1. I’m an obsessive movie attender. I love to go by myself. It’s my alone time. Sometimes I sneak out to go to a movie by myself. I attend movies with my wife and friends but I also really like to go by myself. I’m not sure why I like to do that. I could have worst habits I suppose.
2. I lay awake in bed at 3 a.m. sometimes imagining conversations or chapters in an upcoming book. I get some great ideas. It’s just not too good for logging in your eight hours of sound sleep. If you were normal you wouldn’t be a writer anyway, I guess.
3. I was once a co-defendant with 60 Minutes and Dan Rather when I worked for a newspaper in Wyoming. They did an expose on corruption in the town. I got grouped in with them. I was later dropped from the lawsuit. However, I still have the court papers that lists me as a co-defendant.
4. I love to eavesdrop on conversations and watch people in restaurants or coffee shops. I use it to help me with dialogue. The downside is that some young women probably think I’m creepy. I find their real dialogue endlessly fascinating.
5. I have to be listening to music on iTunes while I write. I don’t know why but it helps a lot. Music invokes feelings and emotions and I find myself tapping into those as I listen to music. During the course of writing a novel, I usually hone in on certain songs which would be a soundtrack for that book. Those songs are ones which really touch the vibe I’m going for in the story.
6. In “The Illusion of Certainty” I have two of the characters compete in the Hood to Coast relay race. It is 197 miles and begins at Mt. Hood east of Portland, Oregon and ends on the beach in Seaside, Oregon. Participants will each run 15-20 miles in the race. I ran Hood to Coast seven times. I still try to run each day…but not that far.
7. Peacock Lane, the Christmas street, mentioned in “The Illusion of Certainty” is a real place. I had a good friend who bought a house there. She invited me to her Christmas party each year.
8. I met my wife in 8th grade. We started getting serious about one another later in high school We been married since 1970 and have known each other since we were 13.
9. I have always wanted to write a mystery or a detective series. I’m actually working on the first book in the hoped for series right now. I hope I can do it. I find myself think about committing crimes now and clues for solving them. I’m not sure how good a criminal I am yet.
10. Even though I live in Seattle now I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am an avid San Francisco Giant baseball fan. My first game was when I was eight years old. I went to the old Seals Stadium with my dad. There have been good times and bad but the Giants are kind of in my DNA.

I hope you will continue to follow my adventures and writing projects at my blog at www.gregmessel.com. My writing has taken me to places I didn’t think I would go and in directions which surprise even me. Join me for the journey and I would love to discuss it all with you…unless I’m at a movie.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Greg Messel has written three novels and three unpublished memoirs. He published his premiere novel “Sunbreaks” in 2009, followed by “Expiation” in 2010 and “The Illusion of Certainty” in 2011. Greg has had a newspaper career as a columnist, sportswriter and news editor. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist. Greg also spent many years in the corporate world as a Financial Manager. He now devotes his energies to writing at his home in Edmonds, Washington on the Puget Sound just north of Seattle, where he lives with his wife, Carol.

You can visit his website at www.gregmessel.com.  Connect with Greg on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gregmessel or Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.messel.

The Illusion of Certainty follows two parallel storylines. Marc is a successful businessman who seems to have everything—a great job, a beautiful wife, a house in an upscale neighborhood of Portland, Oregon and two great kids who are preparing for college. But something is not right. Marc is unsettled by the sudden change in his wife, Aimee, who seems distant and unhappy. What’s going on with her?
The second storyline involves a successful young attorney, Alexandra Mattson. Alex, as she is called by her friends, meets a handsome young cop, Sean, during an unexpected crisis in her neighborhood. Sean and Alex seem made for each other and begin to merge their futures in a world of uncertainty.

The only certainty in life is that we will face uncertainty. Despite all fo the technology and controls available in the modern world, sometimes the only comfort comes from the human touch.

• ISBN-13: 9781936750528
• Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing
• Publication date: 7/20/2011
• Pages: 452

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Please note that these were FREE as of TODAY. I can not guarantee that they will be free at a later time from this post. Hopefully you’ll get the chance to download them while they remain free.

Below are today’s latest free finds (click the covers to the download pages)…

SELF-HELP

BUSINESS / FINANCES

ADULT FICTION

CHILDREN’S FICTION

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

CLASSICS

MISCELLANEOUS

Found any new free ebooks lately?

I am a LinkShare affiliate. Some images contain a Linkshare which compensates me a little.

On My Shelves is a weekly post at The Book Faery Reviews which shares THREE books from our personal collection. These books could be favorites, books to be read as soon as possible for our own enjoyment, as well as books to be read soon for scheduled reviews.

Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own.  ~William Hazlitt

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - It’s a few days before Halloween, and Samuel Johnson and his dachsund Boswell witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Avenue. The Abernathys don’t mean any harm by their flirtation with the underworld, but when they unknowingly call forth Satan himself, they create a gap in the universe. A gap that holds a pair of enormous gates—the gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out….Can one small boy defeat evil—and harness the power of science, faith, and love to save the world as we know it?

In his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book…. The Book of Lost Things. – FROM AMAZON

The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox- ”After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn’s for an oyster supper.” So begins the “enthralling” (Booklist, starred review) and “ingenious” (Boston Globe) story of Edward Glyver, booklover, scholar, and murderer. As a young boy, Glyver always believed he was destined for greatness. A chance discovery convinces him that he was right: greatness does await him, along with immense wealth and influence. Overwhelmed by his discovery, he will stop at nothing to win back a prize that he knows is rightfully his.

Glyver’s path to reclaim his prize leads him from the depths of Victorian London, with its foggy streets, brothels, and opium dens, to Evenwood, one of England’s most beautiful and enchanting country houses, and finally to a consuming love for the beautiful but enigmatic Emily Carteret. His is a story of betrayal and treachery, of death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition. And at every turn, driving Glyver irresistibly onward, is his deadly rival: the poet-criminal Phoebus Rainsford Daunt.

The Meaning of Night is an enthralling novel that will captivate readers right up to its final thrilling revelation. – FROM B&N

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas - From the critically acclaimed author of Tallgrass comes a powerful novel about an unlikely friendship between two women and the secrets they’ve kept in order to survive life in a rugged Colorado mining town.

It’s 1936 and the Great Depression has taken its toll. Up in the high country of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains, eighty-six-year-old Hennie Comfort has lived in Middle Swan, Colorado, since before it was Colorado. When she first meets seventeen-year-old Nit Spindle, Hennie is drawn to the grieving young girl. Nit and her husband have come to this small mining town in search of work, but the loneliness and loss Nit feels are almost too much to bear. One day she notices an old sign that reads prayers for sale in front of Hennie’s house. Hennie doesn’t actually take money for her prayers, never has, but she invites the skinny girl in anyway. The harsh conditions of life that each has endured create an instant bond, and a friendship is born, one in which the deepest of hardships are shared and the darkest of secrets are confessed. – FROM AMAZON

As Tracy’s past begins to threaten their future with Jack, Bobbi is forced to face the unsettling truth about God’s grace. But this time, what will it cost to forgive the unforgivable? -FROM B&N

• Pub. Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Mindstir Media
• Format: Paperback , 404pp
• ISBN-13: 9780981964836
• ISBN: 0981964834

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Like the first book in the Covenant of Trust Series, Paula Wiseman does an excellent job in portraying a marriage who’s been tainted by infidelity yet rebuilt through faith. Bring the woman back into the picture with a child this time and you wonder if this couple will make it through the pain again. Will they go backwards and lose what they rebuilt or will they move forward? I’ve been there. I was once Bobbi. Honestly there are probably STILL days I feel like Bobbi. Wiseman portrayed it all very well. While not all marriages may have the support system that Bobbi and Chuck had, in the end, their faith kept them strong so they could move forward (like my husband and I). I once again recommend this book series to married couples who may or may not have lived through infidelity.

You can read my review of the first book, Contingency, here and Paula’s guest post about the 10 Things You Can Do to Help Your Writing Career Before You’re Published here.

I RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR REVIEW ALONG WITH THE PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION. NO COMPENSATION WAS RECEIVED. ALL OPINIONS STATED ABOVE WERE NOT INFLUENCED BY ANYONE AND ARE MY OWN.

Paperback: 298 pages
Publisher: Stones Point Press (September 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1882521129

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Hugh Aaron, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, received a Liberal Artsdegree in the Humanities at The University of Chicago. For three years as a Seabee he served in the South Pacific during WWII. He was CEO of his own plastics manufacturing business for 20 years before selling it to write fulltime. Several of his short stories have been published in national magazines and 18 of his essays on business management have appeared in The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Business Not as Usual: How to Win Managing a plays.

His latest book is a short story collection, Stories From a Lifetime. You can visit his website at www.stonespointbooks.com or his blog at www.businesswisdom.blogspot.com.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…You know what I love best about a collection of short stories in a book? I can pick a random story and jump right into it. That is something I could easily do with Aaron’s book Stories From A Lifetime. Each different story has a message and will touch your heart one way or another. There is truly a story for everyone in all kinds of situations within this book and once you’ve read them, you’ll eventually find yourself sharing it with another. I for one, will be sharing this lovely collection of stories with those at the office.

