Jane Litte's Blog, page 914

Daily Deals: Science Fiction, Fantasy and a Freebie Contemporary

The Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold. $.99.

From Jacket Copy:

Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family?s farm. But en route to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier?sorcerers from the northern woodlands. Feared necromancers armed with mysterious knives made of human bone, they wage a secret, ongoing war against the scourge of the “malices,” immortal entities that draw the life out of their victims, enslaving human and animal alike.

It is Dag-...

REVIEW: When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak

Dear Ms. Novak:

When I first received your book for review, I had some concern that the hero is going to be a jerk. I’ve been reading a lot of mean heroes and I wasn’t in the mood for that archetype again. I was assured that famous movie star Simon O’Neal was not a jerk and upon reading the book, I concur. Simon is misunderstood, driven by personal demons, but equipped with a good heart. Other than a few pages in the beginning, Simon acts with kindness and generosity toward almost everyone and...

No. 32 Podcast: It’s all about the serial

Podcast time! This week, Jane and Sarah discuss serial fiction, whether it works for us as readers and why it’s a trend that’s happening now. We talk about what we’re reading and reviewing, plus the podcast begins with one of the best opening lines we’ve recorded yet.

Here are the books we discuss this week:

This week’s music was provided by Sassy Outwater, and this track is called “Dragons,” by a Parisian group called Caravan Palace. You can find their album, “Caravan Palace,” on iTunes, and y...

REVIEW: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Dear Ms. Wein,

I had not heard of your book before one of our posters mentioned it in glowing terms. In a way that managed to catch my attention yet not sound like fawning praise, she described it and urged people to try it. I bought it but then set it aside as I had just finished reading another book featuring Nazis and felt I could use a break. I knew ahead of time that not everything is as it seems but I deliberately didn’t read any other reviews or details about the plot. This turned out t...

Thursday News: Harlequin Escape royalty update; Kobo to power indie ebooksales; Amazon to offer digital books to other retailers

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Harlequin ESCAPE – Transform Your World – I asked for a few more details from Harlequin Escape including the royalty structure. I heard back yesterday that it was 50% from the website and 40% from third party sales, both off net. This is apparently the same royalty schedule available at Carina Press as well. Harlequin Escape

Kobo And Independent Bookstores Join Forces To Expand eReading Across The U.S. – Kobo and the American Booksellers Association are partnering to provide ebook selling cap...

Winners, An Announcement, And A Request

WINNERS: From the RITA Best First Book giveaway, Dee F. wins from the group of contemporaries; Amy Kathryn from the historicals; Janet from the paranormals. Check your inboxes! And congratulations to Darynda Jones, who won forFirst Grave on the Right.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I am re-vamping the interview series I do here at Dear Author. For future installments, you’ll see three diverse books that share one common theme or story thread. Coming soon: a women’s fic, a YA, and an inspirational that all feat...

Daily Deals: Mystery, Historical, and Erotic Romance

[image error] Tall, Dark and Deadly by Heather Graham. $1.99.

From Jacket Copy:

When her best friend vanishes, a woman combs Florida for a killer

Few people in Florida worry when Marnie Newcastle disappears. A successful lawyer with a wild side, Marnie has been known to disappear during her passionate love affairs. But Samantha Miller, a college friend who is as sensible as Marnie is impulsive, knows better. When Marnie vanishes a few days after moving into her dream house, Samantha is the only one who doesn...

REVIEW: The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James

Dear Ms. James,

Last year I read and really enjoyed your book When Beauty Tamed the Beast, yet for some reason I haven’t gotten around to diving into your extensive backlist yet. When I saw that The Ugly Duchess was available for review, though, the plot blurb drew me in immediately. Our hero and heroine, James and Theodora (called Daisy by James though she herself prefers Theo) have been raised together practically from the nursery (she’s his father’s ward) and are in many ways best friends....

Debut Print Book: Immortally Yours by Angie Fox

Angie Fox was the winner of the Dear Author offering for the Brenda Novak auction. She won an interview and an ad space for the month. Thanks to Ms. Fox for contributing to medical research of diabetes. On to the Interview:

Name of upcoming release: Immortally Yours

Release date: 08/28/2012

Publisher: St. Martin’s

2 sentence summary: Galen of Delphi is a tough-as-nails wounded warrior, and Dr. Petra Robichaud is the doctor who saves him (in more ways than one). Set in a paranormal MASH unit, Immo...

REVIEW: Sweet and Twenty by Joan Smith

“When the unexpected death of Sir Gerald Monteith placed his wife Melanie and daughter Sara in financial trouble, their only hope was to quickly find a husband for Sara. They thought it would be easy, for she was as beautiful as could be. They hoped her beauty would make up for her lack of brains. The problem was, they didn’t know how to look for a man. Then Aunt Martha and cousin Lillian swept into town and took over the search. Lillian, too, was available for marriage. Soon the crafty Aunt...