Coming Soon . . .
Banner of the Damned; DAW, April 2012
Emras is on trial for her life, and this is her testimony.
Princess Lasva, justly famed across the continent for her style, lives for love. Unfortunately, princesses do not have the luxury of choosing love over politics. Thus she finds herself on the other side of the continent, newly wed to the prince of Marloven Hesea, a kingdom very, very different from Colend, her homeland.
Emras, Lasva's personal scribe, is ordered by Colend's queen to watch for signs of Norsunder's magic, as there are dire rumors about Marloven Hesea. But Emras knows nothing about magic, and the mages she consults scold her for not going through proper channels
So when Emras finds a willing tutor, and Lasva tries to use Colendi diplomacy to avert Marloven war, life gets really complicated. That's before the real threat emerges.
The Spy Princess; Viking Juvenile, August 2012
Lilah is bursting with questions--why are the local kids outside the palace so ragged? Why do they hate the sight of her? Why does her older brother Peitar write so many letters, and why, WHY won't anyone tell her what's going on? She invents a disguise so she can find out for herself. For the first time she makes friends, and meets the heroic young revolutionary leader, Derek.
Just when life has become interesting, she and her family are ordered to the capital by him, her broody, scary Uncle Darian, the king. So that Lilah can be betrothed.
But revolution breaks out first.
Lilah and her new friends become spies and disguised thieves in order to help Peitar and Derek, who have been swept into the middle of unrest and danger. And that's when adventure and danger find them.
Dobrenica Urban Fantasy Series
Blood Spirits; DAW Books, September 2011
Kim decides the only way to fix the disaster she left is to return to Dobrenica, but what she finds there is far more shocking and dangerous than she ever imagined. Not just politics and personalities but ghosts and magic, murder and mystery, ballroom dancing and moonlit sleigh chases await her. Once again Kim has to take sword in hand as she tries to make peace, she risks her heart when she finds love, but there can be no happiness until she learns the truth. Only whose truth?
Coronets and Steel; DAW Books, September 2010
Paperback | Barnes and Noble | (signed) Mysterious Galaxy
Kim's a grad student in L.A. Her passions are ballet, fencing, Jane Austen, and swashbuckling, romantic old movies. When her grandmother begs her to go east and see if "they" are safe, then slips into an uncommunicative silence, Kim goes to Vienna to search for a family, armed with only two clues. She's having no luck when she first runs into a ghost, and then encounters a guy she mentally dubs Mr. Darcy. Only this Mr. Darcy acts like he knows her. When she goes out for a drink and wakes up on a train, the adventure begins. This story began as an homage to Prisoner of Zenda, only with a female having to prove her courage, dash . . . and honor.
Sartorias-deles, Historical Era--Inda Quartet
Inda; DAW Books, August 2006
Indevan Algara-Vayir is the second son of a powerful prince, destined to stay at home and defend his family's castle. Inda is sent to the Royal Academy where he learns the art of war and finds that danger and intrigue don't only come from outside the kingdom—and that one can find oneself on the outside, fighting the dangers that do exist there.
The Fox; DAW Books, August 2007
Indevan Algara-Vayir is taken by pirates—and pirates are taken by him. As Inda and his group sail against the Brotherhood of Blood, using the pirates' own ships and tactics, Inda has cause to wonder just what a pirate is. Meanwhile, his actions have caught the eye of the powerful Venn, who bestir themselves at last; and close at hand is Fox, someone from home, whose strength and will matches Inda's—but whose goals are utterly different.
The King's Shield; DAW Books, July 2008
Indevan Algara-Vayir comes home after nine years of exile. Two of his friends go with him, expecting anything but the welcome he gets. But with the welcome comes the poignancy of change. Inda has no time to assimilate it. His purpose in breaking exile was to report what the Marlovans had been expecting for years: imminent invasion by the powerful (and unbeaten) Venn. The king is now Inda's old friend Sponge, only he too has changed, burdened by the responsibility of a ruined kingdom. Inda finds himself at the head of an army, his childhood academy mates—second brothers all—are now the Sier Danas, the king's commanders, because the older generation of leaders are all dead. Everyone looks to Inda to lead—but he's never even seen a land battle. Meanwhile, the Venn plan and execute their invasion, though its motivations become increasingly murky, as fissures form in their own government. And as the two armies clash, Inda's fleet—built and honed by Fox—waits on the other side of the world.
Treason's Shore; DAW Books, August 2009
Inda and his wife Tdor move to the royal city, as Inda takes his place beside King Evred as Harskialdna, the King's Shield. But the Venn are far from defeated and only Inda's fame is strong enough to inspire all the squabbling kingdoms to ally and raise a force centered around his Fox Banner Fleet. Inda and Fox know that this alliance is not enough, hasn't been trained, but they have to face the Venn anyway. They also know that if they survive, Evred expects Inda to take over the strait for everyone's own good. Tau thinks he has a solution; Tdor and Hadand work hard at home, waiting on news from afar…and Jeje still really hates kings. That actually becomes important during the most excruciating battle of Inda's life—not one of steel, but of wit.
Sartorias-deles Books, Modern Era--Remalna Books
A Stranger to Command
Nook | Kindle | Book View Cafe
This is the young adult prequel to Crown Duel, telling the story of Vidanric Renselaues, sent to Marloven Hess at age fifteen to learn military command. Shevraeth has spent his boyhood as a courtier and knows little more than the art of dueling, but an increasingly bad king, and the disappearance of heirs whom the king doesn't like, make it clear that one day, things would have to change.
But first, Vidanric would have to change. Beginning by losing his name, and taking on an identity under his territorial title, Shevraeth. Would he lose his real identity?
Crown Duel; Firebird Books, June 2002
Book View cafe | Nook | Kindle | UK e-book link
This contains both novels (Crown Duel and Court Duel) plus a short story, "Vidanric's Birthday Surprise," in the afterword. The e-book has the typos corrected, plus several scenes from Vidanric's point of view added at the end
Nominated for ALA/YASLA Best Books for Young Adults, on the ALA/YASLA Quick Pick List for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and named one of NY Public Library Best Books for Teens, 1998 list. Finalist, Soaring Eagle Award (Kids 12-18 voting, Wyoming Library System)
Crown Duel; Harcourt Children's Books, April 1997
A girl in Remalna traditionally spends her Flower Day being feted, dancing with friends, and celebrating her passage to womanhood. Countess Meliara spends hers on the front lines of a war. She and her brother promised their dying father to free Remalna from the oppressive rule of Greedy Galdran and to preserve the vital Covenant with Remalna's aloof, unhuman Hill People. Courageous, stubborn Meliara, honorable and sharp-tongued, is determined to win or die fighting.
Remalna's Children: "Beauty" and "Court Ship"
Here are the Firebirds stories about Mel's and Vidanric's older two offspring, Prince Alaraec ("Court Ship") and Elestra ("Beauty"). In the latter, the middle child, who thinks of herself as the plain one of the three Renselaeus siblings, goes into the throne room to look at a tree, and meets a beautiful villain. Thus begins a duel of wits with unexpected results.
In "Court Ship" Prince Raec and his best friend, Nadav, heir to the duchy of Savona, go on a mission to court a princess. Both boys get distracted . . . but the princess is determined to keep them on task. A dance of diplomacy and romance ensues.
Court Duel; Harcourt Children's Books, April 1998
Brought to court by a mysterious letter, teenage Countess Meliara finds herself the subject of all sorts of courtly intrigues and attentions, including those of the deposed king's sister and an ardent, secret suitor.
Other Modern Era Sartorias-deles Books
CJ's First Notebook: Over the Sea
When Sherwood Smith was eight years old, she had dreams about a girl queen who traveled between worlds, looking for girls who loved adventure. Clair came to Earth, where she found CJ, and adopted her as her princess best friend. One of her jobs was to serve as leader for Clair's gang of girls, as they encountered villains who thought it would be easy to take a kingdom away from a mere kid. From the shadowy Kwenz, a powerful mage with a very wicked past, to the usurper Glotulae and her son Prince Jonnicake, who in their ridiculous way were just as determined to boot Clair out, there were plenty of chances for adventure. And mystery, like why did kids from other times and worlds show up every now and then? These are the early stories, how Clair found her gang of girls, and how "the M girls" developed the fine art of the Duel to the Pie.
