, and let love back into his life.

What others are saying:

"...this one stands out because it doesn't dwell on the particulars of difficult living conditions, but instead focuses on personal recovery and relationships."

"...a lovely, emotional story of loss and redemption... full of well-developed characters whose journeys end in self-discovery, recovery from loss, and love."

"...a book that has something for everyone."

"Buy it if you like Margaret Atwood's work or if you enjoyed One Second After by William R. Forstchen. It's that good."

Breakdown is a full-length novel of approximately 103,000 words, or 425 printed pages.

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Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

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Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for, don't we? I could name off so many things I'm grateful for. From family and friends to hope and happiness and everything in between.

I hope your Thanksgiving Day is filled with grateful thoughts and you're reminded of all the little things that we don't really think of, as well as all the big things in life, that make up the reason for this day.

For me, I love being surrounded by the 20+ members of my family who will fill my home, the smell of the turkey in the oven, the pumpkin pie and heavy whipped cream, the aroma of coffee brewing, the Thanksgiving Day parade as our background 'music', and everything else that comes with the festivities.

I can't forget the children who will try to dip their fingers in the pies, the laughter, the 15 conversations going on at once, and the family prayer before we sit down to eat.

This is one of my favorite holidays.

I hope your day is filled with your fondest memories yet, and that all the little things mix with the big things and make your heart swell with thanksgiving.

Have a wonderful day!

Compass eBooks (3)

2011-11-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

Compass eBooks is a new feature here on my blog.

Because there are so many books to choose from, including tons of books you may have never heard of, this new spotlight will point the way to many great books.

I hope you find your next great read! And I hope you're enjoying seeing new titles from new authors. :)

Like Compass eBooks on Facebook and show your support!

Heidi Hall
$2.99

**( Just a note to add: I just finished this book and found it delightful, engaging, entertaining, and well written! Loved it! 5 stars on Goodreads.)

In every perfect life, there comes a time for A Dose of Reality.

Pharmaceutical Heiress Chloe Avalon has always had the best of everything. But then again, a perfect wardrobe, the swankiest address, glamorous parties and limitless trust funds are the norm when you live in the realm of the über-rich. The only problem is that all of it has become a tad bit...tedious.

But life starts to get a little too interesting when her brother, Luke, sends her an ancient relic--and promptly vanishes. A mysterious voicemail from Luke's oldest friend (and Chloe's girlhood crush) adds a new layer of intrigue. Then, on the eve of her 30th birthday, things really begin to fall apart.

From Southampton to New York to a private island in the Caribbean, Chloe plunges into a dangerous race against an enemy she never expected and discovers there really are some things that money just can't buy.

Jessica Kristie
$4.99

(I'm currently reading this one!)

Dreaming in Darkness is the contemplative collection of poetry from writer Jessica Kristie. Share the passion and anguish, the acceptance and regret that life imposes on us all. Feel the validation of your pain and discover empowerment through understanding. A light always exists when you are Dreaming in Darkness.

R.G. Porter
$2.99

Their chance meeting uncovers a hidden conspiracy the world isn’t ready for…

Krystoff is a vampire and enforcer of the laws of his people. Sent out to hunt down those who have turned their back on the Council, he is drawn to Austin, and the next on his long list of targets. Once in the city he is drawn to a club that provides more than just a distraction, it reveals a woman that is more than she seems and what’s worse is the renegades have set their sights on her.

Alexandra, part human and part Fae, has done her best to keep her non-human legacy from those around her. To her dismay, the one night she decides to spend the evening out singing, she draws the unwanted attention of what she’s tried to hide from all her life… vampires. Suddenly she is on the run and her only ally is the very species she has been warned against. Could this hunter be her only savior?

Together they must find out why the renegades are after Alex, but first they must learn to trust each other… before time runs out.

R.G. Porter
$2.99

A quest to save the future from the darkness is more than it seems…

Saleene is a healer of her people. Sent out to find the root of the darkness, she finds more than she bargained for. Demons and ghouls at every turn, Saleene soon finds she has more than just an unknown evil to battle. Drawn to an abandoned cabin for shelter, she's met by the stare of a man who is more than he appears, and may be her only hope.

Dartian is a warrior sent out to find the cause of the death that continues to spread. With his friends lending assistance, they find that the evil is deeper than first thought. Ending up at an abandoned shack he finds more than just a place to rest. Inside its four walls is a woman that calls to every part of his being.

Fate has drawn them together--- to battle the darkness that has been released…

But first they must learn to trust their own bond…. And start to reform the circle once more.

V.A. Jeffrey
$0.99

Eerie dreams. Rotten pumpkins. A fairy princess in trouble!

A sudden, strange blight strikes pumpkins everywhere which means no pumpkin pie, no pumpkin bread, no pumpkin spiced cookies, not even pumpkin soup! Worse, the blight will eventually spread to other crops. Queen Faye's skulduggery spills out ever more into Anne's own world. She knows that the fairy Queen of Winter is behind this dark mischief. The blight and one of Anne's dreams leads her back to Other Land to rescue the Pumpkin Princess, the fairy who helps usher in the fall harvest.

Since Anne's first visit, the Winter Queen has grown more powerful and is terrorizing all of Other Land with her plans to rule the land. Many fairy folk have fled, have gone in hiding or are preparing for war and a cruel, unending winter. Anne must find the courage and fortitude to brave the dangers that face her in Other Land and along the way she finds unexpected friends in unexpected places, but is it enough to stop the Winter Queen's rampage?

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Compass eBooks (2)

2011-11-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

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Michael Kingswood
$4.99

Ten years after the Troubles that ended civilization as we currently know it, isolated settlements of survivors have resumed trade and are beginning to rebuild. In the small settlement of Glennville, Jack Simmons lives as a hunter and trapper with his friend and mentor. Haunted by and unable to move beyond the lingering pain from his losses during the Troubles, he nevertheless has found a measure of contentment.

But when the trade caravan brings word of a mysterious and mystical threat in the west, he finds himself thrust on an unwanted journey with a man he doesn't trust to discover the source of this threat. He finds more than he bargained for when he encounters the Order of the Sun and their leader, a former physicist who left the profession to pursue his theory of how to reclaim man's lost capacity to work magic.

When Jack learns the dark secrets that lie at the Order's core, he is forced to flee in the dead of night and evade the Order's pursuers in order to bring those secrets back, where they can hopefully be used to set up a defense against the Order's expansion.

Fast paced and action-packed, Masters of the Sun is the story of one man's perseverance in the face of adversity and of the rebirth of magic into a crippled world.

Fred Anderson
$2.99

Poker player Matt Freeman knows life is a gamble, so when an oncologist offers an experimental gene therapy as a possible cure for the terminal cancer killing his eleven-year-old son Andrew, he takes a chance. The treatment works, and Matt feels like he's beaten the house. His elation is short-lived, however, because Andrew is soon killed in a freak accident.

Nearly a year later, he is still struggling with his loss when a midnight phone call begins with a single electrifying word: “Daddy?”

