Books

Quick Print Book List

Novels

With Nine You Get Vanyr
(with Teri Smith)
Samhain Publishing (2007)
ISBN-10: 1599983605
ISBN-13: 978-1599983608

2008 Indie Book Awards finalist in two categories (Science Fiction/Fantasy and Humor)

2006 Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Awards, second place in Science Fiction/Fantasy

2006 Love Romances & More Cafe Honorable Mention in Science Fiction/Fantasy

“Fans will never look at Atlanta’s DragonCon the same way again after this fun filled fantasy.”

Harriet Klausner

“An intriguing blend of fantasy and science fiction, this story is full of action and fascinating characters.”

Susan Mobley, Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“Sometimes a reviewer begins to read a story and simply forgets immediately she is reading for review: it doesn’t happen sufficiently often, but With Nine You Get Vanyr is one fine example.”

Annie, EuroReviews

“Run to grab this exciting new book from Ms. Smith and Ms. Ward.”

Dawn, Love Romances and More

Read three excerpts at WardSmith.com 

Short Fiction

“Ounna’s Rock”
The Eye of Argon and the Further Adventures of Grignr
Fantastic Books (2022)
ISBN-13: 978-1515447887
ISBN-10: 151544788X

Read an excerpt.

 

“Fire Sale”
The Modern Deity’s Guide to Surviving Humanity
Zombies Need Brains LLC (2021)
ISBN-13: 978-1940709383
ISBN-10: 1940709385
ASIN: B094NXCTR

Read an excerpt.

 

“The Ellsberg Variations”
Lost Signals of the Terran Republic
Beyond Terra Press (2020)
ISBN-13: 978-1648550980
ISBN-10: 1648550983
ASIN: B08V4MYT4L

Read an excerpt.

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“The Wrong Refrigerator”
Asimov’s Science Fiction
September/October 2018
Vol, 42, Numbers 9 and 10
Dell Magazines

“[‘The Wrong Refrigerator’] was just a perfect little story with just the perfect ending!”

Sam Tomaino for SFRevu

“‘The Wrong Refrigerator’ is a fantasy which applies ‘quantum entanglement’ to people and tangles that up with time travel as a woman who wants kids to paper over her unhappy marriage finds herself connected to an old flame who has been ‘killed’ in a scientific experiment gone awry (akin to Larson’s recent ‘Carouselling’). Things come to a head when her husband tries to trade her to his boss for a promotion. (Oddly this story references Jessica Rabbit but made me think of what little I’ve seen of Peggy Sue Got Married.)”

Jason for Featured Reviews

Also Mentioned In:

Greg Hullender for Rocket Stack Rank

Kevin P. Hallet for Tangent

Editor Sheila Williams’s recap of Asimov’s original fiction offerings for 2018

Read an excerpt.

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“A Favor for Lord Bai”
Second Round: A Return to the Ur-Bar
Zombies Need Brains (2018)
ISBN-13: 978-1718726093
ISBN-10: 1940709180
ASIN: B07CW62HH5

Read an excerpt.

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“Devil’s Bargain”
Signed in Blood
Bold Venture Press (2018)
ISBN-13: 978-1718726093
ISBN-10: 1718726090

Read an excerpt.

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“Clear as Glass”
Awesome Tales (Volume Six)
Bold Venture Press (2017)
ISBN-13: 978-1979079976
ISBN-10: 1979079978

Read Jean Marie Ward’s story “Clear as Glass”.

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“Protective Coloring”
The Rise of the Phoenix
Golden Dragonfly Books (2017)
ISBN-13: 978-1943095346
ISBN-10: 1943095345
ASIN: B074MPVSH6

Read an excerpt.

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“The Clockwork Nightingale”
Gaslight and Grimm
E-Spec Books (2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1942990314
ISBN: 1942990316
ASIN: B01E6C03OA

“…In this tasty short fiction anthology, the editors have combined two appealing genres into something greater than the sum of its parts.”

John DeNardo, Kirkus

Recommended for when you want some Steampunk with a bit lighter touch, and are tired of the usual themes.

Gregory G. H. Rihn, Steampunk Chronicle

Just when you think that a famous fairytale can’t be re-imagined anymore, someone comes up with an original idea.

Kami Bryant for Indie Authors, Books and More

As a collection, Gaslight & Grimm is an absolute delight. There isn’t a single story in this that falls flat, and the mix of genres and themes, tales and characters, makes for a wonderfully varied and interesting anthology.

Kate Coe for SFFWorld

While you may know the classic fairy-tales that these stories are derived from back to front, none are what you would expect. “The (Steamy) Tale of Cinderella” I found particularly surprising and enjoyable, as well as Ward’s rendition, “The Clockwork Nightingale”. Both are composed splendidly.

