Please help me welcome Author Ann Snizek to my blog today!
Book Title: The Jewel of Nirel
Author: Ann Snizek
Release Date: July 27, 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Length: Over 86,000 Words
Publisher: Snow Flower Enterprises
Presented by: As You Wish Tours
For the people of Tunuftol, and other countries on the planet Nyssa, names found them starting at
twelve months old… at the earliest. Along with the names came certain skills or powers. Depending
on what you did with your powers determined what type of person you were, and sometimes affected
future names. Therefore, names had great importance in Tunuftol, and Krissa had more than a few…
nine to be exact. Her full name was Krissa Lysandra Rue Alverna Harley Mya Magryta Freya Wittek,
The dangers haven't ended for our friends yet. The weather is starting to warm and the war started
last fall is under way. Journey with Krissa and the crew as they struggle to keep their world safe and
EXCERPT
Krissa stepped out into the rooftop garden. Early mornings seemed the best time to enjoy the
peace of her surroundings. After a grueling winter, Krissa both reveled in and dreaded the onset
of warmer weather. She brushed a particularly irritating clump of brown hair from her face as
she sat on a bench. In the last eight months her hair had grown long once more and fell wherever
it liked -- while the early morning sunshine poured over the first sprouts and hints of flowers.
The war that had started last year would continue now that the weather had cleared enough for
travel. The twins -- Pin and Khevin-- invited her and her brother, Micah, to stay at the Fortress
with their other friends. It made preparing to leave for battle easier, but she already missed her
quiet little home with Grandma Athey… even though it was only about fifteen minutes away.
Krissa closed her eyes as she thought about the upcoming struggles. She'd locked the gateway
out of Tunuftol in time to prevent their enemies' use of it, but last fall had only given them a taste
of the destruction Tunuftol could face. Hume and Marc had shown themselves to be as caustic
as their fathers, Count Zayd Rankin and Duke Tomás Hillard.
"I thought I'd find you here, Magryta," a handsome young man with blonde hair said as he
Krissa loved it when Khevin used this name. She had so many names now, but the meaning
behind it and his voice when he said it made her smile every time. Last year he unintentionally
revealed that he'd liked her since they were small by calling to her with a new name. Magryta
meant desired and had become his special name for her. He usually only called her Magryta in
the privacy of their minds, since both of them were telepathic, but occasionally spoke it aloud.
When she revealed that she cared for him also, Khevin responded in a way to make her feel that
he would do anything for her, despite his obvious position of authority as king.
The next day's shopping trip was a success. Krissa found a nicely balanced belt knife, with the
help of Master Leyland, a guard of Lord Naren, Alcina's father, who accompanied them to the
market for protection. When they returned that evening, she made a point of tracking down
Khevin and telling him about Micah's message to her. He wrote some notes about it in a journal.
Then he moved around to the other side of his desk and sat on the edge so that he could look
straight into her eyes. His gaze always released a shockwave inside her, but she struggled to
push past it as she focused on his words.
"He's right, you know," Khevin said, reaching out and cradling her hands. "War is nasty, and
deaths are an unfortunate part of it. No matter how much I hate violence, I can't just sit back and
allow people like Marc and Hume to kill without at least trying to stop them. They won't listen
to reason." He tilted his head back as if the answer would appear written on the ceiling. "People
"I know," Krissa said softly, not sure what else to say. She knew that no matter how strong he
appeared, the pressures of ruling a country weighed heavily on him. Grown men struggled with
less. "Do you know who Nadzia is?" she asked in an attempt to break the silence that had fallen.
"She is a water nymph," he said. A hint of annoyance colored his voice, but his expression
returned to normal. "She has an unpleasant habit of appropriating men and turning them into
"That doesn't sound so different from some women I know," Krissa said, trying to lift the mood.
"When she tires of them she feeds them to her pet sharks," Khevin added with a grimace.
Khevin chuckled -- tension released… at least for a while. "Yes, that would be an ‘ouch’." He
looked at her with his deep, swirling eyes again. "Will you be alright?" He gently pushed hair
back from her cheek and touched her face.
"I'm sure I will, but I don't have to like it," she complained.
"I'd worry if you did like it," he replied.
The next three days were uneventful. Other than mud and some drizzling rain, nothing much
happened during their ride. They didn't even meet many people along the road.
The following day, however, dazzled Krissa. Sometime before lunch, they went through a pass
in the hills and an enormous valley opened up below them. The large lake glistened in the clear
spring light; meadows were dotted by various wildlife (Krissa noticed several different varieties
of deer); songbirds danced and sang with all their might; and the city of Amara itself seemed to
be made of polished jewels. Everywhere signs of spring burst with joy.
Khevin rode beside Krissa at the time and he enjoyed her reaction about as much as she enjoyed
"Absolutely." Krissa replied. Even her mental voice was overwhelmed.
"Gilroy, would you make contact with Lord Naren's men please. Set up a meeting for me with
their director of the district office," Khevin instructed. "Take Sealey with you. He needs to learn
the procedure. The rest of us will find accommodations for the night. Let me know when you
are finished and I'll tell you where we end up."
