Jackie Townsend, a native of Southern California, spends a lot of her time in places not her own. As the youngest of four children, she carries a strong sense of family with her to these places, often foreign, and writes about belonging (or not belonging), loss, and love. She lives in New York with her husband. Reel Life is her first book.
Read an excerpt of Jackie's upcoming novel, Hurray for the Bride and Groom!, at jackietownsend.com.Reel Life: Two sisters on the verge escape to the movies
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Today’s Kindle Daily Deal — Monday, July 2 – Two Great Reads for under $3 — Save 69% on Jill Barnett’s Multi-generational Romance THE DAYS OF SUMMER, plus … Don’t miss Pardu Ponnapalli’s JUST A BUNCH OF CRAZY IDEAS (Today’s Sponsor)
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
Just a Bunch of Crazy Ideas
Here’s the set-up:
This book is about thoughts and ideas on a wide range of subjects. The topics include building a space elevator, new approaches to space travel, Star Trek reboot themes, ideas for energy conservation, what to do about our federal debt, modifying the game of chess and others. The following provides a quick overview of the chapters:
Chapter 1 Space Elevator
Chaper 2 Alternative Energies and Energy Conservation
Chapter 3 More Thoughts on Energy Conservation
Chapter 4 Gas Stations and filling up
Chapter 5 Luggage and Airplanes
Chapter 6 Thoughts on Chess
Chapter 7 Thoughts on Ice Hockey
Chapter 8 Thoughts on Cat Litter
Chapter 9 Our National Debt and Defecit
Chapter 10 I am overweight and so are most Americans
Chapter 11 Star Trek and Reboot
Chapter 12 Thoughts about Laptops
Chapter 13 Thoughts about Space Exploration
Chapter 14 Thoughts on the Stock Market
Chapter 15 Automatic Inform Systems for IT Workers
Chapter 16 Hikers who hurt themselves
Chapter 17 How to improve dishwashers
From the reviewers:
“Pardu S. Ponnapalli, an IT specialist with a doctorate in physics, has devised ingenious and potentially world-changing ways to improve things. Many of Ponnapalli’s essays are intellectually challenging, short, well written and entertaining.” — Patty Sutherland, Foreword Clarion Review June 2011
“Ponnapalli’s crazy (impulsive, but fun and thought provoking) ideas cover some timely and popular topics; U.S debt and defecit, overweight, stock market, space exploration, alternative energies, cat litter and more. The book is easy to read.” — Recommended & Reviewed in The Mindquest Review of Books, by Lightword Publishing, August 2011
“The essays were well-written and mostly thought through. Based on his personal experience, they were enlightening and at times, laughable. More importantly, they make the reader take the time to think about our future, ponder on the problems, and look for the solutions we need.” — Teri Davis, BestSellersWorld.com, July, 2011
“Some of my fondest memories of university were those informal gab sessions in the common room. Just a Bunch of Crazy Ideas reminds me of those times.”Just a Bunch of Crazy Ideas presents some good ideas and some not so good ideas. Take them as you will. Laugh at them or be inspired by them.” — Tami Brady, TCM Reviews, July 22, 2011
“The act of brainstorming can result in new ideas and surprising results. The author ends each chapter with the words, “Discuss and enjoy!” That is exactly what the reader of this “bunch of crazy ideas” will do.” — Libby Grandy, The US Review of Books
From the author:
The purpose of this book is to share a bunch of “crazy” ideas. There is no claim that any careful research is done. It is more like a brainstorming session where any idea that comes to mind is presented. That is why you get a wide range of topics , from dealing with cat litter to exploring space.
You may wonder what the value of this is. Maybe the ideas are all not worth much in practical terms. Or perhaps there are some gems and some real bad ones. What’s the sense in me writing about these ideas?
Actually, I was wondering the same thing for many years. I have thought about writing this book for a lot of years , and never went through with it until recently.
I think we all start out when we are young thinking we are going to change the world. Especially in university, when I was studying physics, I had constant discussions with my colleagues about revolutionary ideas. As you get older, you settle down to a regular life that for the most part involves paying bills with the money you earn. Most of our energies start getting devoted to survival. Before you know it , you are wondering about managing retirement and you are left with a sense that somehow life passed you by.
