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"Mind Bridges: Seven Facets of Magic" short story collection by Julia H. West
Within these pages you will meet
* An apprentice artist who never gets to paint, and runs for more than her life
* A woman caught in a spell gone wrong, who takes matters into her own very capable hands
* A farm wife who fights off a magical plague, then battles invaders to save everything she loves
* A witch who uses spell baths to aid the queen of a conquered country
* A fisher girl who tries to escape servitude under some very peculiar little people
* A man who finds peace easing the ghosts of aliens millennia dead, until he discovers the Enemy that killed them
* A forklift driver moonlighting as a beautician, whose life is changed when she discovers that the aliens she visits perform real magic
Seven different magics; seven bridges between the modern world and the world of fantasy. Cross over the Mind Bridge now.
Seven fantasy tales spanning space and time. Find magic in desert cliff dwellings, medieval kingdoms, and on alien planets. Wizards and witches, ghosts and merfolk, gods and aliens rub shoulders between the covers of this book.
Contains the stories "Soul Walls," "Not the Best Neighbors," "Changes of Life," "Strength, Wisdom, and Compassion," "Skin and Bones," "Gathering Shards," and "Power Sources."
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Novelettes
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"A Portion for Foxes" by Brook West
Set in near-future Japan, this novelette tells of Tadashi's quest to finish a virtual reality device to make his elderly mother happier living in the city when she misses life on her farm. And then Tadashi meets the woman of his dreams. . . .
Originally printed in Writers of the Future, Vol. XI, Bridge Publications, June 1995. |
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"Power Sources" by Julia H. West
Science fantasy novelette. Hallelujah Tuckett came to Midway to escape the slums of her home world, only to discover that Midway was probably the most boring planet in the galaxy. Augmenting her salary as a forklift driver by moonlighting in a beauty salon, she's saving every penny so she can get off the planet. Then she discovers that the alien taleweaver she has been visiting can really do magic.
Originally printed in Realms of Fantasy, February 2004. Finalist for 2004 Utah Speculative Short Story Award. |
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"Sea of Chaos" by Julia H. West
Science fiction novelette. Ancient navigators' art from Micronesia is used to navigate starships through overspace using virtual reality. Winin is a Master Navigator, chosen specifically to lead a mission to rescue a starliner adrift in overspace. Can Winin get the starship through the Maelstrom using only his knowledge and reflexes after the computer goes down?
First Place winner, 1st Quarter 1994; Grand Prize winner, 1994, Writers of the Future contest. Originally printed in Writers of the Future, Vol. XI, Bridge Publications, June 1995. |
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"Soul Walls" by Julia H. West
Fantasy novelette. Tiva was apprenticed to Yongosona, who painted soul walls for the village. But she was never allowed to paint--just gather materials and prepare them. Would she ever learn what she needed to know to become a painter?
Originally printed in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XXIV, edited by Elisabeth Waters, Norilana Books, November 2009.
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Short Stories
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"Bloody Luggage" by Tinney S. Heath
Humorous contemporary fantasy short story. Travel can be arduous and exhausting enough. But it becomes much, much worse when your luggage tries to take over your trip. |
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"Changes of Life" by Julia H. West
Fantasy short story. The villagers of Lexby have barely survived a magic-induced plague. Sarah lost her husband to the flesh rot that nearly killed her and her daughter. She's not about to let the Pantaj do more damage to the village. But what can a handful of women and children do against an invading army? |
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"Children of the Dance" by Tinney S. Heath
Fantasy short story. Sometimes, when a scullery maid decides she wants to go to the ball, it's not about the prince--it's about the dancing. A Cinderella retelling with a twist. |
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"Divine Intervention" by Beverly Stuart
Fantasy short story. Wedded to their God, the Nameless One, as this cycle's human sacrifice on Zenith Sun Day, Srathi willingly bears the hopes and destinies of her people. But fulfilling her awesome duty has unexpected consequences. |
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"Gathering Shards" by Julia H. West
Science fiction short story. Lasai's sole purpose in life was to heal the ghosts of the Ebchians, who had died thousands of years before. He did not foresee what would happen when archaeologists began excavating the ancient Ebchian cities.
Originally published in Oceans of the Mind, Issue XII, Summer 2004. |
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"Love It Enough" by Tinney S. Heath
Humorous contemporary fantasy short story. It's hard enough to find a literary agent and get a publishing contract these days. But does supernatural help make it easier--or harder? |
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"An Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree" by Julia H. West
Science fiction short story. Life on the new colony world is good now. So why isn't Camille happy this Christmas? Why do memories of death and deprivation haunt her?
Originally published in Dragons, Knights, and Angels Magazine, December 2001. |
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"The Patience of Griselda" by Tinney S. Heath
Fantasy short story. A medieval woman's duty is to be obedient, long-suffering, and patient. But sometimes, she's patient because she's waiting for something. A re-telling of the Patient Griselda tale (with a twist) from the point of view of Griselda's daughter.
Originally published in Fickle Muses, 12/28/2008. |
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"The Peachwood Flute" by Brook and Julia West
Fantasy short story set in medieval Japan. Noriaki is a ronin--a masterless samurai--and his flute-playing days are behind him. But when he and his companions wander into a cursed village, his forgotten skills may be the only thing that can save them.
Originally printed in The Shimmering Door, edited by Katharine Kerr and Martin H. Greenberg, HarperPrism, August 1996. |
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"Scavenger Hunt" by Julia H. West
Young adult science fiction short story. The underwater domes of Chai complex are breaking down, and Modlene and her family will have to leave if Mod can't fix the water purifier. Can she and her brother Simon find the parts they need in an abandoned dome?
Originally published in Oceans of the Mind, issue XI (Colonies), Spring 2004. |
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"Tyler's Garden" by Julia H. West
Children's fiction. Larry and Tyler were best friends and did everything together, until Tyler's family moved away. Now a new lady lives in Tyler's old house, and the garden that Larry and Tyler planted together is dying. Doesn't Miss Black care what happens to the garden? |
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"Weeds" by Julia and Brook West
Contemporary fantasy short story. Members of a college botany field trip start disappearing, and strange things are happening in the forest. Angela is the teacher's aide, responsible for the students' well-being. Angela and her husband must discover what's happening without becoming victims themselves.
Originally printed in Enchanted Forests, edited by Katharine Kerr and Martin H. Greenberg, DAW, December 1995. |
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"A Year and a Month and a Day" by Beverly Stuart
Fantasy short story. Nan Kuwo has already sacrificed her former life to await her forbidden Deity's test in the silence of a hidden Temple. Will she survive to live out her heart's desire? |
