Being More Selective When Choosing Free Kindle Books

I was on Goodreads yesterday looking at who had a copy of my books. You know, a sort of vanity search. I was surprised when I found one person who claims to have more than 8,000 books on her Kindle. I'm not sure of the book limit for a Kindle, but I know you don't have to have all your books on the physical device.

For months now I've grabbed every free Kindle book that even came close to something I may read one day. As of today, I have 945 books. That's counting short stories, research books, fiction, and nonfiction. I read three books at a time (two fiction and one nonfiction), and it takes me about a week to finish them. Many of the ones I read are sent to me by publishers and aren't counted in the total. They are automatically deleted after a certain time.

In addition to the free books, I occasionally buy books for several reasons. One, the book is on my book club's reading list or two, it is a book I want to read.

The bottom line is that I don't need any more free Kindle books. To limit the number of books I get and to improve the possibility that I will actually read a book downloaded, I've come up with a method to find free books. Here's how it works.

Instead of subscribing to the electronic newsletters announcing free books, I periodically (weekly is probably best) look for books I like to read. My favorite fiction is Christian Thriller/Mystery/Suspense. So, I select a book in that category, M.K. Gilroy's Cuts Like a Knife, for example, and find it on Amazon.com. Next, click on Kindle Edition, scroll down to where it says "Look for Similar Items by Category" (near the bottom of the page). Look for the tag that matches your interest. In this example, it will look like this:

Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Fiction > Suspense

Each item separated by > is a link. If you want to see all Christian Fiction, click on it. But, in my example, I would click on Suspense. This will take you to a page showing a long list of books in the Christian Suspense category. Look on the far right side of the page where it says "Sort by" and select "Price Low to High" from the pull-down list. When you do you'll see the list sorted with the cheapest books on top. Naturally, the free ones are shown first. If you decide to "buy" one, make sure it is still free when you get to the page to buy it. If you already own it, Amazon will warn you before you buy it.

Oh darn, I just ordered ten more books while I was there researching this article. And, here's something else to watch out for, the last one I ordered was $.99 and I didn't notice. I can ask for a refund, but for a buck it's hardly worth the effort.

Have fun.

Book Reviews--The Good and the Bad

One of the results of free-Kindle days is that more people get copies of my books and along with that more reviews are posted. That's great as long as the books get into the right hands. Some people take a book because it is free and then find it is not the type of book they like. In these cases the reviews are not so great. 

However, most recently, the so-called bad reviews have been simply the readers' honest opinion of the books. Yes, the negative ones hurt. Especially when readers criticize something and I know they are wrong. For example one review for Where Love Once Loved posted on Goodreads said "POV bounced around too much -- sometimes within the same paragraph."

This book was written as a romance where point of view (POV) alternates between the male and the female protagonist, but never in the same scene much less in the same paragraph. I consider myself somewhat an expert when it comes to POV, having studied under Bonnie Hearn Hill. I felt like adding a comment to the review challenging the reviewer to show an example of POV switch in a paragraph  But, I didn't, and I won't. Besides, most readers don't care about POV switch. Just read any John Gresham book. Makes me wonder if the reviewer is a writer.

The same reader said there were too many characters and too many subplots, and criticized the actions of some of the characters. She was even annoyed by the George McCullough character. This particular character spoke for me, the author. He is my age. He has my memories. He has my history. The only difference is that he is black and I'm not. He was also the strong Christian influence in the book. I wonder if that is what annoyed the snot out of the reader.

Many other readers love the characters and marvel at the way I was able to include so many. But, still, I know what the reviewer meant. From a traditional publishing formula romance, the book is a failure. I worked with a publisher before independently publishing and I know what they want. I cut some subplots, but I couldn't cut them all. Perhaps the book would have been better if I had. Or, as the reviewer said, write separate books for each subplot.

I may do that. That is, write separate books. The sequel is more about Karen. I thinking of another book about Liz or Josh and Cindy or Tony. Liz's story is actually continued in The Vengeance Squad and the unfinished sequel I call The Vengeance Squad Goes to England.

I appreciate every review and every comment. Good or Bad.

