Publishing November 25, 2025 | Paperback and ebook | 300 pages
"It is fated that someday, a hero will be born, and he will traverse the continent to assemble the twelve keys and gather our people once more."
For the Jesimi people, hope is everything. Centuries ago, their people were separated and forced out of their homeland, Avaria, by Xhartana and now live in exile. They can only worship their god, El, in secret and are forbidden from using their magic gifts. Their only hope is the arrival of the chosen one foretold to bring their people back together.
Adam is just a normal Jesimi kid, apprenticing as a preserver and trying not to get in the way of any angry Xhartana soldiers. At least, that's what he thinks-until his life changes forever when he finds a letter from his mother claiming that he is the chosen one meant to reunite his people and save them from Xhartanian rule, once and for all. To complete his quest, he must venture to the twelve Jesimi villages and collect an enchanted key from each. When combined, they will give him the strength to earn his people's freedom. There are just a few problems-he has no training, no idea how to find the keys, and no knowledge of how to use his newfound magic.
Jennifer Paller Girard wrote Next Year in Avaria in a twenty-day period during the last months of her life while fighting the symptoms of several debilitating diseases. Her inspiration for writing the book was the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Her hope was that the story would lift the spirits of the affected families and those who support Israel.
Jennifer was born in Vail, Colorado, and lived in Eagle, Colorado, most of her life. After receiving a doctorate in behavioral health from Arizona State University, she embarked on a career of helping people, including orphans in Vietnam, the homeless in Denver, cystic fibrosis patients in Children's Hospital Colorado, and many clients in her private counseling business. One of her favorite passions was travel. She visited forty-seven countries on six continents.
This was her final message in her own words: "I may be thirty-eight, but I lived the life of someone twice my age. I wouldn't change it for anything. I mean, except the becoming incurably, chronically ill. Thank you to everyone who touched my life in some way or taught me some kind of lesson. Live big, and don't waste a moment-I didn't. Bring our hostages home. Keep fighting for the Jewish people. You are loved." -Jenn