J.D. Lakey

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About J.D. Lakey

J.D. Lakey is an award-winning author of science fiction and fantasy stories. Her lyrical writing style and passionate connection to her characters pull you in and take you on an emotional journey of discovery in expertly-crafted worlds where futuristic technologies reside amidst primordial landscapes.

Her love of writing stemmed from growing up on a cattle ranch and farm under the endless star-filled Montana skies as far from civilization as anyone in the twentieth century could get. There, she explored the finer nuances of silence and the endless possibilities of the imagination. The shifting of fortunes finally granted her the time to gather all the stories and give them flesh. She currently lives in San Diego, California where she divides her time between her writing, commuting on the I-5 to her day job, and convincing her grandchildren that magic exists.

Lindsay Buroker

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Books By J.D. Lakey

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Black Bead: Book One of the Black Bead Chronicles Jan 11, 2016

by J.D. Lakey , Dylan Drake

( 60 )

$3.99

Winner of IBPA's 2016 Benjamin Franklin digital award, Indie Reader Approved, and recipient of Library Journal's 2016 SELF-e Selection seal. Cheobawn has been an outcast for her entire life, having been marked with the Black Bead on her Choosing Day, a symbol of Bad Luck and shame. Her beautiful half-sister Megan is the only person she can count on. So when Megan is finally of age and is chosen to be a part of a foraging mission outside their home dome, she demands her little sister come too. Cheobawn knows this is her chance to prove herself.

The girls join a pack of boys who are hungry for adventure, and anxious to get out of the protective dome which shields their utopian colony from the dangerous beasts that inhabit their lush, forested world — a forgotten planet on the edge of the galaxy. Their job is to act as psychic “Ears” to guide their pack of trained hunter-fighters. But something sinister stalks them and each member of the pack must draw on their unique strengths and a lifetime of training if they want to survive to see another day.

In this first novella in her visionary new series The Black Bead Chronicles, author J.D. Lakey invites young adults, teens and sci-fi and fantasy fans of all ages to journey along with Cheobawn, Megan, Tam, Connor, and Alain as they learn to become a pack and use their wits and their Luck to survive in this coming-of-age adventure.

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

Bhotta's Tears: Book Two of the Black Bead Chronicles Jan 12, 2016

by J.D. Lakey , Dylan Drake

( 18 )

$5.99

Following their nearly disastrous first foray together outside the dome, the newly-formed Blackwind pack is just getting used to their new lives together, and their bonds continue to strengthen. But the Blackwind Pack has two problems: Tam — the alpha — aspires to greatness, and Cheobawn — his Black Bead Ear — is profoundly misunderstood, with a psi ability so advanced the elders of the village can’t yet conceive of her power.

Cheobawn can feel something ominous about to happen, something that will put her entire village and everyone she loves in mortal danger. A creature has climbed the Escarpment and now wanders in the southern forests. Somehow, she knows she must be the person to find it before the elders get wind of its presence and go hunting it with deadly intent.

But her pack would never let her go alone. Together, they set out on a dangerous race toward an unknown enemy, hoping Cheobawn can find a way to save not only their lives, but their very existence on the lush, savage planet they call home.

The epic adventure that began with Black Bead continues in Bhotta’s Tears. Unravel the mysteries and intrigue of the dome peoples as Cheobawn and her pack grow into their own power, learning to trust their instincts and each other.

Other Formats: Paperback

Warrior Witch: Book Six of the Black Bead Chronicles Dec 4, 2018

by J.D. Lakey , Dylan Drake

( 4 )

$9.99

In this, the sixth and final book of the Black Bead Chronicles, Blackwind Pack is reunited and on the run, pursued by every group vying for control of the planet and the bloodstones. But Cheobawn and her Pack stay one step ahead as they navigate the River Liff, strengthening their bonds and playing Pirate to survive. As Che gathers the threads of their futures, only one terrifying possibility exists, and it is infused with death. As she comes into her power, she decides to take fate into her own hands, with shocking and deadly results. No longer a child, Cheobawn must grow into the queen she is destined to be to broker peace and ensure the freedom of the people of her planet.

Other Formats: Paperback

Storm Child: Book Four of the Black Bead Chronicles Jun 20, 2017

by J.D. Lakey , Corene Werhane , Dylan Drake

( 7 )

$9.99

Something is hunting the citizens of Windfall Dome.

Ten-year-old Cheobawn Blackwind, the most powerful psi adept ever made by the dome's genetic engineers, wants nothing more than to be an ordinary child, but she has an unerring propensity for finding trouble. Branded Bad Luck on her Choosingday, she wears a black bloodstone in her omeh, her honor's necklace.

Her one source of comfort is her Pack—alpha male Tam, her loyal sister Megan, clever Alain, and fierce Connor—who understand her power and have sworn their lives to protect her. But the presence of The Hunter around the dome has set up catastrophic ripple in her ambient. She checks the threads of all her futures. She dies in every one.

Meanwhile, everyone in Windfall Dome is frantically preparing for the coming Trade Fair, the once-yearly meeting of all the dome cities on Tearmann. Things must go without a hitch. Dome pride demands it. The caravans from the other domes are en route and expected any day so everyone must do their part, including her Pack.

