Just in time for St. Patrick's Day: A sweeping 3-volume set of Gordon Ryan's sweeping family saga Spirit of Union, all in one for just $3.99 -- and here's a free sample!

Gordon Ryan's sweeping family saga Spirit of Union follows the Callahan family from its roots in Ireland to the US and around the world. Now you can read the entire 820-page trilogy in a single Kindle book for just $3.99!  

Here's the set-up:

Gordon Ryan has been a traditionally published author since 1994. In 2010, Pegasus Publishing republished each of his former novels and released his new thrillers, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties.

Vol. I - Destiny: Fleeing an abusive father and a hopeless life in Ireland in 1895, nineteen-year-old Tom Callahan takes passage on a ship bound for America. On board, he meets Katrina Hansen, a young Norwegian woman traveling to Utah. It's not a likely match. The brash Irishman is a Catholic, a brawler and a young man without prospects. Destiny is a sprawling historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century, played out in such far-flung places as New York City, the gold fields of Alaska and Old Mexico.

Vol. II - Conflict: It's 1917 and American has entered World War I. The Callahan's son has joined with what President Woodrow Wilson is calling "the fight to make the world safe for democracy." Set against turbulent events in world history and filled with vivid scenes as well as tender emotions, Conflict takes the reader around the world.

Vol. III - Heritage: Tom and Katrina Callahan's three children have grown up and are making their way in a world that is propelling itself toward World War II. Tess has her heart set on a Hollywood movie career; PJ is a successful sheep rancher in New Zealand and Tommy is pursuing his career in the Marine Corps and learning not only about war, but about the perils of romance. In this, the final volume of Spirit of Union, Gordon Ryan follows Tom and Katrina into their middle and late years. Living in a time when aviation is becoming a viable industry, the stock market is booming and Hitler's evil machinations are on the horizon, the world, and the Callahans, are embroiled on every front. Set in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, South America, Great Britain and the United States, Heritage is filled with scenes and characters that will linger in your mind long after you close the book.

Visit Amazon's Gordon Ryan Page

Gordon Ryan is a writer with a varied history. He has lived and worked in six nations and a dozen or more states, including Alaska. He was a Recon Marine in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and served in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War.  He also served as a member of the American Embassy staff in Dublin, Ireland, during the violent seventies. 

His first published novel, Dangerous Legacy, was released in 1994 and he has published nine more over the intervening years.  The "Pug Connor" novels, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties are his newest releases. 

Needing to feed his family, he never gave up his day job as a city manager and chief executive of large homeowners' associations, but once he discovered the joys of fiction, writing has been the driving force. Now writing full-time, Gordon and his wife, Colleen, spend their time between the American northwest and the beautiful South Pacific.

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day: A sweeping 3-volume set of Gordon Ryan's sweeping family saga Spirit of Union, all in one for just $3.99 -- and here's a free sample!

Gordon Ryan's sweeping family saga Spirit of Union follows the Callahan family from its roots in Ireland to the US and around the world. Now you can read the entire 820-page trilogy in a single Kindle book for just $3.99!  

Here's the set-up:

Gordon Ryan has been a traditionally published author since 1994. In 2010, Pegasus Publishing republished each of his former novels and released his new thrillers, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties.

Vol. I - Destiny: Fleeing an abusive father and a hopeless life in Ireland in 1895, nineteen-year-old Tom Callahan takes passage on a ship bound for America. On board, he meets Katrina Hansen, a young Norwegian woman traveling to Utah. It's not a likely match. The brash Irishman is a Catholic, a brawler and a young man without prospects. Destiny is a sprawling historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century, played out in such far-flung places as New York City, the gold fields of Alaska and Old Mexico.

Vol. II - Conflict: It's 1917 and American has entered World War I. The Callahan's son has joined with what President Woodrow Wilson is calling "the fight to make the world safe for democracy." Set against turbulent events in world history and filled with vivid scenes as well as tender emotions, Conflict takes the reader around the world.

