Archives for December 2010

Your Kindle is a Proofer

December 31, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Kindle owners do lots of things with their Kindles – some this you may already know how to do, but there may be a lot of you who never thought to do it. There is a discussion thread going on over at the Amazon site where members are posting some of the random things they do with their Kindles in addition to “just” reading books. I will be profiling some of these over the next few weeks – after all, part of the title line of this blog is supposed to be about Kindle tips vs. just a feature on free books!

Here’s one of the tips from the discussion board:

The Kindle is going to be an important part of the process I use to edit my novels. I recently dug out a manuscript I hadn’t looked at in five years with the intent of whipping it into shape and sending it to market. Instead of lugging around almost 800 pages in a big binder, inspiration struck and I emailed the Word doc to my Kindle.

Reading it there was an amazing experience – I was able to detach almost completely from the fact that it was a manuscript, probably because my brain is wired to accept what’s on the Kindle as a “real book”. It was like having the finished book in my hand. And when I tried Text To Speech with the manuscript (don’t worry, I gave myself permission), you’d have thought I was listening to an audio book narrated by James Earl Jones.

So in the future, I plan to use the Kindle to review my early drafts before beginning the process of editing.

Want to have this blog sent wirelessly to your Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Try out the free two-week subscription! Click here for the Amazon page for Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips.

Click here for my “Kindle Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts” book (in the Kindle format, of course)

Two Rivers Free Today from Amazon

December 31, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Two Rivers by T. Greenwood is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 44 customer reviews. You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

In this evocative novel of redemption, Greenwood (Undressing the Moon) finds humanity and redemption in the life of a smalltown widower and his legacy of guilt. In 1980, 12 years after his involvement in the murder of a black man, railroad worker Harper Montgomery is still living under a cloud of guilt. Alternating between past and present, Harper’s narrative reveals bit by bit the circumstances of the crime, as well as the long-devoted lover Harper was, and the caring father he’s become. Harper’s narrative makes a mystery of much: we know he participated in the murder, but not why. We know his wife died, but not how. Already struggling to raise his daughter, Shelly, further questions surround his decision to take in pregnant teen Maggie. As the past catches up the present, however, Harper’s grave fears give way to unexpected and poignant developments. Greenwood is a writer of subtle strength, evoking smalltown life beautifully while spreading out the map of Harper’s life, finding light in the darkest of stories.

Want to have this blog sent wirelessly to your Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Try out the free two-week subscription! Click here for the Amazon page for Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips.

Looking for more or a reliable source of free books for your Kindle? Click here for my “Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them” book (in the Kindle format, of course).

Into the Unknown Free Today from Amazon

December 31, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Into the Unknown (Wilderness #55) by David Thompson is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received a perfect 5 out of 5 stars based on 3 customer reviews. You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

A naturalist studying the flora of the King family’s remote valley runs up against three vicious gold-diggers who plan to strike it rich no matter what the cost.

Looking for more or a reliable source of free books for your Kindle? Click here for my “Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them” book (in the Kindle format, of course).

The Perfect Woman Free Today from Amazon

December 31, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

The Perfect Woman by James Andrus is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received a perfect 5 out of 5 stars based on 5 customer reviews. You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

One Man’s Obsession. . .

Pharmacy clerk William Dremmel is hooked–on drugging pretty young women and lulling them into slow, blissfully quiet deaths. Then he packs his victims in luggage–a nod to the cops that he works alone. Dremmel’s no fool, he’s also a college professor. He just likes using his intellect for darker purposes. . ..

Is Another Man’s Anguish. . .

Haunted by his own daughter’s unsolved disappearance, Detective John Stallings is committed to finding runaways and busting their abductors. When a series of girls is found dead and stuffed into duffle bags, he’s consumed with capturing “The Bagman”–at the risk of his marriage, his career, and possibly his tough-as-nails partner, Patty Levine. . .

And Neither Intends To Give Up

As The Bagman grows more brazen in his crimes, the clues line up. But when he draws terrifyingly close to Patty, Stallings is determined to play by his own rules–and they won’t be pretty–or quiet. . .

Looking for more or a reliable source of free books for your Kindle? Click here for my “Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them” book (in the Kindle format, of course).

The Queen’s Dollmaker Free Today from Amazon

December 31, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 19 customer reviews. You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

On the brink of revolution, with a tide of hate turned against the decadent royal court, France is in turmoil–as is the life of one young woman forced to leave her beloved Paris. After a fire destroys her home and family, Claudette Laurent is struggling to survive in London. But one precious gift remains: her talent for creating exquisite dolls that Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France herself, cherishes. When the Queen requests a meeting, Claudette seizes the opportunity to promote her business, and to return home. . .

Amid the violence and unrest, Claudette befriends the Queen, who bears no resemblance to the figurehead rapidly becoming the scapegoat of the Revolution. But when Claudette herself is lured into a web of deadly political intrigue, it becomes clear that friendship with France’s most despised woman has grim consequences. Now, overshadowed by the specter of Madame Guillotine, the Queen’s dollmaker will face the ultimate test.

Infused with the passion and excitement of a country–and an unforgettable heroine–on the threshold of radical change, this captivating novel propels readers into a beguiling world of opulence, adventure, and danger, from the rough streets of eighteenth-century London to France’s lavish Palace of Versailles.

