Dragonfriend
(Dragonfriend #1)
by Marc Secchia
Release Date:
04/11/15
420 pages
Summary from
Goodreads:
Stabbed. Burned by a dragon. Abandoned for the
windrocs to pick over. The traitor Ra’aba tried to silence Hualiama forever.
But he reckoned without the strength of a dragonet’s paw, and the courage of a
girl who refused to die.
Only an
extraordinary friendship will save Hualiama’s beloved kingdom of Fra’anior and
restore the King to the Onyx Throne. Flicker, the valiant dragonet. Hualiama, a
foundling, adopted into the royal family. The power of a friendship which paid
the ultimate price.
This is the tale of Hualiama Dragonfriend, and a love which became legend.
*Series Note*
Dragonfriend is a stand-alone YA fantasy novel which is set in the same world as the bestselling dragon adventure series Shapeshifter Dragons and Shapeshifter Dragon Legends. It can be read in any order alongside Aranya, Shadow Dragon and The Pygmy Dragon.
This is the tale of Hualiama Dragonfriend, and a love which became legend.
*Series Note*
Dragonfriend is a stand-alone YA fantasy novel which is set in the same world as the bestselling dragon adventure series Shapeshifter Dragons and Shapeshifter Dragon Legends. It can be read in any order alongside Aranya, Shadow Dragon and The Pygmy Dragon.
Teaser Quotes
Teaser 1
When a woman loves a dragon, that love will
change the world.
Teaser 2
“Run.” The Dragon made a shooing motion
with his forepaw. “Go on. It’s more amusing for me.”
Buy Links:
Excerpt
The Roc lifted her five feet and two inches frame with ease. As he manhandled her toward the safety railing which lined the gantry beneath the Dragonship’s hundred-and-fifty-foot hydrogen balloon, Lia saw the unmistakable profile of Ha’athior Island’s double volcanic cone abaft their starboard beam. Ahead and several miles below lay a tiny side-volcano, nestled against its parent like a Dragon hatchling taking comfort against an enormous mother’s flank. After that? Crimson-tinged Cloudlands lapped unbroken from the Islands to the horizon’s skirts, a deathly carpet clothed in immeasurable, brooding majesty.
Strange. She had always wanted to
experience Dragon flight.
The touch of cool metal against her back
provoked a sudden, final outpouring of strength. Reaching behind her, Hualiama
caught her long braid in her fingertips.
“Any birthday wishes, little Lia?” chuckled
Captain Ra’aba.
“Rot in–” she inhaled sharply, choking on
blood “–a Cloudlands hell.” Reaching up, Lia jabbed her three-inch long,
razor-sharp hairpin into his windpipe, several inches below his left jawbone.
He wheezed, “You …”
As Ra’aba recoiled, the flailing of his
arms tumbled her over the edge. Lia screamed endlessly as she fell through the
ruddy beams of a perfect Fra’aniorian suns-set.
About the
Author
Marc is the bestselling author of 12 fantasy novels. Aranya and The Pygmy Dragon are full of dragons, battles and romance, and are set in a unique island-world above the toxic cloudlands. He's also the author of a bestselling African historical fantasy series set in ancient Ethiopia.
Marc is the bestselling author of 12 fantasy novels. Aranya and The Pygmy Dragon are full of dragons, battles and romance, and are set in a unique island-world above the toxic cloudlands. He's also the author of a bestselling African historical fantasy series set in ancient Ethiopia.
Current projects: Dragonlove, the sequel to Dragonfriend, and the sequel to The Pygmy Dragon are being drafted.
Marc was born Cape Town but now lives and works in Ethiopia with his wife and 4 children, 2 dogs, and a variable number of marabou storks that roost on the acacia trees out back. On a good night there are also hyenas prowling along the back fence.
When he’s not writing about Africa or dreaming about dragons flying across the moon, Marc can be found travelling to remote locations. He thinks there’s nothing better than standing on a mountaintop wondering what lies over the next horizon.