Vol. III - Heritage: Tom and Katrina Callahan's three children have grown up and are making their way in a world that is propelling itself toward World War II. Tess has her heart set on a Hollywood movie career; PJ is a successful sheep rancher in New Zealand and Tommy is pursuing his career in the Marine Corps and learning not only about war, but about the perils of romance. In this, the final volume of Spirit of Union, Gordon Ryan follows Tom and Katrina into their middle and late years. Living in a time when aviation is becoming a viable industry, the stock market is booming and Hitler's evil machinations are on the horizon, the world, and the Callahans, are embroiled on every front. Set in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, South America, Great Britain and the United States, Heritage is filled with scenes and characters that will linger in your mind long after you close the book.

Visit Amazon's Gordon Ryan Page

Gordon Ryan is a writer with a varied history. He has lived and worked in six nations and a dozen or more states, including Alaska. He was a Recon Marine in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and served in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War.  He also served as a member of the American Embassy staff in Dublin, Ireland, during the violent seventies. 

His first published novel, Dangerous Legacy, was released in 1994 and he has published nine more over the intervening years.  The "Pug Connor" novels, State of Rebellion and Uncivil Liberties are his newest releases. 

Needing to feed his family, he never gave up his day job as a city manager and chief executive of large homeowners' associations, but once he discovered the joys of fiction, writing has been the driving force. Now writing full-time, Gordon and his wife, Colleen, spend their time between the American northwest and the beautiful South Pacific.

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

Even better than wearing the green tomorrow? Read a free sample of our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day today: Eddie Stack's collection The West: Stories from Ireland

With its wit, originality and sensitivity, Eddie Stack's collection The West: Stories from Ireland belongs in the best tradition of Irish writing -- Just $2.99 cents on Kindle!
 

Here's the set-up:

Praise for Eddie Stack's writing:

“Variously fantastic, comic, elegiac and nostalgic, Mr. Stack’s fiction 

is versatile and engaging...a vivid, compassionate, authentic voice... 

securing (him) a place in the celebrated tradition of his country’s 

storytelling.” — New York Times Book Review 

“There’s a genuinely wild and fugitive comic sense –– that 

puts one in mind of Myles na Gopaleen as much as the salt spume 

dam, George Makay Brown. Never sentimental, often funny, always 

accurate, this is pithy, finely tuned writing of a high order.” — The Observer 

Seven short stories set in the West of Ireland. From the opening tale, "Time Passes," to the final story, "Derramore," these pieces reveal the soul of a community--its hopes, dreams and schemes.

In The West, fatalism and possibility run side by side, the Otherworld is as near as the Church--the double focus of the Irish.

With storyteller intimacy, Eddie Stack evokes life in a series of almost cinematic prose portraits of people, places and situations. The stories are smooth, each one remarkably different, but they click together to form a pattern. With its wit, originality and sensitivity, The West stands in the best tradition of Irish writing.

Reviewers Said:

"Eddie Stack's stories from the West of Ireland received enthusiastic and well deserved praise from the New York Times upon their publication. This is a collection of timeless, original and heartfelt work from a writer who should be better known, not only by those interested in Ireland but by all readers of good contemporary fiction."

"Discovered this author on an indie Kindle site, and downloaded this collection on a whim. It's as advertised, quite captivating and presented in a clear, clean voice. I had the good fortune to spend a little bit of time in Ireland many years ago, and it brought back memories. I'll be checking out more of Mr. Stack's work."

"Variously fantastic, comic, elegiac and nostaligic, Mr. Stack's fiction is versatile and engaging...a vivid, compassionate, authentic voice...securing (him) a place in the celebrated tradition of his country's storytelling." --New York Times Book Review 

“There’s a genuinely wild and fugitive comic sence in these tales that puts one in mind of Myles na Gopaleen as much as the salt spume dam, George Makay Brown. Never sentimental, often funny, always accurate, this is pithy, finely tuned writing of a high order.” --Robert Carver, Observer (UK)

These are beautiful, timeless stories about an Ireland that is left behind as its citizens emigrate to America or shuttle back and forth to England to find work. The characters come alive as the dialogue tumbles out of the pages to show us a strange, innocent world where storytelling, drinking, dancing, religion, revolution, fairies, family loyalties and class differences make up the fabric of daily life. 