The reason for this transformation from a wild eyed youngster with grand ideas to a well settled mortgage paying robot is fairly plain- most of us are just struggling to get by in life. Few of us have the luxury of picking and choosing what we do for a living. My own entry into the IT field was due to the inability of finding any physics related employment after doing a Ph.D. The job market was poor, and I looked around for a marketable job. I have done fairly well in my chosen profession, but I am constantly haunted by the thought that I was meant for something else. I suspect I have a lot of company in this regard.
It seems to me our sense of intellectual courage also wanes with age and seniority. We may have ideas that we think are worthwhile, but we dismiss them for the usual reasons:
People will think they are stupid (a perennial favorite).
I bet someone has thought of it already (yes, but they might not have voiced it ).
I want to stick to the safe stuff that’s in the realm of my expertise.
It all becomes a tedious cycle. We end up doing something by rote, or maybe finding just a few ideas in our chosen profession that are interesting, and being content to live out our lives without a sense of wonder or exploration.
So this book is my attempt to revive a sense of wonder and speculation.
and now … Today’s Kindle Daily Deal!
 Kindle Daily Deal: The Days of SummerIn 1957, oil magnate Victor Banning’s family suffers a great upheaval after a tragic car accident in Los Angeles with music-business star Jimmy Peyton. In the decades after, the family’s paths cross once again when Victor’s grandsons, Jud and Cale, find themselves under the spell of Jimmy’s beautiful daughter, Laurel.
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What Better Way To Say Thank You To The Greatest Readers In The World Than Offering FREEBIES?!? Eight Brand New FREE Kindle Titles: Deborah Epperson’s BREAKING TWIG, Kathy Dunnehoff’s THE DO-OVER, Timothy Sheard’s NO PLACE TO BE SICK, Phillip Henderson’s THE ARKAELYON CHRONICLES VOL. 1, Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s Z (A NOVEL), Elaine Edelson’s ARIES FIRE, Byron Lee Wade’s SLAVE SPY – THE YOUTH AND TIMES OF LAZARUS PERLMAN and Wilson Harp’s TALES OF THE SILVER SWORD INN, VOL. 1
With hundreds of new books turning up free each day now in the Kindle Store, it can be tough to hone in on books that you will actually want to read. And almost of the new free books will be free for just a day or two at a time, so we are working hard to make sure that you do not miss the ones you want!
Please note: References to prices on this website refer to prices on the main Amazon.com website for US customers. Prices will vary for readers located outside the US, and even for US customers, prices may change at any time. Always check the price on Amazon before making a purchase.
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:: Over 75,000 copies of Breaking TWIG downloaded on Kindles ::
WARNING: According to Breaking TWIG’s Kindle readers, you may not be able to put this book down!
Set in rural Georgia in the 1960s, BREAKING TWIG is a coming-of-age novel about Becky (Twig) Cooper, a young woman trying to survive the physical and emotional abuse of her mother, Helen, a beautiful, calculating woman who can, with a mere look, send the meanest cur in Sugardale, Georgia running for its life.
Not even Twig’s vivid imagination, keen wit, and dark sense of humor is enough to help her survive the escalating assaults of Helen and a new stepbrother, but help comes from an unexpected source–Frank, her stepfather. Sometimes, having one person who loves and believes in you is all a girl needs to keep hope alive.
Often raw and irreverent and sprinkled with all the Southern flavoring found in a good bowl of chicken and dumplings, BREAKING TWIG, is about finding love where we least expect it, destroying lives with easy lies, and realizing each of us determine our own truth.
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The Do-Over (A Romantic Comedy)
by Kathy Dunnehoff
Just before her fortieth birthday, Mara Jane Mulligan, devoted wife and mother, runs out of bubble bath, and the ensuing panic attack drives her to Canada for more. She realizes that one foamy soak probably won’t cure what ails her, so she takes a 30 day vacation from her life. (What woman doesn’t need one of those?)
Surely her family will understand. Her son’s visiting Grandma, and maybe her husband won’t even miss her. Unfortunately, her husband doesn’t miss much and tracks her to Abundance, a Vancouver bubble bath company.
As her 30 days sail by, Mara Jane Mulligan discovers she has a decision to make that even Dorothy couldn’t avoid… Will she click her heels for home or kick them up for good?
