Bibliography
Readers in Canada, I invite you to consider ordering through Argo Bookshop.
****Sartorias-deles Saga reading order explained in FAQ****
Just Out
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This series is being re-issued with new maps and covers in the lead-up to the October 10 release of its long-anticipated final volume, Traitor.
In the post-apocalyptic world of the Change, people with mutant talents are powerful and hated, and even the trees can kill you. Teenage loner Ross, wounded and hunted, walks out of the desert and into a town full of secrets. He brings with him a mysterious ancient book, the rage of a vengeful king, and a deadly power he can’t control.
In the walled town of Las Anclas, he confronts prejudice and danger. But he also meets the shy and brilliant teenage mechanic Mia, and the confident and passionate warrior Jennie. The last time Ross got close to anyone, disaster followed. With his enemies closing in on him, he faces a perilous choice…
”A fresh story with well-developed characters, fast-paced action, and a fantastical world”-School Library Journal (starred review)
”Infused with a generous spirit – call it a utopian dystopia… Characterization is rich and stereotype-free… Equally exceptional is the depiction of conflict… The five dynamic narrators and action-packed plot deliver thrills while slyly undermining genre clichés. A first-rate page-turner that leaves its own compelling afterimage.”-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Set against a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles that feels like a futuristic Wild West, this novel follows a diverse cast of characters in terms of both race and sexual orientation who must navigate a landscape full of telekinetic squirrels, man-eating trees, and a bounty hunter after an ancient book.”-YALSA (American Library Association) The Hub
First printing: Viking, November 2014: Book View Cafe 2018, re-edited for rerelease, July 2024
Kindle | Book View Cafe |
Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback
Part of a stand-alone series set in the tumultuous, magic-filled history of the Phoenix Feather quartet…
The second half of the story of sixteen-year-old Lan Renti’s rise to the phoenix throne begins literally in the air, as she returns to her ship of wanderers, crying hard after leaving the brother she sought for four years. But her brother sees her as a young girl needing protection—a traditional role.
Ren begins a wandering life from one end of the Empire of a Thousand Isles to the other as she seeks to rescue her parents, unfairly imprisoned. It seems the only way to do that is to refashion the empire that has been riven by warring princes—in spite of vigorous objection by said princes. She is accompanied by Sagacious Blade, the talking sword, and a growing group of companions—leading to the discovery of romance.
The conflict between tradition and revolution, the threat of chaos and the yearning for order, is embodied in Ren, who struggles to bring to a traditional world the chance to be heard for those long kept silent. From the fires of war the phoenix is reborn … and this is her story. June 2024
Coming Soon
Beginning in July, the first three books in the Change series, a YA hopeful dystopia, will be reissued one a month, culminating in …
The villain Voske is back.
All of Felicite’s secrets come crashing down around her; a resistance is formed by those least expected; Ross, Jennie, Mia, and former princess Kerry are forced into the position of heroes once again, always with commensurate cost.
And Paco is forced to face the father he denied.
Pre-order: Kindle | Nook | Kobo
October 2024
Recently Published
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How did scholarly, modest Lan Renti, lowest ranking of the troubled imperial clan, rise to become the Sage Empress, first woman ruler in the long history of the Empire of a Thousand Isles? Aware of how the official records embellish (or sidestep) the truth, she’s determined to set the record straight.
In this first half of her tale, she begins with her life in the imperial palace until the catastrophic injustice that flung her as a young teen into the dangerous world of the Warring Princes to seek her missing brother.
Secret identities, a talking sword, and a friendship that might become something more, land her outside the law as a gallant wanderer. Only, what happens when “the law” becomes increasingly unjust? Ren grapples with that question as her first mission, supposedly simple, becomes fraught with wide-ranging consequences…
May 2024
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Set in the world of The Phoenix Feather quartet, Bu is twelve and near-sighted, an unwanted daughter sent to a music audition. If she fails, she’s on her own. Elderly Granny Zim, who knows that soon she must retire as head of the music academy, is fascinated by YinYin, a student who might not be human. YinYin and Bu become friends.
Life is settling down when warships show up on the horizon. It’s the imperials, here to demand tribute. They take Bu, YinYin, and Granny Zim to a new, uncertain life in the troubled empire, where their only skill is their music.
But Granny Zim knows that music is a knife without a hilt.
