Readers Survey from Rainbow Romance Writers #amreading

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and shape the future (of writers)

Click the pic to take the survey.

Earlier this year I joined the Rainbow Romance Writers mostly in a show of support. It's sort of like a PFLAG membership for a romance writer, to me.

I never had any idea how much brilliant information I would get from this group of writers. I've learned so much just from being a lurker on the Yahoo group.

I can't wait to meet them all at the RWA conference this summer, where I will proudly wear my RRW ribbon on my badge. It would go so well with the 1st Sale ribbon I desperately covet.

One of the initiatives the group has taken on to help romance writers is do some research.  So, my lovely readers, if you wouldn't mind, click on the link here ---> RRW Reader Survey and answer some questions about what you like to read, how you read it, where you get it and who you are (it's all anonymous.)  It should take you about 10 minutes.  Oh, and at the end you can enter the drawing to win a $25 Amazon gift card (so you can read some more)

Food, Glorious Food - #FreeEbook Cookbooks

I'm addicted to the Food Network.  I not so secretly wish Paula Deen was my mother-in-law, that I could be besties with Alex Guarnaschelli and dream about the day I get to be a guest judge on Iron Chef America where I make hilarious epicurean jokes with Alton Brown.

Someday...

In the meantime I fulfill my foodie fantasies by watching Cupcake Wars, Chopped and writing Romance novels about hot and sexy chefs. You can't wait to read them, I know. I swear I'll let you know the second they are available.

Turns out, I've got a connection into the hot world of cooking show chefs.
Earlier this week I went to a Denver Five (Colorado's elite team of tastemakers - awesome) event at Balistreri Vinyards.

When we were perusing the information about the event one of the chef's names jumped out at me.  "Look," I said to my sister. "One of the chefs is Jenna Johansen.  I went to school with a girl named that. I wonder... no, couldn't be, I think she got married, so her name wouldn't be Johansen any more."

We dressed up for the evening and headed over to the fancy new Balistreri building.  Two minutes after walking in the door, and grabbing and amazing cocktail with strawberry and cucumber a chef whizzed past me on her way into the kitchen.  The flash of white chef coat stopped, turned and said "Amy Denim?"

OMG. It was Jenna Johansen.
Quick story - When I was in high school I was abso-freakin'-lutely positive that Jenna coined the phrase 'Cool Beans.' Actually, I'm still pretty sure she did.

Anyway.  Jenna is not only a tastemaker (read: superfantastalistic chef) she also is in Bravo's upcoming reality show Around the World in 80 Plates.
What?!
Brilliant.

I chatted a bit with Jenna and her fiance Mark where I found out he is a fancy schmancy salami maker and proposed to Jenna with a ring made of his own recipe.  They keep it in the freezer.  I can't wait to see it.

I was so inspired by Jenna and Mark, I immediately started plotting a novel in my head inspired by the meat ring. I can hardly wait to write it and dedicate it to them.

I thought today, in honor of my exciting night spent with the Denver Five I'd search up and find some free foodie books for you all today.
Some are cookbooks, some are non-fiction and one is even a novel.
Click on the covers to download them from Amazon, and remember to check the prices before you one-click.

Cook Books:
These all have great reviews on Amazon


                     

Non Fiction Foodie Books:
A Romance writer, wandering winos and a fast food exec. Sounds like my 1990s.

How not to Run a B&B

Bobby Hutchinson, a best selling Harlequin writer decides to open a B&B in Vancouver, B.C. when sales of romance novels falter. Despite never having stayed in a B&B and knowing absolutely nothing about running one, she jumps right in. Strange people from nearby and halfway around the world arrive at her home with their stories and struggles, not to mention their baggage, psychological and otherwise.

Each chapter is peppered with a humor, a little tragedy and many life lessons (but mostly humor.) There are sure fire breakfast recipes guaranteed to turn out even if the cook is half asleep.'

In explaining why she opened a B&B, she says, "I was far too old for prostitution, the only other job I could think of which might net enough to pay the mortgage."

