Click x 3

I picked up three great things for my Kindle this week. 

Collateral Damage: A Do Some Damage Collection by Dave White, Russel McLean, Steve Weddle, Joelle Charbonneau, Scott Parker, Jay Stringer, Sandra Rutton, and John McFetridge  $0.99

Nothing but goodness abounds in this collection, and the first story... it totally ROCKS!  Okay... ALL the stories rock in this collection, but the main character in the first story is named Sabrina. Excellent story, Joelle! You done good. =)

To Speak for the Dead: The Jake Lassiter series by Paul Levine  $2.99

All I know about this book is that it was recommended by someone on Twitter and after reading some of the reviews I thought it would be a great series to follow from the beginning.  According to reviews, Jack Lassiter is a former pro-football player turned trial lawyer. I hear he has an attitude... I'm thinking he might be cute, too.

Speedloader by Jonathan Woods, Richard Thomas, Nick Korpon, W.D. County, Matthew Funk and Nigel Bird.   $0.99

"From the trenches of WWI to the abandoned rowhomes of Baltimore; From a rural charnel house to the Texas-Mexican border these six stories explore the dark heart of crime fiction today... Speedloader is six stories slammed home and ready to kill."

Click x 6 and A Little Extra

Another week and six more clicks have landed me with some pretty good deals on my Kindle.

FREE  L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories by Rockstar Games

$3.99  Dust Devils by Roger Smith

$2.99  The Fixer: A Lawson Vampire Novel 1 by John F. Merz

$2.99  Follow the Money by Fingers Murphy

$0.99  Street Raised by Pearce Hansen

$0.99  Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A. Grainger

In other news:

A twitter friend of mine, Anthony Schiavino, is giving us access to his incredibly cool comic SERGEANT ZERO for FREE!

JOSEPH SINCLAIR, a soldier top-of-his-class, is approached by R.A.D.I.O. (Research And Defense Initiative Organization) just before WWII to take part in a top-secret government program. One that will prepare America for what is about to come, and her last hope in the ‘ZERO HOUR.’ Over the course of months, through draconian surgery and previously failed experimentation, Joe is transformed and given a code name for the masses: SERGEANT ZERO.

Scenes from Reigning Fire

He sees action for the first time in the Black Forest, Germany. His unit, complete with photographer for propaganda initiatives (pulps, slicks, and celluloid), goes over the border from southern France, to a small town in the heart of the forest where they find Krieger Keep. Intelligence believes this to be a place of interest to Hitler. What they find, however, is something more sinister than any tangible artifact: a gateway into a Lovecraftian world.

Flash forward ten years. Joe wakes from night tremors in his downtown tenement. Memories of his tour twisted and different somehow, not at all what he experienced.

It could be the post traumatic stress.

It could be something more.

SERGEANT ZERO has all but faded from the public’s memory.

Coming back from the war, he’s vowed to never again pick up a gun. Even to protect himself. But the headlines read of rape and murder throughout the Lower East End, and when young newspaper girl Elizabeth Parker is threatened by a serial killer, Joe must break his vow.

His soul be damned.

You can find out more about Anthony Schiavino and SERGEANT ZERO HERE! There's even a really cool video you can watch! Oh, and before I forget... Anthony is CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR AN ARTIST. INTERESTED?

Click x 5

I might have been home sick with a fever on May 31, 2011, but that didn't stop me from downloading Matthew J. McBride's debut novel, Frank Sinatra in a Blender.  That afternoon, as I lay in bed dying from the worst case of whatever it was I was suffering from, I checked my twitter feed and stumbled across a tweet letting the world know that it was available for purchase a day early. And as you have probably guessed... I couldn't resist the urge to click the button. I started the book a few minutes later and finished reading just before 10pm.  It was the greatest sick day ever! Truly. And before you even ask... Yes. There will be a review!

This is what I snagged last week for my Kindle.

Frank Sinatra in a Blender by Matthew J. McBride 

$7.77 The price may be more than what you might be willing to pay for an e-book, but I promise you it is worth every penny. Every. Penny.

One Too Many Blows to the Head by Eric Beetner and JB Kohl -
On sale for $0.99!

Borrowed Trouble by Eric Beetner and JB Kohl -

On sale for $0.99!

Jailbate Justice: The Girl with the Big Iron on Her Hip by Danny Hogan -

Only $0.99

In The Belly of Jonah: A Liv Bergen Mystery by Sandra Brannan -

FREE E-BOOK

Click x 2

So apparently all I have to do is confess my Kindle clicking problem on my blog and my obsession with the Buy Now With One Click goes away... or not.  I might have only purchased two books this week for my Kindle, but I purchased 3 real books (the kind you can hold in your hot little hands) this week, too.

First up: iDrakula by Bekka Black: 

Forever a fan of Dracula (you can read my review here), I was intrigued by this book after reading some tweets.  Having read the journal entries and letters in the original account of the the Count I'm really looking forward to getting the story via emails, text messages, twitter feed and instant messaging. Since we all know I'm a lover of tweeting this should be fun for me. =)

Synopsis

The classic vampire story that started it all gets new life for a generation of connected teens. 18-year-old Jonathan Harker is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder after visiting a Romanian Count. His girlfriend Mina and a pre-med student named Van Helsing team up to investigate the source of the disease. The teenagers discover a horrifying truth: the Count is a vampire. The harrowing events unfold through emails, text messages, web pages, Twitter feeds, and instant messaging-the natural modernization of Bram Stoker's original Dracula, which was written in letters, diary entries, and news clippings.

