Monthly Archives: September 2012

Fun Vintage Recipe Books

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Free Today on Amazon

While browsing the Kindle freebies this morning, I noticed a trio of vintage recipe books put out by Peter Pauper Press. The retro covers caught my eye. I checked the copyrights and saw these were indeed originally published in the 1950s and 1960s. While making great additions to your digital recipe collection, these books could also be useful to authors writing about that time period. Authentic details about food and drink always add credibility to a novel.

  The ABC of Cheese Cookery
“Poets,” observed G.K. Chesterton, “have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” Maybe so, but what cheese lacks in poetry, it makes up in pure gustatory delight. Celebrate the joy of cheese with Peter Pauper’s well-ripened A to Z anthology of cheese recipes. Savor cheddar in a French Cheese Soufflé, parmesan in Vie Parisienne Chicken Divan, and that fluffy cloud of the cheese world, ricotta, in Bon-Ton Cheese Cake. Warm stomach and soul on a cold winter’s night with Hot Cheese Soup. Give an old classic a sophisticated spin with Julio’s Macaroni. Sprightly cheese-themed verses and illustrations round out this ode to the sublime curd.

  The ABC of Chafing Dish Cookery
Light up your life with culinary delights from our 1950s guide to chafing dish cookery! This elegant method of cooking at table, first fashionable in the 1700s, made a comeback in the fab fifties. Treat your guests to a unique feast that comes together before their eyes, with everything from Apple Fritters and Ginger-Banana Cake to Mexican Chili, New England Clam Chowder, and X-tra Yummy Zucchini. There’s a recipe for every occasion, from A to Z! Says chief cook Edna Beilenson, “The fun in owning a chafing dish is using it often! The more you use it, the more often you will want to use it!”

  The ABC of Cocktails
Conclude your day (and possibly your ability to see straight) gloriously with a cocktail from the heyday of the three-martini lunch. Sip a Gin and It in your smoking jacket, engage in philosophical discussion over Absinthe Frappés, or bask in the rosy glow bestowed by a Brandy Alexander. Wry verses and illustrations illuminate this A to Z compendium of 1950s full-strength cocktails (with suggested dilutions for “amateurs and maiden aunts”). Featuring two parts time-tested mixology, one part refined taste, and a judicious splash of wit, this book will infuse your libations with high retro style.

Descriptions provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.

Free Reads for a Fall Weekend

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Free Today on Amazon

As an avid reader, I really hate giving up on a book. A couple of days ago, I started a freebie that had an interesting premise and promising characters. It had a good start, but the story went nowhere as the prose wandered into long, repetitive explanations of the overly self-conscious narrator’s state of mind.

As we Kindle readers know, page numbers are rare, so I’ll just say that I got to Location 842 before giving up. That’s approximately a quarter of the way through the book, which is my typical stopping point if I’m going to give up. I won’t say what book it was. I’m just glad it was free.

That’s what I love about the freebies. If you don’t like a book, it’s no great loss. If you do like it, you’ll probably want to buy and read another book by the same author, so it’s a win-win situation.

Here are some free (for now) books that will hopefully make for good reading on a fall weekend. One of them, “Wildflowers of Terezin,” I’ve listed before, but haven’t yet read. Perhaps this would be a good time to crack – err – tap it open. I’ve also included a link to the The Descent Series by SM Reine. She’s offering the first four books in the series for free, with the newest book priced at $3.99.

  Wildflowers of Terezin by Robert Elmer
Wildflowers of Terezin is a sweeping historical novel set against a backdrop of danger. A Danish Lutheran pastor’s complacent faith is stretched to the breaking point during World War II when he meets a young Jewish nurse Hanne Abrahamsen and becomes deeply involved in Resistance efforts to save Denmark’s Jews from the Nazi prison camp at Terezin, Czechoslovakia—also known as Theresienstadt.

  A Provençal Mystery by Ann Elwood
Why did a nun in a seventeenth-century convent flagellate herself until her blood spattered the wall? Why did nuns save a child doomed to death in the Holocaust and who wanted her killed? Who wants a lost head-shaped reliquary that holds something other than a head? And are answers to these questions the key to a terrible modern-day death in a quiet archive?

  Wander Dust by Michelle Warren
Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish. The Lady in Black burns Sera’s memories. Unexplainable Premonitions catapult her to other cities. The Grungy Gang wants to kill her. And a beautiful, mysterious boy stalks her.

  The Descent Series by SM Reine

Descriptions provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.

Books that I have previously listed will occasionally come up free again. I add those to my current posts for people who didn’t see them the first time.

