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Just in time for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a compact, accurate and eloquent history of this tragic and heroic era in which 630,000 Americans were killed … by each other. William S. Shepard’s Maryland In The Civil War is our eBook of the Day – Just $2.99 on Kindle, and here’s a free sample

April 28, 2011 by KND

Kindle Store Reader Ratings: Top 100 for Civil War History

Here’s the se

t-up for William S. Shepard’s Maryland In The Civil War – Just $2.99 on Kindle:

Just in time for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, “Maryland In The Civil War” answers the need for a compact and accurate history of this tragic and heroic era. These four essays explore famous battles on Maryland soil such as Antietam, and little known episodes such as Maryland’s invasion of the Eastern Shore counties of Virginia, followed by the military occupation of Delaware!

The first essay, “The Setting, 1859-1860,” explores the Southern sympathies of the Eastern Shore, and slavery as an institution here. We trace the contributions and legacy of Eastern Shore natives Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.

The second essay, “The Crisis, 1861,” concentrates on the efforts of Governor Hicks to keep Maryland in the Union. It is a thrilling story and a surprising one, for Hicks, a Dorchester County farmer who had been elected thanks to the Know-Nothing (American) Party nomination in 1857, soon found himself fighting the grand issues of the day with a General Assembly that was controlled by Southern Democrats. The pressures to at least convene a legislative convention to consider the secession issue – as Virginia was doing at the same time – caused enormous pressure. And the Pratt Street Riots of April 19, 1861, when federal troops passing through Baltimore ran into a rioting gang of outraged civilians, caused emotions to run at fever pitch.

Hicks’s nightmare came about, as Maryland became a “Battlefield, 1861-1863,” the third essay. Here, I hope that readers will take their Kindles with them to the battlefields of Antietam, South Mountain, and Monocacy, follow the narrative, and ponder over the sacrifices made on those battlefields. Antietam still holds the doleful record of the greatest American casualties ever sustained in one day.

In the fourth essay, “Last Rolls of the Dice, 1864-1865,” we follow the desperate gamble of General Jubal Early, CSA, to capture Washington. And of course, the path of deluded actor John Wilkes Booth is treated here, both the assassination of Lincoln, and the strange episode of Dr. Samuel Mudd, of Bryantown in Southern Maryland, who treated the injured Booth and just missed the death penalty at his ensuing trial.

Since Marylanders fought on both sides, neither should be forgotten. The Maryland Memorial at Gettysburg, seen on the cover of this e-book, portrays the scene, two wounded soldiers, USA and CSA, helping each other as they limp along. For a conflict that pitted brothers against each other, sometimes literally, that symbol of coming together is a worthy one, as Americans still ponder the past, and its lessons for the present.

“Maryland in the Civil War” eBook for techies with civil war buffs – Washington Times Review

Visit Amazon’s William S. Shepard Page

I have enjoyed writing about wine, and diplomacy. But one night, when I was on duty in the Executive Secretariat of the State Department,I wondered why there had been no diplomatic sleuths. Career diplomats see so many sources of information, that the connection of diplomacy and crime solving seemed natural.

And so, on retiring after service at five diplomatic missions abroad, and a number of Washington assignments, I created a new mystery genre, the “diplomatic mystery.”

There are now four novels in the series, with Robbie Cutler, a career diplomat, as the protagonist.

In “Vintage Murder,” set in Bordeaux, leaders of the Basque terrorist group ETA attempt to blackmail the great Bordeaux wine estates, as Robbie Cutler, assigned to the Bordeaux Consulate General, and his girlfriend Sylvie Marceau, race against time to uncover the terrorist plot.

In “Murder On The Danube,” Robbie Cutler is transferred to our Embassy in Budapest, where an old crime, treachery during the 1956 Revolution, is the motive for current murders.

In “Murder In Dordogne,” Robbie and Sylvie are on their honeymoon – while murderers attempt to crash the festivities. And now in “The Saladin Affair,” Robbie Cutler is Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, whose initial trip to European gives rise to an Al Qaeda murder plot. And that Elizabethan desk in the residence of our Ambassador in Dublin – can it really contain documents hidden since the time of Shakespeare?

