Kimi Nichols - well and truly live and unplugged

It probably won't surprise you to know that I've loved books my entire life. I remember the essential library trip a few days before a family holiday, where I'd pick out twelve books to take away with me, then read the entire journey down to Cornwall. When we'd arrived I'd line those jewels of imagination out on the bedside table in the order I'd read them. I loved it. Still do.

It pains me sometimes to see how different life has become for kids since the explosion of technology. For me, growing up, life was about books, art, imaginary play outside and writing stories. Sure, I watched TV, and I enjoyed TV, but that isn't how I remember spending the majority of my time, not by a long shot.

Now you have games consoles, the internet, tablets, phones, Skype, on demand TV. The world has become virtual, and I worry that children have become virtual with it. Why use your imagination if you have a million virtual streams of communication and time-fillers attacking your senses every five seconds?

So when I find gems like the Kimi books by John Hudspith I feel the need to shout about it from the rooftops. Not only are these books fantastic for adults - yes, that's you, read them! They are doorways to an imaginary world so vast, so rich and so colourful that every child should step foot inside. 

I finished up Kimi's Fear, the sequel to Kimi's Secret, this weekend. There is a phrase I've learnt lately (thanks to social media) called the 'book hangover' and boy did I have one. The book was incredible, and it was deep. Not so deep that you don't get whooshed along by the breathtaking storyline, the action, the characters, the crazy world that Kimi Nichols inhabits, but deep all the same.

It's a story of bravery and responsibility. How many children have the fate of the world on their shoulders? How many children have alien bounty hunters after the treasures in their brain? How many children confront their greatest fear and poke it in the eye? It's an inspirational tale, and it's all the more exciting for it.

Another really interesting thing about Kimi's Fear is the genre mash-up. Kimi's Secret saw the scene firmly set in the realms of fantasy, and it was brilliant for it. In Kimi's Fear, however, there is an addition, and it works. Elements of the paranormal weave in and around the main fantasy plotline, creating a fantasy-mythological-ethereal hybrid. It's clever, and it's different. I think it adds a whole other level of awesome to the book, and makes it that little bit more WOW.

An example of this mash-up is to be found at the height of the action. If you've read Kimi's Secret you will know that crows are an iconic piece of imagery associated with the book. That continues over into Kimi's Fear but this time it all gets a lot bigger. As Kimi's quest reaches its peak she needs some help. That help comes from the demon figure Malphas - a mythological crow-man (you can even look him up on Wikipedia). It's this kind of crossover that helps the book, in my opinion, build on Kimi's Secret and turn into something bigger, better, bolder.

Greylians, flying mice, God, Her Royal Highness, a bogey monster made up of gloved hands, dodos, crows and time travel. Yes, they all have a place in this fantastic story.

It's not a churchy book, Heaven forbid, but there is an excellent undertone to the book that I believe all children (yes, and adults) would benefit from. God, in this story, is brilliant. He's wise, he's funny, he's pretty damn cool. I have to rein myself in for fear of spoilers, but I loved it. Not only that, but the essence of the book is one of learning to face your fears, and Kimi is a role model to us all, not just those of us who haven't reached adulthood. I sure wish I had a dose of Kimi courage sometimes.

This book made me turn the pages like an egg timer was counting down in front of me, it made me laugh, it made me draw breath, it made me gawp at the clever little twists and turns. Surely this is a critical part of being a child? This kind of involuntary pull into an imaginary world?

John Hudspith tells the story of Kimi excellently. Hell, I wish I'd have had him around as a storyteller when I was growing up. He pitches his stories with just the right amount of 'ewww, gross', and just the right amount of scary. His words conjure up the magical. His words jump from the page with their vibrancy. In a word, he's awesome.

In a world where we are all plugged in to the virtual torrent of data, the Kimi books are a cool fresh breeze on a dusty day. It's that moment you step outside into glorious sunshine after a long, grey winter. Amazing. Read them! Buy them for your kids, buy them for your friends' kids, buy them for anyone's kids, but also buy them for you. That's how I feel about them.

I'm now desperate for a Kimi 3. Please be a Kimi 3, please, please. An adolescent Kimi plunged back into the world of Heart... there will be more greylians... and more famoose... oooh, and more Perry, and, and...

You get it, I'm sure. I'll stop gushing now and plug myself back into the virtual gush of communication.

About Kimi's Secret:

'With a deformed hand, an affection for animal skulls, and a soft spot for Marmite, Kimi always knew she was different - but never how much until she’s thrown into the supernatural dimension of Heart, given powers beyond comprehension, a mission to alter the past, and a secret which must never be revealed.'

Amazon UK: Kimi's Secret

Amazon US: Kimi's Secret

About Kimi's Fear:

'Kimi’s secret is out – her brain is the key to successful time travel - and a ruthless greylian bounty hunter will break every bone in her body to get at it. As if that isn’t bad enough, the best looking boy in the world turns into a cannibal intent on devouring every last bit of her. Sometimes life really does suck.

Can Kimi thwart the bounty hunter, kill the boy of her dreams to save her own life, tame her greatest fear and keep herself from becoming greylian toast? Not without help.

Tulpa Bentley returns with old favourites the famoose, Big Sue the giant with OCD, madcap mentor Stella, and chief of fuzz the monkey Rehd along with a whole host of new crazies in an adventure bigger and bolder than before.'

Amazon UK: Kimi's Fear

Amazon US: Kimi's Fear

About John Hudspith: www.johnhudspith.co.uk

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Ernest Hemingway.

I've been thinking a lot lately about where inspiration comes from. Every book you read is an insight into the soul of the person who sat down to bleed onto the empty page. A revealing of their inner thoughts, their experiences, their unique imagination.

My own novel, Godcorp, was inspired by the death of my long-term on-off-on-off again boyfriend. I'd never have walked the pathways of the mind leading to that story otherwise, not in a billion years. I can only imagine there are a whole rainbow of life events which inspire authors in a similar manner - fashioning stories from their hopes, fears, pains, dreams and tragedies.

There has to be bravery in the heart of the author when they release such a personally inspired story for public consumption. A story from which their tainted essence has soaked into the page. It's as if the author has reached out and shown you their world, disguised and embellished in the realm of fiction.

One such author is Lisa Hinsley. Her latest novel, That Elusive Cure, is exactly one of those stories.

I first came across Lisa's work when I picked up her novella, Plague, some months ago. The book transfixed me. It's a tale so terrible, so frightening and so real that I couldn't put it down. I couldn't sleep after reading it either, for that matter. It's the story of a family holed up while an outbreak of bubonic plague spreads throughout England. Quarantined in their boarded-up home while they succumb to the illness, it's an incredible read, but not a pleasant one. It stayed with me for days afterwards and I marvelled at the mind of the author and the skill with which she conveyed the claustrophobic terror of the family.

When the opportunity came about to read and review her latest novel, That Elusive Cure, I jumped in with both feet. I couldn't wait. It's this novel I really wanted to talk about.

That Elusive Cure is the story of a woman fighting cancer. Kathy is approached by a stranger while waiting for treatment, who offers her a 'cure' for her disease. As you follow Kathy on her journey;  living through the fear, the pain and then, in contrast, the hope, you get a glimpse into the world of cancer and the horrors that inhabit it. It's a heart-wrenching read, but one filled with intoxicating, exhilarating hope against the odds. One, again, that I couldn't put down, not even for a second.

Tackling a subject like this one is brave in itself. It's not an easy topic, it's certainly not a light one, and the book is told with such realism and grit that it reaches out to grab you by the throat. You are well and truly sucked into its depths alongside Kathy. The story appears even braver when you consider that the author herself is fighting bowel cancer.  

She said about the novel, in a testimonial on John Hudspith (editor's) website http://kimissecret.wordpress.com/shop/that-elusive-cure/:

"It’s been a hard couple of years for me, I have stage four bowel cancer, and I’m young. Seems cruel, doesn’t it? To make matters worse I didn’t seem able to write anymore. When the concept for That Elusive Cure popped into my head, I found myself writing for the first time in over a year. I knew this was a purge novel. I channelled many of my own experiences, fears and hopelessness into this novel and I am well aware that purge novels can end up too personal, too ‘woe is me’, too close to the issues at hand to allow the reader to connect and care."

Having read That Elusive Cure I can say first-hand the novel in no way ends up as too 'woe is me'. It is, however, most definitely a channelling of experience, fear and hopelessness. You can feel it in the words. They leap out of the page and plunge into your heart.

I loved the rollercoaster of the novel. It's a purge that hits hard and hits repeatedly as you devour the story. My first thought when I finished? Wow. My second? Wow, that was brave.

It's brave because it's so personal. It's Lisa's pain on the page - her hopes, her dreams, her terror and hopelessness. It must have taken bravery to sit down and write that story, and more bravery still to offer it out to the world. That, to me, is the essence of sitting down at a typewriter and bleeding, and does it work? Hell, yes, it works.

I'm inspired by Lisa's work because it shows how powerful 'bleeding' for your art can be. The subsequent creation is a wonder to be shared by other people all over the world going about their varied, everyday lives. It's a story that will touch others in a similar situation to Lisa, as well as those who aren't. It lives, it breathes, it has depth, it is packed to the rafters with emotional power. To me it embodies what writing is all about.

So where does inspiration come from? It comes from bleeding out your soul onto the page. Dredge the well deep and the blood will be all the richer for it. And that is where the magic lies.

Read That Elusive Cure:

'Kathy is going to die. All that’s left to do is prepare for the end.

While waiting for her chemotherapy session, a woman called Janie approaches Kathy, offering a revolutionary treatment for cancer. Janie pitches the cure like an expert and what does Kathy have to lose? The doctors now measure her life in months, not years.

Kathy follows Janie to an abandoned church where a futuristic machine is hidden. Made of silvery metal, long, and with rounded edges, the pod is like nothing Kathy’s ever seen before. Janie encourages her to climb in telling her the process is painless and quick. A few sessions are all she’ll need to be cured. Despite serious reservations, what does she have to lose? She gets in. And the results are miraculous.

A few days later, when the wonderful sense of well-being she experienced begins to ebb, all she can think about is having another session. In spite of the apparent improvement, Kathy’s renewed energy is soured by doubt. What exactly is this machine? What if none of this is real and the next MRI shows all the tumors are still there? Time is so short…

THAT ELUSIVE CURE is about facing up to illness, both mental and physical, of family struggle and above all, the amazing power of hope.'

Link to Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/That-Elusive-Cure-Lisa-Hinsley-ebook/dp/B00IO4BZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394411991&sr=8-1&keywords=that+elusive+cure

Link to Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/That-Elusive-Cure-Lisa-Hinsley-ebook/dp/B00IO4BZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394411991&sr=8-1&keywords=that+elusive+cure

Please let me know your thoughts! What books have touched your soul? Do you bleed onto the page? Is there a writer that has captured you with their bravery? Leave a comment!

Welcome to my blog!

I'm Jessica Louise Smith, an author from the rural county of Herefordshire - famous for cider and bulls.

Outside of being a writer I work for a specialist IT sales agency. I sell business analytics solutions into the major UK banks and retailers, and have always had the jammiest streak in the world. It serves me well.

I'm also a qualified NLP practitioner, Reiki Master and I've got the highest score on Bop-it of anyone I know. I got through to the screen test for BBC's The Apprentice a few years back and am now glad I didn't make it, as I'd never have written Godcorp.

My debut novel, Godcorp, is a supernatural chiller which has its tongue firmly in its cheek. It was edited by the incredible John Hudspith - www.johnhudspith.co.uk - who has since gone on to edit Godcorp II. 

'Sales’ Midas Evie Stone has the world at her feet and high places to go, until the day her boyfriend is killed in a traffic accident.

Evie just knows it was not Malcolm’s time to die and sets out on a mission to rectify fate’s mistake and bring him back from the dead.

She uncovers the mysterious Godcorp organisation, but does God, the Almighty, really have a website?

Resurrecting the dead is no easy task. How much is Evie willing to sacrifice?

Her fate, and Malcolm's, rest heavily on one beautiful man - enigmatic business mogul Lucius Devlin, who wants Evie for his empire.

To reach Godcorp she will have to play the Devil, but will the Devil play fair?'

To find out more please check out my website - www.godcorp.co.uk.

With this blog I am hoping to document the writing process, my inspirations, highs, lows and anything else that takes my fancy inbetween. I am an avid bookworm, so will be sharing reviews and other reading / author related write-ups.

I can also be found at www.facebook.com/godcorpnovel and on Twitter @godcorpnovel

Thanks for dropping by!