Archives for February 2013

Update to the Blog's Free App and Free $1 MP3 Credit

February 28, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 4 Comments

Amidst all of the fun over the past week with Amazon trying to get out of the free Kindle book business, I had the programming team make some changes to the blog’s free app. What is the free app, some of you might ask?

It is an app that can be used on a Kindle Fire, as well as any Android-enabled smartphone or tablet computer, to read the blog’s posts – they are automatically “pushed” to the app and, as long as you have Internet or Wi-Fi access, you can quickly see the blog’s posts without having to open up a web browser and type in www.fkbooksandtips.com and worry about fat-fingering on your keyboard.

I did mention it was free, didn’t I?

So, what is new with the app?

A few users had reported issues due to a new Kindle Fire software upgrade that caused a black screen: that should be fixed now. There were also a few new minor tweaks that make it load faster / update more frequently, and there are two new menu items if you tap the menu button at the bottom center of the screen. Finally, seeing as how the blog is now called “Kindle Books and Tips” it was renamed with a new logo to reflect the new change.

If you have never downloaded it before, previously deleted it and want to reinstall it, or if you want to upgrade to the new version, here is how you do it….here’s a monetary incentive for you: I should point out first-time installers will receive a free $1 MP3 credit from the Amazon MP3 store just for downloading it.

Upgraders

If you have had your device on and connected to an Internet or Wi-Fi connection, the app should have updated automatically. To check and see if you have the most recent version, just open up the app and look at the menu icon at the bottom middle of the screen (to me it looks like a representation of a piece of paper with horizontal lines going left to right). Tap it one time, and if three menu options appear, you have the most recent version.

If you don’t have the most recent version, here is a quick way to update your Kindle Fire (I am not addressing other Android-enabled devices as there are over 2,000 different models and varieties):

Go to the home screen of your Kindle Fire.
Tap the “Apps” tab.
Tap the “Store” menu item in the top right-hand corner.
Tap the menu icon at the bottom middle of the screen (to me it looks like a representation of a piece of paper with horizontal lines going left to right).
Tap the “App Updates” menu item.

If you followed all of that, you should now see a list of all of your apps installed on your Fire that have an update that has not been installed. Tap the icons next to the name of the app(s) you want to update; after a few moments, your app(s) will be updated and you should be good to go.

First Time Downloader Instructions or Those Who Want to Reinstall

If you haven’t installed the app before, or previously deleted it and want to install this new version, it will take you all of 30 seconds to do so. If you have a Kindle Fire, or an Android-enabled smartphone or tablet computer and want to get the free app from the Amazon App Store, here is what you need to do using your device:

Make sure your device is turned on and connected to an active Internet or Wi-Fi connection.
Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/fkbtfreeapp into your web browser to go to the app’s page in the Amazon App Store.
Tap the “Free” button to get the app – remember, it is free!

After a moment or two, the app will be installed and ready for your use.

If you want to download it from the Google Play store (Google’s app store), just follow the same instructions as above, however you will need to click here or type in http://bit.ly/fkbtgoogle into your web browser for the appropriate page.

Hope that helps!

Michael

Want to have this blog sent wirelessly to your e-Ink Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Try out the free two-week trial subscription! Click here for the Amazon page of the Free Kindle Books and Tips blog or type in http://smarturl.it/fkblog into your computer’s web browser.

Download the Free Kindle Books and Tips blog app for your Kindle Fire or Android-based smartphone or tablet – for free, of course – by clicking here or type in http://smarturl.it/fkbtfreeapp into your computer’s web browser from the Amazon App Store or click here or type in http://bit.ly/fkbtgoogle into your computer’s web browser for the Google App Store.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal and Free App of the Day

February 28, 2013 by Michael Gallagher Leave a Comment

Each day, Amazon sponsors the Kindle Daily Deal and the Free App of the Day.

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal is a one-day only offer where a specific Kindle book for adults, one for young readers (children or young adults), a romance, and a science fiction / fantasy title have been hand-selected by the editors at Amazon and significantly discounted for today only.

Amazon’s free App of the Day can be utilized on a Kindle Fire and Android-based smartphones and tablet computers, and the app can be a game, utility, or who knows? Each app is offered free for 24 hours and, after that period is over it goes back to paid status and a new app is the Free App of the Day.