Get Rich Quick – Not!

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Back in August, I posted a mini-rant about the slew of get-rich-quick-through-self-publishing books that were cropping up on Amazon. These books promised to make you the next Amanda Hocking or John Locke. Mr. Locke even published such a book, revealing his secret to success.

It’s no surprise to me that this turned out to be a lot of hooey. Sadly, some writers were sucked in, even seasoned professionals. Holly Lisle, a much-published author, admits to being fooled by the lure of easy money that John Locke offered. She recently blogged about her experience and I think it is well worth the read.

You can find the article here: Do I still recommend John Locke? No.

She also includes a link to an article about the issue in the New York Times.

The issue has to do with Mr. Locke and other authors paying for rave reviews on Amazon and other book sites. Irreparable harm is caused by this phenomenon. How can a reader trust a review if she isn’t sure if it was written by another reader or by someone part of a review mill, who probably didn’t read past the first chapter, if at all?

Answer: reviews are great, but let the buyer, even the freebie buyer, beware. It’s easy enough to read the first few pages of most books available on Amazon and elsewhere.

I also want to note that I don’t count as part of this reviewers who were given free copies of a book and then asked to post an honest review. Authors have to get the word out somehow and they are taking a chance the review will be unflattering.

Any writers reading this, published or not, let’s all agree here and now that we will never pay for a flattering review. After all, no amount of money can repair a damaged reputation.

Autumn Colors and Cookbooks

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Free Today on Amazon

My husband and I took a brief staycation to view the autumn colors here in Colorado. The aspen leaves turn the most amazing shades of gold.

Fall Colors in Rocky Mountain National Park

Gorgeous fall colors in Rocky Mountain National Park

We spent Sunday in Nederland, a small community above Boulder. I didn’t take any pictures there. We just strolled around and enjoyed the chill atmosphere. Being there is like stepping into the TARDIS and coming out in 1978. Even the music in the restaurant where we had lunch was all from the seventies.

On Monday, we headed into Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a cloudy day, occasionally rainy, but overall fresh and lovely. One of the first sights we saw were these elk in a meadow close to the park entrance.

Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

There were actually several herds spread throughout the meadow. They were loud, too, making this sort of bellowing, trumpeting sound.

From there, we stopped at Horseshoe Falls, drove to the highest peak in the park (over 12K feet) and headed for our ultimate destination, the Continental Divide.

Continental Divide

Where east meets west.

There are two bodies of water on either side, a small lake to east and a creek to the west. You can actually see the water flowing east on one side and west on the other. Very cool!

Speaking of cool, it’s finally cooling off here, which makes me very happy. I love fall weather. This got me thinking that I’d love to make something like soup or stew for dinner. Which got me headed over to Amazon, natch! I found a batch of soup and slow cooker recipe books, all by the same author and perfect for this weather. I’ve also included a book of Halloween recipes. All free for now. As always, check the price before hitting the 1-Click button.

  39 Best Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes by Suzanne Summer
Crock pot cooking is one of the best methods to prepare healthy and delicious meals. The low temperature of slow-cooking makes it almost impossible to burn food even when cooked too long. If you’re busy like me with two kids, it is just not possible to stay in the kitchen all day long. Just set the food to slow-cook before leaving for the day, and your delicious and nutritious chicken meal will be ready when you return.

  Healthy Crock Pot Recipes: 33 Nutritious & Delicious Crock Pot Meals by Suzanne Summer
It doesn’t matter whether you’re new or experienced in creating crockpot meals. We’ve included detailed step-by-step cooking instructions to leave no guesswork for you. You will be amazed at how easy it is to make crockpot meals that are both healthy and delicious. Each recipe contains detailed nutritional information for your reference. Be prepared to be amazed by these new recipes that will keep you and your family healthy.

  33 Healthy Soup Recipes by Suzanne Summer
Are you looking for soup recipes that are both healthy and tasty? If so then this is for you. 33 Healthy Soup Recipes is specially made for you soup lovers who are health conscious.

  Halloween Recipes: 24 Cute, Creepy, and Easy Halloween Recipes for Kids and Adults by J.J. Pierce
With Halloween just around the corner, Halloween Recipes: 24 Cute, Creepy, and Easy Halloween Recipes for Kids and Adults gives you some great recipes for you to try! From snacks, to drinks, to entrees and even desserts, you will find some awesome recipes for you and your family to enjoy this Halloween season.

Descriptions provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.

