J. M. Ney-Grimm

Something is wrong in the city--a vile knot of villainy that beckons Gael and Keir with the magical lodestone they seek while threatening their lives and their secret. Gael, an illicit mage, hunts redemption with Keir, a gifted healer who helps all who cross her path. Gael loves her loyalty to her calling--and to him--but has grown inured to the fact that they will never hold each other in more than high regard. Together they seek a cure for the accursed affliction that not only erodes their bodies and minds, but keeps them apart. The lodestone that harbors their salvation lies hidden in riverine Hantida. But when they enter the city's gates, the dark mystery lairing there catches them in its claws. Reavers comb Hantida's streets and squares by night, crashing their gauntleted fists on a residence gate or a workshop door, and taking a child, a grandmother, or some sleeping fool who thought himself safe. Always the reavers emerge from the imperial palace at the city's heart and return to it before daybreak with their captive--just one--who is never seen again. When the bronze-mailed warriors set their sights on a little girl with horrific burns, the travelers come face to face with the threat. But more than mere violence lurks behind the abductions. They conceal a rotten core of secrets, intrigue, and conspiracy that Gael and Keir must penetrate while hanging on to their lives and holding true to their quest. A tale of adventure in a vivid world of magic, shadows, and exotic peril.

The mansion on Balard Square stands empty. Dirt grimes its marble columns. Cracks mar its once pristine walls. No one enters or exits. Rumor says no one lives there. Neighbors ignore the property, glad it's merely shabby, not derelict. Brash youths pretend a witch makes it her home, a wicked witch who hates children. All of them-rumor, neighbors, and youths-are wrong. Fleeing a ragged horde of boys, young Lealle discovers the truth of the history-haunted house. She hopes to keep that truth secret. But her silence threatens disapproving neighbors, trespassing bullies, and one gentle soul in desperate need of a lifeline. Magic and coming of age in the tradition of Patricia C. Wrede's Mairelon the Magician.

Tricks and cheats lurk at the heart of faie cruelty... Tahearn-a faie knight-hates the love of torment relished by the lords and ladies of the faie court, and refuses to give rein to it in himself. But when the faie queen targets him with her unique blend of pain and pleasure, his desire to retaliate threatens his restraint. Fleeing the faie deeps, Tahearn encounters the bright mortal world and falls in love, not only with its sunlit wildness, but with a healer tending the herb garden where he strays. Engaging in the ordinary pleasures of mortality-baking bread, airing bedclothes, compounding remedies-Tahearn hopes to leave the faie and his own faie nature behind forever. But the faie king declares war on his mortal neighbors when he discovers that his escaped knight yet lives, bringing Tahearn's pastoral idyll to an end. Unless Tahearn eludes the snare set just for him-eschewing both the violence and cold withdrawal in his own heart-he will lose his love, his life, and the bright world he adores. Blood Silver is a fantasy novella filled with knightly chivalry and the eerie glamor of the faie set against the joys of home and hearth. If you enjoy characters who step off the page, humble heroes, and captivating stories, you'll love J. M. Ney-Grimm's fresh fairy tale. Buy Blood Silver and choose love today PRAISE FOR BLOOD SILVER "...a nice quick little read. Great characters, interesting story line, good pacing, and well written." -JMD "... I couldn't put it down. It reminded me of Le Morte d'Arthur and Mists of Avalon even though it has nothing to do with the King Arthur legend. This author just brought back those feelings..." -Tricia Schiro "...simple and thought-provoking in a beautiful way. ...smart and wise. It's peaceful and otherworldly. I felt like a new fairy tale had been written and that gave me a lot of joy." -Ambrose Crotts "The characters felt real, like they could step out of the pages..." -Stephanie Wachter "It felt familiar like an old fairy tale, but was also very fresh and new." -Erin K. EXCERPT FROM BLOOD SILVERThe king knew. The king's advisers knew. Each knight who would accompany Tahaern onto the field of truce knew. Odhran and Lorcan would both be knights themselves soon. They deserved respect and needed not a child's sheltering." I suspect my brother contemplates some act of perfidy," Tahaern admitted." Under the banner of truce?" objected Lorcan, offended despite knowing better." Even so," agreed Tahaern." Will it be enough?" asked Odhran. "Just suspecting-" he paused and corrected himself after a glance at Tahaern "-or even knowing, without knowing what?"

