Kimberly Kinrade's Blog, page 9

Go Home Internet, You’re Drunk

[image error]I can’t be the only one who has felt like this, like the internet is drunk and just needs to go home and sober the hell up? I love my online peeps, from the friends I’ve made to our street team of awesome fans to being able to stay connected with distant family and friends, but sometimes I have to wonder what is wrong with people.

This last week or so, I’ve seen some serious bullying in different venues that is making it hard for me to stick to my ‘drama free life’ commitment.

You see, for too long, I lived in drama and fed it with my own. From being in an abusive marriage to picking every cause to stand behind and fight for. I was the champion of the underdog and the underdog myself in so many ways. And I’m not saying it’s bad to fight for what you believe in, it’s not. But I got to the point in my life where I realized fighting everything isn’t actually solving anything.

Fighting what I hated most was not creating the world I want to raise my children in.

But how can I ignore the pain I see? The cruelty that runs rampant?

In the last week, I’ve read about a new author who pulled her unpublished book from launch because she dared ask an innocent question in a Goodreads forum about trolls leaving low stars on her book, a book they couldn’t possibly have read yet. A gang of Goodreads bullies formed a posse and went after her, effectively killing her desire to be a part of that world.

I don’t blame her. It’s shameful and disgusting how they treated her and how other authors are treated on that site.  And Goodreads does nothing. Because readers have all the rights on that site and are allowed to pretty much say and do what they want.

I want to fight it, to tear them a new one for how they behaved…

But.

But.

That doesn’t create the kind of change I want for my life and for the world in which I’m raising my children.

Also this week, another young woman had her profile picture stolen and used in a viral anti-feminist, fat shaming meme. And Facebook won’t take it down, because it doesn’t violate their policy. People are saying horrible, mean-spirited, cruel things about this young lady because she doesn’t look like what they think she should, and despite this cyber bullying, Facebook does nothing.

Earlier this summer, Wimbledon Winner and tennis champion Marion Bartoli was not only vehemently attacked on Twitter by assholes who insulted her looks and tweeted outrageously inflammatory (and violent) remarks about her, but also a BBC sports reporter, who never made comments about any of the male tennis pro’s looks, commented about her apparent lack of physical attractiveness.

News flash, this wasn’t Project Runway, this was a tennis match. She’s an athlete, and a damn good one. Her looks are irrelevant.

This behavior, this attitude about women, is so prevalent that it sickens me.

I’m raising three girls in this world, and I do not want them judged as eye candy for men.

These are only a few examples of ways people online are using public forums and social media to bully, intimidate, threaten and demean others.

What makes it worse, these bullies often travel in packs of like-minded asshats, hyenas feeding on those different.

So, I’m angry, but you know what? Anger only breeds more of the same.

And I don’t want more of this!

So I’m trying to follow in the steps of Mother Teresa and other great minds of our world. When she was invited to an anti-war rally, she politely declined.

“I will never attend an anti-war rally; if you have a peace rally, invite me. I am learning that if you focus on what you want, (peace) instead of what you don’t want, (war) you will receive it in abundance.” ~Mother Teresa

Last night, in midst of my own inner struggle to decide how I wanted to respond to all these injustices I’ve seen, our 9 year old daughter begged us to watch The Secret together as a family. I’m not sure how she knew about the movie or why she wanted to watch it so bad, but I wasn’t going to tell her no. So the five of us sat down together and watched The Secret.

This film is about the Law of Attraction, with some of our greatest leaders in philosophy, quantum physics and self-help talking about this powerful tool of manifesting what you want in your life and in the world.

It reinforced my own belief that spending our time fighting against everything we hate doesn’t bring about the change we want.

We have to be the change we want to see, by focusing on what we want.

So, I’ve decided, with the help of my husband, Dmytry Karpov, to create a page where like-minded people can come together to share memes, quotes and stories about people and organizations who are doing it right. Who are being the change.

This page supports body acceptance, tolerance for differences in culture, religion and politics, and encourages kindness, love and happiness in all of our interactions with each other. My hope is that this will be a place people can come to be inspired, to see the good in humanity and how we can make a difference in our world.

It’s called, We Are The Change, based on the quote from Mahatma Gandhi,

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

I want to encourage you all to join us here. This page is not about our books or us at all, it’s about you, the world we live in, the people everywhere who are affecting change for the better. We want to hear your stories; we want you to share what inspires you. We want to form a community that uses a positive focus to create a better world, virtually and physically.

