Kindle Nation Daily

Kindle Nation Daily Has Moved

2011-03-17T21:09:00.006-04:00

Thanks for visiting Kindle Nation Daily. Please click here and bookmark this new URL address for our spiffy new website:

KindleNationDaily.com

http://kindlenationdaily.com

http://wp.me/1qcQp

Please email me at kindlenation@gmail.com if you have any difficulty finding the new website. (Difficulties in reaching a new website with slightly different URL sometimes indicate a need to clear the cache in your browser. For instructions on how to clear the cache in your browser click here.)

Sincerely,

Steve Windwalker

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day: A sweeping 3-volume set of Gordon Ryan's sweeping family saga Spirit of Union, all in one for just $3.99 -- and here's a free sample!

2011-03-17T06:38:00.000-04:00

Gordon Ryan's sweeping family saga Spirit of Union follows the Callahan family from its roots in Ireland to the US and around the world. Now you can read the entire 820-page trilogy in a single Kindle book for just $3.99!

Here's the set-up:

Gordon Ryan has been a traditionally published author since 1994. In 2010, Pegasus Publishing republished each of his former novels and released his new thrillers, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties.

Vol. I - Destiny: Fleeing an abusive father and a hopeless life in Ireland in 1895, nineteen-year-old Tom Callahan takes passage on a ship bound for America. On board, he meets Katrina Hansen, a young Norwegian woman traveling to Utah. It's not a likely match. The brash Irishman is a Catholic, a brawler and a young man without prospects. Destiny is a sprawling historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century, played out in such far-flung places as New York City, the gold fields of Alaska and Old Mexico.

Vol. II - Conflict: It's 1917 and American has entered World War I. The Callahan's son has joined with what President Woodrow Wilson is calling "the fight to make the world safe for democracy." Set against turbulent events in world history and filled with vivid scenes as well as tender emotions, Conflict takes the reader around the world.

Vol. III - Heritage: Tom and Katrina Callahan's three children have grown up and are making their way in a world that is propelling itself toward World War II. Tess has her heart set on a Hollywood movie career; PJ is a successful sheep rancher in New Zealand and Tommy is pursuing his career in the Marine Corps and learning not only about war, but about the perils of romance. In this, the final volume of Spirit of Union, Gordon Ryan follows Tom and Katrina into their middle and late years. Living in a time when aviation is becoming a viable industry, the stock market is booming and Hitler's evil machinations are on the horizon, the world, and the Callahans, are embroiled on every front. Set in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, South America, Great Britain and the United States, Heritage is filled with scenes and characters that will linger in your mind long after you close the book.

Visit Amazon's Gordon Ryan Page

Gordon Ryan is a writer with a varied history. He has lived and worked in six nations and a dozen or more states, including Alaska. He was a Recon Marine in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and served in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He also served as a member of the American Embassy staff in Dublin, Ireland, during the violent seventies.

His first published novel, Dangerous Legacy, was released in 1994 and he has published nine more over the intervening years. The "Pug Connor" novels, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties are his newest releases.

Needing to feed his family, he never gave up his day job as a city manager and chief executive of large homeowners' associations, but once he discovered the joys of fiction, writing has been the driving force. Now writing full-time, Gordon and his wife, Colleen, spend their time between the American northwest and the beautiful South Pacific.

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert, Wednesday, March 16: 200+ Free Contemporary Kindle Titles Freshly Baked for You! plus ... Fair Warning: Prepare to Be Enchanted by Imogen Rose's FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One) (Today's Sponsor)

2011-03-16T07:46:00.000-04:00

In 2009 there was Stephenie Meyer. In 2010 you met Amanda Hocking. Now it's 2011, and it's time to say hello to Imogen Rose ... on your way to this morning's latest additions to our 200+ Free Book Alert listings....

But first, a word from ... Today's Sponsor

After the amazing success of author Imogen Rose's Portal Chronicles, we would have been foolish to doubt that she would create another pitch-perfect series....

Still a doubter?

Start reading now at the unbelievable price of 99 cents!

"Faustine is full of adventure, witches, demons, Wanderers, vampires oh my! Full of surprises, fun..."
--Leilani

FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One)
by Imogen Rose
4.7 out of 5 stars 15 Reviews

Kindle Price: 99 cents

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Don't have a Kindle? Get yours here.

"Imogen Rose is a genius... an evil genius"

Here's the set-up:

Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers.

Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, at least, one that's part of the in-crowd at her Upper East Side High School. When drop-dead gorgeous Ryker, her long-time crush from the Academy, finally notices her, she couldn't be happier.

However, her desire for a normal life is shattered when her father, a prominent sovereign, disappears after naming her as his successor. Her siblings begin to disappear, and Faustine finds herself in the midst of a power struggle. With her life in danger, Faustine must learn to follow one of Bonfire Academy's most important rules: Trust no one.

What the Reviewers Say

"I did not think it was possible for Imogen Rose to top her Portal Series. Well, she proved me wrong and I am glad she did. FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One) is one of those books that any young adult will love to read. However, they will have to figure out a way to pry it out of the hands of the older folks first.

"Faustine is different and most of her friends are different. You will love the oddball characters and the supernatural powers that make them all different... Read Faustine and you will fall in love with her and want to follow her as she goes on adventures. You will not regret tagging along with Faustine."
--Frankie S.

"The story itself is well written. The storyline unfolds with grace and and pace. The plot is well-thought-out and well-planned, but leaves enough room to add in a few surprises. I was shocked when I learned Faustine's secret. It came a bit out of left field, but a very pleasant surprise - I was folded in and felt invested in her life and what was going on around (and within) her."
--Candy Beauchamp, Vine 500 Reviewer

"Honestly this book has more twists than a whole bag of pretzels! It had a very epic feel to it. I got completely lost in it and read on anxiously to find out what happened next."
--Misty Rayburn

About the Author

Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, the Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she's been based for the past ten years.

For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.

Portal, Imogen's first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape. The warm reception Portal received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. Book two (Equilibrium) and book three (Quantum) are now available. Book four, Momentum, will be available this summer. Faustine is Imogen's first book in her new series, the Bonfire Chronicles.

Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.

Visit Amazon's Imogen Rose Page

Don't miss the three-book Portal Chronicles series:

PORTAL: Portal Chronicles Book One

Equilibrium: Portal Chronicles Book Two

Quantum: Portal Chronicles Book Three

Click here to download FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One) (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One)

Each day's list is sponsored by one paid title. We encourage you to support our sponsors and thank you for considering them.

Authors, Publishers, iPad Accessory Manufacturers:

Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.

Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store

HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:

Just use the slider at right of your screen below to scroll through a complete, updated list of free contemporary Kindle titles, and click on an icon like this one (at right) to read a free sample right here in your browser! Titles are sorted in reverse chronological order so you can easily see new freebies.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Even better than wearing the green tomorrow? Read a free sample of our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day today: Eddie Stack's collection The West: Stories from Ireland

2011-03-16T06:43:00.000-04:00

With its wit, originality and sensitivity, Eddie Stack's collection The West: Stories from Ireland belongs in the best tradition of Irish writing -- Just $2.99 cents on Kindle!

Here's the set-up:

Praise for Eddie Stack's writing:

“Variously fantastic, comic, elegiac and nostalgic, Mr. Stack’s fiction

is versatile and engaging...a vivid, compassionate, authentic voice...

securing (him) a place in the celebrated tradition of his country’s

storytelling.” — New York Times Book Review

“There’s a genuinely wild and fugitive comic sense –– that

puts one in mind of Myles na Gopaleen as much as the salt spume

dam, George Makay Brown. Never sentimental, often funny, always

accurate, this is pithy, finely tuned writing of a high order.” — The Observer

Seven short stories set in the West of Ireland. From the opening tale, "Time Passes," to the final story, "Derramore," these pieces reveal the soul of a community--its hopes, dreams and schemes.

In The West, fatalism and possibility run side by side, the Otherworld is as near as the Church--the double focus of the Irish.

With storyteller intimacy, Eddie Stack evokes life in a series of almost cinematic prose portraits of people, places and situations. The stories are smooth, each one remarkably different, but they click together to form a pattern. With its wit, originality and sensitivity, The West stands in the best tradition of Irish writing.

Reviewers Said:

"Eddie Stack's stories from the West of Ireland received enthusiastic and well deserved praise from the New York Times upon their publication. This is a collection of timeless, original and heartfelt work from a writer who should be better known, not only by those interested in Ireland but by all readers of good contemporary fiction."

"Discovered this author on an indie Kindle site, and downloaded this collection on a whim. It's as advertised, quite captivating and presented in a clear, clean voice. I had the good fortune to spend a little bit of time in Ireland many years ago, and it brought back memories. I'll be checking out more of Mr. Stack's work."

"Variously fantastic, comic, elegiac and nostaligic, Mr. Stack's fiction is versatile and engaging...a vivid, compassionate, authentic voice...securing (him) a place in the celebrated tradition of his country's storytelling." --New York Times Book Review

“There’s a genuinely wild and fugitive comic sence in these tales that puts one in mind of Myles na Gopaleen as much as the salt spume dam, George Makay Brown. Never sentimental, often funny, always accurate, this is pithy, finely tuned writing of a high order.” --Robert Carver, Observer (UK)

These are beautiful, timeless stories about an Ireland that is left behind as its citizens emigrate to America or shuttle back and forth to England to find work. The characters come alive as the dialogue tumbles out of the pages to show us a strange, innocent world where storytelling, drinking, dancing, religion, revolution, fairies, family loyalties and class differences make up the fabric of daily life.

