Books
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.”
“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.”
“Run to grab this exciting new book from Ms. Smith and Ms. Ward.”
Read three excerpts at WardSmith.com
Short Fiction
“Burning Down the House”
Hellfire Lounge 3: Jinn Rummy
Marietta Publishing (2012)
Print ISBN: 978-1892669773
Read an excerpt.
NN
“Fixed”
The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity
DAW Books (2012)
Print ISBN: 978-0756407193
…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.
I bought The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity specifically for the Barbara Ashford story, but all the stories were great.
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.
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
NN
“Billy’s Monster”
Hellfire Lounge 2: Rat Pack Redux
Marietta Publishing (2012)
Print ISBN: 978-1892669742
Read an excerpt.
NN
“Personal Demons”
Hellebore & Rue
Lethe Press (2011)
Print ISBN: 978-1590213773
Electronic ASIN: B00A923ZJC
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…
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
…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.
NN
“Lord Bai’s Discovery”
Dragon’s Lure
Dark Quest Books (2010)
ISBN-10: 0982619790
ISBN-13: 978-0982619797
…An excellent anthology of one sparkling gem of dragon lore after another…
Very original and breathtaking, Dragon’s Lure will definitely lure you in as you delve into the dragon psyche — 4 stars
NN
“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.”
NN
“Yesterday I Will”
Yesterday I Will
Fortress Publishing (2009)
ISBN-10: 0615263070
ISBN-13: 978-0615263076
NN
“Hero Material”
Here Be Dragons: Tales of DragonCon
Wildside Press (2008)
ISBN-10: 0809573318
ISBN-13: 978-0809573318
“Reading (Here Be Dragons) was like reliving every glorious moment of Dragoncon.
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
NN
Nonfiction
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
NN
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…”
“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
Links to All Reviews of Listed Books
