Kimberly Kinrade's Blog, page 14

A Thank You to Book Bloggers!

October has been such a huge month already! Not only has my new children’s book, The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy launched, but the long awaited conclusion to the Forbidden Trilogy, Forbidden Life, is finally available! Because of that, and because this is such a cool time of year in general (I love fall, and October, and Halloween… and pretty much everything pumpkin flavored!) I’m involved in a bunch of tours, giveaways and fun, fun, fun!

The first part of the month, I toured Forbidden Mind with both Innovative Online Blog Tours and Megan at Reading Away the Days.

I just want to thank each and every blogger who featured me and reviewed Forbidden Mind. Running a book blog is a labor of love. These folks don’t get paid for the hours and hours they spend reading, reviewing and updating their sites. They do it because they love books, and for that, I love them! Please take a moment to visit them, check out their sites and follow those who interest you. It’s a great way to find new reads, and in the process you can read some fun interviews and guest posts, and find out what others are saying about Forbidden Mind!

The Forbidden Mind Tour hosted by Innovative Online Blog Tours

10/1  A night’s Dream of Books Review 5 stars!

10/1  Andrea Heltsley Books Review 5 stars!

10/1 Guilty Indulgence Spot Light, Guest Blog, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/1 My Other Book Blog Review and Giveaway 5 stars!

10/2  Bookish Things & More Guest Blog and  Review

10/2  Simply Infatuated Guest Blog and Giveaway

10/3  A Soul Unsung Spot Light, Review, and First Chapter

10/3 The story of a girl… Review

10/4  Reader Girls Spot Light and Interview

10/5 The Avid Reader Guest Post & Excerpt

10/5  Michelle’s Paranormal Vault of Books Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway 5 Stars!

10/8  Doctor’s Notes Review and Giveaway 4 Stars!

10/8 Andi’s Young Adult Books Spot Light, Guest Blog, Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/8 Shelley Munro Review

10/9 The story of a girl… Review

10/9   The Bunnies Review Review 4 Stars!

10/10   My Cozie Corner Review and Giveaway 5 Stars!

10/10 For The Love Of Film And Novels Guest Blog, Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway 4 Stars

10/11 A Date with a Book Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway 4 Stars!

10/12  Lissette E. Manning Guest Blog

10/12 Nette’s Bookshelf Reviews Guest Blog, Review, and Giveaway 4 Star!

10/12  Princess of Pages Review 5 Stars!

10/12  The Clumsy Coquette Review 5 Stars!

The Forbidden Mind Tour hosted by Megan at Reading Away the Days

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10/2 Above Average, Below Special Book Excerpt

10/3 Read, Write and Read Some More Guest Post: A Forbidden Dream & Giveaway

10/4 The Cover by Brittany Review 5 Stars!

10/5 We Do Write Interview & Giveaway

10/6 Worlds Away Book Blog Promo Post

10/7 Night Owl Reads Review 4 Stars!

10/8 Reading Little Bit of Everything Character Profile & Giveaway

10/9 I’m A Reader Not A Writer Guest Post: top 100 YA Books Post & Giveaway

10/10 Reading Away the Days Guest Post: Top 10 YA Book Covers & Giveaway

10/11 Young Adult Book Addict Book Excerpt

10/12 Rachel’s Book Reviews Review

10/13 Lisa Orchard Interview

10/14 Tales of Books and Bands Review & Interview

10/15 I’m A Book Shark Guest Post: Top 10 YA Heroes & Heroines

Thank you all and Happy Halloween!

Forbidden Secrets Revealed

[image error]I have news. BIG NEWS! My award-winning YA paranormal romantic thriller trilogy is now complete with the launch of the third and final book, Forbidden Life.

This is HUGE! This trilogy has consumed my life for the last year, and I’m so excited about this last (and, in my opinion, BEST) book of the trilogy!

Described as “thrilling, dark and deeply romantic” (Refracted Light YA Reviews) with a “plot that is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop” (Sour Skittles Book Blog), the Forbidden Trilogy tells the story of a group of paranormal teens raised in a secret school and rented out as spies to the rich.

When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets Drake, a boy who controls minds, they discover a deep secret that could destroy everything and everyone they love. Together, they must escape and save their friends, before it’s too late.

In Forbidden Life, all the secrets of this corrupt organization are revealed, with more page-turning twists and nail-biting mystery than ever before.

This series “has romance, mystery, action and suspense that will keep you hooked from beginning till end.” ~Nickle Love

Get your copy today on Amazon or Smashwords!

About Forbidden Life

The road to redemption begins in darkness.

A sinister force waits for them in darkness, ready to devour their powers and take their lives.

Sam’s baby is the key to a lock that must never be opened. To keep her child safe, she will do anything.

Drake might have found a way to get his powers back and save his family, but at what cost?

Luke and Lucy uncover secrets in an organization they thought they could trust, and the lives of all Rent-A-Kid children are at stake.

In this last Forbidden Trilogy installment, the secrets to Rent-A-Kid will finally be revealed.

Get caught up in the trilogy with Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire.

Read an excerpt of Forbidden Life

Drake slugged another mouthful of cheap vodka and waited for the burn to dull his pain. The abandoned apartment building he’d holed-up in stank like shit and piss and vomit, but he didn’t care. He sat on an old mattress with his back against the wall and watched the void where a door had once hung.