Kindle Daily Deal

Today’s Kindle Daily Deal for Adults is Guilt by Degrees , by Marcia Clark, and this book was $25.99 yesterday but has been discounted 92% to just $1.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 39 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Wintergirls , by Speak, and this book was $9.99 yesterday but has been discounted 70% to just $2.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 203 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Sci-Fi / Fantasy Daily Deal is The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda) , by Richard Phillips, and this book was $2.99 yesterday but has been discounted 67% to just $0.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 782 customer reviews. I read this one a couple of years ago and thought it was very good.

Today’s Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Falling in Love…Again: TruLove Collection , by Anonymous, and this book was $4.99 yesterday but has been discounted 50% to just $1.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 6 customer reviews.

You can check each of them out if you click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser.

Here is the Guilt by Degrees book description from the Amazon website:

Someone has been watching D.A. Rachel Knight–someone who’s Rachel’s equal in brains, but with more malicious intentions. It began when a near-impossible case fell into Rachel’s lap, the suspectless homicide of a homeless man. In the face of courthouse backbiting and a gauzy web of clues, Rachel is determined to deliver justice. She’s got back-up: tough-as-nails Detective Bailey Keller. As Rachel and Bailey stir things up, they’re shocked to uncover a connection with the vicious murder of an LAPD cop a year earlier. Something tells Rachel someone knows the truth, someone who’d kill to keep it secret.

Harrowing, smart, and riotously entertaining, GUILT BY DEGREES is a thrilling ride through the world of LA courts with the unforgettable Rachel Knight.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Guilt by Degrees .

Here is the Wintergirls book description from the Amazon website:

The New York Times bestselling story of a friendship frozen between life and death

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss-her life-and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend’s memory and racked with guilt for not being able to help save her. In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all: hope.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Wintergirls .

Here is the The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda) book description from the Amazon website:

Book One in the Rho Agenda trilogy
In 1948, an alien starship fell from the New Mexico sky—and immediately vanished behind the walls of the Los Alamos Laboratory. Since that day the US military has endeavored to reverse engineer the ship’s alien technology through top-secret research known only as the Rho Project. Now, sixty years after the crash, the government is prepared tell all.
Or so it claims…
For there is a second ship, hidden for decades just out of the military’s reach. And when a trio of students discovers it buried deep inside a remote canyon, they are changed forever. With a single touch, the technology the government has spent billions trying to unlock is uploaded into the minds of three teenagers—teenagers who now know the frightening truth about the Rho Project. Together they are thrust into a violent world of secrets and corruption, becoming reluctant soldiers in a war destined to alter what it means to be human.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda) .

Here is the Falling in Love…Again: TruLove Collection book description from the Amazon website:

Whether you’re heartbroken or have sworn off love forever; it’s perfectly timed or when you least expect it, this collection of fourteen inspirational stories will convince you that there’s always a chance you’ll…fall in love again. It’s hard to imagine that out of the depths of despair can eventually come a new opportunity for love, but in these tales you’ll meet a jilted bride, a single mom, a 9/11 widow, and a bitter city girl who all get a second chance at loving happily ever after.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Falling in Love…Again: TruLove Collection .

Free App of the Day

Today’s Free App of the Day is Project Downforce and this game is normally $1.99 in the Amazon App Store but is free for today only.

Here is the app’s description from the Amazon App Store website:

Get behind the wheel of a powerful Grand Prix racing car and burn some rubber on exotic circuits from around the globe!
Take on seven opponents for the championship title, blast through a single race, or simply hit the track to rack up some best times in the Time Trial mode.
Project Downforce is a simple, pick-up-and-play retro arcade racer with ultra smooth mode 7-styled visuals and massive scaling sprites, throwing back to the arcade machines of the late 80s. If Super Mario Kart and Super Monaco GP had a lovechild, Project Downforce would be its name!
Features:
* 3 game modes – GP, Single Race and Time Trial
* 7 racetracks from around the globe, including Hawaii, New Zealand and Japan
* Adjustable difficulty level
* Stomping retro soundtrack by NecroPolo
* Ultra-fluid Super Nintendo Mode 7 styled tracks with massive, smooth-scaling roadside objects
* 7 relentless AI opponents out for the gold trophy
* Retro, digital control pad touch controls (tablet and phone options)
Project Downforce is the first racing game from POLYGAMe d i g i t a l and we welcome any feedback, be it bug reports or ideas for future updates and/or games. You control the destiny of or products!
Thanks for supporting indie gaming! Now, get your helmet on and hit the track!!!

You can pick up your free copy of I Project Downforce by clicking here or typing in http://smarturl.it/appdeal into your web browser.