If she trusts her prince to the eldest Fate-the one who snips a mortal's thread short-will her beloved live or die? Nerine, a sea nymph of the ancient world, holds secrets close. Each morning in the chill before the sun's rising, Nerine and the three Fates stand beneath the mighty World Tree, gazing into the root-girdled Well of Destiny to learn the dooms they must bring to life that day. When the dawn's visions show Nerine's one-time betrothed shipwrecked and drowning, all her renounced yearning for him rises anew. Yet as handmaiden to the Fates, she must select the threads that will weave her lost love's death. Unless she subverts destiny and betrays her duty . . . The key to her prince's rescue lies hidden in Nerine's past, perhaps in the underwater ruin she explored as a child, perhaps in the horror of the Keltic ritual sacrifice she witnessed on her journey across Eur pi, or perhaps among all her lies by omission that keep her secrets concealed. But when Nerine finds the way to save her beloved, she faces a dire choice. Will she speak truth to the eldest Fate and doom her drowning prince? Or will she lie more foully than ever before and lose her own soul? Fate's Door is a fantasy novel for Percy Jackson fans craving a story about Poseidon's great, great granddaughter. If you enjoy deep and engaging characters, ancient mythology brought to vivid life, and can't-put-it-down adventures of the heart and psyche, then you'll love J. M. Ney-Grimm's tale of love and coming of age in a mythic Mediterranean where the gods and goddesses of old shape history. Buy Fate's Door to step from lying shadow into brilliant truth today

In a mythical Ireland that never was-an isle of turf and gorse-grown hillsides under a sky swept by mare's tails-mortal villages perch all unknowing beside enchanted knolls. Beneath them dwell the cruel and capricious faie folk. Tahaern, a faie warrior by birth but not in spirit, eschews his vicious origins and hopes never to encounter his faie kin again. Loving the bright world outside the faie deeps, he serves a mortal village as healer. Simple days and the love of his wife provide all he asks of life. But when the faie declare war on the mortal king who protects Tahaern's village, Tahaern must again take up his sword to defend his neighbors, his beloved, and the realm. Tahaern welcomes meeting faie warriors in battle, but tricks and cheats lurk at the heart of faie tactics. And a snare set just for him lies waiting... EXCERPT FROM BLOOD SILVER The king knew. The king's advisers knew. Each knight who would accompany Tahaern onto the field of truce knew. Odhran and Lorcan would both be knights themselves soon. They deserved respect and needed not a child's sheltering. "I suspect my brother contemplates some act of perfidy," Tahaern admitted. "Under the banner of truce?" objected Lorcan, offended despite knowing better. "Even so," agreed Tahaern. "Will it be enough?" asked Odhran. "Just suspecting-" he paused and corrected himself after a glance at Tahaern "-or even knowing, without knowing what?"

Prince Kellor, cursed by the troll-witch Mandine to live as a north-bear, wrestles with the challenges of his beast form. Pain wracks his body. Unpredictable rages blur his mind. And straight thinking proves elusive, confusing his search for the loopholes that every curse possesses. His curse turns on the choices of his childhood friend Elle. She once shared Kellor's idyllic rambles through the wilderlands. She now loves all things musical. Might Kellor persuade her to neglect her own dreams to confront his lethal nightmare? Should he? But no troll-witch permits her prey to escape with ease. The illusory loopholes in Mandine's curse all twist back to its entombing heart. J. M. Ney Grimm tells a lyrical Beauty and the Beast tale, rife with moments of shining glory, dark magnificence, and unexpected significance. The fate of an empire, a people, and a world unfurls from Kellor's deeds and Elle's choices. PRAISE FOR TROLL-MAGIC"... Troll-magic has a certain poetic style I've yet to come across elsewhere. Descriptions are...evocative, characters are natural and complex..." -James J. Parsons, GoodReads"This is the kind of book that you keep thinking about... All through the day you will find yourself hoping for just a few minutes to pick it up again. Loosely based on a familiar folk tale, the world depicted is magical, but the people are very real." -M. A. Dunn, Smashwords"Troll-magic was a fun read... This story mixes adventure, romance, life lessons and, of course, magic. J. M. Ney-Grimm has created a fascinating new world. Her detailed descriptions and colourful writing style bring the world of Silmaren and the Norse-lands right off the page and into life." -W. Walsh, Amazon"Her work compares favorably with Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip... if you're looking for an intelligent, fun and interesting read, I highly recommend this book." -Mira, AmazonEXCERPT FROM TROLL-MAGICIn darkness he touched his nose, felt his ears. Oh Sias They were larger. More deformed. Horror shook his fingertips. What should he do? What could he do? Chaotic memory gripped him. Stabbing tangerine light and agonizing pain. His body taken by unfathomable force and twisted, reshaped. What was this? Where was this? None of it made sense. And the absolute blackness didn't help. He took a deep breath. And another. There. He was steadier now. Some sort of solution existed. He could sense it, just out of reach. Closing his eyes against the dark, he stretched his mind. He'd done . . . something . . . last . . . night? It didn't matter when. What was it he'd done? He tried again to call it to mind, pressing against the blankness in his thoughts. Breathing was part of it; patterned breathing. Which reminded him that holding his breath wouldn't help. Someone . . . a teacher, had told him that tension inhibited . . . something. He sighed. Patterned breathing. Fine, he would do some. He breathed out to a slow count of three, then in for the same. And then he had it. Patterned breathing and patterning. He was a pattern-master. Or, at least, an apprentice one. And he'd done . . . not patterning, last night, but a forbidden version of it. Something other. ABOUT THE AUTHORJ. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands.

