Academy Author Index

D. J. Belt

Last Updated: 10/31/2021

 
2012 Author Hall of Fame
Author 
2013 Author Hall of Fame
Story - The Mel/Janice series
 
 


The Amulet   ebook version available

Xena and Gabrielle are enlisted by the goddess Artemis to join an old acquaintance of Xena's on a mission to unravel a dark mystery involving the missing remnants of the Amazon nation. Along the way, Xena is assailed by deep remorse and self-doubt, Gabrielle suddenly vanishes, and her old friend may offer the key to the puzzles which plague her.

Angelique   ebook version available

Laurie, aide to a U.S. senator, is suddenly thrust into the world of international espionage when she is marked for assassination. Rescued by a mysterious figure whom she only knows as Angelique, she must attempt to resolve the riddles of why she's a target and what motivates her strange guardian angel to protect her. Could it be... love?

Angelique Book Two

This sequel to the story "Angelique" takes place in Paris about six months after the first story ends. Angelique finds that she must take up arms one more time to preserve her new life with Laurie.

Angelique Book Three

As Laurie's family visits, an Arab jihadist stalks Angelique with deadly intentions.

Angelique Book Four

An old lover of Angelique's walks into the bar one evening and begs for her help, inciting Laurie's jealousy and leading them into a web of intrigue.

Angelique Book Five

As Angelique and Laurie rescue a Caf� Angel employee from her abusive boyfriend, Angelique is forced to confront and resolve a crippling issue of conscience from her past war experience in Israel.

Angelique Book Six

French-Israeli Angelique and American Laurie are lovers living in Paris. This time, Laurie is tested to her limits as opposing factions within the American CIA engage in a vicious contest - with her as the objective.

Angelique Book Seven

French-Israeli (and former Mossad assassin) Angelique and her American spouse, Laurie, travel to Israel, where Angel joins forces with an old friend in a deadly confrontation against an old nemesis.

Angelique Book Eight

Angelique finds that Hamas has identified her as a former Mossad assassin, and an ISIS leader has dispatched a relentless psychopath to track her down and kill her. She and Laurie must decide whether to flee Paris or stand their ground and fight, and their decision results in unexpected, bloody, and heartbreaking consequences.

Angelique Book Nine

In an effort to protect French-Israeli (and former Mossad assassin) Angelique and her American spouse, Laurie, The Mossad has hidden them in the American south. Their safety is illusory, however; they find that to survive, they must once again go to war against a ruthless jihadist ideology.

A Bad Day for Sarah   [April Fools Whatever 2017]

The End Of Our Journey   ebook version available

In this "what-if?" story (What if Xena had lived? What might their end have been?), Xena and Gabrielle find themselves growing old and seek to settle down in obscurity and quiet, desperate for just a little peace. Xena, however, still has a Roman price on her head. They are betrayed into Roman hands, only to be rescued by a most unlikely friend and ally, one who sees them to 'the end of their journey'.

The Eye Of Hephaestus

After Xena's untimely death in Japan, Gabrielle has returned to Potidaea, wallowing in deep grief and strong drink. Ares, noting her vulnerability, makes her an offer of power that she is sorely tempted to accept, until Xena's spirit appears to her and they fashion a desperate plan to attempt Ares' imprisonment and Xena's own return to the mortal realm. Its success depends upon Gabrielle, however. In her current state of mind, will she be able to pull it off?

The Fast Ship

Xena and Gabrielle, shipwrecked and near death, are plucked from the sea and restored to health by the crew of a sleek ship. They join the odd collection of mariners (including a Greek captain, a Thracian Amazon and an Egyptian mystic) on a desperate and bloody mission to 'right a wrong' and along the journey find themselves bound more closely than ever, as Gabrielle is forced to confront and vanquish the last of the demons of memory harbored in her deepest conscience.

How Hard Can It Be?

