Christa Kinde's Blog, page 24

CELEBRATE: Pursuing Prissie

When we kicked off the first Pursuing Prissie party back in July, several of you couldn’t take part because you hadn’t yet read the book. So I offered to host a second go-around (any excuse for a party), so it’s time for some fun. I’ll be doing posts every day this week, so check back often. New art. Outtakes. Story updates. Snapshots. Let’s mark the milestone together.

Familiar faces, new friends, family traditions, high hopes, lurking danger, angelic archers, gentle romance, and apple pie.

Pursuing Prissie. 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.

Read it! If you haven’t yet read Pursuing Prissie, the digital edition is currently available from Amazon for $5.99. Yes, I’ll release print editions soon. The files are at the printer now, so it won’t be much longer. If you (or your parents) have Amazon Prime, you can read Pursuing Prissie for FREE in the Kindle Online Lending Library.

Find it on Amazon >>

Review it! While I don’t like to pester, one of my goals with these parties is to give you incentives to review my books. They’re the #1 best way for readers to support ANY author. Let’s face it, reviews are good for business. Of course, my other main goal with these parties is to have fun … so let’s get that started! : )

Fun Stuff

Wall Scrawl Project – what would you add? Thisaway >>

Wedding Cake Challenge – find one to suit the happy couple and pin it to our Reader Show-and-Tell Pinterest board. If you need to be added to that group board, comment below or message me on Pinterest.

Prize Drawing ♦ 7 Winners

Watercolors in Your Mailbox – I have six lovely (and appropriately pink) watercolor notecards by MJMilbrandt (my mom). They’ll go out to prize winners.

Grand Prize – one signed print edition of Pursuing Prissie

How Do I Enter?

Comment to enter. It’s that simple. Siblings are welcome to join the fun. ; )

There are several ways to increase your chances at winning. These are entirely optional, but for each item, your name will be added to the proverbial hat.

New review of Pursuing Prissie (on Amazon & GoodReads)
New review of Tried and True (on Amazon & GoodReads)
New review of Rough and Tumble (on Amazon & GoodReads)
New review of Angel on High (on Amazon & GoodReads)
Contribute to the Wall Scrawl Project. Right this way >>
Add a wedding cake pin to the Reader Show and Tell board.
Vote in our new Informal Poll. COMING SOON >>
What was your favorite scene? Tell us in comments below.
Pick a favorite line and share it in comments below.
Do one better and tweet a favorite line from the story. Baird and I will retweet you. ; )

We’re @ChristaKinde and @BAIRDjustBAIRD on Twitter

REMEMBER: You’ll need to let me know how you took part in the comments below. That’s where I gather together all your names when it’s time to do the drawing.

You have all week to take part in this giveaway, which is scheduled for noon (Pacific) on Saturday, September 26—which happens to be The Blue Door‘s (and therefore the entire Threshold Series’s) birthday.

[[SPOILER ALERT]]

If you haven’t finished the book yet, you WILL encounter spoilers in the comments!

CHIT-CHAT: Print Editions

Newsy Update! I’ve been scarce lately, but not without good reason. As I’ve already mentioned in past posts containing authorial chit-chat, I’m embroiled in a season of life I’ve cheerfully dubbed “Adventures in Typesetting.” After more than a month of wrangling, I’m pleased to report a measure of success.

Typesetting is a time-consuming process that requires attention to detail. I find the task enjoyable, but it demands all of my focus for large blocks of time. That’s why it’s been so long since you’ve had updates of Sage and Song (and Deuce for that matter). Thank you for your patience (or for not mentioning your impatience). Several of you have emailed me with kind words and encouragement. Bless you, reading friends! : )

Earlier today, I finished uploading Pursuing Prissie to my printer’s site and ordered a single copy—a print proof. So I find myself with a little breathing room in which to give you a report.

Step One. Naturally, the first thing I wanted to do before committing Pursuing Prissie to print was to eradicate lingering typos. Sussing them out was fairly simple since my Kindle allows me to listen to stories. The text-to-talk feature takes a little getting used to, but I’ve adjusted to the voice I’ve taken to calling “GPS lady.”