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

Elisabeth Nelson’s High Ground: A Compelling Romance That Sets You at the Center of Civil War History and Politics! Enjoy a Free Sample of Our eBook of The Day Without Leaving Your Browser!

April 27, 2011 by KND

Captain Garrett Fitzwilliam’s life is defined by love of country and faith in the law … until a sassy young widow captures more than his imagination. Rachael’s faith might sustain him when war divides the North and the South, but his misguided sense of duty may cost him her love. For what exactly did he pay so high a price?

Here’s the set-up for Elisabeth Nelson’s High Ground – Just $2.99 on Kindle!

“This damn war has cost me everything I love…everything that mattered, and I don’t even know why I’m fighting anymore.”

In 1860, Captain Garrett Fitzwilliam is living in the center of American politics, viewing the divisive issues of the day through his nonpartisan lawyer eyes. His life is defined by love of country and faith in the rule of law…until Rachael Hayes Kendrick enters his world. This sassy young widow captures more than the cocky captain’s imagination. She proves to him that love is indeed an act of faith, and Rachael’s faith in Garrett is indomitable. Her faith will sustain him when war divides the North and the South; his misguided sense of duty may cost him her love. But for what exactly did he pay so high a price?

In the wake of war, everything Garrett believes in, the core of his existence, is collapsing. The Union army suffers repeated defeats not owing entirely to the brilliance of Robert E. Lee’s command of the Confederate army, and in Washington, a very different enemy has emerged. This insidious enemy poses a threat to the United States that Garrett never thought possible. But this enemy no officer may dare to challenge.

So how will Garrett Fitzwilliam defend his country when his country’s survival depends upon an army sabotaged by its own incompetence? Or was his country lost when the man who swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution imprisoned his political foes?

Would the answers matter so much to Garrett if Rachael loved him again?

Visit Amazon’s Elisabeth Nelson Page

After 10 years, I came to the realization that practicing law was not my passion. Serious soul searching led me to conclude that my love of the law was tied to my love of American History. It took a little more time to admit that my true passion was what it had been since I was a child–writing stories. Then it became a matter of finding the courage to act on my dreams.

The courage came when I reminded myself that my greatest is fear is regret–looking back and regretting that I didn’t do something for no reason other than fear. So I faced the lesser fear of putting myself out there, and published my first novel.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of American Civil War novels. I haven’t read them all, but I have yet to read a novel that approaches the subject as I do in High Ground.

While writing the story, I made a conscious effort to view the period through the eyes of someone living at that time, characters who don’t have the advantage of hindsight. I point that out because it’s only in hindsight that we recognize the success of Lincoln’s presidency and his handling of the crisis that threatened the nation.

In High Ground, I attempt to provide a broader framework within which to view the War Between the States. From there, I tell the story of a man who dedicated his life to serving, protecting and defending his country, but sees the freedom and democracy guaranteed in the Constitution, everything he is fighting for, being sacrificed in Lincoln’s efforts to save the Union.

*Neither the Emancipation Proclamation nor the war ended slavery in America. The war did make it possible to adopt the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Bill of Rights, which ended slavery and provided citizenship to the former slaves.

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

Every now and then, the horror gets personal. Read a free sample of our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day, Teresa Burrell’s The Advocate’s Betrayal, without leaving your browser!

April 26, 2011 by KND

When the people closest to you have so much to hide, you can’t trust anyone.

Love a great legal thriller? Find out why The Advocate’s Betrayal is one of the Top 25 Legal thrillers in the Kindle Store!

- #23 Top Rated in Kindle Store >Mystery & Thrillers > Legal

Here’s the set-up for Teresa Burrell’s The Advocate’s Betrayal, Just $2.51 on Kindle:

Sabre Orin Brown is a legal advocate for children in the San Diego justice system. She witnesses her share of horror every day. Every now and then, that horror gets personal.

