We've got two new titles available.  You can choose between poetry about the mysteries of life, or prose about a life of mysteries. 

It's our first post of the new year, and we have a lot to share.  Let's get right to it.

If you're wondering about the adorable (and non coffee) illustration, it's the work of our honorary Bean, Nikki McBroom, for Vickie Johnstone's equally adorable Kiwi in Cat City which came out at the end of December.  While it's a great story for age 9 and up, we cannot emphasize the 'and up' part enough.  Let your inner child come out and play with Kiwi, the Cat, and her two human kittens, as they explore Cat City and solve the mystery of the missing catizens.  Kiwi's second, third and fourth adventures are coming soon.

We're very excited to welcome to the Hill o'Beans Hugh Ashton.  Hugh has been writing non-fiction for many years, as well as his fascinating alternative histories Beneath Gray Skies, At the Sharpe End and Red Wheels Turning.  He's bringing us a collection of Sherlock Holmes' undiscovered cases in Tales From the Deed Box of John Watson, MD.  If you're a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you're going to recognize and enjoy the authentic feel of each story, and appreciate Hugh's research and dedication, not only in recreating the style and mannerisms of the original author, but the speech and the mores of the era, as well.

Kitty Sutton has been collecting some great, and deserved, reviews for her debut novel, Wheezer & The Painted Frog.  Check out her author page to see what educators and reviewers are saying about this book.  If you've read this fascinating fiction set against the historical backdrop of the Trail of Tears, let us know what you thought.  We'd love to hear from you. 

We're looking forward to introducing you to another amazing book in the next few weeks.  Nicole Storey's Grimsley Hollow - the Chosen One violates our no vampires rule but, in this case, we don't mind.  This YA novel comes with a great message:  Special needs kids can be heroes, too. 

Susan Wells Bennett and Jim Burkett are elbows-deep in their respective sequels.  Susan's third entry into the Brass Monkey Series, Night Life,  should be out next month, and Jim will be right behind her with Nick West's Reprisal.  Emjae's 2011 NaNoWriMo entry, You'll Wake Up One Morning, will be out next month, so get ready to laugh, cry and hang on for dear life the next few weeks as we bring out another serving of Fresh Brewed Books.  In the meantime, check out our Menu for current selections.

The Boss Bean

You all know what you mean to us.  If you don't, pay attention and we'll tell you.  Again and again. 

So, taking a page from the Muppet Christmas Carol, this is our Holiday speech to you:

Here we are, into the first week of December already.  Where has this year gone?  I know many of us are happy to wave goodbye to this one; let's hope 2012 is a year of peace and prosperity all over the world. 

Here at the Hill o'Beans, we're doing what we can for the homeless and at risk population here in Southern California this holiday season, and we hope you'll help us.  Wielding crochet hooks and knitting needles, we're charging forth to raise money and awareness for this growing problem in the US.  We put out a request for some original quick and inexpensive patterns and the result was Keeping America Warm: Caring Hearts & Clever Hands.  Four designers, five projects, all guaranteed to make you feel warm inside and out.  The proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Mission, which has been caring for the homeless in Southern California for 75 years. 

We're not sure who is enjoying the promotion of Wheezer & the Painted Frog more, author Kitty Sutton or inspiration, Jack Russell Terrier Wheezer. 

All the blessings of the Season.

The Boss Bean

Here in the US it is a time to reflect on blessings around us.  In this time of financial disaster, popular unrest, and another election year ahead it's hard to identify the good in the world but it is there.  It's in the smiles of strangers, the love of our family, the hope of our children.  There's still a belief in right and wrong, and there's still an avenue for change.  Here at the Hill o'Beans, we rejoice in the friends we've made in the last year: the success in which we've been able to celebrate, the sorrows we've been able to share.  We're grateful for you, our wonderful authors and amazing readers.  Thank you.

The last two months have been especially abundant for us.  We've been able to add to our special organization several new people who are not only talented but invested in what Inknbeans Press stands for.  Before the ink was dry on the contracts they've been rolling up their sleeves and helping with the heavy lifting, supporting their fellow Beans, and assisting us in reaching into new areas, and climbing to new heights.  We've been privileged to bring our readers some great new books, and we've got more coming in time for the holidays.   From a Native American mystery to a book on living with cats to bedtime stories for all ages to a mystical journey, we've got something for almost everyone. 

So, welcome Kitty Sutton, Annarita Guarnieri, Nicole Storey, Vickie Johnstone and our newest Bean, Kristina Jackson!   We're glad you've joined us.  And Emjae Edwards, Jim 'Pops' Burkett, Susan Wells Bennett, Rusty Coats and Dorothy Legge, we're so happy to call you Beans.   And readers...well, where would we be without you? 

Thanksgiving is considered a primarily American tradition, but wherever you are this Thursday, take a moment to look around and find a few blessings to count.  We'll be counting you.

The Boss Bean

It's Susan Wells Bennett's birthday, and she has a gift for you.  Pick up the first book in her Brass Monkey  Series free  at Smashwords.com today.  If you like it, buy the second in the series, Charmed Life, which goes live today._

Is there anything nicer on a rainy day than a hot beverage and a cool book?  We promise to fill your November with lots of good reading. 

Susan Wells Bennett is bringing you the next installment of the Brass Monkey Series, Charmed Life.
Pops Burkett has another in his wonderful Read With Me, Pops Series out this month.

We've got historical romantic fiction from Perle Butcher-Lyons in The Wreck of the Sidonie Stone

And Annarita Guarnieri's delightful Cats: Instructions For Use will be out the end of the month. 

Then there is Keeping America Warm, a book of five original crochet and knit designs from four friends of the Hill o'Beans.  Profits benefit Los Angeles Mission to aide homeless and at risk people in Southern California. 

Visit all of our author pages and leave comments, ask questions, make suggestions and offer constructive criticism.  We'd love to hear from you.

Finally, check out the brilliant book trailer Giampiero Roversi prepared for Cats:  Instructions For Use.

We're getting close to the evening when the Transformers and Disney Princesses, Ghosties and Ghoulies, Mummies and Deadies will scour the earth for chocolate bars, Twizzlers and plastic, non sugary jimcracks.  We won't send you out on a cold night in search of goodies, we have them right here.  Help yourself. 

To celebrate NaNoWriMo in November, some of our previous NaNoWriMo participants are offering their NaNo 2010 efforts $.99 through Monday October 24th:

Susan Wells Bennett's An Unassigned Life Use code TV79H
Tim Chase had a great idea for  a bestseller.  The only problem?  He's dead. 

Emjae Edwards' Once In The Moonlight  Use code KB83A
The moon sheds a different light, one that illuminates corners and reveals truths we don't want anyone to see, not even ourselves.

Kitty Sutton's Wheezer & the Painted Frog  Use code QN45A
13 year old Sasa and a very smart dog solve the mystery of her brother's death.  A mystery from the trail of tears.

We've gotten a few treats for ourselves recently: 
For Wheezer & the Painted Frog, Uri Israel, M.A. Ed.says This book should be read by every teacher. It will help them understand the real struggles and history of Native Americans on this continent. The art work of Mrs. Sutton is superb. I hired her to create painted drums for children. They are so beautiful. Mrs. Sutton draws on her deep knowledge first hand of her people to pull the reader into the real world of Native Americans at the time of colonization. A must have for any library.

For Wild Life, Grace Guera says I hated this story to end...the only thing that kept me sane was the fact that it's a series, so the story really doesn't end.

For American Sanction, MKP Film & Book Reviews says This is one big rollercoaster ride, right from the word go.

No tricks.

The Boss Bean

Ah, Autumn.  The advent of the holiday season, a time of gathering, a time to celebrate the hard work of spring and summer, a time to rejoice in plenty before the austerity of winter.  These are the days of bounty, of reaping the harvest, drawing near to friends, counting blessings and counting stars.  The air is crisp and the colors are warm, cider and hearth beckon us. 

Now is the time to prepare for winter, to store up the things we'll need and desire in the cold dark days ahead.  Here at Inknbeans, we're prepared to help.  We'll be offering half price books throughout October, so prepare to harvest a winter of good reading this month.  We're also preparing to help those who don't have a hearth to gather around, where keeping warm will be a challenge, where family and friends might be far away, and hunger much too near.  Coming in November, Inknbeans Press will be offering a book of original knit and crochet designs from some of our authors and friends.  Profits will go the Los Angeles Mission.  If you like to knit or crochet, or if you know someone who does, plan to pick up this book.  It will make a great gift - for the recipient, for yourself and for the homeless and at-risk population in Southern California. 

And speaking of blessings, we have several to count these days.  A good friend around the Hill o'Beans (and, shhh, a brand new Bean, herself!) Annarita Guarnieri has offered to revive our reviews blog.  Check out her reviews and then drop by her website to meet Annarita and her feline friends. 

We've also had some wonderful new books released this summer.  Susan Wells Bennett started a series of cozy mysteries set in a zoo called the Brass Monkeys series.  The first one, Wild Life, has gotten some great reviews.  The second, Charmed Life, will be out in October.  Kitty Sutton's debut novel, Wheezer and the Painted Frog, is just the start of a series of mysteries written against the backdrop of the Trail of Tears, in the early 1800s.  Jim Burkett brought us another adventure with Nick West, American Sanction, which is an even more breathless race to stop the bad guys and the deadliest weapon ever to come out a laboratory.  Available in print and for digital readers, check the menu to find prices and places to buy. 

May this be a season of bounty for all our friends.

Boss Bean

What do you know about the second largest tribe of indigenous people in North America?  Do you know where Indian Territory is and how it came to be?  Do you know the story behind the Trail of Tears?  Do you know where Jack Russell Terriers were created and where they got their name?  Do you know who killed Usti Yansa?  The answers are all in Wheezer and the Painted Frog, the first in the Mysteries From the Trail of Tears, by Kitty Sutton.  Now available in all the usual places. 

There are no words to satisfactorily convey what happened to the world ten years ago, but there are words to convey what happened to us.  Here are some thoughts and memories. 

9/11

Wow, where did summer go?  Kids are back in school and Halloween has overtaken retail, with Christmas already peeking over the horizon.  However, the thermometer says Summer's going to be staying around a few more weeks, so if you're lucky enough to find a beach or hammock or a beach with a hammock, take advantage of our End of Summer Beach Beans Blow Out.  Every Beach Bean offer is being repeated along with a couple of new treats. 

Let's start off with Susan Wells Bennett's first in a series of cozy mysteries, Wild Life.  Milo Crosby is a retiree with too much time and too many women on his hands. He's the thorn in a zoo volunteer's side, an easy mark in an aging actress's sights, and the co-conspirator in his doting granddaughter's life. When all four paths intersect, Milo discovers just how WILD LIFE can get.   If you're on our mailing list, watch for a coupon to get this wonderful character study free! 

And now, the Beach Beans Blow Out:

Week 1:  Out of Touch  Use code CG68L  Half off!
Week 2:  Declaration of Surrender  Use code VA26J  Half off!
Week 3:  An Unassigned Life  Use Code KK44S Half off!
Week 4:  The Lady Must Decline Use code GG69P Only $.99!
Week 5:   My New Friends at the Zoo Use code VG26N Half off!
Week 6:  Poems of Faith and Love Use code YT47A Half off!
Week 7:  Forsaking the Garden Use code RE59D Half off!
Week 8:  Cactus & Mistletoe Use code AW98P  Free!
Week 9:  American Sanction Use code HW34G Half off!

But wait, there's more!

Ever wanted one of those retro books - the old fashioned stand alone units that didn't require an e-reader?  Here you go.  The Beach Beans are also available in print for anywhere from $.99 - $5.00 off the cover price this weekend only.  Order two and we'll make sure you have a pot of our delicious private label gourmet coffee to enjoy a true Inknbeans experience.

The Boss Bean

No Beach Beans today because, if you're on our mailing list, you've got a chance to get our newest release, Jim Burkett's American Sanction, free.  Yes, we said free.  Tomorrow we'll be making ten digital copies of this sequel to Declaration of Surrender available to ten members of our mailing list.  If you're on the list, watch your in box.  If you're not, you're missing a chance to get Nick West's latest adventures free.  Once again, Nick has stumbled into the middle of a sociopath's samba.  Ex lovers with a vengeance; she has the support of international covert operations which act above the law, he has a lot of money and the deadliest weapon that ever came out of a test tube.  

This book is even scarier than Declaration of Surrender, because this isn't about 'what if?'  This is about 'when?'

It's been another busy week here at the Hill o'Beans.  American Sanction is a breath away from sale; it is a story about revenge and biochemical weapons and a man willing to kill anyone who crosses him.  Of course, DHS Agent Nick West plans to cross him. 

