Looking for some E-books at a good value?  Well look no further than Astor + Blue – they have all books at $0.99 to $1.99 right now…what a great price for the holidays!

I have read and reviewed a few of their books such as Dead End Deal and Winning the City Redeux.  I also highlighted Extraordinary Rendition.  I think I’ll be checking out some more of Allen Wyler’s books such as Dead Ringer and Dead Wrong or maybe even Timeless Desire by Gwyn Cready.

You can click on the image above to get to their catalog or you can click on this link.  Books are available for your Kindle, Nook, Sony, Itunes and Kobo.  Bound to be a format you can use!

 

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 CEO of Astor + Blue, Tony Viardo, commented on the state of digital publishing…interesting reading!

So how many articles have we read about E-books and Digital Publishing this year? For anyone who generally follows the book world (rabid booklover, book-blogger, industry pro or casual reader), we’re literally inundated with the amazing numbers—“E-book sales up 125% (again) over the 175% they were up from last year’s 225% increase!”—and equally amazing technological announcements—“Next Fall, the new ZimWittyZoomDitty tablet not only updates your Facebook and Goodreads friends whenever you snort in disgust … it cooks dinner for you at the same time!”

This leads many to take at least casual stock of what’s going on/going to happen to the “Publishing World” as we know it.  And if your friends are like my friends (hardcore print book consumers), that stock is usually pretty morbid (sharp Greenwich Village angst not included): “Print books are doomed, so are brick-and-mortar stores.  Goodbye literary quality. Oh and some pajama-wearing techie living in a basement with a laptop is going to be the new Sulzburger; we’ll all have to bow down!”

If you (or that good friend of yours) fall into the mortified category, my take (for what it’s worth) may come as positive news:  E-books are not, and will not be, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas; in this case, the “Print World’s” bacon. Now, as the owner of a “Digital First” publishing house (Astor + Blue Editions, www.astorandblue.com) my opinions may easily be written off as self-serving and invalid.  But bear with me for a minute… these are fact-based observations and I might just make sense (Someone tell my mom and dad).

As someone who earns a living from publishing, I have to follow numbers and industry trends as closely as possible.  And while some see doom and gloom for Print, I see exciting developments for both Print and E-book formats.  What do the numbers show?  Digital book revenue is skyrocketing, print revenue is declining.  Natural conclusion?  E-books are killing print books. But not so fast.  Historically, Print revenue has always seemed to be declining (even before E-books were invented), but that doesn’t mean the book market is dying or shrinking.

We have to remember that in fact the book market is growing. Readership always grows because population always grows.  Every year, new readers enter the vast pool of the club that is “adult readership,” (despite Dancing with the Stars). And every year more readers are being born and theoretically being inspired by Ms. Crabtree’s elementary reading class.  **So why the decline?  Readership grows gradually, but the sheer number of books and book vendors grow exponentially, showing an investment loss almost every year. (Basic statistics: the widening universe makes it look like a shrinking pie when it isn’t).

So what does this mean?  If you look at the numbers (historically), revenue for print books may have declined, yes, but not more than “normal,” and not significantly more than it did when there were no E-books around. (This is arguable of course, but the long term numbers do not show a precipitous drop-off). The yearly revenue decline, if there is one, can just as easily be written off to economic conditions as to E-book competition.  Bottom line:  Any drop in print revenue that may be caused by E-books are not significantly sharp enough to declare that E-books are destroying print book sales.  (Hence no Grinch).

What may be happening, and what I believe is happening is that a whole new market for E-books is developing, while the print book market growth, like Publishing as a whole, is still growing at a historically gradual pace. (Boringly flat).  Come up with your pet anecdote here, but I believe that more new readers are entering the market (who otherwise wouldn’t have) because of E-readers; existing readers are consuming more books (both print and e-book) than they did before; and while it would seem that a certain print title is losing a sale whenever readers buy it in E-book format, this is offset, at least somewhat, by the fact that more print titles are being bought (that otherwise wouldn’t) because of the extra marketing buzz and added awareness produced by the E-book’s cyber presence.  All of it evens out in the end, and I believe, ultimately fosters growth industry-wide.

So take heart Print fans, E-books are not the dark villain you think they are.  And here, I should correct my earlier analogy—that E-books are not the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  They may actually be the Grinch…in as much as, at the end of the story, the pear-shaped green guy ended up not only giving all the presents back to the singing Who-villers, he created a flash mob and started a big party as well.

 

Dead Running

Cassidy Christensen is running.

Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.

Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.

Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.

With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she’ll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.

Cassidy Christensen wants to run.

Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t allow another family member to be killed in her place.

This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.

 

Author Cami Checketts

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.

Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn’t snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.

 

Upcoming Blog Tour

Price Drop Giveaway!

$20 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash from Author Cami Checketts

Ends 12/23/12

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Earlier this year I reviewed an excellent historical fiction novel by Ed Brodow called Fixer.  If you haven’t picked that one up, definitely add it to your TBR (to be read) list.

