May 15, 2001
Volume 1 No. 19
ISSN 1530-5287
E-Book Ecstasy
The founder of E-Book Ecstasy, Ms. Glenda D. Tudor, has graciously given
me the opportunity to produce the E-Book Ecstasy newsletter. I will
continue to hold to the course she set and introduce you to a broad
spectrum of eauthors and epublishers along with news about notable
upcoming ebooks.
In looking over the archives, it seems quite a number of people made
tremendous contributions to the success of E-Book Ecstasy during its
first year. Terrific and informative articles from such folks as Eva
Kende, Tracy Eastgate, Silke Juppenlatz of Dreams Unlimited, Susan
Bodendorfer of Wordbeams Publishing, Leta Nolan Childers and many
others.
Featured E-Author: Robert Marcom
Featured E-Author: Tee Morris
Featured E-Author: Kim Bundy
Featured Reviewer: Rita Hestand
Featured Reviewer: Barry Hunter
Featured Reviewer: Bree Knight
Featured Reviewer: K. L. Frizzel
***************************************************
Content
Special Announcement
Sponsors
Featured E-Authors
E-Book Corner
New Releases
Classifieds
***************************************************
***Special Announcement***
E-authors and E-publishers - If you would like to contribute an article
to E-Book Ecstasy, please contact me so we can highlight you and your
web sites. E-book reviewers, I am especially interested in four star
reviews of upcoming releases.
Lida E. Quillen, publisher@twilighttimes.com
***************************************************
SPONSORS:
Subscribe to BEAMINGS!
Beamings is the official newsletter of Wordbeams, the brightest star in
electronic publishing. Our books offer top-quality fiction and
nonfiction in electronic format via download (e-mail attachment) and on
diskette.
Subscribers will learn all about our new releases; get the latest news
about Wordbeams authors; and find out about Wordbeams contests, special
offers, and promotions. Beamings is free and is sent to subscribers
approximately once each
month. Subscribe to our newsletter and find out why we're beaming!
Subscribe: Beamings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Beamings
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AllAboutMurder announces their newsletter, AAM in the News. "We have a
bit of something for everyone. Like
murder, suspense, thrills, and a bit of romance? Check out our monthly
updates from movies, to books, to writers tibbits, to
quizzes and polls. Interested?" Check out our page at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AAM_in_the_News or subscribe directly at:
You need not be a member of AllAboutMurder to subscribe! Hope to have
you join in the fun!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
E-Books Rock!
Quickly becoming the largest "eBook only" directory on the net, E-Books
Rock! brings you much more than hundreds of
books from dozens of publishers. E-Books Rock! also delivers right to
your screen: book excerpts, contact info, lists of
authors in your area, awesome contests, and the weekly "What The
Hell...?" question!
If you haven't visited E-Books Rock!, you're missing out! Open 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week! Drop in for a visit!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
iBookTime.com -- where print books meet ebooks. Features include an
Electronic Book Directory and Author Directory Locator. iBookTime.com is
seeking reviews and interviews.
From a recent press release:
"In an unprecedented move, Scribblers transferred the wildly successful
bookstore, eBookShoppe, to a new domain.
An exciting prospect, customers now have the convenience of immediate
downloads through a variety of publishers along with many books shipped
via USPS next business day.
In the third year of business, Scribblers has acquired distribution
rights for over 3,000 unique titles including all genres, fiction and
nonfiction, children and adult. The first bookstore totally devoted to
electronic books..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Come to Word Wrangler Publishing and discover the exciting new world of
electronic books! Secure shopping cart, prompt 24 hr. service and plenty
of eBooks to choose from. While you are there, sign up for our free,
twice monthly newsletter, enter our free Fantasy Writing Contest and
download free eBooks! New eBooks added frequently.
***************************************************
(1) FEATURED E-AUTHOR
Life in the Surf - A Writer's Experience on the World Wide Web
Robert Marcom, Founder of NetAuthor, Chairman of Eguild and E-Author
Once upon a placid time long ago, writers wrote carefully, submitted
slowly and waited endlessly. Editors read typed and handwritten
manuscripts that took weeks in turnaround, as revisions were requested
and received, rewritten and mailed. Writing was much like a backwater
beach in a sleepy lagoon.
Then two things happened that set off a literary tidal wave: word
processing on computers became the standard for producing manuscripts,
and the Internet became a new standard for communicating. My writing
career spawned on this cusp.
