Versatile Blogger Award

I’ve won something! And it’s green! (which just happens to be my favorite color. ) I have been trying to limber up my blogging brain, so I can feel worthy of accepting this award. I’ve been a wee-bit focused on the recent release of my e-book, The First. (Oh, did I just mention that again?)

First off, I want to thank Madhvi Ramani at An English man in Berlin for nominating me for this award. And I’m thanking her sincerely, not just because the instructions for the award tell me to. Madhvi is one of the best writers I know, and her blog is truly an eclectic mix of observations on literature, art, and life.

Second, as instructed, I will now tell you seven things about myself. I will do my best to be random and amusing:

1. Usually when I try to be random and amusing, I fail. You’ve been warned.

2. In my nightmares, failure is a cyclops made up of blank paper sheets. I can’t always defeat him, but sometimes I get to poke him in the eye with a pen.

3. In my good dreams, I have a writing room painted a lovely, deep forest green, floor to ceiling.

4. Right now, I’m sitting on an orange couch surrounded by orange walls with a red carpet on the floor.

5. I’m learning how to write under adverse conditions.

6. I am an American who lives in Germany, which I alternately love and hate, often depending on the weather and how often I have to say “Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut.”

7. I love lists, and you’ll find a few of them in my blog, but I often find that the last item  is the hardest to write.

Next, I will now nominate a few wonderful bloggers for this award. Because I’m a book nerd their blogs are all book related, but they are all great. Check them out!

Story Addict – Not just about books, this blog features movies, song lyrics, comics — in short anything with a story is fair game here.

Free Literature Stuff – OK this is not so much a blog as a re-blog. But blogger Trev picks out some great stuff. I like it because it has introduced me to many other book blogs. Now if this award will help him fill out his own “about” page…

AB Ciccone Mystery Writer: Ms. Ciccone runs a wonderful writing site,  providing some great exercises, insights and inspiration. Plus she has one of the most eye-catching blogs I’ve seen.

And now I’m off to tell them what they’ve won..

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Fantastic Finds: Somewhere Over the Freakin’ Rainbow

by L.L. Muir

Somewhere book coverNever spy on the neighbors, even if they’re a cultish tribe of people who hold secret late-night rituals in the cornfields behind your house, and you have a tree house with a perfect view. Sounds pretty tempting, right?

In Somewhere, Jamison lets his curiosity get the better of him because one of the neighbors happens to be a hot girl named Skye. But when the ritual turns deadly and his friends get caught, Jamison must overcome his own cowardice and do something.

I almost didn’t believe what a super coward Jamison was at the start of this book, but I kept reading. Then about half way, I was a bit disappointed when the magical element of the book was revealed (It’s just not  really my thing.) Still, I kept reading. I will forgive a lot of flaws in a book if it’s well-written, and

L.L. Muir is proof that there are Indie authors out there who can really write.

She creates a compelling plot from page one that makes Somewhere  hard to put down. Her characters are well-drawn and sympathetic. She reveals the mystery of the book slowly, but without frustrating the reader. She doesn’t “overwrite;” there are no extra words or unnecessary scenes. And the flaws in the book are not huge. In other words, Somewhere is at least as good, if not better, than many books put out by traditional publishers today. I might even consider reading the next one. It’s due out in June…

4_stars

On Amazon: Somewhere Over the Freaking Rainbow

Visit the author’s page:  LLmuir.weebly.com

Want to find more Indie Authors?

Aside from Writing is holding a month-long event in May, where she’ll be spotlighting an Indie book everyday. There’s also a massive giveaway of more than 30 books. Check it out!

Indie Writer Month

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The First is out! Download it for free today! [note: the promo ended 4/23]

The First book cover

It’s Earth Day Weekend, and

the YA eco-thriller, The First, is free for you to download on Amazon from April 21-23!

Get your copy and tell your friends!

 The First. They called dibs. 

