Free books at Writerspace

I’ve mentioned writerspace.com before as a great site for romance lovers.  Every month the authors give away prizes to readers who stop by and enter, much like we do at other book blogs.  This is a list of the participating authors and what they are giving away this month.  If you see something that interests you hop on over to http://www.writerspace.com/contests/ and enter.  If you see a few favorite authors you should bookmark it and stop by every month for new prizes.  Good luck!

• Catherine Anderson – an autographed book by Catherine Anderson
• Stella Cameron – an autographed paperback edition of A MARKED MAN
• Christina Dodd- a signed copy of both SCENT OF DARKNESS and TOUCH OF DARKNESS (1 winner)
• Brenda Joyce – a Masters Of Time Gift Package, which includes a signed copy of DARK SEDUCTION and DARK RIVAL, a DARK EMBRACE mouse pad, a DARK EMBRACE computer cloth and a DARK RIVAL Flashlight (3 winners)
• Jayne Ann Krentz – an autographed copy of ZINNIA, writing as Jayne Castle
• Elizabeth Lowell – an autographed hardcover edition of RUNNING SCARED to one winner and THIS TIME LOVE to another winner (2 winners)
• Susan Elizabeth Phillips- an autographed paperback editon of NATURAL BORN CHARMERand an autogrpahed trade paperback edition of IT HAD TO BE YOU (1 winner)

• Leanne Banks – a Leanne Banks FOOTLOOSE Book Bag with a few extra goodies added in!
• Jill Barnett- a $25 gift certificate to BN.com
• Anya Bast – a copy of her e-book, STRANDS OF SUNLIGHT
• Berkley~Signet Mystery Authors – a selection of previously released books (1 winner)
• The Best Reviews- winners choice of a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com or BN.com
• Sandy Blair – a hardbound, autographed copy of A THIEF IN A KILT
• Barbara Bretton- a signed copy of both JUST DESSERTS and JUST LIKE HEAVEN, plus a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com (1 winner)
• Robyn Carr – a signed Advanced Reading Copy of A VIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS <!–
• Kristina Cook – a signed copy of Sandy Blair’s A ROGUE IN A KILT, along with a signed TO LOVE A SCOUNDREL cover flat (1 winner) –>
• Claudia Dain – an autographed copy of PRIVATE PLACES, containing Claudia’s novella, A Night at the Theater
• Thea Devine – a signed copy of her novella, The Guy Diet in WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION…, plus a goody basket(1 winner)
• Marie Ferrarella – a signed copy of THE BACHELOR (2 winners)
• Elizabeth Grayson- choice of one of Elizabeth Grayson’s historicals or Karyn Witmer’s A SIMPLE GIFT <!–
• Amelia Grey – an autographed copy of one of her backlist titles –>
• Elizabeth Guest – a signed copy of NIGHT LIFE and a signed copy of NO ORDINARY MAN, written as Suzanne Simmons (1 winner)
• Lisa Hendrix – a signed Advanced Reading Copy of IMMORTAL WARRIOR
• Metsy Hingle – an autographed copy of both BLACK SILK” and WHAT THE MILLIONAIRE WANTS…and the winner’s choice of any book from her backlist (1 winner)
• Emma Holly- a Levenger ballpoint pen and a signed copy of STRANGE ATTRACTIONS (1 winner)
• Jillian Hunter – a signed copy of THE SINFUL NIGHTS OF A NOBLEMAN
• Madeline Hunter- winners choice of ONE of the Rothwell series books; THE RULES OF SEDUCTION, LESSONS OF DESIRE, or SECRETS OF SURRENDER (2 winners)
• Nicole Jordan- a choice of a book from a selection of Nicole’s available backlist: TO PLEASURE A LADY, TO BED A BEAUTY, TO SEDUCE A BRIDE, FEVER DREAMS, WICKED FANTASY, LORD OF SEDUCTION, MASTER OF TEMPTATION, THE SEDUCTION, THE PASSION, DESIRE, ECSTASY, THE PRINCE OF PLEASURE, THE LOVER THE WARRIOR or TOUCH ME WITH FIRE
• Shirley Jump – ONE of these Melissa Jamesbacklist titles: LONG-LOST FATHER, OUTBACK BABY MIRACLE, HER OUTBACK KNIGHT or A MOTHER IN A MILLION (4 winners)
• Angela Knight – a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate
• Cathie Linz – a signed copy of BAD GIRLS DON’T
• Sarah McCarty- a $15 online gift Certificate to Amazon.com
• Cheyenne McCray – an autographed copy of SHADOW MAGIC
• Lucy Monroe – a signed copy of HIRED: THE SHEIKH’S SECRETARY MISTRESS and some miscellaneous goodies (bath items, romantic stationary, etc.) (1 winner)
• NAL/Signet/Onyx Authors- a selection of previously released NAL/Signet/Onyx books (1 winner)
• Joy Nash – an autographed copy of IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING and 50 other chances to win a copy of IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING. The contest starts on August 12th and ends on September 30th.
• Mary Paine – a paperback edition of A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES by Diana Gabaldon
• Diana Palmer -an autographed hardcover edition of FEARLESS
• Caridad Piñeiro – a CALLING T-shirt and an autographed copy of an earlier release (1 winner)
• Francis Ray – a signed copy of THE WAY YOU LOVE ME
• Karen Robards – an autographed paperback edition of BAIT
• Eden Robins – an autographed trade paperback edition of AFTER SUNDOWN: REDEMPTION
• Running With Quills – an autographed book from each of the Quills authors (1 winner)
• Susan Sizemore – a signed copy of I THIRST FOR YOU
• Christina Skye – a Foxfire t-shirt with Izzy’s signature (3 winners)
• Bertrice Small – a Basket of Cookies and Nibblers from Mrs.Fields
• Annie Solomon – a signed copy of LIKE A KIFE or DEAD RINGER (winner’s choice)
• Susan Squires – a signed copy of ONE WITH THE DARKNESS and Godiva chocolate (1 winner)
• Roxanne St. Claire – a signed copy of KILL ME TWICE
• Mariah Stewart – a signed copy of DEAD END
• Susan Wiggs- a free Booklovers’ Bag of goodies, a “Laugh Cry Dream Read” totebag filled with wonderful things to eat, read and pamper yourself with (1 winner)
• Sherryl Woods- a $25 Starbucks giftcard

This Writer’s Life in Writer’s Digest

 I have a subscription to Writer’s Digest and occasionally read the magazine within the month I receive it.  There is lots of good stuff in there (how’s that for descriptive?) and not just for writers.  One of the bright spots for me is the hilarious Kevin Alexander column called This Writer’s Life.  The good news is that you don’t have to read the magazine to enjoy his writing.  He has a blog

http://blog.writersdigest.com/writerslife/

and you can check him out for yourself.  I think he will make you laugh even if you are not an aspiring author.  I’ll be adding him to my blogroll.

What book are you?

Have you ever wondered what book you are?  Well over at, http://bluepyramid.org/ia/bquiz.htm , there is a very short quiz you can take to find out.  I took the quiz three times, changing the few answers I felt inclined to and came up with three very different books.  I tend to like the first one, but the other two are a little… dark?  Scary, yes, but pretty interesting too.  Take the quiz and tell me what book you are.

You’re Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!
by Mark Twain
With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.

my comment-I like hats, but not straw ones.

You’re The Things They Carried!
by Tim O’Brien
Harsh and bitter, you tell it like it is. This usually comes in short, dramatic spurts of spilling your guts in various ways. You carry a heavy load, and this has weighed you down with all the horrors that humanity has to offer. Having seen and done a great deal that you aren’t proud of, you have no choice but to walk forward, trudging slowly through ongoing mud. In the next life, you will come back as a water buffalo.

my comment- Maybe it is my bitterness that’s weighing me down around the middle.  Maybe if I listen to the birds sing and to the children play I can lose 10 pounds.

You’re Siddhartha!
by Hermann Hesse
You simply don’t know what to believe, but you’re willing to try anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you’ve spent some time in every camp. But you still don’t have any idea what camp you belong in. This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It’s time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in ferries.

my comment-I’m pretty set in my values although I like to know what other people’s values are so we can coexist.  And I don’t think they mean ferries.  Who doesn’t believe in boats?

Entertainment Weekly new classics

Entertainment Weekly compiled a list of ‘classic’ books written since 1983.  This link is to the top 25.  http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20211702,00.html 

From there you can access the top 100.  I have read 4 of the top 25- On Writing by Stephen King, Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling.   After that I’ve only read 4 of the last 75!

I’m not sure I think many of these will be considered classics in the future, but what do I know I’ve only read 8 of the 100.  What do you think of the list?

Daily Book Reading

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.  The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”      -Mark Twain

There is a website for those of you who think you do not have time to read.  Visit www.dailylit.com and choose from a wide range of books.  The site will email you a small portion of the book each day that takes less than five minutes to read.  Many of the books are free, although some of them do cost money.  I decided to try it with a short classic, The Prince.  I signed up yesterday and it took me one minute.  Really.  If you feel like reading more you can request the next installment be emailed to you immediately.  It’s largest categories are classics, contemporaries and romance, but there are many more.  Take a look and tell me what book you chose to start reading today.

50 Best Crime Writers

Last month the British Times compiled a list of the 50 Best Crime Writers.  Check it out.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/article3773630.ece

Similar Authors

I am in the process of starting a page of Similar Authors.  “If you like___, you’ll like ___…”  I will only be recommending authors that I have read and my recommendations will only be my humble opinion, of course.  But, if you have any suggestions of your own, please leave them as a comment on the page. 

If you are interested in a comprehensive list (not just my own much shorter offering) try this website

http://www.literature-map.com/

This is a fun interactive map that can help you find authors that are similar to the ones that you like.  Type in your author and his or her name will be in the middle with other authors floating around.  The names closest to your chosen author are the most similar.  You can also click on any name on the map and it will put that author in the middle and start again.  Try it- it’s fun!

And don’t forget to check out my Similar Authors page once in awhile, right now it is still a work in progress.

Free Books Online

I came across this site today that claims to have 30,000 free books online.  It looks like the majority of those are classics.  As a test I checked the last book I read (Kafka) and he was there ready to read!  The thought of sitting in front of a computer to read a whole book is not appealing to me, but I can think of better possible uses.  It’d be fine for short stories or to read a few chapters to see if they interested you enough to get the book.  Check it out.

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

Skakespeare Games

My Monday quiz seems to have many of you stumped.  I thought I would include this link to a website for fun Shakespeare games with great graphics.

http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/shakespeare/games.html

Who knows, maybe it will help you answer a few of the quotes on the quiz.  Games include: Hamlet’s Duel, What’s in a name? (find a match for Juliet), Name that Play, and SAT-Shakespeare Aptitude Test.

Have fun!

Another fun website

I’m in the middle of Los Alamos and really enjoying it.  But, I thought I’d pass along another fun site. 

www.m-w.com is the merriam-webster dictionary site and it has fun word games, crossword puzzles and a daily podcast.  My favorite is the word game of the day.  You should check it out. 

 If any of you have a good book recommendation please leave a comment.  Thanks!