Showing posts with label Memoirs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memoirs. Show all posts

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Today's Kindle Daily Deals: A literary thriller, 20 holiday romances, a memoir and three Kurt Vonnegut stories



Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99!

Turn of Mind, by Alice LaPlante.

A stunning first novel, both literary and thriller, about a retired orthopedic surgeon with dementia, Turn of Mind has already received worldwide attention. With unmatched patience and a pulsating intensity, Alice LaPlante brings us deep into a brilliant woman’s deteriorating mind, where the impossibility of recognizing reality can be both a blessing and a curse.

As the book opens, Dr. Jennifer White’s best friend, Amanda, who lived down the block, has been killed, and four fingers surgically removed from her hand. Dr. White is the prime suspect and she herself doesn’t know whether she did it. Told in White’s own voice, fractured and eloquent, a picture emerges of the surprisingly intimate, complex alliance between these life-long friends:  —two proud, forceful women who were at times each other’s most formidable adversaries. As the investigation into the murder deepens and White’s relationships with her live-in caretaker and two grown children intensify, a chilling question lingers: is White’s shattered memory preventing her from revealing the truth or helping her to hide it?

A startling portrait of a disintegrating mind clinging to bits of reality through anger, frustration, shame, and unspeakable loss, Turn of Mind is a remarkable debut that examines the deception and frailty of memory and how it defines our very existence.

320 pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 313 reviews



Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99!

Santa's Angels, by Janet Kaderli.

No one knows the local celebrity who is playing Santa at Filmore's department store in downtown Dallas, Texas. Not even Janie Langston, the 'elf' who takes pictures of the kids sitting in Santa's lap. If the single mom knew that the young Santa was actually Nick Klaus, TV sports commentator and reckless man about town, she'd keep him at arm's length. As it is, however, she's starting to fall for Santa's charming ways. For Nick, the Santa suit is a way of hiding until the publicity from his latest scrape dies down. What he didn't count on was being changed by the suit. Everyone, including Janie and her four-year-old daughter, Carrie, responds to him as if he actually were the jolly old elf! He begins to live up to Santa's reputation, leaving life in the fast lane behind. As his priorities change, he begins to realize his true feelings for Janie. Unfortunately, he must keep his identity a secret until Christmas and hope that Janie will forgive his deception and grant them both their Christmas wish.

210 pages, with a 4.3-star rating from 22 reviews

20 romances for the holidays. For the complete list, go here



Here's today's Daily Non-Fiction Deal, available for $1.99!

Bailout Over Normandy: A Flyboy's Adventures with the French Resistance and Other Escapades in Occupied France, by Ted Fahrenwald.

A daredevil pilot in the famed 352nd Fighter Squadron, the author of this remarkable memoir bailed out of his burning Mustang two days after D-Day and was launched on a thrilling adventure on the ground in Occupied France.

After months living and fighting with the French Resistance, Fahrenwald was captured by the Wehrmacht, interrogated as a spy, and interned in a POW camp--and made a daring escape just before his deportation to Germany. Nothing diminished this pilot's talent for spotting the ironic humor in even the most aggravating or dangerous situations--nor his penchant for extracting his own improvised and sometimes hilarious version of justice.

A suspenseful WWII page-turner and an outrageously witty tale of daring and friendship, this book brings to vivid life the daily bravery, mischief, and intrigues of fighter pilots, Resistance fighters, and other Allies in the air and on the ground. The Greatest Generation at its best!

The author recorded his swashbuckling adventures at age twenty-four, after his discharge and return to the States. He spent his life in the business world and never again put pen to paper; but his immediate reminiscence of his wartime experience reveals a rare literary talent.

287 pages, with a 4.4-star rating from 146 reviews






Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $1.99!

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, by Kurt Vonnegut.

Second only to Slaughterhouse-Five of Vonnegut's canon in its prominence and influence, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965) presents Eliot Rosewater, an itinerant, semi-crazed millionaire wandering the country in search of heritage and philanthropic outcome, introducing the science fiction writer Kilgore Trout to the world and Vonnegut to the collegiate audience which would soon make him a cult writer.

