Kimberly Kinrade's Blog, page 15
August 31, 2012
Swag, signed books, Amazon monies and more!
Isn't it purrrrty! Now if I could just get her to blink!
So, why am I doing yet another giveaway? What can I say, I just can’t help myself. Plus, I’m about to get a nice big delivery of some very fun swag and I needed an excuse to give some of it away. Also, Forbidden Life is about to launch in a little over a month. I’m nearly sick with anticipation. (Or that might be the all night editing sessions with both of my editors… ) Either way, I cannot wait for this book to be out! The Forbidden Trilogy will be complete, and will include an amazing trilogy edition in hardback (eventually), paperback and ebook with lots of extra content and a kickass new cover!
So, I wanted to start celebrating early, and that’s why I’m doing a month long giveaway of some fun stuff. You can enter to win a signed copy of The Forbidden Trilogy. This is going to be a beautiful 6×9 paperback and VERY thick. Forbidden Life is twice as long as the first two books combined, plus there will be several thousand words of extra content and added bonus scenes. I can’t wait to hold this book. I might never put it down. I’ll be the crazy lady at the grocery store carrying that same book every where I go.
And I want YOU to be just as excited. So here’s the giveaway. If you’d like to share this on your blog, go to this link to grab the HTML code for the rafflecopter giveaway, or just email me at Books@KimberlyKinrade.com and I’ll give you something to post!
To see some of the swag included in this giveaway, check out this post here. (The badge and bookmarks and postcards are all included, and I’ll post the posters once I have them finalized!) So, go forth and earn points, and may the odds be ever in your favor! 
Order signed copies of Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire and get bonus swag!
[image error]Several of you have asked how you might get signed copies of my books, so I’m going to make it easy and fun!
If you order signed copies of Forbidden Mind and/or Forbidden Fire, I’ll also throw in some new swag I’m having delivered in the next few days, free!
So, what do you get if you order? It’s nothing huge, but I think it’s fun. You get the bookmarks featured above with the books, plus you get an IPI ID Badge (see http://IPIAcademy.com to learn more about the International Paranormal Investigators and what we do over there. If you read Forbidden Fire, you met Agent Simmons and Agent Morrison at the very end. But rest assured, Forbidden Life has a lot more IPI action, including the super hot Hunter Riley. (sneak peek: Lucy finds him pretty hot too!)
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Customizable IPI Badges, just add your pic (or any pic) & sign!
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And here's the back, making you VERY official!
How cool are these? You’ll be a real agent, with all the authority inherent that role. Don’t forget to report any paranormal activity to HQ@IPIAcademy.com
Classes for Agents will begin soon. 
You’ll also get a postcard from Sam, but it can be signed with a personal note from any of your favorite character in the books, just leave a note when you pay via paypal and let me know who you’d like a note from, or if you have a specific question for anyone.
Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. An evil organization with deep secrets. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets a boy who controls minds, she discovers her future isn’t what she thought.
Together they must escape and free the others… or risk losing everything–and everyone–they love.
“A thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seta and eagerly awaiting the next installment.”
~Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews
You can also order copies of any of the Three Lost Kids books as well. For a complete list of all my books and information about each, see the tab “Books” above on my menu bar, or check out Kimberly Kinrade’s Amazon Page.
Inspired by three little girls with adventurous spirits, the Three Lost Kids Series takes readers to worlds unexplored and adventures untold, where they meet magical creatures, go on great quests and learn important life lessons for their everyday world.
Ideal for readers 3-9 years old, the Three Lost Kids Series is a unique hybrid of a lower grade chapter book and children’s illustrated book, great for kids transitioning! Written by award winning author Kimberly Kinrade and illustrated by the amazing Josh Evans, these books will spark the imagination in readers of all ages.
Kimberly Kinrade books signed
Forbidden Mind $12.49 USD
Forbidden Fire $12.49 USD
Lexie World $16.99 USD
Bella World $16.99 USD
Maddie World $16.99 USD
Shipping & Handling in US $7.00 USD
Shipping & Handling-Internatinoal $18.00 USD
Character Question/Postcard
August 26, 2012
A photo display of cute kittens and dogs and kids with books!
