Wednesday, March 20, 2013

30+ of the Best Free Online eBooks for Wednesday 3-20-2013


Discover 30+ of the Best Free Online eBooks for Wednesday 3-20-2013. They are highly rated and all exceed our minimum standards. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon.Thanks. Remember that many of the free online ebooks are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Always make sure that the price is $0.00 when downloading your free online books.
Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for March List.
There is a large group of authors doing a free book promotion. Some of their titles are on our list but to see all their titles visit The Free Par-Tay website.
Click to see the entire list of Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Welcome To Book World, The Greatest Theme Park


Our guest blogger is Brian Feinblum. Visit his blog at Book Marketing Buzz Blog.

Welcome To Book World, The Greatest Theme Park

How come there aren’t any theme parks dedicated to books and publishing? I think it is a billion-dollar idea waiting to be acted upon. I am sure one day we’ll see billboards or Groupons for AmazonWorld – or maybe Barnes & Noble Land. Wouldn’t you bring your family and friends to a place that celebrates ideas and creativity, that honors the written word and free speech, and that makes reading fun?
This past week I had the pleasure of taking my wife and two young kids to several theme parks in Orlando. Never mind that the parks only cater to people who can afford to drop $100 per person per day, who pay for the right to then purchase overpriced food and licensed products that further promote their properties. I also had to pay the tourist tax (speeding ticket) for trying to turn a 180-mile trek to Boynton Beach from the parks into a quicker excursion. We had a great time and know we’ll be back again – -albeit with a lighter wallet.
The theme parks have the right idea – they hype their existing content and repackage it in a way that makes it appealing to all ages. If movie studios can do this, why not publishers or those in the book industry?
Books connect to everything because they are written about everything – real and imagined, past, present, and future. A theme park can show what a book looks like in different languages. It can show us how books are treated globally or culturally. It can show us how books entertain, educate, enlighten, or inspire. Books, like the Bible, can be powerful, or they can be merely thrill-seeking, like Fifty Shades of Grey. The park can reflect a diversity of thought, significance, creativity, and commercialism.
Maybe bookstores should be turned into theme parks. Then they’d become entertaining destinations and people would want to be where books are.
Publishing has a lot to play with. It has tradition. It has so many facets to explore – the legal side, the cultural side, literacy, how books influence people and societies, and how our history is preserved in books. There are millions of words in millions of books and not one theme park is dedicated to them.
We have grand museums, mainly dedicated to art, history, and science. We have immense zoos and circuses to highlight nature and animals. Every industry has a hall of fame. Businesses have conventions. There are county fares, championship sporting events, and theme parks, and amusement parks and huge concert arenas. But no publishing theme parks.
Can’t we muster together a little bit of Trump extravagance and apply it to books and come up with a place that exceeds what is offered at the biggest palaces of fun in the world?
The parks could be divided into so many unique sections that highlight interesting aspects of the book industry, such as:
  • · Ranking the best-sellers of all time
  • · Examining historically-significant books
  • · The evolution of publishing technology
  • · The history of the printed word
  • · The future of books and all formats
  • · Books turned into audiobooks, TV shows, movies, plays, etc.
  • · How books are written
  • · How they are acquired, edited, packaged, sold, promoted
  • · Self-publishing
  • · E-book mania
  • · Era-specific books such as 18th century romantic poets or 1950’s Sci-fi
  • · Region-specific books such as those by or about the south
  • · Book-specific such as Catcher in the Rye or Chicken Soup for the Soul
  • · Author-specific such as the works of John Grisham or Janet Evanovich
  • · Genre-specific such as what’s new in erotic vampire thrillers or diet and fitness
Think of what can be sold:
  • · Food
  • · Games/Toys
  • · DVDs
  • · CDs
  • · Clothes
  • · Stuffed animals of book characters
  • · Replicas of things referenced in the books
  • · …and BOOKS!
There can be displays that include:
  • · Book showcases
  • · Videos
  • · Rides
  • · Games
  • · Lectures
  • · Readings
  • · Reenactments
  • · Workshops
  • · Concerts
  • · Tricia contests
  • · Historic manuscripts, printing presses, e-book devices
Maybe there’d be a university on site, a special academy that is a school for writers and those who want to work in the book publishing industry.
There could be sections for adults and children. There could be sections of books highlighting industries such as automotive, gardening, or sales. There could be a hobby section, a fantasy section, a children’s section – really, you could put anything in the park as long as it relates to books. And everything connects to books.
Of course,, some might say the best way to honor books is to buy and read them, share them, and live them. But imagine a place where bibliophiles can call home, a place that is part library, bookstore, e-reader, Web site, Disney, Vegas, Indy 500, Miss America Pageant, Mall of the Americas, Mardi Gras, and Time Square?
Take me to BookWorld – or write a book about such a place. BookWorld should exist and needs to. Books are still popular but they also are under many threats. It is not government censorship or Communism or war that threatens us. It is cultural laziness, a degraded education system, economics, and entertainment competition that puts books in danger. BookWorld could be a great boost not only for the publishing industry, but it can be fun for the whole family.
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter, Media Connect (www.media-Connect.com). You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by, and repirnted with the permission of, BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2013