Livli struggles with a secret she keeps from everyone, even her closest friends, and she must solve the problem at its heart before she's discovered. She's certain the answer lies in a fragment of folklore and magic half-remembered from her childhood. Almost certain. She wouldn't need forgotten magic if only the men and women of her secluded mountain culture dwelt together. But the women-and Livli-inhabit their sister-lodge atop its lofty bluff, while the men live apart in their brother-lodge several valleys away. Unless she can force a change, Livli stands to lose everything . . . including the most precious thing in her life: her son. A story of secrets, shibboleths, and deep-forged strength told with all the insight and engaging intimacy that J. M. Ney-Grimm brings to epic fantasy. KAUNIS CLAN SAGAThe Hammarleeding people dwell in the high mountain valleys of J. M. Ney-Grimm's North-lands. They wield a tribal magic born of dance and song and the flow of sacred waters. Ritual and tradition hold a special place in Hammarleeding culture. Their rites are beautiful and uplifting, but they underpin a way of life that features many thou-shalt-nots. In each story of the Kaunis Clan Saga, one woman-or one man-challenges the shibboleths that threaten her-or his-particular bright dream. Sarvet's Wanderyar (1)Crossing the Naiad (2)Livli's Gift (3)Winter Glory (4)Each installment presents a unique protagonist from a fresh generation of the family. The stories stand alone and need not be read in order. PRAISE FOR LIVLI'S GIFT"...fascinating and insightful..." -P. Saternye"I started reading and couldn't put it down. I love the world and the characters..." -Diane Riggins EXCERPT FROM LIVLI'S GIFTMmm. It was so peaceful in the library. The memory of her departure from home intruded on Livli's quietude. There was an unpeaceful scene: Thoivra shrieking and shaking her finger at a horrified brother. Poor skinny Issat had no idea he wasn't welcome in the foyer of Kaunis-lodge. He figured he was walking with Livli for the first leg of his journey to Tukeva. And she was going out the front door. Why shouldn't he? Thoivra told him why. This is the lodge, not the healing spa. Get out Livli shook her head. "Ugh I don't want to think about Thoivra right now," she told herself. "I want to enjoy not being in the same place she is. Enjoy my break from the bustle of the spa. Enjoy Siajotti's tranquility." Although her earliest memory of Siajotti-lodge was the reverse of serene. ABOUT THE AUTHORJ. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands. Look for her novels and novellas at your favorite bookstore-online or on Main Street.

When Sarvet's world hems her in, she pushes back. Her daughter, Livli, does likewise. The Kaunis Clan Omnibus, Sarvet & Livli, presents both their transcendent stories. SARVET'S WANDERYARRunning away leads right back home-or does it? Sarvet walks with a grinding limp, and her mountain hamlet keeps girls close to home. Even worse, her mother emphasizes all the things Sarvet can't do. When Sarvet's good friend Nial returns from his wanderyar-a year of traveling the lowlands and turning strangers into friends-she decides that she too will take a wanderyar, even though girls can't and don't. But as Sarvet works on Nial to help get her away, everything goes wrong, not least of which is that her mother was right about one thing: Sarvet's limp makes steep, rock-strewn trails hard and dangerous. When catastrophe overtakes her, Sarvet must learn that neither running away nor waiting on others will deliver the free and vibrant life she longs for. Only by finding and embracing her inner strength can she create happiness-and survive winter's deadly night on the high tundra. Sarvet's Wanderyar recounts the riveting inward journey that accompanies outbound adventure. If you love compelling characters, revelations of deep truth, and spellbindingly unique fantasy worlds, then you'll enjoy J. M. Ney-Grimm's gripping and insightful tale. Read Sarvet's Wanderyar to wrest strength from weakness today LIVLI'S GIFTWith centuries-old tradition and an impassioned traditionalist against her, can a champion of family ties save her menfolk from exile? Livli dreads losing her father, brothers-and her unborn son. The men and women of her people dwell apart, gathering together only on rare f te-days, but the young healer longs to see her kin more often. When the arrival of a grievously injured outlander galvanizes a traditional lodge-sister to urge returning to the old ways of greater isolation, Livli fears forfeiting even these treasured visits. Vowing to see her father and brothers whenever she wishes and to keep her baby, whether girl or boy, Livli asks her friends to speak out. But while they persuade as many as will listen, and she tackles the lodge-mother, her foe doubles down, demanding that men be banned entirely from the lodge. And Livli is stunned to learn that a surprising number desire this strong measure. Unless Livli convinces her lodge-sisters that generous interludes with fathers, brothers, and sons offer essential wellbeing for all, their menfolk risk banishment forever. Livli's Gift is the engrossing second book in the relationship-focused Kaunis Clan Saga, a fantasy trilogy. If you enjoy insightful tales told with engaging intimacy, you'll love J. M. Ney-Grimm's absorbing novel. Read Livli's Gift to cherish family today PRAISE FOR SARVET'S WANDERYAR"...it's an entrancing story with a character you care about, and desperately want to succeed..." - James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes"J. M. Ney-Grimm has woven a beautiful, multi-layered tapestry... All the characters, human and otherwise, in her world are well-rounded and believable." - Barbara Karp, Readers' Favorite PRAISE FOR LIVLI'S GIFT"...fascinating and insightful..." - P. Saternye"I started reading and couldn't put it down. I love the world and the characters..." - Diane Riggins