MY BOOK Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

I received a copy of the book for review to participate in Aaron’s book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.
No compensation was given and all opinions stated above are mine.

• Pub. Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Michael Scott Miller
• Sold By: SMASHWORDS – EBKS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
• Print Length: 286 pages

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Michael Scott Miller works with numbers by day in the business world and with words by night. He began writing shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and has had his work published in the Welcomat (now Philadelphia Weekly) and wrote music reviews for the Wharton Journal while his wife was getting her degree there.

Miller’s debut novel, Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers, has been downloaded more than eight thousand times and has received tremendously positive reader feedback, earning 4-star to 5-star ratings at Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, Smashwords, and Kobobooks. The complete set of reader reviews and comments can be accessed at http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/40309/ .

Miller grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ and now lives in Lafayette Hill, PA with his wife and three children.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers is a fairly inspirational short read that just makes you feel good afterwards. The characters Miller put together in this novel felt like real people and has you realizing that one can do whatever they put their mind to no matter what others might be telling them. You saw their imperfections and struggles. You saw them get through their issues and grow. You see them learn from each other and work together no matter how different their backgrounds are. It’s easy to want to root these musicians and actually care for them as their personal stories unfold within the pages. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in need of inspiration and those who enjoy uplifting reads.

Read his guest post from the other week about The Art of Creating Believable Characters.

A copy of the e-book was provided by the author for a review in participation with Pump Up Your Book.
No money compensation was received and all opinions stated are my own.

On My Shelves is a weekly post at The Book Faery Reviews which shares THREE books from our personal collection. These books could be favorites, books to be read as soon as possible for our own enjoyment, as well as books to be read soon for scheduled reviews.

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.
~Author Unknown

Number ONE. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom - Want to read.

In HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, Mitch Ablom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds – two men, two faiths, two communities – that will inspire readers everywhere. – FROM INSIDE BOOK JACKET

Number TWO. The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander – Want to read.

As the Russia of Nicholas and Alexandra rushes toward catastrophe, the Grand Duchess Elisavyeta is ensconced in the lavish and magnificent Romanov court. In the same city, but worlds apart, Pavel is a simple village man in search of a better life. When his young wife, Shura, is shot and killed by tsarist soldiers during a political demonstration, Pavel dedicates his life to overthrowing the Romanovs. Pavel’s underground group assassinates Elisavyeta’s husband, the grand duke, changing her life forever.

Grief-stricken, the grand duchess gives up her wealth and becomes a nun dedicated to the poor people of Russia. When revolution finally sweeps in, Elisavyeta is the last Romanov captured, ripped from her abbey in the middle of the night and shuttled to Siberia. It is here, in a distant wood on a moonlit night, that Pavel is left to decide her fate. – FROM B&N

Number THREE. Remembered by Tamera Alexander - Want to read.

The threat of war—and a final request—send Véronique Girard from France to a distant and uninviting country. In the Colorado Territory, she searches for the man who has held her heart since childhood—her father. Pierre Girard left Paris for the Americas to seek his fortune in fur trading, vowing to send for his wife and daughter. But twenty-five years have passed and his vow remains unfulfilled. Sifting through shards of broken promises, Véronique embarks on a dangerous search for a man she scarcely remembers. His grief finally healed, Jack Brennan is moving on with life. After years of guiding families west, he is now working as a freighter to the mining towns surrounding Willow Springs. What he doesn’t count on is an unexpected traveling companion on his trips up into the mountains, and how one woman’s search will cause havoc with his plans . . . and his life. – FROM B&N

Circle of Seven productions created the following trailer for The Muir House and they did such a great job, I now want to find a copy for myself. Enjoy!

A Love Story. A Lost Story. All Under One Roof.

Willa Muir can’t say yes to the love of her life, until she explores her past and solves the mystery of a haunting dream. But when Willa’s desperate search unearths unthinkable secrets, her heart collapses. Can Willa shake her past to embrace a love that could finally lead her home? Learn about the book here, http://bit.ly/gnU4g6 Learn about this author here, http://bit.ly/m5h6gq Literary Christian fiction -FROM CIRCLE OF SEVEN PRODUCTIONS

BUY FROM BARNES & NOBLE

• Pub. Date: June 27 2011
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Format: Paperback , 336pp
• ISBN: 0310330335

Homefires is set in the Deep South’s Bible Belt on the eve of unprecedented moral changes. It is the story of Janeece and Kirk Crenshaw, a couple married just after their high school graduation who set out to make a life for themselves. It is a life marked by surprises, none more dramatic than when Kirk receives his “high-calling” and becomes a pastor. It is a life marked by tragedy, the most heart-rending of which is a devastating event very close to home. And it is a life marked by challenges: to their church, to their community, and most decidedly to their marriage. And as the fullness of time makes its impact on their union, Kirk and Janeece must face the question of whether they have gone as far as they can together. - FROM B&N

• Pub. Date: June 2011
• Publisher: Story Plant, The
• Format: Paperback , 450pp
• ISBN-13: 9781611880069

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble (I am a B&N affiliate.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Emily Sue Harvey’s writing to make a difference. Her upbeat stories have appeared in dozens of anthologies including “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” “Chocolate for Women,” “From Eulogy to Joy,” “A Father’s Embrace,” “True Story,” “Compassionate Friends Magazine,” and “Woman’s World.” Emily Sue served as president of Southeastern Writers Association in 2008-2009. Her first novel, Song of Renewal, published by Story Plant, was released in the spring of 2009. For more information visit www.renewalstories.com or www.emilysueharvey.com.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR…Facebook Fan Page – Website - Blog

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Homefires (I keep saying & typing HomeFRIES EVERY.TIME. Can’t help it! HA.), is one of those novels where you feel like a fly on the wall listening in or just buzzing around everywhere the characters are at a given moment. The characters felt real to me and I could relate to them in one way or another. Course it probably helps that 1) My husband and I were high school sweethearts (been together over 1/2 our lives and married 11yrs this past June 10th) 2) have a family and 3) it was my faith in God that helped us through the toughest moments in our marriage. While there were some parts I couldn’t COMPLETELY relate to or I found to be slower than I wanted, I still couldn’t help wanting to stick around for what would happen next or see how one of the characters would respond emotionally. Homefires is a very moving and inspiring drama about love, family, and even self discovery. Overall, I enjoyed Harvey’s novel and I recommend this book to anyone looking for something inspirational.

Sidenote…what was with all the italics? There were so many! Perhaps some things were over-emphasized or perhaps it was to help with the tone in our reader voice?

This book was provided to me for review as part of Pump Up Your Book.
All opinions stated above are my own.

Bobbi Molinsky’s comfortable life is shattered when a forwarded email from her husband’s account lands in her inbox. The email teases, “My whole evening is free again.” After an angry confrontation with Chuck, she is left with the broken remains of an eighteen year marriage. Bobbi agrees forgiving Chuck is the right thing, the God-honoring thing to do, but it leaves her empty and isolated. Teaching her second-graders is a burden. Taking care of her boys saps all her energy. It seems God Himself has walked away, leaving her to struggle alone. Bobbi can’t deny the transformation in Chuck, but genuine forgiveness requires trust, and trust is a risk she’s not willing to take. Can she let go of her deepest, most primal fears and save her marriage? – FROM AMAZON.COM

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Mindstir Media (December 3, 2010)
• Language: English

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…After working several years as research chemist, Paula Wiseman was blessed the opportunity to stay home with her children and follow the writer’s path. She has been published in several Cup of Comfort devotional books and in Life Savors for Women. She blogs on matters of life and faith at paulawiseman.com. Contingency: Book One: Covenant of Trust Series, her debut novel, spent time on the Amazon.com Christian Fiction bestsellers list, and was also the #1 Hot New Release in Christian Fiction. Indemnity is her second novel. She enjoys small town life in Illinois with her husband, Jon, and three children.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…I will admit, this took me some time to read. Not because I didn’t like it. Course it’s very hard to like the topic of infidelity. It took me some time, because this book reached inside of me the place and time I’d rather not go back to (and ironically, during the “anniversary month”). Wiseman, did an excellent job in portraying how marital affairs can hurt AND bring a family back together through their faith in God. I could connect with each of the characters even those outside of the immediate family. I was there. I felt each emotion that Wiseman portrayed for each of her characters involved.

For those who’ve dealt with infidelity and even those not touched by the pain, this is a great book to read. It’s yet another reminder (no matter how uncomfortable) of how precious marriages are, the reasons we take our vows, and the reminder of what could happen when we lose focus on God and each other.

I very much look forward to reading the second in the series when we watch how this couple gets through when the “other woman ” comes back into the picture.

Be sure to stop by and read Paula Wiseman’s guest post from yesterday. She gives tells us 10 Things You Can Do to Help Your Writing Career Before You’re Published.

My Book Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

I received a copy of this book for review along with the Pump Up Your Book Promotion. No compensation was received. All opinions stated above were not influenced by anyone and are my own.