Stopwatch and Timer, An Application for your Kindle

We're going to do something different today.  This is an application for the Kindle (my favorite eReader.)

It's a well kept secret that you can run apps on your Kindle, as well as reading books. Indie Kindle developer, A Gamz, released another Kindle app recently. Its a handy stopwatch that joins the other 99c utility programs released over the past few months. The stopwatch supports hundreds of laps and it also has a countdown timer that comes with several presets, or set your own. It keeps time even while you're reading or the Kindle is off. 

When combined with the great Kindle screen, long battery life and convenience of always having your Kindle available, this is a handy little app to have and its great value for 99 cents!

A Gamz is a small software company that has developed several highly rated apps for the Kindle, including Maze A Thon and Checkers. You can read more about them at their website, www.agamz.com or follow their facebook page to receive updates.

Sarah Ettritch- The Salbine Sisters/ Laura Lond- The Journey

Sarah Ettritch is the author of The Salbine Sisters and the Rymellan science fiction series. She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her partner and four cats.

The Salbine Sisters: She gave up everything to become a Salbine Sister, member of a religious order of powerful female mages. But when Maddy nearly dies while trying to draw forth elemental fire, she learns that Salbine has withdrawn from her the gifts every sister works to master. Maddy's faith in both herself and Salbine are tested to their limits.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

The Salbine Sisters has great characters and a story that will keep you turning the page. As Amazon reviewer Sally Sapphire said, "The words flow so easily and so sweetly on the page that you're halfway through it before you realise the house is quiet, the news is muted on TV, and everybody else has long since gone to bed."
Q: Why did you go indie?

Publishing is undergoing a revolution. Digital publishing has leveled the distribution playing field and made indie publishing a viable path for authors.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

George R.R. Martin (bring on A Dance with Dragons!), Robert Jordan, and Jennifer Roberson.

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Salbine-Sisters-ebook/dp/B0047GMF3I

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26676

Website: http://www.sarahettritch.com

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Laura Lond is an internationally published author of several novels and a collection of short stories. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Having worked for 2 years at a literary museum, Laura entered the world of business, working for large international corporations like Xerox Ltd. and Fluor Daniel. After moving from Europe to the United States, she has been self-employed as a freelancer.


The Journey, book 1 of The Adventures of Jecosan Tarres fantasy trilogy, begins the story of a young blacksmith’s apprentice visited by a supernatural messenger and sent on a special mission to prevent a war between two powerful kingdoms. Books 2 and 3 are available as well.


Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

A: Many readers have commented on how much they liked Gart, Jecosan’s dog, who often steals the show in Book 1. The star of the second book, again from readers’ comments, is Lord Farizel, a fine nobleman demoted to a jester “for inappropriate presentation of history,” as he puts it. Then there’s also the mysterious Telm, a supernatural being who must always wear a mask.

Q: Why did you go indie?


A: I have done several books with small press publishers. There are good and bad points about that. Things I don’t like are incredible slowness and lack of control in some rather important areas. They are the reasons I’ve joined the Kindle revolution. As soon as the book is ready, I can make it instantly available to the readers, without waiting for 2+ years. I can have the book cover I want, I can set affordable prices. If a typo or formatting mistake creeps in, I can correct it easily and quickly, without having to wrestle with the publisher.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

I enjoy many fantasy writers, but C.S.Lewis will probably always be my favorite.

Link to The Journey on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Adventures-Jecosan-Tarres-ebook/dp/B004HILRLM

Link Amazon’s author page: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Lond/e/B003OKJYDW/

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Manley Peterson-- Bloated Goat

Bloated Goat - a children's book for intelligent people

When Granny Hammy finds Bloated Goat face down in her front yard's drainage ditch, her grandson Cocky Doodle thinks nothing of it. In fact, he says that’s just another normal day for his best friend. But when they discover that Bloated Goat has little black Xs for eyes and is even more bloated than normal, they realize it is much more serious.

Come join the trio on a humorous adventure filled with jewel thieves, a despondent wolf, an alligator gangster, a kingdom of hungry mushrooms, a shocking skunk wedding, and a mysteriously powerful chameleon known as Crazy Ned.

But don’t take my word for it. Read the following fake quotes for more convincing words:

"This is one the funniest books about bloated goats and talking animals I've ever read." - A random, imaginary kid

"If I was stuck on a deserted island with nothing but this book, I'd probably read it at least once." - An important kid, possibly your best friend or son or daughter

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

The crazy characters and off-the-wall situations saturated in humor, humor, and more humor.

