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Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert, Tuesday, April 12: Over 250 Free Kindle Titles Automatically Updated with Our Magical Free Book Tool! plus … a fun and adventurous romp in the Lois Bujold spirit with Lindsay Buroker’s Encrypted (Today’s Sponsor)


With over 250 free contemporary titles on Kindle, there’s no need to discover them one at a time. That’s why we have set up our magical Free Book tool to update automatically several times a day so you’ll never miss a free book….

 

But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor

Professor Tikaya Komitopis isn’t a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy marines show up at her family’s plantation, she expects the worst. But they’re not there to kill her. They need her to decode mysterious runes before their secrets destroy the world…
 

Encrypted (A+) is a fun romp, an adventure in the Lois Bujold Barrayar spirit… which I highly recommend if you like your sff fast, page turning with action, mysteries and a dash of romance.” –The Fantasy Book Critic

Encrypted
by Lindsay Buroker
4.7 out of 5 stars   12 Reviews

Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

Thrilling Adventure with a Sweet Love Story”



Here’s the set-up:

Professor Tikaya Komitopis isn’t a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy marines show up at her family’s plantation, she expects the worst. But they’re not there to kill her. They need her to decode mysterious runes, and they ask for help in the manner typical of a conquering empire: they kidnap her, threaten her family, and throw her in the brig of their fastest steamship. 

Her only ally is a fellow prisoner who charms her with a passion for academics as great as her own. Together, they must decipher mind-altering alchemical artifacts, deadly poison rockets, and malevolent technological constructs, all while dodging assassination attempts from a rival power determined the expedition should fail. As if Tikaya didn’t have troubles enough, her new ally turns out to be exiled fleet admiral, Federias Starcrest, the man who recommended taking over her nation. To trust him could be a mistake; to fall in love with him would be a betrayal to her people, her family, and the fiancé she lost in the war. Those runes cloak more than mysteries, however, and he may be the only one who can help her unravel them before their secrets destroy the world.

 


 

What the Reviewers Say
“If there is one thing Buroker can do, it is write a wonderful story that has so many things encrypted into one. (See what I did there? 🙂 There’s romance, danger, magic, mystery, and so much more. I couldn’t help but get lost into her book… I can’t wait to read more by Buroker. Encrypted will captivate anyone.”
–Just Another Book Addict


“This book is well written and fun. The characters are interesting, the story is worth following and there are some nice twists and lessons in here. A good teen read with a bit of adventure, some romance and a bit of magic and science. Nice!”
–LeoneGDM


“Lyndsay Buroker is a new author for me but I am definitely putting future books on my must read list. It’s been very difficult in recent times to find a really good Sci Fi book that also has a little romance thrown in. I’m listing some of my other must read sci fi authors to give some comparison on what kind of category this book fits into. So some of my other favorite sci fi romance writers are Patricia Waddell, Ann Aguirre, Linnea Sinclair, Jayne Ann Krantz/Julia Quinn (Arcane Society series) and Jayne Castle. If you like these authors you’ll love Lyndsay Buroker too.”
–Book Collector


About the Author


I’ve been writing fantasy novels and short stories since I was seven. I’ve been finishing them since… well, that’s a more recent development. I’m a professional blogger for my day job, and I live in the Seattle area (“area” is code for ‘I couldn’t afford a house within twenty miles of the city limits and my neighbors have alpacas’). I have two vizslas who are as spoiled as most people’s kids. Occasionally they let me leave the house to play tennis, go to the coffee shop, or take a yoga class. 

My “Goblin Brothers” short stories are available on Amazon, and the first novel featuring those characters will be out in 2011. I have two more fantasy novels coming for the Kindle. Check back!


Click here to download Encrypted (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
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.

Jimmy O’Brien, defense attorney to the dregs of the criminal world, is on the case in our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day, Jeff Sherratt’s LA film noir mystery Detour to Murder. About $2.50 on Kindle, and here’s a free sample!

After 29 years of silence a convicted murderer’s changed tune threatens secrets that could destroy the underground aristocracy that has held power for years in the city of broken dreams. 

