Whoever coined the phrase "There's no such thing as a FREE ride." sure knew what they were talking about. Over the last week or so I've noticed that many things in life touted as FREE are far from so.
I got some FREE business cards to advertise my new book. After shipping and handling and the fee for downloading a picture my FREE cards cost almost $10.
The inboxes of my e-mail accounts always seem to attract e-mails guaranteeing me a FREE $100 gift card to such-and-such a store. Of course once the fine print is analyzed, I have to subscribe to so many of the following sponsors' services over the next year.
Friends of mine had FREE tickets to Great America. Of course it cost $15 to park and $30 for lunch (for a kid's meal and a burger).
My sister had FREE tickets to the Bears preseason game this past week. Here parking cost $45! And she had to pay for food and beverage.
Now, don't get me wrong, obviously if the main things listed here hadn't been FREE, we all would have paid a lot more money to obtain them or participate in them. I'm simply venting a bit of frustration that FREE things aren't always exactly FREE. (And as a budget conscious gal, it tends to irritate me.)
On the other side of things, my fabulous publisher (The Wild Rose Press) and many of its talented authors have begun offering FREE short stories. And these, my friends, really are FREE. You can go the the Wild Rose site (www.thewildrosepress.com) and download them for absolutely FREE. I myself will have one of these FREE reads available in December.
Any Wild Rose authors and/or readers out there who are reading this, please feel free to give a shout out about your FREE read or a FREE read that you've read and would like to recommend by leaving a comment here.
On a side note, THIS TIME FOR ALWAYS, is currently the number one bestseller on the Champagne Rosebud list at The Wild Rose Press! It's also sitting at 9, 4, and 3 on others lists there as well. Thanks to everyone for their support! I couldn't do this without you!
Until next time,
Happy Reading (I'll be downloading some of those fabulous FREE reads this afternoon),
Debra
THIS TIME FOR ALWAYS
by Debra St. John
Champagne Rosebud #1 Bestseller!
ebook AVAILABLE NOW! from The Wild Rose Press
print release 8/29/08
5 comments:
I am very pleased with how well my Free Read, NIGHTHAWK, is doing. So far I have 15 excellent reader reviews! This is the first short romance story I've ever written and it was a challenge, so doubly rewarding to have so many readers say they're enjoying it.
The Free Reads at TWRP are awesome. I've read many of them, and look forward to writing one myself. Thanks for this great post!
Helen
www.helensheroes.blogspot.com
My free read at TWRP was one of the first published. As I mainly write for the Vintage Line my story, KINDRED SPIRITS,tells the story of a young sailor who perished when his ship was sunk during the 2nd World War.He has been searching for over 60 years to find his soul mate,Sarah.
My free read, Dove Island, is under contract, so I haven't a release date yet. Here's the blurb:
"Christopher’s dedicated his allegiance to the Church. But that’s before he meets Roxanne, his cousin’s betrothed. Aboard the ship appointed for the honeymoon voyage, he fears losing her not to his cousin, but to a barbaric pirate attack. Will he live long enough to confess she holds his heart?"
I hope this generate downloads when it becomes available...FREE!
I've read several of the 'Free Reads' and am amazed at the quality. These short reads are delightful and just right when you haven't time for anything longer.
I have one coming myself, which has just gone through edits 'A Bargain With death'. I don't know when it will be released but I'm looking forward to seeing it up there. It's pure fantasy, about a young woman who literally faces Death himself, to try to save the life of her betrothed.
I hope lots of people will take advantage of these free reads - there's something for everyone and it's a great introduction to a new author or one you may not have read before.
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