Wanderlust Wining: 

New York: The Outdoorsy Oenophile's Wine Country Companion

Wanderlust Wining New York is a fun, delicious journey through many of New York’s finest wine countries; exploring their outdoor activities and wine tasting specialties. It’s a one-stop-read to crafting active wine tasting trips in unique (and familiar) wine countries all over New York.

Discover how to kick off mornings with action-packed activities and spend the remainder of the day sniffing, swirling and sipping through local wineries. Learn how to taste wine like a pro and be in the “local know” about the best hiking and mountain biking trails or places to paddle, surf and sail. Visit creameries, galleries or savor a sustainable wine dinner served in the middle of a vineyard.

Each fast-paced, easy-to-understand chapter offers light-handed wine education and historic facts about the area’s wines, local parks and sports outfitter, “must-go” restaurants, art galleries, markets, vineyards, and more.



Five Loaves, Two Fishes and Six Chicken Nuggets
Barry Gibbons was the global head of the Burger King empire for a decade or so, if you can imagine a Brit heading an American company. Five Loaves, Two Fishes and Six Chicken Nuggets (Bright 'I's) is a series of hysterically funny essays he's written over several years, based mostly on his experience in the fast food industry.
Full of both wit and wisdom, this is prime reading material for anyone involved in business - any business. Branding, marketing and stretch limousines are all fair game for Barry's pen


Fiction
Okay, so this is only loosely foodie inspired. He goes and works in the family winemaking biz.


Sin and Vengence
When his knee shatters on the playing field, Charlie Marston is plunged into turmoil. The fallen college superstar joins the family winemaking business, but working alongside his parents is not the future he had planned. He escapes work whenever he can and soon finds a new friend named Randy Black. Randy is part stunt-pilot, part Casanova, and part drunken Pied Piper. Randy introduces Charlie to Deirdre Deudon, the provocative wife of a French farmer. They come together in an ill-conceived stunt that explodes into consequences that chase Charlie and Randy back home to Massachusetts and change Deirdre's life forever. The after-effects of this tragic mistake bind the three of them together and threaten everything they hold dear. 


Let me know which books you download and I'll tweet out the reader/author/foodie love.


Enjoy.

13 places to download a #FreeEbook on Friday the 13th

Tryskaidekaphopia is the fear of the number thirteen.
I got no problem with little ole 13. Put me in a hotel on the 13th floor in room 1313 for 13 days and I'd be happy as a Clampet.

But if I've got less then 13 books to read? There you have my own personal unreasonably debilitating angst  - Tryskabookaphobia.

I don't know, is Friday the 13th a holiday where you are supposed to give presents? It must be, because I got tons of gifts today (and by gifts I mean free e-books.)
I downloaded way more than thirteen freebies today.
And, aha, I finally figured out why there have been so many paranormal books available. Duh.

Instead of sharing the books that are available for free today I thought I'd give you thirteen places you can get books to feed your reader at no cost.

1. The Library.
I've said it once and I'll say it Carl Sagan style. (Billions and Billions for those of you out there who aren't children of the 80's nerds)
Your local library had books, not just Gutenberg style, but for your E-reader.
No, really.  Check out my library.
Anythink
You're library probably has ebooks too!

2. Project Gutenberg
These are mostly books with expired copyrights. So we're talking classics and old books you've never heard of but that are insanely interesting. Like the the 1811 Dictionary of  the Vulgar Tongue by  Francis Grose. Shhhhweeeet.

3. All Romance E-books
I'm a Romance reader (and writer) so for me, this site just rocks my blocks. If you scroll way down to the bottom, on the left hand side there is a little tiny link for Free Reads. They have tons of promos going on with their authors all the time, so there are plenty to choose from. Also if you sign up for their newsletter ever coupla months or so they do some cool thing where they give away a book a day. They did it for Christmas and oddly are doing it now for Earth Day.  Hey, ebooks save trees.

4. Barnes & Noble
Don't have a Kindle? Nooks are cool too. Just do a search under NookBooks for free and you'll find Showing 1 – 30 of 1837367 results for 

free

.
Yeah, Have fun with that.
I haven't found a good site for Nook Freebies. If and when I ever do, I'll let you know. (Or maybe I'll start one. Hmm...)