About the Author:

Eddie Stack is an Irish writer. He received a Top 100 Irish American Award and American Small Press of the Year Award for The West: Stories from Ireland.

His work is included in State of the Art: Stories from New Irish Writers; Irish Christmas Stories, The Clare Anthology and Fiction in the Classroom.

His stories have also appeared in literary reviews Fiction, Confrontation, Whispers & Shouts and Criterion. Stories from The West have been read on radio worldwide and a CD of four stories read by the author, with music by Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill is also available. His collection of stories, Out of the Blue, was published in Spring 2006. He recently won the Caomhnu Award for short fiction published his novel Heads, which is included in MediaBistro's Best eBooks of 2010 List.

Eddie Stack was co-founder and artistic director of the Irish Arts Foundation in San Francisco. He was a member of the Irish trade group Last Night's Fun with Tommy Peoples, Paddy Keenan, Johnny Moynihan and the late Shane Holden. He is currently working on a book about the culture and traditional arts of Doolin, County Clare. Due out in 2011, the book includes interviews with Micho Russell and Paddy Shannon as well as profiles on the Russell and Killoughery brothers. It has features on storytelling, dancing as well as music and songs from Doolin.

For more information: www.eddiestack.com

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

Five-Star Fiction, March 2011: A Special Monthly Feature from Kindle Nation

2011-03-15T18:29:00.000-04:00

March 2011

Five-Star Fiction

A Special Monthly Feature from Kindle Nation

Greetings from Kindle Nation!

Betty and I have a friend named Smokey who has a great expression of which I have grown fond. You finish a project, accomplish something worthwhile, or do the right thing in any way significant or small, and Smokey will say, "Give yourself a biscuit!"

The fact that the expression may derive from the rigors of canine training doesn't mean it isn't nice to hear. And so, readers of Kindle Nation, if you were here and I perhaps knew you just a bit better, I'd be inclined to look at the great response with which you greeted last month's first issue of our 5-Star Fiction feature and say, "Give yourself a biscuit!"

Our readers responded very enthusiastically to several of the books that we selected last month with the help of our 5-Star Fiction partner, bestselling novelist M.J. Rose. So this month, instead of a biscuit, we're back with another mix of terrific new Kindle reads.

Once again we're flirting with the boundaries between fiction and fact with selections such as Katharine Weber's novel Triangle, a great potential book club selection based on the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire of March 25, 1911 ...

or Amelia Grey's fun frolic through the romantic lives of some of the world's great romantic writers ...

or a fascinating new novel by from the real-life star behind an only slightly fictionalized eponymous film, the Erin Brockovich.

Which one will be your favorite? All of them, we hope, but whether you choose one of the above or a Julia London romance, a Diana Orgain mystery, or a James Lepore thriller, all we ask is that you give yourself a biscuit, and ...

Enjoy....

Cheers!
Steve Windwalker

Triangle: A Novel by Katharine Weber

TRIANGLE: A NOVEL by Katharine Weber, just $9.99 on Kindle:
Click here to download a free sample or the entire book

"... a crackerjack historical mystery!"

Dear Reader:

Katharine Weber

The Triangle shirtwaist factory fire of 1911 fascinated me as a child growing up inNew York City, because my father''s mother worked at the Triangle Waist Company in 1909, finishing buttonholes. It was her last sweatshop shop, before she married and gave birth to my father in the back of a grocery store in Brooklyn, and so she wasn''t there on the day of the fire. But the Triangle fire has always felt like an event in my family history. I was further inspired when the last living survivor of the Triangle fire died at the age of 107. What had it been like for her, telling her story about the day you didn''t die, for ninety years? The novelist in me took over. What would it be like to explain the events of that day for ninety years, if your story was a lie?

Katharine Weber

Triangle: A Novel

by Katharine Weber
Picador

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-02-22

List Price: $14.99
Kindle Price: $9.99
Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

An Excerpt from the Novel

This is what happened. I was working at my machine, with only a few minutes left before the end of the day. I had only two right sleeves remaining in my pile -- my sister Pauline, she did the left sleeves and I did the right sleeves and between us we could finish sometimes as many as twenty-four shirtwaists in an hour, three hundred shirtwaists on a good day, if the machines didn''t break down and if the thread didn''t break too often. My sister was a little faster than I was, and sometimes her finished pile would be high because she did her sleeve first and then I would take from her pile to do the right sleeve, but I have to say my seams were the ones always perfectly straight.

* * *

"Katharine Weber's crackerjack historical mystery may be the most effective 9/11 novel yet written -- and it isn't even about 9/11."

-- Entertainment Weekly

* * *

Many book groups are reading TRIANGLE to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the fire, which will occur on March 25th, 2011. Katharine appears in the HBO documentary, "Triangle: Remembering the Fire," which will air on HBO several times in March, starting March 21st at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/triangle-remembering-the-fire/synopsis.html

Blood of My Brother by James Lepore

BLOOD OF MY BROTHER by James Lepore, just $6.39 on Kindle: Click here to download a free sample or the entire book

... a fast-paced thriller ... full of passion both of hate and love ...

James Lepore

Dear Reader,

If I was asked why I write novels, I think the answer I would be most comfortable giving would be: to explore the human heart, to try to understand why it makes the choices it does. Choice was the echo I kept hearing as I was writing Blood of My Brother. When we don't have to choose, life is easy, or seems to be; when we do, it can become very difficult. Dan Del Colliano, Jay Cassio and Isabel Perez, the central characters in Blood of My Brother, make choices. Danny's leads to his death, Jay and Isabel's to a confrontation with evil that they may not survive, but which they both know is the only chance they have to live the lives they were meant to live.

James Lepore

Blood of My Brother

by James Lepore
The Story Plant

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2010-12-07

List Price: $7.99

Kindle Price $6.39
Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

An Excerpt from the Novel

"Do you know Juan Paredes?" Herman asked Isabel.

"No."

"You never met him, not even once? He considered himself quite attractive to woman."

"I would tell you if I did."

"He's dead," Herman said. "His head is in the suitcase."

Isabel gave Herman one of her nothing looks, and then glanced over at Jose, who was smiling. She had heard that Jose beheaded his victims, but had been reluctant to believe it, even of him. She looked back at Herman, remaining silent, her face a blank.

"Would you like to see it?"

"No."

"We'll show you anyway." Herman nodded at Jose, who deftly flipped up the suitcase's clasps and lifted it open. There, laying on a creamy white towel, was indeed a human head, the face pallid and ghostly, the long dark hair greasy, the raw, jagged flesh of the neck, where Jose's machete had done its work, ringed with dried blood.

* * *

"Blood of my Brother is exciting, full of passion both of hate and love. It is a story that will captivate and keep you in your easy chair reading until you reach the satisfying conclusion. It is a great book deserving of a 9 out of 10 rating."

- Mainly Mysteries

"Blood of My Brother is a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns that defy reason. James LePore has again written a novel of suspense showing his maturing style is in even better form. A best seller for sure for those who love thrillers and a good mystery!"

- Crystal Book Reviews

Rock Bottom by Erin Brockovich

ROCK BOTTOM by Erin Brockovich, just $12.99 on Kindle: Click here to download a free sample or the entire book

" ... Erin Brockovich continues to fight the good fight, now as a writer of fiction ... in a story Erin Brockovich lived ..."

Dear Reader,

I noticed something happening in courts of law when juries deal with environmental issues like groundwater contamination. The repercussions of a case might be riveting but the scientific jargon is dry and becomes overwh

Erin Brockovich

elming. In fiction, that same story can be told in a way that maintains its dangerous and heroic elements, enabling people to become aware, to believe that they can make a difference, and to become their own hero.

Rock Bottom is not only entertaining and suspenseful, but also informative about the environmental crises that affect us all as individuals, as a country, and as a global society. If a few people close the book with a renewed sense of what can be accomplished, and become proactive in taking on accountability and responsibility for spreading the word about environmental issues and clean up, the A.J. in all of us will be here for a good long time.

Erin Brockovich

Rock Bottom

by Erin Brockovich with CJ Lyons

Vanguard Press

Kindle Edition

Release Date: 2011-03-01

List Price: $25.99

Kindle Price: $12.99

Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

An Excerpt from the Novel

Once we'd left the concrete tangle of highways surrounding D.C. and made it over the West Virginia border we were on two-lane switchbacked highways crossing through the Appalachians. Home. The word filled me with dread-and yet also offered a tantalizing feeling of anticipation. Maybe this time. . . .

When we were kids, we used to whine that Scotia, West Virginia, was the town where dreams went to die.

But I'd escaped.

I'd lived my dreams. Lost most of them. Except the most important one, David. Almost ten years old and going to meet his grandparents for the first time. His first time leaving D.C. since he was an infant in my arms.

Was I crawling back, a failure, a fool for returning to the town that had tried so hard to assassinate my dreams? Or was I really still just a kid myself, coming home at twenty-seven to be healed?

* * *

"Everything a great thriller should be-action-packed, authentic, and intense."

-New York Times bestselling author Lee Child

"A compelling new voice in thriller writing, Rock Bottom will keep you in its spell from beginning to end. I love how the characters come alive on every page."

-New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver

"Erin Brockovich continues to fight the good fight, now as a writer of fiction. Rock Bottom is a story Erin Brockovich lived. The heroine is brilliant and feisty. Tension and turmoil mount in a high stakes adventure with dire consequences. Nobody could tell this story better."

-New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

A Light at Winter's End by Julia London

A LIGHT AT WINTER'S END by Julia London, just

$7.99 on Kindle:

Click here to download a free sample or the entire book

" ... As a writer, I am fascinated how ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary circumstances that forever alter their lives and their souls ... "

Dear Reader,

Julia London

I am delighted to announce the release of another Cedar Springs, TX book: A Light at Winter's End.

Hannah has always done everything right: getting married, having a baby, and caring for her dying mother, all while performing impeccably in a high-level job. Her sister Holly is the college dropout, the one who works at a coffee shop and wants to be a songwriter. One day, Hannah suddenly-without explanation-leaves her baby with Holly and disappears. While Holly struggles with the sudden upheaval, Wyatt Clark (Summer of Two Wishes), a mysterious cowboy who knows a lot about life-changing events, wanders into her life.

As a writer, I am fascinated how ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary circumstances that forever alter their lives and their souls. This book is for everyone who believes that no matter how dark the journey, there is always a light at the end.

Follow me on www.facebook.com/julialondon or visit http://www.julialondon.com.

Julia London

A Light at Winter's End

by Julia London
Pocket

Kindle Edition
Release Date: 2011-02-22

List Price: $7.99

Kindle Price: $7.99
Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

An Excerpt from the Novel

The cowboy rose at dawn's first light and pulled on a pair of worn, dirty denims. "Come," he said to his dog and, scratching his bare abdomen, he padded down the hall of the nondescript red brick ranch house and into the kitchen.

There was something sticky underfoot on the linoleum, but he couldn't really see. He sleepily made a note of it and thought Sunday, when he washed his clothes in that old harvest yellow washer, he might wash a few things around the house, as well. He couldn't remember ever mopping the floor here, and figured, after a year, it was as good a time as any.

He studied the row of buttons on the trendy contraption that some would call a coffee machine, and he called a pretentious piece of pain-in-the-ass machinery. It was one of the few things he'd kept from his marriage. He'd bought it for her, of course, and she'd been ridiculously pleased with it. He'd never quite figured out how to operate it correctly. Why had he kept it? He didn't know anymore. The only thing he did know was that Wyatt and Macy Clark were no more.

* * *

"A passionate, arresting story that you wish would never end."

- Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author of Paradise Valley

"A fine story...London's ability to draw real-life characters and settings is superb. The way her characters cope with life's curve balls and keep on trucking is inspiring."

RT Bookclub

"London's effective wordcraft and plotting keeps readers engages as she draws drama from her charaters' inner strife, breathing life into the journey from quiet desperation and loneliness to happiness and self-discovery."

Publisher's Weekly

Formula for Murder by Diana Orgain

FORMULA FOR MURDER by Diana Orgain, $7.99 on Kindle: Click here to download a free sample or the entire book

" ... New mom starts her own business as PI in order to stay at home with her baby ... only it's not as easy as she thinks ... "

Diana Orgain

Dear Reader,

I am proud to introduce The Maternal Instinct Mystery Series to you. I was inspired to write the series because when I was pregnant with my first child I was addicted to non-fiction baby developments books. I read nightly how my little sprout was progressing, week 14 fingernails are well formed, week 26 eyelashes are present. Eyelashes? Really? I was fascinated.

Around week 35 I longed to escape into fiction. But every time I cracked open a mystery my mind drifted back to baby - how were the lungs developing?

After my baby was born, I hated the idea of returning to the corporate world and leaving her for a minimum of 40 hours a week. I had to be a work from home mom.

The idea for The Maternal Instinct Mystery Series was formed: New mom starts her own business as PI in order to stay at home with her baby ... only it's not as easy as she thinks.

Diana Orgain

Formula for Murder

by Diana Orgain
Berkley

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-03-01

List Price: $7.99

Kindle Price: $7.99
Download a Free Sample or Buy Now

An Excerpt from the Novel

I checked Laurie in the rearview mirror. She was sound asleep; as usual, the motion of the car had lulled her into slumber.

She looked adorable, wearing a tiny red satin dress with matching red booties. We were on our way to get her first holiday photos taken. I couldn't believe three months had evaporated; it seemed like she was born just yesterday.

I cruised down the hill to the stoplight and stepped on the brake. Out of habit, I glanced in the rearview again and saw a silver SUV barreling down the hill.

Was the car out of control? It continued to speed and there was no telltale sign of the nose dipping as it would if the driver were braking.

They were getting closer! Almost on top of us.

My eyes were transfixed on the rearview mirror. I held my breath, bracing myself for the crash at the same time my brain screamed for a miracle.

Please stop in time. Please don't hit me and my baby!

* * *

"If you were expecting warm and cute you'll be mistaken. Fast paced and fun, this book gives a true feel of the modern mom, trying to juggle motherhood and career (when that career happens to be solving crimes). "

Rhys Bowen - award-winner author of the Molly Murphy Series

"Skip your afternoon nap and cozy up to Diana Orgain's Maternal Instincts Mysteries. The series' plucky protagonist gives 'working mom' a whole new meaning as she endearingly juggles bad guys and binkies."

-Susan McBride, author of the Debutante Dropout Mysteries

Fall in Love Like a Romance Writer:

Your Favorite Novelists Share Their Secret Keys to a Long and Lasting Love, by Amelia Grey

FALL IN LOVE LIKE A ROMANCE WRITER by Amelia Grey, just $9.99 on Kindle: Click here to download a free sample or the entire book

"... 67 amazing stories from some of the most famous names in romantic fiction ..."

Amelia Grey

Dear Reader,

The publication of Fall In Love Like A Romance Writer has been a wild and crazy ride but worth every twist, turn, and roadblock that I've encountered. I have collected 67 amazing stories from some of the most famous names in romantic fiction. It all started with, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if..."

Imagine emailing an author out of the blue and asking her to write about her own true romance. I was nervous, but I did it! What could be more exciting than to have a peek into the love life of the authors who write your favorite fictional love stories?

I was eager to find out how the masters of the fictional romance world were doing in their very own love life. Were they all living the happily-ever-after life that they wrote about in their books? Now is your chance to find out.

Please visit my website at ameliagrey.com to see a complete list of the fabulous sixty-seven authors featured in Fall In Love Like A Romance Writer.

Amelia Grey

Fall in Love Like a Romance Writer:
Your Favorite Novelists Share Their Secret Keys to a Long and Lasting Love

by Amelia Grey
HCI

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-02-01

List Price: $14.95

Kindle Price: $9.99

Download a Free Sample or Buy now

Excerpts from the Book

Victoria Alexander writes: As for a sense of humor, you have to have one to live with me. But then I need one to live with him, too. He's never read one of my books. He's a nonfiction rather than a fiction reader. But since he doesn't read my books, I started naming dead husbands after him in about my third book. It's become a tradition. When I have a dead husband in a book and he wasn't evil or a bad guy, I named him Charles. I have a dead Charles now in most of my books. At first, when he realized I named heroes after old boyfriends and dead husbands after him, he was a little annoyed. Now, he's annoyed if I don't name dead husbands after him. I think that keeps our marriage fresh. He thinks it keeps him safe. He's mentioned that if anything ever happens to him I'd be the first suspect. He takes a great deal of comfort from that. And I like keeping him on his toes.

Heather Graham writes: Is my life, my romance, perfect? Never! His family is very Italian. My dad was Scottish and my mother fresh off the boat Irish. I like to say that Dennis has given me lots of conflict to write about. Do we get along now? Nope. He likes mountains. I love the sea. And it is such with many things. Dennis has learned to work around me and make sure he has my total attention when something is really important. We've weathered tragedy, we've had tremendous happiness. My husband and I have not traveled the path that we intended; we probably missed a few important forks in the road. But I am going to grow old with him. When the mind slips and the flesh fades, when beauty is memory, when passion is warmth, the love remains.

And more....

Teresa Medeiros: My husband and I met in a mental institution. Wait! Perhaps I should clarify that. My husband asked me out for the first time in a mental institution. But neither of us were patients. We were both nursing students.

Gayle Callen: I received my marriage proposal in a cemetery. This might seem very unromantic, but let me explain.

Eloisa James: I met the very man in my first year at Harvard: a would-be banker who drove a convertible and knew a lot about oriental rugs. His mother was horrified by my braless state; we were perfect for each other.

Elizabeth Grayson: I could tell they were watching me. I was stopped at a red light on a blustery Saturday night in downtown Rochester, N.Y. I was headed for an upscale bar called Shakespeare's to meet a guy I'd been dating for a couple of weeks. While I sat waiting for the light to change, two guys in a Mustang pulled up beside me.

Every woman with a pulse knows when a guy notices her. These two had and were obviously talking about me. Of course, I pretended to ignore them. When the light changed, I peeled out and left them eating my dust - the automotive equivalent of flipping my hair.

And we'll never say good-bye without sharing a parting treat....

Click on the image to check out our guide to free content for your Kindle, Kindle Free for All!

We've been working on some nice changes for our readers, so we're especially excited to announce the launch of two new websites for Kindle readers! Well, almost new.

First, here -- http://www.kindlenationdaily.com -- is a link to our totally revamped Kindle Nation Daily website, a much more stylish and easier-to-navigate site with all the same great daily and weekly posts including free book alerts, tips, news, excerpts, mailbag correspondence, and more.

Second, if there are kids of any age in, near, or otherwise appended to your personal Kindlesphere, you're going to want to make sure to hook them up (can I say that here?) with the Kindle Kids' Corner website that we launched just last week in collaboration with teachers and students at the Westwood Schools in Camilla, Georgia. We'll be starting out with two kids' ebook reviews for kids and by kids each week, in addition to tips and other content. You can read it free on the web here -- http://kids.kindlenationdaily.com -- or subscribe here to have each post sent directly to your Kindle in real time.

