Important Note: This post is dated Sunday, March 25, 2012, and the titles mentioned here may remain free only until midnight PST tonight.

Constance Sartone Jacobson never recovered the sudden death of her father when she was only five. Devastated by her husband’s death and the scandal that ensues, Constance’s mother, Madeline, does little to comfort her scared and lonely daughter. With nowhere to turn, Constance protects herself by closing off her emotions.

Through vivid dreams and daytime visions Constance’s father calls to her from a horse-drawn stagecoach. These visions help Constance cope with her humdrum life and failing marriage. But things are about to change. On a business trip with her husband, she purchases an antique Greek vase. Upon opening it, a stream of purple light hisses from the vase and a tribe of wasp-like creatures pour out. One of the creatures shape-shifts into a ravishing fairy and offers Constance a way out. Desperate to feel anything, Constance listens to the fairy’s advice.

But as her confidence grows, she begins to make all the wrong decisions, catapulting her into a web of lies and deceit. As her life spins further and further out of control, Constance finds herself starting into the abyss forced to make one final heart-wrenching decision. A roller coaster ride into chaos of a personal hell, The Beautiful Evil is a captivating psychological thriller that will keep you questioning reality until the ultimate final act.

Laid off after his factory was abruptly shuttered, and unable to find gainful employment, Jim Jansen has been forced out of his house and onto the street. With no decent career prospects in sight, he must find a way to fulfill that special promise he made of getting braces for his daughter. He befriends an old acquaintance from the factory, and together they manage to fashion a wretched, but livable, existence in an alley. Try as he might to scrape together enough money to get back on his feet and back his wife and daughter, life deals him setback after setback. A series of especially disheartening setbacks pushes him to his breaking point. With the deadline to fulfill that promise rapidly approaching, Jim finds himself out of options. Unless… Follow Jim as he forges on, sacrificing of himself to try to live up to his pledge.

Important Note: This post is dated Saturday, March 24, 2012, and the titles mentioned here may remain free only until midnight PST tonight.

Something twisted is stalking the Cunningham family. It lurks at the periphery of Beth’s vision. Her husband Charlie can’t help, if she could even remember him; he’s doing time for a murder he didn’t commit. The small child Beth was found with, whom she doesn’t know either, was taken to foster care. There isn’t much time now. If Beth doesn’t recall the hideous events that stole her memory soon, the killer will strike again, and someone else will die.

50% of net proceeds go to Ben, a profound young man with Down Syndrome and autism, to pay for his tuition at The Joshua School in Denver—a wonderful school that has given him the education and attention he deserves!

Decorated Denver Detective Bobby Macaulay has faced down a truckload of tragedy over recent years. The death of his partner; the loss of his own leg in the line of duty; the companionship of his beloved wife to cancer; his faith in God to his inner demons.

After the man who ruined his leg and killed his first partner is executed, Macaulay becomes the lead detective investigating the Sloan’s Lake murders. The method of killing in this double-homicide is so heinous it leads Macaulay and his partner down an ever-darkening path–one that must be traversed if they are to discover the evil forces behind the slaughter.

Just when Bobby Macaulay is questioning the very career that has been his salvation, he will discover a heroic history buried within his own family roots: The Clan MacAulay–a deep family lineage of protectors at the very core of a millenniums-long war against unimaginable evil.

“Black Beast” is the first in a series of “Clan of MacAulay” novels–a stellar first outing for new author R.S. Guthrie. The book is a page-turner that avoids meandering, written with tight prose that keeps the action flowing. The reader is taken inside the heart and mind of a common hero who will make you believe in good again–Macaulay is a believable, flawed character with whom each of us can relate and for whom each of us will cheer.

Or check out the Audible.com version of Big Sex Little Death: A Memoir
in its Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged!

Ever wondered why there’s no female voice as bold, erotic, unflinching, and revealing as Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, or Philip Roth? There is. It belongs to Susie Bright.

In this stunning and courageous coming-of-age story, Susie Bright opens her heart and her life. From fearful Irish Catholic Girl Scout to gun-toting teenage revolutionary—and finally the “The Avatar of American Erotica” (NYTimes)—Bright’s life story is shaped as much by America’s sexual awakening as the national sexual landscape was altered by Bright herself.