I bought my first PC in 1986. My first writing intended for submission
occurred in 1990. My first Internet connection was made in 1994.
I'm sort of like the guy who didn't go to the beach; the beach came to
him. Having an affinity for things technological, and a life-long love
of words, I was swept up in the ground swell and found myself near the
crest of a massive wave. That wave of information, communication and
relationships broke across my placid shore. What could I do, but surf?
The frothy surf has stirred up much. Big name publishers have been
largely unresponsive; bulwarks against a rising tide. Thousands of
small e-publishers are nibbling at their toes. Tens of thousands of
people have written and submitted hundreds of thousands of manuscripts.
Manuscripts are jet-streamed via e-mail: revisions are often requested,
and received by editors in a single day. Every conceivable tack has
been taken by e-zines, online subscription sites, electronic book
publishers, and subsidy publishers, to take advantage of this new type
of access to writers and readers.
Researching that previously required multiple trips to libraries,
purchase of expensive reference books, and written requests for
information can be dealt with in an afternoon on the Web. Everyone has
an email address. Every public learning institution has a Web site.
Arcane information that would not have reached beyond a writers' group
meeting is now transmitted around the world on the same day someone
finds it interesting.
Writers know more, have more available as resources, have more places to
be published, and produce more intellectual work than at any time in
history. There are thousands of worthwhile writers' communities that
meet in chat rooms, or participate in "usenet," Internet news groups, or
are members of email lists which spread expertise, support and market
leads among them. I participate in all three categories, and I've found
the information and relationships garnered to be of value beyond price.
Need an agent for a book sale? How about an attorney specializing in
intellectual property rights? Ever read a contract for electronic
intellectual rights? Would you like to compare several, side by side?
How much do you know about formatting submissions for travel writing, or
gardening, or popular science publications? What do you want to write
today? You need the Net. But, you shouldn't think it dumps all this
valuable stuff in your lap. You have to learn how to sort the catch.
I rarely go out on the Net surfing by keywords anymore. The news
groups, writing lists, newsletters and chats often supply recommended
sites. The writing community Web sites have dozens of links, each of
which have been found useful by someone. But wait, there's more.
I have made the acquaintance of writers from all over the world, become
familiar with the legal and political issues confronting writers, and
been exposed to, and brought into sympathy with, the tasks and trials of
publishing and editing. The Internet, and the writers' resources on it,
accelerated my apprenticeship, and polished and pruned my writing talent
thoroughly and efficiently. I could tell you how efficiently, but
thinking about it still stings a bit.
Building Your Own Surfboard
Two things count in the online world of writing: acceptances and name
recognition. They go hand-in-hand, and they feed one another. Two
things underlie acceptances and name recognition: writing skills and
relationships. Fortunately, a good writers' group can facilitate both
of these underpinnings.
I am the founder and moderator of Net
Author(http://www.netauthor.org/). Net Author was born of desperation,
because the email writing list to which I belonged was comfortable,
small and safe. If growth is your objective, safe backwaters are to be
avoided. Join several groups. Find the people from whom you can learn,
and be challenged.
Get to know the major writers' sites. For me, this amounts to a handful
of sites I visit regularly. I'm on several (many) e-mail newsletter
lists, and I show up for online chats. Among these sites are
Cybling.com, Mystic-Ink.com and Inscriptionsmagazine.com.
Usenet news groups are great for growing whale hide. There is little
sympathy or sufferance in news groups. You will be flamed. You will be
attacked unnecessarily, and without provocation. You will learn volumes
and libraries full of survival skills. You can hear from both writing
sages, and those who think they are. You will get an unvarnished
exposure to personalities that made a mark on the writing community.
You should expose yourself to this environment for one reason: that
which does not kill us, serves to make us writers. And, there are
occasional tidbits of rumor and morsels of information leaks.... News
groups I've found worthwhile include the following:
news://comp.publish.electronic.misc
news://alt.writing
news://misc.writing
news://rec.arts.sf.written
news://alt.publish.books
Politics and issues are in the air for writers in the electronic media.
I belong to several groups, including Electronic Authors and Artists
Guild (www.eguild.org) and maintain a presence on several newsletters
for organizations interested in authors' rights.
No one can absorb all the information offered in the aforementioned
affiliations. I don't try. Consider the Surf Bum. He does not try to
catch every wave. Instead, he looks for the best ride. The important
thing is to get out there and check out the waves. Surf's up. Don't
get left onshore.
