Seasons of the Blue Pearl
by Nicholas Varner

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Mia lives an idyllic life in a tiny hut in the desert beneath a range of jagged peaks. Mia’s mother is a healer. Her father is a potter who can work magic into the clay. But Mia does not believe in magic or the stories told by the elders. While on a run in the desert, she is attacked by demons who have risen from their tunnels beneath the arroyos. After a narrow escape with the help of her dog, Mia, her parents, and her three mysterious uncles set off on a journey to a legendary land where they hope to find the secret to defeating the demons. On the journey, Mia discovers the magic hidden in the world around her and the magic deep within herself. Her special magic could be the key to her people’s survival, but the only way to find out is to tread a perilous path into a dark and dangerous world from which no one has ever returned.

www.nicholasvarnerbooks.com

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Nicholas Varner enjoyed a long career teaching students and athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds. His students and athletes shared their stories and dreams for the future, teaching Nicholas many valuable lessons. He was voted Southern Arizona Coach of the Year several times, building teams of young people from places as far apart as Bosnia and Somalia, one of whom still holds the Afghan men’s 800-meter record. As with most writers, Nicholas draws upon the landscapes and peoples which have had the greatest influence on him. As a young boy, he was heavily influenced by an Apache friend of his father’s named Bill Russell. Apache Bill took Nicholas and others on long walks in the desert, pointing out pot sherds and arrowheads left by “the Old Ones.” And Bill would make his bicep twitch, explaining he had trapped a frog there and would let it out when the rains came. This novel is not meant to be an accurate depiction of any culture or belief. The important values that drive the novel were taught by Nicholas’ parents, Apache Bill, the O’odham, and other indigenous peoples of the southwest. The smattering of Spanish pays homage to Mexican friends whose families have made the southwest their home for generations. Nicholas, his wife Kate, and their two Malamutes now live in the mountains of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico.

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Contributors

Author

Nicholas Varner

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