When Sabre’s friend Betty calls one morning with the shocking news that her husband was murdered in his sleep, Sabre makes it her mission to find the killer. The cops suspect Betty, and Sabre has no leads. It would be easier if Betty wasn’t hiding something, but even after she gets thrown in jail, she refuses to say a word about her past and the mystery that chased the couple across the country and ultimately hunted her husband to his death.

Sabre can’t put her own life on hold, either. She is still trying to protect the two children on her caseload whose parents have brainwashed them with a violent racial hatred. She’s also recovering from the horrific events of the previous year, when a stalker burned her home ground.

Life never gets easy, but at least Sabre is not alone. She has the comfort of her calm and stable boyfriend, Luke, and the help of good friends. But when a private detective, JP, follows the murder from Betty’s empty trailer home to a small town in Texas and a nightclub in Chicago, it starts to seem like finding the answers may be more dangerous than ever.

Only one thing becomes remarkably clear: When the people closest to you have so much to hide, you can’t trust anyone.

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

Reporter Liam Michael “Mad Mick” Murphy is Back to Help a Rebel Priest Escape Death Squads in Our eBook Of The Day, Tijuana Weekend, and Here’s a Free Sample!

April 25, 2011 by KND

Journalist Liam Michael “Mad Mick” Murphy is back for another adventure. Journeying far from his usual haunts in Key West, Murphy finds trouble south of the border.

Here’s the set-up for Michael Haskins’ Tijuana Weekend, just $2.99 on Kindle:

The opening of the bullfight season in Tijuana, Mexico, finds Mick Murphy up against Central American death squads as he tries to help the ‘rebel’ priest escape Mexico and enter the USA with evidence of government involvement in the death of Jesuits and their housekeeper in El Salvador.

With a group of American friends in tow, Murphy avoids getting them involved as he calls on old friends to help him get back across the border.

Visit Amazon’s Michael Haskins Page

From the author:

A little about me–I grew up in North Quincy, Massachusetts, and went through the public school system. I wasn’t a student who stood out. If my English teacher in the ninth grade had not told me to put down a copy of Hemingway’s short stories (I had taken it off a bookrack during study class) because I was “too stupid to understand it,” I might never have wanted to read. Thank you Mr. Carlin! In my senior year, I talked my creative writing teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, into getting the school to allow us to publish a creative writing magazine, Counterpoint. Mr. Carlin barely passed me, Mrs. Shapiro gave me A’s! Go figure!

When I was sixteen, Jack Scanlon, a family friend, helped get me the midnight-to-eight weekend office boy job at the Record-American, Sunday Advertiser, a Hearst Newspaper. Those two-nights a week began my education into the world of journalism and politics. What I learned from the men and women on the Record and Advertiser was more important than anything I learned in college. I was fortunate to enter the world of journalism in its gritty days, when reporters came up the ranks from office boy, to cub, to reporter. My early years were like a black-and-white noir movie, no kidding. There’s a book in those early adventures, and someday I expect to write it.

College taught me how you were supposed to put a news story together, but nights as a copy boy taught me how to dig up the facts and write the story.

I left Boston and moved to Los Angeles, where I worked in TV and freelanced as a photojournalist for years. I served one year on the board of directors of the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles. I also married, fathered twin daughters (Seanan and Chela), and divorced, while in LA.

When I got fed up with Hollyweird, I moved to Key West, where I went to work for Bernard Hunt at the daily Key West Citizen. Bernie and copy editor Vann Trotter forced me into the business editor/writer position and I don’t think I ever had the decency to thank them. The position gave me a unique opportunity to witness the inner workings of business in Key West. I spent more than five years at the Citizen.

I moved to Key West to sail and today I own a 1973, 36-foot Amel sloop. With friends, I have sailed to Cuba four times and flown from Miami once. Much of what I learned about Cuba is in my novels. While I wait for a political change in both the US and Cuba, I still sail the waters off Key West, expecting the day I can sail that 90-miles south will arrive soon. I would love to set a whole novel in and around Havana.

