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KND Fave Author to Sponsor This Month’s FREE & Bargain Literary Fiction Titles: Barbara Taylor Sissel Thriller The Volunteer – 40 Rave Reviews

We’re excited to share our brand new Literary Fiction Book of the Month here at Kindle Nation, to sponsor all the great bargains on our Literary Fiction search pages.
Thousands of Kindle Nation citizens are using our magical search tools to find great reading in the Free, Quality 99-Centers, and Kindle Lending Library categories. Just use these links to search for great Literary Fiction titles at great prices:

And while you’re looking for your next great read, please don’t overlook our Literary Fiction Book of the Month:

The Volunteer

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

4.2 stars – 49 Reviews
Or currently FREE for Amazon Prime Members Via the Kindle Lending Library
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

Reviews

“If you love Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, read Barbara Taylor Sissel.” ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Sugarland, Crazy For Trying, and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about … you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

About The Author

At the heart of every crime, there’s a family…. That fact is what drives Barbara’s fiction. It’s issue oriented, threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime effects families, the victim’s family, the perpetrator’s family. She indie published her first novel, The Ninth Step, in August of 2011 and she hasn’t looked back since. The Volunteer came out in October of 2011 and in November 2011, The Last Innocent Hour, originally published by Panther Creek Press in trade paper was digitized for release as an indie e-book.

Currently Barbara is represented by the fabulous Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and under contract with MIRA/Harlequin for Evidence of Life, which will make its print debut in April 2013, and a second novel that will appear in 2014.

Although she once lived on the grounds of a prison facility in Kentucky with her then prison warden husband, (A fact that might explain the nature of her writing.) she now resides near Houston, Texas. An avid gardener and reader, Barbara is the mother of two wonderful sons, who are an endless source of learning, laughter and joy.

For more about Barbara you can visit her website here.

(This is a sponsored post.)

At the heart of every crime, there’s a family…. Bestselling author Barbara Taylor Sissel’s thrilling novel The Volunteer – 39 Rave Reviews & Now Just $2.99 on Kindle

The Volunteer

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

4.1 stars – 48 Reviews
Or currently FREE for Amazon Prime Members Via the Kindle Lending Library
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

Reviews

“If you love Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, read Barbara Taylor Sissel.” ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Sugarland, Crazy For Trying, and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about … you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

About The Author

At the heart of every crime, there’s a family…. That fact is what drives Barbara’s fiction. It’s issue oriented, threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime effects families, the victim’s family, the perpetrator’s family. She indie published her first novel, The Ninth Step, in August of 2011 and she hasn’t looked back since. The Volunteer came out in October of 2011 and in November 2011, The Last Innocent Hour, originally published by Panther Creek Press in trade paper was digitized for release as an indie e-book.

Currently Barbara is represented by the fabulous Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and under contract with MIRA/Harlequin for Evidence of Life, which will make its print debut in April 2013, and a second novel that will appear in 2014.

Although she once lived on the grounds of a prison facility in Kentucky with her then prison warden husband, (A fact that might explain the nature of her writing.) she now resides near Houston, Texas. An avid gardener and reader, Barbara is the mother of two wonderful sons, who are an endless source of learning, laughter and joy.

For more about Barbara you can visit her website here.

(This is a sponsored post.)

Book Club Getting A Little Boring? Want A Compelling Fiction Novel to Add Depth to The Discussion? Bestselling Author Barbara Taylor Sissel’s The Volunteer is Full of Suspense & Family Drama For Discussion

The Volunteer

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

4.1 stars – 44 Reviews
Or currently FREE for Amazon Prime Members Via the Kindle Lending Library
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled

Here’s the set-up:

Another richly told story from a wonderfully talented author. Barbara Taylor Sissel weaves beautiful novels from fine, unexpected threads. Characters are complex and thoughtful. Places are fragrant and real. Conversations ring true and meaningful. Plots unfold with startling but graceful turns. This is a terrific author I want everyone to discover. She does an amazing job of first making us care about these people, pinging curiosity just enough with the mystery surrounding the codex, then pretty much tearing our hearts out with the beautifully written final chapters. THE VOLUNTEER is a satisfying read, and that’s enough in itself, but I think book clubs will find a whole additional dimension for discussion. Beyond the big questions that gray the core topic of capital punishment, there’s the complicated realm of family relationships, the definition of “the honorable thing” and whether or not it’s even possible to redeem oneself by living or dying for a private cause. This is the kind of indie fiction I’m thrilled to see: a beautifully crafted book by a creative, accomplished author.