Here’s the set-up for Jeff Sherratt’s Detour to Murder, just $2.51 on Kindle:

In 1945, the semi-nude body of a woman is found in a two-bit Hollywood motel, a telephone cord wrapped around her throat; face frozen in a grimace of horror. The stolen car of a murdered motorist is parked in the motel parking lot, the owner lying broken and dead on the side of an Arizona highway. 

Al Roberts confesses and has spent the last 29 years in prison. Now, nearly three decades after meekly confessing, the aged Roberts swears his innocence. Jimmy O’Brien, defense attorney to the dregs of the criminal world, must find out why. 

Why did Roberts give a false confession? And why has he waited 29 years to tell the truth? 

O’Brien digs into the past, igniting a powder-keg that threatens to expose the long-held secrets behind Detour, the iconic Hollywood film documenting Roberts’ story. Secrets that could destroy the underground aristocracy that has held power in Los Angeles, city of broken dreams, for years. 

Jimmy’s ordeal takes him from the bleakness of Roberts’ prison cell to the seedy streets of Hollywood, frantically searching to find out who took this DETOUR TO MURDER.

From the Reviewers:

DETOUR TO MURDER is smoothly written and incredibly intriguing. I’m hooked on the Jimmy O’Brien series, and fell deeper in love with his cast of characters, particularly Rita and Sol. The feel of the time period is authentic, beautifully rooted. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you up at night, and Sherratt’s talent weaving the tangled web is superb.

If you like noir mystery, or if you don’t know if you like noir mystery, you must read Detour to Murder, by Jeff Sherratt. Heck, if you just like mysteries, read this book. 

Newport Beach author Jeff Sherratt brings his cop-turned-lawyer hero Jimmy O Brien back for a third adventure in this noir set in Southern California in the 1970s.   Sherratt does a great job with snappy comedic dialog and evocative descriptions of the Southland from the gritty streets of Downey to Chino, Los Feliz, Hollywood and the coast north of Santa Barbara. The story involves stolen identity, political corruption and tragic romance, as well as murder. What more can a reader ask? –OC Metro


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


BULLETIN! Pre-Order Kindle Wi-Fi Now for $25 Off the Best Previous Price! $114 Kindle Ships May 3 with Additional Savings on Gift Cards, MP3 Albums, and More!

BEST PRICE EVER JUST ANNOUNCED!

Pre-Order Kindle Wi-Fi Now for $25 Off the Best Previous Price!

$114 Kindle Ships May 3 with Additional Savings on Gift Cards, MP3 Albums, and More!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SPECIALS AND ORDER YOURS!

COMBINE ALL THESE OFFERS AND THIS KINDLE IS CHEAPER THAN FREE

Here’s this afternoon’s news release from Amazon:

Amazon Introduces New Kindle Family Member: Kindle with Special Offers for $114

  • $25 less for the same #1 bestselling latest-generation Kindle plus special offers and sponsored screensavers
  • Special offers in the initial weeks include $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card, $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store, and a $100 Gift Card with a new Amazon Rewards Visa Card
  • Amazon also introduces “AdMash” – the new free Kindle app and website where customers vote for the most attractive sponsored screensavers

SEATTLE, Apr 11, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — (NASDAQ:AMZN)–Millions of people are reading on Kindle, Kindle has more 5-star reviews than any other product on Amazon, and in just five months the latest-generation Kindle became the bestselling product in the 16-year history of Amazon.com. Today, Amazon introduced a new member of the Kindle family – Kindle with Special Offers for only $114. Kindle with Special Offers is the same #1 bestselling Kindle, plus special offers and sponsored screensavers. Kindle special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen. Learn more about all three latest-generation Kindle family members–$114 Kindle with Special Offers, $139 Kindle, and $189 Kindle 3G–at www.amazon.com/kindle. Kindle with Special Offers is now available for pre-order to customers in the U.S. and will ship on May 3.

“We’re working hard to make sure that anyone who wants a Kindle can afford one,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Kindle with Special Offers is the same #1 bestselling Kindle – and it’s only $114. Kindle is the best deal in consumer electronics anywhere in the world.”

