DRAGON WITHIN (BOOK ONE)
KYRA DUNE
YA Urban Fantasy
Everyone, please give it up for, Kyra Dune, the Author of “Dragon Within.” Okay, *Kyra*, give it your best shot.
Everything (or most everything) we are now started way back when. What kind of kid were you, naughty or nice?
If you looked up good-two-shoes in the dictionary you would probably find a picture of me.
The good old ruby-reds are never anything of which to be ashamed. Are you a morning person or a night person?
I’m a day person. Ha, Ha. Too early or too late and I am not nice to be around.
Me, I’m a morning person, just no convo until after the first or second cuppa. What do you like to read?
I mostly read fantasy books (any flavor except erotica), though I will sometimes stray into other genres if something catches my eye.
I’m an any flavors kinda person too. What kind music do you prefer?
I take my music on a song by song basis, so I listen to a variety of genres.
Diversity is always a positive quality to include in most endeavors. Which is the one television character that you simply adore?
Castiel from Supernatural. Poor Castiel, he’s the poster boy for paving the road to Hell with good intentions. River Tam from Firefly would be a close second.
Does diversity apply to your viewing pleasure as well? Which is your favorite genre of movies?
Fantasy, naturally.
Along with the reading, tv and listening pleasures, we have to think of something that goes well with all three. What’s your fave food, beverage, and/or restaurant?
Favorite food: Pepperoni Pizza Favorite Beverage: SoBe Water Favorite Restaurant: Chili’s. I love their sliders and sweet potato fries.
I’m a Pei Wei kinda person myself. How long have you been writing?
I started writing when I was nine, but only began to pursue it as a serious career in my early twenties.
It never ceases to amaze me how long some folks have been writing opposed to how long they’ve been writing as an occupation. Are you an independently published writer or a traditionally published writer?
Both. I was traditionally published first, and then transitioned into self publishing. I like the greater control over such things as price, cover art, and release dates, being self pubbed provides. And I’ve actually made more money since the switch.
Greater control over the process of the publication process is a common reason to self-publish. What do you write?
Everything I write is fantasy. I have YA, NA, and adult titles. So far the subgenres I’ve written are Dystopian, Shifter, Epic, Sword & Sorcery, Urban, and Paranormal. But I look forward to expanding my subgenres as new ideas come to me.
Diverse dalliance with the pen is always a positive thing. How do you keep yourself motivated to write?
I love to write. It’s my favorite thing to do. I make a point of taking every Saturday off to give my brain a break and it’s actually hard to keep myself away from the stories. I never know what to do with myself when I’m not writing.
It’s good that you mention allowing some down time. I find that it really helps to get the writing inspiration and insight flowing. Talk to us about your cover.
I did this cover myself. I thought about going with something a little more urban, since this is a YA Urban Fantasy, but then I saw this dragon picture and it just clicked in my head. It felt right. So I worked into a cover, and its influence shaded how I created the covers for the rest of the series.
I think writers who do their own covers come up with some pretty awesome results in many cases. Do you have a fave character?
Don’t you know writers aren’t supposed to play favorites? Ha, Ha. I do have a favorite, though. Zazere, the snarky, mindreading mage from the Firebrand Trilogy. He’s only a secondary character, but he is my darling.
Yeah, I know, but sometimes you just kinda embrace one more than the others, just a hair more. If you could meet a favorite character or author who would it be and why?
Raistlin Majere from the Dragonlance Chronicles. He’s been my favorite character since I was fourteen. I simply adore him. I could’nt even hazard a guess at how many books I’ve read in my life thus far, but out of all the fantastic characters I’ve met, this one has stayed with me like no other. Anyone who is familiar with the character and who reads my books, will notice his influence I’m certain.
What author has inspired you most in your writing?
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, the creators of the Dragonlace Chronicles. I was already writing stories before I stumbled upon these books, but they have more heavily influenced my writing than any other. The second novel I ever had accepted for publication, Shadow Of The Dragon, started off as a short story written by a teenage girl desperately trying to emulate the Dragonlance books.
So there you go folks, an interview with the Mighty Miss Kyra. Give it up for today’s author, everyone! Thanks for stopping in, Kyra. It’s been great having you. Please do visit again and don’t make us wait too long!
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KYRA DUNE was born in Oklahoma, but spent most of her life travelling with her family. She is the author of more than twenty fantasy novels, including: Shadow of the Dragon, Elfblood, and Firebrand. As a child, her favorite stories were those that told of ordinary children being whisked away to magical lands. She has yet to find her own secret wardrobe or rabbit hole, but she hasn’t given up the search. You never know what might be waiting over the next rainbow.
BLURB
Have you ever noticed how life can shift all of sudden? You’re going along thinking everything is great and then WHAM, you get hit by a bus. Well, maybe not a literal bus, but you get what I mean, right? I’m talking about that moment in time when everything changes and life as you know it comes to a crashing halt.
My name is Abigail Freeman and for me, that moment came on my sixteenth birthday. It wasn’t anything so dramatic as getting hit by a bus. In fact, it was so subtle, I didn’t even recognize it for what it was. Not until later could I look back and say that was the moment my life changed forever.
EXCERPT
“I don’t know you,” I said, keeping a careful distance between us.
“No, but I know you.” He got off the bike. “My name is Zack.”
“That’s nice.” I took a step back. “How, exactly, do you know me?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain,” he said. “You might not believe me and I don’t want to scare you.”
“Here’s a tip,” I said, “if you don’t want to scare a girl you’ve never met, you might want to rethink following her around like some kind of stalker. Explain yourself right now, or I swear I’ll run screaming to the nearest house and call the cops.”
He gazed thoughtfully at me for a long moment, then asked, “Do you know what a dragon is?”
How do you like that for a question? I blinked, entirely bewildered at the bizarre turn in the conversation. “You mean like in the movies? Those flying lizards that breath fire and stuff?”
“Yes,” he said, “but then again, no. The movies have it wrong. They distort the truth.”
“What truth?” I was starting to wonder if this guy had a few screws loose. “Why are we talking about dragons? What has that got to do with why you’re following me?”
“It has everything to do with it. With you. With me. Dragons were real, Abigail. They still are. And two of them happen to be standing on this sidewalk right now.”
I stared at him in open mouthed shock, wondering if maybe he was on something and seeing
things. Then I realized what he meant and I laughed out loud. “Are you telling me that you’re a dragon? That I’m a dragon?
Well, that’s really nice and all, but I don’t think my parents would want me talking to a crazy person, so I’ll be going now.”
Only I didn’t go. Maybe because that little part of me buried deep inside believed him.
“I know how it sounds,” he said. “But it’s true.”
“So prove it.” I crossed my arms and stared at him, not sure whether it would be worse if he could prove it or if he couldn’t.
“How?”
I said the first thing that popped into my mind. “Breath fire.”
“Breathe fire?”
“Yeah. That’s what dragons do, right? So do it.”
“I can’t breathe fire.”
Finally, a little sanity. Though I can’t deny I was a little disappointed. I let my arms drop to my sides. “Of course you can’t breathe fire. You are not a dragon.”
“Dragons don’t breath fire,” he said. “Fire dragons can manipulate it, that’s where the myth comes from, but they can’t breathe it. I’m not a fire dragon anyway, I’m a water dragon.”
“Sure you are.” I decided then it was time to go. This whole thing was getting a little too weird. I turned and started to walk away.
“What do I have to do to prove it to you?” he called after me.
“Sprout wings and fly,” I said over my shoulder, laughing to myself at the idea. Then it started to snow. Snow. In Arizona. In August. In triple digit weather. Oh, and did I mention it was only snowing on me?
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