Finally, here's a question for you: what do you when you finish reading a book on Kindle? The laundry? Read another book? We've heard from a few Kindle readers that they like to clear their heads by playing a game on Kindle. If you'd like to try that, but you'd rather not set yourself back more than a dollar or so, we're here to be helpful: at the bottom of this issue we'll provide links to 5 Kindle games that are available now for just 99 cents each!

So, check them out, and we'll see you soon for our regular weekly blast of Kindle Nation and, in about a month, another issue of 5-Star Fiction.

Subscribe to Kindle Nation on Kindle

Click here for a comprehensive list of over 200 free contemporary titles in the Kindle Store

Flip It! (A Game for Kindle) by 7 Dragons (Kindle Edition - Jan. 31, 2011) - Kindle Active Content

$0.99

Tic Tac Toe (A Classic Game for Kindle) by 7 Dragons (Kindle Edition - Feb. 3, 2011) - Kindle Active Content

$0.99

NY Times Crosswords Vol. 5 (30 World Famous Easy Puzzles) by The New York Times (Kindle Edition - Jan. 27, 2011) - Kindle Active Content

$0.99

SCRABBLE (Play the Popular Word Game on Kindle) by Electronic Arts Inc. (Kindle Edition - Mar. 13, 2011) - Kindle Active Content

$0.99

Chess (A Classic Game for Kindle) by Oak Systems Leisure Software (Kindle Edition - Feb. 9, 2011) - Kindle Active Content

$0.99

Thanks for taking the time to let us share a few books with you, and please drop us a line at

KindleNation@gmail.com to let us know what you think of them! Cheers, Steve Windwalker

Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert, Tuesday, March 15: Over a Dozen Brand New Freebies in the Last 24 Hours! plus ...John Urban's 5-Star Seagoing Thriller A Single Deadly Truth (Today's Sponsor)

2011-03-15T07:23:00.000-04:00

We understand the urge to make a stop along the way to pick up a great 5-star sea yarn like A Single Deadly Truth, but once you've got it make sure you keep scrolling down to check out 13 brand new free listings since yesterday's Free Book Alert!

But first, a word from ... Today's Sponsor

Steve Decatur - college professor and part-time harbormaster - is called on to retrieve his dead friend's boat off Cape Cod. But how did his friend die? Was it an accident or murder?

"A Single Deadly Truth is a five-star read that puts debut author John Urban on the same thriller list as Lee Child and Harlan Coben"
--an Amazon.com Reviewer

A Single Deadly Truth
(A Steve Decatur Mystery)
by John Urban
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Reviews

Kindle Price: $2.99

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Don't have a Kindle? Get yours here.

"An Excellent Read of Non-stop Action"

Here's the set-up:

On February 18, 1952, a five-hundred-foot oil tanker named the Pendleton snapped in half as it battled sixty-foot seas in a winter storm off Cape Cod. The rescue of the Pendleton ranks as one of the most heroic events in the history of the United States Coast Guard. That much is true.

In a work of fiction, A Single Deadly Truth tells that another ship sank that same night, just a few miles from where the Pendleton went down, and the ship's sole survivor remained committed to taking the story, and the ship's location, to his grave. Until now.

A Single Deadly Truth features a thirty-five year old college professor and part-time harbormaster named Steve Decatur who spends his summers living aboard an old wooden sailboat in the town of Harbor Point, Massachusetts. When Decatur's friend, a lobsterman and diver named Chris Blanchard, is found dead off Cape Cod, Decatur is called on to retrieve the man's boat. Along the way, there's growing evidence that Blanchard's death was a murder, not an accident.

To the end, Decatur remains persistent in uncovering the truth and in doing so he uncovers a much larger crime.

What the Reviewers Say

"Sunken treasure, modern day pirates and and boats, what more could you ask for in a thriller. It's obvious that John Urban knows boats and the area he writes about. This is a fast moving nautical thriller and I for one enjoyed it. Keep 'em coming, John."
--Mike Jastrzebski

"A Single Deadly Truth is fast paced and engaging from the first introduction to the final explosion. Urban creates a thrilling world of danger and discovery. His descriptions of the waters in and around Buzzard's Bay and Cape Cod will ring true to anyone who's been there. Reading them transports you to a boat at Steve Decatur's side! Looking forward to more like this and the next one in the series."
--Ann Cavanaugh

"Set on the New England coast, "Single Deadly" is a fast read that blends sunken treasure, deep-sea diving, fast boats and a cast of characters that run from bad guys to real bad guys to really really bad guys. (And that doesn't even count the shark.) I don't know anything about sailing and still found this to be a great read. Those who are sailors would probably find it even better. Consider me a fan."
--F. Cook

About the Author

Like his protagonist, John Urban has worked as a college professor and he sails the waters of Southern New England on an old wooden sailboat that he restored. He is a regular contributor to the blog Write On The Water, and his short stories have appeared in the anthologies Seasmoke and Deadfall.

The ocean was his desired destination from an early age. As a boy living a landlocked life in Western Massachusetts, nights were dedicated to reading about boats and watching Flipper and weekends were spent boating and fishing, April-to-October, on Long Island Sound. Thoughts of a career at sea ended early after a stint at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, but the circle of life has come around some years later in the form of the fictional world of Steve Decatur. Urban lives just outside Boston and spends his summers near the waters edge of Buzzards Bay and Rhode Island Sound. A Single Deadly Truth, published on Amazon Kindle, is Urban's debut novel. As second Steve Decatur mystery is due out in 2011. For more information: www.johnmurban.com

Visit Amazon's John Urban Page

Click here to download A Single Deadly Truth (A Steve Decatur Mystery) (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

A Single Deadly Truth (A Steve Decatur Mystery)

Each day's list is sponsored by one paid title. We encourage you to support our sponsors and thank you for considering them.

Authors, Publishers, iPad Accessory Manufacturers:

Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.

Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store

HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Just Out Today! A Free Sample from FAUSTINE, 1st Book in (Bonfire Chronicles Book One), the Brand New Series from Imogen Rose, Bestselling Author of the PORTAL CHRONICLES!

2011-03-15T06:58:00.000-04:00

Trust no one -- that may be Faustine's most important takeaway from Bonfire Academy, but there was never any doubt we could trust Portal Chronicles author Imogen Rose to serve up another pitch-perfect series!

Here's the set-up for FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One):

Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers.

Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, or at least, one that's part of the in-crowd at her Upper East Side High School. When drop-dead gorgeous Ryker, her long-time crush from the Academy, finally notices her, she couldn't be happier.

However, her desire for a normal life is shattered when her father, a prominent sovereign, disappears after naming her as his successor. Her siblings begin to disappear, and Faustine finds herself in the midst of a power struggle.

With her life in danger, Faustine must learn to follow one of Bonfire Academy's most important rules: Trust no one.

Visit Amazon's Imogen Rose Page

Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, The Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she's been based for the past ten years.

For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.

Portal, Imogen's first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape.

The warm reception Portal received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. Book two (Equilibrium) and book three (Quantum) are now available. Book four, Momentum, will be available this summer. Faustine is Imogen's first book in her new series, the Bonfire Chronicles.

Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.

From Reviewers:

Faustine is an action packed paranormal mystery. I don't want to give away the plot but it is fast paced with the twists, turns and OMG moments that I have come to expect and love from Ms. Rose. I found the characters and relationships to be very believable despite the fact that most of the characters are paranormal beings.

..,..it's nice to settle in for the night with a nice familiar author; an author I KNOW can write an entertaining and captivating story; so when the opportunity presented itself to read "Faustine" the first book in the "Bonfire Chronicles" by the lovely Imogen Rose, I jumped at the chance to get my grubby little paws on it. I have never been shy with my adoration of Rose's ability to connect with her readers through her work, so my continued appreciation for her new venture should come as no surprise.

An absolute hit is on Imogen Rose's hands with Faustine, a 15-year-old who, as the tale opens, has returned home from Bonfire Academy. At this Swiss boarding school -- a school that encourages silence and feeding -- she learns to control her paranormal abilities. A few days after her return, she learns her father -- the Demon King of London -- has been kidnapped.

I think Imogen really captured the spirit of the average teen perfectly. I like that Faustine had normal issues to struggle with, some of them embarrassing, in addition to her new responsibilities. Her character really grew throughout this novel. The supporting characters in this book were also great.

And here, right in the comfort of your browser, is your very own free sample!

Free Kindle Nation Shorts -- March 14, 2011: An Excerpt from Spiderwork, a novel by LK Rigel

2011-03-14T19:20:00.001-04:00

"In flagrante apocalypto: When the veil drops between life and oblivion, only love can save them from the abyss."

To save him, Char must share him with a chalice ... one trained to take him to the heights of sexual ecstasy.

Now you can download all three of LK Rigel's

Paranormal Romance

"Apocalypto" titles for just 99 cents each!

By Stephen Windwalker

Editor, Kindle Nation Daily
©Kindle Nation Daily 2011

What a treat it is to be a participant in the process by which the greatest readers in the world come to discover the work of emerging authors of real distinction like LK Rigel, and in which -- if we are lucky -- we get to see and cheer on her continued development!

The first book in Linda's Apocalypto series, Hero Material,

was nominated recently by The Romance Reviews for Best Debut Book of 2010 and Best Romantic Science Fiction/Fantasy Book of 2010, and the third book, Blue Amber, has been garnering great reviews from readers all over web.

