by Nicole Wells
I get it, I’ve read tons of novels, too, and didn’t post many reviews either. But on this side of things, reviews really are the lifeblood, and a few more seconds of your time would mean the world to me. Whatever you have to say, I really, truly want to hear it.
So, whaddya say?
About the Author
In the ethos where herds of story ideas run wild and free, I am known as the Devourer of Books. A voracious predator, I —
Okay. I’m a mom of three young children. I currently live in southern California and I spend way too much time in the fantasy world in my head. But, hey, in this world I’m still supernatural. I channel the powers of my insomnia for good. I’m impervious to kid whining and insults (well, mostly). I have a second sense for cereal disasters and broken toy catastrophes. They call me Mom, which is code for You’re-Awesome-We-Love-You or Stop-Writing-On-Your-Computer-and-Play-With-Me. I’m not sure which. My kryptonite is my pet peeves: water running down my elbows, food stains on papers, and losing the little plastic tethers when you remove the tags off new clothes.
So, yeah, that’s me. Your average superhero mom. Oh, and I’ve got three eyes (one in the back of my head).
UpSpark is my debut novel, but don’t worry, this indie author has more in the works!
Acknowledgments
This book was written primarily with a baby in my lap or during odd hours in the night when the baby was sleeping. Thank you to my husband, my partner, for pulling more than your share while I lost myself in this work. Watching three kids, preparing meals, covering lego police duty (no legos in the baby play area!) and homeschooling all while working from home on the couch-office sure kept life exciting! Hey, let's add editor to the mix!
And special thanks to Nancy Jenkins, fellow writer and acupuncturist who told me I could do it; Katie McNeil, author and mentor who graciously leant her expertise to help me see it through; Justine Short, beta reader and acupuncturist extraordinaire; Maryam Beheshti, for simply being the most amazing friend and person; Lissa Bolts, compatriot in the fine art of being a newbie indie author; Angie Lau for her constant support; and all the other readers who took time out of their busy lives to not only read, but help me hone my craft. I am indebted to Jim Rementer, director of the Lenape Language Project, for all his prompt feedback. And gratitude to finding new friendly faces in the vastness of the web (I’m looking at you, Natalie!)
Shout out to Micheal Anderle and his end of book comments, and Derek Murphy with his armament of blogs, books and videos. Without the former, I never would have leaped, and without the latter, I would have fallen flat on my face.
Most of all, thank you to you, dear reader. Your journey with Enya and Jacob helped make them real. You are the spark and I hope you shine a little brighter for reading this. {love}
A Word on Facts
It was such a special blessing to have UpSpark come together as it did! I tried to keep things as realistic as possible. The peaceful protest after the Florida night club shooting in Montgomery Village that Yasmin mentions in Chapter 4 actually did occur at that date, there is a Cloverly, Maryland, there is a gay Imam in Toronto, and the UK Muslim population appears to have a better reputation for being more accepting. There is also a World Peace Day started by Don Morris. Likewise, the paper crane commemoration for World Peace Day and Sadako Sasaki does happen once a year at the Berkeley Public Library.
I love how Taylor Swift’s Enchanted came out in time that it would still be feasible for 13 year old Jacob to hear it.
I tried to make all the places as true to life as possible, despite never having gone there (thank you Tripadviser and Street view on Google Maps!). I did my best to research Native American culture and life and portray things in a sensitive and accurate manner. I also tried to be real and conscientious towards my portrayal of Huntingtons.
Please accept my sincere apologies and forgive any errors or oversights.
If you are interested in either of these topics, here are some good resources:
https://pages.nativehope.org/native-american-life-today
https://hdsa.org/what-is-hd/overview-of-huntingtons-disease/
What an amazing experience to research and discover along with the characters, and have it all come together as it did. This book was such a passion, and I hope you enjoyed it as well.
Join the Mailing List (Exclusives and Giveaways)
Join the mailing list to get notices of releases, first looks, and more! Want free books? Become a beta-reader! Just join the mailing list ー I only use it to share about new books, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Hey, how about an UpSpark playlist? These are some of the songs I listened to to help craft the mood. I think they fit perfectly into the story.
And check out my webpage for an Extended Study Guide, Parody, and more! Are you a writer, too? Newbie, indie, established or just curious, come and commiserate and celebrate on my blog. Are you interested in life? I write about that too ;) The mindfulness challenges, the acupuncture applications, the magic and the madness.
www.nicolewellswrites.com
Want to name a character? I’ll be asking for help on social media. Feel free to say ‘Hi!’ on Facebook, Twitter @NWellsWrites, or follow on Instagram
@nicolewellswrites
Study Guide/Book Club Prompts
Extended study guide available at www.nicolewellswrites.com
1. Enya is never given any physical description. How did you envision her?
2. Enya means "Little Spark". How is Enya like a little spark in the story? Why is she not a big flame?
3. Enya keeps a lot of things from her friends. Is this a version of lying, or is she lying to herself? How does one discern if they are not being truthful to themselves?
4. Enya's mom said what she is most scared of is living an unlived life, or dying before she has lived. Do people's greatest fears vary? What is the role of Ego in fear? What purpose does fear serve and knowing that, would it then be possible to lead a fearless life?
