Bundle Up!

It's very cold above the arctic circle. Here's your chance to bundle up for reading with the new Witches of Galdorheim series ebook bundle. A bit of a discount from the individual book retail prices.

Witches of Galdorheim Bundle

Happy TG Day! Be Kind to Turkeys!

My favorite Thanksgiving Greeting song. Have a nice Thanksgiving day and be kind to turkeys!

Book Review - The Shield of Beom by Renee Duke

Shield of Beom by Renee Duke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Shield of Beom” continues the adventures of the kids who helped the royal heir of Cholar gain his throne and are held in high esteem by everyone on the planet.

Well, almost everyone. A Supreme Ruler (benevolent though he is), is bound to have a few folk who object to his accession. Thus we have a villain, Drazok (Mr. Evil), who's determined to blackmail him into abdicating so he can put someone more pliable on the throne. The villain's ploy is to take advantage of the kidnapping of the monarch’s children in what first appears to be a run-of-the-mill kid-snatch. Only later do we discover...oh, wait. That's spoiler territory.

The kids are determined to thwart Mr. Evil. Adults keep telling them to stay behind and remain safe, but that sort of admonition has never stopped Meda, Kirsty, and Simon, whose response to ‘no’ is to come back with, ‘Oh, yeah!’ Even the less adventuresome Jip and Arlyne are willing to join the others in creating a complicated plan of hide and seek involving false passports and sneaking aboard freight ships to move between planets as they try to rescue the kidnapped royal children.

Then there's the Shield of Beom itself, which must come into play since it's the title of the book, but it'd be a spoiler if I let you know where it is and what power it wields.

Overall, the Side Trip tales are a wonderful mystery and action series for kids (including kids like me). I do hope there will be another. How about the Amulet of Beom or the Spear of Beom or the Aardvark of Beom? Come on, Ms. Duke, I'm ready and willing to dive once more into the adventures of Meda and company. Besides, we need to know what else happens with the AUP Consortium. Surely, that's still something be resolved.

I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. Which I have done.

A Couple of New Cool Things

X-RAYS! Well, not as cool as they show in the comics, but a nice feature of Kindle books. You know, the books sold by Amazon. Now, x-rays for ebooks are only available on the Kindle versions you buy at Amazon (or get for free). The author or publisher has to go through a grindingly painstaking process of trying to decide what Characters or Terms the reader might click to find out more about, then decide to write an original definition (generally for characters) or pulled right off Wikipedia (generally for terms or place names).

The entire Witches of Galdorheim series now has x-ray available. If you already have any of the ebooks from Kindle, just kick it off your reader, then re-send it to get the updated version.

Other books with x-rays include "First Duty," "Eagle Quest," and "Missing, Assumed Dead." I'm hitting the Tales of Abu Nuwas books next. My gosh, is there ever a ton of characters and terms to define in those! For one thing, the books have a lot of middle-eastern mythological characters. Sometimes, the English/American spelling varies from source to source. That makes that much harder to locate and either select a decent Wiki article or find some other source and grab it for inclusion.

In addition, I've applied to make The Witches of Galdorheim an official series which allows it to be bundled. Bundling allows a reader to grab all the books in a series at one go. I'd love everybody to do that. I have not yet heard back from Amazon on how this will work exactly. There should be a series product page at some point.

The other good part? It appears that Amazon is giving discounts on the books in the series already. For example, Bad Spelling is retail $3.99 (inflation!), but being sold for $3.14 on Amazon. Hey! Another cool thing (I think), Amazon has also discounted the paperback price to less than the ebook price ($2.95). I assume I'll still get the full royalty if any are sold, so go buy a paperback when it's discounted!

So, here's the Witches of Galdorheim bundle. Retail prices shown are for the individual books. I don't know how much the bundle will be. Also, note that the short story Spellslinger is included in Bad Spelling, so all five are included in the bundle.

