How I Named the Dragon Characters in Original Elementals

Hi all,

This will be my last blog post of 2021 before my 'year in review' post! Last year I talked about gifts for writers, but I thought I would do something different this time. I made a post in the past about naming the dragon characters in Elemental Dragons. So, I'm doing the same for the main dragon characters in Original Elementals! Without further ado, let's get started!

Frostbite.

Frostbite's name was revealed in my 2020 Christmas calendar on the final day. I wanted to give her a name that was similar to that of her companion, Frost. At the time, Frostfall was the one I wanted to go for, but I thought that sounded too much like a Warrior Cats name than a dragon name. So I went with Frostbite instead.

Maelstrom.

Maelstrom was a bit harder to come up with than the others, just because there are several names that could fit her. Whirlpool was one, along with Reef. Eventually I settled on Maelstrom after reading an article about severe whirlpools in the ocean. I thought it fit her personality.

Shadowhunter.

This name came to me pretty easily. I didn't just want the dragon to be called Shadow as that seems like such a generic name, especially for a Dark Elemental. My boyfriend and I were discussing how Mishka likes to hunt down spiders in our flat and the name clicked!

Devouring.

This name was a really fun one to come up with. In the books, Devouring is a bouncy, excitable dragon who constantly gets under everyone's feet and just wants to play. I wanted to give them a tough name that completely contradicts their personality. This is also a sore point for their companion, Benjamin, who wants them to live up to their name rather than play with everything they come across.

Tempest.

Tempest had several names before I decided on hers. Hurricane, Storm and Sirocco to name a few. But I couldn't find one that fit her until I Googled 'names for wind' and came across it. Even after looking through a bunch of words associated with wind, I couldn't get Tempest out of my head.

Sunrise.

I picked this one as it fit the element of light perfectly. The sun rises and spreads light to the land. While I did think of Sunset, I thought that it would fit better for a Dark Elemental than a Light one.

Stormburst.

While I was looking for names for Tempest I thought of Stormburst. I thought it would suit an electric dragon better so I gave it to Logan's companion, Stormburst.

Turf.

This one was actually the easiest and one of the first I came up with! Other words that I Googled associated with Earth didn't seem to fit so I struck with Turf, it's simple and easy to remember.

Arcturus.

For Stellar's companion, I wanted to give them a star name. I looked up a lot of names until I came across Arcturus; and I knew that it would fit the powerful dragon that I wanted to write about. This one probably took the longest to come across, just because I was looking through so many stars to find the perfect name!

That's it for this week! I hope to see you next when I discuss my year in review. See you next week!

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Magical Winter - Fantasy in Kindle Unlimited

My Longest Series Yet

Hi all!

On the 1st November I'll be writing the first book in the Original Elementals series: Frostbite. I've already announced it as my NaNoWriMo project for this year, and I'm hoping to hit 60K at least. My writing has been a bit hit and miss since I started writing Street Rats, due to stress and fluctuations in my mental health. I love writing, and I hate it when my anxiety gets in the way of me doing it properly. Hopefully Frostbite will change that.

If you didn't know, the Original Elementals series will be ten books total. They will each have a different main character, and a different adventure in each. You will discover how the originals got their elemental powers and dragons. How elemental powers became widespread, and how this started effecting natural dragon species. Draca will also be in these books, his original self, not his clone. You'll also see how the books about the originals were written, and if all the details inside them really were correct...

This will be my longest series yet, and my most ambitious. I'm hoping they'll all be around the same length as the books in the Elemental Dragons series - around 300 pages. I'm aiming to have all books written in two and a half years, with other standalone books written in between. This will not effect my publishing schedule, which is currently two books a year. In fact, once Years has come out, I have the following publishing plan:

Celestial Plague Trilogy - October 2022, April 2023, October 2023

Curse of Anubis Quadrilogy - April 2024, October 2024, April 2025, October 2025

Of course, this could all change! Especially as one day I would like to increase publishing to three books a year. That all depends on how much people like my books, however!