So, wordpress is not the best at allowing me to put lots of pictures up, but I’m going to do my best, because these are so fun!
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Lexie, Bella and Maddie with their namesake books!
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Disregard the dates. It's still only 99cents!
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"I just love love love my mommy's book so much. You can't have this one, get your own!"
[image error]There you have it. Picture fun! If any of these books peak your interest, click on the book covers to the left to read more about them.
August 20, 2012
A Shameless Use of My Cute Kitten to Help Me Reach the Top 100 in Amazon
Cute kittens sell books. It's been proven.
Today my award-winning YA/Adult Paranormal Romantic Thriller, Forbidden Mind, is being featured on EReader News Today, and my publishers have dropped the price of the ebook to 99cents as part of the promo. This is big news, peeps! Huge! ENT is AWESOME and I’m super grateful they’re hosting my books. They’ve done wonders in getting books more exposure and significantly increasing their rankings. Just last week they launched several other books from Evolved Publishing into the top 100 of their category, and one almost made it to the top 100 in all of Amazon.
That’s my goal. I want Forbidden Mind to get into the top 100 in all of Amazon by tomorrow. Impossible? Nothing is impossible. A challenge? For sure. And you know what? Challenge accepted. But–I need your help! I know that despite how amazing ENT is, that alone won’t cut it. I need my fans and friends to share about this awesome deal on my book. Or maybe you’re a fan of my work, but haven’t picked up a copy of Forbidden Mind yet. Today would be the most EPIC day in the world to do it. I’d love you forever. Also, I’m not above pimping out my kitten to help me sell books. How cute is she, anyways??
Maybe you got the older version, before the new release published in June (a lot of the Amazon reviews reflect the old version). This would be a great time to update your files. (To repurchase the book, you need to log into your Amazon account, go to “Manage Kindle” and find the old version and delete it, then you can buy it again. However, you might also be able to update your current version for free. That’s totally up to you!) How do you know if it’s the old or new version? Easy. If your version has less than 30 chapters, it’s old. Also, there will be Drake chapters, which the old version didn’t have. And the new version starts with Sam completing a painting for an art contest.
Now that we got all that straight, let’s get down to business, shall we? Here’s the deal, if
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Isn't it purrrrty! Now if I could just get her to blink!
you guys can help me crack that top 100 list, there will be prizes. I’ll randomly pick one subscriber of my newsletter (so be sure you’re signed up–here), to send you a signed copy of Forbidden Mind, and put you on the list to receive a signed paperback copy of The Forbidden Trilogy when it launches in October. Check out the cover, isn’t it sexy? There will also be some surprise swag included!
I’ll also randomly draw a few other names to win some swag once it arrives. I have some fun IPI ID Badges and Postcards from Sam coming soon!
Want to learn more about Forbidden Mind and The Forbidden Trilogy?
Described as X-Men meets Alias with a twist (and more romance), fans of Katniss and The Hunger Games will find a new heroine to root for in the action-packed Forbidden Trilogy.
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Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. An evil organization with deep secrets. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets a boy who controls minds, she discovers her future isn’t what she thought.
Together they must escape and free the others… or risk losing everything–and everyone–they love.
“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
An overview of all three books and the trilogy
The Audio podcast of Forbidden Mind, Chapter 1 & Chapters 2 and 3
Forbidden Mind (book 1) sample chapters: Chapter 1 & 2, Chapter 3-5
Forbidden Fire (book 2) sample chapters: Chapters 1-3
Forbidden Life (book 3) sample chapters: Chapter 1-3
A guest post from Sam and Drake: Tell Me No Secrets
A guest post from Lucy: Lie to me. I dare you.
Get caught up on your reading by picking up your copy of Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire on Amazon today!
Ways you can help:
1. Share this post, or the link to my book on Amazon, with your online social circles.
2. If you have a few friends you think would be particularly interested in reading my books, why not Dm them or let them know directly?
