Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "free"

For a limited time, I am offering my short story collections, Love and Loyalty, and Pieces of a Rainbow for just $0.99 or £0.70 on Amazon kindle.

Remember, you don't have to own a kindle ereader to download and read the books. Amazon offers free apps for iphone, ipad, mac, pc, blackberry, etc.

I am hoping to make my new collection Fusion available on kindle in the next couple of months.

At the moment I am also working on formatting my books as epubs so that I can offer them for sale more widely. Bear with me while I try to get to grips with the formatting!

As a free short read - because I love you all so much :) I have uploaded a story from my new collection to fReado. The story is aptly titled 'The Valentine's Card' so I thought it would be the perfect gift to you all this Valentine's Day.

Click here to read the story: The Valentine's Card Enjoy!

As many of you will already be aware, I recently wrote a murder/mystery novella with author Jason McIntyre.
This week, author Stacy Juba is featuring the lead character from that novella, the evil reviewer, Nestor Maronski, on her fictional online game show.
The game show is an ongoing contest on Stacy's blog to celebrate the release of her latest novel Sink or Swim which is a murder/mystery based on a reality TV show.

You can help support me and my co-author Jason, by leaving a comment on Stacy's blog interview with Nestor. The 3 fictional characters who get the highest number of unique commenters on their posts will win!

There is also a chance to enter to win a pdf copy of Cutting The Fat!

Click here to read the interview: Nestor Maronski Interview

As most of you already know, I am a resident author at http://www.bestsellerbound.com a wonderful forum for readers and writers dedicated to bringing you the best in indie fiction.

We are very proud to announce that the first BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology is now published!



It's free to download from Smashwords in any format you choose.

Here's the link you need: BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology on Smashwords

It includes an exclusive new short story by me, 'Flames', which you won't find in any of my currently published collections.

The themes in the Anthology include: romance, mystery, fantasy, wizards, witches, music, torture

It's a very diverse collection sure to contain a story or two that you'll fall in love with whatever your taste. So, click the link and download your free copy, and don't forget to tell all your friends about it.

Here's a list of the story titles and authors:

Wish Upon A Star by Lainey Bancroft

Tears For Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe

You Can Call Me Ari by Darcia Helle

Flames by Maria Savva

Minor Details by Jaleta Clegg

Ice Cream Man by Neil Schiller

No Eyes But Mine Shall See by Sharon E. Cathcart

The First Texas Twister by Magnolia Belle

Shadow Lantern by Gareth Lewis

Stained by Amy Saunders

We hope you'll enjoy the stories, please do let us know what you think!

Happy reading :)

Bestseller Bound Anthology by Darcia Helle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of my short stories is featured in this collection, 'Flames'. My review does not include that story.



This is a diverse collection of stories, there's something for everyone in this anthology.



Wish Upon A Star by Lainey Bancroft

An insightful tale about a gifted singer who falls prey to the ravages of fame. Lainey is an author who understands the human psyche well.



Tears For Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe

An entertaining fantasy tale, containing wizards, magic, curses, and spells. Hesh is a likeable character and I felt compassion for him. Well written with a tragic twist.



You Can Call Me Ari by Darcia Helle

A chilling, suspense story to keep you on the edge of your seat. By far the most vivid story in the collection. The descriptive quality of the writing pulls the reader in. Fans of Darcia's writing can be assured that even though this is just a short story it is just as scary as her novels!



Minor Details by Jaleta Clegg

A humourous tale about two teenage girls, one of whom can't spell. This leads to an unfortunate turn of events (or, fortunate, depending on how you look at it!) A fun read.



Ice Cream Man by Neil Schiller

Having read and enjoyed Neil's collection of short stories Oblivious, I was not disappointed by this story. It contains the same moody feel as much of his writing. It is in essence a poignant story of disappointment.



No Eyes But Mine Shall See by Sharon E. Cathcart

Sharon Cathcart sets the scene well in this heartbreaking story of a love denied. I liked the descriptive quality of the writing. Much of the story is written in the form of a letter that will never be read, making it all the more heartrending.



The First Texas Twister by Magnolia Belle

A fun and entertaining tale about how the Wild West collided with Native American culture to create the first tornado.