Every second of existence tore at him until even alcohol couldn’t bury the feelings. The place in his chest where his powers had once lived now felt empty, like the core of a rotten apple. Even when Dr. Pana had tied him to a hospital bed and drained him of his powers, he hadn’t felt this helpless. There, he’d known it would end. His powers hadn’t been destroyed, just blocked. He hadn’t felt empty, just useless.

He’d been so naive to think it couldn’t have gotten any worse.

Sam was out there somewhere, fighting to keep their baby safe while her father still hunted her. And what am I doing, loser that I am? Running away. What good am I without my powers? I couldn’t keep them safe, so they were better off without me.

The lies he told himself did nothing to silence the guilt.

When he’d drained the last drop of vodka from his bottle, he smashed it against the wall, and left his hiding spot to search for more. He counted the money he had left: five dollars and some change. What the hell could he buy with five bucks? Nothing strong enough to get the job done, that was for sure.

The moon hung heavy in the sky as Drake walked the empty streets. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the sun. It seemed a lifetime ago. Memories of warm rays and the splash of cold salt water haunted him. Vampires lived like this for centuries, outcasts relegated to the shadows of life. Drake finally understood why these beings fascinated so many people. Their plight gave form to the empty death that lived inside him.

A homeless man’s cough brought him back to the present. The man sat against a garbage dumpster, tucked under a newspaper blanket. Drake didn’t care about the smell or the trash; he only noticed the paper bag-wrapped bottle in the man’s hands.

He mustered as much authority as he could now that he’d lost his powers of mind control. “I’ll give you five bucks for that bottle.”

The man looked up at Drake and back down at the bottle. His face looked like an ancient map that had been written on so many times the lines all blurred together. He smacked his lips, took another swig and then held the bottle out with a cackle.

Before Drake could take it, the man yanked it back and rubbed his fingers together in the universal sign for money.

Drake sighed and pulled out the last of his cash.

They traded at the same time, and the man cackled again as he stuck the money into some hidden compartment in his clothes.

The bottle felt light. Too light. Drake tilted it to his lips, but only a drop of amber liquid fell into his mouth. Rage fed him as he threw the bottle to the right of the man’s head.

The man cried out as jagged bits of glass flew into his face. Drake lifted his fist to punch him, but the man held up his arms and squealed. Fear filled his eyes, and his lips smacked together. When his mouth opened, Drake saw why the man didn’t speak.

He had no tongue.

Drake’s anger drained out of him in a flash, and he slumped against the trash bin. Could he really beat a helpless man because he’d stolen five dollars?

The man pulled out the money and gestured for Drake to take it back, but Drake ignored him and ran down the street and around a corner.

He pushed his body to run as fast and as hard as he could. Lack of food and too much alcohol had made him slow—weak—but he didn’t stop. His lungs burned, his muscles weakened to the point of collapse, but still he ran.

He turned down an alley and stopped. Three men beat a scrawny blond-haired boy to the ground.

The biggest man, inked up like a gangsta and wearing pants too big for him, punched the kid in the face and screamed, “You better give me those vials, you piss-ant little shit, or I’ll beat you until you can’t walk. That drug is worth more than your life, so hand it over.”

His two lackeys circled the boy, kicking him and egging on their leader.

The boy cried and curled into a ball. He couldn’t have been older than twelve. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have anything.”

Another punch. “Yo, my homey here saw you. So don’t be lying to us. We got to account for all those vials, and you don’t even know what you got messed up in. Those drugs, they seriously mess people up—like, superpowers and shit. I’m not letting some piece of shit like you stop me from doing my job. Hand ‘em over.”

The boy couldn’t take it much longer, but Drake wasn’t a superhero anymore. Still, this drug had him curious. Could there be a drug that brought out para-powers?

He charged in, pushing back the three gangsters and pulling the kid out of the way. “Run!”

The fight was a blur. Drake had neither super strength nor mind control. His basic skill and strength bought him a few minutes, but in the end the street thugs overwhelmed him.

After too many blows to count, they left him lying in the alley, bleeding and aching with broken ribs. Drake coughed, and blood spewed out of his mouth. Maybe worse than just broken ribs.

He pulled himself to the wall and tried to sit up, but the pain stopped him. Every move seemed to cause a new break or tear in his now-fragile body. Before he could make it to the wall, a new kind of darkness wrapped around him, and he faded into nothing.

Get the Forbidden Trilogy

Forbidden Mind * Forbidden Fire * Forbidden Life

I want to thank all the amazing people who have already made this series a success! This year has been such an exciting adventure because of the enthusiasm so many of you have shown for my books. When I read some of the reviews, it blows me away!

To show my thanks, I’m having a party on Facebook, all day October 15th. (Monday) Hop over to the Forbidden Life Launch Party and join us! There will be giveaways and quizzes and sharing of quotes from the series. No Facebook? Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you out!

I’ll be giving a few prizes out today on my site as well. Here’s the deal… leave a comment answering one of these questions and you’ll get a postcard from Sam (international comments are welcome and encouraged and will get a postcard!). I’ll also pick a random person from the comments to receive extra swag (US and Canada only).