Witches of Galdorheim Series

Bad Spelling $3.99 (Discounted to $3.14)
   Midnight Oil $3.99 (Discounted to $3.35)
Scotch Broom $3.99 (no discount yet)

Spellslinger (short story) 99 cents   Blood Ties Tested (novella) $1.99

As I find more information and link to a bundle page, I'll let you know.

Nyra Hutchings and Remy Belieux

*** I just heard from Dawn after years apart and decided to re-run this post in her honor. She didn't know she was a role model.***

In honor of my friend Dawn, I've lowered the price from $2.99 to $0.99 on
Amazon:  First Duty and Ultimate Duty 

Tall, redheaded heroines kick ass. Yes, they do. But mostly only in fantasy and science fiction. When I wrote a redheaded heroine in my books "First Duty" and "Ultimate Duty," I used as my model a real-life person I had known years ago. She was a natural redhead, close to 6' tall (and more in her Frye boots), and she kicked every single ass while barely moving a muscle.

I hung out with Dawn a few years of my college life. Her brother was a temporary boyfriend of mine (also a redhead and quite tall). When that relationship ended, I kept his sister. One excellent reason for doing so beyond her being a funny and witty woman, was her ability to attract men. They flocked to her, growling at each other like the wolves they thought themselves to be. Dawn would laugh.

She flat out told me she could get any guy (who was looking for a hook up, and some that weren't) just by standing up in a room. As that magnificent mane of red hair rose above the crowd, it was as if somebody threw a bucket of chum in the ocean. The sharks circled for a few moments then moved in for the kill.

Dawn would laugh. Place her ringed index finger gently on the chest of the closest and give the guy a tiny push. She had just kicked his ass...big time.

When I released "Ultimate Duty" after it ran for more than three years under the Eternal Press banner, I found another kick-ass redhead to adorn the cover. She looks a lot like Dawn. Dawn would laugh.

So all you other SF/F writers with your tall, redheaded kick-ass heroines, find yourself a real live one like my friend. I have the rights to her (whether she knows it or not), while you all are probably just thinking how cool a tall redheaded kick-ass heroine would be. Have you actually met one? I thought not. Dawn would laugh.

If you have modeled your tall redheaded kick-ass heroine after a real person, tell us about her in the comments. I'll give you a copy of both of my tall redheaded kick-ass heroine books.

Going to War

In TALES OF A TEXAS BOY, I included stories up through my father's high school career as the star quarterback and President of the student body. He was trying to decide what to do next, so he and his best buddy, Red, decided, as teenagers will, to go on a road trip instead. I wrote this poem, which is not in the book, to commemorate my father's decision to defend his country as a soldier just as his father had. This poem was published in a magazine written by and for veterans.

So, Happy Vets Day to both my father and my grandfather, and all the veterans out there on this day in their honor.

Signin' Up

"Free school" the sign said. I never heard of such a thing.
But Red and me, we moved on. We picked tomatoes in the fields.
We drove from place to place, seein' what we could.
Across Highway 66, we seen a lot along the way.

My brand-new Ford ran smooth, but after awhile we heard the news.
Germany didn't look too good. Pa said there'd be war.
So, we went off to Denver with those two blonde-haired gals.
I handed them the keys and told them take the car to Amarillo.

Me and Red joined up, but Pa said don't sign 'til they told me what I'd do.
Red signed ahead of me and he went off and peeled potatoes.
Me, I just hung around 'til they said, how about San Antone?
That was good with me, so I signed on the line and got the uniform.

I ended up on a ship, heading out to Manila Bay.
But, it was December 7th and the ship turned round along the way.
Nobody said what was goin' on, but they give me a coupon for the train.
I headed up to Seattle and, along the way, I heard the news.

I might've got to the Philippines and been killed on Corregidor.
As it is, I watched for the Japs along the Pacific shore.
And that girl seemed just right to marry.
I ended up in Oregon workin' the big trees.