5. Books on Board
My old friend BoB. No, I don't mean Battery Operated Boyfriend, get your mind out of the gutter. I get a newsletter from this ebook retailer and about once a month they have a free banner blazing across the top of the page. But, if you're impatient and want your free ebooks now just click on their Under $5 tab and there will be a whole list of freebies.

6. Amazon
They have somewhere around 3000 free ebooks available everyday. And no, they aren't all classics.
This is where I get the majority of the free e-books I download.

But, how do you find the freebies besides just searching Amazon (which is an inane task that usually only turns up utter crap)?

The rest of my thirteen are all searches for finding books you actually want to read from Amazon.

7. KinLib
Princess Joyce from the Amazon discussion boards is my book-crack dealer hero. I don't know what kind of genius program she has going on, but it finds all the books that are newly for free on any given day. Then she emails the list to me.  Okay, not me personally, but to anyone signed up on her list.

8. Digital Book Today
These guys scrub the freebies list at Amazon and only let out the shiny books that have gotten good reviews from readers.  (Or the ones from authors who sponsor the site)

9. eReader IQ
These are the guys to go to if you want to search all the Amazon freebies by want to do it with a smart search.  You can sort the list by genre or author or stars or reviews or about a baker's dozen of other choices.

10. Free Par-tay
I don't know who these people are, but they got the hook-up. They gave away books on Leprechaun's Day (or St. Patrick's day to you Irish-Americans) and they're doing it again today.

11. Twitter
Do a search for #FreeEbook or #FreeEbooks or #Free or #Freebies and poof, no cost reads galore.

12. Facebook
Fried or 'Like' the authors you love and you'll be surprised how many either do give-aways or will just let you know when they are doing a promotion and when one of their books are free.

13. Blogs
Yes, here's a shameless promotion for my own pretty little blog, 365 Days, 365 Free Ebooks. This is a great place to find free ebooks, plus you get reviews, strange opinions, soapbox stands and writing or publishing advice.
Okay, there are other bloggers out there too that give up the free ebook love.
Here are a few of my favs.

E-Reading on the Cheap - She's got cheap reads, free reads, book reviews and giveaways.
I know of a few other places to get free ebooks, but everyone needs a little mystery in their lives.

Free Kindle Books and Tips - This guy searches the freebies so you don't have to and will email out books that have good reviews for you to download. He also has some fancy algorhythmic fancy pants program that maintains list if you just want to search by genre.

I know some other places to download freebies but a girl's got have some mystery about her, right?

I'm not actually all that mysterious, so if you look here you can find some of my other fav resources for free e-books.

Do you know of some other free ebooks resources?  Share them in my comments section and I'll show the love by tweeting it out.

Enjoy

My Support Teen Lit Day effort - #rockthedrop

It's Support Teen Lit Day.

I love this cause. I made it through my teen years in part to my rockin' thirteen year old car, Quizno's Subs and books.  How any teenager manages to live through high school without the escapism of the world of literature, well, escapes me.

But there are tons out there that either don't read, or don't have access to books. That makes me cry a little. *sniff, sniff*

I don't have the money to go out and donate books or host a Booze for Books fundraiser (YALSAs ironic suggestion, not mine) but I can gift to you my knowledge of where to find free ebooks for teens.

Here's my selection of awesome FREE books for teens, yo.

Click on the covers to link to amazon. Be sure to check the price before downloading.

Paranormal:

Witches and Fairies and Demons. Oh, My.

The book of Lost Souls by Michelle Muto

When teen witch Ivy MacTavish changes a lizard into her date for a Halloween dance, everything turns to chaos. 

Beautiful Demons 

by Sarra Cannon

In Peachville, even the cheerleaders have a dark side...

Traitor by Megan Curd

Ashlyn never believed in fairy tales until she was in one. 

Soul Quest by Amy Maurer Jones 

Try being a teenager who was born destined to 

save the world from soul sucking Daevas

Winter's Awakening: The Metahumans Emerge by Karen Luellen

Created for evil. Raised to protect. Searching for truth.

