Bentwhistle - Dragon or Human?

I would like to introduce Paul Cude!

Paul was one of the first author's I connected with as I was learning how to negotiate Twitter. His concept for dragons is unique and caught my eye immediately. I was pleased when he accepted my offer to post an interview with him on my blog.

So Paul, when did you decide to become a writer/where did the passion for writing start?

I can remember having a distinct passion for writing around the age of nine or ten. I used to be glued to comic books, and let my love and imagination for the Star Wars universe, then quite new, run away with me. But it was at about that time that I found my love of hockey, and so from then onwards all I ever wanted to do was chase the stupid ball about with the stick as part of a team - much as I still do now, despite my age.

Mistletoe Kisses & Christmas Wishes: An Interview with the authors!

Welcome to my author spotlight. I believe that publicity is cooperation not competition. After all, when you get done with a book, you need a new one. In that light, here is my interview with Tamara Ferguson and Allyson Abbott. I hope you will take the time to check them out along with the Blue Dragon's Geas Series. I am still in the process of the final story of the series. Allyson and Tamara have great reads for you in the meantime.

myBook.to/MistletoeKisses

First Flight! Reader's Challenge to the Writer.

Brooke Smith

1. Naive, upbeat, young bird-person
2. Mt. Doom!
3. Coming-of-age task: find and complete a quest/adventure
4. Magic bottle of never-ending ale

(Brooke, this one is just cruel)

Harpy by CrystalCurtisArt on DeviantArt

Merador had been hatched almost one hundred years after the explosion of Orodruin.  The land had been returned to the slaves after the volcano had exploded into a fiery cascade of ash, lava, and burning embers.  Merador had been taught the ancient histories.  He knew that the land had been desolate before the explosion.  But even so, he would sometimes come across a strand of small trees that all lay in a blackened tale of the force the mountain had sustained, their corpses all pointing away from the mountain.

The Black Dragon

Black Dragon by sandara on DeviantArt

I have come across research that black dragons are evil, mean and extremely cunning.  This has not been my experience.   They are cunning, make no bones about that.  They will lash out at anything that moves if they are hungry.  This unfortunately has led to the death of clutch mates if the mother is not present at the hatching.

It can't be easy being a creature that breathes acid.  It wears at their face scales, creating a pocked mark face and often it can look as if their face scales are peeling back.  In addition, the elements they need to eat to create their breath weapon are often found in swamps and murky places.  I doubt you would be in a good mood if you had to live in such a dismal and forlorn place. 

Strange Things Writers Research

Today, I am researching hurricanes and specifically storm surges.  What kind of an effect would a storm surge have on the trench.  Could it reach the tiers?  What would happen to the people who were caught in its wake.  What if a tidal bore were occurring at the same time?  I love being a writer.  I learn such fascinating things.

Dragons in Combat!

Dragons have been interviewed, photographed and drawn in so many of their elements. In combat has to be the most dangerous dragon form to observe. The chance of being caught in breath weapon overshoots is but one of the risks. Today, I will share with you all that I have learned. I hope that other dragonologists will add their own observations of the dragons they have had the privilege to study.

A Dragon on the ground is just as deadly as in the air.

Interview with Zachary Michael

Recently, Pseudo-dragon released on audio book.  The narrator, Zachary Michael did an outstanding job on the piece.  Here is a little bit of behind the scenes with Zachary. You can here an audio sample Here:  Pseudo-Dragon

https://www.facebook.com/ZacharysVoice/

1. What made you decide to become an audiobook narrator? 
Honestly, it was being told enough times that I should "be on the radio" or "do voice acting" while working on the phone at my office job that I finally looked into it and pursued it!

Wisdom of the Elder Dragon

Storm Surge by bladebandit on DeviantArt

"Do you think power comes without a price?  Corruption of your power is a risk you take every day.  It is a divine gift and not to be squandered on conquest or manipulation of events just so that you can one day sit in power.  How many more must die so that you may ... remove your Uncle.  Kill him and be done with it." 