Click here for my “Kindle Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts” book (in the Kindle format, of course)

Hunted by Others Free Today from Amazon

December 31, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Hunted by the Others by Jess Haines is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars based on 13 customer reviews. You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

Haines’s mediocre debut rounds up the usual urban fantasy suspects and locks them into a plodding PI story. Shiarra Waynest runs a detective agency in an alternate New York where werewolves, vampires, and magi came out in the aftermath of 9/11. She and her wealthy, clever partner–in–crime solving, Sara, usually steer clear of Others, but financial troubles have forced them to take on a case for a mage who wants an artifact currently held by sexy, ancient vampire businessman Alec Royce. With two other good-looking men—cute, geeky mage Arnold and Shiarra’s werewolf ex-boyfriend, Chaz—along for the ride, things keep looking like they should heat up, but Shiarra’s nonexistent detecting skills and general preference for flailing panic over careful thought keep the plot from ever catching fire or even giving off sparks.

Click here for my “Kindle Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts” book (in the Kindle format, of course)

Your Kindle is a Ticket Stub

December 30, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Now this one seems pretty cool, and I am going to have to see if it works on my next flight:

On a recent trip to Memphis, I used my Kindle to print both my itinerary, which was useful to check in, and my boarding pass. I printed both to PDF, and I had the boarding pass on the Kindle screen when I approached the counter to board. I asked if they could scan the screen, as I was curious if it would work. The woman didn’t even skip a beat. She just scanned the screen, I heard a beep, and she waved me through. For some reason I didn’t think it would work, but it did!

Click here for my “Kindle Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts” book (in the Kindle format, of course)

The Blood That Bonds

December 30, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Well, I am out of town through the rest of the New Year on a family vacation enjoying the hills and trees of Nashville, TN (why can’t my area of Houston have trees, let alone hills?) and am getting a late start this morning. So, without any further blabber let’s get started…

The Blood that Bonds by Christopher Buecheler is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 15 customer reviews. You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

Two is trapped: hooked on heroin, held as property, forced to sell her body to feed the addiction. Time brings her ever closer to what seems an inevitable death and Two waits, uncaring, longing only for the next fix.

That’s when Theroen arrives, beckoning to his Ferrari and grinning his inscrutable grin. He is handsome. Confident. Eager to help lift her out of the life that’s grinding her down.

The only problem? Theroen is a vampire.

His blood can cure her addiction, grant her powers she has never had, change her forever into something greater than she was. But when he sinks his teeth into her neck, Theroen also thrusts Two into a world of danger, violence, madness and despair. The powerful, twisted elder Abraham will use her arrival to shatter the uneasy peace that exists in his mansion, bringing an end to the dark game he has been playing for centuries.

Looking for more or a reliable source of free books for your Kindle? Click here for my “Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them” book (in the Kindle format, of course)

Kindle Reset Instructions

December 30, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

I am going to set this message up to send out approximately every two to three weeks: if you’ve seen it before and know what I’m talking about, or if you’re just plain ‘ole tired of seeing it don’t worry – I’ll be back with a new post soon.

There seems to be a Kindle problem for a lot of folks – that is, what do you need to do if (a) this or any other blog all of a sudden stops updating each day on the Kindle, and (b) you can see it in the to be downloaded list of the “Manage Your Kindle” section of the Amazon website.

You will need to write this down, or try to memorize it, because if it happens to you I’m willing to bet you won’t remember unless you’ve reset your Kindle a few times!

If you would like to print this out, click here to read my post on how to capture screen shots on your Kindle.

If this happens to you, you will need to reboot your Kindle. Here is how you do it:

Click the “Home” button to get back to your home screen.
Click the “Menu” button, and select “Settings.”
You will see several options, but “reboot” is not one of those options. Press the “Menu” button again.
You will have several options, but choose and click the “Restart” button.

Once you do that, it will take about 1-2 minutes to reboot. Make sure your wireless is on, and the Kindle will go look in the Amazon store to see what is pending to be downloaded and viola! You should be back in business. If you ever need to restart your Kindle, I hope this helps!

Want to have this blog sent wirelessly to your Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Click here for the Amazon page for Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips.

Don’t have a Kindle? Click Here to learn more!

Surviving the Fog Free Today

December 30, 2010 by Michael Gallagher

Here’s one that was free for a day on the Amazon Kindle website this fall, and now costs a whopping dollar; however, it is free on the Smashwords website: Surviving the Fog by Stan Morris. I read it and enjoyed it, I even wrote a review on it; I missed it when it was free but went ahead and aid the buck on the Amazon site (not knowing it was free on Smashwords). If you like the “what happens when world catastrophe hits” and following the story of the survivors and how they make out (or not), I think you will like this one. If you click here or point your web browser to http://tinyurl.com/fogbystan you can download a copy to your computer.

Once you have downloaded it to your computer, you will need to transfer it over to your Kindle. It’s pretty easy, and you can click here for my instructions on how to do it – this is the same guide I charge 99 cents for in the Amazon Kindle store, but you can read it for free by clicking the link.

Just be sure you choose the “Kindle / mobi” format as that is the format for your Kindle.

This one is a longer read for many of you at a little over 110,000 words. Here is the book’s brief description from the Smashwords website:

Have you ever been to camp? What would you do if the adults left “for a few hours” and they had not returned a week later? What if your parents never showed up to take you home? What would you do if you realized that the area below was surrounded by a mysterious brown fog that was dangerous? How would you survive the winter? What would you eat? Warning-sexual situations, cursing, violence.

Looking for more or a reliable source of free books for your Kindle? Click here for my “Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them” book (in the Kindle format, of course)

Your Kindle is a Proofer

Two Rivers Free Today from Amazon

Into the Unknown Free Today from Amazon

The Perfect Woman Free Today from Amazon

The Queen’s Dollmaker Free Today from Amazon

Hunted by Others Free Today from Amazon

Your Kindle is a Ticket Stub

The Blood That Bonds

Kindle Reset Instructions

Surviving the Fog Free Today

About Free Kindle Books and Tips

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