So what about the second book? Well, we've got some great news for you there in the form of a generous 6,200-word free excerpt that Linda is making available today through our Free Kindle Nation Shorts program!

Then, if you'd like to read more, we're providing links below that will enable to pick up each of the three books in the series for just 99 cents a piece!

Click here to begin reading the free excerpt

Here's the set-up:

Spiderwork, A Paranormal Romance Fantasy

(Apocalypto 2)

by LK Rigel

5 Star Review

Kindle Price: 99 Cents

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Don't have a Kindle? Get yours here.

Hero Material, a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance (Apocalypto 1) by LK Rigel and Anne Frasier (Kindle Edition - Sept. 2, 2010) - Kindle eBook

Buy: $0.99

(15)

Spiderwork, A Paranormal Romance Fantasy (Apocalypto 2) by LK Rigel (Kindle Edition - Jan. 1, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Buy: $0.99

(1)

Blue Amber (Apocalypto 3, Part 1) by LK Rigel (Kindle Edition - Feb. 15, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Buy: $0.99

An apocalyptic paranormal romance. The sequel to Hero Material (formerly Space Junque).

Her fate was to hold the world together. His destiny was to tear it apart.

As a child, Durga was chosen by the goddess to save the world from sterility and extinction. Now her eighteenth birthday approaches, and Durga must take her place among the chalices, women blessed by the goddess with fertility to ensure more souls for the universe. Durga's mission does not include love ... but Khai, the scion of Luxor, is unlike any man she's ever met.

Char Meadowlark once played a role in the goddess's plans. Now her lover, Jake Ardri, heads an emerging city-state whose enemies covet everything Jake has built. As Jake navigates the uneasy waters of political intrigue, his very existence is threatened. To save him, Char must share him with a chalice ... one trained to take him to the heights of sexual ecstasy.

In flagrante apocalypto: When the veil drops between life and oblivion, only love can save them from the abyss.

Reviewer B. Tackitt says: "I was enthralled."

"After reading Space Junque by Ms. Rigel I have been eagerly awaiting more of the story. Spiderwork delivers! I enjoyed reading about how the new world's customs, policies, and politics are formed. It's interesting to be "in," so to speak, on planet building.

Ms. Rigel did a great job following up with the characters of SJ, and though I understand it is the end of the story for some of them, I am interested in reading someday how the world continues to progress. Especially Durga, I'd love to know how the goddess continues to deal with her."

Click here to download Spiderwork, A Paranormal Romance Fantasy (Apocalypto 2) (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

Spiderwork, A Paranormal Romance Fantasy (Apocalypto 2)

Click here to begin reading the free excerpt

Spiderwork
A Paranormal Romance Fantasy (Apocalypto 2)

by LK Rigel

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-01-01

List Price: $0.99

Buy Now

Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download Spiderwork, A Paranormal Romance Fantasy (Apocalypto 2)

Free Kindle Nation Shorts - March 14, 2011

An Excerpt from

Spiderwork

by LK Rigel

Raptor and Chalice

Now

Cripes, it was cold this morning. Jake's settlement in the New Central Pacific Zone was always cold compared to Corcovado. Char moved out of the wind, onto the side path to the citadel's basement kitchens. Leaning against the wall, she pulled a lumpy snood from her bag.

The crocheted hat, a horrific blend of green, red, and blue hemp, was larger on one side than the other and had no brim. Jordana had made it especially for Char to hide her hair in, never mind the fact that Jordana didn't know how to crochet.

Char watched the common yard for Jake. He had stopped to pick up weapons from the armory for their trip outside the wall. Another search for Tesla. After eight years, Sky must be dead, but they still searched for the vault and the technology it contained.

And Char had to know. She had to see the body. What if Sky was alive? There were a million what ifs.

What if everybody in the vault had died except Sky, leaving enough food and water for one person to survive? What if, being scientists, they had extended the life support systems? What if a shibbing miracle happened? What else were the gods good for, now that they were back?

Char fingered her half-heart pendant. The other half of the heart might well dangle from a dead body, but until Char saw that body, the what ifs would never go away.

In the common yard, the cagers worked in the open. Crazy cagers. With hand axes, two cagers stripped birch trunks and branches into poles and cross-beams. Wiry but well-muscled, the two bantered with some other cagers who might be women, but they were so angular and lean it was hard to tell. A nice change from Corcovado, where sexuality permeated everything down to the molecules of the rocks.

Right. Who was she kidding? Since she arrived last week, she had had Jake in her bed every night. She couldn't get enough of him. These last few years, anything would put her in the mood. Watching cagers make boxes put her in the mood.

The women cagers bound the wood into a rectangular box, complete but for a roof. It wasn't big enough to hold a raptor. In Jake's design, the cages were meant to keep birds out. The men walked around in this one and aimed imaginary weapons at imaginary raptors while the women laughed and admired their pantomimed prowess.

A few feet away, a lone woman knotted rope into a lattice-like net. The cage's roof. She was eerily thin, skeletal compared to the cagers. Her bald head was uncovered, but she didn't seem to mind the cold weather any more than she minded the cagers' cold indifference. As if she and the net were all that existed.

She was a ghost who'd come in from the wild.

By some counts, roughly one-fifth of the world's population had survived Samael's fire, and among the survivors were some ghosts. Because they rarely ate, the ghosts who did escape the fire easily made it through the post-cataclysm famine. Jake had recently discovered that ghosting's apathy could be fought. The woman making the net was coming back to a communal life one knot at a time. A herculean labor, harder than taking on a raptor with nothing but a longbow.

Cripes! A wagon loaded with produce narrowly missed the ghost woman and headed toward Char. She backed up toward the citadel. It swerved and lurched to a halt, losing the carrots that were piled on the potatoes.

The driver scrambled to the ground, frantic to unhitch the horse. "Don't you see them?"

Fear rippled through her, and she scanned the clouds in the east. Nothing there, but he could only mean raptors.

The driver dragged the horse by its bridle toward Char. "Get up against the wall!" He checked his anger when he noticed her fine clothes. Then he saw her face, and his eyes widened with full recognition-though her odd cap seemed to befuddle him.

She put a hand to the cap. It was in place, but a strand of hair had escaped. Shib. When people in the world saw her hair they inevitably bombarded her with questions. Have you actually seen the goddess? What is Durga really like? Is it true she can [insert preposterous superpower here]?

And the one Char hated the most: Why didn't Asherah make you a chalice?

"A blessing, my lady!" The man seemed torn between flattening himself against the wall and prostrating himself at Char's feet.

Cripes, cripes, cripes. She glanced at the common. The cagers had disappeared. One of the women was just ducking through a perimeter wall door. The ghost woman still sat on the ground working her net, oblivious to the danger.

"Please, my lady. The favor of a blessing. My wife and I are expecting. Could I be so bold as to touch your hair?"

"Be quiet, citizen."

Shibad. The world had gone from believing in nothing to believing in everything. One touch of "Asherah's hair" could cure a fever, prevent an Empani from reading your mind, and ensure a healthy bagger. Char had heard of countless other fancies.

The first scream echoed over the common, and the driver forgot about the hair. Eagles. Not the worst-that would be peregrines. At least with eagles, you knew they were coming. The sky was still clear, but Char's heart about pounded out of her chest with fear.

Every part of her wanted to stay with the driver flat against the wall, but she couldn't let the ghost woman be taken. She'd seen a raptor feed its young the warm intestines of its still-living prey.

"Do you have a bow?"

The driver was lost to her. His eyes were jammed shut, and he was moving his lips-the kind of prayer Asherah especially despised. At least he tried to save his horse.

Char forced her legs to move. Another scream sent adrenaline coursing through her body and gave her some speed. There was more than one bird, and they were close.

"Char, catch!" Thank Asherah! Jake was in the common. He tossed a crossbow that hit the ground ahead of her, and she scooped it up on the run. It was loaded. Another scream, an angry one. Jake had hit a bird.

Char raised the crossbow and fired. The quarrel would be poisoned. If she could paralyze a leg, it wouldn't be able to grab.

Years of training with chalices at Corcovado kicked in. She bent down, slipped her arm around the ghost woman's waist, lifted her off the ground, and kept running for the closest door in the perimeter wall. Now that she was reasonably sure she wasn't going to die, it was all a bit thrilling.

The tower bells erupted in a furious clang, clang, clang. Char put the woman down and said stay. Jake was halfway up the stairs. She followed him up into the cages bolted to the top of the wall and loaded another quarrel.

An eagle hit by a shot from the cage guard let out an enraged cry and let go of its prey, which landed on slate tiles in the common with a thud and crack of snapping bones.

Aiming through the cage's net roof, Char sent the quarrel flying. It struck the bird's throat, and the quick-acting poison did its work on the raptor's nervous system. Wings spanning some forty feet twisted and jerked in unnatural spasms. The raptor hit the ground outside the perimeter wall.

Jake lifted his weapon over Char's head, his arms and shoulders hovering over her as he took aim at the other eagle. It was hardly appropriate, but she couldn't help thinking how sexy he was in his lord-of-the-manor apocapunk brown-black leathers. It took everything she had to keep from reaching up and pressing her palm to his chest.

But then she was always weak for Jake right after they escaped death together.

"Shib." He checked his aim and lowered the crossbow. The bird had moved out of range, and quarrels weren't exactly plentiful.

From this vantage the land outside the perimeter wall was in full view. There were the beginnings of a forest to the east and foothills beyond that. Flat wasteland lay to the south. The escaping raptor flew north, past a peninsula that curved westward to shelter the bay. Farther west was the Pacific Ocean.

