Today the Dragon Wins

"Today the Dragon Wins" offers information from Fantasy Author and Professional Editor Sandy Lender. You'll also find dragons, wizards, sorcerers, and other fantasy elements necessary for a fabulous story, if you know where to look...

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Sandy Lender is the editor of an international trade publication and the author of the fantasy novels Choices Meant for Gods and Choices Meant for Kings, available from ArcheBooks Publishing, and the series-supporting chapbook, What Choices We Made.

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tuesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it."
— Epicurus

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a great day!
Keep reading for more of today's posts.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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The Dragon Continues Yesterday's Info
Or...a quick refresher on Author Jamieson Wolf

I didn't have time before my appointment yesterday to type up something kind or clever about the author of yesterday's dragon story. Regular visitors to this site will recognize Jamieson Wolf's name-for two reasons. One, Jamieson (Drake) is the villain in the Choices trilogy. Two, Jamieson (Wolf) has appeared here in our author interview series several times as he's released books.

I met Wolf in an online writer's group a couple years ago and learned that he reviewed books for Linear Reflections. So I contacted him offlist to see if he'd read and review Choices Meant for Gods. He accepted and, a couple weeks later, I had a glowing review for my first novel and a new contact in the book publishing industry.

Jamieson writes a variety of genres under the speculative fiction umbrella, and you can learn about them at his site www.jamiesonwolf.com. It's always a pleasure to have him share his publishing experiences with you visitors because he's worked with multiple publishers and multiple genres in both electronic and print books. His articles appear in Linear Reflections and The American Chronicle (and others, I'm sure). He teaches courses with Long Story Short and The Muse Conference Online.

If you missed yesterday's dragon story, I encourage you to scroll on down through today's Word of the Day and check out yesterday's postings. If you leave a comment for Wolf, you're automatically entered in the dragon storytelling contest for the e-prizes later this week. Enjoy Wolf's gift for telling stories!

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Word of the Day
Imperil (transitive verb) – to endanger; to expose someone or something to the risk of harm or loss (etymology: from Latin "periculum" meaning "trial" or "danger")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Chariss tries to impress upon her new benefactors that her presence imperils them because Drake will kill anyone who harbors her.

Your turn! What perilous sentences can you come up with today? Share your creativity in the comment field and be entered in the October Word of the Day contest. Hooray!

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Monday, October 27, 2008

Monday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable."
-Moliere

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender encourages you to do something great today!
Keep reading for today's dragon story installment from Jamieson Wolf. I'm on my way out the door for a doctor appointment so I can't take time to tell you all the cool things about Jamieson and his current releases, so we may be discussing that tomorrow. Remember to leave comments to enter the dragon story contest for some coo-el e-prizes.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Today's Dragon Story
Or...The Dragon welcomes Jamieson Wolf with this week's installment in the "There Once Was a Dragon" story-telling series

Dragons Don’t Dream

By Jamieson Wolf



There once was a Dragon who could not dream.

Because she could not dream, she was unable to fly. She would stare at her wings with discontent. She would stretch them out so that the sun could shine through the thick membrane. She wished that she could feel the wind rushing past them, whistling past her as she flew.

Discontent, she would lie by a small pond and watch the reflections of the trees sway when the pond rippled.

One day, as she lay by the pool of water, she watched a Phoenix land in the tree. It eyed the dragon through the branches. “Dragon, why are you sad?” it asked.

“I am sad because I can’t fly,” the dragon replied.

The Phoenix laughed. “Don’t be silly, all Dragons can fly.”

The Dragon sighed. “I can’t. Dragons must dream when they sleep in order to fly.” The Dragon sighed again and looked at the Phoenix in the trees. The Phoenix looked old and foreworn, as if it had seen better days.

The Phoenix shook its head. “I did not realize this,” she said. “I think I can help you with your plight, Dragon, if you help me with mine.”

The Dragon eyed the Phoenix warily. “What would you have me do?”

“I am at the end of my years,” the Phoenix said. “Normally, I would burst into fire and rise again from the ashes. But I am unable to do this.”

“But all Phoenix can,” the Dragon said. “It is the way.”

The Phoenix sighed. “Not all Phoenix can do this,” she said. “I can’t. I was born without fire inside me so I grow old beyond my years when I should be young and beautiful many times over.”

The Dragon thought how they were much alike, she and this Phoenix. “If I give you some of my fire, will that help you be reborn?”

The Phoenix nodded. “In return, I will give you this.” She reached behind her and plucked a tail feather out with one of her clawed feet. “My feathers have a special magic in them, a special resin. Let the feather burn in the fire that I will rise from and inhale the smoke. You will be able to fly then.”

The Dragon nodded, wanting to try anything at this point to achieve her desire of flying. She blew out a plume of fire, softly, so as not to catch the Phoenix unaware. As the Phoenix began to burn, the Dragon clutched the feather in her tail and reached out toward the fire.

The feather and the Phoenix began to burn with a bright, gold light, brighter than any flame the Dragon could ever produce. She pulled the feather away from the flame and was astounded when it started to hum.

The sound grew in intensity and the Dragon leaned her head forward and breathed in the smoke. As she did, she watched as the fire consumed the Phoenix. Soon, the sound was all the Dragon could hear. What she felt, though, was a different matter entirely.

She felt liquid fire enter her blood, a kind of Magic unknown to her. Surely Dragons are the most Magical of beasts? But she had not felt this Magic before, had not felt anything like it.

The Dragon felt as if she were burning from the inside out. Before she had a chance to contemplate this, there was an incredible, loud bang in the air. The tree that the Phoenix perched upon burst into flame and the Dragon lost sight of her.

Dizzy, she let the darkness take her, thankful to at least have made a friend.


* * *


In the darkness, the Dragon dreamt for the first time.

She dreamt that she was a young Dragon, barely over her hatchling stage. Her mother, still alive, was humming a tune.

“Why can’t I fly yet?” the young Dragon asked. Her young voice sounded high pitched to her, funny.

Her mother looked at her kindly. “Because you have not started your Dreaming Cycle yet. I have yet to take you through it. It is something that should be shared through mother and daughter.”

“Can we do it soon?” the young Dragon asked.

Her mother had smiled down at her, eyes glowing in the darkness of the cave. “Of course, my darling.”

The dream switched, moved, jerked. Now she wasn’t with her mother in the cave. She knew it was later that day, later that evening and she watched her mother die. The men had come upon them after dusk, had tied her mother down and had thrown the young Dragon into a net.

She huddled at the mouth of the cave, watching the men massacre her mother in the darkness. The young Dragon watched as the men withdrew her mother's heart, the nine chambers gleaming red in the darkness.

The young Dragon heard their laughter, heard their joking, and knew they were only hunting her mother for sport.

She knew that her mother's death was worthless.

The young Dragon felt tears slide from her eyes. The tears, ones of ultimate sadness, would never leave her. They would mark her scales with a whiteness that would shine in the darkest of shadows.

In the dream, the young Dragon saw darkness and then nothing more.


* * *


Awake again, the Dragon felt tears slide down her scales.

She had not dreamed before. But her first dream was of her most painful memory. She contemplated this; will her dreams get better as they went along, or would the subject matter always be left to chance?

Looking around her, she saw that the tree was burnt to cinders. But her friend had returned. Gone was the old, aged Phoenix. Instead, in her place was a large resplendent Phoenix with gleaming feathers and large tail feathers.

The Dragon looked down at her. “You’re beautiful now.” She said. “Thank you for the gift.”

The Phoenix nodded. “You have dreamt, I can see it in your eyes. I thank you for your gift to me. Without it, I would have been old forever.” The Phoenix regarded her through large black eyes. “You will fly with me now, yes?”

The Dragon nodded, happy to know that she could.



"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Monday, October 27, 2008
Word of the Day
Vulnerable
(adjective) – susceptible to injury, harm, danger, attack; not well defended against attack (etymology: from Latin "vulnerare" meaning "to wound")

Word in a Sentence: In the upcoming fantasy novel Choices Meant for Kings, Nigel believes Chariss will be vulnerable to her enemies if she leaves the safety of his palatial estate to take Rohne on his quest to the Southlands.

Your turn! I'm going for somewhat spooky words this week, for obvious reasons. What not-so-safe thoughts can you come up with to share with the audience out there? This is your last week to get in on the October Word of the Day contest!

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Friday, October 24, 2008

Friday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."
— Epicurus

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a dream-filled day!
Keep reading for more of today's posts including your opportunity to enter the Word of the Day contest.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Internet Blogging for Storytellers and Journalists
Or...The Dragon recaps a fabulous event

This will be a fast recap so I'm really not doing it justice, but the Naples Press Club (NPC) hosted a panel discussion last night at the Norris Center. Attendance was higher than anticipated and the audience stayed intently focused for a solid hour on a technical (all right, let's call it what it is - NERD CENTRAL) subject. It was a blast!

The dimly lit picture above features our moderator, Phil Lewis, the editor of the Naples Daily News, Sandy Lender (me), Brian Womble, Ivan Seligman, and (not in the photo) Elizabeth Kellan. Elizabeth is the gal who put the whole thing together so kudos to her for all her effort. Photo courtesy of Phil Jason and the low batteries in my digital camera. Phil is the co-author of Creative Writer's Handbook, available at www.prenhall.com/english, which we discussed during the punctuation series at the end of March.

If you click on the names in the paragraph above, you can check out their blogs, which I encourage you to do. These people put time and energy into these things and know what they're doing. This is high calibre blogging and not the navel-lint-investigation you get subjected to 90 percent of the time on the blogosphere these days. Yes, I believe you know what I'm talking about. :)

We're back to normal writing posts next week. We'll have another installment in the dragon stories series Monday so I look forward to entertaining you!

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Friday, October 24, 2008
Word of the Day
Zeal
(noun) – fervent pursuit of a goal, devotion to a cause; ardor; extreme enthusiasm for something (etymology: from Greek "zelos")

Word in a Sentence: In the Choices fantasy trilogy, Jamieson Drake pursues Hrazon and Chariss for more than sixteen years all around the continent of Onweald with a zeal often seen in obsessed quacks.

Your turn! I promised today's word would be easier to work with. Share your creative use of today's word and get automatically entered in the contest to win some eBooks at the end of the month.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Thursday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."
— Franklin Roosevelt

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a creative, joyful day!
Keep reading for some useful blogging links and today's chance to enter the Word of the Day contest. (It's a toughie...)
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Some Good Blog Links
Or...this augments Sandy Lender's blogging panel this evening

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender (me) is participating in the Naples Press Club's blogging panel discussion this evening, and I'm willing to bet the following links will come up. I'm posting them here so folks don't have to scribble them down while we're talking, and so you visitors at home get the benefit as well.

A good sitemeter link is at sparklit.

A good pinging link used to be at Blogflux. I loved it. But it became erratic this summer. It may be back up but, honestly, I don't have time in my writer's life to check it daily in the off chance that they're back on top of things again.
A great pinging link that has fabulous features is at Ping My Blog.
Another decent pinging link that has just the basics is at Pingomatic.

And do you know how to build your html tags? Technorati has a tag generator.

I've used these tools in some of my online marketing efforts for my fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, and will employ them further when my short story anthology (What Choices We Made) and second novel (Choices Meant for Kings) are released soon. They're just extra tools to build your blog's presence and help you monitor your success. Have fun!
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
Word of the Day
Oneiromancy
(noun) – divining events or acts by dreams (etymology: Greek "oneiros" meaning "dream")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, one can employ oneiromancy after Chariss's coma to deduce she is still pursued by Jamieson Drake.

Your turn! Some days are more difficult than others, eh? Can you get creative with today's word? Try it and you're automatically entered in the contest to win a couple eBooks at the end of the month. (And I promise tomorrow's word will be easier.)

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Wednesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling, like dew, upon a thought produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."
— Lord Byron

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a day where you make others think.
Keep reading for a Grammar Guide and today's chance to enter the Word of the Day contest.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Grammar Guide
The epigraph versus the block quote (a reminder)


Whether you're writing a research paper for midterms or a novel with inscriptions at the outset of each chapter, this grammar guide will set a couple of standard quotation methods to right for you. Epigraphs and block quotes have different placements and citation requirements. To avoid plagiarism, follow these simple rules.

An epigraph is an inscription or quotation used at the beginning of a literary work or chapter to introduce or set the theme/tone of the piece.

A block quote (spelled either as one word or two) is set within the text, and, depending on its length, will have quotation marks to set it off. If it's very long, and parameters can be found in Grammar Guide "Punctuation with quotation in formal text," posted on this blog Feb. 7, 2007, you'll set it off by placing a line of space before and after the quote, indenting it on both the right and left margins, and, depending on the style guide you're following, hitting it with an endnote. (Those rules are spelled out in the Grammar Guide referenced above.)

Epigraphs do not get quotation marks around them. If the epigraph includes dialogue, the dialogue will have its correct punctuation, including quotation marks, but the overall device doesn't get set off by the punctuation. If you're following the American Literature Style Guide, your epigraph will be cited with an em dash and the name of the author and the title of the work from which the quote came. (You can read detailed instructions on the key stroke for the em dash at "Punctuation – the em dash" posted on this blog May 21, 2007.) No other attribution is necessary. No endnote is used, etc. In other words, the rules are a little more lax than with the block quote.

For the placement of the epigraph, again, it depends on the style guide you use. If you're following the AL style guide, you want the epigraph to be flush right at the top of the document, and the font to use is Roman. MLA doesn't list specific rules for epigraphs so students typically apply the MLA rules for block quotes/indented quotes, right down to listing the source on the source page. Etcetera. Just check your style book and write accordingly.

One thing to keep in mind with epigraphs is their perception with readers. If you're writing first-person chick lit with amusing characters in trite sexual encounters, putting deep and meaningful quotes from Dante and Cervantes at the beginning of each chapter equals an attempt at eloquence that the novel is not supposed to have. Stick with something light and fun to match the tone of the overall piece, as the epigraph is, by definition, supposed to do.

Another point to keep in mind is consistency. If using an epigraph on 15 out of 26 chapters in a novel, either strike the 15 or come up with appropriate lead-in quotes for the other 11. Don't do it halfway. Agents, editors and publishers will notice.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

Sandy Lender is a magazine and book editor with 16 years experience in her field. Her first published novel,
Choices Meant for Gods, is available from ArcheBooks Publishing.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Word of the Day
Truckle
(intransitive verb) – to yield weakly; to be submissive; also a noun meaning a caster or a small wheel, but I like the verb for today's word because it reminds me of an ex-husband's character trait… he he he (etymology: from Latin "trochlea" meaning a system of pulleys)

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, the pitiful orphan Sorne Jeel truckles to any and all members of the Taiman household as if he is a servant and not an adopted son.

Your turn! What creative thing can you do with today's word? Share it in the comment field and you're automatically entered in the contest to win a couple eBooks!

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Tuesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"The biggest thing in today's sorrow is the memory of yesterday's joy."
— Kahlil Gibran

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a joy-filled day!
Keep reading for today's Word of the Day entry.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Word of the Day
Smutch (transitive verb) – to soil; to stain – also a noun meaning a spot of dirt or a stain (etymology: believed to come from the word smudge, which is from Middle English "smogen")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, when Nicolas Lont badmouths Chariss, Nigel turns him into a smutch in Arcana's hallway.

Your turn! What stained little creative sentence can you share with us in the comment field today? Participate to enter this month's eBook contest.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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WELCOME TO POST 900
Or...The Dragon sees a milestone on the horizon

I missed a lot of blogging days this summer with my infrequent posts during all the crapola going on in the personal life. When the choice comes down to working on the blog or working on one of my works in progress (WIPs) during my spare time, guess which one gets my spare time. That's why I'm a fantasy author...it keeps me from going completely stark raving mad, you know. :) Now that a few things are calmer, I figure we're on the fast train to 1,000 posts. I'll come up with a cool contest to tie to it, okay? Stay tuned.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Monday, October 20, 2008

Monday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."
— Pablo Picasso

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a creative, powerful day!
Keep reading for today's dragon story from my friend and fellow author Michelle Weston. You can read more of her work and learn more about her young adult fantasy series at her blog at this link.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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This Week's Dragon Story

Or...The Dragon introduces M.B. Weston's young adult fantasy to you

The Elysian Chronicles: Kinole of the King's Guard
By M. B. Weston


There once was a dragon of the king’s guard…


Kinole’s serpentine body soared through the air, and he ignored the raindrops pelting his eyes and sizzling the moment they touched his searing, blue-green scales before evaporating. His heart pounded. Would the other dragons attack him? They were only Tatsu—the smallest of the dragon races, but Kinole was the slightest even of them. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a dragon with deep plum scales gaining on him.


Kinole crashed into a tree trunk and plummeted to the ground. The purple dragon landed on top of him and climbed on his back, digging his claws into Kinole’s shoulder. “Don’t tell a soul what we’re planning, Kinole,” he growled. He leapt off and flew away.


Kinole hung his head, and his normally pointy ears drooped. Only twenty minutes earlier, he had been guzzling water from his favorite lake and listening to the morning rain patter across the meadow—until the fresh, wet-grass-and-moss smell changed into something unfamiliar. He glanced up and noticed a herd of unicorns with soft, white fur and iridescent horns drinking across the lake. They look so regal, Kinole thought, and he wondered why dragons and unicorns disliked each other.


The same purple dragon, Piper, and twenty of his fellow dragons landed behind Kinole. “Don’t the unicorns know the northern lands belong to us?” Piper muttered.


“Where else can they go, now that Elysia’s new king has banished them?” said Kinole, referring to the country south of dragon territory.


“I don’t care, as long as it’s not here.” Piper smirked. “We’ve got a little plan to make them move.” He pointed to the clouds. “The rain will leave in an hour. Once the sun hits the center of the sky, we’ll attack.”


“But King Rhys gave orders not to attack unicorns.”


“It’s just a joke. We’ll blow fire near them—not at them. To scare them away,” Piper had said. “Are you in?”


Now, Kinole rubbed the scratches from Piper’s claws, wishing he said yes. He wondered what he should do. A dragon attack on the unicorns, even as a prank, could start a war.


“I should warn the king,” thought Kinole. But King Rhys and the other colossal Imperial dragons rarely tolerated a tiny Tatsu like Kinole. The scratches on Kinole’ shoulder still stung, and he wondered how much deeper an Imperial’s claws might cut.


“But if they start a war, and the king finds out I knew…?” Kinole bounded into the air and flew through the rain toward the king’s throne in the foothills of the Rimy Mountains.


Kinole crept through the ravine that led to the hilltop where King Rhys held court. The rain had disappeared, but wind still whistled through the cliffs. Imperial dragons over twice Kinole’s size—some red, some green and some muted yellow—perched on rock overhangs and snarled at him. Ahead, twelve stone pillars stood in a semi-circle on the peak of a hill. A rust-colored dragon more than twenty feet tall with seven horns jutting out of his head sat between the middle pillars. His red tail—and the long, ginger spikes growing out of it—swished back and forth, and his gaze followed Kinole until the tiny dragon stood under the pillars, staring up at the giant king.


Kinole’s ears drooped, and the ridges on his back lay flat.


King Rhys lowered his neck, bringing his face eye-level with Kinole. “What brings you here? Most Tatsu don’t trouble themselves with dragon affairs of state.”


Kinole explained Piper’s plans to attack the unicorns, including his fear that the attacks might start a war. “They plan to attack when the sun hits the middle of the sky,” he added.


The king snarled. “They have no idea what they’re starting. Can you show me where they are?


Kinole’s ears perked up, and he nodded.


King Rhys whistled to his top guards. “We have a battle to stop,” he growled. He glanced at the sun. “And we don’t have much time.”


Kinole struggled to keep up with the king and his guards, who flew low over the hills to conceal their approach from the Tatsu. The sun hit the center of the sky the moment they landed near the lake, where Piper and the others were creeping up on the unicorns.


Piper jumped into the air, but before he signaled for attack, King Rhys landed in front of him, and the king’s guard surrounded the rest of the Tatsu.


Piper and the dragons backed away from the king in silent submission—until Piper noticed Kinole huddling behind a boulder. He lunged and snapped at Kinole.


The king roared and slapped Piper aside with his mammoth claw, and Piper scampered away.


A week later, Kinole hopped along the tops of the river rocks, trying to keep his balance without using his wings. He glanced at the meadow where other Tatsu played. Since he warned King Rhys about their attack on the unicorns, even his friends refused to look at him.


Wings flapped overhead, causing Kinole to lose his balance and fall into the river. He sat up in the river, looking through dripping water and steam at King Rhys and ten of his guards standing near the bank.


Rhys chuckled. “I’m told the Tatsu won’t talk to you anymore.”


Kinole climbed on a rock and let the water evaporate off his skin. He sighed. “They say they can’t trust me.”


“You have a brave heart, Kinole,” said the king. “I want you to join my guard. Normally, I reserve such positions for Imperials, but…” The king smiled. “Something tells me you’ve got Imperial blood in you.”


“Really?” said Kinole.


“They’ll teach you the works,” said the king, nodding toward the dragons who kept him company.


Kinole beamed. He pranced to the other dragons and tried his best to keep up as they flew away.

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Monday, October 20, 2008
Word of the Day
Mar (transitive verb) – to destroy; to spoil; to deface (etymology: from Middle English "merran" and Old English "mierran")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Nigel resists Godric's taunts until the older man attempts to mar Chariss's good name.

Your turn! What fabulous sentence can you come up with to use today's Word of the Day? Share and you'll be entered to win win win.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
— Mother Teresa

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender encourages you to help your neighbor.
In honor of World Poverty Day Wednesday of this week, our inspirational quotes focus on charity and help.
Keep reading for more of today's posts.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Dragon Discussions
Or...reporting on coo-el stuff

Because this blog is about writing, writing exercises, getting the writing juices flowing, etc., I have a dragon group over at my Book Place "presence" for discussing all things fantastical about these awesome creatures. I don't flood it with discussions because, hey, let's face it, the members of the group are just as busy as I am, but there are some cool things to comment on in there if you're up for it.

Check it out here. You can request an invite to join the group.

Enjoy!
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Word of the Day
Mercy
(noun) – compassionate treatment of someone under your power; clemency; also a disposition to be compassionate or forgiving; also a fortunate thing, something to be thankful for; also a relief (etymology: from Latin "merces" meaning "pay" or "reward")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, when Chariss rescued Sorne Jeel from his father, mercy stayed her hand and she didn't kill the ogre outright; she allowed him to be arrested and sentenced by the Arcanan officials.

Your turn! What thought-provoking sentence can you share to augment our understanding of charity today? By participating, you're automatically entered in the eBooks contest to win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Thursday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows."
— Moliere

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender encourages you to do.
In honor of World Poverty Day Wednesday of this week, our inspirational quotes focus on charity and help.
Keep reading for more of today's posts.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Are You Winning Anything?
Or...The Dragon recaps what's happenin' around here

We have two contests running concurrently.
One you can enter daily by participating in the Word of the Day activities. Just read the Word of the Day entry and make up a sentence (put those creative writing skills into motion!) with the word. Share the sentence in the comment field. Easy as pie. This automatically enters you in the Word of the Day contest, which has a fabuloso prize of two eBooks from your happy host (Fantasy Author Sandy Lender) - Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made.

The other contest has fewer chances to enter, but offers more goodies. It's the Dragon Stories Contest (hey, this may be a writer-focused blog, but it's really about dragons, don't you know). So far, we've posted a poem from Romance Author Tina Murray (on Tuesday, Oct. 7) and a short story from writer Laura Crawford (on Monday, Oct. 13). We have another short story in the hopper from Young Adult Author M.B. Weston and a couple more on their way in so stay tuned. All you have to do is leave some thoughts and encouragement for these folks and their dragon tales and you're automatically entered in the contest to win the eBook version of A Chance to Say Yes from Tina Murray, the ezine Recession Rescue from Laura Crawford and the short story anthology What Choices We Made from Sandy Lender.

Good stuff!
And good luck!
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
Charity
(noun) – almsgiving; something that is given to help others; the provision of help to the poor (etymology: from Latin "caritas" meaning "love")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Kora Taiman's charity not only provides for the children of the boarding school in the neighboring town, but teaches her own children how to treat others.

Your turn! What good sentence can you share to augment our understanding of charity today? Participate in the Word of the Day comments and you're automatically entered in the eBooks contest to win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Wednesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
— Anne Frank

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes this would be a life-changing day for everyone.
In observance of World Poverty, Today the Dragon Wins is participating in Blog Action Day's focus. Keep reading for today's post about including such global topics in your writing.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Writing Exercise for Blog Action Day's Focus on Poverty
Or…The Dragon has a challenge for blog visitors
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender

Several of the inspirational topics discussed at Today the Dragon Wins have served the purpose of getting writers writing. Today's global discussion on poverty will be no different. I invite you to get out your pen and paper and think not just of how you address this social and economic issue in your fiction, in your world-building, in your creations, but also of how you solve it. What solutions do you work into your characters' actions? And could those solutions be of use to us in the real world?

When I built the fantasy land of Onweald for my Choices trilogy, I did so over many years. Each character has a family tree and history that doesn't necessarily have a place in the published books you can find at Barnes & Noble, but does have a place in the development of the world I created. Poverty and the struggle for basic survival held sway over many characters' lives. But "being poor" isn't usually limited to just one family or just one neighborhood. Depressed areas grow like a fibrous tumor when there's drought, famine, economic uncertainty, etc. Consider outside forces that affect transportation, and thus commerce. Consider the lack of education in an area that keeps its youth from forming the ideas and breakthroughs that would make farming, mercantile, science, and health care progress into new careers, new foods, new technologies, or new mindsets.

In the first novel of my trilogy, Choices Meant for Gods, I brush the surface of a story from the world's past when poverty was widespread in the southeast corner of Onweald. An enterprising gentleman's foresight and willingness to fix the shipping problems at the nearest harbor gave way to safe, efficient trade and gave the people of the area a slow climb into development and less struggle. It's that type of solution to poverty that a fiction writer gets to put into motion with just the wave of the magic pen. One person makes all the difference. One person takes a stand and says, "I'm willing to make a change."

Sometimes global change can start with one person doing a kind act. In that same novel, an orphan on the run from a madman arrives penniless, homeless, and injured at a great estate. The master of that estate sees her as a danger—could the madman follow her and threaten his family? But the lady of the estate looks on her with compassion. The lady of the estate sees her as a human being suffering from poverty and lack. The lady of the estate is just one person who performs the kind act of taking her in, healing her, feeding her, clothing her, and offering her shelter from the evil outside their walls. In turn, the lady learns that she has saved the life of the most important figure in her society.

Maybe the real-life actions we take to help those who suffer in our real-world society look small to us at times. We're just people. But consider the effect a kindness has on the person receiving it. Put that kindness in your writing exercise today and see what real-life solutions you might reveal for poverty.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Word of the Day
Poverty (noun) – lack of means of providing material needs (etymology: from Latin "pauper" meaning "poor")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Hrazon and Chariss are poverty stricken when they arrive at the Taiman estate with nothing but their clothes on their backs and their wounds on their bodies.

Your turn! What thought-provoking sentence can you share to augment our understanding of charity today? By participating, you're automatically entered in the eBooks contest to win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tuesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service."
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender encourages you to do.
In honor of World Poverty Day Wednesday of this week, our inspirational quotes focus on charity and help.
Keep reading for today's posts including a blogsite review and your chance to enter the Word of the Day contest. Check out yesterday's dragon story to comment and enter that contest.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Site Review for Writers
Or...The Dragon suggests you check this out

The description at the top of the Writers and Authors blog states that it is "a place for people in the writing industry to gather and share experiences, tips and advice. Not to mention promote their latest work and discuss various topics related to the writing industry. Included in this blog you will also find; links to sites for writers, competitions and contests, interviews, writer and book event listings and more..." Jo Linsdell, the administrator of the site, appears to have taken a break during the spring and summer from the constant strain of posting that such a mission statement would require but has come back full force this fall with information and interviews that show diligence in her research. And it's not just the blog posts that visitors will find useful.

Linsdell has smartly organized a host of stationary items down the side of her blog that give visitors snippits of information with links to learn more. For instance, if you're looking for a definition for a word, type it into the "Online Reference" field, select what you want to know about it from the bubbles available, and click "search". Up pops an additional site where your answer lies. Or if you're looking for an idea to unstop your writers block, Linsdell offers the Instant Writing Prompt, which gives you a new idea each time you hit the "refresh" button. Other widgets include a Writing Contests box with scrolling contests—although I think visitors should be encouraged to seek out this feature early in the month to take advantage of the highest number of deadlines—that features links to get individual contest guidelines, a list of links to sites that are helpful to writers, and a list of sites hosting Linsdell on her current virtual tour.

Given the undertaking, Linsdell is bringing an organized, clean, pleasing blogsite to writers and authors that offers what it says it will. I'm impressed by the amount of work she's put into this labor and encourage fellow writers and authors to check it out.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Word of the Day
Altruism
(noun) – concern for others; concern for others' welfare; selflessness (etymology: from Latin "alter" meaning "other")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Kora Taiman's altruism makes her a heroine in her section of Onweald.

Your turn! What good sentence can you share to augment our understanding of charity today? Participate in the Word of the Day comments and you're automatically entered in the eBooks contest to win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Monday, October 13, 2008

Monday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."
— Edward Everett Hale

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender encourages you to do.
In honor of World Poverty Day Wednesday of this week, our inspirational quotes focus on charity and help.
Keep reading for today's dragon story from Laura Crawford and your chances to enter two contests.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Another Dragon Story
Or...a dragon myth from Laura Crawford

Delilah and Ivan—A Dragon Story
By Laura M. Crawford

There once was a dragon named Delilah, who fell in love with a mortal man named Ivan. Ivan was handsome, broad-shouldered with green eyes and a beard. He was also a knight. Knights were sworn enemies of dragons. This love was doomed from the start, …or was it?

Ivan had dreamed of his one true love all of his life. She would be a maiden fair, with long auburn locks and eyes that glowed as emerald jewels. She would be dressed in a royal blue gown with silver trimmings and silver sandals would adorn her feet. In all his travels and adventures, Ivan had never found a maiden that matched his dream and he had remained alone, while his comrades married and produced children. He knew it was silly, but he was not able to give up the dream of his one true love.

One day he could take it no longer and visited a seer in the village he was traveling through. She was an old woman, bent down and poor, but she had the wisdom of the gods, he had heard, and she would tell your future in return for a favor.

“Ivan, you seek your one true love,” she cackled as he entered her cottage. He was astounded. “How did you know my name, and what I seek?”

“I know all about you, dragon slayer. Now, do me one favor and I will tell you your future,” she said.

“What favor?” he asked.

“Bring the wood for my hearth, and the leaves of a rose and I will tell you your fortune.”

“What kind of rose?” he asked.

“You will know,” she said, and smiled and scurried into to the kitchen.

So, Ivan went out, sought the wood and the flowers and brought them to the old woman.

She placed the wood in the fireplace, and lit it to where it was a blaze in the cottage. It was not very cold out, so a fire of that size was not truly necessary. Soon, it was unbearably hot. He was about to leave before he passed out when she quickly grasped his arm and placed the petals of the rose in his palm. She began to talk in a strange voice, almost an echo.

“The love you seek will not be of human form at first. She must sacrifice herself to you before she can take her mortal form. Stab her in the heart with your sword, and you will know it is the one you seek by the petals of the rose.” And in his hand the thorny vines of the rose he had picked were snaring around his hand and when he opened his palm, the vision of his one true love was there.

“I must kill her and then she will be human and be mine? But what form is she now? How will I know?”

The woman looked at him and said, “Get out! You have your answer! Get out!”

Ivan left, very confused, but he left. Years passed, and he still did not find his one true love, until…

Delilah visited a kind old wizard named Homer. He lived out on the outskirts of the woods. He was startled to see a dragon at his door, but when you’ve been around for 900 years, you’ve almost seen everything.

“Dear wizard, I need your help,” she cried. With each teardrop, a rose formed in the ground beneath her.

“Dragon, I’m not sure I can help you. But please stop crying and let me know what the matter is,” he said in a kind gentle voice.

She explained she was in love with a mortal man, a knight. She wanted to take human form, but how? She offered her protection to Homer and all his kin from that day forward to eternity. Homer said he would help her. She was to return in three days. He would have an answer for her then.

While this conversation was taking place, a spy was taking notes and went to seek the knight they called Ivan to inform him of a wizard siding with dragons. Ivan listened to the irritating spy and decided to visit the wizard and kill the dragon.

On the third day, Homer still didn’t have an answer. He was concerned. Then an elder visited him in a dream. He said that the dragon must take the sword of her one true love into the heart for the transformation to take place. Cruel, but the gods were like that. He would tell the truth to the dragon and let her decide her own fate.

Ivan arrived before Delilah and arrested Homer. He was to be hanged for conspiring with dragons and before they took him to the square, a dragon appeared to protect him. Without any hesitation and purely out of reflex, Ivan drew his sword and stabbed the dragon directly in the heart. In a flash of pure white light, the dragon was reduced to dust and the slayer was reduced to tears. He held the hilt of his sword, and when the smoke cleared, he felt that he had murdered the love of his life.