If it hadn't been for Pearl Harbor, where would I have gone?
Maybe that free school down in Fresno.
Maybe I'd signed up to ride fence down at a ranch.
Maybe I'd worked the oil fields like my uncle John.

But the world was what it was and I married that Oregon gal.
I saw the big trees and I liked the logging.
I stayed and sent money to the folks. Come on up, I said.
Where would I have gone, if it hadn't been for Pearl Harbor?

* * *

Great Book for Dad or Grandpa - Surprise them with a Veterans' Day Gift of Old-Time Humor
SPECIAL PRICES FOR EBOOKS THIS MONTH

Amazon Kindle Ebook - $0.99
Photo Illustrated Ebook Free on Smashwords
Large Print Paperback $8.99 at Amazon and other distributors
Audio Book only $6.95

How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.

Free at Smashwords

Saluting My Own Vets

EXTRA EXTRA SPECIAL SPECIAL EBOOK FREE ON SMASHWORDS

FOR THE REST OF NOVEMBER!

I'd be remiss if I didn't include a mention of my very own veteran, Jack. He served in the Philippines before Vietnam became "official."

He was in Intelligence, which meant he spent his time listening to communications between Viet Cong who were already fighting with South Vietnam for the unification of the country into a single Vietnam under the Communist party. Heaven forbid the US would allow people to choose their own system of government.

Anyway, the US was listening in while only a few "advisers" were on the ground in South Vietnam busily trying to prop up the puppet government.

The result: Millions of Vietnamese dead--soldiers, fathers, mothers, sons, brothers, sisters. More than 58,000 American dead. And none of the killing did anything useful at all.

Nevertheless, whether the fighting and deaths were senseless or not, US military put their lives on the line and many died. That's why we salute Veterans. They did all that was asked of them and did it well, but the war was never going to change Vietnam unification. Vets are not saluted for winning, but for giving their all for their countries. This they did with honor.

In honor of all vets from all wars, I hope you'll accept the gift of Tales of a Texas Boy from Smashwords (through the end of the month).

Amazon Kindle Ebook 99 cents 
Smashwords - FREE to the end of November

Large Print Paperback $8.99 at Amazon
Regular Print Paperback $6.99 at Amazon
Audio Book $6.95

Little Eddie tells some almost true Tall Tales set in West Texas of the 1930s. Guess what's true and what Eddie fudged on. Was it about the bear? Cage McNatt's prize sow? The skunk in the cornpatch? Guaranteed for a chuckle and maybe a tear here and there.

Here's a bonus feature. Little Eddie telling another of his stories in his own words. Turn up the volume, the recording isn't the best.

Tales of a Texas Boy - Pa's Story

Here's an excerpt from Tales of a Texas Boy. This story has information I learned from my father about his father - my grandfather, Louis. He had quite an interesting life. As a veterinarian, he traveled to Mexico with Black Jack Pershing, and a few years later to France with Pershing again.

Pa's Story

IN 1916, I was still a young buck and not yet married, so I signed up with Black Jack Pershing to go after Pancho Villa. Ol’ Pancho and his banditos came into US territory and killed a bunch of folks in Columbus, New Mexico.

I was real good with horses, so soon I was the veterinarian. This was just as well, as I didn’t take well to using a gun. I’d never studied vetting in school, but I’d grown up on a farm in Nebraska and knew just about all there was to know about horses and mules. We chased Pancho and his gang just about all over Mexico, but never did catch up with him. A couple years later, I was still in the service, so I ended up goin’ to France with Black Jack when he got to be a General. I could have decided not to go as I’d done my time, but I knew Black Jack could put me to good use.

We were on the troop ship for weeks. Everybody was seasick for the first few days. The horses seemed to fare fine in that regard, but I was worried we couldn’t exercise them enough. We brought them up from the hold, a few at a time, and let them stretch their legs. We’d lead them in a quick walk around the deck. With the metal decks, we didn’t want them to move very fast for fear they’d slip and fall. I’d hate to have to put down a horse with a broken leg, so we took it real easy. As a result, the horses were not in good fightin’ shape by the time we landed in France.

It took some time, but me and Joe, who got assigned to be my assistant, got them in shape again. Mostly the horses were used to pack gear, but a few officers still rode them. Black Jack Pershing liked to ride on occasion, as did Captain Patton. I thought we should only have mules, since they make better pack animals than horses, but there were never enough mules to go around.

We weren’t in too many battles directly as we were the supply line for the army, but in 1918 it turned pretty bad when we went into the Argonne Forest. They called this an ‘offensive.’ I can see why as it offended me a lot. The fighting went on for nearly two months and only ended in November when the big guys signed the Treaty at Versailles.

In that short two months, it was hell on earth. Thousands of men died. One whole division, the 77th, was cut off for near a week and held out surrounded by the German forces. It was some battle, I can tell you. Almost all day long, I could hear the shells bursting and the sharp reports of rifle fire. And I heard the screams of dying men and horses.

The worst part for me was the horses being swept up in the middle of the battle. It broke my heart to go out on the fields after the fighting passed by and after the dead and wounded men were collected. Sometimes the ground was so soaked with blood that my boots were covered before I got back. A horse with an artery torn open bleeds gallons of blood; men only a few pints. It angered me when I thought how much the horses gave. They didn’t even have a say in goin’ to war. Men, at least, had a choice.

* * *

Read the rest of this tale and many more in Tales of a Texas Boy.

Great Book for Dad or Grandpa - Surprise them with a Veterans' Day Gift of Old-Time Humor
SPECIAL PRICES FOR EBOOKS THIS MONTH

Amazon Kindle Ebook - $0.99
Photo Illustrated Ebook - $0.99
Large Print Paperback $8.99 at Amazon and other distributors
Audio Book only $6.95

How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.

Menagerie Available

What book has jackrabbits, chickens, sheep, rattlesnakes, cattle, dogs (several), mules, horses, a jackass, blackbirds, a bear, a bobcat, pigs, an eagle, skunks, coyotes, fish, a mammoth, and a curious and mischievous boy?

There might be only one in the world, I reckon. That'd be TALES OF A TEXAS BOY. Featured this month in honor of Veterans Day. The Large Print paperback is very popular with folks who lived a rural life and remember it with fondness. This book will take them back again to those golden days.

Great Book for Dad or Grandpa - Surprise them with a Veterans' Day Gift of Old-Time Humor
SPECIAL
PRICE FOR EBOOKS THIS MONTH

Amazon Kindle Ebook - $0.99
Photo Illustrated Ebook - $0.99
Large Print Paperback $8.99 at Amazon and other distributors
Audio Book only $6.95

How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.

Audio for Tales of a Texas Boy

Vets' Day Specials (all of November)

$0.99 Amazon Kindle Ebook
$0.99 Photo-Illustrated Ebook
Large Print Paperback Book $8.99 at Amazon
Regular Print Paperback Book $6.99 at Amazon
Audio Book $6.95 at Audible (Free if you sign up)

IF YOU'RE A VET OR KNOW ONE YOU WANT TO GIFT WITH A FREE EBOOK, CONTACT ME AT MY EMAIL ADDRESS (mgdasef@gmail.com)

TALES OF A TEXAS BOY
How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. 

Twenty-one nostalgic stories based on the real life Eddie's adventures growing up in West Texas during the Great Depression. But the stories are not depressing at all! If you like animals and stories of farm and ranch life, this is a perfect book for you.

Watch the Book Trailer on YouTube.

Listen to the audio excerpt at SoundCloud.