Trout, modeled according to Vonnegut on the science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon (with whom Vonnegut had an occasional relationship) is a desperate, impoverished but visionary hack writer who functions for Eliot Rosewater as both conscience and horrid example. Rosewater, seeking to put his inheritance to some meaningful use (his father was an entrepreneur), tries to do good within the context of almost illimitable cynicism and corruption.

It is in this novel that Rosewater wanders into a science fiction conference--an actual annual event in Milford, Pennsylvania--and at the motel delivers his famous monologue evoked by science fiction writers and critics for almost half a century: "None of you can write for sour apples... but you're the only people trying to come to terms with the really terrific things which are happening today." Money does not drive Mr. Rosewater (or the corrupt lawyer who tries to shape the Rosewater fortune) so much as outrage at the human condition.

The novel was adapted for a 1979 Alan Menken musical.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) is one of the most beloved American writers of the twentieth century. Vonnegut's audience increased steadily since his first five pieces in the 1950s and grew from there. His 1968 novel Slaughterhouse-Five has become a canonic war novel with Joseph Heller's Catch-22 to form the truest and darkest of what came from World War II.

Vonnegut began his career as a science fiction writer, and his early novels--Player Piano and The Sirens of Titan--were categorized as such even as they appealed to an audience far beyond the reach of the category. In the 1960s, Vonnegut became closely associated with the Baby Boomer generation, a writer on that side, so to speak.

Now that Vonnegut's work has been studied as a large body of work, it has been more deeply understood and unified. There is a consistency to his satirical insight, humor and anger which makes his work so synergistic. It seems clear that the more of Vonnegut's work you read, the more it resonates and the more you wish to read. Scholars believe that Vonnegut's reputation (like Mark Twain's) will grow steadily through the decades as his work continues to increase in relevance and new connections are formed, new insights made.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Author Kurt Vonnegut is considered by most to be one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. His books Slaughterhouse-Five (named after Vonnegut's World War II POW experience) and Cat's Cradle are considered among his top works. RosettaBooks offers here a complete range of Vonnegut's work, including his first novel (Player Piano, 1952) for readers familiar with Vonnegut's work as well as newcomers."

290 pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 163 reviews








Here's today's Daily Youth Deal, available for $1.99!

Sun Moon Star, by Kurt Vonnegut.

Sun Moon Star is the story of the birth of Jesus—as told by Kurt Vonnegut. This children’s book takes the newborn Jesus’ perspective, offering beautiful and insightful descriptions of the world from someone newly born into it. In this book, we follow Jesus and meet the people most important to his life—presented in new and surprising ways.

A powerful departure from Vonnegut’s more adult work, Sun Moon Star gives readers a rare glimpse of the writer’s talent in a format that’s unique and unexpected. This book’s well-crafted simplicity is sure to make it a favorite—with both children and adult readers who are Vonnegut fans.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kurt Vonnegut is a unique voice in the American canon—a writer whose works are hard to categorize, often straddling the space between literature and science fiction, and filled with cutting satire and dark humor. Like Mark Twain before him, Vonnegut's reputation and impact on American writing and reading will continue to grow steadily and increase in relevance as new insights are made.

Vonnegut was born in 1922 in Indianapolis, and studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Tennessee. In the Second World War, he became a German prisoner of war and was present during the bombing of Dresden. This experience provided inspiration for his most successful and influential novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut-admired as much for his views and his "Vonnegutisms" as for his publications-wrote extensively in many forms, including novels, short stories, essays, plays, articles, speeches, and correspondence, some of which was published posthumously.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Ivan Chermayeff is a renowned illustrator, designer, and artist. He has studied design at Harvard University and the Institute of Design in Chicago, and holds a degree from Yale. His illustrations, art installations for contemporary buildings, and graphic design work has won numerous awards and accolades, including gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. He is also the winner of the Yale Arts Medal and the Industrial Art Medal from the American Institute of Architects. He has been a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the past twenty years.

