Dragon Month at the WordWenches!

by Mary Jo

Welcome!  Since Jo and I are both in the just released Dragon Lovers anthology, along with Karen Harbaugh and Barbara Samuel, we decided that this shall be officially Dragon Month on the blog.  But don’t worry—it won’t be all dragons, all the time.  <G>  Not all Wenches are draconaphiles, being that we’re a diverse lot. 

All of the writers in DL will be here to talk about our stories, plus at the end of the month Jo will also interview Shana Abé, a most excellent writer of dragonish historicals.  (No less that two people said I had to read her Smoke Thief.  So I did. <g>)

Dragon Lovers should be hitting bookstores this weekend.  It’s a handsome trade paperback from NAL, and I will be giving a copy away to one of the people who comment on this post between now and midnight Saturday.  (But in the spirit of Mercury retrograde, the lucky winner will have to wait until I get my author’s copies!) 

The four of us in this anthology had done the Faery Magic collection several years ago, and it was tremendous fun creatively as we developed our world together.  Two stories were Georgian and two Regency, and little wisps from one story would touch another. 

This new anthology came about because we wanted to work together again.  Jo gets the credit—every now and then she’d suggest we do another anthology.  We’d kick around a few ideas—as I recall, ghosts were a possibility, and a medieval tourney—but nothing clicked until someone suggested dragons. (I forget who came up with the idea, except that it wasn’t me.) 

Click! All four of us were attending a lovely Ninc conference in Santa Fe, so one morning we went out to breakfast at a place that served blue corn pancakes, and laid our dragon plans.

In this anthology, the stories are all completely different and unrelated, and all the more fun for it.  Jo’s story, “The Dragon and the Virgin Princess,” develops an interesting fantasy world that really needs to be revisited in the future.  My “The Dragon and the Dark Knight” is a vaguely medieval Britain with a knight going off to slay a dragon, rescue a maiden, and win a great reward—until the tradition gets turned upside down.  Karen Harbaugh uses her Japanese heritage to spin a marvelously original tale, “Anna and the King of Dragons,” while Barbara Samuel’s “Dragon Feathers,” the only contemporary novella, is equally original.  As a reader, I just loved these stories! 

But then, I have a fondness for dragons.  I have several little dragons around my office, and a great Balinese dragon guards the entrance to my office. I was chatting with a habitué of this site and mentioned that Dragon Lovers would be out soon.  The habitué was pleased.  I mentioned that a dragon was really just a serpent with legs and she said, “EEEUUUWWWW, don’t go there!” It’s amazing what a difference legs make.  <G>

I don’t remember where I originally got the idea for “The Dragon and the Dark Knight,” but it was in the back of my mind for a long time, and belongs to my favorite class of ideas: a subversion of a traditional story.  I filed it on the mental shelf called “fantasy ideas” for years.  I used a Komodo dragon in my historical, The Bartered Bride, but it wasn't like having a real dragon. 

Even when I started writing novels with fantasy elements, my dragon story idea just wasn’t big enough for a whole novel.  So when this anthology concept was proposed, I was delighted.  My idea was novella sized, and finally I had a home for  my contrarian dragon! 

Karen Harbaugh built a website four our projects:  http://fourinspired.com/  We will be doing any more anthologies in the future?  Stay tuned….

This fine dragon and cat was drawn by an artist friend of Jo’s, Stephanie Ann Johanson.  For more of her work: http://www.neo-opsis.ca/art  My thanks to her letting me using this bemused kitty!

Mary Jo, wishing you all dragon days and dreamy knights

Comments

[Meghan]

That's a *gorgeous* cover. Is it me, or have covers, in general, gotten to be more...polished/sophisticated/artistic/clever/whatnot in the past five years than, say, they were in the 80s? I exclude Georgette Heyer novels from this query, because every edition I've ever seen...has had a wonderful quality to the cover. I actually like the older ones better, in that regard. Which brings me to a completely unrelated question:

I know y'all have already addressed cover art, but what about the back-cover blurbs? Who writes those and when are they written? From the proposal? Or the finished product? Are certain styles of blurbs preferred over others (summaries versus tantalizing BOLD words with concepts underneath, etc.)?

[Susan Wilbanks]

The anthology sounds like so much fun! I'm looking forward to reading it.

Has anyone else read Jo Walton's TOOTH AND CLAW (a drawing room story of manners, only all the characters are dragons obsessed with building strength and social position) or Naomi Novik's Temeraire series? I love the latter so much that while I haven't *quite* taken to buttonholing strangers in the street and asking them if they've accepted Temeraire as their personal dragon, I've come close.

[Teresa Warner]

Good luck on the release and I'm looking forward to reading the book. It sounds like it's going to be fun around here this month!

[Maggie Robinson]

I'm almost finished with Fairy Magic and look forward to another collaboration. I loved Abe's Smoke Thief---not my usual kind of read, but she made it very compelling. Can't wait for her interview.We've missed January 16, which is "Appreciate a Dragon" Day, but I suppose any day is just fine!

[Nina P]

Dragons! I've always had a special place in my heart for dragons. They seem so misunderstood, poor things. I know it's hard to snuggle up with scales and wake to morning sulfur breath, but give 'em a try. Under all that fire and smoke they just want to be loved. Rub their bellies... you'll see. :-)

the littlest wenchling, looking forward to a month of dragons

[Kathy Kremer]

I've loved the Dragons of Pern (Anne McCaffrey) for years. I look forward to reading this new work.

[piper]

Dragons of Pern, Dragons owned by Sybil (ankh morpork), I love them both....it certainly sounds better than personal demons, doesn't it?

[Gretchen F]

I love J.K. Rowling's take on dragons- different breeds in different geographical areas,like birds-and wizard scientists who study them. I also loved the episode in C.S. Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader where Eustace becomes a dragon by sleeping on dragon treasure and having "dragonish" thoughts. Dragons lend themselves so well to allegory. I look forward to reading Dragon Lovers!

[Janga]

Like Maggie, I thought The Smoke Thief was a wonderful read, although I would never have read it if so many people whose opinions I respect hadn't praised it so highly. Most of my favorite dragons are from children's literarture. I agree that Lewis's Eutace story is a delight, Gretchen. Others I love are Bruce Coville's Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher,Rosemary Sutcliffe's The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup, and especially Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

I am on my second copy of Faery Magic, having read the first to pieces. I am looking forward to Dragon Lovers.

[Elaine McCarthy]

I never went much for dragons until I found both Temeraire (the first book especially... one of the sweetest love stories ever!) and the dragons in Patricia Briggs' books. OK, they CAN have charm, scales and all. I love it that writers of romance are spreading their wings (oy!) into wider realms; can't wait to read this anthology!

[RevMelinda]

I am completely thrilled by the news that Shana Abe will be here! Both her dragonish books have been captivating and I'm on tenterhooks waiting for the third. I've been a lover of dragons for a long time, mostly because of Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. There's a spot on my bookshelf ready for Dragon Lovers (as soon as I can get my hands on it, LOL)--four great writers and dragons, an irresistible combination!

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Meghan--you're right, covers have become more sophisticated. And your question on blurbs is such a good one that you need to send it to the Whipster to put on the WW question list! I'm sure that a Wench will want to give you a full-fledged answer.

There are some GREAT fictional dragons out there, and that most certainly includes Pern and Temeraire.

Would dragons be even more popular if they were covered by fur, like a cat? :)

Mary Jo

[Jaclyne Laurin]

My household is home to several dragons. My eldest son is facinated by them. Mega Blocks has a Dragon theme sets and we have most of them. My son's also read everything he could get his hands on relating to dragons.

His favourite books are those by Tamora Pierce, Anne McCaffrey and especially Christopher Paolini of the Eragon fame. He's now awaiting the third installment of the Eragon trilogy, but in the meantime he's been re-reading both it and it's sequal Eldest.

I purchased Faery Magic and really enjoyed reading it. I have since lent it out for my friends to read. I'll be sure to go out and get Dragon Lovers (unless I'm the happy winner!) and immerse myself in the fantasy.

[Nina P]

MJ asked... "Would dragons be even more popular if they were covered by fur, like a cat? :)"

Maybe... but it would make for some mighty big hairballs. :-)

[Wendy Betts]

Do I have to say something intelligent to have a chance to win? :-)

Uh... yeah, pretty covers!

[Maureen]

Congratulations on your anthology. The cover is beautiful. You answered a question I've wondered about, whether you purposefully make a story fit the novella size or you have a story that is a novella and then you wait for it to be needed.

[Lois]

Ooh, dragons. . . you know, my favorite dragon when he talks, sounds remarkably like Sean Connery. Just love that. ;)

Lois

[Julie]

I've kind of gotten away from reading romance novels lately, but I will definitely have to read Dragon Lovers.

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Nina--LOL about the dragon sized hairballs! Now that would a scary sight. :)

Wendy, you don't have to say anything intelligent. :) We just like to winkle out the lurkers now and then, and there's nothing like a free book to get a little attention.

Maureen, some story ideas are best at one length, others can be expanded or compressed. A friend of mine wrote a short story that she later expanded to a full length Harlequin. But that can't be done with all plot lines.

Lois, is that the movie where Sean Connery played the last dragon? I wasn't wild about Dennis Quaid slaughter so many other dragons, but Connery was born to be a dragon. :)

[Melissa]

Dragons are so cool, they have a whole sci-fi convention named after them in Atlanta each year. :> I have a brown one I bought there that guards my desk at work, and a tiny green glass dragon that sits on my computer monitor at home.

I just /happen/ to have a Barnes and Noble coupon, and now I know what to spend it on. Thanks for the tip!

[RevMelinda]

"Delurking"--great word. Every time I hear it I see in my mind's eye a Romulan battle cruiser "decloaking" and hear a dramatic brass fanfare!

[Sarah]

I am looking forward to Dragon Lovers and was very impressed that Anne McCaffrey wrote a blurb for the book. To the list of dragon books mentioned above I would add Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Rede -- the first one is particularly good.

[Barbara Elness]

The new anthology sounds great, I can't wait to read it. I've always loved dragon stories. I have Shana Abe's The Smoke Thief on my to be read pile, now I'll have to put it on the top! I have a Barnes & Noble gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket, so I guess I'm going shopping very soon.

[Sharon]

Can't wait to get a copy of Dragon Lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed Faery Magic and know the 4 of you will supply more fun this time.