Fall 2023
The Island World (Phoenix Feather and Sagacious Series) Page
Lhind Series, Wren Series, Posse of Princesses
The Change Series Page (YA hopeful dystopia written with Rachel Manija Brown)
The Dobrenica Romances and Regency Era Romances & Austen Fic
Sartorias-deles Historical Era (Inda, Banner, Time of Daughters)
Sartorias-deles Kids’ Stories Page
Sartorias-deles, Modern Era
A Stranger to Command
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Vidanric Renselaeus, Marquis of Shevraeth, is a courtly, well-mannered teen trained in the noble art of dueling. Growing up in a court that on the surface seems civilized under an increasingly despotic king, he is sent by his father to the infamous military academy in Marloven Hess. He expects to be reading theories about statecraft, but finds that he is going to learn about military command from the inside–and finally, what it really means to be king.
In this prequel to Crown Duel, the reader learns what made the elegant Vidanric into the enigmatic Marquis of Shevraeth.
Crown Duel
Book View cafe | audiobook
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In print for over twenty years, CROWN DUEL is written from the point of view of “the barefoot countess” Meliara. She and her brother promised their dying father to free Remalna from a bad king’s oppressive rule and to preserve the vital Covenant with Remalna’s aloof, unhuman Hill People. Meliara is determined to win or die fighting. She not only has the evil king to contend with, there’s the elegant Marquis of Shevraeth, who always seems to be one step ahead . . .
Brought to court by a mysterious letter, Meliara finds herself the subject of courtly intrigue, both sinister and romantic. Sinister is the deposed king’s sister, and her handsome, elusive son. Romantic is a secret suitor who courts her by letter.
Then there is the enigmatic Marquis of Shevraeth–enemy or friend? Is risking your life less dangerous than risking your heart?
The ebook and the definitive printed editions (same cover as e-book) correct the many errors in the old paperback, and offer six scenes from Vidanric’s point of view 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)
The Trouble with Kings
Book View Cafe | Kindle |
“With music you can tell the truth about human experience.”
In this romantasy that takes place roughly the same time as Crown Duel, Flian is an ordinary princess who would rather be left with her music, but gets abducted not once, not twice–three times!
What is a civilized princess to do? Especially when she can’t tell which prince is the hero and which the villain!
Book View Cafe 2015
Sasharia En Garde
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First half at Audible, narrated by Jessica Almasy
Second half at Audible, narrated by James Patrick Cronin
This romantasy takes place right before the Norsunder War sequence. It begins with Sasha snatched from Los Angeles, where she has been hiding with her mother, and taken back to the kingdom where Sasha’s mother, Sun, was once swept away by a real prince.
Sasha is more than ready to kick some bad-guy butt, but is the stylish pirate Zathdar the bad guy? Or artistic, dreamy Prince Jehan, son of the wicked king?
The Rise of the Alliance Arc
A Sword Named Truth, Rise of the Alliance I
Amazon paperback | B&N | audiobook (terrific recording)
Readers familiar with Crown Duel and especially A Stranger to Command have asked what was going on at the end of the latter. Well, this is that story. It’s eight centuries after INDA. Magic has been slowly returning, and Norsunder is watching and waiting.
Senrid, fifteen-year-old king of the Marlovens finds himself drawn into world politics. Along the way he meets other young rulers in various precarious positions.
They are not ready to deal with Norsunder, but Norsunder is more than ready to deal with them.
June 2019
The Blood Mage Texts, Rise of the Alliance II
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Long-dormant magical forces are moving again in Sartorias-deles. In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived a first foray, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian who was born four thousand years ago. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!
But the world’s mages know it’s not the quiet of peace—it’s the stillness before the storm.
At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as everyone is dealing with the fallout of the abortive attack. Rel the Traveler arrives back home to a surprise that has been awaiting him since he was first adopted, launching him on a personal quest.
Jilo, the king who is not a king, finds what looks like dangerous magical texts and hands them off to his friend Senrid, young king of Marloven Hess, who is in the midst of wrestling with his warlike nation. When word gets out that these eight-hundred-year-old blood mage texts are in the ignorant hands of youngsters, all of Norsunder’s mages want them.
Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.
All the searches converge on Chwahirsland, furnishing new twists in the on-going saga of the alliance of young rulers . . .
December 2021
The Hunters and the Hunted, Rise of the Alliance III
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The allies meet Detlev’s boys.
In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived an enchantment, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!
At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as two quests reveal long-hidden secrets. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.
As the Rise of the Alliance saga continues, Siamis is not the only one being hunted. The sinister and elusive Norsundrian commander Detlev has been seen more often in the past five years than he has in the past five hundred. The young allies to reform the alliance—meeting unexpected difficulties when no one can agree on what form it should take.
That is before a series of assassinations leads to the shocking news that the alliance has been infiltrated by a mirror alliance of Norsundrian boys.
Trained by Detlev. Which leads inexorably to the deadliest of stalking games . . .
January 2022
Nightside of the Sun, Rise of the Alliance IV
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The climax to the Rise of the Alliance saga begins with Detlev’s boys taking two prisoners as they retreat to their lair on Five, the sister world that has been lifeless for nearly five thousand years. Reviled by both sides, the one thing they can trust is their strength, their training, and each other. Or so it seems.
Meanwhile, unknown to both Norsunder and the Sartoran mages, there are secrets living within that world that will change everything.
The high-stakes hunt continues on two worlds as the surviving allies step into adult roles one by one, just to find themselves with greater challenges as the world hurtles inexorably toward war . . .
Feb 2022
The Wicked Skill
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Two young kings without thrones. One meets a queen, the other a shopkeeper’s daughter.
Liere went away a messed-up kid five years ago, and comes back an accomplished mage. Among other skills. She goes to Enaeran as a mere Envoy, where she discovers once again that there is no “mere” in her life.
Especially when she takes her first steps into the enthralling world of romance. She, and others just coming into their adult roles in life, discover the many facets of love—set against a background of revolution, one conducted through manners, the other by swashbuckling youths who think life is a game . . .
May 2022
The Norsunder War and Aftermath Arc
Ship Without Sails, The Norsunder War I
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Nobody sane wants war.
But what happens when war comes to you?
In this first volume of The Norsunder War, the allies introduced in The Rise of the Alliance find their world invaded. For Atan, Queen of Sartor, preserving lives and knowledge come before fleeing to safety. Jilo of Chwahirsland risks his life to resist the return of an evil king. And for Senrid of Marloven Hess, it means facing a combined army whose might hasn’t been seen for eight hundred years, and losing everything he holds dear.
Heroism. Betrayal. Endurance. Resistance. Both sides encounter unexpected twists as some discover that even when existence is most dire, it can still surprise you . . .
Content Warning
The first half has war, including a scene of the death of a child
Sept 2022
Marend of Marloven Hess, The Norsunder War 1.5
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In the recently defeated warrior-kingdom Marloven Hess, two enemies, one a defeated king hunted by the conquerors, and the hunter who did the conquering, duel for the soul of a conflicted young teen.
This short novel takes place between the events of the first two volumes of The Norsunder War, Ship Without Sails, and Seek to Hold the Wind.
Oct. 2022
Seek to Hold the Wind, The Norsunder War II
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The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems.
Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them—but all those quests turn . . . sideways. Except for the one that was meant to simple, that changes everything.
Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. A pair of brothers, one on each side, begin a duel of wit and danger.
And Jilo, the nerdy son of a lowly sergeant who has been singlehandedly striving to save the once-great Chwahir nation from an insane king, crosses a continent to carry a message, with utterly unforeseen results.
Nov. 2022
All Things Betray, The Norsunder War III
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What to say about the third book in a series? This one gets into some really intense personal dynamics, and a lot of the hidden past starts coming back as Sartortias-deles readies to take back their world.
Tthe more official blurb: In the third volume of The Norsunder War, the invaders’ command structure is fracturing, but they are no less dangerous. Amid widespread and wanton destruction, it seems the world itself is fighting back. A pair of brothers, one on each side, begin a duel of wit and danger searching for a girl who could change the world.
Meanwhile, slowly, hints of what really happened four thousand years ago begin to emerge, making this fight not just universal, but personal for those who claim power . . .
Revelation. Betrayal. Sacrifice.
The beginning of the end.
December 2022
A Chain of Braided Silver, The Norsunder War IV
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Secrets both ancient and current are revealed, as the alliance—at times uneasy—works together to reclaim Sartorias-deles from Norsunder. Leaders around the world plan a simultaneous counterattack, but that is only a decoy away from the battle in the realm of the mind against a world-devouring power.
Hibern must solve a lethally dangerous puzzle as she dodges the hunter; grief-stricken Senrid must team with the man his beloved has chosen while his kingdom is overrun; Jilo singlehandedly intends to wrench the sinister Chwahir from their overwhelmingly poisonous tyrant; Imry, former commander, is now renegade, and even more dangerous; Marga begins to assert her powers; and everything comes down to Detlev, once the world’s chief villain. And yet, in spite of the mounting dangers, some manage to find love . . .
Read the tense, heart-lifting conclusion to The Norsunder War. The conclusion to The Norsunder War is also the culmination to the entire Sartorias-deles arc.
Jan 2023
Let the Torrent Dance Thee Down
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The war is over, all but the cleanup. And the emotional recovery, with its scars both visible and invisible. Liere Fer Eider learns on the run how to become a queen, while Andri adjusts to life this side of the law. Senrid, in devastated Marloven Hess, has to straight-arm a rage-filled populace into peace. While on a faraway mountain Detlev at last oversees the rebuilding of his school for training re-emerging psychic powers after four millennia.
A few years pass, and everything seems to be settling into the new norm–until Liere wakes from a drugged sleep to a friend turned enemy who offers an impossible choice.
May 2023
Antiphony
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Nook | Kobo | IngramSprk paperback | Amazon paperback | hardcover
The last book in the series that began with Inda, continued through the Rise of the Alliance, Crown Duel, and The Norsunder War.
Liere has the home she always longed for, though there are compromises: her children are scattered through the world, and she scarcely has time to adjust to her new life before she must use her dyr to prevent war. While elsewhere in the world, Chwahirsland is, at long last, reshaping itself to take place on the world stage. Not everyone is happy to see that.
A hidden identity revealed, with repercussions resounding across three continents—a wanderer visits the most sophisticated court in the world, and everything stops—anomalies turn up. Meaning what?
Or more importantly, when?
Oct. 2023
Remalna’s Children: “Beauty” and “Court Ship”
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The Crown Duel next generation: Two novelettes 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.
Here is a map of Remalna, the tiny country where Crown Duel takes place.
It Happened at the Ball, an anthology edited by me.
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trade paperback
The pleasure of your company is requested.
Graceful feet tracing courtly steps.
Eyes behind jeweled masks meeting across a room of twirling dancers.
Gloved hands touching fleetingly—or gripping swords… Anything can happen at a ball.
I collected thirteen stories intended for sheer escapism, full of beautiful ballrooms, intrigue, some swashbuckling, a balance of dark and light with light winning. I have two stories in it, one I’ve since published on its own, “Lily and Crown” and one under another name.
September 2018
As Zoe Chant (a collective name for Paranormal Romance/shifter series)
Book View Cafe | Nook | Kindle |Amazon Trade Paper |IngramSpark paperback | IngramSpark Hardcover
Vidanric Renselaeus, Marquis of Shevraeth, is a courtly, well-mannered teen trained in the noble art of dueling. Growing up in a court that on the surface seems civilized under an increasingly despotic king, he is sent by his father to the infamous military academy in Marloven Hess. He expects to be reading theories about statecraft, but finds that he is going to learn about military command from the inside–and finally, what it really means to be king.
In this prequel to Crown Duel, the reader learns what made the elegant Vidanric into the enigmatic Marquis of Shevraeth.
Book View cafe | audiobook
| Nook | Kindle | Kobo |Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback | IngramSpark hardcover
In print for over twenty years, CROWN DUEL is written from the point of view of “the barefoot countess” Meliara. She and her brother promised their dying father to free Remalna from a bad king’s oppressive rule and to preserve the vital Covenant with Remalna’s aloof, unhuman Hill People. Meliara is determined to win or die fighting. She not only has the evil king to contend with, there’s the elegant Marquis of Shevraeth, who always seems to be one step ahead . . .
Brought to court by a mysterious letter, Meliara finds herself the subject of courtly intrigue, both sinister and romantic. Sinister is the deposed king’s sister, and her handsome, elusive son. Romantic is a secret suitor who courts her by letter.
Then there is the enigmatic Marquis of Shevraeth–enemy or friend? Is risking your life less dangerous than risking your heart?
The ebook and the definitive printed editions (same cover as e-book) correct the many errors in the old paperback, and offer six scenes from Vidanric’s point of view 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)
Book View Cafe | Kindle |
“With music you can tell the truth about human experience.”
In this romantasy that takes place roughly the same time as Crown Duel, Flian is an ordinary princess who would rather be left with her music, but gets abducted not once, not twice–three times!
What is a civilized princess to do? Especially when she can’t tell which prince is the hero and which the villain!
Book View Cafe 2015
Book View Cafe | Kindle | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback |
First half at Audible, narrated by Jessica Almasy
Second half at Audible, narrated by James Patrick Cronin
This romantasy takes place right before the Norsunder War sequence. It begins with Sasha snatched from Los Angeles, where she has been hiding with her mother, and taken back to the kingdom where Sasha’s mother, Sun, was once swept away by a real prince.
Sasha is more than ready to kick some bad-guy butt, but is the stylish pirate Zathdar the bad guy? Or artistic, dreamy Prince Jehan, son of the wicked king?
Amazon paperback | B&N | audiobook (terrific recording)
Readers familiar with Crown Duel and especially A Stranger to Command have asked what was going on at the end of the latter. Well, this is that story. It’s eight centuries after INDA. Magic has been slowly returning, and Norsunder is watching and waiting.
Senrid, fifteen-year-old king of the Marlovens finds himself drawn into world politics. Along the way he meets other young rulers in various precarious positions.
They are not ready to deal with Norsunder, but Norsunder is more than ready to deal with them.
June 2019
Book View Cafe | Kindle | audiobook | B&N Nook | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback
Long-dormant magical forces are moving again in Sartorias-deles. In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived a first foray, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian who was born four thousand years ago. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!
But the world’s mages know it’s not the quiet of peace—it’s the stillness before the storm.
At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as everyone is dealing with the fallout of the abortive attack. Rel the Traveler arrives back home to a surprise that has been awaiting him since he was first adopted, launching him on a personal quest.
Jilo, the king who is not a king, finds what looks like dangerous magical texts and hands them off to his friend Senrid, young king of Marloven Hess, who is in the midst of wrestling with his warlike nation. When word gets out that these eight-hundred-year-old blood mage texts are in the ignorant hands of youngsters, all of Norsunder’s mages want them.
Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.
All the searches converge on Chwahirsland, furnishing new twists in the on-going saga of the alliance of young rulers . . .
December 2021
Book View Cafe | Kindle | B&N Nook | Kobo | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback | hardcover
The allies meet Detlev’s boys.
In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived an enchantment, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!
At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as two quests reveal long-hidden secrets. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.
As the Rise of the Alliance saga continues, Siamis is not the only one being hunted. The sinister and elusive Norsundrian commander Detlev has been seen more often in the past five years than he has in the past five hundred. The young allies to reform the alliance—meeting unexpected difficulties when no one can agree on what form it should take.
That is before a series of assassinations leads to the shocking news that the alliance has been infiltrated by a mirror alliance of Norsundrian boys.
Trained by Detlev. Which leads inexorably to the deadliest of stalking games . . .
January 2022
Book View Cafe | Kindle | B&N | Kobo | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback | hardcover
The climax to the Rise of the Alliance saga begins with Detlev’s boys taking two prisoners as they retreat to their lair on Five, the sister world that has been lifeless for nearly five thousand years. Reviled by both sides, the one thing they can trust is their strength, their training, and each other. Or so it seems.
Meanwhile, unknown to both Norsunder and the Sartoran mages, there are secrets living within that world that will change everything.
The high-stakes hunt continues on two worlds as the surviving allies step into adult roles one by one, just to find themselves with greater challenges as the world hurtles inexorably toward war . . .
Feb 2022
Book View Cafe | Kindle | B&N | Kobo | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback | hardcover
Two young kings without thrones. One meets a queen, the other a shopkeeper’s daughter.
Liere went away a messed-up kid five years ago, and comes back an accomplished mage. Among other skills. She goes to Enaeran as a mere Envoy, where she discovers once again that there is no “mere” in her life.
Especially when she takes her first steps into the enthralling world of romance. She, and others just coming into their adult roles in life, discover the many facets of love—set against a background of revolution, one conducted through manners, the other by swashbuckling youths who think life is a game . . .