CJ's Second Notebook: Mearsies Heili Bounces Back
"I am Princess Cherene Jennet Sherwood of Mearsies Heili, hater of evil, foe to all villains, and wielder of the prune pie of justice!"
That's how CJ Sherwood introduces herself when she lands into her craziest adventure yet. In this, the second volume of CJ's records, she and her gang of friends gathered around the thirteen year old queen, Clair Sherwood, find themselves beset by magical spells and various villains. They still manage to have fun in the underground hideout in the middle of Mearsies Heili's woodland.
CJ loves life with 'the M girls'—so she is completely unprepared to be taken away and put in a silken prison in order to forget being a princess. AS CJ uses her brains and imagination to get out of trouble, she has to think about what being a princess really means.
She also discovers that there are things even tougher to deal with than terrible enchantments, sinister shadows, and lurking villains: teenage boys.
CJ's Fourth Notebook: Poor World!
CJ and the gang of girls like their adventures fun, and their villians defeatable by a well-thrown prune pie. As for stories about heroes getting stuck with saving the world, they laugh . . . until it happens to them!
Written when I was a teen, this adventure is the girls' toughest challenge yet, with the longest repercussions.
Hunt Across Worlds
First written when I was a teen, this tale only involves the M girls at the end. It's mostly about two kids from Earth who discover a boy from another world being kept hostage. When they rescue him, they end up having to cross the USA before being blasted by magic to Mearsies Heili, where they meet a sailor girl who's been stuck in charge of a Mysterious Magical Object. CJ and the gang try to come to the rescue, discovering that being on the edge of big events can lead to bigger questions; this one precedes Fleeing Peace.
Senrid
second edition: Nook | Kindle | Book View Cafe
The kids on the good side are united in one thing: regarding Senrid as a villain. So what do you do when you're fifteen, supposedly king of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world, but all you have on your side are wit, will, and maybe a few skills? And what if the people you like best are your enemies, and your relatives want to see you dead?
This is actually three novelettes and a novella, forming an arc with Senrid at the center, written just after I turned fifteen.
Fleeing Peace
Book View Cafe, March 2011
Siamis said, "Your young friend Liere is not going to enjoy the trap she's walking into, I fear. But you figured that out, did you not? Why didn't she listen to you?"
"To snap her fingers under your nose," Senrid retorted.
"Irresistible." Siamis smiled gently. "But it's going to cost."
Fifteen-year-old Senrid is newly king of the difficult warrior kingdom Marloven Hess . . . just in time to lose it, and find himself running for his life with two kids who once were his enemies. When Senrid is captured he overhears a secret--one he can use against the enemy, if he can get to the right place at the right time. Now the enemy is from Norsunder, in the form of a charismatic, handsome man named Siamis who can read minds, and who enchants people just by talking to them.
Liere has always known she was special, which just increased her loneliness and sense of isolation. She can hear others' thoughts, and she senses the real emotions that people try to hide. When a golden-haired man named Siamis comes to her village and enchants the entire town around her, she finds herself on the run.Liere and Senrid couldn't be more different, but their goal is the same, to locate the powerful magic that will unravel Siamis's world enchantment. Chased by powerful enemies, Liere and Senrid are tested to the max as they form an alliance of kids to aid them, and gain magical support from surprising sources. Neither ever expected to discover something even more powerful than magic: friendship.
First written when I was almost sixteen, this is the story of how Senrid and Liere first met.
The publisher, Samhaim, decided to split Sasharia En Garde into two books. It was not my decision.
Sasharia En Garde: Once A Princess; Samhain Publishing, April 2009
Sasharia En Garde: Twice A Prince; Samhain Publishing, May 2009 Kindle | Nook
A romantic fantasy set in the same world as Crown Duel, taking place about six years afterward. Sasha's mother, Sun, was once swept away from a Ren Faire to another world by a real prince, but not to a happy ever after. Prince Mathias disappeared, and a wicked king, "Canary" Merindar, took the throne. In the years since, Sasha and Sun have been hiding on Earth, both training in martial arts until Sasha is tricked into crossing the portal to Khanerenth. She's more than ready to kick some bad-guy butt, but is the stylish pirate Zathdar the bad guy? Or artistic, dreamy Prince Jehan? Meanwhile, back on Earth, Sun is furious Sasha has been kidnapped. Sun might once have been a rotten princess, but nobody messes with Mom!
