BOOKPERK - deals for readers

A few months ago, someone that I follow on Twitter mentioned a book deal she got on BookPerk. I was curious so I clicked on the link she provided and ended up joining. It's free, and some of the deals are really interesting.

BookPerk is a subsidiary of HarperCollins and most of the book offered are published by them or one of their subsidiaries. The offers generally consist of a book or several books in conjunction with another item - original artwork relating to the book offered, a bath pampering set with a book about beauty, etc. You sign up, for free, join the mailing list and whenever they have a new offer, you receive an email with the details and a link. Each offer is available for a limited time and a minimum number of buyers have to sign up or the offer is canceled.You can look at previous deals here.

Some of the current offers and contests include: an iPad with filled with author Laura Lippman's mystery series, a girls pampering pack with 2 books by Marian Keyes, an eye gel pack and a pair of fuzzy slipper socks for $19.99, a kids gift set of 2 "Pete the Cat" board books and a box of crayons, and for young teens and older middle grade readers, a set of the first three Septimus Heap books by Angie  Sage, with free UPS ground shipping.

There are some good deals to be found, so take a look and give it a try. :)

A Mini Interview With Speculative Fiction Author Krista D Ball

Today we have author Krista D Ball dropping by for a visit. Krista D. Ball is a speculative fiction writer living in Edmonton, Canada. When no one is looking, she dabbles in freelance writing. She's also a slave to a herd of cats and in her free time enjoys RPG'ing.

Krista has several short stories available from MuseItUp Publishing and a forthcoming novel. She writes historical fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, pretty much any genre that allows her to speculate and play with reality. She also wrote non-fiction guide to blogging for authors, "No More Blank Screen: Blogging Ideas for Fiction Authors".  Her works are available on Smashwords and Amazon. She has two forthcoming novels, a sci fi military, "Road to Hell", due to be published Nov. 2011 by MuseItUp Publishing, and a high fantasy novel, "Tranquility's Blaze", expected publication is the first quarter of 2012 by Mundania Press.

You can find Krista all around the web. She has a blog and website, and she can be found on Twitter and facebook. Stop by and chat her up, she's friendly and just a bit crazy. :D I reviewed a short story of hers, "Harvest Moon" last fall but didn't begin chatting with her until this past winter when a mutual acquaintance RT'ed a tweet by Krista that she was looking for bloggers for a summer blog tour. Since I had enjoyed "Harvest Moon" so much I clicked on the link, signed up, and started following her on Twitter. We chat several times a week and I am looking forward to her novels, even "Road to Hell" though I'm not a fan of military fiction and I'm picky about my science fiction. :P

As part of her summer blog tour, I asked Krista a few questions about her short story "Flying Kite, Crashing Ship" and she was kind enough to take the time to reply. (The questions and answers will make more sense if you read my review first.)

Bea: What prompted this story? Was there a specific event that inspired you? Do you think that you will write more in this world?
 

Krista: Flying Kite Crashing Ship was me wanting to write a Regency story that was not based on romance. It's a favourite historical period of mine, yet it's so difficult to find stories about this area that aren't romance or erotica. So, I decided to have a lot of fun and have folks from the far future drop in on the Regency period and see what would happen.

Bea: I hadn't heard the term "flying kite" before your story "Flying Kite; Crashing Ship"; from your use of it, it seems to be not a kite but more of a hot air balloon. Is that right? Have you ever gone up in a hot air balloon?
 

Krista: I don't remember where I read the term. I know it was in an historical document, but for the life of me I've forgotten where I saw it. In any case, the term stuck in my mind. I imagined a flying kite as something like a hybrid weather balloon, though I think it might have referred to just a basic kite (in the original document). But, I don't let small things like that stop me :)

I've never been in a hot air balloon and I doubt I ever will. At least, not while sober. Or, conscious. I'm afraid of heights and it seems to get worse the older I get. I think a hot air balloon would do me in.

Bea: What was with the blue goo? :D I kept picturing it as a sort of futuristic air bag.

Krista: It was totally an air bag! Well, a goo bag.

Bea: What's your take on time paradoxes? Can they be avoided? Are they inevitable? Is at all a bunch of hooey? :D Why is it such a popular theme?  

Krista: I think one should not think too much about time paradoxes or else they will drive you insane.

Time travel is something we all do every time we pick up a photo album or read an old book. We see the past and wonder what it would have been like. It makes sense that it would seep into fiction.