Running away leads right back home-or does it? Sarvet walks with a grinding limp, and her mountain hamlet keeps girls close to home. Even worse, her mother emphasizes all the things Sarvet can't do. When Sarvet's good friend Nial returns from his wanderyar-a year of traveling the lowlands and turning strangers into friends-she decides that she too will take a wanderyar, even though girls can't and don't. But as Sarvet works on Nial to help get her away, everything goes wrong, not least of which is that her mother was right about one thing: Sarvet's limp makes steep, rock-strewn trails hard and dangerous. When catastrophe overtakes her, Sarvet must learn that neither running away nor waiting on others will deliver the free and vibrant life she longs for. Only by finding and embracing her inner strength can she create happiness-and survive winter's deadly night on the high tundra. Sarvet's Wanderyar recounts the riveting inward journey that accompanies outbound adventure. If you love compelling characters, revelations of deep truth, and spellbindingly unique fantasy worlds, then you'll enjoy J. M. Ney-Grimm's gripping and insightful tale. Buy Sarvet's Wanderyar to wrest strength from weakness today KAUNIS CLAN SAGAThe Hammarleeding people dwell in the high mountain valleys of J. M. Ney-Grimm's North-lands. They wield a tribal magic born of dance and song and the flow of sacred waters. Ritual and tradition hold a special place in Hammarleeding culture. Their rites are beautiful and uplifting, but they underpin a way of life that features many thou-shalt-nots. In each story of the Kaunis Clan Saga, one woman-or one man-challenges the shibboleths that threaten her-or his-particular bright dream. Sarvet's Wanderyar (1)Crossing the Naiad (2)Livli's Gift (3)Winter Glory (4)Each installment presents a unique protagonist from a fresh generation of the family. The stories stand alone and need not be read in order. PRAISE FOR SARVET'S WANDERYAR"...great introduction to the Hammarleeding's society that left me craving more. Sarvet is a wonderfully strong female character who you also meet again in Livli's Gift." -PCS"...it's an entrancing story with a character you care about, and desperately want to succeed... At first I saw Paiam as the clear antagonist, but I came to sympathize with her. This makes for a complex interaction between the two characters that rages almost completely in the subtext-very clever on Ney-Grimm's part, and very effective... On a side note, one of my favourite things about Ney-Grimm's work is her treatment of fantastical creatures...the pegasi seem ethereal...creatures of light and gauze that are somehow the most real things in the world." -James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes"J. M. Ney-Grimm has woven a beautiful, multi-layered tapestry... All the characters, human and otherwise, in her world are well-rounded and believable." -Barbara Karp, Readers' FavoriteEXCERPT FROM SARVET'S WANDERYARTense and furious, Sarvet shook her mother's angry grip from her forearm. "I'll petition the lodge-meet for filial severance," she snapped, and then wished she'd swallowed the words, so hateful, too hateful to speak. And yet she'd spoken them. The breeze swirling on the mountain slope picked up, nudging the springy branches of the three great pines at Sarvet's back and purring among their needles. Their scent infused the moving air. Paiam's narrowed eyes widened an instant-in hurt?-flicked up to encompass the swaying tree tops behind her daughter, then went flat." You dare " she breathed.

Two friends. Two opinions. One dilemma. On fabled Navarys-the Atlantis of the North-lands-Liliyah studies energea as all thirteen-year-olds do, devoting her mornings to mastering the music that controls her magic. Afternoons, she hobnobs with the artisan crafters and shopkeepers who built the island city-state into the trade capital of the world. Her friend Mago faces struggles unsuspected by carefree Liliyah. His father, a renowned inventor, succumbs to irrational flashes of rage. His mother holds a lethal secret close. When the king's geomancer announces that a tidal wave threatens Navarys, every citizen on the island springs to action. Amidst the uproar, the aeromancer Palujon steals Mago's father's latest invention: unique lodestones with the potential to revolutionize life as the Navareans know it. Mago vows to make good his father's loss. But Liliyah questions Palujon's motives. Why would a man of his stature break the law? Is he truly a dastard? Two friends. Two answers. Life and death hang on their choices. PRAISE FOR J. M. NEY-GRIMM "...a coming-of-age story with elements of Steampunk make it a great tale for fantasy enthusiasts of all ages." -D. J. Gelner, Amazon review of Troll-magic "I loved this story It is lively, perky and interesting." -W. Walsh, Amazon review of The Troll's Belt "J. M. Ney-Grimm is a master of epic fantasy], and I've been a fan of her work since the first paragraph I read..." -James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes review of Sarvet's Wanderyar "Her work compares favorably with Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip ... I'm really pleased to have discovered her " -Mira, Amazon review of Troll-magic EXCERPT FROM SKIES OF NAVARYS The tale is usually told with the great Palujon Clisto as rogue and thief, and the legendary Zandro Mytris as hero and savior. But one mother of ancient Navarys knows the truth. She was there on the fabulous airship Subindo, the only one of the fleet to ride untouched through the storm. * * * Liliyah clutched the back of the divan where she knelt, bounced once, and pressed her face to the slanted window pane of the airship. The glass felt cool against her nose tip. "Look Look " she exclaimed. "It's Eirene Going to the park." "How can you tell?" Mago's shoulder nudged hers as he peered downward. "We're way too high to tell who's who." "She always goes now. Besides, I just know. It is her." Why did Mago have to doubt everything? He'd been nicer when they were younger. Now it was always "are you sure?" and "why do you think that?" and never just taking her say so. Liliyah gritted her teeth. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands.

Strange magic births a monster of transcendent strength. Can a wily old hunter bring the beast to bay before it slays the woman he once cherished? Ivvar still loves his estranged wife--heartbreakingly. Long years alone and striving to believe the lie that mere contentment and small joys suffice, Ivvar knows deep down that only his buried passion for Paiam offers true happiness. When he glimpses her across the rowdy dining hall of an inn, he vows to approach her again--just not quite yet. Paiam fights admitting she owes her former husband an apology. Wrestling regret for the hurt she dealt him decades ago, she convinces herself that banishing the man from her life spared them both worse pain. When she stumbles upon Ivvar rescuing a dangerous troll-witch in the wilderness, all her old rancor at his recklessness rises. But threats more perilous than vicious trolls and ice tigers haunt the cold northern forests. Heralded by shuddering air and earth--resonant like an avalanche, violent as river ice cracking--an ancient scourge of the North-lands stalks Ivvar and Paiam as prey. Will the star-crossed duo survive the intricate dance of love and death? Winter Glory is the thrilling third book in the relationship-focused Kaunis Clan Saga, a fantasy trilogy. If you enjoy wise tales of second chances laced with action and adventure, you'll love J. M. Ney-Grimm's insightful novella. Buy Winter Glory to rekindle old love today PRAISE FOR WINTER GLORY "A little atmospheric gem of a novella... interesting, beautifully written, and worth re-reading." -- Amazon review "In the starkly beautiful North-lands--a place that Ney-Grimm conveys so clearly it's like watching a movie on the inside of your skull--two people who once knew and loved each other meet up again. This is their story..." -- Amazon review "The descriptive language is nothing short of gorgeous... I love that the protagonists are older... and they stuck with me long after I had finished reading." -- Amazon review "The writing is lucid, elegant, smooth. Ney-Grimm creates a fantasy world of Norse legends, but with real people..." -- Amazon review "...in the midst of this excellent adventure story comes an insight so brilliant..." -- Amazon review EXCERPT FROM WINTER GLORY His gaze stopped on a woman sitting alone in the booth at the far left corner. She wore Hammarleeding garb--wool tunic and leggings like his ---hers drab in subdued ecru decorated by patterns of gray and white. She was bony, rangy, likely quite tall . . . and she held herself like a queen, straight and graceful as she sipped her cup of tea. The frontiersmen began a rollicking ballad about bears dancing in the woods, and the Hammarleeding woman turned her face toward them. Ivvar felt all the air punch out of his lungs.