1. Who is your favorite character in the Forbidden Trilogy and why?

2. Which para-power would you choose and why?

3. Favorite quotes from any of the books.

Here are some pictures:
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My handsome husband modeling the official IPI ID Badge!

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Swag that I'm giving away Monday, Oct. 15th!

An Ode to Neil Gaiman

[image error]It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well that Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. In fact, he is the first to ignite in me a love of the short story. I’d read short stories in school, as we all did, but I’d never really enjoyed them much, and certainly never actively sought them out for pleasure reading.

But then a friend sent me two books that changed everything. Fragile Things and Smoke and Mirrors, both by Neil Gaiman.

These are probably two of my favorite books ever, which is such a shocking statement for me to make considering they are both short story collections. And it seems fitting to discuss these works during an All Hallow’s Read event designed to raise 1,000 books for charity, especially considering Gaiman first created this new holiday tradition as a way to encourage the gifting of a scary story or book for Halloween.

Gaiman’s work often has a dark quality to it, taking the mundane and ordinary and painting it with the macabre, or taking the macabre and recreating it entirely.

Of particular note are a few stories that have stayed with me over the last few years since I first read them. Murder Mysteries and Snow, Glass, Apples in Smoke and Mirrors, and The Problem of Susan in Fragile Things.

Let us first look at Murder Mysteries. I have fond memories of spending countless hours dissecting every word of this story with my brother, on a rare night when our adult lives allowed us to reconnect as we once had as children.

It’s a recount of the first murder in the history of the universe… an angel is killed, and another angel tells this story to a young man in the 20th century. My brother and I analyzed every symbol, every character, every nuance, trying to decipher the mysteries. Did the angel erase the man’s mind? Who committed the human murders? How many people actually died? What did the elevator represent?

If you’re looking for a fantastic treat this Halloween, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of this story, or, better yet, the entire collection.

In Snow, Glass, Apples, the Snow White story becomes decidedly Un-Disney as Gaiman wraps his brilliant prose around the heroine’s pretty white neck and pulls her into a much darker place, where she becomes the villain. The story is told from the stepmother’s point of view, as she struggles to save the kingdom from her unnatural and monstrous stepdaughter.

And finally, in The Problem of Susan, my beloved Chronicles of Narnia are looked at through the eyes of the forgotten Susan, who loses her chance at redemption as she ages. In this story, Susan is an old woman, telling her story of being cast out of Narnia. The imagery here is stunning and, at times, graphic. More significantly, the philosophical dilemma it unearths is well worth considering.

Gaiman has many other books and stories worth reading, and I will be a forever fan of his twistedly sublime prose and storytelling.

I would never have discovered these books had a friend not gifted them to me. I have since passed on my copies to others, and bought more that I keep giving away. I hope you will join me in the celebration of reading, as we work together to give books to those less fortunate, and share in the love of stories.

To learn more about Fiction Frolic and what 10 authors (myself included) are doing to raise books for charity, visit: http://fictionfrolic.blogspot.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When Dreams Inspire Books & Feature and Follow Blog Hop!

When Dreams Inspire Books

Some very successful books have been inspired by dreams. For example, Stephenie Meyer’s international sensation Twilight came upon her as a dream of Edward and Bella talking in a field. She knew they loved each other, and knew that he was a vampire drawn to her blood specifically. She wrote the dream down and kept writing. Once she had finished, she wrote backwards to figure out what happened before that scene in the field, and realized there was a lot of book to come before her dream had even started.

And thus, Twilight was born.

Forbidden Mind had a similar inception. Years ago I had a vivid dream about a girl named Sam (everyone always assumes this is short for Samantha, but according to her, it’s just Sam) who could read minds. She narrated the story to me, telling me about the group called Rent-A-Kid that rented her and other paranormals out as spies to the rich and powerful. She told me that her life had been pretty safe, until something horrifying happened that woke her up to her reality and changed the course of her life.

I jolted awake, transcribed her message to me and fell back asleep. That message got lost in other projects, other work, other books—until last fall.

While trying to finish two other books for publication, I wanted to put out a short story that would attract readers to my paranormal writing. At that point, I had only one book out called Bits of You & Pieces of Me, a collection of short stories, poetry and essays about life, and one that really didn’t reflect the writing style I’ve since branded myself with (a process that is sometimes as painful as it sounds… but most of the time is fun).

Knowing that I needed this new brand, I set aside my other books for a few days to pen this short story calledRent-A-Kid. Ha! Yeah, right. You know what they say about how life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans? It’s true.

It wasn’t a short story. It was a novel… which turned into a trilogy… which is now turning into a saga… and has completely taken over my life.

Forbidden Mind was published by Evolved Publishing in its original form on September 6, 2011. I’ve since rewritten it to double its size, adding more depth and scenes. During its first month after launch, it won theForward National Literature Award (Drama: 2nd Place), and has risen to the top of many bestseller lists. I’m so excited by the fan base The Forbidden Trilogy now enjoys!

The sequel, Forbidden Fire, launched in June to an enthusiastic group of readers eager to see what would happen next with Sam, Drake, Luke and Lucy.