Speaking of Jim Burkett and Nick West, Declaration of Surrender, Nick West's first adventure, got a nice write up in What's Hot in Tampa Magazine.  Jim's donating his proceeds from the sale of the book to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa.  So, buy the book, help save a child's life and get scared to within an inch of yours.

Kitty Sutton's new author page is up.  Stop in and say hello.  In fact, say hello to any or all of our Beans.  We've put contact forms on every Bean's page, so send your favorite Bean a good word. 

Susan Wells Bennett's newest book, Wild Life, the first in the Brass Monkeys series, will be out at the beginning of September.  If you like cozy mysteries, if you like a little humor with your murder, if you like monkeys, watch for an opening weekend discount offer. 

It's mid-August, the world is ablaze politically and meteorogically, so what better time to start thinking of Christmas?  Get a little holiday cheer in this week's Beach Bean offer.  Emjae Edward's Christmas story is about a girl from the northeast of the UK who comes to the southwest of the US to find her last living relative and learns that Christmas can embrace all sorts of traditions, and family means so much more than biology.  Get Cactus & Mistletoe FREE one day only.  Use coupon HE94W. 

See you next week.

The Boss Bean

The third volume in the Read With Me, Pops series is here.  This one takes us on adventure to the deep blue sea.  Visit with starfish and sharks, meet some new and mysterious creatures and find some old friends.  Take a deep breath and dive in!  $2.99 for your Kindles, iPads, Nooks and other e-reader. 

And to celebrate this wonderful new book, Books 1 and 2 are half price this weekend! 

My New Friends at the Zoo.   Use code DE86D
Let's Go Exploring in the Backyard!  Use code BP39E

Pops Burkett's alter ego, Jim Burkett has been donating the proceeds of his thriller Declation of Surrender to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation in Florida.  Through September, this organization is raising funds for a faster cure.  If you haven't read Declaration of Surrender, now is the time.  Save lives.

Check out Troy McComb's entry this month in What Writers Write (and how they write it).  Troy's specialty is horror, and if that's your genre, you're going to want to get to know this up and coming author. 

We have some exciting new titles coming out over the next month.  Jim Burkett's sequel to Declaration of Surrender, American Sanction is coming out in two weeks, the first book in Susan Wells Bennett's Brass Monkey Series, Wild Life, is coming out at the end of August, and mid-Septmber you'll be meeting our newest Bean, Kitty Sutton, and her heroine, Sasa, as she tries to solve a mystery at the end of the Trail of Tears, in Wheezer and the Painted Frog. 

No, we didn't forget that it was Thursday.  Here's this week's Beach Bean:  Susan Well's Bennett's Forsaking the Garden.  If you've read any of Susan's work, you know you're in for a fresh perspective on the intricasies of human nature, and Forsaking the Garden is no exception.  Told through the eyes of a girl raised in a secluded and restricted community who is exposed to a world she had been told no longer exists.  Get it this weekend for $1.50.  Use code JB76K.

Have a great weekend.  We'll see you soon.

The Boss Bean

Who killed Usti Yansa? Find out September 15, 2011, in Wheezer and the Painted Frog, Kitty Sutton's debut novel about the aftermath of the infamous Trail of Tears.  Healthy little boys shouldn't grow weak and die when they have shelter, food and the care of their families, yet Sasa's little brother, the last of her family, sickens, mumbling the mysterious 'I didn't do it right, I didn't do enough.  Why didn't it work?'  Left alone, mourning and trying to survive in a new place with new ways, Sasa seeks answers with the help of her new friend, Wheezer.  The Jack Russell Terrier seems too wise, too fierce and too loyal to be just a dog. Did the Creator send Wheezer to Sasa and if so, how can a dog, albeit a smart one, help to solve a murder?



It's Thursday, so that means it's time for another weekend recommendation and special offer.  This week, we're offering something a little on the lighter side.  Do you like poetry?  Do you lean on  Someone greater than yourself?  Do you feel like celebrating love and friendship?  Poems of Faith and Love might be for you.  A collection of almost one hundred poems written over almost as many years, it looks at every test of life through eyes full of faith. Through August 1st, you can get this uplifting title for 50% off at Smashwords.  Use code SC59S.

Have a great weekend.


The Boss

It's Thursday so here's our weekly contribution to your weekend.  If you're planning to take the tots to the park or the beach this weekend, this is a great book to take along.  Pops Burkett's first in the Read With Me, Pops series is full of wonderful pictures of our friends at the zoo, with a fun and funny narrative just right for your early readers or pre-readers.   Shown in grayscale on Kindle (and color depending on your e reader), the pictures are sharp and wonderfully framed.   The best part?  Between now and July 25th, My New Friends At the Zoo is available for 50% off with this coupon:  HR56L

And if you missed any of our previous Beach Bean offers, here's a chance to pick up them up for a buck, through tomorrow night:

Out of Touch, Rusty Coats $0.99 Use Code:  MU34G
Declaration of Surrender, Jim Burkett $0.99 Use Code:  MC62H
An Unassigned Life, Susan Wells Bennett $0.99  Use Code: TP73E
The Lady Must Decline, Emjae Edwards $0.99 Use Code:  HP97R

Watch for Pops Burkett's upcoming Let's See Who Lives in the Sea, coming August 2011.

We're rapidly approaching the two year mark in our journey to the top of the hill o'beans.  Things have changed quite a lot here.  We've had a lot of ideas - some good, some not so successful.  We've met some wonderful people, read some amazing books, gotten to share in the joy of dreams coming true, and the delight in discovering new stories.  As we approach the two year mark, we're anticipating that the next year of our journey will be as amazing as the first two.  We've got some great new titles coming out in August:  American Sanction, the high octane sequel to Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender, as well as the next in his delightful Read With Me, Pops series, Let's See Who Lives In the Sea.  Susan Wells Bennett's really wonderful cozy mystery Wild Life will be out the end of August, Emjae Edwards has her ninth title coming out, and we're looking forward with great anticipation to a new Bean and her touching story told at the end of the Trail of Tears. 

And, as with all things, we have a season of departures.  Steven Revare and Michael Benson are leaving us to start their own journey in publishing.  It's been an honor working with them and we know you join us in wishing them every success in their future endeavors.

The Boss Bean

It's another Thursday afternoon, and you're probably thinking longingly for Saturday afternoon, a hammock in the garden, iced tea and a good book.  We're way ahead of you.  Here's a big romance at a little price, just right for your Kindle, iPad, Nook, tablet or smartphone.  Kendra doesn't like Los Angeles, she doesn't like the girl her brother's met and wants to marry, she doesn't like the places she's had to look for her brother, and she doesn't like being a witness to murder.  Then there's that insolent blond man who kidnapped her from the scene of the crime and won't let her go home. Get Emjae Edwards' The Lady Must Decline for $0.99 this weekend.  Use code UN59F. 

We're not stopping there.  Did you miss previous Beach Bean specials? 

Out of Touch 50% discount  use code SH92R
Declaration of Surrender 50% discount  use code GM47U
An Unassigned Life 50% discount use code  LS74R

Check out What Writers Write and How They Write It.  This month our Featured Author is Linda Acaster, author of Torc of Moonlight

Go read.  You'll be glad you did.

The Boss Bean

It's time for another Beach Beans offer.  Today it's a spooky, funny look at the afterlife in Susan Wells Bennett's An Unassigned Life.  So you think authors have a tough and tortured life nursing their muse and getting published?  Try being a dead author.   Tim Chase got the best story idea of his life just before he opened his eyes and saw his body swinging from a well knotted noose in his garage.  And that was the easy part.  He still had to find a way to get the book written, sent to his agent and published, all while learning to manage afterlife technology.  An Unassigned Life is available for half price today only at Smashwords.com.  Use discount code RH42G. 

If you're on our mailing list, watch for another half price coupon today for Michael Benson's Saga of Sonny Tompkins.  This is really two books in one; The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins Parts one and two are combined under one cover.  Over five hundred pages of historical humor, drama, honor and war, as Sonny Tompkins grows from a carefree twelve year old in Kansas to an O.S.S. officer behind enemy lines during World War Two.  The digital version of this compilation is normally $3.59, but for the next week, our Bean Fans will be able to purchase it at Smashwords for $1.79.  If you're not on our mailing list you're missing out on coupons and giveaways like this.  Sign up now. 

Michael E. Benson just released the second chapter in the story of Young Sonny Tompkins.  If you've read the first part, released last year, part two takes Sonny through high school and into the Army during World War II.  With the lessons he'd learned surviving the extremes of weather, fortune and society during the Great Depression, he is able to advance quickly and play a key role in the defeat of the Axis powers.  If you haven't read the first part, now you can get both books under one cover in the Saga of Sonny Tompkins.  See the menu board for links and prices. 

If you're on our mailing list, we'll be sending out a coupon for 50% off the Saga of Sonny Tompkins this week. 

Don't forget our Beach Beans Sale.  Thursday's offering will be An Unassigned Life by Susan Wells Bennett. 

It's hot over a large portion of the northern hemisphere.  Remember to drink plenty of fluids and, if at all possible, keep the little ones, the elder ones and the four footed ones inside or in shade.

It's Thursday, it must be Beach Bean Day.  Today's offer is Declaration of Surrender, about a guy, a gun, a lost document that gives all US holdings to the bearer, an assassin or two, and the future of the free world.  An agent of the Department of Homeland Security, Nick West just wants to get home to his wife.  One flat tire later, he's up to his ears in intrigue and people are dying for a mysterious document that's been missing since World War II.  Pick it up at Smashwords today only for half price with this coupon code:  XF33B.

If you'd prefer something warm and fuzzy, Jim Burkett's other series, Read With Me, Pops has lots of adventures with furry creatures, birds, bugs and fish. My New Friends at the Zoo and Let's Go Exploring in the Backyard are available in print and for all sorts of ereaders.  Let's See Who Lives In the Sea is coming in July.

Also in July, Michael E. Benson's sequel to The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins takes Sonny from the mountains of Utah to the shores of Normandie, as Sonny enlists during World War II.  If you've read the first book, you'll want to see what happens next.  If you haven't read the first one, you can get the Sonny Saga, with both books under one cover - over five hundred pages of heartwarming history, based on events in the author's family.

Grab your Beach Bean and your sunscreen, and have a geat weekend.

The Boss Bean

It's the first Thursday before the first weekend of Summer.  Time to pack the sunscreen, fill the cooler with ice and pick up a book for your weekend reading.  And that means it's time for our first Beach Beans offer.  This week we've got Out of Touch, by Rusty Coats.  Jonah Morgan is a reluctant recipient of time - anything he touches will share the past and future of those who have touched that item before.  He can't change events - he's tried.  Now he avoids coming in contact with anything and anyone.  An innocent offer of basketball tickets reveals the horrific end for a Cinderella high school basketball team, and for the first time in years he tries to change the future and spare an entire town the tragedy.  When his frantic predictions become a reality, his charlatan boss tries to take credit, and offers the grieving families contact with the 'other side'.  Jonah is determined get those boys back to 'this side'.  Pick up Out of Touch today for $1.50 - half off the digital cover price.  Use coupon SX67A for one day only.

Sean Sweeney, the author of Model Agent, Rogue Agent and the upcoming Double Agent, is our Featured Author in What Writers Write and How They Write It.  Find out why tomatoes are like books. 

Our Susan Wells Bennett was featured at Aynoit Ashor's The Author-preneur this week.  It's a great bloggerview and a chance to get to know the author of Circle City Blues, An Unassigned Life and Forsaking the Garden, among others. 

And speaking of Forsaking the Garden, Alex Canton wrote a lovely review:

Susan Wells Bennett, Author
Written by Alex Canton-Dutari
Books read: "An unassigned life," "Circle City Blues," "Forsaking the garden"
I always look for a trait in a writer that has written several books. After reading "An unassigned life" and "Circle City Blues" I was quite sure to have found it. This was confirmed upon reading "Forsaking the garden:" Plot development consistency.
It is obvious, at least for me, that Ms Bennett can tackle any subject she desires while using first person in whichever genre she chooses. And I have seen her go from a serious though a bit irreverent tirade about after-life, through what some might consider <chick lit> and questioning today's society in "Forsaking the garden."
By the way, be prepared for her endings. The author may smile but the reader may be surprised… As to myself, one made me feel that I had hit a wall with my face.
I appreciate the author not making a display of sex to maintain reader's interest. She has all the correct literary resources to make her stories serious but entertaining reads.

