Search This Blog

Monday, January 31, 2011

Science Fiction Romance Warps onto Your Kindle

A decade or two ago it was pretty hard to find science fiction with romance in it (unless you count those Star Trek episodes where Captain Kirk was macking on the scantily clad green women), but a love story can add a lot to a rolling SF adventure.

Today we're looking at ebooks from authors in the Science Fiction Romance Brigade (yup, they're marching on bookstores around the world, bringing loving to the genre). It should be clear from some of the covers, but not all these reads are PG. If you cringe at the notion of sex scenes, then you may want to steer clear. For the rest of you...

These SF romances are all available on the Kindle, and they range from $1.99 to about $6. Let's take a peep:

Science Fiction Romance for Your Kindle


Raheiran Special Forces captain Gillaine Davré has just woken up in some unknown space way station, wondering where the last three hundred years have gone. The last thing she remembers is her ship being attacked. Now it seems that while she was time-traveling, she was ordained a goddess…. Gillaine’s only hope of survival rests with dangerously seductive Admiral Mack Makarian, who suspects her of being a smuggler—or worse. But he can’t begin to imagine the full extent of it. For Gillaine is now Lady Kiasidira, holy icon to countless believers, including Mack—a man who inspires feelings in her that are far from saintly…feelings she knows are mutual. But when their flirtation is interrupted by a treacherous enemy from the past, Gillaine’s secret—and secret desires—could destroy them both….



Oath or love…What is her ultimate duty?

Remy Belieux, a woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she’s accepted into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her ultimate duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.



Mari never expects to find herself in a cage in a cargo hold on a spaceship. She quickly learns from her captors she's headed to the meat market. When they try to return her to hypersleep, she resists. After allowing her to stay awake, Mari realizes her survival depends on connecting with the male in charge, Ekkatt. She must make him see her as a sentient being or she will end up as dinner.

Ekkatt has never spoken to any human. They are valued for one thing, the money they bring at auction. The Attun race are vegetarians, but other species prize human flesh and bring in good money. Then the female with red hair speaks to him and forces him to admit she has a name. Mari throws Ekkatt's entire life into question, the biggest question...can he watch her sold to the highest bidder?


Tangled in Time


 Colonel Carey (from The Key and Girl Gone Nova) takes a test "flight" through the Garradian time-space portal, but an unexpected impact lands him somewhere and some when. As he attempts to get to Area 51, he crosses paths with Miss Olivia Carstairs, who could be Mary Poppins' twin sister. Or maybe her cousin. Olivia's got a transmogrification machine powered by steam and a mouth he'd like to kiss like it was his job. Can he convince her to join forces before she shoots him with her derringer? 



They are Galaxies apart so different yet so much alike…

Dr. Maya Belle knows reptiles. While she is in the desert researching habitats, a sudden burst of sand engulfs her. She can't believe what stumbles out of a massive dune.

While on a survey mission over the planet Terrain, T'Kon crashes his spacecraft near Maya's desert home. He cannot remain on this primitive warring planet for long. He must repair his craft and leave as quickly as he came.

When lust stirs between them a sultry unbidden passion hotter than the desert sands seizes them, and changes everything. Will Maya abandon her world for her alien lover? Or will T'Kon set forth without her forsaking their powerful forbidden love?



The world loathes Josie Bettencourt's kind– pod-survivors from the past. When death is certain, an ex-military and friend to the pod-hunters, saves her life. Unfortunately, she is soon arrested and taken straight to the Citadel, the heart of the Lancaster regime where they have ruled tyrannically for over fifty years. Now, young John is in power, hoping to make a change, to erase the wars, famines and unimaginable terror. When Josie meets the frighteningly powerful John Lancaster, she has to ask, is he really the so-called tyrants’ spawn? She soon discovers who the true tyrants are by unraveling a deadly plot to take over the world.  And she realizes that her life in this new future are indelibly linked to the one she left behind. 


Welcome to the jungle—where the found are lost and the lost are redeemed.

Riv is a man adrift, hoping that running supplies for ReliefCorp will restore his faith in mankind—and in himself. Deep in the war-torn Maltana rainforest, he stumbles upon a local bar that suits his mood: good food, bad attitude. The entertainment, though, is unexpected. A skilled piano player who avoids eye contact, flinches when anyone approaches…and warns Riv of an ambush by tapping out the planetary anthem for Riv’s homeworld of Karibee.