Ed contacted me again and asked if I would like to review his new book, Women from Venus.  This book contains four short stories that have interesting twists at the end…

In the first novella, Women From Venus, psychologist Robert Elgar’s successful career as a debunker of alien kidnappings is sabotaged when a beautiful abductee charges him with rape.

The Man Who Could Not Make Up His Mind depicts the ordeal of Clifford Day Vanderwall as his career is destroyed by a predatory fortune hunter in this hilarious satire about love among New York’s upper crust.

Intent on revenge, ex-Marine Tommy Courten tracks his sister’s psychopathic killer to a remote South American
jungle only to be shocked by what he discovers about his own true nature in The Stamp.

In I’ll Take Manhattan, the Lenape Indians offer proof that their tribe is the rightful owner of Manhattan Island and they want it back.

Review:

Ed had a lot to live up to after I read Fixer and loved it!  He did not disappoint with with these four short stories.  In fact, I didn’t want the stories to end, I wanted them to continue!  The stories twist and turn in the end and what you think is going to happen or should happen, doesn’t.

I think my favorite was I’ll Take Manhattan because the thought of a group of people lying claim to Manhattan which is nothing but an island…well that is crazy and can you imagine how much people would lose if all of a sudden ownership of the land reverted to a group of people?!  Crazy!

Gracie and April enjoyed the stories too and give them four paws

Not too long ago I read and reviewed Not the Marrying Kind by Nicola Marsh.  She loved my 5 paw review and asked me to read and review Crazy Love as well.  This is her first Indie-published book and it should be released on September 18th on Amazon.

 

Synopsis:

All’s fair in love…and matchmaking!

Sierra Kent doesn’t do love.  While she embraces the quaintness of her home town Love and delights in matchmaking her clients through her Internet dating agency Love Byte, she doesn’t trust her intuition when it comes to the one emotion that has repeatedly let her down. 

City-slick Marc Fairley, CEO of LA’s premier acquisition company, doesn’t have time for Love.  From the minute he enters the kitschy town he can’t wait to hotfoot back to LA with his deranged mother in tow.  Instead, he gets roped into the town’s Love Fest hoopla, investigates the shady farmer his mom is engaged to, berates his butler for a mad crush on a brash Aussie waitress, and finds himself falling for the brazen red-head who continually baits him. His life couldn’t get any crazier. Until he discovers in exacting revenge on his father and achieving his lifelong goals, he may lose the one thing he values most…

Can Sierra and Marc create enough sparks to send Love up in flames?  And prove that winning isn’t everything in the love stakes, it’s how you play the game.

Review:

I think Nicola has another hit on her hand.  I love the interaction between Sierra and Marc, how they are both strong characters and butt heads quite a bit.  Flo (the brash Australian waitress) is a nice addition in the cast of characters and her insecurity that someone could love her despite her age and her quirks.  I will admit I am not quite done (can you say busy weekend) but am nearly there and can’t wait to see how it ends and if Sierra and Marc learn to give in a little bit.  I have my suspicions about a few things but don’t want to let out any spoilers!

This story also gets a 5 paw review from Gracie & April!

I love when authors contact me to read their book…..I never know who is going to find me and what interesting reads are in store.  This request came from author Misa Rush who has written her first novel called Family Pieces.

About Misa:

When the inspiration first struck to begin writing a novel, Misa had no idea where she’d find the time. Most of FAMILY PIECES was written between 1:00-2:00 A.M. Add two pregnancies, a three-year-old, a husband, a household, then throw in an economic downturn for her insurance agency just to complicate the task a wee bit more…and it’s sheer determination that completed the task.

Determination has never been lacking in her persona. Growing up, she competed in gymnastics for 18 years including four on a full-ride scholarship to Eastern Michigan University. She’s also ran two and a half marathons, the half of which holds a story all its own.

Misa graduated from Arizona State University with a Masters of Business Administration. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two children.

Interview with Misa:

Do you feel connected/can you relate to any of your characters in the story?

Although the storyline is completely fiction, there are personality characteristics from me in both Karsen and Addison. However, I feel most connected to Adelaide. Many of her sayings and actions were what my daughter was doing as a two-year old including trying to put Mommy in time-out.

If your book were made into a movie, what do you think the theme song would be?

I think “The Script” by Breakeven, even though the meaning of the song is not along the lines of the story. The chorus ‘I’m falling to pieces’ always brings me back to the book. I could see Karsen singing it in her head.

Are you working on another book?

Yes, I’m not quite done with my second book. It was easier when I only had one child, but I’m trying to carve out more time now to finish.

What authors inspire you?

I love books by Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult. I’m always inspired by indie authors though. They have to work so hard to write, edit, and market their books and the tenacity it takes to withstand the naysayers is truly inspirational. Authors to look into include Samantha March, Kathleen Kole, Melissa Foster and Dina Silver. There are many more I could mention, but I don’t want to take up too much space!

What books do you have on your nightstand?  (What are you currently reading)

I just finished Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult (Unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite of hers.) I just started Kat Fight by Dina Silver. The Kindle is on the nightstand more than books, though.  LOL.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

The first advice I always give is simply just to write. I’ve ran into so many people who say they want to write a book, but then they have five hundred more excuses why they can’t. It doesn’t matter how bad the rough draft is. No one but you/the writer has to read it. Get the story down, then edit, edit, edit.

