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Monday, December 16, 2013

VBT: SPOTLIGHT/ GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY- KING OF BAD BY KAI STRAND

KING OF BAD
BY
KAI STRAND













BLURB:

Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules or observe curfew. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; that is until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. In a school where one kid can evaporate all the water from your body and the girl you hang around with can perform psychic sex in your head, bad takes on a whole new meaning. Jeff wonders if he’s bad enough for SVA.

He may never find out. Classmates vilify him when he develops good manners. Then he’s kidnapped by those closest to him and left to wonder who is good and who is bad. His rescue is the climactic episode that balances good and evil in the super world. The catalyst – the girl he’s crushing on. A girlfriend and balancing the Supers is good, right? Or is it…bad?


Excerpt:

Meeting the crush:

“Source, who is she?”

Source followed Jeff’s line of vision. “Oh, that’s Oceanus. Don’t even think it, kid. She’s already found a match.”

“What do you mean?”

“See the guy next to her?”

“The skinny red head?” Jeff hoped.

“No, the other one.”

“Oh, the Adonis?” Jeff’s heart fell. He’d no hope to thwart the god-like S.V. seated next to Oceanus.

“Not far off. People call him Set. The God of chaos, storm, wind. He’s a great guy.” Sarcasm wrapped around Source’s words. “Descended from a long line of super villains Known he’s an S.V. his whole life so came to the school ready to rule from what I hear. Real nasty character, even for an S.V. You don’t want to piss him off.”

“Oh, I won’t piss him off. I don’t go looking for trouble.” Jeff considered his life before the academy and real-ized that looking for trouble was the only thing he used to do. He amended his statement, saying, “Much.”

His stomach knotted. Had the academy turned him into a coward?

Source chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll get a name and things will settle into some sort of normal. Once we figure out what your root ability is, I’ll help you develop it. Though, after your hulk impersonation, I doubt anyone will dare taunt you.”

Jeff felt the anxiety lift. Source was okay for a bad guy.


GUEST POST



Breathe Some Life Into An Old Theme

It is true what they say – inspiration is everywhere. However it is also true that there are no new stories, just new ways of telling them.

When I’m fishing around for a new story idea, I like to first find a common theme that resonates with my intended readership. Something I know has been proven to capture attention. Then I figure out a new way to twist it up. For example, King of Bad is a fantasy set in an academy. Not particularly unique, I know. There are several young adult books set in a school setting, mostly because kids who attend school can relate to characters that attend school. But my academy is for super villains. In other words the kids who attend Super Villain Academy are learning how to be good at being bad. You don’t often read about students learning how to commit crimes for personal gain, let alone being groomed for a lifetime career of it.

There are a lot of clichés and tired themes in writing, but those are the storylines that don’t bring anything new to the table. It is important for aspiring writers to make very conscience choices on when to use a clichéd idea and how to breathe new life into it. Readers like things that are familiar, but not tired. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


When the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died, the end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for younger children Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Visit Kai’s website, www.kaistrand.com, to browse her books, download companion materials or to find all her online haunts.

You can usually find Kai online at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KaiStrandAuthor

Buy it: 

Publisher:




GIVEAWAY!

Kai will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC plus a signed book mark to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (International).

 
FOLLOW the tour and comment; the more tYOU comment, the better YOUR chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

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