Smashwords

I don't believe Smashwords is a household name like Amazon or Barnes and Noble but it should be. They give buyers an opportunity to download to Kindle, nook, Sony, Diesel, Apple, and Kobo devices. You can even buy the book once and download it to several different devices.

Smashwords logo

Smashwords has awesome deals especially during the month of July and one week in March. Authors can sell their books for a discount or totally free while availing themselves of monetary sales from other vendors. 

If you are an author and have heard horror stories like it's hard to get on board. That can be true. It is difficult but not impossible, you just have to play by their rules. Once you do, your book is available for multiple devices.

If you're a reader, I highly recommend you go there for the awesome deals on multiple genres. Now is a great time to go there because there are so many FREE books.

In case you are wondering, yes Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning) and Many Is the Dream are both on there. Coming soon will be Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Wings of Eagles) which picks up where Storm Warning left off. Hint, hint, if you've wanted to get Storm Warning now is the time and the price. You'll definitely need to read it before Wings of Eagles.

Another great thing about Smashwords is they support Operation eBook Drop for our troops overseas. We are participating members of that wonderful organization as well. 

Hope I've helped make your day a little better. Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

co-author to David McKoy

co-owners of Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC

No Easy Day by Mark Owens

Many of you may know that David McKoy is the "brains" behind the story line for the Call Sign: Wrecking Crew series.  By that I mean he is the one that knows about military tactics, weapons, etc.  He has read multiple Richard Marcinko books over many years.  So when Mark Owens book, No Easy Day... came up for pre-sale, I arranged to purchase it for David to read and review.  

No Easy Day... by Mark Owen

Here is the exclusive blog version of his review which is currently pending on Barnes & Noble:  

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen takes the reader on a journey into the life and adventures of a member of DEVGRU. DEVGRU stands for Naval Special Warfare Development Group or more affectionately known as SEAL team Six.

Mr. Owen takes you on a tour of the interview process, training involved, and acceptance to this elite team. He includes operations against Somali pirates, deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, culminating to the demise of America’s number one public enemy, Osama Bin Laden.

Mr. Owen broke his silence due to the government’s handling of Operation Geronimo. Why... for more in depth reasons, you’ll need to read the book. I will tell you this; Mr. Owen thought the reporting by the main stream media on the operation was funny, at first. It then became embarrassing, from the twisting of the facts to outright fabrication - rather than reporting the facts correctly. He felt that they and others needed to know the truth.  In my humble opinion, the main stream media does not know what the word,“Truth” means. Mr. Owen wrote his account, only after he saw an interview on national television of President Obama and later on the Admiral in charge of the operation. Both persons were talking openly and in greater detail than most with a high level security clearance should. Now the government cries foul, since the censors at DOD were unable to “gut” the book for security violations, this is laughable in itself. Mr. Owen went through great pains to hire a lawyer who was also a member of the Special Operations community to ensure that the government’s secrets, stay that way. If the government wants to try and convict Mr. Owen, then you must look towards the members of DOD, Congress, White House, and the Main Stream Press for leaking information to the public as well, after September 11, 2001.

Mr. Owen wanted to do something that was bigger than himself. In my eyes, he achieved that goal. Hoo! Yah!

Mr. Owen has given his profits to a multitude of organizations which are listed in the book.  I feel this is very noble. Not only am I recommending the book to anyone interested in the military particular Special Operations, but I’m endorsing Mr. Owen’s stance. We at Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC recommend No Easy Day to read. More importantly we whole-heartedly endorse this book. Some of the situations he describes are not dissimilar to that of the actions in Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning).

During our week long, literary logistical and tactical revising session of book two, David gave me his copy of No Easy Day... to read.  Based on what I've read so far, I concur with his overall assessment.  I feel certain that I'm going to learn alot more about Navy SEALs and their deployments in upcoming chapters.

Stay tuned for an account of my week long visit to see David.

Have a great one! 

Lynn Hallbrooks
co-author to David McKoy
co-owners of Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC

Being Part of a Whole

Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning)

When we first started out writing our book, Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning) we were basically alone.  We had no idea of the actual steps that needed to be taken. No platform set up or even an inkling of an idea what was really needed in the marketing world. 

As I began taking our book to the virtual streets, I met a myriad of kind and generous fellow authors. Many of whom I call friends, because we share with and care about one another. We support each other using whatever means we have at our disposal.  It may be technical knowledge, writing experience or just simply getting the word out about the latest book, blog or whatever is needed to help out. 

Operation E-Book Drop

Recently, my friend, Charity Parkerson, and I did a little brainstorming. The result was her sponsoring the July Free Book Event.  Usually this means free through Amazon KDP Select program. I saw one major problem for us, we're part of Operation E-Book Drop via Smashwords.  Meaning we don't wish to put our book into the Amazon KDP Select program. Charity had the solution. She is allowing us the opportunity to use our Smashwords discount code to offer our book for free.  The catch is that you have to visit Charity's page any time between July 12th through 16th 2012 to find the code to download our book. While you are their you'll discover other great books of different genres available via Amazon.  

Smashwords

The advantage to those who visit our Smashwords site is they won't have to only download to a Kindle app. They can also pick from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Diesel, Apple iTunes, or Sony devices...all in one place. 

If you don't have an account, might I suggest getting one. As I recall, it was pretty simple to set up a Smashwords account. Smashwords is home to many Independent authors plus they have some really great sales throughout the year.  Right now it's the Summer/Winter Sale where some books are discounted, anywhere from 25 to 100% off the normal price. 

Thought for the day: As anyone who has read our book knows, the 'Wrecking Crew' is more than a team, they are family. Members of a team and/or family know, life is so much better when you work together as part of the whole. Otherwise you are like a solitary person in a small boat out in the big ocean...you go nowhere very fast while getting very tired in the process.

Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

co-author to David McKoy

co-owners Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC

members of RABMAD