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The Great Unpacking

By Nick Hayden
October 22, 2015

geralt / Pixabay

About two weeks ago, I moved for the first time in 12 years. With two small kids and another on the way, we had plenty of boxes filled to the brim. The heaviest of these were filled with books. Lots of books. My wife has numerous Advanced Reading Copies of YA novels, and I have a good selection of fantasy tomes, Russian novels, and sundry classics. So, after the kitchen was in working order and our beds were reassembled, the next question was “Where do we put the bookcases?”

In a perfect world, we’d have more bookcases than we do. I mean, we only have seven at the moment, only one of those dedicated to DVDs and photo albums, and one half bookcase that will probably be used for knick-knacks. Seriously, who can get by with only seven bookcases? (more…)

October 22, 2015 - Tags: , , Posted in: Blogs

Read 200 Pages and See Me In The Morning

By Nick Hayden
September 18, 2015

The cure for what ails you.

stevepb Pixabay

Beware, I am now going to write on something I only know a bit about–bibliotherapy. What is it? It’s prescribing specially chosen books to help you deal with what ails you, whether that be anxiety or depression or fear of death. There’s even a neat book to help you find the “medicine” you need.

Now, I haven’t had the opportunity to peruse the book linked above or do any deep study on bibliotherapy, but I find it fascinating that such a thing even exists. The fact that studies show reading fiction improves empathy, social understanding, and happiness are not surprising to any book lover. What’s surprising is that such a thing as a book lover exists. (more…)

September 18, 2015 - Tags: , , , Posted in: Blogs

Ode to Old Cars and Old Ideas

By Nick Hayden
August 21, 2015

Not my car…yet.
Taken / Pixabay

My first car was a 1982 Honda Accord. I called her Betsy. I only drove her a few years before the repair bills convinced me to buy a new car. At the end, the passenger door didn’t open from the outside, the rearview mirror wouldn’t stay in place, and I had the habit of stalling out on any journey more than two or three miles.

I loved that car. It was mine. I listened to a lot of good music in that car. I even wrote a story featuring it and an incident involving a gas station and something like fire bursting from somewhere beneath my car. There was this thing called the Star Wars trilogy back then (maybe you’ve heard of it), and I liked to think of Betsy as my Millenium Falcon.

Fast forward to 2015. I’m driving a 2000 Volkswagon Beetle. I still think of it as my “new” car. It has the floor mats from my Accord that read “Betsy,” ’cause it’s Betsy 2.0. Problem is, it’s starting to resemble my old car quite a bit. The windows won’t roll down–or if they do, they won’t roll up. It makes an ominous chk-chk-chk when I turn the key. The ceiling fabric is sagging, my parking brake barely works, and I’ve been stranded twice in the last month.

But here’s the thing. I don’t want to get a new car. I like my car. It’s not old. It hasn’t aged a day. (And neither have I.)

What is this thing with Time, that keeps moving along?

I find the same thing happening with stories. I’ll start one, then suddenly it’s five years later and I’m like, “Wait, I’ve been working on this for that long? And why doesn’t it seem as bright and shiny as before?” Ideas seem ageless–and then you realize that cool world you mean to write about first came to you when you were a teenager and now you have two kids in school. Or, on the flip side, sometimes you re-read an old story that is grossly incompetent, but you still have a certain fondness for it no one else could possibly understand because you can see the sparkle of the idea that drove you (see what I did there?) to write it.

Moral of the story? No idea. Except I’ve come up with a lot of great stories while driving around, so I’ll keep driving and I’ll keep writing and I’ll keep making strained metaphors whenever the blog deadline comes due too soon.

Okay, I’m off. Time to head home. As long as my car starts….

August 21, 2015 - Tags: , , Posted in: Blogs

In Search of a Soundtrack (Part 2)

By Nick Hayden
June 18, 2015

In honor of the summer movie season, we at Children of the Wells have dubbed June “sequel month,” and so we’re writing sequels to last month’s blogs. Nathan already cast even more characters for a CotW movie, and now I’m back to fill out the soundtrack for that movie.

Last time I tackled mainly Bron & Calea-related themes, so now I’ll add my picks for Jaysynn and his band of merry men (and women). As before, I’ve limited myself to music found at OCRemix.org.

Jaysynn’s Theme:

With a title like “Anthem of Exile,” based on the theme of two princes, this was a no-brainer. I prefer the first half for Jaysynn, with its lonely but noble sound. I’m not sold on the jazz organ, but beggars can’t be choosers. (more…)

June 18, 2015 - Tags: , , , , Posted in: Blogs

In Search of a Soundtrack

By Nick Hayden
May 28, 2015

Let me warn you at the start–this is a self-indulgent post.

Creativity and music have always been connected for me.  Most of my best ideas come while listening to music. And by music, I usually mean songs from OverClocked Remix. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain: Overclock Remix is a depository for more than 3000 remixes of video game music (VGM). The standards on the site are quite high, so if it shows up there, it’s usually good. And since my day job is in an office, I often find myself  listening to its ridiculously large collection of songs as I process paperwork.