Mischievous Mercurio guards the planet Mercury-his sacred charge-with quirky devotion. He loves the oddball chunk of rock, with its illusion of retrograde motion and its out-of-sync orbit and spin. Almost as much as he loves playing pranks. But when Earth's guardian Gaia bids Mercurio to organize a circus act for Sol's birthday celebration, the joke's on him. While Mercurio wangles his way around the captious refusals of his would-be stilt-walkers and clowns-"No, no, and no "-the somber guardian of Pluto plots a darker scheme. With the subtle delight, clever misdirection, and teasing wordplay that Mercurio himself enjoys, J. M. Ney-Grimm tells a tale of steeply rising stakes in a clockwork solar system ruled by the gods of ancient Rome. PRAISE FOR J. M. NEY-GRIMM "It's no secret...that I have favourite writers. J. M. Ney-Grimm is one of them, and with good reason-her writing style is unique, and engrossing." -James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes "... Ney-Grimm paints a vivid, lush picture worthy of the Peter Jackson treatment." -D. J. Gelner "...the world depicted is magical, but the people are very real." -M. A. Dunn "Her work compares favorably with Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip ... I'm really pleased to have discovered her " -Mira EXCERPT FROM DEVOURING LIGHT Draco loomed large, reptilian, and uncooperative in the center of his refuge. His tails cracked, emphasizing his displeasure. "Would she let me devour her, younger cousin?" he asked, a sly note edging his harsh tones. Mercurio slipped on a spill of star dust, swallowed complaint, and sprang upward. Might as well spread his sandal wings. He maneuvered away from Draco's twitching tails toward the dragon's face. Draco yawned. A miasma of burning cold belched from his gullet. Ah Not directly in front then. Right. Draco snickered, and Mercurio shuddered. A blast furnace opening its maw, that's what it sounded like, despite its chill. "I don't need your blandishments to coax Juno. I've blandishments of my own," Draco remarked. Too true. But surely Mercurio possessed something Draco wanted. "Name your price " he blurted. Uh, oh. That was a mistake. Cronos only knew what the dragon might come up with. And once he settled on something, he wouldn't take anything else. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands. Look for her novels and novellas at your favorite bookstore-online or on Main Street.

Young deceit sprouts timeless trouble. Motherless Brys Arnsson digs himself into trouble. Bad trouble. Tricked by a troll in J. M. Ney-Grimm's richly imagined North-lands, Brys must dig himself and his best friend back out of danger. But that requires courage . . . and self-honesty. Traits Brys lacks at depth. A twist on a classic, The Troll's Belt builds from humor-threaded conflict to white-knuckle suspense. PRAISE FOR THE TROLL'S BELT "I loved this story It is lively, perky and interesting. While the author notes it is "a re-casting of Hansel & Gretel with a Norse twist," I found the storyline to be much more creative and original. I am looking forward to reading more from J. M. Ney-Grimm " -W. Walsh "The writing style is fantastic. It's somehow youthful (as it's through the eyes of a twelve year old) and mature at the same time. Normally, it would be a challenge to discuss...responsibility, loyalty and forgiveness with such a young "voice," but Ney-Grimm does so easily. The result is a thought provoking tale... Heartily recommended, and it's made me look forward to reading more of her work " -James J. Parsons EXCERPT FROM THE TROLL'S BELT Brys slammed the door behind him and stomped across his room in fury. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Did Jol have to sweep the floors each afternoon when school let out? No. Did Jol have to wash the curing cheese wheels in his motter's dairy? No. Did Jol have to help put up vats of kraut when too many cabbages were ready in the garden? Of course not. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair He banged open the shutters of his bed nook, threw himself down on the mattress, and punched his pillows a few times. And now he wouldn't get to go to the solstice bonfire either, shun it ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands. Look for her novels and novellas at your favorite bookstore-online or on Main Street.

When you must dwell in the citadel of your enemies, do you join them? Depart towards exile and death? Or raze their dark tower to the ground? Gael tries to ignore the significance of his actions. Managing supplies for a warlord's arsenal, the cursed mage purposefully evades the fact that he's enabling the destruction of his former people. But when he discovers the precious metal needed to craft the weapons is being stolen from under his nose, he resolves to find the culprit at any cost. Following the trail of clues with relentless will, Gael exposes a chain of heinous treacheries. When he unearths the roles his friends have played, he's no longer certain whose side he should be on. Especially when his master orders him to destroy an artifact that could save them all. With his loyalty tested to breaking point-with thousands of lives at stake-will Gael discern and choose what is right, or will he forfeit this last chance at redemption? The Tally Master is the engrossing first novel in the Gael & Keir epic fantasy series. If you like characters who seem to step right off the page, twisty plots, and vivid world-building, then you'll love J. M. Ney-Grimm's gripping tale. Buy The Tally Master to choose senseless hope or sober treason today