64 pages, with a 3.7-star rating from 13 reviews



Happy Reading!

Betsy

Friday, August 22, 2014

Kindle Daily Deals (August 22, 2014): A thriller, a historical romance, "The Deadliest Catch," Sandman Slim and a teen comedic romance



Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99!

Vanished (Callahan & McLane), by Kendra Elliot.

When an eleven-year-old is abducted on her way to school, the FBI doesn’t waste a moment, sending agents to scour the area and embedding Special Agent Ava McLane with the distraught family. In the eye of the storm is local detective Mason Callahan, whose life is crumbling to pieces—he’s related to the victim, and his longtime confidential informant has just been murdered.
Both he and Agent McLane hole up in the victim’s family home. Every second counts in a kidnapping case, and the stakes keep rising the longer the girl is missing. As Ava and Mason struggle to hold the family together in their darkest hour, the two investigators find themselves drawn to each other.

337 pages, with a 4.4-star rating from 513 reviews



Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99!

For My Lady's Heart (Medieval Hearts, 1), by Laura Kinsale.

Pursued by her enemies, flattered and courted for her lands, a powerful, devious princess is desperate to reach refuge. Melanthe can trust only one man amid the lies, the mysterious Green Knight—a true knight who never wavers; a man who cannot comprehend deceit. But as an impossible love grows between them, betrayal becomes their only future…

In this classic romance, Laura Kinsale has crafted a rich, sensual portrait of life during the Middle Ages. And, now for the first time, readers can choose between two versions of the story. Both are included in this same ebook.

The first is the original published novel filled with Middle English dialogue and deep period detail. The second (included only here in the ebook version) has been reworked by the author to include a tighter read and more modern words for dialogue. Whichever you decide to read, you'll be richly rewarded with a story of love and honor for the ages.

"For My Lady’s Heart. It’s awesome." -- DearAuthor.com

484 pages, with a 4.0-star rating from 60 reviews



Here's today's Daily Non-Fiction Deal, available for $1.99!

Giving the Finger: Risking It All to Fish the World's Deadliest Sea, by Scott Campbell.

A prequel to the newest Deadliest Catch star’s rise to fame—Captain Scott Campbell, Jr.’s account of working as an Alaskan crab fisherman, the most dangerous job on the planet; injury and death on the Bering Sea; enormous riches; a stormy home life; and life behind-the-scenes of cable tv’s most successful reality show.

264 pages, with a 4.8-star rating from 11 reviews






Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $1.99!

Kill City Blues: A Sandman Slim Novel, by Richard Kadrey.

New York Times bestselling author Richard Kadrey’s fifth Sandman Slim adventure.

James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, has lost the Qomrama Om Ya, an all-powerful weapon from the banished older gods. Older gods who are returning and searching for their lost power.
The hunt leads Stark to an abandoned shopping mall infested with tribes of squatters. Somewhere in this kill zone is a dead man with the answers Stark needs. All Stark has to do is find the dead man, recover the artifact, and outwit and outrun the angry old gods—and natural-born killers—on his tail.

But not even Sandman Slim is infallible, and any mistakes will cost him dearly.

400 pages, with a 4.4-star rating from 143 reviews



Here's today's Daily Youth Deal, available for $1.99!

The One That I Want, by Jennifer Echols.

Matchmaking gets mixed up in this all-original eBook addition to The Romantic Comedies series!

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

290 pages, with a 4.3-star rating from 43 reviews



Happy Reading!

Betsy

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Kindle Daily Deals (August 12, 2014): I, Claudius, historical romance, a diary of life during WW2, sci-fi and a charming kid's book!



Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99!

I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, by Robert Graves.

Once a rather bookish young man with a limp and a stammer, a man who spent most of his time trying to stay away from the danger and risk of the line of ascension, Claudius seemed an unlikely candidate for Emperor. Yet, on the death of Caligula, Claudius finds himself next in line for the throne, and must stay alive as well as keep control.

Drawing on the histories of Plutarch, Suetonius, and Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, noted historian and classicist Robert Graves tells the story of the much-maligned Emperor Claudius with both skill and compassion. Weaving important themes throughout about the nature of freedom and safety possible in a safety and a monarchy, Graves’ Claudius is both more effective and more tragic than history typically remembers him. A best-selling novel and one of Graves’ most successful, I, Claudius has been adapted to television, film, theatre, and audio.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Graves (1895-1985) was an English novelist, poet, and translator of Classical Greek and Roman literature, and one of the most prominent English writers of the 20th century. He was an extremely prolific writer, who published more than 140 novels and collections of poetry. In addition to novels and poetry, he published groundbreaking analysis of Greek mythology, as well as memoir. Graves is best known for his historical novels, which include I, Claudius, Claudius, the God, The Golden Fleece, King Jesus, and Count Belisarius.

Robert Graves served in combat in World War I and was gravely wounded at the Battle of the Somme. Following his recovery, he wrote several works of war poetry as well as a memoir of his time in combat, entitled Goodbye to All That. In 1934, Robert Graves was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his historical novels dealing with the Roman Emperor Claudius.

472 pages, with a 4.5-star rating from 270 reviews



Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99!

If Wishes Were Earls: Rhymes With Love, by Elizabeth Boyle.

When you wish upon an earl . . .

Harriet Hathaway has only ever wanted one man: the Earl of Roxley. After a passionate interlude at a house party, Harriet is convinced Roxley will do the right thing and propose. But when she returns to London, she finds the roguish earl on the verge of proposing to another.

Yet Harriet refuses to believe that her hopes of a happily-ever-after are completely lost—for she can see the desire still flickering in the earl’s eyes when he looks at her from across the dance floor. And when they are alone . . . there is one wish neither can deny.

. . . the most extraordinary things can happen

The Earl of Roxley is in a dangerous fix—and to keep Harriet safe, he must hold her at arm’s length. He won’t entangle her in the murderous mystery that is threatening to destroy his family and his future. But keeping Harriet Hathaway out of his troubles proves as impossible as it is to keep the determined beauty from stealing his heart.

373 pages, with a 4.0-star rating from 40 reviews

Another book in the same series, also $1.99





Here's today's Daily Non-Fiction Deal, available for $2.99!

Home Front Girl: A Diary of Love, Literature, and Growing Up in Wartime America, by Joan Wehlen Morrison.

Wednesday, December 10, 1941
“Hitler speaks to Reichstag tomorrow. We just heard the first casualty lists over the radio. . . . Lots of boys from Michigan and Illinois. Oh my God! . . . Life goes on though. We read our books in the library and eat lunch, bridge, etc. Phy. Sci. and Calculus. Darn Descartes. Reading Walt Whitman now.”

This diary of a smart, astute, and funny teenager provides a fascinating record of what an everyday American girl felt and thought during the Depression and the lead-up to World War II. Young Chicagoan Joan Wehlen describes her daily life growing up in the city and ruminates about the impending war, daily headlines, and major touchstones of the era—FDR’s radio addresses, the Lindbergh kidnapping, Goodbye Mr. Chips and Citizen Kane, Churchill and Hitler, war work and Red Cross meetings. Included are Joan’s charming doodles of her latest dress or haircut reflective of the era. Home Front Girl is not only an entertaining and delightful read but an important primary source—a vivid account of a real American girl’s lived experiences.

282 pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 12 reviews



Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $2.99!

Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods, by JEFF LEMIRE.

Following on the heels of The Nobody, his Vertigo graphic novel debut, writer/artist Jeff Lemire pens his very first ongoing series Sweet Tooth. A cross between Bambi and Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Sweet Tooth tells the story of Gus, a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children, has been raised in isolation following an inexplicable pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, with the death of his father he's left to fend for himself . . . until he meets a hulking drifter named Jepperd who promises to help him. Jepperd and Gus set out on a post-apocalyptic journey into the devastated American landscape to find 'The Preserve' a refuge for hybrids.