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Best Free Online Digital Books – 30+ New Titles Tuesday 3-19-2013


We have over 30+ of best Free Online Digital Books to Read to choose from for your Tuesday reading pleasure. We sort all the free books and give you the best of the new Free eBooks for Kindle, iPad, and Kindle Fire on our The Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon.Thanks. Remember that many of the free online digital books to read are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for March 2013 List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Author Interview #168: Elfhunter by C.S. Marks


We’ve stopped in with C.S. Marks the author of the high fantasy novel Elfhunter (4.4 stars on 124 reviews) and a novella, The Fire King. Marks has created the world of Alterra where her stories take place. Her books have earned acclaim from a wide range of readers, particularly for depth of charac­ter development, compelling storyline, and writing excellence. The kindle ver­sions have enjoyed top 10 seller status in epic fantasy in both the US and UK.
Elfhunter is the tale of Gorgon Elfhunter, a monstrous, mysterious creature who has sworn to destroy all the Elves of Alterra—until none remain. It is the story of Wood-elven heroine Gaelen Taldin, who has sworn to rid her world of the Elfhunter even as she is hunted by him. The conflict between them creates a tangled web that blurs the line between Light and Darkness, love and obsession, free will and fate. Filled with moments both tender and terrifying, thrilling yet thought-provoking, it is a timeless epic fantasy suitable for readers of all ages. Join the Company of Elves, dwarves, mortal men, and delightfully intelligent horses. Come to Alterra—the “World that Is”.

Author Interview with C.S. Marks

When did you start writing, and was there a significant event that prompted you to do so?
Actually, I’ve enjoyed writing as a form of recreation for a long time. It’s in my blood–my Dad was a Professor of Literature, and he inspired not only my love of reading and words, but the love of story-telling. I got serious about writing after he passed away suddenly in 2000–it was a devastating loss that left a “hole” in my spirit. I believe I filled that hole by writing. It is my greatest regret that he did not live to see my work in print, as he would have loved it. (Though I’m betting he would have accused me of using too many exclamation points!)
What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?
Actually, the setting of Elfhunter is not all that unique. The setting is merely a backdrop for the stage on which the characters act out the story. It enhances in that it gives the reader the feel of being in another time and place, but it is not the main focus of the work. The world of Alterra is made real based on my own considerable experience with wild places in North America, which it is (rather loosely) patterned after.
Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?

Monday, March 18, 2013

30+ Highly Reviewed Free Digital Books For Monday 3-18-2013


We have the best Monday Deals with 30+ highly reviewed free digital books! Stock up for your spring reading needs as we have a great selection of the best free digital books for the Kindle, iPad, and Kindle Fire on our The Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon.Thanks. Remember that many of the free kindle books are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases For March List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Conscious Living


Our guest blogger is Ray Clements author of Zor: Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science (4.7 stars, 92 reviews).