Showing Freebie Authors the Love

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You may be wondering why all these authors are offering their books for free. A simple explanation is that free books increase the authors’ visibility on Amazon. For indie writers, it is much-needed publicity paid for in copies of their books. Writers and readers both benefit from this deal. Sweet!

However, these writers can’t live on air and publicity. Readers, like me, who are happily building freebie Kindle libraries need to give them some love. Here are two ways to show your appreciation.

Write a review on Amazon or another book site like Goodreads. It doesn’t have to be lengthy or go into the minute details of what you liked and didn’t like. A few sentences will do. Reviews are very helpful to authors. They generate buzz. Think about it. Are you more tempted to buy a book with six reviews or 60?

I don’t review books that I didn’t like. I was only out time, not money, and I don’t want to negatively impact somebody who is struggling to succeed. My reviews are in the three-to-five star range. I’m always honest and say what worked and didn’t work for me. That’s my method. It’s up to you how you review.

Buy their books. If you enjoyed a freebie book by a certain author, buy their next one. If it’s the first book in a series, buy the rest of the series. Like I said above, these authors can’t live on air. If we want them to keep writing, we need to show them love in monetary form.

Opening your wallet is like opening your heart. It’s a great way to say, “Thank you.”

Looking for free books? Check out my sidebar. I’ve listed numerous resources for Kindle and other format eReaders. And keep reading my blog. I love sharing my freebie finds.

Fiction Freebies and a Writer’s Guide

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Free Today on Amazon

I haven’t posted much fiction lately because I already have so much loaded on my Kindle. Which made me ask myself, can I have too much fiction? Answer: of course not! The reason I own a Kindle is so I can carry a portable library wherever I go.

Libraries are best when taken at a leisurely browse. I love looking through all my books and deciding which one I want to read next. Having a wide variety to choose from is icing on the literary cake.

Today’s freebies include fantasy, a retold fairytale and historical fiction of a darker nature. I’ve also included a guide to writing a novel in 30 days. National Novel Writing Month is coming up and this could be a useful guide for those planning to participate.

  Mortality in Wasteland: My Life as Black Death’s Undertaker by Jeff Vrolyks
As Black Death approaches a small English town, Niccolai, a young unskilled laborer, accepts the job of undertaker’s apprentice. He surveys the town daily for markers representing death on resident’s doors, collects and buries the deceased. Although forbidden, he falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter, Joanna. His biggest concern becomes her safety, keeping her from catching the disease–a disease that wipes out half the population, history’s greatest pandemic.

  Dark Earth by Jason Halstead
Eric’s dreams were shattered when his wife was taken from him by a reckless driver on a snowy Alaskan road. All that remained was his newborn daughter, Jessica. Uprooting to provide a safer life for his child, Eric moved back home to northern Michigan. Thirteen years later with Jessica raising the bar in everything she does, darkness returns to the Baxter’s life in the form of a crazed gunman. Surviving the assassin and seeking answers, Eric has to dig into the secrets of an unbelievable past hidden between the pages of history.

  Twin Souls by DelSheree Gladden
He avoids her because of the strange physical pain he feels when they touch. She avoids him because the way everyone seems to do what he says scares her. But when Claire needs to escape a bad situation Uriah is the first person she thinks of, and he is eager to rescue her. Faced with each other for the first time, both Uriah and Claire find it impossible to listen to their fears and stay away from one another. They soon find out, though, that there is more than they ever thought possible trying to keep them apart.

  The Puppet Queen: A Tale of the Sleeping Beauty by Mira Zamin
Run, run, run as fast as you can—and that is exactly what Selene does when she discovers that the curse set on her family and emirate, destining them to eternal slumber, is solely her fault. But pasts are not so easily left behind. On Selene’s eighteenth birthday, her emirate falls to the enchantment and her jilted fiancé, the conniving Lord Gwydion drags her home. While Selene clashes with her fiancé, the ailing Queen of Ghalain summons the emirs to contest for the throne. Each emir has a claim, but the crown holds special meaning for Selene: as queen, she would have the leverage necessary to oblige the Pari to lift the curse.

  How to Write a Fiction Novel in 30 Days or Less by Nicholas Black
Have you thought about writing books? Are you writing a book now? Does the idea of writing books seem seem interesting but you have no experience? This will teach you how to write a book, quickly, and have you published in 30 days! This is the number one book that will teach you an actual system to take the ideas out of your head and formulate them into your very own fiction novel. This is the same How-to system that Nicholas Black used to write his novels, after having no experience at all in writing or publishing.

Descriptions provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.

FranklinCovey Style Guide – Still Free!