The Boss Bean

It's official.  It's Summertime.  Here at the Hill o'Beans, it's HOT.  Summertime means the All-Star Game, barbecues, family vacations, blockbuster movies and, of course, the beach.  Summertime is when a young Kindle's fancy turns to books by the pool, the lake, or the ocean.  To celebrate, we're going to have a summer-long sale. 

Our statistics indicate that many people choose their weekend reading on Thursdays, so every Thursday this summer, we're going to offer books at half price, some even as low as $.99!  Each week we'll feature a different book at a great price for one day, and we're starting with one you won't want to miss.  June 23, 2011, Rusty Coats' debut novel, Out of Touch will be available for $1.50.  Spend your first weekend of the summer with an unwilling psychic, his charlatan employer, and a doomed plane full of Hoosier hopefuls.  Can Jonah Morgan rewrite a future he's already seen?  Find out this weekend! 

We've got some great new titles coming this summer.  A new romantic fiction, the sequel to The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins, another fun entry in the Read With Me, Pops series, and one or two surprises.  Break out the sunscreen, pour your coffee over ice and have a great summer.

The Boss Bean

In this hectic, multi-tasking, espresso-drinking, Bluetooth-on-the-move world of ours, every thing seems to whip by us at a blur and we miss some of the most amazing, beautiful and ingenious things the world has to offer.  For one moment today, put down the iPad, turn off the mobile, stand still and look.  Look up, look down, look at the grass, a tree, a flower, a cloud, but look and, more importantly, see what's going on around you.

If you can't bring yourself to disconnect for one minute, go download Pops Burkett's latest in the Read With Me, Pops series, Let's Go Exploring In the Backyard, and read it with someone you love - or better yet, let that early reader in your life read it to you.  Available wherever you feed your ereaders.

Karlton B. Douglas, who has not only looked at the world we live in but built worlds of his own, and revisited worlds gone by, has written a wonderful, encouraging and insightful essay for What Writers Write.  Have a look.

You may now resume your espressos and Bluetooths. 

Emjae (for the Boss, who is brewing up some Inknbeans Coffee to get us through the day)

It's here, the traditional start of summer.  It's time to head to the beach, the resorts, the backyard barbecue, it's time for gardens, hiking, swimming, sailing, and reading.  Inknbeans Press is dedicated to helping you make the most of your summer reading and we're starting off with another Memorial Day tradition - a sale.  All of our books are on sale.  20% off most titles.  Some are even free!  From romance to raw milk, from psychics to serial killers, humor, history and heartache are all right here.  So use the links and coupons listed below, feed that ereader, and let's get this summer started!  But hurry, these prices are only good through May 31st, 2011.

Links will direct you to Smashwords.com where you'll find thousands of books for your iPad, Nook, Kindle, PC and other digital book readers. 

Romantic fiction:
Emjae Edwards:
A Plane Proposal GB88Q 20% off
Wife In the Mirror ZY46J 20% off
Learning to Be Irish ZU83B 20% off
Calling All Hearts PW78A 20% off
No Greater Love LA26D 20% off
The Lady Must Decline AP42L 20% off
Cactus & Mistletoe KQ57Y FREE
Once In the Moonlight PX37A 20% off

Childrens' Fiction: 
Pops Burkett
My New Friends At the Zoo (A Read With Me, Pops book)   QT63K 20% off
             
General Fiction:
Susan Wells Bennett:
Thief of Todays and Tomorrows EN87C 20% off
The Prophet's Wives LJ42G 20% off
Forsaking the Garden SN93F 20% off

General Fiction with humor: 
Steven Revare:
Raw, a Novel UY89R 20% off
Susan Wells Bennett:
Circle City Blues BU27X FREE
General Fiction with a paranormal twist (but no vampires):
Rusty Coats:
Out of Touch ST63N 20% off
Susan Wells Bennett:
An Unassigned Life RC28U 20% off
Michael E. Benson:
Epiphanies AW43Q 20% off
Historical Fiction: 
Michael E. Benson
The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins GQ46A 20% off
Poetry:    
Dorothy Legge
Poems of Faith and Love WJ33N 20% off
Thrillers: 
Michael E. Benson:
Openers - A Frank Petrovic Mystery DH35K 20% off
Alvarado's Woman - A Frank Petrovic Mystery YW83P 20% off
Jim Burkett
Declaration of Surrender EY84C 20% off

Have a great weekend.

The Boss Bean

We've been doing some tidying up here at the hill o'beans; cleaning out the closets and freshening up the pages.  There's a new guide to all our Beans and all their books, as well as samples, twitter and Facebook links, and links to their personal blogs.  Check out the Guide to the Care and Reading of Beans.

Susan Wells Bennett's latest title, Forsaking the Garden is available now in print, too.  If you're a fan not only of Susan's work, but also of Nikki McBroom, you're going to love the back cover art on this one. 

Pops Burkett's adding another volume to his delightful Read With Me, Pops series.  Take your kids on an adventure in their own backyard with Let's Go Exploring In the Backyard, coming June 2, 2011. 

Steven Revare just completed a workshop at the Writer's Place in Kansas City, Mo.  - an informative look at the New Frontier of publishing.

Take a look around, have a cup of coffee, let us know what you think. 

The Boss Bean

Well, we live in interesting times.

Here's a bright note:  Susan Wells Bennett's fifth book will be available beginning May 19th.  Forsaking the Garden could almost be considered an anthropological study; the reader is invited into a culture and society unfamiliar to most, and the central character studies the world at large, something unexpected and, in some ways, unbelievable to her. 

For a sample, follow Susan's blog this month while she features her newest title for Sample Sunday. 

Forsaking the Garden's wonderful cover is by the equally wonderful Nikki McBroom. 

If you're on our mailing list, watch for a discount coupon the week of the 19th.  If you're not on our mailing list, why not join now?  Our mailing list is private, used only for updates, information and treats for our readers.  Click the link at the bottom of the column on the left, and sign up for giveaways, news and discounts every month. 


On the subject of giveaways, here are the winners of our coffee giveaway at Kate Evangelista's blog:

Carolyn Hittle will receive 2 oz of our private label Guatemalan blend, as well as coupon for fifty percent off Emjae Edwards' Lady Must Decline.

Michelle Morgan will receive 2 oz of our private label Sumatran, as well as a coupon for fifty percent off Emjae Edwards' Learning to Be Irish. 

Congratulations, readers, and thank you, Kate for featuring Emjae.  We look forward to your next Bean interview.

Jim Burkett, author of Declaration of Surrender, and the upcoming sequel American Sanction, put down the guns and biological warfare to tell us a bedtime story.  Slipping into his alter ego, Pops Burkett, he has begun a series of early/pre-reader adventures just perfect for quiet time with a child or grandchild.  Amazing photography and simple narrative that is warm, funny but not condescending, it will engage children and children at heart.  Based on stories he tells his own grandsons, the first in the series is a visit to the zoo.  

Check the menu board for prices and links.

Jim also put together a little book trailer for his debut novel, Declaration of Surrender, which is both simple and terrifying.

And if wonderful pictures and terrifying prose aren't your cup of hot beverage, what about poetry?  Here are nearly one hundred beautiful poems and verses written by a woman who has known the heights of joy and the depths of despair, and has expressed her faith in her God at every level.  Humorous, insightful, and faithful, Dorothy Legge's poetry is uplifting and inspiring.  If you lean on a Higher Power, you'll love her poetry.

Check the menu board for prices and links.

Jim Burkett's book is being featured at Fiction For Dessert today.  They chose a great selection from the book, one that displays the intensity and the humor of his writing.   If you're still wavering about reading this faster than a heartbeat paced thriller, check out Fiction For Dessert, and see why so many people are giving the book five stars. 

Don't forget, today's the last day to get Circle City Blues, Once in the Moonlight, or Poems of Faith and Love for free, if you're on the mailing list.  If you join the mailing list today, we'll send you the codes to get one or all of these books today. 

As everyone in the United States knows all too well, and most people in other countries understand and sympathize, today is traditionally Tax Day, the ides of April.  But the United States is also the land of the free, so we at the Hill o' Beans are offering three books free to everyone on our mailing list.  Put your check in the mail to Uncle Sam, and then grab one, two or all three books for free, settle back and enjoy the weekend.

If you're on our mailing list, you'll be receiving codes to pick up the books in the digital format of your choice via our friends at Smashwords.  We're offering two of our more popular titles as well as a brand new book, just released this week.  All three books look at love; love that took a wrong turn in Circle City Blues, love almost lost in Once in the Moonlight, and love with a capital L in Poems of Faith and Love. 

What?  You're not on our mailing list?  Go sign up, over there.  It's also free. 

The books will be free through Monday, so stock up now.  And be sure to catch Jim Burkett's interview at Fiction For Dessert on Monday, where he'll be talking about Declaration of Surrender and its upcoming sequel, American Sanction.

The Boss Bean

Here's another entry in our Gallery of Good Taste.  If you're a fan of gridiron football, you'll recognize Stylez G. White of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He's a fan of our Jim Burkett, and asked for his autograph and photo at a charity event Jim was photographing this week. 

Want to see something that will melt your heart and make you cheer?  Jim Burkett, who is a wizard not only at the keyboard but with a camera, was at a fantastic event last week.  The Pediatric Cancer Foundation's Cut For a Cure featured members of the Tampa Bay Lightning and prominent local businessmen who volunteered to have their heads shaved to raise money and awareness.  Check out the link above, click on Cut For a Cure, and get ready to smile.

I know Jim doesn't want to play his own brass instrument, but we will:  Jim donates his time and his talent with a camera to this worthy organization, and this year he's also donating his profits from Declaration of Surrender.  If you haven't read the book, buy it.  If you have read it, go to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and make a donation.  Tell 'em The Boss Bean sent you.  Let's keep those smiles coming.

Today is all about Emjae.  She was featured at Kate Evangelista's blog..  Drop by, get to know a little more about our resident romantic, say hello, and enter a chance to win some Inknbeans' own coffee.  Thank you, Kate, for the opportunity and thank you, Arthur, for the introduction.

But, Emjae isn't content unless she can share the limelight.  She brought another author to our attention, an author who is part of an important project:  a book entitled Dear Bully.
Dear Bully is a collaboration of Carrie Jones and Megan Kelley Hall.  It is a collection of memories, dreams, gratitude and regret written by seventy of today's authors about the epidemic of bullying.  Available in August, it is an vital part of the dialogue in preventing bullying; by creating empathy in the bullies and empowering the bullied.  Emjae's friend, Melodye Shore, one of the seventy authors involved, tells her story in simple but powerful imagery, and expresses her gratitude to a stranger who extended aid, support and friendship.  It is called Luz.  If you were a bully, if you were victimized, if you have children in your life, Dear Bully is a book you need to read. 

Published by Harper Teen, Dear Bully is available for pre order now at Amazon.com.

Could this be DHS Agent Nick West?  Jim Burkett met with Tom Berenger at a film event in Tampa last week, and after chatting with him says "I could certainly see him as Nick.  Great guy, very nice family." 

What do you think? 

Just a couple more days to take advantage of Susan's review one, get one free offer.  Review one of her four books and we'll give another of her titles free.  But, hurry.  The offer ends March 31st. 

Ever wonder what Steven Revare gets up to?  Follow him on Twitter @stevenrevare, but only if you're not on a diet.  This man finds the best venues for food, music and whoopie pies. 

Want us to follow you?  Send us your twitter name. 

The Boss Bean  @boss_bean

We've been hearing from our readers and it's been pretty sweet. 

Arthur Levine, author of Johnny Oops, said this about Learning to Be Irish:
Charmingly told and heart warming—you will laugh and cry. This novel deserves five stars.

Therese (Amazon customer) described The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins this way:
Not only heart-wrenching, but also heart warming episodes take place contributing to Sonny establishing a moral compass on his journey to manhood.

Brett (Amazon customer) was enthusiastic about Raw, A Novel:
The story weaves around and makes you smile throughout. You have to read it all the way through to solve the mysteries of the story - it's a real sting at the end! Enjoy and laugh ...

Arthur Levine seems to enjoy our bookshelf, for he also reviewed Declaration of Surrender:
Jim Burkett has crafted a wonderfully entertaining novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat....The characters are so realistic it's hard to remember that this is fiction.

Laurie Gator (Amazon customer) stayed up late to read An Unassigned Life:
I highly recommend this book as a fun ghost story for folks ages 13 and over. This was a well written story with twists and turns. I am looking forward to reading more stories from this author!

Inknbeans Editorial Staff had this consensus about Out of Touch:
Eight thumbs up! 