Conscious Living

“Everything is the result of something else. To have, what you have not; you must do, what you do not.”-Zor
Like most of the Zor’s advice, the quote mentioned above is simple enough to understand yet extremely difficult to apply. The problem lies in the basic structure of our minds, for it is the mind which
controls our actions.
The mind is divided into two parts, the conscious and the subconscious. Our conscious mind has three primary functions. First it recognizes and interprets the immediate environment, (the smells, the sounds, the colors, and the temperature; everything that stimulates the five senses). Second, it is responsible for all future thoughts, (“I’ve got to do the laundry…prepare for a business meeting…file my taxes…make the kids’ lunch for school, etc.”). Third it processes our memories, (“That song brings me back to an old girlfriend…falling leaves remind me of high school football…holidays with the extended family,” etc.).
These three functions occupy our conscious mind 95% of the time. Incredibly that means our actions are controlled on a conscious level about 5% of the time. The subconscious manages the rest. This explains why we often pull into the garage after our nightly commute without remembering the drive home. It’s not our fault, 95% of the time we are unaware of what we are doing.
This in and of itself would not be a problem, but for selective breeding. Since the beginning of time, man has been bred to develop a subconscious that is fearful, anxious, and negative.
Think about it. Two troglodytes spy a spring-fed stream near a large boulder. Both are thirsty and the cool, refreshing water beckons. The first caveman, only seeing opportunity, sprints to his reward. The second, though equally entranced, has a more apprehensive nature and thinks, “I’ve better be careful, this place is new. This may be a trap. Is something evil lurking behind the boulder? Why would such an inviting oasis be uninhabited?”
Sure enough, his questions are answered as a saber tooth tiger springs from behind the boulder and devours his friend. The prehistoric world was a dangerous place, and this scenario was often repeated. The cave dwellers that survived long enough to procreate were the ones that rarely strayed from the chosen path and developed a pessimistic outlook towards life.

Best Free Kindle Books List – 30+ Kindle eBooks Added – Sunday 3-17


For this Sunday we have 30+ of the best free kindle books. A great chance to grab a book or two for the last day of the weekend. All of our books listed today are free ($0.00) on The Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon. Thanks. Remember that many of the free kindle books are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for March List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Standing The Test Of Time

Our guest blogger is Brian Feinblum. Visit his blog at Book Marketing Buzz Blog.

Standing The Test Of Time

All creative artists want their work to be embraced by a loving public, even long after they are dead. They want to leave a legacy and to be appreciated by others. It doesn’t matter if it’s art, film, books, architecture, or other forms of creation – the desire and drive of all creators is the same.
Sure, some are ego-driven, money-hungry, fame-seekers, but all, at the heart of their efforts, want to see their work valued and to know it inspired, enlightened, entertained, and informed others. They want to know they sparked a dialogue, provoked action, stimulated thought and led to a change in society or impacted lives. Writers want to think that we created something not just for today or for a generation, but something everlasting and permanent.
The truth is it doesn’t work that way. Not at all.
I was in the public library the other day to help my eight-year-old son do research for a school report he was writing for his second-grade class. While he looked for books about the Blue Iguana of the Cayman Islands (we found none), I happened upon a volume entitled “Colonial History to 1877.” As I flipped through the book I realized how much has happened in our nation’s history of nearly 237 years but I said to my son: “You know, there will come a time when all of the history you will spend your school years learning, will be taught in a day.”
Eventually there will be little difference between 1813, 1913 or 2013, because so much history will have taken place over the years. Here’s what will happen:
· The more recent history of the present era will always seems more significant and important than the distant past.
· So many more significant things will happen in the centuries to come that by the time it is 2513, to reflect on the quaint times of today will seem insignificant.
· As time goes by, the time dedicated to studying history will be replaced, in part, to be used to learn new skills that future technologies will bring about.
Our ability to record news, find facts, publish analysis and share information will overwhelm the education system and forbid it to properly give students enough time to discuss any specific event or subject in great detail.
Every year that goes by, the amount of classroom time spent learning about history generally remains the same but the amount of time put to any one event or person generally shrinks because more history is created and has to be covered. History books have three decades of history and five more presidents to write about since I graduated high school in 1984.
How much longer will the school year need to be in order to properly cover future history? I calculated I spent about an hour per day in class on history – some 2160 school hours (an hour per school day, 180 days per year, 12 years). That is about 10 hours dedicated per every year of this nation’s history. That means another 290 hours of instruction would be needed just to cover the last 29 years. What will that come to in 100 years? 1000 years? 10,000 years?
So, I come back to my opening remarks about the lifespan of a creative artist’s work, especially books. We still read old books – the Bible, works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and some ancient texts, but compared to all that has been written and published, how many books are read well beyond an author’s lifetime? Books expire. They have a shelf-life even if they can exist forever online. Relevance, discoverability, language – all of these things doom most books.
But it does not stop us from writing as if our words will last forever. Heck, before we can think about our works being read and enjoyed a century from now, we struggle to find readers today. But we can strive to write today and hope the words live another day.
The odds of being read today are much greater than they will be even next week, when, at least 7,000 more books will have been published by traditional publishers. Write as if you’ll be read tomorrow, but hope to be read today.
Remember these words, for chances are they won’t live beyond your lifetime: Create, because you reflect the truth. Create, because you need an alternate to the truth. Create, because you don’t know the truth. Create, to inspire greater truths.
History will tell us what really was true, if only history were complete, unbiased, and accurate. Who knows how long your words will exist, but make them count right now, and if they do their job to inspire greatness, change, and more creativity, then they will become useless and unneeded with time. They will have led a revolution that will render them obsolete. Perhaps being made obsolete is the honor to strive for.
Will your words stand the test of time?
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter, Media Connect (www.media-Connect.com). You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by, and repirnted with the permission of, BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2013