Hope to see you at the Hog’s Breath or Schooner Wharf one of these days.

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

Experience totally unexpected reading bliss for just $4.50 on Kindle today with Kate Hamilton’s novel BLOOD LINE – And here’s a free sample!

April 24, 2011 by KND

A hilarious romp in the Scottish Highlands, a Gothic comedy, real corker of a novel, earthly and angelic, all woven together with a remarkable gift for creating character, voice and … last but not least, a perfect ending.

Here’s the set-up for Kate Hamilton’s Blood Line – just $4.50 on Kindle:

A FAIRY TALE ROMANCE about sacrificial love and the rite of passage from teenage angst and confusion to maturity. Blood Line deals in a most subtle and clever way with the reality of true love.

When Lauren MacBreach’s angel turns up and offers to save her from a fate worse than death she turns him down. It does not take her very long to regret her decision as she is catapulted across the Atlantic to an unknown destination filled with crazy people who attempt to do away with her.

She meets Euphemia – ‘Mia’ – a distant cousin who has more than a little interest in the Laird; Ginger, who is a little too trigger happy for comfort; Erroll, who has a strange take on eightsome reels.

Historical enactments of the Boston tea party and a Haggis Hunt add to the fun. But why does the vicar have a sacrificial altar in his bedroom? What was the Laird of Tomindoul doing on his visit to the King of Spain? And just who is The Tawny Man?

Fortunately her angel is there to save her. After all, she is his first case. But even he ist fallible. In doubt as to whether the stunningly tall, dark and handsome Laird of Tomindoul is to be her husband or her killer, Lauren trusts her angel will save her from that fate worse than death. But she does not know when or how.

A hilarious romp in the Scottish Highlands, Blood Line is a Gothic comedy.

“Hamilton has an incredible sense of character voice and behavior.”

“I especially loved the perfect ending.”

“A real corker of a novel . . . earthly and angelic.”

From the reviewers:

What do an angel that glows with the same power as a 60 watt light bulb, a stolen shadow, missed homework reports and a Scottish Laird have in common? Precisely! An absolute must, this is a real corker of a novel for young and old, earthly and angelic. A must read from this fabulous new author.

BLOOD LINE is a clever premise. Although it’s intended as a young adult novel, it is also interesting to adults. Certianly I enjoyed it. This is by far the most unusual romance since “Sleepless in Seattle.”

This book has some interesting twists and turns, definitely taking the reader to unexpected places! I also loved the use of humor throughout….not in-your-face humor, but subtle humor. Very imaginative author! Will be watching for more from her!

Visit Amazon’s Kate Hamilton Page

Kate Hamilton lives in her writing studio in Edinburgh, Scotland. She loves driving her sports car in the beautiful Scottish landscape, playing classical piano and reading.

Visiting castles, country houses and interesting locations provide her with inspiration. Sometimes she will visit a new location only to discover she had already written about it in a novel.

Her conclusion is that there is more to this thing we call imagination than we realize. Kate grew up in Highgate, North London and has lived in many places abroad including Southeast Asia.

In the words of one historian, the Civil War is “the American Iliad” – Here’s a historical novel that brings that truth to life: Timothy Woods’ GRANT ME TIMELY GRACE is our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day, and Here’s a Free Sample- 4.5 stars – just $2.99 on Kindle!

April 23, 2011 by KND

With Robert Redford’s THE CONSPIRATOR in theatres, here’s a Civil War novel with a strong feminist theme that will appeal to men and women alike. Timothy Woods’ moving historical novel is informed by thorough research, a sense of its characters’ weariness with war, and an understanding of the war’s international dimensions. GRANT ME TIMELY GRACE – 4.5 stars – just $2.99 on Kindle!Here’s the set-up :

Washington, D.C., June 1863. It is the week before Gettysburg, and the nation’s fate hangs in the balance.

A Union officer was not court-martialed after disobeying a direct order during battle. Why?