Review of Flying Kite, Crashing Ship by Krista D Ball

Publisher:  MuseItUp Publishing

Release Date:  January 1, 2011

More Info: Amazon     Smashwords

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

Crashing Time Ship.

The Space Commission hot on her trail.
French spies and flying kites.

For Dr. Sally Pescon, this can’t be good.

My Thoughts:

 "Flying Kite, Crashing Ship" is a sci fi with a touch of steam punk and a helping of etiquette. In only 5900 words, Ball gives us humor, action, tension, and a gentle poke at Regency era mores.

She uses Dr. Sally Pescon, from the future, and young Miss Amanda Grey, from the past, to compare and contrast manners and societal expectations in two very different eras. Dr. Pescan's ship crashes in Regency England, a time that doesn't comprehend time travel, and has radically different expectations of proper behavior for women.

"There is a French Lady inside, with a man. I assume it's either her husband or brother, by the liberties she was taking with her speech. And look, she is wearing trousers. How scandalous!" She had never seen a woman in trousers before.

Amanda Grey is having a having a picnic tea when she sees the ship (though she doesn't know at first what it is) crash. Her companion, Colonel Lindsay, a potential suitor, attempts to dissuade her from investigating, believing it inappropriate behavior for a proper young woman. Amanda thinks he's a pompous, condescending bore and heads off without him, after first chastising him.

She took a deep breath to calm her voice to speak with the appropriate tone to a potential suitor." Sir, I am surprised at you. You crushed four rebellions in India. You fought in France. Certainly a small...carriage such as this would cause  no fear in such a man as yourself. We're in England, after all, not in the colonies." 

The encounter between Sally and Amanda is wonderfully written, with Ball deftly portraying Sally's panic at possibly being stranded in this time period and desperation not to affect inadvertently affect it, and Amanda's curiosity and friendliness about this strange "carriage" and the woman inside it.

 Sally stared out the window. "I have to answer her."..."For God's sake, Sally, we're doing enough damage even being here. You know the time travel rules. We're already risking a permanent ban."

"Forgive my lack of manners. In the excitement, I forgot them. My name is Miss Amanda Grey. And this gentleman us Colonel Fitzwilliam Lindsay. He apologizes for calling you a spy."

It's a short story, packed full of detail, insight, humor, and intrigue. My only real gripe is that, because of it's short length, we don't get a lot of information about the Space Commission, the organization responsible for the Dr. Pescon's exploratory trip, etc. I'd love to see Ball return to this world and explore it more but that seems unlikely given her book schedule currently posted on her site.

I received a PDF from the author for review. 

Review of Hunting Kat by PJ Schnyder

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: July 4th, 2011

More Info:  Amazon     All Romance  

Book Blurb:

As a mercenary, Kat Darah doesn't have to pass for a normal human. On the edge of the solar system, she's just another biped. Most of the time.

Nearing the end of his military tour, Lt. Christopher Rygard debates the idea of hanging up his uniform for good. Looking for answers at the bottom of a glass of scotch, he meets Kat. One shared night of mutual desire seems harmless. But when their tryst is interrupted by attackers hunting Rygard, Kat must reveal her other form, the predator beneath the human façade.

Together they embark on a dangerous mission—a race against time to meet the enemy's demands, while trying to deny the passion between them. Rygard is faced with a terrible choice in the face of duty: Report the existence of a human turned shape-shifter. Or forget he ever met her.

25,000 words

My Thoughts: 

As I re-read this story in preparation for the review, I shared passages and my thoughts on them on twitter and facebook (Kindle's share feature is AWESOME). As a result, several people are now intrigued and want to read it. :) Additionally, several of us agreed that Kat, the story's main character, is not alone in needing to improve her social skills. :D

This is one snippet that I shared and the resulting conversation:

• yep, her social skills definitely need work. lol

  
  

  Shared from a Personal Document

  kindle.amazon.com
  

  Lifting his drink, he nodded. “Mind if I buy you another?” Kaitlyn studied the man for a beat before the question popped out. “Why?”

  
  

  via Kindle

• • J  That sounds like an exchange I would have. But I never claimed to be socially savvy.
  • • B This character and I have similar social skills, sadly. However, I lack her kick ass fighting kills and her ability to change into a panther. :(

                         J    ‎*sigh* It's that whole transfiguration thing that stumps me every time.

                         B     Yeah, it's a puzzler alright.

                         L      lol. so whwich book is this Bea. You got me curious now.

