Dream Books LLC Blog

Simplicity in eBooks?

2011-11-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a war going on between eBooks and in Print books that seems to be getting more and more complicated and more and more annoying. With technology rapidly getting more and more complex, simple eReaders are becoming more and more iPad like. The new Nook devices have apps, the Kindle fire acts like a little iPad, and when did putting flashing adds in my books become acceptable! Certainly the book market has forgotten why they made eReaders in the first place! When Kindle's and Nooks came out with simple eInk and a small touch color touch screen so I can see what a book cover is supposed to look like, I was like... Okay I think I can finally get one of these. Then when Nook Color came out and changed the game I was like YES! That is all I need. But they didn't stop there, now these devices have become a computer in the palm of my hand! That is something I didn't want!

When I read books it is to get away from the world, much like going to a movie theater or a theme park. We enter into our own personally chosen worlds to which we can become the star of. Now with these devices getting close to replacing my lap-top, I'm more and more plugged into the world. Fumbling around with updates, and worrying about the possibility of virus's on my once simple eReader.

Don't get me wrong, I love eBook and eReaders. I love having both the Nook and Kindle apps on my iPhone and iPod touch so I can quickly read something while I'm hung up somewhere waiting. But what happened to simplicity. I was appalled to find out that Amazon was actually putting ads on there Kindle devices to lower their costs. Here you are reading a book and an AT&T ad is flashing the whole time.

I need places to unplug and the newer eReaders are making to where that is becoming harder and harder to do. In print books are too expensive in comparison to 0.99 cent eBooks or even free! Plus finding an undiscovered author with eBooks has become just how it goes with eBooks, something print could never do.

The original Kindle - it's a dinosaur.

The original Nook - better than Kindle by far

The Nook Color - That's what I'm looking for... sort of

Kindle Fire - Hello knock off iPad and I'm sure that Nook will come out with one just like it!

Lets just get back to simplicity in reading and being able to get away from the world, instead of being in

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The Civility Experiment

2011-11-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

So over here at Dream Books, we try to stay family focused and hope that all our products and posts here on our blog echo that. We were recently sent this video by a friend of ours and we just had to share it. We hope you enjoy it as well! Just as an update as well... a new title is coming soon!

Dream Books LLC Websites Have Gotten a New Look!

2011-11-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

Dream Books LLC blog has gotten a new look!

We hope that you enjoy the new look of both our blog and our new website. If you have any problems with the newly designed sites, please feel free to email us at http://www.dreambooksllc.com/#!contact-us.

Thank-you so much!

Dream Books Technical and Design Team.

Moments That Matter Most

2011-07-26T11:10:00.001-07:00

We would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.

"The Last Radiant Heart" Review

2011-03-27T03:19:00.000-07:00

I received a nice review on my latest novel, "The Last Radiant Heart" from Galand Nuchols of the LoneStar Nightwriters and also the author of "Dragon Hatchling". I'm tremendously pleased to share it:

"The Last Radiant Heart will capture the imagination of those who dare to examine the possibility of parallel universes and what could happen if a man were gifted with the ability to travel between them. A must read for science fiction lovers. Before the end of the tale, however, the reader may ask, 'Is it really fiction? Could it happen?' ”

THE KING'S SPEECH - and other disabilities

2011-02-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the cast and crew of "The King's Speech" for worthy Oscar-wins last night. Did you know that King George never really got rid of his stutter? What he did gain was a spot of self-confidence.

I've always been interested in speech disorders. I remember at school (yes, I can go back that far) one of my classmates stuttered. I thought it was attractive, actually, and wished I could sound like her. Even tried it out once or twice (in front of the bathroom mirror) but I couldn't get the hang of it.

The things you admit on your blog. Dear oh dear.

Ever since I started teaching I've been interested in another condition: dyslexia or developmental reading disorder as it's also known. There always seemed to me to be differing levels and even types of this disorder which required special and individual therapy. In fact, I believe many of us have it in us to some degree, mostly to a tiny extent. I'm not "dyslexic" as such, but I do have problems writing "d" and "b" without getting them mixed and I never know my right from my left.

But I do have terrible trouble with numbers. That's called dyscalcula and probably explains my abysmal math results and why no-one ever gets a phone call from me.

There's no real connection between stuttering and dyslexia, although both start in childhood. Some people say stuttering is caused by some emotional trauma, but that certainly hasn't been proven.

Why's she waffling on about speech and reading disabilities, I hear you say. Well, "The King's Speech" sparked part of the reason but also my book "Perfect Score" deals with both conditions. One of the main characters, Sam, stutters but only when he's not with people he feels he can completely trust. He also has a severe form of dyslexia.

I set the book in the 1960s and early 1970s to show how little was known about the conditions at that time, which, let's face it, wasn't that long ago. Poor Sam was mostly considered a "retard" who should be "locked up", yet as another character says about him: "he's probably the most gifted person I know".

So if a movie about stuttering can win Oscars - can't I push my book which considers that issue and dyslexia just a little bit? Please? Pretty please?

If you want to give it a whirl - you can buy "Perfect Score" here: http://www.awe-struck.net/books/perfect_score.html

Coming in 2011

2011-02-14T03:46:00.000-08:00

It’s with great pleasure that I announced my latest novels are now in contract and tentatively scheduled to be published later in 2011 through Virtual Tales. Below are blurbs about each. I hope your appetites for good stories are whetted.

(“Defining Family”)

It began as an innocent prank by four Texas teens to get out of the North Texas Children’s Home for a short while on a Saturday night. The plan goes terribly wrong. Samantha, Rebecca, Amanda and Aaron suddenly find themselves on the run from the law. Convinced blame of a horrendous crime will be on their heads, eluding the law is the only way. As the week passes, each comes to realize that running away from that problem wasn’t the ultimate reason. Flight from the law transforms into an October odyssey of discovery for four teens searching.

(“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”)

Two centuries have elapsed since global economies collapsed with little hope of resurrection. Jake Henderson, a loner, wanders the former state of Texas foraging for food and seeking shelter anywhere he can find it. He happens upon, and witnesses, the murder of a young woman. A ten-year-old girl traveling with the woman is traumatized and left speechless by the heinous crime and left orphaned. From that day, she begins changing Jake’s life in ways in he could never have imagined. Annabelle, as he chooses to call her, descends from failed genetically manufactured prototypes in the early part of the twenty-first century. This delicate appearing child is anything but, destined to become a savior to many in a world out of control.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007—paperback, ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009—paperback, ebook
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010-paperback, ebook, eSerialization
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ 2010—ebook only

“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011

“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales

“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/Virtual Tales

A Fabulous Read

2011-02-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

If you’re a fan of Dan Brown and Stephen King, look no further. I have just read a novel that will keep fans of both thrilled – a kind of DB and SK one-stop book. How it could be overlooked by large publishing houses is beyond me, but maybe it’s the sign of the times, I don’t know.

I’m not usually a fan of paranormal and horror but this new story grabbed me from the very first page to such an extent that I had to email the author and say, Wow! And I was only on chapter three. By the end I was breathless, so wrung out I couldn’t touch a keyboard until now.

You waiting for the title? Hang on.

The scene is set in Italy, there’s Vatican involvement (we believe), and a puzzle to solve that leads back to ancient icons and history, not forgetting a simmering fight between Good and Evil that threatens to boil over.

Sounds like Dan Brown? Maybe, but this is so much better.

In this novel the reader is able to smell, taste, feel and see the countryside of Umbria, the author really knows his stuff about this area. But, don’t worry, it doesn’t overwhelm the plot or the reader at all.

It starts out in the Papal States, circa 1545. In true Stephen King fashion the reader gets an immediate foretaste of the horror to come. And what a horror - the author is a master at conjuring up the worst images and situations. I wiped my brow and breathed a sigh of relief when I was next taken to recent London and characters as normal as you or I (!) Fully rounded characters, I might add – none of your two dimensionals à la D.B. – with believable dialogue and quirks.

It’s not my place here to give the plot away, suffice to say that my relief was short-lived as I was then transported off to modern-day Italy – back to that place in Umbria which had me reeling in the beginning. The suspense builds. If the horror at the beginning was bad, you won’t believe what comes up later.

The author is exceedingly clever: he’s done a lot of research into his subject and releases it at just the right pace. He knows how to tease, to thrill and to leave almost every scene on a cliff-hanger that has the reader begging for more. It is a heart-racing thriller with twists that take you on a roller-coaster which will have you clinging to the sides of your chair. But it’s a fun ride that builds to a horrifying climax having reduced Italy to a boiling cauldron (Italians watch out!).

All I can say is, put this at the top of your reading pile and be prepared to sweat (or glow, in my case).

Shall I put you out of your misery? OK.

DIAVOLINO by Steve Emmett should be the book of the year. Read it and see if you agree.

Buy here

Catch Steve : here

Reads Like Murder: Thanksgiving in Hawaii

2011-01-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Reads Like Murder: Thanksgiving in Hawaii: "What could be better? Read about the newest adventures - Reads Like Murder in Kahala"

Not So Private Thoughts

2011-01-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

WARNING: The following is a piece I wrote a decade ago and recently re-discovered it. It is absolutely politically incorrect, but I laughed out loud upon re-reading it. Whether you choose to laugh with me or chastise me is entirely up to you. -dlw

The number of ways a single notion can be interpreted is cause for my never-ending fascination with how the human mind latches on to a myth then repeats it ad nauseam until one day it becomes the truth. We say it aloud so often it eventually hardens into irrefutable fact.

No getting around it. We’re all guilty of it. Even if we just think it, same thing. Once given life, that cute little notion will grow into a strong, healthy truism.

You know what I mean, like standing before the mirror and staring until the reflection looks good. The longer I stare, the better I look. “Oh yeah. I’m the man!”

Sometimes it’s dangerous to think aloud. Even worse, to put those thoughts in print so it can’t be denied later. But, I’m going in head-first anyhow.

It bears mentioning that I’m semi-retired; meaning I can’t afford not to work after walking away from a 32-year career in television. To fill that financial void and get motivation to stay fit, I became a personal trainer at a local health club. So, my mind was in that particular channel one Friday evening, not so long ago.

The wife and I searched out the best restaurant deal and followed that with a walk through the mall, taking in a sale or two and, of course, some good old-fashioned people watching. The latter was more to my liking. The sales I left to her. Circling a rack of clothes like buzzards over road-kill wasn’t my style. The eye-popping iridescent “75% OFF” sign just wasn’t enough to hold my attention—never has and, likely, never will.

Hearing a nearby conversation, I was unable to resist eavesdropping, just to understand another’s point of view about the mall experience, mind you. With hands stuffed deep inside my pockets, I nonchalantly looked and found more interesting action than the melee-in-the-making at the sale rack.

Like the Kilroy figure, popular among World War II vets, I peered over a pile of sweaters. I saw an attractive woman, maybe a tiny bit overweight, talking to a clerk about a dress she held up. She fondled the fabric. I thought she did that in a strangely seductive way. But, that’s probably a whole other story.

“Do you think this dress will have a slimming effect on me?” she asked.

With the media covering obesity in America almost daily, I couldn’t help myself. My mind took that question and ran with it. In six months will she be back buying another garment? The question becoming, “Will this dress camouflage my widening hips?” Let’s round this timeframe out to a year. Will she then be asking, “Does this dress hang loose enough over my ballooning thighs and butt?”

I’m not saying we shouldn’t attempt to dress attractively, but people like that drop-dead gorgeous woman carrying a few extra pounds…with an obvious fabric fetish…consulted the wrong person. That clerk would have told her anything to ring up a sale, like sale prices are real discounts, for example, and, “Oh yes ma’am, that dress makes you look like a 98-pound super model.”

That’s the clerk’s job. No sale—no revenue, no revenue—no job. What would we expect a store clerk to say? “Oh, sweet heavenly Jesus! You look like a sausage in a microwave about to explode.”

I don’t think so.

She should be asking a personal fitness trainer at the local health club how to mold her body back into what she had obviously been a short time before. Listening to others opinions concerning appearance is a slippery slope. In fact, mothers aside, I can’t think of anyone capable of that level of honesty.

Listening to gushing store clerks will doom her. She will metamorphose into a jewelry laden, perfume reeking, makeup encrusted delusional woman waddling into an ice cream shop, clearly seeing something different in that mirror beyond the double fudge ripple barrel than the world sees.

What good are toe rings and ankle bracelets if she can’t look down and see them?

Of course, if I said anything remotely resembling this thought, I would have ended up with her handprint on the side of my face, not to mention my wife’s embarrassed and emphatic denial of knowing who I am—and, rightfully so.

Instead, I stood quietly and admired her physical attributes for the way she appeared at that moment. I feared she stood at a fork in the road (yes, I chose the word ‘fork’ purposely), taking baby steps down the wrong one. My over-active imagination created an image of her fifty or more pounds overweight, attempting the equivalent of putting racing stripes on a pig.

You may be thinking I’m crass and rude…that I’m the pig. Maybe I am. Don’t know. But, thoughts like this are common, I dare say.

As I turned away to, again, mind my own business, I conjured a happier twist and chose to believe she dropped by to check out the sale, but was actually on her way to pick up a diet book before going on to the gym.

I have the personal training thing down pretty well. At some point, though, I may need to address my people skills.

Nah. I’m good.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011
“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Movies Versus Novels

2010-12-23T10:24:00.001-08:00

I’ve concluded that I’m a closet romantic. I hide it well though, below layers and layers of testosterone-laden attitude.

Although I call it research, I watch chick-flicks frequently. Lately, thanks to Hulu, I’ve seen a series of formulaic romantic Christmas stories, too. They all end the same with a happy turn that dampens my eyes (don’t tell anyone). I thought it was worth a few moments of analytical thought on the subject.

The first question I asked myself was: Why will I watch a romantic movie but wouldn’t consider reading a romantic novel? I think it’s a valid question since I write novels and really want people to read my work. I don’t believe the answer is a difficult one at all.

A movie, you see, is over in less than two hours with little attachment to the characters, just a brief emotional moment near the end and, voila! It’s history, whereas, a novel is a true investment in the lives of the characters by the reader. Readers become attached to, or repelled by, the characters of a book and memorably so, if written well. These characters will live on and stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Not so with a movie, as a rule. In fact, I’ve watched many movies that I thoroughly enjoyed but a year later remembered only snippets of it, if at all.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that on a scale of how well a story is remembered would put a great movie, a blockbuster, on par with a mediocre novel. And, this is not a slam at the movie industry. It’s a simple matter of producers and directors not having adequate time to delve into the depths of each character. So, we, as viewers, don’t ever develop true emotional attachments to them.

In a novel, personalities are so well developed that we begin to identify with characters because they remind us of ourselves, spouses, siblings, children, or others in our lives and we actually put recognizable faces on them as we read. That’s just not so in movies.

If a movie attempted such depth of character, it would be a twenty-four hour movie, and that’s just not going to happen; no one would watch it. It would also cost as much to produce as the entire annual budget of some third-world countries.