Let me be clear about a few things: I’m not opposed to petitioning for things that will make online venues bully free. I’m not suggesting people can’t leave bad reviews of books (even my books.) I’m not saying we can’t have differing opinions about life, religion, politics or the world. I’m saying that all of this can be done without bullying, cruelty or intimidation. I’m saying there’s space enough for all of us to live together in peace, without fighting.

Will you join us?

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Like We Are The Change, here and share in this journey.

 

What are some ways you’d like to see the internet and/or your world change for the positive? What would you like to see MORE of?

Enter for a chance at a signed copy of Kiss Me in Paris #newadult #romance

As most of you already know, Dmytry and I recently launched two books together. Our first, Kiss Me in Paris, holds a special place in our hearts. It’s our first book baby, after all! Also, it’s such a sweet, funny, heart breaking, beautiful story of life, love and following your heart.

For those of you who haven’t read it yet, it’s on sale on all ebook retailers for just $2.99 to celebrate our anniversary this summer and to give our new fans a chance to try it out at a discount! You can find it here:

Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks
ABOUT KISS ME IN PARIS

[image error]When the city of love brings two lost souls together, only their darkest secrets can tear them apart.

Winter Deveaux tried love once. It didn’t end well. Unable to open herself up to another heartbreak, she hides in her romance novels as she struggles to break out as a real author. She thinks Paris holds the answer to a new start, but when her nightmare follows her across the world, she’s forced to face the darkness living like cancer inside her soul. If she doesn’t, she might miss her chance to become the kind of writer she’s always wanted to be. But more than that, she’ll miss out on the greatest love she’s ever known.

Cade Savage is heir to the largest ranching family in Texas. Part cowboy, part architect, Cade has his feet forever in two worlds. When he receives an acceptance letter from the school of his dreams, he must decide between family and destiny. But ghosts from his past still haunt him, and circumstances beyond his control may decide his fate.

When Winter and Cade meet, everything they believe about life, love and what it means to be happy is put to the test.

Will the magic of Paris pull these two lost souls together? Or will their darkest secrets tear them apart?

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Full length novel: 87, 000 words

Kiss Me in Paris is a standalone novel in the Kiss Me Series. Travel the world with the Deveaux sisters as they find love, and trouble, in all the right places.

***

[image error]There’s more news! While we work on the next full length stand alone Kiss Me novel (Kiss Me in Cairo), we’ll be putting out a new, steamy, Kiss Me serial featuring Damon Deveaux, the sexy cousin of the Deveaux sisters. Kiss Me Forever will be a serial novel with 5-7 volumes and the first will be out within the next month! This one is definitely for those who like it HOT! Check out the cover

FINALLY…

We’re also doing a giveaway of a signed copy over on Goodreads. So check it out and enter to win!

If you’ve read Kiss Me in Paris, we’d love to hear what you think. The reader response has been incredible. Already it has over 60 reviews on Amazon with nearly 50 5 STAR reviews! THANK YOU!

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Kiss Me in Paris
by Kimberly Kinrade

Giveaway ends August 22, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

KIDS! Get your name in the next Three Lost Kids book!

This is a post for kids, but get your parent or guardian’s permission before reading or replying to this!

[image error]After writing six Three Lost Kids books (two distinct trilogies), it’s time for some more fantasy fun from our favorite sisters. The first trilogy is a world discovery series with illustrations (Lexie World, Bella World, Maddie World), where the sisters discover magic and other worlds and learn important life lessons. The second trilogy is a holiday series (The Death of the Sugar Fairy, The Christmas Curse, Cupid’s Capture) where the lost kids save Halloween, Christmas AND Valentine’s Day. They’re busy kids!

But I have to say I’m most excited about this next trilogy, the Magic Library series! In this series, the three lost kids have started a new school, one with peacocks and a library they could live in. But when they find a forbidden book that releases magic from other worlds into theirs, they will have to use all of their skills to save their school from dark forces.

The first book in this trilogy, The Forbidden Book, will be released this fall, and I need YOUR help!

I’m doing a contest, just for kids. Think about this series, about what it would mean if magic (dark and light) were released into your world, your school… what kind of problems would that cause? What could go wrong? What do YOU want to see in these next three books?

Unlike the first two trilogies, which had stand alone books (meaning you could read them in any order and they weren’t really connected to each other except for the characters), this new trilogy will be all connected, and each book will be longer than the first six books were. About twice as long, actually. So we have more room to play with fun plots and scary situations.