Q: Why did you go indie?

The simplest and quickest way to get my book to the masses.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Publish Post

I like Roald Dahl and Kevin Bolger.

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bloated-Goat-ebook/dp/B0044KM1CW

Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bloated-Goat/Manley-Peterson/e/2940012695802

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Until She Sleeps-- Tim Lebbon

Three hundred years ago, a witch who absorbed the nightmares of others was buried alive in a tomb below the church. After she is accidentally discovered, the nightmares begin to become reality and the killing begins. It's up to 13-year-old Andy to stop her before she destroys the town.

 

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

 

It's exciting, horrific, features compelling characters, a gripping storyline, and it also features (fleetingly) Fire Dogs ... creatures I used again in the short story I wrote for the Hellboy anthology Odder Jobs.  It has monsters galore, and supernatural creatures, and also a back story that isn't perhaps all that it seems.  I've always been proud of this novel, and am delighted to see it available again for the first time in years.

Q: Why did you go indie?

 

I've worked with indie publishers from the beginning.  And though I'm published by major publishers now, I still love working with the indie press.  Always will.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

 

Well, that'd be quite a list: Joe Lansdale, Stephen King, Dan Simmons, Paul Meloy, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Clive Barker, Chris Golden, Michael Marshall Smith, Christopher Fowler, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub .... many more....  

Amazon
BN.com: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Until-She-Sleeps/Tim-Lebbon/e/2940012043405
Smashwords
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Glenn Bullion--Demonspawn

I’m a network administrator by day, and I love it, but I also love writing.  I have a wonderful wife and three goofball cats that often jump on the desk to help me write.  I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.  My hobbies include reading and writing (obviously), gaming, computers and technology, exercise.

 

Demonspawn is the first novel I finished that I thought others might enjoy reading as well.  I’ve got a few more ideas in my head too I want to get on paper.  My next novel is a zombie apocalypse, twenty years after the dead rise up.

Product description:

Alex Teague tries to live a normal life. He’s close with his sister Alicia and best friend Cindy Marshall. He didn’t think he was unlike anyone else. That all changed one night during his senior year in high school, when he talked to his first ghost, exorcised his first demon, and cleansed his first haunted house.

 

If only it ended there.

 

Now a young man in his twenties, Alex makes a horrifying discovery.

 

He is part demon.

 

Victoria, a vampire, takes him under her wing, and teaches him about the world of the supernatural, which Alex is now a member. She discovers a new breed of vampire, one which kills without thought or remorse. She enlists Alex’s help, but will even his growing demonic powers be able to stop them?

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
The price is only $1.99. You get a nice sized, entertaining tale for that price.  I consider it horror due to the subject matter, but I tried to keep the gore to a minimum.

Q: Why did you go indie?
I think indie publishing is the way of the future, due to the growing popularity of electronic reading.  It is very easy to get material into a reader’s hands.  Now the challenge is writing something that someone wants to read.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Brian Keene, Richard Laymon, and Edward Lee are my favorites.  They will pull no punches, will not sugarcoat the horror you’re experiencing.

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords

Glenn Bullion Homepage

Demonspawn at Amazon

Demonspawn at Smashwords

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Phillip Thomas Duck-- One Quick Kiss

Phillip Thomas Duck has written several traditionally published adult and young adult novels.  ONE QUICK KISS is his second ebook, which he independently published.  He resides in New Jersey with his daughter.

One Quick Kiss: A collection of short stories about sex, love, and every emotion in between. From the light and whimsical, to the highly charged and erotic, this collection offers something for everyone who has ever been under the intoxicating spell of a relationship and desirous of…ONE QUICK KISS

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

Well, I don’t want to toot my own horn …okay well I guess someone has to, and it might as well be me.  Readers will enjoy my characters! I have such a great time writing the characters in my stories.  Many times throughout the process, the character will take over and lead the story in a direction I never even imagined.  Now that’s a strong character! Of course, the stories of sex, love, and emotional relationships in this collection will leave something for every reader to relate to. 

Q: Why did you go indie?

I decided to go the indie route after hearing many authors talk about the benefits.  Like them, I believed I did not have ultimate control over certain aspects of my product.  I really appreciate being able to make the decisions for my cover design, story, price, marketing, etc.  Also, the time period between completing a writing product and getting it to the public is drastically shorter.   

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

In the romance/romantic suspense genre, Eric Jerome Dickey has always been a favorite, as well as Margaret Johnson-Hodge. 

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords

http://www.ExcuseMeMissPTD.blogspot.com

ONE QUICK KISS (Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HW6BT6

ONE QUICK KISS (Smashwords) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36494?ref=Scott+Nicholson

Dead of Winter-- Kealan Patrick Burke

Referred to as "a newcomer worth watching" (Publishers Weekly), and "one of the most original authors in contemporary horror" (Booklist), Kealan Patrick Burke is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Currency of Souls, Master of the Moors, The Turtle Boy, The Hides, Vessels, and Midlisters.

Product description: A troubled man goes to desperate lengths to reconnect with his estranged daughters on Christmas Eve in "Visitation Rights". On a cold moonlit night, a young boy comes to believe that there is something not quite right about the snowmen in his yard in "Snowmen". An old man in mourning joins his friend on a late night trek through an eerily deserted town in search of a missing woman in "They Know". In "Doomsday Father Christmas", Santa Claus ponders what the world has become, and his place in it...And a long-suffering son spends one last Christmas with his ailing father while a blizzard whips the world into a frenzy in "Black Static".

From Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy, comes a quintet of stories designed to freeze the blood as you lose yourself in the horrors that await you...in the DEAD OF WINTER.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

I think DEAD OF WINTER will appeal to fans of TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt, and considering the season in which we find ourselves trapped, what better way to spend an afternoon than inside, away from the cold while you read about the terrible things that might be awaiting you out there in the snow...

Q: Why did you go indie?The majority of my books have been published as limited edition hardcovers over the past ten years, but because of the limitation on those editions, the prices have always been fairly high, and therefore too expensive for anyone but the hardcore collector. Indie publishing represents a great way to get those books before a wider audience at a much more affordable price.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Stephen King, John Connolly, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, Dan Simmons, Clive Barker, Charles L. Grant, Robert R. McCammon, Dean Koontz, F. Paul Wilson, and many others...

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords

http://www.kealanpatrickburke.com

http://kealanpatrick.wordpress.com/

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33570?ref=scottnicholson

http://www.amazon.com/Dead-of-Winter-ebook/dp/B004GHN5YG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1295315049&sr=8-1

 

Keith Blackmore-- The Troll Hunter

At this point in time, I really don’t have much to say about myself. I have a day job and I write when I can. I should eat better. I don’t like musicals. Or lengthy bios.

The Troll Hunter: A warrior with a secret. A rogue band of cut throats. And a monster of legend.

A morning that no one wanted. Battle rusty from the war infirmaries, a company of Sujins are ordered to march north through a war torn country, guarding a mysterious koch. They are whipped by the murderous Rusk the Two Knife and led by the enigmatic Bloor, the only cavalier to survive the
Field of Skulls. Together, they will march into the unknown, and arrive at the teeth of hell. And only one man will possess the skills necessary to bring the survivors back.

A tale of heroic fantasy. Some graphic violence and language.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

Fans of David Gemmell and Robert E Howard will enjoy the story. It’s
gritty, the action is blade to the throat and boot to the balls, the
dialogue is sharp, and the characters believable. Or at least I think so.
But then I’m bias. See my reviews--one is on my site and the other is on
Amazon.

Q: Why did you go indie?

Got tired of a handful of individuals—editors—dictating what gets
published and what doesn’t. I've read several books last year alone which
I threw down wondering how the hell they got published; what exactly the
editor saw  in those stories that obviously went turbo jet over my head.
My stories are strong tales of heroic fantasy and horror, yet in some
cases, my books won’t be published until 2012… Indie allows more control
for the writer and you can release the ebook when it’s ready. And, ebooks
are cheaper.


Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

The late David Gemmell and Robert E Howard. Howard in particular did an
wonderful  job in creating the Hyborian Age, which is still the number one
fantasy world in my book. Recently, I’ve been reading and very impressed
by Joe Abercrombie, whose characters are very well done (I’m jealous) and
whose action sequences are similar to my own.

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords
www.keithcblackmore.com
www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JLQCS
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Lori Titus -- Green Water Lullaby

Lori Titus is the author of Lazarus, a horror novella published in September 2010. She is also the Managing Editor of the short fiction website Flashes in the Dark. Her web serial, The Marradith Ryder Series, updates on FitD weekly.