                         B      LOL. It's "Hunting Kat" by PJ Schnyder. It's an e-book.

                         L      Thanks!


My point is, despite the fact that Kat is a were-panther and despite the science fiction setting, Kat is relatable and sympathetic. That doesn't always happen in urban fantasy or in sci fi. So, for me, that is a major strength of this story.

Kat underwent s series of harsh events three years ago and though she's physically recovered, her emotional recovery has been more difficult. She has learned, for the most part, to cope with what happened but still suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome. In an effort to help her with this, Dev, the captain of the mercenary ship she lives and works on, who is also her friend, and Skuld, the ship's engineer, arrange for her to be temporarily stranded on a space station. They've seen how far she has come emotionally and socially, and believe that she is ready for the next step - pleasant, normal interactions with males. I'm sure you see where this is going. Skuld hopes that Kat will get laid and fills Kat's duffle bag with one change of clothes and, to Kat's disgust and chagrin, a veritable rainbow of lacy undergarments.

Before Kat gets social, she meets up with Boggle, a information broker, who was acquainted with Kat years ago, though she doesn't recall it. Their initial meeting is bumpy but Boggle has a backbone and holds his own, which earns Kat's respect. He breaks the news to her that her shipmates and friends have left her on the station and the ship has left. Upset, Kat heads for the space station's bar.

There's a brawl in progress when she arrives; Kat plows through it, determined to have her drink. This captures the attention of Lieutenant Christopher Rygard, of the Terran military. He's there drinking and brooding, not really in the mood for company. He recently broke up with his girl friend and he's having second thoughts about re-enlisting in the military as he has moral problems with recent missions. Kat's fighting prowess, and her determination to reach her scotch, catch his eye and he starts chatting her up.

They hook up and Schnyder does a deft job of portraying the attraction between them, Kat's conflict between desire and fear, and Rygard's attempt to balance his desire and his compassion for her fear. They work past her fear and things go well. I'm dubious about how easily Kat orgasms, it's highly unlikely given her circumstances, but it's a minor quibble.

During the afterglow is when all heck breaks loose. Boggle had sent Kat a gift, which arrived while Kat and Rygard were together in her room. It included a communications jammer, to allow them privacy, and a background check on Rygard. Rygard sees the background check and takes it badly. He assumes that Kat requested it (she didn't) and that she's some sort of gold digger. He gets nasty, saying cruel things to her. I felt that this was a weak point in the story. We know that his last relationship didn't end well, that his ex lied to him and used him, but there simply wasn't enough groundwork laid for his behavior towards Kat to be believable. Additionally, we never get to know Rygard as well as we do Kat, he's less developed. He's likable, when he's not being unneccesarily cruel to Kat, but he could have been fleshed out more.

While Kat is reeling from Rygard's accusations, they are attacked by two humanoids and a jaguar. Kat's nose tells her that all of them are shifters. She shifts to her panther form, surprising Rygard, who was clueless about her dual identity. The strangers accuse Rygard of murder and kidnapping. After a brief battle between the jaguar and Kat , Kat finds herself volunteering to help Rygard rescue the kidnapped cubs and in return, the strangers won't kill him.

The rest of the story revolves around Kat and Rygard's rescue mission, with help from Boggle and her shipmates, who have returned to the space station. I won't say how that turns out but Schnyder is creative; she also has a good eye for details.

By the end of the story Kat and Rygard have resolved their disagreement and are friends again. The story doesn't have a typical HEA, more of what another reviewer called a "Happy For Now". If you like or need an HEA, you won't find it here. However, if Schnyder had gone that route, she would not have been true to the characters or the story. This ending is much more believable than an HEA that would have rung falsely and fit poorly.

"Hunting Kat" is an enjoyable blend of romance, urban fantasy and science fiction. Schnyder knows how to grab and hold the reader's attention. The opening line particularly grabs you:

“Give me back my bra, you little tube rat, or I’ll rip out your spine and steal your soul.”

Now, how can you resist? 

I received this eARC from NetGalley.

Banned Book Week 2011 - What Are YOU Doing To Celebrate?

Last year, I did a week long giveaway and several posts for Banned Book Week, a week here in the US that celebrates and honors books that have been banned somewhere in the US at one time or another, or that someone has tried to ban. I don't believe in banning a book (or movie or cd, etc). I think an individual should gather as much information as they can about that item and then make an informed decision. If they choose not to read it, fine. If they choose not to let their child read it or to read it with them, fine. But do not take away another person's right to make those same choices and decisions.This year, Banned Book Week is from September 24th to October 1st.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association(ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores. The Library of Congress Center for the Book endorses it.

