Christa Kinde's Blog, page 17

The boy stepped right up to Prissie, ignoring her hand an...

The boy stepped right up to Prissie, ignoring her hand and searching her face with keen interest. “You can see me?”

—Threshold Series, Book One: The Blue Door

#Koji

THRESHOLD: Prissie’s Treasure

A simple geometric pattern of diamonds in soft shades of green, blue, peach, and gold filtered sunlight or shone in moonlight.

—Threshold Series, Bk1 The Blue Door

Prissie’s Treasure | art by Katie Hofgard

Angel Unaware, Part 19: Wanderer

Part Nineteen: Wanderer

“Here,” said Uncle Al, planting a boot on a handy rock with the air of a conqueror. “Take a load off, boys, and put your feet up. We’re home.”

Marcus surveyed their new campsite with an eye toward defensibility—high ground, good footing, excellent view. “Nice.”

“We’re going to sleep in a cave?” Ransom asked incredulously.

“For two nights,” Al confirmed. “Unless you object …?”

“Are you kidding? We’re gonna sleep in a cave!”

“This place barely counts,” said Marcus. “It’s more of an overhang.”

“I’m putting this down as a cave,” Ransom said as he reached up to touch the ceiling. “Stone walls, dirt floor. This definitely counts.”

Ransom had followed through on his plan to start a new list. Taking a proverbial page from Aleff’s book, the makeshift record of their travels was mostly written on the backs of placemats. Strange stuff, silly stuff, and whatever other stuff Ransom never wanted to forget.

Marcus pressed his palm to cool, damp stone, which offered a welcome shelter from the heat and humidity. Moss softened the edges, and a natural shelf lined the back wall, just long enough for two sleeping bags if they unrolled them end-to-end. “Yep, this counts.”

Uncle Al said, “Stow your gear, and we’ll take a closer look at that river. Days like this are made for swimming.”

“For a city boy, Ransom’s certainly gotten the hang of running wild,” remarked Aleff.

Glancing Ardon’s way, Marcus said, “He’s open to new things.”

Jedrick hummed. “That may work in his favor … or prove disastrous.”

Daichi picked up the T-shirt Ransom had left crumpled on the ground, shook it out, and draped it over a bush before quietly saying, “Ransom is running wild, but he does not run alone.”

“Nope.” Marcus peeled out of his own shirt and tossed it at Daichi’s feet. “You coming?”

“I will follow.”

Aleff winked, “We’ll be along shortly. Go play.”

Marcus easily picked up his friend’s trail. Ransom had dumped his shoes and socks along the side of the narrow path. Bare footprints in the fine dust led straight to a tree that leaned out over the river bend below.

Ransom beckoned from his perch among smooth branches. “What took you so long?”

“Just making sure Daichi comes, too.”

“Awesome.” Ransom’s gaze lingered briefly on the zigzags of color decorating Marcus’s shoulders. “Your uncle mentioned swimming, but how are we supposed to get to the water?”

“Jump?”

Ransom eyed the fifteen-foot drop. “Think it’s safe?”

“Hard to tell.” The river moved sluggishly, with barely a ripple on its dark surface, but Marcus couldn’t guess its depth. “We better wait for Uncle Al.”

They ranged upward instead, climbing until slender branches bowed beneath their weight.

Marcus was working his way back down when Aleff called, “Catch!”

Leaning out, Marcus snagged a spinning bundle.

“What’s the rope for?” asked Ransom, causing leaves to rustle as he hurried to join Marcus.

Aleff grinned broadly. “That branch there.”

Ransom’s gaze turned speculative. “Are we setting up a swing?”

“That’s the general idea. How are you at knots, Marcus?”

He shook his head. “You better do it.”

Uncle Al shed boots, socks, and shirt before swinging easily into the tree limbs with them. With impressive balance, he crouched on his chosen branch and began a complicated knot. He called, “Daichi, be a dear and make sure there aren’t any nasty surprises in the river.”

“Whoa!” muttered Ransom. “Smooth.”

All Marcus caught was the tiny cascade of droplets Daichi displaced when he knifed cleanly into the water.

Ransom frowned at the spreading ripple pattern. “Isn’t head-first a bad way to check for problems?”

Aleff chuckled. “Daichi isn’t a careless person. That was a shallow dive. And this knot should do the trick.”

Daichi surfaced and shook hair from his eyes. “All is well. Come.”

Ransom’s grip tightened on an overhead branch. He gulped audibly.

Treading water, Daichi called, “Where is your courage, young warrior? Jump.”

Quirking a brow at Marcus, Ransom said, “You first?”

“Yep.” With a smirk, he added, “Watch me.”

Marcus skipped the rope, running lightly along their branch until it began to bow. With a spring, he flung himself into the air, entering the water feet-first. He surfaced to the sound of his best friend whooping and hollering encouragement.

Swimming back to make room, Marcus beckoned. “You next!”

Ransom edged out and held his nose. He seemed to be counting, but Aleff rolled his eyes and helped him along with a casual shove. Ransom’s yelp was followed by a mighty splash. He came up grinning. “Let’s go again!”

“Yep.”

“But how do we climb up?”

Back on the riverbank, Aleff pointed upstream. “A second rope is already in place. Daichi can show you where. But first …!”

“Back up, boys,” warned Daichi.

Tying a knot at the end of the rope swing, Uncle Al rode it out over their heads. At the highest point, he let go, tucked his knees to his chest, and hollered, “Cannonball!”

Marcus sprawled bonelessly atop his sleeping bag, drained after spending most of the day in and out of the river. Feels like I went through a long sparring session with Taweel and Tamaes. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he imagined sending them a postcard.

Ransom’s fist bumped his. “How high are we?” he asked quietly. “Does this count for a mountain?”

“Don’t think so. It’s more of a ridge. Or a hill.”

“Too bad. You had mountaintop on our list.”

“Yep.” Marcus rolled onto his side and checked on Aleff, who appeared to be sound asleep. He’d probably entered dreams. “We’ll see mountains out west.”

“We should still climb this one, though.”

“Gonna be dark soon,” Marcus said. “Let’s wait until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Ransom agreed, then raised his voice slightly. “Hey, Daichi. How much longer?”

“Soon.”

While Uncle Al was in charge of locating food in the form of diners, whenever they were roughing it, meals were Daichi’s responsibility.

“That’s not a straight answer,” Ransom grumbled, crossing to Daichi’s side.

The man poked into their fire pit with a long metal skewer. “It is the truth.”

“Can I help?”

Daichi raked coals aside and pulled free several ash-covered lumps. “Please set up the rack.”

Marcus stayed where he was while his older brother quietly coached Ransom through last-minute preparations for their meal. The ember-roasted sweet potatoes released puffs of fragrant steam. Skewered onions filled their shelter with a savory aroma, and Daichi added pinches of salt and herbs to the fish he’d brought up from the river.

“Seriously. How’d you catch them without a pole?” Ransom asked for the fifth time.

Suddenly, something zinged through the air. Marcus barely had time to register the throw before a peach smacked into Daichi’s palm.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Ransom. “How’d you know that was coming for your head?”

Daichi smiled faintly. “Let us say I am accustomed to Uncle Al’s antics.”

“I was simply demonstrating your excellent reflexes.” Aleff sat up and sniffed appreciatively. “And I am fully prepared to appreciate your ninja cooking skills.”

Ransom grinned crookedly. “A ninja who cooks?”

“Right before your very eyes,” said Uncle Al. “Though if you blink, you’ll miss it.”

“Miss what?” Ransom looked between them. “Marcus, what are they …?”

Marcus knew this game; he’d played it many times. All he could do was point back at Uncle Al, who’d found a few stray leaves on the ground. Lifting them by their stems one after the other, he slowly said, “One … two … and three!”

His countdown mostly covered the soft fwish-tap that accompanied the disappearance of each leaf.

“They vanished!” Ransom goggled at Aleff. “Where’d they go?”

“Over here,” said Marcus, indicating to a tangle of exposed roots near the corner. Three gleaming skewers pinned Al’s missing leaves into place.

“How …? You mean …?” Ransom’s attention swung back to Daichi, who calmly divided food onto four plates. He groaned, “Aw, man! I didn’t see a thing!”

Uncle Al smugly said, “I warned you not to blink.”

Early the next morning, Marcus followed Ransom along the winding trail leading to their ridge’s summit. Looking back, he caught the shine of water between the trees. Day would break soon, but clouds were building to the west. The heaviness in the air promised rain.

“Looks like someone beat us to the top,” said Ransom.

Daichi sat with his back to a broad tree trunk, writing in a pocket-sized journal with thick pages.

Once they were close enough, Marcus could see the spare lines of a sketch that captured the essence of a lone tree leaning out past the verge, clinging tenaciously to crevices in the bare stone.

“You’re an artist?” asked Ransom.

“Let us say I am a poor photographer.”

“What are you writing about?” he persisted.

Turning the book slightly, Daichi showed them a page filled with vertical rows of characters.

“Might as well be written in code,” said Ransom. “Is that Japanese?”

“It is.” In measured tones, Daichi explained, “My thoughts not clear to me until I see them written. These are wandering thoughts, captured in ink.”

“Did you write anything about me?” asked Ransom

“I did.”

“Really? Where?”

Daichi beckoned him closer and turned back a few pages.

Ransom leaned into the man’s broad shoulder. “What’s it say?”

With a faint smile, he translated the spare lines.

A young warrior

Eager to taste adventure

Rides out—his first quest.

“No kidding? How come you keep calling me and Marcus warriors?”

Daichi’s voice warmed. “Let us call it an endearment.”

Marcus tilted his head to read the part Daichi hadn’t read aloud. His final lines that turned the haiku into a tanka.

If God Most High be gracious,

Ransom will find great treasure.

 

Next Month: Angel Unaware, Part 20: “Happy Camper”

Collect the other Threshold-based serials now available in print and digital formats:

CHIT-CHAT: Authorial Encouragement

Behind the scenes, I rub elbows with other Christian authors. I’m a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and we have a “prologue” group here in San Diego. (My friends and I get together regularly, but we haven’t become an official ACFW chapter yet.) Our monthly meetings give us a chance to share what we’re working on, swap tips, share ideas, and generally encourage one another … because writing is a solitary endeavor.

Last week, it was my turn to talk about My Writing Journey (a.k.a. How Christa got started, got published, and got crazy by going hybrid) and to teach my friends how to use Pinterest. My daughter Elza snapped a picture…

To find an ACFW group in your area, visit ACFW.com. And if you’re also a pinner, you’ll find me on Pinterest as /christakinde and /mrsmilbrandt. Nudge me in comments here or in a message there if you want to be added to one of my group boards! ♥

Pulling an Aleff

While I was more than two states over, I used restaurant placemats to write to everyone back home, then went a step further and “pulled an Aleff.” The lady in my hometown’s post office was amused by the scattering of one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-cent stamps I used to cover the cost of postage.

On a related note, a handful of my regulars should have received a Minnesota postcard that makes a lot more sense after this month’s installment of Angel Unaware.

Anyone else want mail from the boys?

I have CA postcards & stamps aplenty.

Angel Unaware, Part 18: Good Listener

The June issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine has released, which means the next installment of Angel Unaware is ready for readers. Follow the links below to Part Eighteen, “Good Listener.” IMPORTANT: The editor contacted me in advance, letting me know that this is the magazine’s final issue. CFOM‘s archives will remain available, but as Bonnie Calhoun says on the cover page, “This is the end of an age.” Moving forward, monthly installments of Angel Unaware will continue here on this blog. Many thanks to Bonnie and Christian Fiction Online Magazine. If it weren’t for my monthly column, both Angel Unaware and Angel on High probably wouldn’t have been written!

He was the new kid, and he needed a friend.

Story Summary: Marcus had never been a typical cherub. Raised on earth instead of in enclaves, he blended right in with humanity. The perfect Graft. But what Marcus wanted more than anything else was to become a warrior. So he asked God for a mentor. Marcus gets his armor fittings and swordsmanship lessons. But he also ends up with a couple of well-meaning foster parents, three nosy siblings, a lonesome landlord, and a new best friend.

Angel Unaware, © Copyright 2015–2016 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved.

Part Eighteen: “Good Listener”

Christian Fiction Online Magazine, June 2016 | Read it now >>

After you’ve read there, I hope you’ll come back here with any comments and questions. : )

Away and Back

The latest blog lull is mostly travel-related. I flew back to my hometown for a nice long visit and the chance to work on a super-secret project (well, okay … it’s not much of a secret if I’m mentioning it here) in my mom’s art gallery. I’m also juggling a few writing/editing jobs, including the next Pomeroy Family Legacy title. So while I’m not too noisy out front, I’m quietly tapping out new stories for you behind the scenes. ♥

The gazebo that inspired the library’s storytime gazebo in West Edinton.

Angel Unaware, Part 17: Road Tripper

The May issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine has released, which means the next installment of Angel Unaware is ready for readers. Follow the links below to Part Seventeen, “Road Tripper.”

He was the new kid, and he needed a friend.

Story Summary: Marcus had never been a typical cherub. Raised on earth instead of in enclaves, he blended right in with humanity. The perfect Graft. But what Marcus wanted more than anything else was to become a warrior. So he asked God for a mentor. Marcus gets his armor fittings and swordsmanship lessons. But he also ends up with a couple of well-meaning foster parents, three nosy siblings, a lonesome landlord, and a new best friend.

Angel Unaware, © Copyright 2015–2016 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved.

Part Seventeen: “Road Tripper”

Christian Fiction Online Magazine, May 2016 | Read it now >>

After you’ve read there, I hope you’ll come back here with any comments and questions. : )

SALE: Pursuing Prissie

Summer Sale. If you’d like to get or give a digital copy of Pursuing Prissie, now’s a wonderful time to splurge. It’s on sale right now on Amazon for $2.99.

“Thank you, God, for dropping me into a thicket of cookie-munching, God-fearing, people-loving Pomeroys.” –Ransom Pavlos

The first book in the Pomeroy Family Legacy collection, Pursuing Prissie is a Threshold Series sequel. Familiar faces, new friends, family traditions, high hopes, lurking danger, angelic archers, gentle romance, and apple pie.

Summary: Ten years after the events of The Blue Door, Prissie Pomeroy experiences an angelic reprise when she meets another little boy she shouldn’t be able to see. Asher seems to be using his Caretaker’s powers very carelessly, but he claims to be Sent. His meddling mixes up Prissie’s life just in time for Ransom Pavlos to return to West Edinton. The newly credentialed pastry chef hopes to make a place for himself in town, preferably at Prissie’s side. But she’s too distracted by a very different pursuit to notice. An old enemy finds his way back to the Pomeroys’ farm, and the Guardian who knows him best must step forward to keep Prissie safe.

Rating: While the characters of Pursuing Prissie are a decade older, the story is in keeping with the main series. Yes, there’s a romance underway, but I’d consider this book appropriate for tween/teen readers. As with all my stories, the focus remains on family, friendship, and faith. [Ages 13+]

Recommended Reading: Before you plunge into the reprise, make sure you know who’s who and what’s what. That way, you’ll catch all the hints and allusions. : )

1. If you haven’t read Rough and Tumble in a while, you’re due for a re-read! Ethan and his Flightmates have a role in Pursuing Prissie, and you’ll be reacquainting yourself with Zeke Pomeroy’s two besties—Jasper and Timothy. MORE >>

2. If you haven’t read Angel on High in a while, you’ll definitely benefit from a re-read. There are regular references in Pursuing Prissie to events from Koji’s past. MORE >>

Angel Unaware, Part 16: Rule Breaker

The April issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine has released, which means the next installment of Angel Unaware is ready for readers. Follow the links below to Part Sixteen, “Rule Breaker.”

He was the new kid, and he needed a friend.

Story Summary: Marcus had never been a typical cherub. Raised on earth instead of in enclaves, he blended right in with humanity. The perfect Graft. But what Marcus wanted more than anything else was to become a warrior. So he asked God for a mentor. Marcus gets his armor fittings and swordsmanship lessons. But he also ends up with a couple of well-meaning foster parents, three nosy siblings, a lonesome landlord, and a new best friend.

Angel Unaware, © Copyright 2015–2016 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved.

Part Sixteen: “Rule Breaker”

Christian Fiction Online Magazine, April 2016 | Read it now >>

After you’ve read there, I hope you’ll come back here with any comments and questions. : )