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
Short Fiction
“Siren Bridge”
Falstaff Books (2022, reissued with new cover in 2023)
ISBN-13: 979-8360484790
ASIN: B0BKQ1V68M
Read an excerpt.
“Lord Bai and the Magic Pirate
Dragonesque
Zombies Need Brains LLC (2023)
ISBN-13: 978-1940709529
ISBN-10: 1940709520
ASIN: B0C3WP7PDD
Read an excerpt.
“Ounna’s Rock”
The Eye of Argon
Fantastic Books (2022)
ISBN-13: 978-1515447887
ISBN-10: 151544788X
Read an excerpt.
“Another, “Oanna’s Rock” by Jean Marie Ward, is likewise a nicely plotted heroic fantasy, but unlike Hildy Silverman she was unable to make herself strew her tale with spelling errors and goofy grammatical absurdities, so it is essentially Theis played straight, somewhat of a different kettle of fish.”
Robert Silverberg, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jan/Feb 2024
“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: Bo8V4MYT4L
Read an excerpt.
“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!”
“‘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.
“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.
“Devil’s Bargain”
Signed in Blood
Bold Venture Press (2018)
ISBN-13: 978-1718726093
ISBN-10: 1718726090
Read an excerpt.
“Clear as Glass”
Awesome Tales (Volume Six)
Bold Venture Press (2017)
ISBN-13: 978-1979079976
ISBN-10: 1979079978
Read the story “Clear as Glass”.
“Protective Coloring”
The Rise of the Phoenix
Golden Dragonfly Books (2017)
ISBN-13: 978-1943095346
ISBN-10: 1943095345
ASIN: B074MPVSH6
Read an excerpt.
“The Clockwork Nightingale”
Gaslight and Grimm
E-Spec Books (2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1942990314
ISBN-10: 1942990316
ASIN: B01E6C03OA
Read an excerpt.
“…In this tasty short fiction anthology, the editors have combined two appealing genres into something greater than the sum of its parts.”
“Recommended for when you want some Steampunk with abit 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 wth an original idea.
Kami Bryant for Indie Authors, Books, and More
“As a collection Gaslight & Grimm is an absolutedelight. There isn’t a single story in this that falls flat, and the mix ofgenres and themes, tales and characters, makes for a wonderfully varied andinteresting anthology.”
“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
“Cooking up a Storm”
Tales from the Vatican Vaults
Robinson (2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1472111654
ISBN-10: 1472111654
ASIN: B0769CDZNK
Read an excerpt.
“Bizarre or not, it’s a fascinating anthology of Forteana. Not one of the 28 stories is a dud and several are excellent.”
“Each tale is sollid in its own right and when woven together as if with scholarly notes all around makes it something unique.”
“Seven Pictures”
Awesome Tales (Volume One)
Bold Venture Press (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1502904614
ISBN: 1502904616
Read an excerpt.
“The Wizard of Woodrow Park”
Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens
Zombies Need Brains, LLC (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1940709000
ASIN: B00N6HWULG
Read an excerpt.
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
“The Gap in the Fence”
Athena’s Daughters
Silence in the Library Publishing (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1941650172
ASIN: B00KHFET2I
Read an excerpt.
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.
“Glass Transit”
Hellfire Lounge 4: Reflections of Evil
Bold Venture Press (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1497358188
Read an excerpt.
“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
“Fixed”
The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity
DAW Books (2012)
ISBN: 978-0756407193
ASIN: B006LU1O3A
Read an excerpt.
…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.
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
“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.
“Personal Demons”
Hellebore & Rue
Lethe Press (2011)
ISBN-13: 978-1590213773
ASIN: B00A923ZJC
Read an excerpt.
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?
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.
Reprinted in Hellfire Lounge 5: Purgatory Potpourri, 2016, Bold Venture Press
“Lord Bai’s Discovery”
Dragon’s Lure
Dark Quest Books (2010)
ISBN-10: 0982619790
ISBN-13: 978-0982619797
ASIN: B00J030OG8
Read an excerpt.
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
Reprinted in Broad Spectrum: The 2012 Broad Universe Fiction Sampler
“Hoodoo Cupid”
Red Rose Publishing (2010)
(Out of Print)
Read an excerpt.
“‘Hoodoo Cupid’ is a fun read that pulls in an interesting combination of Valentine’s Day, hoodoo, and business.”
Pamela Denise
“Yesterday I Will”
Yesterday I Will
Fortress Publishing (2009)
ISBN-10: 0615263070
ISBN-13: 978-0615263076
“Hero Material”
Here Be Dragons: Tales of DragonCon
Wildside Press (2008)
ISBN-10: 0809573318
ISBN-13: 978-0809573318
ASIN: B00J030OG8
Read an excerpt.
“Reading (Here Be Dragons) was like reliving every glorious moment of Dragoncon.
PastePot Pete
“First Stone”
Strange Pleasures 3
Wildside Press (2005)
ISBN-13: 978-0809511600
ISBN-10: 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
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
Read an excerpt.
“This may be the most innovative and interesting book on military strategy ever published.”
Jerry Lenaburg, New York Review of Books
“The Terrifying Cook”
Homefront Cooking
Skyhorse Publishing (2018)
ISBN-13: 978-1510728707
ISBN-10: 1510728708
ASIN: B078BNJG95
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
“Annette’s Slovak Apple Pie”
The Write Ingredient
Samhain Publishing (2007)
ISBN-13: 978-1599986531
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.”