This just in…
Several books in Alison Kent‘s Smithson Group series, published by Kensington Brava, are being re-released with new titles and featuring some hot hunks on the covers…
At Risk is the new title for the previously titled The Bane Affair, due out in June 2008.- In Danger features two prior titles, The Shaughnessey Accord and The Samms Agenda, and will be released in July 2008.
- Deep Trouble also has two previous titles, The Beach Alibi and The Mackenzie Artifact, and is slated to be out in August 2008.
Only available at Wal-Mart.
New books in the series will be released in 2009.
Consider yourself flashed.
There’s no Walmart in NY. What am I going to do?
Order from Wally World online, Jane! Internet, baby! Yeahhhhh!
There will be another semi-related Brava out this year, MAXIMUM EXPOSURE in December. The hero is the brother of the heroine in the 04/06 release DEEP BREATH.
Oh, and thanks for flashing me!!
But you guys are missing the most important thing… I think… I just woke up from a nap *g*
they are MM!!!!
MASS MARKET!
Brava in wally world… Kent is gonna take over the world with SG-5. WOOT!
Oh my gosh – I did not see the only WalMart bit. :X but.. but… I don’t like walmart :'( Walmart is evil.
Wal-Mart is the 300-lb gorilla. They’re also frequently the only way average families can afford to survive in today’s economy. Say what you will, but because of their purchasing power, they can keep prices down, down, down on groceries, linens, clothes, shoes, etc. And the quality is passable, if not just plain good.
I live in a small town (about 9,000 people). Wal-Mart has been here for a lot of years (over 10 I think). When they moved in, things changed. Small stores slowly closed, and the Wal-Mart grew – we’re now the ‘proud owners’ of a Super Center.
An odd thing also happened – as it grew, Wal-Mart hired a lot of locals, supported (still does) several local amateur sports teams, gave (still does) generously to other local charities, and generally supports the community in which they exist.
We still have a couple of small hardware stores, and other small retail stores, so there is still some choice. But I think Wal-Mart has been a good neighbor, though perhaps in some communities they’re not. But for us… I can’t really complain.
That doesn’t mean I don’t understand and totally respect your concern, Limecello. I myself bemoan the loss of the number of small grocery stores in town, the local butcher shops, and other small stores. Change is never easy and there’s just something uncomfortable with giving that much money all to one corporation. I wish they’d buy more US-made, locally-sourced products; however, if they did that, you can count on the prices going up.
What I’d really like to see is some serious changes in our trade policies. Something to remove the Chinese “cheap” merchandise boot on our throats.
Gwen,
I do see the points you’ve made. I know in a lot of places, Walmart is the only store, really. I know they do some [a lot?] of good, but with my experiences, it’s not so good. I’ve had friends experience outright racism from Walmart, and I know the career services of certain [major] universities refuse to work with Walmart because of their practices. Their company and management structure, etc- not to mention locking people in warehouses…
Of course, Walmart has made changes in their policies. I think what gets me, is the case studies, and how Walmart has become a lesson in almost every subject. Business for price dumping, economics with their sweat shops [although, yes, almost everyone does this, unfortunately], and law, for all those tort cases. And more.
It’s also things like http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insurance.battle/ that really disgust me. I know there’s often a disconnect between the law and morals/ the “principal” of the matter, but really now, Walmart. I’m afraid I have a lot of trouble separating the small scale “neighborhood store” Walmart from Walmart as the whole corporation/entity and its practices.
Wherever I am, I try not to buy anything made in china/sweatshops. Sometimes it results in spending a few more bucks (or a lot more bucks) – but, I’m pretty ok with that.
limecello,
I generally have to agree with you. Although to be fair I stuck my head in the mudd about three years ago… tra la la
So other than a certain duckie I lurve who sends me newslinks I don’t read near as much as I should. Uh read near as much NEWS… *g* so things could be different now than they were before (one would hope).
When I can I vote with my dollar. And if I could afford to, I wouldn’t shop at wally world. On Saturday when Lawson and I went to Sherry’s signing I said on the way there I want to stop at Wal-Mart on the way back because I need to pick up some Harlequins *g*.
NEED *g* heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
While we were at the signing – which was grand I am going to try and type up a recap – I made the choice to buy the books @ the B Dalton’s (which has 2! stores left in TEXAS… 2! hell I remember when there was one in every mall along with a Walden’s) . Why did I do that? Because even though I was paying more… it was a VERY romance friendly store hosting a romance signing. Did the 50 I spent make a difference? Doubt it… BUT I know it made more a dent in their sales than it would have in the walmart.
So what does this mean other than omg this Harlequin Spotlight thing and this hobby blog costs us way too much *g*. When I am wealthy I will stop shopping at Wal-Mart. So I will most likely always shop there.
Sad but true. Whenever I go off on a rant most (Texan’s) look at me and say no one is holding a gun to their head and saying you must work at wally world or you die! And we are employment at will for a reason. Dunno…
But at the end of the day… in the matter of this post… and the purpose behind it *g*
I think it is a VERY good thing for Alison Kent. And I think her name and the series will be out there MUCH more than if it hadn’t have been in wally world.
Someone correct me if I am wrong – I am pretty sure you can still buy the series from Amazon in tradesize and from Kensington directly (with their 30% off) in e or in trade. I think…
So have we solved the world’s ills yet?
😉
Syb & Gwen,
If only every thing could be dealt with so easily. Hehe – that’d be amazing.
I’m not going to berate people for shopping at walmart, but if they’re able to choose where to go, I will gently nudge them in a different direction. [I also try to keep them informed.] I know a lot of people don’t have that choice. It’s the ones that don’t care that make me sad.
As to Walmart carrying Alison’s books (Haha, I think we’ve made it clear I wouldn’t know what books they normally have) – but yes. That is HUGE. A major coup for the romance world. It’s almost like commercials for her books, and slapping them on network tv (during normal hours.) I get excited whenever I walk around the relatively large romance section @ Target, and Giant Eagle (grocery store).
The only place I’ve been to in TX is Austin, and I hear it’s different from the rest of TX…
The world would be a much better place if Gwen and I ruled it, I have been saying that for years.
LOL – peace, love, romance and duckies for all?
[I think it’d be a lot scarier too… in a different way] 😉
Well when you think of HOW liberal I am and that oddly enough gwen is conservative… it would be interesting if nothing else *g*
Alison why did they change the names of the books?
Someone correct me if I am wrong – I am pretty sure you can still buy the series from Amazon in tradesize and from Kensington directly (with their 30% off) in e or in trade. I think…
Yep! Still available at Amazon in trade and at Kensington. Also, until May 5th, you can get 20% off the newer e-titles in the series at Diesel eBooks with the code I listed here. I don’t buy ebooks, so I don’t comparison shop to know if the discount makes them a good deal or not!
I’ve been told if the WalMart sales go well the books could possibly go to more stores, so WalMart boycotters could wait, LOL, and then HOPE enough other people bought them to make them available at all outlets. (Seriously, though, I understand the lack of WM love, though we shop there for most things simply because our wallets don’t stretch very far.)
The change of the titles is to make them more appealing as action/adventure suspense. The original packaging was sort of an experiment, so this packaging is more mainstream.
very hot covers. cant wait to read them, have them in tbr