In truth he had, and when the tears he shed hit the dust below him, a form began to take shape. Magically, she appeared, a fair maiden with long auburn curls, a long royal blue robe with a silver lining and silver sandals on her feet. Ivan wept with joy; for this was the love he sought all of his live.

“I thought you had given up on love?” she asked.

“I almost did, and I’m glad I didn’t. But, I …I killed you! How can you possibly be with me knowing I murdered you to have you?!” he asked.

“Because forgiveness is the greatest love of all.” And she kissed him. And they lived happily ever after.

If you're enjoying the dragon story-telling, leave some comments, participate, encourage our writers! Your comments put you in the running for the coo-el electronic prizes (detailed last Monday before Tina's too cute dragon poem) we'll give away at the end of the month.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Monday, October 12, 2008
Word of the Day
Beneficence
(noun) – the quality of kindness; a charitable act; a charitable gift (etymology: from Latin "beneficus" meaning "generous")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, the lovely Kora Taiman possesses beneficence in abundance, which is clear in her donations to the boarding school in the nearby town of Arcana.

Your turn! What good sentence can you share to augment our understanding of charity today? Participate in the Word of the Day comments and you're automatically entered in the eBooks contest to win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Friday, October 10, 2008

Friday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish."
— Warren Bennis

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a creative day!
Keep reading for today's Word of the Day and your chance to win some eBooks.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Friday, October 10, 2008
Word of the Day
Unsubstantial (adjective) – insubstantial; lacking strength; lacking basis in fact (etymology: from Middle English "substancial" and Latin "substantia")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Godric at first considers the danger Chariss and Hrazon pose to his household as unsubstantial, and he welcomes them into his home.

Your turn! Share a sentence with today's Word of the Day and you could be the winner of the electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made at the end of the month. Participate to win.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Thursday, October 09, 2008

Thursday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"Feeling and longing are the motive forces behind all human endeavor and human creations."
— Albert Einstein
Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a creative, powerful day!
No time for an article today...I was up in the middle of the night writing (again) so I'm getting a late start. But keep reading for today's Word of the Day and your chance to enter the eBooks contest!
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Thursday, October 9, 2008
Word of the Day
Glean
(transitive verb) – to gather; specifically to gather grain left by reapers; to collect information a bit at a time (etymology: from Celtic "glend-no-")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Chariss gleans information about Jamieson and Julette's plans from Nicholas during a slow interrogation. (Her interrogation of Emperor Wold in Book II is not so slow…)

Your turn! Share a sentence with today's Word of the Day and enter the eBooks contest. You could win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made at the end of the month.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

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Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Wednesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come."
— Victor Hugo

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a creative, powerful day!
Keep reading for more of today's posts.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

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Writing Tips
Or...something from the Dragon's writing files for visiting writers to enjoy

(Here's an article I wrote for the Capes and Coffins blog about a month or so ago. I don't think I ever got around to posting it here, which, considering it's fabulous for the Writing Tips column, seems a bit odd. Enjoy!)

Use Fantasy to Get You There
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender

Whether she's working with capes, coffins, caves or castles, a speculative fiction author can introduce fantasy elements in otherwise ordinary settings or circumstances to advance plot and develop character. When you take the ordinary and drape the extraordinary around it, you create an alternate reality for the reader. You create a fantasy element. How you use that element dictates its effectiveness. It can be window-dressing or it can be a plot device. In this article, I'm going to discuss using the fantasy element as a plot device, but doing so without losing credibility in the reader's eye.

My publisher, Bob Gelinas, shared in one of his lectures at his Professional Novelist's Workshop that following the ordinary with the extraordinary is one way to retain the reader's suspension of disbelief. If I introduce a character by starting with the extraordinary aspect of her personality, I ask the reader to suspend disbelief immediately without winning his or her trust.

Instead, Gelinas teaches, writers should give the reader some familiar information first. Let the reader get comfortable. When you have the reader's trust, you can spring the extraordinary, or in my case, the fantasy element on him. When I first describe my main character, Chariss, in my fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, I show the reader that she's a compassionate young woman. She's standing on the balcony of a benefactor's home. She's smart enough to have figured out her benefactor's danger. And then I mention that her tears are violet-colored. Like her eyes. Like the jewel on her cheek.

After all the ordinary stuff, I give Chariss some features that you'd only find in a fantasy novel. These elements make her different from other people in her society for an important reason that advances the plot as the reader delves into the story. They're not just window-dressing.

One of the oldest fantasy elements we fantasy authors like to use is the prophecy. A prophet or a written prophecy predicts some heinous future event that the plot moves toward. In CMFG, the prophecy describes Chariss, describes her important role, sets up the plot twist at the end of the novel, etc. But prophecies aren't the only extraordinary elements fantasy authors fall back on. Consider the creatures that you don't typically run into at the city zoo.

Dragons of every make and model, size and shape, color and creed grace the pages of fantasy novels from Goodkind to Tolkien. When the big bad dragons of Lawrence Watt-Evans's Dragon Weather destroy a village and kill young Arlian's grandfather, they (as the fantasy element) set the plot in motion. They unknowingly impart a special power to the youth—to be discovered later in life—and give him his initial quest for vengeance. But before he introduces the extraordinary fantasy beasts, Watt-Evans makes them part of the ordinary legend and lore of the society his characters inhabit.

In my novels, the characters consider dragons extinct so introducing one has to be extraordinary to everyone, including the reader. How does the fledgling dragon that appears to my main character advance plot? In the first book of my Choices trilogy, he looks like window-dressing, but his importance, and his ability to influence the outcome of battles, thus manipulate plot, comes to light in the second novel, Choices Meant for Kings.

