Today I bring you 4 freebies — free offers for ebooks, audiobooks and a serialized memoir, and I bring you an update on Beautiful & Terrible Things. (Feel free to forward this email to friends you think might be interested in the offers.)
World Day of Social Justice
But first, I want to mention that February 20 is the United Nation’s World Day of Social Justice. This day of celebration, education, advocacy and mobilization puts forth the idea that increased social justice through better national and international policies enables societies, countries and economies to function better.
Social justice is one of two major themes in Beautiful & Terrible Things. (The other is friendship.) I’ve tried to contribute to this ideal in my own way through jobs in renewable energy and wildlife conservation, and by supporting charitable organizations. As with most social initiatives (think recycling), every little bit matters, right?
Beautiful & Terrible Things Named to the Sarton Award’s Shortlist
Beautiful & Terrible Things has been named to the shortlist for the 2024 Sarton Award from Story Circle Network! My new novel is one of four books shortlisted in the Contemporary Fiction category. For almost 30 years, Story Circle Network has been “dedicated to helping women of all ages share the stories of their lives through memoir, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama.” The prestigious Sarton Award recognizes books that honor the lives of women and girls. The winner will be announced in April. Fingers crossed…
NOW ON TO THE FREEBIES!!
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades – Free Ebook & Audiobook for Survivors
I am giving away free copies of my contemporary novel Horseshoes and Hand Grenades to any survivor of incest, sexual abuse or workplace sexual harassment.
Why? Because a therapist recently told me that she gave a copy of the book to a client, an incest survivor, and it gave me this idea. Because I wrote the story to help victims and survivors, especially those who experienced “mild abuse” and are struggling to accept that what happened to them matters. And because I care far more about helping survivors than making money with this one.
So if you or someone you know is a survivor and would like a free copy of the novel, please email me at info@authorsmstevens.com. I will email you back the ebook as an epub file, or an Audible promo code for the audiobook. Be sure to let me know which you prefer.
There are no strings attached. There is no limit to how many books I’ll give away (although I don’t have unlimited audiobooks, and I reserve the right to discontinue this offer at any time). I won’t keep your email address, and I won’t ask for anything in return.
Free Substack Subscriptions for Unconditioned Memoir
The days of serialized fiction à la Charles Dickens are back! Novels, memoirs and short fiction increasingly are being shared in installments through services like Substack.
One such book is Unconditioned, a memoir by Christine Destrempes. I have the good fortune to know Christine, and the equally good fortune to have read Unconditioned, which offers a compelling story wrapped up in poignant, elegant prose. The memoir is the story of an intuitive girl’s unrelenting quest to overcome the shame of abuse inflicted by parents with unresolved trauma. After years of trial and mostly error, she breaks the chain and creates a life of love, creativity, and contentment.
This beautiful memoir — you’ll laugh, you’ll cry — is being delivered in one very digestible chapter per week on Substack, and I have five, free, one-month subscriptions to Christine’s Substack to give away to the first five people to email me at info@authorsmstevens.com. That gives you access to the first, and possibly second, chapter, so you can decide if you want to keep reading. (I’ll update this post to say when all five have been awarded.)
You can also check out the first chapter for free here.
Beautiful & Terrible Things – Free Audiobooks
My publisher, Black Rose Writing, has three free copies of the audiobook of Beautiful and Terrible Things for me to give away to U.S. readers. I’m using a giveaway tool for this one so I can choose three winners randomly. That means you have to do something to enter, so I made it easy: Simply visit my Facebook or Instagram page. Use the entry form below to enter.
By the way: I am not promoting this offer on my social media; I am only mentioning it in this email to you and in the actual blog post, so your chances of winning are excellent!
(If the form doesn’t display properly for some reason, you can click here to enter.)
The Wallace House of Pain – Free Ebook
If you received this post in your email, and are a follower of my News, don’t forget you are entitled to a free ebook of my award-winning novelette, The Wallace House of Pain, which features the same characters as Beautiful & Terrible Things (but is a completely different story). The Wallace House of Pain focuses on Xander but all six friends make appearances. As Julie Sara Porter of Bookworm Reviews recently wrote in a review, The Wallace House of Pain “is a small thread in the tapestry of the larger work, but a very important one.”
Upon signing up, you were sent an email with a password to access your free ebook along with other Bonus Materials. Here’s information on the Bonus Materials should you need it, here’s a link to the password-protected Bonus Materials page again, and let me know if you need the password re-sent.