More about the book

…Featured Indie Author Spotlight on Aside from Writing…


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THE FIRST will debut for free on Earth Day, April 22!

Celebrate Earth Day with a free “green” e-book: 

A young adult urban fantasy/eco-thriller (yes it needs its own special mashed up genre), The First follows fifteen-year-old Cassie Craig as she discovers that the strangest girl in her class is more than just a little weird. She’s part of a group of people who were here on earth long before us.

Powerful people.

And they aren’t exactly happy with the way we’ve been treating their planet.

Find out how an ordinary California girl deals with her new, extraordinary friend. The First will be available for free only for a limited time on Amazon. Mark your calendar!

Visit The First’s book page.

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Why the Indie E-book Revolution is Good for Readers

Self-publishing isn’t just for that weird guy with a garage full of unsold manifestos anymore. Amazon and Smashwords have opened up the floodgates for anyone who wants to publish e-books—for free.

Established authors as well as a lot of newbies are diving in. Some say this has led to a “tsunami of swill,” torrent of tripe, yes, a lot of badly written ebooks.

But the Indie Ebook Revolution is good, very good, for readers.

Why?  Three reasons:

Price:

Hardcovers are hovering round $20, and E-books from traditional publishers at $8-$10. You can pickup an Indie E-book for $3 or so. Some authors even give away their books for free to get you hooked. Has Jonathan Franzen done that for you lately?

Availability:

Paper books have a short shelf life. If they don’t sell right away, they are pulled and pulped! E-books never die. What if your favorite author couldn’t get published anymore because she only sold 25,000 books and not 250,000? You might never find out how that series ends…

Variety:

The so-called midlist has been dying for some time. These are the authors who sell but not well enough for big publishers’ bottom lines. So the industry focuses mostly on blockbusters. Do you want to trust all your book choices to a few trendy people in NY who happen to work for one of the six (yes there are only six) big publishing houses?

OK, so finding a good Indie book might be a little harder, but hey all you’re risking a little time and the price of a cup of fancy coffee. And you could discover a hot new Indie writer, the way some people discover music bands.

Did I mention I have a new Indie e-book coming out soon? But self-interest aside…

What’s good for writers is also good for readers.

With Indie e-books, writers take home more, around 60%. The traditional route, they get 15% minus agent fees if they have one. The more money an author makes, the more time they dedicate to writing–which means more, higher quality books for readers.

And if you are an idealist like me and believe that books are essential not just for entertainment but for education and the exchange of ideas, then

more books from more perspectives will make the world a better place.

And that’s something worth fighting for.

Check out an Indie author today and join the revolution!

A few ways to find them:

Smashwords.com has a huge collection of independent authors

The Independent Author Network

Indies Unlimited Amazon page

IndiePENdents.org book list

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Fantastic Recommends: WAKE

by Lisa McMann
For ages: 14 and up

Talk about nightmares. Seventeen-year-old Janie is pulled into other people’s dreams. Sounds cool, except the dreams are usually the powerful, anxiety-ridden kind, and they make Janie blackout where ever she happens to be. When Janie starts seeing a really psycho nightmare that gives her a starring role, she needs to figure out whose it is and how to stop it.

Wake is a fun, fast-paced book which will keep you up at night reading.

McMann really knows how create great characters. Janie, with her unusual talent, is likeable and believable. Her plot is engrossing, and the romance is not typical. In fact, her hero has won a little following all his own. My only complaint is that the book isn’t incredibly deep. I love stories with layers, and Wake is very straightforward. But all in all, it is still a very enjoyable read.

4_starsAnd it’s the start of a trilogy, so if you like this one, there are more…

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Are the Hunger Games Anti-War?

If you haven’t read all the Hunger Games books yet, go read them now! Seriously, they’re terrific. It should only take a few days to read them because once you start, you won’t be able to stop.

Finish all three books before reading further. Warning: Contains Spoilers!

