Year of my Dragon

Dear Maggie,

You mentioned that you’re back to working on your dragon book. Any chance we could have a sneak peek?

Sincerely,

Fantasy Lover in Fayetteville

Dear Fantasy Lover,

I’m currently immersed in a world of dragons and magic and epic battles! For my MFA thesis project, I’m writing the second half of my romantasy novel tentatively titled The Dragon Dancer of Krysh. When I started school last summer, I left this story at the literal half-way mark, and I’m really excited to get back to it. Fantasy novels tend to run long, and this one is no different. The first half alone is already over 50k words. It will be the longest book I’ve written thus far in my career, but breaking it into two parts has made it far less daunting.

By now, I have a good bit of the world-building worked out, and I know my main characters and supporting cast pretty well. For the second half, much of my work will be figuring out the plot-heavy action in order to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion, while also paying attention to the characters, their emotional lives, and their growth. And yes, this will be the first book in a limited series.

You asked for a teaser, so I’m pleased to share this opening scene. I hope you’ll fall in love with Val and her feisty feathered dragon Eleni, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on their adventures!

I thought I remembered freedom, but it might have been a dream. I thought I smelled the echo of it on the wind, felt the call of it in my bones, but its shadow was only a distraction. The roar of the frenzied crowd kept me anchored in reality. To them, I was merely entertainment. If I died in a mangled heap on the dirt floor of the arena, I’d satisfy their bloodlust. If I survived, I had better thrill them.

With a smile plastered on my face, I padded swiftly up the wooden rungs of the ladder. The spectators with means would have their binoculars trained on me, eager to catch a misstep, desperate to watch my blood spill on the golden sand below.

As I ascended higher and higher, the sound faded to a dull hum and the crowd blurred into a colorful, writhing mass. When my bare feet touched the platform, an expectant hush fell over the stadium. Eyes trained on the horizon, I prowled to edge of the smooth, narrow scaffold and stood still.

I’d been taught that a good performer played off the audience, wielded the energy of the mob like a tool. I closed my eyes, lifted my arms over my head, and waited. I waited until the moment just before anticipation turned to irritation, and then I flicked my right hand and leaped into the abyss.

With practiced grace, I tucked into a tight ball and somersaulted one, two, three times before stretching out fully and throwing my head back. The wind buffeted my body, and I willed it to lift me, stall my freefall, buy me enough time to safely land on the back of Eleni, my dragon.

She was a domesticated dragon, only a little larger than a war horse, and a watered-down version of the original, extinct creatures of legend. As much like a dragon as a house cat was a like lion, a sparrow like an eagle. She was feathered, not scaled. Gentle, not fierce. But she was a beauty, her silky-smooth plumage an array of greens and blues that caught the sunlight and shimmered like gemstones.

I heard the sound of her wings beating before I felt the air shift beneath my feet. I bent my knees slightly to absorb the impact and then landed squarely on her back. Hooking my feet into the specially designed saddle, I quickly found my balance, throwing my arms victoriously over my head.

The crowd cheered wildly. Apparently, I’d succeeded in thrilling them.

Thanks for the fun question! Want to ask me something? Send your inquiry to maggie@msmaggieclare.com, and I’ll answer it here on the blog.