Free for All Friday - January 11th International Giveaway

It's another Free for All Friday. Today's giveaway comes to you from Tribute Books Virtual Book Tours and author G. Gordon Dean.

Whoever said 'white-collar crime doesn’t pay' never lived in Washington D.C. TierGroup is a business consultancy firm located in the heart of DC. Its Division Heads have a very cold and calculating unorthodox approach to conducting business. Protecting and serving their clients is the only thing that matters. Nevertheless, loyalty can swing both ways in this journey through greed, corruption, and absolute lack of accountability.

As a former Las Vegas Casino Surveillance Director, Michael Crayter, a straight shooter, becomes an unaware, almost, employee of TierGroup in mid-2001. His transformation takes many shapes from idea man to fraud guru. He embarks on a journey to Iraq, through Hurricane Katrina and eventually takes part in one of the biggest scams in the history of the United States - the TARP funding program. His boss, Charles “The Czar” Zarin, is the ultimate manipulation mentor. Michael Crayter’s experience will last for more than eight years and will make his old Vegas job seem like child’s play.

The investment opportunities the United States has to offer during this timeframe are seemingly endless and the public joins in on the greed. The whole country is riding high on the inflated value train with careless abandonment. There are no regulations followed or laws unbroken by the Mortgage Lenders, Stock Brokers, and Bankers. The bubble is getting bigger and the clock is ticking. It's every man for himself. Divide and conquer. Borrow and spend. No one sees the tsunami coming, except for Charles Zarin. Capitalism will be turned upside down and the money spigot will run dry.

By late 2007 the bubble bursts and our country’s economy is left in ruins. The Treasury is sent in to bail out the white-collar thieves. While losing most of its clients TierGroup and Michael Crayter are left to fend for themselves. Michael Crayter begins to tell his story, in this Four Part first-person narrative, during a 2005 interview at FBI headquarters in Washington D.C.

The Story Behind SCAM FACTORY
by G. Gordon Dean

SCAM FACTORY started out as a dream I had about a job interview with a high-end consulting firm. I initially thought that my dream would make a great movie, but I decided to write a book instead. As I began to develop the plot and storylines I realized I could tie it all in with, past and current, real life events in the U.S. from 2001-2009. It was also relatively easy to combine some of my business experience, and people I have run across over the years, into this story. I grew up in Las Vegas and lived there for about thirty-five years so knowing about Scams, or coming up with my own for this book, wasn’t so hard. The TRUE events that led to the U.S. financial crash, mass business failures, and declines in property values in late 2007 were nothing but ammunition for this novel.

SCAM FACTORY is not a story about the guy in the white cowboy hat saving the town and riding off into the sunset. It is fiction based on reality with a ‘true to life’ outcome. The characters in this story get away with White-Collar crimes just as the real life participants did. The characters are sadistic and have a knack of getting away with almost everything, just like the in real world. It is as simple as that. One of the messages I wanted to convey in writing this story was to show what kinds of professionals were out there exploiting our businesses and citizens without legal retribution. The characters are mostly cold, calculating, and narcissistic.

I figured that using a first person narrative was the best way to tell the story. There are many subjects involved in this story so I divided SCAM FACTORY into four parts to further make it easier to read and understand. Loyalties are lost and revenge is certainly in the plot, but figuring out how to write about it was the key to the story. There is no mention of any existing, or real life, companies-only industries and fictional business entities. Another challenge was making the fictional writing seem realistic. Several of the initial book reviewers were asking if some of the events in the story actually took place. The answer is probably yes, except that only a hand full of people knows how those events really took place.

The consulting firm (TierGroup) in this story, that represents the seventeen major industries, is politically neutral. The idea is that if your money is green then TierGroup, and its clients, do not really care what your political affiliation is. This is also very relevant in the real world, but it seems to be changing for the worst. Although SCAM FACTORY contains many dark sides, it strongly reflects a ‘behind the closed door’ characterization of the reality we have faced over the last six years. The lessons we are still learning as a country are obvious and it may take many more years to recover. Control, perception, manipulation, and greed are still the number one driving forces in the business world today, but on the other hand, there are always two sides to a coin. Only time will tell.

Enjoy SCAM FACTORY and become a fan on Facebook.

Price/Format: $4.99 ebook
Pages: 263
Release: October 15, 2012

Kindle buy link ($4.99):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009RP6NU0?tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link ($4.99):

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scam-factory-g-gordon-dean/1113508194?ean=2940015503814

G. Gordon Dean is a Real Estate agent and Business Consultant currently living in Arizona. He has been a media buff for over two decades. As a media buff he has kept himself well aware of past and current events in business, government, and politics. He lived in Las Vegas, Nevada for over 30 years. This is his first novel.

G. Gordon Dean's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCAM-Factory/219147311549998?fref=ts

G. Gordon Dean's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6568947.G_Gordon_Dean

Scam Factory Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16120621-scam-factory

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Scam Factory blog tour site:
http://scamfactory.blogspot.com/

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter for a chance to win a FREE e-copy of SCAM FACTORY!

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Book Giveaway: The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox (3 winners)

Kristina's stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it's all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester's cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it's actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can't refuse.

Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends ... and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn't get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the ''Black Shard'', Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it's in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.

