Hi!
Thank you very much for letting me take
over your blog today to reveal the cover for my latest novel, Dragon
Moon.
This is a
Teen & Young Adult
Fantasy, and I hope to publish with Amazon’s
Kindle
Scout program, if it is accepted.
The story concerns Scarlett, an almost
nineteen year old who is undecided about her future. Throughout her
school life she has been the subject of ridicule and bullying because
of her flame, red hair. While college was easier, because she stood
up for herself, she can’t make up her mind if University is the
place she wants to be, and is taking some time out from studying to
decide. She visits the Nottingham Goose Fair, and meets Dizelli, a
psychic, who gives her a gold pendant and instructs her to wear it to
bed.
Scarlett wakes up the next morning but
she’s not in her bed, or her home. She’s in a field. In her
pajama’s.
Her adventure begins and she’s thrown
into a world of dragons and magic. She’s the Dragon Mage, and it’s
her responsibility to save the dragons from slaughter, and also bring
two warring tribes together.
There are just a few days left before
the Dragon Moon arrives. All the dragons currently asleep, protecting
their eggs could die unless Scarlett finds a way to unite the silver
haired, and black haired races together and to stop Lord Ithel from
killing the elder dragon who knows the secret location of the dragon
eggs.
Here’s a sneaky peek!
No matter what Elyan’s surprise is,
at least it’s another lovely day out. It’s another lovely day.
The sun is shining and despite the cool breeze, it’s perfect for
riding. We set off at a walk but once outside the city walls, Elyan
kicks his horse and he’s off. I have a hard time keeping up on
Sootli; bless her. Once he reaches the foothills, he slows and when I
catch up to him, he pulls off to the left instead of the path through
the mountain.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer and just waves at
me as he trots ahead. He’s in charge again; he can’t help it.
We ride for only a little way, and then
the smell hits me.
Vanillian.
Soon we’re looking at a blanket of
white flowers. They stretch along the side of the track as far as the
eye can see, and the smell is amazing. Elyan dismounts and wraps the
reins around a fallen tree. He helps me down and leads me to the huge
log where we both sit.
I can’t stop sniffing the air and
notice he’s staring. “What?”
He smiles and I notice for the first
time how charming he looks when he’s not scowling.
“I know how much you like Vanillium
and thought you would like to see where it grows. Am I right?”
“Yes! Thanks.”
I’m smiling as I look at him and see
him in a different light. He can be thoughtful when he puts his mind
to it. He stares at me for several moments, his gaze unfathomable. Do
I want to know what he’s thinking?
“I am sorry for my behavior yesterday
with Mostyn,” he says.
Wow! Didn’t see that coming.
“I expect learning he and your sister
were an item was a bit of a shock.”
“I learned something else too. From
my father.”
“What was it?” I ask as if I don’t
know.
“That there was someone else he loved
before mother. I am not angry about that. He expected me to be,
though. I have a reputation, it seems.”
I can see a hint of a grin forming.
“My father relies on me to protect
the town. While I have my warriors to aid, I am constantly on my
guard. My responsibility to our people is foremost on my mind.”
“That’s why you’re so wound up,
Elyan. You’re stressed out.”
I know how he feels. In my last year of
college I was worrying over my exams, the bullying, and concerns
about my life after college. My dad said when someone is stressed,
they are short-tempered, have trouble sleeping and are unable to see
the positive side of things. Elyan ticks all of the above. People
don’t realize they are stressed, but once it’s pointed out to
them, it becomes clearer.
“What am I to do? This is my life. I
am responsible for our people.”
“I understand you have an important
role, but you don’t have to do it on your own. You have warriors
who follow your lead. They are just as capable as you are. Let them
take some of the pressure.”
Elyan narrows his eyes as he looks at
me. He’s listening to what I’m saying rather than spouting off.
That’s a good sign.
“But will they then act as I do?
Become ‘snippety’ as you say?” He grins.
“No, I don’t believe they will. If
you divide the tasks between yourselves, it will be less of a burden.
Do you see that?”
“Yes, I do.”
It could be my imagination, but I swear
he looks less stressed already. He’s a smart cookie and I know I
whined about him plenty of times, but he isn’t a bad person.