 

Green Water Lullaby is a collection of paranormal stories all centered in the fictional town of Chrysalis, South Carolina. Betrayal, mysterious "animal" attacks, and magic are just some of the goings on in this town.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

 

The fast paced stories in this collection are perfect for e-reading, and the format makes it easy on the eye.

Q: Why did you go indie?

 

Indie allows more experimentation and access to be involved in the editing and marketing proccess.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

 

Tananrive Due, Kelley Armstrong, P.C and Kristen Cast.

 

http://www.sonar4publications.com/green.html

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Cliff Ball--Usurper

Cliff Ball was born in 1974 in Arizona, is single, and currently lives in the Dallas/Forth Worth area. He has a BA in English from Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, and is currently pursuing a 2nd BA at University of North Texas so that he can eventually get an MA in Creative Writing from UNT. Cliff has published three novels, The Usurper, Don't Mess With Earth, and Out of Time. He also works for himself as a copy-editor.

Product description: The Usurper is about the KGB and the USSR embarking on a plan to take down the US from within through the use of terrorism. No matter what the terrorists believe, as long as they have a problem with the Western powers and the United States, the KGB backs them, along with a super rich Spaniard who can't stand the USA. Once the Soviet Union dissolves, Al Qaeda fills in that power vacuum and the inside man that the KGB has who will eventually bring down the US, sides with them, and the US ends up never being the same again. A small group of resistance fighters, led by one of the passengers of United Flight 93(who survive in this novel), aim to take down the now President of the United States.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book? If you like political thrillers and alternate history, then this novel is for you.

Q: Why did you go indie? I prefer doing everything myself, and I enjoy the challenge of it.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre? For the political thriller, I like Tom Clancy. I usually write science fiction/alternate history, so I enjoy reading S.M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, Eric Flint.

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords
Website: http://cliffball.webs.com
Blog: http://cliffball.blogspot.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Usurper-ebook/dp/B003VP9VVK
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/18734

Scott Nicholson-- Murdermouth: Zombie Bits

Scott Nicholson is a writer, journalist, and freelance editor living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He is author of Speed Dating with the Dead, Drummer Boy, and 10 other novels, five story collections, four comics series, and six screenplays. He also edited the free writing manual Write Good or Die. He's currently on the Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour, sponsored by Amazon, Kindle Nation Daily, and Dellaster Design.

Murdermouth: Zombie Bits is a collection of eight stories featuring zombies, including the original "A Farewell To Arms," written exclusively for this volume. It includes two tales from the Eden Studio "All Flesh" series, as well as the comic script for the Murdermouth pilot comic. Donate $25 and you can appear drawn as a zombie in the comic. It also includes a bonus story from Jack Kilborn, as well as Jonathan Maberry's "Zombie Apocalypse Survival Scorecard."

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

Possibly nothing, if you don't like zombies. Generally, there is less emphasis on blowing off heads with shotguns and more exploration of how people handle extreme change and how their minds turn under survival pressure. Plus the obligatory "What would it be like to be a zombie?" However, I am pretty sure there are enough dripping body parts to satisfy your taste for zombie gore. And Maberry's scorecard will help prepare you for the end of the world, if we all live that long.

Q: Why did you go indie?

We're all as indie as we want to be. I published six novels in New York and two collections in the small press, so I have a pretty good understanding of how the business works. More importantly, how it does or doesn't work for me. Putting out my own work is the best choice right now, both artistically and commercially. I am grateful for my experiences and appreciate my paid apprenticeship in traditional publishing and I hope to do something in that arena again. However, I am truly enjoying the new partnerships I've made this year.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

"Night of the Living Dead" is still one of my favorite movies, maybe because it takes itself so seriously, unlike the modern humorous-zombie genre. Romero is clearly the godfather, but I also enjoyed in fiction The Book of the Dead anthologies, and the work of Jonathan Maberry and Brian Keene. I never thought zombies would work in mainstream fiction until Keene launched the sub-genre practically single-handedly with "The Rising." Max Brooks isn't horror but I dig his work, and my friend Eric S. Brown is doing some crackling mash-up stuff.

Amazon link:
Smashwords link
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To be eligible for the Kindle DX giveaway, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free ebooks to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. And, hey, buy my books and put me in the Top 100 and I’ll throw in another random Kindle 3 giveaway through the blogs. Thanks for playing. Complete details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm

BONUS GIVEAWAY: Three people will be randomly selected from the comments to receive free zombie sketch cards drawn by Scott. Amateurish but one-of-a-kind, original art!