Buick, Olay (Procter & Gamble), Visa, and Amazon.com Reward Visa Card (Chase) are sponsoring the first series of screensavers specially-designed for Kindle’s high-contrast, no glare electronic ink display (for screensaver examples, visit www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers). Examples of deals that will be delivered directly to Kindle with Special Offers devices in the initial weeks include:

  • $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
  • $6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)
  • $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
  • $10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop
  • Free $100 Amazon.com Gift Card when you get an Amazon Rewards Visa Card (normally $30)
  • Buy one of 30 Kindle bestsellers with your Visa card and get $10 Amazon.com credit
  • 50% off Roku Streaming Player (normally $99)

To make sure customers don’t miss any of the offers, a full list of active offers will be available from the menu of Kindle with Special Offers at any time.

Amazon is also introducing “AdMash” – the free Kindle app and website where customers choose the most attractive and engaging display advertisements that will become Kindle sponsored screensavers. Kindle’s sponsored screensavers are specially-designed display advertisements that take advantage of Kindle’s high-contrast, no-glare electronic-ink display. Before these advertisements can be presented to Kindle customers, they are first previewed by customers using AdMash. Users are presented with pairs of sponsored screensaver candidates and asked to select which one they prefer. Screensavers with the most preferred votes qualify to become sponsored screensavers. The AdMash Kindle app will launch in the coming weeks – for a preview, visit www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers.

In addition, Kindle with Special Offers customers can give Amazon hints on the style and types of sponsored screensavers they would like to see. From the Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.com, customers can use Kindle Screensaver Preferences to indicate whether they like to see more or less screensavers that include elements such as landscapes and scenery, architecture, travel images, photography, and illustrations. Together, AdMash voting and Kindle Screensaver Preferences help Amazon present sponsored screensavers that customers find attractive and engaging. For screenshots of Kindle screensavers, AdMash and Kindle Screensaver Preferences, visit www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers.

“The opportunity to offer custom-designed Kindle screensavers was a natural fit for Buick because Kindle is such a unique device surrounded by a community of intelligent, passionate people,” said Craig Bierley, Director of Advertising and Promotions, Buick. “Kindle’s high contrast e-ink display eliminates glare and is perfect for emotionally engaging and impactful brand imagery, allowing us to connect with Kindle readers wherever and whenever.”

Kindle with Special Offers includes all the same features that helped make the third-generation Kindle the #1 bestselling product in the history of Amazon.com:

  • Paper-like Pearl electronic-ink display, no glare even in bright sunlight
  • 8.5 ounce body for hours of comfortable reading with one hand
  • Up to one month of battery life with wireless off eliminates battery anxiety
  • Kindle Store with over 900,000 books – largest selection of the most popular books
  • Seamless integration with free “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” Kindle apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android-based devices

Learn more about all three latest-generation Kindle family members–$114 Kindle with Special Offers, $139 Kindle, and $189 Kindle 3G–at www.amazon.com/kindle. Advertisers and agencies interested in learning more about Kindle sponsorship opportunities can contact kindle-sponsorships@amazon.com.

Bargain Books on Kindle #4: Libby Fischer Hellmann’s EASY INNOCENCE and more, all for just 99 cents each!

In our ongoing effort to help the greatest readers in the world connect with Kindle authors of distinction, yesterday we launched a new daily feature to help readers find 99-cent books that have received at least 4 Amazon reader reviews at an average rating of 4 stars or better. Aside from occasionally mentioning books that have previously Kindle Nation sponsors, there will be no advertising or sponsorship involved in this daily feature: it is totally free for authors and readers.

Each day we will start by posting one or more great 99-cent reads, and then we will add titles that authors and readers suggest via the comment/reply form below. To suggest a title please follow the format at the end of this post (or in the first comment), please follow instructions, and be patient!