30+ Free Online Books to Read – The Best Free Kindle Books 3-16-2013


Enjoy the best free online books to read with 30+ Saturday morning freebies. All highly rated and many that are new to The Top 100 Best Free Kindle e Books. Get free Kindle online books to read for your weekend literary pleasure. All of our books listed today are free ($0.00)! As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon. Thanks. Remember that many of the free kindle Books are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new book releases? Visit the New Book Releases for 2013 List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Making It Real: How Adopting a 3-yr-old at 19 Formed the Basis for a Thriller


Our guest blogger is Seeley James author of The Geneva Decision (4.4 stars on 29 reviews).

Making It Real: How Adopting a 3-yr-old at 19 Formed the Basis for a Thriller

Main characters have to feel real or you, the reader, will abandon them. I write thrillers and I’m forever striving to write that perfect visceral character. Hemingway’s advice: “From all things that you know and all those you cannot know, you make something through your invention that is not a representation but a whole new thing truer than anything true and alive.”
I wanted to make a thriller heroine who was a whole new thing from a unique experience in my life that I felt perfect for a heroine’s backstory. The part I cannot know, the elements that my character keeps hidden, presented a challenge.
The true story is stranger than fiction.
James Rollins once said, “You can write a story about telepathic marsupials in Antarctica as long as you have the Starbucks in Kansas City on exactly the same corner as the real one. Put it on the wrong side of the road, and telepathic marsupials cease to exist in the reader’s mind.”
Thrillers tend to avoid family members for that reason.* If we get the family relationships wrong, we lose you. Did Sherlock Holmes’ mother hound him about marriage? Did James Bond ever drive his daughter to soccer practice? Would Hercule Poirot take cooking tips from his sister? Writers leave out the one thing we all have in common, family, to avoid complications.
Cowards.
I wanted my heroine to have an involved father. And not a wise, calm and patient father from central casting either. I wanted an accidental father. One who was not even the biological father but was tossed into the role by fate.
When I was nineteen, an acquaintance told me that daycare costs were killing her. She had been sixteen when she conceived her daughter and three years later was working a night shift. She asked if I could help by watching her child from the time I got off work until she came home at midnight. Without realizing how that would change my life, I said, “Sure!”

Friday, March 15, 2013

Three Exciting New Book Releases for March 3-15-2013


We are highlighting three exciting New Book Releases for March 2013 from our New Book Releases List (click to see all the new releases). If you are looking for something new to read this is a great place to start.
Earth-Sim by Jade Kerrion. Jem Moran has a reputation to prove and a secret to protect. The prestigious world simulation program seems the answer to both her problems, but only if she can succeed in spite of her partner, Kir Davos, and the uncooperative human beings who populate her planet.
From the Great Extinction to the Renaissance, from world wars to intergalactic treaties, Jem’s conflict with Kir will shape Earth’s history, and their opposing management styles will either save or doom our planet. Either way, you finally have someone to blame for the shape our world is in. Read more on Amazon.
When the Silence Ends (A YA Double Helix novel) by Jade Kerrion. When you choose your friends, you also choose your enemies. Seventeen-year old Dee wants nothing more than to help her twin brother, Dum, break free from the trauma in their childhood and speak again, but the only person who can help Dum is the alpha empath, Danyael Sabre, whom the U.S. government considers a terrorist and traitor. The search for Danyael will lead Dee and Dum from the sheltered protection of the Mutant Affairs Council and into the violent, gang-controlled heart of Anacostia. Ensnared by Danyael’s complicated network of friends and enemies, Dee makes her stand in a political and social war that she is ill equipped to fight. What can one human, armed only with her wits and pepper spray, do against the super-powered mutants who dominate the Genetic Revolution? America, nevertheless, is ripe for transformation. Exhausted by decades of belligerence between humans and their genetic derivatives–the clones, in vitros, and mutants–society is on the verge of falling apart or growing up. Dee, with her sassy attitude and smart mouth, is the unwitting pebble that starts the avalanche of change. In her quest to help her brother become normal, Dee will finally learn what it means to be extraordinary. Read more on Amazon.
Tainted Love: A Novel by Eva Marquez. Isabel thought her life was on track – she was doing well in college, moving quickly toward her future, and deciding who she wanted to be. Best of all, she’d reunited with Tom, the swim coach she had a secret affair with in high school. But it doesn’t take long for her history – and his – to start catching up with them. When Isabel goes back to her college life, after spending a blissful summer reuniting with Tom, things take a dangerous turn. Isabel gets swept up in a relationship with a dark, mysterious professor, with whom she begins a covert love affair that could ruin everything she has rebuilt with Tom. Worse, she starts to hear rumors from friends back home – rumors about a teacher having affairs with students. And Tom seems to be at the center of the controversy. Will Isabel’s instincts about what Tom’s been up to during their time apart drive her farther away, or will she forgo her new romance to run to Tom’s defense? Tainted Love is Book Two of the Sweetest Taboo Series, a controversial and edgy contemporary YA romance series appropriate for readers sixteen and over. Read more on Amazon.