A few reminders:

1)  Nikki McBroom's half price offer expires on Monday.  If you or a someone you know needs cover art, contact her at [email protected], and mention MARCHART.

2)  If you're on our mailing list you received a coupon for 50% off Rusty Coat's Out of Touch.  If you're not, you didn't. 

3)  Support the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa.  Jim Burkett is donating his royalties for Declaration of Surrender to this organization for the rest of the year.

4)  Send us your picture reading one of our titles, and we'll put it in our Gallery of Good Taste, and send you a tasty treat, too. 

5)  Thank you to everyone who participated in Read An E Book Week.  We're changing the way people read, one pixel at a time.

The Boss Bean

Top o' the mornin' to yas.  Sure, 'tis a grand day here.  On this day when everyone is Irish, we've got green going on all over.  It was one year ago today we released a sweet little story about a girl, a guy and a pocketful of shamrocks called Learning to Be Irish.  It's gone on to be our best selling title. 

In that tradition, we're bringing you  an amazing book today.  There are no leprechauns in this one, unless you count the author, Rusty Coats, but it's a compelling story about a man with a gift he doesn't want, a man who knows the future and can do nothing to change it, a man who must stand by and watch as hearts are broken and lives are destroyed.  Jonah Morgan is a man as damaged as the future he's seen, a future he's already lived.    Out of Touch is available at Amazon and Inknbeans today.   See the menu board for links and prices. 

If you're a part of our darlin' mailing list, you'll be after saving some green  today.  Watch your inbox for a coupon code for 50% off the cover price at Smashwords.com.

Get to know more about Rusty Coats by visiting his author page, and check out his essay at What Writers Write. 

Stay a while, get to know all our authors and their work.  We've got romance and mysteries, humor and heartbreak, bad guys, good guys and some who straddle the line.  There are cops, mobsters, lactivists and ghosts, children growing up in hard times and hardboiled characters having good times. 

We're serving Irish coffee all day long.

Cheers,
The Boss Bean

Rusty Coats brings years of journalism and media experience to the Hill O'Beans, along with an Irish twinkle, a love of baseball and Hoosiers and a debut novel which belongs at the end of the rainbow.  Rusty manages to create characters and situations that would seem implausible in less able hands: a journalist who still believes in the truth, a high school basketball team that continues to defy the odds, a charlatan, and a psychic who doesn't want the ability that his employers covet and co-opt.

Out of Touch is available March 17th, 2011.  See menu board for purchase links and prices. 

If you're on the Inknbeans mailing list watch for a 50% discount. 

Welcome, Rusty!

It's that time of year when we celebrate the digital reading experience.   If you've never read a book on your laptop, on your smartphone, or that Kindle-thingy you got for Christmas, this is a great time to try.  Thousands of publishers and independent authors are offering their books at 25% - 75% off the list price.  Some are even free!

In the mood for romance?  Need a good chuckle?  Perhaps you need a little action to get the heart pumping, or a trip back in time.  Zombies?  Mobsters?  Mad Scientists?  Dirty Politicians?  Devout or Demonic, there is probably a book for you at Smashwords.com during Read An E Book Week.

Now's the time to treat yourself to a new author, or a new genre. 

Inknbeans, along with our authors, are pleased to offer the following books as a special price this week:

Emjae Edwards:
Calling All Hearts - Free
Learning To Be Irish - Free
No Greater Love - Free
Once in the Moonlight - Free
The Lady Must Decline - 25% off
Wife in the Mirror - 25% off

Micheal E. Benson:
The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins - 50% off
Epiphanies - 50% off

Steven Revare:

Raw - 50% off

Jim Burkett:

Declaration of Surrender - 50% off

Susan Wells Bennett:

The Thief of Todays & Tomorrows - 50%

In addition, Susan is offering something special at her blog.  Review one of her books, and get another free.
Details here.

Stock up on great books now. 

The Boss Bean

I know we already did one update this week, but this is too important not to mention. 

First of all, Susan Wells Bennett has reduced the price of her funny and poignant Circle City Blues to $0.99.  If you haven't read this very human look at the seven stages of grief, now's the time to try it.  If you haven't read any of Susan's work, this is a great opportunity to sample it, at a sample price. 

And second, Jim Burkett's exciting debut novel, Declaration of Surrender is still $2.99, but he's donating all of his profits from it through the rest of 2011 to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa, Fl.  As Emjae Edwards says 'A big Yay! for Jim'.  A big Yay! for you, too, when you buy this book and help this very reputable and worthwhile organization.

Prices and links are available on the Menu Board.

The Boss Bean

Here's a new addition to our Gallery of Good Taste.  Emjae Edward's Learning to Be Irish appears to have a fairly famous fan.  Let's see your picture with an Inknbean title and we'll post it in our Gallery and send you an Inknbeans treat. 

Susan Wells Bennett's newest book, An Unassigned Life, had a pretty good opening last week.  Lots of our mailing list members took advantage of the coupon to get the book free, and her reading on the Spinning Wheel at Amazon.com garnered a lot of positive response. 
Susan's ability to find a new voice for every situation makes her books exciting and enjoyable, whether you're in the mood for a humorous look at breaking up, a heartbreaking look at dreams gone astray, or the rules and regs of the afterlife.  Her book covers help, too.  She works with a very talented, up and coming artist, Nikki McBroom,  who seems as devoted to the process of helping authors realize their vision as we are.   Ms. McBroom has made a very generous offer to our Beans and all our Bean fans.  Her usual rate for front and back cover art is $300.00, but between now and March 21st, she'll prepare your cover for half price.  If you have a book which needs a cover, or want to freshen up a cover you've had done, or you know someone who does, contact Ms. McBroom at [email protected] and mention code MARCHART.    If you want to see some samples of her work, look at Susan's page right over there. 

Michael E. Benson is currently working on sequel to Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins.  Right now, Sonny is hip deep in World War II.  Michael, like Susan, skips around genres to bring you gritty crime dramas based on actual events, or a love story bound to last for eternity, as well as his retelling of his grandfather's life in the Sonny Tompkins series.

Gritty is an excellent way to describe Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender, too.  Who do you trust when the world just tore up your scorecard?  How do you know whom to believe when the bad guys take off their black hats, and the good guys look very dirty?  DHS agent Nick West just found out something that's going to upend everything he's ever believed about right and wrong.   And then he's going to save the world.

What do college football, a one handed bartender, a mysterious tattoo, a washed up writer and the plains of Kansas have in common?  They all go better with unpasturized milk.  Steven Revare's Raw, a Novel, continues to get great reviews and make people laugh out loud.  Find out what's funny in Manhattan...Kansas, that is. 

The Boss Bean

The new book is An Unassigned Life, live today at all the usual ebook distributors (25% discount at Smashwords this week, use code: KK54P.)  Susan Wells Bennett has done it again.  It's about writer's block, suicide, and technology in the afterlife.  And it's funny.  Susan's also our author of the month, so check out what she has to say in What Writers Write.

New bean number one is Rusty Coats, whose amazing book Out of Touch comes out in March.  It's about psychics, charlatans and basketball - what more could you want?

New bean number two will be announced next week, but trust us when we say we're awfully pleased he's joining us. 

Rusty is not only bringing us his heart-in-your-throat-or-in-your-shoes book, he brought a great idea.  Send us a picture of you reading an Inknbeans book, and we'll post your picture in our gallery, and send you a cool treat.  It could be coffee, it could be a copy of that book for a friend, it could even be another title from our bookshelf.  Send us your pictures and find out.  The relaxed looking fellow above is the aforementioned Rusty.  He has good taste in books, don't you think?

The Boss Bean

We were doing a little photo shoot for our first official Inknbeans Catalog last week, and we had the proof prints stacked artfully on a table, surrounded by some logo cups and our private label coffee.  After we'd found the picture, Alan, our 'Strunk & White Guy', was stacking the books back on a shelf in my office.  I mentioned to him that we had three more books on the way between now and April.  He turned to me, books in hand, and said 'We're going to need a bigger shelf.'

Isn't it wonderful?

One of the aforementioned new titles comes out next week.  An Unassigned Life is Susan Wells Bennett's fourth title, and the first one exclusively ours.  It's a ghost story.  It's a story about writer's block, suicide and technology in the afterlife.  And it's funny.  Susan's found yet another voice to talk to the reader about the joys, sorrows, successes and failures of the human condition - or in Tim Chase's case, the inhuman condition. 

If you're a member of our mailing list, watch for a coupon for a free copy of An Unassigned Life next week.  If you want to know a little more about it before you purchase it, and happen to hang out on Amazon chats and forums, Susan will be giving a reading in the Spinning Wheel thread on Thursday, February 17th, and she'll be passing out coupons for 25% off the $2.99 digital copy price. 

Susan will also be our Featured Author on What Writers Write next week, but in the meantime, take a look at some of our previous authors, and their words of wisdom. 

Lent is only a few weeks away, but please don't plan to give up coffee - we have a great drawing coming up.  Details coming soon. 

Stop in and look at our menu board.  We've got a wide range of styles, genres and stories, something for almost everyone - and more brewing every day.

The Boss Bean

We promised some more reviews, and here they are:

Arthur Levine said of Raw, a Novel:
Bravo!  Good read.

And Midge Redmond added:
I love how chapter two so perfectly captures the horror (and humor) of writing workshops.

(Comments from an online chatroom reading).

Michael E. Benson's super fan, Terri, had this to say about The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins:
It is with great regret that I have finished reading the masterpiece written by my favorite author, Michael E. Benson.  It is truly a piece of art.  I was captivated from the first page through the very end.  I could visualize the faces, the land, and parts made me cry.  I look forward to the sequel with great anticipation.  Thank you, Mr. Benson, for sharing your thoughts, intelligence, and art with those of us that truly are your greatest fans.  The novels you have written are the best gifts I could ever ask for.  I will cherish them forever and I will pick them back up and read them for a second time.  I would pay big money to see Young Sonny made into a movie.  I think it would be fantastic! 

(sent in via Got Something to Say?)

And there was this lovely bon mot from jag01234 about Declaration of Surrender:
I found that I could not put the book down, & enjoyed each and every page of this timeless thriller. I am anxiously looking forward to further adventures with Nick, in what I hope will be a very successful series of books.

(posted at Amazon.com)

We're going to start offering free samples of our authors' works, particularly upcoming titles in the next week or so, but in the spirit of 'ladies first', here's a touch of Susan Wells Bennett's upcoming release, An Unassigned Life:

Prologue – The End…Tim slammed his cell phone closed in disgust. The barely audible clack it emitted only served to infuriate him more. When he was a kid, the phones were heavy; when you hung them up, you had to be careful not to set them down too hard or the party on the other end would think you were angry. Not so with these modern-day phones: the only way for them to make a loud noise was to break them. Tim did just that, shattering the phone into five or six pieces and leaving a good-sized dent in the wall.

Damn her, he thought, sitting down in front of his still-empty computer screen. Ellen knows I have writer’s block. He let his fingers click angrily on the keys, creating a few lines of gibberish.

His first novel was a critical and popular success, but his second novel had been a disaster. The New Yorker book critic had called it “florid.” Hah! Working for The New Yorker, you had to wonder how that hack would be able to recognize floridity. Now the publisher was demanding that he produce the third book due on his contract or return the advance he’d received. Tim didn’t have their damned money – he’d used it to buy the old bungalow he was sitting in right now. He’d thought the house would inspire him, that the previous residents of the past century would show up and tell him their stories. They hadn’t, though.

Looking around the sparsely furnished house, he thought he missed Tina’s things – the comfortable sofa, the antique dining set, the king-sized bed. He paced through the rooms, taking inventory of the missing furniture and art. She’d left him only a few items: his desk and chair, the old computer that served as his long-term writing partner, and a recliner that had seen better days. After she was gone, Tim had visited a second-hand shop and dragged home a mistreated dining room set and an old twin-sized bed. A twin was big enough for him and might keep him from inviting others to stay the night.

The doorbell rang and Tim hid behind the dining room arch and peered around the corner to see who might be there. He could see it was a man – probably that same bum that kept coming around asking for a handout. The guy must have circled Tim’s house on his map of easy marks. The first time the unshaven, filthy man showed up, Tim had been in a benevolent spirit. He had opened his door, invited the man – Tim remembered his name was George – to have a sandwich with him and had even given him a few dollars when the meal was done. Ever since then, George rang the doorbell every few days, despite the fact that Tim had never opened the door to him again.

It rang again, and Tim’s heart raced in his chest as he continued to hide behind the dining room arch. Finally, Tim heard the man’s boots clomp across the porch and down the stairs. Slumping against the wall, he breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to slide to the floor, hitting the wooden slats with an audible thump.