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No Place To Be Sick – The 5th Lenny Moss Mystery (Lenny Moss Mysteries)
by Timothy Sheard
Too many of their patients are dying from unexpected cardiac arrests. The nurses fear that a serial killer could be roaming the hospital. But when they share their suspicions with the Director of Nursing, she orders them to keep their mouths shut or they will be fired. So the nurses turn for help to Lenny Moss – custodian, shop steward and…Detective!But Lenny has problems of his own. His last murder investigation nearly killed him. The post traumatic stress from a brutal attack has our union champion turning away from his friends, his family and his passion for the fight for justice. Even the threat from a merciless hedge fund CEO to buy the hospital, turn it private and kick out the union hasn’t roused Lenny to join the struggle. Feeling beaten and hopeless, he just wants to be left alone to do his job.Will the murderer keep on killing? Will Lenny turn his back on his friends and family and the union he’s devoted his life to serving?
Find out in the exciting new Lenny Moss crime novel, No Place To Be Sick.
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The Arkaelyon Chronicles Vol 1; (Book 1 & 2); Druid’s Bane & Maig’s Hand
by Phillip Henderson
(Contains both Druid’s Bane & Maig’s Hand)Druid’s Bane (Book 1) (13 reviews 4.6 /5)The Illandian Spring Tournament is about to reach its crescendo, and with the king’s only daughter, Danielle de Brie, and her twin brother, Kane, preparing to face each other in the tourney ring for the deciding match the citizens and nobles of Arkaelyon’s capital city are in a fever of excited speculation.Determined to free herself from the fear her twin brother has always provoked in her and to show the world that men such as Kane de Brie can be defeated, Danielle has every intention of making her brother’s title her own.But even as the two royals climb the stairs to Illandia’s famous dueling ring, Danielle has no idea that a rescind coven of druids are about to change her world forever or that the deep animosity between Kane and her is fated to plunge the realm into civil war.
A dream the night before is the only hint she has of the dangerous manipulation that is stirring in the shadows of her father’s realm. But the frightful vision is so diabolical that she writes it off as likely the product of her fatigue after a hard fought week of competition and the fact she is about to face her greatest fear in the tourney ring.
But when she makes passing mention of the dream to the Lord Protector, Father Joseph’s response and the secrets he and a priestly order protect are destined to set her on a desperate and perilous path to prevent the fulfilment of a prophecy that if realised will not only see to the destruction of her father’s kingdom and every land on the continent-but herald the rise of an ancient and tyrannical order of Larniusian Druids who have waited centuries to restore the authority of the dark goddess across the face of the world.
***
Maig’s Hand (Book 2) (4 reviews 5/5)
With his world in ruins, Kane must either run and hope monastic and royal assassins do not find him, or accept the Archbishop’s offer and embrace high treason.
While the opportunity to replace his father as Arkaelyon’s king and bring bloody revenge down on his sister’s head is appealing–more than appealing, the prospect of being a pawn in a thousand year old struggle between Orthodox Goddians and Larniusian druids disturbs his atheist sensibilities, and more so when he learns the price he must pay to be Maig’s Hand.
Meanwhile, Danielle’s search to find the truth of her dream and the disturbing prophecy it contains continues with her usual gusto. However, the truth she finds could cost her James’ love, destroy her parent’s reputation and rob Eden of his birthright. More still, her persistence will see the streets of Amthenium run red with blood and force her into a deadly showdown that will change her life and the lives of those she holds dearest forever.
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After years living of living in Los Angeles, novelist Nix Carter returns home to Connecticut to care for her ailing father. As she reconnects with childhood friends, she encounters a window washer who also happens to live in a mansion, throw lavish parties and go by the name of Zorro. Yes, Zorro. But is he really the caped man of legend? Or just an eccentric who drives a horse-drawn cart and wears a cape while washing windows? And what will happen when the townspeople who once flocked to his parties and drank his champagne become suspicious of him?
A contemporary re-visioning of The Great Gatsby, Z is a smart, quirky novel that has it all: comedy, drama, romance, adventure, even swordplay. Lauren Baratz-Logsted at her best.
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Aries Fire (Sign of the Times)
by Elaine Edelson
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SLAVE SPY – The Youth and Times of Lazarus Perlman
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In the late 18th century, Lazarus Perlman, a motherless Jewish boy is raised by a tradition-bound father and mentored at London’s famed Jews’ Free School. Debating the issues of the day at the King Solomon Club – he encounters Thomas Clarkson, the heartbeat of the campaign to end the British trade in African slaves.