If she trusts her prince to the eldest Fate-the one who snips a mortal's thread short-will her beloved live or die? Nerine, a sea nymph of the ancient world, holds secrets close. Each morning in the chill before the sun's rising, Nerine and the three Fates stand beneath the mighty World Tree, gazing into the root-girdled Well of Destiny to learn the dooms they must bring to life that day. When the dawn's visions show Nerine's one-time betrothed shipwrecked and drowning, all her renounced yearning for him rises anew. Yet as handmaiden to the Fates, she must select the threads that will weave her lost love's death. Unless she subverts destiny and betrays her duty . . . The key to her prince's rescue lies hidden in Nerine's past, perhaps in the underwater ruin she explored as a child, perhaps in the horror of the Keltic ritual sacrifice she witnessed on her journey across Eur pi, or perhaps among all her lies by omission that keep her secrets concealed. But when Nerine finds the way to save her beloved, she faces a dire choice. Will she speak truth to the eldest Fate and doom her drowning prince? Or will she lie more foully than ever before and lose her own soul? Fate's Door is a fantasy novel for Percy Jackson fans craving a story about Poseidon's great, great granddaughter. If you enjoy deep and engaging characters, ancient mythology brought to vivid life, and can't-put-it-down adventures of the heart and psyche, then you'll love J. M. Ney-Grimm's tale of love and coming of age in a mythic Mediterranean where the gods and goddesses of old shape history. Buy Fate's Door to step from lying shadow into brilliant truth today EXCERPT FROM FATE'S DOOR Nerine served all three norns as handmaiden. And Nerine would choose the new materials required for this day's weaving. She would need pale peach for the baby born to a king, blood red for a battle between Sparta and Athens, gold for a hero's bright deed. And if she failed to watch the images unfolding in the Well of Destiny, she would not know the other threads to choose for the day's work. She had to know. So Nerine watched, but her heart ached, and memories from her past overlaid the flowing images on the waters of the well. Altairos as a curly black-haired boy, laughing, his eyes crinkling in that way that only he had. Altairos as a gangly youth, earnest and passionate, reciting poetry to her. Altairos as a young man, strong and sure, pressing a first kiss upon her willing lips. Who but she would lay out the symbols of his death? She, the handmaiden of the fates. She couldn't bear it-to lose him so.

When girl confronts demonic citadel, who wins? Fae awakens without memories, locked in a deserted castle. Who she is and where she comes from-all gone. By day, beauty from the ages graces the castle-medieval towers, renaissance columns, and gothic vaults-but a miasma of malice and mockery tarnishes its splendor. Once darkness falls, unseen and intangible foes inflict agonizing wounds on any still abroad in its halls. Worse, Fae suspects that someone she trusted delivered her to this demon-hammered place. As she hunts for food and water, subtle clues trigger cascades of memory-running races with her cousins, evading discipline from aunts and uncles. She realizes that her survival and theirs depends upon piecing together an elaborate puzzle, with escape its prize and unending imprisonment its penalty. But unless Fae learns that the power to choose who she will be lies within her own heart, the true key to the mystery will elude her. And if one of her absent cousins grabs the wrong key first-magic or might-primordial chaos will erupt to destroy them all. Caught in Amber is a mythic tale of family and betrayal with all the twists and moments of sheer joy that J. M. Ney-Grimm brings to epic fantasy. Buy Caught in Amber to claim power through young wisdom today Praise for Caught in Amber "The writing is atmospheric and lyrical...we're in myth/folktale territory...an excellent thoughtful read. One that combines mundane necessities...with a sense of myth and mystery. Very few writers can pull that off. Ney-Grimm did." -E F T "...a breath of fresh air in its originality." -M. Pars Excerpt from Caught in Amber She'd been betrayed by someone she trusted. It felt awful. She snatched a pillow from the head of her bed and clutched it, muffling her mouth in its softness. Was she going to cry? No, she decided. She wasn't. She'd hold out for more information. There was so much that she didn't know. More she didn't know than she did know. And knowledge was the key out of her prison, she felt more and more sure. I'll go find out. I'll hunt down my answers. She paused before the mirror of her dressing table. Did she look like a girl who deserved to be betrayed? Thick dark hair pulled back in a simple braid. Gray eyes, slightly reddened, even though she had not cried. Pointed chin, a little wobbly. No, she didn't look like a girl who deserved betrayal. But she did look like a girl who wasn't getting enough to eat. Did she? Really? Chin a little pointier, cheeks a little thinner, eyes and temples a little stretched? Maybe. Or maybe not. She felt hollow inside, and scared. Which made her face look scared too. I'll figure something out. She'd figured out a lot already. I'm not giving up.

When a king begs a dread boon, dare she refuse him? Remeya-fosterling and maid-in-waiting to the king's sister-worships the old and forbidden horned god alongside the princess. Despite the centuries-old taboo, a few believers still perform the rites in secret. And the king quietly tolerates their heresy until Remeya retrieves a cursed sword from its watery grave and bestows it upon him. As the king's mind unravels into violence, no one near him remains safe, not even his best beloved. Especially not his best beloved. Fearing for all their lives, Remeya frantically seeks a means of curbing the king's wrath. Appeals to religious authority and personal displays of public piety prove fruitless, while leaving salvation to her god delivers no sign that he will act. Unless Remeya learns to engage more deeply with her beliefs-beyond obedience, beyond devotion, and into surrender-the princess will lose her head and Remeya her soul. Hunting Wild is the evocative second tale in the Blood Blade fantasy series. If you enjoy vivid characters, exotic worlds, and intensifying suspense, you'll love this engrossing coming-of-age story by J. M. Ney-Grimm in which a teen girl grapples with how to connect with her god. Buy Hunting Wild now to forge faith from desperation in the eleventh hour EXCERPT FROM HUNTING WILDThe pebbles of the underground stream bed dug into the soles of her feet, and the chill of the shallow water numbed her toes. The rough surface of the ceiling sloped down, scraping her back, forcing her to bend, to crouch, to curl enough that she caught her balance with her hands in the wet. The light faded swiftly. Had she gone far enough? She paused, eyes adjusting. The glimmering ripples of the spring's source cast dim flickers against the rocks pressing her down. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands.

