Deborah Cooke - Spinning into the Dragon Diaries + Contest

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Spinning into the Dragon Diaries
by Deborah Cooke / The Dragon Diaries Site

As many of you know, I write the Dragonfire series of paranormal romances. These books feature a group of dragon shape shifter heroes, called the Pyr, and each book tells the story of one Pyr hero meeting his destined mate. These dragon shape shifters experience one firestorm in all their long lives. The firestorm is the mark of a dragon shifter meeting the woman who can bear his son. Sparks literally fly between the dragon dude and the human woman, which can be complicated to explain. The firestorm burns until their relationship is consummated, but the desire it ignites is impossible to ignore.

Although the firestorm is about pure biology, negotiating it is seldom so simple. Most the Pyr, no matter how solitary and single they would prefer to be, find that there is something special about the woman who sparks the firestorm. There's not been a one of them yet in this series who could walk away from the woman who lit his fire. Lorenzo, the most rebellious and solitary of them all, also succumbs to the power of the firestorm in Dragonfire #7, FLASHFIRE, coming in January. You can read more about FLASHFIRE and the other Dragonfire novels at http://www.deborahcooke.com

The Dragon Diaries is a paranormal YA trilogy which is a spin-off from Dragonfire - the second book in that trilogy WINGING IT is being released this month. Because it's a spin-off series, it takes place in the same Dragonfire world, albeit in 2024. My YA series developed organically from Dragonfire and here's how.

Virtually all of the Pyr are male. There is, in fact, only one female dragon shape shifter in my Dragonfire world at any given time, and she is called the Wyvern. The Wyvern has special powers, but is pretty elusive. Here's a little spoiler alert! In Dragonfire #3, KISS OF FATE, the current Wyvern fell in love, broke the rules and decided to sacrifice herself for the greater good of the Pyr. You'll have to read the book to learn the details, but she died. And the child conceived in that book, the child of Erik and Eileen, was a girl instead of a boy. It's obvious to Erik that his daughter will be the next Wyvern, and he's anxious to see her develop her powers. Add to that the fact that the guys who are dragon shape shifters come into their powers at puberty and we have the ingredients for a spin-off series.

The Dragon Diaries trilogy tells the coming-of-age story of Zoë, the one female dragon shape shifter who should be the Wyvern. At the beginning of book #1, FLYING BLIND, Zoë's problem is that all of her dragon shifting powers are AWOL, never mind what she calls the Wyvern Bonus Pack. All of that changes when Zoë's best friend is bullied in school and suddenly she's on the fast track - and heading to Pyr boot camp - to conquer her inner dragon. She and the next generation of dragon shifters discover a new threat to the Pyr, one that the dads dismiss, and have to prove themselves by saving the day. Along the way, Zoë has her first kiss, has a lot of new secrets to keep from her best friend Meagan, and meets Jared, who just may be the most elusive and hot guy on the planet.

In WINGING IT, Zoë has gotten a grip on most of her dragon shifting powers. Things are not good with Meagan, though, who has a best friend's sense of when she's not being told everything. Plus there's a new girl in school who has befriended Meagan, and Jared has disappeared, and Zoë has been invited to the popular kids' Halloween party - which she knows is a trap set up by the Mages. It seems that her sixteenth birthday will be the worst birthday ever, and that's before Meagan gets targeted by the Mages. You can read more about all three books in the Dragon Diaries trilogy, right here: The Dragon Diaries Site

So, now I have a question for you! Do you like reading about the same world from different perspectives? I thought it was fun to explore the world of Dragonfire from the perspective of a teenage girl, particularly as I'm used to considering it from the view of adults snared in the firestorm. Do you like to read linked series like this or not? Why or why not?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deborah Cooke has always been fascinated with dragons, although she has never understood why they have to be the bad guys. She has an honours degree in history, with a focus on medieval studies. She is an avid reader of medieval vernacular literature, fairy tales and fantasy novels, and has written over forty romance novels and novellas.

She has also been published under the names Claire Cross and Claire Delacroix.

Deborah makes her home in Canada with her husband. When she isn't writing, she can be found knitting, sewing or hunting for vintage patterns.

In October and November 2009, Deborah was the writer in residence for the Toronto Public Library, the first time that the library has hosted a residency focussed on the romance genre.

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