My friend Marat M’saev Daan wins an award: three-peat at the Featured New Book spotlight.

Man, Marat, you must like it up here. Best of all, you’ve got the charisma to carry it off.

Our third book from Marat is another book of poetry. Gotta love a man who can spin a poem!

It’s time… Marat, what song makes you think of your book?

I believe that every time this question was a herculean task for me because there are billions of songs out there and I need to pick just one. After very hard thinking I have chosen a song by Emeli Sandle “Read all about it”. I am aware of the fact that this song is not about love as my book is, but if we transfer lyrics to matters of love, we can see some connections. We don’t have much chance to read about true loves, to hear about them in news, . . . I do believe that we all should cherish it much more and nurse it. If we do this, the world we live in will be a much better place.

Yes! Not only a poet, but a man who believes in love. Ladies, what are you waiting for???

Here’s your description:

“Love, often is just another unattainable term that fears us. White light is waiting for us somewhere at the end of the tunnel that provides only over needed tenderness. It is up to us to acknowledge and accept is as it is because it brings us smile on our faces every morning while giving us strength to step into new day.”

Anyone else swooning, or is it just me?

Pick up a copy. Or two. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!
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I could have sworn I’d blogged about this one. No?

Well, here ya go. Elyssa Patrick’s Stay With Me.

It’s a New Adult book, which is something we don’t see a lot of Rock Fiction making a home in (yet; the two genres are better than chocolate and peanut butter: two great tastes that taste great together!). The main character, Hailey, is some sort of star. She’s holding a guitar on the cover, but there’s nothing in the book description that points to rock and roll (have we been misled by a cover artist who didn’t get to read the book, or does the description not mention Rock Fiction on purpose?). Maybe it’s her love interest, Caleb.

I don’t know. But I do know one thing: I gotta find out!

You with me?

Even before the last book arrived from PaperBackSwap with water damage, I’d been considering withdrawing from the two online book trading sites I belong to. I’m reading less these days, with the demands of a small business mixed with the demands of being a full-time single mother. Even my book club has suffered; we might be over, after 13 great years.

I’d love to continue to send books out, but even that, I’ve slowed down with. A request from BookMooch has been sitting here for over a week. I’m just not motivated anymore.

So it didn’t really surprise me when I looked up this morning and realized it was time. Time to delist my books and find some other way of getting them out of my house. I probably moved 200 books out of here and into boxes in the front hall and living room.

Now, the question becomes: what to do with them?

Option one: Take them to a library. Maybe not my library, which doesn’t struggle financially (much). There’s a library near-ish me that was closed due to a flood and is finally finding its footing once again. I could donate the books to them. Maybe some would find their way into circulation (some are in really good shape).

Option two: Let my kids sell them on eBay or the neighborhood garage sale and keep a percentage of the earnings. The rest could go either to charity or help seed my dream West of Mars Foundation.

Option three: Take the books to Half-Price Books. Let the kids trade them for credit and get something new to read (now, mind you, I’m already going to let them use up my credits at the book trading sites — over 170 books, right there!). Or take the cash and keep it for a rainy day, give it to charity, or let it seed the West of Mars Foundation.

Lots of options… What’s your suggestion?

Yep, we’re going three for three with the Lucky Charms anthology. I don’t know about you, but I sure hope the other nine contributors weigh in.

Today’s author has been a friend of mine for probably going on ten years now (wow). Annette Dashofy is one of the coolest, most persistent women I know. A true pro author, through and through. No one’s celebrating her recent string of success more than me.

Well, other than Annette, herself.

She’s not the music lover I am, but stay tuned for the song. It is indeed an earworm!

I firmly believe in the importance of a good title. I’ve had stories rejected over and over until I changed the title. Then they were picked up immediately. After a few of those, I make a greater effort these days to get it right the first time.

For me, titles either come very easy, often before the story completely forms in my mind—or they fight me tooth-and-nail. Nothing fits. Nothing sounds right. Such was the case with the short story I wrote for my local Sisters in Crime chapter’s anthology, Lucky Charms:12 Crime Stories.

My story involved the homicide of a woman who was thought of as sweet…at least to those who didn’t really know her. My protagonist, Officer Abby Baronick, knew otherwise. The deceased loved to stir up trouble by telling lies. Lies that eventually got her killed.

I had a blast writing the story, which included Detective Wayne Baronick, Abby’s brother, who also has a part in my upcoming novel Circle of Influence (Henery Press, March 2014). But when it came time to give this story a name, I was stuck. Thankfully, I have a great bunch of critique buddies who had read it and could brainstorm ideas with me.