How Do I Find Free Kindle eBooks? Visit the Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books 3-15-2013


How do I find free kindle ebooks? This is a common question. Look no farther. We looked at the 750+ free books that were added this morning on Amazon and give you the best rated and reviewed free titles. We have 35+ new titles with many greatly exceeding our minimum requirements that are new to our The Top 100 Best Free Kindle eBooks. Grab a book or two for the weekend. All of our books listed today are free ($0.00)! As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon.Thanks. Remember that many of the free kindle books are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Don’t forget to see the Latest New Book Releases for 2013 List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Is Google God?


Our guest blogger is Scott Bartlett the author of Royal Flush (4.2 stars, 18 reviews).

Is Google God?

No. No, it’s not.
There are those, however, who would disagree. Matt MacPherson, for instance–founder of the Church of Google. I’m guessing his ‘ministers’ would also disagree, and maybe some of the nearly 12,000 people who have liked ‘Googlism’ on Facebook.
When I started reading this site after a friend told me about it, I kept waiting to encounter the telltale trace of irony that would indicate the whole thing is a joke. But I’m not sure it is. In fact, it seems completely in earnest. There’s even a ritualized Google Appreciation Day, complete with instructions on how to celebrate it. It falls on September 14th, the anniversary of the day Google.com was registered. And when MacPherson describes his relationship with Google, he uses the word “worship“.
It may not surprise you to learn I find the idea of corporation worship profoundly unsettling.
On his site MacPherson lists nine ‘proofs’ that he believes demonstrate the search engine “should rightfully be given the title of ‘God’”.
PROOF #1 “Google is the closest thing to an Omniscient (all-knowing) entity in existence, which can be scientifically verified.”
In fact, Google doesn’t ‘know’ anything. Google ranks sites based on how many humans have linked to them. Using algorithms. Google doesn’t understand the websites’ content. Humans review that information and decide whether it’s interesting enough to provide a link to.
PROOF #2 “Google is everywhere at once (Omnipresent).”
Claiming websites like Google have a physical location seems like a bit of a stretch to me. At any rate, right now Google can be accessed only on Earth (well, Earth and its immediate vicinity), which is but an extremely tiny fraction of “everywhere”. Even on Earth there are vast expanses in which there are no wireless networks, and also there are many people on Earth without Internet access.
PROOF #3 “Google answers prayers.”
Hmm. I’m seeing “Search” next to the search bar, actually–not “Pray”. Are you praying to a book whenever you consult the index?

