Sonia

I have been told that Sonia is less confident in "Aleksertac".  Perhaps, but I feel it is warranted.  My extended family and I have had discussions, but to me she is too relatable.   Yes, she is amazingly strong and confident in "Orbs of Fire", but it's because she believes she understands her world, her situation, who she is, and all that goes with that.  In times like these, who isn't a confident warrior.  Especially when you have a friend like Alex by your side.

In "Aleksertac", we already know that her world has changed so much already.  Now, there's even more that she discovers, and it takes its toll.   For this reason, she is more vulnerable.  She has so much to deal with, much of which she doesn't understand, and not because she was wearing rose-colored-glasses before, but because there's more at work than she could have ever imagined - that all mortal men and women no nothing about - and now she has to figure out how to survive.  She is so lost, and the one person who had always been her fortitude is gone.

Aleksertac tries to help her, but that causes more complications, adding even more difficulty to her life.  He has secrets, and despite his best efforts he cannot keep her from the truth.  Plus there's Marty and Phillip who clearly have plans for her that she doesn't not want any part of. And then add in the new creatures like the Troskla who can immobilize a person and use their victim's fears to torture them until the person dies.  And creatures we've already met like the Ortal, who have already done harm to her before.  Not to mention the Ancients.

Even when she finds a family to stay with.  A family who takes care of her and shows her kindnesss and the strength of family.  Sonia still cannot escape the path she is on.  She continues to have to battle against what she doesn't understand.  There are still dark creatures that cross her path, nightmare-ish dreams that disturb her sleep, and creatures that no one - or any story - has told her about that continue to end up in front of her.

So, yes, maybe Sonia's character is less confident, but I personally know: changes that rock your world in a bad way set you back, and no matter how hard you fight, another blow always seems ready to land.  And Sonia is dealing with more than mortal men and women problems.  

When writing Sonia, I didn't make her fictional, I kept her real.  And it is in her vulnerability, I see that she is stronger than people give her credit for.

Writing Percy

We met Percy in "Orbs of Fire"  - a reclusive blacksmith, whom Alex considers a friend.  We know at this encounter that he is not an ordinary man because of his cat like eyes and ability to create swords that empower the user.  So it shouldn't be of any surprise that Sonia's path crosses his again.  One of my favorite parts of Percy is that he says what's on his mind, which most other people in the story don't appreciate, and he doesn't always understand why he shouldn't have said something.  I think Lord Vertas describes Percy perfectly when he says: “Percy’s gift has allowed him to have a remarkable reputation, despite his personality.”  

The thing about Percy is that he is aware of so much, and there isn't much that intimidates him.  Not the Ortal, not the Troskla (creatures that gets introduced in this book), not the Ancients, and definitely not a mortal.  In fact, the only thing he does fear is Aleksertac, but that doesn't mean he cowers when he feels strongly enough about something.  A great quality for him to have, but it is probably going to cause trouble later.    

 In this book he is aiding Aleksertac in the protection of Sonia, even though he doesn't entirely agree with it.  However, one does not argue with a dragon like Aleksertac.  Percy keeps things light-hearted, but we get glimpses of his strength and his frustrations with Aleksertac, but also his loyalty.  Which I think makes him a fun and interesting guy.   I don't want to go into too much detail incase you haven't read this book yet.   I bring him up because even though he's not a main character, he is important to the story.  

Cover for Aleksertac

For once I knew exactly what I wanted on the cover for "Aleksertac".  The problem was, that I could not draw a dragon worthy of publication.  Lucky for me, I know a very talented artist. I asked him if he would draw a dragon for me, and he did.  So here was the original cover:

A beautifully drawn dragon by Mike Kirsten.  I love the head and claws.  It is not exactly how I see Aleksertac, but it definitely gets the message across that this story is about a powerful dragon. The problem with this cover was that after I wrote book three:"Darkness",  I desperately wanted the three covers to have a familiarity between each book.  I had designed book three with the orbs of fire, and obviously book one ("Orbs of Fire") had the orbs of fire on it.  So naturally the best thing to do was redesign the cover for book two by adding the orbs of fire on it as well, thus giving something to help the readers know that the three books went together.   

