Flying With Dragons

Happy Thursday All,

We're almost near the end of the books I got for Christmas...however I still have today's and then one more (although the last one will probably be in one of next week's posts).

I haven't seen a lot in YA, or Romance (I could be wrong, but it's not been my experience). But what I have read of dragons in YA and Romance, I've really liked.

After reading Sophie Jordan's Firelight and finding out there was a sequel, I knew I'd want to read it. I put Vanish on my wish list for Christmas and figured if I didn't get it I'd pick a copy up, myself. I was delighted to receive it from my sister (the one who gave me the really awesome lion ornament, which holds a particular significance for me, and I still need to take a picture of it!)

Believe me, Vanish did not disappoint! If you haven't read Firelight, I strongly recommend you do that before reading Vanish.


Jacinda finds herself back among her own kind (the draki--people who can turn themselves into dragons). Unfortunately, after she had "manifested" in front of humans (showed them her dragon side)--and not just any humans...but hunters, the pride isn't exactly the most friendly bunch to her.

Despite the pride's general feelings, Cassain, Jacinda's sister, and Jacinda's mother, stand by her.

Originally I was unsure about Cassain, but in the sequel I got the feeling he really did care for Jacinda. That it wasn't just because she was a fire breather (a rare quality) but because of who she is.

Yet, despite all his attention, Jacinda can't forget the human/hunter, Will. A young man she fell in love with, a young man definitely in love with her and who promised he'd find her again.

Can Jacinda prove herself to the pride and forget Will...or will her heart betray her?

You can pick up a copy of Firelight and/or Vanish from Amazon and/or Amazon Kindle as well as on Barnes & Noble and/or Barnes & Noble Nook.

I should've shared this information a long time ago (and most of all whenever I talked about an e-book) and I'm sorry I haven't.  Let me remedy that immediately:

Don't have an E-Reader?

No problem!

You can download for free on to computer: 

Click here for Barnes & Noble Nook on computer (includes information on Nook for other devices as well)

Click here for Amazon Kindle on computer (includes information on Kindle for other devices as well).

Have A Tantalizing Thursday!

Dragons!

Happy Thursday Everyone,

Wednesday evening I finished reading Firelight by Sophie Jordan, which center around a type of dragon.

Speaking of dragons, I've found out Ciara Gold just put out a new novel. Dragon King is now available on Kindle. (It's got a gorgeous cover, by the way).

Firelight was an interesting YA novel. It was based on the idea of Draki--a type of dragon shifter. They can shift into human shape (which they generally keep unless threatened or under the cover of night). Their main enemy are the hunters, who hunt them for their blood (which has incredible healing powers for humans), their ability to find jewels, and their skins. Jacinda comes face to face with a young hunter near her age one day when she's disobeying her pride when she "manifests" (as their shape shifting is called) into their dragon form and the hunters ambush them. The young hunter (whom she finds out is named Will) lets Jacinda go, but she never forgets him. 

Her mother is worried about the pride's plans for Jacinda--because she can breath fire (a rarity) they want to mate her with the Alpha's son, Cassian. Fleeing the pride, Jacinda's mother takes her and Tamra (Jacinda's twin sister) out of the protective mists right into the desert amid the humans. Hoping the desert will make Jacinda's draki disappear (the mother got hers to die when she stayed there and Tamra has never manifested), she figures Jacinda will be safe from the pride's plans and they can lead a "normal" life.

Jacinda finds out Will attends the high school she and Tamra are enrolled in. Sparks fly and there's an undeniable Romeo & Juliet type attraction between them.

Unfortunately, danger looms in the form of Will's cousin, Xander and Cassian's surprise appearance in the town. In order to save Will from Cassian, Jacinda manifests. Too bad it's right in front of Xander, which puts herself, Tamra, and her mother in danger.

This first book in the series is an imaginative ride, told in first person, present tense (which doesn't interfere with the story...that type of format means all the action is immediate--happening right at that moment). I'm looking forward to the next one, Vanish, which is due to release in September of this year. It'll be interesting to see what happens next.

Have A Tantalizing Thursday!

Spotlight On Author: Ciara Gold

Happy Friday All,

I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I've been editing and writing and reading and family life...so it's been busy on my end.

However, I am happy to introduce to you a friend of mine, and commenter on this blog, Ciara Gold.

Ciara writes everything from Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance to Fantasy to Historical. She's got quite the imagination (loved the idea of dragons--don't know it is, but sometimes dragons fascinate me).

I've read one of her Sci-Fi Fantasy Romances called Celestial Dragon (which has dragons in it for all you dragon lovers).