I'll be advocating for banned books again this year, but this year there is an organized blog hop relating to Banned Book Week and I happily signed up to participate. Details will come later, but there will be a giveaway of some sort, involving one or more banned books OR a gift card to a book vendor, either Amazon or The Book Depository. I haven't decided yet, but it will be smaller than my event last year.

What can you do? Well, you can also participate in the book blog hop, co-hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books. You can work with your local libraries, book stores and schools to set up an event, help publicize both Banned Book Week and any and all local events relating to it, donate a copy of a banned book to your library or school, etc. There are many ways to participate. One way, though, is to video yourself reading from a banned book. Publisher's Weekly Daily had an article about this and I think I may do it.

From the PW Daily article -

For Banned Books Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 1) this year, booksellers and their customers can proclaim their support for free speech on the Internet by joining a worldwide read-out of banned and challenged books. For many years, Banned Books Week has featured readings from challenged titles in bookstores and libraries. This year people can participate no matter where they are–in bookstores, libraries and their own homes–by posting a video of themselves reading their favorite banned book on a special YouTube channel.

Readers can select any banned or challenged book, and excerpts can be up to two minutes in length. Alternatively, people who have worked to defend banned or challenged titles can describe their battles in videos of up to three minutes in length. Booksellers will send the videos to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), which will edit them, add the names and logos of the bookstores where the filming occurred and then post them on YouTube. The videos will also be tagged to make it easy for bookstores to feature them on their websites, blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

For further information, e-mail info@abffe.org.

 So spread the word and come back during Banned Book Week to talk about what you are doing for BBW and see what I will be giving away.

Dual Review of Vanished in the Night by Eileen Carr

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: July 26, 2011

More Info: Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

She doesn’t trust cops . . .

Veronica Osborne has had enough problems with the police, thanks to her volatile father. So when tall, strapping Sergeant Zach McKnight shows up at her door, she’s prepared for anything—except the news that her beloved missing brother, Max, has been dead for nearly twenty years . . . ever since he ran away.. . . until she meets one who’d risk everything to protect her.

Appalled when the police suspect her father of Max’s murder, Veronica begins her own investigation. But as her surprising role in her brother’s disappearance surfaces, so do more bodies. The ghosts of Max’s past are working hard to hide the truth, while another, more sinister force will do anything to expose it. How far will a killer go to get revenge? And can Zach stop him before he targets the woman Zach’s coming to love?

Our Thoughts:

Jax: Y'know, for all that mystery novels aren't my genre of choice, I've been enjoying an awful lot of them lately. Usually I find them to be a bit far fetched. (yes, I know that's funny from a fantasy/scifi fan, but it's the truth.) Eileen takes a very disturbing situation and very neatly shows us the gamut of realistic responses in a well paced, intriguing, twisting tale. Zach and Veronica have a great chemistry, and wonderfully thorough back stories that make this more than your typical thrilling mystery.



Bea: Mwahahahaha, my evil plan is working. :D I'll turn Jax into a mystery reader yet.

I liked this book and may hunt down the previous one, "Hold Back the Dark", which featured several detectives, Josh and Elise, who have minor supporting roles in this one. Carr takes her time unraveling the story, and introducing the players. It all starts with the discovery of a set of bones which are identified as belonging to Veronica's long lost, older half brother, Max. From there, the story spirals. We meet characters who die horribly almost as soon as we meet them, or have some yet unknown connection to Max.

There are twists and turns, solid writing, well developed characters, and a romance that plays out realistically and believably. This is very much a procedural mystery so it can move a bit slowly at times but it's interesting, it's well done, and it's definitely worth reading.




We each received a paperback from the publisher for review.

Review of Heartless by Gail Carriger

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: July 1, 2011

Series: #4 of The Parasol Protectorate

More Info: Amazon     The Book Depository




***The blurb and the review contain spoilers for the previous books. The review does not contain spoilers for this book.***



Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

My Thoughts:

I think my favorite thing about these books is the dialogue. It's sharp, witty and laugh out loud funny. Carriger has a knack, both for spoken dialogue and internal dialogue. Alexia's state of soullessness (is that even a word? :D) allows her to say things that would ordinarily be rude or inappropriate. Add in the Victorian mindset and behavior, tweaked to suit the steampunk changes and urban fantasy changes dictated by the story, and there is a lot of material for lampooning or just gently poking fun at.