Major Russell Johns is being played by puppet-master Gerard Chantier. Transplanted New Orleans businessman and toast of the town, Chantier hosts the city’s most lavish entertainments attended by members of Lincoln’s cabinet and Washington’s elite.

Little do they know Gerard is coordinating an attack with Confederate general JEB Stuart’s cavalry to take over the city, kidnap Lincoln and bring victory to the South.

When Russell’s probing brings him in contact with Chantier’s daughter, Thérèse, he has to face his most difficult moral choice: manipulating her to get to her father or honoring the one thing that has sustained him through years of battle and loss—his own integrity.

Praise for GRANT ME TIMELY GRACE:

“It is late June, 1863 and the Army of Northern Virginia is north of the Potomac River with elements well into Pennsylvania. Jeb Stuart’s Confederate cavalry is close to the Western approaches of Washington, D.C. but what is their intent? An attack on the city? Needless to say, The Union leadership and their advisers are shaken and desperately searching for ways to counter the threat, or are they?

In Grant Me Timely Grace, Tim Woods weaves an intricate story of deep cover spies, disgraced military men, diplomatic intrigue and lovely Southern belles into a riveting fictional account of Washington before the Battle of Gettysburg.

The novel revolves around Gerard Chantier, an immensely wealthy expatriate widowed Louisianan who has become the confident of the high Union leadership, his beautiful and brilliant daughter Therese, and Gerard’s longtime friend and assistant, James Bayeaux, who he had freed from being a family slave upon inheriting his wealth. Add in a disgraced Union officer searching for redemption, a lethal female Southern sympathizer and a suave British intelligence operative and you have quite a story.

Author Woods has a good command of the Civil War era and moves deftly between actual and fictional events. He speaks of the intricate defense system of Washington, which also had its flaws which play a role in his narrative. The byzantine politics of both the Northern and Southern governments are also well related. A refreshing addition to Civil War fiction is the plot line involving diplomacy and intrigue with the British Empire, a most fascinating what-if.

Grant Me Timely Grace … is highly recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction, especially fiction related to the Gettysburg Campaign.—-Ken Williams – TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog.

I am not a history buff, nor have I ever thought I was very interested in historical fiction. I was given Mr. Woods’ book to read and I have to say I could barely tear myself away! I read it (on my computer screen, no less) every spare moment I had until I finished, and I was sorry when it ended. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the writing. Rich and descriptive, I could imagine I was watching a movie as I read through each scene. The characters were deep and well developed and became very real to me. This one is a must for any Civil War buff, history buff and really anyone who enjoys engaging and well-written novels; it certainly transcends its genre.

Historical fiction isn’t what I generally read so it took most of the first chapter to get over myself and into the characters and setting of the book. From there on I was hooked and found it difficult to put down. Having lived in the South in the 1940’s and 50’s I saw firsthand the cultural scars from the civil war that still exist today. So I appreciated Tim’s historical accuracy of the war and it’s brilliant use as a backdrop to a well told story that had my full attention throughout the book. The tapestry of the story is woven around the civil war and the dynamic cast of characters which include soldiers, slaves, spies, war profiteers, wily politicians, and northern ladies of pedigree in full regalia, (that are described in amazing detail). You don’t want to miss this gem of a book that has an ending that keeps you thinking.

Visit Amazon’s Timothy Woods Page

I’m delighted to announce, after a 7+ year journey, the release of my Civil War novel, ‘Grant Me Timely Grace.’

The book’s title comes from an Edmund Spenser sonnet that thematically speaks to the weariness of war (aren’t we all).

In attempting to say something fresh in a Civil War novel, I’ve woven into the narrative several under-represented topics.

A major character, Gerard Chantier, is a Southern spy; yet, unlike most portraits of Confederates he is not a racist. In fact, the only person he considers a friend is his Black secretary, James Bayeaux.

In addition, this story integrates international dimensions of the war that are woefully under-appreciated by the non-Civil War scholar. Britain and France were one incident away from entering our Civil War for their own geo-political purposes.

I grew up in a New England family, but my mother came from the South. I have ancestors who fought on both sides of the conflict, and The American Civil War was always debated at our table.

