Tuesday, November 23, 2010

WoW: Kasey Klein and Book Giveaway

WoW
Ruthi Reads the
Words of Writer
Kasey Klein
Author of
Forever Becoming

"Checking Out" and "Kilroy", supermarket tales of 200 words each, by author Kasey Klein, are must reads if you would like to get to know the kind of person Kasey is in his day-to-day life.

One of my favorite short stories by Kasey Klein is "Helena"--a love story; bittersweet; and the telling, told in a beloved voice of its own kind. It is a story of love, loss, and sadness--the sadness in loving and the sadness in being unloved.

I recently purchased and received in my snailmail box a signed copy of Forever Becoming by Kasey Klein. I think only a true book lover can understand my reaction when I removed the book from its bubble-wrap envelope, "Oh my god, it's beautiful!" Seriously, holding Klein's book in my hands with the cover design staring up at me, the perused pages bold and bountiful ... 'Twas a thing of pure beauty.

Eventually, I will post my review of this book, but for now I share with you a portion of Klein's own review of Forever Becoming:

"Forever Becoming is my sophomore effort, the rough draft coming off the keyboard in 2000. I’d read much about the sophomore jinx. Obvious was people tried to recreate or duplicate the first success/effort. To avoid this, I stepped out in a completely new direction. I wanted to create a universe. I wanted to tell a big story in a huge way. I started with the idea of primitive dualism, the idea that the universe exists in balanced opposites. The Bible and its religions sidestep this by having God apart from His creation.

I imaged a god existing in pure light. Let me confuse you: any words applied to this being or this place would fall short of the reality. We cannot know this being or this place. She exists in a time not a time, in a place not a place. Again, the words don’t fit, but they’re all I have: she doesn’t like the darkness surrounding the light. In an attempt to push the darkness away, her light melds with the darkness, manifesting the temporal, a place that’s a place in a time that’s a time.
That’s the backstory.

To understand her creation, God manifests her sister (again, I use temporal terms that don’t apply) into flesh, her sister, Makaila, unaware of who and what she is so as not to affect her observations. Though a product of sperm and egg, Makaila is also divine. At age eleven, Makaila is deemed a danger to herself and others, and promptly illegally institutionalized for life by a shadowy pseudo-government agency. Eighteen months later, Makaila gets released. The pseudo-government agency wants Makaila back in the institution or dead.

Here is where we enter the story. Makaila, determined to keep her freedom, faces off with people who have something much different in mind."
 
As if being a literary author isn't enough, Kasey Klein also stands in place as a talented artist. Visit Klein's online store, browse through his artwork, and purchase your favorite piece of Fine Art and/or a one-of-a-kind Creative Tee with 'Tude!

 


WoW Book Giveaway:

Forever Becoming by Kasey Klein




This WoW Book Giveaway is open only to those with a USA mailing address. Please leave a comment for each entry you qualify for with your email address in each comment, including the mandatory entry.

***MANDATORY REQUIREMENT ENTRY***

This is mandatory to be entered to win a signed copy of Forever Becoming by author Kasey Klein:
 
Visit the website of author Kasey Klein. From the literature page select a story, tale, poem, essay, or parable to read. You must then email the author letting him know your thoughts on the writing you chose. (In your email subject line to Klein, please put "Book Giveaway".) You must also leave a comment here as to the title of your selection and your email address.

***Extra Entry Requirements***

Extra ways to gain entries into this book giveaway.

1...Publicly Follow Ruthi Reads! via Google Friend Connect
(GFC is in the top left panel of my main page)
2...Follow Ruthi aka abitosunshine on Twitter,
(leave your twitter name for verification)
3...Become a Facebook Fan of Kasey Klein,
(leave your FB link for verification)
4...Become a Facebook Friend of Ruthi aka abitosunshine,
(leave your FB link for verification)

I hope you've enJOYed the first of many forthcoming WoW posts at Ruthi Reads!

This WoW book giveaway ends at noon EST on December 14th. Get your entries in!