Reviews

“If you love Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, read Barbara Taylor Sissel.” ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Sugarland, Crazy For Trying, and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about … you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

About The Author

At the heart of every crime, there’s a family…. That fact is what drives Barbara’s fiction. It’s issue oriented, threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime effects families, the victim’s family, the perpetrator’s family. She indie published her first novel, The Ninth Step, in August of 2011 and she hasn’t looked back since. The Volunteer came out in October of 2011 and in November 2011, The Last Innocent Hour, originally published by Panther Creek Press in trade paper was digitized for release as an indie e-book.

Currently Barbara is represented by the fabulous Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and under contract with MIRA/Harlequin for Evidence of Life, which will make its print debut in April 2013, and a second novel that will appear in 2014.

Although she once lived on the grounds of a prison facility in Kentucky with her then prison warden husband, (A fact that might explain the nature of her writing.) she now resides near Houston, Texas. An avid gardener and reader, Barbara is the mother of two wonderful sons, who are an endless source of learning, laughter and joy.

For more about Barbara you can visit her website here.

(This is a sponsored post.)

KND Fave & Kindle Bestselling Author Barbara Taylor Sissell’s Psychological Thriller The Volunteer –A Story About Families, How They Are Made And How They Can be Broken – 28 Rave Reviews & Now Just $2.99 or Free via Kindle Lending Library

The Volunteer

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

4.1 stars – 36 Reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

The Volunteer is a story about families, how they are made, and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia’s case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life

Reviews

“THE VOLUNTEER is a satisfying read, and that’s enough in itself, but I think book clubs will find a whole additional dimension for discussion. Beyond the big questions that gray the core topic of capital punishment, there’s the complicated realm of family relationships, the definition of “the honorable thing” and whether or not it’s even possible to redeem oneself by living or dying for a private cause. ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Crazy for Trying, Sugarland and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about — you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

Sissel writes “… a plot worthy of Daphne du Maurier …” ~ The Houston Chronicle

About The Author

Barbara Taylor Sissel is a freelance writer, book reviewer, and editor, and the author of two other novels, The Ninth Step and The Last Innocent Hour. A one-time editor for a small regional press, Barbara has written extensively for the public relations field. Her short stories and articles have appeared in a number of venues.

An avid gardener, Barbara is currently working with numerous clients on a variety of projects and writing a new novel. She has two sons and lives in The Woodlands, Texas. For more information on past and forthcoming books, you can visit her website at www.barbarataylorsissel.com

(This is a sponsored post.)

Best Selling Kindle Author Barbara Taylor Sissel’s Psychological Thriller The Volunteer – Over 20 Rave Reviews & Now Just $2.99 or Free via Kindle Lending Library

The Volunteer

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

4.1 stars – 30 Reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

The Volunteer is a story about families, how they are made, and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia’s case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life

Reviews

“THE VOLUNTEER is a satisfying read, and that’s enough in itself, but I think book clubs will find a whole additional dimension for discussion. Beyond the big questions that gray the core topic of capital punishment, there’s the complicated realm of family relationships, the definition of “the honorable thing” and whether or not it’s even possible to redeem oneself by living or dying for a private cause. ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Crazy for Trying, Sugarland and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about — you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

Sissel writes “… a plot worthy of Daphne du Maurier …” ~ The Houston Chronicle

About The Author

Barbara Taylor Sissel is a freelance writer, book reviewer, and editor, and the author of two other novels, The Ninth Step and The Last Innocent Hour. A one-time editor for a small regional press, Barbara has written extensively for the public relations field. Her short stories and articles have appeared in a number of venues.

An avid gardener, Barbara is currently working with numerous clients on a variety of projects and writing a new novel. She has two sons and lives in The Woodlands, Texas. For more information on past and forthcoming books, you can visit her website at www.barbarataylorsissel.com

(This is a sponsored post.)

Kindle Nation Daily Bargain Book Alert: Barbara Taylor Sissel’s THE VOLUNTEER is our eBook of the Day at just $2.99, or Currently FREE Via the Kindle Lending Library, and Here’s a Free Sample!