Black Waters by Maija Barnett

Sixteen-year-old mermaid Abby Carson 

thought she had her secret under control.

Time Struggle 1: The Wolves of Odin by AK Forest

Chased by warriors, dwarfs and giants, the four must find a way to undo the time crime of the sinister Dr. Hardcastle.

Dark House by Karina Halle

Her uncle's haunted light­house pro­vides the per­fect cat­a­lyst and back­drop for a hor­rific mys­tery that unrav­els the threads of Perry's frag­ile san­ity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dan­ger­ous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems.

Her uncle's haunted light­house pro­vides the per­fect cat­a­lyst and back­drop for a hor­rific mys­tery that unrav­els the threads of Perry's frag­ile san­ity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dan­ger­ous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems.

Vampires

Not your average Twilight tales

Bloody Little Secrets by Karly Kirkpatrick

Some secrets don't stay buried. Neither did Vicky.

Alchester Vampire 

by Charles Sarland

Alchester is a peaceful country town, nothing exciting ever happens there. Then the killings start.

Witchblood by Emma Mills

When Jess steals a glance at a gorgeous guy in a Manchester nightclub, little does she realise how he is going to change her life…or should that be death? 

Angels

Every time a bell rings and angel gets his wings. 

That's like 8 new angels a day at my old highschool.

Forbidden by Megan Curd

Levi's job is to protect his human until it's their time to go. Hannah, just might be the catalyst to tipping the scales between good and evil.

The Fallen by Yas Hamood

On her nineteenth birthday, Aurora encounters 

the dark and mysterious Gabriel. 

Steampunk

My favorite new(ish) genre

Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker

Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered "dogless sled" in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece. 

Stories about corrupt institutions

I didn't know what genre these two books fit in so I just made my own up

Rabbits in the Garden by Jessica McHugh

By thirteen, it was all over. Avery Norton struggles to prove her innocence and escape Taunton State Lunatic Asylum with her mind intact.

The Oliver House 

by MaryBeth Smith

Fifteen-year-old Alexis Foster has never set foot outside The Oliver House basement – not once. They have sent her on a mission and 

her caregivers aren't about giving second chances.

Fantasy

Pirates and Princess (and the people who want to kill them)

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J Maas

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. 

Aurora Abroad by Karen Keifer

Big bad wolves, trolls, frog princes and pirates (among other things) come together in a madcap marriage of classic fairy tales. 

Hans Christian Andersen wouldn’t be proud!

Sci-Fi

The genre, not the channel - it's spelled SyFy

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Nobody predicted the lightning-fast epidemic that sweeps across the planet on the night of the purple moon. The comet brings space dust with it that contains germs that attack human hormones. Older teens and adults die within hours of exposure.

On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby and Jordan Leigh and a group of teens and children struggle to survive in this new world, but all the while they have inside them a ticking time bomb — adolescence.

Contemporary Short Stories

Not everything in the teen years is rainbows and butterflies

Pink Shoelaces by ME Buscher

The difficult subject of depression and teenage suicide is told from the perspective of Lana Flowers, the friend who finds her best friend dead.

Butterface by Gwen Hayes

When love isn't lucky...or pretty.

Just a Girl... by Sara Reid

I just want to be a normal girl, to have friends, to not have to worry, to be happy. But, I cannot sleep in my own house. Instead, I live in fear, wanting to hide, waiting for the doorknob to turn in the middle of the night, wishing he would leave me alone. I would give anything to just be like any other girl... Even though, beyond my secret, I am just like everybody else.

Now go out, drop some of these freebies on your favorite teen. If you've got the means click on the Rock the Drop pick at the top of the page, to go to the Readergrlz blog to get a bookplate. Print it out and leave a YA book in a public place for Support Teen Lit Day.

B-r-a-i-n-s #FreeEbooks for zombie fic fans

I'm not sure what's going on. Maybe something to do with the upcoming apocolypse. There are a super extra a lot of paranormal books available for free right now. Yesterday I did Vampires. Today I'm going for Zombies, 'cuz I like 'em. Maybe tomorrow will be werewolves or angels or ghosts.