3. Check out my Facebook stream and reshare with your own comments about what you enjoyed about Forbidden Mind.
You all rock and I’m so grateful you’re a part of my social circle. xo Thanks for your continued support of my work, and for sharing The Forbidden Trilogy with your friends and family. I know many of you have already done so much to pimp out these books, and I’ll be forever grateful!
August 16, 2012
The Face of the Forbidden Trilogy-a paranormal thriller/romance
[image error]Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. An evil organization with deep secrets. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets a boy who controls minds, she discovers her future isn’t what she thought.
Together they must escape and free the others… or risk losing everything–and everyone–they love.
“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
On October 2, 2012 Evolved Publishing is launching the final book in the Forbidden Trilogy, just over one year after the first book, Forbidden Mind, launched. I’m beyond excited, I can’t even tell you! And now, I finally get to reveal the amazing cover, designed by Sarah Melville. This is my favorite cover of them all and I’m so happy it can now be the face of The Forbidden Trilogy.
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Isn't it purrrrty! Now if I could just get her to blink!
Described as X-Men meets Alias with a major twist (and more romance), this trilogy started as a short story based on a dream about a girl named Sam who could read minds and was raised in a secret school and rented out to the rich as a spy. It quickly evolved into something that has since taken over my life. To celebrate, Evolved is offering a very special edition of the complete trilogy. All three books in one, plus some major bonus content.
Bonus Content in The Forbidden Trilogy
2 short stories that give you a sneak peek into what happens between Forbidden Fire and Forbidden Life. Think of this as extra scenes in the next book! As an added bonus, my very sexy husband, Dmytry Karpov, is writing one of the stories! Why? Because this party doesn’t end with Forbidden Life. We have a whole new series planned in this world, and Dmytry and I are co-writing it! Look for the paranormal romance Sunrise & Nightfall in January and the Fallen Trilogy (paranormal thriller/romance) Blood of the Fallen, Tears of the Fallen and Flight of Fallen in May, 2013.
A Book Club Discussion Guide (there are a lot of themes and issues explored in this series, from the value of human life, to the morality of using powers, to human trafficking to what it means to fall in love… I look forward to diving into all of them with you.)
Character bios of your favorite peeps, with pictures! Learn more about Sam, Drake, Luke and Lucy
A special letter to my readers where I will share with you the journey I took in creating this trilogy, and what you can look forward to next.
And a Q&A with me. The fun part? You get to ask the questions.
Guess what, guys? You get to help me shape the bonus content for this book. Ask me anything in a comment below, or via email (Kimberly.Kinrade@gmail.com) and I’ll post the question and answer in the back of The Forbidden Trilogy. (Keep in mind, this is going to be read by teens as well as adults, so I reserve the right to edit out or not use questions that wouldn’t be appropriate.)
Also, I’d love to get your feedback on what kinds of discussion questions for the book guide you’d like to see. What themes or ideas have thus far touched you or made you think? What did you take away from the first two books that felt important or relevant?
Are there other characters you’d like to know more about in the Character Bio section? Let me know and I’ll see what I can do to include them.
Finally, is there ANYTHING else you’d like to see in this special edition?
October is going to be a big month. HUGE! I’ll be doing giveaways and blog tours and lots of special things for you, my readers, to celebrate the launch of the complete trilogy. It’s going to be SO MUCH FUN! And it doesn’t hurt that October is probably my favorite month of the year, and Fall my favorite season. So many reasons to be excited.
To further get you excited, click here for a sneak peek into Forbidden Life with the first (unedited) three chapters!
The ebook of The Forbidden Trilogy will only be $9.99, which is a $4 savings from buying the books individually. Even if you already have the first two, I think you’ll find that the bonus content is worth the extra $4!
Want to learn more about the Forbidden world? Here’s a list of posts and pages that highlight different aspects of these books.
An overview of all three books and the trilogy
The Audio podcast of Forbidden Mind, Chapter 1 & Chapters 2 and 3
Forbidden Mind (book 1) sample chapters: Chapter 1 & 2, Chapter 3-5
Forbidden Fire (book 2) sample chapters: Chapters 1-3
Forbidden Life (book 3) sample chapters: Chapter 1-3
A guest post from Sam and Drake: Tell Me No Secrets
A guest post from Lucy: Lie to me. I dare you.
