Dragon’s Hanukkah!
It’s Hanukkah, and Dragon is helping his family celebrate.
Have you ever made latkes or played dreidel? Come join the fun as Dragon makes latkes and lights the menorah. Then play the dreidel game and see where it lands!
I had a great time not only writing this little story, but illustrating it with watercolors as well.
Dragonfruit is a beautifully imagined world with a Pacific Island flare. Hanalei has been living as an exile from her homeland of Tamarind since she was nine. Her love and affinity for sea dragons is much deeper than it seems.
Makiia Lucier’s characters are rich and well developed. Some even pop out of the page. Or at least the tattoos magically move and come to life. This exciting adventure is entwined with betrayals, loyalty, and love.
Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.
Elana A. Mugdan is an author and semi-retired filmmaker based in New York City. She has received many accolades in the film industry, including a number of awards for her feature film Director’s Cut, which she wrote, directed, and produced by herself.
An avid reader, Elana is a lifelong fan of fantasy stories—particularly ones which revolve around dragons. She is described by her friends and family as “the weirdest person I know”, and wears that weirdness proudly on her sleeve. Some of her favorite authors include J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter S. Beagle, and Robert Jordan.
Elana currently resides in New York, living a quiet but eccentric life with her pet rescue snake, Medusa.
Wolf: Glad you could join us today, Elana. Love your costume. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?
Elana: The answer to this is obvious: I’d be a dragon! I’ve been a dracophile for as long as I can remember, and dragons have always been a source of strength and inspiration for me. Considering the fact that I am the World’s Foremost Dragon Authority, as well as the OG Mother of Dragons, I think I’d adjust to draconic life quite easily. Plus, flying and breathing fire and having the power to decimate my enemies? Yes, please.
Wolf: I guess I didn’t really need to ask that question. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?
Elana: Although there are plenty of cool weapons out there, there’s just something about a good old-fashioned sword that I love. I was always partial to them, and always wanted to be a master swordsman—I even took fencing lessons when I was young, since that was the closest I could get to actual sword fighting. However, the dreams of swordsmanship eventually fell by the wayside, and now I must live out those dreams vicariously through the characters in my books.
Wolf: Swords seem to be very popular. Most writers tend to do unkind things to their characters. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to one of yours?
Elana: Without giving away too many spoilers, I will simply say this: I once pulled a George R. R. Martin and went on a killing spree, murdering several major characters in an important battle scene in one of my stories. It was heartbreaking, but it had to be done. I’ve also written quite a lot of my own traumas into my main novel series, subjecting my protagonist to a slew of heartaches, losses, and betrayals.
Wolf: Yup. Dead is kind of bad. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.
Elana: I’d definitely be one of those monster man-eating plants, like the kind in Little Shop of Horrors. A massive Venus Flytrap type of thing with writhing tentacle-vines and a gaping, fanged mouth. I wouldn’t hide in the shadows, though—I’d grow on a mountaintop, reveling in the sun, and I’d challenge every human who dared ascend my peek.
Wolf: I think I’ll stay away from your mountain. If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Elana: If you had asked younger me this question, she would have probably said something cool like “time travel”, “teleportation”, or “shapeshifting”. However, now that I am older and wiser, I think I’d have to say: mind control. If I had the ability to control people’s thoughts, I could very quickly become rich, rise to power, and take over the world. Hm, that sounds very villainous, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, I’d use my powers for good—I’d force people to clean up the planet and start being nice to each other.
Wolf: Yet the first thing you thought of was world domination. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?
Elana: Quite obviously, I go to investigate. I’d be cautious, of course, but my curiosity would get the best of me. Besides, I’m the kind of lunatic who would love to find a ghost or some horrifying creature behind the door. So even if I’m walking into a dangerous situation, for me it’s still win-win.
Wolf: I like the way you think. What five items would you want to have in a post-cataclysmic world?
Elana: The essentials for survival: a backpack to carry supplies, a water purifier so I never have to worry about clean water, flint rocks to make a fire (matches are too easily lost, and run out too quickly), a gun for defense, and a blade of some sort—I’m not necessarily saying a sword, but hey, if the shoe fits, wear it! The blade would be for chopping wood, whittling, and helping me to look cool.
Wolf: Not to mention it would be great for defense. Do you have a favorite character?
Elana: I love all my characters for different reasons, but the one I love most is Cezon Skyriver, who is a minor character we keep running into throughout my main novel series. Simply put, Cezon is a criminal, and he is one of the funnest characters to write. In fact, I’ve so enjoyed writing in his voice that I’m considering writing an accompanying world-building novella starring him and his band of misfit delinquents!
Wolf: Good idea. What is your favorite body of water and why?
