Christa Kinde's Blog, page 20
January 21, 2016
Chit-Chat: How Prissie met Ethan
By now, I hope you’ve all taken advantage of Zondervan’s generosity and secured your free digital copy of Angels All Around. This illustrated short story is set seven years before the events of The Blue Door, on the day that Prissie met Milo.
A divine Messenger becomes one little girl’s prince,
and a fledgling Guardian becomes their knight.
The story is a crossover of sorts, bringing the characters from the main series into contact with the angels in Rough and Tumble. I so enjoyed being able to bring together Milo and Ethan in the middle of a Main Street melee.
Jedrick, Tycho, and Lucan
[one of the full-color illustrations from the story]
But Angels All Around set something else into motion. At the time, one of my daughters commented that Prissie and Ethan should meet. A highly unlikely turn of events. But the notion stuck, and I found myself looking for plausible ways for that connection to take place. “What if…” is a wonderful place to begin a story. So while I was still writing the main series, I was already collecting plot threads for a story that would bring together the girl who loves pink and the pink-winged angel.
Pursuing Prissie is a 10-years later sequel to the Threshold Series, the first in my Pomeroy Family Legacy collection. It’s available in both digital and print editions. And it chases that wonderful “what if…” into a new adventure. ♥
January 19, 2016
Sage and Song, Chapter 32: The Terrible Solution
Chapter 32: The Terrible Solution
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
PROVERBS 3:7 NLT
Kester felt sure that Solomon’s judgment would be wise. Is he not blessed by God? He couldn’t fathom why a sword was needed, but neither did he understand all of God’s plans. Surely good will come out of this trouble. Even when the king took the squirming infant into his arms and stepped back, Kester trusted the king to bring about a favorable outcome.
Until he saw Solomon’s face.
The hard glint in the king’s eyes stirred uneasiness in the young angel’s heart. And Solomon’s next words stole his very breath.
“The solution is simple. I’ll divide the child in two.” He hefted the borrowed weapon. “Each woman can take half.”
Badly startled, Kester’s fingers curled against the strings of David’s harp. A faint note shivered into the deathly silence that settled over the throne room.
The king spared him a glance—quick, flat, and full of warnings.
Even though Kester was new, he’d seen enough death to recognize its nearness. Old age and sickness. Accident and injury. Even the blood of sacrifice at the temple. They were evidence of sin’s taint. But to end this dispute in murder? I do not understand.
Solomon’s gaze slid to the boy cowering at Kester’s side, and for an instant, his expression flickered. But the moment passed, and he faced forward with grim resolve.
“Isn’t this fair?” demanded the king. “Do you accept my judgment?”
“No!” The second woman, the one with a limp bundle half-forgotten in her arms, inched forward. “No! Please, you can’t!”
“O, King, you are wise.” Bitterness twisted the first woman’s features. “Do what you think is best.”
“I … I changed my mind!” Pale and quaking, the second woman fell to her knees. “Give him to her. Let her keep him!”
“Is that truly what you want?” asked Solomon.
She bowed low. “Spare his life.”
Although Kester didn’t want to miss what happened next, he grew increasingly aware of Lemuel’s tension. One look at the boy’s face was enough to shift the young angel’s priorities. He set down the harp and turned his back on the room, giving Lemuel his full attention.
“Fear not,” he murmured. “I am with you.”
But Lemuel stared at him with wide, unseeing eyes.
“I don’t like this. I don’t want to see.”
Kester considered the problem, then offered the simplest solution. Pulling the prince into a tentative embrace, he said, “Then close your eyes.”
Lemuel hid his face against Kester’s tunic and whined, “Make it stop.”
“I cannot.”
“I hate you.”
“That is also something I cannot do.”
Just then, Solomon’s voice boomed. “Hear me now, for this is wisdom!”
Lemuel scrunched closer, his breaths quick and shallow.
Sensing a shift in mood, Kester shook the prince’s shoulder. “Look.”
“Don’t wanna.” And the boy clamped his hands over his ears.
But as Solomon gazed at the little one tucked in the crook of his arm, Kester saw his gentled expression. Here was a father. Here was a man who counted life as precious.
“The child is safe,” Kester reported, but Lemuel didn’t hear.
King Solomon said, “The sword shall not touch this child, and by no means will he be divided. For any can see which of these two is truly his mother.”
Whispers turned to exclamations as the people realized what Solomon had done. Now that the first woman’s lie was exposed, the truth seemed obvious.
The king stepped over to the woman who had begged for her son’s life. Red-eyed and tear-stained, she set aside her burden and lifted trembling arms. And when Solomon spoke a blessing and passed the little one to his true mother, she thanked him with a smile made beautiful by gratitude.
“It is over.” Kester tugged Lemuel’s fingers from his ears. “Your father opened every eye to the truth.”
But when the prince opened his eyes, all he saw was his father climbing toward them, a sword still in his hand. With a whimper, Lemuel cowered behind his companion.
Solomon hesitated at the top of the stairs. “I thought he was growing accustomed to the lions.”
“He saw you,” said Kester. “He saw you when you were terrible.”
“Surely you realize that was a ploy.”
“I do. But he believed you.”
“I would never slaughter a child of my kingdom.”
“Those women believed you would.” Kester nodded to the room, which was abuzz with awe and amazement. “I do not think they were alone.”
The king winced. “I never …”
“I know.”
At Solomon’s signal, the throne room began emptying. He reclaimed his seat, leaning over its arm to gaze at the prince who refused to meet his gaze. “My sons are paraded through this hall to see its grandeur and to know their father’s majesty. But this room is too big, this throne too lofty.”
Kester waited wordlessly.
Eventually, Solomon reached out, but he hesitated to touch his son’s hair. Tousling Kester’s instead, he said, “Take him out. Calm him down. And bring him to Asaph’s archive tonight. Perhaps there he can see something other than the exalted King of Israel who rules with terrifying wisdom.”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates on Mondays. More information can be found on the Sage and Song index page. Sage and Song, © Copyright 2015–2016 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, subscribe to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
January 18, 2016
Two Items of Business…
2016 Newsletter. Although I’ll post interesting tidbits of authorial chit-chat as they happen, I’ve decided to forego a regularly-scheduled weekly post in favor of bringing back my monthly newsletter. Already subscribed? Awesome! January’s newsletter is due out during the last week of the month. Not yet a subscriber? This is the perfect time to sign up! ; )
Sage and Song. A quick note for those of you who are enjoying this weekly serial. The way my weeks have been flowing thus far, I think I can be more consistent by setting Monday as my post date. So I’m officially shifting Kester’s story from Thursdays to Mondays. (And in my time zone, it’s still Monday … so let’s see if I can get this week’s installment out!)
Christa on Facebook / Christa on Twitter
January 14, 2016
IN PRINT: Rough and Tumble
Threshold Series Companions. The first in a collection of Threshold-based prequels is now available in print! Rough and Tumble tells the story of Prissie Pomeroy’s younger brother Zeke, who’s penchant for mischief keeps his guardian angel on his toes. Told from the point of view of Ethan, the newest angel in the Pomeroy familys’ Hedge, the tale unfolds in 100-word bursts.
Rough and Tumble on Amazon
[You can order the print books anywhere.]
If you want an author-signed copy and you have a PayPal account, email me. We can work something out! ; )
COMING SOON: Tried and True
January 11, 2016
Angel Unaware, Part 13: Nice Guy
And we’re headed into the second year of Angel Unaware! The January issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine has released, which means the next installment in my ongoing Threshold-based serial is ready for readers. Follow the links below to Part Thirteen, “Nice Guy.”
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 Thirteen: “Nice Guy”
Christian Fiction Online Magazine, January 2016 | Read it now >>
After you’ve read there, I hope you’ll come back here with any comments and questions. : )
January 7, 2016
Sage and Song, Chapter 31: The False Witness
Chapter 31: The False Witness
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
PSALM 72:1 NKJV
The prince whispered, “Why?”
Kester glanced back at him, trying to discern the nature of his inquiry. “These women are in disagreement. Your father will undoubtedly judge between them.”
“I know that,” Lemuel muttered, squirming closer. “I don’t like that baby.”
“Perhaps the mother’s distress has frightened the child.”
“Not that one. The other one.”
So he’d noticed as well. There were two babies—one whose wails echoed off the throne room walls, and one whose silence put a quaver in Lemuel’s voice.
“Yes,” said Kester. “That one is no longer here.”
“Why would they bring death into the palace? Father cannot raise the dead.”
While Kester didn’t fear death for the same reasons as humans, he disliked its taint and the loneliness that accompanied separation. Turning to wrap an arm around Lemuel’s shoulder, Kester whispered, “Fear not.”
“I’m not afraid.”
The prince scowled, but he didn’t pull away, so neither did Kester. “But you don’t like that baby.”
“No.”
“Why?” Lemuel probably didn’t realize that he still had a hold on Kester’s shirt, nor that his trembling betrayed more than he wanted to admit. Turning further, so he blocked the prince’s view of the room, Kester quietly repeated, “Why?”
“What if they brought sickness? What if it takes Father?”
The argument turned shrill, but Solomon boomed a command. Mauler added a roar, as if for emphasis, and even the squalling baby was startled into silence. The king’s voice easily carried to the farthest corner of the room. “Take a reasonable tone, and I will hear you out. Both of you.” Indicating the first woman, he asked, “Why are you here?”
“This dreadful creature—one I foolishly counted as dear as a sister—is full of lies. She claims I murdered her son, and she wants to take away my precious child.”
“Murder?” The king’s gaze dropped to the limp bundle in the second woman’s arms. Kester saw sadness flicker through his eyes, but Solomon only said, “Is that the way of things, woman?”
“No! She’s lying! Make her give back my son!”
Sorrow ached in Kester’s soul, for the dispute was a mire of sin. Under Solomon’s close questioning, the women admitted to having no husbands. They shared a room in one of the shrines below the palace, where they lived as harlots. Both had recently given birth to sons, and by all appearances, one had been accidentally smothered.
“She traded our children in the night!” The second woman’s frustrated sobs made her words hard to understand. “Oh, this is horrible! Please, believe me! He’s all I have!”
Tears. Anger. Accusation. But both women told the same story. The living child belonged to them, and the dead child belonged to the other.
“Not a sickness,” Kester relayed to Lemuel, who blinked several times.
“No?”
Kester shook his head. “An accident. Cause for sorrow, but not for fear.”
“I wasn’t afraid,” he muttered, daring to peek out.
Murmurs rippled through the gathered crowd, for many in the throne room had an opinion on the matter. Some believed the first woman, who spoke with such confidence. Some believed the second, who dashed away her tears with a trembling hand.
“Be merciful!”
“Be fair!”
“My son!”
“My due!”
How will the king decide? Every eye in the room turned to Solomon, but Kester wasn’t prepared for the king’s stony expression.
“You want fairness? So be it.” Solomon stood and trust his hand toward the nearest guard. “Give me your sword.”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates on Thursdays. More information can be found on the Sage and Song index page. Sage and Song, © Copyright 2015–2016 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, subscribe to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
January 5, 2016
CHIT-CHAT: Stained Glass
All the Christmas fripperies are back in storage until next year, but THIS display is here to stay. (I think Marcus would be pleased.)
These have been languishing in boxes since we moved to California nearly a decade ago. Dozens of stained glass ornaments now hang from the ceiling in front of my bedroom window. (I jokingly refer to them as my earthquake warning system.) ♥
December 17, 2015
Angel Unaware, Part 12: New Neighbor
The December issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine has released, which means the next installment in my ongoing Threshold-based serial is ready for readers. Follow the links below to Part Twelve, “New Neighbor.”
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 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved.
Part Twelve: “New Neighbor”
Christian Fiction Online Magazine, December 2015 | Read it now >>
After you’ve read there, I hope you’ll come back here with any comments and questions. : )
December 12, 2015
TODAY: Book Table
Today’s the day! I’m hosting a release party for Angels: A 90-Day Devotional about God’s Messengers [Zondervan] today at the Branch Church offices. Drop in between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for special deals on signed copies.
Here’s a full list of the titles that will be available…
Angels: A 90-Day Devotional about God’s Messengers (ages 9+)
The Threshold Series (ages 11+)
Book 1: The Blue Door
Book 2: The Hidden Deep
Book 3: The Broken Window
Book 4: The Garden Gate
Threshold Series Companion Books (ages 11+)
Rough and Tumble
Be quick! I only have 10 copies of this new release!
Pomeroy Family Legacy (ages 13+)
Pursuing Prissie
Galleries of Stone Trilogy (ages 13+)
Book 1: Meadowsweet
Book 2: Harrow
Byways Books (ages 6+)
Book 1: On Your Marks: The Adventure Begins
Book 2: Aboard the Train: A Ewan Johns Adventure
Book 3: Over the Bridge: A Zane Johns Adventure
Book 4: Up the Mountain: A Ganix Johns Adventure
Book 5: Inside the Tree: A Ewan Johns Adventure
Book 6: Into the Hills: A Zane Johns Adventure
Book 7: Across the Line: A Ganix Johns Adventure
Payment. We’re now able to take credit card payments via PayPal. Cash and checks are also accepted.
December 8, 2015
SNEAK PEEK: Rough and Tumble
Itty Bitty. Did you catch the sound of prolonged d’awwws and squees coming from the Kinde household? They’re not in stores yet, but they will be before year’s end. Here’s a first look at Rough and Tumble, part of the adorably small Threshold companion story print editions!
D’awww!
With one 100-word chapter per page, these chubby little paperbacks are over 300 pages apiece. (And cute. I did mention the cute factor, yes?) Next up in the set: Tried and True! [Watch for it in February 2016.]