We’ll get started today with an edgy “ripped from today’s headlines” novel that will reward your expenditure of 99 cents many times over

EASY INNOCENCE

Libby Fischer Hellmann
Mystery
$.99
4.5 stars from 13 reviewers
Chicago PI Georgia Davis, investigating a murder, finds out how far high school girls will go to gain acceptance from their peers.

 

 

And more!

Class Collision: Fall From Grace
Annette Mackey
YA Historical FIction
$.99
Reviews and Ratings: 13 reviews averaging 4.85 stars. (eleven 5 star, two 4 star)
A story that explores the heart of human emotion. You’ll hate the boy, but fall in love with the man.

 

 


The Sex Club
L.J. Sellers
Mystery/Suspense
$.99 (Kindle)
4 stars, 64 reviews
A dead girl, a ticking bomb, a Bible study that’s not what it appears to be, and a detective who won’t give up.

 

 

 

AFTER THE FIRE
Kathryn Shay
Contemporary Romance
$.99
4 stars from 7 reviews
Follow the firefighters of Hidden Cove, a remarkable team of heroes like you’ve never seen before.

 

 

Empty Chairs
Stacey Danson
Biography
$0.99
4.5 Stars from 12 reviewers
A marvelous story of grit and the determination to survive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Journey with her.

 

 

 

A Kiss Before You Leave Me
James Hulbert
Genre: Literary Fiction/Upscale Commercial Fiction
Price: $0.99
Reviews and Ratings: 4.9 Stars from 7 Reviewers
Three master manipulators–and a woman in love–clash in the worlds of surveillance, voyeurism, and art.

 

 

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters
Barbara Silkstone
Genre: Mystery
Price: 99 cents
Reviews and Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars / 36 five star reviews out of 45 reviews
Contemporary spin on a classic tale. This criminally funny fable reads like My Cousin Vinny meets A Fish Called Wanda.

 

 

We Interrupt This Date
L.C. Evans
Genre: Chick lit/women’s fiction
Price: 99 cents
Reviews and Ratings: 4.1 stars from 42 reviews.
When a divorcee tries to remake her life and start a new romance, her needy family decides she’s crisis central.

 

 

Take the Monkeys and Run
Karen Cantwell
Genre: Humorous Mystery
Price: 99 cents
Reviews and Ratings: 4.2 stars from 84 reviewers
A soccer mom and movie lover sticks her nose into some monkey business and finds herself in the middle of her own cinematic action adventure – only these bullets are real.

 

 

The Father’s Child
Mark Adair
Genre: suspense/thriller
Price: 99 cents
Reviews and Ratings: 4.6 Stars on 7 Reviewers
John Truman, a bright, introverted, college student belongs to the New Dawn…he just doesn’t know it yet.

 

 

 

Beyond Nostalgia
Tom Winton
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Literary Fiction
Price: $.99
Reviews and Ratings: 5 Stars from 16 Reviewers
Two underclass teenagers sharing a world-class love affair are ripped from each other’s arms and reuntied 24 years later.

 

 

JOHNNY WYLDE
Marcus Wynne
Genre: Thriller, Mystery & Crime – ADULTS ONLY
Price: $0.99
Reviews/Ratings: 5 star average out of 9
THE WIRE meets PULP FICTION. Except with guns instead of drugs.

 

 

 

 

To suggest a title please follow the format below (or in the first comment), and include the information in a comment below.

  • Title:
  • Author:
  • ASIN:
  • Genre:
  • Price:
  • Reviews and Ratings: (Example: 4.2 Stars from 5 Reviewers)
  • Description: 20 words or less
  • Note: Please do not include any links to your book(s), website, or social media site(s) as it will probably lead your comment to be rejected by Akismet, our spam filter.

 

Don’t miss the latest reviews at Kindle Kids’ Corner!

PostHeaderIcon 6th Grader Mark G. Reviews Anthony Horowitz’ Snakehead: “I got trapped in its excitement”

PostHeaderIcon 8th Grader Margaret O. Reviews Pittacus Lore’s I AM NUMBER FOUR: “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from this book!”