So, here’s how this is going to work. Have your parent or guardian help you comment on this post with your answer to this question:

What kind of magical trouble do you want to see The Three Lost Kids get into with this new series, based on the premise of the book?

And on September 1, we will randomly draw two winners who will get their names in the book (with their parent or guardian’s permission) and a free signed copy of The Forbidden Book once it launches. Your idea may or may not be used, but all will be considered for this and future Three Lost Kids books!

Learn more about The Three Lost Kids series here. You can also visit The Three Lost Kids website for beautiful illustrations from this series.

A gift for you!

Here’s an illustration from Maddie World for you to color! Just have an adult click on it and print!

[image error]

Swimming with the Sharks for Shark Week

Dmytry and I are in Las Vegas this week, in part for our anniversary and in part for the Romance Novel Convention, which starts Wednesday. We came a few days early to have family time with our kids, my parents and my sister, and they left today so Dmytry and I could have some alone time before convention.

We’ve been having a blast. I never thought I liked Las Vegas. I don’t gamble and I’m not a big drinker, but there’s so much else to do here! This weekend we swam with sharks, in a manner of speaking. The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino has an area called The Tank, where guests can swim… right along side sharks. The sharks are safely contained in a large shark tank, and we probably look like tasty treats just out of reach, but it’s fascinating watching them through the tank while swimming. There’s also a 3 story water slide that goes THROUGH the tank.

We are basically Shark TV for them. Some crazy reality television show where sharks watch humans in their natural habitat as they drink, party and do a lot of screaming. I can only imagine the conversations they must have about us as they watch us fly through a tube screaming.

So, tonight I discovered that Shark Week is an actual thing on The Discovery Channel. It seems this week is filled with shark news. In a sad and random twist, I also found out a friend of my family’s was attacked by a shark in Maui this week while snorkeling. She’s injured and full of stitches, but is recovering well.

In all of our exploration of the earth and space, the last great fronteir seems to be the sea. Recently, the fresh remains of a whale scientists thought was extinct washed to shore. And aparently sea creatures from nightmares may still exist.

The Megalodon is an (allegedly) extinct massive killer shark that is near 100 feet long. (To put this in perspective, the largest living documented shark right now is the Great White at 20 something feet.) But after watching a show tonight that documented some pretty compelling evidence, it looks like this badass killer of the sea is still out there munching on whales and using the occassional boat and human crew as an appetizer.

Check this out:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8XFLh-pY6nA

And plea

The world is still full of mystery and undiscovered monsters lurking in the dark. Think on that next time you swim!

And on that happy note, enjoy Shark Week! (And please forgive typos. I have no internet and am doing my fiest blog post from my cell phone. It has been painful, though not as painful as running into Megalotron in a dark sea alley.)

Seduced Fans: There’s A New Seduced Book! #paranormalmysteryromance #winabook

We are excited to announce the launch of the sequel to the Seduced: Rose’s Story. You wanted more of Rose and Derek, and now you have it! Dmytry and I have teamed up to create a new serial novel for you to enjoy. Seduced by Lies will have anywhere from 5-7 (or more) volumes, each with a mini-plot that also builds up to a bigger storyline. You will learn more about your favorite characters from Forbidden and Seduced, with more twists and turns and secrets than ever. This has some romance and heat, but is much more of a mystery. When you think you know what’s going to happen next… prepare to be surprised!

Get Seduced by Lies, Vol. 1 on Amazon and watch for Vol. 2 next month!

Hell is empty and all the devils are here. ~Shakespeare

Rose and Derek have settled into married life and are enjoying their new jobs living with and teaching paranormal kids at the mansion with Father Patrick and their new friends.

Everything seems idyllic, until paranormal teens start showing up dead in the local news, killed by what looks like a wolf attack.

As Rose, Derek and their friends seek out the truth of these mysterious killings, a Bishop sent by the Pope arrives to undo everything they’ve worked so hard to build.

Packed with mystery, romance and paranormal intrigue, Seduced by Lies picks up where Seduced by Power (and Seduced: Rose’s Story) left off, and brings in even more characters from the award-winning Forbidden Trilogy.

This is a stand-alone serial novel that will have 5-7 individual volumes. Each volume will be 20-30 thousands words. It is also a sequel to Seduced: Rose’s Story, and in some ways, a sequel to The Forbidden Trilogy.