Keywords from that brainstorming session triggered a musical memory. An earworm. The exact song title didn’t work, but with a slight modification, “Sweet Deadly Lies” was born. Now I can’t listen to the song without changing the words in my head. “Tell me lies, tell me sweet deadly lies…”

You know you need a copy… here’s the links:
Amazon digital

Amazon print

CreateSpace

Mystery Lovers

Barnes & Noble digital: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lucky-charms-pittsburgh-sisters-in-crime/1117388201?ean=9780991051311

Barnes & Noble print

Kobo

Apple iBooks

Get to know Annette.

It’s been awhile since I first heard about The Ever After of Ella and Micha, so I don’t remember where I first heard about it. Or second heard about it (and now I see why that’s not a phrase that’s generally used. Ugh.)

I’m not so sure about this one… it first comes off as a Christmas story, then it becomes a will-we-won’t-we-get-married story. So what is it?

I don’t know exactly. All I know is that Micha is offered a three-month stint touring with his favorite bands … doing what? Is he a roadie? A hired guitar?

And we know that Ella won’t necessarily wait for him or be happy that he’s leaving. But if he’s involved in the music business, extensive travel is part of what gets in our blood and won’t ever leave again.

So… jury’s out until Jett or I read this one. If you’ve had an experience with this one, let me know in the comments. I’m definitely curious, if a bit skeptical.

As promised, there’s more fun from the Sisters in Crime chapter who are proudly appearing in the Lucky Charms anthology.

This week, I bring you my good friend Liz Milliron, who is known in other circles as Mary Sutton. Split personality? Nah. Just a different name for each genre she writes in. It actually makes sense, even if it makes it hard to find all of her writings in one spot. She’s worth tracking down, no matter her name. I promise (and not just because she handles a lot of the non-fiction editing for West of Mars!).

Now that the introduction’s done, let’s get down to business, shall we? Liz, what song makes you think of your book?

My anthology story, Batter Down (written as Liz Milliron) centers around the death of a player for a fictional independent-league baseball team. And nothing puts me in the mindset, musically, of baseball like John Fogerty’s Centerfield. This is a rocking rendition with Fogerty and Keith Urban. Now, obviously, Fogerty’s classic has nothing to do with murder, but I can’t think about baseball without this song running through my head. In fact, I’m humming the chorus right now, just typing this, and baseball season is only a glimmer on the horizon. The song just seems to capture the magic of baseball for me, hearing the crack of that bat on a warm summer night. And my protagonist, Jim Duncan, has in fact tuned in to the game for that reason – to listen to a little baseball on a summer afternoon, hanging on his boat with his canine buddy, Rizzo. Unfortunately, that’s not really to be. But, because of the baseball connection, it still makes me think of this song.

I have to confess: baseball isn’t one of my favorite sports, but I, too, think of Fogerty’s classic when the subject comes up. Which, since the Pirates did so well last season, has been fairly often.

Want more about the story and the anthology as a whole?

A record-breaking baseball streak takes a deadly twist when star player Johnny Pierce is found dead on the day he was set to break the team’s consecutive-game hitting record. Jim Duncan and Sally Castle team up to figure out if this was a random act of violence – or if Johnny’s streak meant bad news for someone determined to keep him from continuing.

Inside LUCKY CHARMS you’ll find twelve crime tales from the members of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburgh chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc. You’ll dig into gritty police procedurals; enjoy a spangle of suspense; tuck into a cozy or two; and thrill to a cool touch of noir. Each story tells a tale of surprising good luck or of good luck gone sour. We invite you to brace yourself for an entertaining read.

You know you need a copy… here’s the links:
Amazon digital

Amazon print

CreateSpace

Mystery Lovers

Barnes & Noble digital: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lucky-charms-pittsburgh-sisters-in-crime/1117388201?ean=9780991051311

Barnes & Noble print

Kobo

Apple iBooks

And connect with Liz/Mary, too! You’ll be glad you did.

See these covers?

They belong in a different era.

Time to retire them. Put some better covers on some great content.

Pick up your print copies now, at Lulu, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else you can think of. As of February 1, they’ll be gone. This cover will become a collector’s item — and you know you’re a collector of Trevor Wolff, right?

What about the digital edition? Well, stay tuned for that. And more. You e-book readers are going to be very very pleased with what I’m cooking up.

Count on Mary at Bookhounds to clue me in to some really good Rock Fiction. Or at least really good sounding Rock Fiction; we’ll know if it’s good or not once Jett or I read it. (Hopefully both)

This one is Tracey Martin’s Another Little Piece of my Heart. It’s a Rock Fiction retelling of a Jane Austen novel — would you guys believe that I have two degrees in English and I haven’t read a single Jane Austen novel?

In this case, I’ll be able to come to this book without knowing what to expect. I heard a rumor that Jett managed to get her slick hands on a copy, so keep your eyes out for a review.

Susan handed over a novella that she’d blogged about, but I got to read it first. Neener neener, Susan.

Check out what I thought of David Kimmel’s Rockin’ Across the Galaxy.

I’m tickled pink about a series of Featured New Stories I’ll be running here at the Meet and Greet at West of Mars. The stories all appear in the new Lucky Charms anthology edited by my friend Ramona DeFelice Long, and put together by a bunch of my local ladies: the Mary Roberts Rinehart Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Yep, I’m a member. And yes, I offered advice as the anthology took shape.

I offered the Featured New Book spotlight to the ladies lucky enough to make the editorial cut, and Paula A. Smith is the first to take me up on it.

So, Paula! What song makes you think of your story?

If life’s like a card game and not a gooey box of chocolates as others say, we have to play the hand that we’ve been dealt and remember, “Every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser” as Kenny Rogers sings in “The Gambler” (1978).

In my short story, Sweet Murder, appearing in the newly released Lucky Charms Anthology that contains 12 crime stories by members of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Chapter of Sisters in Crime, you could say the main character is a pretty good gambler. She looked at her cards and seemed to “know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”

When she snaps her cards face-up on the table, how did she know what cards to give up and which ones to keep? You won’t know that until the end. But you will get inside her head as she figures out what to do while playing the game. It’s a high-stakes card game and the deck is stacked against her. But by the end of the story she finds that “the secret to survivin’ is learning what to throw away and what to keep.”

You’re probably wondering about the murder victim? How does the ace of spades get shuffled into the deck and who gets it? Ah-hah, if I told you, I’d be showing you my hand, wouldn’t I? And don’t try to peek. Wait and see how it all plays out and how your own gambling strategies reveal what I’m holding. After all, “they’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.” Just to be nice, I’ll up the ante for your curiosity with words from the song, “The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.”

Gamble and get the book.

I didn’t get to read any of the stories until the anthology came out, so I’m as intrigued as you are. And I am intrigued!

Want to know more about the project as a whole?

Inside LUCKY CHARMS you’ll find twelve crime tales from the members of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburgh chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc. You’ll dig into gritty police procedurals; enjoy a spangle of suspense; tuck into a cozy or two; and thrill to a cool touch of noir. Each story tells a tale of surprising good luck or of good luck gone sour. We invite you to brace yourself for an entertaining read.
Buy a signed copy by 12 authors from:
Mystery Lovers Bookshop (Oakmont, PA)

Link to the SinC website page for the book where the full list of stories and author bios are shown.

Link to and “like” the new SinC Facebook page where updates will also continue to appear

The book is available in paperback and electronic forms:
Electronic purchases are available through: Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Kobo and Apple (iBooks). Print are available through Amazon and CreateSpace.

Now that Jett’s up and running with the reviews, I figured I’d take a few minutes and highlight the Rock Fiction she and I have been talking about.

Let’s start with Kylie Scott’s novel, Lick.

What a provocative title. A lick, after all, is a really cool guitar run. Or, as Webster’s puts it: an interpolated and usually improvised figure or flourish

And, of course, a lick can be what one does with one’s tongue. Preferably to a willing partner.

There’s more than a little confusion surrounding this book. St. Martin’s says it’s being released in May 2014. GoodReads says Momentum put it out in July 2013… is this a self-pubbed book gone big time?

As for the story, it seems to be about a woman out celebrating her 21st birthday who wakes up hungover and married. But beyond that…

Well, hopefully I can get my hands on a copy for Jett and we’ll let you know.

Chrys Fey dropped into my inbox out of the blue. No idea whose friend she is, who sent her to me, or … well, anything! Except she’s got amazing, positive energy and I like her already.

She’s bringing us her debut today, a slick-looking book called Hurricane Crimes.

Before we get to the blurb, Chrys, what song makes you think of your book?

Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars

Hurricane Crimes, my short romantic-suspense story, is about a woman who finds herself trapped with a man during a category 5 hurricane. Not only does the title of this song fit the theme of my debut eBook perfectly, it is also by my favorite band.

The lyrics in “Hurricane” remind me of Beth Kennedy and Donovan Goldwyn. Beth wants to escape Donovan, but the hurricane forces her to stay inside with a man she can’t trust. There is even a scene where she asks him if he is going to kill her, and a line in the song closely resembles that question. As hours go by, a fire starts to burn between them, a passion that neither of them can deny, but could kill at least one of them.

I included a video that has the lyrics for anyone interested in knowing the words.

NICE!!! I love meeting new authors who love the same music I do. Chrys, I hope you’ll hang out here at West of Mars more often. This is where the cool kids play.

So… how about a book description?

After her car breaks down, Beth Kennedy is forced to stay in Florida, the target of Hurricane Sabrina. She stocks up supplies, boards up windows, and hunkers down to wait out the storm, but her plan unravels when she witnesses a car accident. Risking her life, she braves the winds to save the driver. Just when she believes they are safe, she finds out the man she saved could possibly be more dangerous than the severe weather.

Donovan Goldwyn only wanted to hide from the police, but the hurricane shoved his car into a tree. Now he’s trapped with a beautiful woman while the evidence that can prove his innocence to a brutal crime is out there for anyone to find.

As Hurricane Sabrina wreaks havoc, Beth has no other choice but to trust Donovan to stay alive. But will she survive, or will she become another hurricane crime?

You Kindle users are in luck; the rest of us aren’t. The novella (51 pages!) is only available at Amazon right now.

Need some links? Of course you do!
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Even though Susan gave me a stack of books to read, for my first, I snuck off and found something in the library. I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.

See what I had to say about Blake Nelson’s Rock Star Superstar.

My love for Rock Fiction is well documented. That means it ought to go without saying that when Michael Kayser contacted me about his book, Fast Cars and Rock & Roll, I was over the moon.

Michael’s been kind enough to send a review copy out this way, so you’ll hear about Fast Cars and Rock & Roll again.

Today, it’s Michael’s turn to tell us about the book. So… Michael, what song makes you think of your book?

To narrow it down to one song, I have to go back to rock & roll’s infancy, and a song by one of the pioneers: “Maybelline” by Chuck Berry–the original release from Chess records.

Just like the song, central to this storyline is a femme fatale who “done started back doin’ the things (she) used to do.” But our hero is ready to give chase; and nothing or nobody is going to outrun him. The plot drives along to a frantic backbeat and a harmony of roaring engines, likely to offend middle class parents and other responsible citizens.

There’s another link between the book and the song, but I’ll let readers discover that one on their own.

How can you NOT love a book that makes you think of Chuck Berry???

Here’s the summary:

Deke Jones finally has a car ready to compete in the Conquistador—a short but grueling campaign covering racetracks all over the Southwest United States. He can’t wait to challenge the rich boys with their expensive toys, but complications begin stacking up on him before the first flag drops.

First, he is invited to join Stormin’ Norman’s new rock band for a whirlwind tour. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with a musical genius and he can’t let it pass…but it’s scheduled for the very week he needs for last minute wrenching so his car can make the Conquistador’s tech inspection.

Next, he gets tangled up with beautiful bad girl Lena Castillo, just when he was patching things up with a local lady he lost touch with after high school. Lena has a deadly superpower: the ability to turn any man stupid—and Deke Jones is no exception.

Jones also crosses paths with five-time Conquistador champ Bob Tilford, and there’s bad blood between them from the starting gun. It was going to be challenging enough racing against Tilford with his big-time sponsors, high-dollar mechanic and world-class GT car, but Tilford also has tremendous influence over race officials he doesn’t hesitate to use in his grudge against Deke Jones. To keep it all interesting, Deke’s co-driver bails on him at the last minute, with no time to scrounge up a replacement.

Get your motor runnin’. Deke Jones is gonna close this summer out with a bang, one way or another.

Anyone as eager to read this as I am?

Go pick up a copy.

Amazon paperback

Amazon Kindle

Smashwords

Nook

Rocktober became rather chaotic there, didn’t it? It was great fun and, to be honest, I’m sorry it’s only a month long — although how I could possibly sustain that pace was beyond me.

So as I was looking through my archives and cleaning stuff up, I realized I’d neglected to tell you about a book I’d read. Anthony Neil Smith wrote a book called The Drummer. It possibly has the worst back cover copy I’ve ever encountered, but the story itself is …

Well, go see for yourself.

Author JoAnne Myers has been here before, so I’m more than glad to host her once again.

She’s back with an anthology of short fiction, seven stories in total, which is a super size for an anthology. Just short enough to keep your interest and whet your appetite without making you feel swallowed by the short story format.

So, JoAnne, what song makes you think of your book?

The song that reminds me of my anthology is the theme song to JAWS, because my book is that kind of on the edge of your seat read. It is filled with mystery, intrigue, danger, and twist endings. If readers love, paranormal/mystery stories they will love Wicked Intentions.

Now, check out the blurbs for the various stories. Buy one, buy ’em all!

BLOOD TIES- word count 15,902
After the mysterious disappearance of twenty-six year old wife and mother Lisa Smalley, her twin, Audra Roper, begins having dark and disturbing visions of Lisa’s disappearance. Trying to survive while looking for Lisa, Audra’s life becomes a roller coaster of risks, heartbreak, and intrigue.
　
　
THE HAUNTING OF BARB MARIE- word count 9,845
Even as a child, Barb Marie saw dead people. This took an unhealthy toil on her throughout her childhood and young adulthood.
　
SUMMER WIND-word count 13,039
When twenty-nine year old Ginger discovers the old mansion Summer Wind, she is mysteriously drawn to it. . Immediately, the haunting’s have a negative and profound effect on the family.

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIES-laying the Norfolk ghost to rest-work count 15,354
Solving the brutal murder of American born Ruthie Geil becomes a gauntlet of attacks and more murders for Federal Police Inspector Ian Christian. Between the victims family, ex-lovers, and ghostly occurrences on Norfolk Island, the killer is closer than anyone realizes.
　
THE LEGEND OF LAKE MANOR-word count 8,297
For the young psychic Cassandra Lopez, coming to the infamous and haunted mansion Lake Manor, was more like a mission.

THE APARTMENT-word count 5,188
When young newlyweds Bill and Gayle move into their new apartment, their lives are plagued with sightings of evil ghosts that threaten their marriage and lives.

DARK VISIONS-word count 5,170
When Carrie Reynold’s starts having nightmares on her twenty-sixth birthday, she believes her “dark visions” can solve the twenty year disappearance of her father.

Buy links for Wicked Intentions:
Melange Books
Lulu
Amazon

Readers can find me here also:
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website Books and Paintings by JoAnne

One of the hardest parts of running West of Mars is that at the end of the day, I’m tired. I’ve been playing with words all day long, so the last thing I want to do is sit and read yet more words. Now that my Internal Editor has been given full rein (reign? It fits!) all day, it doesn’t turn off so easily just because I’m reading a book. An already-published book.

But you guys know my passion for Rock Fiction, and you know that I’m an expert in the genre.

I couldn’t let that go to waste.

So … I took on an underling. A woman who loves Rock Fiction as much as I do, and one who is glad to learn at my knee about the intricacies of this genre.

Meet Jett Ostra.

Don’t worry. That’s not her real name. But these are her real words:

The deal is that I work with some pretty high-faluting people, and my bosses don’t want me to put myself out there and be visible to the world for who I am. I ask those people for money and favors and things like that; the official name is corporate development, but the jist is that I gotta keep up appearances.

But I love to read and I love to talk about books, and I don’t like to varnish the truth, unless I’m at work. I swear, some days, it’s all I can do to smile and keep schmoozing.

So don’t expect that here. I’m going to tell you what I think and if that hurts your feelings, too bad. Susan told me when she hired me that she wanted to see the same perceptions and hard truths that were in the sample I gave her. So that’s what you’re going to get.

Let’s all welcome Jett, shall we? Her reviews will appear periodically.

And if you’d like to query her, do it through me (Susan) and I’ll pass the request along. She’s keeping it to Rock Fiction for now, and believe me, I’m fast on the delete button. I’ve been deluged of late with review requests, zero of which have been Rock Fiction. Anyone know what’s up with that?

ROCK FICTION, folks. That’s what gets reviewed here.

Alanna of Trebond isn’t happy. Her father is sending her off to learn how to train her Gift, while her twin, Thom, gets to go be a knight at the castle of Tortallen. When Alanna and Thom switch places, Alanna is thrilled at the thought of being a knight. What isn’t so thrilling is all the work of 7-8 years of training. And the part of hiding the fact that she’s a girl. Join Alanna in her training to be a true knight in Tamora Pierce’s new quartet, The Song of the Lioness: Alanna; The First Adventure.

I think that this book, like all of Pierce’s books, is just amazing. It’s the perfect mix of adventure and life at court. All the scenes flow seamlessly, and the storyline is fascinating.

If you like my review, read Alanna; The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce!!!

If you liked Jean 8 Aeglothecca’s The Pale Waters (and you should have read and loved it ’cause I sure did), I’ve got another one for you.

It’s Skye Genaro’s Echo Across Time. Echo is the first in a proposed series, and if you’re like me, you’re going to have trouble waiting for the next installment.

Let me tempt you beyond reason. Skye, what song makes you think of your book?

This was a fun question to answer.

I thought this question would be easy because I included a playlist at the back of Echo Across Time. So why not pick one of those songes? Then I heard Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine on the radio (the short club remix) and decided to go off-list. I’ve always loved this song because of it’s energetic, urgent beat, and I dig the lyrics. The driving force of the music reminds me of what it felt like to be a teenager consumed by love: urgent, heady, and restless.

Now take that feeling of urgent young love and add in a 160-year time difference. Echo Across Time is a story about two supernaturally gifted teens separated by time. These star-crossed lovers face seemingly insurmountable barriers, and yet they are so convinced that they are supposed to share a lifetime together they go to great depths to try to make that happen. The lyrics in Cosmic Love capture the dark side of Echo and Connor’s romantic arc.

Okay, I couldn’t find a link to the short club remix that I could identify, sitting as I am in a public place, so the one I found will have to do. If anyone knows what the right one is, leave it in the comments, please!

So what’s the book about?

Echo Across Time
Fall in love with the achingly beautiful story of Echo and Connor, supernaturally gifted teens, as they fight to live out their destiny together.

Echo had it all—she lived in a mansion in the wealthiest neighborhood and was a member of the Partychicks, the elite high school clique. But her enviable life was ripped apart when a bullying incident put her in a coma. When Echo wakes up, she’s gained paranormal powers that she can’t control.

Telekinesis. Aura sensing. These abilities wreak havoc on Echo’s life, and she will do just about anything to get rid of them. Even if it means sharing her secret with Connor, the gorgeous, frightening stranger who appears out of thin air and possesses shocking supernatural abilities. He promises to teach her things beyond her wildest imagination—if Echo has the courage to trust him.

Soon, she is pulled into a world of mystical possibility and starts falling hard for the enigmatic Connor. As Echo uncovers the truth about him, she discovers a dark secret brewing within her city: people with paranormal gifts are being kidnapped and murdered. Escaping with Connor would keep Echo alive, but at a high cost to Connor and to the future they both believe in. Echo must choose between her love for Connor and her own safety, but she can’t have both.

The ebook is on sale at Amazon in December for .99
Would you like to win a copy of this book? I’m running giveaways at Goodreads and my website all December long.

Don’t win it. Buy it. Trust me.

Over two years ago, I’d added a Rock Fiction title to my wishlist over at one of the Book Trading sites I frequently use. If you look over the Rock Fiction reviews, or many of my posts about books in general, you’ll see that I am able to feed my reading addiction quite well, thanks to this site.

So I was really pleased when I got a note that one of the books I’d added two years ago was finally available. Yes, I said happily as I clicked on the button, I still want the book.

Now, on this particular site, the person requesting the book can include a list of issues they may have. Particulars. Peculiarities. I’ve seen requests that books not come from a smoking household (no problem there), or from a home with pets (sorry!).

My request reads that I won’t accept a book with any sort of water stains or damage. To please check the books and, if the person who’d like to send the book out has any doubts, to please drop me a note.

You can guess where this is going… Yesterday, I picked up a book from my Post Office box. I got it home, opened the package, cracked the front cover and … almost half the book shows signs of water damage. The entire front matter — that stuff on the pages before the book actually begins — bears a stain that goes from the top of the page to the bottom.

At first, I was going to let it slide. But as the morning progressed, I got angry. The rules of this particular trading site state that water damaged books are not welcome. I’d written a note that specifically asked the sender to double-check. In my mind, failing to do so is pretty darn disrespectful.

I can’t send this book back out, and the site works on a point basis: you spend a credit to get a book and you receive a credit when you mail something out.

So I’ve wasted a point. Which, in this day and age of e-books isn’t the big deal it had been a few years ago.

But what if I love this book and wind up coming back here and shouting from the rafters about it? I can’t even find out… books with water damage often grow mold, and mold spores simply aren’t good for one’s lungs.

So I have to let this book join my garage door opener in a burial by landfill.

What a horrible ending for a noble book.