30+ Best Free Books for Kindle – Thursday 3-14-2013


We have a great list of 30+ of the Best Free Books for Kindle for Thursday 3-14-2013. They are highly rated and all exceed our minimum standards. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon. Remember that many of the best free books for kindle are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Always make sure that the price is $0.00 when downloading your best free Books for Kindle.
Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for March List.
Click to see the entire list of Top 100 Best Free eBooks for Kindle.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Lab Notes by Gerrie Nelson – A Biotechnology Thriller


“What an amazing story – clever, spell-binding, and intriguing. Can’t wait for the next book!” ~ Margaret D. Watson, Amazon Review

Hello Digital Book Today readers. Do you enjoy good science and mystery all wrapped together in a biotechnology thriller? Or “a Grisham like plot with more depth of characters and better research”? If you do then you need to read more about Lab Notes by Gerrie Nelson. This story is “marked with corruption, mystery, intrigue, espionage, and hypnotic excitement.” Follow the main character Diane as she battles the world of corporate greed with her biotechnological research. If you are looking for a fast-moving scientific thriller than look no farther than Lab Notes by Gerrie Nelson. Lab Notes is currently rated 4.1 stars on 17 reviews.

“Nelson has done an amazing amount of research to write a book with so much detail into the science as well as the many different culture groups and countries that show up in this book. The characters are fascinating and the twists and turns along the ride keep one wanting more. Bring on the sequel.” ~ Dr. Dan Brewster, Amazon Reviews

“This book grabs you from the first and won’t let go. It builds and builds and takes you along for the ride. Great character development. Interesting plot.” ~ Jamies, Amazon Review

Book Description: Where secrets collide… Shortly after university researchers Diane and Vincent Rose join a prosperous Houston biotech company, Vincent begins seeing hints of darkness in their new workplace and records his suspicions as if they are scientific data. When Vincent vanishes during a yacht race off the coast of Texas, Diane Rose makes the stark discovery that another BRI scientist disappeared just months before. Is there a connection? Devastated but determined to uncover the truth, she trades her microscope for binoculars and master keys—unaware she’s being watched.

Drawing on her research skills, she covertly investigates BRI’s enigmatic staffers: an animal rights extremist with destructive tendencies, a disgraced scientist with ulterior motives, a shadow employee with dangerous secrets to protect and a sadist who gets his thrills through animal torture. But the hunter becomes the hunted. On the run, Diane follows an international trail of secret societies, ill-fated lovers, greed and murder; all the while fighting an attraction to one of the world’s most powerful men—a man who wants to bed her or kill her—or both….Read more on Amazon.

Get your copy of Lab Notes on Amazon
“I would probably give the story a 4.5 rating because I think the beginning could be tightened a bit. But once I got involved in the story-line it was a page turner. I was up late last night reading and couldn’t wait to finish the book this morning. The characters are realistic, the plot is involved, and the resolution was satisfying. The author was fair in portraying all the elements of the story and it’s resolution early in the novel, not pulling any surprises to resolve the plot. The ethical considerations faced by Diane are plausible in this day and age. I wonder if there aren’t deals made similar to ones mentioned in the book.” ~ Heather Marsten, Amazon Review

Author Interview #167: The Old Man & The Monkey by George Polley


Our interview today is with George Polley author of several books including The Old Man & The Monkey (4.9 stars, 32 reviews). Before the interview a brief book description: ’The Old Man & The Monkey’ is a stunningly beautiful story of a relationship which develops between an old man and a creature which is regarded as a dangerous pest in Japan, a snow monkey, in George Polley’s moving allegory of dignity in the face of racism.

Interview with George Polley

What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story.
The Old Man & The Monkey is a fable about the gift of friendship. The unique thing about the setting (a tiny village on the island of Hokkaido, Japan) is that monkeys are not native to the island. This didn’t seem to matter (and hasn’t to Japanese readers), since by the end of the story, the monkeys have all disappeared, making their appearance even more mysterious. Who was the big monkey that his human friend named Yukitaro? Where did he and his tribe come from, and where did they go? This is left unsaid, the focus remaining on the story and what happened in the end.
What specific themes do you emphasize throughout the novel? What are you trying to get across to the reader?
The themes I emphasize in all my writing are tolerance, compassion, kindness and responsibility, which are fundamental to friendship. Like most villagers (I once lived in a tiny village in central Illinois), the villagers in this unnamed village are suspicious of strangers, especially “monkeys”. When the old man, Genjiro Yamada makes friends with Yukitaro, they don’t like it. When the monkey follows he and his wife home, they become alarmed. Yet over the course of the story, their suspicion diminishes, vanishing altogether when, on two occasions, Yukitaro and his tribe bless the village with their gift.
Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
Readers tell me the characters are very real and believable. They easily relate to the story, one comparing it to Antoine de St. Exupery’s “The Little Prince”. Having had international and multiracial friendships all of my life, and lived in a tiny village where all not born there were considered “outsider,s, I easily relate to the predicament Genjiro faced when he became friends with Yukitaro.
How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
The character that changes the most is Harue, Genjiro’s wife, as she comes to know Yukitaro and what he does for she and her husband. Their children are also changed when they experience Yukitaro’s great gift at the end of the story.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

