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Free Stuff
As sci-fi author Robert Heinlein emphasized in his classic sci-fi novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, TANSTAAFL. Here you have to work for your free lunch a bit, although it’s often only a few clicks away. Read carefully…and reap the benefits.
For readers…
Freebies?
Only review copies are free in return for an honest review (supplies are limited) – query me for your review copy using my contact page. Reviewers please note: Sometimes my books are available on Booksprout or Net Galley, especially at book-launch time, so you can also download from there if the book is available.
Ebooks should be less expensive than print versions, and all mine are. All my books are reasonably priced, though, including all new print versions, so they’re never free, except for the above.
Beta-readers wanted. You will get a MS Word manuscript to read that’s completely pre-edited but not formatted or with a cover. Your mission, if you accept it, is to look for logical errors. For example, if the get-away car turns from red to blue in mid-chase, I want to know about that mistake. Basically, you just read along and make a note when you mentally say to yourself, “Huh?”. That’s not editing per se, but it’s super-helpful to me.
Your reward: I know it’s not a lot, but you’ll be able to read a story long before any other reader peruses the published book. Query me using the contact page if you’re interested–tell me a bit about yourself and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
There are other exceptions to my freebie policy that do not involve ebooks or raw manuscripts. See below for the list of free PDFs I offer as well as contests.
Borrowing my ebooks?
Both Smashwords and Draft2Digital offer various ways for readers to borrow my ebooks – visit their sites for options or, for library acquisitions, visit their affiliates (Scribd, Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, etc.). Online borrowing sites rarely are free – often a membership fee must be paid – but they tend to cost you less than paying retail price (in my case, that’s always low). And forget about Amazon Prime! Unless you use that for something other than books, it’s a waste of your money ($100-plus per year, last I checked)…and it rips off authors too.
Reviews
Reviews of other authors’ books can be found in the blog archives “Book Reviews” and “Mini-Reviews of Books.”
I also write movie reviews – they tend to be about unusual movies or unconventional opinions about blockbusters. See the “Movie Reviews” blog archive. (These might even be useful for those who use streaming services to watch older movies.) My movie attendance declined, though, because of Covid-19, and it continues to be minimal for various reasons.
Interviews
These can be found in the blog archive “Interviews.” Many are interviews of other authors who might be of interest, but some of them correspond to characters from my books (or theirs), so they can provide readers some insight into those books.
For writers…
Comments on Writing and Publishing
These can be found in the blog archive “Writing” and in some of my reviews (they often critique various aspects of the writing art). Also, my little course on fiction writing is a PDF that’s a free download. (See the full list below.)
For readers AND writers…
Here’s a list of free PDFs. I add new ones all the time, so visit this section on this web page often. (Note that I also sometimes reedit and update every PDF on this list, so you might also want to check to see if you have the latest version.) Note that, although there are two complete novels, most of these stories weren’t quite long enough to become novels, but they’re still entertaining and educational (of course, the bad stuff never sees the light of day!).
Sci-Fi stories:
Escape From Earth (free sci-fi novella).
Portal In The Pines(free sci-fi novella).
Pasodobles in a Quantum Stringscape, VolumeTwo (free short fiction collection).
Pasodobles in a Quantum Stringscape, VolumeThree (free short fiction collection).
Dr Carlos Chief Medical Officer (free short story collection).
Mystery and Thriller stories:
SleuthingBritishStyleVol4, three more mystery-crime stories set in the UK*.
RevengeAtLast, a novella featuring Inspector Steve Morgan plus two more novellas*.
TheArtForgers, a novella that’s the prequel to the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series*.
Intolerance, book seven of the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” Series (complete mystery/thriller/crime novel).
Defanging The Red Dragon, a Brookstone-Castilblanco Holiday Adventure that’s book eight in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco” series and book six in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series, i.e., a cross-over novel (complete mystery/thriller/spy novel).
Your Past Will Find You (free crime/thriller novella).
Whistleblower (free crime/thriller novella).
Mayhem, Murder, and Music (free collection of short crime fiction).
Crime, Mystery, and Thrills (free short fiction collection).
Note: “Dreams of Revenge,” a “Detectives Chen & Castilblanco” crime/thriller novella, is still available. It has been re-edited and moved to Detectives, a collection of similar short fiction stories. (See below to download this entire collection.)
The Phantom Harvester (free crime/thriller novella – features Castilblanco’s adopted kids).
Sleuthing, British-Style, Volume Two (two crime novellas written in the British style, the second part of my homage to Agatha Christie and all who followed her – the first has been formally published).
Sleuthing, British-Style, Volume Three (eight crime novellas written in the British style, the third part of my homage to Agatha Christie and all who followed her – the first has been formally published).
Detectives. This collection of free short crime fiction will take readers from the US and UK to Mars! You’ll enjoy some exciting stories involving my NYPD Detectives Chen and Castilblanco, my British and Dutch sleuths Brookstone and van Coevorden, and many new ones whom you can accompany in the twists and turns involved in their stories. (Note: “Dreams of Revenge,” a “Detectives Chen & Castilblanco” story, has been moved to this collection.)
Detectives, Volume Two: The Earl of Penrith.
More detective stories, this time about Detective Inspector Earl Wilson of the Penrith Police Constabulary located in England’s Lake District, a tourist region up by the Scottish border.
Six detectives, seven cases…
Three cases confound DI Bee Berkeley at her new nick…
Murder Upriver: Bee Berkeley, VolumeTwo
“Murder Upriver” is a full novella about another Bee Berkeley case…or are there three separate cases?
Three detective novellas featuring my old NYPD detective and a new one from the Sheffield area in England. Enjoy the mystery and thrills while comparing policing methods.
General information for readers and writers:
Future History Timeline (free information tool for readers who want to connect up many of my books by placing them on my extensive fictional timeline – it doesn’t follow the dates of publication by any means…because I’m a nonlinear thinker).
“Writing Fiction” Course,_Rev11 (free short course)* The most complete revision yet with a new look and new insights. For beginning authors on their first journey to a published book to old pros wanting to read about my insights on the writing business, and even to any readers wishing to have an honest assessment of that business today, these lessons are for you. In its few pages, it goes far beyond Stephen King’s On Writing! And, unlike King’s book, it’s free!
Press Kit (mostly a bio and list of books)
*New!
All these are free…and with a money-back guarantee! Who said I can’t write poetry? (Okay, it’s nothing but a rhyming couplet.) No, I won’t pay you to read them. They’re freebies offered for your own personal entertainment. If you insist on paying me, though, please consider instead the good-karma option of donating to one or more charities in my list found on the “About the Author” web page…or your own favorite charity or cause.
So…how do you obtain these free PDFs?
Option 1. Just click on the title…and use the download arrow on your PDF reader if you want the file. If you want to return to the website (to select more PDFs, for example), use the back arrow. This works on my PC laptop, but it might not work with your machine (Apple products, for example?) or PDF reader. In case it doesn’t, and you can’t figure out how to get around the problem, please use Option 2.
Option 2. Query me via my contact page. I’ll send you the titles you want.
Titles of new free PDFs will be added as they become available. Look for them.
These free PDFs are gifts for all readers…just a little reward for being readers (and visitors to this website, if only for the PDFs). Most are short fiction, not novels (although I might add more novels in the future). Please consider them to be an introduction to my other writing, in particular all my published novels.
Once you have obtained the PDF(s) you want to read, please feel free to reprint and share with family and friends. All I ask is that you respect the copyright. No for-profit resales are permitted!
Email Discussions
I’m happy to discuss books (especially mine) with readers or particular writing details and worries with most any writer. I have many reading and writing friends, and we do that all the time.
Fantasy, horror, romance, and erotica novels (some of these genres are often combined) aren’t my forte, though, simply because I don’t know anything about writing in those genres! (I know authors who do, however, and do a good job of it.)
Writers, if your preferred genre(s) is (are) beyond my expertise, or I just don’t have any opinions about it (them), I’ll tell you so, so go ahead and email me. And, of course, you might catch me at a bad time, so be patient…I’ll respond one way or the other ASAP. (I do the best I can. I don’t have a secretary.)
Again, I don’t collect email addresses for promo purposes. Unlike many authors. I respect your privacy. But, if we have an interesting email thread going, I’m happy to continue it. (One of those became an interesting series of discussions about thrillers on the Book Pleasures website!)
And writers, please do NOT ask me to review, beta-read, or edit your manuscript, even if you’re writing in my genres. There are plenty of professionals and even volunteers who will do that for you – and probably do a better job of it than I can (my editing algorithms are top secret and highly personalized – I know where I mess up, so they’re designed to correct my bad habits, not yours).
You can also find critique groups (you’re forewarned that people there might try to make you write like them, i.e. “destroy your own voice”) and other groups that discuss various writing topics all over the internet, of course. Join them if you believe they will help you to hone your skills.
For lawyers and agents…
In general, material at this website has the copyright indicated at the bottom of each web page. Free distribution rights are granted if suitable acknowledgement is made.
All reviews, interviews, comments to blog posts, and emails received from others or written by me become my sole property and cannot be returned or acknowledged in any manner other than that indicated on this website. Please give credit where credit is due…and respect all copyrights.
Although I don’t expect any requests, I’m happy to entertain offers for audiobook or movie versions or foreign rights for one of my stories. Those interested in rights or representing me should use my contact page. I’m especially amenable to translation offers because many of my stories are international in scope (although they might not please the censors in autocratic countries).
…and to help me…
You, the reader or writer, are encouraged to correct any errors or oversights on this website or within a blog post, or even a story, using an email (no attachments please), or a comment. Remember that much of the material at this website is free, including the blog posts.
If you want to support me in these endeavors, please buy, read, and review some of my books! In fact, you don’t have to read much of anything here at this website – I’d be happy if you only read my stories. My goal is always to entertain you with my storytelling!
Contests/Promotions
Sales
My books are never free, but all the prices are all reasonable, even for the print versions. There are occasionally sales of my ebooks on Smashwords (and maybe soon on Draft2Digital, if these two merging behemoths ever get their act together). Also, my two traditional publishers, Black Opal Books and Penmore Press, might reduce prices from time to time (I have no control over that).
New Contests!
Want a free ebook? You can have one if you email me (use the contact page) with a correct guess for…
(1) …the type of car Esther Brookstone’s neighbor drives in Rembrandt’s Angel;
(2) …where Esther Brookstone and Bastiann van Coevorden go at the end of Rembrandt’s Angel;
(3) …the titles of the classic sci-fi novels the android is referring to in the epilogue of Rogue Planet;
(4) …who Kiana and Pel are in Rogue Planet (got you there: you might have to read The Chaos Chronicles Trilogy Collection to guess correctly);
(5) …the name of the main villain in The Secret Lab;
(6) …the name of the starship where Dr. Carlos Obregon serves as chief medical officer;
(7) …the name of the Turkish city where Esther Brookstone and Bastiann van Coevorden find St. John’s tomb;
(8) …the name of the Hungarian spy who appears in several of the “Esther Brookstone” novels;
(9) …the name of the main character and her lover in the sci-fi rom-com A Time Traveler’s Guide through the Multiverse; and…
(10) …the name of the two cats found in The Secret Lab and the “Inspector Steve Morgan” series.
In each case, the first five readers who guess correctly for any contests from (1) through (10) will receive a free ebook of their choice from my oeuvre. Use my contact page to play. (People who have worked with me to produce the books mentioned above aren’t eligible, of course.)
These are permanent contests until five readers in each category have responded. If you’ve guessed correctly in more than one category, I’ll give you the corresponding number of ebooks of your choice, of course. Otherwise, only one ebook per reader, please.
Watch this page for future contests and promotions.
And some final words…
Read, read, read…reading is the least expensive entertainment you can find (outside of things unmentionable on a PG-13 website). Reading books can inform you, even when reading fiction, where the interwoven themes often are current and informative. Support your favorite authors and look for new ones – the latter is like panning for gold (I did that in Alaska – it’s fun too).
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!