22 comments:

  1. (this is not my entry YET)

    Ruthi, I just wanted to say how excited I am about this book and it is right up my alley. A perfect subject for me. I have seen Kasey on Gather and have admired him from afar. I'm tickled to get in on this giveaway but it was so important to tell you aside from an entry how enthused I am about his book. You are so good to your friends and you make things happen. It is wonderful knowing you and getting in on all the good stuff. I will get done what you request and then I'll be back around. Thanks for sharing this with us. This is a grand example of how wonderful the book blog community is, showing off books and reads that otherwise maybe would not have known about. Now I have been shown two great authors because of you. And, I am so looking forward to reading both of their works. I also know there is so much more waiting...*takes a deep breath*

    Thank you Ruthi!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi again Ruthi, I am still getting use to the give away entries and I am sure I have fumbled already, but it is not as important to me about my entry as the importance of just getting in on this. I am thankful to have the opportunity to read Kasey's writings.

    I did facebook fan/like his page and added it to my pages favorite :) also, I twitted about your giveaway and his literature page. I selected Witchcraft for Dummies as my read and I did send him a response. Most likely he will think I am a goofy girl stalking him because in my excitement I forgot to write giveaway in the subject. I did mention you in the email though.

    Thanks again Ruthi for doing this. Awesome Giveaway!

    csescapes@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you, Cynthia, for your entry, but mostly for your comments. I knew you would be excited about this author and "Forever Becoming."

    I'll be emailing you privately about giveaway entries, as they truly can be a bit confusing to new blog giveaway addicts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1.) I follow you on GFC.
    csescapes (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  5. 2.) I'm a facebook fan of Kasey Kleins:
    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001057773623
    csescapes (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  6. 3.) I follow you on Twitter
    http://twitter.com/Csescape
    csescapes (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  7. 4.) I am a Facebook Friend of you
    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001057773623
    csescapes (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Forever Becoming is a miraculous book! I was enthralled through every page, and it literally changed my life.
    As Kasey knows, my daughter was tortured and murdered by a serial killer more than a quarter-century ago, and reading this book allowed me to face that fact at long last. It brought me the courage to read the news reports I hadn't been able to face, and to realize that Tammy's finally at peace. So am I.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cynthia, delighted to see you got those extra entries figured out!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous ... my momma's heart goes out to you! I can only imagine your pain in losing your daughter to such horror. My son was held captive from age 13 to 18, his nightmare and mine, but he lives, thank the heavens.

    I am amazed by the compassion your spirit received from "Forever Becoming" -- what a testimony to the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Ruthi - Kimber L. from Gather here - I just joined Blogspot. Kasey's book sounds interesting. I will have to get a copy so I can read it when I finish Punk Minneapolis by Peter Joseph Swanson. I also loved Christmasin' by Ed Williams that one was great. I truly love supporting fellow Gather authors! :) Kasey is such a good writer. :) It is nice connecting with you here too!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Kimber, it's great to see you blogging, hooRAYo! I hope you enter the Forever Becoming giveaway here! It's easy to do so & if you need help, just let me know!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great post!

    I'm a new follower of your blog through GFC and on twitter (@MoonlightGleams) and I'm also new to the book blogging scene! return the favor?

    http://moonlightgleam.blogspot.com/

    Thanks!

    Moonlight Gleam
    moonlightgleam(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello Moonlight Gleam and thank you! And I shall certainly reciprocate! I hope you're entering this fabulous book giveaway, too! (If you need help doing so, let me know..:-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Ruthi! I'm doing all those "extras" (i.e. following you on twitter, like Kasey's FB page, etc, etc.) Hope things are going well with you. Happy Thursday!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for letting me know, Renda, as if I didn't already know..:-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I chose "She Rides a Unicorn", because it reminded me of my sister.

    karen.rinehart@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I follow you on Twitter. rinehartkaj

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm a facebook friend of yours.
    www.facebook.com/rinehartkaj

    ReplyDelete
  20. I asked to follow Kasey on Facebook, no verification as of yet. Thought I followed him.
    Will send verification when I am friend.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for your entries, Karen! If you win this beauty, you'll not be disappointed in the author's literary writing ability.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments.
Blessings & a bit o' sunshine!