Thursday, September 16, 2010

A bit about myself and my YA books

One of my first sales was a YA short story. I sold two more before the market dried up. Two mags went out of business. Paid for the stories but they were never published. This was in the 1970's. At present I have four YA books published and two more at the publisher's awaiting pub dates.

The Jewels of Earda is a trilogy. The Quest for the White Jewel is the first, The Brotherhood of Mages the second. This was a finalist in the Dream Realm awards. The third is The Secret of the Jewels.

The Quest for the White Jewel, On the world of Earda, the Jewels rule all.
Power flows from their depths,and the world responds to the will of their holders - and, the will of holder of the Black Jewel, which rules them all. Yet, legend speaks of a time when there was no Black Jewel, and the lands were ruled in peace by the White Jewel. They are merely legends, now, the truth of it lost in the mists of
time. Or are they? Liara and her foster-brother, Brader, intend to find out.


The Brotherhood of Mages, The Black Jewel has been destroyed and several of the Jewels of Earda need Holders. In their hidden refuge, the Brotherhood of Mages plot to destroy the newly-found peace. When Jindera's brother iskidnapped by the Mages,
she vows to rescue him. She joins with Corin, a peddler and former thief who has his own issues with the Brotherhood. His way of dealing with them is avoidance. When Jindera is injured, Corin knows he must help her. They encounter the Holders of the Orange and Green Jewel. Jinderabonds with the Red and this small group seeks the Brotherhood, hoping if the refuge is destroyed, evil will be defeated and peace restored to Earda. Can they rescue Jindera's brother before the confrontation?

The Secret of the Jewels, The Black Jewel has been destroyed and the White Jewel rules the others. The Brotherhood of Mages are in flight and many of the mages are dead. Something troubles the Jewel Holders. The words of an elderly Healer send them on quests to find the secret of the Jewels they hold. Are the Jewels merely tools or is there a hidden danger in their use? The seven Holders must learn the truth.

I had intended to end this series with the second book since all the Jewels had holders. Then I had a dream. In that dream I realized the Jewels weren't what I thought they were and I had to do the final book. The first of these books was plotted in a writing streak that lasted 72 hours. Then I sent it out but at the time I wrote it fantasy wasn't a big seller and though several publishers liked the idea, they weren't buying fantasy. The book sat on the shelves until I discovered electronic publishing and I found a market for it. The trilogy is available from DiskUs publishing and a number of other venues.

On another day I will talk about the Henge series and how my grandchildren played a role.

2 comments:

  1. I love YA fantasy--good ones, at least. Your stories sound excellent, Janet!

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  2. What an intriguing idea. I like the thought of jewels having power. Wouldn't mind owning a few of those. :) Your books sound awesome. I love it when dreams tell me something I didn't know about my stories. Congratulations and on your forthcoming books too.

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