Even before OverClocked Remix was a thing, I listened to Final Fantasy soundtracks for inspiration. Such songs capture so much emotional and story potential in a few minutes, it’s hard not to find something triggered if you’re listening for that purpose. In recent years, I’ve even written a number of flash fiction stories, many based on songs from Final Fantasy X.

So, when Nathan decided to share his ‘dream cast’ for a Jaysynn movie, it was only natural that I hunt down an appropriate soundtrack for Children of the Wells. (more…)

May 28, 2015 - Tags: , , , , Posted in: Blogs

Have You Heard the Watchman Call?

By Nick Hayden
April 23, 2014

Hello, everybody!

Not Nick Hayden.

(Hi, Doctor Nick!)

You may have heard rumors that Children of the Wells is finally publishing another novella. Well, you’ve heard right! In the next week or so expect the release of Call of the Watchman, book four of Jaysynn’s storyline.

In preparation for its release, I thought I’d conduct a short interview with the author (meaning myself). Here we go!

~~~

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview, Nick.

Oh, you’re quite welcome. I always have time for you. You’re one of my favorite people.

Aw, shucks! Thanks. So, this is your first Jaysynn story, correct?

That’s true. I’ve written two Bron & Calea books, but this is my first foray into Jaysynn’s world–except for that short story in Destinies Entwined. If you haven’t read that, you should.

And no, this is not as depressing as The Well’s Orphan. Because, as we all know, nothing is that depressing.

I’m glad to hear that. In that same note, how was writing about Jaysynn different than writing for Bron & Calea?

The thing with both Bron and Calea is that they’re intense characters. They make a decision and move relentlessly in that direction. Jaysynn’s not like that. He’s uncertain. He’s searching for his purpose.

The Well’s Orphan is an exercise in extreme focus on one character, one mindset. Call of the Watchman forced me to juggle a number of different characters, which is a lot of fun. Tim introduced so many wonderful characters in New Wells Rising (Amira, Mic, Gunny), including some that didn’t make his final draft. I had a chance to introduce those characters as well. Daveer in particular was a blast to write.

Exciting! So, what’s this book about, then?

Glad you asked! Let’s start with the back cover copy:

Once, Jaysynn Kyzer traced the skyline of Thyrion in the guise of the Watchman, aiding those oppressed by the Thyrian regime. Now, witnessing the abuses of the popular uprising known as the Defiant, the Watchman returns to convince people there is a third choice besides an old tyrant or a new one. But does a small band of idealists stand a chance against the brutality of the Defiant? And what can a new magic based on trust do against the remnants of a world based on power? Jaysynn and his companions don’t know, but they’re about to find out.

One interesting aspect is that most of this book jumps two months into the future. There’s a lot of change that happens in that time, some of it subtle, some of it vital to the plot, and it starts Jaysynn upon his quest to take back Thyrion–somehow.

Any last words?

Read Call of the Watchman! There are battles! There’s magic! There are long monologues by an entertaining new character! Above all, if you want to see how Jaysynn begins to take up his role as true ruler of Thyrion, dive in.

~~~

Thank you, Nick, for that lovely interview! And thank you, readers, for putting up with it. Expect Call of the Watchman soon!

April 23, 2015 - Tags: , , , Posted in: Blogs

“A Good Man” – A Vac Flash Fiction

by Nick Hayden
February 21, 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! 

~~~

A Good Man

jaysynn-vol1

Read more about Governor Vac in our first collection!

“Delia Coonhill is asking to see you, Governor.”

Governor Vac looked up from his papers. He was a man not often shocked, but the soldier’s announcement had elicited an emotion very near that. “Send her in.” He gathered up the reports and stored them in a drawer. Delia Coonhill might be the wife of his former Head of Intelligence, but she wasn’t cleared for the information on the reports.

In walked a diminutive, round-faced woman in a simple black dress adorned with a few white frills. Though nearly forty, she still looked like a child, with those dimples and big eyes. Her gait bore a weariness that betrayed her face.

“Good evening, Governor.”

He stood and pulled a wooden chair from the corner to the front of his desk. “Sit, please.”

“Thank you.”

She sat lightly, on the edge of the seat. She clutched a bottle of some sort of liquor to her chest. Vac had last seen her at the funeral, a week ago. He had offered a few words of condolences. Besides that, they had not spoken. They rarely had.

“I brought you this.” She extended the bottle to him. He took it, examining it. Her husband was dead in his service. He did not trust the contents.

“What is it for?”

“Drinking, usually.” She did not smile, but her eyes glimmered briefly. (more…)

February 21, 2015 - Tags: , , , 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: , , 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:

nat_profileThe 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: , , , , , , , 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: , , , , Posted in: Blogs

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