Here is the updated cover:

Changing the dragon was not an option.  I love it too much.  Plus by adding the orbs of fire not only does it connect it to "Orbs of Fire" and "Darkness", but now the question is, is there more than one dragon.  I wanted to keep the font the same between the three books as well, so since I changed it on book one, I decided to change it on book two.  Plus, there is dragon fire in this book that changes the dynamic in Sonia's world even more.   A world that she has discovered is more than just men and women.

If you happen to get the paperback, the cover is a little different because I have the dragon across the entire cover as pictured below:

My favorite and least favorite thing about a paperback is designing the whole cover.  This one worked out really awesome, but sometimes I'm at a loss of what to do on the back.
(Go figure, me struggling with a cover.  I know)

Writing Book 2 "Aleksertac"

"Aleksertac" was published three months after "Orbs of Fire".  This was not because I wrote "Aleksertac" and had it edited in less than three months (that did not happen).  It was because, when I wrote "Orbs of Fire", I had continued into "Aleksertac" without knowing it.  I had let my cousin Teresa read an unfinished draft, and her opinion was that I should make it two books because the first section of what I had written was building up to the Tournament, so for the story to continue past the Tournament made the story seem anticlimactic.   When I re-read it, I was in agreement.  I did not want to take away from the Tournament, and I didn't exactly know where the next section was going. Not to mention, "Orbs of Fire" can stand quite well on its own - which is evident by how many people love this story. I don't remember how far I had written into book two when Teresa pointed this out to me, but I had a ways to go before it was finished.  However, creating a cover and coming up with the title and subtitle for book one, allowed me time to complete book 2, making it possible for the release to be just a few months later.

Unlike some of my books, Aleksertac's secret was known to me before I started writing "Orbs of Fire".  It was actually the inspiration that caused me to begin writing "Orbs of Fire", and is probably the reason I didn't realize I had two books instead of one.  I had been so busy getting to this particular secret that I didn't realize I had completed book one.  Which was unlike my first two published stories where with "Taken" I had written the whole story and split it into two, and "Solace" where I didn't even know there was going to be a book two. 

Despite that I knew Aleksertac's secret, there were still several things that came as a surprise while I was writing it.   A couple of examples: how big of a part Percy ends up taking, how a dragon is "born", who Phillip's mother is and his part in the story, and the introduction of a few character's that end up being more powerful than I had expected (in book three)...  the list goes on, but you get the point.  

Aleksertac (Book 2 of "The Shadow Dragon")

So now, where we're we?  Ah yes, "The Shadow Dragon" series.   I might go back to Orbs of Fire, but right now I'm going to move to Aleksertac.  So here is the blah blah blah stuff:

Here are the basic things about this book:

Genre: Adventure/Fanatsy/Young Adult

Age: 10 and up.
(I let my kids read them when they were 10. There is suggestive language and mild violence so it's a parental choice. My kids really enjoyed the adventure and characters as do all my fans which spread across the spectrum from preteen to seniors)

Published: 2012

What it's about: 

Here's the official blurb: 

• Short: Even after everything I have been through - all the training, all the effort I put into getting in the Tournament - the outcome came as a surprise. What happens next is anything but a dream come true. 

• Long: Even after everything I have been through - all the training, all the effort I put into getting in the Tournament - the outcome came as a surprise. What happened next was anything but a dream come true. After seeing the forest burst into flame where I last saw Alex, my journey takes an unexpected turn and I discover that my life and existence now falls upon a dragon’s desire. But will the knowledge that comes from the dragon’s secrets prolong my life, or result in a fate worse than death?

Who: 
Sonia

Alex

Marty

Phillip

Percy

Ceeaira

Where:
This story takes place on a world of sword tournaments, where dragons are thought to only exist in stories.  

I think that covers the blah blah blah part of the book, if you have questions or want more information feel free to ask.