Dragons aren't the only fantasy creatures fantasy authors have in their arsenals. Young Adult Author M.B. Weston incorporates unicorns in her Elysian Chronicles series, allowing the creatures to work among the plot as messengers/informants, carriers and soldiers in their own right. In the first of her series, A Prophecy Forgotten, a massacre of the unicorns signals a potent moment in plot development that the reader won't soon forget.

Authors also create their own fantasy creatures. For the Choices trilogy, I've created a variety of monsters from my imagination that serve not as window-dressing, but as tools for the evil goddess who works to thwart my main character. Ryfel and edras are demons from the dark spirit world that I introduce after the reader has become comfortable with the ordinary mythos of the war in which the beasts were first formed. When I have the reader's trust, the reader's belief in the first war where the evil goddess Julette fought the other gods and goddesses of the world, I can later suggest that Julette fought "dirty". Because the reader believes in the war, believes in Julette, believes she's capable of dastardly things, the reader also buys into the demons she created and what they look like, what they can and cannot do, how they can teleport between the "real" world and the dark spirit realm, etc. And having an edras kill a prophet is a pretty big plot development. In CMFG, I use the ryfel to help prove Chariss's prowess and convince the other characters that she is The Protector the prophecies claim her to be.

This isn't an in-depth study on the use of fantasy elements to advance plot and develop character, but I hope it helps show how a writer can set up the reader to believe an extraordinary element. Putting a fantasy element in the story to advance the plot will be foiled if the reader rolls his eyes and loses his belief in the world and the fantasy elements within it. Keep the reader deeply engrossed in the world by leading in with familiar concepts that make him or her comfortable enough to accept the extraordinary fantasy element you introduce to move your plot along.

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender is published by ArcheBooks Publishing. Her first novel, Choices Meant for Gods is available now at Amazon. The second book in the Choices trilogy, Choices Meant for Kings, will be released this fall and is already receiving rave reviews.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Word of the Day
Visage (noun) – appearance; face; facial expression; countenance (etymology: from Old French "vis" and Latin "videre" meaning "to see")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, one cannot always tell the insane Julette's moods from her outward visage.

Your turn! How can you delight us and enter the eBooks contest today? Just share your creative sentence with today's Word of the Day in the comment field and you're automatically entered to win electronic versions of Choices Meant for Gods and What Choices We Made at the end of the month.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Tuesday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"The dusk was performing its customary intransitive operation of 'gathering'."
— Flann O'Brien

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a fun and creative day!
Keep reading for today's first dragon story from Romance Author Tina Murray.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Dragon Story-telling from Tina Murray
Or...here's your first chance to win with a cute one!

There Once Was A Dragon
By Romance Author Tina Murray

There once was a dragon name Larry
He was huge, yellow-green, and quite hairy
But he caused no fear
'Cause he was a big dear
Of this dear dragon none could be wary

You can catch Tina's blog on Blogger and check out info about her recently-released romance A Chance to Say Yes on Amazon. The publisher also has it available in eBook format here.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Word of the Day
Obviate
(transitive verb) – to prevent; to dispose of; to render unnecessary (etymology: from Latin "obviam" meaning "in the way")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Godric Taiman thinks he will merely obviate Hrazon's influence by getting the old wizard out of his home.

Your turn! Do you have any creative sentences itching to get out today? Share and enter the eBooks contest.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

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Monday, October 06, 2008

Monday's Inspirational Quote of the Day
"Out of suffering comes creativity. You cannot spell painting without pain."
— John Lithgow

Fantasy Author Sandy Lender wishes you a creative day!
Keep reading for today's contest announcement.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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There Once Was a Dragon…
For the month of July, I invited writers to submit a story, poem or other creative writing piece that contained a dragon or mention of a dragon to entertain you happy visitors. I'm proud to announce that a few of my writer friends not only accepted the challenge…they did a nice job with it. You should be entertained! But why is it now October? Well, if you were following this blog during the month of July, a few things happened to "disrupt" regular posting. Some of those things have been solved. (The divorce FINALLY ended at the end of September and I moved out of the apartment that was in legal turmoil into a place that is NOT in legal turmoil. Hooray for me!) I can post amid the other things (medical treatments) without much difficulty because marketing and writing are what keep me sane. ***insert maniacal laughter here***

Because I'd like you visitors to encourage the writers and authors participating in this month's dragon stories, and I'd like to hear what other writers and readers around the blogosphere think about dragons and dragon lore and dragon poetry, etc., we're holding a contest for commentators to win some coo-el free stuff in conjunction with the "There Once Was a Dragon" story postings. If you follow the commenting guidelines, you could win an electronic copy of the romance novel A Chance to Say Yes by participant Tina Murray, a one-year subscription to the financial e-zine from Laura Crawford of Crawford Writing and Marketing, and an electronic copy of the new short story anthology What Choices We Made by host Sandy Lender. If I can get it together, I'll write a new dragon story for you all as well.

So sit back, relax, enjoy the dragon stories a few of my author and writer friends have prepared for you (starting tomorrow), and comment on them to enter the contest for the free goodies. But when you comment, you MUST include your return e-mail address. You can put it in "code" if you wish. MyName at yahoo dot com. Whatever the case may be. I can figure that out. What I can't figure out is who the devil you are if you log in anonymously and set your blogger surfing on "no reply". Then you miss out on winning the cool stuff. I have no way to contact you when I pull your strip of paper out of the Duran Duran tour cap…

Enjoy and good luck!

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

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Monday, October 6, 2008
Word of the Day
Zenith
(noun) – the highest point above an observer's horizon; the highest point of a path (etymology: from Arabic "samt")

Word in a Sentence: In the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, Chariss's pet dragon only appears after the second moon reaches its zenith each night.

Your turn! What celestial sentences can you share to expand our vocabulary and get you entered in the eBooks contest?

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."
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