But tragedy strikes. A leopard kills a child and drags another off to eat at its leisure and now Cheobawn stands before the High Coven, forced to defend her Bad Luck. Her Mothers give her an ultimatum. Find the source of the insanity now plaguing all the animals of the forest or be locked away in the Temple until after the Trade Fair is over, out of sight of the visitors.

In this fourth adventure of the Black Bead Chronicles, Cheobawn must save the dome . . . but who will save her as the forces of the universe shift and threaten to crush her? Not even her Pack has her back this time.

Other Formats: Paperback

Arrow's Flight: Book Five of the Black Bead Chronicles Oct 10, 2017

by J.D. Lakey

( 12 )

$9.99

Cheobawn, Black Bead Ear, warrior witch, and exile from the domes, now sails with Samwell Wheelwright down the great River Liff. Without her omeh, without Blackwind Pack, without the comforting presence of the land above the Escarpment, she must make her way to Dunauken, the Lowlander city on the edge of Orson's Sea. What she must do there is anyone's guess. The Mothers know but she ran away before they could tell her that part of their plans.

Tam is not a patient person. He and the rest of Blackwind Pack have come down the cliff, hunting her. It has been 2000 years since any female of the domes has set foot in the Lowlands, and Megan and Cheobawn's presence is a barely contained secret. But time is running out -- to keep her Pack alive, Cheobawn must get to Dunauken first and face the darkness that has consumed all her timelines.

Other Formats: Paperback

Spider Wars: Book Three of the Black Bead Chronicles Apr 11, 2016

by J.D. Lakey , Dylan Drake

( 8 )

$5.99

Cheobawn and Connor are left alone as Megan, Tam, and Alain — the pack’s three eldest children — are sent to temple training to learn secrets that the two youngest can only guess at. Though they miss the rest of their pack desperately, they are beginning to enjoy their freedom as they settle in for a quiet winter, sheltering in their private quarters in the domes as the snows move in. But Cheobawn’s dreams won’t leave her alone, and it’s up to Connor as her only confidant to help her decipher them and take action as she senses a danger she tries to ignore.

As calamity stalks the tribes of the high forests, the raging winter storms kill too many — man and animal alike. Now the bennelk warn of a new threat coming at them from out of the Wastes, and the people of the dome must once again trust in the young pack to save them.

Follow Blackwind Pack on their third adventure through the perilous winter landscape of their planet as Cheobawn and Connor lead their people on a race against time to save their herds from the threat of an otherworldly storm with a mysterious and deadly origin that threatens to wipe out the domes forever and reignite an intergalactic war for control of the planet.

Other Formats: Paperback

Taurok's Vengeance (Throne at the End of Time Book 1) May 22, 2018

by J.D. Lakey , Maksim Kuznetsov , Dylan Drake

( 5 )

$5.99

2018 B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. Five hundred years of war have just come to a bloody end in one great catastrophic blast. Who won? Taurok is not sure. It was not the loyal Royalists—they are all dead except for a few stragglers like himself. Not the Rebels, surely. Their casualties were just as great. Too stubborn to die, the giant Zendalian is hunted relentlessly through the ruins of the once great city when he stumbles upon a dying Royalist soldier. Mortally wounded, Taurok settles beside him to sing the death song that will take them both across the Veil to the halls of the Gods of War. But the dying boy has other ideas. He is a she and she is Ancellian, which makes her the last Queen of the Crimson Eyrie. This changes everything. Fierce are the people of Zenal but none are fiercer than the Ancellians. Red Moon is her name. The people of Zenal have served the Royal household for ten thousand years. Lying next to her in the dark, Taurok pledges his allegiance to this tiny queen, knowing that if she lives she will destroy everyone who has ever transgressed against her kind. Hope fills Taurok's heart as he dreams of getting his revenge for the death of everyone he has ever loved. All he has to do is keep her alive.

Choosingday and Other Short Stories: An Anthology of 18 Scifi and Fantasy Stories (Starwalker Tales Book 1) Dec 19, 2017

by J.D. Lakey , Luna Cortijo

( 1 )

$4.99

Peel back the layers of the mundane world and you will find the magical, the supernatural, and yes, even the divine. There is a doorway that we all know exists. Some of us are content to stand outside and look in. Some of us go through willingly. Others stumble across that threshold and, changed forever, can never go back. It is up to you. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

Choosingday and Other Stories is a collection of 18 short stories by authors J.D. Lakey and Luna Cortijo featuring science fiction and fantasy tales that push the boundaries of how we define ourselves as human. From an origin story of Cheobawn of The Black Bead Chronicles series, to tales of vengeful warriors on a ruined planet, witches for hire, galactic grave robbers, lost cities at the edge of the universe, dragons, wizards, and even an Alice in Wonderland retelling. If there is a common element or a theme, it is that all the protagonists are fierce, resourceful, independent, and madly in love with the world, no matter how alien the landscape.

Which character will you connect with the most? Readers will be able to vote on their favorite short story, which will developed into a full-length novel. Visit the author's website for more information.

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