We need your help! Thanks to our spy, Ciara Knight, we are able to communicate with you today via blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

The Neumarian uprising has begun. We are fighting for freedom and equality for all, but we need your help. Ciara informed us that you might want to know more about the uprising and why we ask you to risk your lives for our cause. To answer these questions I’ve agreed to let Ciara tell my sister’s, Raeth’s, story about her captivity. It will be free for you on a site called Amazon until March 1, 2013.

Our spies have told us this will help spread the word and find more recruits for our rebellion against the tyrannical queen. You can help by simply downloading a free copy of Weighted, a prequel to the Neumarian Chronicles. 

If you are intrigued and wish to follow our uprising, Escapement, book I of The Neumarian Chronicles, will be available for only $2.99 until March 1, 2013.

Escapement is told by Princess Semara. Don’t hold the fact Semara is a princess against her like I did, there is more to her than you can possibly imagine.

Here is a brief explanation of her telling of our uprising:

Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.

What people are saying about Escapement:

“A heady mix of action adventure and steampunk -- leavened with a dash of romance -- ESCAPEMENT offers up its fair share of thrills, horrors and heart-pounding moments. A strong start to a captivating new series.”

-- Jana Oliver, author of The Demon Trapper's Daughter

“A riveting tale of justice, mercy, honor and love. Take a deep breath and hold on, because you'll be turning the pages of Escapement quickly. Three unlikely comrades, Princess Semara, Ryder, and his sister Raeth, embark on a journey that will alter their lives forever. The beautiful love story nestled into these action-packed scenes will make you sigh and remember why you love to love. After reading the prequel Weighted, I knew this story would be amazing, and it was. Ciara Knight truly has a gift for creating awesome worlds and characters you won't forget.”

--Lindi Peterson--Award winning author of Summer's Song.

“Betrayal, secrets, and a rebellion send readers on a grand adventure, caught in the plight to discover Semara’s gifts and purpose.”

--Alex J Cavanaugh, author of Amazon best sellers CassaStar and CassaFire

“The most unmissable series ever! I couldn't stop reading, the action and romance too breathtaking to break the spell!”

--ARC review by Sudah on Goodreads

"A courageous heart-stopping journey by young people to save their kind."

--Hildie McQueen, bestselling author of Where the Four Winds Collide

If you’d like to see a peak into our world, please view this short clip on You Tube below. 

If you are now ready to join our fight, please add Escapement to your TBR shelf on Goodreads here. Shout out on all your social media sites, and tell everyone you know to stand up and fight.

Be Bold.

Be Brave.

Be Free.

In the name of the rebellion,
Ryder Arteres

READER REVIEW: "I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to read this book. I am absolutely in love with this series, and with Ciara Knights writing! This novella was an excellent starter to a series that I am now dying to get my hands on." 
--KD Amazon Review




                             THE BOOK

The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself. It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

                               THE BOOK


Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen's reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother's empire. When my own erratic powers surface I'm captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.



Purchase Escapement:  Amazon US & Amazon UK

-- by Melisa Ramsey

           

It is not an uncommon theme for many students to get ripped off when trying to make back some money selling their unwanted and no longer used textbooks. Most people know that students can use every dollar they can make but campus bookstores and other used bookstores who may buy these texts do not care about anything but making that almighty buck themselves. The solution is to sell your textbooks online but many students do not know how to go about that. In this article we will share ways to avoid bookstore rip-off and how to get the best dollar for your textbooks by selling online.



Know the Best Time to Sell

Sometimes you need to sell your books at a specific time. But with the offline bookstores there are certain times that you can get more money. If you sell right before school time, this is when most students are desperate for books and the bookstores will pay more if they need certain topics. But this also works against you. If the bookstore has too many of a certain title, they will refuse your books or give you pennies on the dollar.

Use Your Own Resources

Bookstores are not the only places to sell your used books. It may seem easier to just walk into your local campus store and walk out with some cash but they do not often give you a fair value. If you use your own resources such as making up flyers to post around the campus or in local store bulletin boards, or posting a free ad on sites like Craigslist or Kijiji.com. Talk to your friends, go to coffee shops and places where other students hang out and see if you can find people who are looking for certain books for a good price.

Or check into places online that will buy your textbooks. Many of these places have a system setup where you can find out the going rate for each book you would like to sell and this ensures that you will get the most for your money.

Keep everything that comes with the original book

For some textbooks there are extra little things included such as cds or workbooks. By keeping these items intact and ready to sell with the textbooks, you may get a better price depending on the demand for it. You will need to remember though that if it is something like a workbook, you cannot have writing in it or use a highlighter or else it will be of no value to the next student. Always remember not to dog ear your pages and keep your textbooks and all related material as pristine as possible to keep the garner the best deal possible.