Author info:
Robert Marcom is the Chairman of the Electronic Authors & Artists Guild
and the founder of and moderator for Net Author,
an online writers community. He resides in Houston Texas where he is
gainfully unemployed as
an author, illustrator and photographer."
Author of "A Voyage Through The Cosmos" (ISBN 1-930430-03-5)
"Earth Rocks!" (ISBN 1-930430-04-3)
Visit Robert's web site http://home.earthlink.net/~robert3447/
Copyright © 2001 Robert Marcom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(2) FEATURED E-AUTHOR
Homesite Improvement: advice for authors who want to publish or promote
their work with a website
Tee Morris, author and webmaster
As you surf the Internet, you will find many websites good, bad, and
ugly, and sadly many of the websites in need of serious help are
websites of authors and publishers. Designing for the Internet is not
as easy as certain web applications would lead you to believe.
Here are a few ideas when putting together a website for your book or
publishing house...
1. MAP OUT ON PAPER A PLAN FOR YOUR WEBSITE. Before you even begin the
first HTML tag, get the site on paper. Organize a strategy in the same
way you would put together a proposal for your book. What do you want
to say about your project? How much do you want to say about yourself?
Who is your target audience -- publishers, agents, or fans? Once you
have an idea of what you want to say, then begin construction.
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE. A little bit goes a long, long way and that is so
true in website design. Start your website with the basics, and don't
worry about the HTML. It is a VERY easy language to learn and all you
need is a text editor like SimpleText (for the Mac) and NotePad (for a
PC) and a guide. You have numerous websites that will teach you the
language (http://www.w3schools.com -- a fantastic site for learning
HTML) and provided you start slow, you can build from the ground up a
very clean and easy to view website. Later, when you get more
comfortable with the language, you can branch out into new territories.
3. USE PDF FILES FOR ONLINE WRITING SAMPLES. While many authors and
publishers post their chapter samples online in HTML, you take a risk
anytime you display your work this way. Files can be easily downloaded
as text files and then manipulated in any word processor or layout
program. The better format to use is a PDF (Portable Document Format,
created either in Adobe Acrobat -- http://www.adobe.com/epaper/main.html
-- or as a special export from Adobe PageMaker or Quark XPress), a
read-only format that uses Adobe Acrobat Reader (installed on all
computers and in some browsers) and protects your work.
4. KEEP GRAPHICS ONLY TO THE ESSENTIAL. While graphics are cool (and I
am so guilty of enjoying graphic-intensive websites), they can
sometimes serve no other purpose than increase the download time of your
website.
Be very selective in what you use and (if possible) try to optimize them
using either Adobe's Photoshop™ or Macromedia's Fireworks. By
optimizing them, you can minimize memory for the graphics and decrease
download time for your website.
5. INVEST IN YOUR OWN DOMAIN. The easier people can find you online,
the more people will visit your site. It costs only $35 US dollars for
a year, $70 for two. You can either name your domain after your pen
name, your publishing house, or for the book title.
Stick with these three suggestions and you will have the foundation for
a rock solid website.
Now here are some things to avoid in your design...
1. AVOID "COOL" OR "CUTE" GRAPHICS. What is defined as "cool" or
"cute" could be anything from abnormally large graphics (roughly
anything over 600 pixels in width) and overly-complex background
graphics; but it is usually animated gif's that cause more problems for
browsers, slow overall download time, and annoy those visiting your
website. Also the presence of animated smiley faces, notes folding up
and zipping into to mailboxes, and rotating chain links symbolizing
"links" ruins the professional look of your website and makes it more
akin to "Aunt Betsey's Website." There is nothing wrong with animated
gif's in moderation, but make sure they help not hinder the performance
of your website. The same can be said for background images. Sometimes
when the background image is tiled, it can make the content of your
website hard to read. Again, nothing wrong with background images in
moderation, provided it doesn't make your content difficult to read.
2. AVOID "COOL," "CUTE," AND "MISPELLED" CONTENT. Does your target
audience really want to know your passion for hamsters? That your
favorite food condiment is salsa? Or what you really think about
Nintendo's Game System versus Sega's Dreamcast? This is content you
reserve for a personal website not for a professional one. There is a
fine line between "witty" and "gratuitous" so when you are putting
together your site, know what you want to say and keep it brief. Also,
double-check your spelling. As much as you scrutinize your manuscript,
you should do the same for your website. (And I admit to missing a few
errors here and there, so I ask friends and family to proof it as well.
Another set of eyes is a good thing...)