I hope my novel has done justice to some of the war’s paradoxes and complexities. As Charles P. Roland so aptly put it, The Civil War is the American Illiad.

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

AIN’T NO SUNSHINE by Leslie DuBois – 4.7 stars and now just 99 cents on Kindle! – Our eBook of the Day, and Here’s a Free Sample

April 22, 2011 by KND

WHITES ONLY — Words that adorned every building in Livingston, Virginia during the summer of 1963. Words that told Stephen that what he felt for his colored neighbor Ruthie was wrong. In time, Ruthie becomes the only ray of sunshine in his life and he is not willing to let her go without a fight … a fight that could lead to murder.

Here’s the set-up for AIN’T NO SUNSHINE by Leslie DuBois – 4.7 stars and now just 99 cents on Kindle!

Summertime in Virginia, in the turbulent Sixties. Race relations grow more strained. Stephen’s father is murdered, and the boy is pulled over by police 700 miles away from the scene of the crime. A broken taillight causes the pullover. The fact that Stephen’s girl friend is in the car complicates things. The fact that Stephen is white and she is black really complicates them.

WHITES ONLY

Those words adorned every building in Livingston, Virginia during the summer of 1963, confusing and angering a five-year-old Stephen Phillips.

Those words told Stephen that what he felt for his colored neighbor Ruthie was wrong.

As he grows older, Ruthie becomes the only ray of sunshine in his abusive life and he is not willing to let her go without a fight, a fight that could lead to murder.

From the reviewers:

The title of this story comes from the Bill Withers song:

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.

It’s not warm when she’s away.

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone

And she’s always gone too long anytime she goes away.

I didn’t think I would like this story because I knew it would be full of misery and pain. Well, it was, but the ending was surprisingly beautiful! I loved it!

This is a story of racism, love, and secrets from the past all colliding in one couple’s lives.

This story contains a lot of pain but leaves you with hope at the end. Not necessarily justice, but definitely with hope.

The author holds no punches in her writing. She writes about ugly subjects most people would prefer to hide, including the characters in this story. The father is abusive, the son is in love with the mulatto neighbor girl, and the passion and anger in the book grow until it explodes.

Editor’s note: And the next review, not written in the King’s English but with a heartfelt eloquence that cannot–and should not–be ignored:

love this so deep what i learn in this book love has no color when you love someone you should them. great read fast to i will buy book again fromm this author

Visit Amazon’s Leslie DuBois Page

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

Why should I provide my email address?

It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Springwater Seasons by Linda Lael Miller

A dark secret threatens to expose the best and worst of those tied to a thriving Virginia plantation in the decades before the Civil War. The Kitchen House: A Novel by Kathleen Grissom

At the heart of the mystery, they suspect an elusive serial abductor lurks. But what they uncover is something darker still. MORI: The Lost Ones Volume 1 by Michael Seagard

Reverse hypertension, increase energy, and prevent or reverse heart disease no matter when you start! Heart Disease & Hypertension: Vitamin Therapy for a Healthy Heart by Bryant Lusk

It’s been twenty-five years since she sealed the Hellgate. Now, she’s gotta stop the apocalypse. Again. Reunion: An Over Forty Urban Fantasy Novel (The Hellgate Chronicles Book 1) by Jocelyn Lindsay

The story about a girl in search of her past who discovers a secret rooftop world in Paris… Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out USA National Parks: Lands of Wonder by DK Travel

She wants to leave the mafia life behind. He’ll protect her at all costs. The Mafioso’s Promise by Jade Styles

Start building stronger bones today! Osteoporosis & Osteopenia: Vitamin Therapy for Stronger Bones by Bryant Lusk

This is the true story of a kid trying to survive trouble of biblical proportions… Dream Monster: A Memoir by Kurt B. Dowdle

It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Mystery: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman

She saved his life. Can he heal her heart? The Baron’s Return: A Regency Historical Romance (The Rakes of Mayhem Book 4) by Anna St. Claire

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