Sheri Yutzy - Speculative Fiction Author

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The Secret Seller

Bardians live for delicacies. Lace that makes their dresses look new. Rugs that warm or cool the room they’re in. Face creams that mask their faces for an hour. Flowers whose scent conjures beautiful scenery. Wines that bring intense joy or sorrow.

But behind these harmless fineries lurks a thriving market for the darker delicacies. Slaves trained to thrive on abuse. Perfume that hunts down eavesdroppers and kills them. Wine that allows its maker to selectively erase the memories of those that drink it.

Bell loves her magical city, and lives to make it more beautiful through her exquisitely tended flower garden. But the Secret Seller, the master of all Bardia’s secrets, decides that Bardians  would be better off as forgetful children. When Bell discovers his plot to smuggle powerful memory wine into every noble household, it’s up to Bell to stop him and save her people.

 

 

Seal up the Stars

Fear not, those who follow His fire, for He shall light your way. The stars that have been sealed up will break free and sing.

Ravenna Lastoria has three days to escape Celidom and its leader, Vitrel. Vitrel keeps the entire city captive under the Ambitus, a vast dome. Ravenna was born with the prophesied Mark of the Tyger, and in three days Vitrel will force her to marry his cruel son and fulfill the dark side of the Prophecy. If she refuses, her younger brother, Brend, will be made to drink the sacred water of Vitrel’s dark god.

In the middle of the night, Jasper, Vitrel’s nephew, kidnaps Ravenna and drags her from Celidom. She’s devastated to leave Brend behind, but she can’t turn back once she learns Jasper’s secret.

There is another side to the Prophecy, but to fulfill it, Ravenna must choose to trust Eloi, the God who gave it.

Together they search the Sharrah Desert for an army strong enough to rescue Brend and crush Vitrel. But what Ravenna and Jasper set in motion may destroy the people they’re trying to save.

Seal up the Stars is Book I of The Great Rescue. I’m currently looking for the right place to publish it. Scroll down to see an excerpt from Chambers of the South, Book II.

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Chambers of the South

I pushed up through the brilliant light and burst to the surface, breathed hard.

Ben was leaning over a rock that jutted from the bank. “You were underwater a long time,” he said, eyebrows raised.

I grinned. “It’s fun.”

“Have you ever gone swimming before?”

“Not like this. Where I used to live, the water was bad.”

He made a face. “That would be terrible.”

“It was. My little brother has never been able to swim.”

“You have a little brother? Is he here?”

My heart twisted. “No, he’s not here. He’s still in the bad place.”

“You’re going back to get him.”

He said it so assuredly, as if that was my only option.

It is.

“Yes. I’m going back to get him.”

Ravenna will do anything to rescue her little brother, Brend, from Vitrel, the evil ruler of the Temptors. When betrayal scatters the leaders of the Abati, the people she hoped would help her, she and Jasper are caught by Temptors. Ravenna must  escape before they reach Celidom and she’s forced to take Shasta in lingas. Can she trust Eloi, the One who spoke the Prophecy that’s Marked her for good or evil?

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About Sheri

Here Goes Something New!

Hi, I'm Sheri Yutzy. I love forests under the night sky, trying new foods, and drinking Irish tea. I've been to 17 countries, and once spent the night in a hotel lobby in Florence, Italy, because the entire city was fully booked for a festival.
I'm married to a musician who looks good in black, mama to three curious kids, and happy resident of a Cape Cod cottage in Ohio.
I write YA fantasy and am acquisitions editor at sparkflashfiction.com.
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Find some magic with me!

sheriyutzyauthor

I am still alive here, just living the garden life I am still alive here, just living the garden life.🌿
I came down with social fatigue last weekend (that’s what I’m calling it) and the remedy seems to be gardening.
It was lovely to come home from my trip and find a raised bed full of spinach and radishes (and some other things I don’t recognize). Today I planted tomatoes.
I’ll return to my regular posting when my well is full. 
🌿I hope you all have a lovely week!🌿

#raisedbedgarden #socialfatigue #sheriyutzy #smallspacegardening #slowlife #theslowlife #slowliving #intentionallife #livingoutdoors #gardeningtherapy
Recommend a book! When I first read this little b Recommend a book!

When I first read this little book soon after I was married, I was thoroughly startled.
It’s that kind of book.
I’ve never read a book that made me more thrilled about getting older. More hopeful about finding simplicity.
I reread it every time I go through a life change or feel off kilter and out of harmony with myself.
Each chapter holds deep insight about finding focus, relaxing into relationships, resting in the ebb and flow of life.
She shows so clearly that it’s not necessary to leave everything behind to find simplicity. It is possible to let simplicity come and go and let its effects remain, even with households to run, children to care for, or jobs to manage.
Hopeful possibility is the phrase that lingers in my mind.

Now it’s your turn. What inspiring book do you recommend I read next?

#giftsfromthesea #annemorrowlindbergh #findingsimplicity #findingthesimplelife #sheriyutzy #classicbooks #smallinspiringbooks #slowlife #theslowlife #thesimplelife #findingfocus #lovingmiddleage
Thinking back on the beautiful white daffodils of Thinking back on the beautiful white daffodils of early spring…
The colors of the earth deepen and grow more vibrant as time goes on, until they rest again beneath the stark white and black of winter.

What’s your favorite season? I really can’t choose.🌿

#springdaffodils #changingseasons #slowliving #slowingdown #cottagegardens #intentionallifestyle #homemakerlife #sheriyutzy #moodycottage #slowlifestyle #ordinarymagic #everydaymagic
🌿 I’ve been told many times To be afraid for 🌿
I’ve been told many times
To be afraid for my children
That I will regret not holding them tighter.
It’s as if fear is a currency, and if I don’t have enough, I haven’t earned motherhood.
I will never accept this,
for Jesus has taken my fear.
He is enough.
🌿

“Fear not.”
-Jesus.
I spent the evening following these two along the river bank, finding all the ant hills and burrows and mushrooms. No wonder Jesus cares for these, I thought. They are the best at finding all the magical good in the world.

#fearnot #courageousparenting #saynotofear #sheriyutzy #intentionalmotherhood #intentionalliving #slowliving #fearlessliving #fearlessparenting #kidsoutside #riverbank #twentywordtuesday #shortpoem #poetsofinstagram
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