New Ebooks You Should Check Out — Richard Bowker

My friend Richard Bowker was away from publishing for many years, prior to his recent resurgence in ebook. He is a fine writer, whose mystery/thrillers (Replica, Senator, etc.) earned him considerable notice when they were published by houses like Bantam and Morrow. The winds of publishing turned against him for a while, but in the last year, he's returned with a vengeance, bringing all of his backlist into ebook, and publishing several excellent novels that his old publishers idiotically passed on.

His latest is The Portal, an alternate history of a New England that might have been, if a lot of things had happened differently. War between New England and Canada? Late 18th Century technology in the "present"? Like the Harry Potter books, this one has young protagonists, and can be viewed as either an adult novel or a YA novel. I was privileged to read it in manuscript, and am delighted to see it appear at last as an ebook and, still to come, a print-on-demand p-book.

Kindle | Nook

(Hm, doesn't seem to be in the Nook store yet. Should be, soon.)

Why not take a ride into an America that might have been?

New Ebooks You Should Check Out — Craig Shaw Gardner

My friend Craig Gardner, well known as a writer of funny fantasy (among other genres), has indie-repubbed the fantasy trilogy that made his reputation: The Ebenezum Series, concerning a wizard who is allergic to magic and his bumbling young apprentice, Wuntvor. The books are great fun, and recommended for young readers of all ages. I especially love how our heroes escape being eaten by a kraken. Here they are:

Kindle | Nook

Kindle | Nook

Kindle | Nook

You can even pre-order his forthcoming new book, Temporary Monsters!

Kindle | Nook

Kick back and have a little fun.

Waiting for G/o/d/o/t/ the Roofer

Today was an early riser for me. Roofers were coming to strip and reroof the southwest side of the house—the side you can see in Google Earth, if you know where to look. Those who know me know that early mornings are not my forte. But the contracting boss was here, the cars were moved out of the driveway, and I was drinking coffee, waiting. Then the word came: Called due to rain, and forecast rain. Try again tomorrow. (Sigh.)

We've spent a lot of time emptying the attic on that side of the house, knowing that there will be a rain of asphalt and tar-paper debris down through the cracks between boards. This cleanout included getting rid of boxes belonging to long-departed electronics, unearthing boxes of books stashed for safekeeping for a friend (twenty years ago—a good argument for ebooks), and lots more. Well, it's good we got that done, anyway.

This is all in preparation for the solar-electric panels that will be installed on that side of the house, soon after the roof is done. (Fingers crossed.)

We're still planning a dormer on the other side of the house, to add a bathroom and guest room. But that's been put on hold until the solar panel project is finished. Oh, and the loan approved. Heh, heh.

The Novelist

No, not me, the video game! Mediabistro reports on a new game featuring as its hero... a novelist. What? On vacation with his family, the writer must make choices about where his priorities lie: His languishing book? His wife? His son? Will he write a great book, and lose his marriage? What about his kid? Damn, doesn't that send shivers down your spine?

I wish I could play this game at home. Oh wait—I do!

Here's the video trailer for the game written by Kent Hudson.