Maria’s upcoming master workshop at Fyrecon events

Maria V. Snyder
Maria V. Snyder

Meteorologist turned novelist, Maria’s been writing since she was bored at work and needed something creative to do. Twenty-two published novels and two short stories collections has taught Maria much about writing/publishing. She’s been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a dozen awards, and has earned her MA degree in Writing from Seton Hill University where she’s been sharing her knowledge with the current crop of MFA students.

Navigating the Stars

Seventeen-year-old Lyra Daniels can’t truly blame Einstein or her parents for their impending move across the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s all due to the invention of the Q-net, which made traveling the vast distances in space possible—with one big caveat: the time dilation. But that never stopped Lyra's ancestors from exploring the Milky Way, searching for resources and exoplanets to colonize. What they didn’t expect to find is life-sized terracotta Warriors buried on twenty-one different exoplanets.

Navigating the Stars

Seventeen-year-old Lyra Daniels can’t truly blame Einstein or her parents for their impending move across the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s all due to the invention of the Q-net, which made traveling the vast distances in space possible—with one big caveat: the time dilation. But that never stopped Lyra's ancestors from exploring the Milky Way, searching for resources and exoplanets to colonize. What they didn’t expect to find is life-sized terracotta Warriors buried on twenty-one different exoplanets.

Shattered Glass

While trying to teach her adopted daughter, Reema, how to work with molten glass, Opal receives a letter from Master Magician Zitora Cowan requesting Opal's immediate help. Zitora resigned from the Sitian Council over two years ago to search for her lost sister, and no one has heard from her since. The letter is probably a trick, but Opal refuses to pass up the opportunity to help her mentor, who may be in genuine trouble.

Dawn Study

Despite the odds, Yelena and Valek have forged an irrevocable bond—and a family—that transcends borders. Now, when their two homelands stand on the brink of war, they must fight with magic and cunning to thwart an Ixian plot to invade Sitia.

Shadow Study

Once, only her own life hung in the balance…
Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.

Poison Study

Locked in a coffin-like darkness, there is nothing to distract me from my memories of killing Reyad. He deserved to die—but according to the law, so do I. Here in Ixia, the punishment for murder is death. And now I wait for the hangman's noose.

Magic Study

A lesson in loyalty—a master class in intrigue
So far, I've managed to survive. You would think after being kidnapped as a child, imprisoned in my teens and released to become a poison taster, I would have endured enough. But no. The discovery of my magical abilities—powers forbidden in Ixia—has resulted in an execution order.

Fire Study

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before….

Ice Study

After the events of Fire Study, Yelena and Valek's sabattical is cut short when they become entangled in a plot to prevent the Ice Moon from falling into the hands of a rogue magician.

Storm Glass

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowan understands trial by fire. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it from happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic.

Sea Glass

Student glass magician Opal Cowan’s newfound ability to steal a magician’s powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal dares to defy them, traveling to the Moon Clan’s lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks, because another man—now her prisoner—claims Ulrick’s desire for blood magic has eclipsed his passion for her.

Spy Glass

After siphoning her own blood to defeat her enemy, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. More, she’s immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in her world.

Inside Out

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Outside In

Me? A leader? Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world.

Storm Watcher

Luke Riley is lost.
His mother’s recent death has set Luke and his family adrift. Even though his father, twin brothers, and their three bloodhounds are search-and-rescue volunteers, they have been unable to rescue themselves and become a family again.

Touch of Power

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Scent of Magic

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomaniacal King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confidant, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Taste of Darkness

She’s fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?
Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he’s gone forever.


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It Doesn’t Happen by Magic: Researching and Writing Your World

4 Hour Master Workshop for $99
(includes Whole Conference general admission to Fyrecon)
Class is limited to 25 students

Class Dates
Part 1: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time
Part 2: Saturday, December 2, 2023, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Mountain Time
At Fyrecon 7

Writing fantasy is not just about the world’s magic system. While it’s important, there’s the wider world to consider. Not everything in your world will be truly unique. Got horses? Well, then they better look, smell, and behave like horses or all your horse-loving readers will be jerked from your story when you get something wrong. Got hipposchipples? Well, then they can look, smell, and behave however you’d like as long as they stay consistent throughout your novel or some of your hipposchipple-loving readers will complain. From the small, what does an indigo plant look like, to the bigger questions like what is involved in blowing glass, this workshop will discuss how to find the information you need for your novel without getting caught in the research trap. Then, once you find it, you’ll learn how to layer your new knowledge into your story that will avoid the dreaded info dump. Your job as a writer is to create a rich and vibrant and realistic world that will pull your readers in and make them wish they could live there forever. And that is the true magic of writing.

Register Now