Life wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was a damned good writer – better than Nicholas Sparks, that was for sure. Yet that hack kept turning out book after book while he sat in front of a blank screen day after day. He glanced toward his desk and saw the lines of gibberish filling up the screen. That was the most he’d written in months. He didn’t even have an outline to show Ellen or the publisher – nothing to convince them that he was working on the third book.

He thought of Dorothy Parker’s ode to suicide, “Resumé.” Nooses give, he thought. Not if they are tied right. He’d had a therapist since that incident a few years ago with the pills. His therapist had told him to call if he had suicidal thoughts again. He slid himself around the corner into the living room and eyed the pieces of his phone. He smiled. Sorry, Doc. The phone’s out of order.

With renewed sense of purpose, he exited the house to the garage, where he located a length of nylon rope he had purchased a few years ago for a camping trip that he and Tina had never quite gotten around to taking. Carrying the rope inside, he sat down in front of his computer and researched nooses. It didn’t take long to find instructions for tying a noose on the internet. He thanked his father for insisting he participate in Boy Scouts when tying the knot proved a simple job. With a real sense of accomplishment – the first he’d felt in a long time – he put the noose aside and went back to his page of gibberish. He opened a new Word document and wrote a flowing and detailed suicide note, assigning blame and praise appropriately to everyone in his life. When he reached the end, he reviewed it. Remembering The New Yorker critic’s accusation of floridity, he deleted the whole thing and replaced it with a simpler, all-purpose note: Fuck you all. I’m out of here. He saved it as “suicide note,” printed a copy that he left on his keyboard, and emailed it to his sister and his agent – neither of whom would see it until Tuesday morning, since it was a Friday afternoon before a long weekend.

He walked out his back door without locking it, went into the garage and threw one end of the rope over the exposed beams. Standing on the hood of his old silver Honda Civic, he secured the rope with one of the knots he’d learned in Boy Scouts, slipped the noose over his head, and jumped off the car.

Believe it or not, this actually a very funny story.

An Unnassigned Life is coming in February. 

The Boss

What a start!  What a year!  New books, new beans, great reviews, and our Ban is back! 

Let's start off with some wonderful reviews:

Earleen Smith said this about Thief of Todays and Tomorrows:

This was a great read! I enjoyed Kate's many adventures. This story starts in Chicago, rather innocently, and gets progressively more sinister. Then, Kate is forced into a choice she may not have made for herself and finds a humble new life in Phoenix. This tale is woven with skill and, like the other book I have read written by Susan Wells Bennett, shows this author's promise.

I am recommending this book in my book club this month, so clearly I would recommend it to you.

(posted at Smashwords)

Linda Mihay described Declaration of Surrender this way:

A chance flat tire in a rain storm, and a good Samaritan set off a wild chase to find a missing document that could destroy the USA. There are the good guys & the bad guys looking for this document. As it turns out, one of the bad guys has a good streak, and in the end does the "right thing" as the really evil one catches up and unleashes murder and mayhem.

This is a really good book about rotten eggs in the government, towards the end of WWII, and how a Dept of Homeland Security agent on leave, stumbles into a major case, and saves the day.

(posted on Amazon.com)

And Arthur Levine described Learning to Be Irish:

Have you ever read about a place that you’ve never been to and felt that you knew it intimately because the home and the people were so well described? I could practically smell the fire in the fireplace and hear the Irish brogue of the town gossip. That’s how I felt when I read Learning To Be Irish, and that’s how I felt about the main characters, the strong willed Daire, and the man she came to love, Padraic. I felt I knew them both and was a part of their lives. This is a place where a homespun instant wedding takes place, a child is conceived and a grand father’s fondest wish comes true in a land of Leprechauns and faeries.

Learning To Be Irish is about finding love and happiness. It’s a beautiful tale of a simpler time and a lush small village in Ireland where true virtue was really important, the simplest gesture could easily be misinterpreted, the community of gossip prone towns people worked together to help a stranger, and a tinge of mystery and strange goings on was always in the air. This is a wonderful place where people can walk around so enjoying life that they feel like they have a pocket full of emeralds. Charmingly told and heart warming—you will laugh and cry. This novel deserves five stars.

(posted at Smashwords)

And Sandra Smith commented on Openers:

Michael,
I just finished reading the book. It was captivating, very well written.
Your neighbor,
Sandra Smith

(sent in via Got Something To Say?)

We'll be posting more of our reviews next week, but we wanted to announce that we have another New Bean!  Rusty Coats has joined us, bringing a little basketball, a little romance, a little scandal and a psychic.  More details coming soon.

Michael E. Benson just keeps surprising everyone.  His first two books were crime - thrillers, based on actual events during his years in law enforcement.  Then just last month he gave us a warm, touching, biographical account of a boy growing up during the Great Depression.  Today, we're proud to release a completely different type of book; a sad, wonderful, heartbreaking and hopeful story of a man reviewing his life after the death of his wife.  Epiphanies is the story of Rob Stuart and the quest literally of a lifetime.  Warning:  Read this with tissues nearby.  Some of the events in this book are true, too. 

We're not done, yet!  We've got some amazing books coming up in the next few weeks.  We've got discounts and treats for our mailing list, too.  If you're not on our mailing list...well...why not? 

Welcome to 2011, friends. 

The Boss Bean

What a big week! 

Susan Wells Bennett's Circle City Blues is in print, her Thief of Todays and Tomorrows is available in all the usual digital formats. 

Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender is out in print, as well. 

Steven Revare's Raw, a Novel, is featured today at Indie Spotlight. 

Emjae's our featured Author in this month's What Writers Write.

The big news is Michael E. Benson's The Life and Times of Young Sonny Tompkins is available everywhere.  If you're used to Michael's taut crime dramas, this gentle coming of age story is going to be a surprise and a treat.   Think of it as Tom Sawyer in the Great Depression.  Check out the trailer here. 

Dear Father Christmas, we've been very good. 
We've all been writing as good writers should. 
We've plotted, we've planned for happy endings angling.
We've dotted and crossed and left nothing dangling.
When you go through the wish lists that come in your mails
please remember little writers just want readers and sales. 
So on Emjae!  On Steven! On Susan, Jim and Mike!
We'll write for our readers - not dolls, cars or a bike.
Whether you say Happy Hanukkah/Solstice/Kwanzaa/God Bless
Merry EVERYTHING from Inknbeans Press!
Emjae Edwards
 

Well, here it is, the day traditionally held to be the biggest shopping day of the year, the beginning of the biggest shopping season of the year.  Your mail box and in box are probably as stuffed as you are; everyone's got big savings on that thing you must have, or the toys Santa must bring.

Well, we at Inknbeans are no different.  We've got a couple of Black Friday treats just for you.

Emjae Edwards' Christmas themed book, Cactus & Mistletoe is free Friday, November 26th.  After a long day of shopping and listening to All I Want For Christmas Is You nine hundred and six times, who wouldn't enjoy a heartwarming story of a woman who learns that family and traditions can be found anywhere, in any weather.  And it's free! 

And if heartwarming holidays aren't your cuppa joe, what about a heart pounding thriller like Declaration of Surrender? You can have the book and the coffee Friday for the mailing list price of $5.00 plus s/h. 

Happy Holidays.

It's time to reflect, to rejoice, to regroup, to join with others to give thanks in whatever way you choose.  It's time to recognize that, yes, it's been a rough few years, and tomorrow won't necessarily be bright and shiny, either, but there are things for which we can be glad and grateful.  For some of us it's just the fact that we're still here. 

Here at Inknbeans Press, we have a lot to be thankful for.  This has been an amazing year for us, and it ain't over yet.  This time last year it was just the Boss, the ever able Ms. Pupps and Emjae Edwards, sharing ideas and a great big dream.   One year later, we've added some good people; good writers, great dreamers to our our hill o'beans.

Michael E. Benson was the first to believe in us, to share our dream.  He became our champion and friend.  A man of vast experience and wisdom, he brought so much more than his books to the table, he brought constant support and encouragement, both of which are priceless.  Michael's newest book, The Life and Times of Young Sonny Tompkins, weaves a fictionalized account of the people, the beliefs and values that shaped him. 

Michael also introduced us to Steven Revare, a man whose skewed view of life and twisted sense of humor fit in perfectly in our off beat, no rules, socks only business model.  Steven brought unflagging enthusiasm and the same vision for the future of books and publishing to our group.  Raw, a Novel, is getting amazing reviews from pretty impressive voices, such as the venerable Kirkus Reviews.

Our Ms. Pupps introduced us to Jim Burkett.  Jim was already independently publishing his first novel, Declaration of Surrender, and working on the sequel American Sanction, but he seemed to like what we offered and we liked what he offered.  Jim's friendly, funny personality has made him a favorite in writer forums and his personal values and worth ethic make it a pleasure to work with him.  American Sanction promises to be even more frightening and exciting than Declaration of Surrender.

Susan Wells Bennett introduced herself by writing one of those great reviews for Raw, a Novel.  We had a warm and thoughtful correspondence during which time she expressed interest in what we are doing, and wanted to know how she could be a part of it.  Like Jim, Susan had independently published three books and was working on book number four.  When she signed on the dotted line, she brought her professional experience, her friendly, encouraging and eager personality and Circle City Blues, The Thief of Todays and Tomorrows, The Prophet's Wives and her upcoming An Unassigned Life to the blend. 

Of course, we cannot forget Emjae Edwards.  She's been here from the beginning...and that beginning goes back more than a dozen years, when the Boss first foresaw this future for writers and their work, and they made a pact to build this company when the technology caught up with their dreams.  Emjae's written six contemporary relationship fiction books; A Plane Proposal, Wife in the Mirror, Learning to Be Irish, Calling All Hearts, No Greater Love and The Lady Must Decline.  Her books all feature real people, in challenging circumstances, with the requisite stresses and misunderstandings, but always with a satisfying conclusion.  One of her reviews called her work journeys rather than destinations.  Her Christmas themed story, Cactus and Mistletoe will be available later this week.  She's a mere four thousand words away from finishing her NaNoWriMo 2010 project, Once in the Moonlight, which will probably end up on our shelves next spring. 

And we would be so remiss not to mention Ban, Alan and Edie, without whom there would never be enough laughter or fresh coffee and Inknbeans would literally grind to a halt. 

And finally, our readers.  Oh, how we cherish each of you, for there is nothing more precious to a writer than those who read his words. 

Have a joyous holiday week, and from each of us, thank you for making this year so wonderful for us.

Alan, Ban, Edie, Emjae, Jim, Michael, Steven, Susan and The Boss

We got this great photo in our mail this morning.  Jim's family had the cap made for his birthday, and he felt we ought to see.  Note the tasteful display of his Inknbeans business cards. 

Take a look around the hill o' beans today, folks, there are lots of new things to see.  The menu has been updated to reflect many of our new and upcoming titles.  Ms. Pupps reviewed The Love Investigator - 527 Naked Men and One Woman, by Barbara Silkstone.  Emjae can already see the finish line in her NaNoWriMo run.  Michael shared an interview he did with the Lone Jack Corridor.  Steven L. Revare has a couple of readings in the Kansas/Missouri area in the next couple of weeks.  Susan, our newest bean, is away on a well earned holiday. 

If you're on our mailing list you got a link to a secret page here where you can get Jim's book and some official Inknbeans Press coffee for a special price. 

If we haven't said so recently, we're glad you're here.

The Boss Bean, Ms. Pupps, Emjae, Michael, Steven, Jim and Susan

We're happy to announce that our own Emjae Edwards is a participant in this year's NaNoWriMo.  Like thousands of others around the world, Emjae has committed to writing fifty thousand words in thirty days.  As of last night she had written over eighteen thousand words. 
NaNoWriMo raises funds through donations and sponsorships to encourage young people to stay in school, read and develop their writing skills.  Perhaps next year Inknbeans Press can field a team of writers.  Mike?  Steven?  Jim? Susan? 

We're just moments away from adding Declaration of Surrender to our bookshelf.  It's a fast paced, gritty story of a DHS agent who literally stumbles into a sixty year old plot that could end the United States as an independent country.  The author, Jim Burkett, applied hours and hours of research to his own life experience growing up in the military to weave an accurate and sometimes frightening picture of what our government will do to keep its citizens - and its secrets - safe. 





We have some other new books coming up, too:

Susan Wells Bennett's serio-comedic story of a man lost in love on the highways of America, Circle City Blues;
Michael E. Benson's coming of age story, based on experiences of his own family during the Depression, The Life and Times of Young Sonny Tompkins; and
Emjae Edwards Christmas themed story of a woman trying to rebuild her family by finding her only living relative, Cactus and Mistletoe.

