On Dragons and Friends

So it’s been two days since the publication of Domesticating Dragons, though it feels like much longer. When I learned that my book would come out in early January 2021, I was relieved. I figured that people would be coming back to work after the holidays and the US presidential election — regardless of its outcome — would be a distant memory.

If I only knew.

Don’t worry, I won’t be discussing politics here. Instead, I offer you distraction, a brief escape from our hectic and stressful reality. Let’s talk about books, dragons, and friends.

Author Event with Michael Mammay

First things first: Tonight I’ll be participating in a live virtual event with my friend Mike Mammay to discuss Domesticating Dragons and his new release, Colonyside (Planetside #3). We’re going to talk about science fiction, the road to publication, book promotional strategies, and some other topics. We’ll also take questions, so please come by and ask us something! Mike and I have been critique partners and friends for several years, so this should be a good conversation.

Date: Thursday, January 7th, 2021

Time: 8:00 Eastern

Venue: Facebook and YouTube (we will stream to both)

Reviews of Domesticating Dragons

Reviews of my book are starting to come in, and I’m relieved to say that they’ve been quite positive. This is perhaps unsurprising, since early reviews often come from people who got advance copies of the book. Even so, I’m honored that anyone took the time to read my work and share their thoughts on it. Here are some recent favorites:

• “If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own pet dragon, or if you just like incredible stories, you should definitely pick this up.” –Angel Leya
• “Highly recommended. Five Talons Up.” –Keith Willis, fantasy author
• “Lab-based science fiction, with its grounding in the real world, real situations and people who feel like friends rather than out-of-this-world superheroes is a lot of fun when it’s done right. It’s done right in Domesticating Dragons.” –Marlene Harris, Reading Reality

Book reviews and ratings are so valuable to authors. If you’ve read my book, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or the site of your choice. If you haven’t read it, you can add it to your books to read list on GoodReads. All of these things will help new readers find my stories and will increase the likelihood that I get to write more books.

Update on the Great Dragon Egg Hunt

So I launched a scavenger-hunt on book release day that challenged people to find six “puzzle pieces” (150×150 images which assemble into a composite). At the time of writing, no one has yet found all of the pieces and solved the puzzle, though at least a few people are close. A couple of the pieces were easy to find — heck, I gave you one in the blog post — but others are more cleverly hidden. In case it was not obvious, most of the pieces cannot be found on my website, though it’s been amusing to watch my website analytics as people poke around.

I remind you that the prize for winning this is a very cool, handmade dragon [statue] and a signed copy of my book. Get to work, people!

Here’s to Friends New and Old

Lots of small but marvelous things have happened in the past week that remind me why I love being an author. For example:

• I got fan mail! A very nice lady wrote to say that she’s new to sci-fi but found my book very enjoyable.
• My local bookstores and libraries have done things to help spread the word. Always befriend these key allies!
• Distant friends and family reached out to offer kind words about the book release
• My own family, of course, has been super supportive. When I got home from work on Tuesday, they had projection lights dancing on the house and were wearing their favorite dragon shirts.
• Fellow authors have supported me in countless little ways

We think of writing as a solitary profession. Sometimes even a lonesome one. That’s why I enjoy moments like this, when I feel so connected to and supported by the community around me. Thank you!

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