3. NEVER RESIZE YOUR GRAPHICS USING HTML. While you may think reducing
your graphics in size to "increase resolution," a graphic 125 KB in size
reduced in size with HTML is still 125 KB only in a smaller size.
Resizing images using HTML will not improve download time. You must
resize the image in an application like Photoshop™ or Fireworks.
4. AVOID USING FRAMES. The "frames" layout, unbeknownst to many, work
against you in being found by search engines and being bookmarked by
browsers. Simply put, if people can't find you and if people can't
bookmark you, you have defeated the purpose in building a website.
5. AVOID USING WYSIWYG PROGRAMS. Many of these programs -- FrontPage™
and PageMill, for example -- are great time savers, make spell checks a
breeze, and easy to figure out, but while WYSIWYG applications promise
"what you see is what you get" that is not always the case. These
programs will also offer various features of DHTML (Dynamic HTML) like
layers and cascading style sheets. The end result is a site that may
look one way in one browser, slightly different in another, and
completely different on a different operating system. Nothing beats
knowing HTML. A better application to use in building a website is
Macromedia's Dreamweaver or Adobe's GoLive which are known as GUI
(Graphic User Interface) applications.
This is merely one artist's opinion. You may hear many artists and hear
many different opinions on what does and does not work with a website.
There are no real "set standards" in website design. What works for one
may not always work for another, but what will decide if you have a
website that works is if it serves its purpose. Does your website grab
the attention of a publisher or agent? Are you working with them now
because of the website? What about your public? Are they informed on
book signings, upcoming releases, and new projects? If your website
meets its expectation then you have a good website. These are merely a
few do's and don't's that I use when designing for myself and for
others.
You could always hire someone to build your website for you. Provided
you have the funds, a tried-and-true web designer will do the work and
create your "ideal Internet presence." This can get expensive. Now it
is an issue of time and time is one thing you have to invest in creating
a clean, professional website. Good luck to you in your website
construction endeavors.
- - - - - - -
Author Info:
Tee Morris received his Bachelors of Science from James Madison
University in 1992, but not in computers, not in design, and not in
programming...Tee got his degree in Theatre, concentration in acting.
(So far, his big claim to fame was a small speaking role on HOMICIDE:
Life on the Street) When he isn't acting or writing, Tee works as a
freelance graphic artist/web designer/consultant because "It beats
waiting tables." With nearly a decade of graphic arts in his portfolio,
Tee has also written training manuals and designed curriculums for HTML,
Dreamweaver 3 and 4, and Quark XPress 4. He teaches HTML, Dreamweaver,
Flash, Fireworks, Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and PageMaker.
Tee Morris' website promoting his fantasy-adventure epic MOREVI:The
Chronicles of Rafe and Askana can be found at http://www.morevi.com
where he is always open for feedback and comments.
Copyright © 2001 Tee Morris.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(3) FEATURED E-AUTHOR
Now What?
Your book is available online. Here's what to do next.
Kim Bundy, Author and Reviewer
The single largest problem e-books and print on demand books have is
promotion. In most cases, all promotion is left up to the
author. It's similar to what's expected from mid-list authors with
traditional publishers but for some reason many people go
with ebooks and online publishers thinking they can slap up a web page,
then sit back and watch the sales climb. Not so.
No one is going to buy a product they don't know exists. Putting
together a web page just for the book is a good idea, now
get out and tell people about it. They need that url in front of them or
they'll never visit the page. Book marks, pens, fliers,
business cards are the first wave in putting information in the hands of
people who'll use it--your potential customers.
Pass them out everywhere you go. Give them to your bank teller, the
grocery store clerk, the mail man, your neighbors and
always leave one with that restaurant tip. These people may not be
interested in your book but chances are they know
someone who would be. People love to help one another propagate their
hobbies.
Make use of conferences and club gatherings. This is where the adage of
`know your market' is most valuable to you. If your
book is science fiction, do a web surf for conventions, clubs and
bookstores which specialize in science fiction. Then send
those give-aways to the conventions, take out ads in club newsletters or
ask the editor to review your book and write to the
bookstores asking them to carry your title.
Offer to do readings for local clubs or a signing at local bookstores
and libraries (and any others within your comfortable
driving distance), sign up to be on conference panels which relate to
your book subject or genre. Don't wait for them to notice
you. Call them up and say, "I'm an author and I'd like to do this for
you."
Next, add a signature line to all your email correspondence which
includes a short one or two sentence blurb about the book.