So, I might be comfortable enough in my own skin to watch a romantic movie and enjoy it, but to read romance novels... well, that just might shatter a few self-imposed boundaries. To become attached to the characters of a romantic novel (and I certainly would) might cause my romantic side to come out, totally out. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011

“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales

“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Author Interview: Steve Emmett

2010-12-20T07:51:00.001-08:00

Author Interview: Steve Emmett

Please welcome an excited author. And just why is he excited?

He's about to have his novel, Diavolino, published by Etopia Press
So put your hands together and give a big welcome to Steve Emmett! (I know I sound like Kermit the Frog)

Sue: Now you're a (very soon to be) published author, what is your writing routine like?

Steve: Monday to Friday I tend to get up about 7am and aim to be at my computer by 9am. I then work rather haphazardly, doing bursts of writing interspersed with other related bits and pieces. I stop around 5.30pm.
(Oh I can relate to that - except I spend 7 hours doing other bits and pieces!)

Sue: What was your journey to publication like?

Steve: I think we are supposed to say it was really hard, took years and hundreds of rejections, aren't we? It wasn't that bad when I look back. There were times I considered giving up but fortunately my partner wouldn't let me. I decided that I wanted to try my hand at writing professionally just about two years ago. One of the first things I did was join Litopia and got great help there and from friends I made as a result. The second thing I did was to look for a suitable course that would teach me the basics. I think I was lucky in choosing the novel writing course run by the London School of Journalists, it helped me enormously.
When I thought Diavolino was ready I sent out ten queries and got ten rejections back. I then did some more polishing before sending out another half dozen queries and got a half dozen rejections - except two of these were highly complimentary. I was encouraged by this so did some more polishing before sending out another six queries. My contract with Etopia Press came out of this last round of six. So in all, it hasn't been too bad but had you told me on day one that it would take six months I may have been disheartened.You did get off lightly, I think. I was told that most new authors can expect somewhere in the region of a hundred rejections before they're accepted.

Sue: Apart from read, read, read, if you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?

Steve: Get the right advice and, if you can afford it, take a course.

Sue: You're also an actor. Tell us how that came about.

Steve; I'd wanted to be an actor for years. I can't count the times people have said 'you should be on the stage/TV.' When we came back from living in Italy I started to look for contacts in this area. I came upon a fairly well-known actress in the north west of England who was running courses but, eager as I was, it was just too far. She put me in touch with Jo Adamson-Parker, a respected casting director in Leeds. My brief to Jo was simple: 'If I'm rubbish, send me away.' She didn't. So I signed up for her course and within four months I'd got an agent. I've had some offers recently and one - in which I would have appeared on national TV in my underpants - I would have loved to have done but the weather stopped play! LOL, what a shame - we'd have looked forward to that.

Sue: If your book, Diavolino, was made into a film and you could appear in it, which character would you choose. And who would you like to appear with you?

Steve: I definitely want to play the hapless mayor, Giuseppe Palmerin. In fact, when I was creating the character I really felt that I was inside him. He's clumsy and prone to disaster, like me. Tom Lupton, the protagonist, should be played by Matthew Macfadyen. The villain, Clavelli, is an ideal role for the great Christopher Lee.
That's a great choice. I think we can imagine the characters in Diavolino already.

Sue: What books are on your nightstand right now?

Steve: On Writing, by Stephen King. I read it at least once a year, and dip in and out regularly, just so I don't forget.
Superhorror, an old anthology of short stories published in 1976.
Necronomicon, by H P Lovecraft
The Satanist, by Dennis Wheatley.

Sue: What books are you raving about?

Steve: Hmm. I'm not really raving about anything. As you'll see from the above, I tend to read old stuff and this is because as a horror fan I find it increasingly difficult to get satisfaction from contemporary writers. I still rave over "In the Flesh" by Clive Barker and that's nearly twenty-five years old! My kind of horror is more than just guts and gore. Off genre, I was blown away by "Flesh House" by Stuart MacBride and the "Cooking with Fernet Branca" trilogy by James Hamilton Patterson.

Sue: As soon as you're published, you'll be expected to have a "platform". Do you have any clear plans about this?

Steve: I've had a blog for a while and have been busy updating it. I also have my own website. I guess I'll be spending a lot of time developing these and networking. I have a business background so I don't find the task daunting, I rather relish it in fact.

Steve, thank you so much for sharing this with us. Anyone who'd like to keep in touch with Steve - here are his links:
http://www.steveemmett.net
http://chukkienator.blogspot.com/

In the meantime, I hope you have lots of success and sales with your new book. Oh and Merry Christmas.

If you'd like to ask Steve any questions, feel free to post here or on his blogspot.

Book Signing

2010-12-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone kind enough to drop by my booth at the Clifton, TX Homes Tour and Craft Show. Thanks for buying my books. I appreciate all the new friends I made and the old ones, too. It was a fun day.

“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011

“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales

“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Book Review: The Beauty and the Bastard by David Bridger

2010-11-26T11:29:00.001-08:00

Book Review: The Beauty and the Bastard by David Bridger

The Beauty and the Bastard was published by Liquid Silver Books in July 2010

You ever heard of a fallen angel in love with a demon princess? Would you like to? Before you answer, let me tell you that the angel, Saul the Bastard, is probably the hunkiest hero I’ve come across (excuse the expression) in a long, long time.

He’s not happy that he’s a fallen angel, but he knows he has to live as an almost-human and hope that one day he’ll redeem himself and get recalled to Heaven by being a bounty hunter who hunts evil demons. Even demon princesses called Rebecca? No, he’s hired as a bodyguard to protect her because she’s being threatened by desert demons who’ve been run out of Las Vegas by her father.

In true romance fashion, Rebecca can’t stand him. She can look after herself thank you very much until she realizes that the sexy, naked statue standing on the building opposite her apartment is Saul (in his day-time guise). Mmm: she’s been admiring that lump of stone for a while now.

If my review is biased towards Saul, then I apologize. Both MCs are endearing in their own way, although I couldn’t help but love Saul’s perfect, albeit tormented, bod.

Since it is a novella, this is all I’m saying about the story, except to mention that the opening chapter is nothing short of a work of genius. Throughout the book you’ll find sizzling sex, sensitive romance and gentle love-making which David handles with a deft, experienced author’s hand. The pace thunders along, just as it should; the characters are rounded and likeable – especially you-know-who; and the plot darts to its climax with a fearsome battle.

If you’re into paranormal romance (which I wasn’t until now) then this is a must-read for you. My only regret is that I finished it so soon, and that I was desperate to hear more of Saul. But you never know what David’s got up his sleeve – maybe there’ll be a sequel. Please?

*** David is about to launch two more novels (that's three in less than a year). You must be curious about this prolific author, so come back here tomorrow (Saturday) when he guest-blogs with me. DON'T MISS IT all you readers and writers!

Buy David's books here:

http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/beautyandthebastard.htm

link for Amazon UK Kindle version http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beauty-And-The-Bastard/dp/B004D9FX6A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&s=digital-text&qid=1290673607&sr=1-1

link for Amazon.com Kindle version http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-And-The-Bastard-ebook/dp/B004D9FX6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290447232&sr=1-1

RLM2 is here!

2010-11-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Read all about the newest adventure in Hawaii with Haley and Keoni!
Reads Like Murder in Kahala – book 2 in the series -- is finally here!
I have not even seen a copy yet!
http://www.amazon.com/Reads-Murder-Kahala-Donovan-Georgina/dp/1456324381/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289847772&sr=8-2
Buy it at Amazon as a paperback or Kindle or ipad!
Mahalo for your support!
Aloha!

FREE BOOKS!

2010-11-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

Ah ha! Gotcha, scalliwags!

Did you know that if you do not have the permission of the author or the publisher when you download a free book, then you are breaking the law? Hmmm? That means you'll walk the plank, or at the very least be much, much poorer after paying a hefty fine (or even imprisonment).

And it's no good stamping your foot and saying, "I want a free book, it's not fair!" Fair? Is it fair to take away an author's or a publisher's livelihood? Something they've sweated over and worked long and hard for? Haven't you ever heard of stealing or sparing a thought for people who need their "pieces of eight"?

And if you are one of those lily-livered buccaneers who hide your true identity in your profile by saying that you're a hard-working mom, then I sincerely hope that your days are numbered. Because they're onto you.

Gail Koger, a former 911 dispatcher, recently gave this interview on CBS: watch it here.

To authors who are worried about this, there are several things you can do:
- Take care who you upload your book to - that hard-working "mom" may well be one of these pirates.
- Stay away from all those torrents sites you see listed. Sometimes they are caught and closed down but they generally return after a few days.
- If you're not sure whether you've been pirated or not, Google your name or book title.
- If you want to stop copyright infringement, go here and click on S. 3804. It will take you to the poll and you can vote.
- If you, as a copyright holder, want to be heard, then go here and send the email they ask for.

It is so tempting to download a free book, but please, next time - think twice.

Buy now from here

thinandbeautiful.com by Liane Shaw

2010-11-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

Few months ago, I was asked to review this book. It was the debut novel for author Liane Shaw. thinandbeautiful.com is a novel that I feel should be required reading in schools across Canada and the U.S.

This was my review on it.
I was lucky enough to be granted an interview with Liane a few weeks later.
Why am I talking about an old interview and review I did on my own blog you might be asking, because the issue is Eating Disorders.

Never have I come across a novel that is so frank and willing to tackle the big issues, and thinandbeautiful.com does just that. As well, it puts the media in it's place of responsibility for many of the reasons young people suffer from these illnesses. Liane Shaw writes from both her years as a teacher having seen students suffering from eating disorders and from her own troubles with them.

I am linking this review/interview instead of reposting it because of it's length and this subject matter. It's not an easy novel to read, then again reality is a hash thing to face.

You can find Kimberly at http://pushersink.blogspot.com
This does not reflect the views of Dream Books LLC but only the individual blogger

How To Get Published (Not What You Think)

2010-11-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

So we got an interesting call yesterday from an author who didn't know how to go about publishing his soon to be written book. So I decided to write a post to help other authors who may not know either what to expect and what the steps are.

1) First off the most important part is to write about something you know! This goes for fiction and non fiction alike. Your book will not be a good book if you do not have a clue about what you are writing. Make sure that before you start your publishing adventure you have a complete manuscript. Your book isn't like your house being built, publishers don't buy unfinished products unless you are a New York Times bestselling author.

2) Decide what the best direction for your book is. Should you submit to publishers? Should you self-publish? Should you go through an agent? If you want to submit directly to a publisher a great website is pred-ed.com, this website has a phone book like listing of publishers and agents so you can submit to them. They also recommend and not recommend publishers based on their track record. Now if you are planning on submitting directly to a big house like Simon and Schuster forget getting published, however if you want to go the small press to medium press publishers than direct submission is the best route. Most small and medium publishers specialize in a specific area and genre and work hard to get your book selling. However most small houses will not be able to get you nationwide stocking in Barnes and Nobel. Instead these houses can get you into local and regional stores and independent stores. Lately, however, small and medium houses have been dominating the eBook market and are focusing more and more on eBooks. If you want to get published by a big house than an agent is the best route to go. These people have inside contacts that they pass you book onto so it gets read quickly and doesn't have to go through most of the red tape. Agents however will take a percentage of your royalties in return for their services and agents have to take on your book. Self publishing is the best route for those who are writing a book simply because they like writing. Your goal isn't to make your living off of being an author, but just to see your book in print.

3) If you do get picked up by a publisher or agent make sure that you look out for the following areas in a contract. Your royalties - make sure that it is either 10% of the retail price or 40% of the net proceeds, anything less and you are getting ripped off. Make sure that the contract has a copyright clause and that it states that your books text is copyrighted to YOU! The publisher should not copyright the text to them, they cover art if they designed it would be copyrighted to them, but your words are your words. Last make sure they have a bankruptcy clause that states that in the even the publisher goes under all the rights granted to the publishers are given back to the author and any unpaid royalties will be paid.

4) If you are going the self publishing route, make sure you are not being racked over the coals. Visit multiple self publishing websites and see their rates. See if they are listed in Predators and Editors and what they have them listed as before you spend any money. (Pred and Editors doesn't normally list self publishers)

5) If you are a new author and you are working with a publisher or agent, realize that what the publisher says goes. Of course there are exceptions to this rule and if they are asking you to do something you feel strongly against and they refuse to budge then pull out while you can, but your first few books, it is really up to the publisher as to what is going to happen.

6) Finally don't stop writing!

The Gods Of The Copybook Headings

2010-11-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

What Your Friends Can Do To Help Sell Your Book

2010-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

1) The first thing your friends or family can do is.... DRUM ROLL PLEASE...... Buy the book! Yes this amazing tip is brought to you by "My Sparkling Misfortune" BUY IT NOW!!! :-) No seriously, buy it, there is a link to the left, it's blue and underlined and has " <- these things around it. Okay thats enough - In all seriousness, having your friends and family buy your book is very important because it shows sales and proves to sellers that your book sells. But how many friends or family members need to buy your book to make a difference. Not one, not two - you need at least 20 sales a day for about a week to make a difference. It shows strong long term sales. Once Amazon realizes this (usually around day 3) it will start marketing your book to other people which will then increase your sales even more and thus a snowball effect will be born. It is very important to get your friends and family lined up on specific days and times to buy the book will be the key to your books success. Most people don't know that Amazon has two different sales ranks. During the day the sales rank displayed on the website is updated about every hour and goes up and down all the time. However the company also uses a ranking system to find books to cross promote to customers for free. These ranking systems are calculated at the end of the week.

2) Don't put off buying the book - (this includes My Sparkling Misfortune) Don't wait for Black Friday or Christmas or some other holiday to get your book off the ground. Get your book off the ground before those shopping days so retail outlets can have time to recommend it to it's customers for those holiday shopping days.

3) Where to buy the book - This is the age old question, buy from the author or buy from the retailer. We say - BUY FROM THE RETAILER! How can you improve your sale numbers so retailers are more likely to sell your book for you if all your book sales are from your own website or direct from the author. Plus can you as the author offer all the different options that Amazon can, can you buy more than one book from your store? Chances are, no you can't and customers hate only looking at one or two products.

4) Spread the word - On average a single person will meet in a day 8-10 people that they will actually speak to. The more people spreading the word the more people will be exposed and the more sales. Go to Office Depot and buy some print at home business cards and pass them out to people at the bookstore or ask the bookstore to pass them out in shopping bags. Get the word out like crazy!

5) Write Honest Reviews - Find every website that sells the book and write an honest review. Just because you know the author doesn't mean you should be dishonest in your review. If you didn't like it point out the good stuff in your review but give it a 3 star ranking. If you hated it, well refrain from reviewing :-).

6) Got a Blog or Internet Radio Program? - Interview the author, build up buzz in every way you can!

So here are the tips and we hope you enjoy them and use them to your advantage. Remember every book is different and not everything will work but be sure to try everything before you sign it off. Oh and buy My Sparkling Misfortune (we have an eBook of it too only $4.95)

Book Promotion - is this how it works?

2010-11-08T02:35:00.001-08:00

As everyone in the world must sure know by now, my book was e-published (details on this page) in September. Since then I've been working relentlessly to promote it, even though the publishers also do their stuff.

For me this constant pimping is all new: joining every writing/reviewing/book site I can find and pimping; twittering until no-one reads the twit any more, face-booking until no-one leaves any comments (just the obligatory "like" from my friends); guest-blogging; giving away free books.

And now there's something new: blog hopping. That was last Friday but from the hundreds of new followers I was supposed to get - I got one.

Well, here we go again. Today is another new experience. From 8.00am Midwest USA time go to this site: http://quackersandtease.blogspot.com and...

SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN!

Aloha J MacArthur

2010-11-03T20:35:00.001-07:00

James MacArthur gained international stardom from his TV role as Dan Williams in Hawaii 5-0. His adventures in the tropics started years before in the Disney movie Swiss Family Robinson. We have lost this enduring star. He has gone the way of so many of our favorite luminaries, and his co-stars in Hawaii’s most famous show. I was able to meet him and give him a signed copy of the first of my murder mystery series set in Hawaii. READS LIKE MURDER IN HONOLULU. He was excited to read something inspired by his role. I was excited to fulfil a fantasy of meeting someone who inspired me to write.

Aloha nui loa hoku alohi Kimo

Taking Care of Business

2010-11-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

The infamous “They” say that the only two sure things in this life are death and taxes. I’d like to add to this list the certainty that people will always exist that want to take what is not theirs to take and they don’t care whom they harm in the process.

If anyone receives an email from my hotmail account (that begins with wrightthing), please disregard it. That email account has been hijacked and I no longer have control or even access to it. And, unfortunately, I don’t have enough information that is different from the hijacker’s to prove that it is indeed my email account. If the wrightthing email happens to be in your email contact list, eliminate it. And, I apologize if you get an email asking for $500 to finance my trip home from west Africa. I don’t need the money and I’m not in west Africa. I can’t say for sure if I’ll ever need $500 but I can say definitively I’ll never be in west Africa.

Now, on to happier things; I have a book signing scheduled for Saturday, November 13^th, 10a till 2p at Hastings in Waco, Texas at Bosque Blvd and Valley Mills Drive. It will feature my latest novel, “The Last Radiant Heart” but I’ll also have available the popular earlier novel, “Paradise Flawed”.

If you’re within driving distance, please drop by so I can shake your hand.

“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011

“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales

“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Book Review Of "Angels And Demons"

2010-11-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Angels And Demons by Dan Brown is a thrilling adventure between the main character Robert Langdon and a secret group of people known as the Illuminati. The Illuminati attack Vatican City in Rome to which Robert is suddenly thrown into being the only chance to stop the Illuminati from vaporising the Vatican using a substance call Antimatter.

The book is the first in the Robert Langdon series followed up by The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol (those reviews coming soon as well). The story is very well written and contains may interesting facts (and incorrect statements) that drive the stories realism to a new level of, could this really happen and does that really happen. One of the most interesting facts pointed out in this story is that the World Wide Web we actually created by CERN, a massive science complex in Europe were also the discovery and harvesting of Antimatter occurs.

The plot is driven by two different main characters playing a staring role, Robert and the Illuminati terrorist. These two points of view remain separate through-out the book up until almost the very end. The story also takes us all through-out Rome and Roberts tries to save four cardinals from being murdered in public on what is the ancient "path of illumination." Does Robert make it or not - Lets just say there is a big bang at the end :-).

All in all I give this story a 7.5 out of 10. While to stories plot and tempo make for a great read, some of the inaccuracies of the information presented force me to drop it a few points. Also the story may also be hurt by the two different views. Often I found myself skipping the assassins point of view all together to get back to Robert and Vittoria (another main character) as they race across Rome with the Vatican Swiss Guard. Many times this point of view change would always happen on a cliff hanger, and since skipping the assassins point of view did not hurt the story at all, I would have to say it was an un-needed addition to the story.

The book I would say is for High School kids and up. If you enjoy Dan Brown you won't go wrong with this. I also recommend getting the special edition of the book containing images of the locations being described in the book, as in this case seeing is believing and your imagination just will not do some of this artwork described justice.

7.5 Out Of 10

Some Other Books You May Enjoy

Wisdom from the Trek

2010-11-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

Over the years I've had people who are aspiring authors ask me for tips or pointers. I even had one teenage boy write me stating he won a writing award and didn't want to wait to become a famous writer, would I help him. I tried not to laugh too hard but I realize that there are a few things that I've learned walking through the fire of writing a couple novels and the wonderful trek of getting published. So here's what I have so far.

1. Cliche', write what you know or like. You must be passionate about the topic you are writing about otherwise you will find it nearly impossible to write 80,000 + words for a novel. (That is of course if you are going for a full novel.) There came a point around halfway through each of my manuscripts that I start to waver in my determination. You will face these moments often and if you are not passionate about the project you are writing then you may very well quit.

2. Do research. I don't mean you have to have a doctorate on your subject of choice but you should have a basic understanding because the people who are going to buy your book will. If you can't connect with them on their level to some degree people will loose interest.

3. Don't tell too much. The best advice I ever received was don't try and tell the reader everything at once. Little by little reveal a character's history. Did you create an entire world for your fantasy novel?...Don't tell me it! Let me slowly experience it through the character's interations and thoughts.

4. What's your point? Have a goal with your story, preferably before you start writing. People want a good story over the quality of your sentence structure or how you explained a character's entire appearance with only one sentence. Amazing, yes, interesting, no. I'm not saying that you don't have to write well, I'm just saying it needs to have a plot and purpose throughout the story for the reader to want more. Which brings me to my next topic...

5. Make the reader ask questions. If you are doing what I said in number 3 then you should have no problem with this one. I started off my first book with one of the main characters named Nick. He's in a nightclub looking for someone. He's on a mission but you know nothing about Nick yet. Who is he looking for? What's so important that he have a meeting with this guy? Why is he trying to sell this man medical equipment? I just let the scene unfold to answer most of these questions but at the end of the first chapter I leave you with more questions in their place. I want the reader to be asking the question what's going to happen next? That is what makes a book a page turner. I don't care what genre you write in, this is important. Will Claire take a chance and tell Jimmy her true feelings for him? Is she...maybe...leave each chapter with a promise of answers in the next.

6. Outline. I know this is something that should be at the beginning of writing however I find that some authors don't like to do outlines. Let me offer this much advice in regards to outlines. You don't have to follow them to the letter nor do they have to be a detailed summary of what you think you are about to write. However I do suggest having some sort of road map to where you want to end up with your story. That doesn't mean you have to stick strictly to the outline but it will help you keep track and I even suggest modifying as you come up with new ideas. Often I'll come up with much better plots and subplots as my characters interact within the story. To outline or not to outline...you really need to outline in some form.

7. Know the language for which you will be marketing in...IE know how to write in English!!! I cannot, cannot, cannot, CANNOT, stress this enough. I saw someone giving away a free e-book and I thought to myself, "Hey take a look." The Person Wrote Every Word With A Capitol Letter For The Entire Book. Doh!!! Which leads me to my next point...

8. Don't try and use phonetic wording for accents. I talked to my editor and asked them why most editors say that you shouldn't spell a word like you want it to sound. She told me it's because readers will actually send in letters or emails telling them they spelled a word incorrectly. So don't use dialogue that says something like, "He gots ya dare!" Homer pointed out. Use correct spelling only put the words in a specific order to make the accent work. "He got you there!" Homer exclaimed in his Oklahoma slang. I know there are better examples to give but I just can't think of one right now.

9. Always stop writing before you run out of ideas. What I mean by that is always stop while you still know where you are going. Michael Card gave that advice years ago and I never forgot it. Don't set yourself up for writer's block. If you end your writing time knowing where you want to go next you'll find that writer's block doesn't happen as often.

10. Know your characters. I know you know them but do you? What kind of toothpaste do they use in the morning? Do they even brush their teeth on a daily basis? If they were to go to a movie what would they watch? Are they left or right handed? How many siblings do they have? Are they an only child? How does that effect their mental make up? Are their parents still alive or are they orphans? Do they have a scar and if so how did they get it? Do they have a tatoo and why did they get it? Are they into sports, clothes, music...what kind?
My point is that the more questions you ask yourself the more real and vivid these characters will be and will dictate how they react throughout your story. I had a scene in my second book with FBI Agent Catlin where I had planned on him doing something with everyone else and had to change it when the time came for that chapter. He is a protector and has a deep compulsion to protect the family and therefore wouldn't have done what I thought he was going to do. It was strange writing that because I outlined the story differently. That personality trait made me change the entire ending of my second book and it was the better for it. You don't have to explain all these traits to the reader but if you know these intimate details of the character there will be a three dimensional aspect to them that wasn't there before.

11. Get someone who will give you an honest opinion on your writing. Critique groups, friends, relatives or whoever you feel will not hesitate to tell you that your story is garbage. We all write garbage at one time or another so don't get offended. Better to dig through the garbage in order to find what's truly great.

12. I had someone who was interested in writing ask me about how to get published. I'll tell you what I told them, don't even think about publishing until you have a completed manuscript. Publishing is a whole other world and until you have a full story to offer them there is no point in even thinking about it. First things first, story, publisher, marketing. In that order otherwise you will drive yourself crazy and will never accomplish any of them.

I think I will stop at an even dozen for now. If I happen to think of more then I'll share. I am getting ready for bed now and pray all you bloggers and readers have a fantastic night!

Blessings,
Daniel L Carter
Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

The Nook Color - A Game Changer

2010-11-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of the Nook right? If you have been into a Barnes and Noble store you may have even been able to play around with one of these fancy eReaders. The Nook was a game changer when it first came out and it is about to do it again.

The only real competition in the eReader market to take on the massive Kindle, the Nook quickly gained popularity and then gained over 25% of the eReader market. Quite a chunk in one of the fast growing book markets in the world. A book market that for the first time in history is starting to outsell in print books! But when the Ipad emerged the eReader market had to match it. Failures came of course but everyone was expecting the Kindle to rise to the occasion, after all the great and might Amazon would be able to toss money at the problem right? No instead they gave us a Kindle with a larger screen and said, yeah that'll work. Strangely enough it was not the mighty Amazon who came to the eReaders rescue, it was B&N. The once great bookstore chain who is hanging on by introducing the Nook and selling it in stores decided to roll the dice on their situation and create an eReader unlike any other, and I must say, it does not disappoint.

Officially hailed as the Nook Color, this new Nook capitalizes on the popularity of the color touch screen control that the original Nook had and goes all out with a 100% color touch screen system. Slightly larger than the original Nook, this little baby is like the iPad but with-out the high price tag and the millions of apps. (however apps are available for the device). The Nook Color features everything the Nook features, eBook sharing (an awesome idea!) reading eBooks free when you are in a B&N store that stocks the eBook in print, the internet, WiFi connectivity and so much more. As of right now the Nook Color does not have 3G connectivity but plans are in the works to make one.

The Nook Color also offers brand new features - highlighting. You can now highlight a line in a book and post it to Facebook, Twitter or email it to a friend. Children's books are finally going to be enjoyable on an eReader with the Nook Color's full color touch screen. Classic children's books are even getting a modern touch with some cool features. Books can be read to your child, little movies played on whats going on, built in games and animated pictures. Reading may become fun once again for kids.

Nook Color also brings you your favorite magazine and newspapers in vivid color, but also allows you to find articles easily and even allows you to interact with your magazine with the internet connections.

So while Nook was a game changer in both design, operation and price, Nook Color will again change to eReader market. The Nook Color goes on sale for only 249.00 on Nov. 19. Just in time for Christmas shopping. We think the Nook Color is going to be great. What do you think?

Learn More About Nook Color At - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/index.asp

The Secrets Of The New York Times Book Reviews.

2010-11-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

This Article Is Brought To You By - My Sparkling Misfortune - By Laura Lond - Only $8.99 at BN.com

We all dream about it, we all want it, if we were able to get it we would become stars instantly. A New York Times review is your golden ticket to book signings, recognition, stocking in bookstores and so much more. A New York Times review ranks just below having your book shown on Oprah and Glenn Beck in the way of instant stardom. It is a dream that so many authors know very little about and never really take the chance on because well - they are never going to look at my book right?

Well that depends - The New York Time s is not going to take any ol book. Unlike TV star and pundit Oprah and Glenn who will recommend books quite often on a whim, The New York Times goes through an extensive filtering process. On average The New York Times (TNYT) will receive over 1,000 books a week and those 1,000 books somehow are going to be filtered down to 25. How do they do it?

First things first - Self help book, travel book, or reference guide are instantly tossed and do not even make it to round one. From there editors review your books submission letter, cover, and read a few pages. Editors may also research other reviews of the book in order to see if the book is even worth reading. From there they now 750 book pile is lowered to about 25. Some of the reasons why TNYT rejects your book in round one are: they lack originality, pack assemblages of smaller pieces, and for those of you who are first timers to the author world you book is not strikingly good. No surprise here, TNYT will judge a book by it's cover as well as it's content. One of the things that needs to be stressed the most is, your cover letter to the editors need to sell your book in as few words as possible and in the best possible way. Remember they are reading 750 other letters that week alone, you are not on the top of their priority list with your unknown book by an unknown author.

From here the reviewers keep their process a secret on who is going to be the featured book on TNYT, however according to the editors, the number one way to get your book reviewed is to write a good book. One way to find out if it is worth the postage to send the book to TNYT is to have bloggers review your book first. Find out what the general consensus is. If they all say WOW! then it might be a good idea to send it. If it is - meh or okay, then it might be better to save the postage and keep plugging away online.

The New York Times is a great place to get your book reviewed, but there are also many other places as well. Find reviewers who will review your book for free. Try to get away from anyone who charges as most of the time it is not worth the price you pay. Find the free ones first and then when all else fails, pony up. For me the theory is if TNYT doesn't charge you to get a review (granted you get through the filtering process) then why should Joe who owns a blog charge you to review the book.

For those of you who want to submit your book to The New York Times you may do so by following these instructions.

Galleys of books for review consideration should be addressed to the "Editor of the Book Review" three to four months in advance of publication. If galleys are not available, finished books may be sent.

All publishers are welcome to send material for review consideration, but please be aware that we review only a very small percentage of the books we receive and the odds against a given book receiving a review are long indeed. So before you send galleys or books you should familiarize yourself with the kinds of books we do and do not review.

For example, we only review books published in the United States and available through general-interest bookstores.

We cannot return books or galleys, and we cannot respond to queries regarding the status of a galley or book sent for review consideration.

If you would like to have your book considered for review, please send it to:

Editor
The New York Times Book Review
620 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10018

If you are sending a children's book, please send it to the attention of the Children's Book Editor.

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton - Review

2010-11-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

The cover picture on Rosy Thornton’s new novel, The Tapestry of Love, is beautiful – one of the finest I’ve seen, and if there’s a competition for the best or most evocative cover, then this should be entered for it. The picture leaves the reader in no doubt that he/she is going to read about rural France. Yet for all my enthusiasm, it doesn’t do the story justice.

This is an outstanding read, pulling the reader straight into the Cévennes mountain region of France with such simplicity and effectiveness. The novel starts with the main character’s car being stuck in a straggling flock of sheep which Catherine is not used to, making her imagine a flood in which her car may dislodge and “be swept downstream with the sheep”. Just the next day she answers her cottage door (which I imagine to be the one on the cover) to a local farmer delivering a consignment of hay which Catherine has no idea what to do with. Rosy Thornton is brilliant at conveying scenes that the reader believes he/she is also living and therefore sharing, first-hand, the experiences of the characters.

Catherine has no super-powers, she’s not a powerful, beautiful heroine, yet I wanted her for my best friend. She’s warm-hearted, with a quiet bravery that she plays down. She is generous and makes friends easily, melting the hearts of the “suspicious of outsiders” locals. Soon she becomes part of the community and even manages to cope with the excessive bureaucracy without pulling her hair out.

This is a warm, inviting book, even though the love-attraction is flawed (albeit handsome and in many ways appealing) with secrets only revealed towards the end.

The array of characters have their individual foibles: there’s the selfish sister, the very funny daughter who can’t settle and the quiet, studious son. And that’s not counting the colourful local characters who have to face their own problems. No-one can accuse this novel of being boring or repetitive.

But Rosy Thornton is a master of description. She brings the story alive, either through the pelting weather: “through the descending curtain of gray she could make out the gate at the end of his yard” or through the markets heaving under their selections of fruit and vegetables: “fat, blanched leeks (and) butter beans for drying, their creamy pods stippled with purple”. She sees the countryside as an artist, “the sky was a luminous mauve…giving the illusion that road and rocks and vegetation were illuminated from some hidden source, like ethereal stage lighting”.

And it doesn’t end there. If we can feel and see the story, we can also taste it. This is the world of thick green soup, of dates and bacon, of wild mushrooms on toast, of wild boar and venison, and a scrumptious Mirabelle tart.

I was so enthralled, I didn’t want the book to end. It certainly is a page-turner, but I savoured it, restricting myself to just a few pages per day because I knew that when I finished it, I’d feel I’d lost a friend. And I did.

Buy the book here

And don't forget to buy my book: "Perfect Score" by Susan Roebuck which you can buy here

This post does not necessarily reflect the views of Dream Books LLC.

Marketing Tips - What To Do

2010-11-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

Here are some quick marketing tips that you can do to help make your book a success. This short article is in conjunction with our article we wrote on what NOT to do. You can find it here. In our opinion telling people what they should do is such a waste since the imagination can provide endless ideas for marketing your book, however there are a few things that no matter how many people do it, it will help.

1) Have your book available on the Nook and the Kindle. The Nook is quickly becoming the new champion of eBook readers as it now controls just over a quarter of the market and is growing. Nook is also now introducing the Nook Color, the first touch screen, full color eReader for less than the Kindle DX. It is very important to price your eBooks properly, and right now in todays market keeping your books under $6.00 is your best bet. However in order to get people to buy your book you need to have something worth buying. Make sure that your eBook is converted correctly. You can use Kindle and Nooks built in conversion system when you publish the book, but in order to get a clean conversion you need to make sure your book is clean of the following items: All header and footers deleted, all page numbers deleted, table of contents needs to have the page numbers removed. Also your table of contents actually needs to be working links, to do this you would insert an automatic table of contents using Microsoft Word. Make sure all text is converted to Arie, and make sure that there are no spaces in your document, this includes blank pages. Make sure all your text is left justified, Kindle has a tendency to mess up text when you use any other justification. Any special items that are not vital to your book and are not an image, delete. If you do all that you should come out with a nice conversion.

2) Make your book available on Amazon.com if possible. Why not have your book on the worlds largest bookstore. Plus there is also another reason, it's called number 3

3) Get book reviews from bloggers. This is very important to your books marketing efforts. So many authors will spend money (DON'T EVERY PAY FOR A REVIEW!) on reviews from services only to find out those services often do not turn out any results. If you want to generate buzz about your book and build up your books following and sales, get as many bloggers as you can find to review your book, interview you, and anything else you can think of. Bloggers often will accept eBooks to review just check their review policies. The more reviews you get the more your book's name and it's keywords will get indexed by search engines like Google and Yahoo. Plus these sites depending on the number of followers or it's syndication can reach hundreds or even thousands of readers to drive traffic to your book. By having your book listed on Amazon.com, the blogger can link directly to your book and make a little money off of it themselves, making it easy for readers of the blog to find your book and buy it. The best part is these pages are forever yours. These blog posts can turn sales years after they are posted, unlike paid services who often after it has been published in their magazine once, your book just goes away.

4) If possible, set up a local book signing. People like meeting authors, especially other authors. Sign your book, answer questions, even hold a mini seminar on how to get your book published. Just note that you can only set up a book signing with B&N if your book is listed in their system.

Well these are the short list items that you should do to help build up your book. Remember your book's success is going to take take time. Nothing you do today is going to make much of a difference in the short term, it is the long term that will make all the difference.

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Interview with J. L. Rowan author of fantasy novel Arnon

2010-11-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: By posting this interview I am in no way endorsing any of the authors work but rather simply giving a forum so that we as readers can get to know them and the authors can promote their stories.

DLC:Let me introduce everyone to J.L. Rowan author of the fantasy novel Arnon. Welcome. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

JLR: I’ve been a legal resident of three states in 2010 (Maryland, Washington, and Michigan), so I’m not quite sure where to call home! Currently, I reside in Michigan. I moved here to help take care of a parent with a very serious type of cancer. I am currently unmarried, and I recently graduated with my Master in Library Science from the University of Maryland. My specialization is in Archives, but my practical training and passion is in rare books and manuscripts.

DLC: That's too cool. I have to say I'm a huge fantasy fan having grown up reading Tolkien and Brooks. Your book look interesting. What's it about?

JLR: Arnon tells the story of a man caught in the grip of oppression and transition. Arnon is a simple farmer from Talithia, but an unexpected attack on his people has forced him into a position of leadership with the Guardians, Talithia’s leaders in the form of massive black panthers. The Guardians make some of the other surrounding kingdoms nervous, and after a brutal attack, the people of Talithia are forced to flee their land and seek refuge with a friendly king. But that king has problems of his own, and all he can offer them is the opportunity to sail across the sea to uninhabited lands where they can start over. Now Arnon must decide if being part of Talithia is worth the cost.

DLC: Fantasy at it's best. Sounds great. So what inspired you to be a writer?

JLR: I’ve been creating new worlds and writing stories since I was a child, though I spent more time reading than writing when I was young. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I really started to write with a passion. Over the past decade or so, I have focused on creating the world of Talithia and writing stories and novels within it.

DLC: Sounds like a lot of heart went into writing Arnon. For upcoming writers who have their hearts set on writing a novel, what advice would you give them?

JLR: Read. Read. Read. And then read some more. The better reader you are, the better writer you will be. And I need to take my own advice on this one. My favorite reading material is the literary classics, especially Shakespeare.

DLC: To Read or Not To Read...is not in question. =) Sorry couldn't refuse. What sources do you draw from when creating a new story?

JLR: I draw from a variety of sources. Sometimes, it’s deliberate, but sometimes, I don’t think I realize what I’m drawing from, i.e., it’s not a deliberate choice, but something that comes from my subconscious. I find inspiration in the world around me, my studies, stories I hear, etc.

DLC: Who are some of your favorite authors?

JLR: I do have favorite authors, and they’re all from the classics: Shakespeare (I love him), Alexandre Dumas (my favorite continental author), the Bronte sisters, Edith Wharton (The House of Mirth is my favorite American novel), Tennyson, etc.. There are so many that I love.

DLC: Ah yes Lord Tennyson...good stuff! OK I want to check out your book. Where can I go to read more?

JLR: My website is at http://jlrowan.wordpress.com. I have a bio there, and links to free stories, as well as Arnon, and a list of all my works, many of them in progress. Caring for my dad is my priority right now, so I only update periodically, but I am working behind the scenes, and have some exciting things coming up.

DLC: I pray for health on your dad and look forward to seeing your stories on the best seller lists. =)

Blessings,

Daniel L Carter

Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

Is It You

2010-11-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Those of us who are writers besides being bloggers, have you found you have a different voice for blogging then you do for writing?

Anyone can tell you that when you blog, be it professionally or as a hobby, you will have a few weeks or even months where you are trying to find your own style.

For me, it took six months of blogging to get my groove. I started off doing one blog post a week, having spent that full week working on the post and trying to make it sound as much as possible like it was something you'd see on Sex and the City.

It's seven years later, and I still have times where I hear the voice of actress Sarah Jessica Parker reading in my head as I write.

Ironically, I did not find my own blogging style till after I started to read a column by Hunter S. Thompson. It was his style of reporting sports that helped to free me from what I thought a woman was expected to say.

I come across hundreds of blogs a week, where the blog's author talks about wanting to be a writer, but not showing any of themselves in their blog. Most of them have fallen into the same trap I did in the beginning, trying to be like everyone else when they blog. As a writer many of us have turned to blogging as an easy outlet for our stories. Many seem to be afraid to let loose and really put in their soul when they do; feeling that to be successful they must be able to fit in to an ideal.

I'll end my observation with a question... are you writing for yourself or are you blogging for the world?

You can find Kimberly on http://pushersink.blogspot.com

This does not reflect the views of Dream Books LLC but only the individual blogger

Book Review of "Ender's Game"

2010-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Enders Game By Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game will forever be the very first book in my life to ever pull an all nighter on! Originally read my freshman year in high school for my honors English class, the book became my ultimate favorite book until my recent reading of "T he Hunger Games" series. I came back to Ender just a few weeks ago to find out after reading The Hunger Games if Ender was still worth it, after all it had been years since I entered the futuristic world where six year olds were breaded to be geniuses and future commanders - and boy did it no disappoint. Once again Ender got me to pull an all nighter!

Ender's Game is a science fiction novel set in an unknown time in the future. The Earth was attacked by an alien force called the Buggers decades before. The nations of Earth put aside their differences and create a military force known as the IF. The IF studies humans and tries to find the perfect one who they feel will be the commander of a massive invasion fleet to counter the Buggers attack and hopefully put an end to the war. Ender Wiggin a six year old who by the end of the book grows to be 12 or 13 (it never really says) is their best bet. This mind twisting book is just that, mind twisting. You, the reader, will be taken into a world that will test even your own ideas on how things work. If there is one thing that Ender teaches everyone in the book and even anyone who reads the book it's how to win.

Some people who read this book may be put off by the age of those that are the main characters in the book. While in the beginning and periodically through-out the book the ages of the children are made known, the book and dialog are so well written that you could substitute Ender's age from six to twelve or even older very easily. If there is one thing though that I would say may have dropped Ender from an off the scale score to it's 9.9 out of 10 is the nudity described periodically through-out the book. While never any descriptions are given, the images are planted so I would not recommend this book for anyone under 13.

To say I highly recommend this book is an understatement. If you have not read Ender's Game you are missing out on one heck of an adventure!

9.9 Out of 10

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Featured Blog Interview with William Bentrim of Azure Dwarf

2010-10-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

DLC: Let me introduce everyone to William Bentrim author and blogger of Money Saving Tech Tips, Philosophic Musings, Pick of the Literate & of course Azure Dwarf. Welcome back to my blog William. That's a lot of blogging going on there. Tell us about them.

WB: Money Saving Tech Tips started when I sold my computer business. It has blossomed into posts on things I find interesting or frustrating but with a vague attempt at saving money.

Pick of the Literate reviews main stream literature.

Azure Dwarf is my demented or convoluted melding of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Blue Dwarf stars are very rare and very scifi-ish. Dwarfs are the requisite companions on fantasy quests. This is where I recommend books in those genres.

DLC: Right up my alley! What was the main reason for starting these blogs?

WB: Retiring and wanting to keep my head active.

DLC: How long have you been doing them?

WB: I just had to go look, the 3rd anniversary of Money Saving Tech Tips and Philosophic Musings will be October 30th 2010.

DLC: Happy belated anniversary! =) Do you have special features on your blog such as author interviews, blog tours, book reviews...ect?

WB: I do author interviews, reviews of equipment and book recommendations. As of today I am trying a giveaway again. I was not impressed with the results when I gave away circuit testers on Money but this time I am giving away a book on Pick and Dwarf.

DLC: What is the most rewarding aspect of blogging for you?

WB: The occasional comment that thanks me for my insights.

DLC: That's always nice to get. I know I appreciate that as well. What topics do you like blogging about the most?

WB: Scifi and Fantasy.

DLC: You're in my wheelhouse! How often do you blog?

WB: I try and post every three days on all three blogs which means I am pretty much posting every day.

DLC: You're a busy man. lol Do you have any professional experience such as journalism or published author?

WB: On tech stuff I have 25 years of experience in computers. Advice issues, I am a credentialed and certified guidance counselor. Books, I read a ton and have published 6 books of my own.

DLC: That's fantastic! In what way do your blogs standout from other blog sites?

WB: My book sites are more recommendation than review. I hate spoilers so I am diligent about not revealing too much. My blogs are my letters to the world.

DLC: What's your giveaway for?

WB: A giveaway of the steam punk novel, The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman.

DLC: Where can people go to check out your blogs?

WB: www.bentrim.info is my website with links to all of my work.

Pick of the Literate http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/

Money Saving Tech Tips and Philosophic Musings http://money-saving-tech-tips.blogspot.com/

Azure Dwarf’s Horde of SciFi & Fantasy http://azuredwarf.blogspot.com/

DLC: Thank you again William for sharing on my blog today. You are welcome back anytime. I look forward to hearing more about your books as well.

Blessings,

Daniel L Carter

Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

Interview with Roy Skillen author of The Three Wise Men

2010-10-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

DLC: Welcome to my blog Roy. Thank you so much for taking time to do this interview with me. As is tradition let's start off with introductions and telling us a little bit about yourself.

RS: My name is Roy Skillen and I am 29. I grew up in Liverpool England where I studied media at John Moores University. I came to Australia in 2005 with the intentions of traveling and experiencing life outside of the UK, but after about two weeks I met a beautiful lady that would end up being my wife and I am still yet to leave Melbourne. I have two beautiful kids Neve and Anakin and it’s their imagination that constantly inspires me to write.

DLC: Too cool. Your children are adorable. Tell us about your book that they help inspire.

RS: The Three Wise Men is a picture book based around three men who are not actually as wise as they think they are. During one of their regular meetings a scary looking man walks in, but each of the wise men as a different story to tell about exactly why he is so scary. When it turns out that they were all very very wrong they are forced to re think their theories on life. It is written in a similar style to Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, which means lots of gross bits that seem to entertain both children and adults.

DLC: (Raises hand) I'm guilty as charged. lol What inspired you to be a writer?

RS: I have always felt the pull towards being a writer, but it was only after meeting my future wife that I felt like I could achieve the massive goals that I have set for myself.

DLC: Good wifey! Mine did the same thing for me. =) I always ask this in all my interviews, what advice would you give to a new author?

RS: Just stick at it and write from your heart.

DLC: Good advice. What were the inspirations for your book The Three Wise Men?

RS: My kid’s imagination is always a good place to start. They never hold back and nothing is too crazy or stupid.

DLC: Children are great that way. Did you face any struggles while writing your book?

RS: I honestly have to say that there weren’t any. The first line came to me while I was lying in bed (Always keep a pen and paper by your bed) then the next day it just flowed.

DLC: I wish I could say the same. Why did you choose to write children books?

RS: I don’t think that you actually pick the genre I think your story does. You write the story to the best of your ability and then once it is finished decide who it will be best suited to. Well that is how I work anyway.

DLC: Very true. Do you have any favorite authors?

RS: I don’t tend to have a favorite author that I stick to religiously. I get hooked by specific characters and stories. Willy Wonka, Romeo and Juliet, Harry Potter, Ludlum’s Jason Bourne etc. I am reading a lot of Conn Iggulden at the moment though.

DLC: Eclectic I love it. Are you working on anything right now?

RS: I am currently working on another kids book called The Great Mouse Mysteries, The Ghost of Gogoroc Grange. This a detective story full of twists turns and pure adventure. I am hoping to have it out by the end of the year, but we will see.

DLC: I know there are several of my readers who have children, where can they go to check out your book?

RS: www.rmskillen.com or through my publisher at www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TheThreeWiseMen

DLC: Roy, it's been a privilege having you here on my blog. Keep the stories coming!

Blessings,
Daniel L Carter
Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

Have A Happy And Safe Halloween!

2010-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Book Review of Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes About the Stars and Legends of the Movies!

2010-10-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought you've heard everything about Hollywood comes a totally original new book. Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes About the Stars and Legends of the Movies! by Stephen Schochet contains a timeless treasure trove of colorful vignettes featuring an amazing all-star cast of icons including John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn and many others both past and contemporary.

A special blend of biography, history and lore Hollywood Stories is full of humorous tales often with unexpected endings. What makes the book unique is that the reader can go to any page and find a completely engaging and illuminating yarn. Sometimes people won't realize that they are reading about The Three Stooges or Popeye the Sailor until they come to the end of the story.

A professional tour guide in Hollywood, Stephen Schochet has researched and told thousands of entertaining anecdotes for over twenty years. He is also the author and narrator of two audiobooks Tales of Hollywood and Fascinating Walt Disney. Tim Sika, host of the radio show Celluloid Dreams on KSJS in San Jose has called Stephen, "The best storyteller about Hollywood we have ever heard."

Review
Let me start off by saying Hollywood Storie s is not the typical type of book that I read or review. However given the topic of the book and me being a huge movie buff I gave it a shot. The verdict is that I LOVED IT!!! This book is an entertainment smorgasbord of short stories that you'll find yourself not wanting to put down. From the golden age of Hollywood to present day there are behind the scenes stories that will make you laugh and some that you'll read with amazed delight. This book is the perfect gift for that friend or family member that loves Hollywood.

I will say this about the book, it's more geared toward the Golden Age of Hollywood. There are many stories that are modern but the majority of the book is geared toward the beginnings of the entertainment business on through the sixties. Being in the over 30 group (clears throat) I was familiar with many of the actors and actresses mentioned. This book is a keeper and I will probably re-read it often.

I give this book a MUST READ rating for all you entertainment junkies!!!
Buy This Book!!! Amazon

Please keep an eye out for an upcoming interview with Stephen Schochet on my blog dlcacmp.blogspot.com and maybe we can get him to tell us a few more of these fascinating stories!

(Thank you to the author for providing the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest book review. The opinions stated are 100% mine.)

Blessings,
Daniel L Carter
Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

(Ratings are MUST READ, ENJOYED, ALRIGHT &; WASTE OF TIME.)

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The Tell Tale Heart

2010-10-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

TRUE! -- nervous -- very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses -- not destroyed -- not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily -- how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees -- very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! --would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously --oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights --every night just at midnight --but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers --of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back --but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?"

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself --"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney --it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain.All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel --although he neither saw nor heard --to feel the presence of my head within the room.

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little --a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it --you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily --until, at length a single dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open --wide, wide open --and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness --all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! --do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me --the sound would be heard by a neighbor! The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye -- not even his --could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out --no stain of any kind --no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all --ha! ha!

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock --still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, --for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbor during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.

I smiled, --for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search --search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: --it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definiteness --until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale; --but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased --and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound --much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath -- and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly --more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violentgesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men -- but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed --I raved --I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder --louder --louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror! --this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! --and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! --

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! --here, here! --it is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Book Review Of "The Hunger Games"

2010-10-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of the only books that I can say I pulled an all nighter on dethroning Enders Game from it's lofty perch of non stop reading from 10 PM to 1 PM with The Hunger Games clocking in at just over 11 hours of non stop reading! This book is a non stop thrill ride, bringing out the dark side of humans in a futuristic world ruled by "The Capital". 12 outlining districts support "The Capital's" lifestyle which reminds me of Beverly Hills meets New York City. These 12 districts are forced every year to send two champions in what is called the reaping to the capital to fight for their lives in a TV broadcasted game where only one child may survive.

This book is amazing and I highly recommend the book. The book is not a children's book at all and it surprised me that it was published by Scholastic but is perfect for teens and adults. The book is well written using the perfect amounts of discription and dialog and a plot line so full of twists and turns you will not be able to stop reading.

Pay close attention to every word said in the book as information presented in books one and two all come together in a spectacular closing in book three!

I highly recommend "The Hunger Games" for anyone looking for a thriller or who doesn't mind not sleeping :-).

Dream Books LLC

Some Dream Books LLC Titles That You May Like -

A New Face

2010-10-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Why Hello,

I am one of the new blog members, and felt an introduction was in order. I am a writer who is working on my first novel, Canadian, and a reviewer. (I also do wrestling reviews under the name Ardeth Blood)
My favourite (favorite for the Americans) authors include Anne Rice, Candace Bushnell, Hunter S. Thompson, Sparkle Hayter and Jane Austen. I have been reviewing books now officially for just over a year.

Till later
http://pushersink.blogspot.com

The New Face of Publishing and the 21st Century

2010-10-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've recently gone through the motions of looking up literary agents for my books The Unwanted Trilogy. Not sure if I want to actually use an agent yet but I'm getting together a list that represent science fiction. The thing is that I'm finding several of the agencies/agents don't accept email submissions. At first I was OK with the idea of sending in a typed letter and requested material. Why not...that's just how they prefer their submissions and have probably been doing it that way for years. That's when it hit me. An apostrophe...no wait that's Hook...an epiphany.

With the way the publishing market is switching into hi-tech and more and more traditional publishers are going the POD route as well as the decline of book store sales I asked myself the following question. Why would I want to be represented by an agency or publisher who cannot see the obvious change in the market place? They can't even get into e-mails? Really? Save the planet and all that jazz? Less paper wasted, quicker results, less work? Come on people!

Like I said, at first I didn't think much of it but being a science fiction writer and the audience that comes with that genre why would I want someone representing me that doesn't even use e-mail. I'm sorry but this practice of snail mail is antiquated in today's publishing market. Maybe it's fine for other genres but as for me I have to have a semi-technical person represent me and my work. I'm just saying, step into the 21st century is all. That's my deep thought for the day.

Blessings,
Daniel L Carter
Author of The Unwanted Trilogy
Blog: A Christian Man's Perspective

Looking For Writers For The Blog

2010-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Dream Books LLC is looking for writers for this blog. We would like writers to post anything book related. This includes but is not limited to - book reviews (must be unique), funny book stories, publishing or marketing information, book news, etc. Writers will not be paid, but all our writers are free to link back to their own blog and are free to market their own books via this site. If you are interested please post a comment with a link to your blog and your email in email (at) emailservice (dot) com to prevent spamming.

Thank-you to all who are interested
Dream Books LLC Blog

What NOT To Do When Marketing Your Book (Or anything really)

2010-10-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

So do you have your hot chocolate yet? Got your slippers on? Good because this one is a long one so sit back and enjoy.

Alright everybody I just wanted to write a post on what NOT to do when marketing your book. So many people write articles on what to do and most of the time it is the same thing over and over - to that I say "Stop Posting The Same Crap!" So if you are looking for an article that will be posting the same crap you can find for free on hundreds of other sites and amazingly also on numerous books for sale (can you say scam artist?) then stop reading.

Now you might be wondering why the not... that is actually a good thought one that I think can be answered easily. The list of things to not do is far shorter than the things to do. Marketing is not set in stone, it constantly changes in the approach and the approach is all up to you, besides why would I tell you what works for us so then you can ruin it for us :-). While the fundamentals of marketing stay the same, it is really up to your market and your personality that will set you apart from others. That is the greatest part of internet marketing, it can be very personal if you let it be. So if there is anything you should do in your marketing it is this - play your strengths. If you are a wicked Facebooker than your best marketing tool should be Facebook, if you know how to write amazing blog posts or short stories that you don't mind giving out for free than a blog is your number one tool, and so on. Now onto the list!

1) Do NOT use text ads - I'm sure you have seen numerous articles and even services such as Lulu.com that promote Google text ads. Google text ads are a complete waste of time and money for multiple reasons, however the most obvious one is while we do not want to admit it - we all judge a book by its cover. Next most people who are looking to buy books do not go and Google books, they go to Amazon, or to blogs they follow that review books, or ask friends on Facebook and so on. So who is seeing your text ad? Well lets say you wrote a murder mystery book - use would use the keyword murder mystery right? But what does Google pull up with that key word - Murder Mystery Dinners! So the majority of the clicks you would get from that keyword are people looking for murder mystery dinners and not books! Sure you can use negative keywords and a bunch of other tricks up Google's sleeve but do you really have the time and the money to experiment? Which brings me to number two -

2) Do NOT spend money until you have too - So much of internet marketing can be done for free using tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger - Why spend money advertising when you can get better results for free? Granted every situation is different but hold onto your money as long as possible until it is absolutely necessary to spend money on ads and when you do decide to spend money, find relevant locations to advertise. Nitch yourself as much as possible, it is very unprofitable to market to masses when marketing to hundreds who actually want what you are offering will actually buy. Do not buy the crap other marketers say about branding - of course they want you to brand, branding is specifically a money burner. If you want to brand, brand to your nitch while saying at the same time go buy this!

3) Do NOT use social networks as a sounding board - So many companies both small and large and authors big and small forget why people are on social networks - to learn more about the PERSON! Would you be friends with someone who every conversation you had with them would try and sell you something? No you wouldn't and the same concept goes for social marketing as well. You need to be a person, people will buy your product AFTER they get to know you and trust you! As a rule of thumb you should only try to sell people stuff once or twice a week or you will quickly start to loose followers.

4) When asking for reviews do NOT have conditions - I cannot stress this enough! When someone is doing something for you for free do not give them conditions. The only exception to that is giveaway copies (if you are offering a giveaway) limit the number they are allowed to give away, but putting conditions on the review such as only post if you meet bla bla bla or do not post on this site bla bla bla etc. is only going to turn the reviewer off. If you want syndication of a review and the reviewer doesn't have the capabilities or the will to syndicate, do it yourself. Send out press releases with the review WITH the reviewers blog name proudly said and a link so people can visit the blog. DO NOT BE A JERK!

5) Do NOT have people buy directly from you - This one is another big one. In todays world of credit card thieves and banks putting restrictions on what you are allowed to call a fraudulent charge people are very careful where they buy. Your best bet (if available) is to sell your book only through Amazon or BN.com. Amazon has a nifty thing called an A-Store where you can literally embed Amazon right into your website so your visitors do not need to leave your website to buy your book. If you must sell you book only through mediums you control, use Paypal. Millions of internet users have Paypal and buying can be done in one click, however make sure if you are the one handling the sales that you have return policies and refund policies clearly stated or easily accessible. A website called Hirewire makes making an online store very easy and will keep your store sales report very organized which will help you. If you are handling sales outside of Paypal or some other trusted merchant service such as Google Checkout your website better have encryption and the payment page better be protected in an HTTPS page otherwise no one will buy from you.

6) Do NOT expect to get into bookstores - Bookstores are dying as evidenced by B&N recent sale. Bookstores are very particular on who they take right now. Unfortunately when times are tough or when something is new they tend to not take risks and instead go with things that will actually make them money. Your POD book right now is not going to offer them the same guarantee of book sales as say Dan Brown or Glenn Beck. Your local B&N store as long as you are in their system will be able to work with you and you might be able to set up some signings, but do not expect constant stocking.

7) Do NOT expect results right away - while sometimes runaway results do happen, most of the time it takes time to build up followings. As long as you keep plugging away and you be YOU, you will do fine. Along the same lines - do not expect to be a bestseller. Granted you may become one, but in order to be a bestseller online with-out a huge marketing budget and a marketing team that can take on houses like Simon and Schuster - you will be spending hours every week getting websites to review your book, building your following, and maintaining it. Also in order to become a bestseller online you have to make it to the bestseller lists of Amazon.com or B&N. Sell your books only through your website and no one will believe you.

So I hope that helps some of you who are looking towards marketing online. I'm also working on an article on some marketing ideas that we have tried that work. The key to marketing online however is to think outside the box. If people are telling you to do it, chances are they have stopped doing it because it has become to saturated with advertisers and you will just be entering a money pit. (Your time is also money - pay yourself with monopoly money as you wish :-) )

P.S. please comment on what you think of this article and if there is anything you have found that doesn't work.

Oh feel free to post this to Twitter or Facebook using the tools below.

Thanks

Review of My Sparkling Misfortune From Feather Quill Book Reviews

2010-10-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

Find This Review At - http://www.featheredquill.com/sciencefiction.shtml

Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle is a deliciously evil villain. In fact, “evil” is one of his favorite words. And when Prince Kellemar of Dalvanna calls him “despicably wicked,” Arkus considers it flattery. What a nasty, dreadful, and cruel villain Arkus is. Oh, and don’t forget funny. Yes, I said funny! With author Laura Lond’s crisp, wry sense of humor, you’ll be laughing right along with the scoundrel on almost every page.

My Sparkling Misfortune opens with Prince Kellemar coming to Blackriver Castle to strike a deal with Arkus. It seems a local tribe of Dolmanians have been attacking various regions of the Prince’s kingdom. He seeks Arkus’ aid in getting rid of the pesky pillagers, and in return he will allow the villain to help himself to the Dolmanians’ plunder. A deal is struck and on the appointed day, Arkus goes after the booty.

Good Prince Kellemar, however, isn’t really so good. He really wants to become a hero and figures if he causes Arkus’ demise, his wish will be granted. So the “good” prince has a plan that appears fool proof – he tells Arkus of the cave where the Dolmanians’ treasure is hidden. But also in the cave is a lizard-like monster of unfathomable horror. To make matters worse (or better, depending on whose side you’re on), the monster has been hunting Arkus for quite a while. When the monster sees Arkus, the chase is on and the betrayed villain makes a hasty retreat. Arkus barely escapes.

Unable to return to his castle, due to the pursuing monster, Arkus winds up at Silky Lake where he hopes to capture a “gormack,” an evil spirit that might just be the ticket to getting revenge on Kellemar. But instead of capturing a gormack, Arkus mistakenly gets a “sparkling,” a spirit who helps heroes. How could things have gone so wrong? And what on earth will he do with a sparkling? Release it or keep it for several years to bring him his food each day? What a waste of time! But watch out, things are about to get a lot worse for Arkus, a man who prides himself on his wretched evilness.

It was apparent on the first page that this fantasy tale is no ordinary story. Told from the villain’s point of view, we get a taste of the author’s humor on the very first page. “What? You wanted a noble hero? Well, tough. You’ve got the wrong book then….there are no heroes without us villains.” Much of the humor was not from the dialog but from the amusing circumstances that Arkus found himself in over and over. He wanted nothing more than to be a bad guy, but the more he tried, the more he failed.

This isn’t a book where you “love to hate” the villain. Arkus is a nasty guy but he's funny too. You can't help but laugh with him - and at him. Actually, even at the start, when he talks about how he relishes his evil talents, he is a likeable guy. He says he’s evil, that he does terrible things, but we never see it. Instead, we see his rather goofy missteps. The author also did a nice job of developing characters and their relationships. I particularly enjoyed Arkus’ rapport with young Prince Philip, the son of King Osmund, a ruler who is indebted to Arkus for, well, I can’t tell you what happened….

While reading, I was trying to decide if this book is more appropriate for youngsters or adults. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and suspect some of the humor may go over the heads of young readers. But there is nothing objectionable in the text and it is a funny and fast moving tale that would be a good “read together” story for parents and young fantasy lovers too.

Quill says: Fun, funny, and fast-moving, My Sparkling Misfortune is a fantasy tale not to be missed.

My Sparkling Misfortune Video Ad - Let Us Know What You Think.

2010-10-26T18:03:00.001-07:00

First Review Of Mr. President John Adams

2010-10-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

By Kate Blackham Editorial Services -

http://www.kateblackham.co.uk/journal/mr-president-john-adams

Not being a US citizen, John Adams was not a President I had heard of before. However, I found the subject matter to be absolutely fascinating. Tensions between France and the US ran high throughout Adams’ presidency (1797-1801). France at this time was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte whose Napoleonic Wars involved every major European nation. Napoleon seems to have seen the US as still under British control and early in the second President’s term of office the American Ambassador to France was threatened with arrest if he remained in Paris. Subsequent attempts at negotiations were unsuccessful and American ships were attacked. John Adams (with the backing of the Senate and Congress) sought to build up both the army (reinstating a now retired Washington) and the navy, fearing war with France.

In learning and understanding the past, nothing beats the original sources and hence I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in American history.

Please Visit www.DreamBooksLLC.com

Just A Rant

2010-10-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Making a living, generating an income, is and always has been man’s foremost consideration. In the beginning it was simply bringing meat back to the cave (or wherever).

In modern times, little has changed except how that meat gets to be in the cave. These days, we beg the guy with the keys to where the meat is stored to allow us to serve him in some capacity so we might be sliced off a hunk each week (or month, or year) to take home to the hungry mate and offspring.

Now, for the point of this rambling; has anyone noticed lately what’s happening to the guy holding the key? He seems to be having as much trouble as the rest of us. That key he so jealously guarded now opens an empty locker. Small business is hurting because of the gross favoritism to the behemoths, those “too big to fail”. This is a disgusting and totally false premise. “Too big to fail” is simply catering to contributors and, maybe even, an excuse to begin the nationalization process. Smaller competitors would pick up the slack in a matter of months, if not weeks or days. “Too big to fail” is pure bunk and absolutely anti-American.

With unemployment at, or near, 10% means 1 out of every 10 Americans is without access to someone holding the keys.

I realize this may sound like a statement in favor of one political party or the other, but it goes far beyond that. While Washington, Democrats and Republicans, battle it out in a popularity contest for their “entitlement” to lifelong luxury at our expense, they seem blind to the fact that the well they so liberally dip from is drying up. The only difference between the parties is what they spend money on. They both spend huge amounts to fund a bloated system, most of which need not exist at all. A huge portion of the bureaucracy could collapse and go away; no would miss it.

Does anyone remember the MMS (Mineral Management Services)? Who even knew it existed before the BP spill in the Gulf? Lo and behold, come to find out, they regulated or controlled nothing and did only what the oil companies expected of them. They rubber stamped everything oil companies sent their way. Congress was up in arms and incensed over that news, like it was some kind of revelation and they had no idea oil companies had that much influence.

We need to wake up. Of course they knew! They, too, are recipients of that very same money machine. The puffing up with indignation was for show to the American public, and only occurred because the word got out that MMS controlled or supervised nothing. All the hearings lambasting BP and TransOceanic and even all the banks and car companies before those, were purely for show. Nothing... absolutely nothing of substance came from any of those hearings. The final chapter of this little drama is the simple fact that no one is talking about it any longer and MMS is back to drawing their government paychecks and doing whatever it is that bureaucrats do that have no impact on the business of government. How many other bureaucracies exist that are blips on the landscape, yet cost hundreds of millions of dollar each year?

As crass as it may sound, all (yes, I said all) decisions are first and foremost made to garner favor from those in control of the big coin purses, and it begins with the thought, “Now, what can I get out of this for myself?”

If some benefit is inadvertently bestowed upon the masses for the greater good, it’s an unexpected side effect and not the reason. But, it will be utilized by our, so-called, leaders come next election so they might use it as campaign fodder to extend their “entitlement” one more term.

No, this is not at all an issue of which party should be in power; it’s an issue of the people exerting influence over the parties because both are much more interested in preserving a power base than the health and future of this country. The machine is broken and those in charge are deaf to its grinding gears.

Everyone is aware that Congress votes itself pay raises with no discussion. Anyone care? Everyone knows that they have the best and cheapest health care in the country. Anyone care? Everyone knows that they retire with pensions that will keep them in the top ten percent of “wage” earners in this country. Anyone care?

And, here’s one I wasn’t even aware of until this week. If you or I have advance knowledge of a company’s good fortune through employees of that company and invest money on that information then we’ll be thrown in jail for insider trading. But, if a congressman or senator learns of things through the course of government business about such future things and they invest then they are immune to prosecution. Why?

It’s simple; those that make the laws, make them to protect themselves not us.

The only way to begin changing things is to abandon all party affiliations and vote out incumbents. It doesn’t matter who fills the seat. They need to learn, again, this country is all about the will of people and their jobs in government are public service and not any form of entitlement meant to enrich them personally. After serving, they should go home, get jobs and live under the laws that they passed. But, if the people give up their right, then this corruption will continue. Corruption is a dirty word, but I can’t think of a better one. And, we the people, allow it. Shame on us.

You may not agree with any of this. But, you have to admit, it’s a pretty good collective poke to get us all out to the polls and start voting for real leaders and stop voting for people just because we recognize their names. It’s not a popularity contest! It’s our future!

Now, I need a job. Any suggestions?

“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

Mr. President George Washington Promo Video

2010-10-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Let Us Know If You Like It.

Reads Like Murder 2 Coming This November - Free Preview

2010-10-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Dream Books LLC first title is getting it's new baby sister - Reads Like Murder In Kahala. This book features stunning Hawaiian imagery, a deep love for the islands, and a murder (or two). This fantastic story will be hitting the market in early November just in time for your holiday shopping. It will be available in print through Amazon, BN.com, and Dream Books LLC. This book will also be available on the Kindle and Nook. However if you just cannot wait for it to come out, we have posted the first chapter below! We hope you enjoy Reads Like Murder 2! Subscribe to our blog in order to get updates on Reads Like Murder 2!

Chapter One

“Is this what you call aloha?”

Life was amazing!

Haley contemplated the glorious day as she made her way from the terminal to the ARRIVALS sidewalk at Honolulu Airport. The stinging haze of diesel fumes, and the pushy crowds of tourists and tour guides mottled this particular section of paradise as they jockeyed for position in their rush to the appropriate buses ferrying them to Waikiki. This slice of Eden was clogged with asphalt, concrete, and lots of people. Paradise slightly flawed around the edges; just the way she liked her world.

Staring across the city to the tiered skyline in distant Waikiki, her attention snagged on the dark, rugged form of Diamond Head. Back dropped by a stunning azure sky, drifting clouds, and the sapphire ocean dappled by sunlight, the scene was right out of a post card and sent her heart soaring. Hawaii might not be perfect, but it was the place she loved above all others and now, at last, the dreamland she would call home.

“Why did we have to come in the middle of the afternoon? Too crowded.” Amy Shimimoto grumbled as the slight, spunky bookkeeper elbowed past Haley.

“This way!” Amy said, tenaciously breaking the trail as they wove their way through the tightly packed masses exiting baggage claim.

It seemed almost comical to have the slight, but feisty, Oriental woman who is shorter than Haley Wyndham by a significant margin and older by several decades leading the ungainly parade. Clearing the way, she maneuvered with the tactical skill of general leading troops through enemy territory.

Haley glanced at the cars cruising past the curb, searching for Kana Hagoth, who was supposed to pick them up. Glancing at the luggage, Haley wondered how were they going to fit all of this into Kana’s practical Toyota?

“He’s late,” Amy announced, piling her bags on the cement.

Amy had not taken the five-and-a-half hour flight well. The movie had been a sci-fi, action adventure with what the cranky senior critiqued acidly as not having enough plot or clothes. The in-flight meal had been deemed one step above cardboard, and it was impossible to get a decent nap when the rich T.V. starlet behind her had brought her cat and spoke baby-talk to the animal that had its own seat on the plane.

But now, Haley could feel the tension of the flight and the prickliness of her grouchy companion slowly peeling away. Breathing in the equatorial humidity along with the subtle hints of tropical flowers as the trade winds brushed against her, she experienced the relief of evaporating stress. She fingered the dolphin pendant at her neck. It had become a talisman, a lucky charm

“Where’s our flower lei greeting?” Amy groused.

Haley tsked. “That’s only on the package tours.” She had no desire to have a picture taken with a hot surfer dude placing a lei around her neck! She was a resident here now!

All at once, a little, two-wheeled scooter jumped the curb and headed straight for them. Haley grabbed Amy, and they fell backward into a huge hibiscus bush. The scooter rider inexplicably did a running snatch of Amy’s largest suitcase, nearly plowing over them in his hasty escape. The attack was witnessed in the slow-motion daze of shock, their vision limited by the branches and blossoms of the foliage. By the time the two struggled to sit up from the shrubbery, the incident seemed less like a crime and more like a reenactment of a Laurel and Hardy comedy. The lime-green mini-bike, meanwhile, had long since been swallowed up in the mass of traffic exiting the airport.

A bus tour guide, a few tourists, and an airport employee all materialized at their sides. Various comments of amazement and distress were expressed as the Good Samaritans helped them from amid the thick, scratchy plant. By the time Haley had brushed off her jeans and t-shirt, a dark-blue uniformed Honolulu Police Department officer had appeared next to Amy.

After ascertaining that the older woman was all right, he turned to Haley. “You doing okay, Miss Wyndham?”

Startled, she took a good look at the tall officer whose eyes were obscured by tinted glasses. The HPD man was muscled and filled out his tailored uniform well. His dark, wavy hair and chestnut skin spoke of Polynesian heritage. She didn’t recognize him. Had they met through her friend Chase, also a member of HPD? She glanced at his name badge. Officer Ilima. It didn’t ring any bells.

“You know me?” she asked, cutting to the heart of the confusion.

“Oh, anybody who knows Keoni knows you datin’ him, Miss Wyndham. Can’t keep a secret in HPD. It’s a small island.”

Lovely. That was great to know. She was friends with a cop, and all of law enforcement on Oahu knew about it? Every cop she met seemed to love Keoni. What was not to love? As much as she liked Keoni, she did not appreciate being cornered into a role! She was about to clarify her relationship, but was interrupted. Now that the immediate shock had worn off, her small-but-mighty bookkeeper was sharing her indignity with the world, chattering non-stop to any and all within earshot.

“My suitcase was snatched! My clothes! Somebody’s gonna pay for this!” she vowed. “Where’s Homeland Security?” Amy stood at the patrolman’s elbow and demanded, “Where’s the cops! I didn’t see anybody go after that thief!”

“I’m on foot patrol, ma’am. I radioed the nearest squad car. They didn’t see him leave the airport.”

“How could they not see a neon motorcycle?”

Ilima gave Haley a practiced glance. She was the only victim not complaining his ear off, he moved closer to her. “Hey, you doin’ okay? Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No thanks, Officer Ilima,” she replied. “I think we’re all okay, just surprised.”

“Me, too,” he offered. “Been working airport detail for about four years and never had nothin’ like this happen.”

Younger than her, local, average, and calm, the patrolman did a good job of setting the tone for the victims. He didn’t pull out a notebook or ask for a report. Kind of encouraging Haley to walk with him, he talked in confident tones, remaining positive and polite, allowing them to calm down. He seemed possessed of excellent people skills and compassion. Just the type of officer to handle frazzled travelers, elderly ladies with stolen luggage, and whatever else came his way during the course of the day. He did much to assuage the crisis-stress.

“Mahalo,” she quietly thanked the officer.

He gave her a wink and worked on witness statements from the others around them.

“Is this what you call aloha?” Amy shook her head in indignant disgust . “I have to replace everything I packed!”

Haley leaned close to the older woman and teased, “Hmm, shopping. Like that’s a bad thing?”

“Good point.”

Haley checked her watch again. Momentarily distracted by the artistic beauty of the timepiece’s delicate wristband adorned with linked dolphins, she warmed at remembering the moment when she had received the elegant and meaningful gift from Keoni. While they had talked a few times on the phone since her departure from Hawaii, she felt a little tingly, a little nervous at the thought of seeing him again.

Keoni Chase had re-entered her life months ago when she had come here on a routine business visit to Kana Hagoth, her mentor, local kahuna, and fellow bookstore merchant.

What had started out as an average trip had turned into a straight-out-of-the-mystery-books adventure complete with murder, attempts on her life, and the astonishing revelation of a hidden, enchanted isle. Woven into all that excitement were kahuna mysticism, chatting dolphins, and an astonishing legacy left to her by Amelia Hunter, the amazing writer, ex-spy, and dying friend. The secret was shared only with Kana and his grandson Keoni, who were also participants in the unbelievable experience, which now bound them together like nothing else could.

A car’s honk echoed loudly in the covered departure ramp. She looked up and drew in a startled breath. Top down on his Mustang convertible, he smiled and waved as she enthusiastically waved back, feeling her spirits soar. She probably looked like a typical goofy tourist with a grin plastered on her face and all but jumping up and down to get his attention, but she didn’t care. What mattered was seeing Keoni again, so quickly, so unexpectedly, and so delightfully. Taking it as a positive omen, she stepped over to meet him as soon as the sporty white ride came to a stop.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” he called. Leaping over the driver’s door, he ran around to meet her.

Many times she had imagined this reunion, wondering if it would be awkward or warm, spontaneous or simple. Keoni’s gusto pushed aside her over-analyzing as he swept her into a tight hug.

“Aloha! E komo mai. Welcome.” He pulled away, laughing, but kept a hold on her shoulders. “It’s so good to see you … oh … wait I forgot!” He dashed around to the passenger side and reached over the door to pull out several flower leis. Trotting back, he placed a stunning, multi-colored orchid garland around her neck and kissed her on both cheeks. “Aloha.”

“Now that’s more like it!”

Startled, he looked down at the bookkeeper who was standing at his side.

“My friend, Amy Shimimoto,” Haley supplied.

“Oh, hi. Keoni. ‘

“I know who you are.” Amy smiled broadly then gave Haley a dramatic wink.

Chase placed gorgeous, purple orchid lei around Amy’s neck, and when he hugged her, she stole a smooch to his cheek. “I get a kiss too, Mister tall, dark and handsome.”

He chuckled. “I should have expected that.” Keoni covered his surprise with a dashing smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” He played into the role by planting two exaggerated kisses.

“Now this is what I call aloha!” Amy whooped as she patted her heart, and then abruptly grew suspicious. “What have you been hearing about me?” She stared at her friend. “Haley?”

“Nothing but good things.”

Amy poked the policeman on the arm. “Too bad you weren’t a little earlier. You might have prevented Hawaii’s latest crime wave.”

Keoni nodded to the patrolman just up the curb and scanned the strewn luggage with a keen, professional eye. Before he got a version of the incident through Amy’s skewed viewpoint, Haley stepped in to explain. Keoni listened with a frown as the scooter hit-and-run was described. His pleasant face was serious, and she noted with a little tingle of satisfaction, that he studied her with concern when she relayed the part about the damaged property.

“You weren’t hurt?” he asked her, his brow creased with worry.

“We’re fine. ‘

“Not my suitcase and clothes!” Amy huffed. “Who’s gonna pay for a new wardrobe?” She jabbed the policeman in the side with her finger. “Not to mention, I need to take the time to go shopping.” There was no hint of regret in the tone. “Gonna take valuable time away from setting up a new business you know. We shouldn’t have to pay for this!”

Haley and Keoni exchanged covert amusement at the outrage. Finally managing a straight face, Keoni took on his alternate persona of Lieutenant Chase of the Honolulu Police Department. He told Ilima to use the witness statements to take care of the paperwork, and then get with him later. Turning to Amy, he assured they would work something out to everyone’s satisfaction.

Keoni helped move the remaining luggage out of the way, then conferred with Officer Ilima about the crime. Haley wondered why Chase’s grandfather, Kana Hagoth, had not come as arranged. Not that she minded the change in transportation. It was so great to see Keoni again! It was going to be tricky, however, fitting everyone and their luggage into a Mustang. They would have to rent a second car. Or they could just have the remaining luggage delivered to the hotel.

When Keoni returned, he assured them the police were on top of the nasty incident. Amy, almost appeased, attached herself to Officer Ilima as a general busybody and nuisance with orders ranging from issuing an APB to calling the mayor.

Hiding his amusement at the older woman,and sympathy for Ilima, Keoni returned his attention to Haley, answering her unasked question. “I talked to my tutukane. We thought we’d split the rides.” He gave her a thorough appraisal. “Okay?”

“Great.” Amy and what was left of the luggage would go with Keoni’s tutukane, grandfather Kana. She would ride with Keoni. She wondered if Chase had plotted to keep this unexpected greeting a surprise. It was certainly a pleasant way to arrive in Hawaii.

“So are you ready for your big adventure?”

Were they thinking the same things? His hug was pretty nice. Avoiding reading too much into that, she decided to follow his lead. They had established no ground rules for their relationship. Now that she would be living here, he seemed to want to take things slow. That was good for her, too. She was not interested in getting overly involved with anyone right now, even a good-looking cop with a hot car. Shallow much! Focus on building a business, then worry about a personal life later, or so she kept telling herself.

“I think so. It’s been a long time since I’ve started a bookstore from scratch.”

“You have good help.” He nodded toward Amy, still talking with the patrol officer at the curb. “And Kana and I will do whatever you need us to do,” he promised.

“Be careful about volunteering. I might take you up on that.”

“I’m available,” he insisted.

How much she could read into that loaded statement! She was saved the need to respond by a compact blue car that zipped close to them and slammed to a halt at an angle to the Mustang. A short, stocky islander jumped from the driver’s side and waved as he ran toward them with surprising agility for a silver-haired man in his seventies.

“Haley! Sorry, I’m running on Hawaiian time. I had a last minute phone call.”

Business. Kana Hagoth lived and breathed books. Keeping prompt appointments and remembering things weren’t his strong points by any stretch, but it was part of his charm. It was also a by-product of how much prized knowledge he kept stored in his astute brain. He would not be their lovable Kana without the quirky idiosyncrasies.

“I understand.” She smiled, knowing she was one of the few people on the planet who really did understand and could relate to her mentor in the love of literary pursuits. They were on the same page, so to speak, when it came to books.

Kana embraced her, then moved on to Amy, joking that by being late he had been saved the expense of having to bring the leis. Pleased to have his long time friends on his side of the Pacific, he vowed to make their stay here a happy and productive experience.

“You’re always so nice showing me around San Diego.” His thanks accompanied an arm linked through Amy’s. “Now it’s my turn.”

“First you show us some good shopping,” Amy ordered. “Some nasty bandit stole one of my suitcases!”

While the adventure was recounted in exaggerated and colorful detail, Keoni started loading luggage into the back seat of his car. Kana promised the victims recompense from everyone from the Better Business Bureau, to the mayor, and several others in between.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Keoni opened the passenger door for Haley, then dashed around to his seat, calling to the others that they would meet them at Haley’s. Before the couple at the curb had a chance to do more than wave a quick response, he had revved up the sports car and whipped away from the scene of the tumultuous arrival.

Lightning Storm At Dream Books LLC.

2010-10-19T20:46:00.001-07:00

How to make your book launch a success

2010-10-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Get onto the Kindle right now. There are services that you can hire to convert your book or you can do it yourself or if your book isn't very format heavy Kindle can do it with its own tools. Remember Kindle is HTML based so as long as you know basic HTML you'll be fine. If you need help with any problem sections feel free to respond to this post and I will try to help. If you book has images make sure that the HTML code is just the root (/imagename) and then save your HTML file and all your images into one ZIP file and upload the zip file to the Kindle Publisher. The images will be apart of your Kindle.

What is the size of your book (page count, binding, page size) and what did you price it at?

Smashwords doesn't get you very far at all, it is kinda like Lulu. A great place to get your eBook made for you for free but no one really shops there.

Next link your book to amazon.com. This is what we did for our books. www.dreambooksllc.com/ourbooks/sparkling.html. We used the A Store from Amazon Associates so people do not even need to leave the site to purchase the book from Amazon. Plus it lists reviews and cross promotes if you want it to.

Next use this website. There are hundreds of bloggers on this website who love to review books. Start emailing them (Not through book blogs) and ask them to review your book. Actually go to their blog, read it, join it, if they post a review of your book, link their site to yours, don't ask for anything in return. Remember it is their site, if they want to link to yours they will. It does not hurt to ask to do a badge exchange if you have one, but do not be a spammer and get them to put your badge on their blog and not return the favor.

Lastly start promoting your book on Lulu and promote your book in general. You want people to be excited when your book comes out. Create a blog or Twitter account, or Facebook page or all three where people who want to A) learn more and B) be kept up to date on when it is going to come out can join. On the blog post short excepts from the story, create buzz, ask bloggers that review the book to link up to your blog so people who are interested can join up. Make your blog social network friendly. A good tool is Wibiya bar. It allows you to turn any site into a social network hub easily and it makes it easy for your viewers to share. In order for a book launch to be successful it needs a good two - three months of build up to create buzz and to gain ready buyers.

Next I would the next time you see the ad for a free 75.00 for Adwords, click it and get the 75.00. Create the account and wait two weeks prior to your book coming out. Create a Display Network ad using their Display Ad Builder, put the ad only on the Display Network and launch it the day before your book comes out. (Google won't let you link to Amazon which is why you should have the A-Store on your website instead). It is very important that you have the ad made and the keywords you want to use in the Google system at least two week prior to your book being launched. The Google Display Network is reviewed by humans and it can take a long time for on ad to even be approved. Find keywords that match your book but will keep your cost per click BELOW $0.20 Remember only 10% of those that click will actually buy which is why you want to use Googles free money to experiment. Once you find the ad that actually turns a profit then start spending your own money. Make sure though that the ad is driving sales. You can do this in multiple ways, best way is creating multiple pages with only slight variations in the content and each ad goes to a different page and see which page actually gets sales.

Next get onto Facebook ads. There isn't any free Facebook ad credits out there right now, however Facebook ads allow you to target people with specific interests. So if you wrote a book on King George, you can target only people who like (or dislike) him. Facebook also gives you the option to do Cost per 1,000 views (CPM). These are very cheep, and you can get 1,000 impressions for as little as 0.10. Best part is for that 0.10 you can get one click or 1,000 clicks and it only costs you 0.10. Free Facebook marketing can also be done but in order to build up a good following you need a few months. A good book to look at is Facebook Marketing An Hour A Day (or its Twitter counterpart) Make sure your Facebook ads speak directly to the person. If you are targeting people who like King George your ad text should play on that. Example: So you like King George Huh? Well so do I and thats why I wrote this book..." Also limit the number of people that see the add. Remember in sales you need to see something at least 7 times before the customer will buy it. It is all about building trust. If you are doing the 1,000 impressions, for 0.10 would your rather nitch target 1000 people who each person can see the add 7 times for only 0.70 or 10,000 people where in order for each person to see it 7 times you are spending 7.00.

It is going to take time, but just keep working at it. Your goal is not to be a national bestselling author. Your goal is to be the best selling author in a nitch.

Hope this helps.

Oh and since we are a company, I would like to point our that SEPARATE from our publishing side, we have opened up a services branch. Right now we offer Cover Design, Editing, Formatting, and Editorial Analysis. You can learn more at services.dreambooksllc.com

We want to know what you think!

2010-10-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Reads Like Murder in Honolulu is coming out soon, but we want to know what you think of the book before it even comes out. Write your email into the comments section of this blog and the first five responders will receive an electronic copy of the text. Then after your done reading it put your critiques of the book on this post! In order to prevent spammers from finding your email, write your email like this, (contact (at) dreambooksllc (dot) com)

Dream Books LLC Writing Lessons - Lesson One, Why Are You Writing?

2010-10-10T17:53:00.001-07:00

Editing Service Now Available

2010-10-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Dream Books LLC is proud to announce our editing services are now available. You can learn more about this service and our other services we offer by visiting us online at, services.dreambooksllc.com.

Just Have To Share

2010-10-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

I received an email from a person I haven't seen in several decades and she had just begun reading my latest novel, "The Last Radiant Heart". I wanted to share it:

I just have to tell you that I am sitting in my patio room, listening to my Blue Lacys bark at a 'possum and to flamenco guitar playing on the stereo....and I just read the first chapter of The Last Radiant Heart. I could read no further without telling you how brilliant it is. I mean it and I can't wait to read the next chapter and this email is interrupting me so goodbye! Talk to you later, my re-discovered friend.

Brenda

If you haven't had a chance to read "Paradise Flawed" through Dream Books, please buy it and "The Last Radiant Heart". I promise, they're both great reads. Check out all my titles: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002NKB2PC

(The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Dream Books LLC.

Halloween Announcement from Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle

2010-10-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

Those wishing to rent some of my goblins for Halloween may do so by contacting Blackriver Castle, in writing or in person (if you dare).

Information and Rates

Goblin Name: Argh

Height: 7 feet

Price: 1 golden coin per hour

Special Talents: None really, but he’s big – and cheap

Goblin Name: Screech

Height: 6 feet 4 inches

Price: 2 golden coins per hour

Special Talents: Howling, screaming, somersaulting; eating inedible stuff, breaking anything that breaks, lifting and throwing heavy things and people

Goblin Name: Boo

Height: 4 feet 7 inches

Price: 5 golden coins per hour

Special Talents: Hiding and scaring. Despite his smaller stature, Boo is ideal for a Halloween party, he can hide anywhere and disguise himself as anything. If you have guests bragging that they are hard to frighten, leave it to Boo and he’ll give them a scare of their life. Warning: Boo tends to get out of control when he eats sweets, so no candy please.

Disclaimer: Blackriver Castle holds no liability for damages done to your property, guests, servants, yourself or your family members. You hire the goblins at your own risk.

* Note: I take none of that silly stuff you call credit cards, checks, and money orders. Real gold please.

Sincerely Yours, and evil as ever,

Lord Arkus

(The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Dream Books LLC.)

What is up with Google Adwords!

2010-10-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Alright, you all know about My Sparkling Misfortune (now available in print and in any B&N store!). When the book was first released we flew up the ranking system on Amazon.com. Before the book even went to print we created ads on Google Adwords and sent them in for approval. A week later the ads are still pending! After emailing Google we got the standard form response. If they are rejected (don't know why though) then tell us already! We're loosing marketing ground!

Here is a quick note for any author or marketer period who wants to use Google Adwords. DON'T! It is a huge pain in the butt and if you do not know what you are doing then you are going to loose hundreds of dollars for nothing! The best place to advertise right now online is on Facebook. The ad platform is new and does not have nearly as much competition. Plus you can focus your ads on a very tight nitch if you want.

Anyways there's my rant. :-)

For those of you who have not purchased My Sparkling Misfortune, you can do so right now on Amazon.com! If you aren't sure the book is right for you, just Google: My Sparkling Misfortune and start reading the reviews.

If you are a blogger and want to review My Sparkling Misfortune please send us an email via www.dreambooksllc.com.

Also if you own My Sparkling Misfortune and want to help promote the book, grab our badge below and put it on your blog. (Beware I've heard that Lord Arkus has been hunting down blogs that don't have our badge).

Lastly be sure to check out our all new services now apart of Dream Books. You can learn more by visiting us at www.solutions.dreambooksllc.com

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
Walt Disney

Even More Exciting News!

2010-10-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

So sorting through my emails today I came across an email from B&N, and to my great joy it was B&N telling me Dream Books LLC was finally able to send all its titles to B&N Nook! Starting today we are working to getting all our books onto the Nook starting with My Sparkling Misfortune which will be available for only 4.95 on the Nook by Monday!

Not only that My Sparkling Misfortune is now available on Amazon.com in paperback starting today! Today was a great day!

My Sparkling Misfortune

B&N and Amazon?

2010-09-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Okay so I was reading a report that B&N may be sold to Amazon.com. The author went through all the pro's and con's of Amazon becoming both online and offline but I was not pleased with even the thought. Amazon is not the best company to work with if you are a small company (such as ours) and even more unfriendly to authors trying to work with them. In order to get listed on Amazon as an author and not going through a publisher all your books are done through their vendor central or through Create Space.

Create Space is usually where most authors trying to get onto Amazon go to so lets go through what is offered at Create Space. An overpriced book, where if you want to make more money on it you have to spend 30.00 on top of what you are already spending on the getting the book ready, the printer CS uses is very difficult to work with and your book will be rejected many times before accepted and then after you work hard to get your book onto Amazon.com most of the time your book sits there and does nothing. More often then not you pay CS to print copies of your books to hand out to bookstores who as soon as they look up your book see that it is not returnable and then say sorry but they cannot stock your book. After hundreds of dollars later and CS pockets lined even more you may decide it's not worth it anymore and pull your book.

Working with vendor central is even more difficult, everything is handled by you. Well if you pay a monthly fee Amazon will handle it for you, but just like CS your odds of even being found are slim to none. Currently on Amazon's vast system there are over 5 million titles with another 700,000 ebooks! Authors are at the mercy of Amazon's page rank system, keyword placement, and shear good luck!

B&N on the other hand is very author and small press friendly. Each individual store has purchasing power and as long as the book is listed in the B&N system (easy to do visit bn.com and scroll down to the bottom and click publisher / authors) and your book is on the shelves. From there you can help promote your book with bookmarks, foot marketing, and just plain moving your book to a better location while the employees aren't looking (always fun :-) ) While getting into any kind of retail environment is hard, I would choose B&N over Amazon any day!

With that said, here is a link to Amazon to buy Paradise Flawed :-) (You can also pick it up at your local B&N store as well!)

It Is Finally Going To The World!

2010-09-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

After much sword fighting, wars, and well... who am I kidding there were no wars, no sword fights; just endless emails and fights with distributors but finally My Sparkling Misfortune print edition is hitting the market. More work will need to be done in order to get the book into Barnes and Nobel bookseller stores nationwide.

Wait just a second - you have no idea what I'm talking about. I am stressed out all the time and since I have control of the blog that means I get to rant (maybe) so I am going to let you all know what happens here at Dream Books as it happens. I hope you find it entertaining and I hope you pass it along to others (I didn't install that cool little bar down there for my health you know).

Anyways - My Sparkling Misfortune was sent to us at the beginning of this year and we loved it instantly. It became my favorite book since it made me laugh. We jumped on it immediately and offered a contract to a wonderful lady, Laura Lond. We quickly settled on a contract and got to work. After about two - three months of pre-press work we proudly presented My Sparkling Misfortune to reviewers and to our pleasure it was a hit with them to. Before long the book was out in Kindle format and then .... THE PRINTER! Our printer went through personnel changes, rejected the artists initial cover art, and rejected the interior because it was off by, wait for it, .001 inches. (Note to self, double check margins next time during the conversion process). With the print edition hanging in limbo and it being a children's book we knew it would not sell very well in a Kindle format. (We were right) and so our entire marketing strategy has been held up because some yahoo decided now was the time to change jobs. How rude!

Anyways you should see My Sparkling Misfortune on Amazon.com in print edition next week and the book will be available to order in any B&N store and in stock in select stores. However while you wait for the book to hit the market, check out it's Kindle edition. Only $4.95 :-)

The Art Of My Sparkling Misfortune

2010-09-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks For Entering!

2010-09-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you for being apart of Blogfest 2010! We will be running the names through Random.org to find our winners! Please be sure to still join our blog! Thank-you all for the support!

Does your blog want to be apart of a great October tour? Then sign up at Bookblogs.ning.com

Have You Forgotten?

2010-09-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Please have a moment of silence this day.

Blogfest information is located below this post

Blogfest!

2010-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dream Books LLC is participating in the Blog Fest Give Away!

What Are We Giving Away?

Five lucky winner will win an eBook copy of all our titles and a lucky grand prize winner will win a signed copy of our hit book, Reads Like Murder In Honolulu!

How Do I Enter?

Just follow our blog! Make sure your user name has a way to contact you so we can send you your winnings.Once Blogfest is concluded we will use http://www.random.org/ to find our winners! Be sure to check out all our titles by visiting us at www.dreambooksllc.com!

Want To Go Back To The Tracker Website?

http://www.ajourneyofbooks.com/blogfest/

BE SURE TO SAY HELLO BY POSTING A COMMENT ON THIS POST AND DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING!

The Musical Story - One Of These Days - Prologue

2010-08-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

The Musical Story is the story of Rider, a 19 year old kid. Every chapter is titled after a song and at the end of each chapter is a song that the author feels fits the story best. We hope you enjoy as we bring you this story.

The Musical Story - One Of These Days - Prologue

I sat on the curb out in front of my house, the tears falling down my face. I could not hold them back, the wall had broken and there was just no stopping it. The hatred in my life had reached the breaking point and I just wanted out. The familiar buzz in my pocket interrupted my sadness and replaced it with a dark hatred I could not even explain. One, two, three, four – It was a call. Pulling out my phone, I glanced at my caller ID.

“Hey,” I said pulling on my mask once again.

“Hey, what are you doing,” asked the girl on the other line.

“Nothing really,” I lied.

“Good, because I want to talk to you,” she said happily. Why is it that she could be happy and not me I thought.

“Well actually I wanted to talk to you,” I answered back. She was the one person I knew would understand, the only person I think I actually loved.

“Well it’s about me and Joshua,” she said and instantly my heart sank. Of course, why would she talk to me about anyone else? Joshua was her boyfriend, and one that I wish did not exist. Long story short, her and me were just friends and well… I do not want that but that is life I guess.

“Well, have you seen Facebook yet?”

“No, why?”

Oh… I was kinda hoping you would have seen it already… Um”

“Just spit it out,” I said smiling. I don’t know why her indecisiveness made me happy but it did that and so many other things. We would spend hours just going aimlessly through town trying to find something to do and I was content with that.

“Well, I don’t know how to tell you this so I am going to just say it.”

“Hey we’re making progress!” I said jokingly.

“I’m getting married…” she blurted out, “When I went to visit Joshua he asked and well, I said yes, and I just wanted to you hear it from me personally.” I was stunned, my heart was gone; it had dropped to some abyss in my body.

“Really, that’s great!” I lied holding back my feelings to the best of my ability. “I guess that’s what the text message last night… are you sure?” What was I doing! Was she sure… of course she was sure, she said yes!

“Yes, I prayed about it and I felt it was the right thing to do.” Prayer! Of all the things to do, prayer. Sure, both me and her belong to the same church, but in my experience, prayer did nothing. Just hopeful words spoken to a God who believed you were a lost cause.

“Well that’s all you need,” I said, “If you feel it is right then it is right.”

“Are you okay with this,” she asked timidly.

“I don’t know yet, but does it matter?” I said.

“Well… yes it does to me. You know I consider you’re a super close friend and what you say matters.”

“Honestly I am surprised, aren’t you leaving in a few months for Florida?”

“Yes, but I think we can make it work.”

“He’s going to school in Utah… kinda seems a stretch.”

“I know but we can do it.”

“Look, I have to go, can we talk about this later…” I could hear my mother in the background calling me. Couldn’t she just shut up…? Where was that coming from!

“Okay, if you ever need to talk just give me a call.” We hung up, my phone quickly shoved into my pocket. Yet another failure… another broken heart… a heart I couldn’t even find anymore. With anger now filling my body I put on my mask of happiness and walked into the house.

The Canadian Tenors - Hallelujah
Uploaded by UniversalMusicGroup. - Explore more music videos.

B&N Might Be Going Out Of Buisness

2010-08-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

The eBook market continues to go on the bookstore search and destroy and now it has focused it's sights on the largest bookstore chain, Barnes and Noble. With the Nook under performing and with Amazon Kindle now in Target stores, things just took a turn for the worst and B&N might start looking to liquidate themselves according to a Yahoo News article. Check it out here.

What does that mean for Dream Books LLC. Not much, B&N was never really a priority for us except for the Nook. What about other publishers? Well this might be the biggest game changer of them all. The small business owners are going (assuming of course B&N does go out) are going to attack the chains more popular stores that get dumped and start changing the rules. eBooks will become the most dominate form of receiving a book in my view and the big houses and the big authors are going to start to feel it really soon! Finally the power is going back into the little guy!

To read the article go to this website. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100803/bs_nm/us_barnesandnoble;_ylt=AsxLubNP6CESgo3RkaG.ZsSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtMWxiNjM3BGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwODAzL3VzX2Jhcm5lc2FuZG5vYmxlBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMTAEcG9zAzcEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNiYXJuZXNub2JsZW0-

AP IMPACT: New ID theft targets kids' SS numbers - Yahoo! News

2010-08-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

AP IMPACT: New ID theft targets kids' SS numbers - Yahoo! News

I saw this on Yahoo news today and thought it was important to post. Keep an eye out for those identity theft people. According to the article there are companies finding kids SS# and then selling them to people under a different name. This will boost that persons fake credit and then they will be able to get loans and things with-out the bank even knowing. Online companies use computers and publicly available information to find random Social Security numbers. The numbers are run through public databases to determine whether anyone is using them to obtain credit. If not, they are offered for sale for a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Because the numbers often come from young children who have no money of their own, they carry no spending history and offer a chance to open a new, unblemished line of credit. People who buy the numbers can then quickly build their credit rating in a process called "piggybacking," which involves linking to someone else's credit file.

Start protecting your kids! They might have been targeted. FBI is trying but the "Back Door" as they call it is wide open right now.

Interview With Lord Arkus

2010-08-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Dream Books LLC: Thank you for inviting us to the Blackriver Castle, Your Lordship, and taking the time to answer a few questions for our readers.

Lord Arkus: You are welcome. How do you like the place?

Dream Books LLC: It is, well, somewhat dreary…

Lord Arkus: Oh, thank you. It takes a lot of effort to keep it in order. So what did you want to ask me about?

Dream Books LLC: Lord Arkus, you are, by your own admission, a villain. What is it like?

Lord Arkus: It is a lonely profession. And you always have to watch your back.

Dream Books LLC: You have written this book, My Sparkling Misfortune, detailing your recent adventures. But books usually feature heroes, not villains. Would you like to comment on that?

Lord Arkus: Yes, I would. Heroes are overrated. Villains are never heard or given a chance, they are often misrepresented and underestimated. The latter is fine with me, because when I turn out to be smarter than someone thought, I win. But the overall situation is less than felicitous. I thought it was about time a villain had his say.

Dream Books LLC: Let us talk about the book a little. It tells about your experience with a mystical creature called a sparkling. What is a sparkling?

Lord Arkus: In short, it is an exasperating clown of a spirit who only does good things.

Dream Books LLC: This does not sound like something a villain would want.

Lord Arkus: I’m the last person you need to inform on that! Of course I wanted something different. I wanted an evil spirit who would help me to settle the score with my enemies. Unfortunately, I ran into some unforeseen contingencies.

Dream Books LLC: Why didn’t you get rid of him when you realized it was the wrong kind of spirit?

Lord Arkus: An obvious question. It’s trickier than you might think. I found myself stuck with him for five years.

Dream Books LLC: So how did you deal with it?

Lord Arkus: You work with what you’ve got. Or rather around it, in this particular case.

Dream Books LLC: We understand that there was also a monster involved. Why was he after you?

Lord Arkus: I’d rather not talk about that. Having to pose next to him for the book cover was bad enough.

Dream Books LLC: All right, let us address something else. You know, in reading this book, we got the impression that you are actually not as bad as you wish to convey.

Lord Arkus: What?

Dream Books LLC: Well, you say you’re a villain, yet you ended up helping some people.

Lord Arkus: If so, I was manipulated into it.

Dream Books LLC: But not on every occasion. You even made some friends, didn’t you? And have shown yourself loyal to them.

Lord Arkus: Another comment like that, and I will cancel the interview.

Dream Books LLC: We mean no offense. It’s just something our readers would wonder about. Perhaps this incident with the sparkling has made you less of a villain?

Lord Arkus: All right, that’s it, the interview is over!

Dream Books LLC: Oh, please, Your Lordship…

Lord Arkus: I said it’s over. Shork! Where is that stupid servant of mine? Shork, show the guests out.

Dream Books LLC: My Sparkling Misfortune Is Available On Amazon.com. Get A Limited Edition Of My Sparkling Misfortune Online At Lulu.com.

Mr. President - George Washington Give Away - WINNER

2010-07-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Melissa Hite Seager - The Winner Of Our George Washington Give Away. You can still get a copy of Mr. President George Washington on the Amazon Kindle and for a temporary time on Lulu.com until we get Mr. President listed on Amazon with our printer. We hope you enjoy the book! For a short time you can get Mr. President George Washington at 15% off by using promo code BEACHREAD305 on checkout - the URL is http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/mr-president---george-washington/11502776 We hope you enjoy the book!

Mr. President - George Washington Give Away - CLOSED

2010-07-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

CLOSED

Enter for a chance to win a free copy of Mr. President George Washington, published by Dream Books LLC. To enter please go to the RSVP section and select ATTENDING. On the 21st we will randomly select a Grand Prize Winner who will receive a free copy of the book mailed to an address of their choice and three second prize winners who will win a Kindle, Nook, or iPad version of the book. The drawing will be done electronically using random.org.

You Can Purchase The Book Online For The Amazon Kindle Online At -

http://tinyurl.com/mrpresidentgeorgewashington

Borders Books Joins The eBook World

2010-07-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today’s the day. Citing a goal to claim 17% of the e-book market by next summer, the Borders Group, in conjunction with e-book retailer Kobo, is launching its own e-bookstore today, offering more than a 1 million free and for-pay titles along with a selection of digital reading devices.

The Borders e-bookstore will offer e-books in a range of formats from ePub, PDF to mobile device formats for the iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry and Android mobile operating systems. Kobo, the e-book retailer, will supply the e-book infrastructure for the Borders’s site and is supplying both the iPhone and iPad apps as well as the Kobo digital reading devices, priced at $149. Borders is also offering the Libre reader for $119 as well as the Sony Readers. Citing its own consumer research, Borders said that consumers want “convenience, choice, content and quality hardware,” and that consumers are looking for e-readers priced below $200 for the holiday shopping season.

The launch of the e-bookstore will be accompanied by the debut of Area-e in most physical Borders Stores, an in-store display area that will be located in stores by the fall that will allow customers to try out devices before they purchase. Borders is also launching a variety of consumer reward plans geared to e-books, including special gift cards and free shipping through its Borders Rewards loyalty program and other exclusive offers and discounts on digital devices. The Borders Rewards program has more than 38 million members.

Despite a late start, Borders CEO Mike Edwards said the retailer is determined to be a serious player in the e-book market. “The race to emerge as a retail leader within the digital category is just starting,” he said. “During the past several months, we’ve been carefully crafting a digital strategy, one that has great content and a device-neutral philosophy backed by the Borders brand as its cornerstones. We believe we are very well positioned to come out strong and to ultimately claim about a 17" eBook market share by this time next year.”