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This month, the final book in the trilogy will be out. Forbidden Life is nearly three times the length of the first two, chock-full of mystery, adventure, action, romance and intrigue. It reveals all of the secrets of the first two books, and is full of its own twists and surprises. It’s been an exciting journey, and to celebrate, Evolved Publishing is offering Forbidden Mind FREE on Amazon all this weekend!

Here’s your chance to dive into the Forbidden saga for free, to discover these remarkable teens as they face off against an evil, secretive, deadly organization that could destroy humanity as we know it.

If you’ve already read Forbidden Mind (The new version! Make sure to check!), then this is a great time to get your friends, family, and most literate pets hooked on this series, so you can all share in the Ooohs and Ahhhs of the final book together.

While Forbidden Life will wrap up this trilogy, the adventure isn’t entirely over. Luke and Lucy (Sam’s best friends) have an even bigger story to tell, and The Fallen Trilogy, beginning with Blood of the Fallen—co-written with my husband, Dmytry Karpov—will introduce you to a whole new world that these Rent-A-Kid teens don’t even know exists. Look for that in May.

And watch for Sunrise & Nightfall, another book in the Forbidden saga, though it takes place in Venice, Italy in the 1500s. The novella (to give you a taste) releases in January, and the full novel will be available in March.

All told, this saga will span many spin-off series, trilogies, stand-alone novels and more! At present, we see 40+ books here, but that’s likely to grow.

And just think, all of this started with one little dream that I thought would be a short story.

So, get your copy today (It’s FREE!) and let me know what you think!

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In the meantime, tell me: if you could have any para-power in the world, what would it be and why? I’ll send a signed postcard from Sam (Forbidden Mind) to one randomly drawn commenter to this post. This offer ends Sunday, midnight EST.

Get Forbidden Mind on Amazon. And don’t forget to pick up the sequel,Forbidden Fire, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes-Books, Kobo, orSmashwords.

What book bloggers and fans are saying about Forbidden Mind:

“…a thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and eagerly awaiting the next installment.” – Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews

“The plot is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop (awesome combo!). Forbidden MindBLEW my mind!” – Sour Skittles Book Blog

“This book was amazing, so well written, and hooks you in from the very start. It’s like a show I used to watch, called Dark Angel, but throw in ,me X-Men, with a little of that movie Push and some unconventional romance and you have this amazing story!” – Michelle’s Paranormal Vault

“Kimberly Kinrade definitely brings the suspense and intrigue full force with this novel. The romance will definitely leave you breathless, and the world that she builds is incredibly interesting as well as vividly intense and terrifying in some aspects. The characters are beautifully developed and the story is strong. It’s super edgy and unique, with a flare of originality oozing off the pages. This is not a book that any paranormal sci-fi fanatic would want to miss out on.” – A Soul Unsung

Here’s a book trailer for Forbidden Mind, with music by Dmytry Karpov.

Also, I’m doing a blog hop, so check it out!

Feature and Follow Friday is host by Parajunkee and Allison Can Read and give bloggers a topic to discuss each week while discovering new blogs.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?

My blog first started as a way to develop a fan base for my work pre-publication. With 8 books out now as of this month, and 2 more coming by the end of the year, it has turned into a wonderful way to interact with my readers, provide (hopefully) entertaining content and reach a wider audience with my work.

How about you? Leave me your link in the comments so I can see your answer. =)

Forbidden Mind FREE & Major Event to Raise Books for Charity

Forbidden Mind FREE & Major Event to Raise Books for Charity

October is my favorite month for so many reasons. I love the turning of the season, the colors, the leaves, the haunted houses and corn mazes, and I love all things pumpkin flavored. Also, I became a mother for the first time on Halloween 10 years ago. Time sure does fly!

This year is especially significant. As you noticed from my last blog post, the fourth book in my Three Lost Kids children’s series launched this week. The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy is a special Halloween present for my soon-to-be-ten-year-old, Maddie. And, just over a year ago, I started a journey with a book that was meant to be a short story.

Forbidden Mind.

I had no idea then that these teens with parnaormal powers would take over my life so completely. Sam, Drake, Luke and Lucy have lived closely with me all this time as I wrote their stories, and soon the final book in the trilogy will be available.

Forbidden Life is the third and final book in the Forbidden Trilogy, and I’m so excited to get it into your hands. Sadly, it’s been delayed a few weeks due to a combination of events, including the fact that it’s three times longer than the first two and my editors both dropped their jaws when they saw the word count. Needless to say, I want this book to be the best it can be before it gets in your hands, so I hope you’ll be patient and hang in there. It’s coming soon, I promise!

To celebrate the anniversary of this series and the launch of the final book, my publishers have put Forbidden Mind up for free on Amazon for 5 days! From October 3-8, get Forbidden Mind FREE!

This is a perfect chance to sink your teeth into this award winning paranormal thriller/romance trilogy. If you’ve already read it, then share this with your friends and get them hooked, so you can all read Forbidden Life together and call each other at 2 a.m. with such statements as “O.M.G. have you gotten to the part where you find out… ”

Well, you know I’m not going to finish that sentence and spoil it for you. But let’s just say that Forbidden Life will reveal more secrets than you thought existed, and take you on a thrilling adventure with romance, intrigue and surprises.