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Mystery Romance with adult content

Length: 22, 000 words

Serial Novel: Volume 1

Get it on Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Seduced Fans: There’s A New Seduced Book! #paranormalmysteryromance

We are excited to announce the launch of the sequel to the Seduced: Rose’s Story. You wanted more of Rose and Derek, and now you have it! Dmytry and I have teamed up to create a new serial novel for you to enjoy. Seduced by Lies will have anywhere from 5-7 (or more) volumes, each with a mini-plot that also builds up to a bigger storyline. You will learn more about your favorite characters from Forbidden and Seduced, with more twists and turns and secrets then ever. This has some romance and heat, but is much more of a mystery. When you think you know what’s going to happen next… prepare to be surprised!

Get Seduced by Lies, Vol. 1 on Amazon and watch for Vol. 2 next month!

Hell is empty and all the devils are here. ~Shakespeare

Rose and Derek have settled into married life and are enjoying their new jobs living with and teaching paranormal kids at the mansion with Father Patrick and their new friends.

Everything seems idyllic, until paranormal teens start showing up dead in the local news, killed by what looks like a wolf attack.

As Rose, Derek and their friends seek out the truth of these mysterious killings, a Bishop sent by the Pope arrives to undo everything they’ve worked so hard to build.

Packed with mystery, romance and paranormal intrigue, Seduced by Lies picks up where Seduced by Power (and Seduced: Rose’s Story) left off, and brings in even more characters from the award-winning Forbidden Trilogy.

This is a stand-alone serial novel that will have 5-7 individual volumes. Each volume will be 20-30 thousands words. It is also a sequel to Seduced: Rose’s Story, and in some ways, a sequel to The Forbidden Trilogy.

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Mystery Romance with adult content

Length: 22, 000 words

Serial Novel: Volume 1

Get it on Amazon.

In Defense of Serial Novels and Cliffhangers

Haters gonna hate.
[image error]

Charles Dickins' Pickwick Papers made serial novels popular way before the internet

So maybe this post will end up preaching to the choir, I don’t know. I’m not sure it will change anyone’s mind on anything, but I feel it needs to be said.

Lately, I’ve seen a rash of reviews on Amazon whereby readers leave 1 star reviews for books that are serial novels or part of a tight trilogy with a cliffhanger ending. I don’t have a problem with people who dislike this form of literature. I personally enjoy an ongoing series that hooks me into the next book, as long as I don’t have to wait years in between installments. But they’re not for everyone. I get that, and I respect that.

What I don’t respect is when people leave horrible reviews criticizing authors for ‘duping’ them, ‘tricking’ them or ‘cheating’ them because the book in question is not a stand alone novel with everything fully resolved at the end, particularly if the book in question makes clear in the product description what is is. (Ie: A serial novel of xyz length, or a tight trilogy with a cliffhanger ending.)

The biggest critiques seemed to be aimed at self-published authors who are trying to be ‘greedy’. One commenter on a review of a popular serial novel (not any of my books, but an 8 part serial of 20k length ‘volumes’ priced at $2.99 that have hit the NYT bestseller chart and one of which is in the top 10 of Amazon right now) even went so far as to encourage people to read and return the books so they could read the series without paying for it.

WTF? This is stealing, just as an FYI. When you buy, read and return a book on Amazon, that is docked from the AUTHOR’s pay. You are STEALING a book as surely as if you went into a bookstore and stuck it under your shirt and snuck out with it. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

Here’s my beef with these reviews. If you don’t like serials, or books with cliffhanger endings, DON’T BUY THEM. I’m not sure why this is even a problem. Most of these books are clearly marked as such. If you took two seconds to read the product description, you’d learn if it was part of a series and how long the book is and could then decide whether or not you want to part with your hard-earned money and invest your time in reading it.

If you don’t take 30 seconds to do this, but instead click and buy on impulse, then don’t come screaming back to the author when you don’t like the format the book is in.

As authors, we have very few options of how to make clear what kind of book our book is. When almost all purchases are made online, we can’t rely on you seeing the size of the book before you even pick it up to look at it. We have to assume that you, dear reader, are savvy enough to note the page number and product description so you can make an intelligent purchase.

Now, I’ve fallen victim to getting something at discount or free thinking it was one thing, then finding out it was something else because I’d failed to read the product description. Bad on me. I learned my lesson and certainly didn’t go yelling at the author for it.

