Christa Kinde's Blog, page 74
December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas!
may your heart be light, may your joy be full,
may your day be filled with much song.
Bridge by chernotrav
December 24, 2013
Tried and True, Chapter 32: For God
Chapter 32: For God
Through the watches, Taweel admired the miniature work of art taking shape under the hands of a yahavim with pale blue hair. “How do you transfer their thread onto your spools?”
Loris smiled. “Carefully.”
“Do they mind that you undo their efforts?”
The Weaver paused in his stitching. “Each time the yahavim spin, they create something beautiful for God. A gift. And when He accepts their offering, He gives it a new shape. A purpose.” Loris peered up at the tiny angel as he answered the Guardian’s actual question. “They don’t mind. And I admire the simplicity of their trust.”
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Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
Tried and True, Chapter 31: Now I Lay Me
Chapter 31: Now I Lay Me
Taweel gazed up at the busy yahavim, whose strands were steadily taking shape. “Is it a nest?”
Weft frowned in confusion. “What is that?
Something of earth, unknown to this child of heaven. “A place where young ones sleep when they are tired.”
“Sleep?”
Taweel folded his hands under his cheek and closed his eyes. “This is how humans enter dreams.”
“Humans build nests?” Weft asked.
The warrior patted his cot. “Something like this, soft and safe.”
Tapping his fingers on the place Taweel had claimed, the boy asked, “Is this your nest?”
Maybe so. He ruefully answered, “For now.”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
December 21, 2013
The Week’s Accumulation lxix
Yesterday was full of festiveness. We snuck out at sunrise for over-priced coffee in holiday flavors, then raided the cookie cutter bin. Sugar and butter, vanilla and chit-chat. My daughter turned out a gorgeous batch of cherry pecan bread, a Christmas specialty from my childhood. After baking all morning, we regrouped for a special evening. My other daughter took up the cello this year, and her first recital was last night. ♫ Today will find me at the icing bowl while the family uncaps bottles and jars of sugars and sprinkles. But first … this post! Come and see!
This week’s accumulation:
♦ Cookies! We’ve been baking up a storm that would do Jayce Pomeroy proud. : ) Stars and bells and pretty shells. Pigs, butterflies, daisies, and dala horses. Rest assured, there will be pink-nosed reindeer! ♥ Let’s have some show and tell, since I snapped a few quick pictures for y’all…
♦ I do hope you’ve already nabbed your copy of Angels in Harmony. That free illustrated short story is a Christmas treat. A few people apologized to me because they don’t have a Kindle or Nook on which to read these digital shorts. But fear not! If you’re reading my blog, you have all the equipment you need to read my stories! : )
There are free desktop readers from Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. And when you set up an account with any of those sites, you’re also able to read online (eg. Kindle’s cloud reader). Explore your options! Free reading apps: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
♦ There’s a giveaway underway at Grandma’s Cookie Jar. In an effort to spread the word about my new free short story, Angels in Harmony, Grandma’s Cookie Jar is hosting a Christmas giveaway! Enter for your chance to win a signed set of the first three books in the Threshold Series: The Blue Door (Bk 1), The Hidden Deep (Bk 2), and The Broken Window (Bk 3). The drawing will take place on January 1, 2014!
Enter the Giveaway @ Grandma’s Cookie Jar >>
♦ If you enjoy angel-infused Christian fiction, Daniel Whyte IV assembled a list this week. He included the Threshold Series in his collection of contemporary fiction. Check it out!
♦ I have several Threshold Series-inspired boards over on Pinterest, including one for Miscellaneous things from the series and one dedicated to Prissie Pomeroy. It’s always fun to run across a pin that fits in nicely with the details of a story. : )
Would you like to give an angel a gift? Two of my Pinterest boards are group boards, which means you could join in on the pinning! Email me for an invite.
Give Baird a T-shirt
Secret Santa Gift Exchange
♦ I now have several gifts for you, all for the asking/taking:
♦ Angels All Around – a free short story, a Threshold Series prequel that takes you back to the day that Prissie meets Milo!
♦ Angels in Harmony – a free shorty story, companion to The Broken Window that follows Baird and Kester through the holiday season
♦ Rough and Tumble – a free serial about Zeke Pomeroy’s guardian angel, now complete in 300 chapters
♦ Tried and True – a free serial that delves into Taweel’s back story, this adventure is currently updating each weekday
♦ Request art cards, and I’ll mail them to you postcard style!
♦ I have beautiful bookplates. Would you like one personalized?
♦ If you’ve enjoyed my stories, I consider myself richly rewarded. If you’d like others to share our joy, there are little things you can do. “Like” my author profile. Rate my stories on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and GoodReads. Review each of the books, even if your words are short and sweet. And talk about the Threshold Series to your friends. ♥
♦ And finally, we’re actually close enough to start counting down to Book 4: The Garden Gate, the final installment in the Threshold Series. After Christmas, I’ll start sharing news and tidbits about the series finale, which releases January 28, 2014! It’s close, and hints are showing up in my inbox. See? In an email this week from Zondervan:
So what’s cluttering up your desktop? Do tell!