And we've got coffee.  Inknbeans Private Label Beans are available.  They're specially blended, smooth and rich, roasted on demand just for us.  Right now we have Sumatra and Guatemalan, ground for a standard drip coffee pot, but amazing in a french press, too.  If you're on our mailing list, you'll be getting an offer to buy Jim's new book and a two oz. packet of coffee at a special price, so watch your mailbox. 

Many of our regular friends and fellow Bean enthusiasts already know Jim's work, Declaration of Surrender, which he published independently.   Regulars of the various writers forums also know him for his wit, his sense of fun and his devotion to family.  We are so pleased to welcome him to our little family.  Declaration of Surrender will be re-released through Inknbeans Press sometime in early November. If you've already read this intriguing 'what if' thriller, you'll be happy to know he's currently hard at work on a sequel.  If you'd like to know more about Jim, check out his page:  Jim Burkett, Secret Man of Mystery.

Welcome to the Bean, Jim!

ETA:  Because people asked, the cute blond in the photo is Maggie.

The Boss Bean, BG Pupps, Emjae Edwards, Michael E. Benson and Steven Revare. 

You've enjoyed the ink in Inknbeans Press for almost a year and now we're adding the beans. 

We've been working with a gourmet roaster in Florida called Blessed Blends, and they've helped us create our own private label coffee.  If you like rich, smooth, roasted on demand coffee to go with your book, Kindle, iPad or other reading device, you'll enjoy InknBeans Press Private Label Sumatra, Guatemalan, and coming soon, Costa Rican and Kenyan origins.  Starting in November we'll be offering book n bean combinations and gift sets, just in time for your holiday giving to friends, loved ones - even yourself. 

For those on you on the mailing list, Debbie Coe won our drawing this week.  She'll be getting an assortment of our new private label coffee.  Congratulations, Debbie and thank you everyone who participated.

Steven Revare is out proving that, not only can he write, he can read, too.  He's been in the other Manhattan this week. 

Michael E. Benson's been on the road, too, on his way to winter by the warm waters of the Gulf, but he's settling in and be back at the keyboard soon.  His latest book, due at Christmas, is a departure from the gritty crime thrillers he's been writing, and tells some stories of his family's experience in the Great Depression.  It might take place in Kansas and Utah of the late thirties, but the message couldn't be more contemporary; self sufficiency, hard work, love and honor.    Watch for The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins in December. 

Emjae Edwards has a new book coming out with a holiday theme; Cactus and Mistletoe.  It's a collision of cultures and false impressions. The story of a woman trying to honor her family's wishes, longing to go home to her familiar traditions at the holidays and yet unwilling to abandon her quest.   Coming November 26th.


Our Ms. Pupps is still collecting entries for her next Win a Review contest.  Send her your first chapter at [email protected]

We have a few more surprises in the weeks ahead, so come back soon.

The Boss Bean

Tonight Steven Revare is appearing in Manhattan, Kansas, the home of his new book, Raw, a Novel.  If you're in the area, drop in at the Dusty Bookshelf around eight pm for a meet and greet.  At ten thirty, he takes over the mic at Auntie Mae's Parlor for a reading, some chatter and a few other goodies.  He promises to take his five-hour-energy-drink and take on dairies, computers, electronic publishing and David Hasselhoff during his discourse. 

If you miss tonight's gatherings, watch this space.  When Steven Revare and monster bull beverages meet, he could end up anywhere. 

If you're on the mailing list and purchased one of the qualifying books, time's running out to get your entry in for our drawing.  Get your secret question by Thursday, the fourteenth, and answer before the twenty first. 

Michael E. Benson's book, Alvarado's Woman - A Frank Petrovic Mystery, is featured at Spalding's Racket today. 

Emjae Edwards and Michael Benson both have books coming out in time for the holidays, so if someone you love is getting a new Kindle, iPad, Nook or Blackberry, they might like to have it decorated with a holiday themed contemporary romance, or a touching and inspiring historical novel. 

The Boss Bean

A couple of great reviews for our most recent releases:

Terri Taylor says this about Alvarado's Woman:

The book is wonderful!  I read about 5 pages each day because I don’t want to ever finish it.  It’s a great story.  I love every word!   I’m so into it that I would rather be home reading.  I love getting caught up in good stories

And Whitney Terrell, author of The Huntsman and King of King County, says:

Steve Revare is the freshest satirical voice to come out of the Midwest in many years.  His new novel, RAW, is a hilarious send up of state school politics, writing gurus, and the seamy underbelly of the dairy world.  Wry, vibrant, a master of invention and surprise, Revare establishes himself in these pages as a Calvin Trillin of the plains.  It’s a debut readers from coast to coast shouldn’t miss.

And if that isn't enough excitement for you, if you're not on our mailing list, you've missed out not only a discounts for Raw, a Novel, but a fun contest and an exciting preview of an upcoming feature of Inknbeans Press. 

Buy a book.  Leave a review.  Read a review.  Join the mailing list and get discounts and prizes.  Inknbeans Press.  One stop wonderful-ness.

The Boss Bean

It's here!  Raw, a Novel, our newest addition to the bookshelf, by our newest addition to the Hill o' Beans.  Steven Revare's affectionate look the center of America is something of a cautionary tale for those who believe the Midwest means mundane.  Steven makes Manhattan Kansas as much a character as his self absorbed writer - cum - Creative Writing professor, his one handed bartender, the ex wife who won't stay ex or the proprietor of the underground dairy.  When Carl Krauthammer decides to simplify his life, he discovers his Big City ways just might make him walking entropy in the Li'l Apple.  Available in all the usual places.   If you're on our mailing list, watch for a twenty five percent discount! 

Then get dressed!  Get a tee shirt inspired by Raw, a Novel.  Be the best dressed Lactivist in town.  Steven Revare's tee shirts and other oddities.

Yesterday, Michael E. Benson's chilling crime - thriller Openers was featured on the very popular blog Indie Spotlight.    It's a great interview and sample, and our thanks to Greg Banks and Edward C. Patterson for providing such a great venue for indie writers and small press.

And last week our newest Bean, Steven L. Revare, was featured in the Manhattan Mercury.  That's Manhattan, Kansas, the setting for his Raw, a Novel.  Here's an excerpt:

For most people, the word "Manhattan" conjures images of the Big Apple.  And for Carl Krauthammer, it did, too - until in an effort to simplify his life, he decided to try out the small-sized  version in Kansas. 

Krauthammer is the central character in "Raw", a new fiction novel focused on an English student starting afresh in Manhattan (Kansas, that is) after a stint in New York.  His creator, author Steven Revare, said he chose the location for Krauthammer's new life deliberately:  Revare himself lives in Prairie Village, and he's an admirer of Manhattan.

And further down the page...."I think his character is a little model for what's going on in the country," [the Boss Bean]
said.  "He starts out very successful in one direction and that falls apart on him, so he has to pick up and rebuild, and take off in search of his dream.  I think there a lot of people right now in the country who are in the same position."

And in conclusion, it says....Revare writes, "After living in the town for a while, seeing its physical beautify, getting to know the people and enjoying how simple it was to live there [Krauthammer] felt the town deserved a better self-image.  It didn't need a Johnny Kaw to attract people.  It didn't need comparisons to other places.  So far, he thought, Manhattan was putting on a good face all by itself."  Kimber Wallace.

Raw will be available in all the usual places September 30th. 

Speaking of Steven L. Revare, he'll be our featured writer at What Writers Write next week.

The Tag Team Expedition is doing great.  We're getting a lot of books linked there.  If you want to add your titles to the list (and check out some other writers, too) send your Amazon product links to [email protected].  Ms. Pupps will make sure they're listed right away.  

Check out our bean poll before it closes at the end of the month. 

Are you on our mailing list?  We've got a couple of very exciting promotions coming up, plus discounts on our next two releases. 

Come back soon.  The coffee's always on.

The Boss Bean

btw - Thank you, Michael, for catching my typo. 

We're busier and busier here at the Hill o' Beans, and we like it.  September 30th draws nigh, and with it the release of Raw, a Novel.  Steven L. Revare is going to be out in a few select cities talking not only about his new book but innovations this applications entrepreneur is bringing to the digital reading experience.  If you're in NYC, Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas City, San Francisco or Los Angeles, and you'd like to have him speak at your civics gathering or book group contact us at [email protected]. 

Michael E. Benson promises us some surprises before the end of the year.  Rumor is Frank Petrovic might be going to London.  Check his blog for details.  But don't wait for his next book - go read Openers or Alvarado's Woman now.  Both are available for most digital readers and in print.  Check the menu for details. 

Emjae Edwards has two new titles coming up before the end of the year.  Watch for Just Doing Her Job, coming soon, and she also promises us a Christmas treat in November. 

Probably the hardest working bean in the brew these days is our faithful assistant, BG Pupps.  She's got her blog, she's started maintaining a tag list (if you want your books tagged at Amazon send her your links, if you want suggestions for books to tag check her list), and now she's become a book reviewer.  This week she reviewed P.A. Woodburn's Cries in the Dark.  Hit her Bones To Pick to find out what she says about this dark story. 

We've also got a poll going and we'd love to have your opinion.  We have a few surprises ahead, too.  New flavors and sweet treats will be added to the menu in the coming weeks.  Come back for a refill soon.  We're always open.

The Boss Bean. 

Our thanks to Emjae for the picture.   9/11

Yes, despite the red line stubbornly hovering on the searing side of the thermometer, despite the hurricanes battering our shores, and brush fires eating grass, trees, and houses, Autumn is here.  How do we know?  The calender still says summer for another three weeks, but Starbucks, the ultimate arbiter of the seasons, has brought back Spice Pumpkin Lattes and Frappes.  This isn't a promotion of a competitor.  This is confession of an addiction. 

Even with the Beanmobile permanently parked in the drive thru at our local purveyor of creamy-pumpkiny goodness, we're getting a lot done atop the Hill o'Beans.  Ms. Pupps, our intrepid assistant, has posted her first review for a non bean writer.  Take at look at her impressions of Lighting Out by Maria B. Murad. 

Michael E. Benson is working on some new projects, some for the Bean and some for other venues.  If you want to know what the creator of the Frank Petrovic Mysteries is up to, check out his blog. 

When he's not promoting his upcoming Raw, a Novel, Steven L. Revare is making music...or something.   It seems he's the drummer in a band that has no drums.  KMBC, the ABC affiliate that brought us an up close look at Steven L. Revare last week, is now featuring his band. 

Speaking of Raw, it's coming out 30th of September.  Read it with a cow you love.

Come back soon, the coffee's always on.

The Boss Bean

We're in the last lap in our run up to releasing Raw, a Novel, Steven L. Revare's step by step instructions on simplifying your life while complicating the life of everyone around you...and cheese.  The trailer for Raw is on Steven's Author Page (Who is this Steven L. Revare and why does he want us to get Raw?).    Steven was also featured on KMBC last weekend.  KMBC is the local ABC affiliate in the great plains of Kansas.  

Our Featured Author is still trying to corral all her naked men, and asks us to...um...bare with her.  We'll have Barbara's revealing essay by next week. 

Michael E. Benson's starting his own blog.  Stop in and say hello.

Our own Ms. Pupps has taken on the role of book reviewer, and to that end, offered to review a non-bean book in September.  So, she's going to review four books.  Watch her blog next month. Note to Bean...do not use Ms. Pupps as our accountant. 

We're keeping this update short to give you plenty of time to check out Steven's trailer for Raw, and his interview at KMBC.  Enjoy.

The Boss Bean

From Steven L. Revare's website Slugworth Entertainment Inc.

Judging a Book’s Cover By Its Content As we embark on the mad pace to get RAW ready for publication within a few months, one of the first items to check off was the design of the cover.

My publisher (InkNBeans Press) and I wanted the cover to have a single dramatic image because it would need to look good on Amazon, as an iPad icon, and in grayscale on the Kindle. We didn’t want it to feel sterile or artificial. The book takes place primarily in a rural area. This is a book in which the prairie and raw milk play a role. It would need to have an organic feel. We decided on a milk bottle in the middle of an expanse of grass.

My wife procured for me some antique milk bottles from her mom’s antique shop, Log Cabin Antiques in Lone Jack, Missouri. These are the kind made of thick, clear glass, thinner at the throat and then broad at the mouth.

I called the namesake of Julia Shapiro Photography to take the pictures. Julia prides her self on her analog approach to photography: real film camera, black and white stock, hand tinted prints. She does beautiful work.

We went out on a hot July afternoon to see if we could get the perfect picture of the milk bottle (filled with cold, whole milk). Oddly enough we located a bit of native prairie grass on the Sprint Campus, of all places. They have an area of native grass there, which you can see in the background. The stuff in the foreground appears to be mowed, so I dont think it counts as tallgrass.

Here’s a map that shows where we shot the pictures for the cover and the video for the trailer.

Looks sort of silly from this angle.

Julia shooting the cover image

So here it is, the final result:

The latest iteration of the cover.

We think it turned out great. It has the dramatic single image, a definitely non-Photoshop feel, and my name in big white letters on it.

So what do you think? Would you buy this book?

Nick Spalding recently decided to see what would happen if he sat down to write a book...and didn't get up.  The result? 
Life With No Breaks.  But he's not just an exhausted writer...he likes to promote other exhausted writers and today he's promoting our own Michael E. Benson on his blog, Spalding's Racket.  Go check it out.  You'll not only find Openers, but lots and lots of other good books from indie writers and small presses.  Ta, Nick.

Alvarado's Woman is available now at all the usual places.  If you're on our mailing list, you received a discount code for twenty five percent off the list price.

If you're looking for this month's InknPage, it will be a little later in the month.  Our featured author, the ever sizzling Ms. Silkstone, is re-releasing her intimate little conversation with five hundred or so men around the twentieth, so watch for her thoughts on What Writers Write (and How They Write It) then. 

Coming in September, we'll be cooling things off a bit with tall, refreshing glass of Raw.  Steven L. Revare - our newest Bean - brings us his look at readin', writin', 'rhythmatic and...cheese. 

Ms. Pupps, our office assistant extraordinaire, is offering a chance to do what she does best - give her opinions.  If you're a non-Bean writer who'd like an honest, fair and unpaid review of your work, submit the first chapter of your book to [email protected] by the 20th of August.  She'll choose the one she likes best, ask for the rest of the book, and write a review for you in September.  Who doesn't need another review for their work? 

The Boss

It's not just hot because it's summer, it's hot because we've got a brand new Frank Petrovic Mystery coming out in just a few days and because we've got a very spicy InknPage this month.  Our guest writer will be Barbara Silkstone, the author of The Love Investigator - 527 Naked Men and 1 Woman.  Whew!  Watch for it. 

Alvarado's Woman - A Frank Petrovic Mystery is the second in Michael E. Benson's series about the by-the-book cop with a gift for following procedures until they lead him to the bad guy.  If you want to know more about this bulldog with a badge, read last week's update featuring an interview with the character himself. 

Next month, our newest author comes aboard to answer the burning question; what do cheese, Wall Street, post-modernism and  La Leche League have in common?  The answer is Raw. 

Stay cool out there.

The Boss

FRANCIS ANTON PETROVIC

Kansas City Homicide Detective

 

Francis Anton Petrovic was born in the Strawberry Hill section of Kansas City, Kansas, a Slavic community.   A short time later his parents moved across the river to Kansas City, Missouri, where he grew up.  He attended Catholic schools and graduated high school when he was eighteen.  A year later, he enlisted in the Army for two years.  After basic training, he was sent to military police school and stationed in Germany.

When his tour of duty was over, he returned to Kansas City and joined the police force. He worked patrol for several years, and then switched to the K9 unit. He became an investigator and worked in all of the department’s investigative units except the one he really wanted to be in . . . the prestigious homicide unit. Finally, during the last few months of his active duty, he was offered an assignment in homicide and teamed with the unit’s only female detective, Maria de Leon, to work on cold cases perpetrated by a psychotic serial killer, the Riverside Strangler.           


               


1)  Have you uncovered any new evidence in the Riverside Strangler murders?

No, but we have looked at the old evidence in a new way which revealed a connection between the victims that was not discovered before.  We are hopeful that this connection between the victims will be expanded to include the killer.

2)  Without jeopardizing an ongoing investigation, what can you tell us about the Riverside Strangler? 

He’s probably a white male around thirty years of age, give or take five years.  He’s had serious problems with the dominant female in his life, probably his mother.  When he is on the prowl, he’s like an animal.  His senses are heightened.  He feels invincible.  The sex acts he forces on his victim before he strangles them are brutal.  In all probability he does these things to get even for some perceived injustice done to him by the dominant female in his life.

3)  Do you believe you will capture the Riverside Strangler?

Absolutely.  We have made great strides in determining his identity, and I believe it’s only a matter of a little time until we arrest him.

4)  Has there been a specific unsolved case in your career that you wish you had solved?

If you look at the statistics, you’ll see that most crime is unsolved.  Murder has the highest clearance rate and is the most serious offense.  Rape and robbery are also serious felonies, but only four out of ten rapes result in an arrest, and only about one in four robberies.  I don’t dwell on the failures.  I’m just happy I was able to solve as many cases as I did.

5)  Has working with a female partner changed you?  Has it changed your approach to dealing with suspects? 

No, not really.  Except when it comes to Hispanics.  When possible, Maria deals with them because they know her and she speaks their language.  A successful partnership depends on compatibility, and Maria and I are very compatible.  And her gender has never been an issue.  I’ve been in love with the same woman since I was ten years old, and I’m a good twenty years older than Maria.

6)  You are rumored to really enjoy surveillance technology.  What is your favorite new piece of equipment?   

Oh, the surveillance van without a doubt.  I’m really enamored with all that electronic gadgetry.

7)  What advice would you give a young person considering a career in law enforcement? 

Stay in school at least until you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree.  The degree is the key that will unlock many doors for you.  Law enforcement isn’t just working for a police department.  Every bureau in the federal government has an investigative branch.  You have to have the degree to qualify and expand your options.

8)  Who is your favorite fictional detective?

Elementary, my dear Watson.  Sherlock Holmes, of course, because of his scientific approach to solving crimes at a time when forensic science was in its infancy.  Sherlock had a very ordered approach to crime which we still use to some extent today.

9)  Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

That is a question for a philosopher, not a criminal investigator.  But since you asked, I’ll tell you.  It has now been scientifically proven that the chicken came first.  There is an ingredient in the composition of egg shells that only comes from the ovary of a chicken, hence there could be no egg until a chicken produced it.  And if you have any more stupid questions, don’t hesitate to ask someone else.

10)  Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Well, I’m retiring in a few months and I’m also getting married to the love of my life, who has finally moved in with me.  I’ve waited for her for forty years, and now it’s finally going to happen.  After that, I plan on starting an investigative agency.  So in ten years, I see myself as a partner in one of the most prestigious private investigation agencies in the country.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Read more about Police Detective Petrovic and the Riverside Strangler in Openers by Michael E. Benson.

We've been at war, here at the Hill o' Beans; battling time, an ever growing to do list, vacationing staff, and one sick writer.  Emjae Edwards managed to deliver her sixth book, and retired to her swooning couch for the last week.  We're hoping she'll be back at her keyboard this week. 

Emjae's not the only one who made an addition to our shelves.  Michael E. Benson's second in the Frank Petrovic series, Alvarado's Woman will be available in August.   Also in August, you'll get to meet the newest addition to the pot, when Steven Revare is featured on Inknpage. 

We're on Facebook now, too.  We're not exactly sure what this means, but Emjae says it is a good thing, and would a woman who believes in chivalry, afternoon tea and that the Dodgers can still make a comeback lie to us?  We think not.

Pick up her new book today. 

If you're not on our mailing list, you missed out on a 25% discount for The Lady Must Decline.  Don't miss the next discount - sign up today.  

Boss Bean

We're pleased to announce Kristie Leigh Maguire as our featured author this month.  She's given us yet another wonderful insight into What Writers Write, on our InknPage.    If you enjoyed her essay, drop in at her website and let her know...or pick up one of her books! 

Emjae's virtual booksigning continues through the fifteenth.  Pick up your copy soon.

Emjae's sixth book, The Lady Must Decline, will start off with a coupon for everyone on the mailing list.  If you want to get her newest title at twenty five percent off, and get updates and announcements of other fun stuff, join the mailing list today. 

Stay cool out there...

The Boss and Ms. Pupps.

It's July and we've got a full bodied pot of goodness going for you.

Our virtual booksigning is ongoing.  Emjae clutches her Sharpie to her breast, and waits, ever poised to sign and say thank you.  It's a pretty good deal.  For $2.59 plus S&H ($0.28), you get a suitable-for-framing/bookmark/decorating/fanning yourself postcard featuring the cover art of A Plane Proposal, signed by Emjae. On the back, you'll find, along with our thanks, a code for a free digital copy of A Plane Proposal in any e-reader format available at Smashwords.com 

Emjae has been doing more than autographing books, however.  Her sixth contemporary relationship fiction will be out this month.  The Lady Must Decline is a romantic suspense boomerang of action and emotion. 

Michael E. Benson has been working so hard he blew up his computer!  It died valiantly, however, delivering two new books; Alvarado's Woman, the next in the Frank Petrovic series, will be out in August, and then there is his foray into the Young Adult market with a semi - biographical work that reads like Tom Sawyer in the Great Depression.  Watch for details. 

Kathie Leigh Maguire, author of Second Chances, among other pretty steamy romances, will be our featured author this month on InknPage.  Watch for that fun look at the writer and her work on the eighth of July. 

We'll be back soon with more updates and announcements.  In the meantime, have a safe and sane holiday. 

The Boss Bean (and Ms Pupps)

It's more than half way through June, and it has been a busy, uplifting and occasionally disappointing few weeks.  Openers had its best sales day yet, thanks in large part to the folks at KindleKorner groups at Yahoo.  Overall, sales are picking up, and we're delighted. 

If you enjoyed Openers, and Frank Petrovic, you'll be happy to know there's another in the series, coming out in August.  Alvarado's Woman is a quick story, featuring Frank going after the kidnapper and killer of little girls. 

Speaking of Openers, and its author, did you read Michael E Benson's column this month for InknPage?  If not, check it out. 

The booksigning has not been as successful as we'd like.  We hope that will change by end of month.  Doesn't everyone want a 4 x 5.75" suitable for framing postcard featuring the cover art for Plane Proposal and Emjae's autograph?  Oh, yes, it comes with a book, too.  On the back is a coupon for a free digital copy of the book redeemable at Smashwords.  Order yours today. 

We'll be back soon with more exciting announcements.

It's a virtual booksigning for Emaje Edward's A Plane Proposal.  Go to our Book Signing page for details. 


No Greater Love is live at Amazon, finally!

Openers had its best sales day yet June 10th.  Thanks, bOb, and all the great readers at KindleKorner (Yahoo Groups).  If you have a Kindle (or any e reader) or want to get one, join KindleKorner at Yahoo Groups.  They know everything - and they know it. 

No Greater Love is now available.   If you're on our mailing list, check your email for a twenty five percent discount at Smashwords.

There's a lot brewing this month at Inknbeans Press

June 5th is the release date for Emjae Edwards' fifth book, No Greater Love.  If you are on our mailing list, watch for a coupon code for twenty five percent off at Smashwords. 

June 10th will be our next edition of InknPage, this month featuring the thoughts of our own Michael E. Benson.

June 20th will be our first book signing.  Details to follow. 

Got a question?  Have a comment?  Want discounts, previews and special offers?  Drop us a line at Got Something To Say or sign up to be included on our mailing list.  We'd love to hear from you. 

Fiona has loved Tremaine since she first understood what made a girl's heart do a little dance inside.  He's handsome, successful, charming, moody, needy, and completely clueless.  He loves Paullette, who is not above stepping on his heart to get where she thinks she belongs.  Fiona has the power to stop the romance, and achieve everything she's ever dreamed about, but sacrifices her chance of happiness for the hope of his. 

Dane has the power to take Fiona's life from bleak to bright even though his heart lies elsewhere, and he sacrifices his happiness to help hers. 

How much sacrifice is too much?  When is love no longer enough? Find out June 5th.  No Greater Love, by Emjae Edwards.

If you're on the mailing list, you can get twenty five percent off cover price.  Sign up now.

Emjae Edwards' new release, No Greater Love.  Love so often means sacrifice.  What would you do for the person you love? 

Two promotions are coming up in June.   If you're on the mailing list, you'll get a chance to buy Emjae's new book at a discount.  And...for the other, well...we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. 

Also, look for a new edition of What Writers Write, featuring our own Michael E. Benson. 

Openers is now available at Amazon.com for $1.99 

Openers is a chilling look into the mind of a killer, and into the minds of the men and women who hunt him.  It's CSI with street cred.  It's based on actual events, and written by a former police investigator.  And Openers opens for business, Wednesday, May 5th.  Join our mailing list and get 10 percent off the price at Smashwords.com this week. 