Pruatra to Alador - Blue Dragon in the Fallen Tiers, The Blue Dragon's Geas.  To be released in Winter of 2016

Excitement at the Dragons' Geas House!

Pseudo-Dragon recently released on audio.  Zachary Michael did an exceptional job bringing out the booming resonation of the dragon voices.   I will have an interview up by him very soon.  He is previewing the questions even as I write.  I am excited to work with him and he will be doing the final release for the series.

Available on I-tunes, Amazon and Audible

For those that are unfamiliar, this is book four in the series.  Here is the publisher's summary.

Guidance to a Young Dragon!

Menace of the Ice Cavern by Isvoc on DeviantArt

"Don't confuse poor decisions with your destiny, Nightmare.  Own your errors and learn from them.  Let them empower your destiny, not sway you from it."

Lady Morana

Kids Need Fantasy and Creativity in their lives.

I am a firm believer that imagination is a very important part of child development.  Fantasy, pretend play and creativity are linked to adult abilities.  In this day and age, our children don't get as much of this.  As a parent and now a grandparent, I have always built this into the way I interact with children.

I came across this article, I am quoting a part of it and linking the full article for your use and reading pleasure.  It really supports my personal perspective and goes on to explain ways to expand your child's imagination.

You Can Read All My Books for Free - Sign up for Kindle Unlimited

Fantasy Illustration Blog by Cynthia Sheppard: What I've been up to lately

Great Blog.   I love seeing other people's fantasy art.



Fantasy Illustration Blog by Cynthia Sheppard: What I've been up to lately: Since my last post in May, life has been crazy busy, both in the studio and the office, cooking up all sorts of crazy schemes, plots, and pi...

Do’s and Don’t for Dragonologists

It is imperative that those seeking to interact with dragons follow certain guidelines and wisdoms. We will try to organize these into topics as we gain more insight but here is the basic guidelines for now. You can learn more about dragons at dragonologists.com.

Cover of Pseudo-Dragon

Do’s and Don’t for Dragonologists

Don’t mess with a dragon’s meal.
Don’t steal from their hoard.
Don’t lie to a dragon.

You Cannot be a Hero and Love - Dragon Wisdom

Dragon Poachers by JonasDeRo on DeviantArt

"What am I to do?"  Alador paced back and forth with the force of his emotional distress.

"I do not know."  Keensight admitted softly.  "I know that you must choose your path.  I do know that those that play hero to the world, I know that they eventually lose everything they love or die in their efforts."

I Don't See it As Amazing?

Mia and I recovering

Repeatedly over the last year I have been told that I am strong and amazing.  Oddly, I don't see myself that way.  I see myself as doing what must be done to live, to write and to have shelter.   As I look back over the year, I see triumph over struggles, but it doesn't seem all that miraculous to me. It was just what I needed to do to live.

I was asked to write out what a typical day for me was like in the last year.  I will write up two because it was either one or the other.   I was either chemo sick or traveling.  I know that my fans have been crazy for the next book and my publicist suggested I share these two schedules to create an understanding.  

A Writer's Secret Life

By Photographer: Caroline Rogers, U.S. Geological Survey [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I joke with my friends that I hope a crime is never committed in which I am a suspect.  As a writer, when you hit something you do not have first hand knowledge of, you look it up.  Now, in this day and age there is a record of everything that you have looked up even if you clear your browser cache.  Only the top notch IT person knows how to really get that off your computer.  

Wisdom of the Elder Dragon - Instincts

Dragon Raid (HTTYD2 webnovel ch18) by inhonoredglory on DeviantArt

Keensight looked at Alador with cold scrutiny.  "You have got to learn to trust your instincts. You absorbed much knowledge quickly.  Those internal warnings are the things you have learned in life that lie just beneath the surface of your consciousness."