Get caught up on your reading by picking up your copy of Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire on Amazon today!
August 15, 2012
Bullies on the Playground-Finding Answers in Books
In 2007, a simple survey was conducted that showed that 9 out of 10 elementary aged kids are bullied at school, and 6 out of 10 have bullied others. I’m not sure what the current stats would show, but I’m guessing it’s not going to be lower. I know many schools have an anti-bully policy, including the school my own girls go to. I also know my kids still come home hurt or sad or scared about bullies hounding them.
When I set out to write the first three books in The Three Lost Kids series, I wanted them to be fun fantasies, but also relevant to the issues my own girls face. Each book is based on one of my children, and their challenges and struggles helped shape the storyline and themes present in the books.
In Lexie World, my then-5-year-old Lexie kept getting in trouble for leaving her stuff outside or leaving trash on the ground. She loves the earth and nature, so it saddened her to know that her actions were hurting the earth. We talked about what challenges Lexie World would have and came up with the Garbage Goblins, destined to destroy the world if Lexie and her sisters couldn’t break the curse and stop them. On this journey, the character Lexie had to face her own behaviors and decide what she was going to do about the litter she and others had caused. The real Lexie also took a journey while reading this book, as I hope you and your children will. She learned important lessons about herself and caring for the planet, all wrapped up in an exciting story.
In Bella World, my 8-year-old had to face the Dragon Fire in her that often burned other people. She had to look at her tendencies to horde her belongings or take things that didn’t belong to her at all. As she entered her magical namesake world, she met a Dragon who had many of the same struggles as Bella. Together they learned how to treat others, and they grew emotionally as a result.
I am so excited to finally announce the long-awaited launch of Maddie World, the third in this special edition, fully illustrated trilogy. My own Madelynne, who’s 9 years old, is most impacted by bullying at school. It’s hard for her, and she’s had times where she didn’t want to go to school at all. It breaks my heart to see my girl hurt like this, and I also know that she needed to learn to own her own strength and stand up for herself–without becoming a bully too. Thus Maddie World was conceived. In this story, a Fairy War is destroying Maddie World. The Lava Fairies have bullied the Bubble Fairies for too long and the Bubble Fairies are fighting back, but now they’ve become the bullies they so hated. Maddie has to face her fears, and be braver than she’s ever been, if she wants to save her sisters and her world.
It’s my hope that this series brings important lessons to kids without being heavy handed–that they learn, within the pages of fantasy, how to care for their world, grow emotionally and stand up for themselves. I have many plans for The Three Lost Kids, including an exciting series of holiday books coming soon. Look for The Three Lost Kids and The Death of the Sugar Fairy on October 2, 2012, The Three Lost Kids and The Christmas Curse on November 26th, and The Three Lost Kids and Cupid’s Capture in January.
Until then, here’s a sneak peek at the Halloween fun planned, as well as the cover reveal!
The Three Lost Kids and The Death of the Sugar Fairy
[image error]Halloween is here and Lexie, Bella and Maddie couldn’t be happier. But why does everything feel so different? Fewer houses are decorated and fewer kids are out trick-or-treating. Still, that’s not going to stop the three girls from eating as much candy as they can before their parents can take it away, even if that means fighting each other for it.
When they finally discover a haunted house worthy of their favorite holiday, they forget their parents’ warnings and go in alone, only to discover that the house really is haunted, and not only that, but they’ve been transported to a whole different world!
A dying Sugar Fairy in one of the abandoned rooms sends them on a quest to find her Sugar Baby and the magic Sugar Flower in order to save her and Halloween. If they fail, Halloween will be gone forever, and they’ll never return to their family.
But with Sugar Bug attacks, the Cavity Caves–where they must face their deepest fears, and giant gummy bears armed with candy cane swords, the girls aren’t sure they’ll make it.
Their only chance is to work together, using each of their strengths to help each other. Can they stop fighting over candy long enough? Or will they be trapped in the dying Sugar Land forever?
Coming from Evolved Publishing October 2, 2012
If you would like to participate in a fun Three Lost Kids Halloween Blog Tour , go to Innovative Online Book Tours to sign up!