If you are in a tight spot and really need to sell your books for instant cash, do your research online and see what the going rates of the texts are going for. If you are just looking to make back some money for spending or next year's books, then take the time to go online and check out places that will buy your books for a better price. Most places will send you the postage needed for these books too so there are no extra out of pocket expenses on your end. Also another tip is that just because you buy a textbook brand new doesn’t always mean that you will get top dollar when you try to sell them back to a bookstore. It is always a supply and demand business. Local bookstores may not be able to get rid of your exact copies whereas an online buyback store sells to students from all over the country. Because of that, they will be able to ensure you a better deal. To http://www.buybacktextbooks.com/ to sell used text booksvisit the site.

Nimpentoad is the fantasy story of a courageous and resourceful little Nibling who leads his tribe through the perilous Grunwald forest, overcoming obstacles and encountering strange creatures along the way. This post is about the creative journey of Nimpentoad by a father and his two young sons.
--by Henry Herz

When my sons were five and seven years old, and I wanted to share my love of fantasy with them. Struck by inspiration one day, I came up with a way to share the joy of entering the magical realms of fantasy. I would write a fantasy book for them.

What I did not anticipate was that my boys would give me feedback on the story. They devised some of the character (“Nimpentoad”) and creature (“Neebel”) names, and made plot line suggestions. And who better to help make the story appealing to kids than other kids? My sons also helped with the art direction. Our artist would give us a rough sketch, and we would provide feedback on details and color palette. My goal of interesting my sons in fantasy transformed into also encouraging them to participate in the creative process. 

Of course, collaborating with kids is a very different affair than collaborating with an adult. Their work ethic is, shall we say, less disciplined. This can be mitigated by making the working sessions more like play sessions - we're telling a story, not crafting a manuscript. And once we began creating the artwork, the boys' interest grew as they saw images of Nimpentoad and the other fantastic creatures come to life.

Eventually, we had a good book, but no readers - the challenge facing all self-published authors. So, we then embarked upon the most arduous part of our journey – promoting Nimpentoad. While I handled the web-based promotional activities, I wanted my sons to be involved in the live events. Once again, I had to train and encourage them - this time to become good public speakers. By starting with small groups, like elementary school classes, they learned to be comfortable in front of a crowd, and to make eye contact and use voice inflection to enhance the reading experience for their audiences. They have also participated in several phone interviews for web radio shows.

Once they mastered public speaking, the next learning opportunity for my sons was mastering the sale. We've found selling our book at farmer's markets to be surprisingly successful. Imagine trying to coldly walk past two charismatic young booth operators who ask "would you like to see the book WE wrote?". But as before, they needed guidance. They had to be coached about engaging effectively with passersby - smile, sit up, and speak to them. My sons learned how to answer commonly asked questions about the book and their participation in its creation. And how to change a twenty dollar bill, or deal with someone who tries to haggle on price.

At the risk of infringing on child labor laws, I booked my sons as much as their school schedules would allow. We’ve done readings, giveaways and signings at San Diego libraries, elementary schools, farmer's markets, La Jolla YMCA, the New Children’s Museum, the San Diego Comic-Con, Mysterious Galaxy Books, Readers Books, Warwick’s Books, and Barnes & Noble. We will be signing our book at the upcoming Orange County Children's Book Festival - one of the largest of its kind in the US.

At the San Diego Public Library 46th Annual Local Author’s Exhibit, my sons asked for autographs from Chris Ryall (of IDW Publishing) and famed graphic novelist Eric Shanower. Both of these gentlemen then graciously asked for my boys’ autographs. First class!

At the La Mesa Centennial Readers & Writers Festival, we shared a booth with Ron Noble, animator of Rugrats, Rocket Power, and Wild Thornberry’s. He was very kind, and my boys left that day with personalized Wild Thornberry sketches. First class!

All these experiences have further enriched the journey for my sons. They understand some of the aspects of running a business and publishing. They are now comfortable meeting new people, doing public speaking, and rubbing elbows with famous authors. It has been a great ride.

The Nimpentoad authors have been written about in Entrepreneur Magazine and Wired Geekdad. The book's artwork was a semifinalist in an art contest sponsored by Warner Brothers (and judged by The Hobbit movie staff). Nimpentoad recently received its 81st Amazon 5-star rating. The book is available in paperback and Kindle format. Our website is http://www.nimpentoad.com

**Keep in mind that this is a work in progress and has not been professionally edited yet.  This novel is not yet titled.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, events, and incidents are fictitious and products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012 by T.M. Souders

All rights reserved.