May 2022
Book View Cafe | Kindle | B&N | Kobo | IngramSpark paperback | Amazon paperback | hardcover
Nobody sane wants war.
But what happens when war comes to you?
In this first volume of The Norsunder War, the allies introduced in The Rise of the Alliance find their world invaded. For Atan, Queen of Sartor, preserving lives and knowledge come before fleeing to safety. Jilo of Chwahirsland risks his life to resist the return of an evil king. And for Senrid of Marloven Hess, it means facing a combined army whose might hasn’t been seen for eight hundred years, and losing everything he holds dear.
Heroism. Betrayal. Endurance. Resistance. Both sides encounter unexpected twists as some discover that even when existence is most dire, it can still surprise you . . .
Content Warning
The first half has war, including a scene of the death of a child
Sept 2022
Book View Cafe | Kindle | audiobook
| B&N | Kobo | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback
In the recently defeated warrior-kingdom Marloven Hess, two enemies, one a defeated king hunted by the conquerors, and the hunter who did the conquering, duel for the soul of a conflicted young teen.
This short novel takes place between the events of the first two volumes of The Norsunder War, Ship Without Sails, and Seek to Hold the Wind.
Oct. 2022
Book View Cafe | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Amazon paperback | IngramSpark paperback | hardcover
The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems.
Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them—but all those quests turn . . . sideways. Except for the one that was meant to simple, that changes everything.
Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. A pair of brothers, one on each side, begin a duel of wit and danger.
And Jilo, the nerdy son of a lowly sergeant who has been singlehandedly striving to save the once-great Chwahir nation from an insane king, crosses a continent to carry a message, with utterly unforeseen results.
Nov. 2022
BVC | Nook | Kindle | Amazon paperback IngramSpark paperback | hardcover
What to say about the third book in a series? This one gets into some really intense personal dynamics, and a lot of the hidden past starts coming back as Sartortias-deles readies to take back their world.
Tthe more official blurb: In the third volume of The Norsunder War, the invaders’ command structure is fracturing, but they are no less dangerous. Amid widespread and wanton destruction, it seems the world itself is fighting back. A pair of brothers, one on each side, begin a duel of wit and danger searching for a girl who could change the world.
Meanwhile, slowly, hints of what really happened four thousand years ago begin to emerge, making this fight not just universal, but personal for those who claim power . . .
Revelation. Betrayal. Sacrifice.
The beginning of the end.
December 2022
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Secrets both ancient and current are revealed, as the alliance—at times uneasy—works together to reclaim Sartorias-deles from Norsunder. Leaders around the world plan a simultaneous counterattack, but that is only a decoy away from the battle in the realm of the mind against a world-devouring power.
Hibern must solve a lethally dangerous puzzle as she dodges the hunter; grief-stricken Senrid must team with the man his beloved has chosen while his kingdom is overrun; Jilo singlehandedly intends to wrench the sinister Chwahir from their overwhelmingly poisonous tyrant; Imry, former commander, is now renegade, and even more dangerous; Marga begins to assert her powers; and everything comes down to Detlev, once the world’s chief villain. And yet, in spite of the mounting dangers, some manage to find love . . .
Read the tense, heart-lifting conclusion to The Norsunder War. The conclusion to The Norsunder War is also the culmination to the entire Sartorias-deles arc.
Jan 2023
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The war is over, all but the cleanup. And the emotional recovery, with its scars both visible and invisible. Liere Fer Eider learns on the run how to become a queen, while Andri adjusts to life this side of the law. Senrid, in devastated Marloven Hess, has to straight-arm a rage-filled populace into peace. While on a faraway mountain Detlev at last oversees the rebuilding of his school for training re-emerging psychic powers after four millennia.
A few years pass, and everything seems to be settling into the new norm–until Liere wakes from a drugged sleep to a friend turned enemy who offers an impossible choice.
May 2023
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The last book in the series that began with Inda, continued through the Rise of the Alliance, Crown Duel, and The Norsunder War.
Liere has the home she always longed for, though there are compromises: her children are scattered through the world, and she scarcely has time to adjust to her new life before she must use her dyr to prevent war. While elsewhere in the world, Chwahirsland is, at long last, reshaping itself to take place on the world stage. Not everyone is happy to see that.