Here are some of the more recent ones for THE VENGEANCE SQUAD:

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars the vengeance squad, December 19, 2012

By 

Kathy Akers (Harold, Kentucky, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Kindle Edition)

Very good book. You can almost feel the emotions of this young man. I'm glad it ended like it did. God is always with you!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, December 20, 2012

By 

cecilia - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Kindle Edition)

Captivating and hard to put down, I could see myself thinking like the main character and seeking revenge. The author does a great job developing the characters and putting them together, as different as they are, to do amazing things.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, December 20, 2012

By 

kay - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Kindle Edition)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I was surprised that it was so good since it isn't a well known book and I haven't found many of those. It kept me reading it all day and all night until I finished it! I could not wait to see what happened from one chapter to the next. I would highly recommend reading this book if you like to be on the edge of your seat!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read.    Held my interest all the way to end, December 23, 2012

By 

June Masmar - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Kindle Edition)

You need to read this book for  a look at what God can do in your life   and the test of his will

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, December 27, 2012

By 

Christina Granville "thriller fan" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Paperback)

Great book. Well Written. Very believable characters. Shows how one can get mad at God after losing somebody and How God can bring you back. Sid Frost might be a new writer, but he is a great suspense writer. God bless you

Here are some of the more recent ones for WHERE LOVE ONCE LIVED:

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars WHERE LOVE ONCE LIVED, December 20, 2012

By 

Sue - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived (Kindle Edition)

LOVE FULFILLED - WHAT A WONDERFUL ACCOUNT AND THE ENDING WAS SO SWEET. SIDNEY FROST DID A GOOD JOB ON THIS ONE

1.0 out of 5 stars not so good, December 22, 2012

By 

wenshel7 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived (Kindle Edition)

I am fairly easily entertained, but found this book hard to read, with details coming after the statements - as if an afterthought. The amount of drama sustained by the characters was also brought across not very believably. I like the story concept and the characters, but felt the story was told poorly, as if this was a first attempt by an immature writer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Purchased on kindle free, December 23, 2012

By 

Tama - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived (Kindle Edition)

It was pretty good. Tasteful. Held my. Interest would a good book for my granddaughters to read. Liked that it was based on scriptural vales.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, December 27, 2012

By 

Christina Granville "thriller fan" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived (Paperback)

Shows the bumpy road to going back to your true love. How our secrets can get in the way How our Lord can always be with us even when we are doubting.
God bless you

BOOK REVIEW: The Haunting of Alligator Lake by B.J. Robinson

One of the things I love about Kindles and other e-book readers is that we now have more short stories to read. Authors don't have to tailor the length of their stories to fit the publisher's print process. They can write short stories, novellas, and novels of various sizes and find a market for them.

The Haunting of Alligator Lake is such a story. I'm not sure how long it would be in pages, but it is just the right length for a quick read on your Kindle. Often a short story is limited in the number of characters and number of situations the characters get involved in. This book was much fuller than most short stories I read.

It is about tales and fairy tales of white alligators and mermaid on Alligator Lake in St. Cloud, Florida. The story comes alive with likable characters who meet up with the alligators and mermaid in interesting ways. Allan and his wife Jan used to spend time together on the lake. Since her death, he goes alone. The stories about white alligators rescuing people meant nothing to him, since they didn't save Jan. Other characters may not have as strong a connection to the lake, but they probably form one by the end of the story.

BOOK REVIEW: The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

This is the story about the gradual death of brick and mortar bookstores. Every town has that little bookstore you love that doesn't always have the books you want, but it has people who care about you and people who love books. In this Karen Kingsbury's novel, The Bridge, a fictitious place, is the oldest bookstore in historic Franklin, Tennessee, 20 miles away from Nashville. Unlike some bookstores, it is making it. But, just barely. When a flood comes and ruins all the books, owners Charlie and Donna Barton are devastated. He can't give up on the store. She knows they must.

It is also a love story about a couple who met at The Bridge during college but were separated for many years until the flood closed the bookstore. What follows is a heartwarming story about how acts of kindness sometimes get repaid.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

BOOK REVIEW: A Heartbeat Away by Harry Kraus

This is the story of oncology surgeon Tori Taylor. She is an excellent surgeon, but she has no concern for others. She doesn't get to know her patients and none of the nurses want to work with her. Work was all she had in her life. She hadn't taken a vacation in more than two years. Her peers respected her ability in the operating room, but stayed away from her for the most part. She had no family and only one friend. After an incident with a janitor, the hospital where she worked required she have counseling to learn to express her emotions in a positive way. She is passed over for promotion.

When she gets ill herself and has to have a heart transplant, her life changes.

There is also a story about Christian Mitchell and Emily Greene. Christian had lived in Africa with his missionary family, where his father was a doctor. Christian falls for Emily, but when his family goes back to Africa, he loses contact with her.

Dr. Taylor's life crosses the lives of Christian Mitchell and Emily Greene after Taylor starts having nightmares and decides to search for her heart donor.

I'm not sure if a person with a heart transplant can actually feel anything from the life of the donor, but the story made me feel it was possible. I wanted to keep reading from the beginning to the end and found the story satisfying. It is a Christian novel, but not preachy at all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Naming Fictional Characters

I'm not in a critique group so my wife was the first to read my latest book. She found a lot of missing words, misused words, wrong words (installation instead of insulation), and she made comments about everything that didn't make sense. I made the changes and sent the manuscript to my friend Rollo. He's been a close friend since high school and he reads many books. With co-authors he published an anthology of mysteries set in Texas. I'm also sending a copy to three friends from church who have read the prequel and all three are readers, one an editor.

But, getting back to my wife's comments. She didn't care for the name of one of the characters because it was difficult to pronounce. Let me say first that I select character names carefully and have blogged about it in the past. See the following posts:

Find the Perfect Name for a Fictional Character Part 1

Find the Perfect Name for a Fictional Character Part 2

Find the Perfect Name for a Fictional Character Part 3

Find the Perfect Name for a Fictional Character Part 4

Find the Perfect Name for a Fictional Character Part 5

The name that bothered my wife was David Bownpole. She said Brownpole was easier to say. However, I don't like Brownpole because it is brown pole. This character's name was originally Kerwin Bownpole, but I changed Kerwin to David because Kerwin sounded too much like the main character Karen.

If you looked over the articles referenced above, you'll find reference to an online source for names. It is called Fictional Character Name Generator (http://www.jimwegryn.com/Names/FictionNames.htm). Well this is where I got the name Kerwin and Bownpole. I can't remember if the first and last name came together or not since there is a family of Bownpoles in my book.  

So, now I'm going the process of finding the perfect name. I even posting a request on Facebook for help. Doing all this reminded me of the blogs on the subject I've already written and thought you might find them interesting and useful.

If you think of a good name, let me know.

COTT: November's Newest! Last Clash of 2012

Clash of the Titles makes things easy for book lovers everywhere--including Christmas shopping! This week, they present five of Christian fiction's hottest new titles. Surely, one of them will be the perfect gift for Grandma or Auntie Martha. Or maybe even... for yourself!

Introducing, November's New Releases clashing novels...

Don't forget to vote for the one that most catches your interest!

Former army communications specialist Maddie Jerrard may not remember the details of the deadly mission on the Texas-Mexico border, but she knows she's not the one responsible for betraying her unit to the massive ambush that left only her and investigative journalist Chris Mason alive. Logic says the culprit must be the only other survivor—Chris—but with a killer targeting them both, taking a chance on trusting each other may be the only way to make it through alive.

The Colorado Rockies have always been home to journalist Kelly Shepherd, but after the death of her father, and facing her first Christmas alone, she accepts an assignment that leads her deep into Louisiana’s Cajun country.

Since his wife’s death, Denny Labouve has focused his attention on his ten-year-old daughter and the family business, but Kelly sparks the dying embers of his heart even as a Christmas cold front moves through his beloved Cajun country.

Every year Amber Weathersby loans the Bloomfield Garden Club her garden gnome to display their prized trophy in the contest winner's garden. When Gnorman is gnomenapped, Amber chases the gnome around town trying to win the trophy, while Stan chases Amber, trying to win her heart.

The world plunges into chaos when an ancient manuscript is discovered that reveals the Gospels were an orchestrated fiction. When a retired Dead Sea Scrolls expert gets in over his head investigating the scroll, his agnostic son continues the quest for the truth and uncovers evidence of a grand plot that will tip the balance of world power.

As Harvey Girl Meghan Thorson waits on doughboys at the El Garces Hotel in Needles, California, she meets Caleb McBride, a local horse breeder whom the townsfolk have branded a coward and profiteer. Will threads of love unite this couple, or will pride keep them forever apart?

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

New Reviews Posted for The Vengeance Squad

Two New Reviews On Amazon.com 

4.0 out of 5 stars The Vengence Squad, December 13, 2012

By 

Gaylan King - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Kindle Edition)

The Vengeance Squad.
I appreciate that this is a Christian novel. The plot was well laid out and had plenty of plot twists.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, December 13, 2012

By 

Sharon Konnick "Sharon" (Scranton, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Vengeance Squad (Kindle Edition)

I very much enjoyed this book. It was realistic in its portrayal of the way one would feel after seeing a loved one brutally murdered. I came to care about the characters, and was happy to see the emotional and spiritual healing that took place.

More Praise for Where Love Once Lived

Feeling the love from readers
Thank you

More reviews and email messages are coming in after Where Love Once Lived was free last month. I am so proud of the feedback, I wanted to share it here.

Email 12/4/2012

Hello Mr. Frost,

I just finished reading your book, "Where Love Once Lived"  and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it.  I loved how you had so many characters and how you talked about life's issues.  I really, really enjoyed reading it.   Christian romance is the best!!!

Thanks,

Email 12/5/2012

I just finished the book this morning and I loved loved loved it.  So refreshing to read a good christian novel that actually deals with the secular world we have to deal with on a daily basis.  I will be looking for other books you have or will write and have already recommended this to several friends. 

As a side note I am also Presbyterian and a Stephen Minister.  I also lived in Texas for 18 years so it was good to see the descriptions of Austin although I did not live there it sounds just like friends I have who did live there describe it.

Recent Amazon Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A sweet tale, December 8, 2012

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived (Kindle Edition)

Karen and Brian used to be college sweethearts until they broke up thirty years ago.

Now Brian returns to town, all set to win Karen back. Karen, now divorced and with

a daughter, wants nothing to do with him as hidden secrets and whispers loom in

the distance.

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Love Once Lives can Love Live Again?, December 8, 2012

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived

Loved this novel with a bookmobile driver and teacher. Can't wait to read more by this author. It's my type of book set in a Southern town with a Christian message that tells a great story. Karen and Brian were college sweethearts but life got in their way as the secular world can sometimes do. Love the title, love the cover, and love the story. The characters are true to life. Romance with plot twists, and it's inspirational. Love doesn't always work out the first time around, but some people are blessed to get a second chance. This novel was written from the heart and is not your usual formula romance. That's why I loved it. I don't care for those easy formula romances with plots too easy to figure. I like surprises and twists. This was the first book I've read by this author, and I can't wait for the next.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to beleive a man wrote this, December 6, 2012

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Where Love Once Lived

I just finished the book this morning and I loved loved loved it. So refreshing to read a good christian novel that actually deals with the secular world we have to deal with on a daily basis. I will be looking for other books you have or will write and have already recommended this to several friends. So glad to know there will be a follow-up, can't wait.

You can find more recent praise for Where Love Once Lived here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2012/12/where-love-once-lived-praise.html 

BOOK REVIEW: America America by Ethan Canin

Through the use of several interesting characters, this story describes what could happen when politicians and supporters place more importance on being elected than on doing what's right, even what's legal.

The story begins with Corey Sifter, the publisher of the local newspaper, attending the funeral of Senator Henry Bonwiller. The Speaker-Sentinel is the last of local dailies left in the area, all the others having been bought out by the larger publishing conglomerates. Corey's intern, Trieste Millbury, is also at the funeral. Her assignment was to help the reporter and to write a sidebar for the story.

From this beginning, the author cleverly takes the reader back in history to the time when Corey first meets Senator Bonwiller, while periodically returning the reader to the time of the funeral and forward.

Corey grew up in a working-class family, but, at an early age, had an opportunity to work for a neighbor who was quite powerful. The neighbor took a liking to Corey and got him into a good school and later into college. His work for the Metarey family continued during the times when he came home from school.

The story centers around the time the Metareys were supporting Senator Bonwiller in his run for president. The fight for the party's nomination was interesting and informative. Corey gets involved in the senator's run for president and learns more about politics than he thought possible.

This is a novel everyone in America should read. You'll not only learn more about American politics, you'll meet a number of characters you won't soon forget.

P.S. I found an excellent copy of America America on eBay cheap.

For links to my books, see: