personal - - Page 4 ::

A Fresh Set of Eyes

By Aaron Brosman
March 8, 2014

I’ve known Nick Hayden since about three days after I started college. I don’t remember exactly how we met. It could have been through Dr. Hensley’s gathering for all the writing majors, or it could have been in one of my classes. What I do remember is that my first year of college Nick Hayden convinced me to come hang out with other writers. Those meetings were some of the most important things that ever happened in my life. We came to call ourselves Derailed Trains of Thought, after the fact that we tended to ramble profusely. More appropriately, I tend to ramble profusely.

That is where I met many of the authors and collaborators for Children of the Wells. Even before The Select’s Bodyguard was published I remember Nick doing what he had done many times before: he asked me to be part of the new story that they were all working on. Sadly, I had to turn him down. My life was too hectic to commit to a story project of this nature. (more…)

March 8, 2014 - Tags: Aaron Brosman, personal Posted in: Blogs

A Moment of Closure

By Laura Fischer
December 28, 2013

My grandparents’ house has been in the family for generations. Every Christmas that I’ve been alive, we’ve gone back there to Roanoke, Illinois, where my parents grew up, met, and were married, to celebrate the holidays with my mom’s side of the family. We also visit frequently on other occasions, and when I was a kid I got to travel out there for summer visits for two weeks at a time. It’s a rambling old farmhouse, not without its problems, but roomy and comfortable and saturated with memories of fun and family.

Not long ago, my grandparents sold that house. They’re moving into a condo in the town, where they won’t have to deal with all the issues of owning a country property with a huge yard and the remnants of old outbuildings. It’s a good move for them, and I know they’ll be comfortable and happy in their new home. I look forward to visiting them there, just like I’ve always looked forward to visiting them.

But I’ll miss the old house. This last weekend, my family went out to Illinois for one more visit. Many items had already been moved out of the house, but it still felt the same as always, warm and welcoming and home. (more…)

December 27, 2013 - Tags: Laura Fischer, personal Posted in: Blogs

One Thousand Gifts: Received

by Natasha Hayden
November 29, 2013

Disclaimer: In accordance with Thanksgiving, this blog will be a bit more of a personal reflection and have less to do with Children of the Wells, though anything personal serves to give our readers a glance at the person behind the mask, and that has everything to do with what we are creating here.

Over the past year, I have been keeping a journal of Gifts. I was inspired by the book 1000 Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, which I highly recommend. I capitalize Gifts because these aren’t just birthday or Christmas gifts or any nice little thing somebody gives me. The Gifts I’ve been recording are the kind that come unexpectedly on any given day. They are beautiful. They are meaningful. Some are simple. Some are physical. Many are intangible. All remind me of the ultimate Gift-giver: Jesus Christ. In fact, I consider each one to be a Gift from him. (more…)

November 29, 2013 - Tags: christianity, Natasha Hayden, personal Posted in: Blogs

Ideas on the Wind

By Natasha Hayden
October 4, 2013

This summer, I could barely keep up with my responsibilities on CotW between extra editing duty and busy real-life plans. But September swooped in and, suddenly, I had nothing to do. No stories were waiting in the queue (though, not to worry, we are all queued up again). My personal life also returned to normal. So I actually had time to read a few good books and post a new blog on my site, reviewing the sci-fi novel Ender’s Game. (more…)

October 4, 2013 - Tags: inspiration, Natasha Hayden, personal Posted in: Blogs

Supermom

By Natasha Hayden
April 26, 2013

As new writers are added to this project, you may begin to hear from some of them on this blog. After all, there’s only so much we can say about Purpose and Agenda and all that without sounding like a tired, old sermon. Sometimes, when we can (without revealing spoilers), we might talk about the stories themselves, but the best way to understand the stories is to keep reading. So, this blog may also feature some normal, everyday kind of stuff, not to bore you (we hope) but to connect with you on another level. Likely, you and I are made of the same stuff (though some of us may seem to hale from different planets), and we have common experiences to share.

Of course, not all of us have the exact same experiences, but what would be the fun in reading about someone who’s exactly like you? With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this one is for the moms. (more…)

April 26, 2013 - Tags: Natasha Hayden, personal Posted in: Blogs