Nemma Wollenfang for Steampunk Journal

Read an excerpt.

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“Cooking up a Storm”
Tales from the Vatican Vaults
Robinson (2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1472111654
ISBN: 1472111656

Bizarre or not, it’s a fascinating anthology of Forteana. Not one of the 28 stories is a dud and several are excellent.

Mat Coward for Morning Star

Each tale is solid in its worn right and when woven together as if it with scholarly notes all round makes it something unique.

Falcata Times

Read an excerpt.

NN

“Seven Pictures”
Awesome Tales (Volume One)
Bold Venture Press (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1502904614
ISBN: 1502904616

Read an excerpt.

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“The Wizard of Woodrow Park”
Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens
Zombies Need Brains, LLC (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1940709000
ASIN: B00N6HWULG

A high-five to technological advancement… And, above all, kudos to the genius of action-packed prose.

Lori J. Parker for Word of the Nerd

Read an excerpt.

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“The Gap in the Fence”
Athena’s Daughters
Silence in the Library Publishing (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1941650172
ASIN: B00KHFET2I

From hard science fiction to the limits of the fantastic; 22 little gems.

June E. Williams for Buzzy Mag

There are no bad stories, just some I enjoyed a little bit more.

Bill Lawhorn for SFRevu

Read an excerpt.

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“Glass Transit”
Hellfire Lounge 4: Reflections of Evil
Bold Venture Press (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1497358188
Read an excerpt.

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“Burning Down the House”
Hellfire Lounge 3: Jinn Rummy
Marietta Publishing (2012)
ISBN-13: 978-1892669773
Reprinted by Bold Venture Press (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1500133993
Read an excerpt.

Reprinted in Dance like a Monkey, 2014, Silence in the Library Publishing

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“Fixed”
The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity
DAW Books (2012)
ISBN: 978-0756407193
ASIN: B006LU1O3A

…All of the stories were equally captivating. The editors have also done a good job in selecting stories that represent a cross section of the various types of fantasy story on offer today.

Richard Marcus for BlogCritics.org

This collection of stories is an easy read for a rainy afternoon… The tales are uniformly good. You might even find yourself wanting more of a specific world in a story.

Genre Wench

I bought The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity specifically for the Barbara Ashford story, but all the stories were great.

The Speed of Write

The stories cover a wide range of topics. Readers should be aware that some of the content is disturbing. But overall, this is a fun compilation which fans of the fantasy genre will enjoy reading.

Barbara Cothern for Portland Book Review

Here’s another great summer read for these dog days of summer… The theme of the anthology was broad enough to encompass different types of fae and restrictive enough to let the writers’ creativity fly. It didn’t disappoint.

Amber Stults

What made these stories such a treat for me was the quality as well as the subject matter. Kudos to the editors Bray and Palmatier for their selection of authors.

Sharon Stogner for I Smell Sheep

Read an excerpt.

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“Billy’s Monster”
Hellfire Lounge 2: Rat Pack Redux
Originally published by Marietta Publishing (2012)
Reprinted by Bold Venture Press (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1499362732
ISBN: 1499362730
Read an excerpt.

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“Personal Demons”
Hellebore & Rue
Lethe Press (2011)
ISBN-13: 978-1590213773
ASIN: B00A923ZJC

2011 Rainbow Awards, Best SF/Fantasy

ALA 2012 Over the Rainbow LGBT Book for Adult Readers

Personal Demons by Jean Marie Ward caught me totally off guard with a tale of what happens when a serious practitioner gives proof of the reality beyond the flesh…

Jarla Tangh

Jean Marie Ward’s ‘Personal Demons’ focuses on a tantric sorceress with real powers who often feels as if those powers are dismissed in the wider world; it’s a quiet, effective story that has a much deeper subtext exploring identity than is apparent on the first reading.

Gayle Grazen, FanGirlTastic

Tantric sorcery, an exorcism, a young girl possessed by a powerful demon—yes, this could exacerbate the already rising tension between the sorceress, or tantrika, and her psychologist partner who outed her as a user of magic in Psychology Today. Can love survive dark power and its use, its link to sex?

Warren Rochelle

Jean Marie Ward’s contemporary fantasy, “Personal Demons,” ends abruptly and not happily; but it takes some interesting turns as a nurse practitioner-cum-tantric magician deals with her manipulative lover and struggles to save an innocent girl from demonic possession.

Cynthia Ward for Black Gate

It took me awhile though to get through this book because I’m not really much of a short story reader. Happily, I found this anthology to be wonderful, different, and full of women dealing with magical forces without being solely defined by their sexual orientation. For the most part, the collection flowed from one tale to the next in a really great way too.