Original Elementals will be a long adventure, and I'm hoping a fun one. It might be the only prequel series that I write as I currently have no plans for sequels or prequels for any of my other books. I just love the Elemental Dragons universe so much and I just think that I have so much more to give it, hence Original Elementals. I thought I would answer a few burning questions you might have below...

Will there be a sequel series?

Maybe. I have ideas, but I'm trying to piece it all together. It could happen, it could not.

Will the main characters in Original Elementals act exactly like their Elementa Dragons clone?

In some instances, they will. But, the originals and the clones have had different upbringings and experiences. They won't be exactly alike, but you'll definitely be able to see all the similarities.

Will their dragons act differently as they aren't bonded?

Yes, although they love each other they will be more prone to acting out and disobeying orders. They're also more likely to take off at any moment, as there's no physical connection between them. This will cause bumps in the road, but the originals will have to figure out how to overcome this in their journey.

Will the Wyrms make an appearance?

Yes, but not in their evolved form. The scientists helped them evolve a hundred years after the events of Original Elementals, so they will be tiny parasites in these books. They will mostly be seen with Draca, as they used its body as a host in the past.

Will there be a cat in this series?

Of course! My Twitter followers voted on a grey and white cat, the name is currently tied between Aspen and Flurry. I like both names, so I might do another poll to decide!

There's only nine originals - why are there ten books?

That's a secret you'll learn once I get to that book!

Will we discover why dragons were separated into class systems?

Yes! Before the events of Original Elementals, there was no such thing as common, uncommon, rare and premier. The books will explain how this came to be, and the repercussions of this. It will also explain why common dragons are seen as the most dangerous, and why fifteen is the age that people get their dragon egg.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading more about Original Elementals and are looking forward to reading the series. See you next week!

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Halloween Frights

Original Elementals Dragon Designs

Hi all!

Over the past nine months I have been sending polls to my newsletter subscribers so they can vote on the designs for the main dragons of Original Elementals. The final result came in this month, so I thought I would let you all know the results here!

Maelstrom (partner to Marine, the first Water Elemental) - Rare emerald green and white dragon with green eyes.

Frostbite (partner to Frost, the first Ice Elemental) - Uncommon white dragon with pale grey wings and bright blue eyes.

Shadowhunter (partner to Opaque, the first Dark Elemental) - Premier black dragon with dark purple wings and purple eyes.

Devouring (partner to Bonfire, the first Fire Elemental) - Rare black dragon with orange spots and red eyes.

Sunrise (partner to Luminous, the first Light Elemental) - Common white dragon with one pink eye and one red.

Tempest (partner to Squall, the first Wind Elemental) - Uncommon marbled grey dragon with blue eyes.

Stormburst (partner to Lightning, the first Electricity Elemental) - Uncommon dark grey dragon with green eyes.

Turf (partner to Terra, the first Earth Elemental) - Premier black, brown and gold dragon with gold eyes.

Arcturus (partner to Stella, the first Elemental to have all the Elements) - Dark blue and purple premier dragon with white wings and red eyes.

Aqueous, Hazel’s partner from Elemental Dragons

The first book, Frostbite, I will start writing November 1st for NaNoWriMo. The main character will be Franscesca and her dragon Frostbite. As well as introducing dragon partners to humans and elemental powers, they will also discover an evil force that wants to use them for their own gain. The king of the dragons, Zmei, will stop at nothing to get what they want.

When the series is eventually published I will be commissioning artists to draw portraits of each dragon like the one above of Aqueous. I just love seeing the dragons come to life on a poster! As for the book covers, they will be probably be a symbol design instead of a model on the cover. I imagine a dragon surrounded by their element.

The Original Elementals series will be ten books long. I know what you’re thinking: but why are there are only nine dragons for ten books? Well, once I get to book ten, I’ll let you know! This will be my longest series yet, and I’m both excited and nervous to start writing it! Every three books or so I will take a break from Original Elementals to write a standalone book in a different genre, just to keep my enthusiasm for the series going.

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

PS; looking for something spooky to read for Halloween? Check out the books in these bundles:

October Tricks and Treats

Halloween Frights

Elemental Dragons Now Available in Hardcover

Hi all,

Last week I said that I had an announcement to make. And that announcement is that the Elemental Dragons series is now available in hardcover!