"This is an imaginative read that I couldn't put down, I finished it in just one day and I can't wait to find out what happens next!"

--Me, My Books and I

"I highly recommend The Black Shard for all lovers of fantasy chapter books, which I feel that tween and teen girls will especially enjoy and relate to."

--The Freebie Fairy

"The Black Shard is a awesome sci-fi young adult book that is part of a series I am now hooked on."

--Cherise K (Mom and More)

"The Black Shard, Victoria Simcox's fast-paced, intricately woven sequel to The Magic Warble, takes Kristina Kingsly and her schoolmates back to Bernovem ... and into a thrilling, often dangerous adventure."

--Between the Lines

Three of our readers will win an electronic version of The Black Shard from author Victoria Simcox. Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Good luck!


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Free for All Friday: Executive Actions & Executive Treason by Gary Grossman

It's time for another giveaway. I'm thrilled to be able to offer two eBooks from Gary Grossman to one lucky winner.

An assassin takes aim at a Presidential candidate during a primary stump speech. The instant he pulls the trigger, the outcome of the election is irrevocably changed. But Democrat Teddy Lodge, an upcoming media sweetheart, isn't killed. His wife is. As a result, Lodge emerges as the man to beat and the greatest threat to the incumbent President, Morgan Taylor. Under a specific directive from the President, Special Service Agent Scott Roarke delves into the case and begins to unravel a deadly plot that incubated for more than 30 years; designed to alter America's allegiances in the Middle East. From the very first page, Presidential Objective culls events from today's headlines intersecting with a scenario that's shockingly real: An insidious plot hatched in the old days of the Soviet Union continues to grow to fruition in the hands of a power hungry Middle East heir to the throne. At its core, a sleeper is awakened to take a prominent role in American Life. Presidential Option is a tense political thriller; an election year page-turner, where both the Presidency and the Constitution are at stake.

The secret terrorist organization that came within a heartbeat of installing its agent as President of the United States in Executive Actions is back with a new—and deadlier—plot to destabilize the U.S. government. It all begins with what appears to be a simple mugging and murder of a female White House staffer. Secret Service agent Scott Roarke discovers the truth: that the murder was committed by his secret nemesis, the mysterious assassin who had managed to always stay one step ahead of him during the presidential campaign. This time Roarke has found clues about the assassin's past that give him the tools he needs to hunt the hunter, but the clues can only go so far. Roarke needs all his skill, and a huge amount of luck as well, if he's going to catch his quarry.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Good luck!


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Romance Novel Month: Stand & Deliver Your Heart by Killarney Sheffield

Mistress Sarah was once a woman of promise, until a greedy relative left her to fend for herself on the cold, hard streets of London. Now she does the only thing she can to survive and care for those she has sworn to protect.

Lord Byron Cobbett has given up on life after the death of his beloved fiancee. On a trip to London to clear his family's name he is involved in a carriage accident.

Sarah gets more than she bargains for when she unwittingly rescues Byron. She must find a way to convince him to keep her secret. Can she allow her self to love him and still keep her promise? Will Byron stand and deliver his heart to the auburn haired bandit and risk his own freedom?


Excerpt:

Another fork of lightning lit up the sky, and she wondered if the weather was an omen of terrible things to come. She tried to keep from stiffening in the cold, flexing her limbs slowly so as not to spook their nervous mounts. Her horse shifted its weight, lowering its head away from the pelting rain.

Sarah listened for any sound indicating an approaching carriage. Where is it? Has the driver turned around and headed back to London because of the storm? Maybe we are wasting our time sitting out here in the rain. Perhaps the lady in question is not coming.

Just when she was about to give up, the mare lifted her head, ears pricked forward.

Sarah listened closely. After a few tense moments the sound of jingling harnesses and the rattle of an approaching coach made itself heard over the wind and rain.

“All right men, here she comes,” she whispered over her shoulder. “Get ready.”

Reviews:

"Killarney Sheffield delivers an entertaining and memorable romance when she throws her characters Mistress Sarah and Lord Byron Cobbett together. She introduces us to London’s squalor, the highwayman’s desperate plight, the thrill of a midnight ride, storms, passion, betrayal, violent death, trust, the King’s business, embezzled monies, prison, corporeal punishment, family intrigue and betrayal… and weaves them into a fast paced journey. Oh, and her heroine is as feisty as she is determined to succeed, and her hero must decide if there is something to live for in life other than his grief. The twists to this plot provide more than just the expected romance traits, giving a deeper level of complexity and drama to a risky relationship. Killarney tells a gripping tale. Mistress Sarah and Lord Byron Cobbett make great characters to bring to life the gritty reality of life on the streets of Regency London and the tightrope tension of living under the scrutiny of the King."

--Dragonmuse

Purchase from MuseItUp Publishing!

 

Killarney Sheffield is the mother of five, married 15 yrs to a retired dairy farmer and currently resides in Alberta on a beef farm. When she's not writing she likes showing her thoroughbred stallion (nicknamed Love Monkey), gardening, camping, listening to her iPod and even playing a little Guitar Hero with her kids.

Visit her online at http://author-killarney-sheffield.spruz.com/  and http://www.museituppublishing.com.


Enter for a chance to win an eCopy of Stand & Deliver Your Heart by Killarney Sheffield by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.




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