Keenly aware that he is a descendant of slaves, Lazarus joins the effort as aide to Clarkson and the Abolition Society gains the upper hand . . . until the ruthless West Indies sugar lobby convinces Parliament that evidence of cruelty to slaves is exaggerated and stale. The abolitionists need fresh evidence, but their leading informant in the West Indies has been murdered – and the abolitionists face defeat unless somebody can provide intelligence from the scene.
Disguised as a tailor, Lazarus sails to Barbados to spy on slave masters . . . to end the slave trade and save the slaves. But his adventure proves more perilous than anyone had thought. Now the question becomes . . . who will save Lazarus Perlman . . . and how?
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Set against the rich background of the British abolition movement – which spawned Amazing Grace – this ambitious historical fiction takes a fresh look at two peoples, Africans and Jews, and their common legacy . . . slavery and oppression. Peopled with unforgettable characters and paced with stark conflicts, it spins a captivating, uniquely original and timeless tale – and posts reminders for every generation.
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Tales of the Silver Sword Inn, Volume 1
by Wilson Harp
This first collection of short stories from the Tales of the Silver Sword Inn includes:
Horas and Lendin Hunt Some Orcs
The Crimson Toads
The Goblin Mine
A Debt to Pay
(19,029 words)
Kirkus Star Winner Alert! Laura Rizio’s Legal Thriller BLOOD MONEY is a Disturbing Depiction of a System Gone Wrong & A Young Litigator’s Determination to Fix it … 4.1 Stars on 47 Reviews and Now Just $2.99 or FREE via Kindle Lending Library
“For anyone who already dislikes lawyers, Blood Money will feed your disdain. It’s an insider’s view of how the law is played as a dirty business, and how nothing — least of all, the law itself — will stop the “worst of the worst” players from getting their way.” ~ E.J. Beard, 5-Stars
Blood Money
by Laura Rizio
Nick Ceratto, a young, cracker jack litigator looking for a partnership in the prestigious Philadelphia law firm of Maglio, Silvio, and Levin discovers his firm’s dark seceret for increasing it’s bottom line while preparing a medical malpractice case for trial.The partners are setting up major cases by seriously injuring and even murdering their clients to produce huge jury awards. When the firm discovers he knows, Nick’s only hope is to stay one step ahead of the hitman long enough to intentionally lose his case and expose the firm’s corruption. As his mission careens towards an explosive climax, the only question left, is whose lives will be sacrificed along the way.
BLOOD MONEY is a classic examination of the duality of the American justice system, it’s strengths and weaknesses, and the interplay between it and raw ambition.
BLOOD MONEY is a disturbing depiction of a system gone wrong, and the one time golden boy who is finally able to understand the bigger picture and remember the oath taken and his dream that was once so clear.
“Laura Rizio’s BLOOD MONEY is an amazing legal thriller! Her writing is sharp, realistic, and the story is absolutely compelling, one that leaves you thinking about the U.S. legal system long after you’ve had the pleasure of reading. ” ~ The Kindle Book Review
“In her exciting debut, personal injury attorney, Rizio, crafts a legal thriller with compelling characters and tense action that more than compensate for a familiar premise. An appealing tart cynicism haunts the novel’s scenes. For a debut, Rizio’s novel is remarkably accomplished. An entertaining thriller full of clever touches, whose characters and tone enliven an overworked genre.” ~ Rebecca Cramer Kirkus Indie–Kirkus LLC
Prior to her working in her present firm, she was an Assistant District Attorney under Arlen Specter and later became a litigation attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Comission trying sex and race discrimination cases.She,along with other members of her team at the EEOC helped bring about a large settlement against Phillip Morris in a failure to hire and promote case.
Currently she represents severly injured plaintiffs who are victims of auto accidents,building collapse, fire, slip and fall in and on premises, and dangerous products as well as medical malpractice.
Legal Thriller Alert! Kindle Author, Teresa Burrell, Does It Again With The 3rd Installment of The Bestselling Advocate Series – THE ADVOCATE’S CONVICTION (THE ADVOCATE SERIES) – 4.8 Stars With All Rave Reviews and Now Just 99 Cents or FREE via Kindle Lending Library
The Advocate’s Conviction (The Advocate Series)
by Teresa Burrell
AUTHOR, ATTORNEY, ADVOCATE.
Teresa Burrell has dedicated her life to helping children and their families in both the courtroom and the classroom.
As an attorney in San Diego, Burrell maintained a private law practice for twelve years, which specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents. Burrell has received several awards and special recognition from the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers for her countless hours of pro bono work with children and their families.