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Maddie World today, and if you haven’t yet, grab a copy of Bella World and Lexie World too.
To celebrate the launch, Bella World is on sale for kindle for only 99cents! The other two books are only $2.99 on kindle, so they’re still very reasonably priced. If you enjoy, please let me know! I’d love to hear from you.
Have your kids faced any of the issues mentioned in these books? If so, how did they and you deal with them?
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In other news, Evolved Publishing has also launched 6 other books today, in addition to Maddie World. To celebrate, they have 8 books on sale for only 99cents. Romance, erotica, YA, children’s lit and more… check it out here>> Evolved Publishing Birthday Launch Party!
Also, EReader News Today has featured 4 of our 99cent books, and they regularly showcase discounted books with excellent reviews. Check it out here>> Evolved Pub at ENT.
August 13, 2012
The Top 100 YA Books… but are these really YA?
[image error]Last night I dreamed of blog posts. This isn’t unusual. I dream of book marketing strategies, plotlines, entire paragraphs of prose… in high school once I even dream-finished my Algebra homework—for real! I finished a pesky equation in my head and woke up to write it down.
The Forbidden Trilogy started as a dream.
Apparently I get a lot done in my dreams. I should start billing for sleep-time! Lol Anyways, my point is that I dream-wrote a post about my favorite books. I know, too exciting for words. But this morning I see that NPR has posted a list of the Best 100 Young Adult Novels, EVER.
This is a bizarre list, in my opinion. I never would have classified some of these books as YA. I recently wrote a guest post for the Krazy Book Lady blog called “The Mass Appeal of YA Fiction—It’s Not Just For Teens.” You should check it out. In this post, I argue that YA isn’t a genre, it’s a category for age classification. (I also argue that the love of YA isn’t about simplistic prose or that people are too lazy to read ‘adult’ books… as some have stated.) So, I’m wondering what criteria they used to determine the YA nature of the books on this list.
Maybe it’s just me, but I would classify a lot of these as literary fiction, and while that can also be YA, I just never though them to be. Was Fahrenheit 451 YA? What about The Lord of the Rings? To Kill A Mockingbird? Really? And then we have three books by John Green. I have no idea who this guy is, but I’ll have to check out his books.
I guess required reading in high school counts as YA? Though I had to read The Scarlet Letter and Gone With the Wind, and neither of those made it.
I’m starting to think YA is becoming a meaningless tag. Is it a book that has a teen in it? That deals with coming of age themes? That takes place in high school or college? Fifty Shades of Grey is coming of age with a young adult protagonist who is in college. Many teens are reading this book, but it is most definitely NOT YA.
Perhaps we should start putting books into their genres, instead of age categories? I guess children’s literature is important to note, but some of these books… including The Last Unicorn, is more children’s lit than for teens. It was made into a cartoon!
Flowers for Algernon is also on this list. It’s funny, because I made reference to this book in my last post about the new Bourne Legacy movie. (Not worth the price of the ticket, btw, check out my review for the why.) I read it in high school and somehow remembered it as a short story, but it’s not short! I’ve always been a fast reader. Lol Thing is, I don’t see this as YA.
Ah well. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Check out the list. What do you think? Which books are missing you think should be there? Which books don’t strike you as Young Adult?
And just so I can satisfy my dream self. Here’s a list of some of my favorite books in no particular order (they are not all YA.)
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
This book made me fall in love with reading, writing and fantasy. It will always be one of my favorites.
[image error]Family Magic by Patti Larsen
Love this author (who’s also one of my closest friends) and all of her books. This series is one of my all time favorites. Witches, demons, vampires and more!
Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond
One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read. Get into the mind of a serial killer.
Angelfall by Susan Ee
An indie sensation that was so overhyped I thought I’d hate it and I loved it. Beautifully written post-apocalyptic book.
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
I highly recommend anything by this author. I discovered her through a friend’s recommendation years and years ago, and I adore her strong female protagonist and exciting fantasy worlds. In Wild Magic, one of my favorite characters, Daine, discovers her magic to heal and communicate with animals. I was very pleased to see a few of her books on the best list. They got something right. J
by Patrick Rothfuss
What can I say? I think he’s an amazing author. All the things people have critiqued in his books, I love. It’s fantasy the way I like it, very character driven.
