Kim Stokely's Blog

The Light Unleashed was released in December of 2019 and concludes the epic tale of Ally Foster. Follow her journey from a small town in twenty-first century America to a world of the past: the Garden of Eden. Once a place of perfection, it is now the battleground between the descendants of angels and the followers of demons.

It’s available on Kindle and Paperback at Amazon.com!

I’m pleased to announce the release of the second book in my “Portal of Ayden” series. Where Shadows Lie continues the story of Alystrine Foster as she learns about the land of Ayden and her role in it. I have to say, I really enjoyed writing this book and love the heartbreaking journey the characters took me on. I hope you enjoy it too!

Thought I’d post it here that I’ve arranged with Goodreads to giveaway 5 signed copies of A Shattered Moon! You have until February 24th to enter!

I’ve declared 2017 my writing year and my first order of business was to release a new book! A Shattered Moon was released on January 17! It’s a fantasy novel, geared toward young adults but can be enjoyed by older adults as well. It tells the story of Ally Foster, a 15-year-old girl whose biggest problem is a spiteful history teacher until she is transported to the world of Ayden. Although Ally never believed in any religion, she soon realizes that Ayden was once the Garden of Eden. Now, the descendants of angels and the followers of demons battle for control of the land. Ally must decide who she wants to be in this new world; a girl who hides in fear, or one who stands up and fights for those she loves.

A Shattered Moon is the first novel in “The Portals of Ayden” trilogy. The second book is scheduled for release in June 2017.

In addition to these two new titles, I’m hoping to have my next Biblical fiction published by the end of this year. In the Shadow of the Queen will introduce readers to Anna, a young girl who works in the palace of Queen Alexandra Salome of Israel. Yes! Israel had a queen! Alexandra Salome ruled from the years 76 B.C. until 67 B.C. The land experienced a time of peace and prosperity under a faithful Jewish ruler that it did not see again until the present age. But after the queen’s death, Israel fell into civil war and chaos that paved the way for Roman occupation and King Herod the Great.

I have high hopes for 2017 and will be praying that God helps me to fulfill all my writing goals.

Oy vey! What a year it’s been. My husband and I are calling this “Weddigeddon 2016!” We’ve had 6 weddings since February–3 close friends, 1 niece, and our own 2 children! In all the hubbub, I’m afraid I didn’t do anything but edit my events page. I hope to do better in the coming year.

As the year winds down, I’m picking my writing back up. I hope to have the first novel in my YA trilogy Portals of Ayden out in December. I’m also praying and working hard to finish my next Biblical fiction novel, In the Shadow of the Queen. It began as a short novella about Anna the prophetess but has developed into a political drama centering around Israel’s Queen Salome and her conniving offspring. I’m hoping to finally get that out in the spring. Also in the works is the final novel in my Seasons of Marigold Manor books. I have a lot of people asking me if Ginny and Chester are ever going to get together and I have to tell you, I just don’t know! I’ve been thinking about my star-crossed lovers and waiting to see where God leads the next part of their story.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my site. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! I love hearing from my readers!

I find myself half-way through my next Biblical fiction novel, tentatively titled, In the Shadow of Kings. The story started out about Anna, the prophetess mentioned in Luke 2, and she remains a central figure. However, as I delve into the second half of the book, King Herod is going to play a more significant role. The more I researched him, the more I found him an intriguing and conflicted person. Jerusalem in those last years before the coming of Christ was a hot bed of civil and political turmoil. Reminds me a lot of today’s world and I hope to show how God has a plan, even when everything around us seems to be in chaos.

My story, Celebrating the Tears, has been chosen to appear in a special Chicken Soup for the Soul to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. For Mom, With Love will be out in time for Mother’s Day!

On the home front, I’m preparing for the weddings of both of my children this year. Pinterest has become a major obstacle to my writing, but I valiantly try to resist it’s evil pull. Pray for me!

My newest book, Spring Rains, will be released this week! I’m so excited to be able to offer readers more about the lives of people in Marigold Manor.

In honor of its release, I’m hosting a giveaway on Goodreads of Winter Trees, the first book in the series.  For some reason, it’s not letting me post the link, but head on over to Goodreads to enter!  In the meantime, here’s a look at the new book cover.

It’s happened again. I’m riding in my car alone, concentrating on the road ahead (which can be difficult when you’re on I-29-it’s an incredibly flat, straight piece of highway) when in my brain, my WIP (work in progress) starts playing like a movie  in my head.

It’s an odd sensation because, unlike when I’m in front of my computer struggling to create a scene, I normally don’t have control over what the characters are doing or saying when this happens. I’ve found myself in tears at stop lights because a character has opened his heart to me in a way I never expected. Or I’ve cheered coming off an exit ramp as my heroine finally had the courage to stand up for herself.

This past weekend, my characters showed me, in no uncertain terms, that the climax I’d been building to throughout this whole new story wasn’t what needed to happen. Oh sure, I could have a variation of it, but it would not be what drove the ending of the book like I’d planned for the past year. Instead, as I stared at the flat Missouri and Iowa landscape, they played out for me what my new ending would be. If I can write it half as good as they performed it in my brain, it’s going to be good. It’s going to be real good!

I thought I’d share that little nugget of weirdness from my life as a writer. Hope you all are enjoying your summers and staying cool in the heat. I’ll keep you updated on when the novel is finally finished, but with this new inspiration, it shouldn’t be too long. TTFN

p.s Check out my Events pages to see where I’ll performing/speaking in the upcoming months. Lots of fun things going on this fall!

It’s finally arrived! Spring! Although winter here in Nebraska wasn’t too terrible, I heard the horror stories weekly from friends and family back in Connecticut. I think they’re still holed up in their houses, waiting for a true break in the winter weather.

But I, thankfully, am writing this out on my deck on a glorious end of April evening. The tulips have bloomed:

The birds are singing. The dogs are happily chasing rabbits out of the yard. All around, new life blossoms. And with this season, my muse appears to have returned!

I am holding on to God’s grace as I deal with life in the real world, not my fictional one. I recently received laser surgery for reoccurring bleeding in my right eye. The doctor is calling it Coat’s disease and there is no known cause or cure. The periodic cauterizing of leaky blood vessels will help, but it may not be able to prevent the permanent detachment of my retina sometime in the future. But God is good, and as this disease only seems to effect one eye, I should retain full vision in the other.  I am especially grateful, after this last round of laser surgery to be able to enjoy the beauty around me as the sun sets on this glorious spring evening.

Remember friends, to give thanks every day for the gifts that God has given you. If you can see the return of spring, thank Him! If you can hear the birds singing to each other in the trees, praise Him! Rejoice at all He has done for you and be glad. I know I am!