Diane Rapp's Blog: She's a Mystery and Science Fiction Writer! - Posts Tagged "mccaffrey"
Tribute to Anne McCaffrey
On November 21, 2011 Anne Inez McCaffrey passed away at the age of 85, and the world of science fiction lost a beloved friend. A Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master, Anne McCaffrey won many prestigious awards during her 46-year career. I fell in love with her Dragon Riders of Pern series, read every book she published, and plan to reread them often. Anne McCaffrey inspired me to write science fiction and I’m grateful.
I plan to dedicate my newest novel, Dragon Defense, to her memory. I can’t claim that my book compares to McCaffrey’s gems, but I believe she’d enjoy another dragon story. The dragons in my book can’t teleport and they don’t breathe fire, but mine don’t need to fight thread. Like any writer who populates a world with dragons, my dragons have their own unique characteristics.
In The Havenshire Resistance I introduced Flash, a baby dragon, whose mother was killed by a large white eel. Flash was raised by telepathic humans, Felesia and Jordan. My favorite scene shows them coaxing Flash to fly for the first time. She’s inside a cave with a strong updraft and leans into the wind with her wings stretched wide. She trembles, afraid to jump, but Arrow (the hawk) demonstrates how a bird hovers overhead. Can you imagine the scene? Flash eventually flew and helped her human friends attack an evil enemy in battle.
Drako got its name when planet surveyors noticed flying creatures that looked like dragons. These dragons are an intelligent species that cooperate while hunting. Colors ripple through their wings in specific patterns, allowing the dragons to communicate during an organized attack against giant white eels. Dragons hate the color white which sends them into a frenzied attack—not good for ships using white sails. Dragons ripped sails with their sharp talons and sank ships until their dragon cliffs were avoided. Maps were printed with the words “Here be Dragons” in red ink.
Do you scoff at the idea of a dragon sending ripples of color across its wings? We have a perfect example on Earth of a similar phenomenon. Nothing is more incredible than real live creatures, so I watch television programs about animals on a regular basis. When I saw a program featuring cuttlefish, I got very excited. Cuttlefish move layers of skin cells to send pulses of color across their bodies. I already “imagined” my colorful dragons and was rewarded with a real-life example. Don’t believe me? Google “flamboyant cuttlefish” and see the videos for yourself.
When Anne McCaffrey wrote her first dragon novel, she couldn’t know how many people around the world might love her work. I’m one of many authors who followed her path into a world filled with dragons. Anne McCaffrey will be missed.
I plan to dedicate my newest novel, Dragon Defense, to her memory. I can’t claim that my book compares to McCaffrey’s gems, but I believe she’d enjoy another dragon story. The dragons in my book can’t teleport and they don’t breathe fire, but mine don’t need to fight thread. Like any writer who populates a world with dragons, my dragons have their own unique characteristics.
In The Havenshire Resistance I introduced Flash, a baby dragon, whose mother was killed by a large white eel. Flash was raised by telepathic humans, Felesia and Jordan. My favorite scene shows them coaxing Flash to fly for the first time. She’s inside a cave with a strong updraft and leans into the wind with her wings stretched wide. She trembles, afraid to jump, but Arrow (the hawk) demonstrates how a bird hovers overhead. Can you imagine the scene? Flash eventually flew and helped her human friends attack an evil enemy in battle.
Drako got its name when planet surveyors noticed flying creatures that looked like dragons. These dragons are an intelligent species that cooperate while hunting. Colors ripple through their wings in specific patterns, allowing the dragons to communicate during an organized attack against giant white eels. Dragons hate the color white which sends them into a frenzied attack—not good for ships using white sails. Dragons ripped sails with their sharp talons and sank ships until their dragon cliffs were avoided. Maps were printed with the words “Here be Dragons” in red ink.
Do you scoff at the idea of a dragon sending ripples of color across its wings? We have a perfect example on Earth of a similar phenomenon. Nothing is more incredible than real live creatures, so I watch television programs about animals on a regular basis. When I saw a program featuring cuttlefish, I got very excited. Cuttlefish move layers of skin cells to send pulses of color across their bodies. I already “imagined” my colorful dragons and was rewarded with a real-life example. Don’t believe me? Google “flamboyant cuttlefish” and see the videos for yourself.
When Anne McCaffrey wrote her first dragon novel, she couldn’t know how many people around the world might love her work. I’m one of many authors who followed her path into a world filled with dragons. Anne McCaffrey will be missed.
She's a Mystery and Science Fiction Writer!
You've heard of split personalities, well, Diane Rapp spends part of her time sailing the high seas to solve mysteries. When she feels seasick, she travels to the planet Drako to check in with her fri
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