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 Tipsor type in http://www.tinyurl.com/fkblog into your computer’s web browser.

Samples of Kindle Books

February 28, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 20 Comments

I thought it an appropriate time to talk about the free sample option Amazon has with the Kindle program. Consider it like going to the bookstore (well, that is if there are many of them still open these days) and turning a few pages before buying it. You can get a free sample of a book – usually a few chapters to just a couple of pages – to try out and see if the book is something you are interested in prior to buying. I use the feature quite a bit, as I get extremely annoyed in shelling out money for a book and realizing about 10% of the way through it I think it’s not for me.

Also, from time-to-time Amazon will make available a book that has an introduction and a chapter or two of a book for free: I guess you could call it the “super sampler” in that you get to try out more of a book for free. On the other hand, James Patterson books often release 30 chapters for free but there is a catch – his chapters sometimes are just a paragraph or two so who knows if it is really longer than the free sample of a book? I really think of those as a marketing gimmick, listing a few chapters as a “free book.”

I don’t really care too much either way – if I am interested in the book, I will do one of two things:

If it is a free book and I am even remotely interested in it, I will download the whole thing. What do I have to lose? Nothing (e.g., it’s free!). Should I complain because I don’t like the genre? No. Again, it’s free – why the sense of entitlement? Over the past two years there has been a lot of religious-genre fiction offered for free on the Amazon website, and a lot of folks have been complaining loudly about it on the Amazon discussion boards every time an item like this becomes available. Why? I don’t know – a publisher is making it available for free. Maybe the complaint should be directed at other publishers who are choosing to not offer their items for free. Like I said before, you don’t have anything to lose! Maybe these folks should redirect their energies and complain directly to the dysfunctional US Congress – both parties – about getting their act together and behaving as adults…but that’s another blog post for another venue.
If it is not a free book (gasp!), I usually will download the sample in order to see if I like the first couple of pages, then I will make my buying decision. Why waste $9.99 (or more) sight unseen when I can have a sample downloaded to my Kindle for free?

I bring this up as I don’t want any of you to forget about the free sample option. Since I have a separate folder / category devoted to samples on my Kindle, I looked at them a little while ago and noticed I actually have 13 samples to check out on my Kindle. I select 3-4 samples at a time when I see something after trolling through the Amazon store, but I may not check the sample out until later. Why wait so long? Usually, it is because I am in the middle of another book – I’m not one of those people who can multitask between three and four books at the same time. When I’m reading a book, I’m usually pretty absorbed and get deep into the story, characters, etc. and can look up at the clock and realize three hours have quickly passed.

With the free samples, plus the 220+ books on my Kindle now, I should be set for a long time…

Hope that helps!

Michael

Organize your books on your Kindle Fire with our Collections and Categories App! Click Here or type in http://smarturl.it/firecollections into your web browser to get it now!

Kindle Reset Instructions

February 27, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 12 Comments

I am going to set this message up to go out periodically for each of my blogs: 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.

Don’t have a Kindle? Well, you should get one! They range in price from $69 – $499 depending upon the number of bells and whistles you get. You can click here to give the kind of Kindle I primarily use a look.

There seems to be a Kindle problem for a lot of folks who own an e-Ink Kindle – that is, what do you need to do if (a) this or any other blog or newspaper all of a sudden stops updating each day on the Kindle, and (b) you can see the blog or newspaper post in the to be downloaded list of the “Manage Your Kindle” section of the Amazon website and for some unexplained reason it doesn’t show up on your Kindle..

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 the Kindle Books and Tips blog to how to capture screen shots on your e-Ink 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 e-Ink Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Try out the free two-week subscription! Click here for the Amazon page for Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips or type in http://smarturl.it/fkblog into your computer’s web browser.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal and Free App of the Day

February 27, 2013 by Michael Gallagher Leave a Comment

Each day, Amazon sponsors the Kindle Daily Deal and the Free App of the Day.

Kindle Daily Deal

Today’s Kindle Daily Deal for adults is Dead Asleep , by Jamie Freveletti, and this book was $9.99 yesterday but has been discounted 90% to just $0.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 15 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Touch , by Jus Accardo, and this book was $5.99 yesterday but has been discounted 83% to just $0.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 127 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Sci-Fi / Fantasy Daily Deal is The Investigation , by Stanislaw Lem, and this book was $17.95 yesterday but has been discounted 89% to just $1.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 10 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Whole Lotta Trouble , by Stephanie Bond, and this book was $3.99 yesterday but has been discounted 50% to just $1.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 82 customer reviews.