Though, sometimes, it's the Victorian mindset and behavior that make me laugh, especially combined with Alexia's perspective on things. Like Alexia, I enjoy my food and it's refreshing to see a fictional character who admits to being hungry and spends a good deal of her time thinking about food. Her pregnancy has only increased this tendency, with sometimes hilarious results. I also like that Alexia is not a skinny Minnie nor does she meet the beauty standard for her time but her husband Conall finds her gorgeous and desirable anyway.

In this book, Carriger turns her attention to many of the secondary characters, after focusing on Alexia and Conall in the previous book, "Blameless". We see more of and learn more about Biffy, Professor Lyall (should I admit I have small crush on him?), Alexia's father, Madame LeFoux, and Lord Akeldama. I love that Carriger develops them and doesn't just leave them as vaguely sketched, or stereotypical, back up characters. We also get to meet see the Hive and learn more about them.

The story is a mix of action, mostly murder attempts on various people, Alexia getting into various predicaments (not that we expect anything else) and a lot of dialogue. The story moves slowly at times, and like the others could benefit from trimming, but overall it's fun, smart and very enjoyable. I was very surprised by the solution that Conall came up with for ending the vampires continually attacks on Alexia, I have mixed feelings about it. The ending, while not the cliffhanger we've come to expect, is nevertheless a tricky twist and sets up some interesting changes in Alexia's world. Carriger didn't hesitate to make major changes in her world and I am looking forward to seeing how things work out.

The steampunk inventions are fun to read about but they don't overshadow the story; I find that sometimes in steampunk, the author can get so carried away making the story steampunk, that the story and characterization suffer. Happily, Carriger has found a balance.

I received this paperback from the publisher for review.

Review of Desert Dreams by JA Campbell

Publisher: Echelon Press

Release Date: July 11, 2011

Series: #4 of Into The West

More Info: Amazon   OmniLit   

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

After her dreams about the uncertain survival of the Taggarts' ranch, Tina travels back in time and gets lost in the desert. After being rescued by the ancestors of her Medicine Man friend, she finds her infamous cowboy friend, Rowe, again. The duo end up another adventure in the Wild West, facing horse thieves and the unpredictable elements as they search for a legendary silver mine. Tina knows where the mine is, but without a map, and without the interstate to guide her, she and Rowe have to rely on the local Navajo to help them.

When Tina finally makes it home, she has to face the consequences of her time-traveling adventures. Her family and friends all think she's gone missing. 

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this installment of the story. It was sweet, with the romance between Tina and Rowe progressing nicely. There are several kissing scenes and I like that Campbell didn't take them further than that. It may not be all that realistic these days, to not have the teenage leads engage in sex, but it works within the context of the story and there are teens who don't engage in sex, though you wouldn't know it to listen to the news.

This story picks up a few days after the last one, "Silver Rush", ended. Remember when I said, "Not smart, Tina, not smart"? in my review of "Silver Rush"? Well, she realizes that her actions may have been hasty and she certainly has to live with the consequences, though they are less severe than they could have been. This installment has more action than the previous one though what happens is a direct result of that chapter. The pace flows smoothly and we learn a little more about both Tina and Rowe. I like that they are both responsible, well, most of the time, but also know how to enjoy themselves and have a sense of humor. We really get to see more of Rowe in this one. 

Rowe snorted. "I didn't kiss you to make you agree to anything. Kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. 'Course, if it helps, then I'll do it again."

Good one Rowe! :D 

Tina and Rowe, along with a young Indian man named Nata, head out to find a silver mine. We don't get to know him well, but he is willing to help them and I think we may see more of him in the next two installments. The silver mine, Tina believes, could help Rowe and his employer fight off the hostile takeover they've been dealing with. She knows, sort of, where it is but can't find it on a map. Nata and Rowe know the local area so they join forces to find the mine.

Naturally, there's danger along the way and some more kissing, :). By the end of the story, I really couldn't see where it was going or how everything will end. I want an HEA for Tina and Rowe but can't see how Campbell will make it work. She assured me, via Twitter, when I commented on it, that everything works out. Now, that's no guarantee that it will work out the way I want it to but I'm somewhat reassured.

If you haven't picked up this series yet, you really should. It's fun, engaging and interesting.

I own this ebook.