FORBIDDEN MIND, on Amazon FREE with a 4.2 star ranking out of 80 reviews, and winner of the Forward National Literature Award in 2011 for second place in drama. Grab your copy and tell a friend now!

Also, for the next three weeks, I’m working with 9 other authors to raise 1,000 books for charity. There’s a big giveaway happening with $200 Amazon GCs, 10 signed books, swag bags and more up for grabs. You get major points for buying Forbidden Mind and inlcuding the purchase code, and now you can ‘buy’ it for FREE! So check out my post on who I would be without books, and enter the giveaway. Let’s help raise awareness for Books for America and give the gift of reading this holiday season!

If you would like a different version of Forbidden Mind (such as PDF or epub for Nook et al) email me at kimberly.kinrade at gmail dot com and let me know which you’d like and I’ll be happy to send it to you. After the 8th, Forbidden Mind will be available everywhere, not just Amazon.

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[image error] Evolved Publishing presents…

49% of Americans believe their government officials are honest. I don’t know these officials, or their supporters, but I know their secrets, and 49% of Americans are wrong.

My employers pay me well to be right, to know things others can’t. But I don’t know why they brought that boy in, strapped to a stretcher, barely conscious. He asked me for help when I could give none.

I’m a wealthy spy, a talented artist, a martial arts black belt, and a prisoner. They tell me that on my eighteenth birthday, I will be released, free to go to the college of my dreams. It’s my eighteenth birthday, and a man in black is at my door. I know he’s not here to free me.

I know, because I can read minds.

My name is Sam, and this is my story.

So begins the tale of Sam and Drake–from the time they link minds, forging a bond that leads to an unconventional romance–to their fight for survival against the corrupt, twisted organization known as ‘Rent-A-Kid.’

“…a thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and eagerly awaiting the next installment.” ~ Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews

“The plot is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop (awesome combo!). Forbidden Mind BLEW my mind!” ~Sour Skittles Book Blog

Winner of 2011 Forward National Literature Award

As of June 23rd, 2012, Forbidden Mind is now a new and improved extended edition. Twice the content with new twists and turns, the new Forbidden Mind has more of what readers loved in the original, all for the same price!

(Book #2 of the Forbidden Trilogy, Forbidden Fire, is available NOW on Amazon. The final book of the trilogy, Forbidden Life, will be available by mid-October, 2012!)

Get Forbidden Mind FREE October 3-8 on Amazon!

The Three Lost Kids and The Death of the Sugar Fairy–a fun Halloween chapter book for kids

[image error]YAY! I love launch days, and this one is extra fun, with a new Three Lost Kids chapter book for lower grade readers–and with a Halloween theme!

So, I’d like to introduce you to The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy. Grab a copy on Amazon Kindle for only $2.99, or head to Smashwords and get it as a PDF, mobi, epub and more. Paperback copies will be available soon!

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Evolved Publishing brings you “The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy,” by award-winning author Kimberly Kinrade. (Chapter Book for kids 6-9 years old.)

…I scrunched up my eyes in an attempt to see. “Why do you sound like you’re in another room? You’re going the wrong way. You have to walk to us.” The darkness was so complete, like a black room with no light. “Okay, on three, we’re all going to scream. Someone will hear us. Mom and Dad are for sure caught up by now. One, two, three!”

“Help!” We screamed as loud as we could, over and over.

When we couldn’t scream anymore, our throats too sore, a flickering of light came back on and the skeleton waved at me. “Welcome to the haunted house, where guests stay forever and the dead linger on to play.”

~~~~~

Join the Three Lost Kids for another adventure as they’re attacked by Sugar Bugs, face their fears in Cavity Cave, and battle giant Gummy Bears, all to save a dying Sugar Fairy who holds the fate of Halloween in her hands.

Can the girls learn to work together, each using their strengths to save the day, or will their fighting trap them in Sugar Land forever?

~~~~~

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Look for the original Three Lost Kids Trilogy–Lexie World, Bella World and Maddie World–if you like enchanted Dragons, Fairies, and more adventures through magical worlds with great life lessons for kids!

www.ThreeLostKids.com

Who Would I Be Without Books?

[image error]Books have changed my life. Or, maybe a better way of saying it is books have shaped my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today without books. I can’t even imagine who I would have become, to be honest.

I don’t remember the first book I ever read, or fell in love with, but I know that growing up I could always be found buried in a new book. At family events, I was the one in the corner reading while everyone else made small talk. At school, I was the one who never heard the teacher say it was time to put down our books and move on to math, so engrossed was I in the adventures within the pages of my story.

I scarified sleep and eyesight staying up until the wee hours of the morning reading by flashlight, and never once regretted it.

My official bio reads that I was born with ink in my veins and magic in my heart, and that’s not too far off the mark. From my earliest memories, I loved and craved the written word. As soon as I could put my own words on paper, I penned stories to share with others. By the time I ran out of teeth to sell to the Tooth Fairy, I had stories and poems to sell to my first paying customers of family and neighbors.

In fact, one of my earliest tales, The Village of Antville, inspired the movie Ants, though I was obviously not credited for this! I learned early on that the Universe has a way of pooling all ideas, and if you don’t manifest them yourself, someone else will. I learned to act, and took risks to go pro in my writing at the earliest possible moment.