A hidden identity revealed, with repercussions resounding across three continents—a wanderer visits the most sophisticated court in the world, and everything stops—anomalies turn up. Meaning what?
Or more importantly, when?
Oct. 2023
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The Crown Duel next generation: Two novelettes 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.
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trade paperback
The pleasure of your company is requested.
Graceful feet tracing courtly steps.
Eyes behind jeweled masks meeting across a room of twirling dancers.
Gloved hands touching fleetingly—or gripping swords… Anything can happen at a ball.
I collected thirteen stories intended for sheer escapism, full of beautiful ballrooms, intrigue, some swashbuckling, a balance of dark and light with light winning. I have two stories in it, one I’ve since published on its own, “Lily and Crown” and one under another name.
September 2018
Older women find romance in these four books, collected together.
Shifters in La-La Land!
Then the two Upson Downs mildly spicy romances, or Small town shifters!, and Moar small town shifters!
In L. Frank Baum’s Oz
The Emerald Wand of Oz; HarperCollins, January 2005 Amazon
Trouble Under Oz; HarperCollins, August 2006 Amazon
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The finale to Sherwood Smith’s Oz trilogy. Journey back to Oz with Dori and Emma, along with old favorites like Scraps and Polychrome, as they travel through the skies over Oz. There’s a plot afoot with a dastardly villain who kidnapped Princess Dorothy in Smith’s first book, The Emerald Wand of Oz. It’ll take Glinda, Rik the Nome (met in the underground adventures related in Trouble Under Oz), Dori, Emma, Scraps, and many more to contend with this threat–even a shaggy dog named Dad! Sky Pyrates Over Oz is illustrated by Kim McFarland.
Exordium Page, Science Fiction written with Dave Trowbridge
Science Fiction written With Andre Norton
Derelict for Trade (Solar Queen Universe); Tor Books, March 1997| Audio book
A Mind for Trade (Solar Queen Universe); Tor Books, June 1997 | Audio book
Echoes in Time (Time Traders Universe); Tor Books, November 1999 |Audio book
Atlantis Endgame (Time Traders Universe); Tor Books, December 2002 | Audio book
Other Media-related Science Fiction
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
Shorter Works
In this novelette, Hera is angry with Zeus and the rest of the male gods. She takes their powers, and comes to Earth, handing them out to random old women, saying that the weakest have the most wisdom, and further warns them to prove her right! I had such fun writing it.
There are secret powers that might get you locked up or spirited away. And then there are the secrets that get you shunned. The first kind are surprisingly un-useful at helping with the second. This fantasy novelette set in San Diego, Ca, is about teens and different kinds of secrets.
In one of my rare explorations of modern life, with a touch of magical realism, anxious, indecisive Barbra is ferocious about one thing: her daughter. When a mysterious music teacher appears at the local school, Barbra and some local parents are up in arms. . .
So many things can steal the magic from life. So few things can restore it.
In this near, could-have-happened future tale, teenage Lys finds out that her family has been selected for a reality show. The megabucks are conditional upon the family being interesting enough to catch the interest of fellow Americans. Lys and her drummer brother and overworked elder sister go to great lengths to “be real” . . .
In this short, satiric novella, I have fun with inward and outward expectations: personal, familial, social, and governmental.
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As a child, Sherwood Smith was always on the watch for magic: no fog bank went unexplored, no wooden closet unchecked for a false back, no possible magical token left on the ground or in the gutter. In these nine stories, the impossible becomes possible, magic is real, aliens come visiting. How would our lives change?
“Masks,” The Feathered Edge, Sky Warrior Books, 2012
“Court Ship,” Firebirds Soaring, Firebird, 2009; reprinted in e-form in Remalna’s Children
“Beauty,” Firebirds, Firebird, 2003, reprinted in e-form in Remalna’s Children
“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, REPRINT, Lightspeed 2014
“Commando Bats,” Athena’s Daughters, 2014
Older Stuff
“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, vastly rewritten and published as “The Rapture of Ancient Danger,” in Beyond Grimm, e-Anthology, Book View Cafe, 2012
“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;” 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; Book View Cafe
“Summer Thunder,” Coyote Wild, January 2007
“The Princess, the Page, and the Master Cook’s Son,” Heroes In Training, August 2007