Kim Harnes's Blog

Welcome to your next stop on the Rock Star Blog Tour!Today I am reviewing THE SKY THRONE written by Chris Ledbetter and published byMonth9Books.In his newest release (his previously published novels includeDRAWN and INKED) Ledbetter weaves an action-packed mythological tale! Anyone who knows anything about Greek myths knows the main character Zeus is destined for greatness.What you might not know about him, though, are his insecurities.His needing to belong.His rocky past.His attraction to beautiful girls.Well, maybe you knew that part, too, not that anyone can blame him when he's surrounded by a gaggle of gorgeous goddesses.Combine this "coming-of-deity" story with rival schools, hot-headed competition, teenage hormones, and an unexpected trip to the Underworld, and you've got yourself a page-turning story!I give it five lightning bolts!!And now here's me waiting for the sequel...Here's some more information about Chris, as well as where you can buy this great book for your very own!!Title: THE SKY THRONEAuthor: Chris LedbetterPub. Date: April 18, 2017Publisher: Month9BooksFormat: Paperback, eBookPages: 292Find it:Goodreads|Amazon|B&N|TBD|iBooksDuality dwells at every turn, and an adolescent Zeus will learn that all too well when Hyperion attacks his family on Crete.When the dust settles, his mother is unconscious and his best friend left for dead.Stacking epic insult upon fatal injury, Zeus discovers the woman who raised him is not his biological mother. But to ensure her safety while she recovers, a heavy-hearted Zeus leaves her behind to seek answers at Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia.Zeus embarks on a quest to discover who ordered the attack on his home, avenge the death of his friend, and find his birth mother. When some of his new schoolmates vanish, Zeus's quest is turned upside down, and the only way to make things right is to access the power of The Sky Throne, confront a most dangerous enemy, and take his life back.On his way to becoming king of the Greek gods, Zeus will learn to seize power, neutralize his enemies, and fall in love."Destined to have a sequel or two, young teens will appreciate the story, and teachers will appreciate that it instructs readers about the pantheon of gods."--Kevin Beach, VOYA MagazineAbout Chris:Chris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, he attended Hampton University where he promptly “walked-on” to the best drum line in the conference without any prior percussion experience. He carried the bass drum for four years, something his back is not very happy about now.After a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion University andearned his degree in Business Administration. He’s worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout his life. He taught high school for six years in Culpeper, VA, and also coached football.He has walked the streets of Los Angeles and New York City, waded in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and climbed Diamond Head crater on Hawaii and rang in the New Year in Tokyo, Japan. But he dreams of one day visiting Greece and Italy.Website|Facebook|Twitter|Pinterest|YouTube|GoodreadsGiveaway Details:1 winner will receive a 1 month subscription to Owl Crate, US Only.Rafflecopter:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZTIzODliYTI4ZTEzMGVjODBhNzA2MmFmMTU3YWM3OjU3Mg==/Tour Schedule:Week 1:4/17/2017-Rockin' Book Reviews- Guest Post4/17/2017-Reading for the Stars and Moon- Review4/18/2017-LILbooKlovers- Interview4/18/2017-Sophie Riggsby- Review4/19/2017-Don't Judge, Read- Interview4/19/2017-Book Review Becca- Review4/20/2017-Month9Books- Excerpt4/20/2017-Zach's YA Reviews- Review4/21/2017-YA and Wine- Interview4/21/2017-Kim Harnes, Author- ReviewWeek 2:4/24/2017-Jennifer Eaton- Guest Post4/25/2018-So Few Books- Interview4/26/2018-Never Too Many To Read- Guest Post4/27/2018-Two Chicks on Books- Interview4/27/2018-I am not a bookworm!- Review4/28/2018-Mundie Moms- Review

This story isn't mine, but I really love the idea behind it...As a man was passing the elephants behind the circus tent, he stopped suddenly, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held only by a small rope tied to their legs.No chains. No cages.Just this simple rope that these large animals could break at any time.The man asked the trainer why the animals made no attempt to get away."Well," the trainer replied, "when they were very young and much smaller, we used the same sized rope to tie them and, at that age, it was enough to hold them. As they grew up, they were conditioned to believe they couldn't break away. They believed the rope could still hold them, so they never tried to escape."The man walked away, amazed that these animals could break free at any time, but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck where they were.Like the elephants, many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something simply because we've failed at it before.Failure is a part of learning. We should never give up the struggle in life. Just as I, as a writer, should never stop writing because I've been rejected or got a bad review. Never let your past failures define your future attempts at your dreams.Don't stay tied to your past.Take the step.Break the rope.

I’m trying so hard to figure out how to promote my books without my friends thinking I’m trying to ram them down their throats.I mean, I am extraordinarily proud of my accomplishments. And authors want to sell books, right? That’s one of the main reasons we publish them.So why do I feel so passive-aggressive when I’m mentioning anything about it?Hey! I wrote a book! It’s being published. That doesn’t mean you have to buy it, but if you would that’d be so great! And if you could share the news with people, well, that would just be awesome! Oh, and hey, if you do read it and think you might maybe may like to leave a review, well, that would just be fantastic! You don’t have to, but just…if the mood strikes you.I guess I could be totally passive, and then nobody would know I even wrote a book.Or I could be totally aggressive.I guess I’d just like to know how much is too much. I know my friends are happy for me, but I wonder if they get to a point where they’re like, “Geez, Kim. We get it. You wrote a book. It’s been three years, now. Get over yourself.”By the way, if you do ever get to that point, if you could let me know, that’d be swell.

I'm not exactly a hopeless romantic, so when I was tasked with writing a kissing scene for the 2017 Kiss Off event, I decided to go with what I knew--my inner band geek combined with a little bit of humor.This was the end result:First kisses in books and movies are pure deception. I mean, they all have it together, right? It always looks so smooth on the big screen like it’s meant to be. And I read all the time about how it’s “magical,” and their “tongues twirl in harmony” together.Well, I have two words for that:  bull and shit.It’s almost like they set you up for disaster.When Tom Bertram locked his lips to mine for the first time, it was nothing like what you read about or see on TV.For starters, he had just finished his basketball game so he smelled like armpit and feet. And I don’t mean cute little baby feet. I mean gigantic-teenage-boy-can-wring-a-bucket-of-sweat-out-of-his-socks feet.Romantic.Secondly, not only am I taller than most of my teachers, but during basketball games, I’m also usually wrapped in a sousaphone.After the final buzzer, Tom sidestepped the band and took the bleachers three at a time. When he reached me, he stepped square on my big toe, and when I opened my mouth to protest, he took that as his cue to stuff his tongue in it.Literally down my throat.Then he started licking the inside of my mouth like he was trying to get the last bit of yogurt out of the cup.Dude tasted my tonsils. No lie.And as if that wasn’t bad enough, what followed was what I now refer to as “Kimberly Pickett’s Sequence of Disastrous Events.”Three of the tuba players decided they wanted a better look at Tom sucking my face off, and one of them slipped in a pool of basketball-induced armpit juice. When he collided with us, it freed me from Tom’s suction-cup lips, but also propelled my face straight into my mouthpiece, which knocked out my tooth. When I raised my hands to catch my incisor, my sousaphone slipped off my shoulder and the bell smacked Tom upside his sweaty head. Before I could catch him, he fell into Stacie Richards and almost ended up with her piccolo up his left nostril.Stacie and Tom both landed on the trumpet section, who then demolished the French horns, who wiped out the clarinets. Needless to say, this led to the collapse of the entire Mendive Middle School band.Like dominoes.Noisy ones.With instruments.Our band director says he’s thankful nobody was decapitated by a random flying cymbal, and we’ll be lucky if we’re allowed back in the gymnasium.So, yeah. My first kiss definitely leaves something to be desired.At least it’s one I’m not likely to forget.

No matter how much you write, no matter how accomplished you are, your work will come under scrutiny. And on a personal level, I am my own worst critic.They say publishing is a subjective business, but to me, it's downright bipolar.I can write something that, at the time, I think is a masterpiece, only to come back to it a day later and realize it's garbage, but I still save it because when I come back to it again, it's really not that bad.Or is it?This is me. Daily. I struggle to write because I struggle with whether or not I'm good enough. It all boils down to fear of rejection. Do I like it? Does my critique group like it? Do my beta readers like it? Will my agent like it? Will an editor like it? Will it get published? Will my readers like it? Will my reviewers like it?But in the end, I realize I can't please everyone no matter how hard I try. I force myself to push through the fear, and I write. Because I can't see myself not writing. Even if the story doesn't go any further than my own laptop, at least the characters inside my head have spoken. Their stories have been told. And that's enough for me.And if someone else likes it? Well, then that's a bonus.What do you do when self doubt rears its ugly head?

I’ve said on numerous occasions that I never have enough time.It’s true for me every day.I struggle to prioritize my life and still make time for fun. It isn’t always easy. I find myself immersed in guilt when I do something for myself, and am compelled to multitask—even if it’s doing two things I enjoy at once, like working out and reading a book. I can’t just do one thing at a time.Ever.Seriously.I’m writing this blog post on one screen, and flipping back and forth between it and the kissing scene I’m writing on the other screen. They’re both for me because they both have to do with writing, but it’s still not just one thing or another. It’s both.I take a notebook and my phone with me in the bathtub so I can write or budget or balance my checkbook and check email while I soak.I have my laptop with me while I sit on the couch with my family so I can pay bills or plan my menu for the week while watching a movie.When I cook dinner, I’m usually also planning my lunch for the next day.*flips to kissing scene and back*You get the point.What steps do you take to get the most out of your 24-hour day?

Well, I’ve finally done it. I’ve finally decided to sit down and write a blog post. I only created my website at www.kimharnes.com three years ago. I guess it’s about time I got started.I’m usually not so…flaky.I mean, it’s simple, right? It’s just a blog. It’s not life or death. It’s not brain surgery or rocket science, or any those other clichés.It’s just words.Oddly, I was afraid.Not afraid of putting myself out there, because if any of you actually know me, you know I’m an open book (pun intended). I wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed, laughed at, or shamed, because goodness knows my book has had a couple of bad reviews. And I wasn’t even afraid of offending people. Let’s be honest. I can make the most random comment (i.e. “The sky is blue.”) and someone can take offense to it (i.e. “That’s insensitive to people who are color blind!”).P.S. I think I’m allowed to say that because my husband is color blind. I don’t know how that works, to be honest.Dear reader, just know that I am a genuinely nice person, and I don’t mean any offense to anyone, so please don’t take it that way. *smiley face*But, no, it was none of those things.I was too afraid of the commitment.Let’s get real, here. I mean, I don’t even watch television because I can’t force myself to commit to one show for a half hour a week.Yes, yes, I know I can record a whole series and binge watch, but then that’s a whole day I could have been cleaning house. Or paying bills. Or writing my latest WIP (which I am SO excited about, by the way!).Time is a precious commodity.In the end, what convinced me to sit down at the computer today wasn’t that I was over that fear of commitment, even though it’s not like I have to write one every day. Or every week. Or every month.It’s that I wanted to write a blog post for the same reason I want to write books.For me.Because I like to write and because I have things to say, and I want to put them down on paper (or on the computer or on the internet or wherever).I can’t be afraid to say what I want to say any more than I can be afraid to write what I want to write.So here it is.Blog post #1.*waits for followers*

I am so pleased to announce STILL PHOTO was nominated for Killer Nashville's Silver Falchion Reader's Choice Award!!

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Thanks for the support!!

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Blog under construction ... Please be patient! :) Special thanks to Christian Aragon Photography for the photos!! Please visit him at www.christianaragonphotography.com[image error]