This unique and haunting new series is written and illustrated by Eisner-nominated creator Lemire (The Essex County Trilogy) and colored by fellow Eisner nominee Jose Villarubia.

128 pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 25 reviews



Here's today's Daily Youth Deal, available for $1.99!

Gazpacho for Nacho, by Tracey C. Kyle.

Nacho likes to eat only one thing—gazpacho! Gazpacho for breakfast, gazpacho for lunch, gazpacho for dinner, for snacks, and for brunch. Nacho won’t even try other dishes—until he discovers miles and piles of mouthwatering vegetables at the market. This lively rhyming story, sprinkled with Spanish, will delight little chefs. A recipe for Gazpacho and a Spanish glossary are included.
Gazpacho for Nacho Kids’ Activity Guide

A Look Inside Gazpacho for Nacho

Gazpacho for Nacho
Click to enlarge
Gazpacho for Nacho
Click to enlarge
Gazpacho for Nacho
Click to enlarge

1 pages, with a 4.6-star rating from 75 reviews



Happy Reading!

Betsy

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Today's Kindle Daily Deals (July 27, 2014): Kim Harrison, romance, a Hollywood memoir, Sandman Slim and a middle grade fantasy



Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99!

Ever After (The Hollows Book 11), by Kim Harrison.

Witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan needs to save the demonic realm of the Ever After in the eleventh entry in the New York Times bestselling Hollows series from supernatural adventure master Kim Harrison.

When Rachel sets off a chain of events that could lead to the end of the world—demonic and human—she must use her gifts to save those closest to her while preventing an apocalypse.
Satisfying and sexy, a visit to the Hollows will take readers on a wild journey that will capture their imagination. Fans of Charlaine Harris and Stephenie Meyer won't be able to resist Kim Harrison's alternative universe—urban fantasy Cincinnati complete with vampires, witches, and other enchanting creatures—where spine-tingling adventures and fast-paced action are the norm.

450 pages, with a 4.7-star rating from 935 reviews



Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99!

Hidden Secrets, by Carolyn Brown.

Kim Brewster’s ill-fated marriage was annulled so quickly that she thought she could keep the whole thing a secret…until she found out she was pregnant. But before her confession can blow a hole in the seemingly perfect lives of the Brewster women, her great-grandmother, Hannah, drops a bomb of her own. She’s selling her hotel and moving to a farm in Oklahoma—and all the Brewsters are coming with her. Kim is sure her grandmother, Karen, and mother, Sue, won’t go along with the plan, but Hannah can be very convincing. Soon the women are working the farm, selling their wares from a roadside stand, and finally feeling like a family.

And as the Brewster women’s lives take shape in ways they never expected, Kim may have found another shot at love. Luke thought he’d washed his hands of women, but when he stops by the vegetable stand and meets Kim, he’s instantly smitten. To find love, though, they’ll both have to dig past their hidden secrets.

257 pages, with a 4.5-star rating from 63 reviews



Here's today's Daily Non-Fiction Deal, available for $1.99!

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made, by Greg Sestero.

The hilarious and inspiring story of how a mysterious misfit got past every roadblock in the Hollywood system to achieve success on his own terms: a $6 million cinematic catastrophe called The Room.

Nineteen-year-old Greg Sestero met Tommy Wiseau at an acting school in San Francisco. Wiseau’s scenes were rivetingly wrong, yet Sestero, hypnotized by such uninhibited acting, thought, “I have to do a scene with this guy.” That impulse changed both of their lives. Wiseau seemed never to have read the rule book on interpersonal relationships (or the instruc­tions on a bottle of black hair dye), yet he generously offered to put the aspiring actor up in his LA apart­ment. Sestero’s nascent acting career first sizzled, then fizzled, resulting in Wiseau’s last-second offer to Sestero of costarring with him in The Room, a movie Wiseau wrote and planned to finance, produce, and direct—in the parking lot of a Hollywood equipment-rental shop.