Actually, as he is now--calm and thoughtful--he’s very attractive.
He was already ranking high on my “hot men” chart, but it was his
attitude that stopped him reaching a higher position.
Oh, I know you think I’m mean, but I
bet I’m not the only one who has a score card.
“When we return home after the
meeting today, you can gather your warriors and delegate your duties.
Start enjoying your life, Elyan.”
“I like the way you think. You are as
smart as my father said.”
“Did he say that?”
“Yes, last night after you left. I
spoke with him for a while, and he believes you are too wise for your
age.” He chuckles.
Ha! I think what the Earl said probably
went something along the lines of “she’s too big for her boots.”
But I’ll accept it as a compliment anyway.
Elyan is looking at me again. Not quite
a stare but his gaze is lingering and I know I’m blushing. My
cheeks are on fire. I’d like to know what he’s thinking.
Wait...maybe that’s not a good idea. There’s a glint in his eye,
which isn’t a bad thing, but I’ve got too much to think about at
the moment.
Extremely bad timing.
“Are all the women in your town like
you?” he asks.
“No. They are much nicer.” I laugh.
“Women are equal to men, though. They share responsibility, work
and some earn such a good wage that the man plays househusband and
takes care of the children.”
“That is a story you have made up.”
He laughs. “It is a woman’s responsibility to tend the children.”
I’m surprisingly calm after that
misogynistic statement. In all fairness, he lives in a world where
men are chivalrous and women are skivvies, and that’s not entirely
his fault. However, I will nevertheless attempt to enlighten him of
why a role doesn’t need to be filled by only one sex.
Here goes.
“Elyan, I’m going to explain
something to you which you may find surprising. Women are quite
capable of fulfilling any job a man is tasked with. The only
difference is that some women might struggle depending on the
physical strength required, but that does not mean that some women
are not a strong as some men. There are some who are stronger.”
He’s shaking his head, so I continue.
“Women are in the Army, Navy, and Air
Force. Where I’m from, we are ruled by a Queen, as are many other
countries. So you see... there’s nothing a man can do that a woman
cannot. As for taking care of children, why shouldn’t a man look
after his child? There’s no rule that says a woman should be the
only person to wipe a baby’s bottom!”
He laughs and shakes his head. “You
are making this up, surely?”
“No, I’m not.”
I look at him and wonder how he would
cope if he were to visit my world. Not only because of the women’s
issue but all the technology we have as well. I don’t think he
could take it all in, although he might have fun playing my X box.
“I should like to see this for
myself. Your world sounds interesting. Do you think I would like it?”
“There are some wonders that would
impress you, Elyan, but just as you have problems here, we also have
them. Countries fight one another and man has built horrendous
machines and created poisons that could kill us all. People starving
to death live side by side with people who are so rich, they will
never be able to spend their money before they die.”
He’s listening closely.
“Our world is full of different races
and we are not all the same color. Whole nations have been targeted
because of the color of their skin or religious beliefs. So you see
it’s important that we try and resolve the issues here before they
escalate.”
Elyan narrows his eyes. He’s thinking
hard, I can see from his expression. He will be the Earl once his
father passes and he could help implement changes now that would stop
future warring.
“This makes you sad, does it not?”
“Yes, very much.”
“We are from different worlds and
yet, we are not so different.”
He takes my hand in his and smiles
softly. He’s capable of becoming a great leader, I feel it. He has
already made changes to the way he acts based on information he’s
acquired. He is a smart cookie.
“We have a saying—‘there’s
nothing new under the sun’--and this is so true. Wherever we are in
the world, whether we’re black-skinned or white, if we have black
or white hair, or we worship the sun or the moon, we are all human
beings and we have a right to be free and to live.”
“We shall have that here, Scarlett. I
promise. I will do everything within my power to make Lord Ithel
understand we must live together in peace.”
Elyan pushes up and pulls me with him.
“You will show us how to make a start. Will you not?”
Thank you for taking the time to read
the sneaky peek... you can read another on my official website
www.julienicholls.com to
the page,
Dragon
Moon where a link will be added once the book is available for
purchase.