You can check each of them out if you click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser.

Here is the Dead Asleep book description from the Amazon website:

A former Chicago trial lawyer-turned-critically acclaimed thriller writer, Jaime Freveletti hit the ground running with her debut novel, Running from the Devil—winning a Thriller and a Barry Award and nominations for the Macavity and Crimespree Awards as well. With her fourth novel, Dead Asleep, Freveletti proves she hasn’t let up for an instant, plunging her brilliant, tough-as-nails series protagonist, biochemist Emma Caldridge, into a Caribbean island nightmare of voodoo superstition, terrorist plots, and deadly plague. Dead Asleep is intelligent, action-packed suspense fiction—rich in invention and frightening scientific plausibility—that will enthrall fans of Lee Child and Daniel Silva, and Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen readers equally.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Dead Asleep .

Here is the Touch book description from the Amazon website:

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Touch .

Here is the The Investigation book description from the Amazon website:

A young officer at Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a puzzling and eerie case of missing-and apparently resurrected-bodies. To unravel the mystery, Lt. Gregory consults scientific, philosophical, and theological experts, who supply him with a host of theories and clues.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of The Investigation .

Here is the Whole Lotta Trouble book description from the Amazon website:

Sometimes the best laid plans go sideways . . .

Three female mystery book editors in Manhattan have personal and professional problems galore–which intersect with one bad-boy agent. When they set out to humiliate their problematic playboy, their plans go horribly awry. The women suddenly realize that when it comes to friendship, flirtation and felony, they’re in a WHOLE LOTTA TROUBLE!

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Whole Lotta Trouble .

Free App of the Day

Today’s Free App of the Day is Clash of Mages and this game is normally $0.99 in the Amazon App Store but is free for today only.

Here is the app’s description from the Amazon App Store website:

Clash of Mages is tactical game built around mage duels. Nice graphics, atmospheric music, simple rules and endless gameplay!

Stand against AI opponents, try to defeat other players online or play with your friends and family on a single device, anyway you’ll have a lot of fun!

Game features:
– Supports all devices (HD version available)
– Online Multiplayer with Top 100 Leaderboard
– Thousands opponents from all mobile platforms
– Achievements system
– Multiplayer on a single device
– Single player campaign
– Quick battles with 3 difficulty levels
– Advaced tactical AI
– Simple and easy to use magic system (no long manuals needed!)

You can pick up your free copy of Buka HD by clicking here or typing in http://smarturl.it/appdeal into your web browser.

A Rambling Blog Post

February 27, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 18 Comments

It’s time for another rambling blog post, usually these are where I have no set agenda before I start banging away at the keyboard…today that really isn’t true as I have just a couple of things I want to relay to you. I am, however, typing off the cuff vs. working from an outline!

What I’m Reading Right Now

Right now, I am reading Triumph Over Calamity by C. Peaden, which is a short book about one of the families stranded on the Carnival ship out in the Gulf of Mexico two weeks ago. It’s a short read, and a little choppy because it is basically a summary of a journal the author maintained while she was on the ship, but I am enjoying it and it is interesting. I got it for free in the Amazon Kindle store on Tuesday, but as I type this post up I don’t know if it is still free. You can check it out by clicking here or typing in http://smarturl.it/yl5415 into your web browser.

What Tomorrow Holds

If you missed the post I had over the weekend about upcoming changes to the blog, or care to slog through it again (only after a cup of coffee or something) you can click here or type in http://wp.me/p2b82w-453 into your web browser.

Let me clear up one misconception some of you have: I’m not going anywhere!

In other words, the blog is not going to automatically stop publishing but will still be here: there will be new posts, tips, free Kindle book offers to non-Amazon sites (yes, there is such a thing!), author interviews, even the return of giveaways after a four month or so absence.

I am, however, considering launching a subscription-only site that will focus on the Kindle book offerings from the Amazon store. It wouldn’t be free to read, but if it does launch it would be a nominal subscription that you could read on your e-Ink Kindles (like many of you do now for 99 cents per month) and / or via email. I’m not talking about big bucks here, but enough to cover the operating costs and make it worth a couple of hours of my time each day.

Yesterday, I put out a post asking you to take a quick two question survey that should take you all of 30 seconds start-to-finish to complete. A little over 4,000 of you have done that so far and the responses have been favorable. If you haven’t had a chance to register your opinion and / or vote, you can click here or type in https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/fkbt into your web browser to let me know your thoughts. Your opinion matters to me, and there are no wrong answers!