Synopsis:

What do you do when your once charmed life falls to pieces?

Karsen Woods’ life seems charmed from her hunkalicious boyfriend to her picture-perfect midwestern roots. Away at college, even the necklace she wears serves as a constant connection home – a family tradition created when her grandfather handmade each immediate relative an interlinking charm. Each piece crafted in the shape of a puzzle piece, each one interlinking perfectly together. But when the unexpected death of her mother turns her world upside down, she discovers there is a missing piece of her treasured family tradition and her life as she once knew it may never be the same.

Addison Reynolds resides in her posh Manhattan condominium and wraps her personal identity around running Urbane, the magazine empire built by her father. In a moment of haste, Addison divulges her deepest secret to her closest friend Emily – a secret she never intended to disclose.

Could one choice, one secret, bond two unlikely women forever?

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this novel, there was a wide range of emotions that were brought out in the story, from sadness to happiness, from selfishness to selflessness.  The characters were multidimensional and how their lives intertwined helped each character grow in who they were as a person.

Some of the storyline was predictable (and I’m not going to tell you what, you’ll have to read it for yourself and figure that out!) but it did not detract from the story and while you can figure out part of the storyline what results is definitely NOT predictable!

All in all Gracie & April give the story 4 paws up and suggest you head over to Amazon and buy the Kindle format for yourself.  At $0.99 it is a bargain for sure!

Over the last week or so I have gotten several books for free on Amazon for Carolyn McCray’s books….I may have gotten them from another link that took me there, but whatever…I added more books to my Kindle (like I really needed to do that?!) and read two of hers over the weekend.  According to Goodreads she also writes under the name of Cristyn West

The first was a short story called Pet Whisperer…er..rrr about a good-for-nothing that sponges off of his family but his uncle sees something in him and asks him to fill in as a Pet Whisperer at a fair because the uncle is sick and cannot attend.  Here is the official synopsis: 

Wyatt and animals…don’t always see eye to eye. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make
a rip-snorting pet psychic, right? I mean, seriously. What could possibly go wrong? Other than an elephant with a wandering trunk and a ferret that likes to dance around inside his pants, that is.

Oh, and the serial-killer Chihuahua.  Okay, so maybe a lot could go wrong.

The book had me laughing at the antics of the animals and Wyatt’s reactions. 

The second was Pups in Tea Cups: Tales of “Littleness” overcoming BIG odds.   This was a collection of short stories about little dogs and the trouble that they can get in to or how they helped their new owners cope with a situation.  I enjoyed all the stories because I have two little dogs myself…not as little as the ones in this book AND they think they are big dogs, but still smaller dogs.

April and Gracie give both books 3 1/2 paws up

Colleen Collins is a PI by day (so she knows of what she writes!) and is also an award-winning author who’s written 20 novels and anthologies for Harlequin (including a romantic paranormal thriller for Dorchester, writing as Cassandra Collins). Her books have placed first in the Colorado Gold, Romancing the Rockies, and Top of the Peak contests, and placed in the finals for the Holt Medallion, Coeur de Bois Readers Choice, Award of Excellence, More than Magic, and Romance Writers of America RITA contests.

 

Book blurb:

Just as washed-up criminal defense attorney, life-long Deadhead (nickname “The Zen Man”), and current PI Rick Levine decides to get relicensed as a lawyer, he’s charged with killing one and ends up in the slammer with a half-mil bail.

Released on bond, Rick and his girlfriend Laura have 30 days to find the real killer. In the course of their investigations, they dig for dirt among Denver’s shady legal backrooms to its tony corporate centers. Dodging bullets, a kidnapping, trumped-up charges and the FBI’s unwanted intervention, Rick and Laura continue tracking key suspects who have motive…eventually learning that true redemption begins at home.

 My Thoughts:

It has been awhile since I read a book with a male protagonist.  Lately I have been reading romance books or cozy mysteries where the main character is a woman.  This was definitely a nice switch.  I’ll say right off the bat that I did figure out “whodoneit”.  Now it is not because it was obvious..in fact, I was never 100% sure that it was who I thought because of the many red herrings tossed into the mix.  But it was just something in my gut that said X was the killer. (thought I was going to spoil it didn’t you?!)  There was a great mix of characters and side story lines that just added to the history of Rick and how he got to be who he became in this story.  The story has a good mix of mystery and suspense and even a little humor.  There are many clues that might help you figure it out before the end of the book…depends on if you can decipher them!

All in all I give this story 2 thumbs up and 4 stars.

The Giveaway:

Colleen has been kind enough to offer an e-book copy of her novel.  You can get it in a format for the Kindle or the Nook.  No e-reader? No problem. You can read The Zen Man on your computer, iPhone, iPad and other devices — you can even read it in your Web browser!

She will also send the winner a t-shirt (L or XL).

So sign up today!  This will close on Sunday, March 18th.