Include the url to the book's web site. Another place to include the url
is with your address on letters. In today's business
world, having a web site is saavy. I recently landed a job by including
such information with my resume. He needed someone
to do something similar for his store.
You've got to promote your book because no one else will. It took you
months, maybe years to write and perfect the story. It
makes little sense to sit back and let it fall away after you've worked
so hard and come so far. Make it your personal quest to
get your book in the hands of people who will read and enjoy your
writing.
Here's some helpful resources:
Mailing list of print on demand and ebook authors.
print-on-demand@yahoogroups.com
ADVANCE newsletter
AuthorsDen.com My PR resource. Good starting point.
Ebook net weekly news
Inscriptions e-zine
PW Daily Newsletter from Publishers Weekly
- - - - - - -
Author Info:
Kim Bundy, born and raised in Roswell New Mexico, currently resides in
central Ohio with her husband, two sons and
nineteen year old cat. Her most recent publishing credits include a
science fantasy novel, The Death of Jabari; a children's
fantasy book, Aiko, with Sprite Press and an inspiration piece coming
out with an anthology in December 2001.
Her short fiction includes poetry, fantasy and horror fiction at
Sinister Element, The Gallows and Sabledrake Magazine. She
writes book and television reviews for Cinescape Online and Fearsmag.com
plus regularly reviews episodes of the television
show, Roswell, for Cinescape.
Kim Bundy
Copyright © 2001 Kim Bundy.
***************************************************
E-BOOK CORNER
Title: The Fixer-Uppers
Author: Cynthianna Appel
Publisher: Starlight Writer Publications
Release Date: July 2001
Reviewed by Rita Hestand
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Cassie Stubinski works as the assistant bakery manager for Don's IGA.
She has a very ordinary life, since her car salesman husband divorced
her and left her with two children to raise alone. That's why her best
friend, Angelina Rodriguez and Paco De Los Santos want to find Mr. Right
for her. The match-makers set about to bring chaos and love into
Cassie's life.
Reluctantly Cassie agrees to go on a blind date with Paco's friend and
co-worker Mike Felcher. Ironically this blind date isn't at all what
she expected. Mike is a nice, next door neighbor kind of guy and she
likes him. But the date ends typically in little more than a kiss on
the cheek, and her speeding away before she sees his reaction kind of
thing.
Cassie liked Mike, but he has as many problems as she. He'd be a great
brother, she thinks. It's no wonder that Cassie helps Mike when he is
evicted and she offers him board at her house. Why not, they get along
great, he likes kids and she trusts him.
Cynthianna Appel brings us a heartwarming, down home kind of story that
is sure to please. Not only do we see a realistic kind of love story
here, but one that grows as you read. The characters are well fleshed
out and not the typical gorgeous to die for kind of people. These are
ordinary people falling in love. And it's their working through the
problems in their lives that make it so enjoyable to read. This story
is not quite as predictable as one might think. The love story really
unfolds before your eyes, slowly, like a long awaited Christmas
Present. Cynthianna shows us how true love survives all the ups and
downs of real life and that it can come in some pretty surprising
packages. All in all, this one is an adorable read from start to
finish. A refreshing book that will stay with you long after it's
over. Highly recommended!
- - - - - -
Rita Hestand brings you reviews by romance authors of historical,
western, contemporary, and sometimes even biographical. Rita writes
romances for Wordbeams Publishing. Check out Pretend Mom, and her newest
release, Nick's Baby coming in May at Wordbeams.
Visit her personal pages and get to know a knowledgeable
writer/reviewer:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Rockers, Shamans, Manikins & Thanathespians
Author: Gene O'Neill
Publisher: Silver Lake Publishing
Release Date: June 2001
Reviewed by Barry Hunter of Baryon
This is a collection showcasing stories that have appeared elsewhere and
are being bundled together. These stories originally appeared in
Cemetery Dance, Eldritch Tales, Foxfire and others.
The opening sory "Funkytown" tells of a married college student's
overnight affair with an artist who takes more of his time than he
suspects. "Case #005036" tells of a team of pickpockets who pick the
wrong target but gain a surprising result. "Coming Home" is a story of
one man's love for his family and how far he will go to keep it
together. A trip to the zoo, battling the
demon of drugs, hearing strange footsteps, and murder on a spaceship are
some of the other story plots.