The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
Again, some of the best fantasy I’ve read.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Also on the top 100 list. I loved this series and the movie.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
I know there’s a lot of hate going on for Bella, but I’m a fan and I’ll be writing a blog post about it very soon. Probably this week! Also on the list, FYI.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Who doesn’t love this series? Sure, she grew as a writer during the novel and there were prose problems, but what an imagination and what a world she created. I will love these books forever!
His Dark Materials Series by Philip Pullman
I still cry when I think of the last book. Such a wonderful trilogy!
Farsighted by Emlyn Chand
A multi-cultural paranormal YA series that has a lot of depth and emotion.
Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer
Love this Valkyrie series, with beautiful writing and wonderful myths that come to live.
Bad Doctor by John Locke
I’m a total fan girl. Locke’s books are fun and engaging and this new series is just so awesome. I love how he takes seriously messed up, flawed characters and makes them protagonists. It’s brilliant. If you’ve never read any of his books, check them out. I also interviewed this author awhile back. You can read it here.
The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin
Dark fantasy with badass vampires. Loved it. This is an author to watch out for.
I’m sure there are so many more I’m forgetting, but this is a short list of books I really love, from thriller to epic fantasy, to paranormal.
So tell me, what are some of your favorite books. Feel free to leave links so we can all enjoy!
August 11, 2012
The Bourne Legacy: Not Worth the Cost of a Ticket
I’ve enjoyed the Jason Bourne movies. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them, and I don’t remember all the details, but I know I walked out feeling like I’d been entertained and it was fun.
Last night my husband (AKA the sexy Russian Prince, Dmytry Karpov) and I went to see this newest release, The Bourne Legacy. While it didn’t suck rotten tomatoes, it really wasn’t worth a rare date night. I’d have been happier watching it on Netflix.
**Spoiler Alert**
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A bad ass scene where he takes down a plane... with a rifle!
This movie had an interesting premise. At the start, we see a man, Aaron Cross–played by Jeremy Renner, in the dead of winter in the middle of nowhere completing some kind of super hero scavenger hunt. I really enjoyed this set up and scene. The cinematography was breathtaking and it opened up a lot of intrigue and mystery.
We see right away that he’s taking two pills, blue and green, and we know these are important and that he’s more than normal human as he leaps from tree to tree and scales mountains.
The movie then jumps around in mildly confusing and disjointed snippets. It appears to take place during the time frame of the third Bourne movie, so you need to know that to ‘get’ the politics of what’s happening.
The gist is that all the super-secret-shouldn’t-even-exist-organizations hidden by the CIA and other covert organizations are now at risk for exposure because someone found videos on YouTube of two older men celebrating their respective super-secret-shouldn’t-even-exists-organizations together. Apparently, this leak could mean death for us all, and since that can’t happen, everyone else involved in these groups has to die. Of course.
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"They must all die. YouTube will end us all." Or something like that.
Why these two big wigs wouldn’t know that they can’t be seen in social circles together without risking their entire projects is beyond me. They were cleared for top-secret level shit, right? So… I’m not getting this. How’d this happen at all? Even the agents in my fake IPI (International Paranormal Investigations) know better than this! This is never revealed, and if I remember, we never actually meet these two bozos. We just see them on YouTube while Edward Norton—Retired Col. Eric Byer, USAF—does an impressive job of bossing everyone around and pulling the plug on the super-secret-shouldn’t-even-exists-organization that Aaron Cross is a part of.
This means giving the nine super-secret-shouldn’t-even-exist experiments a new pill, the yellow pill, that kills them. And then a scientist tries to take out all the other super-secret-shouldn’t-even-exit scientists and kills himself.
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I have such a girl crush on her.
Naturally, things don’t go according to plan, because bad ass Cross isn’t ready to die, or lose his super smarts, and the lovely Dr. Marta Shearing—Rachel Weisz—also escapes the massacre and then has Cross on her side to survive the forced suicide they try to frame her with.