CSI: Librarian

From a servant girl with healing powers to a witch detective who uses demons instead of a computer to solve cases, the stories in Hellebore and Rue have a nice range of settings from medieval through modern. There is also a nice mix of locations from both sides of the Pond, with very identifiable North American and English backdrops.

Carey Gates for Future Fire

…one of the strongest of the book, “Personal Demons” by Jean Marie Ward. Ward sets up an almost real world scenario, with a nurse (whose lover has inadvertently outed her as a witch) being asked to help a child who has been possessed. The ending of this story is very powerful.

Tehani Wessely for Australian Speculative Fiction Review

The editors of Hellebore & Rue, Joselle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff, have put together a collection that has a little of something for everyone, and will not disappoint readers who love and appreciate the complexities of fantasy fiction’s many cultural connections and narratives.

Merry Gangemi for Lambda Literary Review

If you like fantasy, short stories with an added bonus of lesbians I would highly recommend you read this book. And if you like fantasy and short stories I would also highly recommend it.

Alysse for The Lesbrary

Read an excerpt.

Reprinted in Hellfire Lounge 5: Purgatory Potpourri, 2016, Bold Venture Press

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“Lord Bai’s Discovery”
Dragon’s Lure
Dark Quest Books (2010)
ISBN-10: 0982619790
ISBN-13: 978-0982619797
ASIN: B00J030OG8

2011 WSFA Small Press Award Finalist

…An excellent anthology of one sparkling gem of dragon lore after another…

Professor Crazy, BSC Reviews

Very original and breathtaking, Dragon’s Lure will definitely lure you in as you delve into the dragon psyche — 4 stars

Bibliophilic Book Blog

Read an excerpt.

Reprinted in Broad Spectrum: The 2012 Broad Universe Fiction Sampler, published by Broad Universe

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“Hoodoo Cupid”
Red Rose Publishing (2010)
(Out of Print)

“‘Hoodoo Cupid’ is a fun read that pulls in an interesting combination of Valentine’s Day, hoodoo, and business.”

Pamela Denise

Read an excerpt.

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“Yesterday I Will”
Yesterday I Will
Fortress Publishing (2009)
ISBN-10: 0615263070
ISBN-13: 978-0615263076

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“Hero Material”
Here Be Dragons: Tales of DragonCon
Wildside Press (2008)
ISBN-10: 0809573318
ISBN-13: 978-0809573318
ASIN: B00J030OG8

“Reading (Here Be Dragons) was like reliving every glorious moment of Dragoncon.

PastePot Pete

Read an excerpt.

NN

“First Stone”
Strange Pleasures 3
Wildside Press (2005)
ISBN-10: 0809511606
ISBN-13: 978-0809511600

“(Strange Pleasures 3) is a fascinating mixture of straight and not-so-straight (in the original meaning) SF and fantasy, with dollops of surrealism, magic, humour, horror, wonder, fairy tale, ghost story, and even some metafiction thrown in.”

Steve Redwood, Whispers of Wickedness

 

“Most Dead Bodies in a Confined Space”
Strange Pleasures 2
Prime Books (2003)
ISBN-10: 1894815084
ISBN-13: 978-1894815086

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Nonfiction

Foreword
Witches, Warriors and Wise Women
Prospective Press (2020)
ISBN-10: 194341923X
ISBN-13: 978-1943419234

 

“Jedi Mind Tricks: From the Reel to the Real”
Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict
Potomac Books (2018)
ISBN-10: 1640120335
ISBN-13: 978-1640120334
ASIN: B077FHS3MQ

“This may be the most innovative and interesting book on military strategy ever published.”

Jerry Lenaburg, New York Review of Books

Read an excerpt.

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Fantasy Art Templates
Art by Rafi Adrian Zulkarnain
Text by Jean Marie Ward
Barron’s Educational Series (2010)
ISBN-10: 0764144219
ISBN-13: 978-0764144219

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Illumina: the Art of J.P. Targete
Text by Jean Marie Ward
Paper Tiger (2003)
ISBN-10: 1843400715
ISBN-13: 978-1843400714

“Jean Marie Ward provides a very readable and informed text, liberally sprinkled with quotes from the artist…”

Charles de Lint, Science Fiction & Fantasy

“There really is something for everyone in this book…”

Geoff Willmetts, SF Crowsnest

“The editor of Crescent Blues…combines her feature-writing skills with those of a colourful storyteller to to aid in bringing Targete’s artwork to life with vivid yet concise explanations of selected paintings throughout the book.”

Randy M. Dannenfelser, Infinity Plus

Quick Print Book List