It's a mixed bag of stories that show various sides of O'Neill. The
writing is even, but the stories too short for a lot of character
developement. He opens, makes his point, and closes out the story. His
writing reminds me of Barry Malzberg, so if you are a fan of his you
will like these as well.
- - - - - -
Baryon Online, the web extension of Baryon magazine, has been on the web
since 1995. Barry Hunter is a founding member of the Zine Guild - an
International Internet association dedicated to mentoring new zines and
raising the quality of zines on the web. Details at
He is a frequent attendee and guest at DragonCon, Fantasm, Atlanta
Fantasy Faire, Dixie Trek, LibertyCon, ChattaCon and DeepSouthCon and he
hosts a chat every second and fourth Friday night at 9:00pm on the web
at www.cybling.com.
Barry has had fiction,a feghoot and poetry published in Millennium F &
SF. His poetry will appear in the July issue of Twilight Times and an
essay on fanzines will be published in Writers of the Future XVI,
release date August 2001.
Baryon Online
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Winning chance
Author: Betty Jo Schuler
Publisher: Wordbeams
Release date: May 2001
Romantic Comedy
Reviewed by Bree Knight
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Winning Chance is the merry tale of not quite mistaken identity, wistful
dreams and a love to last a lifetime.
Twenty-something Lori Hayes is shocked when she receives a Federal
Express letter saying that she is the finalist in a dream date contest.
She certainly never entered this contest and cannot imagine where the
contest organizers got her name. After a call to them sheds no light on
the confusion, Lori decides to attend the televised event anyway. She is
tantalized by the thought that prizes include a 'Dream Home' or a set of
matching convertibles. A car is a luxury that Lori had to give up when
she formed her vintage clothing shop. Her days are long but rewarding,
but the long walks to and from work leave her tired and irritable.
...Chance Dawson has a plan. After the abandonment at a young age by his
parents, Chance is determined to make a home and family for himself.
With the help of a good friend's father, he sets up a structure of his
goals. A dream house is the next goal he must meet. While his apartment
isn't terrible he is chagrined by the relative thinness of the walls and
the fact that one neighbor in particular is always knocking on his walls
and complaining about his inspirational music. Chance decides to enter
the contest in the hopes that he will win. Love isn't part of his plan
for a few years, so he must only have fun with the winner of the contest
while keeping his heart removed.
...I could live on a constant diet of Betty Jo Schuler's brand of
romantic comedy! Lori and Chance were lovingly constructed characters
that involved me in their story from the first page. Their capers as
they tried to thwart the omnipresent contest staff while on their
getaway had me chuckling. The suspense that built as the neighbors
passed tantalizingly close had me reading on frantically. The payoff was
well worth the wait! Take a chance with this book, you'll find that you
have hit the jackpot!
- - - - - -
Reviewed by Simply Ebooks Reviews
Bree Knight says she discovered ebooks some years ago after seeing a
promo for a free book on a mailing list. She kept the ebook on her hard
drive for ages, finally pulling it out last Christmas. She was
enthralled by this new avenue in publishing and began buying ebooks
gradually. After searching the net for information, she discovered there
were only a few strictly electronic publishing sites and created one.
She is both a reader and a writer (as yet unpublished in book length
fiction) and hopes to become published some day, perhaps
with her collaborator, Ange. They have been co-writing together for a
year and a half now. She invites you to visit their web site which
focuses on electronic books.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Title: Reality's Plaything
Author: Will Greenway
Publisher: Writers Exchange-E-Publishing
Fantasy
Release date: May 2001
Reviewed by K.L. Frizzell
Rating: 5 Stars
Bonnor Starfirst is a woodsman in love with Elven Sarai or so he thinks.
Very quickly he finds himself having to save his beloved from an
unspeakable crime. Quiet, honest and of course handsome would describe
Bonnor. All he
wants is to save Sarai from the evil creatures and live a simple life.
It is a little difficult to foresee the future when Bonnor is at the end
of a hangman's noose and the love of his life has been kidnapped by the
comrades of the villains who tried to rape her.
Sarai is an Elven princess who defied her father's wishes of marrying
another by fleeing. She is small and beautiful. Her one wish would be to
be able to take care of herself, without depending on men. Soon she
finds trouble, as elves
tend to do. Her One saves her, only to be taken to a village to be hung
as sie is stuck in a cage at the mercy of the demons.
...Reality's Plaything is such a well-written and imaginative read; this
reviewer could never provide an accurate description. Will Greenway has
the unique ability to draw you into the story and plot from the first
sentence. Although a long manuscript, it is very well done and if
shorter the story would not have been as compelling. The author has
combined well defined central characters with equally fascinating
secondary and other minor characters. His imagination is spectacular and
is able to convey that wonder to the written page.
I would highly recommend this read to both futuristic and science
fiction fanatics. I would not be surprised to see Will Greenway on the
best seller list and he will be a future mainstay for all science
fiction readers. This book takes futuristic and science fiction to new
and previously unknown heights. I honestly don't think five stars is
enough, if you download one book this year, make it this one, it's well
worth it!
- - - - - -
Reviewed by Simply Ebooks Reviews
K. L. Frizzel says, "One sure way to see a hissy fit from me? Ask me,
who's my favorite author. There are so many and I love to see all the
new ones coming along. I'm on first name basis with the manager of the
local book store. Could be because the regular employees see me and run.
He has to be nice, he is the manager after all. Most week ends you can
find me trying to bribe him into giving me the new releases early. He
hasn't folded yet but I still have hope."
***************************************************
NEW RELEASES
Wordbeams
A Breed Apart
Charlotte Raby
ISBN: 1-58785-362-0
Contemporary Romance
Formats: PDF/HTML/REB
Price: Disk $7.35 (s&h incl.) Download $4.55
NOTE: Prices listed are for purchases from Wordbeams'
site only. Retail prices are higher at booksellers.
Nick's Baby
Rita Hestand
ISBN: 1-58785-160-1
Contemporary Romance
Shipping Sharon
Daisy Dexter Dobbs
ISBN: 1-58785-216-0
Contemporary Romantic Comedy
The Devil At San Rosario
Lori Shimer
ISBN: 1-58785-056-7
Romantic Suspense
Winning Chance
Betty Jo Schuler
ISBN: 1-58785-082-6
Contemporary Romantic Comedy
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Awe-Struck E-Books, Inc.
Dissent in Realtime
Cathy McCarthy
ISBN: 1-58749-050-1
Futuristic
Sea of Hope
Penelope Marzec
ISBN: n/a
Stormy, inspirational romance
Through the Valley of the Shadow
Stefan Vucak
ISBN: 1-58749-061-7
Science Fiction
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Crossroads Publishing Company
Eyes of a Jackal
by Joni Latham
ISBN: 1-58338-402-2
Fantasy
Murder.com
Betty Sullivan La Pierre
ISBN: 1-58338-645-9
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
DiskUsPublishing
A Taste of History
Glenda D. Tudor
ISBN: 1-58495-587-2
Short Story (Quick Picks line)
Camper Of The Year
Ann Herrick
ISBN: 1-58495-429-9
YA
Eternal
Kim Gaona (aka Kimberly Roberts)
Historical
Short Story (Quick Picks line)
Lucifer's Last Laugh
Elizabeth Delisi
ISBN: 1-58495-782-4
Short Story (Quick Picks line)
Shalom, Mary
Kathleen Culligan Techler
Short Story (Quick Picks line)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dreams Unlimited
Send Me an Angel
Michele Hauf
ISBN: 1-820592-63-X
Time Travel Romance
Witch's Journey
Karen McCullough
ISBN: 1-820592-60-5
Fantasy Romance
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Embiid Publishing
Rork
Avram Davidson
ISBN 1-58787-069-X
Science Fiction
The Age of Wonders
Jeffry Dwight, Editor
ISBN 1-58787-092-4
SF Anthology
The Wizard of Ambermere
J. Calvin Pierce
ISBN 1-58787-088-6
Fantasy
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
E-Pub2000
The Deadly Thorn
Betty Sullivan La Pierre
ISBN: 0970662246
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hard Shell Word Factory
Forever Man, Book 3 of the Angelfire Trilogy
Karen Wiesner
ISBN: 0-7599-0211-9
Mainstream Romance
Sleighride
C. J. Winters
ISBN: 1-58200-613-X
Time Travel Romance
Tainted Tea For Two
Susanne Marie Knight
ISBN: 0-7599-0148-1
Romance: murder mystery
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
LionHearted Publishing
Lord Darver's Match
Susanne Marie Knight
ISBN: 1-57343-017-X
Regency Romance: time-travel
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
LTDBooks
Nobody Told the Wind
T.K. Sheils
ISBN: 1-55316-011-8 / Rocket 1-55316-986-7
Horror
The Final Solution
Walter Harmidarow
ISBN: 1-55316-035-5 / Rocket 1-55316-969-7
Mystery (Sherlock Holmes)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
New Concepts Publishing
Love's Captive
Myra Nour
ISBN: 1-58608-260-4
Futuristic romance
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Pulsar Books
Get Out of My Mind
Tony Ruggiero
Science Fiction
Sverige Nights
Julie Sandland
ISBN: 1-58697-996-5
Historical
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twilight Times Books
Practical Tips for Online Authors 2001 Edition
Lida E. Quillen
ISBN: 1-931201-00-5
Non-Fiction
Wolfpointe
Rick Buda
ISBN: 1-931201-06-4
Paranormal Suspense
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Writers Exchange-E-Publishing
Title: Reality's Plaything
Author: Will Greenway
ISBN: 1-876962-02-X
Fantasy
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zander eBooks
A Host of Ghosts
Jim Gilbert
ISBN: none
Paranormal Romance
***************************************************
CLASSIFIEDS:
Awe-Struck E-Books
For the best in romance and sci-fi and everything in between, check out
the reads at Awe-Struck E-Books. http://www.awe-struck.net
(Pssst! There's a sale on ALL the time...)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Colorado Spitfire in paperback
On sale now.
