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Kimberly Chapman

Goodreads author profile

born

in Toronto, Canada

gender

female

website

http://kimberlychapman.com

twitter username

WriterCrafter

genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance, Feminist Romance

influences

Guy Gavriel Kay

member since

January 2012

About this author

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NEW RELEASE: Finding Gaia http://findinggaia.com

I'm very, very odd.

Here are a few other labels that fit me: nerd, geek, crafter, knitter, cake decorator (award-winning, even!), terrible housekeeper, Canadian, Austinite, community volunteer, atheist, science-driven, happily married, and mom. My weird food experiments are at http://eat-the-evidence.com .

TV/Movie folks/things I like: Hugh Jackman, Anthony LaPaglia, Joss Whedon, Felicia Day, Peter Jackson, The Daily Show and Colbert Report, musicals, South Park, clever stand-up comedy, Masterpiece Classics and Mystery, superheroes, and did I mention Hugh Jackman? Oh yes...at least three times.

Books/Authors I dig: Guy Gavriel Kay, Tolkien, Pern (at least until AIVAS), Terry Pratchett, the Richar...more

25 posts
Kimberly Chapman's Blog

“Sorrows of Adoration” Released as Free Backlist

I’ve just re-released my old traditionally published backlist for free on Smashwords in all major ebook formats, including for Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, PDF, HTML, and plain text.

This is a full-length novel that has been through the publishing gatekeeper. It is professionally edited, and my editor and I just went over it again for extra brushing-up (although if you’ve read it before, nothing s...

combine editions
Kimberly Chapman's Books

Average rating: 4.26 · 47 ratings · 28 reviews · 3 distinct works · Similar authors

	Finding Gaia 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 40 ratings — published 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sorrows Of Adoration 4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2003 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Power of a Blush 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2012 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Kimberly is Currently Reading

Kimberly Chapman rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Firebrand

by Ankaret Wells

bookshelves: feministrecs, currently-reading

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Kimberly Chapman said: "Since I began my quest looking for Feminist Romance[1], I've had a lot of recommendations fall flat. Most were just the standard "strong heroine" trope of a kick-butt, sassy lady devoid of any supposedly "feminine" emotion like sadness or despair. So...more Since I began my quest looking for Feminist Romance[1], I've had a lot of recommendations fall flat. Most were just the standard "strong heroine" trope of a kick-butt, sassy lady devoid of any supposedly "feminine" emotion like sadness or despair. Some were allegedly feminist in that they bashed men, which is not part of my value set. Some were just terribly written with boring, go-nowhere plots.

But in Ankaret Wells' "Firebrand"[2] - recommended by folks on my Goodreads Feminist Romance group[3] - I finally found what I was looking for: a romantic story that fits my feminist values without being a polemic, and a thoroughly enjoyable adventure with fully-rounded characters I came to genuinely care about.

The story isn't about feminism, and it doesn't need to be. It's about a woman - told in her first-person voice - who has just lost her mother and not long before was widowed, though her husband's death was clearly no loss. Kadia begins the story in the somewhat-stunned position of trying to figure out her place amidst these deaths when, by virtue of her mother's will, she and her new airship become prizes sought by the most powerful men in Wells' extremely well-developed world of an expanding empire versus last-ditch holdout provinces. Through a mixture of self-empowerment and being tossed about by forces outside of her control, Kadia gets caught up in intrigue upon intrigue and, of course, a romance.

The romance element is very nicely done, with enough questions about how things will turn out to keep it interesting. The sex scenes are lovely for someone like me who likes fairly normal heterosexual love scenes without any of the currently trendy faux-BDSM stuff. If you're looking for exotic, non-het, multiple-appliances-involved sex, "Firebrand" isn't for you. It's for the rest of us who are still happy with the main thrust (heh) coming (heh heh) from the love and passion of the characters instead of slapped-on kink for kink's sake.

Kadia as a character has her moments of impressive resolve and strength, but also entirely human moments of despair and longing. She is three-dimensional, her voice differs from other characters in the story, and even when she screws up she's inherently likable to the reader.

The genre is steampunk romance, and this is the first steampunk book I've read since that's usually not my cup of clockwork tea. But this is a solid story independent of its genre. The genre stuff forms the setting, the background, and the stage but is not a dictator over the characters. The people are just that: people, not puppets made to fit genre requirements, and it was very refreshing to read a book where I genuinely cared about what happened to the humans (and not-entirely humans) inside.

"Firebrand" isn't a world-changing, life-altering book. It's exactly what it should be: a great story that doesn't rely on outdated anti-feminist tropes. I loved it and truly hope there'll be a sequel.

[1] http://www.findinggaia.com/blog/2012/...
[2] http://ankaretwells.wordpress.com/fir...
[3] http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...(less)"

14 hours, 17 min ago · see review

Kimberly Chapman rated a book 5 of 5 stars

To What Miserable Wretches Have I Been Born?: Revenge Poetry for Babies and Toddlers

by Suzanne Weber

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Kimberly Chapman said: "I am loving this book. I'm only partway through because I'm saving it for times when I need a quick bit of stress relief, and because I don't want to use it up too fast.

It really is very clever stuff that all parents will appreciate.

Check out these v...more "

Aug 03, 2012 02:57pm · see review

Kimberly Chapman is currently reading

The English Civil War: Papists, Gentlewoman, Soldiers, and Witchfinders in the Birth of Modern Britain

by Diane Purkiss

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Kimberly Chapman said: "Reading as research for a prequel to Finding Gaia."

Jul 28, 2012 02:25pm · see review

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Kimberly's Recent Updates

Kimberly Chapman rated a book 5 of 5 stars Firebrand by Ankaret Wells	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Since I began my quest looking for Feminist Romance[1], I've had a lot of recommendations fall flat. Most were just the standard "strong heroine" trope of a kick-butt, sassy lady devoid of any supposedly "feminine" emotion like sadness or despair. So...more
14 hours, 17 min ago · see review
Kimberly Chapman made a comment in the group Free Romance Books On Kindle — Free backlist novel topic "I've re-released my previously traditionally published novel Sorrows Of Adoration for free. It's on Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/...more "
Jun 13, 2013 10:10pm
Kimberly Chapman joined the groups Feeding the Kindle Addiction . . . with HOT FREEBIES! and Free Romance Books On Kindle
Jun 10, 2013 02:11pm
Kimberly Chapman liked T Mulder's review of Sorrows Of Adoration: " As with Chapman's more recently-written work, Finding Gaia, I found Sorrows of Adoration almost impossible to put down. The story is compelling, even if you're not much one for romance. The main character, Aenna, is incredible, somebody who you wa... " Read more of this review »
Jun 06, 2013 06:07am · see review
Kimberly Chapman liked Sarah Gilmore's review of Finding Gaia: " Oh I loved it! I'm not a fantasy fan, not at all. I like my fiction firmly steeped in reality, thank you very much. But I follow Kimberly on G+ and curiosity got the better of me. Plus, I heard there were steamy bits, and who doesn't like steamy bit... " Read more of this review »
May 22, 2013 12:34am · see review
Kimberly Chapman voted for 2 books on the list Indie/Self-Published Books Vote on this list »
May 21, 2013 02:11pm · like
Kimberly Chapman is now following Karen Babcock's reviews
May 20, 2013 09:38pm · like
Kimberly Chapman made a comment in the group Feminist Romance — Authors: Got something for us? topic "I just finally got my old traditionally published book up as a free backlist ebook: Sorrows Of Adoration It should now list this edition: http://www.g ...more "
May 20, 2013 09:30pm

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