Wiseau spent $6 million of his own money on his film, but despite the efforts of the disbelieving (and frequently fired) crew and embarrassed (and fre­quently fired) actors, the movie made no sense. Nevertheless Wiseau rented a Hollywood billboard featuring his alarming headshot and staged a red carpet premiere. The Room made $1800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. One reviewer said that watching The Room was like “getting stabbed in the head.”

The Disaster Artist is Greg Sestero’s laugh-out-loud funny account of how Tommy Wiseau defied every law of artistry, business, and friendship to make “the Citizen Kane of bad movies” (Entertainment Weekly), which is now an international phenomenon, with Wiseau himself beloved as an oddball celebrity. Written with award-winning journalist Tom Bissell, The Disaster Artist is an inspiring tour de force that reads like a page-turning novel, an open-hearted portrait of an enigmatic man who will improbably capture your heart.

288 pages, with a 4.8-star rating from 225 reviews



Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $1.99!

Sandman Slim: A Novel, by Richard Kadrey.

“An addictively satisfying, deeply amusing, dirty-ass masterpiece.”
—William Gibson
“A sharp-edged urban fantasy, drenched in blood and cynicism, tipping its hat to Sam Peckinpah, Raymond Chandler, and the anti-heroes of Hong Kong cinema….A bravura performance.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“I couldn’t put it down.”
—Charlaine Harris

Sandman Slim has arrived—a wild and weird, edge-of-your-seat supernatural roller-coaster rider that propels author Richard Kadrey to the forefront of the fantasy, thriller, and a host of other literary genres. This spellbinding, utterly remarkable tale of a vengeful magician/hitman’s return from hell is part H.P. Lovecraft, part Christopher Moore, part Jim Butcher, and totally, unabashedly dark, twisted, and hilarious.

416 pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 416 reviews

The next three books in the Sandman Slim series are shown below in order, also at $1.99.





Here's today's Daily Youth Deal, available for $1.99!

Sky Raiders (Five Kingdoms), by Brandon Mull.

Adventure awaits in the Five Kingdoms—come and claim it in this start to a new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series.

Cole Randolph was just trying to have a fun time with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level.

After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them—and ends up in The Outskirts. The Outskirts are made up of five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. It’s an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds.

And once you come to the Outskirts, it’s very hard to leave.

With the magic of the Outskirts starting to unravel, it’s up to Cole and an unusual girl named Mira to rescue his friends, set things right in the Outskirts, and hopefully find his way back home…before his existence is forgotten.
Author One-on-One