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Free Today on Amazon

I posted about this yesterday afternoon. It’s still free as of this morning. Style guides are expensive. If you are a writer or student, or even if you’re not, you’re going to want this. You don’t need to have a Kindle. It will work with the Kindle app on your computer or tablet.

Grab it now. Don’t wait. But check the price before you hit the 1-Click button. I can’t guarantee how much longer it will remain free. The normal price is $49.99.

  FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication (5th Edition) by Stephen R. Covey
FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication can help any writer produce documents that achieve outstanding results. Created by FranklinCovey, the world-renowned leader in helping organizations enhance individual effectiveness, this edition fully reflects today’s online media and global business challenges. The only style guide used in FranklinCovey’s own renowned Writing Advantage™ and Technical Writing Advantage™ programs, it covers everything from document design and graphics to sentence style and word choice. This edition’s many improvements include extensive new coverage of graphics, writing for online media, and international business English. Through dozens of examples and model documents, writers learn how to overcome “writer’s block” and efficiently create documents from start to finish. FranklinCovey’s experts show how to get powerful results from every email; add distinctiveness and power to any online presence; write far more effective proposals, letters, memos, reports, and resumes; and improve all forms of documentation, from business procedures to highly technical content.

Description provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found this book via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

This freebie is a limited time offer and there is no guarantee it will still be free when you click on the link. Grab it sooner rather than later.

FranklinCovey Style Guide Free!

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Free Today on Amazon

I can’t believe this book is free, but it is! Ordinarily $49.99, the FranklinCovey Style Guide is free today for the Kindle.

Grab it now. Don’t wait. I doubt it will stay free for long, so check the price before you hit the 1-Click button.

  FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication (5th Edition) by Stephen R. Covey
FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication can help any writer produce documents that achieve outstanding results. Created by FranklinCovey, the world-renowned leader in helping organizations enhance individual effectiveness, this edition fully reflects today’s online media and global business challenges. The only style guide used in FranklinCovey’s own renowned Writing Advantage™ and Technical Writing Advantage™ programs, it covers everything from document design and graphics to sentence style and word choice. This edition’s many improvements include extensive new coverage of graphics, writing for online media, and international business English. Through dozens of examples and model documents, writers learn how to overcome “writer’s block” and efficiently create documents from start to finish. FranklinCovey’s experts show how to get powerful results from every email; add distinctiveness and power to any online presence; write far more effective proposals, letters, memos, reports, and resumes; and improve all forms of documentation, from business procedures to highly technical content.

Description provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found this book via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

This freebie is a limited time offer and there is no guarantee it will still be free when you click on the link. Grab it sooner rather than later.

Revisiting Oz

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Free Today on Amazon

When I was child, I eagerly read most of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. While I was initially perplexed at how different the stories were from the 1939 movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” I was enchanted by the crazy, colorful world depicted in the pages.

After reading the first chapter of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” it’s understandable why the movie begins in black and white. The hardscrabble life on the Kansas prairie is depicted as gray and cheerless. Keep in mind the original book is set decades before the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression wreaked so much damage on the region. It’s no wonder that Dorothy is delighted to awaken in a land of vivid color and magic.

If you’d like to revisit these delightful stories, you’ll be delighted to know all the books are now public domain. You can find them free for the Kindle on Amazon. Project Gutenberg also provides the Oz books in a variety of formats.

While perusing the freebies, I also noticed another story with a gray theme. “Wool” is a novella about a dystopian future and hope amidst a gray existence. This highly-rated novella is free again and I highly recommend grabbing this great read.

After all that gray, you may be in the mood for something spicy, so I’ve included a novel with a plucky teen heroine whose house is also destroyed in the first chapter, and a DIY seasoning cookbook. Enjoy!

  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children’s story written by L. Frank Baum. It was originally published in 1900, and has since been reprinted countless times, sometimes under the name The Wizard of Oz. The story chronicles the adventures of a girl named Dorothy in the Land of Oz. Thanks in part to the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz, it is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. Its initial success, and the success of the popular 1903 Broadway musical Baum adapted from his story, led to Baum’s writing and having published thirteen more Oz books.

Wool  Wool by Hugh Howey
Thousands of them have lived underground. They’ve lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside. Or you’ll get what you wish for.

  Stained by Ella James
After a fire destroys seventeen-year-old Julia’s home and kills her foster parents, she chases the half-demon responsible across the country and back, determined to avenge her family and discover why a host of celestial baddies want her dead. With Julia is enigmatic hottie Cayne, who has his own score to settle with the half-demon, and who might be just as dangerous as the creature he and Julia hunt.