40+ of the Best Free Online eBooks for Wednesday 3-13-2013


Discover 40+ of the Best Free Online eBooks for Wednesday 3-13-2013. They are highly rated and all exceed our minimum standards. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon.Thanks. Remember that many of the free online ebooks are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Always make sure that the price is $0.00 when downloading your free online books.
Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for February List.
There is a large group of authors doing a free book promotion. Some of their titles are on our list but to see all their titles visit The Free Par-Tay website.
Click to see the entire list of Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

What Are You Afraid of? The Fear of Fear Itself


Our guest blogger is Cheryl Kaye Tardif author of several books including her newest book Submerged (Free on 3/11-3/14).

What Are You Afraid of? The Fear of Fear Itself

According to Wikipedia, “The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (of Greek origin: φόβος/φοβία ) occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, disabling fear as a mental disorder …”
Most of us are familiar with the common phobias, like acrophobia (fear of heights), agoraphobia (fear of open places or being in public) or claustrophobia (fear of small spaces), but many are unaware of somniphobia (fear of sleep), gephyrophobia (fear of bridges), phobophobia (the fear of fear itself), or the countless other phobias a human being may have to endure.
Fear is self-sabotage. It can be one of the most debilitating conditions a person ever experiences, both physically and emotionally. It can impede you from seeking medical help when you need it. It can stop you from being financially stable. It can prevent you from leaving a bad situation, whether it’s a relationship or a job. Fear can obstruct you from moving forward, becoming successful or simply living a healthy life.
Some fears are healthy. It’s natural to fear the unknown, to want to protect ourselves and others, and to take risk assessments of any situations that could be perceived as “dangerous” or “risky.” Having healthy fears makes us more conscious of our actions and their consequences. Most of us will find ways around or through these fears.
But some of us may be gripped by fear to the point that it’s no longer healthy. When fear gets out of control and dominates our lives, it is no longer of benefit to us, and we must intentionally make an effort to overcome, control or manage these fears—before they control us. Decisions should not be made out of fear but from rational analysis and thought.
How do you overcome or manage fear?
  1. First, you must recognize it. When that little voice inside your head says, “I’m afraid of flying in a plane,” you must first acknowledge the fear. Admit it’s there. Confess that it is holding you back in some way.
  1. You must understand where that particular fear comes from. What experiences have you had, witnessed or even heard of secondhand that could have led to your feelings about this fear?
  1. Ask yourself why you’re experiencing this fear and what is it trying to tell you. Most fears stem from a feeling that you’ll be physically harmed in some way.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

35+ of the Best Free Online Digital Books To Read For Tuesday 3-12-2013


We have over 35+ of best Free Online Digital Books to Read to choose from for your Tuesday reading pleasure. We sort all the free books and give you the best of the new Free eBooks for Kindle, iPad, and Kindle Fire on our The Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon.Thanks. Remember that many of the free online digital books to read are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for March 2013 List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Author Interview #166: The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden


Our interview is with Christine Amsden author of The Immortality Virus (4.3 stars, 27 reviews). Before the interview a brief book description: In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren’t talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence. 2012 Epic eBook Award Winner in the category of Science Fiction.

Interview with Christine Amsden

1. What was unique about the setting of The Immortality Virus and how did it enhance or take away from the story?
The Immortality Virus is set over four hundred years in the future, centuries after a virus is released that stops human aging as we know it. Perpetual youth and potential immortality – nearly everyone’s dream – yet the story is presented in a dystopian light. Why? You’ll have to read it to find out.
Some reviewers have claimed that the setting itself – the world – is almost like the main character in this story. I wish I had thought of it first, but I like the idea.
2. What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
As in most dystopian view of the future, there is a great deal of emphasis on the mistakes humans make that lead to their downfall. Often the very thing we want the most – eternal youth – is the worst thing for us, not individually, but as a society. The cycle of life and death renews and invigorates. Immortality stagnates and destroys.
Yet there is hope. The best and worst of humanity is showcased in this novel.
3. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
Grace has been shaped by her world into the sort of woman who has a tough exterior, yet inside she still cares deeply for people. She’s not me. She’s not anyone I know, but she feels like someone. I would say there’s a lot of me in her, especially the parts of me that like to dream about what I could be when put to the test.
4. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?

Monday, March 11, 2013

Three Exciting New Book Releases for March 3-11-2013


We are highlighting three exciting New Book Releases for March 2013 from our New Book Releases List (click to see all the new releases). If you are looking for something new to read this is a great place to start.
Forty-Something Phoenix: A Travel Memoir of Love and Rebirth by Marlayna Glynn Brown. Deeply personal, at times painful yet curiously quirky, Forty-Something Phoenix illustrates how passion can arise unexpectedly from the ashes of one life to assist in building another. This memoir redefines the love story; illustrating how love of self and another can create a profound sense of humanity. Marlayna takes readers from Texas to Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Montenegro, Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Belgium and finally The Netherlands in a search for herself among others. Marlayna had been a single parent for fifteen years when she felt she had nothing left of herself to give. Drained and empty, she writes, “I’d reached a point in my life where something had to give, and it could no longer be me.” In this surprising, brutally honest memoir, Marlayna shares all aspects of her six month journey across fourteen countries, proving age really is just a number. Readers will find hope in this true story that teaches the wisdom of creating and receiving miracles. Read more on Amazon.
Nobody’s Damsel (Someone Else’s Fairytale) by E.M. Tippetts. Chloe has finished her masters degree and taken a job as a forensic scientist back in her home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, only the press will not leave her alone. They follow her to crime scenes and report on her every move, eager to show that her marriage to Hollywood A-lister, Jason Vanderholt, is on the brink of collapse. Millions of fans who dream of their own celebrity romance with him want this more than anything. This scrutiny comes at a particularly bad time as Chloe’s first case is a crime against a child roughly the same age that Chloe was when she survived a homicide attempt. Now that she sees the case from an adult’s perspective, she realizes it’s much harder than she ever dreamed. It’s even worse for Jason, who is two steps removed from the crime. He must watch and try to support his wife as she battles with past demons and tries to keep up with a nameless suspect who evades identification and capture. Never has Jason been more frustrated with his job, its frivolities, and its lack of connection to the real world. When he storms off the set of his latest movie, the press goes wild with conjecture. Perhaps he never was anything more than a pretty face after all. Read more on Amazon.
Conflicting Hearts by J.D. Burrows. Rachel Hayward hoped to have a quiet thirtieth birthday alone. Instead, fate had different plans. Caught in traffic and late for work, she can do nothing except wait for the freeway gridlock to ease. A three-car pileup has caused the snarl. Just as cars begin to move at a faster clip, Rachel takes her eyes off the road to gawk at the accident and rear-ends the car in front of her. Sick over having ruined her day, she lowers her head onto the steering wheel and waits for the driver to begin a tirade over her stupidity. Instead, a kind man taps on her window showing genuine concern about her welfare. The brief colliding encounter suddenly starts a relationship between two strangers that takes off under odd circumstances. When the couple gets to know each other on a more intimate level, their relationship turns into a conflicting set of desires and needs. Rachel is bound by a shameful, dark childhood. After she falls in love with the handsome Ian Richards, she is faced with the decision to leave him or finally confront her demons to obtain the one thing in life she’s always needed–healing from the sexual abuse she endured as a little girl. Read more on Amazon.
We are highlighting three exciting New Book Releases for February 2013 from our New Book Releases List (click to see all the new releases). If you are looking for something new to read this is a great place to start.

30+ Highly Reviewed Free Digital Books For Monday 3-11-2013


Robin’s Blue Free. 4.6 stars on 72 reviews. Contemporary Coming of Age Fiction. Free. Robin's Blue is an epic story set against the disco 70’s through the Reagan-era 80’s, when divorce was the norm and casual sex and recreational drugs were ubiquitous.
Remember that many of the free kindle books are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases For March List.
Other ways to be informed of great books:

Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Best of the Sunday Free Kindle Books – 30+ New eBooks 3-10-2013

For this Sunday we have 30+ of the best free kindle books. A great chance to grab a book or two for the last day of the weekend. All of our books listed today are free ($0.00) on The Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books. As a service to our authors, if you read a free book please give the author a review on Amazon. Thanks. Remember that many of the free kindle books are priced at $0.00 for a very limited time (24-48 hours). Interested in new releases? Visit the New Book Releases for March List.
Other ways to be informed of great books: