Janni Lee Simner: Books and Stories

"Who are you?" My voice sounded strange and thick.

I heard a bark--or maybe a laugh."Only a scrap of lingering lore some choose to remember. Nothing you need worry about."

— From Thief Eyes

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Thief Eyes
- Young adult fantasy
- Published by Random House
- Order from IndieBound or Powells

[Thief Eyes Cover] After her mother mysteriously disappears, sixteen-year-old Haley convinces her father to take her to Iceland, where her mother was last seen. There, amidst the ancient fissures and crevices of that volcanic island, Haley meets gorgeous Ari, a boy with a dangerous side who appoints himself her protector.

When Haley picks up a silver coin that entangles her in a spell cast by her ancestor Hallgerd, she discovers that Hallgerd's spell and her mother's disappearance are connected to a chain of events that could unleash terrifying powers and consume the world. Haley must find a way to contain the growing fires of the spell—and her growing attraction to Ari.

Janni Lee Simner brings the fierce romance and violent passions of Iceland's medieval sagas into this twenty-first-century novel, with spellbinding results.

- Read about my Iceland travels

Bones of Faerie
- Young adult fantasy
- Published by Random House
- Visit the Bones of Faerie web site for an excerpt and reviews
- Order in hardcover or paperback from IndieBound or Powells

[Bones of Faerie Cover] The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so fifteen-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza's world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Corn resists being harvested; dandelions have thorns. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Still Liza feels safe. Her father is strong and has protected their town by laying down strict rules. Among them: Any trace of magic must be destroyed, no matter where it is found.

Then Liza's sister is born with faerie-pale hair, clear as glass, and Liza's father leaves the baby on a hillside to die. When her mother disappears into the forest and Liza herself discovers she has the faerie ability to see --into the past, into the future--she has no choice but to flee. Liza's quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds.

“This book has one of the best first chapters I know—and the rest of the book more than lives up to its promise. Pure, stunning, it is impossible to put down or forget.”
—Jane Yolen, winner of the World Fantasy Award

- Read a short story set in the same universe as Bones of Faerie

Faerie Winter (working title, sequel to Bones of Faerie)
- Due out in 2011

Secret of the Three Treasures (order from IndieBound or Powells)
- Published by Holiday House
- Visit the Secret of the Three Treasures web site
to read an excerpt and view reviews

"Fine fare for recent Cam Jansen and Encyclopedia Brown graduates."
--Kirkus

Ghost Horse (Phantom Rider #1)
The Haunted Trail (Phantom Rider #2)
Ghost Vision (Phantom Rider #3)
- Published by Scholastic
(The Phantom Rider books are out of print, but used copies may be available from booksellers such as Abebooks, IndieBound, and Powells.)

These stories were published in magazines, or as part of books that contain stories by more than one author.

Heart's Desire
- Published in Cricket magazine, October 2006

Tearing Down the Unicorns
- First appeared in A Glory of Unicorns, edited by Bruce Coville and published by Scholastic (order a copy)
- Reprinted in Cricket magazine, November/December 2004

Water's Edge
- Published in Half Human, edited by Bruce Coville and published by Scholastic
(order a copy)
- Received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror

Hanukkah Light
- Published in Ghosts and Golems, edited by Malka Penn and published by the Jewish Publication Society

Drawing the Moon
- Published in Bruce Coville's Book of Nightmares, published by Scholastic
(order a copy)
- Received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
- Recorded for Pseudopod (download a free recording) (While this scary story is appropriate for younger readers, note that other stories on the Pseudopod site might not be.)

Amanda's Room
- Published in Bruce Coville's Book of Nightmares II, published by Scholastic

Frog Princes
- Published in ShapeShifters, edited by Bruce Coville and published by Avon
(order a copy)
- Rewritten version of a story that first appeared in Children's Playmate

Exchange Student
- Published in A Starfarer's Dozen, edited by Michael Stearns and published
by Harcourt Brace
- Reprinted in Girls' Life magazine

Alien Promises
- Published in Bruce Coville's Book of Aliens II, published by Scholastic
- Included on Tangent magazine's Suggested Reading List
- Recorded for Escape Pod.

Windwood Rose
- Appeared in Bruce Coville's Book of Magic, published by Scholastic

Crossings
- Forthcoming Summer 2011 in Welcome to Bordertown, edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner, published by Random House Children's Books

Lost or Forgotten
- Appeared in Cabinet des Fées 2
- Reprinted in Semaphore Magazine (September 2009)

Dragon Offerings
- Appeared in Tales from the Talisman, Volume IV, Issue 4

What Fire Is
- In Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey and published by DAW Books (Order a copy )

Invasive Species
- Online in Coyote Wild's young adult issue
- Set in the same world as Bones of Faerie

Stone Tower
- Appeared in Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales , edited by Deborah Noyes and published by Candlewick Press (order in hardcover) (order in paperback)
- Received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
- Gothic! was on YALSA's list of Best Books for Young Adults. It has also received starred reviews from Kirkus , Horn Book , and Booklist

Sarah's Window
- Appeared in Realms of Fantasy magazine (April 1996)
- Reprinted in Tales of the Talisman (December 2006)
- Recorded for Drabblecast (Episode 99)

Song for Two Voices
- Appeared in Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey and published by DAW Books (order a copy)

Practical Villainy
- Appeared in Say ... Have You Heard This One?, published by Fortress of Words
- Reviewed by Tangent Online
- Recorded for Escape Pod (download a free recording)

Advice (poem)
- Appeared in Mythic Delirium (Issue 8)

Whispers
- Published by Story House Coffees (these folks published short stories on the sides of coffee cans)

Winter Stories
- Published by Story House Coffees

One Wish
- Published by Story House Coffees

Raising Jenny
- Appeared in Not of Woman Born, edited by Constance Ash and published by NAL/Penguin (order a copy)
- Received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction
- Reviewed by SFSite review

Steel Penny
- Appeared in Realms of Fantasy magazine (June 1998)
- Received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction
- Reviewed by Tangent Online

Beyond the Flames
- Appeared in The Fortune Teller, edited by Lawrence Schimel and published by DAW Books

By the Oaks
- Appeared in Elf Fantastic, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and published by DAW Books

A Child's Adventures
- Appeared in Sword of Ice, edited by Mercedes Lackey and published by DAW Books (order a copy)

Why Is This Night Different?
- Appeared in Sisters in Fantasy 2, edited by Susan Shwartz and published by NAL

Exchange Student
- Published in A Starfarer's Dozen, edited by Michael Stearns and published
by Harcourt Brace
- Reprinted in Girls' Life magazine

Virginia Woods
- Appeared in Enchanted Forests, edited by Katharine Kerr and published by DAW Books
- Received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
- Recorded for Pseudopod (download a free recording)

Bra Melting
- Appeared in Chicks in Chainmail, edited by Esther Friesner and published by Baen Books (order a copy)

Illusions
- Appeared in Sherlock Holmes in Orbit, edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg; published by DAW Books (order a copy)
- Reprinted in French in Sherlock Holmes en orbite

Unicorn Season
- Appeared in Galaxy magazine

Learning Magic
- Appeared in Alternate Outlaws, edited by Mike Resnick and published by Tor Books

Free Will, Baby
- Appeared in Deals with the Devil, edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg; published by DAW Books
- Recorded for Escape Pod (download a free recording)

Out of Sight
- Appeared in By Any Other Fame, edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg; published byDAW Books

Wishbook Days
- Appeared in Christmas Ghosts, edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg; published byDAW Books
- Reprinted in Galaxy magazine

Three Wish Habit
- Appeared in Aladdin: Master of the Lamp, edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg; published by DAW Books
- Reprinted in Galaxy magazine
- Recorded for the Galaxy Audio Project (GAP)
- Recorded for Escape Pod (download a free recording)

Cherilly's Law
- Appeared in Leroni of Darkover, edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley and published by DAW Books
- Reprinted in French in Les cent royaumes
- Reprinted in German in Die Tanzerin von Darkover

Iceland's Land and Lore
- Appeared in Realms of Fantasy, February 2008
- Appeared in the Journal of the Mythic Arts, August 2008 (read the article online)

Five Reasons Not to Self-Publish
- Appeared online in Reflection's Edge, June 2005 (read the article online)

For samples of my science writing, see the Cholla Bear Communications web site.

Home Thief Eyes Bones of Faerie Secret of the Three Treasures
About the Author News Blog/Journal Appearances Contact Me