When I read, my brain often fills in the blanks, supplying missing letters or words. So most of the goofs were little things like though/thought and he/her … or sticking a “the” in front of someone’s name. Those really stand out when you’re hearing a sentence veer off course. A few of my mistakes were dazzlingly funny.  Like skaters ducking under a “bride” instead of a “bridge,” and one random instance of a lowercase “l” standing in the place of I. (How did I even do that?) Without GPS lady’s help, I’m not sure l would ever have caught that’un! : P

Step Two. The actual typesetting is a cinch … once you learn how to use the program. (That’s the kicker.) Since I’m a hands-on learner, InDesign wasn’t terribly daunting. Of course, as I joked to my daughter a few days ago … hands-on is just a nice way of saying “trial and error.” But after a week or two of learning from my mistakes, I was off and running.

Step Three. There are so many details to consider! Choosing fonts. Purchasing the rights to use those fonts. Assigning ISBNs and procuring bar codes. A-masters and B-masters. Figuring out how to have the first page of Chapter One show up as Page 1 instead of Page 9. And deciding how to deal with the publisher imprint. Because as an indie author, I’m my own publisher. And any book that’s a book has an imprint at the bottom of its spine. So … we had to come up with one.

Ta da!

This is the imprint I’ll use for Christa’s indie titles.

(I have a couple others for CJ’s stuff.)

Step Four. Cover design isn’t for the faint of heart. I know just enough about Photoshop to switch between layers and change the leading in a text box. In other words, cover design is beyond me. But thankfully (and there’s a lot of gratitude packed into that one word), my daughter Elza is savvy with graphic design. So we divided and conquered. I typeset the books. She makes the covers. We are a DIY force to be reckoned with! : D

Step Five. Uploading my titles to the printer’s website was a teensy bit scary. What if I forgot something important? What if we botched the files somehow? Yipes! And there is so much information you have to have ready. Being an organized person, I have created a one-sheet for each of my titles. They put all the info I’ll need in one place so I can just copy/paste the pertinent meta data. Short summary. Long summary. Tagline. Excerpt. BISAC data. ISBN. International prices. Retailer discounts.

Step Six. The last step has me waiting. My upload went through without a hitch, and I ordered a single copy. That’ll be my print proof to make sure everything looks good. After that … Pursuing Prissie will be available everywhere books are sold. You should be able to ask for it at a local Barnes & Noble or Christian bookstore, and it’ll show up in their system. And it’ll be available in all the usual online venues.

I can hear you asking WHEN? And I’ll be honest. Not sure. If all goes well on the printer’s end, titles are supposed to show up in about two weeks. (I did set the street date for 9/26/15). Believe me, I’ll keep you posted. When I get my sample copy & my first box of books, I’ll post pictures! : )

Next Week. Speaking of Pursuing Prissie… Are you ready for next week’s party? This September event will likely become an annual tradition because September 26 is the book birthday of The Blue Door … and therefore of the entire Threshold Series. We’ll kick off festivities on Monday, September 21, with fun stuff happening straight on through prize drawing on Saturday, September 26. Check in regularly. It’ll be fun!

So how’s stuff for you? I know several of you must be back-to-schooling!

Angel Unaware, Part 9: Favorite Nephew

The September 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 Nine, “Favorite Nephew.”

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 Nine: “Favorite Nephew”

Christian Fiction Online Magazine, September 2015 | Read it now >>

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

CHIT-CHAT: You have missed a delivery…

Sticker on the Door. When we left the house for a few errands yesterday, there was a sticky-note on the outside of the door. The kind that lets you know you’ve missed a courier. Which was odd since we were all home. (Did they even knock?!) Anyhow, my mind was racing through the possibilities. A package?

Everything I’d ordered recently had already arrived. Or was I forgetting something? Hmm. And with a sudden blaze of certainty, I knew what it had to be.

Books.

My books.

They always arrive about a month before the street date. Why, oh why didn’t the courier knock!  O__O

I checked at our building’s office, but nope. No packages for the Kinde household. So we ran our errands, and the day followed its usual course. And I mostly forgot about the package. Until an email came through from the office.

You have a package.

So I made a mad dash with a strapping young buck in tow. (He’d be needed to carry the boxes!) And the nice ladies in the office went to get them from the storeroom. Only there were no boxes. Just one dinky little envelope.

I must have forgotten that I ordered something.

OTL

Then I noticed the return address label and knew I’d been right all along. Because Zondervan and Thomas Nelson share a Nashville shipping address. And …

I. Have. Books!

Three of them.

Sharing a peek at my advance copies…

[drumroll]

Back Cover Reveal!