The guard moved to call the all-clear but stopped when he saw Jake.

"You're in charge, Gordon," Jake said. "Be in charge."

The man squared his shoulders and yelled, "All clear!" His unit repeated all clear along the wall. Two clangs signaled from the bell tower.

"We lost no one," Gordon said, "and Lady Char took out a raptor."

"It took both our hits to bring that monster down."

Gordon nodded, acknowledging the compliment. "The birds are learning to stay away, my lord. Attacks are down by half since the cages were installed."

"That's the plan," Jake said. "Soon I want to walk to the hospital and hydroponics without need for a weapon."

The cagers dashed through the gate to retrieve the dead eagle. There was no nice word for how raptors tasted, but protein was protein. The kitchen would marinade and spice the meat and dry it into semi-bearable jerky. Char had some of the execrable stuff packed in her bag for today's outing.

She always brought goodies from Corcovado, and she always meant to eat them. But it was just too tacky to hide treats from people who survived on textured protein and raptor carcasses with the occasional carrot. The strawberries and chocolates and coffee and real beef jerky usually became gifts for the servants within an hour of her arrival.

"Lord Ardri!" In the center of the common the wagon driver stood over the real treasure, the gorgeous black-tailed doe the raptor had dropped. "Will you have this deer cut into steaks for tomorrow's feast?"

If looks were poison quarrels, the driver would be a dead man. A mason slammed his hammer against a stone, but the driver seemed unaware of the distress he had caused. There was a ban on hunting endangered deer, but this doe was a gift from the gods.

Jake got that twinkle in his eye. "That's fine of you to care, Hamish." He walked out of the cage onto the open perimeter wall. "You'll be attending that feast, I believe?"

"That I will, my lord." Hamish beamed with pleasure at being recognized and ignored the grumbles all around.

"And as chief of hydroponics, you know all these hard-working people have so graciously given up their share of this week's crop in order to impress the poobahs coming in for that feast."

The pleasure left Hamish's face.

"Haul that animal down to the kitchen," Jake said. "I want a good venison stew made for all the workers in the common, masons and cagers alike."

"To Lord Ardri!" One of the cagers cried.

"Rah!" The masons and cagers responded in unison. They broke into laughter at the driver's tragic expression.

"And Hamish."

"Yes, my lord?"

"You will personally see that the ghost woman who makes the cage nets eats a cup of the stew. I don't care if it takes her a day."

Char wrapped her arms around Jake's waist and leaned her head against his chest. "No wonder your people love you."

"It's my secret to successful lording. People like to eat." He kissed her forehead and tweaked her cap. "Jordana's work gets more interesting all the time." His gaze traveled from her cap to her lips, and then his mouth was on hers, and for a moment the world went away. There was only Jake's kiss, his arms, his aching murmur of desire, and her body's responding heat.

"To Lady Char!" The approval of the kiss was answered by a group Rah!

Jake grinned and gave the cagers and masons a thumbs-up. "It's good to be alive, Meadowlark."

The sane part of Char's brain knew that Jake loved her. But a perversity in her couldn't let go of one small problem. He was having children with someone else. It was kind of driving her crazy, even though it was her own fault.

Char had helped Durga and Magda convince him to do it. Jake could be lord sheriff of the settlement without heirs; but city status required a king, and a king must have two natural born children. It was all about establishing dynastic rule and stability. This was Asherah's law.

The chalice Faina had already delivered a girl, and she was five months pregnant with a boy. Everything was going according to plan. Char just hadn't expected to feel so jealous and insecure about it. Jake swore he didn't compare Char to Faina, but how could he not? Char compared herself to Faina, and always came out wanting.

Beautiful, sweet, fertile Faina. Truly nice Faina, always a pleasure to be with.

"There they are." Jake nodded toward the gate where a handler held the reins of two horses, saddled and packed for a daytrip. "Let's get out of here."

Vain To Deny It

Char and Jake galloped north in silence. Halfway to the peninsula, Char fell back a length to enjoy the view. She liked Jake's hair longer, the way he wore it now. The brown as yet had no grays.

Cripes. She had done it again. It was probably because of the coronation, it being such a life-changing event, but she'd been thinking about age a lot lately.

She and Jake were both natural born, and they could expect to live to eighty or ninety. Unlike the poor baggers who rarely lived past fifty. Nor was it the hundred and fifty years of youthful good health promised to a chalice, but Char wouldn't want to live sixty years in a world without Jake.

Still. She was thirty-two, and Jake was thirty-six. She should have married him right after the cataclysm, the first time he asked. Before things got so complicated.

Shibadeh, he looked good. His muscles had always been natural, no enhancements. Good thing too. So many people had lived through the war and the cataclysm and then died from enhancement withdrawal.

Jake was in better shape than ever. Years of physical labor at the settlement had put even more muscles on the man. He was funny and smart, an excellent lord sheriff who worked to better his settlement. He would - he had - risked his life for the people he loved.

It was a bonus that he was gorgeous.

At the top of the rise of land that overlooked the bay, she looked back at the citadel. A grey blimp had tied down in the dirigidock. At the sight of a dark blob in the distant sky she nearly panicked-then realized it must be another airship coming in.

"I want my shades back." Durga had confiscated the telescoping sunglasses long ago, promising to return them after she had the design copied for reproduction. Char wasn't holding her breath anymore.

"That's Zhōngguó in the dirigidock," Jake said. "I see Ithaca came by sail." A square-rigged clipper ship had just entered the bay from the south. His face went all misty. "Now, isn't that pretty." Maybe he was remembering his time as pilot of the Space Junque. "We should have built a harbor. What will my fellow poobahs think of me?"

"They'll be impressed, believe me."

Char should know. She'd been to plenty of shibdung settlements and so-called cities to consult on hydroponics systems. Most lord sheriffs were closer to the Sheriff of Nottingham than to Jake. They drove their people to exhaustion with constant labor and fed them nothing but textured protein and oatmeal. In most of the world, public works like hydroponics and hospitals and even waste disposal came as an afterthought.

In Jake's settlement hydroponics had come first, and then the hospital, even before the citadel proper. The perimeter wall surrounded it all, enclosing land enough for future streets and parks and housing and schools and shops-every good thing a proper city would want.

Technically, everything within the settlement wall comprised the citadel. But when people said citadel, they really meant the huge administrative structure that was beginning to look like a castle from an old fairy tale. The residential tower even had a turret with a window facing the bay.

"Rapunzel should live in the turret," Char said. "Or Sleeping Beauty."

"Durga will like it, don't you think? She can pretend she's in a fairy tale fighting off dragons."

"You forget she's grown up now."

"True, she is quite the young woman. And attractive, though I don't think she knows it." Jake's attention was still on the bay. A jollyboat pulled away from the clipper ship and headed for shore. "I'm putting her in the tower for security."

"No one would dare."

"I mean for privacy. Most of these people are coming only for the chance to see The Chosen One." It was cute how his cheeks turned a little red. "I'd like to see some man touch her without permission. She could kill a guy with a blow to the trachea."

"Or Asherah would smite him."

"There's always that." Jake squinted at the airship still in the sky. "I'm guessing that's Hibernia."

The second airship had come in as close as the clipper ship and turned to line up for the dirigidock. It was as large as Corcovado's Monster, but the resemblance stopped there. This one was faster and much better looking, emerald green with polished brass trim and a huge gold harp logo on the side. Char said, "When Durga sees that, she'll demand a new airship."

"I'm sure Hibernia has that in mind, since they have the charter on airships. Next to this rig, the Monster is shibdung ugly."

Char chuckled, remembering the first time Durga saw Sanguibahd's airship. She called it a big red monster-and not in a good way. Among her friends, the name caught on.

"Shíbā dài!" A thunderous boom cracked overhead. Char's horse was up on its hind legs before she knew it, and she fought to throw her body weight forward to keep from falling. A black fuel-based jet plane burst out of the eastern sky and over the bay. As Char and Jake calmed their horses, the jet circled the Hibernian airship then headed toward the citadel.

Garrick. Arrogant shibdabs.

Char hadn't heard the roar of engines in years. The sheer power and speed of the thing made her pulse race. It was vulgar, an insult to her sensibilities. It was blasphemous, as much as she hated that word. No wonder Garrick wanted to get its hands on the orbit runner.

Jake had been right to take the horses today. Thank Asherah he'd had the foresight to hide the runner while the poobahs were in residence. Char and Jake watched the jet until it dipped down behind the citadel. She had no idea what he was thinking.

"I suppose we should go back," she said.

"It would be the right thing to do."

"You are the proper person to greet them." Char's heart rate slowed to match her sudden bad mood. She and Jake weren't going to have any time together until this whole thing was over.

"I don't know." He had that mischievous glint in his eye. "Hamish is probably already organizing a tour of hydroponics." Jake took off east toward the new forest, laughing. He called over his shoulder, "Catch me if you can, Meadowlark!"

Char urged her horse on after him into the trees. Young oaks, eucalyptus, and birch were dwarfed by pines that had grown tall abnormally quickly. Under the cover of the branches, Char felt her body relax. She had been subconsciously on the alert for raptors.

They took a turn into an area Char didn't recognize and had to slow down to pick their way through untraveled undergrowth. The scent of pine was invigorating, and she heard the sound of a waterfall.

"Char, watch it!"

Jake reined in his horse on the verge of going over a cliff, a sheer drop to a canyon that ran northeast forever. A river flowed through the gorge below, fed by a waterfall on the canyon's other side.

"It's beautiful." Char dismounted. On a clear night, this would be a fantastic place to watch meteor showers.