My proof copies of the hardcover version of Elemental Dragons

I have wanted to do hardcover since I started publishing, as they are my favourite kind of book. I love that they’re heavier than paperbacks, and the covers don’t bend so they’re not as easy to damage. I was tempted to do hardcover outside of Amazon as when I first started they didn’t offer this option to authors. The options that I looked into were Lulu and IngramSpark, but I didn’t use either. The prices for hardcovers on Lulu was enormous, at nearly £30 a book. I knew this wasn’t an option as hardly anyone would pay that much for one book. Then I looked at Ingram, but they charge $50 for each book that you want to upload and if you want to make any changes then it’s another $50. So, I had to abandon the idea of hardcovers for a while.

Until now, of course!

Not only is Elemental Dragons in hardcover, but all of my future books will be too! They will be the ones that I keep on my shelf as well, although I do like the paperbacks.

That’s it for this week! Let me know if you also prefer hardbacks in the comments. See you next week.

PS; looking for some new books to read? Take a look at the ones in these bundles below:

September Urban Fantasy Sale

Terrifying Adventures - Horror Giveaway

Elemental Dragons Complete Collection Now Available

Hi all!

The Elemental Dragons Complete Collection Books 1-4 is now available on Amazon! You can buy all of the books in one neat little ebook boxset!

Read the complete collection of the Elemental Dragons series, containing the following:
Blood and Water
Venom and Earth
Glass and Ice
Cinder and Fire

Being an elemental is hard.
Just ask Hazel Adams who at fifteen finds herself being sent off for the next step in her training where she will receive her dragon egg. But, the camp harbors many dangers in disguise, she will soon find out that not all dragons are born equal.

Life just keeps getting harder.
Hazel and the gang are back, but after the near cataclysmic events of the last year they might not be together for long. The Wyrms are on the move and so are those that serve them, including the Cindaraans who will let no-one get in their way.

Being on the run isn't easy.
Hazel, who’s learned just how dangerous messing with dragons can be, now finds herself battling yet a new foe: the great Anthropomorphic Dragon.

Avoiding a war isn’t getting any easier.
Hazel and her companions are shaken after the last battle and don’t know where to turn. Realizing that in the event of a full-scale war they would be sorely pressed, they take their time to regroup and try to form a better plan.

That’s it for this week, see you next Sunday!

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Fantasy Books For Sale

The Rebel Group of Original Elementals

Hi all!

As promised, here is some more information about the rebel group in Original Elementals!

The group is lead by Francesca, who is also the founder. She started the group in response to rumours about the scientific facility in their hometown doing unethical experiments on dragons. In the Elemental Dragons universe there are several species of dragons that each support the ecosystem of the areas. For example: Fairy Dragons are omnivores, they will eat pests such as mice and flies. They can also be considered pests themselves however, as they will eat crops as well. Francesca turned out to be right, but she hadn't realised the extent of the experiments.

All nine of the main characters are members of the group, and although there were others, they have since left or gotten bored and moved on. A lot of the others joined at the prodding of their parents or just something to do after school. Some of them don't want to be there at all, but don't want to be at home either. This is before dragon companions and elemental powers were commonplace, so there wasn't as much adventure as in the Elemental Dragons series.

At first all the group did was peaceful protest outside of the facility. They held up signs and refused to move from specific spots. Each time the police would come and break them up, but wouldn't charge them due to the fact that all the protestors are teenagers. Benjamin, wanting a bit more excitement, decided to break into one of the vans that goes in and out of the facility. This sparked an idea in Francesca, who wanted to break into the facility and get solid proof of the experiments that they're doing.

The adults in the town aren't bothered about the protesting teenagers. They prefer them sat outside the facility in silence than rioting in the streets. The group isn't taken seriously, but that also means they can get away with a lot more. Francesca uses this to her advantage, testing the water into how much trouble they can get into with the lowest repercussions. Once they get hold of dragon eggs however, that's when their little group turns out to be more than a minor inconvenience...

I still haven't named the group, purely because I can't decide on a name I like. Closer to November I will run a poll to see which name you like best.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

PS; this is your last chance to pick up these FREE books before they’re gone!

Dragon’s Lair

A Glimpse into the Main Characters of Original Elementals

Hi all!

As I'll be starting to write the books in the Original Elemental series in November I thought that I would give you a glimpse into the main characters! Each book will feature one of the below characters in their point of view. In no particular order:

Francesca.

The Original Ice Elemental, nicknamed 'Frost' in a book about her life. She's the first one to get a dragon companion, Frostbite, and the leader of the small group rebelling against scientists torturing dragons. She's very loud spoken and a fierce optimist.

Maria.

The Original Water Elemental, nicknamed 'Marine' in a book about her life. Her dragon companion is Maelstrom. The complete opposite to Francesca, she's quite shy and reserved. However, that doesn't mean she's unwilling to fight for what she believes in.

Oskar.

The Original Dark Elemental, nicknamed 'Opaque' in a book about his life. His companion is Shadowhunter. He is the most cowardly of the group, and loathes confrontation. He tries to coast his way through rebel life doing the bare minimum to help, but Francesca is always there to drag him back into the fray.

Benjamin.

The Original Fire Elemental, nicknamed 'Bonfire' in a book about his life. His dragon companion is Devouring. He's headstrong and stubborn, and doesn't get on with most of the group. His closest friends are Logan and Lucia. Although he doesn't like getting his hands dirty, he's willing to if needed. He also sees himself as having the worst dragon, as she is more of a player than a fighter.

Su-hyeon.

The Original Wind Elemental, nicknamed 'Squall' in a book about his life. His dragon companion is Tempest. Generally quiet and introverted, he'd much rather be in bed than out hunting dragons. He joined the rebels initially to get his parents off his back about not having any friends. Despite this, he loves studying the dragons and spoils Tempest with everything she wants.

Lucia.

The Original Light Elemental, nicknamed 'Luminous' in a book about her life. Her companion is Sunrise. Although stuck up and spoiled on the outside, she's secretly insecure. Her looks mean everything to her, and she'd rather have others do her dirty work for her. Her and Benjamin are an item, but she is constantly afraid that he will leave her for someone else.

Logan.

The Original Electric Elemental, nicknamed 'Lightning' in a book about his life. His dragon companion is Stormburst. Logan is quite overprotective of his friends and isn't afraid to stand up for them. His first thought is to use his fists, which often gets him into a lot of trouble. He was pushed to join the rebels by his parents, who thought it was a harmless group that he could blow off some steam with. He's obsessed with flying.

Tiegan.

The Original Earth Elemental, nicknamed 'Terra' in a book about her life. Her dragon companion is Turf. She hates the rebels, but only stays for the free food. The others don't know that her family have abandoned her, and that she actually sleeps in their hideout when they've all gone. She's too proud to ask for help, and is also jealous of the fact that everyone else seemingly has a perfect family.

Stella.

She is the Original Elemental to gain all the elements, and is supposed to be the leader of the group. She's nicknamed 'Stellar' in a book about her life and her companion is Arcturus. She's extremely shy, and doesn't talk unless necessary. She has a strong connection to all dragon species, being able to calm them with her presence. What she doesn't tell the others is that all of the Elements cause her great pain, and her body is constantly fighting the effects of this. Some days are better for her than others.

The designs of the dragon companions are being chosen monthly by my newsletter subscribers! Do you want to help design the characters and have access to book deals and monthly short stories? You can sign up here: My Mailing List

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading this little insight into the first generation of Elementals. Next week I'll tell you a bit more about their rebellious little group, which is as of yet unnamed. See you next week!

PS; looking for some free fantasy books? Check out the ones in this bundle!

Dragon’s Lair

Elemental Dragons in a Physical Bookshop

Hi all,

This week I've got an announcement to make: a bookshop is now stocking paperback copies of all of the Elemental Dragons books!