On a visit to Amphipolis, Gabrielle forces Xena to confront the two demons she fears most: explaining to her mother exactly what the relationship between her and Gabrielle is, and working for an evening in her mom's tavern. As the evening degenerates into one hilarious fiasco after another, Xena learns a newfound respect for her mother, and Gabrielle gets in touch with her 'dark side' as she discovers the answer to her question about tavern-keeping: "How hard can it be?"

A Howl-O-Ween Story  [Academy Halloween 2021]

In Flander's Fields, Revisited   [Academy Halloween 2016]

The 'Kimi' Quandry

Can an android be endowed with a soul? In a North American city a couple of centuries in the future,psychologist Amanda Livingston is hired to do just that, and discovers both the professional challenge and the love of her life.

Master Of The Sword   ebook version available

Xena and Gabrielle, on a visit to Potidaea, find Lila immersed in a dangerous liaison which draws them into politics and intrigue and may prove deadly not only to Gabrielle and Lila, but to Xena's redemption from her own dark past.

Mission Ridiculous   [Academy Must-Xe TV Challenge 2003]

Murder in the Old Town Cemetery   [Academy Halloween 2014]

The Phoenix

In this sci-fi original story, Julie endures the psychic tragedy of war, and discovers the indomitable ability of the human spirit to endure desolation and blossom anew when watered with hope and love.

The Last 20 Meters

This is a sequel to the sci-fi story The Phoenix, and takes place in the year AD 2274, two years after the first story. Our girls Julie and Tink have left war behind them, and must now face another daunting prospect: re-adjusting to a normal life on Earth. It's not absolutely necessary to read the first story before one reads this one, though it does help.

The Promise of the Rose   [Academy Valetine 2016]

The Resurrection Of Molly Footes

Shy, introverted Molly decides that her life is out of balance and calls upon her "spirit guide" for help to set things straight.  That's when the chaos really begins.

A Triumph Of Love   ebook version available

Orbiting their distant home-planet, space station-keeper Sara and shuttle pilot Jeni are in love. The kicker is that, in their country, their love is forbidden three ways: race, religion, and gender. What will they do when they're discovered and face the prospect of arrest?

The Magic Of The Solstice

In this sequel to A Triumph of Love, Sara and Jeni's first Solstice in Southern Breeze are full of surprises. In the midst of the social chaos on their planet, they redefine the meaning of "family" for each other in a most wonderful way.

A Sort Of Conqueror Saga

At nineteen, young Gabrielle is wild, defiant, willful, profane -- and sold into slavery. Brutalized and starving, she's bought by a vagabond warrior, and she begins the journey of a lifetime.

Star-Crossed Lovers   [Academy Valentines 2015]

The Strange Case of Charity Bartlett   [Academy Halloween 2015]

Undead Hippie Chicks Have All The Fun  [Academy Halloween 2020]

Vampyre!

A mysterious, beautiful woman with an astounding secret helps Van Helsing chase vampires in Victorian England.

Was That a Tooth Fairy, or Just Bad Acid?

Paperback writer Alice has a totally bizarre experience late one night, after her daughter loses a tooth and wishes for a visit from the tooth fairy.

The Vampire Diary of Courtney Van Camp

I�m Courtney, and here�s my diary. Read it and weep. And maybe you�ll laugh, too. Or maybe you�ll just say, �WTF?� And after you read it, maybe you won�t want to get bitten by a vampire.

You Have Mail   ebook version available

Sometimes, a great treasure lies hidden, patiently waiting to be noticed. For Charity, it was in the words, "You have mail." A little love story... or maybe just a story about love.

Mel And Janice Series   ebook



 version available

The Tomb

Mel and Janice (with a bit of help from their friends) discover and open the tomb of Xena and Gabrielle, but with a twist: unanswered questions are popping up all over, robbers attempt desecration of the tomb, a ghost (?) appears, and the God of War (who is really ticked off) is trying to wreak his vengance on them as they attempt to spirit the remains to Athens. After all, who better to figure out what finally happened to X and G than their twentieth-century alter egos, Mel and Jan?

Tears Of A Goddess

In this sequel to The Tomb, Melinda Pappas and Janice Covington are invited to France by their old friends Mack and Sallie, who have discovered a cache of priceless ancient documents, Gabrielle's previously unknown writings among them. Jan is confounded by the shocking content of the writings, and the mysterious specter which haunts her as she ponders their puzzle. The papers disappear and Jan is arrested for their theft.


As she languishes in a jail cell, Mel summons help from the shadowy depths of the postwar "intelligence" community. A motley collection of characters emerge to attempt Jan's rescue as Jan unravels the mystery of Gabrielle's latter days and the identity of the odd specter which visits her.

The Legacy Of Britannia

In this third of a series of Mel/ Jan stories (after The Tomb and The Tears Of A Goddess), Mel and Jan travel to England, where they join their old friend Mack in a frantic search for Sallie, who has disappeared while excavating the subterranean chambers of an ancient castle. They soon find themselves embroiled in a titanic struggle between good and evil as they strive to solve the mystery of Sallie's disappearance and lay bare the hidden secrets of the ancient fortress - secrets which are astounding even to Janice and Mel, and which further confirm the truth of the Xena Legends to a skeptical world.

A Bad Day In Algiers

In this fourth in a series of Mel and Jan stories (after The Tomb, The Tears Of A Goddess, and The Legacy Of Britannia), Jan Covington and Mel Pappas chase a stolen artifact to Algiers and find themselves pitted against none other than Ares, god of war, in a fight which threatens Jan's life, her reputation, and her love with Mel.

The Riddle Of Sappho's End

In this fifth in a series, Jan Covington and Mel Pappas seek out and excavate the legacy of the great poet Sappho, dealing with a jealous bureaucrat, tomb-robbers, a "curse", and one of the toughest riddles of their careers: just what caused Sappho's tragic end, and how were Xena and Gabrielle involved?

A Valentine's Day Story   [Academy Valentines 2004]

The Legend Of Ambrosia

In this seventh in a series, Mel and Jan reunite with their old friend Alais, go after the legend of ambrosia, and find themselves tangled in a web of ancient dangers as Jan discovers the final answer to a heartbreaking question that's plagued her for years.

Curse Of The Rhinegold

In this ninth installment of the Mel and Jan series, our two favorite girls travel to Europe to receive their Nobel Prize and search for the cursed Rhinegold, with unforseen and potentially tragic results.

The Aegean Mystery

While on an idyllic sailing vacation among the Greek islands, Mel and Jan (accompanied by their old friends Mack and Sallie) become involved in a search for stolen artifacts and find their lives in danger as they strive to unravel The Aegean Mystery.

The Treasure of the Amazons

An astounding discovery in an English archaeological dig propels Mel and Jan into danger and adventure as Jan teams with her ancestor, Gabrielle, in a frantic search for The Treasure of the Amazons and Mel's rescue from a grim fate

Anastasia's Destiny

A desperate secret from Mel's past thrusts her and Jan into a swirl of intrigue where present and past are blurred, dispossessed Greek gods thrive, and sinister intent abounds.

The Slow Dance of Love

This thirteenth story of the series chronicles Mel and Jan's very eventful first year together, in 1940-41 Greece. No angry gods, no creepy tombs, no irritating salesmen from New Jersey; just a story about two gals falling deeply in love amidst exciting archaeology and the chaos of war. .

A Mel and Jan Halloween Story   [Academy Halloween 2009]

A Conversation with Gabrielle

In a late-night conversation with Gabrielle, Jan learns of her 12th Century ancestor Wynnfrith: outlaw, huntress, smithy's apprentice, daughter of nobility, and the first to hold the Covington name.

A-Bomb; F-Bombs: Mel and Jan Cold War Story

Set in the year 1952, as the insanity of the Cold War ramps up, McCarthyism runs rampant, and the specter of nuclear annihilation hangs over the world. Mel and Jan meet their old nemesis, Stavros Palo (aka Ares) in the Greek islands, in a contest which could have dire consequences for the entire world.