Today I'm very happy to present a guest post from Kimberly Kinrade as part of the blog tour for Forbidden Fire brought to you by Innovative Online Booktours. The guest post is first, read on down to find out more about the book and ayuthor.
Do you see the magic in the
everyday moments?
As a fantasy writer, I
create magic all the time. My characters dive into darkness, challenging
monsters, overcoming fears, and mastering their powers.
But what about in real
life? How does a writer of magic find the magic in something so benign as doing
dishes? Escapism and the willing suspension of disbelief are wonderful
tools to let us immerse ourselves in story. Staying in the present is the
tool we need to immerse ourselves in our own magical lives.
So often when I am working
in my house, engaging with my children or spending time with my partner, I am
not really present. I know you can’t relate to this at all! That experience of
being in the past or future, or another world altogether… anywhere but right
here, right now.
But that is where REAL
magic exists.
Take a moment right now and
look around. Where are you? What do you see? Feel? Smell? Taste? Hear? How does
it feel to be completely present to this moment in time? If there are others
with you, take time to make eye contact, fully seeing them and allowing them to
see you. Be in no other time or place. That’s magic. It’s not the big
moments of grand adventure. It’s all the steps it takes to get to those moments.
Magic is in doing the
dishes.
Think about it. Dishes
start out dirty. You fill the sink with water and add soap. And the dirt
disappears. *Magic* I know we all would probably prefer a wand or
fairies to help us out with this, but next time you do the dishes, try to stay
fully present with each dish, each bubble, each warm drop of water that
carcasses your skin as you clean away the dirt.
The Japanese understand
this. They can make any daily chore a ritual of beauty. Their tea ceremonies,
for example. Each breath taken is the reflection of a meditative spirit. Every
item of clothing, every movement of the body is specific, practiced, and
intentional.
Now I’m not suggesting that
everyone start wearing fancy clothes to wash dishes, but I am suggesting that
even in doing dishes, cleaning house, or cuddling with our loved ones, we can
bring the sacred into that space. I don’t mean religion (though that can
be a part of it, for those who are inclined), but I do mean the kind of focus
that lights a fire in you and others.
In a day and age of
multitasking and distractions, it is especially difficult to discipline our
mind in this way. And it is a discipline. Just like magic! If you read great
fantasies, or any book for that matter, you see that the hero has to become
disciplined in their practice of magic, fighting, or whatever they need in
order to fulfill their quest.
A great book begins with a
character who has room to grow. Doesn’t this define us all? And that
growth comes from self-mastery, self-understanding, and discipline. For
us, the same is true. We are all on a hero’s quest. And maybe we don’t battle
dragons or fall in love with sparkly vampires, but we do battle dust bunnies
and fall in love with the wonderful diamonds in our life.
To fully appreciate our
journey, we have to see the magic in the dish water. Without that awareness we
sleep walk through life and miss all the fun! So the next time you find
your mind slipping away, practice some everyday magic and make that moment
count!
About Kimberly Kinrade
I was born with ink in my veins and magic in my heart. As a child, where others saw shapes in clouds, I saw words. But I was also an entrepreneur at heart. So when my business arrangement with the Tooth Fairy ended, I went pro by writing my fantastical stories and selling them to all my neighbors.
Fast forward…um…many years and many college degrees later…and I am now a published author and reformed journalist.
Though I have written in many genres and fields, I am most passionate about the world of the paranormal and fantasy. Look for these exciting young adult paranormal novels from Evolved
Forbidden Fire
She escaped, but she’ll never be free.
“Time held no meaning as my mind darted in and out of memories. Past and present collided to create a full-sensory collage out of my life: playing hide-n-seek with my best friends Luke—who always cheated by walking through walls when he was about to be caught—and Lucy; Mr. Caldrin critiquing my sketches and offering ideas to make them more realistic; targets changing faces, blending into the same person, their thoughts rippling through my mind like waves. Through it all, a demon stalked me from the shadows of my memories, never quite showing its face, but crouching, waiting.
And then I dreamed….”
Sam and Drake may have escaped, but they aren’t free—not with a powerful Seeker after them. As Sam struggles with the ethics of her new powers and embraces a blossoming physical relationship with Drake, Lucy and Luke face challenges of their own.
With forces coalescing inside and outside the Rent-A-Kid dorms, it’s only a matter of time before the fire they started forces each of them to make choices they can’t undo. But will it be enough to save them?
And even more!
Each Month we will have a new book or promotion while announcing the next.
The next tour for Kimberly is on Nov 26th as a review blitz followed by 6 weeks of ongoing tour.
All three Forbidden books plus extra bonus content. Nov. 26th, 2012
This is its own book, with its own ebook, paperback and eventually hardback. It will include all three forbiddenbooks in it, plus bonus content, interlude scenes between the books and more.
Here is the Review Blitz sign up https://docs.google.com/
Blurb:
"A thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read." ~Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews
"The plot is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop (awesome combo!)." ~Sour Skittles Book Blog
Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. A secret organization with deadly intentions. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets Drake, a boy who controls minds, they discover their lives aren't what they thought.
Together, they must escape their fate and free their friends, before they lose everyone they love.
This special edition omnibus includes the entire Forbidden Trilogy--Forbidden Mind, Forbidden Fire and Forbidden Life, as well as extensive bonus content. Meet the author in an in-depth Q&A, get to know your favorite characters better, enjoy never-before-revealed interlude scenes and so much more.
Available through Evolved Publishing November 26th, 2012
Look for it in ebook, paperback and hardback
Thank you for hosting Kimberly Kinrade today :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for featuring me today! I really appreciate it. :)
ReplyDelete