Brandon Mull

Christopher Paolini
#1 bestselling author of The Inheritance Cycle Christopher Paolini interviews #1 bestselling author Brandon Mull about his new series, Five Kingdoms.
Paolini: What inspired you to write Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders?
Mull: It’s hard for me to pinpoint where my stories come from. I get bored easily so I make up crazy stuff to cope with reality. Some of that stuff is useless, but some takes shape and becomes fun to revisit. I knew my sister-in-law Liz wanted a story with sky castles, so floating castles were one of the first ingredients I threw into the stew. I may not be able to detail the origin of Five Kingdoms, but I can explain what I was aiming to accomplish.
With Five Kingdoms, I wanted to bring together much of what I do best as a writer into one place. I wanted to merge some of the fun I put into Candy Shop War, with the discovery and adventure from Fablehaven, with some of the big world-building like I did in Beyonders. I wanted to create a world that opened up story possibilities I haven’t seen before.
The result is the Outskirts, where five different kingdoms are each governed by different types of magic. Some characters from our world get drawn into a fast-paced adventure that is sometimes scary and often strange but hopefully never boring.
Paolini: We’ve spoken before about your love of doorways, portals, and other such openings that transport you to strange and different places. That idea seems especially prominent in Sky Raiders. Is it something you thought about consciously when you were writing, or did it arise naturally from your interest in the subject?
Mull: Since my childhood, I’ve loved the idea of characters being transported to another world through a wardrobe, down a rabbit hole, over the rainbow, etc. As a kid, after reading the Narnia series, I sincerely wished for something like that to happen to me. I wanted to be king of some world and kill all the monsters and ride on lions and save everybody. When that didn’t pan out, I visited other worlds in my imagination instead.
With Five Kingdoms, I’m deliberately creating my most elaborate and varied world so far, and exploring it through the eyes of a character from our reality. Since each of the Five Kingdoms has different kinds of magic that work there, by the end of the series, readers essentially get to visit five new fantasy worlds in one.
Paolini: Many of your books feature characters who are siblings—specifically brother/sister—or who feel like siblings. In this case it’s Cole and Mira. Having a sister myself, I think you do a great job of portraying that sort of relationship. What is it, that you enjoy most about those kinds of characters?
Mull: I grew up as the oldest of five kids. I did and said nice, loving things to my siblings that I didn’t do or say to anyone else. And I did and said mean things to my siblings that I wouldn’t dare do or say to my worst enemies. And my siblings returned the favor in good and bad ways. We had each other’s back and we stabbed each other in the back.
Brother and sister relationships are complicated and interesting. They help ground characters and bring them to life in ways that many readers can identify with. I enjoy trying to capture the blend of silly banter, heated arguments, and real love and protectiveness that I remember from my own family relationships.
Paolini: It seems like you put a lot of thought into how the economy of the Five Kingdoms works. The sky raiders are scroungers, eking out a living on the edges of a very strange world. Much more interesting than just reading about kings and queens. How did you go about developing the economy and the society?
Mull: Some people think of fantasy as nonsense where anything can happen, but I’ve never seen it that way. To me, good fantasy doesn’t abandon reality. Instead, it creates a functional reality with different rules than our own. If my fantasy worlds make sense and feel authentic, the reader will have an easier time getting involved and caring about the story.
Part of the task involves figuring out the logistics of how the world works. Who governs it? How do they maintain control? Who supports them? Who dislikes them? Given the reality I have established, I try to think through how the fantasy/magical elements in the story would affect day-to-day life. I especially try to think how people would exploit different magical abilities or artifacts for gain.
Paolini: The magic in Five Kingdoms is really cool! I’d love to know more about why you chose this particular kind of magic and what its particular advantages/disadvantages are.
Mull: Each kingdom in Five Kingdoms has a different type of magic. Those in Sambria with magical talent can reshape reality as they desire. Only the most gifted can change reality in big ways and create beings called semblances that seem alive. Powerful shapers risk losing control and either becoming trapped in a nightmare of their own making or flat out destroying themselves and everything around them.
That type of magic seemed cool and dangerous, and gave an excuse for me to take readers to some very unusual settings. I had to be careful not to let the magic feel too powerful, so I made it very dangerous to tamper with living things, I made the magic work better in certain geographic locations than others, and I didn’t let any practitioners be flawless experts.
Paolini: Have you plotted out the series from start to finish? If so, how much does the outline change as you write?
Mull: I tend to daydream about my stories until I see them like movies in my mind. Then I convert that daydreamed adventure into written scenes. So I have a pretty firm blueprint at the start, but it evolves as I make discoveries along the way.
With Five Kingdoms, I know the kingdoms we’ll be visiting, and the main events that will happen. Many details will be added as I go.
Paolini: Who is your favorite character and why?
Mull: So hard to pick! I like Cole because he really cares about his friends and takes responsibility for them accidentally getting taken to the Outskirts as slaves. I think he is funny and grounded and tries hard to do the right thing.
Paolini: If you had to choose one magical item to use when raiding along with the sky raiders, which one would you choose?
Mull: Of the items in the book, I’d want Jace’s golden rope. It was an item that he claimed when scouting out a sky castle. The rope can get longer and shorter as needed. It responds to the will of the wielder, so it can reach out and tangle an enemy, wrap around a distant object, coil and spring the wielder forward, or curl up to cushion a fall. The golden rope’s extreme versatility would increase my chances of surviving a dangerous sky castle raid.