"Let's eat." Jake jumped down from his horse and spread a blanket on the ground.

Despite the shade, Char was warm from the ride. And besides, she had prepared for more than lunch. A little bare skin never hurt anything. She tossed her jacket and cap on the corner of the blanket and shook out her hair. She had hardly anything on underneath, a bra and a soft pink camisole. She had only worn the bra because they were riding horses today.

"A drink?" As Jake handed her a bota bag from his pack, his eyes widened with appreciation at her changed look. He took off his own jacket, disclosing broad shoulders and strong arms in a sleeveless forest green hemp shirt. Very nice combined with black leather pants and black boots.

"Lord Ardri." Char had expected water, but the bag contained wine. "Are you trying to seduce me?" She slowly traced her lips with the tip of the bag, then slipped it into her mouth and drank.

"Milady, you've discovered my evil plan." In two steps, Jake was at her side. He took the bota bag out of her hands and flung it away. "And now I'm going for your precious parts." He lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. Their mouths crashed into each other, as if they'd been waiting forever.

She felt him swell with desire, and she squeezed tighter against him. He groaned and pressed a hand to her breast, fingering the nipple. She was hot and wet, and she had to have him right now. She let go with her legs and slid to the ground, and Jake helped her unfasten his pants. He lifted her camisole over her head and she had her bra off in an instant. Then he was on his knees kissing her breasts.

She ran her fingers through his hair down his neck to his shoulders and moaned with pleasure, pulsing with heat and pressure. She slipped out of her pants and tossed them on the pile of her clothes, then pushed Jake down onto his back and straddled him.

"I've been thinking about doing this all morning."

It took an hour to remember they were hungry for food. Char retrieved the wine and opened the lunch the kitchen had provided. Thank Asherah, no raptor jerky. She pulled out a red apple. "What a treat! How did this escape tomorrow's dinner?"

"I have an in with the cook." Jake put his arms behind his head and admired her still-naked body. "But she would only give me one. We'll have to share."

She took a bite and tossed the apple to him. Her pants easily slid up over her thighs and hips. With the rest of the world, Char had grown thinner. She was hardly ghostly; and unlike the cager women, she did still have breasts. But she was nothing like Faina.

One of the horses snorted, as if it had read her mind. They were grazing nearby in a small clearing. Jake hadn't read her mind, but he had read her face. "What happened just now? You were happy, and then the light went out."

"I was just thinking. This spot is so beautiful. The view and the waterfall and the trees. What if we were wildlings and lived here alone? No settlement, no Corcovado, no poobahs."

"No Faina." Jake knew her too well.

"No Faina." She accepted the last of the apple and sat down. "Don't get me wrong, Jake. You did the right thing."

"Then why is Faina in our way?"

When Sanguibahd made the offer of kingship, it had taken some time to convince Jake to accept. He came up with all kinds of reasons why it wasn't the right time, but none made any sense. He had overseen the settlement's design and build-out, and he had been truly happy in the work. He wasn't afraid of the commitment. He relished it. He had often remarked on how it was the first time he had made the world a better place.

He finally told Char it was the children clause that bothered him. Two natural born children which a chalice would provide. It was sweet, really. Jake didn't want to have children with someone else.

"I love you, Char." Again, he had asked her to marry him. "I want a family with you, not somebreeder."

"That's a harsh word." Char had taken Durga and Magda's side. "The chalices serve humanity by Asherah's command. We have no say in this. And you couldn't even have baggers with me. The hospital that stored my eggs was destroyed in the fire. We can't go against the gods' laws."

It had been so strange to hear those words coming out of her own mouth. We can't go against the gods' laws. Positively medieval.

Garrick, of all things, spurred Jake to action. The city offered to provide one of its scions to do the honors. Jake couldn't stand the thought of Garrick enjoying and corrupting all he'd built. With that possibility looming and Char taking Sanguibahd's part, he accepted.

But Char couldn't marry him, not yet. Not until she was sure. If Jake did fall in love with his chalice, she wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Faina isn't in our way, Jake. I'm in our way."

"You once asked me to ignore what happened with you and Mike."

"That was just a kiss. And it was an accident!"

"As you said. Plus you shoved him out an airlock, so I've always been pretty much convinced you didn't like him all that much."

"I can't believe you would bring up Mike."

"I'm just giving an example of how a person might have an interaction with another person, but it doesn't mean a person is in love with a person. It doesn't mean I took any pleasure in it."

"I can't believe you would bring up Mike, is all."

"I can't very well throw Faina out an airlock."

"And you're telling me you had sex with someone as lovely and sweet as Faina and you took no pleasure in it?"

Jake's face went all screwy. Ha! He couldn't deny it.

"Bees. Boom."

What the shib? Both their heads jerked toward the clearing. The horses were undisturbed, still poking around looking for goodies in the undergrowth. Char and Jake remained still for minutes, but she didn't see anything unusual.

It had definitely been a human voice...hadn't it? She whispered, "Did you hear that?" Jake put a finger to his lips then pointed.

About thirty feet away behind a clump of birch trees, a ghost was staring at them.

The Beekeeper, The Samaeli

The ghost was a girl, nearly as thin as the birch trunks she stood behind. With her bald head and filthy face, no wonder she'd been so hard to spot. She blended right in.

"Bees," she said again. "Boom." The words came out haltingly, and she held her hands up, palms forward, and pushed them toward Char and Jake like she was trying to make them go away.

"Hello," Jake said.

"Don't scare her," Char said.

"Scare her? She's the one sneaking up on people."

The ghost pushed her hands at them again, but she didn't run away when they moved toward her. When they reached the birch trees, she pushed her hands a few more times and mouthed the word boom.

She was older than Char had first thought. Not a girl. A young woman, somewhere between twenty and twenty-five. It was hard to tell with ghosts.

She dashed away from them. She had no shoes, but her clothes were in suspiciously good shape. A long-sleeve hemp shirt, far too big on her skeletal frame, and coveralls equally huge. Dirty, but no holes or rips. In a flash she crossed the clearing and disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Char said. The horses both stared at the spot where the woman had vanished into the foliage.

"If we chase her, we'll lose her," Jake said. "It took me a week to get the ghost woman who makes the cage nets to come in. After three months, I still don't know her name."

The ghost popped back into the clearing. "Bees!" Her expression was a mix of alarm and exasperation. "Boom!" Again with the pushing hands.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Char said.

She tilted her head and crossed her eyes as if to say well, obviously and waited for them. As soon as they caught up to her she was off again through the brush. No one had been here since - well, forever, it seemed. The ground was covered with undergrowth, and the bushes were so thick Char's arms were soon all scratched up.

"Please don't let this be poison oak."

"Great shibbing gods." Jake stopped dead in his tracks and Char bounced off his back. The ghost had led them to another clearing. Bigger, maybe two acres.

The air was electric with a droning, humming buzz.

"This can't be." Char stepped into the clearing, dazed. "They were lost before I was born, wiped out by neonicotinoid insecticides. Everywhere. I mean everywhere in the world. No one has seen them since."

Honeybees!

The clearing was covered with little mounds of dirt, neat row upon row of them. Atop each mound was a nest-like hive made of mud and twigs and leaves. There had to be thousands of hives.

"It's a miracle," Char said. "Where did you ... how did you come by these bees?"

"Hair lady." The ghosts eyes widened and she pointed at Char's hair.

"It is a miracle, Jake. I think Asherah must have chosen this ... this ghost to watch over a miracle." The gods did work in mysterious ways. This god did, at any rate. "Bees!"

"Bees! Boom!" The ghost pointed at the sky.

Of course. "It's the plane. Garrick's shibdung jet. The noise frightened the bees."

"Not to mention the exhaust," Jake said. "Who knows how delicate these bees are."

"Think of it. Pollination. Honey. Beeswax. This has to be Asherah's doing. She will be delighted."

"Bees boom no!"

"Bees boom no," Jake said. "But we can't ask Garrick to change course going home without an explanation." He studied the ghost and eyed her semi-decent clothes. "From my limited experience bringing in ghosts, I'd say you've been watching us. Maybe you've come down to the citadel a time or two. Picked up a few things you needed. You've decided we're safe, or you wouldn't have let us see you."

The ghost didn't deny it. She looked pointedly at Char's hair. But how could she deny anything if the only words she knew were bees, boom, and no?

"We're going to help you with your bees," Jake said, "but first I want you to help me with something." He crouched down on the ground and looked up at her. Brilliant. Not so intimidating. "Do you remember your name?"

She tilted her head again and assumed a coquettish look that completely clashed with her skeletal frame and dirty face-and her body odor. But it was clear. She remembered her name. Char and Jake waited.

The bees buzzed.

And they waited some more.

"Alice."

"Alice," Jake said. The ghost broke out in a smile so big Char wanted to cry. How long had it been since the poor thing heard someone speak her name?

"Fifo died," Alice said.

"Yes," Char said. Fifo. Probably a pet or a loved one. "I'm so sorry. My sister died." It was the first time she'd said it aloud. Her throat constricted and tears welled in her eyes. "Oh!" She couldn't hold back the tears.

"Sad," Alice said. "Sad." She put her arms around Char. Cripes, she smelled awful. Char hugged her back, and they both shook with violent sobs. Jake stood up and put his arms around them.

When they'd cried everything out, Jake said, "Alice, we need to get you and the bees to a safe place. A place with no boom. Out of the rain. Away from raptors."

Alice nodded. "No boom."

"No boom," Jake said. "I want you to come with us back to the citadel. As soon as it's safe, we'll take the bees to a place where you can take care of them with no rain, no raptors, and no boom."

"And you can have a warm bath," Char said. "With bubbles."

The skin where Alice would have eyebrows scrunched. Char grimaced at Jake, thinking she'd ruined it with the bath suggestion.

Alice nodded. "Bees no boom. Bath."

"Outstanding," Jake said. "Just outstanding."

He was thrilled that he'd saved a ghost and learned her name. He had no idea that he was about to become one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. But Char was a hydroponics agronomist, and she knew. Asherah had given them a treasure infinitely more precious than Garrick's oil or Luxor's gold.

Jake and Char started back to the horses, but Alice yelled, "Wait!" She ran away down a row of mud hives and disappeared into some trees.

"I guess we wait," Jake said.

Ten minutes later, Alice was back, carrying a bush that was all sticks covered with hard woody buds. "My goodness," Char said. "A lilac. A real lilac bush. Alice, you're amazing!"

Alice smiled. "Flower."

When they got back to the picnic blanket, Char tore off her camisole. Clouds were building up again, and in the chill breeze she grabbed her jacket and put it on over her bra. She dug up some dirt and packed it around the lilac roots, then wrapped that with her camisole.

Jake put Alice in front of him on his horse, and Char handed her the lilac. "At the citadel you can choose where to plant this."

Alice was a ghost, no question. In the bath, she barely displaced the water. As if she knew what she had to do to come back, Alice listened and repeated words she seemed to like. Bubbles. Warm. Bees.

Bees. Let's hope Alice went light on that word until the bees were secure. Char left Alice to her bath.

"I'm not sleeping." Jake jumped up from the sofa and ran his hands through his hair. "So Alice must be a high-performing ghost. She said more words today than cage net woman said in a month."

Char walked Jake to the door. "I wonder if having the bees to care for made the difference."

"It makes all the difference." Jake touched her cheek. "Caring for someone." He enveloped her in a bear hug. There were tears in his eyes, and he laughed. "Ah, Meadowlark. Something about Alice and her bees gives me faith in humanity. It's a strange feeling."

Char kissed him and pressed against him in the open doorway, wishing he didn't have to put in an appearance with the early arrivals. She was in the middle of saying something like mm-mm when she realized someone was out there.

A young girl wearing the white shift and brown tunic of a Samaeli priest stood transfixed in the corridor not five feet from Char's door. Trancelike, she swayed, her eyes closed. She seemed familiar, but Char was confused by the priest garb. Jake rushed to steady her. The girl's face went white, and she fell backwards against the wall. Her eyes opened.

Char gasped. The girl was a chalice, gone missing from Corcovado months ago. She glanced from Char to Jake with a mix of nausea and triumph. An icy shiver ran down Char's spine.

"Maribel?" Jake recognized her too.

"It's Mother Maribel."

Right. The Samaeli called their female priests mother. What was she, sixteen?

Maribel was one of the original nine chalices Jake had rescued from orbit at the outbreak of the DOG war. She had been a sensitive and tender little girl and highly adept in all the ways of a chalice, especially trance work.

"You look fit, Maribel," Char said. "We've all been so worried about you." Maribel had always been precocious, the first to master any new technique. She undertook her first gestation at fifteen, against Durga's wishes, and it went badly. "How is it that you are here?"

"I am advisor to Garrick. As you see, I am under Samael's protection."

Char forced her mind past the illogic of a chalice turned any kind of Samaeli, whether priest or mere follower. That was confusing and tragic enough.

But advisor to Garrick?

"How old are you now, sixteen?"

"Seventeen." It sounded like a lie. "Four years younger than Faina." If she had batted her eyelashes and said meow, it wouldn't have been out of place. Maribel's mean pleasure was downright insufferable and out of proportion to the petty dig.

So much for Jake's faith in humanity.

... continued ...

Want to continue reading? Click on the title below to download the entire novel for just 99 cents!

Spiderwork

A Paranormal Romance Fantasy
(Apocalypto 2)

by LK Rigel

Kindle Edition ~ Release Date: 2011-01-01

List Price: $0.99

Buy Now

(UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

Spiderwork, A Paranormal Romance Fantasy (Apocalypto 2)

Thank you for reading this free Kindle Nation feature.

Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert, Monday, March 14: Over 200 Free Contemporary Kindle Titles, plus ... Think "The Hunger Chronicles meets Percy Jackson" for just 99 cents, with Qi (Book of the Baba Yaga) by Elizabeth A. Svigar (Today's Sponsor)

2011-03-14T06:34:00.008-04:00

A huge sampler of over a dozen science fiction titles from Hachette Book Group tops this morning's latest addition to our 200+ Free Book Alert listings....

But first, a word from ... Today's Sponsor

This is something you know, if you've ever experienced the pleasures of returning to one of your favorite books from childhood:
the best YA novels are often among the best novels, period.

And so it is with Elizabeth A. Svigar's Qi (Book of the Baba Yaga), the #1 young adult sports magic novel in the Kindle Store

Think "The Hunger Chronicles meets Percy Jackson" - for just 99 cents!

" If you want to read a young adult book that's different, this one is definitely worth a read. You won't be disappointed."
--Holly Hook, young adult fantasy author of Tempest

Qi (Book of the Baba Yaga)
by Elizabeth A. Svigar
4.4 out of 5 stars 7 Reviews

Kindle Price: 99 cents

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Don't have a Kindle? Get yours here.

"A Fast-paced, Unique Fantasy Tour-de-force"

Here's the set-up:

Thirteen-year-old uber-archer Samantha is thrilled to qualify for Xenith, the most prestigious -- and mysterious -- Olympic training facility in the world. Much more than an athletic camp, it's a fantasyland where living dolls and the Baba Yaga abound. Plus there's Dr. Nine, a master alchemist whose magical laboratory is very well guarded indeed. But not all that glitters is Olympic gold. When dangerous secrets begin to surface, Sam must fight to expose Xenith's dark underbelly to save her friends and family...if she survives herself.

What the Reviewers Say

"i flows along nicely and has some wonderful characters that are portrayed well, especially Will, the talking doll with an attitude. You can't help but get immersed in the world of Sam's new sports academy and the mystery of the disappearance of her childhood friend... It also helps that the book is well written and fast-paced."
--Holly Hook, young adult fantasy author of Tempest

"Elizabeth A. Svigar's QI is a novel of hope, soul, and self-discovery. The mystery begins when Sam and her sister Abby attend Xenith, a prestigious Olympic training facility... Sam finds her character, her strengths and weaknesses, and family she didn't know she had. QI is perfect for lower young adult readers and adults alike. Ms. Svigar wrote a true testament to family and friends through Sam and her friends' adventures."
--Cherie Reich

"Svigar's wonderful imagination is clearly seen in the vivid descriptions throughout. The author's characterizations make for very believable heroes and villains. The plot is intricate and exciting, leaving the reader wondering what will happen next. The themes of friendship, loyalty, and honor are clearly set and dealt with in particularly inventive and interesting ways. The story is wonderful and I consider it a MUST read for young and old alike. Kudos to Sviger! I look forward to reading more from this author."

--M W Norton

Click here to download Qi (Book of the Baba Yaga) (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

UK CUSTOMERS: Click on the title below to download

Qi (Book of the Baba Yaga)

Each day's list is sponsored by one paid title. We encourage you to support our sponsors and thank you for considering them.

Authors, Publishers, iPad Accessory Manufacturers:

Interested in learning more about sponsorship? Just click on this link for more information.

Free Contemporary Titles in the Kindle Store

HOW TO USE OUR NEW FREE BOOK TOOL:

The waters off the Outer Cape have been taking seamen's lives for centuries. Now, in Our Kindle Nation eBook Of The Day, they give back A Single Deadly Truth.

2011-03-14T05:30:00.009-04:00

Here's the set-up for John M. Urban's A Single Deadly Truth (A Steve Decatur Mystery):

On the stormy February night in 1952, the 500-foot oil tanker Pendleton snapped in half in 60-foot seas off Cape Cod. The ensuing rescue of the Pendleton ranks as one of the most heroic stories in the history of the US Coast Guard. That much is true. John M. Urban's novel A Single Deadly Truth explores another story that might have begun that same stormy night - Just $2.99 in the Kindle Store!

In a work of fiction, A Single Deadly Truth tells that another ship sank that same night, just a few miles from where the Pendleton went down. The ship's sole survivor remained committed to taking the story, and the ship's location, to his grave. Until now.

A Single Deadly Truth features a thirty-five year old college professor and part-time harbormaster named Steve Decatur. He spends summers living aboard an old wooden sailboat in the town of Harbor Point, Massachusetts. When Decatur's friend, a lobsterman and diver named Chris Blanchard, is found dead off Cape Cod, Decatur is called on to retrieve the man's boat. Along the way, there's growing evidence that Blanchard's death was a murder, not an accident.

To the end, Decatur remains persistent in uncovering the truth. In doing so he uncovers a much larger crime.

About the Author:

The ocean was his desired destination from an early age. As a boy living a landlocked life in Western Massachusetts, nights were dedicated to reading about boats and watching Flipper and weekends were spent boating and fishing, April-to-October, on Long Island Sound.

Thoughts of a career at sea ended early after a stint at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, but the circle of life has come around some years later in the form of the fictional world of Steve Decatur.

Urban lives just outside Boston and spends his summers near the waters edge of Buzzards Bay and Rhode Island Sound. A Single Deadly Truth, published on Amazon Kindle, is Urban's debut novel. A second Steve Decatur mystery is due out in 2011. For more information: www.johnmurban.com

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample: