You all know what you mean to us.  If you don't, pay attention and we'll tell you.  Again and again. 

So, taking a page from the Muppet Christmas Carol, this is our Holiday speech to you:

Here we are, into the first week of December already.  Where has this year gone?  I know many of us are happy to wave goodbye to this one; let's hope 2012 is a year of peace and prosperity all over the world. 

Here at the Hill o'Beans, we're doing what we can for the homeless and at risk population here in Southern California this holiday season, and we hope you'll help us.  Wielding crochet hooks and knitting needles, we're charging forth to raise money and awareness for this growing problem in the US.  We put out a request for some original quick and inexpensive patterns and the result was Keeping America Warm: Caring Hearts & Clever Hands.  Four designers, five projects, all guaranteed to make you feel warm inside and out.  The proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Mission, which has been caring for the homeless in Southern California for 75 years. 

We're not sure who is enjoying the promotion of Wheezer & the Painted Frog more, author Kitty Sutton or inspiration, Jack Russell Terrier Wheezer. 

All the blessings of the Season.

The Boss Bean

Here in the US it is a time to reflect on blessings around us.  In this time of financial disaster, popular unrest, and another election year ahead it's hard to identify the good in the world but it is there.  It's in the smiles of strangers, the love of our family, the hope of our children.  There's still a belief in right and wrong, and there's still an avenue for change.  Here at the Hill o'Beans, we rejoice in the friends we've made in the last year: the success in which we've been able to celebrate, the sorrows we've been able to share.  We're grateful for you, our wonderful authors and amazing readers.  Thank you.

The last two months have been especially abundant for us.  We've been able to add to our special organization several new people who are not only talented but invested in what Inknbeans Press stands for.  Before the ink was dry on the contracts they've been rolling up their sleeves and helping with the heavy lifting, supporting their fellow Beans, and assisting us in reaching into new areas, and climbing to new heights.  We've been privileged to bring our readers some great new books, and we've got more coming in time for the holidays.   From a Native American mystery to a book on living with cats to bedtime stories for all ages to a mystical journey, we've got something for almost everyone. 

So, welcome Kitty Sutton, Annarita Guarnieri, Nicole Storey, Vickie Johnstone and our newest Bean, Kristina Jackson!   We're glad you've joined us.  And Emjae Edwards, Jim 'Pops' Burkett, Susan Wells Bennett, Rusty Coats and Dorothy Legge, we're so happy to call you Beans.   And readers...well, where would we be without you? 

Thanksgiving is considered a primarily American tradition, but wherever you are this Thursday, take a moment to look around and find a few blessings to count.  We'll be counting you.

The Boss Bean

It's Susan Wells Bennett's birthday, and she has a gift for you.  Pick up the first book in her Brass Monkey  Series free  at Smashwords.com today.  If you like it, buy the second in the series, Charmed Life, which goes live today._

Is there anything nicer on a rainy day than a hot beverage and a cool book?  We promise to fill your November with lots of good reading. 

Susan Wells Bennett is bringing you the next installment of the Brass Monkey Series, Charmed Life.
Pops Burkett has another in his wonderful Read With Me, Pops Series out this month.

We've got historical romantic fiction from Perle Butcher-Lyons in The Wreck of the Sidonie Stone

And Annarita Guarnieri's delightful Cats: Instructions For Use will be out the end of the month. 

Then there is Keeping America Warm, a book of five original crochet and knit designs from four friends of the Hill o'Beans.  Profits benefit Los Angeles Mission to aide homeless and at risk people in Southern California. 

Visit all of our author pages and leave comments, ask questions, make suggestions and offer constructive criticism.  We'd love to hear from you.

Finally, check out the brilliant book trailer Giampiero Roversi prepared for Cats:  Instructions For Use.

We're getting close to the evening when the Transformers and Disney Princesses, Ghosties and Ghoulies, Mummies and Deadies will scour the earth for chocolate bars, Twizzlers and plastic, non sugary jimcracks.  We won't send you out on a cold night in search of goodies, we have them right here.  Help yourself. 

To celebrate NaNoWriMo in November, some of our previous NaNoWriMo participants are offering their NaNo 2010 efforts $.99 through Monday October 24th:

Susan Wells Bennett's An Unassigned Life Use code TV79H
Tim Chase had a great idea for  a bestseller.  The only problem?  He's dead. 

Emjae Edwards' Once In The Moonlight  Use code KB83A
The moon sheds a different light, one that illuminates corners and reveals truths we don't want anyone to see, not even ourselves.

Kitty Sutton's Wheezer & the Painted Frog  Use code QN45A
13 year old Sasa and a very smart dog solve the mystery of her brother's death.  A mystery from the trail of tears.

We've gotten a few treats for ourselves recently: 
For Wheezer & the Painted Frog, Uri Israel, M.A. Ed.says This book should be read by every teacher. It will help them understand the real struggles and history of Native Americans on this continent. The art work of Mrs. Sutton is superb. I hired her to create painted drums for children. They are so beautiful. Mrs. Sutton draws on her deep knowledge first hand of her people to pull the reader into the real world of Native Americans at the time of colonization. A must have for any library.

For Wild Life, Grace Guera says I hated this story to end...the only thing that kept me sane was the fact that it's a series, so the story really doesn't end.

For American Sanction, MKP Film & Book Reviews says This is one big rollercoaster ride, right from the word go.

No tricks.

The Boss Bean

Ah, Autumn.  The advent of the holiday season, a time of gathering, a time to celebrate the hard work of spring and summer, a time to rejoice in plenty before the austerity of winter.  These are the days of bounty, of reaping the harvest, drawing near to friends, counting blessings and counting stars.  The air is crisp and the colors are warm, cider and hearth beckon us. 

Now is the time to prepare for winter, to store up the things we'll need and desire in the cold dark days ahead.  Here at Inknbeans, we're prepared to help.  We'll be offering half price books throughout October, so prepare to harvest a winter of good reading this month.  We're also preparing to help those who don't have a hearth to gather around, where keeping warm will be a challenge, where family and friends might be far away, and hunger much too near.  Coming in November, Inknbeans Press will be offering a book of original knit and crochet designs from some of our authors and friends.  Profits will go the Los Angeles Mission.  If you like to knit or crochet, or if you know someone who does, plan to pick up this book.  It will make a great gift - for the recipient, for yourself and for the homeless and at-risk population in Southern California. 

And speaking of blessings, we have several to count these days.  A good friend around the Hill o'Beans (and, shhh, a brand new Bean, herself!) Annarita Guarnieri has offered to revive our reviews blog.  Check out her reviews and then drop by her website to meet Annarita and her feline friends. 

We've also had some wonderful new books released this summer.  Susan Wells Bennett started a series of cozy mysteries set in a zoo called the Brass Monkeys series.  The first one, Wild Life, has gotten some great reviews.  The second, Charmed Life, will be out in October.  Kitty Sutton's debut novel, Wheezer and the Painted Frog, is just the start of a series of mysteries written against the backdrop of the Trail of Tears, in the early 1800s.  Jim Burkett brought us another adventure with Nick West, American Sanction, which is an even more breathless race to stop the bad guys and the deadliest weapon ever to come out a laboratory.  Available in print and for digital readers, check the menu to find prices and places to buy. 

May this be a season of bounty for all our friends.

Boss Bean

What do you know about the second largest tribe of indigenous people in North America?  Do you know where Indian Territory is and how it came to be?  Do you know the story behind the Trail of Tears?  Do you know where Jack Russell Terriers were created and where they got their name?  Do you know who killed Usti Yansa?  The answers are all in Wheezer and the Painted Frog, the first in the Mysteries From the Trail of Tears, by Kitty Sutton.  Now available in all the usual places. 

There are no words to satisfactorily convey what happened to the world ten years ago, but there are words to convey what happened to us.  Here are some thoughts and memories. 

9/11

Wow, where did summer go?  Kids are back in school and Halloween has overtaken retail, with Christmas already peeking over the horizon.  However, the thermometer says Summer's going to be staying around a few more weeks, so if you're lucky enough to find a beach or hammock or a beach with a hammock, take advantage of our End of Summer Beach Beans Blow Out.  Every Beach Bean offer is being repeated along with a couple of new treats. 

Let's start off with Susan Wells Bennett's first in a series of cozy mysteries, Wild Life.  Milo Crosby is a retiree with too much time and too many women on his hands. He's the thorn in a zoo volunteer's side, an easy mark in an aging actress's sights, and the co-conspirator in his doting granddaughter's life. When all four paths intersect, Milo discovers just how WILD LIFE can get.   If you're on our mailing list, watch for a coupon to get this wonderful character study free! 

And now, the Beach Beans Blow Out:

Week 1:  Out of Touch  Use code CG68L  Half off!
Week 2:  Declaration of Surrender  Use code VA26J  Half off!
Week 3:  An Unassigned Life  Use Code KK44S Half off!
Week 4:  The Lady Must Decline Use code GG69P Only $.99!
Week 5:   My New Friends at the Zoo Use code VG26N Half off!
Week 6:  Poems of Faith and Love Use code YT47A Half off!
Week 7:  Forsaking the Garden Use code RE59D Half off!
Week 8:  Cactus & Mistletoe Use code AW98P  Free!
Week 9:  American Sanction Use code HW34G Half off!

But wait, there's more!

Ever wanted one of those retro books - the old fashioned stand alone units that didn't require an e-reader?  Here you go.  The Beach Beans are also available in print for anywhere from $.99 - $5.00 off the cover price this weekend only.  Order two and we'll make sure you have a pot of our delicious private label gourmet coffee to enjoy a true Inknbeans experience.

The Boss Bean

No Beach Beans today because, if you're on our mailing list, you've got a chance to get our newest release, Jim Burkett's American Sanction, free.  Yes, we said free.  Tomorrow we'll be making ten digital copies of this sequel to Declaration of Surrender available to ten members of our mailing list.  If you're on the list, watch your in box.  If you're not, you're missing a chance to get Nick West's latest adventures free.  Once again, Nick has stumbled into the middle of a sociopath's samba.  Ex lovers with a vengeance; she has the support of international covert operations which act above the law, he has a lot of money and the deadliest weapon that ever came out of a test tube.  

This book is even scarier than Declaration of Surrender, because this isn't about 'what if?'  This is about 'when?'

It's been another busy week here at the Hill o'Beans.  American Sanction is a breath away from sale; it is a story about revenge and biochemical weapons and a man willing to kill anyone who crosses him.  Of course, DHS Agent Nick West plans to cross him. 

Speaking of Jim Burkett and Nick West, Declaration of Surrender, Nick West's first adventure, got a nice write up in What's Hot in Tampa Magazine.  Jim's donating his proceeds from the sale of the book to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa.  So, buy the book, help save a child's life and get scared to within an inch of yours.

Kitty Sutton's new author page is up.  Stop in and say hello.  In fact, say hello to any or all of our Beans.  We've put contact forms on every Bean's page, so send your favorite Bean a good word. 

Susan Wells Bennett's newest book, Wild Life, the first in the Brass Monkeys series, will be out at the beginning of September.  If you like cozy mysteries, if you like a little humor with your murder, if you like monkeys, watch for an opening weekend discount offer. 

It's mid-August, the world is ablaze politically and meteorogically, so what better time to start thinking of Christmas?  Get a little holiday cheer in this week's Beach Bean offer.  Emjae Edward's Christmas story is about a girl from the northeast of the UK who comes to the southwest of the US to find her last living relative and learns that Christmas can embrace all sorts of traditions, and family means so much more than biology.  Get Cactus & Mistletoe FREE one day only.  Use coupon HE94W. 

See you next week.

The Boss Bean

The third volume in the Read With Me, Pops series is here.  This one takes us on adventure to the deep blue sea.  Visit with starfish and sharks, meet some new and mysterious creatures and find some old friends.  Take a deep breath and dive in!  $2.99 for your Kindles, iPads, Nooks and other e-reader. 

And to celebrate this wonderful new book, Books 1 and 2 are half price this weekend! 

My New Friends at the Zoo.   Use code DE86D
Let's Go Exploring in the Backyard!  Use code BP39E

Pops Burkett's alter ego, Jim Burkett has been donating the proceeds of his thriller Declation of Surrender to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation in Florida.  Through September, this organization is raising funds for a faster cure.  If you haven't read Declaration of Surrender, now is the time.  Save lives.

Check out Troy McComb's entry this month in What Writers Write (and how they write it).  Troy's specialty is horror, and if that's your genre, you're going to want to get to know this up and coming author. 

We have some exciting new titles coming out over the next month.  Jim Burkett's sequel to Declaration of Surrender, American Sanction is coming out in two weeks, the first book in Susan Wells Bennett's Brass Monkey Series, Wild Life, is coming out at the end of August, and mid-Septmber you'll be meeting our newest Bean, Kitty Sutton, and her heroine, Sasa, as she tries to solve a mystery at the end of the Trail of Tears, in Wheezer and the Painted Frog. 

No, we didn't forget that it was Thursday.  Here's this week's Beach Bean:  Susan Well's Bennett's Forsaking the Garden.  If you've read any of Susan's work, you know you're in for a fresh perspective on the intricasies of human nature, and Forsaking the Garden is no exception.  Told through the eyes of a girl raised in a secluded and restricted community who is exposed to a world she had been told no longer exists.  Get it this weekend for $1.50.  Use code JB76K.

Have a great weekend.  We'll see you soon.

The Boss Bean

Who killed Usti Yansa? Find out September 15, 2011, in Wheezer and the Painted Frog, Kitty Sutton's debut novel about the aftermath of the infamous Trail of Tears.  Healthy little boys shouldn't grow weak and die when they have shelter, food and the care of their families, yet Sasa's little brother, the last of her family, sickens, mumbling the mysterious 'I didn't do it right, I didn't do enough.  Why didn't it work?'  Left alone, mourning and trying to survive in a new place with new ways, Sasa seeks answers with the help of her new friend, Wheezer.  The Jack Russell Terrier seems too wise, too fierce and too loyal to be just a dog. Did the Creator send Wheezer to Sasa and if so, how can a dog, albeit a smart one, help to solve a murder?



It's Thursday, so that means it's time for another weekend recommendation and special offer.  This week, we're offering something a little on the lighter side.  Do you like poetry?  Do you lean on  Someone greater than yourself?  Do you feel like celebrating love and friendship?  Poems of Faith and Love might be for you.  A collection of almost one hundred poems written over almost as many years, it looks at every test of life through eyes full of faith. Through August 1st, you can get this uplifting title for 50% off at Smashwords.  Use code SC59S.

Have a great weekend.


The Boss

It's Thursday so here's our weekly contribution to your weekend.  If you're planning to take the tots to the park or the beach this weekend, this is a great book to take along.  Pops Burkett's first in the Read With Me, Pops series is full of wonderful pictures of our friends at the zoo, with a fun and funny narrative just right for your early readers or pre-readers.   Shown in grayscale on Kindle (and color depending on your e reader), the pictures are sharp and wonderfully framed.   The best part?  Between now and July 25th, My New Friends At the Zoo is available for 50% off with this coupon:  HR56L

And if you missed any of our previous Beach Bean offers, here's a chance to pick up them up for a buck, through tomorrow night:

Out of Touch, Rusty Coats $0.99 Use Code:  MU34G
Declaration of Surrender, Jim Burkett $0.99 Use Code:  MC62H
An Unassigned Life, Susan Wells Bennett $0.99  Use Code: TP73E
The Lady Must Decline, Emjae Edwards $0.99 Use Code:  HP97R

Watch for Pops Burkett's upcoming Let's See Who Lives in the Sea, coming August 2011.

We're rapidly approaching the two year mark in our journey to the top of the hill o'beans.  Things have changed quite a lot here.  We've had a lot of ideas - some good, some not so successful.  We've met some wonderful people, read some amazing books, gotten to share in the joy of dreams coming true, and the delight in discovering new stories.  As we approach the two year mark, we're anticipating that the next year of our journey will be as amazing as the first two.  We've got some great new titles coming out in August:  American Sanction, the high octane sequel to Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender, as well as the next in his delightful Read With Me, Pops series, Let's See Who Lives In the Sea.  Susan Wells Bennett's really wonderful cozy mystery Wild Life will be out the end of August, Emjae Edwards has her ninth title coming out, and we're looking forward with great anticipation to a new Bean and her touching story told at the end of the Trail of Tears. 

And, as with all things, we have a season of departures.  Steven Revare and Michael Benson are leaving us to start their own journey in publishing.  It's been an honor working with them and we know you join us in wishing them every success in their future endeavors.

The Boss Bean

It's another Thursday afternoon, and you're probably thinking longingly for Saturday afternoon, a hammock in the garden, iced tea and a good book.  We're way ahead of you.  Here's a big romance at a little price, just right for your Kindle, iPad, Nook, tablet or smartphone.  Kendra doesn't like Los Angeles, she doesn't like the girl her brother's met and wants to marry, she doesn't like the places she's had to look for her brother, and she doesn't like being a witness to murder.  Then there's that insolent blond man who kidnapped her from the scene of the crime and won't let her go home. Get Emjae Edwards' The Lady Must Decline for $0.99 this weekend.  Use code UN59F. 

We're not stopping there.  Did you miss previous Beach Bean specials? 

Out of Touch 50% discount  use code SH92R
Declaration of Surrender 50% discount  use code GM47U
An Unassigned Life 50% discount use code  LS74R

Check out What Writers Write and How They Write It.  This month our Featured Author is Linda Acaster, author of Torc of Moonlight

Go read.  You'll be glad you did.

The Boss Bean

It's time for another Beach Beans offer.  Today it's a spooky, funny look at the afterlife in Susan Wells Bennett's An Unassigned Life.  So you think authors have a tough and tortured life nursing their muse and getting published?  Try being a dead author.   Tim Chase got the best story idea of his life just before he opened his eyes and saw his body swinging from a well knotted noose in his garage.  And that was the easy part.  He still had to find a way to get the book written, sent to his agent and published, all while learning to manage afterlife technology.  An Unassigned Life is available for half price today only at Smashwords.com.  Use discount code RH42G. 

If you're on our mailing list, watch for another half price coupon today for Michael Benson's Saga of Sonny Tompkins.  This is really two books in one; The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins Parts one and two are combined under one cover.  Over five hundred pages of historical humor, drama, honor and war, as Sonny Tompkins grows from a carefree twelve year old in Kansas to an O.S.S. officer behind enemy lines during World War Two.  The digital version of this compilation is normally $3.59, but for the next week, our Bean Fans will be able to purchase it at Smashwords for $1.79.  If you're not on our mailing list you're missing out on coupons and giveaways like this.  Sign up now. 

Michael E. Benson just released the second chapter in the story of Young Sonny Tompkins.  If you've read the first part, released last year, part two takes Sonny through high school and into the Army during World War II.  With the lessons he'd learned surviving the extremes of weather, fortune and society during the Great Depression, he is able to advance quickly and play a key role in the defeat of the Axis powers.  If you haven't read the first part, now you can get both books under one cover in the Saga of Sonny Tompkins.  See the menu board for links and prices. 

If you're on our mailing list, we'll be sending out a coupon for 50% off the Saga of Sonny Tompkins this week. 

Don't forget our Beach Beans Sale.  Thursday's offering will be An Unassigned Life by Susan Wells Bennett. 

It's hot over a large portion of the northern hemisphere.  Remember to drink plenty of fluids and, if at all possible, keep the little ones, the elder ones and the four footed ones inside or in shade.

It's Thursday, it must be Beach Bean Day.  Today's offer is Declaration of Surrender, about a guy, a gun, a lost document that gives all US holdings to the bearer, an assassin or two, and the future of the free world.  An agent of the Department of Homeland Security, Nick West just wants to get home to his wife.  One flat tire later, he's up to his ears in intrigue and people are dying for a mysterious document that's been missing since World War II.  Pick it up at Smashwords today only for half price with this coupon code:  XF33B.

If you'd prefer something warm and fuzzy, Jim Burkett's other series, Read With Me, Pops has lots of adventures with furry creatures, birds, bugs and fish. My New Friends at the Zoo and Let's Go Exploring in the Backyard are available in print and for all sorts of ereaders.  Let's See Who Lives In the Sea is coming in July.

Also in July, Michael E. Benson's sequel to The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins takes Sonny from the mountains of Utah to the shores of Normandie, as Sonny enlists during World War II.  If you've read the first book, you'll want to see what happens next.  If you haven't read the first one, you can get the Sonny Saga, with both books under one cover - over five hundred pages of heartwarming history, based on events in the author's family.

Grab your Beach Bean and your sunscreen, and have a geat weekend.

The Boss Bean

It's the first Thursday before the first weekend of Summer.  Time to pack the sunscreen, fill the cooler with ice and pick up a book for your weekend reading.  And that means it's time for our first Beach Beans offer.  This week we've got Out of Touch, by Rusty Coats.  Jonah Morgan is a reluctant recipient of time - anything he touches will share the past and future of those who have touched that item before.  He can't change events - he's tried.  Now he avoids coming in contact with anything and anyone.  An innocent offer of basketball tickets reveals the horrific end for a Cinderella high school basketball team, and for the first time in years he tries to change the future and spare an entire town the tragedy.  When his frantic predictions become a reality, his charlatan boss tries to take credit, and offers the grieving families contact with the 'other side'.  Jonah is determined get those boys back to 'this side'.  Pick up Out of Touch today for $1.50 - half off the digital cover price.  Use coupon SX67A for one day only.

Sean Sweeney, the author of Model Agent, Rogue Agent and the upcoming Double Agent, is our Featured Author in What Writers Write and How They Write It.  Find out why tomatoes are like books. 

Our Susan Wells Bennett was featured at Aynoit Ashor's The Author-preneur this week.  It's a great bloggerview and a chance to get to know the author of Circle City Blues, An Unassigned Life and Forsaking the Garden, among others. 

And speaking of Forsaking the Garden, Alex Canton wrote a lovely review:

Susan Wells Bennett, Author
Written by Alex Canton-Dutari
Books read: "An unassigned life," "Circle City Blues," "Forsaking the garden"
I always look for a trait in a writer that has written several books. After reading "An unassigned life" and "Circle City Blues" I was quite sure to have found it. This was confirmed upon reading "Forsaking the garden:" Plot development consistency.
It is obvious, at least for me, that Ms Bennett can tackle any subject she desires while using first person in whichever genre she chooses. And I have seen her go from a serious though a bit irreverent tirade about after-life, through what some might consider <chick lit> and questioning today's society in "Forsaking the garden."
By the way, be prepared for her endings. The author may smile but the reader may be surprised… As to myself, one made me feel that I had hit a wall with my face.
I appreciate the author not making a display of sex to maintain reader's interest. She has all the correct literary resources to make her stories serious but entertaining reads.

The Boss Bean

It's official.  It's Summertime.  Here at the Hill o'Beans, it's HOT.  Summertime means the All-Star Game, barbecues, family vacations, blockbuster movies and, of course, the beach.  Summertime is when a young Kindle's fancy turns to books by the pool, the lake, or the ocean.  To celebrate, we're going to have a summer-long sale. 

Our statistics indicate that many people choose their weekend reading on Thursdays, so every Thursday this summer, we're going to offer books at half price, some even as low as $.99!  Each week we'll feature a different book at a great price for one day, and we're starting with one you won't want to miss.  June 23, 2011, Rusty Coats' debut novel, Out of Touch will be available for $1.50.  Spend your first weekend of the summer with an unwilling psychic, his charlatan employer, and a doomed plane full of Hoosier hopefuls.  Can Jonah Morgan rewrite a future he's already seen?  Find out this weekend! 

We've got some great new titles coming this summer.  A new romantic fiction, the sequel to The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins, another fun entry in the Read With Me, Pops series, and one or two surprises.  Break out the sunscreen, pour your coffee over ice and have a great summer.

The Boss Bean

In this hectic, multi-tasking, espresso-drinking, Bluetooth-on-the-move world of ours, every thing seems to whip by us at a blur and we miss some of the most amazing, beautiful and ingenious things the world has to offer.  For one moment today, put down the iPad, turn off the mobile, stand still and look.  Look up, look down, look at the grass, a tree, a flower, a cloud, but look and, more importantly, see what's going on around you.

If you can't bring yourself to disconnect for one minute, go download Pops Burkett's latest in the Read With Me, Pops series, Let's Go Exploring In the Backyard, and read it with someone you love - or better yet, let that early reader in your life read it to you.  Available wherever you feed your ereaders.

Karlton B. Douglas, who has not only looked at the world we live in but built worlds of his own, and revisited worlds gone by, has written a wonderful, encouraging and insightful essay for What Writers Write.  Have a look.

You may now resume your espressos and Bluetooths. 

Emjae (for the Boss, who is brewing up some Inknbeans Coffee to get us through the day)

It's here, the traditional start of summer.  It's time to head to the beach, the resorts, the backyard barbecue, it's time for gardens, hiking, swimming, sailing, and reading.  Inknbeans Press is dedicated to helping you make the most of your summer reading and we're starting off with another Memorial Day tradition - a sale.  All of our books are on sale.  20% off most titles.  Some are even free!  From romance to raw milk, from psychics to serial killers, humor, history and heartache are all right here.  So use the links and coupons listed below, feed that ereader, and let's get this summer started!  But hurry, these prices are only good through May 31st, 2011.

Links will direct you to Smashwords.com where you'll find thousands of books for your iPad, Nook, Kindle, PC and other digital book readers. 

Romantic fiction:
Emjae Edwards:
A Plane Proposal GB88Q 20% off
Wife In the Mirror ZY46J 20% off
Learning to Be Irish ZU83B 20% off
Calling All Hearts PW78A 20% off
No Greater Love LA26D 20% off
The Lady Must Decline AP42L 20% off
Cactus & Mistletoe KQ57Y FREE
Once In the Moonlight PX37A 20% off

Childrens' Fiction: 
Pops Burkett
My New Friends At the Zoo (A Read With Me, Pops book)   QT63K 20% off
             
General Fiction:
Susan Wells Bennett:
Thief of Todays and Tomorrows EN87C 20% off
The Prophet's Wives LJ42G 20% off
Forsaking the Garden SN93F 20% off

General Fiction with humor: 
Steven Revare:
Raw, a Novel UY89R 20% off
Susan Wells Bennett:
Circle City Blues BU27X FREE
General Fiction with a paranormal twist (but no vampires):
Rusty Coats:
Out of Touch ST63N 20% off
Susan Wells Bennett:
An Unassigned Life RC28U 20% off
Michael E. Benson:
Epiphanies AW43Q 20% off
Historical Fiction: 
Michael E. Benson
The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins GQ46A 20% off
Poetry:    
Dorothy Legge
Poems of Faith and Love WJ33N 20% off
Thrillers: 
Michael E. Benson:
Openers - A Frank Petrovic Mystery DH35K 20% off
Alvarado's Woman - A Frank Petrovic Mystery YW83P 20% off
Jim Burkett
Declaration of Surrender EY84C 20% off

Have a great weekend.

The Boss Bean

We've been doing some tidying up here at the hill o'beans; cleaning out the closets and freshening up the pages.  There's a new guide to all our Beans and all their books, as well as samples, twitter and Facebook links, and links to their personal blogs.  Check out the Guide to the Care and Reading of Beans.

Susan Wells Bennett's latest title, Forsaking the Garden is available now in print, too.  If you're a fan not only of Susan's work, but also of Nikki McBroom, you're going to love the back cover art on this one. 

Pops Burkett's adding another volume to his delightful Read With Me, Pops series.  Take your kids on an adventure in their own backyard with Let's Go Exploring In the Backyard, coming June 2, 2011. 

Steven Revare just completed a workshop at the Writer's Place in Kansas City, Mo.  - an informative look at the New Frontier of publishing.

Take a look around, have a cup of coffee, let us know what you think. 

The Boss Bean

Well, we live in interesting times.

Here's a bright note:  Susan Wells Bennett's fifth book will be available beginning May 19th.  Forsaking the Garden could almost be considered an anthropological study; the reader is invited into a culture and society unfamiliar to most, and the central character studies the world at large, something unexpected and, in some ways, unbelievable to her. 

For a sample, follow Susan's blog this month while she features her newest title for Sample Sunday. 

Forsaking the Garden's wonderful cover is by the equally wonderful Nikki McBroom. 

If you're on our mailing list, watch for a discount coupon the week of the 19th.  If you're not on our mailing list, why not join now?  Our mailing list is private, used only for updates, information and treats for our readers.  Click the link at the bottom of the column on the left, and sign up for giveaways, news and discounts every month. 


On the subject of giveaways, here are the winners of our coffee giveaway at Kate Evangelista's blog:

Carolyn Hittle will receive 2 oz of our private label Guatemalan blend, as well as coupon for fifty percent off Emjae Edwards' Lady Must Decline.

Michelle Morgan will receive 2 oz of our private label Sumatran, as well as a coupon for fifty percent off Emjae Edwards' Learning to Be Irish. 

Congratulations, readers, and thank you, Kate for featuring Emjae.  We look forward to your next Bean interview.

Jim Burkett, author of Declaration of Surrender, and the upcoming sequel American Sanction, put down the guns and biological warfare to tell us a bedtime story.  Slipping into his alter ego, Pops Burkett, he has begun a series of early/pre-reader adventures just perfect for quiet time with a child or grandchild.  Amazing photography and simple narrative that is warm, funny but not condescending, it will engage children and children at heart.  Based on stories he tells his own grandsons, the first in the series is a visit to the zoo.  

Check the menu board for prices and links.

Jim also put together a little book trailer for his debut novel, Declaration of Surrender, which is both simple and terrifying.

And if wonderful pictures and terrifying prose aren't your cup of hot beverage, what about poetry?  Here are nearly one hundred beautiful poems and verses written by a woman who has known the heights of joy and the depths of despair, and has expressed her faith in her God at every level.  Humorous, insightful, and faithful, Dorothy Legge's poetry is uplifting and inspiring.  If you lean on a Higher Power, you'll love her poetry.

Check the menu board for prices and links.

Jim Burkett's book is being featured at Fiction For Dessert today.  They chose a great selection from the book, one that displays the intensity and the humor of his writing.   If you're still wavering about reading this faster than a heartbeat paced thriller, check out Fiction For Dessert, and see why so many people are giving the book five stars. 

Don't forget, today's the last day to get Circle City Blues, Once in the Moonlight, or Poems of Faith and Love for free, if you're on the mailing list.  If you join the mailing list today, we'll send you the codes to get one or all of these books today. 

As everyone in the United States knows all too well, and most people in other countries understand and sympathize, today is traditionally Tax Day, the ides of April.  But the United States is also the land of the free, so we at the Hill o' Beans are offering three books free to everyone on our mailing list.  Put your check in the mail to Uncle Sam, and then grab one, two or all three books for free, settle back and enjoy the weekend.

If you're on our mailing list, you'll be receiving codes to pick up the books in the digital format of your choice via our friends at Smashwords.  We're offering two of our more popular titles as well as a brand new book, just released this week.  All three books look at love; love that took a wrong turn in Circle City Blues, love almost lost in Once in the Moonlight, and love with a capital L in Poems of Faith and Love. 

What?  You're not on our mailing list?  Go sign up, over there.  It's also free. 

The books will be free through Monday, so stock up now.  And be sure to catch Jim Burkett's interview at Fiction For Dessert on Monday, where he'll be talking about Declaration of Surrender and its upcoming sequel, American Sanction.

The Boss Bean

Here's another entry in our Gallery of Good Taste.  If you're a fan of gridiron football, you'll recognize Stylez G. White of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He's a fan of our Jim Burkett, and asked for his autograph and photo at a charity event Jim was photographing this week. 

Want to see something that will melt your heart and make you cheer?  Jim Burkett, who is a wizard not only at the keyboard but with a camera, was at a fantastic event last week.  The Pediatric Cancer Foundation's Cut For a Cure featured members of the Tampa Bay Lightning and prominent local businessmen who volunteered to have their heads shaved to raise money and awareness.  Check out the link above, click on Cut For a Cure, and get ready to smile.

I know Jim doesn't want to play his own brass instrument, but we will:  Jim donates his time and his talent with a camera to this worthy organization, and this year he's also donating his profits from Declaration of Surrender.  If you haven't read the book, buy it.  If you have read it, go to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and make a donation.  Tell 'em The Boss Bean sent you.  Let's keep those smiles coming.

Today is all about Emjae.  She was featured at Kate Evangelista's blog..  Drop by, get to know a little more about our resident romantic, say hello, and enter a chance to win some Inknbeans' own coffee.  Thank you, Kate, for the opportunity and thank you, Arthur, for the introduction.

But, Emjae isn't content unless she can share the limelight.  She brought another author to our attention, an author who is part of an important project:  a book entitled Dear Bully.
Dear Bully is a collaboration of Carrie Jones and Megan Kelley Hall.  It is a collection of memories, dreams, gratitude and regret written by seventy of today's authors about the epidemic of bullying.  Available in August, it is an vital part of the dialogue in preventing bullying; by creating empathy in the bullies and empowering the bullied.  Emjae's friend, Melodye Shore, one of the seventy authors involved, tells her story in simple but powerful imagery, and expresses her gratitude to a stranger who extended aid, support and friendship.  It is called Luz.  If you were a bully, if you were victimized, if you have children in your life, Dear Bully is a book you need to read. 

Published by Harper Teen, Dear Bully is available for pre order now at Amazon.com.

Could this be DHS Agent Nick West?  Jim Burkett met with Tom Berenger at a film event in Tampa last week, and after chatting with him says "I could certainly see him as Nick.  Great guy, very nice family." 

What do you think? 

Just a couple more days to take advantage of Susan's review one, get one free offer.  Review one of her four books and we'll give another of her titles free.  But, hurry.  The offer ends March 31st. 

Ever wonder what Steven Revare gets up to?  Follow him on Twitter @stevenrevare, but only if you're not on a diet.  This man finds the best venues for food, music and whoopie pies. 

Want us to follow you?  Send us your twitter name. 

The Boss Bean  @boss_bean

We've been hearing from our readers and it's been pretty sweet. 

Arthur Levine, author of Johnny Oops, said this about Learning to Be Irish:
Charmingly told and heart warming—you will laugh and cry. This novel deserves five stars.

Therese (Amazon customer) described The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins this way:
Not only heart-wrenching, but also heart warming episodes take place contributing to Sonny establishing a moral compass on his journey to manhood.

Brett (Amazon customer) was enthusiastic about Raw, A Novel:
The story weaves around and makes you smile throughout. You have to read it all the way through to solve the mysteries of the story - it's a real sting at the end! Enjoy and laugh ...

Arthur Levine seems to enjoy our bookshelf, for he also reviewed Declaration of Surrender:
Jim Burkett has crafted a wonderfully entertaining novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat....The characters are so realistic it's hard to remember that this is fiction.

Laurie Gator (Amazon customer) stayed up late to read An Unassigned Life:
I highly recommend this book as a fun ghost story for folks ages 13 and over. This was a well written story with twists and turns. I am looking forward to reading more stories from this author!

Inknbeans Editorial Staff had this consensus about Out of Touch:
Eight thumbs up! 

A few reminders:

1)  Nikki McBroom's half price offer expires on Monday.  If you or a someone you know needs cover art, contact her at coverart_nmc@yahoo.com, and mention MARCHART.

2)  If you're on our mailing list you received a coupon for 50% off Rusty Coat's Out of Touch.  If you're not, you didn't. 

3)  Support the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa.  Jim Burkett is donating his royalties for Declaration of Surrender to this organization for the rest of the year.

4)  Send us your picture reading one of our titles, and we'll put it in our Gallery of Good Taste, and send you a tasty treat, too. 

5)  Thank you to everyone who participated in Read An E Book Week.  We're changing the way people read, one pixel at a time.

The Boss Bean

Top o' the mornin' to yas.  Sure, 'tis a grand day here.  On this day when everyone is Irish, we've got green going on all over.  It was one year ago today we released a sweet little story about a girl, a guy and a pocketful of shamrocks called Learning to Be Irish.  It's gone on to be our best selling title. 

In that tradition, we're bringing you  an amazing book today.  There are no leprechauns in this one, unless you count the author, Rusty Coats, but it's a compelling story about a man with a gift he doesn't want, a man who knows the future and can do nothing to change it, a man who must stand by and watch as hearts are broken and lives are destroyed.  Jonah Morgan is a man as damaged as the future he's seen, a future he's already lived.    Out of Touch is available at Amazon and Inknbeans today.   See the menu board for links and prices. 

If you're a part of our darlin' mailing list, you'll be after saving some green  today.  Watch your inbox for a coupon code for 50% off the cover price at Smashwords.com.

Get to know more about Rusty Coats by visiting his author page, and check out his essay at What Writers Write. 

Stay a while, get to know all our authors and their work.  We've got romance and mysteries, humor and heartbreak, bad guys, good guys and some who straddle the line.  There are cops, mobsters, lactivists and ghosts, children growing up in hard times and hardboiled characters having good times. 

We're serving Irish coffee all day long.

Cheers,
The Boss Bean

Rusty Coats brings years of journalism and media experience to the Hill O'Beans, along with an Irish twinkle, a love of baseball and Hoosiers and a debut novel which belongs at the end of the rainbow.  Rusty manages to create characters and situations that would seem implausible in less able hands: a journalist who still believes in the truth, a high school basketball team that continues to defy the odds, a charlatan, and a psychic who doesn't want the ability that his employers covet and co-opt.

Out of Touch is available March 17th, 2011.  See menu board for purchase links and prices. 

If you're on the Inknbeans mailing list watch for a 50% discount. 

Welcome, Rusty!

It's that time of year when we celebrate the digital reading experience.   If you've never read a book on your laptop, on your smartphone, or that Kindle-thingy you got for Christmas, this is a great time to try.  Thousands of publishers and independent authors are offering their books at 25% - 75% off the list price.  Some are even free!

In the mood for romance?  Need a good chuckle?  Perhaps you need a little action to get the heart pumping, or a trip back in time.  Zombies?  Mobsters?  Mad Scientists?  Dirty Politicians?  Devout or Demonic, there is probably a book for you at Smashwords.com during Read An E Book Week.

Now's the time to treat yourself to a new author, or a new genre. 

Inknbeans, along with our authors, are pleased to offer the following books as a special price this week:

Emjae Edwards:
Calling All Hearts - Free
Learning To Be Irish - Free
No Greater Love - Free
Once in the Moonlight - Free
The Lady Must Decline - 25% off
Wife in the Mirror - 25% off

Micheal E. Benson:
The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins - 50% off
Epiphanies - 50% off

Steven Revare:

Raw - 50% off

Jim Burkett:

Declaration of Surrender - 50% off

Susan Wells Bennett:

The Thief of Todays & Tomorrows - 50%

In addition, Susan is offering something special at her blog.  Review one of her books, and get another free.
Details here.

Stock up on great books now. 

The Boss Bean

I know we already did one update this week, but this is too important not to mention. 

First of all, Susan Wells Bennett has reduced the price of her funny and poignant Circle City Blues to $0.99.  If you haven't read this very human look at the seven stages of grief, now's the time to try it.  If you haven't read any of Susan's work, this is a great opportunity to sample it, at a sample price. 

And second, Jim Burkett's exciting debut novel, Declaration of Surrender is still $2.99, but he's donating all of his profits from it through the rest of 2011 to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa, Fl.  As Emjae Edwards says 'A big Yay! for Jim'.  A big Yay! for you, too, when you buy this book and help this very reputable and worthwhile organization.

Prices and links are available on the Menu Board.

The Boss Bean

Here's a new addition to our Gallery of Good Taste.  Emjae Edward's Learning to Be Irish appears to have a fairly famous fan.  Let's see your picture with an Inknbean title and we'll post it in our Gallery and send you an Inknbeans treat. 

Susan Wells Bennett's newest book, An Unassigned Life, had a pretty good opening last week.  Lots of our mailing list members took advantage of the coupon to get the book free, and her reading on the Spinning Wheel at Amazon.com garnered a lot of positive response. 
Susan's ability to find a new voice for every situation makes her books exciting and enjoyable, whether you're in the mood for a humorous look at breaking up, a heartbreaking look at dreams gone astray, or the rules and regs of the afterlife.  Her book covers help, too.  She works with a very talented, up and coming artist, Nikki McBroom,  who seems as devoted to the process of helping authors realize their vision as we are.   Ms. McBroom has made a very generous offer to our Beans and all our Bean fans.  Her usual rate for front and back cover art is $300.00, but between now and March 21st, she'll prepare your cover for half price.  If you have a book which needs a cover, or want to freshen up a cover you've had done, or you know someone who does, contact Ms. McBroom at coverart_nmc@yahoo.com and mention code MARCHART.    If you want to see some samples of her work, look at Susan's page right over there. 

Michael E. Benson is currently working on sequel to Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins.  Right now, Sonny is hip deep in World War II.  Michael, like Susan, skips around genres to bring you gritty crime dramas based on actual events, or a love story bound to last for eternity, as well as his retelling of his grandfather's life in the Sonny Tompkins series.

Gritty is an excellent way to describe Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender, too.  Who do you trust when the world just tore up your scorecard?  How do you know whom to believe when the bad guys take off their black hats, and the good guys look very dirty?  DHS agent Nick West just found out something that's going to upend everything he's ever believed about right and wrong.   And then he's going to save the world.

What do college football, a one handed bartender, a mysterious tattoo, a washed up writer and the plains of Kansas have in common?  They all go better with unpasturized milk.  Steven Revare's Raw, a Novel, continues to get great reviews and make people laugh out loud.  Find out what's funny in Manhattan...Kansas, that is. 

The Boss Bean

The new book is An Unassigned Life, live today at all the usual ebook distributors (25% discount at Smashwords this week, use code: KK54P.)  Susan Wells Bennett has done it again.  It's about writer's block, suicide, and technology in the afterlife.  And it's funny.  Susan's also our author of the month, so check out what she has to say in What Writers Write.

New bean number one is Rusty Coats, whose amazing book Out of Touch comes out in March.  It's about psychics, charlatans and basketball - what more could you want?

New bean number two will be announced next week, but trust us when we say we're awfully pleased he's joining us. 

Rusty is not only bringing us his heart-in-your-throat-or-in-your-shoes book, he brought a great idea.  Send us a picture of you reading an Inknbeans book, and we'll post your picture in our gallery, and send you a cool treat.  It could be coffee, it could be a copy of that book for a friend, it could even be another title from our bookshelf.  Send us your pictures and find out.  The relaxed looking fellow above is the aforementioned Rusty.  He has good taste in books, don't you think?

The Boss Bean

We were doing a little photo shoot for our first official Inknbeans Catalog last week, and we had the proof prints stacked artfully on a table, surrounded by some logo cups and our private label coffee.  After we'd found the picture, Alan, our 'Strunk & White Guy', was stacking the books back on a shelf in my office.  I mentioned to him that we had three more books on the way between now and April.  He turned to me, books in hand, and said 'We're going to need a bigger shelf.'

Isn't it wonderful?

One of the aforementioned new titles comes out next week.  An Unassigned Life is Susan Wells Bennett's fourth title, and the first one exclusively ours.  It's a ghost story.  It's a story about writer's block, suicide and technology in the afterlife.  And it's funny.  Susan's found yet another voice to talk to the reader about the joys, sorrows, successes and failures of the human condition - or in Tim Chase's case, the inhuman condition. 

If you're a member of our mailing list, watch for a coupon for a free copy of An Unassigned Life next week.  If you want to know a little more about it before you purchase it, and happen to hang out on Amazon chats and forums, Susan will be giving a reading in the Spinning Wheel thread on Thursday, February 17th, and she'll be passing out coupons for 25% off the $2.99 digital copy price. 

Susan will also be our Featured Author on What Writers Write next week, but in the meantime, take a look at some of our previous authors, and their words of wisdom. 

Lent is only a few weeks away, but please don't plan to give up coffee - we have a great drawing coming up.  Details coming soon. 

Stop in and look at our menu board.  We've got a wide range of styles, genres and stories, something for almost everyone - and more brewing every day.

The Boss Bean

We promised some more reviews, and here they are:

Arthur Levine said of Raw, a Novel:
Bravo!  Good read.

And Midge Redmond added:
I love how chapter two so perfectly captures the horror (and humor) of writing workshops.

(Comments from an online chatroom reading).

Michael E. Benson's super fan, Terri, had this to say about The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins:
It is with great regret that I have finished reading the masterpiece written by my favorite author, Michael E. Benson.  It is truly a piece of art.  I was captivated from the first page through the very end.  I could visualize the faces, the land, and parts made me cry.  I look forward to the sequel with great anticipation.  Thank you, Mr. Benson, for sharing your thoughts, intelligence, and art with those of us that truly are your greatest fans.  The novels you have written are the best gifts I could ever ask for.  I will cherish them forever and I will pick them back up and read them for a second time.  I would pay big money to see Young Sonny made into a movie.  I think it would be fantastic! 

(sent in via Got Something to Say?)

And there was this lovely bon mot from jag01234 about Declaration of Surrender:
I found that I could not put the book down, & enjoyed each and every page of this timeless thriller. I am anxiously looking forward to further adventures with Nick, in what I hope will be a very successful series of books.

(posted at Amazon.com)

We're going to start offering free samples of our authors' works, particularly upcoming titles in the next week or so, but in the spirit of 'ladies first', here's a touch of Susan Wells Bennett's upcoming release, An Unassigned Life:

Prologue – The End…Tim slammed his cell phone closed in disgust. The barely audible clack it emitted only served to infuriate him more. When he was a kid, the phones were heavy; when you hung them up, you had to be careful not to set them down too hard or the party on the other end would think you were angry. Not so with these modern-day phones: the only way for them to make a loud noise was to break them. Tim did just that, shattering the phone into five or six pieces and leaving a good-sized dent in the wall.

Damn her, he thought, sitting down in front of his still-empty computer screen. Ellen knows I have writer’s block. He let his fingers click angrily on the keys, creating a few lines of gibberish.

His first novel was a critical and popular success, but his second novel had been a disaster. The New Yorker book critic had called it “florid.” Hah! Working for The New Yorker, you had to wonder how that hack would be able to recognize floridity. Now the publisher was demanding that he produce the third book due on his contract or return the advance he’d received. Tim didn’t have their damned money – he’d used it to buy the old bungalow he was sitting in right now. He’d thought the house would inspire him, that the previous residents of the past century would show up and tell him their stories. They hadn’t, though.

Looking around the sparsely furnished house, he thought he missed Tina’s things – the comfortable sofa, the antique dining set, the king-sized bed. He paced through the rooms, taking inventory of the missing furniture and art. She’d left him only a few items: his desk and chair, the old computer that served as his long-term writing partner, and a recliner that had seen better days. After she was gone, Tim had visited a second-hand shop and dragged home a mistreated dining room set and an old twin-sized bed. A twin was big enough for him and might keep him from inviting others to stay the night.

The doorbell rang and Tim hid behind the dining room arch and peered around the corner to see who might be there. He could see it was a man – probably that same bum that kept coming around asking for a handout. The guy must have circled Tim’s house on his map of easy marks. The first time the unshaven, filthy man showed up, Tim had been in a benevolent spirit. He had opened his door, invited the man – Tim remembered his name was George – to have a sandwich with him and had even given him a few dollars when the meal was done. Ever since then, George rang the doorbell every few days, despite the fact that Tim had never opened the door to him again.

It rang again, and Tim’s heart raced in his chest as he continued to hide behind the dining room arch. Finally, Tim heard the man’s boots clomp across the porch and down the stairs. Slumping against the wall, he breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to slide to the floor, hitting the wooden slats with an audible thump.

Life wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was a damned good writer – better than Nicholas Sparks, that was for sure. Yet that hack kept turning out book after book while he sat in front of a blank screen day after day. He glanced toward his desk and saw the lines of gibberish filling up the screen. That was the most he’d written in months. He didn’t even have an outline to show Ellen or the publisher – nothing to convince them that he was working on the third book.

He thought of Dorothy Parker’s ode to suicide, “Resumé.” Nooses give, he thought. Not if they are tied right. He’d had a therapist since that incident a few years ago with the pills. His therapist had told him to call if he had suicidal thoughts again. He slid himself around the corner into the living room and eyed the pieces of his phone. He smiled. Sorry, Doc. The phone’s out of order.

With renewed sense of purpose, he exited the house to the garage, where he located a length of nylon rope he had purchased a few years ago for a camping trip that he and Tina had never quite gotten around to taking. Carrying the rope inside, he sat down in front of his computer and researched nooses. It didn’t take long to find instructions for tying a noose on the internet. He thanked his father for insisting he participate in Boy Scouts when tying the knot proved a simple job. With a real sense of accomplishment – the first he’d felt in a long time – he put the noose aside and went back to his page of gibberish. He opened a new Word document and wrote a flowing and detailed suicide note, assigning blame and praise appropriately to everyone in his life. When he reached the end, he reviewed it. Remembering The New Yorker critic’s accusation of floridity, he deleted the whole thing and replaced it with a simpler, all-purpose note: Fuck you all. I’m out of here. He saved it as “suicide note,” printed a copy that he left on his keyboard, and emailed it to his sister and his agent – neither of whom would see it until Tuesday morning, since it was a Friday afternoon before a long weekend.

He walked out his back door without locking it, went into the garage and threw one end of the rope over the exposed beams. Standing on the hood of his old silver Honda Civic, he secured the rope with one of the knots he’d learned in Boy Scouts, slipped the noose over his head, and jumped off the car.

Believe it or not, this actually a very funny story.

An Unnassigned Life is coming in February. 

The Boss

What a start!  What a year!  New books, new beans, great reviews, and our Ban is back! 

Let's start off with some wonderful reviews:

Earleen Smith said this about Thief of Todays and Tomorrows:

This was a great read! I enjoyed Kate's many adventures. This story starts in Chicago, rather innocently, and gets progressively more sinister. Then, Kate is forced into a choice she may not have made for herself and finds a humble new life in Phoenix. This tale is woven with skill and, like the other book I have read written by Susan Wells Bennett, shows this author's promise.

I am recommending this book in my book club this month, so clearly I would recommend it to you.

(posted at Smashwords)

Linda Mihay described Declaration of Surrender this way:

A chance flat tire in a rain storm, and a good Samaritan set off a wild chase to find a missing document that could destroy the USA. There are the good guys & the bad guys looking for this document. As it turns out, one of the bad guys has a good streak, and in the end does the "right thing" as the really evil one catches up and unleashes murder and mayhem.

This is a really good book about rotten eggs in the government, towards the end of WWII, and how a Dept of Homeland Security agent on leave, stumbles into a major case, and saves the day.

(posted on Amazon.com)

And Arthur Levine described Learning to Be Irish:

Have you ever read about a place that you’ve never been to and felt that you knew it intimately because the home and the people were so well described? I could practically smell the fire in the fireplace and hear the Irish brogue of the town gossip. That’s how I felt when I read Learning To Be Irish, and that’s how I felt about the main characters, the strong willed Daire, and the man she came to love, Padraic. I felt I knew them both and was a part of their lives. This is a place where a homespun instant wedding takes place, a child is conceived and a grand father’s fondest wish comes true in a land of Leprechauns and faeries.

Learning To Be Irish is about finding love and happiness. It’s a beautiful tale of a simpler time and a lush small village in Ireland where true virtue was really important, the simplest gesture could easily be misinterpreted, the community of gossip prone towns people worked together to help a stranger, and a tinge of mystery and strange goings on was always in the air. This is a wonderful place where people can walk around so enjoying life that they feel like they have a pocket full of emeralds. Charmingly told and heart warming—you will laugh and cry. This novel deserves five stars.

(posted at Smashwords)

And Sandra Smith commented on Openers:

Michael,
I just finished reading the book. It was captivating, very well written.
Your neighbor,
Sandra Smith

(sent in via Got Something To Say?)

We'll be posting more of our reviews next week, but we wanted to announce that we have another New Bean!  Rusty Coats has joined us, bringing a little basketball, a little romance, a little scandal and a psychic.  More details coming soon.

Michael E. Benson just keeps surprising everyone.  His first two books were crime - thrillers, based on actual events during his years in law enforcement.  Then just last month he gave us a warm, touching, biographical account of a boy growing up during the Great Depression.  Today, we're proud to release a completely different type of book; a sad, wonderful, heartbreaking and hopeful story of a man reviewing his life after the death of his wife.  Epiphanies is the story of Rob Stuart and the quest literally of a lifetime.  Warning:  Read this with tissues nearby.  Some of the events in this book are true, too. 

We're not done, yet!  We've got some amazing books coming up in the next few weeks.  We've got discounts and treats for our mailing list, too.  If you're not on our mailing list...well...why not? 

Welcome to 2011, friends. 

The Boss Bean