In Big Sex Little Death, Bright introduces us to her influences and experiences, including her early involvement with notorious high school radicals The Red Tide as well as the magazine she co-founded in the 1980s, On Our Backs—the first-ever erotic magazine created by women, which turned the lesbian and bisexual community upside down before it took the “straight” world by storm.

Big Sex Little Death is an explosive yet intimate memoir that’s pure Susie: bold, free-spirited, unpredictable—larger than life, yet utterly true to life.

Constance Sartone Jacobson never recovered the sudden death of her father when she was only five. Devastated by her husband’s death and the scandal that ensues, Constance’s mother, Madeline, does little to comfort her scared and lonely daughter. With nowhere to turn, Constance protects herself by closing off her emotions.

Through vivid dreams and daytime visions Constance’s father calls to her from a horse-drawn stagecoach. These visions help Constance cope with her humdrum life and failing marriage. But things are about to change. On a business trip with her husband, she purchases an antique Greek vase. Upon opening it, a stream of purple light hisses from the vase and a tribe of wasp-like creatures pour out. One of the creatures shape-shifts into a ravishing fairy and offers Constance a way out. Desperate to feel anything, Constance listens to the fairy’s advice.

But as her confidence grows, she begins to make all the wrong decisions, catapulting her into a web of lies and deceit. As her life spins further and further out of control, Constance finds herself starting into the abyss forced to make one final heart-wrenching decision. A roller coaster ride into chaos of a personal hell, The Beautiful Evil is a captivating psychological thriller that will keep you questioning reality until the ultimate final act.

Important Note: This post is dated Friday, March 23, 2012, and the titles mentioned here may remain free only until midnight PST tonight.

When Jane is invited to attend the Magical Pony School she has no idea that the winter solstice ceremony will bring a wild pig, an odd woman, and a crazy dwarf into her life. Jane learns how to shape-shift and goes on an unexpected journey, aided by three first-year friends, the Magical Pony School herd, a very special black mare with one eye, and two little donkey guardians.

The Magical Pony School series is aimed at middle grade readers but appeals to all ages. If Harry Potter had a little sister, she would be at the Magical Pony School!

Taylor is going crazy. At least, she thinks so when her mother places her in Saint Jude, a group home for teens with mental illnesses. At Saint Jude, Taylor discovers a group of other teenage “crazies”: Princess, Blaine, Isaac, and her soon-to-be best friend, Reno. This zany group specializes in quips and antics to avoid coming to terms with their problems, especially by frustrating Arnold “Big Daddy” Hopkins, the therapist and director. But the mood turns serious when tragedy strikes one of the group and “Big Daddy” is replaced by Dalton, who forces each of them to confront their futures with avant-garde techniques. One by one, they leave Saint Jude not with a “magic cure” but at least with the means to cope with life as an adult.

This novel, “Saint Jude,” was listed in “The Big Book of Teen Reading Lists: 100 Great, Ready-to-Use Book Lists for Educators, Librarians, Parents, and Teens” by Nancy Keane.

Important Note: This post is dated Friday, March 23, 2012, and the titles mentioned here may remain free only until midnight PST tonight.

When Yudi, Tiina & Rai embark on a mission to save the universe, they come up against the ruthless Shaitan who is determined to stop them at any cost. But they soon realise they have a bigger enemy – themselves. So they must learn to trust each other and overcome their fears as they fight their way towards the ultimate showdown.

Partially set in a dystopian Bombay of the future, The Destiny of Shaitan is a coming of age story, painted against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world.

Yudi, Tiina and Rai are destined to come together, for they are the Chosen Ones. It falls to them to save the universe from the powerful Shaitan, who is terrifying, and utterly merciless. Driven by greed, and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way through the galaxy, destroying anything that gets in his path, including his lovers and his own children. The battle between the Chosen Ones and Shaitan is a classic, epic encounter. Hated and feared by all, Shaitan must win this fight to keep his power. The stakes are high, the combatants are determined, and no matter what the outcome their lives will be changed for all time.

The Roaring Twenties crumble into the Great Depression, but Virginia Kingsley, New York’s toughest and most successful speakeasy owner, is doing just fine. Now that the world is falling apart, bootlegging is a flourishing business, and she’s queen of that castle.