This series I mentioned, the 8 part serial novel that has been such a success, it clearly states everything you need to know about it before you buy it. Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I don’t feel it’s right to leave a bad review for a book if the SOLE reason you are marking it down is because it actually IS what is said it would be. If a book says it’s a 20k word volume in an 8 part series, and it turns out to in fact be a 20k world volume in an 8 part series, why leave a 1 star review on Amazon for it? You got what you paid for, what was advertised, and now you are complaining about it. Shame on you.

What’s even more stunning about these reviews is that many of these readers loved the book, but were so pissed that it wasn’t a stand alone, they left a 1 star and said they would never read another book by this author again. WHAT? Overreact much?

As for those who complain that authors are ‘breaking books apart to make more money’ or ‘tricking readers out of greed’, I have a few thoughts about that. Firstly, let’s use this serial example again. There are 8 books out, at 20k each. That’s 160k words. Most contemporary romance novels (which is what this is) range anywhere from 40k to 85k according to the Romance Writers of America contest guidelines. Given those guidelines, this series could be anywhere from 2-4 novels, if put into full length novel form, but it’s certainly not 1 book as many reviewers suggest. The author in this case is charging $2.99 per volume, which I think is a fair amount for a novella length work. A full length novel can be priced anywhere from free to $14.99.

And herein lies the problem. There’s such a wide array of pricing options for books, that it’s no longer a matter of length, professional quality or even publisher. I’ve seen traditionally published full length novels sell anywhere from $2.99 to $14.99. But if an independent author tries to price a book much higher than $4.99 or maybe $5.99, they have a much harder time selling it. Even at these prices, it gets hard for some. People seem to expect that indie authors should be cheap to free, not considering the fact that we pay out of pocket for our cover art, editing, marketing and everything else.

It’s not cheap to publish books, not when you do it with quality in mind. So why shouldn’t an author who has worked hard on these books make a fair income from them? Few people balk at paying $4 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, something that’s gone in 15 minutes, but they balk at spending less than that for a book that took considerable money and time to create.

I know I’m ranting here a bit, and I apologize, but to see so many authors and books under attack for making a living at their work, and for publishing in a format that’s been around since the Victorian era, makes me angry.

Many accuse indies of bringing this format into publishing, but Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers helped popularize the serial novel, and quite a few novels during that time were published in installments in monthly or weekly magazines and newspapers.

This isn’t new, dear readers. Not at all. The internet and new publishing trends are just allowing us to bring it back, and that’s a good thing.

Why This Format is So Popular

With the advent of the internet and bite-sized media, having smaller, easier to read installments of books is becoming more and more popular. People are busier than ever, and over-inundated with information. By breaking a book down into smaller bits that can be read more quickly, it makes books and reading more accessible to a larger number of readers.

Furthermore, we are a television generation, and these serial novels and tight trilogies (which I define as a three book series of full length novels that each have an arc, but also have an unresolved plot line that continues through all three until its resolution in the final book) hook people in the same way the cliffhanger endings at the end of your favorite television drama hook you and keep you coming back for more.

I’m much more inclined to continue reading or watching something that grips me in this way and makes me desperate to know what happens next, then if everything is tied up neatly and all of my questions are answered.

Is this greedy? No. But it is storytelling, and it is a business. We, as writers, want people to keep reading our books. We want people to feel a burning need to keep reading the next chapter or book or installment. And we have to compete against a lot of other bright shiny things trying to grab your attention.

Furthermore, not all story lines can be resolved in one book, even a very long book.

And here’s a sad truth, but it must be faced. Even if an author was inclined to break the mold and write a 200k word book (which is only considered an appropriate length for epic fantasy), so that all the story lines and plots are fully resolved as a stand alone novel, they would either have a hard time selling it to an agent and publisher (there are strict rules about how long certain books in certain genres should be), or they’d have to price it very low to self-publish it, because there seems to be an unwillingness to pay much for books that aren’t from big publishers or already-famous authors.

Now, if you’re Neil Gaiman, you can publish a book likeThe Ocean at the End of the Lane, which is only 56,000 words, and get away with a $12.80 price point for the ebook.[image error]

a short novel, but well worth the read

I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, and I bought and read this book and loved it completely, but I also know that I couldn’t charge that for even my omnibus sets of books that include 3 books and nearly 300,000 words, no matter how well written, because I am not Neil Gaiman.

Sadly.

Where Do We Go From Here?