The least Riv can do for the mute piano man, “Ducks”, is take him to the nearest spaceport for help. On their harrowing journey to escape Maltana, Riv makes a horrifying discovery. Ducks endured torture that scarred his mind as well as his body. Still, before he leaves the man safely in a treatment facility, Riv manages to earn what little trust Ducks has to give.

Months later they reconnect, and while it’s clear their instant attraction was no fluke, there’s still a piece missing. Ducks’ voice. To help him find it again, Riv will have to expose the painful past that tore a hole in his own life. And hope that together, their ragged edges will fit together to form a whole.

Warning: This book contains fluffy blond hair, sugary soda that will rot your teeth out, one unfortunate first name, and one mute amnesiac with a sarcasm fetish, all wrapped up in two selfless but mildly unstable guys who accidentally find their happily ever after. In SPACE!




Sunday, January 30, 2011

Cheap Ebooks (Price, not Quality!) from January

Since it's Sunday and the month is almost over, I thought I'd do a quick list of some of the free and cheap ($1 or less) Kindle ebooks we looked at this month. If you missed them the first time around, please check them out now:

Cheap (maybe affordable would sound classier?) Science Fiction & Fantasy Ebooks:

Friday, January 28, 2011

Urban Fantasy: The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters

We're looking at another indie author on a blog tour today. If you're a fan of urban fantasy with a sense a humor, you may dig Barbara Silkstone's offering: The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters.

A murder by beheading sends Alice Harte, reluctant real estate broker for thugs, running into the arms of Nigel Channing, a charming British con man.

This urban fantasy is set in Miami and London. Fans of Stephanie Plum will cheer for Alice as she watches her back in attempting to keep her head, while being stalked by Nigel's daft ex-wife and inept, but dangerous mobsters. Alice's world is filled with memorable characters strangely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. She's guided through her dangerous adventure by her own Cheshire Cat.

Nigel, a chubby John Cleese with serious dress-code problems, whisks Alice to England. Alice sees him as her White Rabbit rescuer. The plot trips along at a cracking pace with Alice flinging zingers like a drive-by shooter.

After Alice discovers a gangster's freshly beheaded body in his Miami mansion, she launches a desperate self-defense in a kangaroo court. The main witness against her is Algy Green, a bumbling cockney swindler who super-glues his bat wing ears to his head and commits perjury for theme park tickets. But in the middle of the trial a small piece of evidence opens her eyes.


Reviews:

The Author Nails a Brilliant Tongue-in-Cheek Spin on The Lewis Carroll Classic ~
The heroine, Miami real estate broker, Alice Harte, is caught between her thug boss, Leslie Archer, and an angry mobster intent on exacting revenge for the death of his brother. Archer's wife, Maris, is quite a character herself surviving on white wine and diet biscuits; she adds another slice of anxiety to Alice's dire situation. Then there's Nigel, a British charmer who may be the happily-ever-after man of Alice's dreams. A who-dunnit with twists and turns coupled with quick witted humor. The story stands alone in the unlikely event the reader doesn't know the original. Review by Becky Littrell for Chicklit Club.com

A Hilarious Read ~
This book was laugh out loud funny and a quick read. I highly recommend it for anyone who would love a quirky take on a classic tale. Review by Monie Garcia for ijustfinished.com


Author bio:

Barbara Silkstone is the author of The Adventures of a Love Investigator, 527 Naked Men and One Woman - a humorous nonfiction account of her odyssey into the hearts and minds of over 500 men. She lives in South Florida where she teaches a class on the opposite sex called "Men, A Mystery" Her writing has been described as perfectly paced and pitched - shades of Stephanie Plum and Carl Hiaasen without seeming remotely derivative. Fast moving action that shoots from the hip with bullet-proof characterization.