Prologue From Soon to Release: Fallen Tiers

Here is a tidbit from the upcoming novel: Fallen Tiers - Book 5 of The Blue Dragon's Geas

Art by Rebecca Hunt

Jon nodded to the acolyte that took the reins of his lexital.  His robes were gray from the dust of travel and his hair unkempt.  It was not this that drew the eyes of everyone in the stable yard, it was the little black dragon curled tightly around his neck.  The thin whip of a tail looked more like a choker tight against the mage’s throat.

He looked around in amazement.  He knew of this temple, all death mages did.  But, this was more than he had imagined.  It was fashioned similarly to the tiers, the levels though were not as distinct and black spires rose up here and there.  Where Silverport was built of white glistening stone, the temple was represented in black.  Where he stood now was in a courtyard outside the main wall of the temple.

The death mage’s eyes traveled up to see cave openings lining the far off cliff walls.  How many dragons had the High Priestess managed to gather?  If they were all full, it was a concern he would have to relay to Alador.  He cast a clean spell absently as he continued to take in the breath-taking view.

His eyes caught the far off movement of three dragons flying together.  They looped in and out of one another before making some far off diving run.  As they dropped down, he lost sight of them.  Their choreography in flight had been amazing.  He stroked Nightmare’s small muzzle bringing a soft sigh from the hatchling.

Picking Your First Human as a Pet!

Reader's Challenge
Aurora Shields
A cocky and burly man (think Gaston from Beauty and the Beast), in a pet store, being confronted by the choice between five different puppies, and a stuffed sheep the size of a cow.



Zedric was walking down a side street in Crinkletop to avoid the crowds of the day. The market was bustling and so full of people that one could barely managed to maneuver their way through the square. It was cooler here and definitely quieter. He wasn't worried about foot-pads lurking about. Most would be bumping into people in the market square. Added to that, Zedric was not a small man rising up over six feet. Most people stayed out of his way due to his size and carriage.

As he was passing down the side street, about to turn back onto a larger road through the city, he saw an old shop. He was fairly certain he had been down this street before, but Zedrick could not recall such a shop being there.  It's windows were of an inferior reddened glass and the framework of the building suggested it was one of the original structures in Crinkletop. Above the shop door, an old wooden sign showed a dog and a cat.

Curious, he opened the door and went in. It smelled much like a barn would smell and the sounds of birds chirping and other rustling filled the air with a mishmash of bird song that oddly was soothing as they came together. Zedric closed the door and looked around for the shop-keep. The store seemed unmanned and the shelves dusty as if no one had tended the shop for some time.

The sound of whimpering drew his attention and he moved carefully through the narrow walk between shelves to the window. There in a large wooden box was the strangest little pup he had ever seen.

"Well hello, what have we here?"  He smiled, picking up the small bundle of orange fur.  Its face had rings of black moving outwards from its eyes.  Strange markings ran up its nose, almost like ancient symbols.  Its little feet were black and it had a small white tuft under its chin.

Spirit fox -Handcrafted- Rhiannon Woolf by RhiannonWoolf on DeviantArt

Review of In the Nick of Time

In the Nick of Time by Robin Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Timeless Message Which Man Continues to Forget

Robin's unique style of writing mirrors well with my preferred view points. The glossary at the end, enlightens and expands my understanding of small cultural phrases. Extremely helpful for those of us in a different country where the local idioms are unknown.

The perplexity of mankind is that constant need to be in control of things beyond our personal spheres of influence. Evil, for the sake of evil, has always been about the ability of those with power to exert that power as they choose without consequence. It doesn't matter the genre, when evil is taken up with a professional hand, the sordid truth of its indecency is universal.

Robin Chambers is such a professional hand. In the Nick of Time brings forward the evil in man which is rarely hidden nowadays. It challenges thought on what justice is within in a world of injustice. These very deep human perplexities are buried under a whimsical tale of magic and power, fairies and daemons, and wizards and witches.

If there is true justice in the land, then someone with the power to do great things in the world will publish this man's work for all the world to see. He excels in word-crafting, world building, and storytelling. A true man of honor and integrity, you can feel the desire for a better world emerging though the voice of his hero. The unyielding voice of justice in Gordon married with the hand of healing and mercy in Grace, echoes in the minds of all those who have suffered the hands of cruelty just for the sake of being cruel.