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

The Volunteer is a story about families, how they are made, and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia’s case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life.

From the reviewers:

“If you love Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, read Barbara Taylor Sissel.” ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Sugarland, Crazy For Trying, and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about … you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

It’s a heart wrencher.  … on the face of it I shouldn’t like this book because, it left me in tears and needing to catch my breath. BUT this lady writes simply and well and has a tender and sensitive ability to touch down into the emotional heart of her characters. She writes about ambiguity, loss, pain, love, betrayal and regret, Yet she carries that within a compelling story line that has a sense of urgency and inevitability that delivers the reader eventually into a space of some redemption and recovery.  –  Lorraine Benham

Barbara Taylor Sissel’s “The Volunteer” is a book of whole truths touching on hefty subjects such as executions of Death Row inmates, murder, artifact smuggling, fidelity, keeping secrets, and manipulation, among others. She conceals these serious subjects in a story with true-to-life characters (some likeable and some not), and deft plotting to make darker subjects more palatable. This author uses words like a surgeon uses a scapel–every word precise and on the mark, yet she does not preach or pander. Sissel’s books are charged with jolts of reality cushioned by unconditional love. Every book is a gem.  –  Wanda Dionne

 

Visit Amazon’s Barbara Taylor Sissel Page

Barbara Taylor Sissel was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and grew up at various locations, mostly in the Midwest. She has always been a lover of stories, the ones her big sister told to her and her younger brother, and the wild tales she related herself that often left her mother perplexed. They were too crazy to be from true experience the way Barbara claimed and yet they were vivid enough that they weren’t quite lies either.

Reading and admiring Wuthering Heights was the book that got her thinking about becoming an author and it was a dream that stayed with her through marriage, life as the wife of a prison warden in Kentucky and the births of two sons. It wasn’t until the last child was off to school that she finally sat down to write and then what came was influenced by her experience living with her family on the grounds of a prison.

Justice is a central issue in her stories. Justice and forgiveness. How far is it to unforgivable? Is it ever too late? These are the themes that resonate. What happens when an ordinary family is impacted by a sudden, extraordinary calamity?

Along the way to publication, Barbara has placed twice in the William Faulkner/William Wisdom writing competition. She works with a group of successful, talented authors and in addition to writing fiction, she also works freelance as an editor and writer. Her articles and short stories have appeared in several venues. Currently Barbara lives and writes in The Woodlands, Texas.

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is our free sample of  THE VOLUNTEER by Barbara Taylor Sissel:

 


Kindle Nation Daily Bargain Book Alert! Barbara Taylor Sissel’s Psychological Thriller THE VOLUNTEER – Now Just $2.99 and Currently FREE for Amazon Prime Members via Kindle Lending Library

The Volunteer

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

4.6 stars – 8 Reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:

In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

The Volunteer is a story about families, how they are made, and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia’s case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life

Reviews

“THE VOLUNTEER is a satisfying read, and that’s enough in itself, but I think book clubs will find a whole additional dimension for discussion. Beyond the big questions that gray the core topic of capital punishment, there’s the complicated realm of family relationships, the definition of “the honorable thing” and whether or not it’s even possible to redeem oneself by living or dying for a private cause. ~ Joni Rodgers, NYT bestselling author of Crazy for Trying, Sugarland and memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair

“THE VOLUNTEER is a story of so many things that are not talked about — you can only learn about them by noticing the empty shape that people talk around. It’s exactly like negative space in art, when you depict the object by drawing the space around it.” ~ Darla Tagrin, Artist

Sissel writes “… a plot worthy of Daphne du Maurier …” ~ The Houston Chronicle

About The Author

Barbara Taylor Sissel is a freelance writer, book reviewer, and editor, and the author of two other novels, The Ninth Step and The Last Innocent Hour. A one-time editor for a small regional press, Barbara has written extensively for the public relations field. Her short stories and articles have appeared in a number of venues.

An avid gardener, Barbara is currently working with numerous clients on a variety of projects and writing a new novel. She has two sons and lives in The Woodlands, Texas. For more information on past and forthcoming books, you can visit her website at www.barbarataylorsissel.com

(This is a sponsored post.)