5. Jacob is grounded in science and has a healthy dose of skepticism. Yet, he is very spiritual and in the story is a vehicle for the mythic quality of spirit. Is this a contradiction? Can the two exist together? What is the relationship between knowing something and having faith? How does this apply to love? Ego? Fear?
6. In Islam, a major tenet is submission. In what ways does Enya submit to her fate? In what ways does she resist it? Similarly, how does Yasmin live her life? Is there such a thing as fate, or are we creators of our world? Are the concepts of fate and creation mutually exclusive?
7. Yasmin on the surface is very devout, praying five times a day, eating halal, etc. Yet, we don't see much evidence of her faith otherwise. When confronted with challenges, she doesn't pray but takes effective action. Is one more or less faithful than the other?
8. The story introduces concepts that are not mainstream in Western society. Potlach from Native society and looking at time backwards from Aboriginal society. Imagine applying these concepts to your own life now. How did it feel to take on this viewpoint, and did you glean anything from that new perspective? Is there a perspective or notion you frequently lean on that you can try turning on its head?
9. Enya (and Jacob) asserts that under all anger is fear. Is this true?
10. Enya does not tell her best friends about her diagnosis until much later. Do you think this is because she is introverted, because she saw sharing as a burden to her friends, because she needed to exert more control in her life or because she felt shame? Do you think she is more susceptible to new shame in the wake of the shame around her father's death? What would you have done?
11. Enya's friends both figured out her secret before she told them, and she was surprised. Enya's culture says an individual is an expert on themselves, but this seems to go contrary to that belief. We may know ourselves least. Do you think that’s true? Do you think it holds true for Enya throughout the story?
Sneak Peak
StarDust
&
nbsp; Book Two of the Five Elements Series
So you've got superpowers, now what? Despite being a superstar, Australian Aurora is down to Earth and easy going. She’s used to a business that doesn't hold it's punches, so she knows how to land on her feet. But when she discovers it's up to her to take up Enya's legacy to save the world, a world full of illusion and secrets she's now privy to, will she remain steadfast to her true calling? And will she allow herself to be soft enough to let love in, so her heart can see it's true mate?
CHAPTER ONE
September, 2023
Have you ever had something happen that was really extraordinary, but at first it doesn’t register? You know, when there’s a moment everything is fine despite the fact it isn't, before the freak out sets in? Yeah, that happened to me. I had one last moment when my world, already pretty crazy, was my version of normal before it all went to hell in a handbasket.
I’m painting my nails SuperNova Metallic Gold, my ear bent towards my phone as I talk with Marlowe. I’ve moved onto my feet, my hands splayed as I work, which oddly makes me feel like some evil villian in a superhero movie. As if villains don’t know how to use their hands properly. Or they use them excessively. You don’t see the good guys drumming their fingers or steepling their hands while plotting world domination.
And they probably wouldn’t have metallic gold nails, either. Only superstars do that. Like me. My last record went triple platinum. It’s been absolutely insane, not helped by the fact that I’m 21, ‘cause I think that’s an insane time automatically, right? The best time of our lives.
At the moment I’m off tour for a break. The nonstop touring whirlwind really drains the soul out of you. Well, this business does that too. My agent says it’s good I’ve got a ‘no holds barred’ demeanor. I tend to call it like I see it and stick up for myself and I guess that keeps people from taking advantage. She also admires my easy-going Aussie attitude. And as much as I’ve seen lots of amazing things, I’m not that easily impressed. Some people would sell their soul to be a star. I’ve just kinda gone with the flow, so long as I get to sing. I mean, it beats busking for sure, but fame comes with its own set of woes.
So now I’m sitting on my crushed velvet bedspread, contorted to get to my pinky toe, phone cradled on my shoulder as Marlowe lets me live vicariously through her and soak up the normalcy of her suburban family life, when the phone slips off my shoulder and knocks over my nailpolish.
You see, I have this thing about stains. I don’t like them. Pet peeve -- oil stains from food on paper. Catastrophic event -- nailpolish on bedspread.
I hurry to grab for the bottle, reflexes on automatic, and then there’s a moment of relief. Like when things just sync up, and you get the luck of the draw, and things turn out okay.
I’d say that lasted just about 67 hundredths of a second.
The good news: I was wrong about the nailpolish. The phone didn’t knock it over.
The bad news: There is a phone hovering mid-air, just gracing the nail polish bottle which is now off-kilter.
Oh. Crap.
CHAPTER TWO
“Aurora?” Marlowe’s tinny voice through the phone’s speaker breaks me out of my daze. But not this delusion. I reach toward my levitating phone, my hand a little shaky, I’m not ashamed to say. “Umm, I gotta call you back, Mar.” I say before I actually touch the phone. To hell with it. I reach out both hands, one for the nailpolish, because it’d still be a crime for it to spill, and one for my phone. No shocks, no black holes, no shattering of the Universe. Ok, then. I gently try moving them from their midair positions, and they give after a little inaudible pop of resistance.