There’s an interesting “Flowers for Algernon” theme as we see the plight Cross has taken, through his conversations with Shearing and flashbacks. He was recruited to the military with a lie—his recruiter needed to make quota so added 12 (I think, or 16) points to his IQ to make the minimum standard. He was ‘killed’ in action, then given this chance at a second life, with enhanced intelligence and physical prowess—which he understandably doesn’t want to lose.
This was probably my favorite part of the movie, though very undeveloped. As I am in the middle of editing Forbidden Life (the final book in the Forbidden Trilogy) for an October 2nd launch, I am fascinated with genetic experimentation and enhanced human and paranormal attributes and what that means for society. These themes are explored in my first two books and really examined in the final book, so I wished the movie had spent more time here and less time on… oh… say the four hour chase scene at the end.
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This is the chase scene that never ends... never ends... never ends... This is the chase scene that never ends...
Okay, maybe it wasn’t four hours, but holy hell it was long and boring! I wanted to see character growth, a plot of some kind with a resolution, SOMETHING! Didn’t happen. The dark moment for the actors happened when Cross was given a virus to lock in his super smarts so he wouldn’t need the pills anymore. Oh no, our hero has flu like symptoms for about 10 minutes, what ever will they do?? It was harrowing I tell you. Harrowing.
Then, in a totally random plot—I hesitate to use the word twist, as that might sound too interesting, perhaps… plot lapse?—they bring in another total random guy who has also been enhanced but without all that pesky human empathy getting in the way. This random man doesn’t say a single word during his brief part in the movie, but he chases Cross and the doctor down the streets of the Philippines. And the cops chase them. And they run from the cops. And Cross and the doctor run from random guy. And random guy steals a bike. And then there is a bike chase scene, after the car chase scene, after the on foot chase scene, after the harrowing 10 minutes of flu-like symptoms.
Be still my heart.
Then, Rachel Weisz ends the chase scene, finally, by kicking random guy off his bike. That’s it. That’s the big climax! Then she uses her big brown eyes to plead for help from a different random guy with boat, and they ride off into the sunset. THAT. IS. IT.
Norton and his crew are just like “Oh no, what happened??” and then there’s some Bourne 3 movie related scenes that have little to no bearing on this movie at all, then we’re left with nothing. It was like the movie stopped, rather than ending. There was no resolution, no real climax, nothing.
Now, I love Weisz, even if she was a bit melodramatic in this, and Renner did a great job as Cross, but the whole movie was about him wanting to stay smart, but without the emotional development that could have carried that theme.
It started something, took us on a sometimes boring ride and then stopped without even a proper ending. It would be like writing a blog post and just
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Summer GIVEAWAYS
Up for grabs from Evolved Publishing: 40 signed books (including all 5 of mine) and $50 Amazon GC. For more details and instructions to enter visit Evolved Publishing’s ENORMOUS Giveaway.
Want to win a KINDLE FIRE (via a $200 GC to Amazon) and 6 signed books (Including my Forbidden books and paranormal romances by Zoe Winters.) Check it out here>> Kimberly Kinrade’s Big Giveaway
August 5, 2012
Hot romance, dark secrets and a Kindle Fire. What more could want this summer?
Summer is heating up, and we’re making it even hotter with a sizzling summer promotion you won’t want to miss.
Win a Kindle Fire and six signed paperback books from authors Zoe Winters and myself, and get ready to enjoy some sexy hot reads while having fun in the sun.
From August 5-18th, Winters and I are giving away two sets of each of our paranormal romance series (all signed) to two lucky winners. The Grand Prize winner will also receive a Gift Certificate for Amazon.com to cover the cost of a Kindle Fire (but we won’t tell if you just want to buy $200 worth of books instead!)
Join us in celebrating the launch of the newest in Zoe Winters’s Preternatural Series,Life Cycle (how much do we love love love Tamara and Cain? So freaking much!) which now includes one novella compilation and three novels. If hot & steamy paranormal romance is your thing, then you’ll fall in love with all the hunks in this series, whether they be demons, vampires, werewolves or mages… they’re all so deliciously bad they’re good!