Burrell has also enjoyed a satisfying career as a teacher. She has taught children of all ages with diverse backgrounds and special needs. After creating an after-school program that kept kids off the street, she received a community service award.
Now in semi-retirement in California, Burrell continues to educate groups about social issues impacting children and write novels, many of which are inspired by actual legal cases. She is the author of The Advocate Series which now contains three novels, The Advocate, The Advocate’s Betrayal, and The Advocate’s Conviction. Also, The Advocate’s Dilemma will be released soon.
KND Kindle Free Book Alert for Sunday, July 01: 415 BRAND NEW FREEBIES in the last 24 hours added to Our 3,200+ FREE TITLES Sorted by Category, Date Added, Bestselling or Review Rating! plus … Joseph Love’s KILL TOWN, USA (Today’s Sponsor – Totally FREE!!)
Joseph Love (b. 1985) was born and grew up in Murfreesboro, TN. He moved around between Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina while beginning his writing career. Slowly, he gained recognition by respected journals such as West Branch, Greatest Uncommon Denominator, and Raritan. Desperate for a job at the time of his daughter's birth, he began working for a funeral home, where he decided to rework a zombie novel he'd written years before. The new book was shorter, a novella, and it fit with his short story style. Kill Town, USA is his powerful, bloody, zombie-filled mass-market debut.Kill Town, USA
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KND Kindle Free Book Alert for Sunday, July 01: 415 BRAND NEW FREEBIES in the last 24 hours added to Our 3,200+ FREE TITLES Sorted by Category, Date Added, Bestselling or Review Rating! plus … Joseph Love’s KILL TOWN, USA (Today’s Sponsor – Totally FREE!!)
Like “Sex & The City”? Kate Metz’s STILETTO SAFARI is Our eBook of the Day and Readers are Saying STILETTO SAFARI is Filled with Humor, Fashion, Friendships and Self-Realization – at just $2.99, with 4.9 Stars on 20 Reviews, and Here’s a Free Sample
Here’s the set-up for Kate Metz’s Stiletto Safari, just $2.99 on Kindle:Zara Hamilton has it all – a glamorous New York lifestyle, a gorgeous (and seriously rich) boyfriend and a job as a lawyer in a prestigious city law firm. But when Zara’s boyfriend is accused of insider trading her perfect world implodes.
Thrown out of work by security and stalked by the press, Zara’s life can’t get any worse. Or can it? A snap decision (and a few wines too many) sees Zara fleeing to Africa to work as a temporary wildlife volunteer. But just when things start to cool down at home Zara realises her troubles have only just begun.
Will Zara’s designer wardrobe survive? Will a supermodel ruin her only chance at happiness? Can a Birkin bag really solve her problems? And will Zara want her old life back at the end of it all….
From the reviewers:
“Are you looking for some fun chick-lit that will hook you at page one and hold you all the way through until the very last page? Then I highly recommend STILETTO SAFARI by debut author, Kate Metz.”- Cindy Roesel (Emmy Award-Winner), Chick Lit Central: The Blog!
“FUN BOOK ALERT! Check out STILETTO SAFARI by Kate Metz this weekend to help spruce up your Spring Break.” – Liz Fenton, Chick Lit Is Not Dead
“STILETTO SAFARI is Chick-Lit at its best… this novel deserves more than 5 stars.” – Reviewed by Molly E. for Readers Favorite
“If big game and legal angst seem like an intriguing combination, you should snap up a copy of Metz’s book.” – Roll on Friday
“STILETTO SAFARI is a humorous and hard to put down read, very much recommended.” – Midwest Book Review
“I found STILETTO SAFARI absolutely delightful… this book was so much fun that I had a hard time putting it down. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, light read with a sassy, quick-witted main character.” – Sara Palacios, ChickLitPlus
“Kate Metz’s debut novel STILETTO SAFARI, is filled with humor, fashion, friendships and self-realization… a great chick lit book for anyone who likes a humorous, well told story reminiscent of a Beth Harbison novel.” – Susan Ashcraft, SusanReviews
Kate Metz lives in Melbourne, Australia. She has travelled widely and has spent time working as a wildlife volunteer in Namibia.
She has been attacked by a leopard, gone swimming with baboons and elephants and has had plenty of wonderful experiences along the way.
Stiletto Safari is Kate’s first novel.
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample of STILETTO SAFARI by Kate Metz: