DragonFire by Donita K. Paul

Song Stuck on the Brain: Don't Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

I'm so excited (Doing my happy dance.) I just finished reading Donita K. Paul's latest, DragonFire. It was sooooo good!

This is the forth book in the Dragon series. I know I've posted about them previously, but if you're new to the series, check out what I've had to say previously.

What's on the Cover:

Three years of strife have passed since Kale and Bardon freed Paladin’s knights. Now, fiery dragons scorch their beautiful countryside as an evil husband-and-wife wizard duo battle one another for supremacy. The people of Amara just want to be left alone, hoping the conflict with disappear. But Paladin is dying, and Bardon and Kale–now married–must accept fateful assignments if their land is to survive. Will their efforts turn the tide against their adversaries?

They face a deadly threat–and a challenging choice.

Kale’s responsibility is to find, hatch, and train an army of dragons, and she tackles the daunting task–until she is shocked by a betrayal. As the Amaran countrymen seek escape, she must search for her husband, family, and friends while organizing an underground movement to weaken the enemy. But when the end draws near, Kale must choose between two dismal destinies.

This series is so addictive. Amara is a world I love to immerse myself in and I can't wait to get back to it. I always attack the latest book as soon as it appears in my mailbox, and despite the fact that I don't want the story to end, I can't help but devour it as soon as possible. With the end of each book, I go through a withdrawl period. I just want more.

How can you not love these characters? Her creativity is just boundless and I want so much to meet a Kimen, a Doneel and an Emerlindian. I want to meet Bug the Ropma and his wife Rain and all their ba's. I want to take all the minor dragons home. Gymn the healing dragon, Dibl the comedian, Pat the chubby bug cruncher. Metta the singer. They just sound adorable!

When I reached the end of DragonFire, I thought it was the series-ender - and I was upset. What about Gilda and Regidor? What about the Dragon eggs? What about Kale and Bardon? The story was great, the plot all wrapped up, but there was just so much more I needed to know. How could Donita end this series? So I put the book down and immediately went to search her website for another book.

Joy of all joys, DragonLight is due out Summer of '08. I actually did the fist pumping YES! Now, I just have to survive the wait - and hope Donita can make this series last a little longer.

If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it.

A.

Drumroll Please...

I work with some of the most creative and talented people. No, not in the batcave, on the internet. (Although some of the cave people are pretty talented too.)

I work with two different online critique groups. The ladies are fantastic and it's nice to have a writer family. Recently, I discovered that several of these talented ladies received some really great writerly news. I think they deserve a great big e-party, so I'm throwing them one.

Donna received an honorable mention in the W.I.N. contest for her MG book Cattle Rustling Catastrophe. This is a great accomplishment and well deserved. Cattle Rustling is a funny and adventerous book about a very real little girl named Jenny. I adore, Jenny. I can't wait for her to find a home with a publisher. Congrats, Donna. Have some chocolate.

Melanie placed second in the inspirational category of the Dixie First Chapter Contest for her story, The Woodcutter's Daughter. This novel is going to be a big hit. I can feel it in my bones as my Grandma would say. The plot is fun and I completely fell for the hero. Congrats, Mel. Have a big bowl of ice cream.

Last but certainly not least, Kelly placed first in the inspirational category of the Dixie First Chapter Contest for Kitty's Fire, a romantic suspense about woman firefighter. PLUS, she's been signed by a really great agent. WhooHoo, Kelly! Have a great big slice of party cake.


I'm so proud of these ladies. They've worked so hard to achieve success. Now, I just have to pray some of it rubs off on me. :)

Party on girls, you deserve it.

A.

Another mystery solved

I got impatient and googled 'wet nuts'. Dangerous, I know.

Believe it or not, there's actually a website that describes them. Basically, wet nuts are chopped nuts in a sugary syrup. They're most populare in the New York/New Jersey area. You can purchase them from Smuckers online if you can't find them locally.

Interesting that it's only common in a small region. It would be interesting to try them, although the name could use some improving. Wet nuts just doesn't sound very appetizing.


The cartoon is just for fun. It's not often I can identify with Broom Hilda. :)

A.

Wet nuts anyone?

While reading Wedding Bell Blues by Linda Windsor, I came across a term I've never heard before.

The Bosom Buddies ordered Sundaes with 'wet nuts'. What in the world are wet nuts? Is it a nut sauce of some kind? Is it nuts soaked in water? I've asked several people, but no one else seems to know what that means either. I'm wondering if it's a local thing.

Anyone have an answer?

A.

CFBA: Fearless by Robin Parrish

Song Stuck on the Brain: I'm So Excited by the Pointer Sisters. I'm not, but the song is there anyway.

Just as an add on to yesterdays post about our 3 day trip... After all the incidents and mishaps, I found one more. Saturday, the last day of our road trip, I wore a brand new pair of jeans. I did laundry the other night and when I pulled that pair of jeans out to wash them, I found that the TAG was still attached. I wore them all day that way and never noticed. I don't know it the tag hung out visibly or if it stayed tucked into the jeans, but either way, I had Minnie Pearl butt all day.


This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:

FEARLESS

by

Robin Parrish

(Bethany House, July 1, 2007)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Book Two of the Dominion Trilogy:

The world changed after that terrible day when the sky burned, and now every heart is gripped by fear...

Earthquakes, fire, disease, and floods pummel the earth, and its citizens watch in horror.


But in the darkness there is hope -- an anonymous but powerful hero whom the public dubs "Guardian." He is Grant Borrows, one of a chosen few who walk the earth with extraordinary powers. But while Grant enjoys this new life, signs of a dangerous ancient prophecy begin coming true, and those closest to Grant worry he may be hiding a terrible secret.

A search for answers brings Grant and his friends to London, where an extraordinary discovery awaits that will challenge everything they thought they knew. With a deadly new enemy dogging his steps, Grant realizes that the world's only hope may come from unraveling the truth about himself once and for all. But what he comes face-to-face with leaves even this most powerful of men shaken with fear.

Secrets will be revealed.

Friends will make the ultimate sacrifice.

And destiny will not be denied.

The story continues...


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist.

In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract.

Born Michael Robin Parrish on October 13, 1975, Robin's earliest writing efforts took place on a plastic, toy typewriter, and resulted in several "books" (most between 10 and 30 pages long) and even a few magazines.

By the age of thirteen, he had begun winning local writing awards and became a regular in his high school's literary magazine. In college, he garnered acclaim from his English professors and fellow students while maturing and honing his skills.

After college, he entered the writing profession through a "side door" -- the Internet. More than ten years he spent writing for various websites, including About.com, CMCentral.com, and his current project Infuze Magazine, which is a unique intersection between art and faith which he also conceived of and created.

One of his more "high concept" ideas for Infuze was to return to his love for storytelling and create a serialized tale that would play out every two weeks, telling a complete, compelling story over the course of nine months. That serialized story eventually came to the attention of several publishers, who saw it as a potential debut novel for Robin Parrish.

In 2005, Bethany House Publishers brought Robin full circle by contracting him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels. A trilogy, to unfold in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and 2008. One massive tale -- of which that first, original story would form only the foundational first volume of the three -- spread across three books.

Robin is the Editor in Chief and creator of Infuze Magazine. He and his wife Karen reside in High Point, North Carolina. Karen works for High Point's First Wesleyan Church, where Robin and Karen are members and Small Group leaders.