It’s a bit anticlimactic. I feel like I should have videotaped that or something. Not that I need the attention, though. And my phone is my video recorder, so…
That really did happen, right?
I stare at my Superhero Villian hands with their bright and shiny upgrades, the sensation of nudging the objects still imprinted in my skin.
A normal person would probably convince themselves the fumes got to them.
Me? I lay a sacrificial shirt over my bedspread and proceed to recreate the event, sans Marlowe.
Unfortunately it doesn't work.
I should probably mention, it takes a lot of energy to be in the business. Always on your best, always ready to go, always bouncing back, ready for changes in plans, surfing the stratospheric highs and the mundane lows. Your fame and all the people around you feed on your energy, so you gotta be their Sun, constantly beaming, constantly on, unless you want to burn out.
I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t a fit for me. And on hiatus? I love the recharge, but it does get boring as hell. Usually I throw myself into the creative process for songs for the next album, but I’m only eleven days in.
So now I throw all my energy into this investigation. “Phase One: Recreation” is a bust, so I jump on the internet and initiate “Phase Two: Research.” I don’t see anything about solar flares, but honestly, I have no idea what I’m looking for. I check social media, and it’s not blowing up about psychic phenomena. Hey, it could happen. After Enya died and there were all those babies in LA born with rare fatal genetic diseases, the conspiracy theories went wild. Even I had heard some of them. At least four families are claiming their kids have psychic powers, although honestly, it's LA. No one was really surprised people used it to get their kids into the limelight. They start early over there, seriously.
I throw a few more random terms into the search engine, but I don’t find any unusual astronomic events. Maybe it takes a while for it to show up in the news feeds?
I sit back and drum my fingers. Omigod, I am turning into a superhero villian!
I decide to put said fingers to good use and dial my best mate again, “Hey Mar, do I strike you as the superhero villain type?”
“That sounds like an oxymoron.”
“Way to avoid the question.”
“I didn't know if you were serious or if that was the cool chic superstar way to say ‘hi’ after leaving her friend hanging in suspense. And no, I wouldn't call you a villain. A sexy maniacal overlord, yes, but your plan to take over the world was happenstance. You're just a victim of your own talent like the rest of us.”
“Um.. okay, thanks? Was that a compliment?”
“The sexy part was. So what’s up? What happened?”
“I think I have super powers.”
“I didn't think life with you could possibly get any more dramatic. Way to prove me wrong.” She says in her dry, blunt voice. I love Mar. She keeps me grounded.
“You are so bombed. Please stop doing drugs.” She sounds totally serious.
“Ok, listen, really, something happened.” I steamroll on.
“I mean I get it, it's what all the superstars do these days, right? But you gotta say, ‘No’. Don’t give in to peer pressure. Tell them you’re allergic or something.”
“Allergic? What? Mar, listen, I’m not doing any drugs. Man, I really wished I recorded it because you're not going to believe this.”
“Your powers of prediction are astounding. I hope that is not your new superpower. It is already honed beyond measure.”
“I think I stopped time. Or turned on antigravity. Or something.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Seriously? If you are baiting me for some reality practical joke show, after I have told you numerous times I have no tall poppy syndrome, so help me God, I'll --”
“I was painting my nails when we were talking, right? Well it dropped and it stopped. I swear it.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes! Just go with me for a sec. Just give me the hypothetical so you can be my sounding board and I can work this out…”
“Ok. Fine. WTF. Dropped and stopped?”
“The nail polish. I thought it leaked onto the bedspread. It didn't. It halted in midair along with the phone.”
“You are so far lost in your own world, I don’t think I can retrieve
you. I knew stardom would change you, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting this. This sounds like some Hollywood drama you've created to deal with your weird alienating world. I think you need a shrink. Or at least run it by one of your mega-star friends.”
I sigh. My whole meteoric rise to fame and she takes everything in stride, but this she can’t.
“Mar, please.” I plead. I really don’t know anyone else I can try who has a chance of hearing me out if Mar won’t. “I know it sounds like I’ve gone troppo, but it really feels like I am not hallucinating. Do you think something could be going on? You know especially with all that Enya stuff that happened?”
She pauses and I breathe a sigh of relief, that she is actually listening to me now. Together we can suss it out.
“But that wouldn't be possible. It's not like you were just born.”
“But it did just happen. What if it got activated or something when she died?”
“Six months later?”
“I don't know, maybe the conditions were right?”
“And you've been on your Europe-Asia leg of your tour. Nowhere near LA. And you’re back home in Australia now. That’s like as far away as you can get.”
“Okay, yeah, it doesn’t make any sense.” I sigh again.
“Did you ever meet her?”
“No.” I think about it. I meet so many people in show biz, but I really don't remember her. “No, I really don’t think I did.”
“Oh, March 19! It says here that you were both featured on the US late night show. But that doesn't mean you met.” Her voice sounds farther away as I figure she's on her phone's browser. "The wonders of the internet. It has all the answers.”
“Google levitating objects and new powers,” I joke.
“Hmm...Some stuff about Buddhist Monks, Hindu Yogis and figures from other religions performing levitating miracles. Almost all of them had other powers though. Some psychics too, but they were all shown to be frauds.”