Published: October 19th, 2013
Description:
For over a thousand years dragons have existed in secret . . . Peter Clark can build a robot from scratch and pick a lock in two minutes or less. But he can't figure out why his mother left or why his grandma refuses to talk about her. When Uncle Dominick shows up on Peter's twelfth birthday with a letter that hints at answers and an incredible story about dragons, Peter follows him, determined to find out the truth about his mother's disappearance.
What he finds is a reality far different from what he ever could have imagined - where dragons live in hiding, hunted by poachers for their magical parts, and a small group of men and women work tirelessly to protect them. These are the Dragon Defenders. Peter's uncle is one. So was his mother. Now it's Peter's turn.
* Finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2013 Literary Contest *
GUEST POST
5 Things you didn’t know about Dragon Defender
5. The Cuélebre dragon is based on ‘real’ dragon mythology.
Cuélebre, or Culebre, is a giant winged serpent-dragon of the Asturian and Cantabrian mythology, that lives in a cave, guards treasures and keeps xanas as prisoners. Although they are immortal, they grow old as the time goes by and their scales become thick and impenetrable, and flag wings grow in their bodies. They don't usually move, and when they do it, it is in order to eat cattle and people. One can kill the cuélebre giving him as meal a red-hot stone or a bread full of pins. Its spit it is said to turn into a magic stone which heals many diseases. (source: Wikipedia)
4. Xana’s name was inspired by a character that appeared in ancient stories about the Cuélebre dragon.
According to legend, the Cuelebre dragon kept xanas as prisoners. Xanas were mythological creatures, always blond and female, with extraordinary beauty that lived in rivers, waterfalls, lakes, or forested regions.
3. The Mayan ruins where Peter, Xana, and Mario encounter the Cuélebre dragon are based on a real place.
Chicanná is the name of a Mayan ruins site, located just two kilometers west of Becan in the Mexican state of Campeche on the Yucatan peninsula. Chicanná was inhabited from 300 to 1100. The name Chicanná is Mayan for “The house of the serpent mouth.” One of the main structures features the face of a serpent.
2. The original title for the book was “The Boy with the Dragon Tear Necklace”
I changed it after one of my first beta readers suggested a better name… Dragon Defender.
1. Dragon Defender was a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association literary contest for middle-grade fiction last year.
Ok, maybe you already knew that. But I thought it was worth mentioning again! Judges called it "a well-written, engaging story. It makes this reader believe in dragons!"
More Buzz About the Book
"We read an advance copy of this book on kindle earlier this year and our 5th grade son read it twice and is anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Great adventure, really kept our interest reading it together at night. This was one of the kids books I most enjoyed reading myself as well. The characters and the plot are well developed, and appealing to a wide range of kids (both genders). The writing is sophisticated but easy to understand, not 'dumbed down' like many kids books. The subject of dragons was so well crafted that it's easy believe that dragons just might exist, after all." ~ 5 Star Review, Leigh A., Amazon
"Dragon Defender was an absorbing action packed read! The author pulls you in from the first page and I'm not sorry to say I read it all in the first day. I'm 33 but still! This is a fun book for a chapter a night with your 5 year old (my son is loving it so far) or for yourself. The characters are well developed so you feel like you're really there, and the dragon is so believable. I'd venture so far as to say I had to remind myself that dragons don't really exist.... or do they?" ~ 5 Star Review, MGC, Amazon
About the author:
I love to write, and lately I’ve been enjoying writing stories about fantastic things that happen right here and now. Like dragons, living in hiding.
Writing isn’t actually my main job. I work full time at a major internet company in Seattle. That keeps me pretty busy . . . hopping, in fact.
J. A. Blackburn lives in Seattle, Washington in a small white house overlooking the sea with her husband, Jason, her son, Camden, and their dog, Bella. Dragon Defender is her first novel.
Author's Giveaway
Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest runs: January 6th to January 31, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, J.A. Blackburn and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. a Rafflecopter giveaway
1 comment:
Thanks so much for hosting Jenny on the Dragon Defender Blog Tour. It was very interesting to hear some of the background on the book. I am a big fan of all things mythology, but I must admit that I've never run across Asturian and Cantabrian mythology (or at least I've never heard of it referred to that way). A whole new world has been opened up!
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