The Big List of Free Book Links

In a post yesterday, I said I was going to take down the big list of free Kindle book links by category / genre today. Let’s just say I was impressed – and surprised – at the number of people who hit that link in order to grab more Kindle books for free. It actually set a new record for the number of page views to the blog’s website!

I’ll leave it up for one more day and take it down sometime tonight before I go to bed. Don’t know where to find it? Just click here or type in http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/free-book-links/ into your web browser!

By the way: as I type this up on Tuesday night for posting on a Wednesday morning, there are 6,882 non public domain books for free.

Baseball

Baseball? What does that have to do with a Kindle? Absolutely nothing! Spring training has started, I’m excited, but I will raise my hand and say I’m having a hard time with the player’s names – free agents switching teams, the youngsters trying to make the team, living in a city with the worst team in baseball (Astros) with no hope for several more years is a little frustrating.

However, that’s nothing that a ballpark hot dog, a bag of peanuts or sunflower seeds, and a large cold beer sitting in the stands can’t cure!

Have a great rest of the week-

Michael

5 FREE Kindle Book Offers

February 26, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 6 Comments

Listed below are 5 FREE Kindle books for you in a variety of genres from the Amazon Kindle store: as of this posting, each of the books was free on the Amazon website but please make sure you check the pricing before you smack the “buy” button as the pricing can (and does) change at any time!

A Chance for Charity by S.L. Baum has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 120 customer reviews. I received a note from the author saying this book would be free indefinitely.

Category: Paranormal Romance / Young Adult

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

If you live long enough… love (and danger) will find you.

Seventeen-year-old Charity regularly changes her town and her name, with hopes to begin a new life. But it’s impossible to fly under the radar in tiny Telluride, Colorado. When fellow newcomer Link enters her life, her plan to start over with a clean slate unravels. Charity soon realizes that you can never truly leave your past behind, while Link discovers that mortals are not the only beings to walk this earth.

Winner of the 2012 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award for BEST YA SERIES.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/jlpn6r into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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The Deliverer by B. Morris Allen has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 8 customer reviews. I received a note from the author saying this book would be free through February 28th.

Category: Fantasy

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

Prophecies are not always clear. That is what seventeen-year-old Silas Ainsley learns when he finds himself in a realm called Marenon.

The people of Marenon are nearing the brink of war and many of them claim that Silas is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that will deliver them from the dreaded Stühocs. The prophecy, however, was unclear as to whom Silas would save.

Each group wants to use him for their own purposes, and he doesn’t know who is trustworthy. With the help of a lawless band of mercenaries, Silas must take a mysterious journey to uncover the meaning of the prophecy before Marenon falls to ruin.
The only way to get to Marenon is to die, and Silas has just arrived.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/puqk1q into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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Unspoken Abandonment by Bryan Wood has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 185 customer reviews.

Category: Non-Fiction

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

One of the most powerful and moving stories you will ever read, this book will completely change the way you look at life. ‘Unspoken Abandonment’ is the story of one man’s struggle to return home from the war in Afghanistan, only to find the person he once was may never be the same.

Bryan Wood is a military veteran who served during combat operations in Eastern Afghanistan. After returning from combat, he found that his life was falling apart at every turn, and Bryan faced the greatest battle of his life in finding his own peace. He surprisingly found the answer was hidden within a daily journal kept while at war, and Bryan’s path ultimately led him to find redemption in the most unexpected of places: love.

In a genre filled with war novels, ‘Unspoken Abandonment’ stands out as the work is brilliantly written, in a narrative form, which takes the reader on a breathtaking journey into the heart of Afghanistan. The reader is then taken back to America to face “life after combat.” This story takes a head-on look at the powerful effects of war and post traumatic stress, but the true focus is on the inspirational triumph over this demon that haunts hundreds of thousands of America’s bravest men and women.

The story is captivating, the message is inspiring, and this is a “must read” for every American who cares to take an inside look at what our soldiers face on a daily basis. This amazing story will grab your attention immediately, and it is sure to keep you up, past your normal bedtime, for more than a few late nights of reading.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/iselqb into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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The Mine by John A. Heldt has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 105 customer reviews.

Category: Historical Fiction / Romance

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

In 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can’t use, money he can’t spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of Whirlaway, swing dancing, and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/lqel8g into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 51 customer reviews.

Category: Mystery / Thriller / Suspense

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

A Chinese satellite is on a crash course with Earth.  
It contains enough plutonium to irradiate a large city.  
And that’s the good news… 

Michael Chase is a twenty-six year old backpacker, a recent college graduate, an amateur. He flew to Hong Kong to find his missing father. Four hours later, he’s running for his life. The Chinese Secret Police want him dead. The Conspiracy wants him dead. And the one person who he thinks is on his side, may want him dead too. If Michael is going to live, he’ll need to find a hidden piece of Nazi technology lost since World War II. And he’ll have to do it before anyone else. Because if he doesn’t, a little plutonium is going to be the least of his problems.

Can Michael Chase team up with a beautiful but deadly MI6 agent to locate a lethal piece of Nazi technology that will save the world?  

If you can’t get enough of the action of Lee Child and Vince Flynn, the intrigue of Robert Ludlum, and the adventure of Clive Cussler and James Rollins, you are going to LOVE Lethal Circuit!

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/td715t into your web browser to receive your free copy.

Organize your books on your Kindle Fire with our updated Collections and Categories App! Click Here or type in http://smarturl.it/firecollections into your web browser to get it now!

4 FREE Kindle Book Offers

February 26, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 13 Comments

Listed below are 4 FREE Kindle books for you in a variety of genres from the Amazon Kindle store: as of this posting, each of the books was free on the Amazon website but please make sure you check the pricing before you smack the “buy” button as the pricing can (and does) change at any time!

Triumph Over Calamity by C. Peaden has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 10 customer reviews.

Category: Documentary

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

Triumph over Calamity is a refreshingly honest account of what really happened on the Carnival cruise before and after it was stranded at sea.

From harrowing missions to camping a la Triumph, Peaden’s observations and personal experiences are detailed and shared in this memoir.

Her family’s faith and love helped them overcome what has come to be known as the cruise from hell.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/yl5415 into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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Sector C by Phoenix Sullivan has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 89 customer reviews. I received a note from the author saying this is the last day for this book to be free.

Category: Mystery / Thriller

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

A rise in stroke-like cases has CDC analyst Mike Shafer on alert. Patients in every demographic in the Great Plains area, from toddlers to healthy adults to the elderly, are succumbing to rapid deterioration – and death.

Veterinarian Donna Bailey, meanwhile, is dealing with an outbreak of her own. It looks like mad cow disease. But to be affecting so many species? Impossible.

Whatever it is, it’s spreading. Fast.

As state and federal agencies race to contain the growing threats, Mike and Donna’s searches for Patient Zero intersect at a big-game compound in a remote corner of North Dakota. There they find their answer buried in a secret thought extinct for 10,000 years. A secret entrepreneur Walt Thurman will kill to protect.

But even if Mike and Donna can escape the compound with the secret of Sector C, it may already be too late.

Because after today, extinct no longer means forever.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/qfcbgq into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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Faith Creation: All Lies Revealed by Christine Dougherty has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 16 customer reviews. I received a note from the author saying this book would be free through February 27th.

Category: Thriller

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

Faith was three the first time her twin sister died.

The second time, she was ten.

Faith and her twin sister depended only on each other, bonding deeply through telepathy in the midst of their tumultuous childhood, but when her twin dies, Faith becomes a shut-in, deciding to ignore the world that seems to have no place for her even as she ignores the odd form and contours of her newly developing body.

Lotte, the mysterious woman who takes over the care of Faith, eventually coerces her back into the world and that is when Faith meets Joe, the proprietor of Jungle Joe’s, who alludes to a peculiar past that includes himself, Lotte, and Faith’s grandparents.

When Faith gets an accidental glimpse her twin sister, her unsteadily assembled world is turned upside down and Faith is forced onto a path to discover where her sister is and in the process finds out just who (and what) she is herself.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/ssnq5q into your web browser to receive your free copy.

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Between Seasons by Aida Brassington has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 66 customer reviews. I received a note from the author saying this book would be free through February 28th.

Category: Paranormal Romance

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

There are things Patrick Boyle will never forget: the sound of his own neck breaking at the moment of his death in the fall of 1970, the sweet taste of his mother’s chocolate cake, and the awful day his parents abandoned him in his childhood house-turned prison.

Nineteen-year-old Patrick wonders for decades if God has forgotten all about him or if he’s being punished for some terrible crime or sin over a lovely forty years trapped in an empty home. But when Sara Oswald, a strange woman with a mysterious past, buys his house, old feelings reawaken, and a new optimism convinces him that she’s the answer to his prayers.

Things are never simple, though, especially when she begins channeling the memories of his life and death in her writing.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/s7i3hq into your web browser to receive your free copy.

Organize your books on your Kindle Fire with our updated Collections and Categories App! Click Here or type in http://smarturl.it/firecollections into your web browser to get it now!

Today's Kindle Daily Deal and Free App of the Day

February 26, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 2 Comments

Each day, Amazon sponsors the Kindle Daily Deal and the Free App of the Day.

Kindle Daily Deal

Today’s Kindle Daily Deal for adults is The Quilter’s Homecoming , by Jennifer Chiaverini, and this book was $13.95 yesterday but has been discounted 86% to just $1.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 51 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Guinness World Records 2013: Full Color eBook , by Guinness World Records, and this book was $28.95 yesterday but has been discounted 90% to just $2.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 150 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Sci-Fi / Fantasy Daily Deal is The Ladies of Mandrigyn , by Barbara Hambly, and this book was $9.99 yesterday but has been discounted 80% to just $1.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 14 customer reviews.

Today’s Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Mistress of My Fate , by Hallie Rubenhold, and this book was $25.99 yesterday but has been discounted 88% to just $2.99 for today only. This book has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 15 customer reviews.

You can check each of them out if you click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser.

Here is the The Quilter’s Homecoming book description from the Amazon website:

A Roaring Twenties adventure unfolds in Jennifer Chiaverini’s latest bestselling Elm Creek Quilts novel, another in “a series that neatly stitches together social drama and the art of quilting” (Library Journal).
Newly wed in a festive yet poignant ceremony at Elm Creek Manor, bride Elizabeth Nelson takes leave of her ancestral Pennsylvania home. Setting off with her husband, Henry, on the adventure of a lifetime, Elizabeth packs the couple’s trunk with more than the wedding quilts she envisions them dreaming beneath every night of their married lives. They are landowners who hold the deed to Triumph Ranch, 120 acres of prime California soil located in the Arboles Valley, north of Los Angeles.
“Triumph Ranch,” says Mae, a traveling companion whom Elizabeth has let in on the promise of the Nelsons’ bright future. “That sounds like a sure thing.” But in a cruel reversal of fortune, the Nelsons arrive to the news that they’ve been had, and they are left suddenly, irrevocably penniless.
They are hired as hands at the farm they thought they owned, and Henry struggles mightily with his pride. Yet clever, feisty Elizabeth — drawing on her share of the Bergstrom women’s inherent economy and resilience — vows to defy fate through sheer force of will. As her life intertwines with Rosa Diaz Barclay, native to the Arboles Valley and a fellow quilter, their blossoming friendship sheds light on many secrets that have kept each of them and their families from their rightful homes.
In the cabin where Henry and Elizabeth are living on Triumph Ranch, Elizabeth discovers quilts belonging to Rosa’s mother, and in their exquisite patterns recognizes a misplaced legacy of love, land, and family. But her newfound understanding of the burden of loss that Rosa shares with the mysterious Lars Jorgensen places her in mortal danger. Only by stitching the rift between the past and the future can the inhabitants of Triumph Ranch hope to live in peace alongside history.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of The Quilter’s Homecoming .

Here is the Guinness World Records 2013: Full Color eBook book description from the Amazon website:

The Guinness World Records 2013 eBook features thousands of brand new inspirational achievements and exclusive pictures chronicling Guinness World Records from all over the world! With more than 4,000 records and over a dozen chapters Guinness World Records 2013 is the must-have eBook of the year for aspiring record-breakers of all ages. From Wacky Vehicles and Animalympics to special pages devoted to a world tour of superlatives and an exploration of the extremes of record-breaking, Guinness World Records 2013 is fully designed and brings to you the world of record-breaking like you’ve never seen before!

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Guinness World Records 2013: Full Color eBook .

Here is the The Ladies of Mandrigyn book description from the Amazon website:

A brilliant mercenary must lead his army against the forces of the most powerful wizard alive

Gifted with courage, strength, and the intelligence to know when to fight, Sun Wolf is the greatest mercenary in a land overrun by war. With his first lieutenant, Starhawk—a woman more deadly than any man—at his side, he has laid waste to countless cities, taking the best of their treasures for himself, and distributing the rest among his bloodthirsty crew.