Elana: In my youth, I visited Moosehead Lake every summer. This is a beautiful lake in central Maine, and some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around it. I remember playing with friends upon its shores, swimming out to explore little islands, and skinny dipping by the light of the full moon. It is, bar none, my favorite body of water.
Wolf: Sounds beautiful. What story are you working on now?
Elana: Currently I’m working on Dragon Blood, book three in my YA fantasy series, The Shadow War Saga. It’s scheduled for publication on March 6th, 2020. I’ve just finished the final round of editing, and I’m now sending it out to my beta readers to gather feedback!
Wolf: Thanks for visiting. You can connect with Elana through these links:
https://www.facebook.com/ShadowWarSaga
https://www.instagram.com/officialdragonspeaker/
https://twitter.com/dragonspleen
Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.
GB was born in a small town in Vermont and grew up in the country attending a rural school. She started telling stories to her toys from a young age, writing her first short story in second grade. Her first novel in 10th grade. They’ve often been of the fantasy genre, because who doesn’t want to let their imagination travel as far as it can? But they’ve also been about real life: betrayal, suspicion, joy, war, triumph, self-doubt, all that good stuff. …And unicorns and dragons!
Growing up, her hobbies were showing her horses, lots of reading, and creating art. As she aged and life circumstances changed (she moved to the city where having horses wasn’t possible) she added folkloric belly dance, costuming, and entertaining in her home to her list of activities.
Currently she lives just a short drive from Lake Ontario where there is lots of snow, in a rambling old colonial house with her family and pets.
Wolf: If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?
GB: Are we talking imaginary or real? This is a difficult question. Always be a unicorn. Or a dragon. I (like a lot of writers and artists) have introvert tendencies, so to be left alone to do my work but with a few close friends, and having powers is a bonus. As for a real animal, I would like to be a warmblood dressage horse. They get the best care, work for about an hour a day except on show days.
Wolf: The questions was any, so we’ll stick with unicorn for and answer. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
GB: I tend to be relatively tame when it comes to food. No eyeballs or tentacles. I enjoy the international food I’ve had. Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. Probably the strangest thing was haggis (not true haggis because it’s not legal in the States). It reminded me of gamey meatloaf.
Wolf: That’s one I’ve never tried. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?
GB: I give them hope.
Wolf: What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?
GB: Oh man, what haven’t I done? Across the series there have been entire families eradicated, some characters have had severe trauma…
Wolf: That sounds about right for an author. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?
GB: I’m a pet person in general. I currently have a dog, a cat, a hamster, and an aquarium.
Wolf: Nice. While walking in the woods you come across…
GB: I have bad luck, so probably a very lost grizzly.
Wolf: Hope it’s not hungry. (I actually have come across a grizzly. Very scary.) If you could have a super power, what would it be?
GB: So many wonderful powers to choose from! I think I would love to have the powers of Dr. Strange. It would be very handy indeed.
Wolf: Yeah. I like what he did with Loki in the last Thor movie. Which of your characters is your favorite?
GB: It varies from moment to moment. Whichever character is making me happy for whatever reason. They all have their moments, but Cassius, Mina, and Gallylya are probably most often at the top of the list.
Wolf: What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)
GB: I love waterfalls. They’re beautiful, powerful, and always changing. Lakes come in second because they’re safer than the ocean and the view is nice.
Wolf: What story are you working on now?
GB: I’m polishing Arise, Book of Avenzyre III (due out later this year), and a writing the first draft of a book for tweens about a teenage girl living in rural New England surviving mean girls at school as well as horse shows (doesn’t have a title yet), and a coloring book to accompany the Avenzyre series.
Wolf: More familiar with mean girls at schools than I’d like to be. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
GB: I read, research, I have various sewing projects (I make the costumes I wear at RavenCon and Ren Faire), sometimes I crochet, I make very involved sketches of my characters and sometimes paint.
You can connect with GB through these links.
https://www.facebook.com/GBMacRae/
https://twitter.com/gb_macrae
https://www.pinterest.com/gbmacrae/pins/
https://mewe.com/profile/59f63ab71be2d92868415133
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of STAR TOUCHED
Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.
Give a big wolf welcome to Grady P. Brown
Grady is a science fiction author who is diagnosed with high functioning autism. He is a connoisseur of the science fiction, fantasy, and superhero genres. In addition, he is an autism ambassador, hoping to demonstrate the potential benefits one can gain from being autistic. As a writer, Grady P. Brown utilizes his autism to visualize the story taking place inside of his head like a movie. Also, he has a very strong memory, allowing him to store information about his characters and stories in his brain as though it were a computer hard-drive. He is also a passionate pit bull lover and owns a pair of sweet and loving pit bulls named Wally and Fitch.
Wolf: I think I know the answer to this, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?