This is a huge milestone for a self published author, as most bookshops won't even look at our books. I pitched quite a few bookshops last year, but got disheartened by the amount of negative responses. Due to publishing through Amazon, which is the biggest rival to bookshops, they weren't interested. After about a hundred pitches, some of which got extremely rude responses, I gave up. It was only when someone in my writing group mentioned that a new bookshop had opened that I decided to try again. I wasn't expecting anything to come of it, but they agreed to stock my books!

My books listed on the shop’s website

I'm glad that I've managed to hit another milestone in my author career. It's also quite surreal to see my book in a physical shop!

For the time being I'm not going to pitch to any more bookshops. The negative responses I got the first time round effected my anxiety, to the point where I didn't want to check my emails. I know that bookshops don't have to stock books they don't want to, but I think the rude responses were unnecessary.

I considered going through IngramSpark, as they have a high distribution rate with bookshops. The only issue I found is that it can be quite pricey just to set up one book on Ingram, let alone the four that I have. I've put that idea on hold until I decide whether the benefits will outweigh the costs.

If you want to check out the bookshop, you can do so here: Bookshop

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading, see you next week!

PS; looking for some new fantasy books? The ones in this bundle are FREE to download!

Dragon’s Lair

Elemental Dragons Complete Collection Pre-Order Live

Hi all!

If you haven’t been keeping up with my social media, the Elemental Dragons Complete Collection is now available for pre-order! It will be out in ebook format on July 13th 2021.

The Complete Collection contains all of the books in the Elemental Dragons series in one neat little bundle!

You will receive:

Blood and Water

Venom and Earth

Glass and Ice

Cinder and Fire

While waiting for the Complete Collection to come out why not join my mailing list? You’ll get exclusive short stories, cover reveals and a chance to vote on what characters look like!

In return you’ll get a free ebook that can’t be downloaded anywhere else. I also plan on adding more free books in the future, so it’ll definitely be worth your while signing up!

Coming over the next year will be the following FREE enovellas:

Famished - a prequel to Mute

Sif’s Peak - a spin-off in the Years universe

Seashine - a look at the origins of a character in Celestial Plague

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

Before you go, this is the last chance to get some free books!

Spring Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway

The SoundArt Dragon Award and Radio Interview

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about a radio interview I did a few weeks ago. You may remember John Eden from previous blog posts, who interviewed me on SoundArt Radio about the books in the Elemental Dragons series. You can check out SoundArt here:

In this interview we talked about Elemental Dragons as a whole, in order to get onto the topic of Cinder and Fire. We discussed the characters and my reasons for writing the books, as well as I'm what I'm planning for Elemental Dragons in the future. This interview was a little different, as we couldn't actually meet face to face in the studio. Instead we did it over webcam, although John couldn't see me!

He presented me with the SoundArt Dragon Award, which sits above my bookshelf (mainly so Mishka can't knock it over).

The SoundArt Dragon Award

Although the interview was a bit different from usual, it still followed the usual format. I had three songs played, which were:

Til The Love Runs Out - One Republic

Hey Brother - Avicii

It's All So Incredibly Loud - Glass Animals

We discussed Draca and the Wyrms again, as well as the characters in Elemental Dragons. We also discussed a blog post I made a few weeks prior, about the element of metal. He wanted to ask more about the Elemental Dragons series, but unfortunately I couldn't give too much away thanks to planning the Original Elementals series!

Mute and Years were brought up again, the next two books I'm planning to publish. I talked about what a wendigo is and how it features in the story of Mute. Audra as a character was also discussed, as she is the first character I've written who never verbally speaks a line of dialogue. I did mention the gore, but that didn't seem to put John off!

Mishka was constantly wandering in front of the camera throughout, which lead to me losing my train of thought at times! Luckily I was able to keep her from walking all over my laptop, which was her primary goal.

I read a bit of Cinder and Fire, and I think this time I managed to slow down a bit more. I tried to make my voice more steady, and I don't think I stumbled as much as I have in the past. Thanks to doing this twice before, I think it alleviated my anxiety a lot. I knew the format, I knew what was going to happen. That definitely helped with my nervousness.

That's it for this week, next week's blog post will be dedicated to a bit of Mute's lore which I hope you will find interesting. See you next week!

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Spring Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway