Monday, February 02, 2009

Feeling Invisible

I'm thrilled to welcome a special guest, novelist Kimber Chin.
I met Kimber through the Toronto Romance Writers and was immediately drawn to humor, charm and warmth. I should have guessed that those qualities were only the shiny surface to a much deeper soul...
Kimber has a new book coming out this month and I for one, can't wait to dive into it. You can buy INVISIBLE by clicking the link.

Kimber, catch! *throws mic*


The Book Of My Heart

A Guest Post From Kimber Chin

First off, a big thank you to Wylie for letting me squat here. I adore Wylie. She is one of the most supportive writers I know. She answers my junior jammer questions cheerfully (and often with a straight face) and is always ready to participate in my mad schemes. She is also a brilliant writer. Wowsers, wasn’t Law Of Averages hot? My only complaint about Wylie is that I’ve been impatiently waiting forever for her next novel. Write it already, girl! [ed note: *blush*]

Anyhoo…

A buddy once told me she had written the ‘book of her heart.’ I smiled, said ‘that’s great' and then privately thought this book of your heart business was, as Maeve in Invisible would say, ‘a load of hooey.’ Book of her heart? What the he—did that mean? Was it autobiographical? Then I wrote Invisible, the book of my heart.

Invisible, a contemporary scavenger hunt through a world of hidden identities, isn’t autobiographical. Lord no. Although I know skip tracers and forensic accountants (as well as Russian ‘mafia’ members – long story), I don’t play in these elite levels. I’ve never had my identity stolen (my dear, sweet mom has though). I've never been a victim of financial abuse to the extent that Maeve has (my dear, sweet mom has though – she is a saint, I tell you, a brownie making saint). I might have drawn upon personal experience for my first novel Breach Of Trust, but I used observation for Invisible.

Except for the emotion.

I dug deep into a dark corner of my heart for that. The loss, the pain, the anger, and eventually the hope are all mine. I poured my feelings into this book, and not just the nice feelings, the ugly ones, the ones we all pretend we don't have.

It made for a great story (or so says my pre-editor and editors) but it wasn’t a prudent thing to do. It certainly wasn’t safe. With the book now out in the world, I feel naked (oh, bad visual), exposed (better?). I know some people are going to hate Invisible (it is that type of book). That'll hurt because I'll feel what they are hating is this emotion, this piece of me.

Oh, well. (Shrugging)

There is nothing I can do about it now. The genie is out of the bottle (and he's holding onto his three wishes, stingy blasted man). I figure I might as well go all in (mix metaphors much?). Although I have a light, fluffy novella releasing in between (because frankly, I frightened myself), my next full length novel is as raw (and demented).

About Kimber Chin:
Kimber Chin is a nutbar. What? You want more than that? Okay, she writes sexy contemporary romances set in the world of business. Yeah, I know, proof of her craziness. Want more proof? Visit http://businessromance.com/ where every week, she shares a photo of a hot guy in a good looking suit, and a short story her editor won't let her publish. Every month, she gives away a great romance eBook. Not her own because that would make too much sense.

14 comments:

Kimber Chin said...

Awww... thanks for the kind words, Wylie, and once again for letting me hang out at your blog.

Gosh, is it just me
or is the environment here a tad bit... steamy?
Gosh, it's hot!

Amy Ruttan said...

CONGRATS KIMBER!! WOOT!!

I can't wait to pick up copy, so I'm going now to do just that. *runs out of the door as fast as a pregnant lady can possibly go.*

Kimber Chin said...

LOL Amy.
It's online girl.
No need to run anywhere.

Book babies may take longer
than real babies to be released
but once they're out,
I'm figuring they must be
less work.
(Grinning)

I still envy you though.
Big Time!

Amy Ruttan said...

Of course there's a need to run, because if I don't it'll take me 20 hours to get where I need to go. LOL! Just kidding.

Still my dang purse was on the other side of the house, so there was a need to exert myself to get invisible.

Totally worth it though!!

Here's hoping for Muay sales to you Kimber. :)

Thomma Lyn said...

Kimber, I enjoyed your thoughts on "book of my heart." I relate. I'm working on one of those, too. While it isn't the least bit autobiographical, the emotions are all mine, just transmuted and mixed and shuffled as appropriate into a far-out, sad, but ultimately hopeful story.

I hope your book sells like hotcakes! :)

Shelley Munro said...

Good luck with your new release. I enjoy books set in the financial world. There aren't nearly enough.
I have to say your dear, sweet mom has been picked on entirely too much!

Leah Braemel said...

Hey, Kimber. Congrats on the new release. But now I want to hear about these Russian mafia people you know. Rats, now the plot bunnies are attacking. (They're vicious, you know)

M. said...

Hi Kimber!
'Invisible' sounds intriguing. That 'book of my heart' phrase - reminded me of two stories:

-when Maggie Shayne talked about how she would tsk-tsk to herself whenever she heard other authors talk about writer's block that there was no such thing. Until it hit her.

- when the whole plagiarism kerfuffle happened over at 'Dear Author', and the purported author of the questionable work had at first talked a lot about how it was 'the book of her heart' and later when it became clear that it was taken from a deceased published author's backlist, said that she was not to blame since she had hired a ghostwriter to produce it (IIRC). That's a pretty good trick, getting someone else to write the book of your heart!

Kimber Chin said...

Hhhmmm.... hot cakes!
Are you taunting Amy, Thomma Lyn?

I like sad books.
Make me laugh or make me cry.
Either helps me manage my emotions
by burning some excess off.

Let us know when your book of your heart comes out!

Kimber Chin said...

Thank you Shelley and I agree.
People have to stop picking on my Mom!
She's a great woman.
Maybe a bit too trusting
and naive
but I wouldn't want her any other way!

Kimber Chin said...

Hold off on the plot bunnies, Leah!
They are vicious little creatures!

I could tell you stories,
oh, so many stories...

Kimber Chin said...

Book Of Your Heart does sound a little fruity, doesn't it, M?

I assure you that I wrote this novel.
Well, partially.
My team of editors had a say,
and my screenwriter brother helped me with a section
and...
I think I'd get nailed if I ever copied another author.
I'm told I have a unique voice and a unique take on the world (and that's not always said as a great thing)

J.K. Coi said...

Congratulations on Invisible! I've already downloaded it and started reading last night. I'm staying home from work today because I'm so darn tired now!

Kimber Chin said...

J.K., you're the best. Should I mention here that everyone should go out and vote for your Immortals at
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/BB2008.htm

I'm hoping if you win, J.K., you'll write more books around those yummy Immortals! Yeah!