November 2009 Archives

 Harlequin Enterprises Limited a global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, and SOFTBANK Creative Corporation one of Japan's leading publishers/producers of digital content, announced today the digital distribution of Harlequin comics for Kindle, the eBook reader distributed by Amazon.com.

Harlequin manga are comic adaptations of Harlequin's romance novels and are currently digitally distributed by Harlequin and SoftBank Creative within and outside of Japan. The digital comics, just released for Amazon's Kindle, are English versions of Harlequin's Japanese manga, which have been digitally distributed in that country since 2007. An ideal blend of "East meets West," the manga are acclaimed for their perfect marriage of Japanese-style comics and Harlequin's world-renowned romances.

Harlequin's digital comics have been optimized for viewing on Kindle DX. Amazon.com's Kindle DX has a 9.7" screen capable of displaying PDF files. Six Harlequin digital manga are currently available on Kindle at an introductory price of $3.99 USD per title. Subsequent comics will sell for $4.99 USD each in the United States.

Harlequin also announced today the mobile digital distribution of Harlequin comics to subscribers of two major North American mobile service providers, AT&T and Verizon, in conjunction with For-side.com Co., Ltd. The digital comics are available on pay-per-download basis at E-Books & Comics, a mobile digital book distribution site developed and operated by For-side.com for North American mobile service providers.

Harlequin is currently a leader in selling digital versions of its text-based books in the U.S. and Japan. The company -- which releases more than 110 titles per month -- was the first major publisher to make its complete frontlist catalog available in the eBook format. Harlequin has pursued a goal of meeting the needs of its current audience and reaching a new and diverse base of readers. It is Harlequin's ambition to offer stories to readers in all formats, for consumption at all times.

SOURCE Harlequin Enterprises Limited

In her Caribbean fairytale of untouched beauty and effervescent wildlife, "Islands Enchanted" Kathy Badenock brings to life the stories of a family of islands, sharing their unique temperaments and the dynamics that develop between each family member and the humans occupying their bodies of land.

Revolving around five main islands who live on the Enchanted Sea, Yuru, Hairo, Noan, May and Uni, "Islands Enchanted" shares their eclectic personalities and adventures. Yuru is the eldest sister island and looked upon as the most beautiful of all the islands in the family. Full of pride over her beauty, Yuru began to ignore the advice and thoughts of others and became a victim of her own vanity when she was punished with a cold. After sneezing, coughing and hurling hot rocks and lava, she finally learned her lesson and began to feel better.

The other siblings include Hairo, or "Land of the Clouds," who plays hide-and-seek among the clouds with her sister Yuru, and May, who loves to play and is reluctant to grow up. Uni is the quietest of all the siblings, she likes humans and enjoys looking at them and providing for them. In turn, her humans return her attentions with care and festivals. Sometimes, the humans are not as loving and turn to fighting and hurting each other. Uni, a truly objective judge of events, makes peace between them in interesting ways. Despite the small troubles, she still loves the sound of the drums when the humans dance to bring rain or celebrate a wedding, cherishing most of all humanity's ability to stand together unified.

The world in the Enchanted Sea will be forever changed when the Europeans approach their shores for the first time. How will the island family react to their presence? Can they survive through the changes that these visitors will bring?

Based on the rich history and cultural background of the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines of the Caribbean, "Islands Enchanted" offers readers a fresh perspective on the stories held within the heart of a land. The intimate relationships between the sibling islands and the dynamic connections between the landscape and its inhabitants prove that the old adage "no man is an island" still holds true.

Escape to beautiful, sunny isles and discover their mysteries within the pages of "Islands Enchanted."

Kathy Badenock grew up on Union Island of Grenadine and completed most of her studies on the mainland. She earned her bachelor's degree in physical education and sports and currently lives and works on St. Vincent as a physical education teacher. This is her first book.

SOURCE AuthorHouse

"Veggiesaurus Lex" Teaches Children that Eating Vegetables Is Important and Fun

At a time when parents spend more each year on fast food for their children than on books, educational materials, DVDs, music, trips to the movies and video games combined, it can feel like instilling healthy eating habits is a losing battle. With the publication of her third book, "Veggiesaurus Lex" (published by AuthorHouse), Karen Fine offers parents, educators and caregivers a new resource to combat the seemingly endless array of easy, cheap and available unhealthy food.

Meet Lex, a big pink dinosaur who has a big tummy ache after she eats too much junk food. Lex, feeling sluggish and slow, seeks the advice of her vegetarian friends who immediately have an answer for her. Fine writes:

    Veggies are great
    And they don't slow you down.
    They're easy to find all around town.

    Carrots are roots
    That grow in the ground.
    Peas are quite yummy; smooth, green and round.

    Looking for color?
    There's plenty, they said.
    Green peppers also come in yellow, orange and red!

As her friends go on to describe other types of tasty vegetables, Lex decides to try some for herself and discovers that they truly are delicious! With charming illustrations by Ross Novak that bring Lex and her friends to life on each page, "Veggiesaurus Lex" combines a fun, rhyming story with an important message: to stay fit and energized, it's important to eat vegetables. Find out more in the pages of this whimsical new book.

Karen Fine was inspired to educate children about living a healthy lifestyle after her oldest son was diagnosed with celiac disease and restricted to a gluten-free, wheat-free diet. Her other books, "How I Eat Without Wheat" and "Nature's Candy" (both published by AuthorHouse) are the first two installments in a trilogy she hopes will inspire children to make healthier choices.

For more information, visit http://www.karenfine.com.

SOURCE AuthorHouse

"Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas" kicks off the storytime series this Saturday, Nov. 14

Besides the wonderful opportunity to gather with others to hear "Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas," kids will also enjoy a coloring activity, a raffle with fun prizes including jingle bracelets -- and to top off the hour of "splendiferous" fun, a holiday parade around the store. Since kids are encouraged to attend the party dressed in their holiday best, the event will give parents the opportunity to take some adorable photos of their children enjoying the parade and all of the festivities. Attendees can also sample delicious drinks such as hot chocolate for kids and the Peppermint Mocha Trio coffee drink for adults, as well as a variety of holiday-inspired pastries. Activities may vary by store. Visit Borders.com and click on the Store Locator tab for a participating Borders location.

Upcoming events

In addition, kids and their families can look forward to the following storytime events slated for November and December at Borders:

• "The Polar Express" Pajama Party Holiday Storytime, Saturday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m.
• Grinchfest Holiday Storytime, Saturday, Dec. 5 at 11 a.m.
• "Beckett the Bear" Holiday Storytime, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.
  

Borders will share additional details about these events at a later date.

Additional offerings for kids

Borders recently expanded its Children's Department to include hundreds of high quality educational toys and games that promote discovery, foster creativity and help build cognitive skills in youngsters, all of which are critical to developing good learning and reading habits -- and a lifelong love of reading. The Borders kids' specialist will be on hand to answer questions about all of the toys and games as well as Borders' extensive offering of children's books.

SOURCE Borders