Kindra Kinnaman has a new home!

Well, everyone! It's about time I joined the world of author websites and I have done it tonight! Enjoy!
http://kindrakinnaman.wix.com/creator-of-worlds

New Project!

Now, I've had this idea in my mind for quite some time and will finally be getting it down on paper while I take a hiatus from the Executioner Trilogy. Here is a small teaser for "The Harvested!"


In a dark, cold world, geneticists find a link to our evolution within those who exhibit supernatural abilities. They are forced to live apart from their family and loved ones for the benefit of scientists with dark intentions. It will be up to one woman to stop the harvest.

Stress and a Wedding!

Well, everyone, as you can probably guess from the title of this post...... I'm getting MARRIED! The date is set for May 3, 2014, but I need the help of my fans. I have begun a GoFundMe page for donations because there is no way we can afford this all on our own and we're paying for all of it. So, if you guys don't mind, any donations would be greatly appreciated.


http://www.gofundme.com/4u4wg4

Yup....I've done it again

I know, I know. I'm busy enough, right? What with working, obtaining my BA in Psychologly and working on three books. Well, I've done it again. I have begun work on a brand new concept! I am here to announce work on "The SunDailer," has begun!

New Review!

I have always said that my work is great for both genders, but here's the proof in my latest review. From a man. I am very proud of this review!

"Flowers of Evil, Les Fleurs du Mal as Charles Baudelaire would say, has a fascinating preposition and theme. Don't be put off by the chick lit genre. This is not a soppy, candy bar sucking, over- indulgence in heart string tugging and hunks swishing damsels in distress off their tiny feet. Far from it, Flowers of Evil is deep and heavy as the title suggests. It is the incarnation of folklore brought to life, the translation of vague mysteries into tangible encounters, and the construction of gore and grim endings. High stars!"

Like I said, everyone should be checking out my book. Why it hasn't been picked up by an agent yet, I have no idea. I am still waiting to hear from Zeno which is seriously considering it so I've got my fingers crossed.

I Am Back To Announce.....

I know it's been quite a while since I have posted, but other things have had my attention. One of those things is the second installment to the Executioner Trilogy as well as two new projects. "Snow White Forever" hasn't had me as much as this new project I will be starting today. It will be told from the point of view of the vampire lover turned victim. It is titled "Finding Darkness." I hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Haters Everywhere.....

My first book of the Executioner Trilogy has sparked tons and tons of rave reviews, but for every thousands of fans, you are bound to find at least one hater. Yes, I said it, I have my first hater. I can take constructive criticism, but stating there are problems where there aren't is another thing.

And no one likes a hater....

I am still under serious consideration from Zeno Literary Agency which, by my luck, represents a very well known author in my particular genre. Charlaine Harris! So am I excited. You bet ya!

Of course, I don't need everyone's approval. Heck, Stephen King is loved by most but there are still some who can't stand his writing. I am following the same trend it seems, which I don't mind. That just lets me know I am truly great.

Continue......

I am in absolute awe at the rave reviews that keep pouring in. Everyone is loving it and one of the most recent reviews has really captured my heart. Here is it:

"I think you are reinventing Buffy here - total compliment! Robin is tough and funny, a bit isolated and has something that makes her special. Tons of women will relate to that. And the guys will love the blood and gore. There's a depth to the history and you've clearly put a lot of thought into creating a believable world. I also found Robin's ability to see and feel energy very intriguing - nice original idea. The writing is clear and easy to read and the narrative rolls forward at a cracking pace. Really, really well done!"


As well as this one:

"Some strong command of the language to create vivid images! Interesting depiction of vampire at the end of the prologue. Robin is a true Executioner of evil. I like the way you describe the battle between a vampire hungry for revenge of his mate and Robin. I also like the name you chose: almost Robin Hood of the modern day. Your story is very well written, high stars from me."


I can only hope more reviews like this keep coming in and I can finally gain even more success with my work that I have worked so hard on. Looks like the 9+ years of hard work are finally paying off.

Two More Rave Reviews!

I woke up yesterday to find two new rave reviews on my Authonomy page for my book "Follow the Ashes" (aka "Flowers of Evil").  I have to say these are encouraging. These are all four reviews I have gotten so far.

" Hi Kindra; I have just read your first three chapters.Very entertaining they were too. If ever there was a book suited to its chosen genres then this is it.

Having the prologue set back in the Ripper days gives this an instant touch of believability. It makes the book seem grounded in the possible rather than improbable. The gypsy twist works and sets this up nicely.

You got me with the move to the present day. I wasn't expecting that, but it worked fine. We are straight into vampire killing action and get a taste for how it feels doing it. But I thought chapter two was the standout here. The bath scene gave the reminiscing a touch more poignance and the heat from Robins body is a very unusual idea. The coffee scene and steam in the bath both added to this and gives a lot of scope for expansion. Good job. This book has great potential and I am sure will be well liked here."

1.   "   Kindra,

I've read through Chapter 10 and would happily read more today if I had time. The story moves along at a good pace, is entertaining and exciting with lots of mystery to keep the reader going. We learn all about what Robin is feeling as she goes about her hunting, but the story never clogs down. I think the biggest strength of your writing appears when you describe physical sensations, which is so important here because Robin feels her way through the scenes. There were many passages where I felt I was experiencing things through Robin as she observed everything around her so viscerally. It's almost like she's a nerve center moving around, touching everything, sensing everything. I'm not familiar with this genre (though I was a big fan of Buffy about twelve years ago!), but I'd guess one unique thing about your story is the roll of Gypsy folklore. I found this to be a compelling ingredient, particularly with the identification of Lilith in Chapter 10."

1.     " So jack, witches vampires gypsies… man you’ve got a lot of supernatural going on here. Nicely linked though, but what will you do with all those links… hmmm. A CHANGE IN TIME AND mc? Perhaps??? Nice clinical kill and a look into our characters skill and history, but what is the secret? Nice secret, that even she doesn’t fully appreciate and nice setup with her friend Beth. The internal struggle bit was nicely played, enough so to require another chapter… OK, so nice chapter 4, the sense between the two leads (I assume) was palpable and the whole sensing thing was really the strength of your tale. You really draw the reader in through these moments, creating a tangible presense and mystery that drives the tale beyond where you began."

""I love a decent fantasy and this has a cross-fantasy feel with lots of different threads. Thought it might be too much but settld nicely and dragged me in. Lots of tension and aventure with lots to promise. Lots of shining stars fro this one and a watch listing. Good luck"

 

Another Rave Review!

I woke up this morning to find another rave review of my book! Here it is!

Hi Kindra; I have just read your first three chapters.

Very entertaining they were too. If ever there was a book suited to its chosen genres then this is it.

Having the prologue set back in the Ripper days gives this an instant touch of believability. It makes the book seem grounded in the possible rather than improbable. The gypsy twist works and sets this up nicely.

You got me with the move to the present day. I wasn't expecting that, but it worked fine. We are straight into vampire killing action and get a taste for how it feels doing it. But I thought chapter two was the standout here. The bath scene gave the reminiscing a touch more poignance and the heat from Robins body is a very unusual idea. The coffee scene and steam in the bath both added to this and gives a lot of scope for expansion.

Like Edward says, there is only minor things to deal with here. There was very little actual faults. My only point would be to watch repetition as this does happen where you repeat the same word within a line or two of each other. This just breaks the flow a touch. Also, every now and again you put a word like 'almost' before a description which would be far stronger if you just went for it without the preceding word. All minor stuff and easily sorted.

Good job. This book has great potential and I am sure will be well liked here.
Richard
The Snow Lily

First Review!

I have found my first review on my book on Authonomy. This review is base on the version with the editing job as well as the new chapter. This will give plenty of incentive for people to check it out. There are somehow still a few small grammatical errors that Word didn't catch, but this is the part I am proud of the most:


"Kindra,
I've read through Chapter 10 and would happily read more today if I had time. The story moves along at a good pace, is entertaining and exciting with lots of mystery to keep the reader going. We learn all about what Robin is feeling as she goes about her hunting, but the story never clogs down. I think the biggest strength of your writing appears when you describe physical sensations, which is so important here because Robin feels her way through the scenes. There were many passages where I felt I was experiencing things through Robin as she observed everything around her so viscerally. It's almost like she's a nerve center moving around, touching everything, sensing everything.

I'm not familiar with this genre (though I was a big fan of Buffy about twelve years ago!), but I'd guess one unique thing about your story is the roll of Gypsy folklore. I found this to be a compelling ingredient, particularly with the identification of Lilith in Chapter 10."

This Time With Gusto...!

Well, hello everyone. I know I have been absent for a while, but I promise it hasn't been because I forgot about you all. Work and classes take up a lot of time. So much I have to now work on two projects instead of just the next installment for "The Executioner Trilogy." I have come up with a new concept as of yesterday that I will be soon working on, along with the other project. It is going to be a rework of the Snow White story that I'm sure most would've never thought of. Still thinking of a name for it, but I hope I will have one soon.

Choices....Choices...

I'm standing here eating breakfast and typing away furiously. i have a decision rolling around in my brain. Mirador Publishing has shown an interest in my book. A HUGE interest at that. I am torn between choosing them to publish or not. I saw a thread on the Writer's WaterCooler that another author friend of mine had found regarding this group. There was only one good thing on that thread about it from one of their authors. So, I'm here listening to "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain and eating my cheesy eggs, bacon, and potato bread toast, thinking about the decision I need to make.

Now, I still need to send them the full manuscript, but that's still a huge decision in itself considering what I've read about them. What do I do? Do I jump at one of the 3 chances I've been given to go with a vanity publisher? Or do I turn them down? Hmmmm.....

This is very tough for me. I am truly torn....

My Editing Bender

Here is the plan for the weekend. Try to get this massive edit done today, and write my final paper for Research Methods of Psychology tomorrow. I have been at work on this major edit for a week or so now, but with work and school it seems like it's taking forever. While book sales online are doing somewhat better, they're not where I want them to be.

This is where I enlist the help of my readers. If you love it as much as I do, please spread the word. The word of mouth is a powerful thing and I plan to use it. As I sit here and watch "The Help" with my little sister, I am hopeful things will pick up soon.

Thank you to all my faithful readers in advance for helping me make my success possible!

There She Goes. There She Goes Again....

Yet again, I hate the editing process. But to get into my chosen market I must do what I have to do. This also would entail a possible HUGE change. The title.

Apparently, publishers and agents alike can't stand that fact that there is a book of poetry by Baudelaire and a famous manga series by the same title. I could be mistaken, but I had read in a few places that it is a good idea to have a title that will show up when searched right up there with those top sellers. Which just happen to be these two things. I chose the title long before this, but seeing it reaffirmed my belief that the title was amazing and need not be changed. Well, apparently I was wrong.

While these two things are not competing directly in my market genre, I guess they feel it would be competition. I have no idea, but now I am debating something. Use the series of themed taglines I had concocted to go on the covers as the titles themselves for all three parts of the trilogy. Do I want to do this? Of course not. Do I and my publicist/friend believe the original titles fit better than any other possible title? Yes.

But do I want my personal opinion to stand in the way of me getting published? Hell no. So here I go, yet again. A major edit and a title change.

Why, oh why?

As much as I love writing, I absolutely loathe the editing process when it has already been done about four times. But apparently the work is more intelligent than it should be for it's audience. So I am working on shortening a few sentences, adding a few commas, and throwing out my extensive vocabulary in this HUGE re-edit.

Sound like fun? Not really.

So I am sitting here listening to "Bounty Hunter" starring one of my favorites, Gerard Butler. All the while trying to edit something I don't feel really needs the edit. For what reason you may ask? Because the publishers said so.

A massive re-edit and I will be on my way.

Fun and Guns in Tennessee

Me, my husband, and step-son went to Speedwell, Tennessee this weekend to visit my father in law. All I can say is there isn't much to do when you have no cell phone signal, butt that leaves you open to so many other possibilities like sitting around talking about everything and nothing and, my personal favorite, learning how to shoot my gun. Which I will go ahead and mention I hadn't had the pleasure of firing off any rounds until yesterday.

Instead of writing like I had originally planned, we ended up in the backyard with some make-shift targets learning how to shoot a multitude of guns, but I loved my pistol so much I didn't want to hand it over to anyone else. This gun is one that was used by Polish police in the 1970s and I couldn't be happier with our purchase.

Who knew shooting guns could be so therapeutic? Definitely not me. I was nervous about the kick, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. This is definitely some good research for the Executioner Trilogy where I may give them guns, or for any of my other future works. Oh the possibilities.

It's OMNIFIC!

Well, all I came home expecting to have yet another rejection letter but behold there was a letter expressing interest for my "intriguing" book "Flowers of Evil." While Cascade Literary passed because of its current self-published status, Omnific Publishing is seriously looking into it.

I can't begin to explain how excited this makes me. All other writers out there know that your first letter like this that's not from vanity press is exciting. I was approached by Tate Publishing as well as Dorrance Publishing in the past year, but getting this from a traditional publishing house makes all the hard work and all the rejection letters worth it.

Here's to even better news to come.....hopefully

Sample Chapter "Flowers of Evil": Chapter 1

I bet you all are wondering a little bit about how our main character has come to be where she was in the recent chapter sample I had posted! Well here is another sample chapter, chapter 1! Hope you guys enjoy and remember, if interested in purchasing "Flowers of Evil" it is available in the Barnes & Noble Nook store as well as LuLu and Ganxy which are also shared on this blog. I also have a Facebook page available! http://www.facebook.com/kmkinnaman

Chapter 1: Our Journey Has Just Begun

I didn’t realize just how tender I was until I lowered myself into the scalding hot water in my porcelain claw foot bath tub. It was almost like knives and needles piercing my muscles making it so uncomfortable I almost wanted to jump right back out. The mirror was fogged up and the steam coming off of the surface of the water was a welcome sight. Nothing in this world made me feel better then water that felt like the surface of the sun no matter how painful it was to get into at first, especially after an extremely difficult hunting session. Many people would assume this was the hunting of animals, but I was particularly interested in a whole different kind of game. The kind that walked and talked like a human being, but once you saw the fangs and felt its evil, you knew you made the wrong assumption and you knew that assumption would end your life. The fight I had just ended was particularly strenuous.

There were more vampires then I had ever had to kill all on my own before which made this fight so much harder than any before now. One of them was a very ravenous and snarky female who was the hardest to take down. She would snarl a promise of destruction every chance she got, which made it so much easier for me to want to end her than it already was just because of what she was.

 As I sat there and let my mind wander I thought of the power I had inside of me. The power I realized was there not even a year ago. I held out my hand, palm side up feeling the water run down my arm, and I could see all of the heat rising up from my skin and I built up the little bit of energy and heat it took to send small trickles of flames across the underside of my lower arm. That’s when I smiled and I listened to the slight sizzle of the water evaporating when the flames hit it and the little bit of steam I could see when this happened was almost satisfying. A slight tingle throughout my body and in my gut reminded me of how good it felt to have that small release after a lengthy and difficult day, especially if there was no need for its use.

            The delicate glow of my skin as this happened was something some people noticed outside of this small act. It was like I had been out in the sun and just happened to tan very well even though in reality I burned so badly I looked like a tomato after only being in the sun for five minutes. I never did it in public but this glow from the heat and energy resonating inside of my body was hard to hide no matter how many layers of clothes I would wear or how gloomy it was outdoors. The glow gave my skin a look of being out in the sun all day, even though I barely stepped foot out my front door during the day, since my prey had a tendency to surface only when the moon was shining its light down on the world and that wasn’t good for tanning. And sometimes I could swear, there in the darkness, that this small amount of a glow would make me hard to miss.

Where did this gift come from? I wish I knew. I just chalked it up to a big mystery that I would never solve, and I guessed I was okay with that.

            All I remembered about the time I figured out I had the gift of fire was that I was at work as a barista at the local coffee shop at the age of twenty three. I had turned a warm caramel macchiato into a scalding, overflowing mess that almost burned my customer’s entire arm. But I had learned how to control it now, which was a blessing in disguise as far as I was concerned. After this fiasco though my father realized I wasn’t going to be able to hold down a job without running the risk of burning the place down. He had actually believed that my hands would turn into burning embers instead of denying it, which was completely out of character for him. So what he did was buy my house and make it his mission to take care of me and all of my baggage.  Yeah that’s a little slothful on my part but this gives me more time to take care of the whole saving the world bit, which needed to be my main focus since holding down a part time job and paying the bills wasn’t going to do it for me. I also don’t hear from him often since my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer. It was like once she was gone there was no need for further contact except when needed.

            She had fought for what seemed like an eternity, but was really a three month struggle before she closed her eyes and let out that final breath that lets you know her suffering was over. By this time she had lost so much weight she looked like a skeletal Barbie doll, but she always managed to have make up on and looking her best no matter how bad she felt. I admired that about her and I still did.

            Even to this day I could remember the light floral scent she used to wear and every time I ran across this particular scent it reminded me of her. The smell of jasmine would always fill a room when she entered, but it was never an overwhelming scent. No matter how much of it she would spread over her wrists and neck, the scent was barely there but yet noticeable when she passed or you were right next to her. Her dark hair was always styled in different ways daily even through those three months.

            I looked more like my mother than my father and I also inherited her compassion and the ability to make anything my own without much effort.

            I was there when she passed. Sitting at her bedside as she took her last breaths I was able to sense when it had happened and her soul had departed, drifting off in an invisible cloud of pureness and radiance. Even though she was no longer in a physical form, she was always there in spirit and I could always sense her. Especially when I was in my darkest hours.

A deep dream not too long after my discovery told me who I was and what my gift was to be used for. There was a woman in a beautiful, sleek white dress whose sleeves had delicate and long bells on the end of the sleeves covering her hands. She was walking slowly towards me in a light mist that covered the ground and her feet and gave this woman an air of mystery.

Her hair was long and dark, reaching her hips, with a slight wave that gave it dimension and the shine in it was like the sun was beating down on it even though there was no sun to be seen. Her eyes were the color of the spring leaves, and her skin was as pale as the winter snow and just as delicate like if you touched it she would crumble to the ground one flake at a time. She reminded me so much of my mother, and I took it as a sign that my mother was the reason this message was being sent to me by a being that looked so much like her. Her voice was like silk as she spoke to me of the upcoming battle between good and evil, but never revealed much more than that, like I was going to be the person writing this story and only so much of what was to come was predestined. All she revealed was that I had a journey I had to complete and these gifts that were bestowed upon me were a way to help me make this journey and take my place in this conflict. She also told me another woman with a whole other set of gifts was going to be my companion through this journey, and a part of my army in the clash between the light and the dark. I couldn’t help but remember how much this woman reminded me of my mother as my thoughts drifted in and out of this memory. Even the vague scent of jasmine hung in the air when I awoke, leaving me almost breathless.

That’s when a thundering knock on the bathroom door startled me out of the deepening pool of my thoughts and I could’ve stayed in that place forever.

            “You okay in there, Robin?” my roommate Elizabeth, Beth for short, inquired through the white, crisp bathroom door. I almost wished the door was made out of lead as soon as I felt the concern in her voice, which had me sinking farther down into the claw foot tub until the water was up to my chin. That edge to her voice always had me running for cover and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon as far as I could tell. It contained annoyance, concern, as well as a tiny bit of anger that she had to wait for me at all. To be honest, she didn’t have to. She could have gone by herself if she wanted, but for some reason she felt she had to wait for me.

            “Yes. I’m great, actually.” Of course I was being sarcastic. I wasn’t okay. Never was and I had no idea why she would think I was okay when I had such a huge secret to keep from those around me.

 At least my secret wasn’t one I had to keep from my best friend, but that was only because she had a gift as well and this gift was the gift of foresight. Wasn’t that a pain in the ass? So, because of that, she always knew how I’d feel on certain days before I even knew what made me feel that way, which was really annoying and I wished I could get away from sometimes. “We really need to get headed out. You know how that club is. Don’t want that dreamy vision of mine to get away.”

            As I groaned I could feel her frustration coming at me in waves through the bathroom door, making me want to sink further into the clear water until I was completely submerged to never come out again. Damn, I hadn’t even gotten to wash my hair yet, I thought. It was still gross from my nightly excursion as well as my rumble with that snarling woman. I submerged my head under the warm water and quickly returned to the surface, gulping in air and trying to get water out of my ears which wasn’t going very well to say the least. Scrubbing shampoo through my hair and into my scalp I yelled, “Give me a second.” I let the impatience at her insistence to hurry along penetrate every nook and cranny of my voice, and I could tell it had annoyed her even more than her insistence to leave had annoyed me. Good. Goal accomplished.

