Friday, July 6, 2012

Free E-Books, Discounts and Giveaways


Do you enjoy learning about new books, especially if they are available at discounted prices or better yet - FREE?

I love books and can’t seem to help but collect them. I also enjoy learning about new books and sharing that information with you. Today I’d like to tell you about several authors who are offering eBooks FREE for a few days and information from a publisher about some reduced prices on a number of book plus a couple of print giveaways.

I’ve never quite understood how giving away books is helpful to an author. But this week author Lorraine Bartlett explained it in her newsletter announcing a free eBook.

“Allowing the book to be downloaded for free will help to spread word of the series,” Lorraine explained. “If you enjoy the book, I would dearly appreciate you telling your friends and family -- hurry, and they can download it for free, too!”

For a limited time her first Jeff Resnick mystery, MURDER ON THE MIND, is free from a number ofMurder on the Mind cover eBook locations - Kindle, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords. She writes the Jeff Resnick series under the name L.L. Bartlett.    

For readers who have Nook or Sony E readers, Lorraine said, “I apologize to those of you with Nook and Sony E readers. Trying to get those outlets to match Amazon's Free has been extremely difficult. And yet, if you download from Smashwords, you can still have the book for FREE! (It just takes an extra step to get it from your computer to your e reader.)”    

All the Jeff Resnick Mystery series books are also available in Trade Paperback. 
  
In addition to Lorraine’s FB personas (Lorna Barrett and Lorraine Bartlett), she is also on Facebook as L.L. Bartlett. And she has an author page, too.  Click on any of the above links to friend or "like" her page. For more on Lorraine and her writing, visit her website.

Next fellow blogger and author Carole Anne Carr is hosting a promotional eBook giveaway of her children’s historical fiction adventure, CANDLE DARK

The giveaway will be available from today (July 6) to July 8 (Pacific Standard Time).


Here’s a brief synopsis of CANDLE DARK, Book One in the Ironbridge Gorge Series:
Joshua was nearly eleven and he worked down the Blists Hill coal pit in the Ironbridge Gorge and he hated it down there. He hated working in the dark, he hated the rats and the stink of the tunnels, and he especially hated it when the mine flooded and his boots got soaked and rubbed his feet raw. Then the day that Mr. Bradley the horse keeper gave him another beating so bad he ached and ached all over, he made up his mind to run away and find work on the Severn trows. 
cac_candledark_v12_edited-1 (3) 
But what would happen to poor Drummer, left behind in the dark? What would happen to his mother, left to the mercy of the evil Isaac Whitlock? And how could he sail to Bristol when his father had been sent to work in the most dangerous part of the mine? Afraid of the river gangs, and sick with worry about his dad, Joshua must decide whether to run for his life, or to stay in Coalport and protect his family despite the terrible danger.  

The sequel, RIVER DARK, is slated to be published in September 2012. Carole is an author and independent publisher of four children's books: two historical fiction, one fantasy, and one picture book. Her early years were spent as a bank teller in Africa, then as teacher, owner of an art and craft business, poet, creative writing tutor, actress and Third Order Franciscan. She held the Office of Reader in the Church of England before beginning her writing career. She is working on sequels to her children's books. She has taught poetry and other aspects of creative writing, been Deputy head of a Shropshire primary school for nearly 20 years, and is a member of the Society of Authors, the National Association of Writers in Schools, and W.I. Speaker. For more on Carole and her writing, visit her website at http://caroleannecarr.co.uk

Next fellow blogger and author Tom Adair is offering the e-version of his debut novel THE SCENT OF FEAR free at Amazon.com through the weekend.

978-1469939834_ebook4Here’s a brief synopsis of THE SCENT OF FEAR
Sarah and Daniel have each stood face to face with evil before. This time they will face the threat together. Youthful and impulsive, Sarah is a tough; no nonsense criminalist determined to measure up to the male cops around her. Daniel is a former special ops soldier adjusting to civilian life while working at his uncles forensic science center. 

Now, two killers have brought them together. One is a psychopathic murderer who turns the tables on Sarah. The other is a professional assassin only Daniel understands. Hampered by her inexperience and the snipers knowledge of forensics, Sarah struggles to understand the unusual clues left at the crime scenes. When Daniels mysterious past lands him in jail, Sarah must overcome her fears as she finds herself trapped between the killer she is pursuing and the one pursuing her.

According to Tom, “This novel has been a labor of love for me over the years and I am busy working on the sequel which I hope to have finished by year’s end.”

Tom blogs at forensics4fiction where he has some amazing posts dealing with just about any aspect of forensics you can image. Tom is a retired senior criminalist with 15 years of forensic experience. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Entomology. He has served as the president of the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction, Rocky Mountain Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, and the Rocky Mountain Division of the International Association for Identification. While in law enforcement he was triple board certified in forensic related fields and was one of only 40 board-certified bloodstain pattern analysts and 80 board-certified footwear examiners worldwide.

For more on Tom and his writing, visit his blog at forensics4fiction.

Even though the holiday is over, Pocket eBooks (a division of Simon and Schuster) has great things happening all month with their eBook promotions. Three romance promos going on now are for JoAnn Ross, Jane Feather, and Kris Kennedy. 

Thanks to Ayelet and the great folks at Pocket eBooks, I have excerpts and giveaways of print books to offer.

homeplace.efar harbor.eFirst, FAR HARBOR and HOMEPLACE by JoAnn Ross are both discounted to $3.99 until Tuesday, July 10. To read an excerpt from FAR HARBOR click here and to read an excerpt from HOMEPLACE click here.  
The eBook A WEDDING WAGER by Jane Feather is discounted to $2.99 until Sunday, July 15. Her next book, AN UNSUITABLE BRIDE,wedding wager is slated to go on sale July 24. I have one copy to offer as a giveaway to U.S. residents only. Send me an e-mail with “Win An Unsuitable Bride” in the subject line and include your mailing information in the body of the e-mail. Deadline to enter is 8 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, July 14.

The eBook DEFIANT by Kris Kennedy is discounted to $2.99 until Monday, July defiant30. To read an excerpt from DEFIANT click here. Her next book, DECEPTION, is slated to go on sale Tuesday, July 31. I have one copy to offer as a giveaway to U.S. residents only. Send me an e-mail with “Win Deception” in the subject line and include your mailing information in the body of the e-mail. Deadline to enter is 8 p.m. (EST) on Friday, July 20.

Do you know of any other eBooks available at a discounted price or for free at this time? Thanks so much for stopping by today. You’re more than welcome to share this information with others.

9 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this notice. I've gone and picked up two books. While what you say is true--writers don't make money from free books, sometimes for a first book, publicity is the important thing.

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  2. A ton of good stuff here - thanks for taking the time to post it. I'll definitely check it out.

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  3. Mason - Those are a whole lot of e-treats! Such a nice variety too. Thanks for sharing them with us. :-)

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  4. Wow. A bunch of books to check out this time. I already bought (pre-free) Murder on the Mind and highly recommend it.

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  5. Lots of freebies! I'm going to make sure my Kindle is charged :)

    Happy Weekend.

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  6. Thanks for the free stuff.

    Have a good weekend.

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  7. I agree with Lorraine, it's a great advertising tool. My sales always spike after I've had an e-book giveaway.
    Ann

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  8. Just got an ereader so I really appreciate you sharing.
    Many thanks.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.