He races into the Nevada desert to find Andrew not only alive, but in possession of an incredible new ability and on the run from those he calls “bad people.” Now Matt must protect his son from enemies with seemingly endless resources—and the willingness to turn Las Vegas into a battle zone.

Approximately 88,000 words.

Danielle Kazemi
$0.99

Annabel Wells is a typical girl. She works at a job she hates and her boyfriend just dumped her. Things couldn't get worse.

While out, she is attacked by the Unseen - a creature made of pure darkness who kills mortals. When a mysterious hero saves her, she uncovers the world that operates behind the scenes of the normal world. Dragons live among us, disguised as humans.

With the aide of Crispin, Henry, Sera, and Jules, Annabel is protecting herself from another attack. The only problem: how to hide her?

Valerie Gillen
$2.99

A Hidden Power: Stepdancer Siobhan Kelly didn't believe in magic - until the magic chose her.

A Promise Made: She's been warned magic is evil, but with her grandmother felled by a deadly curse, she must make a bargain with the local Fairie prince - the return of their sacred Jewel in exchange for her grandmother's life.

And it just might work too - if only she can escape the dark witch who's made Siobhan her prey in the hunt for a deadly blood spell.

Steve Silkin
$0.99

Sex, drugs and election fraud: Jace Kingman, a drug dealer, is recruited to round up Latino day laborers and take them to the polls on Election Day. Dan Vienna, a fired police officer on the road to become an internet porn producer, tries to extort a million dollars from a losing candidate for U.S. Senate by claiming he can prove the election was stolen. Jace and Dan will cross paths as both schemes go awry. Can they save themselves? Or will they destroy each other?

Ruth Harris
$2.99

If you like bestselling fiction about the lives of believable people, you will love Ruth Harris's DECADES, the first book in her 20th Century Trilogy.

Spanning the years from the post-World War II 1940's to the rebellious "Make Love, Not War" generation of the 1960's, DECADES is the emotional story of a marriage, a family and three generations of women facing the challenges of their changing times.

Evelyn was a loyal and loving wife.
Nat, her restless husband.
Joy, the daughter torn between them.
Barbara was the other woman, accomplished and evolved, who thought she could have everything--including another woman's husband.

Their conflicting desires and opposing values lead to an unforgettable confrontation and a surprising conclusion.

"Powerful, gripping"--Women Today Book Club
"Brilliant" -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"A great, character-rich novel to curl up with...a novel that will stay with you after you've finished reading it--the sign of a great book!" --Amazon customer review

Ruth Harris
$2.99

If you like quality fiction about the intimate lives of believable people, you will love Ruth Harris's million-copy New York Times bestseller, HUSBANDS AND LOVERS, Book #2 in her 20th Century Trilogy.

Spanning the years from the sullen 1970's of recession and gas shortages to the prosperous, exuberant Reagan 1980's, HUSBANDS AND LOVERS is the compelling story of partially orphaned Carlys Webber and the two men who love her.

A lonely wife. A jealous husband. A passionate lover. A gun in a Tiffany bag.

Carlys's lonely and insecure beginnings fade into the past when, to her own surprise, she gradually begins to climb the executive ladder of a Manhattan Public Relations firm. Her future is threatened when Kirk Arnold, her White Knight and loving husband, turns into an angry stranger. She is tempted to find comfort in the arms of architect George Kouras--even though she knows the consequences can shatter her marriage.

Ruth Harris
$2.99

If you love quality fiction about the lives of believable people, you will love Ruth Harris's LOVE AND MONEY, the 3rd book in her 20th Century Trilogy.

Set in motion by a long-ago devastating betrayal, LOVE AND MONEY concludes in the "if you've got it, flaunt it" 1980's, a decade that saw the peaceful conclusion of the Cold War, the spectacular rise--and fall--of the rich and famous and set the stage for the century's end.

"SPECTACULAR, RICHLY PLOTTED. Racing to a shocking climax, this glittering novel is first-class entertainment." --NY Times Book Review

Rich girl and poor girl.
Celebrity and outcast.
Sisters and strangers.

Deedee Dahlen and Lana Bantry share a father but not an inheritance, a lover but not a commitment. Deedee, born with a silver spoon, is adored and indulged--until her world turns upside down. Lana, the child of a brief encounter, is humiliated and rejected--until she forces the world to pay attention. They do not know of each other's existence and might never have met until their worlds collide when fate--and murder--bring them face to face.

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Compass eBooks (1)

2011-11-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

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Author Maureen Doallas
$9.99

A prescient, elegant meal for the soul, not to be missed. --Jenne R. Andrews, author of Reunion

Maureen E. Doallas was inspired to write by tending and grieving her brother. She invites us to listen to "a new voice I'm learning to use" as she reports news of the world; echoes poets she admires; and shares her heart, its woe and its coming joy. --Kathleen Kirk, Poetry Editor at Escape into Life

Maureen Doallas's poems delight us with the play of words and impress us with their struggle, to make sense of nature and our natures. Like "stars splitting the dark," they shine on faith, on the treasures of this world, and on their long-grieving loss. --A. Jay Adler, Professor of English at Los Angeles Southwest College

With sparse language and evocative images that awaken the spirit, Maureen Doallas' poetry invites us to transcend the ordinary. Lyrical, poignant and thought-provoking, Neruda's Memoirs is a stunning collection which brings us closer to the truth. --Deborah Henry, Historical Fiction Finalist at Solander Magazine

Author Kate Avery Ellison
$3.99

~SUMMARY~

When Bee is imprisoned in a magical, cursed house because of her father's selfish choices, she has just one plan... escape! But in order to leave, she must solve a riddle and help her fellow prisoners break the curse that binds them all. And thanks to Will, the bitter young master of the house, the whole curse-breaking thing is proving difficult.

Will wants nothing to do with Bee or her help, and he certainly isn't planning on falling in love with her. But he might have underestimated just how determined, clever, and irresistible this Curse Girl can be.

~EXCERPT~

He raked his gaze over me once. I felt like a package that had come in the mail, one in which the contents had turned out to be a slight disappointment.

“So you’re the Curse Girl,” he said finally, after a long pause. “The words of the curse spoke about a girl called Beauty, but I thought the line meant a beautiful girl.”

Author Sean Van Damme
$2.99

Darkness has fallen across the land and with it come horrors that man hasn’t seen in thousands of years. Hiding from his past on a small farm is Alen Tar, a retired warrior and leader of men. His home is one of the first attacked by the evil that comes with the night.

Driven from his home Alen sets out of a quest to end the darkness, along the way picking up a group of unlikely heroes, from a broken Crusader to an exiled mage and a dwarf also hiding from a storied past. Together they set out on an adventure that will push them all to the brink both against the evil and against each other, as they seek to end the long night.

Author J.R. Tomlin and C.R. Daems
$3.95

Alisha is the newest Talon of the Raptor Clan, mercenaries prized by rulers, nobles, and the wealthy as elite bodyguards. Her skill with a blade and her magical rune have won her a prized place as a Talon, but she wins her fights through wits as much as her skill.

Guarding a spoiled young princess is Alisha's first assignment for the clan. Surrounded by dangerous plots, keeping the girl alive takes all of Alisha's guile. When assassination turns the princess into a queen on the run, Alisha needs every tool she possesses to protect her young charge, help her find the strength to grow up and reclaim a throne.

Author Andrew Biss
$2.99

As a boy, Horatio Higgins was ignored by the other children, but that didn't stop him having lots of friends...friends only he could see and whom he'd regale with tales of his fantastical exploits. Eventually, though, his parents became concerned at the inordinate amount of time their son appeared to spend talking to himself and took him for treatment, which, in time, proved successful...almost. One friend remained. Unfortunately it was the spiteful one.

Years later, living alone in his tiny London flat, Horatio's loneliness is mitigated only by his acid-tongued friend and the company of what he affectionately refers to as "my wife". After losing his job, however, his life begins a rapid downward spiral...that is, until he meets a sweet, impressionable young woman named Nore. As their relationship lurches unsteadily forward, Horatio finds himself struggling against a riptide of conflicting realities he's ill-equipped to cope with. Can Nore save him from himself or will she, too, be dragged into a world where the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly and perilously blurred?

Weaving together dark humour with shocking, unsettling twists, Schism is sure to stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

Warning: This book contains Adult Subject Matter.

Approximately 25,000 words (100pp.)

Author Andrew Biss
$2.99

Are you prepared for what comes next?

Accustomed to a life of cosseted seclusion at home with his parents, Valentine is suddenly faced with making his own way in the world. His new life is quickly upended, however, when he's mugged at gunpoint. Finding shelter at a mysterious inn run by the dour Mrs. Anna, he soon encounters a Bosnian woman with a hole where her stomach used to be, an American entrepreneur with a scheme to implant televisions into people's foreheads, and a Catholic priest who attempts to lure him down inside a kitchen sink. Then things start getting strange...

In this story based loosely around the state of Bardo from The Tibetan Book of the Dead - an intermediate state where the dead arrive prior to rebirth - dying is the easy part. Getting out of Bardo and returning to the land of the living is a far more perilous proposition, and unless you know what you're doing...you might never leave.

An odd, yet oddly touching tale of life, death, and the space in-between.

Author Toni Dwiggins
.99

Forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws embark on a perilous hunt--tracking a terrorist who has stolen radioactive material that is hotter than the desert in August. He threatens to release it in America's most fragile national park, Death Valley.

But first he must stop the geologists who are closing in.

As the hunt turns dangerous, Cassie and Walter will need grit along with their field skills to survive this case. For they are up against more than pure human malice. The unstable atom--in the hands of an unstable man--is governed by Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

And it does.

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I'm Visiting Blkosiner's Book Blog!

2011-11-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

I'm visiting Blkosiner's Book Blog today!

Brandi graciously offered to host a contest and a guest post from yours truly and it's up and running right now. It's a great contest and she has such a lovely book blog.

I know you'll just love it.

Also, my guest post 'Cooking up Characters and Main Dishes' talks about the difference from writing YA fiction to writing YA nonfiction. It was actually a bit easier than one would think.

Anyway, we'd love to have you drop by.

Be sure to follow Brandi's blog, too, it's loaded with the latest YA reads.

:)

Community

2011-11-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite TV shows comes on each Thursday night. Community airs on NBC and it's one show I don't like to miss. It's cast with a group of misfits who form their own study group at a community college and have hilarious misadventures week after week.

I think the show is such a success because deep down we can all relate to the characters. Regardless of how much self-esteem we possess I think there's a part of us that can connect or identify with these misfits.

As writers, I think it's probably even easier to identify. I mean, as a whole we're a pretty peculiar bunch. We like our solitary time to write, or to view this world we live in. We need time to process what we see, what we feel, what we know, and somehow this process churns over and over in our writer's brains until a story, or a character is born.

It's the stuff novels are made of. And this community that we know - this tribe of brothers, this band of writers somehow trip, skip, and fumble through this writing life together until we glide and then soar. We celebrate each others highs. We pick each other up when we're low. We cheer each other on.

And it's with this same sense of community that I'm stepping out to lend my hand to fellow authors. Many of them you may not know. Many of them you may have never stumbled upon before. And many of them are just like you - trying to find their way on this uneven publishing road.

With all of this in mind, and with a strong sense of community, I'm starting a new weekly feature here on my blog. Each week Compass eBooks (the title of the weekly posts) will feature new ebooks from new authors. They're people just like you. People who want their stories read. People with dreams and hopes and literary pursuits.

In short - these are our people, our community.

I hope all of you, my dear bloggie friends, will love hearing about these new books. After all, it's friends like you who make me proud to be a part of this group, and I look forward to introducing you to many new authors and their books.

I'm sure our 'study group' can hold a few more people. :)

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Compass eBooks

2011-11-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Compass eBooks is a new weekly feature here on my blog.

Because there are so many books to choose from, including tons of books you may have never heard of, this new spotlight will point the way to many great books.

The first Compass eBooks post will be up in a few days. Also, a new Facebook page is coming soon, and I'll post the link when it's available.

In the mean time, be sure to check back here for the first post. You may just find your next great read!

A little news on 11/11/11

2011-11-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share the news that Simmer is now available on Kindle and Nook for $2.99. It was just released today as an ebook and to my great surprise Simmer has broke the top 100 in a category on Amazon. When I last checked was at #56. Yay!

Also, I found these lovely quotes to share with you~

Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you. ~Marsha Norman

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. ~Doug Larson

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream. ~Author Unknown

And finally, a book to consider~

Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor along with this article from Huffington Post. It sounds like a great tribute and a great book.

Have a great weekend!

Kindle - The New Coffee Table Book

2011-11-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes people keep interesting books on their coffee tables. They may be large books filled with pictures of exotic locales or something just as eye catching. The point is, the book adds depth and helps start conversations. It's something unique to each person. After all who doesn't love a good book?

Last night I discovered a new version of the coffee table book - the Kindle.

Seated in Jack In The Box while my kids had another club meeting, I sipped my freshly brewed coffee and pulled out my brand new Kindle. It's so new I only have 1 book on it - mine. :) I just haven't had time to fill up the e-pages with new books, yet.

So there I sat playing with my new toy and someone stopped to take a look. "Is that a Kindle?" he asked, his eyes lit up. I nodded and smiled. "I have one on my phone and it's filled with free ebooks. I love it."

"I just got mine. Want to see it?" I offered.

I lifted the new coffee table book for him to see. And it did open up a conversation - a conversation about books, ereaders, price of the ebooks, etc. It was very interesting, especially because the kid was so enthused about Kindles and about reading.

And then came the 50 million dollar question. "What are you reading?" he asked and looked closer at the screen.

"My book," I said.

"Your book? You're an author?"

I nodded. I'm sure he was wondering what an author was doing in Jack In The Box, but I showed him the title of my book. In a way I was more enthused about the thin little device holding it. In a way...

"I'll have to get your book," he said. I handed him one of my business cards and then scrawled a few websites on the back that highlight free or discounted ebooks.

Not only did my new Kindle open a conversation with a complete stranger, it also let me see into the reader's decision for choosing ebooks. Price was definitely a factor. And it opened the door to a potential new reader for my own books.

More importantly, this little Kindle gave us something to talk about that we both love - books. And when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter which books are being read at any given moment. What matters is that in this age of technology, gadgets, video games, reality TV shows, music, and pop culture - the written word is still alive and vibrant and sought after.

Even among our youth.

And that's something to celebrate.

*******************

Edit:

Just wanted to share the news that Simmer is now available on Kindle and Nook for $2.99. Just in time for Thanksgiving, too. :)

Feast Your Eyes

2011-11-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Just the sight of this many books is exciting.

Imagine the rows and rows of seemingly endless spines and the smell of old books in the air.

And then think of each story, each chapter, and each ending.

And remember it's writers and authors like you who make it all possible.

*****
The winners of the Simmer giveaway are:

1st prize - Becky Povich!
( a signed copy of Simmer, a t-shirt, and notebook)

2nd Prize - Aik!
(a signed copy of Simmer)

Please send your mailing addresses to
readmynovel[at]gmail[dot]com

Thanks for playing along!

Simmer Giveaway!

2011-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Simmer's release I'm hosting a contest!

I'm giving away a signed copy of my little cookbook, a notebook with the cover of Simmer proudly displayed on the front, and a custom T-shirt that reads, "Everything tastes better when it simmers...".

One unique custom prize pack!

It's really easy to enter the giveaway, too. Just follow these steps and you're in.

1. Leave a comment on my blog so I know who you are.

2. Tweet, blog, or facebook a link to the book on Amazon . The URL is

http://www.amazon.com/Simmer-Recipes-Palate-T-K-Richardson/dp/061548834X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319731790&sr=1-1

(This will really help promote the book, so thank you!)

3. Check back here on November 3rd to see if you're the winner!

The contest/giveaway runs for 1 week.

The T-shirt is a ladies size large, the notebook is spiral bound, and the book is signed.

All waiting for one lucky winner. :)

Good luck and thanks for helping me spread the word!

*P.S. The contest is open to everyone regardless of which country you're in.

Sleep 'til you're hungry, eat 'til you're sleepy. ~Author Unknown

Goodreads Giveaway!

2011-10-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm giving away 2 free copies of Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate over on Goodreads!

So if you're signed up on GR be sure to add Simmer to your books and enter the giveaway.

It runs through November 24.

At that time Goodreads will randomly choose 2 winners who will get their free copies. It's that easy!

Also, Simmer will be available as an ebook for $2.99 in a week or two.

I'll keep you posted as soon as it's available.

In the meantime happy reading and eating!

T.K.

Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate is here!

2011-10-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

My newest book is finally here!

Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate is available 2 days early at Barnes and Noble and is reduced to $7.57!

Yay!

I'm really excited about my cookbook for beginners and teens and I'm hopeful you'll like it, too. It has over 70 recipes - including more than 30 vegetarian recipes, and is a fun cookbook with tons of great recipes. Ideal for the beginning cook as well as the seasoned cook!

One of my favorite recipes is the one for peanut butter pie - a family secret and holiday tradition in our home.

It's not yet available on Amazon or other retailers, but it should be any day now. Also, the ebook version will be out in a few weeks.

I hope you'll check it out! :)

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking
if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.
~Voltaire

Partners In Print Book Drive and News!

2011-10-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

This week my posts will focus on Partners In Print and today kicks off our second book drive of the year. I'm excited to get things started and to start the search for my next books. So far we've collected and donated around 800 books and I'd really like to match last year's totals of more than 1300 books.

I believe we can do it!

If you'd like to join in it really is so easy.

1. Gather a few books from your personal library, or buy new or gently used books from your favorite book store or thrift store.

2. Locate a facility in your area who care for children in the foster care system (DHS, CASA).

3. Drive the books over and deliver them.

It's that easy! And by donating in your area through Partners In Print you join with us to reach this silent minority of kids and help impact the next generation with the joy of reading, promoting literacy, and building a strong educational foundation.

Now on to some Partners In Print news:

Our new building is not yet ready for us to move into, yet. Minor delays have set us back but we're hopeful that November is still our month to move in to our new world headquarters and set up shop.

I'm looking forward to having a storage and book sorting room, an office, and the most important part - the new book shop for kids in foster care, group homes, and agency shelters to be able to come and "shop" for free books.

I can hardly wait!

Also, a new development may be on the horizon. Do you remember the Book Mobile from oh-so-long ago? I do. I remember being in school and seeing that big purple Book Mobile pull up out front. Oh the excitement of buying a book from that book shop on wheels!

Well, just yesterday I was offered ( for free!) the use of a large mobile trailer to use as a sort of book mobile for Partners In Print. I've been mulling over this new idea and am hopeful it will work out. I can just picture getting a mural painted on the side and setting up a mobile Partners In Print and taking it out into the community for underprivileged kids. Of course, this is still just a dream and much work and planning would need to go into this, but still - wouldn't it be awesome if the Book Mobile reappeared?! (Now to convince dear hubby he should drive it for me!) :)

The doors continue to swing wide open for us, and I hope you'll walk through them with me. This is such an exciting time in publishing and being able to give to the kids who can't afford it and who really need the books we write is such a privilege.

If you would like to know more about Partners In Print please visit our website and join us.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait
a single moment before starting to improve the world.
~Anne Frank

Partners In Print

2011-10-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

This coming week all of my posts will be dedicated to Partners In Print. We start our official book drive on Monday and there's a ton of work to do. Currently our book drive totals for the year are almost 800 books and I'd really like to match last year's totals which reached over 1300 books.

So, over the next week I'll share with you how I do it, where I find free or super cheap used books, updates on our new building, and so much more.

To date we've collected and donated over 2,000 books for kids in foster care and I'd love to reach the 3,000 mark. I hope we can do it.

So this coming week is dedicated to Partners In Print and I hope you'll join me in making a difference in the lives of these hurting children. For more information about Partners In Print and how you can join us visit our website!

More Book Festival Highlights

2011-10-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

(T.K. Richardson, Emma Michaels)

To wrap up my week-long posts covering the OC Children's Book Festival I'm highlighting authors Emma Michaels and L.M. Davis. After all, the three of us shared a booth and had plenty of time to get to know each other. :)

They discovered that I tend to talk a lot (especially when I'm nervous) and I discovered just how sweet Emma is and just how accomplished L.M. is. I was truly impressed by both authors and I'm so glad I got to know them better.

Emma's books look fantastic and are geared for the YA audience. The Thirteenth Chime and Anasazi are part of Emma's first series of books and they look and sound fantastic.

L.M. Davis, a middle grade author, had a book that really caught my attention, too. Interlopers is a story of shapeshifters, but they're not your typical werewolf or vampire shapeshifters - they're panthers! Yes, I thought that in itself was so unique and intriguing.

Anyway, both L.M. Davis and Emma Michaels were so sweet and I'm glad I got to know them better.

If you're looking for another great book to read be sure to check out these two authors. I think they have a lot to offer.

(T.K. Richardson, L.M. Davis)

(Oh yeah, that IS a copy if my new cookbook Simmer:Recipes for the Teen Palate! It will be available soon!)

Another YA Superstar!

2011-10-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

(Katie Alender and T.K. Richardson)

The OC Children's Book Festival hosted some of today's top YA authors and I was thrilled to meet Katie Alender, author of Bad Girls Don't Die and her newest book From Bad To Cursed.

It was so nice to meet Katie in person, too. We have 'talked' over Twitter a few times and I've always found her to be sweet and genuine. The same is true in person.

While I walked toward the stage to listen to the speaker I ended up standing next to her without knowing it. I glanced to my left and thought, "Wait! Is that Katie Alender? THE Katie Alender?" Of course my most professional demeanor flew by the wayside and I introduced myself. We talked for a few minutes before she took the stage to read from her new release.

Katie's stage presence, as well as the scene she read from, were fantastic and the amount of teens who showed up to hear her and meet her was impressive. Her sweet and genuine nature comes across clearly both in person and on stage.

If you're looking for something to read that will send shivers down your spine you must check out her books.

Also, if you haven't attended this festival before you should try to come next year. It's so much fun and there are tons of authors, exhibits, food, and music to enjoy. It really is a family event.

*****

My next features from the OC Childrens' Book Festival
are L.M. Davis and Emma Michaels.

A True Author Superstar!

2011-10-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

(T.K. Richardson, Heather Brewer)

Heather Brewer, author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd series, was at the OC Children's Book Festival and I was thrilled to meet her.

Celebrating her new series The Slayer Chronicles - First Kill, Heather Brewer took the stage and rocked the house.

Loads of teens gathered to meet her and were thrilled when she read from her latest book. The kids hung onto her every word and asked some great questions at the end.

What I loved about Heather's message and presentation was how heart-felt she was about her books, the reason for writing them, and her own personal story. She addressed bullying and spelled out just how painful it is. She then encouraged each and every one of them to take positive steps in life, to do good, to be better, and to make the world a better place.

I admire her passion for reaching kids with a positive message. She's not just a writer who wants to sell books - she wants to make a difference.

In my book, that's the best type of author there is, and the reason behind her success. Yes, her books are amazing (my kids and I love them), but it's the heart behind the writing that breathes life into them and connects her with her audience.

And that makes her a true author superstar. I'm positive all of her minions would agree! :)

You can check out Heather's latest book on Amazon, B&N, and everywhere books are sold.

*****

My next feature from the OC Children's Book Festival is Katie Alender, author of Bad Girls Don't Die, and her latest book, From Bad To Cursed.

OC Childrens Book Festival Is Tomorrow!

2011-10-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

If you're in the area please drop by and see me! Admission is free and parking is free and the OC Childrens Book Festival is so much fun! There is tons to do and it's great for the entire family.

Located at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa California, this is the biggest free children's book festival in the world. I think last year there were more than 30,000 visitors. From book signings by over 100 authors, to event stages and music - this is really the place to be this weekend.

I will be in booth 19 so drop by and say hello. I'll have signed copies of Return the Heart and you will be able to pre order signed copies of Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate, as well as get a sneak peak of the book. That's right you can check it out at the festival!

For more information check out their website for location, driving instructions, and information for a $2 off coupon if you donate 2 books.

I hope to see you there!

T.K.

The Editing Dance

2011-09-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I know I've written several posts before on editing.

Yes, I'm sure I've talked about the importance of editing, the need for editing, the way to edit, why we should edit, etc.

But I'm not sure I've ever shared with you my beautiful 'editing' dance. So I thought it was time to reveal the truth.

The dance begins when I turn on the computer.

It's like the music has just started and I'm warming up.

(It's best to read the next part with some classical music playing in the background and picture me wearing sequins and frills.) :D

The dance:

I circle my leather chair.

I stare at the screen.

I circle the chair again.

I make coffee.

I come back and stare at the screen.

I lean against the back of the chair and peer over the top of it to get a better look at the words on the screen.

I stretch.

I try yoga poses, but since I have no idea if I'm doing them right, I switch to running in place.

I glance at the screen.

I sift through the stack of bills next to my notes.

I pour some coffee.

I feed the dogs.

I water the plants.

I come back to the chair and sit down.

I stretch my fingers over the keyboard, letting them hover over the keys.

I lean back and stretch some more.

Suddenly I'm exhausted.

I get online...

And so my editing dance comes to an end.

I take my bow, and promise to do better tomorrow.

How about you? Do you have a similar dance?

Writing is both mask and unveiling.
~E.B. White

Information Overload?

2011-09-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Whether you're still writing your book, editing for the fifth time, or seeking your publishing options there is always someone who has gone before you and can offer some great advice to help you right where you're at. It's easy to think you may have exhausted your search for information or knowledge, but there's always more to learn.

The truth is, the more you know the better equipped you'll be to write, edit, publish, and market your work.

But, do you ever get 'research burnout'? Have you ever been loaded down with information to the point of information overload?

Maybe we all have at some point.

Be encouraged though, because the longer you're in this business, the more you'll learn, and the more you become accustomed to it. There are countless helpful articles, news reports, blog posts, and authors offering free advice. Take your time sifting through the news. Absorb it slowly.

Then decide what applies to you.

Do you ever get information overload?

Do you ever feel burned out or discouraged by what you read?

The Internet is the world's largest library.
It's just that all the books are on the floor.
~John Allen Paulos

Why You Should Write It All Down

2011-09-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

If you're anything like me you have tons of story, character, or plot ideas swimming around in your head at all times. It's easy to push them aside and think, "Oh, I can't write that." It's equally easy to say, "I don't have time."

But you should write down every character, story, and plot idea because you just never know when it will grow into something more. It may become one of your very favorite characters. Or it may grow 'legs' and sprout into that next manuscript, novel, or book.

But you'll never know unless you write it down.

Give each idea merit. Ponder what it could be, why you have the idea, and how it might grow. As writers we're inundated with story ideas every day. A look, a feeling, a dream, a song, a novel, a phrase, a picture - you never know when inspiration will strike.

In a recent Huff Post article by Warren Adler, he explores the "ultimate secret of the writer's art." He says, "But the fact is that there is something unique about the ways in which ideas become stories that cannot be as easily explained as process."

Mr. Adler aptly puts into words just how these ideas sprout into something more.

What about you? Do you already do this? Do you sometimes push the ideas away because you have little time to focus on them?

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
~Anais Nin

Faith In Fiction

2011-09-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Does your personal faith shape your writing?

I've often wondered about this. I have even wanted to blog about it before, but never wanted to come across as preachy or didactic. I think we all have some sort of moral compass we live by and write by, and for many that moral compass is their faith. It is for me.

But I'm curious how that affects our writing.

Maybe for some writers they set their beliefs aside and let the story take control and do whatever comes naturally. Perhaps for others their stories have hidden meanings in the plots or the characters names or actions. And still for other writers, like me, perhaps both of these fuse together perfectly and lend to the story.

What do you think?

How much of your own faith do you add in your fiction?

Do your personal beliefs affect your stories, your characters, your plot?

Do you concern yourself with what readers might think, or do you write your story because, well.. it's your story?

I'm interested to know what you think.

Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.
~Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord

Why You Should Never Give Up

2011-09-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend Return the Heart broke into the Amazon bestseller's list. It broke the top #100 list and reached as high as number #18 in its category. It's been a thrilling and exhausting weekend, but it's been so worth it.

You may remember when the book first came out. I was so excited to share it with all of you and the reviews have been wonderful.

But it has not been easy.

There have been times that I wasn't sure if it would 'make it'. and I continued to write my next book, and then another, and right now I have several books ready to go, or nearing ready to go.

But I never gave up on my first one.

I kept at it, kept trying new things, and kept it alive. More than that I prayed about it. I wanted people to know my characters. After all, I poured everything I had into the story, and in a way I owed it to the characters and the story behind the story to keep going, even when things looked bleak.

So I'm here to tell you - never give up on your story. Never give up and walk away. Yes, write the next book, and keep writing beyond that, but never walk away from it. Believe in yourself and believe in your story.

Return the Heart may not have made the NYT list (yet), but who knows. I'm not giving up. And you shouldn't either.

At the time of this post Return the Heart is still at #71, and I couldn't be happier! :)

#71 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Mysteries, Espionage, & Detectives

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't.
~Henry Ward Beecher

Imagine

2011-09-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Imagine - Short Stories & Poems will be here soon! I'm excited to bring some of these stories back and to share them with all of you. :)

You may remember a different cover for the book, and while that one was pretty, this one really fits the book so much better. It will be available in ebook format only and will be here soon.

Below is the blurb for the book.

Imagine

A Collection of
Short Stories & Poems

These short stories are snapshots of life. It has been said a picture is worth a thousand words, but I believe a thousand words can create a picture so vivid, layers so complex, that it can be remembered long after the image has faded. As a writer, a storyteller, an addict of words, these stories and poems - all captured with the lens of my imagination - will hopefully resonate with you, the reader. I hope you enjoy them.

~History of the collection~

Originally shared on my blog in 2009 and 2010, many of these stories have been well received. In addition, new stories and poems have been added to the collection to create a lovely tapestry of life, people, ideas, and inspiration that will hopefully touch your heart, make you think, and possibly help you view the lens of your world with a deeper focus. Imagine what you'll see when you do.

Imagine - Short Stories & Poems will be released late 2011 and is not necessarily exclusive to the YA market.It will be available on Kindle, Nook, and other ereaders.

******

In the coming weeks I'll share the book's journey into the world of ebooks and include tips and tricks on epublishing. I'll break it down into bite-sized pieces. If you'd like to know just how publishing an ebook works I'm going to cover everything from the ISBN to copyrighting your work to actually hitting the publish button. Sort of like a mini tutorial. Check back soon! :)

In Remembrance

2011-09-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

In remembrance...

When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect.
~Adlai Stevenson

There are those, I know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American dream.
~Archibald MacLeish

And the winner is....

2011-09-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my blog anniversary contest!

I haven't seen a lot of blog contests this year, so this was really fun.

Without further ado, the winner from a random drawing is

*drum roll.....*

Brandi from http://blkosiner.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Brandi!

Be sure to send me your mailing address so I can get your gift mailed out. (Send to readmynovel[at]gmail[dot]com)

Thanks again to everyone for entering and thank you for following my blog.

Have a great weekend!

There aren't enough days in the weekend. ~Rod Schmidt

Blog Anniversary and a Giveaway!

2011-09-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I forgot my blog's anniversary. It was in August. (I missed it by 1 day!) And I feel kinda bad. Now I know how so many husbands feel when they forget their wedding anniversary. :)

It's been 2 years and more than 400 posts later. 2 years, my friends. Yes, two years of stories, information, links, posts, and most importantly- making so many new blog friends. This blog wouldn't be the same without all of you. Your comments, encouragement, and friendship has been wonderful.

Thank you.

To celebrate I'm going to host a 'Thank you for following my blog, for reading my books, and for commenting on my posts Giveaway!'

To enter the giveaway follow these simple rules:

1. You must follow my blog. (Of course, if you already follow my blog you're in.) :)

2. Leave a comment so I can add your name to the drawing.

3. Tweet this post once. (I'm using the honor system.)

And that's about it.

Oh, yes, the prize... ?

How does a gift bag with Godiva chocolate and beautiful stationary sound?

The contest will run for 1 week and I'll draw the name of the winner and announce it here on my blog. You'll have to check back here, though, to see if you're name was drawn. The giveaway is open to everyone, so even if you live on the other side of the globe you're eligible.

Good luck and thanks for following my blog!

McDonalds and the Tuesday Night Gang

2011-08-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights at McDonald's was where I spent much of my time writing my cookbook Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate. No, it wasn't because the fast food chain offered inspiration. Nor was it for their burgers. It happened to fit in my schedule for Tuesday nights, and was a convenient location to wait while one of my kids had something going on.

So Tuesday nights offered a McDonald's respite and a relatively quiet place to write and edit my book.

My first evening I bought a cup of coffee and looked for a quiet place to sit. At the side of the main dining area I spotted several people with their laptops, earphones, and the much needed quiet I was looking for. All I heard was the clickity-click-click of their keyboards.

I joined the WiFi Gang and settled in for awhile. I pulled a notebook from my over-sized handbag, scrounged for a pen, and proceeded to work on my book. One by one their curiosity got the best of them. They noticed I didn't have a laptop, but rather an actual pen and paper. They studied me briefly and then went back to cyber world.

I was not kicked out of the area, so I considered it good and went about my cookbook writing business. When my time was up I gathered my things and left the building.

The following week I was back. My notebook was a bit heavier, notes in the margins needed to be addressed, and I needed my McDonald's quiet time fix. I pushed through the door and to my surprise saw some of the same people from the previous week. Interesting. I didn't know this place was that popular.

We went through the same routine: I bought coffee, found my seat, and opened my notebook. After finding where I left off and trying to concentrate I became curious about my fellow patrons. They glanced at me and then looked back down to their own work. It seemed I was starting to fit in with the WiFi Gang - or at least not be kicked out.

Several weeks went on like this and I came to know my Tuesday night gang. No, not by their names - we never actually spoke to each other, but by their habits.

There was Business Suit Man - he wore a white shirt and tie and left his jacket in the car. (I'm assuming.) Bat Man and Robin - a father son duo who sat across from each other and played video games back and forth. There was Techie Guy - he wore a local tech company uniform. And then there was Old Wise Guy - no he didn't make wisecracks. He just had an 'old soul' look in is eyes.

Together, without them knowing it, we formed my Tuesday Night Writer's Club at McDonald's.

It was kinda nice. We didn't talk, or ask questions, or even do much but glance when one of us walked through the door and found their usual seat. But for some reason it was inspiring and comfortable. In the back of my mind, though, I knew when my book was done I would leave the group. My schedule would change, kids would join new groups, and I'd find myself at some other establishment writing and editing another book.

And sure enough the time came when my schedule changed. The book was done and off to the editors and Tuesday nights at McDonald's came to an end. But I learned a lot from the WiFi Gang while I was among them. For one, you can learn a lot about a person without ever speaking to them. Another thing I learned is that there can be quiet contemplation even in the midst of a group of people. And, finally, you can get a lot of work done without technology.

All you need is a cup of coffee and a notebook.

And, yes, in case you're wondering, I do find it ironic that I wrote a cookbook for teens at McDonald's. Who knew those Golden Arches were good for more than burgers? :)

A Great Source for Character Names

2011-08-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Today my kids went back to school. Well, you may remember that my little one started last week, but my older kids started today. It was so nice to get back into the swing of things, and as they gathered around the table to look up spelling words in the dictionary, my son stumbled upon a wonderful discovery.

First, I should confess that the dictionary we use is old. No, I mean really, really old. Try 1970 copyright old. It's huge and thick and has tons of president's pictures and maps, and... well just about everything a good old-fashioned dictionary has to offer.

Oh, and it weighs about 10 pounds - no joke.

My kids have begged for years for a new updated smaller version of Webster's Dictionary, but I wouldn't budge. This one was good. It had maps and pictures, and besides their grandmother gave it to them. Somehow I thought that last line would evoke a strong response and maybe cause them to be sentimental about this old blue book.

It didn't work.

When my son went to find something in the dictionary this morning he stumbled across this heading in a small section in the back: Common Given Names.

When he read the heading I went to take a closer look. It was true - our old dictionary had a unique feature! So I started combing through the names and what I found was a rich source of unique character names for future novels.

Some names included: Alwin, Ambrose, Boris, Cornelius, Eustace, Junius, Egbert, Corrine, Hortence, Randolph, and Adeline.

It seems my Webster's New World Dictionary with Student Handbook had some some very old world names that you don't hear anymore. Funny to think they were under the heading of 'Common Given Names.' And these common/uncommon names evoked some really great images and character ideas in my writer's imagination!

To me it was research gold.

To my kids it was hilarious.

In the end I guess we both won. I still have my big blue dictionary that weighs five tons and they have more fuel to throw at me to point out just how outdated it is. :)

What about you? Do you use old resources for new novels? What about character names - do you search the internet, or find old books to glean from?

The Skinny On Google Alerts

2011-08-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so most authors have Google Alerts set up for their name, their book titles, etc. Google Alerts basically sends an email to your inbox when your name or book title is typed anywhere online. Sounds nice, right?

Well, it is until you start getting some very strange alerts...

I'll share a few alerts I've received on my name. Now, before we go any further let me warn you that these are NOT me, though it might be funny if they were. :)

Fun facts about me - or not me- via Google Alerts~

My name is associated with a rapper/musician/partier on Twitter. (Hey, it could be me, right?!)

A football player in Florida. (What? You don't think I play?) :)

A drunk driver in Texas. (I don't drink and I've never been to Texas.)

A heart surgeon, or someone who invents heart surgery related equipment. (I was considering this line of work anyway.)

A girls' prep soccer player. (Umm... I'm a bit beyond that age range.)

So there you go! I bet you didn't know that I had so many alter egos, now did you?

Google Alerts are a great tool in following where your name goes online, but just remember that it's not always correct. There is an option when you sign up for GA to select 'only best options' (or something like that), but I prefer to have everything sent to me.

It makes for fun reading sometimes!

What about you? Do you have Google Alerts sent to you? Have you had any strange, but funny name associations with other people?

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Wishing all of you in the path of hurricane Irene to stay safe.

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad,
and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.
~Terri Guillemets

We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness.
~Author Unknown

And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;
Yea, thou shalt search about thee,
and shalt take thy rest in safety.
~Job 11:18

A Few Great Links!

2011-08-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

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Oh it's been so long since I gathered links to share with all of you. Yes, sometimes the writing does come first. :) But I've found a few I'd like to pass on and a few I highly recommend. One thing I love about writers is that we share information freely. It can be a tough road sometimes, but a great community helps pull you along.

News, Info, Resources, etc.

Write In Atlanta 2011 sounds like a great conference. Be sure to check out the details!

The Write Room, LLC is a fantastic site if you're looking for two awesome editors! (Mary Ellen and Stacy edited my book Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate and they were wonderful!)

Why Writer's Write - a list of great quotes.

The Writer's Resource Directory has some updates. Drop by and check it out.

If you're looking for pre-made ebook covers Dara England has some beautiful ones to choose from at very reasonable prices.

And if you like Facebook, please drop by and say hi. I'm trying to be more active over there... :)

I know this does not come close to the lists I've gathered in the past, but fear not - I may be starting that back up and sharing them on Fridays again. I really enjoyed that.

I hope these links help in all of your literary pursuits!

OC Children's Book Festival!

2011-08-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm getting excited!

The Orange County Children's Book Festival is just around the corner. Last year was so much fun and I was able to introduce my book to many new readers, meet some great authors, and have a great time.

This year the OC Children's Book Festival is being held on October 2, 2011 in Costa Mesa, California and is the largest free children's book festival in the world. It's an all day event that's so much fun for the whole family.

If you're in the area please be sure to drop by and see me. I'll be in one of the tent/booths with a few other authors. I'll be signing copies of Return the Heart, and if all goes as planned, I'll have early copies of Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate, too. (Unfortunately, I won't have copies of Shield the Heart, though.)

Mark your calenders and come see me!

Click here for more details.

The First Day of School is like Your Book's Release

2011-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

(C. Richardson)

Funny how writers always relate what happens in real life to something in the writing world, isn't it? Well, I guess in our defense it just comes naturally. :)

Today was the first day of school for my little one and every single step of the way reminded me so much of my first book's release day. Now that I have 2 more books nearing release I wondered if it would be the same. Would I be as nervous? Would this happen or that happen?

As I readied my little one for school this morning I found my answers and some shocking similarities between the first day of school and a book's first day on the shelf. I'll list them below.

First day of school -Will I make friends?
First day of book release - Will my book make friends?

First day of school - Tears and nerves.
First day of book release - Tears and nerves.

First day of school - Will I like my teacher?
First day of book release - Will I like the reviews?

First day of school - Little sleep the night before.
First day of release - Little sleep the night before.

First day of school - What if no one plays with me at recess?
First day of release - What if no one buys my book?

Well, the list could go on and on.

As I reached the school filled with bubbling and excited kids I noticed all of them held similar concerns. Their little faces were a mix of hope and fear and wonder. Much like writers on their book's first day of being out in the world. Each first day of school is similar to the year before, and so I'm assuming each book's release is similar to the one before it, as well.

In the end we all make it through and are more prepared for the days that follow. And when Shield the Heart and Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate are released this fall, I'm sure I'll be as happy as my daughter was this morning.

It's Official - I'm a Book Addict!

2011-08-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when I said I was planning a cross country trip? Well, I went on the trip and had a fantabulous time! I loved North Carolina - the people, the hospitality, the scenery, the trees - all of it! And guess what else I loved... well if the above picture didn't give you a clue I'll just confess right now. Books.

I found this sweet book shop filled with used books at such great prices. I just couldn't help but load up on some books. By 'load up' I mean I bought 78 books. Yeah, I know - that's A LOT OF BOOKS! :)

But what was I going to do? Here I was all the way across the country with a ton of books that I just had to have for Partners In Print. I was sort of stumped considering the cost of mailing all those books home.
So you guessed it - I loaded them into a suitcase (well actually we had to split them between 2 suitcases) and let U.S Airways fly them back for me as checked baggage. A considerable savings at $25. Woohoo! Problem solved.

Or not...

The thing is, I left home with a certain number of bags and I came back with extra bags. Somehow, in all of my excitement I forgot to mention my book buying binge to my dear hubby back at home. :) When he did find out (thanks to dear daughter!) he was a great sport about it - even though he was the one lifting and tugging them off of the conveyor belt at LAX.

So, I had a wonderful time in North Carolina, found some awesome books for Partners In Print and made a HUGE discovery about myself. I am officially a book addict. And I'm sorta proud. I know the kids who receive the books will love them!

***

In case you missed it:

Return the Heart is available for $2.99 on the Kindle in anticipation for the second books release!

Cover Reveal!

2011-08-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

I just received the cover for the second book in the series, Shield the Heart!
The book will be available this fall.

One Gift, One Prophecy, One Choice

Shield the Heart

What if the battle was in your heart?

Lilly’s gift of reading the heart seemed like a curse, but when she discovered her gift was linked to an old, Russian prophecy it changed everything. What she never questioned, though, was her own heart.

When the prophecy pulls Lilly back to Russia and demands to be fulfilled she is torn between love and loyalty. She must make the most difficult decision of her life and choose between the two. But Lilly’s decision is farther reaching than even she is willing to acknowledge. It stretches from East to West - from the past to the future.

Lilly discovers there’s more to the old prophecy than she realized and enemy forces are bent on stopping it from unfolding.

One thing is certain - there will be casualties. And sparing those closest to her may be impossible. While Seth attempts to shield Lilly from the truth, Nikolai reveals secrets that could change everything.

As Lilly falls into the arms of Russia she must decide: will love or loyalty reign? And can she live with the consequences? Two sides compete for Lilly’s heart and she must find the answers she needs before her enemies find her.

Shield the Heart, by T.K. Richardson, is the riveting second book in the series and takes Lilly deeper into Russia’s mysterious past… and her future.

Why A Cookbook For Teens?

2011-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't been asked this question too often, but it has been on my mind. You know, the all important 'Why?' question. 'Why did I write this book?' So I thought I'd share my reasons on why I wrote Simmer and why I focused on teens and beginning cooks.

1. In today's world fast food is the norm.

We eat out all the time - we meaning the general public. And I feel like kids growing up aren't focusing on this one very important life skill. Plus, fast food is not good for you and it costs way too much.

2. I have kids who need to know how to cook.

They need to know how to follow a basic recipe. It's good for math skills, planning ahead, and the plus side is that they get to eat what they have worked for. :)

3. It's great for teaching.

Especially if you homeschool and want to incorporate it in your lessons, or have the grandkids over and want to share special moments in the kitchen together, or want to use it in a regular classroom setting.

Adults can be in the kitchen alongside younger kids and share the fun of creating meals together. Simmer is written almost like a lesson plan with step-by-step directions, so it's easy for beginners to follow and see it through to completion.

4. It empowers kids with an important life skill.

Food. We all love it. We all need it. Why not know how to prepare it? Plus when my kids grow up and leave home I'll be sure they take a copy with them so they don't starve. :)

5. Many teens don't have someone to teach them.

Many times both parents work and there just isn't enough time in the day to add one more thing - including cooking. Many children are in out of home placement (foster care), and have no one to teach them.

There are any number of reasons teens haven't learned to cook and Simmer is written with them in mind. I kind of look at it like I'll be in the kitchen with them, helping them along. And in a way Simmer is my way of passing on a life skill that will stick with these kids for life.

So, have you ever evaluated the 'Why?' question for your current work in progress? What did you come up with?

By the way, I'll be hosting a Simmer Blog Party in the next couple of weeks and the giveaway prize is so cute! Details coming soon!

A Big (Nervous) Announcement

2011-08-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm really nervous about this announcement.

I mean really, really nervous. I'll explain why in just a minute.

The announcement? Simmer: Recipes for the Teen Palate is available for pre-order on Barnes and Noble! Priced at $8.09 cents, too.

So I'm very excited, but more than that - you guessed it - I'm nervous.

Why you ask?

My biggest concern is that people might not like the recipes. I know it sounds like borrowed worry, but honestly what if it's true? *sigh*

I guess it's a universal concern for writers of fiction and non fiction. There should be a treatment for that. :) Something for writers that would cure all of our concerns. Chocolate only hides it for a brief moment when our mouths are full and the rich creamy taste glides down our throats and prevents us from screaming.

Anyway, so yeah, that's the big announcement and that's my big concern.

Oh, and by the way, there is a recipe for chocolate cream pie in the book, so that should help muffle your concerns when your book hits the shelf, too.

Worked like a charm for me. :)

Going On Vacation and Quotes

2011-07-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

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I will be on vacation for the next couple of weeks, but wanted to leave you with some writer-ly quotes. I won't be able to comment too often, but will check back in if I can.

Happy writing and reading!

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net
over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop. ~Vita Sackville-West

The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. ~Vladimir Nabakov

Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies. ~Terri Guillemets

When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen. But if you have not a pen, I suppose you must scratch any way you can. ~Samuel Lover, Handy Andy, 1842

Operation Backpack

2011-07-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Ebook authors here is a great opportunity to help kids who need it!

Bards and Sages Publishing is joining with Volunteers of America to gather backpacks for children in foster care and homeless centers so they have the needed items to start the school year.

From their website:

August usually means back to school shopping for most Americans. But each year, thousands of children living in homeless shelters and foster care return to school without even the most basic of necessities. Operation Backpack, a program operated by Volunteers of America, helps provided these needed supplies to our country's most vulnerable students and gives them a chance to continue their education. In an effort to support this wonderful project, Bards and Sages has partnered with other independent authors and publishers to create a special charity ebook bundle. 100% of the profits from this bundle will be donated to Volunteers of America to support Operation Backpack.

Please consider helping such a great cause!

Also, Partners In Print has received so many books from some wonderful authors recently and I've added their names to our website. Thank you! In addition, we've received a huge donation of shelving for the entire building from a wonderful California based company. Yay!!

The doors continue to swing wide open for us as we get closer to moving in our new building. Wish us luck!