  “The 4.1.1. Cook Book” Seasoning Mixes and Homemade Fixes by Dewayne Newburn
With the economic downturn of the US one item that has really increased in price are spices. I have watched spice packets double in price. People are willing to pay for a little something extra when it comes to good tasting food and your grocer knows this. For this reason spices will continue to climb as economic times waver. Bulk Seasonings are much cheaper. If kept in a good mason jar or other suitable condition away from heat and light they will last for years. So what are you waiting for? Start saving today! Whip up your favorite seasoning mix from the spices I’m sure you already own.

Descriptions provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.

Books that I have previously listed will occasionally come up free again. I add those to my current posts for people who didn’t see them the first time.

Big Opportunity for Speculative Fiction Writers

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Harper Voyager Opening for Submissions

Do you have a finished or near finished speculative fiction novel? Have you been hoping for an opportunity to dive into the slush pile of a Big Six publisher that doesn’t accept unsolicited manuscripts? Now, or rather almost now, is your chance!

Harper Voyager, the scifi/fantasy imprint of HarperCollins, will be accepting unsolicited manuscripts from October 1 to October 14, 2012.

Here’s more info from the Harper Voyager website:

For the first time in over a decade, Harper Voyager are opening the doors to unsolicited submissions in order to seek new authors with fresh voices, strong storytelling abilities, original ideas and compelling storylines. So, if you believe your manuscript has these qualities, then we want to read it!

We’re seeking all kinds of adult and young adult speculative fiction for digital publication, but particularly epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural.

The books that are accepted will be published digitally, meaning as eBooks. The FAQ states there is a possibility these books will also be published in print. If your heart is set on your novel being in print, this might not be the way to go. However, if the idea of a Big Six publisher taking on your novel in any format excites you, I’d say go for it!

You manuscript must be polished and completed by the time of submission. Harper Voyager does not accept unfinished manuscripts. Please take this seriously. Submitting your really good idea that you know they’ll just love will make you look like an amateur. Always take submission guidelines as stated.

Click here to get the full scoop.

Need some help with that polishing? Or are you not ready yet, but need inspiration and guidance? Below I’ve listed some writing guides that are free on Amazon today. Remember, you don’t have to have a Kindle to download these books. They can be read using the Kindle app on your computer, tablet and smart phone.

Free Today on Amazon

  Be Your Own Editor by Sigrid MacDonald
Are you uncertain when to use affect or effect? Loath or loathe? Compliment or complement? Do you struggle with character development, establishing realistic dialogue and composing articles, proposals or manuscripts? Be Your Own Editor by Sigrid Macdonald offers a crash course in grammar basics, starting with punctuation and proper use of the dreaded apostrophe. It suggests ways to identify frequently misused words; to devise strong characters and background settings in fiction; and to structure nonfiction.

  The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors by William Bradshaw
Have you ever hesitated when choosing between I or me? Have you had trouble figuring out tricky pronouns like who or whom? What about those always-troublesome comas–do they go before or after the quotation marks? If you’re anything like the rest of us, you struggle with these age-old grammatical issues. In this practical and easy-to-understand handbook, Dr. William B. Bradshaw identifies the ten most common errors in English grammar and helps you to recognize and correct these mistakes, enabling you to write and speak with greater clarity in your personal and professional life. The Big Ten of Grammar is the perfect guide for students, teachers, and professionals to use in brushing up on their grammar.

  Writing Xpert: The Winning Novel by Allen Applen
Professional strategies and skills by the author of two breakout thrillers: The Russian: A Spy Thriller, and Gulf Striker: A Thriller. Writing Xpert is designed to encourage and instruct the beginning novelist. If you want to succeed in writing a winning novel, this book is filled with powerful ideas, tactics, and strategies—a “must have” for your book shelf.

  Unleash Your Inner Creative Writer in 30 days by Rob Patrick
Do you want to become a successful creative writer, but are stuck in a rut? Have you tried all the methods and still find yourself coming up blank when it is time to put pen to paper? If so, then this straightforward guide is your means to becoming the creative writer that you always wanted to be. In 30 shorts days you will be on your lifelong journey to creative writing bliss and self fulfillment.

Descriptions provided by Amazon

Disclaimers and Disclosures

I found these books via Amazon’s Kindle eBooks store. Resources for free Kindle and other format eBooks are listed in my sidebar.

These freebies are limited time offers, so there is no guarantee any of these books will still be free when you click on the links. Grab them sooner rather than later.

Books that I have previously listed will occasionally come up free again. I add those to my current posts for people who didn’t see them the first time.