At first, I thought Suzanne Collins was making a bold anti-war statement. In the Hunger Games, powerful adult politicians use young people for violent entertainment, then for actual war. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s exaggerated. We don’t play deadly games with real kids, only virtual ones. And our soldiers have to be 18, but Katniss is only 3 years younger.

No doubt war is a central to the Hunger Games. Collins got the idea for the books while flipping channels between reality shows and war coverage, and as she told the NYT:

I don’t write about adolescence. I write about war. For adolescents.

But what is she saying about war exactly? That it’s hell, for sure. Collins doesn’t hesitate to kill off key characters. But the world at the start of the series is so oppressive it begs for revolution, and her heroine, Katniss, plays the starring, violent role.

Yet, after all the blood and gore, Katniss is a broken person, having lost almost everything she fought for. Not exactly a happy ending. Then again, her world has changed through war. It’s relatively peaceful. The abuse of children has ended. Has the sacrifice been worth it?

I think the books are deeply divided over war. They’re not patently pacifist, but at the same time, they don’t seem to justify violent revolution as the answer. I find this tension very interesting, but I have to wonder:

Will Hollywood keep the ending?

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Three Free E-books and Three Ways to Find More…

Here are three intriguing e-books that as of this posting are free! I have not read them, but they passed my first page test: good openings/no terrible typos.

But don’t take it from me, try them yourself! Click on the book cover to download. Download them all if you want. They’re free!

If you don’t like them, delete them.

If you do like them, tell your friends and give them a good review on Amazon, Smashwords, or Goodreads. (And let me know too. I’ll bump them up in my “to read” blog pile.)

phantom bcPhantom Universe by Laurie Kreitzer

Description: Sold into slavery to pirates, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she’s lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer is washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary.

Bonus: The author is  also having a massive giveaway until April 14 including signed books and new Kindles: laurakreitzer.com

Legon by Nicholas Taylor

Description: Join Legon and his sister, Sasha, as they search to understand their true heritage and unravel the possibility of being part human and part elf.

80ad_cover80AD – The Jewel of Asgard (Book 1) by Aiki Flinthart

Description: When Phoenix and Jade somehow end up in the bodies of their own warrior Avatars in the online fantasy game, 80AD, they have to play the game through to get home.

Three ways to find more free e-books:

There are many ways, but I’ve found these to be the easiest and most reliable:

Smashwords: many Indie and even established writers post their books here for free. They also have a very good sort/filter system.

Amazon’s Top 100 lists: Lists the most popular free and paid books for Kindle. It can be tricky. They update it slowly and sometimes when you click the link, the book is no longer free. Oh and don’t check on Monday morning. Learned that one the hard way…

Goodreads giveaways: you have to enter to win. But both mainstream and Indie authors can be found here.

OK Four Ways…

The Fantastic YA Book Review! Check back, bookmark, or better yet follow me! I will be posting more freebies and reviews of inexpensive e-books. Stay tuned…

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Fantastic Recommends: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs
Miss P CoverJacob never believes his grandfather’s tales of murderous, multi-tongued monsters, until he sees one. Doubting his own sanity, Jacob traces his grandfather’s past back to a Welsh island and searches out the home for peculiar children where his grandfather stayed as a boy. I don’t want to spoil it, but I think you can guess there are some peculiar things there…

While the plot of Miss Peregrine’s is great all by itself, perhaps the most striking things about the book are the bizarre, old photographs (including the one you see on the cover), which the author swears are not re-touched.

At times, the book feels like a writing project. You know the one: teacher hands you a random image and then asks you to make up a story about it.

But I have to admit, I started to read in anticipation of the photos. Long after I finished reading, I was still wondering about some of those images.

Miss Peregrine’s is a unique story told in an unusual way. It will really kick your imagination into overdrive, which is one of the best reasons to read any book.

4_stars

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Top Ten YA Dystopian Novels

Did I mention I loved lists? The Librarian Who doesn’t say Shhh! has a good one:

Top Ten YA Dystopian Novels.

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