Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Kim Karr of Connected

Today on Waves of Fiction, we are excited to have Kim Karr author of Connected with us!  She was gracious enough to stop by and answer some of our questions. Thank you Kim! 

As part of our spotlight, we also have a review of the book where Arlene and Crystal share their thoughts on this exciting first installment of the Connections Series. Lastly, don't miss out on the giveaway. Enjoy!

Connected by Kim Karr

Published on March 22, 2013

Purchase: Amazon

About the book

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice?

Suffering from a past full of tragedy, Dahlia London's soul has been left completely shattered. Happily ever after is a far cry from reality in her world. But, when she is reconnected with her past, the bonds that form are irrefutable.

When River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, comes back into Dahlia’s life, the intensity that fires their relationship combined with underlying feelings that have never died lead her to believe she has met her soulmate.

Struggling with confusion as old connections fade and new ones begin, Dahlia's grief begins to lift--but guilt remains. River wants to be the one to mend all that is torn within her.

But with a past that is never really gone, can their future survive?

Arlene's Thoughts:

“I feel like fate has brought us together again. I also believe that one night, so long ago, just wasn’t the right time for us. But tonight is.”

Wow!! I feel like my head just got whacked with a 500 pound sack of clusterf&ck bricks! I did NOT see that ending coming! That last little bit tossed me off my reading chair.... In shock!

Well played Kim Karr. Well played. You're good!

Okay, now that I got that out of the way let me tell you about this book...

For Dahlia tragedy had marked her path from a very young age, but she’s always had her best friend Ben by her side. After the death of her parents and later her uncle, he was the only family she could come to rely on. As time progressed, their friendship grew into love and their plans for a perfect happily ever after were right on track. That was until someone crossed Dahlia’s path to shift her belief in the one relationship she’s always come to count on.

One night during a college fraternity party, Dahlia leaves Ben behind to hit the local bar with her best friend. That night she meets River and an undeniable chemistry explodes between them making them well aware of the attraction that can’t be denied. When Dahlia agrees to meet River after his performance, she decides that the best thing is for her to leave the scene before she makes a mistake that will cost her more than she’s willing to sacrifice.

Five years later, tragedy hits Dahlia once again, and she goes into a deep depression trying to overcome the devastation of a horrific loss. When she finally begins to pick herself back up and put her life back together, her first job assignment has her colliding with River, the guy she left behind so many years ago giving them a second chance at their “once in a lifetime.”

First off I have to say, I absolutely loved the chemistry between River and Dahlia. Their shared moments, conversations, and off the charts chemistry made their attraction for one another feel very real. River was absolutely perfect in this story. His actions and moments of sincerity won me over despite how much I initially came to like Ben. I loved the shift in perspective between Dahlia and River. It was captivating to see into both of their minds and hearts. The narrative was perfect for this book.

In addition, I really enjoyed River’s backstory and gradual climb to fame. He came across grounded but still had that rock star quality I find appealing. He definitely commanded the stage in this book and he blended perfectly with Dahlia. As much as I loved these two together, they have a huge obstacle to overcome, so I can’t wait to see how they deal with the tough times ahead. I’m definitely rooting for them.

Also, the turns and twists of this story were incredibly executed. I did not, for one moment, believe I had a handle on the flow of the storyline and I was proven right at the very end. What an ending! Color me shocked and incredibly impressed with the brilliance of the twist. Well executed and perfectly timed.

Overall, Connected is an incredibly addicting read. I powered through this book quite quickly because I couldn’t seem to put it down! I loved the pacing, the chemistry between the characters, and the explosive turn of events at the end. Sign me up for book two! I can’t wait to see how Dahlia, Ben and River’s story continues.

 4 Suns

Crystal's Thoughts:

This book has totally blown my mind!  I honestly even after several days have no words for how shocked I am after that explosive ending!

After losing her fiance, Dahlia is broken.  Ben had always been there for her and even though they didn't have the perfect relationship he was all Dahlia had ever known and was the only one there for her during her childhood.  When tragedy strikes Dahlia is left alone to pick up the pieces of her life.  After awhile her best friend decides it is time for her to move on and schedules her to do an interview with a new and upcoming band.  What Dahlia doesn't know is that the lead guitarist in the one guy who tempted her back in college.  River was the one and only guy Dahlia felt a connection with and now with Ben gone Dahlia is scared more than ever.

River and Dahlia have CHEMISTRY!  These two were probably one of the hottest couples out there and River *sigh* he was exactly what Dahlia needed.   She needed help and River never pushed her.  It was really heart touching to see her moving on and just the simple things would touch me.  One of the biggest scenes that brought tears to my eyes was when Dahlia gave her ring to Bens mom.  Talk about a tear jerker!  There were a lot of scenes like this throughout and they were written beautifully.

I really enjoyed their story, but I can't lie I kept waiting for something to happen.  It all seemed too easy and just when I thought I knew what the big blow up would be Kim Karr completely blindsided me!  I still think things are going to come out about Rivers sister Bell, but it will not be as intense as I first thought since something even bigger took hold of the story,

I really liked seeing inside of Rivers head at the end. I am really hoping that we get his POV in Torn. His side needs to be told!

I am totally intrigued by this book and I cannot wait for Torn.  I think things are really going to become explosive!

4 Suns

Author Interview

Welcome Kim!

For those who haven't had a chance to read Connected quite yet, how would you describe your novel in 5 sentences or less?

Connected is a story about finding love when you think there is none left to find. It will make you believe in love at first sight and that people really do have soul mates, or at least I hope it does. =)

How did you first envision the plot for Connected? Did that change at all as you continued with the writing process?

The night The Voice premiered on NBC in April 2011, I watched it and fell in love with the show and Adam Levine. I started to think about his journey with Maroon 5 and the number of years it took him to gain fame. I had been thinking about writing a book but hadn’t come up with a storyline that intrigued me enough. For some reason, that night the story of Dahlia, River, and Ben came to mind. The name of book was different as well as character names, but the plot never veered.

Your book is heavily influenced by a great compilation of music! If you had to choose one song that best represents Connected, what would that be?

Between the Raindrops by Lifehouse

Ben, Dahlia and River are extremely captivating characters! Name one trait (good or bad) about each one that stands out for you.

Ben – driven
Dahlia – confident
River - playful

What is it about Dahlia that draws River to her?

Besides a physical attraction, her personality—she’s unlike any girl he has ever known.

There is something about Caleb that doesn't add up. Will he play a large part in Torn?

Caleb will have a part in Torn.

Okay, now let's talk about that cliffhanger! First off OUCH!!! That was one of the best cliffhangers we've come across, so hats off to you Ms. Karr. Well played! Without being too spoilery, when you first started writing Connected, did you have that end goal in mind, or did you see it concluding another way?

First, thank you so much =)  I actually wrote the Epilogue before I started writing the book. I always knew the ending!!

If you can help ease our angst a bit, can please share a teaser quote with your fans? Preferably a River one if possible. ;)

“So where does all this leave us?” ~River

Lastly, we see there are additional installments in this series. Can you give us some insight into how the series will progress? Will Dahlia, River and Ben's story continue for all of the books or do you plan to share other character storylines as well?

Dahlia’s journey ends in Torn. Connected and Torn are a duet. Frayed centers around Bell. Mended is about a to be named character. Flawed is Aerie’s story, and Perfected is about Xander.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Arlene and I cannot wait to read Torn!

About the Author
Kim Karr lives in Florida with her husband and four kids. She’s always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, she wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. She went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise her family. Kim currently works part-time with her husband and recently decided to embrace one of her biggest passions—writing.

Kim wears a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of her family. However, she always finds time to read. One of her favorite family outings was taking her kids when they were little to the bookstore or the library. Today, Kim’s oldest child is seventeen and no longer goes with her on these, now rare and infrequent, outings. She finds that she doesn’t need to go on them anymore because she has the greatest device ever invented—a Kindle.
Kim likes to believe in soulmates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. She loves to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart.

Follow this Author

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 Giveaway time!  Kim Karr is graciously offering one lucky Waves follower an eCopy of Connected. Simply fill out the rafflecopter and be sure to share a thoughtful comment about the book or author interview. Good luck!!

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