What’s the point of this article? In part to show that the trend of serial novels and trilogies is not a new thing, not something indie authors have conspired to create in order to rob unsuspecting readers, and not a bad thing.

They are fun! They are a way for fans to get books faster from their favorite authors. A way to engage in an ongoing story and become more involved in the characters and their lives. A way to live in that world for much longer than if it was just one book.

And a way for authors who enjoy writing ongoing series to make a living entertaining their fans. And a way for them to experiment with different story lines and POVs, or to play with genre tropes, or to try new plot lines out.

There are some big WIN-WINs for readers and writers of serial novels and trilogies, and I hope writers aren’t scared off by the criticism being levied against those who have been successful in this art form. Clearly, enough readers enjoy these types of books that they are making it to the bestselling lists.

I also wrote this post to encourage people to take care when writing a review. If you didn’t like a book, that’s fine. Was the writing bad? The plot weak? Go at it with your review. Did you just not like it as a story? You’re entitled.

But are you giving a 1 or 2 star to a well-written book on principle because you’re trying to make a point that serial novel and books with cliffhanger endings shouldn’t be written at all? Because that’s just silly and cruel.

Please, before you leave a review like that, go back and read the product description. If the book makes clear what it is, and you still chose to buy and read it, then think twice before gutting it publicly. You hurt the author unnecessarily. Can’t we acknolwoedge that while you might not like this format, others do, and authors have every right to engage in writing serial novels and cliffhanger books if they want? You aren’t being forced to buy or read them, but why try to drum them out of business entirely?

Instead, why not just move on? Pay more attention to the product description and buy books that are stand alone novels?

Haters gonna hate, but why? Let’s put aside this hate and find books we love. There’s no shortage of great books out there from serials to trilogies to stand alone novels. There’s something for everyone and all formats have their place in this new digital age.

Kiss Me in the Airport: Our first kiss

My husband—Dmytry Karpov, AKA The Sexy Russian Prince, AKA my writing partner—and I are about to celebrate our wedding anniversary on July 2. It’s an epic day for us, because we are living an epic love.

And it all started with a kiss. Here’s the story of our first kiss, and how it led to Kiss Me in Paris, our first book baby.

KIMBERLY SAYS:

[image error]I kissed my husband within moments of seeing him for the first time.

It was like a scene from a movie. Our eyes met across a crowded airport. We were drawn to each other like magnets. (Or something more romantic than magnets. Also, something more romantic than moths to a flame, because that simile sounds painful.)

The air between us sizzled with desire and unmet need. When he reached for me and pulled me to him, when my breasts pressed against the muscles in his chest, my heart beat faster and butterflies swarmed my stomach. His lips found mine, and as he deepened that kiss, our essence mingling as we breathed in each other, I knew I’d spend the rest of my life loving this man.

How could I know so soon?

Well, there is a backstory. You see, we may have just met that moment in the airport on New Year’s Eve, but we’d been anticipating that meeting for months.

Dmytry and I first got to know each other on Twitter. Through a series of fortuitous tweets, we discovered a shared love of writing.

What started out as writing partners grew into something more, but we weren’t ready to call it love. Not yet.

We were scared. Scared of how we would make it work when we lived in different countries. Scared of what the world would say to our age difference, to the fact that I already had three children.

But it didn’t matter, because the love we had was stronger than our fears, stronger than our demons, stronger than anything the world could put in our way to stop us.

And so that kiss was a promise of forever.[image error]

As Winter says in Kiss Me in Paris, “Airports hold their own kind of magic. They are gateways to other worlds, in the most real sense. An airport is a portal, taking you from one life to another. When you fly, you’re suspended in time and place, not existing anywhere fully until you land.” And she’s right.

That day, in that airport, with that kiss, we traveled from one life to another.

I traveled from the life of a single mom struggling to make ends meet, to a married woman working full time with her husband to live both of our dreams as writers.

And it’s a trip I’ll never forget.

When Winter and Cade kiss for the first time, they get fireworks in Paris, but when Dmytry and I kissed for the first time, we got a whole new life.

Happy Anniversary, my love. I could never imagine my life without you.

DMYTRY SAYS:

[image error]We once had a Skype conversation, and it went something like this:

Kimberly asked, “Will we kiss, at the airport?”

And I typed, “We will. I’ll kiss you.”

Then she replied with a

I don’t remember. But I do remember that from that moment I started to plan our first kiss.

