Dragonfriend by Marc Secchia - Book Tour + Giveaway
Dragonfriend
Dragonfriend Series Book 1
by Marc Secchia
Genre:
YA Epic Fantasy
YA Epic Fantasy
Gold Award winner - 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards
Stabbed. Burned by a dragon. Abandoned for the windrocs to pick over. The
traitor Ra’aba tried to silence Hualiama forever. But he reckoned
without the strength of a dragonet’s paw, and the courage of a girl
who refused to die.
traitor Ra’aba tried to silence Hualiama forever. But he reckoned
without the strength of a dragonet’s paw, and the courage of a girl
who refused to die.
Only an extraordinary friendship will save Hualiama’s beloved kingdom of
Fra’anior and restore the King to the Onyx Throne. Flicker, the
valiant dragonet. Hualiama, a foundling, adopted into the royal
family. The power of a friendship which paid the ultimate
price.
Fra’anior and restore the King to the Onyx Throne. Flicker, the
valiant dragonet. Hualiama, a foundling, adopted into the royal
family. The power of a friendship which paid the ultimate
price.
This is the tale of Hualiama Dragonfriend, and a love which became legend.
Series Note
Dragonfriend is a YA fantasy novel set in the same world of the bestselling dragon adventure series Shapeshifter Dragons and Shapeshifter Dragon Legends.
It can be read in any order alongside Aranya, Shadow Dragon and The Pygmy Dragon.
Awesome dragons, epic stories and deep dragon lore abound in this unique series set in a world of volcanic islands above the clouds.
It can be read in any order alongside Aranya, Shadow Dragon and The Pygmy Dragon.
Awesome dragons, epic stories and deep dragon lore abound in this unique series set in a world of volcanic islands above the clouds.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
When I was
in University I was a competitive powerlifter. The biggest lift I managed was
275kg (605 pounds). However I also play the flute and the panflute. That’s a
fairly unusual combination, I think!
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
I have
twice had animals charge at me. Once was a rabid goat, the second time, an
angry male Abyssinian lion. Guess which was the scarier experience?
What are some of your pet peeves?
Since
becoming an author I’ve developed two pet peeves – one is people who don’t
bother to read a book before reviewing it (positively or negatively) and the
second is people who seem to dislike every single book they read. If they can’t
stand any book they read, please, pick up a different hobby and be happier in
life!
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
1.
Anne McCaffrey – Dragonflight – the original and awesome
introduction to her dragon books
2.
J R R Tolkien – Lord of the Rings – a magnificent all
round epic tale of good taking on the heart of evil. Peter Jackson did a great
job with the movies, too.
3.
Thomas Keneally – Schindler’s List – powerful and harrowing
tale
4.
Terry Brooks – The Sword of Shanarra – for me, set the
standard for epic fantasy for many to follow
5.
Isaac Asimov – Robots – classic science fiction and an
examination of the heart of the human condition from the perspective of his
Robot Laws. Brilliant.
6.
Bryce Courtenay – The Power of One – a searing tale of
apartheid South Africa, my homeland, whose racial issues colour (excuse the
pun!) much of my writing
7.
Brian Jacques – Redwall – I love his colourful characters
and over-the-top feasts that get you salivating.
8.
Ted Dekker – Red, White, Black – thrillers on a totally different scale, I
enjoyed his earlier works much more than the later ones
9.
Ursula LeGuin – Earthsea Trilogy – a fantasy pioneer who
built awesome worlds
10. Arthur
Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
– an exception book that evokes a segment of society in almost perfect detail,
it is utterly engrossing.
There could
be so many more worthy choices! But these are the top 10 stories or series that
moved me as a writer and as a human being.
What inspired you to write this book?
Having created a world of Shapeshifter Dragons, I wanted to
write an epic tale of a character upon whom the fulcrum of historical events
turned. Dragonfriend is the tale of the first Dragon Rider, of a girl called
Hualiama who was so moved by the fire within her that she goes to extraordinary
lengths first to save her family, then to flout every known law with the
Tourmaline Dragon Grandion, and finally, to change the course of her world
forever.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I would like to complete the Dragon books I currently have
planned, which are set in the Island-World. Some of those will dip more into
urban fantasy. That’s two series-enders and 4 standalone novels. After that I’m
planning to write further on my Whisper and Equinox series.
Because I’m a writer who is moved by the ‘muse’, or my
creative process, I can’t say that I’ll stick with this plan too stringently,
but I will definitely complete the ongoing series(es) as fans have been asking
for them.
Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
Indeed! Those are brewing. One is about a Dragon Librarian
that will cover much more of Grandion and Hualiama’s younger years, and another
is about 2 minor characters we meet in Aranya #4, Iridiana and Asturbar.
There’s Dragonship pirates and a tale about ice dragons … basically, too many
ideas!
Marc is a South African-born dragon masquerading as an author, who loves
writing about dragons and Africa, preferably both at the same time.
He's the author of 23 fantasy books in 3 languages (2 more languages
coming this year - watch this space!), including 8 rip-roaring dragon
fantasy bestsellers. Dragonfriend won a Gold Award for Fantasy in the
2016 IPPY Book Awards.
writing about dragons and Africa, preferably both at the same time.
He's the author of 23 fantasy books in 3 languages (2 more languages
coming this year - watch this space!), including 8 rip-roaring dragon
fantasy bestsellers. Dragonfriend won a Gold Award for Fantasy in the
2016 IPPY Book Awards.
When he's not writing about Africa or dragons Marc can be found travelling
to remote locations. He thinks there's nothing better than standing
on a mountaintop wondering what lies over the next horizon.
to remote locations. He thinks there's nothing better than standing
on a mountaintop wondering what lies over the next horizon.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
2 Comments
Congrats on the book and the tour and thanks so much for the guest post and giveaway! My question for you is, if you had to choose from these three, which is your favorite Dragon: Draco from Dragonheart, Kilgharrah from Merlin or Saphira from The Inheritence Cycle?
ReplyDeleteSean Connery voiced Draco which was pretty awesome :-) I think he gets my vote out of these three.
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.