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To read the rest of this post, and find out how you can enter to win up to $200 in Amazon GCs, 10 signed books, swag bags and more, check out Fiction Frolic, where 10 authors strive to raise 1,000 books for charity in 3 weeks, all in celebration of All Hallow’s Read!

He’ll risk everything to save her life. She’ll sacrifice it all to save his soul.

As many of you know, my amazing husband, Dmytry Karpov, and I are going to be co-writing a lot of books in the coming year. And today I have the official cover reveal for our first novel, Sunrise & Nightfall.

This may well be my favorite book. Look for it from Evolved Publishing Jan. 15, 2012!

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He’ll risk everything to save her life.

She’ll sacrifice it all to save his soul.

Danika Star will die soon, her visions have foretold this, and they are never wrong.

Andriy Zorin will live forever, but not without a price.

They never expected to fall in love, especially with each other, but fate had other plans.

To save the woman he loves, Andriy must defy the rulers of his kind and make her immortal.

But even immortals can be killed.

Set during the early Renaissance in Venice, Italy under the threat of the Inquisition, Sunrise & Nightfall is a story about love, death, immortality and the power of redemption.

***

Look for Andriy Zorin in Blood of the Fallen, May 2013 as well.

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Shadow Slayer (Shadow Series #2) by Laura A. H. Elliott–launch and teaser

I’m excited to announce the book launch of another YA author! Check out this blurb and teaser of Shadow Slayer.

Shadow Slayer (Shadow Series #2) by Laura A. H. Elliott

Shadows will do anything to become human.

You see their influence everyday.

You say things you don’t mean or do things that aren’t like you.

You look, different.

Friends you’ve known forever suddenly never call.

[image error]As a freshman, Roxie just wants to fit in which is impossible because she barely runs into her friends at her huge high school. Adrianne’s disappearance and Hayden’s attention rock Roxie’s world. But nothing rocks it like the most gorgeous guy at school, Drew. And nothing is more important to Roxie than astral projecting back to Planet Popular to solve the mystery of the map. But that changes when Drew invites Roxie to homecoming. Hayden warns her that something’s wrong. Why would a guy like Drew like Roxie anyway? Drew must want something. Hayden’s right. Drew is…different. Planet Popular was just the beginning. Part of a bigger world, the Shadow World. There’s a war brewing between the world of humans and the world of shadows. When the shadow invasion begins at Roxie’s high school, she’ll not only fight for her life but the lives of her family and friends, when she discovers she’s the Shadow Slayer, the one human who can save Earth from the shadow onslaught. But, Roxie can’t even kill a spider. Oh yeah, there’s an evil English teacher, an enchanted play, a sword of Sandonian steel, a homecoming of horrors, and seven magic words too.

Tempest Teaser:

I pull some blush and mascara out of my makeup bag. I’m late, as usual. No one else is in here with me and it’s too quiet, too quiet for opening night. I try extra hard to keep the makeup off my dress, wedging scratchy brown paper towels all along my shoulder strap to protect it.

I glance over at one of the open, empty lockers. My sword hides in locker number 316, a row away from me. I thought about slaying every one of the shadows that had invaded in dress rehearsal but there was no way for me to ride the bus and sneak my sword in to school without a million eyes on me. Without getting noticed by some teacher who’d confiscate it and expel me for bringing a weapon to school. I had so much stuff to take for the play that Mom offered to give me a ride at the crack of dawn this morning. I hid my sword under my dress. Mom was so scattered because of her big meeting she didn’t notice anything and since it was so early no one was in the halls to give me a second look when I hid my sword in my locker. Note to self: early morning is a good time to hide stuff at school.

I stroke one cheek and then the other with blush and remember standing with Drew at the bonfire. The last night we went out as boyfriend and girlfriend. The last night he was human.

On your 13th birthday, you get the call. By your 14th birthday you find out what the call is.

Everyone I know is in the audience tonight. Ally, Mom, Dad, Brian, even Mitch because he came home for my birthday. We’re having our family dinner tomorrow night since tonight the cast party’s at Drew’s house, unless I decapitate him first.

“Roxie five minutes!” Hayden yells into the girl’s locker room. As usual I’m the last one out. I sweep my hair up to the side and try to remember my first line. For some reason it’s the one I always forget.

All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come

To answer thy best pleasure…

I open locker 316, grab my sword and just as I step outside of the locker room Wanda runs up to me and starts talking non-stop about her nerves and how they’re getting worse and worse.

“What’s that?” she asks. I stop cold in my tracks at the backstage door.

“There are lots of words for things that don’t exist––the unseen. Like monsters and aliens and dragons and vampires and ghosts,” I say sort of in a trance.

“Yeah, so?” Wanda says, wringing her hands.

“If they don’t exist, why are there words for them? All the stuff I thought was crazy really isn’t crazy at all,” I say, finally getting what Drew was trying to tell me at the bonfire at the estate at homecoming. What the human Drew said before I danced with his shadow. My role in the unseen, the shadow world. Still, I don’t know so many things. Like, what happens to a shadow once I slay it? And where do humans go when their shadows invade? How can I save my human friends?