            I could hear the heels of her pumps as she walked away from the door and down the hall, agitation echoing with every step she took and that really made me wish she wouldn’t wear those things when she was agitated, but that sound took me back to when we first met, not even a month after the coffee shop incident.

            I was walking in downtown Los Angeles, something they tell all attractive young women never to do, but I was doing anyways. Plus, who would want to mess with someone who could turn them into a pile of nothing when I was through with them.  I noticed a muffled sound in the dark, damp alley to my right that was so obscured in shadows I almost couldn’t see anything at all. All I remembered was that I should keep going and mind my own business. It was probably a creepy man down there with a lady of the evening and he was doing something to her she didn’t enjoy as much as he might have been, but I couldn’t help myself. Damn human curiosity.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned my head, dreading what I’d see in the shadows and thinking it would be something I definitely didn’t want or need to see and I would be scarred for life.  As soon as I saw the sight of a man with very long canine teeth about to sink them into the neck of a woman around my age something took over and there was going to be no way I would be able to stop it.

            It felt like a monster was inside of me. Beating on my skull, my ribcage, trying to get out and right this wrong being done and as I let it consume me with a fear so strong I’d never felt before I sensed a heat rippling through me that I felt I wouldn’t be able to contain. It started in my belly and worked its way throughout my body in thick waves of heat that pulsed with the same rhythm as my own heartbeat. I knew my eyes had to have been radiant at this point because a fire was blazing inside me, begging for sweet release, and I was going to give it what it wanted. No questions asked. I didn’t fight the instinct to put my hand out and yell out to get the creatures’ attention, the power in me distorting my voice to a demonic gravely blast of sound that would have scared even me if I didn’t know where it was coming from. The power running through me was like nothing I had ever felt before.  As the creature turned it was so quickly that he looked like a slight blur, dropping its victim and hissing a promise of death. My hand began developing a luminosity that could blind a whole city block without effort and I almost couldn’t look at it myself as that light began to grow even brighter.

            The creature hissed again and started to back away, holding its pasty white hand just in front of his deep crimson eyes to block the intense light I was discharging and would surely blind him. It wasn’t doing him any good considering the light was causing his skin to smolder and blister like he had stuck it on the eye of a stove. That’s when it happened. As the light grew to a glow that rivaled the sun, flames burst from my palm, incinerating the creature in a matter of seconds. He fell into a pile of gray ash and the fire ceased to flow from my hand in slow trickles.

            When all remnants of the intense power I had no idea was this strong, I felt so weak I almost couldn’t stand. I fell against the wet brick of the alley as the woman ran up to me with hands out to keep me from falling to the ground instead, but that didn’t seem to work. I was dead weight and so weak I almost couldn’t hold my own head up just like a newborn baby. The rush of heat that had run through my entire body produced a cold sweat that made me shiver and my teeth chatter like I had been standing outside in a blizzard.

            Through a haze of fatigue and the sound of my chattering teeth I could somehow hear the woman thank me for saving her life and telling what her name was, but I hardly thought this was the time to be introducing herself. There was an edge of fear to her voice as she was shakily asking me if I was okay. What was her name? I could only hear muffled sounds and see her lips move like she was speaking but all I could hear could best be described as the sound from Charlie Brown.  Elizabeth? Yeah that was it. Elizabeth. She later became known to me as Beth.  It was like my soul was calling out to her and the connection was instant and I knew exactly who she was. She was my salvation and my companion in the fight that would soon tear the world apart and it would never be the same again.

            I let out another sigh and sunk deeper into the tub as that resonating heat licked up through my belly, causing the water to bubble a little around my entire body and then cease and it was like they had never existed. Quickly rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I rose from the tub, the cool air around me causing my skin to develop goose bumps.

            I hastily dried myself off and blew my hair dry, barely even bothering to run a brush through it. Beth was going to be pissed it even took me this long to get my ass out of the tub and into some clothes for a night out that wasn’t really going to be a night out which I hated because I never got just a night out without having to kill something. It was scouting. She had a vision of some dreamy guy who she apparently thought was put in her path just for her. Too bad it never seemed like I could find one just for me who I could tell my secret to who wouldn’t go running for the hills thinking I was schizophrenic or something. Now wasn’t that just too bad?