You can pre-order now! (At last check, the pre-order price on Amazon was $5.60.) The release date for Angels: A 90-Day Devotional About God’s Messengers by Christa Kinde is October 6, 2015.

CHIT-CHAT: Baird Hair

Show and Tell. I love it when my teenage son lets me mess with his hair. You may recall the time I came home to the surprise of his Marcus-inspired dye job.

Lately, he’s been letting it grow, which allowed me to braid it in a Marcus-meets-Prissie up-do.

Which would make today’s new twist a Marcus-meets-Baird extravaganza!

The moral of this story: author moms are equal parts scary and cool. Are all y’all looking forward to the upcoming Pursuing Prissie party? ♥

OUTTAKE: Morning Glory

“Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in You. Show me

the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.”

PSALM 143:8

Morning Glory

Prissie had never been a morning person, but that changed once Koji moved into their house. Every morning before sunrise, he’d tap on her bedroom door on his way past. And she couldn’t ignore his gentle invitations. “Coming,” she called softly.

“I will be in the garden,” he replied.

Quickly dressing, Prissie tiptoed downstairs and grabbed her jacket from its peg. She stepped into her gardening clogs, then out into the predawn chill of a new day. Mist hung in the air. Dew clung to every blade of grass as she picked her way along the stepping stones that led around the corner of their farmhouse. Koji stood under Grandma Nell’s fancy arched trellis, inspecting its riot of climbing vines.

“Good morning,” she murmured, her breath puffing.

“It is,” Koji replied. “I wish to see these flowers greet the dawn.”

“The morning glories?”

“Indeed.” He touched the tightly furled points of several closed flowers—pink, purple, blue. “Have you witnessed their response to sunrise?”

Prissie grudgingly admitted, “I’ve heard about it, but … no. I don’t really have a reason to come out here this early.”

Koji peeked at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Until now?”

“Obviously,” she mumbled.

The young angel stepped closer and lowered his voice. “The glory of the sun is a foretaste of the Son’s glory.”

“Glory,” she echoed. For the first time, Prissie realized something embarrassing. “I’m not sure I know what glory means.”

With a thoughtful expression, Koji choose other words. “Brightness. Radiance. Brilliance.”

“Light.”

Koji nodded. “God is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain.”

Prissie looked to the east, where the sky had turned pink. “God is like the glory of morning?”

“He wraps Himself in light, as with a garment,” her friend quoted.

Another verse she couldn’t put her finger on. But the idea was just as beautiful. Smiling, she pointed out, “Your raiment shines. Are angels dressed in light, too?”

Koji looked down at the clothes he wore because he was disguised as an ordinary boy. Soft flannel. Bright cotton. Jeans with the cuffs rolled up above the level of dewy grass. “I no longer look like those who wear shining clothes, whose faces flash like lightning.”

“But you still sing like an angel,” Prissie hinted. The pink had changed to peach and pale yellow. Daybreak was moments away.

Without further prompting, Koji spread his arms wide and sang about a trumpet blast, the eastern sky, and a glorious appearing. Light gained strength. Mists scattered. And all along the vines, dozens of tiny trumpets unfurled to greet the glory of the morning.

♦ There’s a hymn that begins, “When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries, May Jesus Christ be praised.” What is your first thought each morning?

♦ Koji quoted Psalm 104:2 and 2 Samuel 23:4 in this scene. What kind of light do you like best?

♦ What will the trumpets soon herald, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16?

OUTTAKES INDEX >>

CJ’S BOOKS: September Sale

Free Days! From time to time, I mention my other books on this blog. Most of you already know that I publish family-friendly fantasy under my maiden name. Well, this week, I’m doing some FREE days for the Byways books. Give the series a whirl. Fill in the gaps in your set.  And if you have friends who’d love these stories, this is the perfect time to tell them about it. Because … FREE!

Sept 1 – Book #1, On Your Marks is FREE – GET IT NOW >>

Sept 2 – Book #2, Aboard the Train is FREE

Sept 3 – Book #3, Over the Bridge is FREE

Sept 4 – Book #4, Up the Mountain is FREE

More about Byways at CJMilbrandt.com >>

MONDAY: Do you know what day of the week it is?

This is a Monday post in name only (hey, why not?) because the calendar will insist on calling today Wednesday. To be honest, I don’t know quite when I am. Still adjusting to the time shift that comes with a long flight. But give me a day or two, and routine will kick in and normalcy shall ensue. : P  As promised, I come bearing both authorial newsiness and a few snapshots from my visit to Tennessee. Come and see!