433 pages, with a 4.6-star rating from 147 reviews



Happy Reading!

Betsy

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Kindle Daily Deals (July 26, 2014): Over 40 books in the suspense category, plus romance, sci fi, memoir and a youth book! $1.99 each!



Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99!

The Rented Mule, by Bobby Cole.

Cooper Dixon should have it made, with a beautiful wife, Kelly, two great kids, and a thriving business, the Tower Agency. But for Cooper, things aren’t turning out how he expected. He and Kelly are caught in a never-ending cycle of arguments—Cooper can’t remember the last time they had sex. And Cooper’s troubled business partner, Gates Ballenger, is scheming to sell the Tower Agency out from under him.

When a gang of criminals is hired by a mysterious client to kidnap Kelly and set up Cooper to take the fall, Cooper’s life goes completely off the rails. The cops quickly zero in on Cooper as the prime suspect, and the combination of an attractive suburban mother, workaholic husband, and a million-dollar insurance policy makes the case prime time television fodder.

Soon, Cooper’s face is plastered on every TV screen in the country. Cooper races against time to find his wife before the gang turns her over to their client, whose plan to take down Cooper is far more sinister than anyone could imagine.

509 pages, with a 4.1-star rating from 1395 reviews

Over 40 books, $1.99 each!




Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $1.99!

Waking the Moon, by Elizabeth Hand.

The reign of men has ended in this gripping thriller from Elizabeth Hand, and the fate of the world is on the line

Sweeney Cassidy is the typical college freshman at the University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine in Washington, DC. She drinks. She parties. And she certainly doesn’t suspect that underneath its picturesque Gothic façade, the University is a haven for the Benandanti, a cult devoted to suppressing the powerful and destructive Moon Goddess. But everything is about to change as Sweeney learns that her two new best friends are the Goddess’s Chosen Ones.
Rich and engrossing, Waking the Moon is a seductive post-feminist thriller that delves into an ancient feud, where the real and magical collide, and one woman is forced to make a decision that will change the world.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Elizabeth Hand including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

516 pages, with a 4.0-star rating from 84 reviews



Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99!

Tender Stranger (Soldiers of Fortune), by Diana Palmer.

She'd met Eric Van Meer entirely by chance during an unforgettable vacation in Mexico, and with reckless abandon, she'd agreed to marry the mysterious blond stranger. Dani St. Clair, prim southern bookseller, had experienced a passion that exceeded even those in her cherished romantic novels—until a hijacked plane and a daring rescue by Eric revealed his true nature and dangerous work.
He said he needed freedom, yet he'd married her. He said he hated women, yet he tenderly conquered her heart. Was it possible to meet a soldier of fortune on the battleground of passion and win the war of love?

213 pages, with a 4.7-star rating from 19 reviews

Three books by author Diana Palmer





Here's today's Daily Non-Fiction Deal, available for $1.99!

Unsinkable: A Memoir, by Debbie Reynolds.

Unsinkable is the definitive memoir by film legend and Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds.

Actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer Debbie Reynolds shares the highs and lows of her life as an actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age, anecdotes about her lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Taylor and her experiences as the foremost collector of Hollywood memorabilia, and intimate details of her marriages and family life with her children, Carrie and Todd Fisher.

A story of heartbreak, hope, and survival, “America’s Sweetheart” Debbie Reynolds picks up where she left off in her first memoir, Debbie: My Life.

Unsinkable is illustrated with previously unpublished photos from Reynolds’s personal collection.

341 pages, with a 4.2-star rating from 433 reviews



Here's today's Daily Youth Deal, available for $1.99!

Liesl & Po, by Lauren Oliver.

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.

336 pages, with a 4.3-star rating from 110 reviews



Happy Reading!

Betsy