Life Cycle is book 4 in the Preternaturals series. However, new readers can read this installment first with no problems. Most of the books work as stand alones, and each book focuses on a different couple. The main theme of the Preternaturals is: “Everybody is the hero of their own story.” Some characters start out villains and become heroes. Some are heroes and turn into villains. Some are heroes to some characters and villains to others.
The series world has multiple dimensions, heaven, hell (which is earth), demon dimensions, and others. Magic, reincarnation, witches, vampires, demons, werecreatures of all sorts (called therians), gods, and angels all play an important role in the Pretverse.
It’s a world where blood is magic, authority is questioned, and soul mates always find each other, no matter how many incarnations it takes.
The Preternaturals contains a blend of snarky humor and angst that fans of the series have come to expect and enjoy.
As an extra bonus for this exciting launch, get signed copies of my award winning Forbidden Series—a YA paranormal romance/thriller.
“…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
While light on sex (it is Young Adult after all) it’s packed full of romance and a fast-paced thrilling adventure. Think X-Men meets Dollhouse if Professor X has been an evil human trafficking geneticist.
Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. An evil organization with deep secrets. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets a boy who controls minds, she discovers her future isn’t what she thought.
Together they must escape and free the others… or risk losing everything–and everyone–they love.
Learn more about Zoe Winters’s Preternatural Series here:
http://zoewintersbooks.com/books/
Book 1: Blood Lust
Book 2: Save My Soul
Book 3: The Catalyst
Book 4: Life Cycle
And more about my Forbidden Series here:
http://kimberlykinrade.com/books/forbidden-series/
Book 1: Forbidden Mind
Book 2: Forbidden Fire
Book 3: Forbidden Life (coming Oct. 2, 2012)
About Zoe Winters
Zoe Winters writes quirky and sometimes dark paranormal romance. Her favorite colors are rainbow and clear.
To receive updates on new releases from the author, send an email to: zoewintersbooks AT gmail DOT com with “Subscribe” in the subject line. Newsletters go out only when there is an actual new release or a big contest. Your inbox will not be cluttered, newsletters won’t go out more frequently than once a month, and you may unsubscribe at any time.
You can visit the author at: http://www.zoewintersbooks.com
Be sure also to visit http://www.theriantype.com for some fun supplemental material.
About Kimberly Kinrade
Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes all things paranormal and fantasy, including award-winning young adult and children’s books.
Visit her at http://KimberlyKInrade.com
Also visit http://IPIAcademy.com to participate in a fun fan-based site with swag and info on all things paranormal. You even get to be a secret agent!
August 2, 2012
40 Signed paperback books and $50 up for grabs from Evolved Publishing!
It’s a Fun in the Sun Giveaway Extraordinaire! My published, Evolved Publishing, like do do things in a BIG way, so when they decided to do a Sizzling Hot Summer Giveaway, they wanted to make it newsworthy, and sipping-a-cold-drink-under-a-hot-sun worthy! That’s why they’re giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate along with FORTY!! signed books from Evolved authors. That’s right, forty books!
Twenty lucky winners will receive one random copy of a signed book, another lucky winner will win a huge pack of nine signed books, and the Grand Prize winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card, plus an enormous pack of eleven signed novels. Did I mention they’re enormous? Yeah, they are. Because that’s just how EP rolls! So what better time to catch up on your reading than the summertime?
They’re giving away everything from literary fiction, to children’s books (including all of mine!), middle grade, young adult (including all of mine!), historical, fantasy, thrillers, erotica, and even an inspirational memoir. They’ve got books for all ages, reading levels and preferences, great for your own reading pleasure, or for giving as a gift to someone you know. Or a random stranger; they’re okay with that too.
See below for a ton of ways to enter and win. The more points you get, the better your chance of the Rafflecopter gods randomly drawing your name. Hint: Some things you can do everyday, so check back daily to add to your chances.
The best part? This is international, folks. However, you must be eighteen, or age of majority for your country, to win.
Books to win: (to learn more about these books, check out the Product Catalogue at Evolved Publishing.)
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