About the Author:

Eddie Stack is an Irish writer. He received a Top 100 Irish American Award and American Small Press of the Year Award for The West: Stories from Ireland.   

His work is included in State of the Art: Stories from New Irish Writers; Irish Christmas Stories, The Clare Anthology and Fiction in the Classroom. 

His stories have also appeared in literary reviews Fiction, Confrontation, Whispers & Shouts and Criterion. Stories from The West have been read on radio worldwide and a CD of four stories read by the author, with music by Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill is also available. His collection of stories, Out of the Blue, was published in Spring 2006. He recently won the Caomhnu Award for short fiction published his novel Heads, which is included in MediaBistro's Best eBooks of 2010 List.

Eddie Stack was co-founder and artistic director of the Irish Arts Foundation in San Francisco. He was a member of the Irish trade group Last Night's Fun with Tommy Peoples, Paddy Keenan, Johnny Moynihan and the late Shane Holden. He is currently working on a book about the culture and traditional arts of Doolin, County Clare. Due out in 2011, the book includes interviews with Micho Russell and Paddy Shannon as well as profiles on the Russell and Killoughery brothers. It has features on storytelling, dancing as well as music and songs from Doolin.

For more information: www.eddiestack.com

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

Even better than wearing the green tomorrow? Read a free sample of our Kindle Nation eBook of the Day today: Eddie Stack's collection The West: Stories from Ireland

With its wit, originality and sensitivity, Eddie Stack's collection The West: Stories from Ireland belongs in the best tradition of Irish writing -- Just $2.99 cents on Kindle!
 

Here's the set-up:

Praise for Eddie Stack's writing:

“Variously fantastic, comic, elegiac and nostalgic, Mr. Stack’s fiction 

is versatile and engaging...a vivid, compassionate, authentic voice... 

securing (him) a place in the celebrated tradition of his country’s 

storytelling.” — New York Times Book Review 

“There’s a genuinely wild and fugitive comic sense –– that 

puts one in mind of Myles na Gopaleen as much as the salt spume 

dam, George Makay Brown. Never sentimental, often funny, always 

accurate, this is pithy, finely tuned writing of a high order.” — The Observer 

Seven short stories set in the West of Ireland. From the opening tale, "Time Passes," to the final story, "Derramore," these pieces reveal the soul of a community--its hopes, dreams and schemes.

In The West, fatalism and possibility run side by side, the Otherworld is as near as the Church--the double focus of the Irish.

With storyteller intimacy, Eddie Stack evokes life in a series of almost cinematic prose portraits of people, places and situations. The stories are smooth, each one remarkably different, but they click together to form a pattern. With its wit, originality and sensitivity, The West stands in the best tradition of Irish writing.

Reviewers Said:

"Eddie Stack's stories from the West of Ireland received enthusiastic and well deserved praise from the New York Times upon their publication. This is a collection of timeless, original and heartfelt work from a writer who should be better known, not only by those interested in Ireland but by all readers of good contemporary fiction."

"Discovered this author on an indie Kindle site, and downloaded this collection on a whim. It's as advertised, quite captivating and presented in a clear, clean voice. I had the good fortune to spend a little bit of time in Ireland many years ago, and it brought back memories. I'll be checking out more of Mr. Stack's work."

"Variously fantastic, comic, elegiac and nostaligic, Mr. Stack's fiction is versatile and engaging...a vivid, compassionate, authentic voice...securing (him) a place in the celebrated tradition of his country's storytelling." --New York Times Book Review 

“There’s a genuinely wild and fugitive comic sence in these tales that puts one in mind of Myles na Gopaleen as much as the salt spume dam, George Makay Brown. Never sentimental, often funny, always accurate, this is pithy, finely tuned writing of a high order.” --Robert Carver, Observer (UK)

These are beautiful, timeless stories about an Ireland that is left behind as its citizens emigrate to America or shuttle back and forth to England to find work. The characters come alive as the dialogue tumbles out of the pages to show us a strange, innocent world where storytelling, drinking, dancing, religion, revolution, fairies, family loyalties and class differences make up the fabric of daily life. 

About the Author:

Eddie Stack is an Irish writer. He received a Top 100 Irish American Award and American Small Press of the Year Award for The West: Stories from Ireland.   

His work is included in State of the Art: Stories from New Irish Writers; Irish Christmas Stories, The Clare Anthology and Fiction in the Classroom. 

His stories have also appeared in literary reviews Fiction, Confrontation, Whispers & Shouts and Criterion. Stories from The West have been read on radio worldwide and a CD of four stories read by the author, with music by Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill is also available. His collection of stories, Out of the Blue, was published in Spring 2006. He recently won the Caomhnu Award for short fiction published his novel Heads, which is included in MediaBistro's Best eBooks of 2010 List.

Eddie Stack was co-founder and artistic director of the Irish Arts Foundation in San Francisco. He was a member of the Irish trade group Last Night's Fun with Tommy Peoples, Paddy Keenan, Johnny Moynihan and the late Shane Holden. He is currently working on a book about the culture and traditional arts of Doolin, County Clare. Due out in 2011, the book includes interviews with Micho Russell and Paddy Shannon as well as profiles on the Russell and Killoughery brothers. It has features on storytelling, dancing as well as music and songs from Doolin.

For more information: www.eddiestack.com

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

Just Out Today! A Free Sample from FAUSTINE, 1st Book in (Bonfire Chronicles Book One), the Brand New Series from Imogen Rose, Bestselling Author of the PORTAL CHRONICLES!

Trust no one -- that may be Faustine's most important takeaway from Bonfire Academy, but there was never any doubt we could trust Portal Chronicles author Imogen Rose to serve up another pitch-perfect series!

Here's the set-up for FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One):

Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers.

Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, or at least, one that's part of the in-crowd at her Upper East Side High School. When drop-dead gorgeous Ryker, her long-time crush from the Academy, finally notices her, she couldn't be happier.

However, her desire for a normal life is shattered when her father, a prominent sovereign, disappears after naming her as his successor. Her siblings begin to disappear, and Faustine finds herself in the midst of a power struggle. 

With her life in danger, Faustine must learn to follow one of Bonfire Academy's most important rules: Trust no one.

Visit Amazon's Imogen Rose Page

Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, The Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she's been based for the past ten years.

For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.

Portal, Imogen's first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape.

The warm reception Portal received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. Book two (Equilibrium)  and book three (Quantum) are now available. Book four, Momentum, will be available this summer. Faustine is Imogen's first book in her new series, the Bonfire Chronicles.

Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.

From Reviewers:

Faustine is an action packed paranormal mystery. I don't want to give away the plot but it is fast paced with the twists, turns and OMG moments that I have come to expect and love from Ms. Rose. I found the characters and relationships to be very believable despite the fact that most of the characters are paranormal beings. 

..,..it's nice to settle in for the night with a nice familiar author; an author I KNOW can write an entertaining and captivating story; so when the opportunity presented itself to read "Faustine" the first book in the "Bonfire Chronicles" by the lovely Imogen Rose, I jumped at the chance to get my grubby little paws on it. I have never been shy with my adoration of Rose's ability to connect with her readers through her work, so my continued appreciation for her new venture should come as no surprise. 

An absolute hit is on Imogen Rose's hands with Faustine, a 15-year-old who, as the tale opens, has returned home from Bonfire Academy. At this Swiss boarding school -- a school that encourages silence and feeding -- she learns to control her paranormal abilities. A few days after her return, she learns her father -- the Demon King of London -- has been kidnapped. 

 I think Imogen really captured the spirit of the average teen perfectly. I like that Faustine had normal issues to struggle with, some of them embarrassing, in addition to her new responsibilities. Her character really grew throughout this novel. The supporting characters in this book were also great.

And here, right in the comfort of your browser, is your very own free sample!

Just Out Today! A Free Sample from FAUSTINE, 1st Book in (Bonfire Chronicles Book One), the Brand New Series from Imogen Rose, Bestselling Author of the PORTAL CHRONICLES!

Trust no one -- that may be Faustine's most important takeaway from Bonfire Academy, but there was never any doubt we could trust Portal Chronicles author Imogen Rose to serve up another pitch-perfect series!

Here's the set-up for FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One):

Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers.

Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, or at least, one that's part of the in-crowd at her Upper East Side High School. When drop-dead gorgeous Ryker, her long-time crush from the Academy, finally notices her, she couldn't be happier.

However, her desire for a normal life is shattered when her father, a prominent sovereign, disappears after naming her as his successor. Her siblings begin to disappear, and Faustine finds herself in the midst of a power struggle. 

With her life in danger, Faustine must learn to follow one of Bonfire Academy's most important rules: Trust no one.

Visit Amazon's Imogen Rose Page

Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, The Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she's been based for the past ten years.

For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.

Portal, Imogen's first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape.

The warm reception Portal received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. Book two (Equilibrium)  and book three (Quantum) are now available. Book four, Momentum, will be available this summer. Faustine is Imogen's first book in her new series, the Bonfire Chronicles.

Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.

From Reviewers:

Faustine is an action packed paranormal mystery. I don't want to give away the plot but it is fast paced with the twists, turns and OMG moments that I have come to expect and love from Ms. Rose. I found the characters and relationships to be very believable despite the fact that most of the characters are paranormal beings. 

..,..it's nice to settle in for the night with a nice familiar author; an author I KNOW can write an entertaining and captivating story; so when the opportunity presented itself to read "Faustine" the first book in the "Bonfire Chronicles" by the lovely Imogen Rose, I jumped at the chance to get my grubby little paws on it. I have never been shy with my adoration of Rose's ability to connect with her readers through her work, so my continued appreciation for her new venture should come as no surprise. 

An absolute hit is on Imogen Rose's hands with Faustine, a 15-year-old who, as the tale opens, has returned home from Bonfire Academy. At this Swiss boarding school -- a school that encourages silence and feeding -- she learns to control her paranormal abilities. A few days after her return, she learns her father -- the Demon King of London -- has been kidnapped. 

 I think Imogen really captured the spirit of the average teen perfectly. I like that Faustine had normal issues to struggle with, some of them embarrassing, in addition to her new responsibilities. Her character really grew throughout this novel. The supporting characters in this book were also great.

And here, right in the comfort of your browser, is your very own free sample!

The waters off the Outer Cape have been taking seamen's lives for centuries. Now, in Our Kindle Nation eBook Of The Day, they give back A Single Deadly Truth.

Here's the set-up for John M. Urban's A Single Deadly Truth (A Steve Decatur Mystery):

On the stormy February night in 1952, the 500-foot oil tanker Pendleton snapped in half in 60-foot seas off Cape Cod. The ensuing rescue of the Pendleton ranks as one of the most heroic stories in the history of the US Coast Guard. That much is true. John M. Urban's novel A Single Deadly Truth explores another story that might have begun that same stormy night - Just $2.99 in the Kindle Store! 

In a work of fiction, A Single Deadly Truth tells that another ship sank that same night, just a few miles from where the Pendleton went down. The ship's sole survivor remained committed to taking the story, and the ship's location, to his grave. Until now. 

A Single Deadly Truth features a thirty-five year old college professor and part-time harbormaster named Steve Decatur.  He spends summers living aboard an old wooden sailboat in the town of Harbor Point, Massachusetts. When Decatur's friend, a lobsterman and diver named Chris Blanchard, is found dead off Cape Cod, Decatur is called on to retrieve the man's boat. Along the way, there's growing evidence that Blanchard's death was a murder, not an accident. 

To the end, Decatur remains persistent in uncovering the truth.  In doing so he uncovers a much larger crime.

About the Author:

Like his protagonist, John Urban has worked as a college professor and he sails the waters of Southern New England on an old wooden sailboat that he restored. He is a regular contributor to the blog Write On The Water.  His short stories have appeared in the anthologies Seasmoke and Deadfall.

The ocean was his desired destination from an early age. As a boy living a landlocked life in Western Massachusetts, nights were dedicated to reading about boats and watching Flipper and weekends were spent boating and fishing, April-to-October, on Long Island Sound. 

Thoughts of a career at sea ended early after a stint at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, but the circle of life has come around some years later in the form of the fictional world of Steve Decatur. 

Urban lives just outside Boston and spends his summers near the waters edge of Buzzards Bay and Rhode Island Sound. A Single Deadly Truth, published on Amazon Kindle, is Urban's debut novel. A second Steve Decatur mystery is due out in 2011. For more information: www.johnmurban.com

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

The waters off the Outer Cape have been taking seamen's lives for centuries. Now, in Our Kindle Nation eBook Of The Day, they give back A Single Deadly Truth.

Here's the set-up for John M. Urban's A Single Deadly Truth (A Steve Decatur Mystery):

On the stormy February night in 1952, the 500-foot oil tanker Pendleton snapped in half in 60-foot seas off Cape Cod. The ensuing rescue of the Pendleton ranks as one of the most heroic stories in the history of the US Coast Guard. That much is true. John M. Urban's novel A Single Deadly Truth explores another story that might have begun that same stormy night - Just $2.99 in the Kindle Store! 

In a work of fiction, A Single Deadly Truth tells that another ship sank that same night, just a few miles from where the Pendleton went down. The ship's sole survivor remained committed to taking the story, and the ship's location, to his grave. Until now. 

A Single Deadly Truth features a thirty-five year old college professor and part-time harbormaster named Steve Decatur.  He spends summers living aboard an old wooden sailboat in the town of Harbor Point, Massachusetts. When Decatur's friend, a lobsterman and diver named Chris Blanchard, is found dead off Cape Cod, Decatur is called on to retrieve the man's boat. Along the way, there's growing evidence that Blanchard's death was a murder, not an accident. 

To the end, Decatur remains persistent in uncovering the truth.  In doing so he uncovers a much larger crime.

About the Author:

Like his protagonist, John Urban has worked as a college professor and he sails the waters of Southern New England on an old wooden sailboat that he restored. He is a regular contributor to the blog Write On The Water.  His short stories have appeared in the anthologies Seasmoke and Deadfall.

The ocean was his desired destination from an early age. As a boy living a landlocked life in Western Massachusetts, nights were dedicated to reading about boats and watching Flipper and weekends were spent boating and fishing, April-to-October, on Long Island Sound. 

Thoughts of a career at sea ended early after a stint at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, but the circle of life has come around some years later in the form of the fictional world of Steve Decatur. 

Urban lives just outside Boston and spends his summers near the waters edge of Buzzards Bay and Rhode Island Sound. A Single Deadly Truth, published on Amazon Kindle, is Urban's debut novel. A second Steve Decatur mystery is due out in 2011. For more information: www.johnmurban.com

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:

If you don't think a New Age nursing book could be your next great read, maybe you haven't checked out this free sample of Meredith Kendall's Reiki Nurse: My life as a nurse and how reiki changed it

Bouncing from Maine to Hawaii and back again, Meredith Kendall shares a natural storyteller's flair in this tantalizing, insightful and often hilarious glimpse into the worlds of lay midwifery, herbal medicine, and natural healing. Reiki Nurse -- Just $2.99 on Kindle! 

Here's the set-up for Reiki Nurse: My life as a nurse and how reiki changed it:

Maine perches at the end of the continent and conjures solid images of rocks, lobsters, and Yankee farmers, but there's nothing "solid" about this book. Meredith Kendall bounces from Maine to Hawaii and back again, from hospital deathbeds to homebirths, Pleiades, and The Other Side in Reiki Nurse. It's a fascinating tale of Kendall's experiences as a nurse and reiki practitioner in rural Maine. It’s a page-turner: staccato chapters read like intimate conversations. You’ll get sucked in from the start and won’t want to stop as Kendall hitchhikes around the country, moves into a cabin in the woods, and becomes a nurse. 

Read what nurses do behind the scenes. Her conventional nursing job includes forays into lay midwifery and herbal medicine, but takes a sharp turn when she starts speaking with a medical intuitive. 

And that’s just the beginning!

"Mr G. told me he’d had painful spasms all over his body, every five minutes, all day. He’d received reiki before, and wanted another session. I focused on the reiki symbols, and began channeling the energy. I felt the familiar tingling starting at the top of my head, and progressing down both arms. Gradually the sounds of the noisy ICU faded away. It felt like my ears were muffled. 

"I felt myself pulled into the reiki symbol; Mr G. was there too. We went down and around the loops of the symbol. The symbol was three-dimensional, and we were inside. It glowed neon green, pulsed with energy, and moved through space. 

"We curved around the spirals of the symbol, until suddenly we were spit out among the stars. We floated amid the bright stars. A beautiful lady appeared. Huge. I could see just her face and shoulders. She had a shawl around her head. Shawl wasn’t the right word, I thought, but it was the word that came into my mind. She smiled at us with infinite love and kindness. 

"Slowly the vision faded, and we were back in the ICU. About twenty minutes had passed. Wow! Nothing like that had ever happened to me before."

About the Author:

Meredith Kendall received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Southern Maine, and her master's degree in nursing education from St Joseph's College of Maine. Kaimora attuned Kendall to Reiki Master at Tangwala in Oquossoc, Maine.

Kendall is a nursing instructor and reiki practitioner. She lives in rural Maine where she enjoys spinning wool, snowshoeing, and gardening.

Reviews and Commentary:

According to author, crime reporter, and columnist Mark LaFlamme, Reiki Nurse is:

"A tantalizing and insightful glimpse into the worlds of nursing and alternative healing. Kendall has a natural storyteller's flair: her tales from the nursing front are at times somber, at others, hilarious. The author seems to examine her own inner workings as much as that of the profession that has consumed her life. An honest and open examination of a profession none of us care to know very personally but one that we will all need. Whether you've watched a loved one spend final days in the care of a medical professional or laid healing hands yourself, you will dig the voyeuristic view of the inside offered by Kendall's debut book.

"I was a fan by page two and will no doubt read the book again."

From Vine Voice Top 500 Reviewer Linda Bulger:

"When people choose to write honestly about their challenges and passions, there is always something to be learned in the reading. Since REIKI NURSE: My Life As a Nurse, and How Reiki Changed It is set largely in the rural county where I live, I was eager to read it.

"Kendall's style is conversational and refreshingly random as she tells stories of her early nursing days. She provided home care to patients for fourteen years, driving 500 miles a week through the Maine forests. Her stories of the patients she cared for and the impact they had on her are fascinating snapshots of a nurse's life.

"Leaving the home health field, she worked the night shift in a small hospital. During this time she began exploring the spiritual side of her work as a healer, and getting in touch with her personal energy sources. After reading a book on reiki, which she explains as an ancient tradition that channels healing energy from the universe, she began to study reiki.

"Many of the ideas presented in "Reiki Nurse" are not usually "dreamt of in our philosophy," but this immensely readable book will make you glad that modern medicine makes room for the spiritual aspect of healing--and that committed nurses like Kendall are there to lead the way."

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