New to Inknbeans

We're taking names and mailing stuff.  Join our mailing list to get advance previews of new releases, updates, special offers and discounts, and a chance to ask our authors questions. 

Coming in May

Openers, a chilling view into the mind of a serial killer, and the policemen and women who are trying to stop him before he kills again.  Told in a clinical and informative style, it is 'part police report, part diary'.   This isn't CSI, this was written by a former police investigator and instructor, showing all the progress and failure of a criminal investigation. 

Inkinpage - an occasional feature, written by writers in various genres, about their particular process in developing a story, and getting the story to the page, and ultimately to the reader. 

The Ultimate Reading Experience, a special, unique way to enjoy the books offered at Inknbeans.  Details coming soon.

Scottie McArdle had never known the love of family until she met the Howards.  When they asked her to distract their eldest son before he made what could literally be a fatal mistake, she had no idea that she'd be asked to make decisions that could affect her for the rest of her life. 

Lane Howard was rich, handsome, powerful,  miserable and dying.  He blamed all women for the actions of  the woman he could not forget.  Despite Scottie's willingness to do whatever would make the all too few and all too precious months of his life happy ones, he doubted and suspected her, and even tried to destroy her.

 

WARNING:  This book contains reference to a non consensual physical encounter. 

On Sale Now. 

 

Calling All Hearts will be released Thursday, April 15th.  Here's a sample:


It was on the first page of the second section:  a picture of Marjean and Lane, her head on his shoulder, him smiling, the back of Scottie’s head, a caption that read that Marjean Harris and her old ‘beau’ were renewing old acquaintances at Sardi’s, along with an unidentified companion.  Scottie closed her eyes and tried to remember Lane smiling when that photograph was taken.  It seemed to her he had just looked painfully embarrassed. 

She put the paper aside, and stood.  Inside, Lane was in the bathroom, showering.  She made the bed, even though she knew it annoyed Burton, laid out her clothes for the day and waited, wondering what she was supposed to say to Lane, yet sensing that something must be said.

In a few moments he came out, a black bath towel knotted at his hip.  She had to catch her breath at the sight of him.  No matter how miserable he made her by loving another woman, there was no denying that he was a good looking man, a man who knew how to give a woman pleasure, and if she wanted to exercise her legal rights, she could keep him from giving that pleasure to anyone but her.

He stalled when he saw her.  He opened his mouth, but nothing would come out.  Finally he stopped struggling to find some innocuous thing to say and sighed.  “You saw the photo?”

What else could she say? She looked away and nodded. 

He became uncharacteristically defensive.  “Scottie, you were there, you know how all that happened.  You know you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh, I know.”  She lowered her eyes.  She understood now why he had been so distant and unhappy that morning, and she didn’t want to make him any unhappier, but she had a desperate need to convey to him that if he was still interested in Marjean that she did not want to know about it.

“Listen, Scottie, I know would be a lot easier on both of us if there wasn’t any history between Marjean and me,” he dropped the towel almost defiantly and sat to put on underwear and socks, “but we can’t get around the fact that I was engaged to her at one time, and she and I had had a very passionate relationship for a while, even after that.  But it was over a long time ago.”

Scottie went to his dressing room to select a shirt for him.  “Of course, Lane.”

“You don’t believe me, do you?” he challenged.

She didn’t, but she wasn’t going to enflame the situation any more by admitting it.  Instead, she employed an old interrogation tactic she had learned on the Force.  “Of course I do.  Why shouldn’t I?  Why would you lie to me, Lane?” she asked, laying the shirt out on the bed beside her own things.  “It’s not as if we have to live with this hovering between us forever and ever.”  She jerked away from the sting of her own words.  What was happening to her, that she wanted to say such cruel things to him?

He didn’t seem to see it as cruel, only honest.  “Well, we do.  At least for my forever and ever,” he answered, taking the shirt and sliding into it.  “Scottie, I know we both came into this trying to be practical, to leave out feelings out of it, and that may have been a mistake.”  He paused, trying to choose words carefully.  “But it’s not a mistake we can undo.  I just want you to know that…that…” he stumbled, staring at the floor, bewildered.  “I just want you to know…” he stopped again, and pressed a fist to his chest.

Scottie turned around.  Lane was staggering against the bed, his eyes round with surprise, his dark face going pale, his lips faintly blue, his breath coming in great, heaving shudders.  “Lane?” she began, nervously, “Lane?”  She ran to him, trying to support him, as he lurched forward, still pressing his chest. 

He tried to push her away, but seemed to have no strength in his hands.  He fell against the bed again and slithered down to sit on the floor at the foot of the bed.  “I…I can’t breathe,” he gasped.

“I’ll call 911,” Scottie said, fighting panic, trying to be the trained responder she was supposed to be.  “Where is your doctor’s number?  Does Burton know it?  Just nod.”  She ran to the door to shout for the butler.

“Scottie,” Lane wheezed, struggling for air.  “In the…drawer,” he pointed weakly, “there’s a…”

Scottie obeyed quickly, fear pounding frantically in her brain.  This was it.  It was over already.  Not now!  I’m not ready! She protested feverishly, pawing through his things, finding a bottle and glancing at the label.  Nitroglycerin tablets, of course.   “Here.”  She knelt beside him, twisting the cap off and spilling the tiny rectangles into her hand.  “Open your mouth.”  She dropped one under his tongue when he obeyed.  She reached for the phone beside the overturned drawer. “I’m going to call 911, now. Shh…let the medications work.” 

As she made the connection, identified herself and the emergency, Burton arrived, helping his employer into a more comfortable position against the edge of the bed.  He seemed to know exactly what to do, and once he was assured that Lane had taken the medication, and that 911 had been contacted, he put a blanket over Lane’s legs and went downstairs to direct the Emergency team when it arrived.

Lane let his head fall back against the bed, still struggling for air, but the color was coming back into his face. “Oh, that’s better,” he sighed, letting his hands fall from his throat to his lap. He shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again.  “I think that was the worst one, yet.”

“What was that?  What just happened?” Scottie was trembling all over, the bottle clenched so tightly in her hand she was in danger of breaking it.

Lane waved it away with an insubstantial gesture.  “Nothing to get yourself worked up over,” he said, breathlessly.  “It’s not a heart attack.  It’s just my heart’s way of protesting when I get upset or stressed.”

“Has it happened often?” she asked, kneeling beside him again.  “Is it safe for you to drive?  Is it safe for you to travel?”

He nodded faintly.  “They don’t happen often, and never so bad as this.  I’m sorry, Scottie.  I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Well, of course I was scared.  What do you expect?”  Scottie was so scared she was almost angry.  “I thought this was it.  I thought you were going d-die right here.”

“Oh, I promise I won’t do that to you.”  He reached up and pulled her down to sit beside him.  “I’ll be very quiet about it.”

“That’s not funny.”  She pushed away from him.  “I was so afraid you were going to…to go and I felt so helpless.  Oh, Lane, I don’t think I can handle this.”  When she turned around, he was laying very still, his eyes closed once again.  “Lane? I’m sorry.  I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“It’s all right, Scottie, don’t apologize,” he said resignedly.  “I’m glad you feel comfortable being completely honest.”  He opened his eyes and searched her face.  “Are you saying you want out, now?”

Scottie looked down at the bottle in her hands.  Did she want out?  Never.  “No, you said this was a mis…this was something we couldn’t undo.  I’m here as long as you want me to be here, Lane.”

He gave her a faltering smile.  “To the bitter end, eh, Scottie?”  He began to push himself off the floor.”

“Lane, be careful.  Please, sit down…the ambulance will be here any moment.”

“Oh, no…I don’t need them, now.”  He eased up until he was sitting on the edge of the bed.  “Once the nitro does its work, except for a headache, I’m fine.”  He gestured toward the dressing room.  “Get me a pair of navy slacks, will you?  And stop worrying, Scottie.  Actually, this is a good sign, it means all my nerves and things are still working properly.  Oh, and thanks for the help.  Dad always said you had nerves of steel.”

Scottie looked again to her shaking hands.  “Not much like steel now,” she confessed. 

“Oh, come on, you’re a cop, you face down desperate men with guns before breakfast.”  He rubbed his chest.  “Don’t tell me a little myocardial infarction is going to scare you.”

“You know, my job isn’t like that.  Even when I was a beat cop, most of it was traffic enforcement and public relations.  The desperate men with guns were the exception, not the rule.”  Realizing that he was merely trying to distract her from the very real and alarming event, she held the bottle up and examined it.  “Sublingual Nitrostat.”  She shook her head and put the bottle on the bedside table.  “It says you should sit or lie down after taking them.  So…” she pointed to the bed, “sit or lie down.  I always associated nitroglycerin pills with old people with bad hearts-“

“Scottie, what do you think I am?”  He started to stand up, but she moved to block his efforts.  “Well, I’m a not so old person with a bad heart.  It runs in my family.  Didn’t my father tell you that?”

Scottie nodded slowly as a new fear gripped her.  This defect was congenital.  What if their child should suffer the same condition?  “Yes, I understood that.”  Well, I knew it, she conceded to herself, that doesn’t mean I understood it, until now.

Lane watched the ill concealed fears dance behind her eyes and he sat down again, his mouth screwed up in a frown.  “As soon as possible after you get pregnant, the baby must be tested for this condition,” he said, heavily.  “You can talk to my doctor and get the details.  Will you do that?”

“Of course,” she promised hastily.  He must hate me for being so afraid of something he’s meeting head on, almost liked an anticipated and welcomed friend.

“You don’t need to be too worried,” he said, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt.  “The chances are about one in four that our child would have this defect.  My grandfather was one of four sons and the only one to have it.  My uncle was one of five children, and the only one affected.  Trent’s heart is as sound as a dollar.  So is Dad’s.  And it only passes to male children.  So, really, there’s not a lot to worry about.  Now, will you get me my trousers?”

Scottie shook her head.  “You’re not going anywhere until you’re checked out.”  She turned to the dressing room.  “I’ll get your pajama pants if you don’t want to meet the EMTs in flagrante.”

“Ever practical, Scottie.”  He smiled.  Except for a greyishness around his eyes, there was really no indication of the man who, just moments before, was too weak to lift his hands, who had to fight for every breath.

Scottie tried to match his smile.  “Thank you for telling me about your family history.  That’s reassuring.  How did…how did…” She couldn’t make herself invade his privacy any more and ask the questions for which she wanted and needed answers.

“How did I find out about it?”  He took his pajama pants and stepped into them, carefully.

Scottie nodded, holding out a hand in support which he ignored.  “I suppose, even knowing it ran in the family, it must have been a bit of a shock.”

“Not really.”  He sat down again, sighing as if that little bit of effort had been more than he expected.  “We’ve always know I had this problem.  I was a sickly baby.  I guess I was a real burden to my folks, just starting out in life, trying to make ends meet on a patrolman’s salary, knowing that – back then – a kid like me usually didn’t survive.  But, against the odds, I survived.”  He bit down on his lip, frowning.  “The odds ran out a couple of months ago when I went in for an insurance check up and they found that my condition was deteriorating at an accelerated rate.”  He shrugged.  “I can’t complain.  I figure I got thirty more years than I was entitled to have.”

The siren they had both been ignoring screamed up the drive.

The Boss is away on personal business, so I'm going to take this opportunity to make you a great offer.  The next seven people who purchase A Plane Proposal and leave a review at Smashwords.com or Amazon.com (or both) will receive their choice of  either Wife in the Mirror or Learning to Be Irish absolutely free. 

But wait, there's more!

Review the free book you receive at Smashwords.com or Amazon.com (or both) and I'll see that the Boss sends you a copy of the brand new book, Calling All Hearts, absolutely free, when it is released in April.   Three books for the price of one!  How's that for a deal? 

This offer is limited to free digital copies. 

Go.  Read.  It's good for you. 

Ms. BG Pupps

Get swept away for free.  A Plane Proposal and Wife in the Mirror will both be free at smashwords.com next week.  All we ask is that you read, encourage someone else to read, help someone to read.  And when you're through, let us know what you think. 

Boss Bean and Ms Pupps

How about a book where the country is one of the main characters.  How about a book where the girl gets the guy and the country?  How about a book that makes happiness out of harp strings and a pocketful of emeralds?  Learning to Be Irish is available now at smashwords.com and Amazon.com  Have a holiday in  Ireland for $1.29.

Feel like a trip to Hawaii?  Feel like a little mistaken identity?  Feel like a few orchids with your forbidden love?  Wife in the Mirror is live!  Available at Smashwords.com for assorted digital formats, including Kindle, for $1.49  and in print at Amazon.com.