November is for Veterans

Great Book for Dad or Grandpa - Surprise them with a Veterans' Day Gift of Old-Time Humor
SPECIAL PRICES FOR EBOOKS THIS MONTH

Amazon Kindle Ebook - $0.99
Photo Illustrated Ebook - $0.99
Large Print Paperback $8.99 at Amazon and other distributors
Audio Book only $6.95

How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.

Tales of a Texas Boy

Did You Wait Too Long?

WITCHES OF GALDORHEIM POST-HALLOWEEN SALE

The entire series 99 cents each. C'mon, less than a buck a book? Who can pass that up? This is the last chance until I get bored and decide to have another sale. The rest of the year will be devoted to Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas sales. Here's a reminder of all the books in the series.

* * *

BAD SPELLING (Book 1) - 99 cents

A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?

All of Kat’s family are either witches or warlocks, depending on their sex, of course. Kat is fourteen and really ought to be able to turn a rabbit into a toad, but things just don’t work out for her. What she gets  is a slimy green hopper. That’s the good part. Unfortunately, it also has long ears and fur. That’s bad spelling.

MIDNIGHT OIL (Book 2) - 99 cents

Shipwrecked on a legendary island, how can a witch rescue her boyfriend if she can’t even phone home?

Kat discovers that an evil forest spirit has kidnapped her brand-new boyfriend. She sets out with her brother, Rune, from her Arctic island home on a mission to rescue the boy. Things go wrong from the start. Kat is thrown overboard during a violent storm, while her brother and his girlfriend are capant island tribe. The mutants hold the girlfriend hostage, demanding that the teens recover the only thing that can make the mutants human again–the magical Midnight Oil.

Mustering every bit of her Wiccan magic, Kat rises to the challenge. She invokes her magical skills, learns to fly an ultralight, meets a legendary sea serpent, rescues her boyfriend, and helps a friendly air spirit win the battle against her spiteful sibling. On top of it all, she’s able to recover the Midnight Oil and help the hapless mutants in the nick of time.

SCOTCH BROOM (Book 3): 99 cents

A magical trip to Stonehenge lands a witch in the Otherworld where an ancient goddess is up to no good.

Kat expects to have a great time on her graduation trip to Stonehenge. However, from the moment she leaves the witches’ arctic island, Galdorheim, she gets in nothing but trouble. Her younger half-brother tries to horn in on her trip, she gets lost in the magical Otherworld realm, is led astray by a supposed friend, then she has to confront a Scottish goddess who’s fallen on hard times.

While dodging the goddess’s minions and trying to find her way out of the Otherworld, Kat soon learns she shouldn’t underestimate the old has-been for one second; the crone still has a few tricks that can drain a witch’s magic in a flash. To make matters worse, Kat's brother secretly followed her into the Otherworld. Now he’s in danger, too. Kat has to go one on one with the goddess to save herself and her brother.

SPELLSLINGER (Prequel Short Story): 99 cents

What does a teenage half-warlock, half-vampire do to have fun? Why build an old west town on a glacier in the Arctic. There he can play at being the good guy sheriff up against mean old Black Bart.

That things will go horribly wrong is a given. But how does Rune get into and out of the predicament? This prequel story to the Witches of Galdorheim series gives the reader a chance to get to know the smart-aleck kid, Rune, before he got his magic down pat.

BLOOD TIES TESTED - Sequel and Final Book of the Series: 99 cents
Unfortunate events lead a half vampire boy into indulging his vampire side, leaving him with regret and sadness. Can dear old Dad help him forgive himself?

Following the events in the series Witches of Galdorheim, this additional tale relates what happens to Katrina the Witch's younger brother, Rune. Half vampire and half warlock, he faces life with a wisecrack and some powerful magic. Whatever happens, he does not want to be a vampire like his father. Unfortunate events lead him to fatally call on his vampire half. This failure leaves him in anguish. How can he assuage the guilt he feels? His mother thinks he needs to visit dead old dad, a vampire residing in the Tatras Mountains of Slovakia.