“Roxie, I caught you! I was so late because Brian’s car got a flat. He fixed it so great, I couldn’t believe it. It’s like he went to bad ass school or something,” Ally says, laughing.

“Ally. Finally!” We hug. I swallow hard. Brian. Fixed. A. Flat. I mean it’s not brain surgery but believe me, if it doesn’t have an LCD screen Brian doesn’t think it exists. He doesn’t know how to fix a flat. O.M.G. Brian is probably a shadow too.

Homecoming teaser:

The band’s taken a break and we’re dancing slow to a song I’ve never heard before. It’s perfect for right now. My first dance at my first homecoming on Earth. I place my head on Drew’s chest and breathe easy for what seems like the very first time all night. He sighs, stroking my thumb with his. I could stay here forever.

“Sorry about that,” Drew says.

“Old girlfriend?” I ask, straightening up just a little, leaning my head back. I catch Drew staring down at me with his golden eyes and forget all about the way he tricked me at the labyrinth. One look at him and I melt.

“Very old.”

“Am I your girlfriend?” I can’t help it. The words just leave my lips, and in the silence after, I wish I had some sort of filter. A boyfriend filter that would stop me from asking lame questions like am I your girlfriend? I can’t help but think that Adrianne would never ask a question like that. And girls that do can’t help but sound kind of psycho. I can’t believe no one has heard from Adrianne. It’s been months.

“What do you think?”

I think I might be too young to feel the way I do about Drew, but it’s been hard coming back as a younger girl after I lived a day as a seventeen-year-old high school homecoming queen in the shadow world. Some things I can’t forget. Some things I can’t change. I’m older now. Even though I don’t look like it.

Drew slides his hands over my hips then they travel up, inch-by-inch, along my ribs. He grabs a hold of my hands and unwraps them from around his neck. We stand toe-to-toe facing each other. Drew spins me in a circle. The reflections from the disco ball shower us and make it seem like we’re dancing in a dream world. He spins me again then pulls me close. I bury my head in his chest and stare at our shadows on the floor. But I only see one. Mine.

Laura A. H. Elliott, YA & MG Author

THE SHADOW SERIES

#1: 13 on Halloween, Roxie’s birthday gift is out of this world Get the Audiobook! or FREE on Amazon today!

#2: Shadow Slayer [rel. 9/18/12]

Transfer Student, and intergalactic tale of beauty and the geek

Laurasmagicday.wordpress.com

@Laurawriting

Bella vs. Katniss—In Defense of Bella

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I couldn't disagree more.

I’ll just warn you now that this is going to be a bit of a rant, which I reserve the right to do on my own blog. Here’s the thing… I see a lot of these memes on Facebook about Bella vs. Katniss, how the former is a terrible role model for young women, and the latter is what we should all strive to be.

Well, I disagree. I have nothing against Katniss, or kickass females in literature, quite the opposite. I love them! One of my favorite characters in my own Forbidden Trilogy is Lucy—also a fan favorite—because she’s strong and kickass and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Love it!

But here’s the thing. There are many kinds of strength in the world, and killing food (or people) with a bow and arrow isn’t the only kind. It concerns me that in this post-feminist wave to empower girls to be strong, independent women, we are devaluing other qualities that also carry their own kind of strength.

But first, let’s talk about the fact that this is fiction. That means it’s not real. These people aren’t real, their stories aren’t real. I hate to break it to the weeping fans who have gone viral with Youtube videos, but Bella and Edward didn’t break up. The actors who played them broke up. They are not their parts.

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Sure, if you take the romance out of the Romance, you won't have much. Duh!

Now that we’re clear on that, let’s talk about this image. Yes, if you took out the love triangle in Twilight, you would have been left with a book about a girl who moves to a rainy town. Know why? Because the series was A ROMANCE. So, yeah, if you take the romance out of the romance, then you’re not left with much. Duh.

The Hunger Games was never billed as a romance, and as far as romances went, it kinda sucked. I never liked Peeta, and her choice at the end of the series was less than epic—especially given the pragmatic way in which she made the choice. Not a romance, people. So the story is inherently going to be about other things, with romance on the side, thank you very much.

Twilight was a romance, with a teeny tiny bit of adventure on the side. Sure, you may think that romance sucked too, and you’re totally entitled to your opinion, but to say that it sucked because the story was about the romance, is kind of like saying you really hate the chicken dinner because it had chicken. Um, okay, next time order something different. You know, something without chicken. Or maybe something with chicken on the side.

So, because of this inherent difference in a romance and a dystopian adventure, you’re not going to have the same kind of female lead. Sure, Katniss is badass. She kills dinner and can probably cook it. She takes on an empire of baddies and survives a hero. Awesome. Love it. We need more girls like her in our literature.

But why does Bella have to be villianized to make Katniss a great hero for girls? People say she’s weak, she’s boy obsessed, she’s boring, she’s dating a pedophile. Whatever.

**On a totally side rant to the main rant… Edward is not a pedophile, and not just because he looks 18 (which he doesn’t, let’s be honest.). No, he’s not a pedophile because A: He’s a FREAKING VAMPIRE! I find it so ironic and bizarre when people try to hold NOT REAL, MYTHOLOGICAL beings to human standards. And not just human standards, but distinctly western morals. Hell, in some places, the age of consent is 17 and even 15, so no pedophilia there. So, mostly US morals.