An Example:

"What happened?"

"Not sure. I was fine when I went to bed."

"But?"

"But I dreamed that someone got into my room."

"Who?"

"I don't remember his face. He was tall, thin, pale...I was paralyzed. And then my neck hurt and my mouth was full of..."

"Of what?"

"Blood. My mouth was full of blood."

You can purchase iDrakula by Bekka Black for your Kindle HERE for $1.99


Next on the list is Cursed by Jeremy C. Shipp

Synopsis

Your life is no longer recognizable, every detail corrupted by unknown forces. The harder you struggle, the more you suffer. Your words mean nothing, your actions backfire, and one by one everybody you know is sucked down with you.

You are:

1) Nick

2) cursed

3) afraid all the time

That's because: a) someone or b) something is after you with a vengeance. Even with the help of other cursed people, you don't stand a chance because you're all, you know, cursed. That means you and everyone you know will:

1) suffer

2) die

3) amuse your tormentor

That is, unless you figure out how to manipulate the person behind this and turn their power against them. Check your list a second time because they're probably on it. The only thing left to do is scratch them off.

You can purchase Cursed by Jeremy C. Shipp for your Kindle HERE.

Click x 2

I'm actually quite surprised with myself.  I only bought two books this week for my Kindle. It's not that there weren't any other temptations out there, it's just that this week...  well, let's just say I was really trying to control myself.

My first purchase was Before the Witches: An Original Novella by Karina Cooper. (This is the only Kindle purchase I have ever read on the same day of purchase.) This novella sets the stage for her Dark Mission series, with the first book in the series, Blood of the Wicked, scheduled for release on May 31, 2011. The second book, Lure of the Wicked,  is set for release on June 28, 2011. 

You know, all I can really say is that I stumbled across some tweets by Karina Cooper and decided to check them out. I noticed she was releasing a novella  that would give back story on her new paranormal romance series, and thought...

This is a new series... starting, like, right now! Meaning... we can all we read it together and have fun talking about the books and about how incredibly hot the characters are and how wonderful a writer Karina Cooper is and, well... how incredibly hot the characters are.  I mean, really. Isn't that why we read paranormal romance in the first place?  I do.

In the novella you'll read about a witch named Katya Zhuvova.  Katya is a witch that has fled her country for a better life, landing in Seattle only to find herself forced to live in a brothel, one of many victims in the sex slave trade.  On the night before her planned escape Katya meets super hot Seattle cop, Nigel Ferris, who has been investigating the circumstances surrounding Katya's living situation.  But before Katya can escape the brothel and before Nigel can arrest the man responsible for her living arrangements, a series of earthquakes and other disasters happen bringing about a permanent change to the world as we know it and moving us one step closer to the Dark Mission series.

Before the Witches by Karina Cooper is a fast paced read with plenty of action and a couple of, eh... love scenes that you'll want to thank Karina for later. Seriously, I loved the novella and I'm hoping some of my coworkers will join me in reading this series.  So, what say ye coworkers?  Care to start a new paranormal romance series with me so we can get together during lunch and talk about the goodness we've been partaking of during our off hours?  HINT: If you're a follower of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward it's a safe bet that you're going to love the Dark Mission series.

Before the Witches is available on both the KINDLE and the NOOK and the price is only $1.99. You can read more about Karina Cooper and her Dark Mission series on  her website HERE!

The second book I bought this week:

Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey by Chuck Wending. 

This second book is a collection of 50+ essays that cover every topic under the sun regarding why you shouldn't be a writer.  Okay, maybe it isn't quite about that,  but there is an essay titled… “No, Seriously, I’m Not F**king Around, You Really Don’t Want To Be A Writer”.  If you want to be a writer, or if you're already a writer and just want to become a better writer, then I highly recommend this book.

Plus the cover art rocks! Seriously. Haven't you ever bought a book because of the cover? I have. More than once.

And for those of you following the Turning series by Dawn Kirby, the series now has it's own link at the top of the page. So, if you've missed a week or just can't get enough of Nicholas, Alana and Thomas, you can now read the series in its entirety as it unfolds. Totally cool!

Click x 7 (the free one doesn't count)

I purchased the following books for my Kindle last week.  One of them was free so technically that one doesn't count.

Blood is Red by Scott Sigler

For Whom the Minivan Rolls by Jeffrey Cohen

Witness to Death by Dave White

Plan B: A Nick Heller Story by Joseph Finder (FREE)

Here Comes Mr. Trouble: The Trouble Family Chronicles by Brett Battles

Vanished by Joseph Finder (I own this book in paperback and hardback, too)

Julius Katz and Archie by David Zeltserman

Hmmm. I've got no explanation for this. None.

BUY NOW with 1-Click!

I was warned by my twitter pal, Spencer Koch, that Amazon had devised this plan to easily suck you dry by letting you save a credit card number in their system so when you wanted to buy a book for your Kindle, like... 8 Pounds by Chris F. Holm, all you had to do was click the button that said, "Buy Now with 1-Click"  and you were done. No address information. No double checking the shipping.  Just a simple click.

I didn't think it would become a problem for me. I mean, really. How many books could there possibly be on Amazon that I would be interested in? 

Click. Click. Click.

Turns out (after pulling a copy of my Kindle Orders),  I click that damn button a good 2-3 times a day. In fact, on November 25, 2010, I clicked that button six times. SIX TIMES!  On December 18, 2010... THREE. February 5, 2011... THREE. February 26, 2011... TWICE.  February 28, 2011... TWICE. April 28, 2011... THREE. 

Last week I clicked the button five times. FIVE TIMES, PEOPLE!  It would have been every work day last week, but according to my purchase order I skipped Wednesday and double clicked on Friday. And today, the day I'm typing this post, I clicked it twice. Back to back thanks to Ron... well, does it really matter who tempted me?

I'd really like to blame other people for my clicking addiction, but that really wouldn't be fair.  All the people that I have come to admire and trust with my book purchasing decisions are part of my wonderful twitter family. They clearly have my best interest at heart when they're innocently suggesting great reads by people that they know and like and have read.  I mean, really. It's hard to go wrong and I can't complain about the incredible mass of books I've accumulated since I first started purchasing Kindle books for my phone app with that "Buy Now with 1-Click" feature on October 18, 2010.

My very first purchase was 8 Pounds: Eight Tales of Crime, Horror & Suspense by Chris F. Holm.  For an unbelievable price of $0.99 you get eight incredible reads that leave you shaking your head in disbelief and thinking horrible, horrible thoughts whenever you hear a noise in the wall.  You know the noises I'm talking about. The ones that always come around in the middle of the night when you're home alone, or when you're the only one awake in the house that can hear them.

My second purchase for my Kindle was Terminal Damage by the gang at Do Some Damage.  While the collection as a whole is excellent, it must be said that this was the collection that introduced me to Oscar Martello. After reading this I collected every collection of short stories that contained an Oscar Martello story.  I mean, honestly. How could I pass them up?  You can find any and all stories about Oscar Martello here.

Would you believe me if I told you I've been putting off my reading of More Sinned Against by Dave White for fear that his main character might take away my possessive feelings for Oscar? It's totally true. It's on my list to read, but after finishing a book this weekend I really think I'm okay with moving on. Not on, on. Just moving on a little. Now would be a good time to release an Oscar Martello short story collection, Mr. Weddle.  It'd be really nice to have Oscar around all the time. All. The. Time. 

My good friend, Elizabeth introduced me to Jeff Strand.  Not only do I plan to collect all of his book books, I'm creating a nice little collection on my Kindle. I know the writing is excellent because I've read about him over at Musings of an All Purpose Monkey, but truth be told... I'm a fan of the cover art.

I was introduced to Dave Zeltserman by reading an expert of Blood Crimes: Book One over at Paul D. Brazil's blog.  It's like a dark urban fantasy, meets crime fighter, meets vampires book. Dark and dirty with vampires, and some really good love scenes, believe it or not. Sounds like my kind of thing. I've recently purchased Zeltserman's Julius Katz Mysteries... again, thanks to Paul.  Well, I should blame Dave, too. He did talk about this character in a blog post and made me curious.  Plus, David Cranmer thinks the guy rocks.  I totally trust David Cranmer.

I've got a pretty good collection of hard-boiled crime by Anthony Neil Smith... some I've accidentally purchased twice (Kindle should really find a way to prevent that from happening).  Word on the street is Anthony should have another book available for my Kindle enjoyment shortly. Can't wait!

Who else... Oh, I bought two books by Brett Battles after reading reviews by Elizabeth White.  And I bought three books by some guy named J.D. Rhoades after someone, who shall remain nameless, retweeted information about the Jack Keller series.  Makes sense that I would buy it.  The books are about some hot guy named Jack... and it's a series. Cute men on repeat seem to be my thing. Can't wait to read these books!

I bought Beautiful, Naked & Dead by Josh Stallings because my friend from Scotland told me to.  She had read it and loved and promised me I wouldn't be disappointed. I wasn't. My review is in the making.  I'm just trying to find the right words to describe hubba-hubba superlicious without it coming across as cheesy.

So why am I telling you about this? Well, I'm hoping if I confess my Kindle  purchases on my blog each week that it might... might help me with my clicking problem.  So I've gone ahead and created a Sabrina's Kindle page for my blog. I'm hoping to update it weekly. Ya, I probably shouldn't be hoping for that since I'm supposed to be curbing my habit. Oh, well. You can find every book you will find on my Kindle listed; minus the freebies you can find on Amazon.

So take a look. If you like any of the books on the list feel free to click on the link and buy them. I haven't added today's purchases just yet. Just as well, since I just noticed on Twitter that that Dave White guy just released Witness to Death on Kindle this evening. Best $0.99 EVER! Thanks, Dave.

May 9, 2011... THREE!