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 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 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' Favorite
EXCERPT FROM SARVET'S WANDERYAR
Tense 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.
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, post-carbon preparation, and debunking popular myths about food. The rest of the time she reads Robin McKinley 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. J.M. Ney-Grimm maintains a blog featuring flash fiction from her North-lands and other tidbits unearthed by her ever-active curiosity. Visit her at http: //JMNey-Grimm.com or on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter @JMNeyGrimm.