PostHeaderIcon 6th Grader Maegan M. Reviews Gloria Whelan’s THE IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY: “I could really visualize this story”

PostHeaderIcon 6th Grader Mark G. Reviews Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES: “I recommend this book to anyone that has a thirst for adventure”

PostHeaderIcon 25 Free Kindle Books for Kids

 

Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert, Monday, April 11: 7 Brand New Free Titles for You This Morning, plus … The President’s live-in private eye is back in Joseph Flynn’s The Hangman’s Companion (Today’s Sponsor)


Every teenage girl has secrets, but Melody Carlson pierces the thin veil between those secrets and grief, guilt, faith, and forgiveness in this morning’s latest addition to our 250+ Free Book Alert listings….

But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor

“This is a page turner. The President’s Henchman was excellent and this is even better. A great read on it’s own, the two books mesh totally… Fast paced and great characters make this the best two book series I have read in years.” –Donald S. Feazell


The Hangman’s Companion (A Jim McGill Novel) 
by Joseph Flynn
5.0 out of 5 stars   10 Reviews
Text-to-Speech: Enabled 
Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

“a rare feat, sequel that is every bit the equal of the original”
 

Here’s the set-up:

Always a good sport, Jim McGill, the first private-eye to live in the White House, agrees to accompany his wife, the president, to London to be her escort at a dinner given by the queen—yes, the one who lives in Buckingham Palace. Problem is, he’ll have a week in England beforehand, while the president attends a G8 meeting, with nothing to do.

Then a client comes to McGill, the daughter of a former Chicago cop McGill knew but didn’t like when he was a captain on the CPD. McGill’s former colleague went to Paris to scatter the ashes of his late, French-born wife in the Seine. While tending to that solemn obligation, the former cop managed to get into a brawl with and kill France’s national sports hero. The guy from Chicago claims he was only saving a blonde woman from being beaten by the Frenchman, as French law actually required him to do. Only problem is, the blonde has disappeared.

The former cop’s daughter asks McGill to find the woman and save her father.

Beats glad-handing the locals in nearby London, he decides. He just has to wrap up the case in time to get to dinner with the president and the queen.

ForeWord Magazine called The President’s Henchman “marvelously entertaining.” Its sequel, The Hangman’s Companion, is even more fun. With a French accent.


What the Reviewers Say
“This book contains, a monster that bathes in bear piss, gypies, NATO, a miracle, priests, the Queen of England[she is one smart old lady], child molesters, the President doing street fighting, a guitar playing French cop with a Silician body guard, and rice chrispe treats. In addition you have three different story lines going on. You are in the hands of writer who has his mojo going. Look every character could be turned into a book and I would read them. Sweetie, Deke, Father Nguyen, McGill’s kids, and of course Pruet who is the French version of McGill are worthy of novels of their own. Flynn just for the hell of it gives insight to The Undertaker’s past.

“Are you begining to see that this is must read. I loved The President’s Henchman, but I think I like this more.”
–Lost in Kansas’ James Corbett, Vine Voice

“Joe Flynn is a Zen Master in his writing; connected at many levels. His character development and relationships are thorough and fresh. Where he finds some of his characters is amazing as is his understanding of politics, not only national, but international. How Flynn gets all this inside info is beyond me. He has done his homework!! The Hangman’s Companion is full of suspense and tension; yes, a page-turner, one easy to follow even as the scenes and multiple plots switch from Washington to London to Paris. When does the movie version come out?? Love the strong, bold, smart US President!”
–Delinda Chapman

I loved this book! It is fast-paced and full of action. The main character, Jim McGill, is a detective with a great sense of humor and a quirky attitude… This character’s unique perspective is that he is the husband of the President of the United States, so you get international intrigue, diplomacy and current events thrown into the mix – which works beautifully!”
–R. Hammond


About the Author



Joseph Flynn was born in Chicago and raised in the shadow of Wrigley Field. He was one of three White Sox fans in the neighborhood, swimming against the tide of the Cubs faithful. Such adversity would later serve him well as he embarked on a career in writing. His education was both parochial and secular, including, St. Mary of the Lake School, Francis W. Parker School, Loyola University and Northeastern Illinois University. Mr. Flynn’s novels have been published by Signet Books, Bantam Books, Variance Publishing and his own imprint Stray Dog Press, Inc. Booklist said, “…Flynn is an excellent storyteller


Click here to download The Hangman’s Companion (A Jim McGill Novel) (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
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.