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters 

Robert E. Howard Storms onto Your Kindle

I'm sure Robert E. Howard never imagined anything like a Kindle, but his work is there now. Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures is a new release:

The immortal legacy of Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Cimmerian, continues with this latest compendium of Howard’s fiction and poetry. These adventures, set in medieval-era Europe and the Near East, are among the most gripping Howard ever wrote, full of pageantry, romance, and battle scenes worthy of Tolstoy himself. Most of all, they feature some of Howard’s most unusual and memorable characters, including Cormac FitzGeoffrey, a half-Irish, half-Norman man of war who follows Richard the Lion-hearted to twelfth-century Palestine—or, as it was known to the Crusaders, Outremer; Diego de Guzman, a Spaniard who visits Cairo in the guise of a Muslim on a mission of revenge; and the legendary sword woman Dark Agnès, who, faced with an arranged marriage to a brutal husband in sixteenth-century France, cuts the ceremony short with a dagger thrust and flees to forge a new identity on the battlefield.


Other Robert E. Howard work available on the Kindle:


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Geek It up with Mental Math on the Kindle


Need more than reading to keep your mind sharp on road trips? Then how about an ebook full of math puzzles? Mental Math Challenge Vol. 1 is a $2.99 ebook featuring 1400 puzzles to keep you occupied.

Challenge your brain with these mental math problems. With difficulties from very easy to incredibly tough, anyone can begin to enjoy and improve their math skills. Work out your brain to keep it sharp and in shape while you are on the bus or wait!


And if you'd like to beef up your geek factor, but you're intimidated by the idea of "mental math" (math in my head? ack!), then you might want to get a little help from this ebook...




These simple math secrets and tricks will forever change how you look at the world of numbers.

Secrets of Mental Math will have you thinking like a math genius in no time. Get ready to amaze your friends—and yourself—with incredible calculations you never thought you could master, as renowned “mathemagician” Arthur Benjamin shares his techniques for lightning-quick calculations and amazing number tricks. This book will teach you to do math in your head faster than you ever thought possible, dramatically improve your memory for numbers, and—maybe for the first time—make mathematics fun.

Yes, even you can learn to do seemingly complex equations in your head; all you need to learn are a few tricks. You’ll be able to quickly multiply and divide triple digits, compute with fractions, and determine squares, cubes, and roots without blinking an eye. No matter what your age or current math ability, Secrets of Mental Math will allow you to perform fantastic feats of the mind effortlessly. This is the math they never taught you in school.


Dang, I feel smarter just reading about this mental math stuff.

If you have any math ebook suggestions for your fellow kindle fans, feel free to mention them below!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

99-Cent Fantasy/Science Fiction Short Story Collections for Your Kindle

If you'd like to try some new authors without investing a lot of money (do I hear 99 cents, anyone?) short story collections can be a great way. Some of the following ebooks are anthologies with offerings from several authors and others are collections from the same author. Either way, they offer a great opportunity to try some new kindle authors at an affordable price. (I haven't included ebooks that offer only a single short story, as I think even 99 cents is on the high side for one story unless it's a lengthy one.)

99-Cent Fantasy & Science Fiction Short Story Collections:


She's wanted for crimes against the throne. He's the empire’s most notorious assassin. With bounties on their heads, they’re not likely candidates for heroics, but they're on a quest for redemption. Unfortunately, they'll have to pursue and conquer great threats to earn the emperor's recognition.

Three short fantasy stories set in the author's "Emperor's Edge" universe.

Ice Cracker II -- When wanted criminals Sicarius and Amaranthe unearth a plot against the military’s premier ice breaking ship, they may be the only ones who can thwart the saboteurs...if the soldiers don't kill them first.

Through Fire Distilled -- An assignment to investigate a "haunted" distillery turns sour when mercenaries try to collect on Amaranthe's bounty.

The Frozen Water Trade -- A mission to help an old friend results in a night trapped in a cabin with blizzards and underworld predators on the outside and vengeful relatives on the inside. Alas, it's bad form to kill the client's father.

Genre: a fantasy blend of steampunk and swords & sorcery




This collection of speculative fiction, largely science fiction, is a broad selection covering many different themes. The ten stories vary in length, style and content but all are intended for an adult readership. Some have won prizes in international contests and some have been published. But most are new and published for the first time here.




...Three brothers traipse across a post-apocalyptic landscape, encountering unspeakable horrors...

...A young boy growing up in suburban hell thinks there might be more to his home town than meets the eye, what with all the children going missing...

...A woman dying of cancer is given a way out, if only she is willing to pay the price...

...The crew of a space station must battle their fears and a strange alien relic when they are isolated from humanity...if humanity exists any longer...

These stories and more await inside the pages of The Gate: 13 Dark & Odd Tales, the new compilation by Robert J. Duperre, author of The Fall: The Rift Book I. Also contributing to this collection are the talented Mercedes M. Yardley, David Dalglish, David McAfee, and Daniel Pyle. 




Science fiction, fantasy & horror stories
to make you shiver, smile, sigh & squirm.

A Dream Realm Award Finalist!

Praise for Edward Stack:

"Edward Stack's poetic lyricism lends the marvelous tale a sense of mystery and depth of quality..."
Cindy Penn at www.wordweaving.com

"I find that Edward Stack writes a very enticing story that immersed me... His writing is very fluid and is easy to read. Make sure you have plenty of snacks on hand, you will not want to put it down :) "
REVIEW for Word of Mouth Reviews



Old school stuff!

Legends and Stories of Ireland- Samuel Lover 1902
Cuchulain of Muirthemne- Lady Gregory 1902
The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel 1909
The Cattle-Raid of Cooley 1909
Gods and Fighting Men- Lady Gregory 1904
The Celtic Twilight- W. B. Yeats 1902
Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts by Patrick Kennedy 1891
Celtic Wonder Tales- Ella Young 1910
Beside the Fire- Douglas Hyde 1910
The King of Ireland's Son- Padraic Colum 1916
Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens 1920
Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland- Jeremiah Curtin 1889
Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland- Lady Gregory 1920
The Mabinogion- Lady Charlotte Guest 1849
Prolegomena to the Study of Old Welsh Poetry- Edward Anwyl 1903
The Gododdin Poems- William F. Skene 1869
British Goblins- Wirt Sikes 1880
The Welsh Fairy Book- W. Jenkyn Thomas 1907
The Science of Fairy Tales - Edwin Sidney Hartland 1891
Fairies- Gertrude M. Faulding 1913
Celtic Fairy Tales- Joseph Jacobs 1892
Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race- Thomas Rolleston 1911
On the Study of Celtic Literature- Matthew Arnold 1867



This is a collection of the first eight novels in the Tarzan series. The series is considered a classic of literature and is the author's best-known work, Tarzan has been called one of the best-known literary characters in the world. Written by Burroughs between 1912 and 1965, Tarzan have been adapted several times, complete or in part, for radio, television, stage, and cinema.

The collection includes the following books with an an active table of contents:
Tarzan of the Apes
The Return of Tarzan
The Beast of Tarzan
The Son of Tarzan
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Tarzan the Untamed
Tarzan the Terrible




The Astounding/Analog triple AnLab Poll winner and legendary Hugo Award Nominee science fiction trilogy in one volume!

This volume contains all three novels featuring FBI agent Kenneth J. Malone in the Queen's Own FBI (also known as the Psi-Power Series) trilogy:

Book One: Brain Twister (also known as That Sweet Little Old Lady)

Book Two: The Impossibles (also known as Out Like a Light)

Book Three: Supermind (also known as Occasion for Disaster)

FBI agent Kenneth J. Malone lives in a world where psionic powers such as telepathy and teleportation exist. Malone must cope with them as well as an FBI Director who leaves Malone constantly confused about what situation he is being asked to handle and what he is expected to do about it.





An alien artifact is uncovered in the distant future, and begins it's journey of mayhem and destruction. Follow it through time and history as it destroys the lives it touches.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

Concerned about the future of the Internet? Wondering who might control it down the road? This ebook might be worth a look: The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

According to Columbia professor and policy advocate Wu (Who Controls the Internet), the great information empires of the 20th century have followed a clear and distinctive pattern: after the chaos that follows a major technological innovation, a corporate power intervenes and centralizes control of the new medium--the master switch. Wu chronicles the turning points of the century' s information landscape: those decisive moments when a medium opens or closes, from the development of radio to the Internet revolution, where centralizing control could have devastating consequences. 

To Wu, subjecting the information economy to the traditional methods of dealing with concentrations of industrial power is an unacceptable control of our most essential resource. He advocates not a regulatory approach but rather a constitutional approach that would enforce distance between the major functions in the information economy--those who develop information, those who own the network infrastructure on which it travels, and those who control the venues of access--and keep corporate and governmental power in check. 

By fighting vertical integration, a Separations Principle would remove the temptations and vulnerabilities to which such entities are prone. Wu' s engaging narrative and remarkable historical detail make this a compelling and galvanizing cry for sanity--and necessary deregulation--in the information age.

From reviews, it definitely sounds like a dense read, but a worthwhile one too.

The book is well-written but is not designed as entertainment. If, however, you are concerned about the Internet and potentially where it might go in the near future, or more specifically, how it might wind up controlled, this book will be an interesting and informative read. Important too because communication and information dissemination are vital to the freedom of us all.

Columbia University Professor Tim Wu takes us on an in-depth tour of the history of the communication empires of telephone, radio, television, and now the Internet. Wu's analyses
and conclusions are both brilliant as well as at times somewhat surprising. Every page gives evidence of Wu's thorough research, careful thinking and insights that went into the writing of this fine work.

$14 for the kindle: The Master Switch

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dragon Academy by Diane Nelson--YA Fantasy

If you're a young adult who loves fantasy (or an adult who loves YA), then you might try Dragon Academy. This is the work of Diane Nelson, an indie author looking to get her name out there. We're looking at her novel today to see what we can do to help! 

Blurb:

With high school finished for the summer, Nick looks forward to visiting his aunt and uncle in New Jersey. What awaits him is a heat wave like no other - and the last two Greywings on the planet. Nick has an innate ability to train horses but will he be able to translate his amazing skill to these teenage dragons?

The steaming soup of mid-summer heats up tempers and tests resolve as Nick vies with fellow trainers, Keith and Maxie, for mastery over their new charges. The dragons, Nikita and Michael, typical teenagers themselves, have other ideas.

Nick treads a torturous path through a minefield of competing demands: the expectations of his aunt and uncle, recalcitrant horses, the Academy’s female students and the overwhelming egos of Nikita and Michael. One small mistake erupts into a conflagration that hurls everyone into a race against time and forces of nature.


Reviews:

Diane has a smooth writing style that blends fantasy and reality into a believable story. "Dragon Academy" would make a great film. It would also make a wonderful present for anyone who likes Harry Potter or Eragon...
--Mandy Ward

It's one of those rare gems you come across and have to share.
--SCAVOLA

As a teacher, I would definitely recommend my students read this book. --LM DeWalt

I finished reading Dragon Academy and sat smiling to myself for a while. It captured my imagination and took me on a marvelous journey. --Suzanna Burke


Author bio:

Diane Nelson has been writing for over 25 years across a variety of genres - dark urban fantasy,paranormal romance, science fiction, humor and cross-genre erotica. Her completed works include The Guardian Chronicles (paranormal), Mounted Exercises (short stories), Dancing in the Dark: An Anthology of Erotica and Sculpting David (contemporary romance novella). Due out soon: Flashes Through Time - a collection of flash fiction, shortie short stories, poetry, and more, all funny, fantastical, and perfect for a lazy day at the beach, curled up on the sofa or a break from that report [you know you want to].

Dragon Academy is her third full length novel.

Diane is a lifelong equestrienne who has competed in dressage and distance riding. Her love affair with dragons began as a young child and continues unabated. She lives in Pennsylvania with her son, horses, cats, chickens and a family of friends and supporters who provide not just inspiration but absolute belief in her characters and stories.


Diane Nelson's Twitter Page.

At $3.99, the ebook is more affordable than many, and reviews at Amazon are positive. For non-Kindle peeps (did you stumble into the wrong blog?), the novel is also available at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.


Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Origins of Science Fiction: A Brief History of Science Fiction before the Twentieth Century

If you've been meaning to read a lot of the science fiction classics, but haven't gotten around to it yet, you can spend $2 on this ebook and pack a boat-load onto your kindle at once: The Origins of Science Fiction: A Brief History of Science Fiction before the Twentieth Century.

An old man discovers a baby the size of his thumb in a glowing stalk of bamboo, and the baby grows into a beautiful woman princess from the moon. The emperor of Japan falls in love with her, but the moon people come to take her away in a flying saucer. So goes a tenth-century Japanese fairy tale, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, one of the earliest known examples of science fiction.

But can we call a fairy tale, "science fiction?" The experts don't agree. Many old stories feature the moon, other planets, and scientific advance but none call themselves science fiction. Instead, experts apply the term proto-science fiction to these historic works.

This book is a brief introduction to the genre. It provides the history of science fictions origins, and shows the culture that influenced the work.

More than an introduction, however, it is also an anthology of the work; not only do you get to read the history behind the work--you actually get to read the work.

Dozens of works are included in this large collection; authors and works include:

Mary Shelley
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus
The Last Man

Edgar Allan Poe
The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfall

Jules Verne
20,000 Leagues Under the Seas
Around the World in Eighty Days
From the Earth to the Moon
A Journey to the Interior of the Earth
The Mysterious Island

Edward Bellamy
Dr. Heidenhoff's Process
Looking Backward
Equality

H.G. Wells
The First Men in the Moon
The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Time Machine
The War of the Worlds
The World Set Free


While I'm sure all these SF classics are available for free around the web, it might be convenient to grab them all at once in this collection.

The Origins of Science Fiction

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Royal Dragoneers by M.R. Mathias, a High Fantasy Adventure

If you're looking for a new fantasy read, The Royal Dragoneers by popular indie novelist M.R. Mathias has some good reviews over at Amazon, and it's affordable as well. ($3.33 as I write this post.)

Blurb:

Hold on to your dragon! You're about to journey through a brave new world of hearty survivors straight into a dragon riding, troll fighting adventure for the ages.

After struggling for more than two centuries to tame the inhospitable, dragon infested Islands where they washed up, the descendants of the survivors of a lost passenger ship are now striving to tame the Mainland they have found.

But the Goblin King, an Ivory antlered demon called Gravelbone, has a different plan for the men who are invading his territory. He and his Nightshade are rallying the trolls to defend their lands.
With the help of the dragons, goblins, and orcs they plan on rendering the wall the humans have built useless, so that they can drive man back to the islands from where they came.

When stubborn King Blanchard finally accepts that the kingdom really is under attack it may be too late, and the only ones who can save the people on the Mainland have been locked away in the dungeon.

Join some brave young men and their mentor, a grizzled old King's Ranger, and a particularly clever young magic wielding woman, as they traverse the wild frontier, and sail to King's Island to warn the King of the warring trolls. Then hold on for your life as you tear through the pages, because the pure blooded dragons they have befriended have another plan all together.


Reviews:

The action is fast and furious, and the novel has the author's trademark twists on the traditional storyline and keeps one guessing where it will go. It is a fun book that I heartily recommend. fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com
--Fantasy Book Critic

An exciting step into a mythic world of awe-inspiring escapade, wild battles, exciting characters. Action is fast paced, satisfying in quantity and moves the reader at a brisk pace from page to page at a breathless tempo
--MJ Hollingshead Book Review 



I finally finished this mammoth novel and was not at all disappointed. Not only did it live up to the promise shown in the prequel but far surpassed it. M.R. Mathias is a fabulous new talent that I'll be watching closely in the future. His writing is tight, his characters unique and believable. I would compare his writing to Tolkien in that the storyline is so original and unique and the characters are strong, fully three dimensional characters but Mathias delivers all this without Tolkien's habit of over-description and overly wordy passages. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to sink into a good fantasy saga. 

Author bio:

The jewel you see glowing in the ring in my authors photo isn't really a jewel at all. It is the crystallized tear of a real dragon. In my novel "The Royal Dragoneers" you might find the moment where this wonderfully magical tear drop fell from a green dragons eye and hardened on its way down to land in a mess of troll corpses that the dragon was laying on.

My grandfather died before I was born, but the ring was given to me by my mother, after my grandmother recently died. My grandfather had apparently won the ring in a poker game near the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma sometime in the early 1900's.


It has been a boon, the magic of the teardrop, for it brought you here to me didn't it? Now treat yourself to something fantastic and try out the free sample of one of my novels. I hope you enjoy the journey. It will be spectacular. Thanks ~ M.R. Mathias


I included the Amazon link above, but you can also purchase the ebook at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and the Itunes store.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Geek-Approved Kindle Skins

Want to dress up your kindle and show the world your geeky side? Geek pride, right? Well, here are a few skins (decals) that let you add a fantasy or science-fiction vibe to your kindle. They're non-permanent, so no gummy residue, and you can swap them in and out depending on your mood.

If you're interested in any of these skins, click the link to go to Amazon and get more details. Most are available in different sizes for the various kindle generations.

Geeky Kindle Skins







The kindle skins run about $20. Let us know if you decide to get one, or if you want to suggest other geek-approved skins!