                                                                                         CHAPTER ONE

A nearby train shakes the quiet night. She feels the subtle vibrations from where she sits, hears the train’s whistle in the distance—in her car, only mere feet away from the place her husband was killed. One year ago today, three hundred and sixty five days to be exact. At forty years old, she was widowed. She imagines it must have been a night much like this one, warm with a crisp edge leftover from winter. She doesn’t remember if the air was warm or cold that night, if the stars were bright or the sky a blanket of clouds. Crippling numbness—that’s what she remembers, while the police officer told her that her husband was shot and killed on the streets of Trenton. An accident, he’d said, caught in crossfire between feuding gangs. Then, hours later, the numbness receded and the feeling returned to her body. Agony came like a thief in the night. A burglar. A caper. Pain spread from her heart to her arms, legs, fingers, and toes. It moved everywhere at once, vibrating through to her very soul and stealing it away, leaving nothing but anguish and agony in its place. Seventeen years of marriage gone in an instant. So much time together, yet not nearly long enough. Not even close.

The same pain wraps through her now as she stares at the concrete below the stoplight. She gets out of her car and approaches, keeping her eyes locked on the black street, illuminated with nothing but the red glow, then green, from the traffic light above it. There are no cars. Only her and her thumping heart. And her dark thoughts.

She crouches down on the curb next to the road and places a hand on the cool concrete. Closing her eyes, she imagines him. His dark hair, equally dark eyes. His wide smile and broad shoulders.

Laughter from a nearby house, both sudden and loud, startles her and grounds her to the present. She glances around the neighborhood, all cramped houses, peeling paint, and falling down porches. Everything dark and dreary. A closed convenience store and the brittle bones of an old gas station flank her. Signs of what once was. Much like her broken heart and the carcass of the remains she lives in.

Taking a deep breath, she stares at the rough surface below her hand, as if his blood still stains the earth there. “Ryan. I’m here. Can you hear me?” she asks, her voice shaking. She swallows hard, trying to force down the tears which threaten to keep her from saying what she needs to. “What am I saying? Of course you can hear me. You’re always with me. At least I hope…” She had tried a million times over the last twelve months to feel him, to see some sign that he was still around and watching over her. That he was okay, at peace. But just like now, all she sees and feels are grief and sadness.

“I came here because I thought maybe you might hear me better.” She forces the words out, but they burn in her throat like acid.

No. Why did I really come here? She glances up at the sound of oncoming footsteps. Two young men pass by dressed in dark clothes, glaring at her beneath oversized baseball caps. Their eyes pierce through her, as if they can read her thoughts. They disappear around the corner and to the back of the crumpling gas station.

She lays her head down now—on the concrete, three feet into the roadway, knowing it is stupid and dangerous. But not caring.

“Your brother told me that he needs me to come back to work. That our business can’t survive without me. But I’m not the same person anymore. The business was ours. Not just mine. Ours. How can I run it without you? How can I go on? Get dressed, go to work. I can’t. I don’t want to, and I haven’t for the past year.” A lump forms in her throat, and she’s openly sobbing now. Her body’s shaking, her nose runs into her mouth, and her cheek is throbbing from the rough concrete and bits of pebbles and debris digging into her skin. But it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.

“I know he’s right. It’s what you would want. And my sitting around isn’t bringing you back.” She speaks between hiccups. “It isn’t going to change the fact that I’m still here without you. That I’m alive and have to find a way to make it through the next few days, let alone the next few years.”

She sniffs and stares out into the empty street. The blare of rap music approaches from the distance, growing louder with each passing second, paired with the excited chatter of several men’s voices. She lifts her head up and sits back on her feet, glancing in the direction of the sound. A car heads toward her, illuminating her in the glow of its headlights. She squints and shields her eyes. The car slows and pulls up beside her. Five Hispanic men get out of the car. They’re dressed in blue. One wears a knit cap, and two others don bandannas over sweaty, greasy faces. Their eyes are hard and dark. Her skin prickles, but she doesn’t move. Even when the boys step into the street, their eyes boring into hers, she remains still, aware that she should be afraid, but feeling nothing.

“Hey guera. What a fine lookin’ chica like you doin’ in our neck ‘a the woods, eh?” The short one, with tattoos covering his shaved skull, addresses her. He glances to her car, an XFG Mercedes and back again. “That’s a nice ride you got there.”

For the first time, Elizabeth glances around her and notices the blur of blue graffiti scrawled all over the dilapidated buildings. “You like our artwork?” He asks.

 She stares into the cold man’s menacing eyes, saying nothing, wondering if this is what it was like for Ryan. If he saw them coming, looked into their eyes before he was shot. Or was it really like the police said? A sudden burst of gang crossfire that happened to hit an unlucky passerby? She had asked herself those questions a million times, among others. Did he suffer? Was he afraid? Did he think of her before he took his last breath?

The men step forward. They surround her, all five of them, and she wonders if it was one of them. Was it one of their guns? Their bullets? The short one with the tattooed head crouches in front of her. The stench of his breath nearly makes her gag, but his lips curl into a sneer and stop her. He reaches around her, grabbing her long, blonde hair deftly by the roots and yanking her head up until she yelps.