Anyway, without further ado I give you...Ciara Gold!

Me: In Celestial Dragon you mixed Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Romance together, what made you decide to do that?

Ciara: Good question. Is "dunno" a valid answer? Seriously, I was pressed for time and after cutting my writing teeth on a historical western, I wanted to write something where I wasn't constrained by facts. While I did do some research, I wasn't bogged down in extensive research. With "Celestial Dragon", I could use my imagination to build the worlds, the societies, etc.



Me:  Most of your books are ebooks, what novels aside from Celestial Dragon will be available in regular print?

Ciara: The sequel to "Celestial Dragon", "A Noble Sacrifice" and a historical western, "Once Jilted" are available in regular print. The rest of my books are available in print as PODs.


Me:  For Fun: Since I know you're into art, who's a favorite artist of yours and why?

Ciara: I adore Salvador Dali's work. Surrealism speaks to my warped imagination and often inspires some of my scenery.


Me:  I read about how you ended up with Champagne Books. Could you tell us more about them?

Ciara: I signed on when they were brand new on a recommendation from a fellow writer. I must be happy as all my books are published through them. The owner, J. Ellen Smith, is professional in her dealings with all her authors, but she's also approachable. My edits are done in a timely manner and the cover art is some of the best I've seen. They're based out of Canada.


Me: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Ciara: Publishing is not for the faint of heart. It takes discipline, determination, dedication and vision. While waiting for acceptance of your submission, continue to hone your craft and familiarize yourself with the industry. Joining writer's organizations is highly suggested. The friendships and support from groups like RWA and Epic are worth their weight in gold.


Me: What part of the writing process do you most like?

Ciara: I love listening to my characters carry on conversations in my head. I also love layering stories, weaving in those subtle story lines that help pull it all together in the end. To me it's like a giant puzzle.


Me: For Fun: What's your favorite color?

Ciara:  Red-violet.

Me: What do you most enjoy writing? Your Historicals or the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance?

Ciara: That's a hard one to answer. I love writing best whatever I'm working on at the time. Right now, I just finished edits on a Victorian fantasy and I'm in love with the hero. But while working on "The Keeper of Moon Haven", I kept getting visions of a western, so .... might be working on another historical soon.

Me: When's your next release?

Ciara: "The Keeper of Moon Haven" releases this December and I'm very excited about this one. I'm already working on a sequel for it. And the cover by far is one of my favorites to date.


Me: Anything else you'd like to add?

Ciara:  Just a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to visit today. Thanks so much for wonderful questions and the opportunity to chat about my work. For any that are interested, I post all first chapters on my website so folks can "test drive" the book first. Come visit me at www.ciaragold.com

Thanks, Ciara! It was fun getting to know you better and I wish you the best with the release of The Keeper Of Moon Haven

Pretty isn't it? If you click on the picture it'll take you to a blurb about the book so you can learn more about Ciara's December release :-)

Have A Fairy-Tale Fantasy Friday!

Fire Breathing

Morning Folks,

Wow. I didn't realize how popular dragons actually were until I reported on the Jennifer Scales series by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi. (Click here to go to the official website of the series) yesterday.

So I thought we'd go ahead and talk more about dragons today.

I am actually writing a story involving dragons. I found out some interesting things about dragons clicking on Wikipedia (I looked up Japanese Dragons).

I found out some other interesting things, as well...

In Asian cultures (at least in Chinese and Japanese legends) the dragon was revered as a deity. Generally something of good fortune. (Maybe I had a clue about that, but I don't know for sure).

Another interesting thing you can find on this Wikipedia article is that dragons with 5 claws were imperial dragons (if you didn't know that, now you do :-) )

I saw a glimpse of this whole imperial 5-clawed dragon beliefs in Cameron Dokey's Wild Orchid: A Retelling Of The Ballad Of Mulan, where she describes the Emperor being the only one allowed to display the 5-clawed dragon. (Another good book, but not completely about dragons).

Makes me wonder where and why 5 claws on a dragon came to denote royalty or a high deity. Maybe it has to do with having more power, or showing a caste system. (As in my story, the number of claws the dragon has denotes where in the caste system a person is--5 claws being the royal family, 4 claws nobles, 3 claws those below them and 2 claws common people or servants).

Most stories seem to agree that dragons are generally of the serpent persuasion, thus, reptilian, although in MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi's books the dragon are more closer related to birds--like the dinosaurs.

It's pretty cool how dragons have so many options, which means if you're writing a dragon story your imagination has several options...pretty cool, huh?

What do you know about dragons? Are you writing a story with dragons?

Have A Thrilling Thursday!