A collection of four previously published fantasy tales by Ruth Nestvold: "Dragon Time," "Wooing Ai Kyarem," "To Act the Witch," and "Princes and Priscilla." Dragon Time: In Unterdrachenberg, time has stopped. After the death of his queen, the dragon king is mad with grief. Only a human woman can enter the dragon's lair to fix time -- a magic that is forbidden to women. Katja is the grand-daughter of a clockmaker, and she has watched her grandfather work with time for many years. But can she fix it on her own? More importantly, is she brave enough to try? Wooing Ai Kyarem: Ai Kyarem calls no man lord. But what if the powerful Kubai forces her to choose? To Act the Witch: Brilliana is a famous actress for the Duke's Theatre, yes -- but she is also a Witch. And it is up to her to save the Age of Magic. Princes and Priscilla: As princess and heir to the kingdom, Priscilla really should marry a prince and ensure the succession. Unfortunately, Priscilla has other ideas. Praise for "Dragon Time": "'Dragon Time' is a beautifully told tale. It's easy to feel empathy for Katja; she has just enough flaws that we can love her, and not so many that we lose respect for her. The play of plot and emotion was especially lovely; the ending satisfies completely, and the love in the story positively shines. While the story has ancient treaties, magician-clockmakers, and, of course, dragons—everything needed for a good fantasy story—it's the love that stands out the most. It's a story I'll go back to time and time again—pun intended." - Keesa Renee DuPre at Tangent Online About the author: A former assistant professor of English in the picturesque town of Freiburg on the edge of the Black Forest, Ruth Nestvold has given up theory for imagination. She has since replaced her university career with a small software localization business, and the Black Forest with the parrots of Bad Cannstatt, where she lives with her fantasy, her family, her books and no cats in a house with a turret. Her fiction has appeared in numerous markets, including Asimov's, F&SF, Baen's Universe, Strange Horizons, Scifiction, and Gardner Dozois's Year's Best Science Fiction. Her work has been nominated for the Nebula, Tiptree, and Sturgeon Awards. In 2007, the Italian translation of her novella "Looking Through Lace" won the "Premio Italia" award for best international work. Her novel Yseult: A Tale of Love in the Age of King Arthur appeared in translation as Flamme und Harfe with the German imprint of Random House, Penhaligon, in 2009, and has since been translated into Dutch and Italian. It is also available as an ebook. She maintains a web site at http://www.ruthnestvold.com.
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