Author Links:
Author interview questions:
1. Tell me about the books you’ve
written?
My books can be broadly split into two
categories – epic fantasy and African historical fantasy. I’ve written 12
fantasy novels – 5 African fantasy novels for Middle Grades readers which are
set in ancient Ethiopia, 4 dragon fantasy novels (and counting), one ocean
fantasy, and two standalone epic fantasy works. A number of these are
bestsellers on Amazon. I love writing and try to produce a new work every 3-4
months or so.
My work in progress is Dragonlove which I
hope to release by the end of July 2015.
2. What’s your writing
schedule like?
I aim to complete 2,000 words per day.
Usually I get up at 5am and write until 8am, every morning. Once every 10 days
or so I write through the night. My record (while completing The Pygmy Dragon)
was 25,000 words in one night. Productive! I will edit a book multiple times
while I’m writing it, and then do at least 3 complete run-through’s of editing
before releasing a book to my Beta Readers.
1. Give me your secret
playlist for writing fantasy books?
No big secrets here. Dragonfriend was
written primarily to three soundtracks:
Tron Legacy – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYJBcr1LDg4
moody, beautiful, brilliant
Hammerfall – for when I feel the need to
write a battle scene, no, I’m not a metalhead, but there’s just something about
this band I gel with when I’m throwing fireballs about the page and blowing
things up.
Queen – It's a Kind of Magic – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p_1QSUsbsM
when I’m about to pull a crazy plot twist on my readers …
1. What would you say are
your top fantasy/sci-fi writer or series influences?
My early influences were hard science
fiction writers such as Isaac Asimov, Ben Bova, Carl Sagan and Piers Anthony,
combined with my love of historical fiction, particularly James A. Mitchener.
But my true love has always been fantasy.
Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern has always
inspired me with the courage of her characters, sometimes in the face of great
odds – she’s my all-time favourite writer, and a master world-builder who I
aspire to emulate. LOTR is the motherlode, setting the standard for rich
background and historical detail, world building and a great storyline that
pitches good against evil in an epic battle. In epic fantasy, Terry Brooks is
awesome. I fell in love with his Sword of Shannara series and I think he’s a
writer of great craft. I enjoy Robert Jordan for the enormous sweep of his
tales and the meticulous crafting that goes into his work.
These are all ‘classic’ influences. I
should mention George R.R. Martin, James Maxwell, Terry Goodkind, and Robin
Hobb, and I have been known to spend hours chortling over a Terry Pratchett
Discworld novel. There are some great novels out there and not enough hours in
the day to enjoy them all!
1. Where do you get your
ideas?
A number of my stories have started with a
dream, such as Aranya and The Legend of El Shashi. I write down a
synopsis of the dream the following morning. Similarly, for story ideas, I now
write down a synopsis or jot down ideas in mindmap format, exploring related
ideas or themes or characters I wish to use. I keep a file of all my ideas for
stories and mine it periodically for inspiration.
The Shioni
of Sheba series was inspired by a visit to the Simien Mountains of
Ethiopia, and The Girl who Sang with
Whales found inspiration in the song ‘Indescribable’ by Chris Tomlin. I
never quite know when the next idea is going to strike … and I’ve far more
ideas than I could possibly turn into novels at this point.
2. You’ve started lots of
series. When are you going to finish them?
Yes, and it’s my own fault. Thankfully, I
can produce quickly when I get my head down. I am currently finishing
Dragonlove, the sequel to Dragonfriend, which I hope to have ready within the
next six weeks or so. I’ve also started drafting Dragon Thief and the sequel to
The Pygmy Dragon.
In all, I have the following novels
planned:
Aranya and Shadow
Dragon, part #3 planned for late 2015
The Pygmy Dragon,
part #2 planned for autumn 2015
The Girl who Sang
with Whales, part #2 planned for 2016
Dragonfriend (the
sequel will be Dragonlove, planned for end of July 2015)
Dragon Thief
(work in progress) – planned for August 2015
Book Tour Organized by:
No comments :
Post a Comment