The only criticism I would dare to offer is that the author breaks the fourth wall a couple of times which stuttered the immersion of the world. Not enough to detract from my opinion, but enough to be noted.

Huzzah Mr. Chambers - truly Huzzah

View all my reviews

Wisdom of the Elder Dragon

Afternoon Walk by juliedillon on DeviantArt

"Pay attention boy to what is on your mind!  Do you not know that you can limit yourself by your thoughts alone?  Curiosity will develop your mind, for you have only begun to understand your true potential. Take a walk and learn to truly see what is around you, investigate, ask questions and mind your thoughts remain in the moment."

Pruatra

Wisdom of the Elder Dragon

Tyranastrasz by DragonCid on DeviantArt




 “Alador, never say that you can't do something, or that something seems impossible, or that something can't be done, no matter how discouraging or harrowing it may be; mortals are limited only by what by their minds. We are each the masters of our own reality; when we become self-aware to this: absolutely anything in the world is possible.”

Keensight

Red Dragon Flight Leader

Writing with Cancer

I know that many of my readers are aware that I have cancer. I have kept you updated and let you know delays caused by the disease and by fighting it. My recovery counselor said something yesterday that really impacted me. In the course of the conversation, I realized that I hide the true depth of the impact from everyone. I don't want to talk about it with even my family. I think to talk about it means that I would have to accept it as real and not part of some story. I realized that I am the story. So today, I am going to get personal and let everyone have a glimpse behind the mask as a professional, as a writer, and a mom.

Keensight Travels the Human World Safely

As many know, I am working on the final book of this series.  I may republish them as a trilogy in the future, combining Outcast and the Blackguard as well as Bloodmines and Pseudo-dragon.  To go over this possibility and the final book, I traveled to Minneapolis to meet with my editor and one of the illustrators I work with for children's books. So that many of you know what is delaying, I have been battling stage four cancer.  The chemo has worked to remove all but one tumor on my liver.  I will be having surgery on August 4th.  The upside is that I will not be able to travel and so will have time to write.  The downside, it will probably be a week or so before I feel well enough to be creative.

While I was in Minnapolois, Becky Hunt, the illustrator, went to a great deal of work to create an avatar that Keensight could occupy so that he could travel with me around the country without concerns of getting shot or mobbed.  She gave it to me when I arrived.

Rebecca Hunt and Cheryl Matthynssens with Keensight

New Video Trailer for Series!!

Outcast is Free - June 25, 2016

The Quality of Mercy

Myrddin's Heir: The Quality of Mercy by Robin Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a writer, you are encouraged to read. This series is one of three that I have been reading as I write. Mr. Chambers has a unique style that incorporates literature and history; so well embedded into the story that it does not detract but only adds to the tale. By reviewing the glossary when I hit a work or historical point with which I was unfamiliar, I found myself only further drawn into the world of Grace and Gordon. I must say I learned a thing or two.

However, it is the story for which a review is written. I found myself entranced by the insight and belief systems of the core characters. If we could raise more of our children with this strong of a belief system our world would be a much better place. I have been following the protagonist since he was a baby. Mr. Chambers weaves a magical tale of growing up in the real world with the fae and mystical. I loved the development and the interaction of the four friends. This is a tale that will entrance children of all ages, even those of us that our children at heart.

The only constructive point I have to make is that the protagonists seem to triumph just a little too easily for their age. I totally understand the concept that they are graced, but I would have liked to see it be a little harder. Hopefully this will be the case as they continue to grow up.

I wish more people would understand that sometimes the most merciful thing you can do is to allow someone to reap what they have sown.The Quality of Mercy

View all my reviews

Update on the Final Book!

A title has been chosen for the final book in The Blue Dragon's Geas. The final book will be called Fallen Tiers. I am looking forward to tying up loose ends from Sordith's Wedding to Luthian's suspicions. Here is a small excerpt from Jon's thread.

Jon looked up on hearing the soft footsteps. He had known she was coming. Nightmare had bristled first at sounds that Jon could not hear. It had given him time to prepare himself for what he must do next. He would take no pleasure in it and yet he knew it was the only way he could accomplish his own ends.

The Blue Dragon's Geas First Fan Fiction

Andrew Murray
Sordith's Shipment
Fan Fiction - Pre-Outcast time frame

Sordith sighed to himself as the wagon rumbled down the wide cobbled road. The slow pace of the large korpen provided little breeze to help on such a warm day. The sun set high in the sky burning down on the green plains that surrounded him. As Sordith looked into the distance he could see the peaks of the mountains that surrounded Silverport. His home and where he and the small crew of men who accompanied him, with the large covered wagon, were destined. He looked around taking in his surroundings before looking to the wagon driver.

Author Update! June 2016

GOOD NEWS!

Hi Readers!

 I got really good news yesterday.  The chemotherapy has been so effective that the liver tumors have disappeared off of the Pet Scan. I might get to stop chemo for awhile just to see if they are really dead.  They want to go in and remove dead areas, but it would just be small clean up of residual lesions.  I also am done moving to where my oncologist lives.

The books continue to plod along.  Reviews are always welcome as I use them to promote.  I also have a publicist now.  Russ Matthynssens will be seeing to all public events, book signings and fairs. I am now well enough to schedule talking or signing appearances.  If you are interested in me coming to your area and you have a small coffee shop or bookstore that welcomes authors, you can give him a call.  509-470-8267 to reach him.  Please know that this number is for publicizing only.  He will not purchase products and services.  (peers at all the home business advertisers).   I have been having a great time the last two weeks.   I went to Georgia and Utah.

Fowl Play - Live Write

It was a dusty day as Sheriff McCullen drove out to the Day’s Eggs Ranch.  The sun beat down creating shimmering waves of heat radiating off the road.  The combination created a baking haze.  He leaned over and turned up the air conditioner.   The drive out to John Hammond’s chicken farm would have been relaxing had he not received word that John had been found dead.
John had been speaking out a great deal as of late against the Poultry Pride processing plant.  Their recent practices of shutting out farmers that did not cave to their business demands had been a bone of contention in the area.  McCullen had heard farmers complain of undercutting of weights, delivery of spoiled feed and even demands on housing specifications that had made making a profit almost impossible for the local farms.  The Sheriff understood their concerns but so far, Poultry Pride had done everything within the bounds of the law.

Wisdom of the Elder Dragons

Feuriah's Risk by DragonCid on DeviantArt

Hold up now, if you don't consider that failure is a possibility you are either foolish
or the task is not worthy of your time.  No piece of treasure, goal or dream is worth pursuing if
there is no risk.  Risk, ah yes, risk is what makes such things priceless when you achieve them.
                                                                                                                     Keensight

Wisdom of the Elder Dragons

The Red Knight by kerembeyit on DeviantArt

It is not the bravery of the dragon at the beginning of danger that you measure, but the worth of his fighting despite his fear.  A true dragon is always braver in the midst of a battle than when he eyed it from his perch. 

Wisdom of the Elder Dragons

dragon by chevsy on DeviantArt


A leader who speaks brashly and without wisdom is as useless as a fighter whose sword is blunt.
~Renamaum

When Life Happens!

I am not one for being hypocritical or giving false advice.  So when I opened my blog to check on things and realized how long it has been since you all have heard from me, I was embarrassed.  It is not that I am not writing, for there is crafting of story going on most moments I am not actively engaged in something else, but I haven't been writing anything down.

A Remnant of Humanity

This is the hardest of the live writes so far.  I have not forgotten these, I have just been stumped by this one.  Hats off to Heather for bringing me to a full puzzled stop.  Such as it is, I worked my way through it.