Then her infant nephew is kidnapped. Her niece, Laura, and Laura’s philandering movie star husband, are devastated. The police have few leads, and speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the celebrity abduction.

Only one reporter, Erich Muller, seems to care enough about the child’s welfare and the parents’ feelings to report the case responsibly. Over the course of the investigation, Erich Muller and Laura fall in love, but their relationship is doomed to failure since he suspects her beloved aunt Virginia is behind the kidnapping. Laura, jaded when it comes to men, sides with Virginia.
But Virginia has figured out the truth, and she can’t tell anyone for fear of losing her niece’s affections and having the police ransack her life. So she pursues her own investigation, shaking down, threatening, and killing one petty crook after another during her search.

Little Todd’s absence shapes everyone’s lives. When he is finally found, the discovery will bring disaster for some and revelation for others.

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FIRST PART of the book discusses the foundation of mind maps as a learning tool, describes the benefits and uses of mind maps, and shows you how to draw mind maps, step-by-step, with a mind map diagram at each step. Even if you’ve never drawn a mind map before, you’ll learn the basics and more in this one chapter that takes you through all the essentials of a mind mapping process. It also gives an overview of mind mapping uses, programs and their features, and is accompanied by extensive resources on book’s website.

SECOND PART of the book shows you, step-by-step, how to use mind maps to improve your thinking and learning via CLM. With CLM, meaningful learning is achieved through a five-phase process that involves meaningfully organizing and connecting key concepts in a mind map, critically thinking, and asking key questions. This chapter is also accompanied by a full case study.

THIRD PART of the book explains how to use mind maps and CLM for lifelong learning. Included in the chapter are also tips on developing your Personal Learning Network and designing your personal learning plan. Although it’s written with professionals in mind, students will also find value in the chapter, especially those students about to graduate.

International cable TV journalist Charlotte Ansari and her Asperger’s son are caught literally in the crossfire of history when terrorists, the CIA, Mossad (Israeli intelligence) and the Vatican all converge in a pulse-pounding search for two relics that could eviscerate Christianity and forever change the balance of power in the world.

Three decades ago, Charlotte’s mother suddenly vanished with no trace. The mystery was never solved. Then suddenly, on the same day that Charlotte’s home is attacked by terrorists, her son receives an email from the grandmother that he has never known. The coded message catapults Charlotte and her son on a dangerous mission to India and Kashmir to find the only objects that can save the old woman’s life. Unfortunately, Charlotte and her autistic son don’t know what they are looking for.

The Shekinah Legacy is a thriller in the tradition of Dan Brown, Steve Berry and James Rollins. In this provocative novel, author Gary Lindberg uses the form of the thriller to explore the limits and perils of belief.

Important Note: This post is dated Wednesday, March 21, 2012, and the titles mentioned here may remain free only until midnight PST tonight.

From Brett Battles comes a different kind of novel, one Edgar Award nominated author Tim Hallinan calls, “a mesmerizing thriller of the heart.” It’s a story of love, tragedy, and those searching for redemption.

Jay Bradley thought he could leave the Philippines behind. But though he’s started a new life, with a woman he loves, he’s still tormented by questions from his past.

He returns to Angeles City where he once worked as the papasan watching over his bargirls. On the surface he’s there to sell his stake in a bar on the notorious Fields Avenue. In reality he’s come back to find Isabel–one of his old dancers, and the only person who can answer his questions, and quiet his demons.

Because death is seldom an ending, and always haunts those left behind.

Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he’s blind. Just when he thinks he’ll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival–an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his journey to change the future.

As a girl, Maggie had been happy, mischievous, and coddled by loving parents. Now her parents are gone, and she’s running from an abusive marriage. She has no choice but to take refuge in the wilds of Missouri. When her Uncle Ned gets her a job as a live-in housekeeper to the intriguing Nick Revelle, Maggie feels an immediate attraction – mixed with fear – for her employer. Nick has been hardened by a past marriage, and Maggie’s afraid her hidden secrets will make him hate her…

Aaron–scholar, alchemist, and sorcerer’s apprentice–wants nothing more than to study his tomes, perform his experiments, and spend time with his closest friend, Shanna. Substitute the occasional romp about the city for the books and plenty of games of crutchit for the smelly alchemicals, and Shanna is just fine with that, too.