Blog Mentions. Now that I’m home, I’ll be catching up on a few things … like answering comments and saying thank you. In the last few weeks, two people were kind enough to post reviews/recommendations of the Threshold Series and Pursuing Prissie to their book blogs:

Christian Teen Fiction Devourer, review of Pursuing Prissie by J:-)mi

Bookends, article “10 Book Series You Need to Read” by Kiara Kalmey

“Y’know, I remember picking up The Blue Door in the library. It looked interesting, and I was ready to give it a try. I now love the series so, SO much.” —Kiara Kalmey

Harper Collins Christian Publishing. I was in Nashville for the better part of a week, and one of the spots that needed revisiting was my publisher’s HQ. My husband is a former Thomas Nelson SVP, so my kids grew up running around on the lawn out front and playing hide-and-seek in the shrubbery while they waited for Daddy to call it a day. Who knew that a decade later, I’d have both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan titles in print? After the marketing meeting that brought me to town, we swung by for an after-hours snapshot.

Sweet Tea. The little town where we lived in Tennessee has seen something of a boom since we left. I barely recognized whole sections because they simply hadn’t existed while we were there. The playground where my kids used to play was completely renovated. But the cherry limeade from Sonic was just like I remember. I’d forgotten the trains that roar through during the night. And the catfish and fixin’s at Uncle Buds were as tasty as ever.

[They added a water feature to our old playground. Smart for Southern summers.]

[Sweet & unsweet tea are staples at any restaurant.]

Hiking Trails. The only place I really, really wanted to revisit while we were in the Nashville area was Radnor Lake. It’s a tucked-away nature preserve with steep, forested ridges surrounding a lake. Those ridges were part of my inspiration for the topography of Sunderland State Park in the Threshold Series. It’s all moss and stone, creek and root. Narrow trails zigzag higher, then drop into hollows with green ponds. We spotted plenty of critters during our hike, but my favorite moment was coming within a few feet of a young stag.

Pre-Order. Don’t forget that my next book is coming out in October from Zonderkidz. Right now you can pre-order the devotional at a significant discount on Amazon. (It’s showing up as $5.60 at the moment, marked down from $9.99.) Take advantage of this special price on Angels: A 90-Day Devotional About God’s Messengers, which will release on October 6, 2015.

Pursuing Prissie Party. And hey, just a reminder that plans are in the works for a second Pursuing Prissie party. We’ll kick things off on Monday, September 21 … and conclude on the series anniversary, September 26. (That’s the day The Blue Door released three years ago.) ♥

<< LAST MONDAY | NEXT MONDAY >>

LAST CALL: Nashville Postcards

Hey, y’all! Today’s the last day to take part in my mini-challenge & receive a postcard from Nashville, TN. (Because I fly home tomorrow!) For more information >>

P.S. I’m gonna hold off on my MONDAY post until later this week, when I can pull some show-and-tell pictures off my camera. Hang in there until then! ; )

SALE: Byways Book #4

Free Day! Just a quick note to let you know that one of my e-books is currently FREE! I publish family-friendly fantasy under my maiden name—C. J. Milbrandt. In the Byways books, I tell the story of three brothers who take sibling rivalry to new lengths by racing each other across their homeland. Geared for young readers, the stories are full of the sorts of things I enjoy: mythical creatures, quirky folks, kind deeds, loyal friends, and a touch of magic. If you homeschool (like we do), you’ll also appreciate the educational twist. Each book is tied to a state, and I make a game of weaving people, places, icons, and claims to fame from that state throughout the story.

Today, you can nab Byways Book #4, which is tied to the fourth state to be ratified—Georgia! Up the Mountain: A Ganix Johns Adventure finds the youngest Johns brother at his fourth waypoint, but is he the tortoise or the hare? The upcoming peach blossom festival sounds like fun, so he decides to stay. But one little accident leads to big trouble, and it’s up to Ganix to make things right.

Haven’t read the first three books? Don’t worry about it. Although there is an over-arcing plot, each story makes sense on its own.  They’re largely episodic since … I know my kids would always just grab whatever book was on the shelf at our local library.

Find out more about the Byways books (and my other fantasy tales) at CJMilbrandt.com.

Up the Mountain: A Ganix Johns Adventure >>