We're just on the upslope of the zombie trend. How do I know? Well, have you read the Twilight for Zombies yet?  Nope, me neither.  It's still coming. (I hope)

Don't get me wrong, Zombies have been popular for years. I mean, hello Romero.  This craze has been going strong in movies since the sixties, but not as much in popular fiction.  Although one of my all time favorite books is World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie Wars by Maz Brooks. (They're making it into a movie)
Now, I don't read a whole lot of horror. (It scares me) but I do read more than my fair share of Romance. And so far there aren't a ton of Zombie Romance novels.
God, I can't wait until they are taking over our brains.  B-r-a-i-n-s.

None of the books I'm sharing today are real romances. I'm expanding my mind. (Plus some of them looked humorous)

Hollowland by Amanda Hocking is getting rave reviews. A YA dystopian zombie tale with a kick-ass heroine. I'm in.

How to Train your Zombie by Catherine Winchester. I once saw a strange zombie movie where a family has a zombie as sort of a pet, and later the mother comes to like the zombie better than her husband. I can't remember the name of the movie, but I liked it, and this looks along the same line.  The heroine's husband gets bit and she uses her dog training skills to get him in line. Sounds cool. I one-clicked it.

Zombies Eat Lawyers by Kevin Micheal & Lacy Maran. Awesome, right? Need I say more?

The Super Undead by Jeremy Bryan. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA. Hee hee. Ahem.

Chivalry is Dead: An All Male Zombie Anthology. A response to Hell Hath No Fury:An All Female Zombie Anthology. I'm a little bit sad I missed out on that one. It is still free for Amazon Prime members.  Or you can get this one  for free today. You're choice.

Jailbreak by Steven W Booth & Henry Shannon
A Sheriff Penny Miller short story from The Hungry. Watch out, I've heard this will make you want to buy the book it's taken from.

LZR-1143: Perspectives by Bryan James.  This one if for serious lovers of the genre. It's like a for real zombie book and stuff.

Let me know in the comments section if you download any of these books and I'll tweet out some reader/author love.

Enjoy.

Holy Vampires - #FreeEbooks for paranormal romance lovers

Phew if you thought the vampire craze was over... well, you were wrong.
So was I.
I have to admit, I haven't read a whole lot of paranormal recently, and even fewer vamp romances. But seeing the gajillions available for free today, I just might give a few a stab.
Oh, goodness, I so didn't mean to be punny. It just sorta came out.  Sorry.

Here's a selection of Vampire Romance novels for your night reading pleasure.

A Night of Secrets by Lori Brighton. A Historical Paranormal Romance. 4.8/5 star, 12 Amazon reviews. 

A Vampire for Christmas by Felicity Heaton. A Holiday Vampire Romance novella. 4.3/5 stars, 10 Amazon reviews.

Witchblood by Emma Mills. A UK YA Vampire novel. 4.9/5 stars, 7 Amazon reviews.

Bloody Little Secrets by Karly Kirkpatick. A YA Vampire novel. 4.3/5 stars, 10 Amazon reviews.

Turned (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals) by Morgan Rice. A YA Vampire novel. 3.1/5 stars, 129 Amazon reviews.

Sworn (Book #1 of the Vampire Legends) by Emma Knight. A YA Vampire novel. 3.4/5 stars, 12 Amazon reviews.

Saved (Book #1 of the Shadow Vampires) by Allegra Skye. 2.5/5 stars, 16 Amazon reviews.


Bound by Blood by Danielle Bourdon & Kimberly Hoyt. 4.3/5 stars, 31 Amazon reviews

The Dawn by DL Scholefield. A Vampire Romance novel. No reviews.

Thoroughly Modern Monsters by Jennifer Rainey. Paranormal short stories. No reviews.

Halfblood Lust by Lacy Fairview. An erotic werewolf/vampire novella. No reviews.

Dracula's Harem by Adrianna White. An Erotic Van Helsing novella. No reviews.

I downloaded A Night of Secrets, Witchblood and Thoroughly Modern Monsters. Hey, ya gotta give those no review books a chance sometimes.

Let me know which ones you choose in the comments section and I'll spread the reader/author love by tweeting it out.