Shadow Lantern by Gareth Lewis

An interesting concept. A short story told entirely through dialogue with no narrative. At first, I didn't think it would work, and must admit to being a bit confused as to which character was speaking at times. By the end, however, I found myself entertained by this fantasy tale.



Stained by Amy Saunders

I hadn't read any of Amy's work before this short story, but now I will be seeking out more of her writing. I was very impressed by the way the author deals with the main character's emotions after a traumatic event. The tale is enthralling and the ending is moving. All believable characters.



All in all, this is a great collection and a wonderful way to introduce readers to some very talented independent authors.



View all my reviews

I have lots of news for you, but I'll start with the most exciting! I am so happy to tell you that the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology, which includes my short story 'Flames', shot to #1 in the Amazon kindle bestseller lists for 'short stories' and 'anthologies' yesterday when Amazon.com decided to make it available free for kindle. As many of you already know, this anthology is already free to download on Smashwords and we wanted to offer it free on Amazon as well, but Amazon has a policy whereby the author must charge at least $0.99 for any kindle book. Yesterday, however, our luck was in and Amazon listed it free for a day. In that short time we had over 5000 downloads and it entered the top 10 in the free kindle downloads chart on Amazon.com!
At BestsellerBound.com, we are very proud of this achievement. Darcia Helle, Stacy Juba, and I, created BestsellerBound.com last year as a way to raise the profile of indie authors, and this Amazon success has really shown us that with a lot of hard work and determined effort it is possible to get some recognition in the publishing world whether you are published by a large publishing company, or whether you publish in your own home using just your computer.
It's all very exciting.
We are intending to publish more volumes of the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthologies as we have attracted so many talented authors at BestsellerBound, we need a way to showcase that talent. If you're an indie/small press author and would like to contribute a story for an upcoming collection, please visit BestsellerBound.com for details on how to submit.



Now to news about my soon to be published novel, 'The Dream'.




Firstly, sorry for the delay in getting the book published, this has been due to a combination of very boring reasons, such as I now finally have a full time day job so less time to spend on editing. I have now reached the final proof stage and believe the book is ready (subject to a final read-over by me).

Some of you may be aware that my good friend and fellow author Darcia Helle has a new novel coming out in July, Into The Light'. We have decided to launch our two books together as they both have a ghostly/paranormal theme. Stay tuned for news about the launch and an exciting contest where you will be able to enter to win a copy of both books!



Finally, I have news of an award "honouring brilliance and 'reach' in the world of book marketing, sales and readership" The 2011 Farthest Reach Award.

This award is the brainchild of author Jason McIntyre (my co-author for Cutting The Fat).

I would encourage you all to vote in the award. Nominations are now open, so if you know of an author, publisher, marketing professional, who has excelled in the field of book promotion, fill in the form on Jason's website and tell the world about them. I like the idea of this award because as authors (especially indie authors) we rely on word of mouth for book sales, and are eternally grateful to people who go out of their way to promote and help with marketing.

As many of you know, I am a resident author at BestsellerBound.com. Following the success of The first Bestseller Bound Anthology, Darcia Helle has put together a further collection of stories, chosen from those submitted by BestsellerBound.com, members.

The BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology - Volume 2, features my new short story 'Isolation'.

You can download the collection free of charge from Smashwords.com

Here is the list of titles and authors:

1. What Was Lost by James Sophi
2. The Art of Breathing by Jaime McDougall
3. Soul Windows by Jaleta Clegg
4. I Didn't Know His Name by Darcia Helle
5. Red Route by James Everington
6. Make A Wish by Susan Helene Gottfried
7. The Last Chance Motel and Mausoleum by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
8. Isolation by Maria Savva
9. Beyond The Green Hills by Tom Gahan
10. From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return by Ami Blackwelder

I have read the collection, and I really enjoyed the stories. Like the last collection, there are many different genres, but somehow this collection seemed to be almost themed because many of the stories delve deep into the human psyche and there are some very powerful tales.

The BestsellerBound Anthologies, Volumes 1 & 2 are now both FREE on Amazon Kindle!

Get your copies by clicking the links below:

Volume 1 on Amazon US

Volume 2 on Amazon US

Volume 1 on Amazon UK

Volume 2 is still priced at 86p on Amazon UK, but we are hopeful it will be available free in the near future. UK readers can download a free kindle version from Smashwords.com

Here are the list of contents:

Volume 1:
Wish Upon A Star by Lainey Bancroft
Tears For Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe
You Can Call Me Ari by Darcia Helle
Flames by Maria Savva
Minor Details by Jaleta Clegg
Ice Cream Man by Neil Schiller
No Eyes But Mine Shall See by Sharon E. Cathcart
The First Texas Twister by Magnolia Belle
Shadow Lantern by Gareth Lewis
Stained by Amy Saunders

Volume 2:
1. What Was Lost by James Sophi
2. The Art of Breathing by Jaime McDougall
3. Soul Windows by Jaleta Clegg
4. I Didn't Know His Name by Darcia Helle
5. Red Route by James Everington
6. Make A Wish by Susan Helene Gottfried
7. The Last Chance Motel and Mausoleum by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
8. Isolation by Maria Savva
9. Beyond The Green Hills by Tom Gahan
10. From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return by Ami Blackwelder

I've decided to give away ebook copies of my short story collection, Pieces of a Rainbow. This is for promotional purposes.

At the moment it's free on Smashwords.com: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

Smashwords is a great website. If you're not already a member, you will have to sign up before you can download your free copy of Pieces of a Rainbow, but it's well worth becoming a member. There are lots of great reads there. Smashwords always has lots of freebies and you can download ebooks in any format you like, so whether you have a Kindle, Sony e-reader, Nook, etc., etc., there will be a format on Smashwords that will suit your ereader.






Pieces of a Rainbow should also be available free on Nook at Barnes and Noble. I will announce that when it happens.

If you prefer shopping at Amazon (it still seems to be the most popular website for ebooks), I have reduced the ebook price for Pieces of a Rainbow to $0.99/£0.86. I'm hoping it will soon be available free on Amazon, but that's not up to me, Amazon decides which books it gives away free. Often, when a book is free on Smashwords or Barnes and Noble, it will also become free on Amazon. If/when it does, I will announce it here.

For those of you who have never heard of Smashwords, however, I would recommend you have a look at the website.

Happy Reading!

A few BestsellerBound members currently have free books available on Amazon.

I thought I would let you know about them.

Here's a list of some of the delights you can get for free for your Kindle :)







Enemies and Playmates by Darcia Helle

I've read this novel, and it's amazing. Grab it while it's free, and I am sure you'll want to try some other books by Darcia Helle. Darcia writes suspense novels and also short stories. There is always a dark side to her writing, but there is also a healthy dose of humour and a touch of romance in most of her tales. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, she's one of my all time favourite authors.

Here's the link to the FREE Amazon ebook: Enemies and Playmates





Tears for Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe

Tears for Hesh is a fantasy short story. I read it as part of the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology Volume 1, and really enjoyed it. I have just finished reading The Guardian's Apprentice by the same author, and can't recommend it highly enough. I'm definitely becoming a fan of J. Michael Radcliffe. He is one of our favourite Bestsellerbound members.

Here's the link you'll need to download a free copy of Tears for Hesh on Kindle: Tears For Hesh





Ripples by
Thomma Lyn Grindstaff

Thomma has only recently joined BestsellerBound, but she has definitely won our hearts. She fits in well in our friendly and fun community.

I haven't read this short story, Ripples, but intend to do so, and I also want to try some of her other books.

Here's the link to the free book on Amazon: Ripples






T'on Ma by Magnolia Belle

Magnolia Belle is one of our most active members on BestsellerBound. She's had a story featured in the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology Volume 1, which I really enjoyed. She created a great book trailer for the Anthology. I haven't read T'on Ma yet, but it's on my to-read list.

Here's the link you'll need to download the free novel: T'on Ma

The BestsellerBound Anthologies are free on Amazon, of course. Well, Volumes 1 & 2 are free, and we're hoping that Volume 3 will be free shortly.

Here are the links to Volumes 1 & 2 on Amazon:



Volume 1





Volume 2

Happy reading!

Pieces of a Rainbow is now available FREE on Nook at Barnes and Noble!
This is for promotional purposes, so please tell the world about it :)

I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please leave a review!

Follow this link to download your copy: Pieces of a Rainbow - B&N



Happy reading!