Grady: My family has four dogs: three pit bulls and one miniature poodle. So I would say dog person.
Wolf: Clearly. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?
Grady: I would be a dragon because dragons are the incarnations of creation and destruction and the link between gods and men. As they say in Game of Thrones: “dragons are fire made flesh and fire is power!” Also, I am a devout dragon fanatic and have been for as long as I could remember.
Wolf: Dragons are very cool, but some can be dangerous. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?
Grady: I would pick the sword in my fantasy book, Numen the Slayer. The sword’s name is Gramfyre after the legendary sword of the Norse hero Sigurd. Gramfyre’s double-edged blade is pitch black with ancient runes engraved along its fuller. Its cruciform crossguard and fishtail-shaped pommel would be made of gold and decorated with rubies. Finally, the grip (which is big enough to be held in either one hand or two hands) would be made out of polished dragon ivory. The sword has the power to turn its wielder into a powerful warrior with the speed, strength, and fury of ten men and make them immune to physical pain. However, this power must be fueled by its wielder’s spiritual energy, which can be costly. I would choose this weapon because it is the Sword of Power of the Magnus Dynasty and whoever possesses it has the power to become emperor of the Gradaia Empire (which is as big as the combined land of the British Empire at its zenith).
Wolf: Sometimes authors are mean to their characters, what about you?
Grady: In Numen the Slayer, I would say the meanest thing I did to my characters was have them be cannibalized by other characters.
Wolf: Eek! Describe a meal you would be served while visiting another world. (Hopefully not someone you know.)
Grady: If I was visiting the Imperial Palace in Chrysos from Numen the Slayer, I would be having quite a big festive meal fit for an emperor. Roasted chicken with herbs, a saddle of spit-roasted lamb, fresh salads served with oranges or edible flowers, roasted turkey, a sweet meat pie served with figs, carrots, and artichokes. That will only be the first course of the meal. The second course would consist of gelatin made from deer antler, a custard tart topped with pomegranate seeds, and sugar wafers. For drinks, there would be wine marinated with sugar, spices, and gold.
Wolf: Sounds like an exquisite feast. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
Grady: I would say iced milk with honey because it was a drink I never had before. I did not know what to expect, but in the end, it was a healthy balance between sweet and creamy while having a spicy aftertaste.
Wolf: You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.
Grady: I would be a tree that is thousands of years old. My bark is silvery while my leaves are golden. Hanging from my branches would be pearly fruit that opens the mind of whoever eats it.
Wolf: While walking in the woods you come across…
Grady: I come across a slimy creature that lurks in the dark trees. Its appearance would be concealed, but its putrid smell and sickening snarls can be detected.
Wolf: What would you do if you were immortal?
Grady: If I were immortal, I would keep writing and publishing stories until the end of time. Also, since Disney will be cranking out more Star Wars stories, I will keep watching and reading Star Wars films, books, and comics forever!
Wolf: Which of your characters is your favorite?
Grady: I would say Numen Magnus from Numen the Slayer because he is the most complex character I ever created, and he is a combination between my favorite historical and mythical characters.
Wolf: What story are you working on now?
Grady: I am working on the sequel of Numen the Slayer, which will revolve around Numen’s children and their feud with House Sylva and quest for the Imperial Throne.
https://gradypbrown.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/GPBFantasyBooks/
https://www.facebook.com/TheYoungGuardians/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11309703.Grady_P_Brown
https://www.amazon.com/Grady-P.-Brown/e/B002YBCBBO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1507343486&sr=8-1
https://twitter.com/guardiansyoung
“You’re going to love this place, Mr. and Mrs. Rexon. It has two Olympic sized pools, one inside and one outside. There are seven hundred eighty bedroom suites, one hundred offices, eighty bathrooms, twenty dining rooms, four kitchens, and a ballroom. The master bedroom has a bowling alley sized walk in closet.”
Gordon Crestwell held his breath as the tobacco chewing trillionaire surveyed the property. The Texan’s wife stood next to him popping gum like a porn star tramp. They were new money, trash, but he needed the commission from this sale to pay off his gambling debts. So far none of the places he’d shown them were big enough and he was beginning to wonder if anything would be. Gordon’s cheeks ached from his plastered on smile. This was the last place on his list.
Mr. Rexton wrinkled his face. “I don’t know, Gordon. Everyone we talked to said you were the best realtor, but I really don’t think you understand what we’re looking for. This place is big and all, but not Texas big.”
Gordon wanted to spit in the man’s face. He was sick of the Texas thing. “This estate is bigger than Buckingham Palace. Even the queen of England doesn’t have better accommodations.”
“That’s just it. It’s huge, lavish, just like all the other places, but none of them have the right kind of housing for Snookum’s pets.”