I’d kiss her forehead first. Now, I’m not sure why I thought that. Perhaps because I’m taller than most people and foreheads are mostly what I see. So I imagined: I’d lean down and kiss her forehead. Good.

Next, I’d cup her face in my hands, look her in the eyes, and say, “I love you.” That would be our first in-person ‘I love you,’ and it seemed fitting that it should come before our first kiss. Now, I know that’s not the way things usually happen in real life. In real life, people kiss, then say I love you weeks or months later. Right. Right. Right. But it is the way things usually happen in the movies. And I like movies. So do most people. Often, they’re more romantic than real life. So my life would be like a movie.

Once all the forehead kissing and the eye staring and the love speaking was done with, then, and only then, would I kiss Kimberly. That sounded perfect to me.

Of course, I knew it would never happen. Things never happen as you expect.

Days later, I got ready to leave.

I packed one backpack. I left early in the morning. A few hours later, I arrived at the Los Angeles airport. There were a great many people there, and I walked alone for a long while. My greatest fear became that I would not recognize Kimberly the first time I saw her. Or perhaps, that I had already seen her and walked by. Terrifying thoughts, really. How did I expect my plan to ever work?

Eventually, I noticed a group of children. And they noticed me. And then they smiled and charged at me.

I knew them to be Kimberly’s kids. And looking over their cute little heads, I knew that I would see the woman of my dreams.

And I did.

She stood before me, though she was still a few feet away, radiant and glowing and warm like the sun.

I gave the kids at my feet a hug.

And as Kimberly walked toward me, I walked toward her.

We hugged. And I kissed her forehead. And I cupped her face and stared at her eyes, big, blue and beautiful, and I said, “I love you.”

And I kissed her.

After that, I don’t remember much. We walked to the car I suppose. But I do remember what I learned.

That sometimes, things do turn out as you expect. And sometimes they turn out even better. And that from that moment on, my life turned out even better than I imagined.

[image error]Our love for each other is made out of memories. And that first kiss may be the most powerful memory of all. When I think of the human experience, I can think of nothing more powerful than falling in love. It’s something everyone should experience.

And I want to help them. So I wrote a novel with Kimberly, now my wife, about falling in love. It’s called Kiss Me in Paris, and it captures all the wonder and excitement I felt that day at the airport.

I hope this novel helps people experience love and remember their own. I hope, reading it, they’ll remember their first kiss.

And how they planned it.

Or how they didn’t.

And how wonderful it was.

Happy Anniversary, my love. You taught me that things do work out. That good things do happen. Thank you for that. And thank you for everything. I love you. And always, will I remember our first kiss.

OUR BOOK BABY

[image error]We have a book baby, and it is epic.

If reviewers can be believed—and OF COURSE they can be—then Kiss Me in Paris is an epic tale of love, romance, family, friendship and forgiveness. For those of you who might think this book is just another insipid romance, not so my friend.

Not so.

You will pee your pants laughing and cry your eyes out weeping. You will become so angry you might need to punch something, and you will sigh in pure happiness. One reviewer even left part of her soul IN THE WORDS OF OUR BOOK.

Yes, this is the power of Kiss Me in Paris. It’s SOUL STEALING, and we are not going to apologize for that.

This week, in honor of our wedding anniversary, Kiss Me in Paris is on sale for only $2.99. That’s $2 off launch price and less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

And it’s fat free, gluten free, calorie free and won’t stain your teeth.

It will also take you longer to read than a cup of coffee takes you drink, and it will give you an entire adventure in Paris. Unless you’re drinking your coffee right there in the city of love, no coffee is going to do that for you.

If you are drinking your coffee in Paris right now, then firstly, we’re jealous (send us a postcard, mmkay?), and secondly, still read this book, because PARIS. And LOVE. And EPICNESS.

Here’s the part where we tell you about the book, but it’s really not enough to do it justice. So let us first say that there is just so much in Kiss Me in Paris. Layered themes and a sexy cowboy studying to be an architect, and a girl who’s a dreamer with a dark past, and gargoyles and Notre Dame and mazes designed by futuristic architects (because that’s an actual thing, and Cade will tell you what that means), and heartbreak and love and happy endings and evil and just SO MUCH.

So go learn more about Kiss Me in Paris on Amazon, B&N, and wherever ebooks are sold (Except iBooks, sadly, because they are taking FOREVER to publish books. So if you have an iPad, iPhone or iAnything, get an Amazon app for free and you’re set) . Look for the paperback and hardback coming soon.

