OK, we’re past the Christmas rush insanity, and back to a somewhat-manageable number of 70 new Kindle freebies today. Each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours (except for the “Kindle Daily Deals” on page 3). Books qualify for “Editor’s Picks” if they have outstanding customer reviews. Warning: Kindle book promotions can end without notice, so before downloading click the link “See Kindle price at Amazon” to verify that the book is still free. (Prices and availability may differ outside USA.)

Short-Straw Bride

Christian Fiction > Romance
Author: Karen Witemeyer

Short-Straw Bride

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk.

Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can’t bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again.

The Guestbook

Women’s Fiction > Contemporary Women
Author: Andrea Hurst

The Guestbook

Fleeing her picture-perfect marriage among the privileged set of Brentwood and the wreckage of a failed marriage, Lily Parkins decides to move to the only place that still holds happy memories, her grandmother’s old farmhouse. The lush and majestic setting of the Pacific Northwest calls to her and offers a place of refuge and perhaps renewal. Her grandmother has passed away, leaving the Madrona Island Bed & Breakfast Inn to Lily.

Left with only an old guestbook as her guide–a curious book full of letters, recipes, and glimpses into her family history–Lily is determined to embrace her newfound independence and recreate herself, one page at a time. With the help of the quirky island residents she has befriended, she slowly finds the strength to seek out happiness on her own terms. But as soon as she has sworn off men and is standing on her own two feet, Lily meets Ian, the alluring artist who lives next door, and her new life is suddenly thrown off course. The last thing she wants to do right now is to open her heart to another man.

Lost In Italy

Romantic Suspense > Europe > Italy

Author: Stacey Joy Netzel, Stacy D. Holmes

Lost In Italy

Halli Sanders spent two years planning the trip of a lifetime to Italy. Her itinerary did not include being stranded by her siblings, kidnapped by a sexy American movie star, dodging bullets, or fleeing criminals in a car chase around Lake Como. And that’s just in the first three hours.

Trent Tomlin put his movie career on hold to investigate his brother’s murder-ruled-suicide at his Italian villa. He’s closing in on the suspects when an American tourist unwittingly films the murder of the retired cop helping him. The killers will stop at nothing to get the evidence–including holding Halli’s family as collateral.

Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free

Business & Investing > Skills > Time Management
Author: Amy Lynn Andrews

Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free

A very short, practical ebook outlining a straightforward yet effective approach to time management. A book about time management shouldn’t take long to read and implement. There shouldn’t be a lot of fluff and filler. This one is specifically designed to help you identify what’s most important in your life, set meaningful goals and develop a workable schedule so nothing of value falls through the cracks…all within a few hours.

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters (A Comedy Mystery)

Mystery > Women Sleuths > Humor
Author: Barbara Silkstone

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters (A Comedy Mystery)

Alice Harte’s life is falling apart. Her boss at the real estate firm where she works is a litigious and murderous man with ties to “The Mob” in Florida. She KNOWS he has literally beheaded someone in the past.

Her whole life she has dreamed of living in England and meeting a man similar to John Cleese. In an attempt to start breaking away from her boss who is threatening her with a lawsuit, she flies to England to meet Nigel Channing, who has been charming her through e-mails and phone calls.

As her life in Miami falls apart, with mobsters and a pending fraud lawsuit, her romantic savior in England looks more and more tarnished by the hour. And then she stumbles across a beheaded mob boss. How will she ever keep her head and win the lawsuit? And what about love?

How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide

Advice & How-to > Satire
Author: Aaron Goldfarb

How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide

Self-help guides SUCK.

How to Fail is the world’s FIRST Self-Hurt Guide, the polar opposite of a self-help guide.

How to Fail follows the misadventures, misgivings, and massive mistakes of Stu Fish as he tries to find success in New York City.

This satirical novel includes such hilarious chapters as:

Chapter One:  How to Fail to Write a Cohesive Introduction

Chapter Two:  How to Fail to Not Get Mistaken For a Bum

And much more…

Pie-Rits: A Pirate Adventure

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure
Author: Julia Dweck, Fian Arroyo

Pie-Rits: A Pirate Adventure

Set sail for a daring pirate adventure like no other. Can a cherry cupcake, a French bread and a flaky croissant battle a crew of assorted pie-rits? Children will delight in the humor, word play, and action of this rhyming pirate adventure that will keep readers laughing from beginning to end. Pirates have never been so deliciously nasty.

Welcome to Fred (The Fred Books)

Genre Fiction > Coming of Age
Author: Brad Whittington

Welcome to Fred (The Fred Books)

Mark Cloud has his doubts. He’s not sure if he’ll ever feel at home in Fred, Texas. He’s not sure that he can work up the nerve to declare his love to the girl of his dreams. He’s not sure he will survive another ride with Darnell Ray, Terror of the Back Roads. And he’s not really sure he buys the whole God thing. Which is an uncomfortable position for the son of a Baptist preacher.

This award-winning novel is a moving and hilarious tale set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1960s and rural America. It is the timeless and classic story of Everyteen in the hands of a master storyteller.

Finding Home (Lawes’ Raiders, Book 1)

Science Fiction > Alternate History
Author: Mike Engleman

Finding Home (Lawes' Raiders, Book 1)

At first glance, the Lawes’ Raiders series of historical novels would appear to be memoirs written by an old man with a sixth-grade education who played a major role in 19th Century Texas. The Captain of a Texas Rangers Company sent to deep South Texas to protect the region’s people, he tells tales of lawmen fighting the violence of Mexican incursions into the U. S.

His simple, often ungrammatical words, tell much more than stories of Texas History. They—all 4,046 handwritten pages of them—speak of simple men with a simple wisdom that does not question miracles, be they the magic that enables a gentle man to commit unspeakable violence or the miracles that are inexplicable.

How to Create Nonfiction Book Ideas That Sell

Writing, Research & Publishing Guides
Author: James Thomson

How to Create Nonfiction Book Ideas That Sell

It Only Takes One Nonfiction Book Idea to Make a Million… Will Your Book Idea be Next?

This ebook includes over 150 tips and techniques to help you find and create profitable nonfiction book ideas.

If you want to become a successful nonfiction author, you will first need a good idea. A good nonfiction idea can make all the difference between a best seller or a book that ends up in the bargain bin.


Saddled With Trouble (First Book in The Michaela Bancroft Suspense Series)

Mystery > Women Sleuths
Author: Michele Scott, A.K. Alexander

Saddled With Trouble (First Book in The Michaela Bancroft Suspense Series)

Struggling through an ugly divorce and in danger of losing her southern California ranch to creditors, Bancroft finds her already chaotic life turned upside down when her beloved uncle Lou is found murdered in a stable stall, impaled by a pitchfork. The distraught Bancroft vows to find the person or people behind the senseless homicide, but the deeper she digs into her uncle’s secretive past (an ill-managed business venture involving an artificial insemination breeding program, rumors of infidelity, mysterious payoffs, etc.), the more potential suspects come to the forefront.

The Assassins’ Village (Murder Mystery & Suspense Thriller)

Thrillers > Psychological Thrillers
Author: Faith Mortimer

The Assassins' Village (Murder Mystery & Suspense Thriller)

When an expatriate theatrical group gather to discuss their next play there will be murder. A blackmailer stalks their picturesque Cypriot village. The group is riven with jealousies, rivalry, sexual tension and illicit affairs.

Unbeknown to each other they all attempt to find solutions to their problems. Some believe it lies in murder. Can they find the blackmailer?

SWAG (The Floss Series)

Fiction > African American > Urban
Author: Monica Marie Jones

SWAG (The Floss Series)

Noelle Dresden stepped out on faith and left her full-time job to pursue her passion: singing. Six months later, her singing career hasn’t gone much of anywhere and neither has her relationship with her charismatic, yet sneaky boyfriend, Jonah. Although Jonah loves Noelle, he’s not willing to give her the commitment and ring she so desperately wants. After Jonah uses Noelle’s hopes of an engagement for his benefit, Noelle gets fed up and decides to move forward with her career…with or without Jonah.

Bone Blind

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals
Author: Abigail Padgett

Bone Blind

Only the flame from a curious candleholder illuminated the murdered corpse of Karl Knock on a bitterly cold Massachusetts night twenty years in the past. When the efforts of local, state and federal investigators failed to cast more light on the crime than the little candle did, the case gathered dust, unsolved and forgotten.

But when horror novelist Finn Ryan gets an invitation to dinner from a beautiful but eccentric and reclusive colleague, Tally Serzak, a web of danger sends its first, tentative filaments from that candlelit room. And nothing will ever be the same.

The Reluctant (Crayder Chronicles)

 Action & Adventure > Humor
Author: C.S. Splitter, Tricia Kristufek

The Reluctant (Crayder Chronicles)

Action, adventure, suspense, and thriller in one story told with a liberal dose of humor.

Tom’s problems are not unique. His business is failing and his wife has to work too many hours to make ends meet. He is under some rather large financial pressures and wants more from his marriage and his life.

He finds his respite in the air as a private pilot. Unfortunately for Tom, he is behind on payments for his plane and is forced to take odd jobs from a local crime boss.

The Dress (Everyday Magic Trilogy: Book 1)

Romance > Fantasy > Contemporary
Author: Sophie Nicholls

The Dress (Everyday Magic Trilogy: Book 1)

Meet Ella and her mother Fabbia Moreno who arrive in York one cold January day, to set up their vintage dress shop.

The flamboyant Fabbia wants to sell beautiful dresses to nice people and move on from her difficult past. Ella just wants to fit in. But not everyone is on their side.

 

The Man Cave Cookbook: MoreThan 150 Fast and Easy Recipes for Dining In The Man Cave (The Man Cave Cookbook Series)

Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Quick & Easy
Author: Matt Thompson

The Man Cave Cookbook: MoreThan 150 Fast and Easy Recipes for Dining In The Man Cave (The Man Cave Cookbook Series)

The Man Cave Cookbook is the essential guide to cooking for The Man Cave, whether you’re hanging out solo or entertaining a crowd of Cave Buddies for the big game.

Packed with more than 150 recipes for mouthwatering breakfasts, lunches, dinners, soups,chili, stews, snacks and desserts that are quick and easy to make.

Step-by-step instructions make it easy to crush it in the kitchen – even if you have no cooking skills whatsoever.   Impress your Cave Buddies.  Even better, impress the wife or girlfriend!

Run Away (One Woman’s Story of Resilience)

Politics & Social Sciences > Women’s Studies
Author: Jeanhee Kang

Run Away (One Woman's Story of Resilience)

The true story of a South Korean immigrant who survived prostitution as a teenager and made it a goal to attend high school in America. Jeanhee Kang was shunned by her unforgiving society after being expelled from high school at age sixteen for breaking a taboo. She knew she had to find a way out of there at any cost. “Run Away: One Woman’s Story of Resilience” doesn’t spare the reader any of the agonizing details of her childhood, nor does the book hold back all she overcame to realize her dreams.

Though often faced with insurmountable odds, Jeanhee Kang has made a tremendous journey a halfway around the world — a journey filled with heartbreaking, emotional trials — and she has survived it all.

Edited for Death

Mystery > Women Sleuths
Author: Michele Drier

Edited for Death

Amy Hobbes never expected to solve anything tougher than a crossword puzzle. When she left her job as a journalist in Southern California, she planned to give the adrenaline a rest, but her next job, managing editor of a local newspaper, delivers some surprises. After a respected Senator and World War II hero dies and two more people turn up dead, the news heats up. Both victims had ties to a hotel owned by the Senator’s family. With the help of reporter pal Clarice and the new man in her life, Phil, Amy uncovers a number of shadowy figures, including a Holocaust survivor who’s spent sixty years tracking down Nazi loot.

Six-Pack of Blood

Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult
Author: Betty Dravis, Barbara Watkins, Armand Mastroianni, Matt Drake, Danielle Drake

Six-Pack of Blood

A compilation of six short, malevolent stories by award-winning authors Betty Dravis and Barbara Watkins. Be sure to lock your doors and leave the lights on before reading these bloodcurdling, terrifying tales of revenge, lust, murder, cannibalism, witchcraft and more. Who in the world is safe when such benign things as snow domes, dolls, a Caribbean cruise and an innocent Sunday outing turn malevolent? Blood is everywhere…

Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life

Self-Help > Motivational > Happiness
Author: Lorilee Lippincott

Simple Living - 30 days to less stuff and more life

Need a bit more simple in your life but unsure where to start? Simple Living is written for you. Using minimalist principles I have created a 30 day course, taking less than 1 hour a day that I guarantee will give you a simpler life.

Simple Living‘s 30 days balances both tangible clutter as well as intangible clutter. This is not a course about cleaning. This course and these lessons are about change. Not only will you have a simpler and cleaner home after this course but the steps have been put in place for it to stay that way.

Scratch

Women’s Fiction > Humor
Author: Danny Gillan

Scratch

An unexpected reminder of his past prompts Jim Cooper, a 33 year-old Glaswegian call centre worker, to make a big decision. He’s going back to adulthood ground-zero – no job, no debt, no, er, home, and starting again. Maybe this time he can do it right and get the girl. The fact that the girl is already married and living in another country and her Bruce Lee obsessed dad apparently wants to turn Jim into his latest pet are only two of the obstacles he faces.

77 Ways to Find New Readers for Your Self Published Book!

 Writing, Research & Publishing Guides
Author: Laura Pepper Wu

77 Ways to Find New Readers for Your Self Published Book!

The biggest challenge for any writer is to let people know their book exists. In this concise guide co-founder of the 30 Day Books studio Laura Pepper Wu shares actionable tips and secrets that you can use to skyrocket the sales of your book and find new readers in places far outside of your current network.

Try one new idea each day for 2-3 months, and you have a creative marketing plan that is both manageable and effective. You’ll break beyond your current network and find ways of connecting with new readers that feels comfortable and enjoyable.

Vada Faith

Women’s Fiction > Contemporary Women
Author: Barbara A. Whittington

Vada Faith

Follow the antics of beauty shop owners Vada Faith Waddell and her feisty twin sister, Joy Ruth. When Vada Faith signs on to be a surrogate mother to earn a down payment for a big home in the fancy new subdivision of Crystal Springs, she learns too late that the childless couple, Dottie and Roy Kilgore, are small time criminals.

Sleep

Genre Fiction > Horror
Author: Michael K. Rose

Sleep

Jane has just murdered a man. Now, in addition to monitoring her ship’s systems as she makes a freight run between the planets of Silvanus and Faris, she has to figure out how to get rid of the body. She also has to come up with a plausible story to explain the man’s absence. And what she would really like, more than anything else, is to get some rest. But sleep will not come easy. This short story is around 2,500 words/10 pages in length.

Ripped Apart

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Miriam Minger

Ripped Apart

Unspeakable tragedy and cold-blooded murder conspire against Clare Carson when her six-year-old son is kidnapped after a heart transplant and his abductors want her dead. A dying cop’s last words lead her to former Special Ops Jake Wyatt, who helps her discover the horrific truth behind her son’s abduction and offers to help her get Tyler back. With nowhere else to turn, Clare entrusts her life to Jake not knowing he has a deadly agenda of his own that could destroy them.

Superior Justice (Lake Superior Mysteries)

Mystery > Hard-Boiled
Author: Tom Hilpert

Superior Justice (Lake Superior Mysteries)

Jonah Borden is not your typical Lutheran pastor, and he takes pains to make sure everyone knows it. He’s a tough-guy, thinks-he’s-funny, rock-music-playing, gourmet-cooking, painfully-moderate-drinking, hard-boiled man of the cloth. He is even available for a bit of romance, under the right circumstances.

Doug Norstad, a member of Jonah Borden’s church, is arrested for a vigilante killing.

Vigilare

Fantasy > Paranormal
Author: Brooklyn James, Janet Kilgore, Steve Richey

Vigilare

Detectives Gina DeLuca and Tony Gronkowski investigate a string of murders among Vanguard’s most loathsome population, rapists and pedophiles. With fed up citizens, the city is on the verge  in Vigilare series. of a vigilante uprising in support of their seemingly superhuman Vigilare with the sparkling emerald green eyes. Friend or foe, Vanguard Police Department has a job to do in bringing the vigilant one to justice, causing their own internal battle with right and wrong, immoral and just.

Catch Me A Catch

Romance > Contemporary
Author: Sally Clements

Catch Me A Catch

She had the perfect life – and all she wanted was to escape it. Artisan chocolatier and reluctant matchmaker Annie Devine wants to survive the annual Durna Matchmaking Festival without messing up. She’s useless at relationships, and the whole village know it. They’ve known ever since the day she was left at the altar in her wedding dress. When Jack Miller, charismatic head of Miller Advertising is forced to make an emergency stop on his transatlantic crossing, she mistakes him for a love-lorn bachelor, and sparks fly.

… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks and the Kindle Daily Deal here on page 2