The Trouble with Kings; Samhain Publishing, December 2008
Kindle | Samhain e-book | Nook
A romantic fantasy set in the same world as Crown Duel, and written a couple years afterward. Flian is an ordinary princess who keeps falling into the most romantic plots, but all this plotting is done by someone else. What is a civilized princess to do? Especially when she can't tell which guy is the hero and which the villain.
Wren's World
A Posse of Princesses; second edition, e-book, 2010
The e-book edition corrects some errors, and has a new chapter near the end.
This romantic fantasy is set in the same world as Wren to the Rescue. Fliss is a princess of a tiny but wealthy kingdom. At sixteen, she's very romantic, but never gets the chance for romance as Nym is too small for a royal court. So when she gets an invitation to the coming-of-age party of Prince Lios of Vesarja, she's thrilled—and all ready to fall most romantically in love. Prince Lios is just as handsome as she'd hoped, the party is just as wonderful as she'd dreamed, but not everyone is as happy as she is. Rhis tries to fix things for her growing circle of friends as she waits for Lios to notice her. One of the problems she can't fix is the pretty, imperious Princess Iardith, nicknamed the Perfect Princess. Rhis thinks her a perfect pill. But when the Perfect Princess gets abducted, Rhis and her three princess friends go save her. The result is an adventurous ride in which everyone gets taken by surprise—princesses and princes, mages, and even a king or two.
This story is about friendship, romance, love, what you might think is love, but isn't, and what different kinds of love there are—all aimed at the younger teen, or the reader who would rather read a story at most rated PG. I also play a little with the "Chosen One" trope: what happens if you are born with talent (magical) and didn't want to get trained…and you are NOT the Chosen One? Can you make a good life for yourself anyway?
Barefoot Pirate
With two bossy older sisters, Joe doesn't like girls. Nan doesn't have any friends.They reach for the same odd little book on a shelf in their favorite part of the library, the adventure stories, and agree to share it . . . and discover not just a story, but a promise that magic is real, and that someone from another world is needed to break a spell. Do they want to join Blackeye's gang of pirate kids, who are determined to rescue an enchanted prince? Nan is so desperate to escape an unhappy life that she lies to her new-found friends, claiming to be a princess. Joe loves the idea of adventure. Pirates-orphan gangs-magic-castles-and spies abound as Nan and Joe discover magic and adventure . . . and who they really are.
Wren to the Rescue; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 1993
Second edition: Book View Cafe| Nook | Kindle
All her life Wren has hoped for an adventure. Now she has one—with a kidnapped princess, a handsome prince, and a magician. What does it matter if the princess is only Tess, her best friend from the orphanage; if the prince is a youngest son with no chance of becoming king; and the magician is an apprentice? Wren leads the other three over mountains and past killing spells, fighting battles along the way. But then she finds herself up against some shape-changing magic that may end her life as a human forever!
Older editions: hardcover| Firebird Books, May 2004 paperback
Wren's Quest; Jane Yolen Books, April 1993
Second edition: Book View Cafe | Nook | Kindle
Wren thought she was an orphan. After discovering that she might have family, she wants to spend her first vacation from Cantirmoor's Magic School in finding them. But her quest turns into a far more dangerous adventure than she ever imagined, what with robbers, guardsmen, and an angry sorcerer after her. And when her traveling companion, young prince Connor Shaltar, begins to meddle with magic as well—things get entirely out of hand--meanwhile, back in Cantirmoor, Wren's best friend, Princess Teressa, is trying to get accustomed to living in court. Not so easy after all those years in an orphanage. Especially when someone is causing trouble in Cantirmoor, not just between courtiers, but magical trouble. And Tyron, her friend, is involved. It takes all four friends to solve this mystery.
NY Library Best Books for The Teen Age List
Older editions: hardcover| Firebird Books, May 2004 (paperback
Wren's War; Jane Yolen Books, March 1995
second edition: Book View Cafe | Kindle| Nook
When the evil Andreus's hunger for power leads to war, Wren and her friends are thrust into the middle of the struggle. Teressa is heir to the throne, Tyron her chief magicmaker, and Prince Connor a reluctant warrior. As allies die and others disappear, they must put aside their feelings for one another if they are to defeat the sorcerous Andreus. They know they need magic to save them. Can they turn the bloody tide?
NY Public Library Best Books for Teen Age List) Russia, 1995; Finalist for Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 1995. Anne Spencer Lindbergh Honor Book, 1996.
Wren Journeymage
Book View Café, Oct. 2010 | Kindle | Nook
The first summer of peace brings Wren on her weekly visit to the young Queen Teressa, where she encounters the derisive, upsetting Hawk Rhiscarlan riding in! Wren races to warn Teressa, to discover he's expected, which causes the girls' first argument. Tyron gives Wren a chance to leave Meldreth by sending her on a new journeymage project--to find Connor, who had wandered off to the Summer Isles. When Wren vanishes, her scry stone abandoned, Teressa veers between regret over the argument, worry about Wren, and the beguilement of attraction as Hawk skillfully upsets her court. Wren has just made friends with some young sailors when they are captured and forced on board a shady smuggler, where Wren learns all about the sea. When pirates attack, Wren does magic, which leads her straight to another confrontation with the villain she hates most, aided by the boy she . . . what do you call these feelings? Once again the four--Wren, Teressa, Connor, and Tyron--find themselves deep in adventure, as they try to navigate the treacherous waters of growing up.
Exordium Series (written with Dave Trowbridge)
The Phoenix in Flight newly rewritten edition 2011
Book View Cafe | Nook | Kindle
Brandon nyr-Arkad, dissolute youngest son of the ruler of the Thousand Suns, abandons the life of Service planned for him and flees into the lawless Rift. Only slowly does he discover that the world he rejected now lies in smoking ruins as the ritual vengeance of Jerrode Eusabian against Brandon’s father, twenty years in preparation, culminates in an explosion of interstellar violence. With both his brothers dead and his father the Panarch imprisoned, Brandon becomes the Panarchy’s last hope.
Ruler of Naught newly rewritten edition December 2011
In the sequel to The Phoenix in Flight, Brandon vlith-Arkad, who fled the Mandalic Palace and his old life only hours ahead of assassination, is now heir to the Panarchy. He wants only to rescue his father, the Panarch. But everyone wants a piece of him. The Dol'jharians, who smashed the Panarchy and took his father prisoner. A Rifter pirate and her crew, who helped him escape a doomed planet--twice--and now wonder what to do about a royal prisoner with the price of ten planets on his head. And the remnants of the government of the Thousand Suns, for whom he'd at best be an inconvenience.
And that's before things go seriously pear-shaped. Racing ahead of the light-speed news of their attack with FTL comms and weapons looted from a fortress built millions of years ago, the Dol'jharians and those Rifters allied with them are consolidating their victories. Elements of the Panarchist Navy struggle to understand what's happening, find surviving units, and strike back. And Eusabian of Dol'jhar, now master of the Mandala from which his defeated enemy once ruled the Thousand Suns, awaits news of the Heart of Kronos, the missing key to ultimate power.
Which lies in the hands of Brandon's captor. The chase is on, and unexpected detours await.
Prison Unsought; Tor Books, August 1994 (paperback)
This swashbuckling space adventure continues with Brandon and his crew arriving safely at the Panarchic Navy's headquarters. As the sole heir to the Phoenix Throne, Brandon must fight a battle of symbols and weapons to win back control of the Navy, and to rescue his father from the vicious end planned for him by the usurping Doljharians.
Rifter's Covenant; Tor Books, March 1995 (paperback)
Inheriting an unexpected duty as ruler of the Arkad Empire, Brandon finds his power threatened by the usurping Jerrod Eusabian, Jerrod's planet-pillaging allies, and a traitor at the heart to his own councils.
The Thrones of Kronos; Tor Books, December 1996 (paperback)
The final battle for the Thousand Suns is at hand. Brandon hai-Arkad has been crowned Emporer, but his throne remains in the hands of his enemy, Jerrod Eusabian of Dol'jhar. The fleet has been gathered, the order of battle drawn. Brandon will reclaim his father's empire, or die. This is the exciting conclusion of the Exordium series.
In L. Frank Baum's Oz
The Emerald Wand of Oz; HarperCollins, January 2005
Trouble Under Oz; HarperCollins, August 2006
With Andre Norton
Derelict for Trade (Solar Queen Universe); Tor Books, March 1997
A Mind for Trade (Solar Queen Universe); Tor Books, June 1997
Echoes in Time (Time Traders Universe); Tor Books, November 1999
Atlantis Endgame (Time Traders Universe); Tor Books, December 2002
Other Books
Augur's Teacher; based on the TV series Earth: Final Conflict; Tor Books, August 2001
Paradise Drift; based on the TV series Andromeda; Tor Books, October 2005
Essay on writing in: BREWING FINE FICTION, Advice for Writers From the Authors at Book View Cafe edited by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff and Pati Nagle, that will help both new and experienced writers cope with the creative challenges and the nuts-and-bolts business issues of a career in writing fiction.
Short Stories
"Court Ship," Firebirds Soaring, ed. Sharyn November, Firebird Books, March 2009
"Beauty," Firebirds, ed. Sharyn November, Firebird Books, September 2003
"Miss Austen's Castle Tour," Lace and Blade 2, ed. Deborah J. Ross, Norilana Books, February 2009
"Rule of Engagement," Lace and Blade, ed. Deborah J. Ross, Norilana Books, February 2008
"Monster Mash," Werewolves, eds. Jane Yolen and Martin Greenberg, Harper & Row, Summer 1988
"Ghost Dancers," Things That Go Bump in the Night, eds. Jane Yolen and Martin Greenberg, Harper & Row, Summer 1989
"Daria's Window," Sisters in Fantasy II, eds. Susan Shwartz and Martin Greenberg, NAL, March 1998
"Faith," A Wizard's Dozen, ed. Michael Stearns, HBJ, Fall 1993; reprinted in Between the Darkness and the Fire, SFF Net anthology, 1998; reprinted in Read (teen version of Weekly Reader), November 2000
"Curing the Bozos," Bruce Coville's Book of Aliens, BPVP, February 1994 (fifth printing 1995)
"Echoes of Ancient Danger," Orphans of the Night, ed. Josepha Sherman, Walker & Co., Spring 1995; reprinted in MOOREEFFOC, Summer 2000
"I Was A Teen-Age Superhero," Starfarer's Dozen, ed. Michael Stearns, Harcourt Brace, Fall 1995 (paperback, 1996)
"What's A Little Fur Among Friends?" Bruce Coville's Book of Spinetinglers, BPVP, January 1996
"Visions," Bruce Coville's Book of Magic, BPVP, March 1996; On Year's Best List for 1996 picked by TANGENT Magazine; reprinted MOOREEFFOC December 2000
"Illumination," Nightmare's Dozen, ed. Michael Stearns, Harcourt Brace, Fall 1996
"And Horses Are Born With Eagles' Wings," Realms of Fantasy, October 1997; reprinted in Electric Wine, January/February 2000
"Mastery," Wizard Fantastic; ed. Larry Segriff and Martin Greenberg, Tekno Books, 1997
"And Now Abideth These Three…lip;" Realms of Fantasy Magazine, 1998; reprinted in Coyote Wild, December 2007
"Finding the Way," Bruce Coville's Alien Visitors, Scholastic, October 1999
"Diary of a Henchminion," Faeries, France, 2001; Fictionwise, 2002
"Mom and Dad at the Home Front," Realms of Fantasy, August 2000; reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy, Harper Eos, Spring 2000; Nebula Finalist 2002; Fictionwise 2002; New Magics, Tor, 2004
"The Hero and the Princess," Lone Star Stories, November 2005
"Being Real," Lone Star Stories, October 2006
"Summer Thunder," Coyote Wild, January 2007
"The Princess, the Page, and the Master Cook's Son," Heroes In Training, August 2007