Blogs - - Page 7 ::

“Their Last Night” – An Amira Flash Fiction

By Timothy Deal
February 14, 2015

For the next few weeks, we’ll be publishing flash fiction stories that examine small, emotional moments in our characters’ lives that don’t fit in the normal narratives. We hope you enjoy!

~~~

Their Last Night

Read more about Amira in our first collection!

Amira drew herself up and took a deep breath. Her fingers tightened on the nocked arrow, pulling the bow string back just a touch. She shifted her stance, readying herself to move at an instant while keeping her back close to the concrete wall. She kept her breathing low and steady as she waited for the signal.

A whistle pierced the silence of the room next door. Amira whipped around the corner, drawing back her bow. Her eyes swept through a sea of faces, searching with deadly intensity until they locked in on her target. Amira released the arrow. Her firing hand immediately pulled another arrow out of her back quiver as her eyes sought a new target. The sound of the first arrow’s impact echoed off the walls as Amira locked eyes with another woman with a glare of ice. Amira sent her next arrow into the woman’s right eye.

Draw, locate target, fire. Draw, locate, fire. The archer repeated the sequence smoothly and efficiently, barely noticing the results of her shots before moving on to the next. Finally, Amira released her tenth and final arrow and called, “Time!” (more…)

February 14, 2015 - Tags: flash fiction, Jaysynn Volume 1, New Wells Rising, Timothy Deal Posted in: Blogs

Crush – A Jaysynn Flash Fiction

By Nathan Marchand
February 7, 2015

For the next few weeks, we’ll be publishing flash fiction stories that examine small, emotional moments in our characters’ lives that don’t fit in the normal narratives. We hope you enjoy!

~~~

Crush

Read more about Jaysynn in our first collection!

Jaysynn climbed the three stairs leading to the marble portico of the Emperor’s Palace feeling like a man five times his age. His clothes, darkened by sweat, clung to his aching body. I swear Dracon is trying to kill me with this training, he thought. It’s only been a month, but I don’t know if I can take much more.

Guards with magic pistols and ceremonial swords hanging from their belts stood on either side of the ornate gold-trimmed doors. They ignored him, like always, despite the fact that he had a sheathed knife on his hip. Jaysynn crawled to the door and leaned against it, pushing it open.

The young prince’s eyes widened. Gathered in the middle of the vestibule encircled by the half-staircase was a small crowd. At the center was his brother Bulon, who tossed a handful of gray pebbles in the air by and with a wave of his hands made them hover around him like a swarm of insects by manipulating their molecular energies. Clapping around him were Talynn, Casseo, and Jilla, most of Jaysynn’s other siblings. Amidst them stood a girl with long golden hair, whose face Jaysynn could not see.

Arrogant showoffs! Jaysynn thought, huffing. It was one of those moments he could not decide if he loved or hated his family.

Looking away, he slunk toward the staircase to his right. Just let me slip past them….

But when he had ascended only a few stairs, an unfamiliar voice called, “Who are you, boy?” (more…)

February 7, 2015 - Tags: flash fiction, Jaysynn Volume 1, Nathan Marchand Posted in: Blogs

It’s Your Week To Write A Blog, Nick

By Nick Hayden
January 22, 2015

Blank screen. Endless possibilities. I can write anything. Go!

(…)

(Er….)

An Epic Tale of Beauty

Once upon a time…. (Yeah, that’ll work.)

Once upon a time, there was a poet of great renown who was commissioned by a king to create an epic that embodied all that was noble and beautiful about his kingdom. This poet, whose name was…

(Crap. I need a name. I hate coming up with names. Let’s see. How about ~~Tolkien~~ ~~Tolkyn~~ ~~Olkyn~~ ~~Talkynn~~ Tal-kynn? Yeah. that’ll work.)

This poet, whose name was Tal-kynn the Shrouded, accepted the task with aplomb.

(Better check websters.com to make sure I used ‘aplomb’ right. It sounds right. “Noun. imperturbable self-possession, poise, or assurance.” Perfect.)

For 40 days and 40 nights, Tal-kynn the Shrouded labored in his poorly-lit den. During those days he ate no food and drank only water. He barely slept. The task at hand, to portray in human language the most noble aspirations of mankind, ignited his mind and inflamed his soul. (more…)

January 22, 2015 - Tags: creative process, humor, Nick Hayden Posted in: Blogs

Attack of the Dreaded Mutant Killer Monster Snowfall, or It’s a Magical New Year

By Greg Meyer
January 15, 2015

From the Calvin and Hobbes Wikia

If you live in a northern part of the United States, then it’s safe to assume you’re familiar with the constant presence of snow during the winter. I’ve lived with snow my whole life, and nothing quite compares to walking outside on a winter’s day to a fresh snowfall on the ground. Before my eyes I see unblemished snow layering over the dead grass like an endless cloth, painting the sides of trees with ivory designs while they wave at you with the gust of brisk winter air. There’s still the child in me that wants to jump for joy and rush to dress up and go sledding down the hill that sits down the street in my old hometown.

As I’ve grown older, my childlike excitement falls on deaf ears, as age and cynicism twist and beat down my once fervent love of snow. “Oh great, time to waste two hours shoveling the snow before work,” I think at four in the morning, hours before the sun will crack over the horizon. “Awesome, time for a three-hour commute home!” I snark from my computer chair as I gaze sadly out of the office window. What happened to that joy I once held? Real life is what happened, and sledding doesn’t pay the bills. (more…)

January 15, 2015 - Tags: Greg Meyer, personal Posted in: Blogs

New Year’s Resolutions, Character-style

It’s a new year, which means it’s time for New Year’s resolutions! We decided to contact our delightful Children of the Wells characters–we’re authors; we can do that–and see what their goals are this year.

Calea: Stay alive. Or don’t. One of those. I don’t care which.

Bron: Relentlessly follow and protect Calea, no matter what she says or does to me. Wait–that was last year’s resolution. Let’s see. How about…own a dog?

Nyasha: Invest in a hard hat.

Jaysynn: Get a mask. And a cape. Girls love capes. Also, a theme song. I seriously need a theme song.

Kyrie: Have “the talk” with Jaysynn. He should know that just because I turn him invisible, I don’t want to be.

Mic: A few months ago I would have said, retire in peace. Now? How about keep Jaysynn in one piece?

Amira: Perfect shooting people while singing songs to my baby–what I like to call bull’s-eye lullabies.

Gunny: Goodness! I don’t know. I’m just happy to be alive!

Dracon: What’s my New Year’s resolution? The same one I have every year: try to take over the world!

There you have it, folks, the hopes and dreams of our fictional characters! See, they aren’t so different from you and me after all.

January 8, 2015 - Tags: characters, characters speak, humor Posted in: Blogs

Looking Back, Looking Forward

A new year is nigh, so we at Children of the Wells wanted to collect some of the thoughts on our mind as 2015 approaches. Enjoy a little look into our end-of-year psyches.

Natasha:

The best book I read this year was, surprisingly, not a YA novel but the biography Unbroken, which I also saw in the theater when it came out on Christmas Day. Just FYI, the movie is not at all exaggerated and, in fact, tones down what Louis Zamperini went through, surviving weeks on a raft at sea only to end up tortured in a Japanese POW camp. It’s just such an incredible story. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly encourage you to do so.

I also recently rewatched the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life. It had been a few years since my last viewing, and I’m not sure I’d ever been quite so touched as I was this time around. Maybe it’s that I now have kids, I don’t know. I definitely see the world differently than I used to. George Bailey’s feelings of failure really resonated with me (I’m ruining my children!) while, at the same time, I could see the bigger picture and the personal sacrifices he made to help others. It’s so interesting to think of how the world we live in might be different with the total absence of even just one of us. One life affects so many, and whether that’s positive or negative is up to us.

Put these two stories together, one theoretical and one actual but both resounding with truth, and you have a powerfully inspiring and hopeful message. It’s a good way to end one year, putting the mistakes of the past behind you, and find inspiration for another. (more…)

December 30, 2014 - Tags: christianity, Greg Meyer, holidays, Natasha Hayden, Nathan Marchand, Nick Hayden, personal, Timothy Deal Posted in: Blogs

Some Assembly Required

By Nathan Marchand
December 18, 2014

Tim tackled Christmas trees, and Natasha conquered Santa Claus (like a Martian), so I’ll talk about another Christmas tradition: toys.

I’ve been known to sometimes wander through a Wal-Mart toy aisle just to see what kids are into these days. I smile when I see that some of my old favorites like Transformers are still around. I remember a few years ago when I looked at one and thought, Kids today have it easy. Most of the toys were pre-assembled and had pre-applied labels/stickers.

I remember one Christmas when I was 11 or 12, all my younger brother Josiah and I asked for were toys for the Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad (an over-marketed Power Rangers knock-off). But it wasn’t the normal-sized action figures we wanted: we asked for the huge 13-inch figures that split into three vehicles. Josiah wanted Drago, a robot dinosaur, and I wanted Zenon, a robot who looked so much like Optimus Prime, Hasbro could’ve sued. (Yes, I’m a nerd with a remarkable memory). (more…)

December 18, 2014 - Tags: culture, holidays, Nathan Marchand, personal Posted in: Blogs

When Santa Moves In

By Natasha Hayden
December 11, 2014

photo credit: Joriel “Joz” Jimenez via photopin cc

Santa Claus did not come to my house when I was a kid. I don’t remember having any feelings about Santa Claus one way or the other, actually, because we celebrated Christmas differently. I come from a rich Christian heritage. My grandfather on one side was a pastor. My Opa on the other side was a missionary and Bible translator. My parents are missionaries, and I grew up on the mission field from ages 7-16.

We had interesting Christmas traditions like opening presents on January 6th, the day on which the Church observes the wise men’s presentation of gifts to Jesus. (I do remember that being quite a trial. It might as well have been two months instead of two weeks!) My dad preferred anything but a normal Christmas tree. At least one year, we had a gigantic live wreath suspended from our ceiling by ropes, a sort of hanging advent wreath. And Christmas stockings? I had one of those one year. I didn’t know what to do with it except fill it with homemade presents I intended to give to other people. I’d empty it sometimes to see what I’d collected, and that’s how I discovered a little surprise from my mom that I wasn’t supposed to see until Christmas.

When we moved to Brazil, there wasn’t even any snow to get us in the festive spirit. Nope, just 90 degrees and 100% humidity. In fact, if we celebrated any Christmases in Brazil, I don’t remember them. I remember more the times we visited family back in the United States or even Peru, South America (where the one set of grandparents were missionaries), for the holidays. Christmas was a time when family gathered. What we did didn’t so much matter as being together. And you know what? In all that, I didn’t really miss Santa.

But now it’s different. (more…)

December 11, 2014 - Tags: christianity, culture, holidays, Natasha Hayden, personal Posted in: Blogs

Now that’s a Christmas Tree!

By Timothy Deal
December 5, 2014

This year, it felt like an important part of my family’s Christmas died before the season even began. For the first time, our parents bought a fake Christmas tree instead of a live one.

“Gee, do they still make little Christmas trees?”

Those who have grown up with an artificial tree can hardly understand the dismay my sisters and I felt by this betrayal. Our family is known for getting big, lush, beautiful, real Christmas trees that can occupy up to a quarter of the family room. For us, it wasn’t just about getting a tall tree; it also needed to be wide and bushy to accommodate all the ornaments five kids, two parents, and a grandmother can accumulate over the years. Visitors would stop in our family room, drink in the intoxicating pine aroma that candles and air fresheners can only wish to imitate, and gaze in wonder at its magnificent size and sparkling vision of lights, garland, glass balls, and tinsel. The experience would prompt many guests to say, “Now that is a Christmas tree.”

Yet nevertheless, in recent years our parents had warned us they intended to trade this wondrous experience for an artificial tree the first year our youngest sister went off to college. With their children either moved out of the house or increasingly preoccupied with significant others (or both), apparently Dad and Mom decided to sacrifice a longstanding tradition in the name of convenience and simplicity. (more…)

December 5, 2014 - Tags: christianity, culture, holidays, Timothy Deal Posted in: Blogs

How I Expanded My Mind and Accepted Turkey Day

By Nick Hayden
November 20, 2014

Look, I’m no fan of turkey. I mean, sure, it’s tasty enough, but give me mashed potatoes, and I’m set. Always mashed potatoes, in a great big heap, with some gravy. And maybe some of that green bean casserole, officially the best use of green beans on the planet and most likely the reason they were invented in the first place.

Sorry–I got sidetracked. As you probably know, next week is Turkey Day, better known these days as Black Thursday. On the calendar it’s usually listed as “Thanksgiving,” but this is an antiquated nomenclature at odds with the more progressive capitalist (is that a contradiction?) view that understands that the fourth Thursday of November is the first day of Christmas. (In a decade, at most, the gateway to Christmas will be Halloween, but a few shreds of tradition still hold us back. That, and most people don’t like to associate skeletons with Christmas, Jack Skellington excepted.) (more…)

November 20, 2014 - Tags: culture, faith, holidays, humor, Nick Hayden Posted in: Blogs

After the Cataclysm took our magic,
how do we rebuild?

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