In the cold, forested North-lands-redolent with the aroma of pine, shrouded in snow, and prowled by ice tigers and trolls-Ivvar seeks only to meet his newborn great granddaughter. Someone else has the same plan. Traversing the wilderness toward the infant's home camp, Ivvar must face the woman he once cherished and an ancient scourge of the chilly woodlands in a complicated dance of love and death. Ivvar's second chance at happiness-and his life-hang in the balance. KAUNIS CLAN SAGA The Hammarleeding people dwell in the high mountain valleys of J. M. Ney-Grimm's North-lands. They wield a tribal magic born of dance and song and the flow of sacred waters. Ritual and tradition hold a special place in Hammarleeding culture. Their rites are beautiful and uplifting, but they underpin a way of life that features many thou-shalt-nots. In each story of the Kaunis Clan Saga, one woman-or one man-challenges the shibboleths that threaten her-or his-particular bright dream. Sarvet's Wanderyar (1) Crossing the Naiad (2) Livli's Gift (3) Winter Glory (4) Each installment presents a unique protagonist from a fresh generation of the family. The stories stand alone and need not be read in order. PRAISE FOR WINTER GLORY "A little atmospheric gem of a novella... interesting, beautifully written, and worth re-reading." -RS "In the starkly beautiful North-lands-a place that Ney-Grimm conveys so clearly it's like watching a movie on the inside of your skull-two people who once knew and loved each other meet up again. This is their story..." -L. Montgomery "The descriptive language is nothing short of gorgeous... I love that the protagonists are older... and they stuck with me long after I had finished reading." -MA "The writing is lucid, elegant, smooth. Ney-Grimm creates a fantasy world of Norse legends, but with real people..." -Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt "...in the midst of this excellent adventure story comes an insight so brilliant..." -Pat Patterson EXCERPT FROM WINTER GLORY His gaze stopped on a woman sitting alone in the booth at the far left corner. She wore Hammarleeding garb-wool tunic and leggings like his-hers drab in subdued ecru decorated by patterns of gray and white. She was bony, rangy, likely quite tall . . . and she held herself like a queen, straight and graceful as she sipped her cup of tea. She wasn't beautiful, but she drew him. Lightly tanned skin like his own; straight nose, a little on the long side; flat cheeks. Laugh lines framed her firm mouth. She looked genuine and . . . appealing. The flutter in his innards grew. Then lagging memory brought another face before his mind's eye. Like to the one across the room from him in the here-and-now. So like. But younger; fifty or more years younger. His former wife. Paiam. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands. Look for her novels and novellas at your favorite bookstore-online or on Main Street.

When Sarvet's world hems her in, she pushes back. Her daughter, Livli, does likewise. The Kaunis Clan Omnibus, Sarvet & Livli, presents both their transcendent stories. SARVET'S WANDERYAR Running away leads right back home-or does it? Sarvet walks with a grinding limp, and her mountain culture keeps girls close to home. Worse, her mother emphasizes all the things Sarvet can't do. No matter how gutsy her spirit or bold her defiance, staying put means growing weaker. Yet only boys get wanderyars. Lacking their supplies and training, how can Sarvet escape? Can dreams-even big dreams-and inner certainty transform impossible barricades into a way out? LIVLI'S GIFT Livli struggles with a secret she keeps from everyone, even her closest friends, and she must solve the problem at its heart before she's discovered. She's certain the answer lies in a fragment of folklore and magic half-remembered from her childhood. Almost certain. She wouldn't need forgotten magic if only the men and women of her secluded mountain culture dwelt together. But the women-and Livli-inhabit their sister-lodge atop its lofty bluff, while the men live apart in their brother-lodge several valleys away. Unless she can force a change, Livli stands to lose everything . . . including the most precious thing in her life: her son. A story of secrets, shibboleths, and deep-forged strength told with all the insight and engaging intimacy that J. M. Ney-Grimm brings to epic fantasy. PRAISE FOR SARVET'S WANDERYAR "...it's an entrancing story with a character you care about, and desperately want to succeed..." - James J. Parsons, Speaking to the Eyes "J. M. Ney-Grimm has woven a beautiful, multi-layered tapestry... All the characters, human and otherwise, in her world are well-rounded and believable." - Barbara Karp, Readers' Favorite PRAISE FOR LIVLI'S GIFT "...fascinating and insightful..." - P. Saternye "I started reading and couldn't put it down. I love the world and the characters..." - Diane Riggins ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. M. Ney-Grimm lives with her husband and children in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She's learning about permaculture gardening and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, and Lois McMaster Bujold, plays boardgames like Settlers of Catan, rears her twins, and writes stories set in her troll-infested North-lands.