Gilroy nodded without hesitation and Sealey whooped with excitement. The two young men
galloped away, ahead of the group, to enter the city under less scrutiny. The rest of the group
continued at a walk. Krissa absorbed every sound and sight and smell along the way. Her senses
Bits of green peeked out from under the dull brown of last year’s grasses with insects hurrying
about for food and warmth. Birds dove and spun and dipped and twisted everywhere in the air
with amazing acrobatic skills. Krissa noted some maneuvers that she planned to try on her next
Her name of Harley meant Wild Thing, and gave her the ability to transform into some very wild
creatures. So far, she had become the black jaguar that she had roamed as through the palace.
She could also become a dragon-type creature -- not the cold-blooded lizard-like creatures with
scales that she read about in childhood fairytales, but warm-blooded, slender mammals with soft
hides, and live births. They came in a wonderful range of colors, but Krissa always had the same
colors, lavender with a silvery belly and blue tinting on her head and the neck ridge. She kept
her green eye color and stretched to slightly over six feet long.
After lunch, Micah entered the room followed by Brydon. Micah had provided the boy with
some of his own clothes. The boy accepted them only after Micah had mentioned that a guide to
Lady Tiponya had to keep up a certain appearance. Brydon happily accepted them after that.
"Your guide is here and ready, Your Ladyship," Micah announced.
Brydon fidgeted nervously in the baggy clothes. As small as Micah was, Brydon was smaller.
Krissa wondered how old the boy could be.
"How old are you, guide?" Alcina asked. Apparently, she wanted to know also.
"I'm a whole six years old and then some, Your Ladyship," Brydon answered proudly.
"Well, then I see you must be quite the expert on this lovely city," she said with a softer voice.
"I am, Your Ladyship," he told her. "I know all the best shops the ladies like to go to. If you tell
me what you want, I'll get you there," he boasted. " ..Uh, Your Ladyship," he added again just to
"Wonderful," Alcina told him. "Shall we be off then?"
Khevin and Nester walked out first with Brydon following closely behind. They stopped at the
top of the stairs since no one else had come out of the room yet. Alcina had gone to the door,
but stopped. It didn't take long for Gilroy to respond. He moved his way around the others
and offered an arm for Alcina to take. She then allowed him to lead her from the room. Sealey
followed them closely with Micah, Daisy Mae at their heels. Krissa and Ruuna pulled up the
hoods to their cloaks and Lonnie followed silently towering behind them.
"What is it you're looking for, Your Ladyship?" Brydon asked when they reached the street.
"First I should like to get an overview of what there is available. I have never been to Amara
before, and should like to take advantage of it since my Lord Husband has sent me on this
journey. Is there anything that he had mentioned to either of you gentlemen?" she looked first to
Sealey, who stood to her left, then to Gilroy who's arm she had.
The next morning, Khevin and Sealey rode their horses around the edge of Amara Lake. They
reached a point where the undergrowth became too thick for the horses, so they staked them out
in a small clearing, and started walking. The rich soil combined with plentiful water produced an
abundance of plant-life. So much so, that the two young men did more hacking and cutting then
"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Sealey asked Khevin between swings of his
machete. He stopped and wiped his face with is shirt.
Khevin stopped his own slicing and looked around carefully. His face went hard and serious.
"Just stop cutting for a minute," Khevin repeated very calmly and slowly.
Sealey looked around and tried to figure out what Khevin saw. He didn't see anything, but he
didn't like the tone in his best friend's voice.
"Put your knife back in the sheath very carefully," Khevin told him without moving his eyes
from whatever he was looking at. He had already started putting his own blade away.
Sealey did as he was told without a bit of hesitation. "Can you tell me what you see yet,
"A very skillful hunter. Apparently, she doesn't like us cutting the plants here. They must have
special meaning or usage for her. Do your best to back yourself down the trail. Go until you no
longer see me, and wait. I will be with you shortly. Then we will be on our way."
"I intend to, thanks. You be careful too. Don't cut any more plants, but be alert," Khevin
Sealey backed up carefully, glancing around to avoid tripping. He reached a point where they
had turned their path slightly, and he could no longer see Khevin. He waited with his senses
I grew up in Vermont mostly and now live in Virginia with my family (those still at home). My
husband and I have a blended family of seven kids. My childhood was spent moving around
a lot. (non-military) About five years ago, we started home-schooling our youngest children.
Now there are only two remaining in home-school. I have tried to nurture the love of books in
our children and now our grandchildren -- always nurturing their imaginations. Recently, I have
become active in our community with literacy, starting a local (and online) creative writing club
and volunteer tutoring at the Adult Learning Center.
I struggle with Fibromyalgia and PTSD. So, have to be careful not to overdo things... I don't
always listen to my own advice. I have a dry, sarcastic and corny sense of humor and always try
to look at things optimistically. (again not always successful) However, I feel that if I don't give
up -- for long -- then things will work out for the best eventually.
AUTHOR LINKS
The Jewel of Nirel Tour Facebook Event
Snowflower Enterprises
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads Author Profile
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads
Amazon
http://asyouwishtours.blogspot.com/
Please thank Ann for joining us today! She is an amazing Author and this series is fantastic. I recommend it to everyone!! Check out her links and buy these books people!
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce
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