When Dreams Inspire Books

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

And thus, Twilight was born.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What book bloggers and fans are saying about Forbidden Mind:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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