But B: He’s not a pedophile because a pedophile is someone who is sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children. Get it? We can arbitrarily assign a random age that says “poof, you’re an adult and can consent to stuff,” but notice it’s arbitrary? Different countries and even different states have different ages. It means nothing. Biology rules, and throughout history puberty has been the deciding factor for that stuff. I’d say Bella satisfies any criteria for this being a mutually consenting relationship. Plus, they didn’t even have sex until marriage, so come on people… **

Okay, mini side rant over, let’s get back to the main issues. I’m not going to debate the writing quality or story or plot quality of the books. I’m just looking at these two girls, which I’ve already shown is still not a fair comparison since by the nature of them being fiction, they are bound by the tropes of their genre.

But let’s look at Bella. Why is she getting a bad rap? Here’s how I see her.

1. She’s courageous. Bella risks her life time and again for the people she loves, not just her boyfriend, but her father, her mother, Jacob, Edward and his whole family. She’s not physically strong, but let’s face it, who among us would stand a chance against super strong super fast vampires? None of us are Buffy (as much as I would totally love to be!). Bella was ordinary, like most of us, and she had no chance against those characters. But she did have courage, and she was willing to die for those she loved, without hesitancy.

2. She’s caring. Bella is criticized because she cooked and cleaned for her dad. She’s too domestic, not at all in line with the modern feminists idea of strength. But why is this bad? She knows how to care for her family. She wants to be a wife and a mother. I’m not saying women should be forced to be those things, or that they should be deprived of an education or career, but shouldn’t the freedom to choose also allow for the freedom to make the choices Bella made? Is it so bad that she found happiness in caring for her family in that way?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not little miss housewife. My husband and I both care for our kids and house, and he probably does more during times when I’m working more. I can’t make elaborate dinners from scratch, and when I first read Twlight it seemed absurd that she did all that stuff. But I talked to my best friend, who often had to cook and clean for her whole family growing up, and I realized not everyone was raised on boxed mac and cheese. Go figure.

So again, why are these qualities signs of weakness? It seems to me that being in a loving relationship with someone, and having a supportive family, and enjoying that, is a lot healthier than running off with a bow and arrow to fight other teens to the death for sport. Given the choice, I’d take the happy family, wouldn’t you?

3. She understands love and loss. Okay, I know a lot of you think her response to Edward leaving was weak and pathetic and But, I gotta say, that would be me if Dmytry left. I mean, I have kids, so I’d pull it together, but if I didn’t, and the entire life and entire family I fit in with and loved disappeared… if the man I loved and my best friend and a life so extraordinary it was beyond real… if it all went away, I’d be curled up in a ball for awhile too. It would take some time to pull it back together. If you’ve ever loved like that, felt that deeply, then you know… it’s not something you can snap back from. When Dmytry and I were apart, it tore me to pieces sometime. And this was a romance. It was about the love. But even when she didn’t think she was good enough for him, she still risked everything to save him, because that’s the kind of person she was. Is that really so bad?

4. She’s smart. I don’t think she’s given enough credit for this. She reads British classics for fun (and that was before it was all the rage) and she did well in science. School wasn’t the focus (remember, romance?) but we see enough about her to know that she was smart. She was level headed and grounded. She got her work done and read and studied and still helped with the cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping. She may not have had big plans for her future, for what she wanted to be when she grew up, but then, neither did Katniss. But she had a good head on her shoulders and she did well in school.

5. Her love endured. Even after Edward left, even after she thought it was over because she wasn’t good enough, her love endured. She was honest with Jacob and she was never wishy washy. She made it clear from day one that if ever given the chance, it would be Edward. She showed that you can love deeply, and she did. She deeply loved everyone in her life, her parents and Jacob and Edward and his family. And in the end, her daughter. She gave of herself entirely to her love and never let it go.

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Family first. That's not a bad thing.

That last quality is what does it for me. It’s what makes her so strong. Nothing could break her, even when she was dying. Even when she couldn’t fight the big bad guys. She stayed true to the people she loved. I think that’s a pretty amazing quality. Also, once she was a vampire and actually had a fighting chance to… well… fight, she did. She protected everyone from the Volturi. She was the hero. No one ever talks about that.

Katniss was up against humans. Bella was a human up against immortal super beings. She wasn’t a super hero, at least not until the end, but she embodied a lot of qualities that made her a hero in my eyes.

This doesn’t take anything from Katniss. She had her own strengths and struggles. They live in different worlds, in different genres, and so the kind of role model they become is very different, but I think there are worse role models for young women then Bella Swan. Several pop stars and reality television stars come to mind.

Do I think all girls should act like they live in a paranormal romance and spend their lives searching for a sparkly soul mate? No. But do I think that intelligence, loyalty, courage and steadfast love are admirable traits that anyone would do well to cultivate? Why yes, yes I do.

What about you? Are you #TeamBella or #TeamKatniss? Or, like me, do you see value in both, for different reasons?

Also, while you’re here, take a minute to enter my September giveaway for some fun books and swag. Oh, and you get some kickass heroines in my books, don’t worry! (They’re action/adventures with romance on the side.)

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