This is why she came. The real reason. Not to talk to Ryan. Not to wish a final farewell to her beloved. Or move on. She wanted death to find her by the hands of these monsters. She wanted the habitual agony to end. No more having to live without him. Except her death wouldn’t be an accident. It wouldn’t be senseless, or a shame. Because she came looking for it.

“We’re going to have a little fun, guera.” A wicked grin flashes over the short one’s round face before it disappears, his fist finds her face, and her world goes black.

Scarlett O'Hara - Vivien Lee

How can we have this list without her? The most iconic face of female book to movie romance. Her love story was epic, a classic. I would be sad to see a day when she doesn't top the lists for best book/movie anything.

The Mother - Anne Bancroft

Okay, so  although I've seen The Graduate, it was slightly before my time and so I always remember (as I'm sure others do) THE Mother. I don't even know what her actual name was in the movie. I'm sure she had one, lol. But I think "The Mother" since it was that relationship and role in the film that made it so controversial, or gave it all the hype. After the movie, Anne Bancroft was THE sex symbol of the time.

Bridgett Jones - Renee Zellweger

Okay, so this movie is more chick-lit and not so much known for a great romance or love as the others. But I think Bridgett Jones deserves to be on the list because I feel like she is SO many women. Women across the globe can relate to her. They feel her plight, in their hips and waistline, and in their nebulous love lives. So, cheers to Bridgett Jones!  Without Renee Zellweger, she wouldn't have been the same.

Allie from The Notebook - Rachel McAdams

I think it's safe to say that this is one of Nicholas Spark's most popularr books to film. And whenever I think of him or an epic love story, I think of The Notebook. And I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the female role.

Bella - Kristen Stewart

How can we have a list without the modern day pick of Twilight? Bella and Edward are THE iconic love of the 21st century. Years from now, the movie/books and the couple will still be considered one of the greatest loves to go down in literature and cinematic history. For as many mixed feelings as I have about Stewart, she helped make the films and it would be weird with anyone else in her place.

...................................................................................................................................................................................................

READER REVIEW:  "A simple, versatile and integrated approach for anyone encountering sleeplessness. Benefitting even those with the most relentless insomnia, Keri Nola presents a variety of valuable "peaceful sleep" antidotes for body, mind & spirit- truly life-changing."  -- ~Monica Bradnan, Acupuncture Physician




                                
                                    THE BOOK


In this book, Author and Holistic Psychotherapist, Keri Nola, offers a collection of 44 diverse, holistic tips, tricks, and techniques that support you in discovering and relieving the environmental, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical and energetic influences keeping you from peaceful sleep.

Are you tired of tossing and turning, struggling with unfulfilling sleep? 

Have you tried everything you can think of to help yourself get a good night's rest with no success? 

If you are ready to empower your sleep cycle with simple, easy to implement ideas, this book will be the resource guide you return to night after night to get the rest you deserve and desire.

44 Holistic Tips For Peaceful Sleep will benefit people who:

-appreciate natural remedies for resolving sleep challenges
-have difficulty falling asleep
-have difficulty staying asleep
-experience restless sleep
-feel tired upon waking
-have low energy at points during the day
-fear bedtime because of a history of sleep difficulties
-have difficulty relaxing the mind at bedtime
-have difficulty relaxing the body at bedtime

-- by Luke Murphy

The book Fifty Shades of Grey got me thinking.

This is the latest phenomenon. It seems that this series of novels has taken the world by storm and it’s all people can talk about.

The great thing about E.L. James’ books is that there is no set market. I’ve spoken with middle age mothers, men, and senior citizens who have all read the books and enjoyed them immensely.

I totally understand the attraction. Sex sells. People are naturally curious over this content, want to be a part of the worldwide craze and can be lured in.

Ms. James has become an overnight sensation and is an inspiration to authors all over the world. She took her books from Fan Fiction, to Print-on-Demand, to an ultimate success, selling over 30 million copies and topping the bestsellers charts—a true example of Viral Marketing. Aspiring writers can look up to her and realize that anything is possible.

People have asked me if my novel is like these books and although I have not personally read the FIFTY SHADES OF GREY books, I have read a lot of the reviews and I have spoken to a lot of people who have.

I can honestly say, “No”, DEAD MAN’S HAND is nothing like FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.

The content of these books has been very controversial to say the least.

But I am curious to know: What would the response be to FIFTY SHADES OF GREY had it been written by a young, single man?

Would it be just as accepted, or would a man be seen as a sick pervert -- someone who gets his jollies by writing porn?

Do you feel more comfortable reading these books because you know that they were written by a middle-aged mother of two teenage boys? So this is okay to be considered “Mommy Porn” and joked about?

I’m just wondering. Any thoughts?