Author Post: Kai Strand

Good vs evil. Which side are you on? If you had to choose, could you?

Seriously, who would choose the side of evil? Unless you love to commit crimes. Each one grander in scale than the one before until you’re stealing states secrets or holding the President of the United State hostage. Maybe you can’t help but love to play mind games. Screw with people until they are so confused they bend to your will. Some people are inherently bad. Whether because of upbringing, circumstances, or they are hardwired that way, their actions consistently create trouble.

If the thought of telling lies, breaking and entering, hostile takeovers, makes sweat bead on your forehead then you can choose to side with good. After all, you volunteer most of your spare time feeding the poor, you donate a percentage of your income to research the cure for pediatric cancer, and you never, ever tell a white lie. Right?

Let me make myself perfectly clear here. I don’t think the choice between good and evil is simple. I think we all have a mix of angelic habits and devilish delights within us, swirling together and fighting for dominance.

That’s exactly what Jeff, Sandra, Source, Set and friends discover in my young adult series, Super Villain Academy. Whether they are super heroes or super villains, they are faced with circumstances that make them question the side they’re on. And in the end, they’re compelled to make a choice. Hero or villain? What would you choose? Hop over to my website and complete the survey. 

The series is complete! Super Bad, Super Villain Academy Bk 3 is now available.

The world is in chaos. Violence and thievery reign. And with the supers still balanced, it’s only getting worse. Without good versus evil, the supers care less and less. In order to restore purpose, the world needs its super heroes and its super villains, but the one who balanced them in the first place is missing.

Sandra’s concern over finding her brother, Jeff, isn’t her only problem. Her pathetic excuse for super powers has left her needing a new ankle. And though she’s still very much committed to her boyfriend, Source, she’s growing unreasonably attracted to Set, the boy who double crossed Jeff by stealing his girlfriend.

When Sandra is taken and held as bait by kids who want to unbalance the super world, it becomes the inciting event that changes things for supers everywhere and forces them to answer the question, “Hero or villain?”

Available in print or electronic formats from:

Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Whiskey Creek Press

King of Bad - Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. Is Jeff bad enough for SVA?

Polar Opposites - Heroes and villains are balanced. After Oceanus is kidnapped, Jeff learns the supers are so balanced, they no longer care to get involved. Ironically Jeff’s superpowers are spiraling out of control. Will they find Oci before he looses it completely, and will they find her alive?

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About the author:

When her children were young and 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 the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski

Title: If You Feel Too Much
Author: Jamie Tworkowski
Type: Self-Help/Memoir
# of Pages: 192
My Rating: 3/5
Review Copy?: Yes

Jamie Tworkowski is the founder of the non-profit, To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), which is known for suicide prevention and supporting the vulnerable worldwide. His debut novel, If You Feel Too Much, will officially be released on May 26th, 2015.

If You Feel Too Much is a compilation of Tworkowski's blog entries and thoughts on different subjects. Some chapters are autobiographical, while other chapters include his own poems and blog posts. This work is more of a personal journal rather than a novel. 

I was happy that this was a quick read. With less than 200 pages, you can go through this book in no time. When I originally agreed to review this novel, I was looking forward to learning about how Tworkowski started his organization and his organization's journey. Unfortunately, this book did not exactly cover that. He briefly mentioned the person who inspired him to start TWLOHA, but it wasn't as in-depth as I thought it would be. If you have ever written in a journal or a personal blog, there tend to be gaps between the entries and not everything entirely makes sense unless you are the writer. That's how I felt when I was reading If You Feel Too Much. It was haphazard and did not fully appeal to me. I know that this isn't a story but I was hoping there would have been more cohesiveness throughout the novel. I like that it is truthful and that the author reminds you that he isn't a professional writer. This book is simply the author's way of sharing his thoughts and feelings with the world.

I think this book is perfect for people who are advocates of TWLOHA. It's also good for people who like this informal type of memoir. It's a short read so it's not something you would have to spend a lot of energy on. 

Check out the pre-order campaign here: http://twloha.com/ifyoufeeltoomuch/
Check out Jamie Tworkowski's tour dates here: http://twloha.com/events/#tour