It's the Open Minds virtual launch party!

Open Minds is finally launching today!
So as part of the party, I'm posting my review of the book. *throws confetti*
Special thanks to Susan for the e-ARC of the book.

In a world where the ability to read minds comes with puberty, Kira Moore is still a zero at sixteen. She can’t read minds and no one can read hers, making her the outcast with no viable future whom nobody trusts or likes. As a zero, not only does Kira have to deal with the normal pains of growing up, raging hormones and all, she also has to deal with being an outcast just because she is different.

Then the incredible happens - she accidentally controls her best friend (and secret crush) Raf’s mind, almost killing him. Desperately trying to get a hold on her new mindjacking power, the only one who seems to be able to help her is bad boy Simon Zagan. Even as she is pulled into his orbit and dragged deep into the hidden world of mindjackers, it gets both harder and easier to fit in - because now she can pretend to be like the others, but at what cost?





Quinn has written a brilliant post about her theme, quoted here:

The idea of tolerance (or the lack of it) is a compelling one for me. The human brain is wired to distrust the "other" - to be wary or outright hate those who are different. This is the wolf of hate, that Rick Hanson spoke of so eloquently. It takes conscious acts of courage and open mindedness to overcome this natural tendency to fear people who are different, to feed our wolf of love instead of the wolf of hate. While racial intolerance has a tremendous impact on the world, I think of tolerance as a broader issue that affects interactions between all kinds of people. Even small acts of open mindedness can have a huge impact on the people both giving and receiving.

• Open minds treat you with respect, instead of snubbing you for being too strange or too new or too foreign or too shy.
• Open minds are compassionate, giving you a hand up when you are down, instead of pretending they don't see your pain or piling on when the pack attacks.
• Open minds accept you, treating you like the flawed, unique, wonderful person that you are, instead of judging you by your looks, skin color, or accent.

I love Kira’s voice in the book, which draws you into her internal dilemma even as she tries to figure out how to survive in a world that thinks her a freak. I love the way she tries to hold on to her principles and to stand up for what is right, even when it makes life even more difficult for her. I believe that the world needs more positive examples who will stand up and fight for justice and truth - and Kira Moore is one of them.

All in all, a great read.

Other miscellaneous tidbits:

• Open Minds was started as a NaNoWriMo novel (yay for NaNoWriMo!) two years ago
• Closed Hearts, the coming sequel to Open Minds, will be written during NaNoWriMo this year
• Kira, in Malay, means count. In a bizarre way, I think the name is very apt. Kira is trying very hard to make her life, and the lives of other young mindjackers and zeros count. 

 

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PRIZES!

Susan Kaye Quinn is giving away an Open Books/Open Minds t-shirt, mug, and some fun wristbands to celebrate the Virtual Launch Party of Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy)! (Check out the prizes here.)


Three ways to enter (you can have multiple entries):

1) Leave a comment here or at the Virtual Launch Party post

2) Tweet (with tag #keepingOPENMINDS)

Example: When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep. #keepingOPENMINDS @susankayequinn #SF #YA avail NOW http://bit.ly/SKQOpenMinds

Example: Celebrate the launch of OPEN MINDS by @susankayequinn #keepingOPENMINDS #SciFi #paranormal #YA avail NOW http://bit.ly/SKQOpenMinds
3) Facebook (tag @AuthorSusanKayeQuinn)

Example: Celebrate the launch of paranormal/SF novel OPEN MINDS by @AuthorSusanKayeQuinn for a chance to win Open Books/Open Minds prizes! http://bit.ly/SKQOpenMinds







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When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) by Susan Kaye Quinn is available in e-book (Amazon US (also UK, France and Germany), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords) and print (Amazon, Createspace, also autographed copies available from the author).

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