Christa Kinde's Blog, page 26
July 25, 2015
CONGRATULATIONS: Pursuing Prissie Party
I’m ready to announce the winners of the prize drawing for this past week’s Pursuing Prissie Party! I’ve enjoyed hearing about your favorite moments in the book, and it was all kinds of fun to have you asking questions of the cast. We’ll plan to do this again, perhaps in the form of a mini-challenge in September … during another character’s birthday celebration. ; )
7 WATERCOLOR NOTECARDS
Savannah
Lindsay
Kiara
Soleil
Tyme
Arian
Dove
3 COPIES OF TRIED AND TRUE
Micailah
Sky P.
Elayna
GRAND PRIZE – PRINT EDITION
Esther
Congratulations, Everyone!
Still Time!
Quick reminder that the prize drawing for this week’s Pursuing Prissie Party will be happening soon(ish). You still have time to take part! MORE INFORMATION >>
July 23, 2015
DIGITAL RELEASE: Tried and True
Tried and True. In the wake of his young charge’s death, Taweel’s faith dims. Bitterness, anger, and despair leave him vulnerable. But though Taweel’s need is great, the One who provides is far greater. The grieving Guardian’s life undergoes a slow and steady transformation after he meets a yahavim named Omri, a pair of heavenly Weavers, a Worshiper whose songs are laced with sorrow, and two little boys with auburn hair.
You can now add this Threshold Series prequel to your virtual library. So far, the e-book is showing up on Amazon. I’ll be adding it to the stores at Barnes & Noble and Kobo soon. Even if you’ve already read Tried and True here on my blog, you’ll want to snag the e-book in order to read the EXCLUSIVE epilogue—”Flight and Hedge.”
Sage and Song, Chapter 27: The Lone Eavesdropper
Chapter 27: The Lone Eavesdropper
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For
You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
PSALM 4:8 NKJV
Kester decided that Lemuel’s presence could be instructive. By watching a real human boy, he could better approximate the elusive “ordinary.” But within an hour of sharing their quarters with Solomon’s son, Kester gave up on his role model. A servant cannot be a prince.
But one idea kept nagging at him. Hadn’t Solomon said that to be Israel’s king was to serve God’s children? If so, wasn’t it a prince’s duty to learn a servant’s role?
“I want a drink! Bring water!”
The captain said, “Take a walk, brat. The cistern is in the courtyard.”
Lemuel wrinkled his nose. “The water from the spring is better. It’s cold.”
“Then take a longer walk.”
“Food then! Bring me a snack.”
“Give it up. I’m comfortable.” The old man tilted his head toward the door and added, “Besides, he’s back.”
Asaph entered, his arms free from their burden of scrolls. “Our day’s work is done. Our evening’s service can begin.”
Kester peeked at Lemuel, wondering if the prince thought this strange. But all he said was, “Finally!”
“Will you join the song, Captain?”
“Might as well.” From his seat on the floor in the corner, Benaiah offered a lazy wave. “Get on with it already. The kids are antsy.”
Touching Kester’s shoulder, Asaph said, “You may begin.”
A shy glance in Lemuel’s direction confirmed that he was staring. But Kester took a deep breath and let his focus shift to realms unseen. As Asaph had said, they did not sing for men. And so Kester sang to God.
After the initial call to praise, Asaph added his voice. The captain made their duet a trio, but the prince never joined in. Lemuel sat on the bed, arms around his legs, chin on knees, eavesdropping on evensong.
Somewhere along the way, Benaiah interrupted Kester with a gentle tap on his shoulder. “Enough, newbie,” he said gruffly. “You’ve sung the stars into the sky, and the moon as well. Look there.”
Kester followed his gaze to the bed, where Lemuel sprawled.
“He fought long if not well,” said the captain. “For in the end, he succumbed to sleep.”
Asaph sang on, and Kester drew breath to rejoin him, but Benaiah interrupted again. His strong hand gripped Kester’s shoulder, and he gave a small shake of his head and said, “Bedtime for little boys.”
The pleading look he sent his mentor’s way went unnoticed. Asaph sang with face uplifted, eyes closed, and hands outstretched. So Kester allowed the old guardsman to guide him to the bed … then into it. He lay still and pondered this new predicament. For prince and servant alike required rest. Rolling onto his side, he studied the peaceful rhythm of slumber. He could do this.
A pillow for his head. A blanket for his comfort. And a prince for his companion. Kester’s eyes drifted shut, and he dreamed of home.
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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 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.
July 22, 2015
REMINDER: Pursuing Prissie Party
Q&A. Poll. Prizes. Lots of fun stuff happening in the festivities surrounding Pursuing Prissie. This event is a little shorter than some of my others, and I want to make sure everyone who wants to join in has a chance. So here goes:
1. If you want to be a part of the prize drawing, let me know what you did in comments on the Pursuing Prissie Party post. That’s where I go when it’s time to create my master list.
2. So far, only three people have done this, so it bears repeating. Before the drawing on Saturday, July 25, comment on that post to let me know which of the items on the “How Do I Enter?” list you accomplished. WHERE TO COMMENT >>
3. Your deadline for the prize drawing is noon (PDT) on Saturday, July 25. Make sure to comment by then. Because I don’t want to miss anyone’s entries! ♥
LAST CALL: Minnesota Postcards
Reminder! I issued a special challenge two weeks ago, and the deadline for participation is looming. I’m flying home on Friday, so you only have a couple days. There’s a pretty little stack of Minnesota postcards featuring northern lights sitting here. If you post a review of Pursuing Prissie while I’m here in my hometown, I’ll send you one. Let me know if you take part! ♥
July 20, 2015
Q&A Session: Pursuing Prissie
Celebrating Pursuing Prissie. I’ve given readers a month to be ready for this week’s celebration of the release of my first Threshold Series sequel. Pursuing Prissie is the first book in the Pomeroy Family Legacy collection. Lots happened in the decade between The Blue Door and this angelic reprise. So let’s indulge your curiosity.
“I’ve been wondering….”
This is like an interview. Or a pop quiz. Or an interrogation. (Eep.) You can ask me stuff. Or you can direct your questions to the characters themselves. (Heaven knows, they know their own minds on matters.) I’ll check comments throughout the week and respond regularly. (Fair warning: your questions may pile up because I’m visiting family and working through edits on the next Byways books, but I’ll tackle them during lulls.)
Also, I reserve the right to be coy if answers will ruin surprises built into upcoming stories. After all, this is the beginning of a collection. There will be more Pomeroy Family Legacies in the future!
So what’s on your mind? I’m ready to field your questions! ♥
[[SPOILER ALERT]]
If you haven’t finished the book yet, you WILL encounter spoilers in the comments!
INFORMAL POLL 2: Favorite Character
Playing Favorites. A little over a year ago, I posted an Informal Poll and asked readers to pick their favorite angel. Let’s do it again. We’ll start from scratch, so everyone can drop a ballot. And because choosing just one can be so HARD, I’m going to let you vote for three characters from Pursuing Prissie. Rank them 1, 2, and 3, and I’ll give them points (3, 2, and 1 respectively). By the end of the week, we’ll see who comes out on top!
[[SPOILER ALERT]]
If you haven’t read Pursuing Prissie yet, you WILL find spoilers about who returns in this ten-years-later sequel to the Threshold Series.
My favorite is…
16 – Ransom Pavlos, the newly certified patisserie with agile eyebrows
9 – Ethan, whose joy is now doubled with Prissie’s name under his hand
5 – Jude Pomeroy, the youngest, tallest, and quietest of Prissie’s brothers
5 – Prissie, who’s still herself (obviously) because who else would she be?
5 – Tamaes, whose used to laugh at Ethan’s stories
4 – Baird, who has always been willing to sing for his supper
3 – Asher, the angel boy whose Sendings seem a lot like meddling
3 – Blight, the lonely Fallen with fine eyes and a way with words
1 – Colin, the boy who dashes headlong into just about everything
1 – Marcus, who is in this for the long haul (and maybe for the motorcycle)
1 – Milo Leggett, one of West Edinton’s “Bachelors of Main Street”
1 – Timothy Grable, the short one, the musical one, the freckled one
To vote, comment below. Remember: three characters & list them in order of preference!
I enjoy hearing why these characters found their way into
your hearts, but I’m even gladder knowing God is there. ♥
Pursuing Prissie Party
July 20-25, 2015. Pursuing Prissie, the first book in the Pomeroy Family Legacy collection, released a month(ish) ago, and as promised … I’m kicking off a party for readers. We’ll chat about the book, and I’ll give you some ways to play along. There’ll be a giveaway with fabulous prizes, and a Q&A session with the cast. This post covers the “rules” and a rundown of activities. The cast post and new angel poll are now up. Enjoy!
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 eventually, probably by summer’s end. 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! : )
Giveaway Prizes
Tried and True. I finished the new exclusive epilogue to this Threshold Series prequel yesterday—”Flight and Hedge.” It picks up where Chapter 300 left off and offers a glimpse of Tamaes’s first months on the farm while waiting for the birth of his charge. Sneak Peek:
Lucan and Tamaes dropped to the yard as Jayce and Naomi left the house, carrying packs, bundles, and their boys.
“Nap?” asked three-year-old Tad. “Nap with daddy?”
“Sure, sure. We’ll have a good rest under the trees.”
“Duck! Duck!” exclaimed little Neil, who was one-and-some and rarely still.
His mother sighed, “There he goes.”
“I’ve got him,” Jayce said, lengthening his stride to catch the errant toddler before he could make any more progress toward the duck pond.
Naomi called out, “Ducks in a row!”
Tad obediently trailed after his mother. Jayce set Neil on his shoulders and fell in step behind them, and Lucan and Tamaes brought up the rear. The pace was easy, with frequent stops as Tad chased grasshoppers in the long grass and picked dandelions for his mother.
10 Winners
Tried and True e-book – I’ll give away 3 copies of this story via Amazon gifting. (It’ll be available to anyone and everyone later this week! ♥)
Watercolors in your Mailbox – I can’t paint like Koji, but my mom’s a watercolorist. I’ll raid her stock and make prizes of 7 notecards that she’s had printed. Here’s a peek at her workspace out in the gallery (which is right across the yard from the house).
Grand Prize
Signed Copy of Pursuing Prissie – You’ll have to wait a bit for this one, but when Pursuing Prissie is hot off the presses, I’ll sign a copy and send it off to one grand prize winner.
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.
Review Pursuing Prissie (on Amazon & GoodReads)
New review Rough and Tumble (on Amazon & GoodReads)
New review Angel on High (on Amazon & GoodReads)
Vote for your favorite character in the new Pursuing Prissie poll.
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
You have all week to take part in this giveaway. Unless travel interrupts my plans, the drawing will take place at noon (PDT) on Saturday, July 25—which happens to be Koji’s birthday!
I’m looking forward to chatting with you, and I’m so very thankful for your encouragement and support. ♥
[[SPOILER ALERT]]
If you haven’t finished the book yet, you WILL encounter spoilers in the comments!
July 16, 2015
REMINDER: Minnesota Postcards
In case you missed it, I’m highlighting the special challenge I issued last week. If you post a review of Pursuing Prissie while I’m visiting my hometown in Minnesota, I’ll send you a postcard from up this way. The ones I’ve chosen feature the northern lights. Very pretty! Also, I thought I’d remind you about next week’s Pursuing Prissie party.
Festivities begin on Monday, July 20 with a cast Q&A. (Since we haven’t had one of these in a while, it should be fun!) We’ll wrap things up with a giveaway on July 25—Koji’s birthday. Plan to drop in. : D
From the yard here, at the old farmhouse where I grew up.
Fun Fact: Levi’s furled wings are like hydrangeas. ; )
If you post a review of Pursuing Prissie to Amazon, let me know in comments so that I can drop something in the mail. Thank you for showing so much enthusiasm and support for these stories. ♥