Then a woman comes to him, an emissary from the town of Mandrigyn, a lush port city recently sacked by a powerful, mad wizard of unmatched abilities. She offers Sun Wolf untold riches for the use of his army, but the captain is not fool enough to wage war against a magician. He refuses her offer, but that is not the end of it. The women of Mandrigyn can be very persuasive.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Barbara Hambly, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of The Ladies of Mandrigyn .

Here is the Mistress of My Fate book description from the Amazon website:

Set during a period of revolution and turmoil, Mistress of My Fate is the first book in a trilogy about Henrietta Lightfoot, a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and raised alongside her cousins, noble children of a lord and lady. At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city.

Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/dailydeal into your web browser to pick up your copy of Mistress of My Fate .

Free App of the Day

Today’s Free App of the Day is TNNS and this game is normally $1.99 in the Amazon App Store but is free for today only.

Here is the app’s description from the Amazon App Store website:

TNNS (pronounced “Tennis”) is a game about bouncing and bending balls. It’s a game about keeping your eyes on balls.

Sometimes there are a lot of balls. Too bad you only have two eyes.

Your psychic paddle zips to your finger. Wiggle to bend ball paths once (or twice) to make tricky shots in two hot modes.

TNNS For One: It’s you and a never-ending sequence of progressively trickier levels. Collect star coins; smash star boxes to proceed. Survive as long as you can. Spend money to buy power-ups to boost your scores. Brag to your friends on Facebook or Game Center.

TNNS For Two: If you play TNNS with a friend, they might become your best friend . . . or your worst enemy. Bring the skills you’ve sharpened in single-player to a multi-ball challenge. Bend and swerve. Stage crazy fake-outs. Sink epic shots. Scream when you win; scream when you lose.

You will never see the whole game: Each trip into the single-player endless mode of TNNS sees you through a path of levels randomly selected from over 500 hand-crafted layouts. The probability of your seeing everything in this game is about as high as the probability of your climbing Mount Everest with one hand tied behind your back. And: spoiler alert — some of the harder layouts are just plain weird.

That’s right — Hand-Crafted: The levels aren’t random arrangements; they’re premeditated first-degree obstacle gauntlets designed to always surprise you. Some blocks you break; some blocks you bump; some blocks stay put. Black holes teleport your balls. Sometimes, everything is spinning. And sometimes, it’s a chaos freak-out. TNNS is like a pinball machine married a jazz band and had a million weird babies.

Your Android Device is now a portable party: Anywhere you bring your tablet or phone is a place where people are going to like you unconditionally. Experience the shrieking joy of Party Mode — where players compete for goals . . . or for stars. Or for both! It’s your party: just keep your eyes on the balls. Bend; be tricky. Out-think your opponent. One thing you won’t have to think about is Having Fun: we’ve already done that thinking for you.

Power up, get down: Spend the stars you’ve earned in single-player or multiplayer to buy power-ups at the in-game shop. Make your paddle bigger. Double the coins you’ll earn. Start your next game with an extra ball (or three). Equip boosters to three slots that you can activate when you want: pop a multi-ball to triple your fun, or launch a fireball to tear a stage apart — if you can control its awesome power.

Customize: Maybe you’d prefer the background look like a football field. Maybe you want the ball to look like a basketball. We like you, so we want you to be happy. Head to the customize shop and go nuts.

Play how you want: It’s your Android device. So play how you want. TNNS is a landmark first* in app Design: the game does not rotate as you rotate your device. The scoreboard, however, does. Play right handed — or left-handed. Play with the screen held upright and the paddle at the bottom. Or play with the paddle at the top, if you’re feeling feisty. (*Note: Statistic refers only to the 148 apps we have evaluated out of millions available.)

You can pick up your free copy of Buka HD by clicking here or typing in http://smarturl.it/appdeal into your web browser.

7,000+ Free Kindle Books

February 26, 2013 by Michael Gallagher 18 Comments

I might as well send this out one more time before I take the page down….

As I type up this post on a Monday night for publication on a Tuesday morning, there are a little over 7,000 free Kindle books on the Amazon website. I’m not talking public domain books, either!

To check out the free Kindle books by category / genre, check out this page: http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/free-book-links/

Have fun!

Michael

Update to the Blog's Free App and Free $1 MP3 Credit

Today's Kindle Daily Deal and Free App of the Day

Samples of Kindle Books

Kindle Reset Instructions

Today's Kindle Daily Deal and Free App of the Day

A Rambling Blog Post

5 FREE Kindle Book Offers

4 FREE Kindle Book Offers

Today's Kindle Daily Deal and Free App of the Day

7,000+ Free Kindle Books

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