Their routines–and their lives–are thrown into chaos when an elemental attack is launched against their home. Aaron thinks Shanna killed, while Aaron himself is forced to flee for his life. For Shanna, who survives that fateful night, the greatest adventure of her life is about to begin. Only the worst of nightmares awaits Aaron: pursued by dwarves, hell hounds, and a demon who will not stop until he is dead, the only thing keeping him alive is his own resourcefulness and an eslar mercenary whose reputation as a killer might make him the worst threat of all.

Though Aaron and Shanna travel different paths, their purpose is joined when they individually learn of the mysterious Fifth Element. Shanna sees it as the final piece in the puzzle that is her destiny. To Aaron’s logical mind, it is an impossible ambiguity. Whatever the answer, the Fifth Element draws them back together and into a final confrontation not as allies, but as adversaries.

Whose romance are you reliving 100 years later?

SO IF LOVE NEVER DIES, THEN where does it go? Recurring dreams haunt history scholar Jill  Knowles. Sometimes she’s in a foreign country, where a lover betrays her, wearing clothes from a century ago. Sometimes she’s making love with the same man, dreams so erotic that she wakes up burning with desire.

Fellow grad student Seth Hines has been having the same erotic dreams. Neither links the dreams to the other, not even when a surprise encounter that feels more like déjà vu than chance leads them into an unexpected affair. Sex deepens into love, until an enemy tricks Jill into believing Seth will betray her, exactly as the lover in her dreams betrayed her.

Even as she runs away, Jill’s research leads her to believe her dreams may be memories of another woman’s life; on his own, Seth realizes they may be reliving a painful love story. Now Seth must win back Jill’s trust before history repeats.

Fans of “Dead Again,” “Somewhere in Time” and Possession may enjoy the ride as as Legs covers three continents, two centuries, and one fiery journey of two souls destined to make history together.

Legs is a full-length novel of 50,000 words with the first three chapters of its prequel, “Unfinished,” offered as a sample at the end.

Warning: graphic violence, sexual content, R-rated profanity.

Mankind has been all but wiped out.

A ravenous plague of alien, scorpion-like creatures has invaded both cities and countryside, devouring every living thing they can find.

Ben is the only survivor in his desert community ninety miles north of Los Angeles. For all he knows, everyone else in the world is dead.

But he has a small supply of canned food and water, and he’s prepared to wait out the apocalypse – until a group of outsiders stumbles across his hiding place.

Now Ben must figure out which is the greater threat to his survival:

The alien monsters outside his concrete bunker…

…or the human monsters within?

BOTTLE FULL OF SCORPIONS is apocalyptic horror at its most terrifying.

48,000 words.

The most complete and up-to-date resource yet for getting free content for your Kindle Fire, Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle, Kindle DX, and Kindle Apps. Revised November 2011. By Stephen Windwalker, editor of the #1 blog and newsletter for Kindle owners, Kindle Nation Daily. Includes information on Kindle Nation Daily’s magical free book search tool and weekly Kindle giveaway sweepstakes.

Prices apply to U.S. Kindle Store customers, but this book also contains resources that will help customers around find millions of free books and other free content for their Kindles and Kindle apps.

Important Note: This post is dated Tuesday, March 20, 2012, and the titles mentioned here may remain free only until midnight PST tonight.

From Brett Battles comes a different kind of novel, one Edgar Award nominated author Tim Hallinan calls, “a mesmerizing thriller of the heart.” It’s a story of love, tragedy, and those searching for redemption.

Jay Bradley thought he could leave the Philippines behind. But though he’s started a new life, with a woman he loves, he’s still tormented by questions from his past.

He returns to Angeles City where he once worked as the papasan watching over his bargirls. On the surface he’s there to sell his stake in a bar on the notorious Fields Avenue. In reality he’s come back to find Isabel–one of his old dancers, and the only person who can answer his questions, and quiet his demons.

Because death is seldom an ending, and always haunts those left behind.

April to June 2012. A daily dose of books, blogs and quotes from all corners of the BlogSphere. Whether you’re having a good day or a bad day, this eBook is bound to offer you a smile or two.

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