“But you haven’t seen the stable. It’ll hold an entire herd of horses and cows. It’s beautiful. Just follow me.”
Gordon walked around the house before the Texan could object. His life depended on this sale. The couple looked at the fancy marble stable with its intricate relief sculptures. Gordon’s stomach twisted when he saw the look on their faces, especially the puckered lips on Rexton’s trampy wife.
“Sorry, Gordon, but this place just isn’t right. Snookum worked hard on her genetic creations. The herd of unicorns might like all that fancy stuff, but those doors just aren’t going to fit her flight of dragons.”
“Damn fracking,” mumbled McAllister. He stared at the red water in the little creek. “First they cause an earthquake, then they pollute the groundwater. Now something’s using my farm as a fast food highway.”
After the quake last year he’d been thrilled to have a new creek bubble up across his farm. Not anymore. The weird noises grew louder every night. Livestock vanished with increasing frequency.
Sweat dripped down McAllister’s back, but not from the sun. Last night he saw something slither up this creek bed, leaving a trail of feathers. A dozen of his best layers, gone. The unearthly prints around the hen house were the only clue something wasn’t right.
The bushes rustled. High pitched chirping echoed around him. He tightened his grip on the shotgun and kept moving. The air felt charged, pricking his skin. His heartbeat quickened. Maybe it wasn’t the fracking after all. Maybe it was something else.
Wind and darkness swirled around him. He leaned into the tempest and continued forward. The storm vanished as quickly as it arrived, leaving McAllister in a still and barren landscape with a red stream. He blinked in the bright light and scorching heat. Large and small leathery wings filled the sky. Their screeching and chirps made his hair stand on end, but the golden eyes that studied him nearly made his heart stop.
“Mmm, a human,” said the dragon. “I wonder if it tastes like chicken.”
“Looks old and tough. Not enough meat for the children. Throw it back in the portal and try a different opening.”
The dragon flicked a claw at McAllister knocking him back into the whirlwind. A moment later he landed on his farm next to the now dried creek bed.
Crack, crack. Five eggs for her little boy sizzled as soon as they hit the butter-filled pan. Their clear gelatinous goo solidified and she pulled them off the heat. Jason liked the yolks liquid.
“Morning,” said Jason. He shuffled into the kitchen rubbing sleep from his eyes. His nose wrinkled when he saw the eggs. “Are the yolks gushy?”
After twenty-eight years you’d think he’d say thank you, but she ignored his winey tone. He was all she had.
Jason prodded the egg. Satisfied they were prepared properly, he stabbed his fork into the yolk. Oozing yellow liquid, the egg wriggled and flopped on the plate like a skewered fish. A horrific squeal rent the air. He dropped the fork and screamed. Gaping maws of jagged teeth opened on the yokes. Growling, they leaped from the plate.
She sucked in a sharp breath and opened her eyes. It was only a dream. Suddenly, Jason yelled and she raced to his room. Five tiny dragons fought over an old pastrami sandwich on the floor. Jason gaped from his bed, still wearing yesterday’s clothes.
As one, the dragonets looked at her. “Thanks for the tasty meal, Grandma. May we please have more?”
The compliment shocked her more than seeing dragons. Grandchildren. Finally. Who was she to question how?
“You’re welcome,” she said, patting their heads. “Jason, dear, you have children to support now.”
“But…”
“But nothing. Go to work.”
Ignoring Jason, she sat and read a story to her new charges.
It wasn’t fear that caused Brandon’s heart to pound and send chills running down his spine. How could he have forgotten the last time he saw creatures from legend appeared and magically vanish? The government had tried to convince everyone on the airplane that it had been an experimental jet, but Brandon hadn’t believed it. Still, the experience sank into the recesses of his mind until it only existed as a childish fantasy.
Brandon leaned into the window, excitement building within. Instead of one, five dragons flew in perfect formation, their large leathery wings beating slowly. Five sets of eyes looked at him, examining his soul. Voices echoed in Brandon’s mind, calling him. The tantalizing pull left him breathless, filled with anticipation and desire.
“Come with us.”
To soar with dragons, the very thought made his heart race. But how could he? He had no wings. Only in dreams had he dared such a thing.
“You are a child of dragon blood, dragon kin. Come to us.”
If only Brandon could fly. If only he could sit astride the lead dragon and touch those golden scales. Eyes squeezed tight, Brandon pictured himself gliding on the dragon’s back. His skin began to tingle.
Wind lashed at Brandon’s face. He reached for the chair in front of him only to feel scales and hear the rhythmic flapping of great leathery wings. The disorientation passed. Eyes opened, Brandon basked in the glory of flight.
“Welcome home dragon kin. Welcome to your inheritance.”