Welcome to the home of The Gemstone Chronicles! The Gemstone Chronicles is a four book series of middle grades/young adult fantasy adventure novels. Although the books are written for a younger audience, they will appeal to adults, too. I invite you to follow the adventures of Aidan, Maggie, and their grandparents Nana and Beebop as they venture into the world of Celahir to help their elven friends.
The first book of the series is The Carnelian. Carnelians are reddish-orange semi-precious gemstones mostly used for making cabochons today. Historically, carnelians were used to make signet rings for sealing official documents since the hot wax did not stick to the stone. They are also used for making cameos, beads, and other pieces of jewelry.
The carnelian was one of the twelve stones in the Breastplate of Aaron in the Bible. The stone is associated with good luck, courage, peace, and happiness.
The Gemstone Chronicles, Book One: The Carnelian is available for purchase in multiple e-formats from Smashwords or for the Kindle on Amazon.
The Gemstone Chronicles series is expanding!! The second book of the series, The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst will make its debut in early December 2012. Below is the cover!!
The Amethyst follows Aidan, Maggie, Nana, Beebop and the children’s mother, Laura, as they return to Celahir to fight a giant and try to rescue Mike (Aidan and Maggie’s father). Aidan becomes the companions’ champion and faces Brendan (the giant) in a series of challenges to determine their fate and the fate of his father!
Amethysts are among my favorite gemstones. I find a fair amount of amethysts during my frequent rock hunting trips and have tumbled a few in my rock tumbler. Mostly, though, I collect them and wait until I can get them faceted. The specimens that I have vary in color from a pale purple to a very deep purple. They are simply gorgeous stones!
Historically, amethysts were thought to be stones that could ward off drunkenness and protect the wearer from poison. Catholic bishops often wear the stone and, for them, it symbolizes humility, sincerity, and spiritual wisdom. As with the carnelian (from Book One: The Carnelian), the amethyst was a gemstone in the biblical Breastplate of Aaron. In The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst the stone represents happiness and joy.
Today, amethysts are used in rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings – virtually any kind of jewelry. They vary in color, from pale lavender to the deepest purple and the color can be changed by exposure to high heat or natural radiation.
You can read an excerpt from The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst in the Sneak Peeks tab of the website!
The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst can be purchased as an ebook for Kindle. It can also be found in paperback on Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.
Check back often for more as the series grows. The Gemstone Chronicles Book Three: The Emerald is the next book in the series. Look for it to debut late spring or early summer 2013!!