Showing results by author "Don Jones" in All Categories

When fall arrives in Duck Creek Village, the mountain is alive with secrets—and the first snow is anyone’s guess. For Maya, returning to the high plateau means reuniting with old friends, uncovering local legends, and finally solving the riddle of the mysterious “Drowned Village” beneath Navajo Lake. But when the village’s quirky tradition of rubber duck rituals is stolen out from under them, Maya and wilderness guide Finn are swept into a puzzle that ties folklore, environmental sabotage, and the fate of the community together. As the lake’s waters drop and long-buried clues ...

When a high-tech family of cryptozoologists rolls into Duck Creek Village with a 1930s film map and dreams of capturing a legend, Maya and Leo find themselves drafted as guides into the rugged back-country of the Dixie National Forest. Maya, ever the practical scientist, is skeptical of the giant tracks appearing in the volcanic ash, while Leo is just looking for the ultimate shot for his "Duck Creek Vibes" channel. But the mountain has a way of changing your perspective. After a visit to the DC Pub & Grill and a run-in with the mysterious "Mega Squatch Burger," Maya and Leo discover their ...

In the quiet, high-altitude village of Duck Creek, Utah, the most exciting part of Finn’s day is usually checking trail conditions—until a lightning strike splits an ancient ponderosa pine to reveal a rusted film canister hidden for seventy years. The label reads: Reel One: The Starlet’s Shadow (1954). Chloe, an aspiring filmmaker with a penchant for vintage sweaters and dramatic timing, is certain they’ve stumbled onto a Hollywood legend. Rumors have long swirled about Evelyn St. Claire, a starlet who vanished from a local movie set in the fifties, leaving behind a trail of ...

Autumn has arrived in Duck Creek Village, painting the aspens in gold and bringing a chill to the mountain air. But for Finn and Leo, the season of peace is looking a lot like a season of puzzles. At Aunt Sue’s Chalet, someone is tampering with the "Best in the Mountains" salad bar—swapping croutons for bitter acorns and red onions for pungent forest forages. The trail of hemlock and pine needles leads Finn straight to Macy Halloway, a spirited local naturalist with a rebellious streak and a pine-cone pendant that seems to keep turning up in all the wrong places. While Finn deals with ...

FINALIST Best Fantasy • Feathered Quill Book Awards Meet Samantha Godsdotter—Sam, to her friends—a mercenary recently retired from Sasha’s Vixens. Sam’s seen her last battle, and she’s ready for. . . something else. She’s not sure what, but on a trip around Lake Evendiam, she rides into a small, oddly fortified village named North Pointe Common Towne. The proprietor of its pub, the Broken Claw, gives her a warm, friendly greeting—and then starts to act just a little odd. Turns out Sam may have found her stopping point, in a place where she’ll develop warm new friendships, ...

"Volumes & Villainesses" is a true delight, a perfectly brewed cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. Jones has crafted a world that feels lived-in and loved, where the magic is not a grand spectacle but a gentle, humming part of everyday life. The characters are so endearing and their quiet moments so genuine that you'll find yourself completely swept away by the charm of the Broken Claw. This is a story that comforts and captivates in equal measure, leaving you with a warm feeling long after you've closed the book. Welcome back to the Broken Claw, where every street holds a secret and every ...

I've been teaching technical topics to adults for more than two decades, and I've been writing and designing instructional materials for almost that long. Throughout the time, I always tried to learn more about how people learn, and how I could be a better and more effective teacher. It wasn't always easy, because apart from a great deal of trial-and-error, there weren't a lot of resources that I could comprehend or make use of. Too many books are either written by academics for academics, or by academics - in the most condescending tones possible - for mere mortals. Well, this is the book ...

“Anvils & Avatars is a charming and heartfelt fantasy that reminds us that true magic isn’t in a sword, but in a community. With a cast of lovable characters and a story that balances small-town charm with real stakes, this book is a must-read for anyone who’s ever wondered what happens after the quest is over.” —TheList With the prejudice and ill-will of past conflicts behind him, the gentle ogre blacksmith Warren has finally found the peaceful, quiet life he's always craved in the cozy environs of North Pointe Common Towne. But a blacksmith’s work is never truly done, and ...

It is midsummer. The town of North Pointe Common Towne has always been a place of quiet magic and cozy comfort, its twenty shops a perfect, humming circuit of mutual support. But a new peril from the west is driving desperate travelers and a surge of new residents through its gates. As the town’s magical gifts begin to over-function in unsettling and humorous ways, its equilibrium is thrown into disarray. At the heart of this chaos is Galhani, the gentle gnome herbalist, whose magical teas—once a source of healing and joy—are suddenly failing. As her beloved shop grows quiet and her ...

In North Pointe Common Towne, where peace is a sacred law and the ale is always cold, a god has retired. Knodalon, ancient and weary, minds the lakeside storehouse and watches the world through a curtain of wind, content to keep the seasons still and the town’s pantry full. But the world outside is anything but quiet. A Goblin King is rising in the west, and the chaos he brings has drawn a new kind of trouble to the town’s doorstep: a pantheon of petty, preening gods vying for worship and influence. These are not the world-shapers of old, but tiny divinities of mundane things—a god of...

The finest cuts of meat aren't just for eating—they are the fuel for a quest. But what happens when the butcher's own foundation begins to fail? Dardrad, North Pointe Common Towne's gruff yet gentle dwarven butcher, has a unique purpose: to "feed the quest." Guided by the shop’s magic, he expertly uses his gift to “sink” into the earth, traversing continents in a single candlemark to retrieve fantastical provisions—from Stone-Ram Flank to Mossbear Filet—each offering a subtle, timely aid to travelers. Beneath his shop, Dardrad and his wife have sculpted a luxurious, hidden ...

Constable Jen keeps the peace in North Pointe with a warrior's grit and a touch of town magic that calms violent intent. But when chaos arrives, it doesn't carry a sword—it carries a measuring tape. The sudden arrival of knee-high, gray-bearded Púca—a secretive communal species that happen to be renowned master jewelers—throws the town into an uproar. They take over the vacant menagerie shop with deafening, day-long construction, only to pause and build a cryptic new restaurant facing the trade road. When a mysterious Mountain Elf, Llewel Magcaryn, arrives claiming he is setting up ...

Poor Clara. On the one hand, things are going well: she’s aced her Math final, and school’s almost out for the year. Dad’s hanging in there with contract jobs, Mom’s helping make ends meet by cleaning other people’s homes, and they’ve at least got a roof over their heads. Vegas isn’t the nicest place in the summer, but it’s no worse than the half-dozen other places she’s lived in her short life. But on the other hand, she has no friends. Everyone at school is either diffident or a bully—as if they can sense that Clara doesn’t quite fit in. And then there are the triplets.

Bob Constantine (no relation to the other Constantine you may have heard of) is a down-on-his-luck exorcist-for-hire. Nondenominational. He roams from town to town, from city to city, inexorably drawn to the homes, businesses, and even places of worship that have become temporal homes for terrifying, malevolent spirits. Poltergeists. Screaming Mimis. Apparitions. Banshees. You see, Bob is one of the rarest of humans: a necropath, with the talent to see and communicate with the spirits of the dead. And demons, obviously. Demons are real, by the way. Bob should know, as he’s had once ...

Prudence, the town seamstress, lives a quiet life defined by routine: early mornings with her young son, Bryant, and her shop door opening late at the ninth bell. An emigrant from the conservative community of Holderdown, she is cautious of North Pointe Common Towne’s vibrant magic and keeps her own gifts tightly restrained, crafting only the most plain and utilitarian garments. But when a charismatic "snake oil" salesman arrives, hawking fraudulent "destiny potions" from his wagon just inside the road gates, Prudence's carefully constructed world threatens to unravel. The salesman is a ...

WINNER "Fantasy - General" American Fiction Awards 2023 (Daniel Scratch, book 1) WINNER "Fantasy" Indie Book Awards (Daniel Scratch, book 1) "...Jones has created something new, compelling, beautifully written, and somewhat reminiscent of Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)...An engrossing, well-written, and original story; readers will be eager for the next installment." – Kirkus Reviews "Adult and teenage fans of thoughtful fantasy will love exploring this beautifully described world of arcane powers. This meditative look at power will engage readers who like their fantasy ...

When the ancient Under Hill home of the Fae is infected with the Rot, they're left with an unpleasant choice: Die in one last, great stand, or escape to the Human world. A world they once knew, but where they no longer belong. A modern world, where Cold Iron surrounds and poisons magical beings.

In the old days, trades were kept alive by Masters, who took on and trained apprentices into journeymen, who became Masters in their own right. We've lost that in most ways, but there's no reason you can't resurrect the approach for our modern times. Learn to achieve and recognize your own success so that you can become a Master to someone else. This audiobook covers my approach to Mastery, in a hope that it will inspire you to find your own path and begin a generations-long tradition of helping others achieve their success.

Lose the Losers and Thrive! is a fresh approach to the Good News of Jesus Christ. It provides a self-helping “Big Picture” describing God’s path upward. It’s not just you anymore: It’s you plus God! Are you ready to build a lifestyle that works?

FINALIST Best Sci-Fi Feathered Quill Book Awards Frank and his crew have truly made it: after unleashing version 2 of Endless Sky, a fully immersive sci-fi role-playing game, they’re richer than their wildest dreams. They’ve built a kick-butt new ship and are prepared to start reaching for the Legendary character levels. Sure, their actual bodies have long since been composted, but they were never planning to leave the game. But then a series of adventures and mishaps—including an assassination mission that might not have gone well—send them spiraling in a new direction. They ...