David H. Burton--The Second Coming

David H. Burton: Indie author, adoptive father of 3 boys, manager of chaos, science and technology geek, person of the queer persuasion, and purveyor of sacrilege.


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



Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

I think that it’s a fresh take on old fantasy elements and it keeps the reader guessing. The line between good and evil is quite blurred in this. It also ties in some ancient myths that will engage even those readers that tend not to read fantasy.

Q: Why did you go indie?
My agent and I sub’d this book last year to major publishers. The most common comment we heard, despite the fact that the majority of editors really enjoyed the writing, was that they thought the book “too risky” or that their impression was that there wouldn’t be a market for it. Also, a number of houses were starting to turn their attention to a more “urban fantasy” market.

Since my book seems to cross genres (paranormal/fantasy/horror) and had no relation to urban fantasy, it didn’t seem to be the right fit. So we came to the self-publishing decision together as a strategy to show there’s a solid readership for the work.



Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Easily Robert Jordan, Weis & Hickman, Terry Brooks, Tolkien, and George R.R. Martin.

David Derrico-- Twiller

David Derrico was born just north of Miami, Florida, and developed his appreciation for complex moral issues while receiving a degree in philosophy from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He wrote his first novel, Right Ascension, before attending law school at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). Derrico currently lives in South Florida, and has written three novels: Right Ascension and its sequel, Declination, along with a humorous novel called The Twiller. He maintains a website at www.davidderrico.com.


The Twiller is a comedic novel that follows Ian, our hapless hero, as he's whisked around the Universe after his abduction from Earth. His companion, the Twiller, is about the only alien being who treats humans better than toenail lint. Ian is faced with a series of humorous and bizarre experiences on the worlds he visits, utterly failing to realize the slight similarities to places here on Earth.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
I really enjoyed writing this book, and I hope my readers will share in the sense of fun and enjoy the humor of it. It is a departure from my first two novels, which were more serious space opera sci-fi, and takes the form of a humorous romp across the galaxy, where our hero is struck by the bizarre and inane situations he encounters, and their similarities to what he's experienced on Earth. I think there will be things in the book that any reader can relate to: frustrations over traffic, or airport security lines, or current world events.

Q: Why did you go indie?
I did the well-chronicled "spend hundreds of dollars on postage and submit to hundreds of publishers and agents" thing many years ago, and it seemed all the submissions went into black holes -- only one agent even offered to read the book, and I decided not to work with that agent due to his reputation. I was discovered by a small publisher who bet on e-books about 10 years too early and sadly went out of business. More recently (after taking a break to pay some bills), I've become re-devoted to my writing, re-editing my first two novels and writing my third, and the opportunity to maintain complete artistic control (over the cover, formatting, etc.) and reach thousands of readers directly was everything I was looking for. Staying indie also allows me to make reader-friendly choices regarding low pricing, releasing the e-book first, enabling text-to-speech, and making it DRM-free -- all things I think big publishers are missing the boat on.

Q : Who are your favorite authors?
My reading tastes tend toward science fiction, where I'm a big fan of Timothy Zahn. As for thriller/horror, I never thought I would like Stephen King until I realized that he wrote Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption (which became one of my favorite movies of all time). Once I read that King novella (and the others in Different Seasons), I've become a fan of his writing.


"Always Write" blog: http://www.davidderrico.com/blog
The Twiller: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SE7LPW

Indie Books Blog

In looking for places to promote my own books or learn about the books of other independent authors (defined as those not released through a major publishing house), I could not find many good sources to let people find out about authors you probably won't see on the New York Times bestseller list or featured in Entertainment Weekly. Let's face it, most journalists are much too overworked and broke to notice anything but Twilight, Dan Brown, James Patterson, and the occasional celebrity book--and I say that as a journalist.

Freelance reviewers and amateur book bloggers, as wonderful as they are, tend to stick to the books that show up in those wonderful cartons every week, straight from the Big Six, featuring all the titles all the other book bloggers are writing about. I dig the lure of free stuff. I've had my share in my time. Since the independent era is mostly about e-books, all a reviewer gets is a digital file--nothing to sell on eBay!

Since I don't have time to read and review a ton of books, this blog is more of a central showcase where you can meet new authors, learn about new releases, and get some links to learn more about the work or author if you are interested. While minimal attempts will be made to vet content, each writer must stand alone, and each reader must make a wise choice of whether or not to purchase.

That said, let the fun begin.

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