Live Write - Reader's Challenge from Heather Scoggins
1. A werewolf
2. in a snowscape
3. lost
4. with a pine cone

raincarnation40 / Pixabay / Public domain

Merrin looked about the outside of his cabin.  He had heard noises during the night that had caused the horses in the barn to create a ruckus, and had made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight out.  Which was pretty amazing since there wasn't a lot of hair on his head.   He spotted the first of the tracks in the snow on the far side of his home.  The tracks were wolf like and huge.  He had never seen a wolf with such large feet.

Pseudo-Dragon is Released- Reviews Coming in Positive.

I am so excited about the release of Pseudo-Dragon. A couple of days ago it reached number eight in fairy tales on Amazon.  It is meeting expectations and is probably the best work I have done.  Bloodmines remains my favorite as far as storyline. I love the dragons interactions with Alador.  However, I have began tying up strings as I head for the final book of this series.  It does not mean I will never write any of these characters again, but the Blue Dragon's Geas will be completed.   I am a little confused that it is in the top 20 for fairy tales in UK and USA, I see it as more of a sword and sorcery type book.

If there is anything you would like to see me write, feel free to put it in comments.  I have started a list of next series stories, and as such am most willing to add my reader's wish list.  

Here are some of the reviews coming out of kindle readers:

Google Changes for Following Blogs!

If you are following my blog or want to follow it, Google has made a change. I am not sure I like it but it is what it is. If you do not have a google account, you cannot follow a blogger or blogspot blog. Here is their announcement:

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

I hope you will all consider grabbing a blogger account if you are following me from twitter.
Sadness!


In other news, my grandkids came down and we went on a goat walk.   If you have never walked goats, it is rather an experience.

As you can see, the land is slowly starting to repair from our wild fires in August.  Grandkids thought a goat walk was a great thing though it took both of them to hold their goat.

Why Do You Write?

I was asked, why do you write?  It was a question that absolutely perplexed me.  I wanted to say that I have always written.  However, that was not quite true.  I went through a period of time when I refused to write.  Oh I did some role playing games and some fictional play in forums, but I did not commit words to paper.  I also read a lot.

My life went far wide of my original intent to be a published writer one day.  I became a mother.  I studied English later in life in college.  I also took a minor in psychology so I could understand people.  I watched and waited.  I did some teaching and I became a counselor, which is still a form of teaching.   I still did not write.

One day, with a push from a good friend, Alex Hunt, I began to write.  I had stopped writing for so long that it felt foreign at first.  I write like Pollock painted, unconsciously.  I have went back to read what I wrote for a period, and have been surprised at the turn of events.  How is that possible I have been asked?

Author Update - January 2016

I haven't written to you all recently so thought I would take a moment from frantic editing to do so.  2015 has been a very hard year.  I had planned to have book 4 - Pseudo-Dragon - out by summer.  My fight against cancer overrode that goal.

In the past year, I have finished first round of chemo, had a kidney removed and a full hysterectomy due to return of tumors.  In the midst of surgeries survived a wildfire that took most of our property. (not the house)  I have restarted chemo due to the metastasized cancer.  I have been in the hospital for a week due to side effect of said chemo.  Needless to say it has been a rough year.

Now for the good news, my last PET scan shows that the chemo has dissolved the tumors that were still left within me.  My doctor is reluctant to use the word remission due to the veracity of return that happened earlier this year.  Despite his reluctance, he did admit it looks like the chemo is working.

I did have some successes last year.  I put out one novel early in the year.  Pseudo-Dragon is the longest of the four and beta readers say it is by far the best of them as well.  I guess I will find out soon.  Pseudo-Dragon is up for pre-sale now and releases on February 1, 2016.  Needless to say, I am busy with last minute edits and polish.

My goals for 2016 are:  Write the final book in the series, put out the live write collection of fantasy short stories, and to get into shows and shops for book signings.  I am excited to be able to finally enjoy writing full time without the constant threat of stage 4 cancer.  I hope you will all continue to reach out and say hi!.  The support from all of you has been amazing and I can't wait to meet and speak with many of you.

Have a great 2016!
May Dragons ever inspire your thoughts, creativity, and balance.
Cheri