Dancing with Dragons Book Launch!
Lorenda’s having a Book Launch today!
Hi everyone, thanks for joining me and Lorenda as we celebrate the release of her second book, Dancing with Dragons!
Great cover, huh? (Love how her dress compliments the Dragon’s scales!)
Here’s the intriguing blurb:
If Carol Jenski knows anything, it’s fashion—and it’s not in fashion to consort with dragons, even though they’ve coexisted with humans since World War III. Still, she would never have agreed to take part in a plot against them. Now a dragon lord has called for her head, her boyfriend is MIA and she’s been abandoned in a foreign country. Only reporter Daniel Wallent is on Carol’s side…sort of. He offers his assistance if she helps him investigate his latest story. He’ll need Carol’s language skills to infiltrate an organization run by one of the most dangerous and secretive dragons in the world. Escaping one sociopathic dragon’s claws only to walk into another’s is an insane risk—and so is falling for Daniel. Posing as his blushing—and very affectionate—new bride as cover soon leads to an all-too-real attraction. But fighting off dragons and her desire for Daniel may be more of a challenge than Carol can handle…
In this lighthearted and sexy romance, a young woman must choose between winning a competition—and the man who has won her heart. Here is the link to Lorenda’s web page for some buying options: Lorenda’s Books
Congrats on publishing book two in your Dragon series Lorenda! I’m sure I’m not alone in dying to know if you had imaginary dragon friends growing up, or was this more an adulthood induced affliction?
Alas, there were no dragon friends in my hometown. However, there was a tiny library that kept me stocked up on Tolkein’s, Mccaffery’s, and Robert Jordan’s, so I got my dose of fantasy nevertheless. When I sat down to write a book, I knew I wanted it to be paranormal, because I guess my muse took it literally when someone said “anything can happen” in front of her. And even though there are some authors out there (Thea Harrison, G.A.Aiken, Katie Macalister, etc) who are helping to scoot the vamps and weres over for dragon-based fantasy romance, I still feel like dragons are a minority in the paranormal romance world, and I guess I wanted to do my part to share the dragon-love!
One of the things I found interesting about this futuristic world you’ve created is the LACK of technology. The stories are set after WWIII and Dragon Lords rule the world. It’s dangerous to fly because there are too many distracted Dragons filling the airspace. (Distracted Dragons should be the name of a rock band if it isn’t already ;0). And since the war, the remaining EMP interference from space zaps electronics. So tell the truth now, did you do this to make your world-building easier or is it actually harder because we’ve become so dependent on all things electronic?
Uh…both? Lol. Actually, the lack of technology has overall made it easier for me to develop basic plot points that can’t be solved by a quick cell phone conversation. We live in a world that the strongest isn’t necessarily the one who survives, and for the danger of dragons to be real, I needed a bit of that “might makes right” feeling in my stories. The humans needed to feel a bit more helpless. So, take away their technology, and viola!, you’ve got yourself a playground for some great stories.
But, there are many, many times when I just need to get some information to the reader. Information that a quick cell conversation could resolve, and I hate myself a bit for killing a lot of the tech. Because now, I have to work a bit harder to slip in data the reader needs to know without turning the book into a lecture.
You just gotta love the fashionista heroine Carol. The poor gal just wanted to get in some power shopping. Instead, she’s assaulted by a very cranky dragon and lands up in the hospital. When she finally wakes from a coma her whole world has turned upside down. Forced to wear incredibly tacky clothes, and to don mud-brown dyed choppy hair that shows off the new zipper-like scar on her head, she finds herself on the run from scary Dragon Lords. Who was more fun to write? Quirky Carol or the equally quirky dragons?
Heh – I have a soft spot for Carol, because I think we’ve all had those moments where you would kill for the chance to look decent, but instead, you run into that old friend from high school when you’re in your baggy sweats post-workout instead of the form-fitting black sheath dress that shows off all your curves.
And I’ll admit, I wanted a heroine that actually LIKED being girly. So often in paranormal romance or urban fantasy, your protagonist is an ex-military, leather-wearing, black belt karate god who has dedicated her life to eradicating evil or protecting the innocent “others.” And sometimes I feel like these books make you feel that being girly is somehow equal to being weak. I’m fighting the stereotype. 
So, now that we’ve talked about Carol, we must talk about the hero, Daniel. He’s a hunky newspaper reporter who stops at nothing to get his scoop. (I love that newspapers are back in style in this book, due to the aforementioned lack of electronics, btw) Is Daniel based on someone you know in real life, or did he just pop up in your dreams alongside all those brightly colored dragons?
He’s straight from my head. Okay, it’s possible that he was inspired by the Robert Redford character in Up Close and Personal. I mean, what’s more sexy than a guy who puts himself in danger all the time, not because he’s a He-Man type that needs to somehow prove himself, but because he has a very solid sense of justice? I’ll freely admit, smart guys turn me on. And smart guys who just so happen to be slightly dangerous and hunky at the same time? Sign me up.
I think it’s the most fun as an author when we can make ourselves laugh or cry. Do you have any favorite scenes, dragons, characters or lines you’d like to share?
My favorite parts to write are always the “first meets” of the hero and heroine. I’m not sure why, except that I enjoy the snarkiness that rolls off of two people when they’re surprised and unsettled by one another. I think it’s because that’s the moment when me—as the author—starts to see the potential of what these characters will look like as a couple. That being said, I also like it when they manage to cause irritation to the other, like the below….
Daniel fished in his pocket for a set of keys, and pointed.
“This is me.” He stopped in front of a sleek black motorcycle, kitted out with chrome bars, chrome exhaust, and a gleaming black helmet hanging from one side of the handlebars.
I stood and stared, trying to determine whether I could be lucky enough have hit my head so hard that I’d just hallucinated the entire thing—hospital, dragons, motorcycles and all. This could not be happening. I was still trying to formulate a question that didn’t start with “what the hell” when he made an impatient sound in his throat. He swung a leg over to straddle the machine before sliding a pair of sunglasses onto his head and reaching out a hand to help me on.
“What’s the problem?” he asked when I made no move to join him.
“Are you crazy? I’m not riding on that.”
I could see my bruised and battered face reflected in the lenses of his sunglasses as he considered me. Daniel pushed the bag of drugs he’d been carrying against my chest, turned the key in the ignition, and started the bike with a kick. “Suit yourself. Tell Lady Adelaida—and Lord Relobu—I said hello.” He tipped his head toward the door we’d just exited. The dragon lord’s men had slipped outside and were scanning the parking lot. The dragon must have been forced to take another route as the door was standard human size.
Daniel knew what he was doing when he took the garage exit.
One of the men caught sight of me and tapped the other on the arm. They yelled, and started to run in our direction.
“Okay, okay. I’m coming.” I crawled onto the bike awkwardly, trying to figure out how to keep the edge of my hospital gown firmly underneath my rear instead of free to fly up over my head once we were moving. As soon as I was settled, Daniel revved the motor. I grabbed him firmly around the waist, my white paper sack of medication dangling over his stomach.
The world went dark for a moment and I felt Daniel’s abs ripple as he twisted to awkwardly shove my head into his bike helmet. I winced as the pressure pulled on the stitches in my scalp, but I didn’t plan on complaining. If we wrecked, my already broken skull needed all the help it could get.
With the helmet properly in place and just a little too big, I could see again, provided I didn’t make any sudden movements. I looked behind us to check on the progress of Adelaida’s men. They were only a few feet away, and one of them reached out to grab me when the motorcycle jumped forward in an awesome burst of speed. I involuntarily tightened my already snug hold on Daniel.
“I can’t drive if I can’t breathe,” he yelled.
I reluctantly loosened my grip on his midsection as we left the parking lot and merged with the busy lunch-hour traffic. Adelaida’s men watched as we drove away, cell phones glued to their furious faces as they reported our escape.
Without taking his eyes from the road, Daniel reached around me with his left arm and patted the leather saddle bags strapped to the back of the bike. “You can put your meds in here.”
“I’m fine.” There was no way I was unlinking my hands and turning around while we were moving.
I gasped when I felt a yank and then a tear as Daniel took the bag from me and stuffed it angrily into the leather satchel. “These damn bottles are playing Chopsticks on my nuts. Put them in the saddle bag. You are the most contrary person I have ever met in my life.”
Thoroughly disgusted with Daniel and my current situation in general, I gave in to my childish side and pinched the skin over his ribs. “You aren’t exactly a ray of sunshine yourself, buddy.”
That was great! Your acknowledgment page thanks many people, your firebird sisters included, (Yay) but I loved that you thanked your sister-in-law for keeping your kids alive while you finished the last half of your book. How hard is it to be a wife, mom, someone’s full-time employee and a writer of fabulous dragon books, too?
Sigh. It is very hard. Take away any two of those, and it is STILL very hard. Luckily, we women are very, very good at multitasking. And I’m lucky to have lots of people in my life that are willing and able to step in when I need a little help to make it through the day. Someday, I hope to whittle down that to-do list, but until then, I’ll do my best to stay sane!
Good plan! So, what’s next? When does the next dragon book come out? Or will you be taking on an entirely different set of creatures next?
Well, I’m hard at work on Book #3 of this series. 
It’s the last one I have contracted, and I’m feeling to the itch to move on to something else, but that could be first-draft fever talking. The third book, ‘Til Dragons Do Us Part, is proving extremely fun to write. And trust me, I don’t say that about all my books. DWD was the hardest, most painful thing I’ve ever done…and the day it was DONE was a day I’ll never forget. But, there’s a certain pride in soldiering through a really tough time, and I’m proud of what DWD has become.
‘Til Dragons Do Us Part gets back to my “comfort zone” of humor and action. It follows a dragon-morph art thief and the security director who has to catch her. I’ll let you know more about it when it’s done. Right now, the pub date is TBA.
Congrats and thanks so much for sharing your big day with us today. Our firebird feathers are puffed with pride for you! (Honestly, this book was fantastic. You all will enjoy it…guaranteed!!)
Okay Firebirds and friends, here’s your chance to win your very own dragon gift basket. Because DRACIM #1 – Never Deal with Dragons, released in print the same month Dancing with Dragons is out in digital, Lorenda is celebrating with a huge giveaway of a Kindle Fire, dragon books galore, and a dragon-themed t-shirt. There are many different ways to enter. Check out the Rafflecopter drawing below.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZDMzZmM4NWY4MjMwZTAwNmNlMDI1MmQ5MDc5NDZhOjU=/
Here is the link to some buying options: Lorenda’s Books
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