You can even get a FREE SAMPLE on these sites. FREE! How can you resist?

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1adeUti

B&N: http://amzn.to/1adeUti

Add it on Goodreads at: http://bit.ly/XPBKCZ

And don’t forget to enter our romantic Kiss Me in Paris swag giveaway. Because. PARIS. And LOVE. And EPICNESS. Remember?

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The Sexy Russian Prince also makes music

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I love this man with an epic, all-cosuming, forever kind of love.

Most of you know how in love I am with my husband and co-author, Dmytry Karpov (AKA The Sexy Russian Prince.)

And most of you know that he’s an amazing husband, father, writer and cover artist (check out my Seduced books, Kiss Me in Paris, and Sunrise & Nightfall… all him!)

But did you know he also composes music?

When Dmytry and I first met on Twitter, we became writing partners and soon fell in love. But while we were in that in between stage of falling in love but not admitting it, he wrote me a song. You can listen to it below. “Kimberly’s Song.”

For my birthday the next year, he recorded several other songs for me. I’ve included another one of my favorites here as well.

Dmytry used to play piano for my kids over the phone, before he moved to California to be with us full time. Now he teaches our kids to play piano. Our wedding anniversary is on July 2, we just launched our first book together (Kiss Me in Paris, available on Amazon and B&N) and I’m more and more in love with him every day.

Kimberly’s Song By Dmytry Karpov

Dancing Over Ripples By Dmytry Karpov

New Adult Contemporary Romance with drama, humor & passion: Kiss Me in Paris

[image error]This is an epic day. My husband, Dmytry Karpov, and I just launched our first novel together. Kiss Me in Paris is a new adult contemporary romance that blends romance, passion, family drama, humor and real life issues with the excitement of international travel.

It’s amazing to me that I have a husband I can write books with, a man who shares my passion, someone with whom I can spend nearly every moment of my life with and still enjoy being around! We learned a lot, writing this book together. We argued over dangling prepositions and debated about word choice and discussed at length whether a dialogue tag should be Winter says, or says Winter.

And we loved every minute.

Dmytry has been my story consultant for the Forbidden Trilogy and Seduced Trilogy, and I’m so proud to have him as my co-author for the Kiss Me Series and many more books in the future.

I think what I love most about Kiss Me in Paris is how real it is. How profound and funny and romantic and fun it is. There are scenes that will have you peeing your pants laughing so hard. And there are scenes that are so heartbreaking, you’ll weep your eyes out. There are life lessons woven into this story that reflect real truths about what it means to be in love, be in a family, be an independent person pursuing your own passions. I love every word in this book.

I never thought I’d write contemporary. I love fantasy and paranormal and all of my previous books reflect that. But there was something truly special about writing a contemporary novel, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the Kiss Me Series. (Next up, Kiss Me in Cairo, a romance with mystery.)

ABOUT KISS ME IN PARIS

[image error]Get it on Amazon here.

“From start to finish I couldn’t help but laugh, cry, cheer…” –Dalene Kolb

“This book made me run through a gambit of emotions from being happy and laughing my butt off to being angry and upset with the characters to feeling incredible sadness and loss.” –Sharon Hughes

When the city of love brings two lost souls together, only their darkest secrets can tear them apart.



Winter Deveaux tried love once. It didn’t end well. Unable to open herself up to another heartbreak, she hides in her romance novels as she struggles to break out as a real author. She thinks Paris holds the answer to a new start, but when her nightmare follows her across the world, she’s forced to face the darkness living like cancer inside her soul. If she doesn’t, she might miss her chance to become the kind of writer she’s always wanted to be. But more than that, she’ll miss out on the greatest love she’s ever known.

Cade Savage is heir to the largest ranching family in Texas. Part cowboy, part architect, Cade has his feet forever in two worlds. When he receives an acceptance letter from the school of his dreams, he must decide between family and destiny. But ghosts from his past still haunt him, and circumstances beyond his control may decide his fate.

When Winter and Cade meet, everything they believe about life, love and what it means to be happy is put to the test.

Will the magic of Paris pull these two lost souls together? Or will their darkest secrets tear them apart?

[image error]Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Full length novel: 87, 000 words



Kiss Me in Paris is a standalone novel in the Kiss Me Series. Travel the world with the Deveaux sisters as they find love, and trouble, in all the right places.

Get it on Amazon here.

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