Author: Glenda D. Tudor
For more information:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
eBooks N' Bytes, brought to you by Eva Almeida, is jammed packed with
useful resources for electronic authors, gathered together in
well-organized sections. Includes: where to promote your e-Books, links
to send out free press releases, e-book publishers accepting
submissions, and e-book reviews.Don't forget to list your e-Book in the
directory.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
eBooksOnThe.Net
eBooksOnThe.Net offers a wide selection of genres that will fulfill one
of two purposes: entertain or inform. Current selections include Panama
Padre by Samuel Moss Loveridge, Pandora's Box by Jim Farris, The
Scythian Stone by Jon F. Baxley and Soul Guardian by Tara Manderino.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Free e-book promotion available at Digital Incantations. They are
currently updating the site, so it might be a good time to send your
e-book info.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Free Gallery of Author's Voices
Hear brief audio readings by your favorite authors... from their own
works... in their own voices ...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
NovelBooks, Inc., a new epublisher, will open its doors Fall 2001 and is
actively seeking manuscripts in all genres. NBI will publish fiction
books in both electronic and POD formats -- simultaneously.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Practical Tips for Online Authors. Revised and updated for 2001.
"You can find lots of info about the craft of writing, market listings,
writers' critique groups, etc. on the internet. But very few web sites
will tell you exactly what you need to do to make a sale to an ezine,
how to create an ebook, or how to market and promote your book." 1000+
verified links of benefit to writers in the new issue. Featured ebook at
Twilight Times Books.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rita Hestand, author of Pretend Mom - quality romance
and Nick's Baby - sensual, emotional. Also available from Wordbeams
Publishing
Check out her beautiful web site at:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
LOVE to read? Feel naked without a BOOK?
Subscribe to WORD OF MOUTH--free book review newsletter! The place where
regular people share their all-time
favorite reads and a little about themselves so that you can decide if
you share their taste. We're launching [a bi-weekly newsletter] in June
2001. Need AUTHORS (and publishers, too) to submit their book details to
us to feature in our newsletter (regardless of when it was published).
Send an email to:
SUBSCRIBE at:
word_of_mouth-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or learn more at our
Brought to you by: http://www.xcpublishing.com/wom.htm
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The latest Edition of the Writers Exchange Ezine is now online. Listed
in the top 101 websites at Writers Digest. Several informative articles
on writing.
***************************************************
Thank you for subscribing.
Founder of E-Book Ecstasy ~ Glenda D. Tudor
E-Book Ecstasy Online: http://come.to/ebooksecstasy/
Electronic Mail Distribution ~ Lida E. Quillen
Managing Editor ~ Lida E. Quillen
Copyright © 2001 Lida E. Quillen. All rights reserved.
Community email addresses:
Post message: E-BookEcstasy@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: E-BookEcstasy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: E-BookEcstasy-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: E-BookEcstasy-owner@yahoogroups.com
Shortcut URL to Yahoogroups:
Editor's note: Permission is granted to distribute the E-Book Ecstasy
Newsletter in whole or in part to writers' and readers' email lists as well
as appropriate web sites if you include the following info:
E-Books Ecstasy Newsletter, Volume 1 No. 19
Source ~ Copyright © 2001 Lida E. Quillen
This site owned by: Glenda D. Tudor
(c) Copyright 2000-2001