Life, Interrupted

EDIT: This contest is now over, but I do occasionally participate in contests, so keep an eye out for more fun!

My joy is to write fiction, especially fantasy and science fiction, filled with new worlds, new technology and magic, mystery, and even a touch of romance. I love interesting characters doing interesting things. I want people to be able to escape into my worlds.

Right now, for so many, many reasons, we all need to escape. So several of my friends and I have decided to share gifts with you -- gifts of escape.

All the various eReaders -- Kindle, NOOK, etc. -- are hardware platforms. The format is generally EPUB or MOBI. NOOKs, for example, take EPUB, and Kindles MOBI. (Although *cough* DRM-free EPUB files can readily be converted to MOBI for the Kindle. We're all about choice!)

You see a lot of promotions, but friends tell me that not enough of them are for NOOKs. Today, we remedy that. Until December 31st, we're offering a meme game to those who would like a little bit of fun -- and to earn free EPUB (the Nook format) books for playing.
( Win eBooks by me, Jeff Carver, Vonda McIntyre & Jen Stevenson, just for starters! )
We believe that if we want a thriving book community, we need lots of options. We need print, we need ebook, we need CHOICE. So that's why we are doing this. We support choice! We support DRM-Free places like Book View Cafe, where you can go buy EPUB, or MOBI, or even on occasion other formats like PDF. If you go looking, you'll find lots of new choices. Go check out www.BookViewCafe.com if you don't believe me.

Be an explorer. Show us your NOOK!

Obligatory disclaimer: Copyright to these free books is retained by the authors. You may share this post in its entirety. All pictures must be posted by 11:59 PM, December 31, 2012, CST. If anyone posts any of these EPUBs to a torrent site, the portal closes and we won't have any more games. This is a gift to you, not an invitation to set the book free forever. If you post a picture that would be considered in bad taste, it will be deleted and you won't get a coupon code. Thank you for keeping things fun!

Hey, this is a fun, breezy summer book -- if you like contemporary romance with a dollop of humor and some real characters, take a look!

To celebrate the 30 years of marriage of BVC member Jennifer Stevenson and her stagehand husband, on Friday, July 30th, BVC is holding a 30th on the 30th contest. BVC will be launching episode 30 of Stevenson's stagehand romance, Fools Paradise, and giving out a free, complete copy (including the ending) to the 30th person who reads the episode and can find the answer to the following contest question:

What type of women do stagehands typically marry?

Find the answer in Episode 30 at the BVC site: http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/Fools-Paradise-Chapter-30.

Question: What type of women do stagehands typically marry?

Send your answer to [[email protected]]. Thirtieth responder gets a free, complete copy of Fools Paradise—including the ending.

SFSignal.com is giving away two copies of Vonda N. McIntyre’s ebook, SUPERLUMINAL, published by Book View Cafe. In SUPERLUMINAL, Laenea Trevelyan, a starship pilot, has her heart replaced with a machine so she can survive faster-than-light travel. Orca, a diver, divides her time between starships and the Strait of Georgia, where her relatives include a family of killer whales and a group of other divers, human beings who can exist underwater, and who are, technically, at war with the United States. Radu Dracul, a colonist from the alien world Twilight, having chosen to leave his home and become a starship crew member, discovers he has abilities he never dreamed of.


For a chance to win a free copy, visit the SFSignal contest page: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010/03/ebook-giveaway-superluminal/

Available formats include .prc, mobi, epub, or pdf. Contest ends Tuesday, March 9th, 11pm CST.

Writer Steven Harper Piziks, a fellow member of BVC, is running a contest. I have lots of fun little stories about chocolate, but nothing overwhelming enough to win a contest. So -- you go!
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http://spiziks.livejournal.com/160712.html

It's summer! Time to indulge! Indulge in lazy afternoons. Indulge in luscious summer reading. Indulge in yummy treats. Like chocolate.

To celebrate summer, chocolate, and the release of the Silent Empire books on the Kindle, I'm holding the Chocolate Covered Kindle Contest.

To enter:

1. Post your favorite true anecdote involving chocolate.

2. The anecdote can be sensual, romantic, cute, heart-tugging, funny, anything you like--but it must be true. (No sex stories, please! That's a contest of a different kind.)

3. Entries will be judged on how interesting they are and how full of chocolaty goodness they are.

4. Deadline is Tuesday, June 30 at 5:00 p.m.

5. The winner will receive an autographed copy of a Silent Empire book of his or her choice--and a bar of delicious chocolate.

As an example: When Aran was three, I baked a batch of chocolate brownies and put them on the counter to cool. Aran looked at them longingly, but I told him they were too hot to eat yet, so he shouldn't touch them. Then I took him out into the back yard, where I had yard work to finish. A few minutes later, I heard Aran crying inside the house. I ran inside and found him in the kitchen wearing a pair of oven mitts. The mitts and his face were smeared with chocolate. He had snuck back into the house, but he remembered that the brownies were too hot, so he put on the oven mitts. But then he discovered he couldn't get at the brownies with his hands covered. I felt awful--I didn't know how much the brownies meant to him. I cut him one and gave him a fork, and he was so very happy. [This falls into the "cute" category.]

What can you share with us?

And be sure to check out DREAMER http://www.amazon.com/Dreamer-Novel-Silent-Empire/dp/B002DML10G and NIGHTMARE www.amazon.com/dp/B002ECF1R4 on the Kindle. TRICKSTER and OFFSPRING are coming soon!