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December 20, 2013
Tried and True, Chapter 30: Trick of the Light
Chapter 30: Trick of the Light
The yahavim took his time getting comfortable—wings folded, feet tucked. And then the tiny angel reached up, but not for the bell. His hand closed around nothing, yet when he pulled down, light stretched, lengthening into a strand. Insubstantial light became thread, fine as spider’s silk, bright as morning.
Taweel was stunned. “I never realized …!”
“You never noticed.”
He watched the little one work, awed by this new discovery. “I thought all the yahavim did was make manna.”
Loris returned to his stitching before quietly stating, “God provides for our needs whether we notice His foresight or not.”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
December 19, 2013
Tried and True, Chapter 29: Ting
Chapter 29: Ting
Leaves stirred. Shadows shifted across the wall. Soft tings lent a whisper of music to Taweel’s dim alcove. The only other sound was the slip of thread through cloth as Loris added the finishing touches to a cuff.
Taweel stared absently into the greenery. He’d waited through several watches, but whatever was supposed to happen … hadn’t. Still, he clung to his young mentor’s instructions. Wait. Watch.
Wings fluttered. Small feet touched down inside one wreath, sending it swinging. The yahavim jumped to the second, then settled in the third, humming happily.
Loris was smiling when he remarked, “It begins.”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
GIVEAWAY: Grandma’s Cookie Jar
Ho Ho Ho! In an effort to spread the word about my new free short story, Angels in Harmony, Grandma’s Cookie Jar is hosting a Christmas giveaway! Enter for your chance to win a signed set of the first three books in the Threshold Series: The Blue Door (Bk 1), The Hidden Deep (Bk 2), and The Broken Window (Bk 3). The drawing will take place on January 1, 2014! Please do tell folks about this giveaway and about Angels in Harmony, which is a free gift from Zonderkidz and me!
Enter the Giveaway @ Grandma’s Cookie Jar >>
Story Summary: Starched and pressed. Ragged and distressed. Poised and polite. Bouncing and bright. Angels have always served in pairs, but Baird is sure there must be some mistake when Kester shows up on his doorstep. The vividly energetic redhead couldn’t have been more different from his genteel new apprentice. Yet their rocky beginnings give way to a unique balance, proving that friendship can flourish in the unlikeliest of places, given time, trust, and the Twelve Days of Christmas. A free gift from Christa Kinde and Zonderkidz. Illustrated by Anna Earley.
♦ Download Now ♦
Do you have a blog? Would you like to help promote the Threshold Series? Give me a nudge at christa [dot] kinde [at] gmail [dot] com, and we can talk about doing an interview, guest post, or giveaways! ♥
December 18, 2013
Tried and True, Chapter 28: Step Ladder
Chapter 28: Step Ladder
Weft begged a favor, which was as close to a Sending as Taweel had known since his return. The sense of purpose was nice, even if it was a humble one. Bracing the boy’s legs, he steadied the young Weaver as he twisted and tied vines into open circles. In each of these living wreaths, he hung a small bell.
With a flick of his finger, Weft tested each wee chime. High, sweet notes created an open chord that Taweel found pleasant. “Now what?” he asked.
The boy held his finger to his lips once more, then whispered, “Wait. Watch.”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
December 17, 2013
Tried and True, Chapter 27: Falling Leaves
Chapter 27: Falling Leaves
Taweel gazed into the vines overhead, which rustled softly. What he’d taken for breezes turned out to be three of the little manna-makers. A leaf drifted down, soon followed by another. “What are they doing?”
“Yahavim do not like shadows. They are making way for more light.” Leaning closer, Weft confided, “And they are looking for me.”
The warrior brushed loose leaves from his shoulders. “Why is that?”
Weft lifted his hands in cheerful welcome. “I am their shepherd.”
“And why would a Weaver tame a flock?” prompted Taweel, for he knew something was afoot.
The boy giggled. “For thread!”
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
December 16, 2013
Tried and True, Chapter 26: Trade Secrets
Chapter 26: Trade Secrets
Weft seemed puzzled. “You want to become a Weaver?”
“No, but I have questions only a Weaver can answer.”
“Ask me!”
Taweel repeated the question he’d put to Loris earlier. “Why does raiment shine?”
The boy tipped his head to one side and recited, “A child of light walks in the light. Light sings through his veins. Light buoys his flight. Light touches his lips with sweetness. Light clothes him in radiance.”
The Guardian looked more closely at his tunic’s fine weave. “But where do Weavers find threads of light?”
Weft held a finger to his lips, then pointed upward.
<< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >>
Author’s Note: This story in small chapters is a prequel to Christa Kinde’s Threshold Series [Zonderkidz] and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). More information can be found on the Tried and True index page. And don’t forget, story art is on display in my gallery.
Tried and True, © Copyright 2013 Christa Kinde, all rights reserved. If you want to receive an email whenever my stories update, consider subscribing to this blog. You can also watch for notifications on Twitter.