Gothic Historical Fantasy at its best! Karen Nilsen’s The Witch Awakening is our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day – Just $2.99 on Kindle, and here’s a free sample!

When her romance interferes with court plots and family duty, Safire must confront the dark secrets of the House of Landers alone. What she finds there proves to be a test of her unusual gifts, a test that could free the soul of a haunted man–or end in her death.

“The characters are full-bodied, the dialogue is terse and irreverent, the action is exciting and clever – and the book, all 414 pages of it, never has a boring moment.” –Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine

“Love at first sight, frightening battles, court intrigue and vengeful spirits abound in The Witch Awakening . . . This book is a wonderful read. I found it hard to put down.” –Cgrotpeter from NightOwlReviews.com

Here’s the set-up for Karen Nilsen’s The Witch Awakening:

The odor of burning flesh and the screams of those condemned to the flames disturb the dreams of young Safire of Long Marsh. 


Safire struggles to keep the curse of her psychic abilities secret, lest she be burned at the stake as a witch in her native land Cormalen. Forced to keep her talents hidden instead of learning how to use them, Safire is ill-prepared to face the evil that awaits her. 

When she meets the rebellious Merius of Landers, a nobleman determined to escape his overbearing father’s influence, she finally finds someone who accepts her. But their romance interferes with court plots and family duty and ultimately leads Safire to confront the dark secrets of the House of Landers alone. 

What she finds there proves to be a test of her unusual gifts, a test that could free the soul of a haunted man–or end in her death. 

A Brief Excerpt From Chapter 20 of Witch Awakening
. . . I grabbed the back of a chair to steady myself, but the chair began to jerk about violently, drumming against the floorboards.

Instantly, Safire was up and across the chamber. She rested her hand on my arm, her touch cool. “Shh, it’s all right.”

I snatched my arm from her grasp. “How dare you touch me?”

She grabbed my other arm with both hands.

“Damn witch!” I sworek and raised my palm to slap her away, but then I froze, my hand in midair. A strange sensation was running up my arm from her hands, a tingling warmth that moved through the veins to my heart and then to the rest of my body. All my muscles loosened, as if I’d just had several shots of the best whiskey, and the shaking stopped. 

“What the hell?” I muttered. “What in God’s good name was that?”

“Shh. It’s all right.” She looked up at me, her grip on my arm slackening. Her eyes were clear and bright as green glass, her voice low and soothing. I found myself staring down at her as if in a trance. What sort of pact had Merius made with the devil for this creature?

“You’ve cursed me,” I said flatly, though the words seemed to be another’s, not mine . 


As a child, Karen suffered frequent bouts of insomnia. The only way she could settle into sleep many nights was to imagine stories that played out like movies on the dark ceiling over her bed. Since her mean parents refused to replace the TV after the cat blew it up by peeing on the cord, all Karen had left to entertain herself in the lone wilds of the Minnesota wilderness were books and her own stories. 

As Karen grew, the stories grew with her. One day when she was fourteen, she told her mother one of these stories for probably the hundredth time. Her mother, who knew Karen very well, turned to her and said, “You know, Karen, you keep talking about these stories, but you never write them down. You keep saying you’re going to write a novel, but I don’t believe that you will.” 

This comment infuriated Karen so much that she started writing her stories down and hasn’t stopped since.

Awards, etc.
Tied for Second Place in the Fort Bend Writers’ Guild 2008 Novel Contest 
Won Fifth Place in the Writing Show 2008 First Chapter Contest
Editor, Counterpoint Literary Magazine, 2000-2001
A romantic fantasy featuring a psychic forced to risk death and reveal her special abilities to save a haunted man’s soul. Read a free sample of The Witch Awakening without leaving your browser!

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